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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 19, No. 13
August 26, 2017
Annexstad crowned 64th Princess Kay of the Milky Way
New dairy ambassador comes from Nicollet County By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
ST. PAUL, Minn. – As a young girl, Emily Annexstad made it a goal to one day wear the crown that represents the dairy farmers in Minnesota. “Ever since I gured out what Princess Kay was and saw her butter sculpture, I’ve been dream of standing up here on this stage,” Annexstad said. On Aug. 23, 19-year-old Annexstad, from St. Peter, representing Nicollet County, stood on the stage and was crowned the 64th Princess Kay of the Milky Way during
ANDREA BORGERDING/DAIRY STAR
Emily Annexstad of St. Peter, Minn. waves to the crowd aŌer being crowned the 64th Princess Kay of the Milky Way on Aug. 23 at the Minnesota State Fair Bandshell in St. Paul, Minn.
a coronation at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul, Minn. “I was not expecting that crown to be placed on my head but I’m so excited to be given this opportunity,” Annexstad said of the moment outgoing Princess Kay Haley Hinrichs placed the crown on her head. “I feel so happy I am able to represent my family and all Minnesota dairy farmers as the 64th Princess Kay of the Milky Way.” Jessaca Zuidema of Blomkest, representing Kandiyohi County, and Margaret Socha of Corcoran, representing Wright County, were selected as runners up. Annexstad and Zuidema were awarded scholarships, Turn to PRINCESS KAY | PAGE 5
Upgrades lessen workload for Middendorfs Parlor efciency, cow comfort focus of retrotted facility By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
LONG PRAIRIE, Minn. – Donnie and Carolyn Middendorf have two passions – dairy farming and their children. With recent upgrades to their animal housing and milking facilities, the Middendorfs are able to make time for both. The Middendorfs and their three children – Rachel, 17, Hannah, 15, and Landon, 11 – hosted a University of Minnesota Extension eld day on their 100-cow dairy farm near Long Prairie, Minn., on Aug. 8. Throughout the morning, fellow dairy farmers toured the Middendorfs’ farm, taking note of the tiestall barn retrotted to a parlor, as well as a recently-built freestall barn and manure pit. “Since the rst time we milked in the tiestall barn, we talked about an expansion and upgrade project,” Carolyn said. The Middendorfs began milking 50 cows at this farm site in 1995, but
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Donnie Middendorf (leŌ) talks with other dairymen about the benets of retroƫng his Ɵestall barn into a swing-8 parlor. Middendorf and his family hosted a University of Minnesota Extension eld day on their 100-cow dairy near Long Prairie, Minn. seriously considered a farm remodel ve years ago. They wanted an efcient parlor and housing facility that maximized cow comfort and lessened their workload. “By then, we were really having back problems from working in the
tiestall barn and knew something needed to change,” Carolyn said. Donnie agreed. “Before we could keep on going, we had to really look at our options,” he said. After researching building designs
and touring other dairy farms, the Middendorfs decided to retrot their 52-stall tiestall barn into a swing-8 parlor. “We wanted a milking facility that Turn to MIDDENDORFS | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Amanda Thooft 320-352-6303 amanda.t@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Andrea Borgerding - Managing Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Krista Kuzma - Assistant Editor (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Ron Johnson (608) 874-4243 ron.j@dairystar.com Ruth Klossner (507) 240-0048 cowlady@centurylink.net Jennifer Coyne (320) 352-6303 jenn@dairystar.com Brittany Olson (320) 352-6303 brittany.o@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (715) 245-6848 danielle.n@dairystar.com Advertising Sales Main Ofďƒžce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Jeff Weyer (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-8505 (cell) jeff.w@dairystar.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Lori Menke (Eastern Iowa, Southern WI) 563-608-6477 • lori.m@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 megan.s@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute ďƒžnal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofďƒžces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. A glance at what’s inside
Dairy Proďƒžle brought to you by your
