8 24 13 2star

Dairy Star • Saturday, August 10, 2013 • Page 3

It’s all inside...

Hornstra Farms: Long history of milk production, delivery

Needy people getting milk, thanks to six Washington dairy farms

Pages 10 - 11 Second Section

Singing Hills Dairy crafts, markets own product

Women in Jeans: Barb Grimm

Showcase at state fair features red and white animals

Pages 10 - 11

Page 14 Second Section

Pages 12 - 13

Pages 8 , 10 Third Section

Maiers work together on farm, breeding registered Holsteins Pages 1, 8

Everses host thrashing demonstration

Borgerdings recognized as 2013 Stearns County Farm Family of the Year

Pages 5, 6 Third Section

Pages 36 - 37

Communication keeps preg rate steady at Hoscheit Dairy

WCROC hosts Organic Dairy Day Pages 12 - 13 Second Section

Pages 18, 23

A day in the life of the Weiland family Page 16 - 17 Second Section

Morris

Belgrade

Page 35

Kellogg

Nerstrand Dell Rapids

Page 6 The “Mielke” Market Weekly Page 7 Dairy Markets Page 8 Iowa hay auction results Page 15 Dairy in the Suburbs Pages 19, 21 Pricing options for hay harvest agreements Pages 23 - 24 Control bird damage on dairies Page 28 People in the Dairy Community Page 30 Dairy Recipes THIRD SECTION Pages 2 - 3 Understanding genomics Pages 12 - 13 Dairy Calendar Pages 16, 18 - 19 Some Udder Stuff Pages 21 - 26 Classieds

Millville Caledonia

Contents FIRST SECTION Page 20 On the Road with Princess Kay Page 26 Boylen Over Page 25 Silk emergence predicts corn maturity date Page 28 Safety is an everyday deal Page 29 Highlights of Precision Dairy 2013 Conference Page 31 Giving back is a valuable thing Page 39 Rural Roots SECOND SECTION Page 3 Farmland values increase 25 percent Ag economists caution farmers for potential downturn Page 4 May mailbox prices up in six reporting areas

Pages 1, 5

Jim Falls Waconia

Schmitt, Young named Iowa Dairy Princess Royalty

Teaming up for a supreme championship

Bangor Coon Valley

Kids Corner: The Bergs Page 38

Helmuths earn Organic Valley regional quality award in second year of operation

Fairbank

Pages 25 - 26 Second Section

Columnists Ag Insider

Nutritionist

Pages 6-7

Page 34

Just Thinking Out Loud Page 32

Getting Kerry’d Away

The Next Generation Page 33

Page 27

Ramblings from the Ridge Page 30

Call Us For All Of Your Barn Equipment Needs!

HD Headlocks

Single Beam Mounting System

Durable and cow friendly...

Functional and rugged design

Superior cow comfort in a versatile system

• Positive locking and heavy-duty

galvanized construction.

• Automatic down cow release.

• 17” Wide opening.

• Heavy duty and easy to install.

• Patented design.

(Patent # 7,469,658 & 6,925,962.)

• Excellent for remodel projects.

GEA Farm Equipment | Norbco

20903 W. Gale Avenue | Galesville, WI 54630 | Tel: 608.582.3081

engineering for a better world

www.gea.com | www.gea-farmtechnologies.com/norbco/en

GEA Farm Technologies

Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 24, 2013

Peterson said Farm Bill extension may be reality

RENEW YOUR TRACTOR CAB!

Repaired Or New!

1” Black Vinyl Upholstery At Wholesale Prices!

AUGERS

WE SHIP DAILY JD Sound Guard Cabs & Sound Guard Cab Parts BUY - SELL - TRADE

TO YOUR SPECS

KIESTER IMPLEMENT

Also Manure Augers, Belt Conveyors, Hammer Mills

WINONA ATTRITION MILL 507-452-2716 • 800-429-2716

KIESTER, MN

www.midwestfarmsales.com tfn

507-294-3387

Uncertainty continues to dominate the ongoing farm bill saga. During the Farmfest forum, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson offered insight into the possible timeline. “The Speaker told me that he is going to ask for a vote on the food stamp thing right away when we get back after Labor Day. They’re not sure it’s going to pass, but whatever happens, he’s going to appoint conferees the next day and he wants to get the bill done by September 30.” That offers a glimmer of hope, but Peterson questions if House Republicans will allow a House-Senate compromise bill to pass.

There’s only nine days on the congressional calendar during the month of September. If a bill can’t be completed, an extension is certainly possible.

“When we get to December and we don’t have a bill and milk goes to $39, there will be an extension.” If necessary, a two-year extension may be the best bet. “(House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank) Lucas is talking about two years and I may support that given what’s being going on here because I don’t think we’ll get anything done in an election year.”

Dairy reform remains on the table If a farm bill can make it to a HouseSenate conference committee, Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson believes he has the votes to revive the Dairy Security Act. This dairy policy reform plan was changed in the House debate, but was included in the Senate bill. “I have the votes to put dairy back in, but (House Speaker John) Boehner doesn’t know that; he won’t be happy about that.” Boehner has been critical of the supply management component of the Peterson dairy plan.

Farmers need a Farm Bill While speculation is circulating about a farm bill extension, Minnesota Senator Al Franken does not want that to happen. “Minnesota farmers have made it very clear that they not only want a farm bill, they need a farm bill,” said Franken. “They need it for cer-

Feed Mixing…

Vertical or Rotary?

Your dairy’s performance depends on choosing the right feed mixer to improve your operation. Roto-Mix designs and manufactures strong, durable feed mixing equipment. Both Vertical and Rotary models are available in truck, trailer or stationary.

Starwood Rafters Uses Available at

Dairyland Supply Sauk Centre, MN

K&R Equipment Fountain, MN

Blue Hilltop Lake Wilson, MN

Mark’s Tractor Osage, IA

tainty. I think it would be a disaster for us not to get one.” While at Farmfest, Franken said farmers need to keep the pressure on the House to complete a farm bill.

Congress has time to act While the current farm bill expires at the end of September, National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson said lawmakers have four months to act. “Practically speaking, it will be the end of the year before there is a real impact,” said Johnson. “That’s plenty of time to get this done.” Johnson said agriculture groups do not support a farm bill extension. “We realize this may go past Sept. 30, but that doesn’t mean they have to pass an extension.”

FSA offers temporary help in drought areas USDA’s Farm Service Agency has announced temporary assistance to livestock producers through the Conservation Reserve Program. Under limited conditions, farmers affected by drought will be allowed to use certain CRP acres for emergency haying and grazing. The reduction in CRP rental payments on the affected acres will be reduced from 25 percent to ten percent.

The sale of hay will be allowed under certain conditions. Landowners must work with local FSA ofces on this Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 7

Starwood Rafters Lam-Ply Truss

620.225.1142 www.rotomix.com

Larsen Industries Goodhue, MN

By Don Wick Columnist

Which Barn is Best for Your Herd?

Birds just love this barn. The webs in these trusses are easy nest areas for birds. They also restrict air flow which leads to poor ventilation and moisture buildup in the building.

Steve Gehrke 608-778-3878

Ag Insider

Baker Iron Works Platteville, WI E&M Farms Ossian, IA

• Pole Sheds • Free Stalls • Pavilion Shelters • Machinery Storage • Riding Arenas • Spans up to 72 ft.

• Up to 12’ spacing depending on the load you desire • Bird Nesting Control • Better Ventilation & Visability • No Feed Alley Post Obstruction • Additional Ceiling Height

The arched rafters create a more open barn allowing better ventilation. Also since there are no open webs in the trusses, there are no places for birds to nest.

ANOTHER QUALITY PRODUCT FROM STARWOOD RAFTERS

STARWOOD RAFTERS, INC. 715-985-3117

W24141 Starwood Ln., Independence, WI 54747 Website: www.starwoodrafters.com

888-525-5878

From Our Side Of The Fence Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 24, 2013

A) What is a typical day like for you?

B) Tell us a unique story about your time hauling milk.

C) What do you like most about your job?

D) How has your occupation changed in the years you've been hauling?

E) What do you like to do in your free time?

F) What do you listen to between stops?

Milk truck drivers: What do you like most about your job?

Bruce Finnesgard Zumbrota, Minn.

Goodhue County 36 years of experience Finnesgard Trucking LLC A) Usually it’s about a 13-hour day. I get going at about 2 a.m. and nish around 3 p.m. I drive one truck and my son, Josh, drives the other truck. I get about two loads of milk each day with four farms per load. It ends up being about 320 miles per day or about 10,000 miles per month. Most of the farms we visit are in the Goodhue and Rice County areas. We take the milk to various plants, usually in Minneapolis. We work for First District. A lot of the milk we haul is used for bottling.

B) I pick milk up for two bachelor brothers. I never saw them too much, but one early morning (while it was still dark) when I was at their farm to pick up the milk, I heard pounding while I was in the milk house.

It quickly stopped and I didn’t think much of it. When I went to leave, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the two boys up on the roof doing some roong work while their dad held the ashlight. I think they stopped working while I was there because they were embarrassed to be working on the roof at night. That was pretty funny.

C) The relationships I form. To me, it’s like driving around visiting my friends every day. For some, it’s almost like I’m part of the family. I see the moms, dads and kids every day. One family I don’t even knock at their house. I just walk right in the door because I’ve gotten to know them so well. They make me feel at home and I sometimes have breakfast with them, too. When I stop at farms, I try to be as helpful as I can. I scrape a little or wash down the milkhouse oor. It’s tedious work that is seven days a week, but it’s a way of life. It’s not for everyone, but I enjoy what I do. I love the farm families.

D) The number of farms I stop at has gone down.

In 2000 I used to stop at 60 farms. Now there are only 16. Even though there are fewer farms now, we probably haul twice as much milk than in 2000. The family part of the farm hasn’t changed much, though. All our farms are still very family-oriented.

E) We have about 20 head of beef cattle we raise.

I used to sh, but I haven’t done it lately. A lot of our time now is spent with family, especially our grandkids. We like to have them over for supper. I’m denitely blessed to have family so close.

F) I listen to a lot of talk radio, especially politics.

I like Bob Davis and Rush Limbaugh. For music I like country or rock and roll. I’m a child of the 70s.

Russ Legler Woodstock, Minn.