Milk price has been on the minds of many dairy farmers in recent months. For this issue’s “From our side of the fenceâ€? we talked to people in our coverage area about what they change on their farm when the milk price drops and what management practices they do not sacriďƒžce during a dip. Read what these farmers had to say on pages 15-16 in ďƒžrst section. With the next generation home to help on the farm, the Gengler family has made updates in the last four years to their dairy facility on their 420-cow dairy near Adrian, Minn. Last year, they built a 365-stall freestall barn with water mattresses By Mark Klaphake and an automatic scraper system. In 2013 the family also bought a used double-12 parallel parlor to make milking Editor more efďƒžcient. Read more about these changes to the Gengler family’s dairy on pages 6-7 in third section. After only a year into selling cheese, CannonBelles Cheese is taking home national awards. At the American Cheese Society conference in July, CannonBelles cheese won a ďƒžrst-place ribbon for its Queso Fresco. The company’s owners and founders – Jackie Ohman, Deeann Lufkin and Kathy Hupf – are in the process of building a permanent cheesemaking plant near Cannon Falls, Minn. Read more about how they got started and their award-winning cheese on page 3 in Second section. For this issue’s “Day in the lifeâ€? feature, we followed McKinley Verhulst and her family, who milk 100 cows near Barron, Wis. In between practicing for sports, McKinley helps out with chores, either in the morning or evening depending on the time of year. McKinley has already started cross country practice, but also participates in wresting and soccer, along with being involved in 4-H and FFA. Read about how the family manages the schedule on pages 16 and 18 in second section. The Hahn family is hoping to ďƒžnd a niche market with their 28-cow Guernsey herd near Highland, Wis. The family recently moved their herd to an upgraded facility and is focusing on breeding for the A2A2 trait. They hope to direct market their milk someday. Read more about the Hahn family’s plans on pages 35 and 37 in ďƒžrst section. R&R Farms had a rare occurrence on their dairy, when a bull calf was born with ectopia cordis, where the calf’s heart is misplaced in its neck. The 3-week-old Normande cross has been doing well, but is not in a pen with other animals. One wrong bump or kick could determine the animal’s fate. R&R Farms milks 48 cows near Hillman, Minn. Read more about this calf and its rare condition on page 11 in ďƒžrst section.
Favorite quotes from this issue: “It’s really so much fun having us all here, showing as a family. When we’re not in the show ring, we’re playing card games or passing the football outside.� - Cherie Smith (Third Section, Pages 13-15)
“Our theme for the day was ‘Caring for God’s Creation: Sharing in the Stewardship of God’s Country,’ and we were able to show that here in Stearns County.� - Joe Borgerding (First Section Pages 23, 25)
By the Numbers
of dry matter per 3,000: Pounds acre graziers should aim for
(Pages 20, 22 in Second Section)
90: Percentage of students who
consume dairy after participating in Fuel Up to Play 60. (Pages 1213 in First Section)
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 3
It’s all inside...
FIRST SECTION
Beltrami
Ottertail
nb or
Douglas Charles Mix
n nso
Lake
Moody
McCook Minnehaha
Hennepin McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine
Wright
Carver Scott
Lyon
Redwood
Nicollet Brown
Murray
Rock
Nobles
First Section: Page 36
Dakota Goodhue
r
Sibley
sey
Meeker
Winona
Women in Jeans: Laurie Orth
Rice
Wabasha
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted Jackson
Martin
Faribault
Freeborn
Mower
Winona
Fillimore
Houston
Ha
Da
vis
on
Sa
Miner
Kandiyohi
Chippewa
eu
Brookings
n
Kingsbury
Deuel
Isanti
go
Hamlin
Third Section: Pages 8 - 9
Anoka
Swift Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Clark
Benton
Stearns
Pope
Sherburne
Grant
THIRD SECTION
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Douglas
Stevens
Plainview
McNallan president of local classic club
Pine
isa
Roberts
Day
Big Sto Stone
Carlton
Crow Wing
Todd Grant
Second Section: Page 3
Aitkin
Su
Marshall
Cass
Le
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
CannonBelles Cheese wins national award
Washinton
Wilkin
Checkhoff dollars encourage dairy consumption
Cannon Falls
Wadena
Becker
Clay
Parker
en
nom
Mah
Kanabec
Norman
Itasca
Hubbard
Polk
Third Section: Pages 6 - 7
Fourth Annual Farm to Table Dinner held at Voegeli Brothers Farm Pages 30 - 31 Dairy Recipes
St. Louis
Red Lake
Clearwater
Gengler Dairy expands to make room for another generation
First Section: Pages 13 - 15
Koochiching
Pennington
Adrian
First Section: Page 11
Feltmanns show 23 animals at county fair
Lake of the Woods
Marshall
Pages 28 - 29
Pages 2 - 3 Ponterio family named Jackson County Outstanding Farm Family Pages 4 - 5 Grober, Buddenberg crowned Iowa dairy royalty Pages 10 - 11 Fenn forms grazing farm from scratch Page 12 Williams brings new ideas to extension youth specialist position Page 16 Dairy Calendar Pages 18 - 19 Some Udder Stuff Pages 20 - 26 Classieds
First Section: Pages 1, 6-7
Roseau
Waconia
Ra m
Kittson
Hillman