Pipestone County 34 years of experience Trucking company: Legler Milk Transfer A) The day for our drivers and me begins at 3 a.m and usually ends 12 hours later. We each average 400 miles a day and stop at two farms. Our company has nine tractors and 21 trailers and hauls 850,000 pounds of milk each day. Altogether, we will put on a million miles per year.

B) Once, at Christmas time, I found a plate of bars and candy on top of a farmer’s milk tank and thought, wow, how nice. I ate the stuff and it was all pretty good. The next time I stopped, the farmer’s wife came to the barn and asked if I had eaten the things on that plate. I said yes and she said that it was for the cats.

C) The people. All of our farmers are wonderful folks. I have been doing this for so long that I have seen farmer’s kids get born, grow up and have kids of their own. I have never had a bad experience with a dairy farmer; they are all very easy to work with.

D) Our son, Brady, and his wife, Kate, joined the operation about six years ago. Brady drives and Kate is taking over bookkeeping duties from my wife, Lon. The average dairy is much bigger than it used to be.

We used to stop at 15 farms to ll a tanker, but now we can get a full tanker from one dairy. Milk quality has also improved greatly over the years. And I don’t know how we did things before we had cell phones.

Some of the larger dairies now send us a text or an email when their tanker is full.

E) We like to watch our kids and grandkids play baseball and fast pitch softball. Every summer, we take the kids for a week up at the lake. We have a daughter who recently moved to the Virgin Islands, so we went to visit her last winter.

F) Talk radio or the farm news and markets. I also like to listen to old time rock and roll.

Joe Tesar Patch Grove, Wis. Grant County 11 years of experience Hauls for Associated Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI) A) Usually one day I have 15 stops, and the other day I have 16. The rst load goes to the Prairie du Chien plant and the second load I take into Richland Center, to Foremost Farms. On a day like today, both my loads go back into Prairie du Chien. Most of the time they’re 10.5 to 11-hour days. I put about 238 miles on one day, and 140 the other day.

B) I was a relief driver. At one of my stops, the regular driver owned some ground close to the farm I was at. I was winding the hose up and getting ready to take off to leave. I was standing there, talking to the farmers, and the truck took off on me. The truck stopped on the gravel by the road, and the regular driver stepped out. He must have snuck into the truck somehow. Everybody else at the farm was standing there, so it couldn’t have been any of them driving. It really threw me for a loop for a minute. I wondered who the heck was driving the truck. I’ve had plenty of close calls with icy roads, too.

C) I like being out in the country to visit with the farmers. I farm with my dad on the side. We used to milk cows, but he sold out three years ago. I’m not strapped down, like in a factory, and I'm always outside, seeing somebody, and I'm out on my own throughout the day. I don’t have a boss watching over me. I like being involved in agriculture.

D) Mostly, the number of stops has declined, because some people have sold out. It seems like you go farther and farther down the road to nd a stop.

E) I like farming with my dad, Joe. I used to milk on a percentage with him and then kind of got out on my own. Now we just run feeder calves and put corn and alfalfa in. I like to go deer hunting, too.

F) I listen to mostly country music on the radio.

8 BALE MOVER 9’wide x 31’ long gooseneck or dolly.

12 BALE MOVER 9’ wide x 39’ long, flotation tires, lights & SMV sign, travel highway speeds.

PAINTED IMPLEMENT COLOR CHOICE • DELIVERY AVAILABLE.

Justin 712-441-0868 Aaron 712-441-2074

Custom LLC

Welding & Fabricating 307 E. 1st St. • West Liberty, IA 52776

319-627-6700

Fax: 319-627-6701 • customweld@Lcom.net

Dairy Star • Saturday, August 24, 2013 • Page 17

Make the most of your valuable manure with spreaders that handle the job efficiently and effectively!

!

s n e p p a H e r u n a M

l a t n o z i r o H • l a c Verti quid Pumps i L • s k n a Liquid T

Artex Vertical & Horizontal Spreaders

Houle Pumps & Tanks HYDRA-SPREAD Manufactured by

Hydra-Spread Vertical & Horizontal Spreaders

DAIRYLAND SUPPLY INC. 320-352-3987 • 1-800-338-6455

8100 Series ProTwin Slingers ®

www.dairylandsupply.com SAUK CENTRE OFF I-94 ON THE CORNER OF HWY. 28 & 71 SOUTH

IF YOU HAVE MANURE - WE HAVE THE EQUIPMENT FOR IT!

Dairy Star • Saturday, August 24, 2013 • Page 19

“... contributes to our milk quality... ...puts more money in our pocket.”

— Brandon and Shi Ferry Brandon and Shi Ferry with Junior 3-year-old Del-Hollow Durham Jodie-ET, scored VG-88 with EX mammary. She was second in her class and honorable mention intermediate champion at the 2013 District Show.

FER-CREST FARMS, HILBERT, WISCONSIN Brandon and Shianne Ferry 100 Reg. Holsteins, a few Jerseys; BAA 110.4 RHA: 23,149 M 3.9 F 3.2 P — SCC avg: 85,000

Dairying has been a labor of love for Brandon and Shianne Ferry ever since she grew up on a dairy in Richland and he in Rosendale.

Both had opportunities to own and show cattle since age 9, and they attended Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison where he completed dairy short course and she received a dairy science degree. They began farming in 2010 with 40 cows, renting Brandon’s parents’ farm before relocating their 100-cow Fer-Crest Farm dairy to its present location near Hilbert, Wisconsin.

Brandon and Shi focus on quality and keep a low SCC average of 85,000.

“Udder Comfort™ definitely contributes to our milk quality, along with keeping cows clean, and stalls bedded,” say Brandon and Shi. “We use Udder Comfort on the fresh udders, putting it on after every milking 2x/day for 4 days after calving. We’ve been doing this for 2 years, and it really brings out the quality.

“Udder Comfort gets the edema out of the udder, faster, so the quality and texture are much better.

“The cows are more comfortable, and they get going and do better, overall.

“We also use Udder Comfort, at the first sign of mastitis. We put it on 2x/day for 3 days.

Catching things early, using Udder Comfort, and getting ahead of a problem puts more money in our pocket. This product works, and we don’t have to dump the milk. We love it.”

Quality Udders Make Quality Milk

Keep the milk in the system 1.888.773.7153 1.613.652.9086 uddercomfort.com Call to locate a distributor near you.

For external application to the udder only after milking, as an essential component of udder management. Always wash and dry teats thoroughly before milking.

Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 24, 2013

Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 24, 2013

www.extension.umn.edu/dairy Hugh Chester-Jones (507) 835-3622 chest001@umn.edu Marcia Endres (612) 624-5391 miendres@umn.edu Brad Heins (320) 589-1711 hein0106@umn.edu Jose Hernandez (612) 625-4731 jahernan@umn.edu Kevin Janni (612) 625-3108 kjanni@umn.edu Emily Krekelberg (320) 255-6169 krek0033@umn.edu Noah Litherland (612) 624-6789 lithe003@umn.edu Brenda Miller (320) 732-4435 nels4220@umn.edu Jim Paulson (320) 234-0438 jcp@umn.edu Randy Pepin (320) 333-1369 pepin019@umn.edu Jeff Reneau (612) 624-9791 renea001@umn.edu Jim Salfer (320) 203-6093 salfe001@umn.edu Chuck Schwartau (507) 536-6301 cschwart@umn.edu Julie Sievert (507) 237-4100 schu0944@umn.edu

Safety is an everyday deal Safety on the farm is something that needs to be practiced every day and by everyone on the farm. It makes no difference whether the task is large or small, the hazards are the same. Sometimes the small ones might even lull people into a lax attitude and result in a huge event.

I hesitate to take advantage of tragedies, but two recent tragedies illustrate my point.

A few weeks ago, a central Minnesota man and his young grandson were killed when the tractor they were using rolled over.

Reports suggest this may have been a hobby farm using older and smaller equipment.

This type of equipment seldom has modern safety features like ROPS (Roll Over Protective Structure). Tractors of this type are used

By Chuch on many farms for mowing large lawns and Schwartau road banks. That is a recipe for an incident in Extension Educator- itself. The second mistake in this event was Livestock having another passenger, especially a child, on the tractor along with the operator. We all want to give our youngsters an opportunity to learn and experience what we do on the farm, but the loss of a young life is a high price for that experience. Most equipment is not designed to carry passengers, so don’t.

A second incident was reported in Wisconsin just a few days later. In this case a man was mowing grass with a trailer-type mower behind an ATV. The ATV apparently had a cargo tray on the back and several children were riding in the cargo tray. One reached for a branch and fell off the ATV and under the mower.

One even hates to think about that tragedy and the trauma the other children and the father experienced.

Common themes in these two incidents are children and equipment. In both cases the children were on equipment not intended for passengers. There aren’t safety belts, cages or anything else to protect people on many of these implements. The now popular side by side ATVs usually have seat belts, but they need to be used in order to be effective, and they aren’t found in cargo trays. Tractors with ROPS also have seat belts but again they have to be used properly in order to be effective.

Children develop at slightly different rates, and every parent probably thinks their children are more advanced and prepared than others for helping with tasks around the farm, but we still need to remember they are children. They haven’t developed all the reasoning skills, physical strength, and reaction time to operate modern farm equipment – or old equipment. It is important that children not be given or allowed to work at tasks for which

they simply are not prepared.

The Marsheld Clinic Research Foundation (Marsheld, Wisconsin) has a national reputation in the areas of farm medicine and farm safety programming. One of the excellent tools they have developed is the North American Guidelines for Children's Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT). This set of guidelines helps determine a child’s stage of development and judgment for tasks. The program also includes excellent fact sheets about how children develop skills and abilities for farm work and tools to help you assess your child’s readiness for the multitude of tasks involving livestock and equipment around your farm.

The Marsheld Clinic Research Foundation’s website is http://www3.marsheldclinic.org/NFMC/. This site features many of the programs I have discussed and the tools offered to help parents keep children safe on the farm. The website is full of resources that can make your farm a safer place to live and work.

Another great source for training lessons for farms is located at Gemplers.com. This company is a major supplier of safety equipment and has an extensive list of ready to use safety lessons in both English and Spanish – free of Child Children d develop l at slightly li h l charge. Go to the web- different rates, and every page and click on the parent probably thinks her link to “Safe- children are more advanced. ty Training Sheets”.

Regardless of all the programs and equipment suggested for a safer workplace, it still all comes down to the people at the workplace practicing what they know and doing it all the time. It means having the proper training and equipment on the farm so all those working there know what to use and how to use it safely.