Bull calf is born with rare condition
Upgrades lessen workload for Middendorfs
Ch
Vita Plus Chick Day held at Roadview Dairy Pages 26 - 27 Crop and weather reports
First Section: Pages 23, 25
rse
Pages 23 - 24
First Section: Page 10
Long Prairie
Borgerdings host Rural Life Celebration
Lincoln
Pages 4 - 5 Organic farming, grazing a natural t Pages 10 - 11 The “Mielke” Market Weekly Page 12 Dairy markets Page 13 Area hay auction results Pages 14 - 15 Dairying Around the World Pages 16, 18 A day in the life of the Verhulst family
Belgrade
How to become a millionaire farmer
Pipestone
SECOND SECTION
Morris
Tra ve
Pages 8-9 Ag Insider Page 22 Checkoff focus on youth wellness, builds trust with dairy Page 26 FSA News & Notes Page 27 The Transition Pen Page 28 Seasonal forage quality changes, growth of cattle grazing cover crops Page 29 Dairy goat farmers get creative Page 30 Dear County Agent Guy Page 31 Vacation at the fair Page 32 Just Thinking Out Loud Page 33 Dairy Good Life Page 34 Something to Ruminate On Pages 35, 37 Hahn family establishes A2A2 Guernsey herd
Hutchinson
Turner
Bon Yankton Homme
Lincoln Clay
Union
Lyon
Osceola Dickinson Emmet
Sioux
O’Brien
Clay
Palo Alto
Altura
Nelsons host extension tour Aug. 4 on organic dairy Second Section: Pages 20, 22
Kossuth
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
What measures have you taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? Pages 15-16
Plymouth
Zone 1
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com Mark Swensen Freeman, S.D.
Bruce Funk
Melrose, Minn.
Wayne Peters
Lake City, Minn.
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 5
ConƟnued from PRINCESS KAY | PAGE 1
MIDWEST PUMPING II LLC
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Newly crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Emily Annexstad, is pictured with her parents, Jean and Rolf, and younger brothers, MaƩhias (leŌ) and Leif. The Annexstad family milks 200 cows near St. Peter, Minn. along with Samantha Traxler of Le Center, representing Le Sueur County. Quinci Scherber of Rogers, representing Hennepin County was named Miss Congeniality. Throughout the upcoming year, Annexstad will travel the state to talk about dairy and represent the dairy farmers in Minnesota. “I want to share with people how dedicated our farmers are, not only to our cows and making sure they’re well cared for but also to our communities. Our farms have often been in our families for generations and we truly care about the land and the communities we grow up in,” said Annexstad, who is a student at the University of Minnesota studying animal science and agricultural communications and marketing. Annexstad knows the dedication of dairy farmers rst hand, having grown up on a 200-cow dairy owned by her family. Duties on the farm for Annexstad have included helping her mom feed calves, milking cows with her dad, and taking care of the heifers she and her two younger brothers, Leif and Matthias, show at the county fair. Annexstad’s parents, Jean and Rolf, said their daughter’s new role as Princess Kay is one that will suit her well. “She’s personable, and she can talk to anyone, whether they’re young or old. She really likes school visits with little kids or visiting with older people. She always has been good with people,” Rolf said. Jean said her daughter will be able to draw on her experiences from being a part of the speech team in high
school all four years along with other communication training she has had. “She has put years and years into promoting and doing things to prepare, watching the other Princess Kays and hoping to one day do it herself,” Jean said. On the night of coronation, one of the things Annexstad said she was most excited for was being at the state fair. One of Annexstad’s rst duties as Princess Kay was sitting in the rotating butter booth to have her likeness carved into 90 pounds of butter. “It was very cool, quite literally and guratively. I was very excited to get to talk to Linda. She’s been doing this for 46 years and I was so excited to hear her story as well,” Annexstad said. Following the state fair, Annexstad will be able to take her butter head home. Annexstad does not have a denite plan for what to do with the piece of art. “I want to give some of it back to the community and the people who have really supported me my whole life so I’m thinking about baking cookies with the scraps and then cherishing this memory for a little bit because having your likeness sculpted in butter is a oneof-kind opportunity so I really want to cherish that memory,” she said. Annexstad will be able to make many more memories in the year ahead as the 64th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. “I am so excited and I feel so blessed I have this opportunity,” Annexstad said. “I want to thank the Minnesota dairy farmers for everything they do for this program. I’m truly honored to represent them.”