It means farm owners need to set good examples by using proper protective equipment and safe operating procedures. It means keeping children from unsafe areas and tasks on the farm.

In closing, you may have noticed I did not use the word accident in this article. One source denes an accident as “an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance”. The incidents I described at the beginning of this article were the result of judgmental errors. While we have to extend sympathy to those families, the possible results should have been foreseen. They were tragedies waiting to happen. Don’t make the headlines with such a tragedy in your family.

Specials

UPGRADE YOUR MIXER WAGON WITH THESE HOT DEALS!

Cross Ventilation

New Trioliet 1600 VLS vertical mixer coming in

Less Stress.

Call For Price

More Milk.

Natural Ventilation

GREATER PROFIT! ™

2011 Farm Aid 430

New 3620 Automatic Roller Mill

fully loaded ........................................ $20,500

4 cut rolls, auger discharge $44,000 List - Cash $37,500

fully reconditioned ......................... $19,800

2012 Houle Agi Pump 42’ Lagoon Pump

2010 Farm Aid 430

New Luck Now 360

4-auger wagon, 4’ discharge w/magnet...........$32,500 list - Cash $29,000

RENTAL UNIT Less than 2 M Gallons Was $19,000 - Now $17,900

Call for a dealer near you.

Tunnel Ventilation

1.800.779.3267

www.schaeferfan.com

RIDGEVIEW E QUIPMENT SALES SERVICE

605-886-2595 Cell: 605-881-9017 45909 169th St., Watertown, SD

AND Ed & Pam Dorneman - Owners From Jct. 212 & I-29, go North 2 miles to exit 180, then 1-1/2 miles East

Highlights of Precision Dairy 2013 Conference

The University of Minnesota hosted the rst-ever U.S. Precision Dairy Conference and Expo this summer. It was an event attended by 535 people from 25 countries, 26 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. About 20 percent of the attendees were dairy producers, and if spring hadn’t been so wet, we would most likely have had more producers in attendance. I crossed paths with a producer from Australia, and I asked him if he had come to the United States only to attend the event and he said yes. I was impressed. It is a long trip to say the least.

One of keynote speakers, Henk Hogeveen (Netherlands), said. When a precision dairy conference was held in Ontario, Canada, three years ago, “there wasn't that much good science available yet. This conference showed quite a change; there were plenty of interesting talks. In addition, there were quite a number of farmer panels, explaining what their experience is with certain types of precision dairy farming applications.”

By Marcia Endres Precision dairy management is growing fast, with more and Extension Dairy more research being done in the United States and around the Scientist world. There was a lot to see in the trade show as well, with new technology products and more to come. Stay tuned for another precision dairy conference in the next two to three years. I invite you to send me an email to let me know when would be the best time of year for you to attend this type of event (miendres@umn.edu).

Technologies discussed or showcased at the event included robotic milking, cow sensors for heat and disease detection, inline milk sensors for the parlor, automated calf feeders, precision feeding, TMR tracking, on-farm data management and analysis, barn designs, parlor automation and more.

The section on robotic milking included a panel of ve producers (Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and two from Canada) using robotic milking systems, with all ve companies that now sell robots in the U.S. represented (Lely, DeLaval, AMSGalaxy, GEA Farm Technologies, and Boumatic Robotics). It was great to learn from the producers what has worked well for them. For example, two of the producers were using guided ow and three were using free ow. It appeared that both can work well. Jack Rodenburg (Canada) spoke on the topic and indicated that he prefers free ow for cow comfort. More research is needed on what is best for maximizing milk production per robot or per cow. Number of cows per robot will certainly inuence it. Jim Salfer and I are collecting data from 52 robotic milking herds in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and this is one factor we plan to investigate in our study. Some of the economics abstracts indicated that it takes six to seven years to pay for the robots. But many producers mention quality of life as the main reason to use a robotic milking system, and it is hard to put a dollar value on that. One study showed that individual cow milking intervals can be optimized to increase robotic milking performance. Another showed that by using individual pulsation ratios, milk ow increased by eight percent. It seems that there is still more to learn and optimize, which is exciting.

There are many cow sensors in the market today and more yet to come. They can monitor cow activity, temperature, rumination and lying time all day long, 24-7365, and help improve reproductive efciency and transition cow management. There were many abstracts on cow sensors, more than any other topic. Ray Nebel (U.S.) summarized information on sensors for reproduction. He said that activity monitors should be reliable and provide clear actionable alerts in user friendly lists and graphics. An increase in pregnancy rate from 18 to 24 percent can result in annual value of $100 per cow per year. Rumination monitors can help detect disease in earlier stages, before loss in production. Some of the producers on the sensor panel indicated that this aspect of the sensor, which helps them improve transition cow management, has a lot of value. We are currently studying rumination monitors in two settings, a large freestall facility and our grazing herd in Morris. Ilan Halachmi (Israel) indicated that when developing sensors, a developer should work simultaneously on both – the sensor and the decision making. Not only on the sensor. The aim is the automated decision making. The aim is not accumulating data.

Hogeveen said “The ultimate goal of precision dairy management should be to explore the full potential of each individual dairy cow, instead of managing cows in groups. In the old days with small herds, that was possible; with the larger herds, that became difcult, but now with assistance of precision dairy technology it is possible again.”

There was a lot more discussed at the conference, and I may be writing additional articles to tell you about it. The reality is that precision dairy is here to stay, and many of you are already using and have been for a while, including things like data management software, TMR tracking and daily milk weights.

Dairy Star • Saturday, August 24, 2013 • Page 29

Replastering and Complete Silo Repair

AT ITS BEST!

Silo Replastering is a very specialized business that we excel in, due to experience, the best equipment and mixture for cement.

1st 1st

2nd

We high pressure blast the walls for the cleanest and roughest finish. The rougher the better.

We want the walls to get moist so the stave doesn’t dry the plaster any faster than possible; It is extremely important that all old silage and corroded concrete be removed. This important wall cleanup will assure the Osakis crew that the new plaster will bond completely with the existing silo walls.

Once the silo is washed, we rinse and re-rinse the bottom; again the cleaner the wall, the better the bond.

Hoop Barn Super Sale! www.silverstreamshelters.com 30’ X 72’ single Galvanized Gatorshield Pipe and Ratchet

$5,790 Limit 5

38’ X 100’ Black Truss Pipe and Ratchet

$11,900 Limit 2

42’ X 100’ Black Truss Pipe and Ratchet

$14,250

Limit 1

SILVER STREAM SHELTERS

1-877-547-4738 • WWW.SILVERSTREAMSHELTERS.COM

Experience the Advantage

A special combination of cement, hardener, plaster sand, and water are thoroughly mixed to create heavy, rich concrete plaster. The mixture is pumped and applied under pressure to the silo walls. During this process, the silo crew makes every effort to fill any voids or worn spots on the wall. We also hand trowel for a very smooth finish for a slick wall.

The finished product; Heavy plaster, very rich concrete, seals your silo and allows the feed to clean off the wall much better. All this applied by the company you know will stand behind what we sell!

Your newly replastered silo is now ready for many additional years of service.

Add additional repair to your silo at the same time and

SAVE $$$$!

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A GREAT SILO UNLOADER AT A GREAT PRICE? TRY REBUILT HANSON® UNLOADERS Why Rebuilt Hanson® Unloaders?

4th

3rd

Wood & Plastic Doors, Pipe, & Distributors Available

• Osakis Silo installed.

• Around 150 Rebuilt Hanson® unloaders the last 3 years!

• Heaviest ware parts.

• Best warranty.

• Experience! Over 50 years on every crew!

• SAVE up to 45% over new.

• Professionally rebuilt with experience.

• Professionally powder coated.

• NO GIMMICKS! Just unloaders that throw!

• 100s of references available! Our customers are our best sales people.

• We always stand behind what we sell! NO GIMMICKS! The Best Service Crews, The Best Replacement Parts, The Best Service...That’s The Osakis Silo Advantage To You!!!

1-800-433-0581

24 Hours 7 Days A Week

Call Out Of Minnesota Call 320-859-5340 n A ytime 300 E Main St., Osakis, MN • 320-859-5340 • Fax: 320-859-5751

FASTER CLEANER ALL DA CUT

We don’t want to switch cows all winter, so we have a whole bunch of cows to sell before the snow ies. This has become something of a perennial problem.

Beginning in late summer, Glen and I each make a list of who should go and who should stay. Then we take those lists and try to come up with a list we agree on, much the way our legislators use conference committees to agree on a bill they can pass. It’s a process neither of us enjoy.

This year, to make the situation even worse, we have lobbyists trying to sway our votes.

The Next Generation Last week, our cattle hauler came to pick up a couple of cows who we had on the ‘do not breed’ list. As he backed the trailer up to the barn, Dan and Monika appeared on the front steps of the house.

“Don’t sell Lucy,” Dan shouted at the top of his lungs. (Lucy is Dan’s pet – the cow who lets Dan and Monika lay on top of her in her stall.)

Then, after Monika said something to Dan, he shouted again: “Monika doesn’t want you to sell Garnet, either.” (Garnet is the Milking Shorthorn cow who Monika loves to help dip and put the milker on.)

By Sadie Frericks “And don’t sell Sable.” (Sable was the mother Columnist/Writer of one of Monika’s fair calves. I haven’t told her yet that we sold Sable last month.)

This wasn’t our children’s rst lobbying effort.

Two weeks ago we had the vet out to gender check a group of pregnant cows.

We also had a couple of cows who needed to be preg checked, one of which was Lucy. Dan and Monika were in the barn with us as we worked through the list.

While we worked, we discussed the implications of the result from each gender check. If we know whether a cow is carrying a heifer calf or a bull calf, that information gets factored into the decision about whether she’ll spend the winter with us or spend the winter somewhere else.

After Doc checked Lucy, he said, “Pregnant” Glen and I let out a sigh of relief and we told Dan that Lucy was going to have a baby.

A few cows later, Dan pressed his face into my leg and I realized he was weeping.

“What’s wrong, Dan?” I asked with concern.

“We don’t know if Lucy is going to have a girl or a boy. And if she’s going to have a boy, she’ll get sold,” he said.

We quickly explained that it was too early to tell if Lucy was going to have a heifer or a bull, and that, even if she was going to have a bull calf, we wouldn’t sell her.