14 yrs experience Looking to expand! • Set up for pumping long distances • Tanks & Hose System Available • No till & chisel applicators available.
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KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
A group of supporters for Princess Kay of the Milky Way nalist, Ashley Warren, wear t-shirts and hold signs before the start of the coronaƟon on Aug. 23 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul, Minn.
DAIRY EQUIPMENT CENTRE AND SUPPLY INC.
40625 State Hwy. 28 • Just West of Hwy. 71 • Sauk Centre, MN
Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
ConƟnued from MIDDENDORFS | Page 1
Willmar, MN • 320.231.1470
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The Middendorf family (from leŌ) – Hannah, Carolyn, Landon, Donnie and Rachel – milk 100 cows in a swing-8 parlor at their farm near Long Prairie, Minn. On Aug. 8, the Middendorfs hosted a farm tour as part of the University of Minnesota Extension summer eld days. was cost effective and would support the barn structure,” Donnie said. “This setup was heavy enough to bear the weight of the ceiling, even though we don’t store anything [in the hay loft].” The swing-8 allows Carolyn to milk cows by herself at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., while Donnie nishes chores in the barn. “Having two people in the barn really helps,” Carolyn said. “Usually, Donnie pushes the cows into the holding area and then feeds while I milk.” During the winter months, Carolyn uses in-oor heating in the pit to keep her warm. The heat comes from a wood boiler that is also used to heat the machine shop and house. “When the last group comes through and it’s about negative 20 degrees, then you can start to feel the cold,” Donnie said. “There’s also a curtain that divides the parlor and holding area that we close once milking is completed.” As cows enter the parlor, they stand on a slight incline, which encourages them to stand close to the inside of the parlor. “That really improves how the cows move throughout the parlor,” Donnie said. “They back up into their spot because of the slope and then we don’t have to reach far to milk them.” Cows leave through a rapid exit
gate that drops down. They return to the freestall barn through return alleys, formerly the mangers in the tiestall barn. When the facility was constructed, the Middendorfs were mindful to reuse equipment such as the milking units and pipeline. “For the rst two years, I just hung the units on the edge of the butt pans and moved them from side to side,” Carolyn said. “Obviously, when we installed a swing system in the parlor that worked better, but we didn’t want do to it all at once.” By eliminating additional costs of new equipment and building with a resourceful approach, the Middendorfs estimate they spent $50,000 on the parlor. “Really, it was pretty cost effective when we only spent $500 per cow, and that’s what we wanted,” Donnie said. The 87-stall freestall stands 64- by 136-feet, with a single feed alley on the north end of the barn. In building the facility, the Middendorfs restructured their plan to include sand bedding. “We originally wanted to build a compost barn, but then we went on a tour, like this, and saw what sand did Turn to MIDDENDORFS | Page 7
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 7
Con�nued from MIDDENDORFS | Page 6 for the cows. In all of our planning, we kept going back to sand,” Donnie said. When Donnie cleans the barn, he beds the front of the stalls rst and then levels the remainder of the sand throughout the stall. “It really stays pretty clean,” he said. “The cows use the sand to keep ies off of them in the summer. Because of that, we use more of it now than when we bed in the winter.” While the three-row barn design is unique with the feed alley to the north, Donnie is pleased with how his herd has benetted. “It actually works nice because in the winter, that whole rst row is full of cows laying in the south sun,” Donnie said. When the cows are in the milking parlor, Donnie cleans the barn with a skidloader, pushing the manure out of the barn and to a nearby pit with a concrete base. Twice a year, the pit is emptied. Since 2012, when the facilities were built, the Middendorfs have noticed drastic improvements on the dairy – specically the amount of time the family spends on the farm versus with each other. Although the herd nearly doubled in size, the Middendorfs were able to improve their full-time equivalent. Carolyn can milk 100 cows in 1.5 hours, including setup and clean up. “Even though the chores are more, we’re spending less time on chores with more cows. With the new system, everything is faster,” Donnie said. Carolyn agreed. “It took about a week for the cows to adjust,” she said. “The rst three days were bad, but then after that rough patch things were good. We sure wouldn’t go back to what we were doing.” To further their dairy, the