Dan accepted our explanation and relaxed. But he obviously didn’t stop thinking about it. That night, when Glen tucked Dan and Monika into bed, Dan said to Glen: “Promise me that if Lucy gets sick, you’ll call the vet the x her.”

After which, Monika promptly made him also There’s Th ’ something hi about b promise to call the vet if Garnet or Sable got sick. giving cows second chances I thought we had been and watching them become doing a decent job teaching old cows that is really special. our kids about the facts of dairy farm life: Sometimes cows get sick, sometimes cows die, and sometimes cows are sold. We don’t like it when any of those things happen, but they’re part of dairy farming. The sadness we feel when we say good-bye to a cow isn’t a bad thing – it means she was an important part of our lives.

I’m afraid my explanations haven’t been enough.

We were driving home from town one afternoon last week when Dan asked, from the back of the van, “Why do we have to sell cows?”

I can usually come up with decent explanations for Dan’s questions about why things happen on our farm, but I was caught off guard and couldn’t answer.

“I’ll explain when we get home,” I told him, hoping to buy myself some time.

How do you answer that question? How do you explain the economics of dairy farming to a six-year-old without sounding insensitive? Or help him understand that we just don’t have the physical space or the human manpower to keep them all?

I wish we could keep (almost) all of them, too. There’s something about giving cows second chances and watching them become old cows that is really special, but we can’t give all of them second chances and we can’t watch all of them become old cows.

But we can give some of them second chances. And thanks to our little lobbyists, Lucy and Garnet have much better odds of growing old here.

Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 75 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 6, Monika, 4, and Daphne, 8 months. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at gsfrericks@meltel.net.

CUT CUT

“Don’t sell Lucy!”

Dairy Star • Saturday, August 24, 2013 • Page 33

Y LONG macd on.co m

MacDon pull-types lead the pack.

feature MacDon patented “next

Discover just how much quicker your

generation” harvesting technologies

hay and forage harvesting can be with

including MacDon’s patented Articulated

either MacDon’s award winning Pull-Type

Power Turn (APT) hitch. Regardless of

R Series Rotary Disc Windrowers or

which one you pick, you’ll find yourself

A Series Mower Conditioners. Both

at the finish line faster than ever before.

Lake Henry Implement • Lake Henry, MN Jungclaus Implement • Glencoe, MN New Vienna Ag Automation • New Vienna, IA Peterson Implement • Whitehall, WI & Durand, WI 3 year cutterbar and cradle warranty valid on R85 products. Check with dealer for details.

CMP 2000 CALF MILK PASTEURIZER from Darlington Dairy Supply Co. Inc.

• Fully Automated Cooling/Pasteurize Process • Simple Operation, Easy to Clean, Proven Dependability • “Batch Style”-No clogging or build-up Pasteurizes with proven technology Eliminates the Johnes Bacteria

BENEFITS

• Low operating/maintanence costs.

• One complete unit cools, holds & pasteurizes milk in the same tank • Tested and proven to reduce harmful pathogens and bacteria.

“Installing this pasteurizer was one of the best cost-saving measures I’ve done so far with our dairy! It is much heavier duty than what I expected it to be - a much better value than I expected!

The pasteurizer is very user friendly and put together very well. Gary from Dairy Direct and Torri from Darlington Dairy Supply came out to install it and they did a very professional job. They helped us pasteurize the first batch with us to make sure we knew how to run it and clean it properly. My initial concern was that it would be difficult for everyone to understand and operate. The controls were very user friendly, very simple to use and more automated than I expected.

With calves it is very important to keep everything as clean as possible. Gary does an excellent job with keeping our milking parlor system clean. With Gary’s expertise, I had no doubt that he would do a great job on my pasteurizer.

One of the reasons why I chose this pasteurizer was that I have all the parts and service available locally.”

- Brent Czech of New Heights Dairy/Rice, MN

I can help!

Call 320-352-6303 to place your classied or mail to: Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378.

FULL LINE OF CHEMICALS & MILKING EQUIPMENT SALES & SERVICE

Call Gary Von Wahlde for a quote....

OVER 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE

320-248-2236 - Sauk Centre, MN gary@dairydirectsales.com

CT Turner

STALLS

“Leading you in the right direction for your dairy operation needs.”

Look for high corn silage diets this fall Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 24, 2013

It is the time of year when farm discussions fo- 26 mm chop length) may be particularly appealing as cus on corn silage harvest. As I visited farms this past corn silage replaces alfalfa in diets. Shredlage appears week, it was apparent corn silage harvest would be- to be a very good way of harvesting corn silage, but shredlage only makes good corn silage gin soon in some areas where others are better, not bad corn silage good. The sihopefully a few weeks away. Corn on sandy ground and planted in early May lage will have to be harvested at the right is drying down fast in the dry August DM and stored correctly to gain the adweather. Other areas with late-planted vantages shredlage has to offer. corn are going to need a few more weeks • Has your inoculant been ordered of warm weather for full grain developand the equipment to apply it tested and ment. However, these elds will dry fast calibrated? too with 90-degree temperatures and • Harvest plants at the correct DM: strong southerly winds.

Corn silage should be harvested at 33 to Corn for silage is harvested every 37 percent DM (67 to 63 percent moisBy Jim Linn year, so the process is a standard routure). Crop development needs close Nutritionist tine. However, it seems every year some monitoring this year, as there will likely glitch occurs in the process and a lot of be crops at different stages of maturity corn silage is not optimally harvested. Some of the at the time of harvest. Visual appearance of the plant things that go wrong are it doesn’t get chopped and will not sufce as the indicator of when to start chopprocessed properly, the corn is either too wet or too ping and whole plant DM is 35 percent. Chopping dry at harvest or upon opening the silo we nd out some stalks and drying them down is the best way to it didn’t ferment well and there is mold/yeast in the get the DM of the silage right at harvest. Corn can dry silage. Therefore, with this in mind, here is a quick down fast this time of year, so monitor the crop drying checklist of good corn silage harvesting practices. process closely.

• Chopper in good working order and set to go: • Once chopping has started, check the particle The chopper knives should be sharp and there should length of the corn silage using the Penn State Particle be proper clearance between the knives and shear bar. Separator. General recommendation is 5 to 15 perThis will help avoid the shredding of corn silage and cent of the particle sample size by weight on the top allow for a uniform chop. Recommended theoretical screen. Wisconsin particle sizing of shredlage shows length of chop (TLC) for corn silage is 3/8 inches (9 the top screen can be over 30 percent. The middle box to 10 mm) for unprocessed and 3/4 inches (19 mm) should contain greater than 50 percent of the particlewith a processor. Evaluate the processing rollers for sized sample (by weight). The middle screen also is wear. The grooves should be clearly visible with a very good place to inspect effectiveness of kernel sharp edges. Suggested roller gap to start harvesting processing. The bottom pan should have minimal mais about 3 mm. terial in it, generally less than 10 percent. Baggers and • Do not forget about the silage wagons and silo unloaders can decrease corn silage particle, so be tires. Check them over before starting to harvest. It sure to factor this in to the chop length of the silage is quicker and easier to replace a worn out tire on an going into storage. empty wagon than a fully loaded one during harvest.

• If you are using a processor, it is good to check • I am sure we are going to see a lot more shred- if the silage is being adequately processed. Dr. Bill lage corn silage this year. Initial research last year Mahanna recommends lling a 32-ounce cup with a looked very promising and the longer ber (1 inch or representative sample of chopped corn from the eld.

Spread the material on a at surface and pick out the half or whole kernels. If the processor is working correctly, there should be less than two kernels (halved or whole) picked out. This test may work also for shredlage, as you do not want whole kernels in shredlage either.

• Filling the silo: Rapid lling, tight packing, and proper sealing are essential in order to exclude air from the silage mass. These three important tasks represent the last management opportunity to establish a good ensiling process and have high quality silage coming out of the silo. In general, the faster any silo (upright, bag, bunker or pile) is lled the better. Slow lling encourages mold and yeast growth, which can result in unstable silage at feed out. Cover bunkers and piles with a heavy polyethylene plastic and preferably use an oxygen-limiting barrier to aid in reducing spoilage and DM loss.

• Mold, mycotoxins and yeast in the silage all originate in the eld and plants pre-harvest. Environmental conditions such as excessive moisture, temperature extremes, humidity, drought and physical damage to the plant from insect or hail all predispose the plants in the eld and determine the severity of contamination. Molds also originate from soil contamination on the plant pre-harvest or during the time of harvest. Preventing proliferation of these organisms during storage through good silage management practices is essential for high quality low mold and yeast silage.

Feeding high corn silage diets: For many producers, corn silage will be the major forage in the diet this fall. Do some ration planning to get a good estimate of the quantity needed for this next year. Build corn silage inventory as this will be the lowest cost forage source this year and a good hedge against an unknown 2014 growing year.

Here are a couple of ration items to watch for when feeding high corn silage diets.

• Watch starch levels in the diet (23 – 28 percent Turn to CORN SILAGE | Page 35

Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 24, 2013

.

T R A M .

S S D R A M W E R R E A C F N A N E T N I A M L L A F

FOR A LIMITED TIME, RECEIVE A

40 CARD

$

REWARD *

with a qualifying purchase of New Holland lubricants, filters and batteries.

With a $400 purchase on any combination of New Holland lubricants, filters and batteries.** See your dealer for details and to receive your reward code. *Restrictions apply. Visit partstore.agriculture.newholland.com for details. **Lubricant and battery offers are only available at New Holland dealers.

© 2013 CNH America LLC. New Holland is a registered trademark of CNH America LLC.

Stop By One Of These New Holland Dealers For Details...

A & C FARM SERVICE INC.

ARNOLD’S EQUIPMENT INC.

MELROSE IMPLEMENT INC.

SCHLAUDERAFF IMPLEMENT

TITAN MACHINERY

LITCHFIELD, MN

ALBERT LEA, MN THIEF RIVER FALLS, MN WINGER, MN

ADKINS EQUIPMENT INC.

FRANZEN SALES & SERVICE

MODERN FARM EQUIPMENT

TIMMER IMPLEMENT INC.

TJOSVOLD EQUIPMENT

PAYNESVILLE, MN

DETROIT LAKES, MN

ST. CLOUD, MN

FORT ATKINSON, IA

MELROSE, MN

SAUK CENTRE, MN PIERZ, MN

PEASE, MN

GRANITE FALLS, MN

TRUEMAN-WELTERS INC. BUFFALO, MN

WERNER IMPLEMENT

VERMILLION, MN