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
The swing-8 parlor is equipped with automa�c take-offs and a rapid exit gate. When the Middendorfs rst used the parlor, they were milking with individual units from the �estall setup before implemen�ng the swing system. Middendorfs are in the process of transitioning to organic – a decision they made with Donnie’s two brothers. Together, the families crop farm 1,200 acres. Two winters ago, Donnie’s brothers talked about transitioning. All three families have one year left before being certied organic. “We talked about going
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cater to both of their passions – dairy farming and family. “We saved money and now we have a barn and parlor that works. And we didn’t have to start from scratch,” Donnie said. Carolyn agreed. “We wouldn’t do anything differently,” she said. “It all works really well for us.”
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July milk output up nearly 2 percent Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
July U.S. milk production totaled 18.2 billion markets as a dumping ground for a huge increase in pounds, up 1.8 percent from last year. There were production.” Mulhern said Canada should not have 9.4 million head in the U.S. dairy herd, up 74,000 the ability to use its domestic policies to manipulate from last year, but down 1,000 head from global dairy markets. Ag Insider June. Among the 23 major dairy states, Minnesota milk production increased FDA adjusts UF milk policies 3.1 percent in July. South Dakota rose The Food and Drug Administration 4.2 percent and Wisconsin was up 0.7 is making a change in its policies percent. California milk output dropped dealing with ultra-ltered milk products. 0.2 percent. On a per-cow basis, milk Previously, U.S. dairy processors production in the 23 major dairy states couldn’t use UF products unless they increased 20 pounds from July, 2016. were made in the same plant as the In Minnesota, milk production grew 70 cheese. In a statement, the FDA said, pounds per cow. “the action is being taken due to recent changes in some export markets that More milk in ’18, but higher prices have caused the U.S. dairy industry By Don Wick forecast to experience oversupply and pricing Columnist For 2018, USDA’s Agricultural challenges with domestically produced Outlook Board is forecasting a yearUF milk.” Canada stopped importing over-year milk production of 4.6 billion pounds. That UF milk products from the United States earlier this would put total milk output to 229 billion pounds, year, forcing some dairy farmers to struggle to nd a up two percent from this year. “We do see, despite market for their milk. an increase in production, an increase in the all-milk price year-over-year,” said Seth Meyer, who chairs Farm bill timeline is not known What’s the timeline for the 2018 Farm Bill? the Ag Outlook Board. Demand for butter and cheese is very strong and USDA predicts the all-milk price Informa Economics Senior Vice President Jim of $18.50 per hundredweight for 2018. By the end of Weisemeyer said that schedule is uncertain. “I just 2018, Meyer said milk prices could be approaching think other issues like tax reform, whether or not they’ll do it, and other things could denitely impact $20 per hundredweight. the timeline for the new Farm Bill.” Weisemeyer said the initial goal was to have the legislation out NMPF criticizes Canada’s NAFTA stance As negotiations for the revamped North of the House by Thanksgiving, but that schedule has American Free Trade Agreement, Canadian Foreign been pushed back. “We don’t know individual issues Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said her within the Farm Bill debate,which could extend the government wants free trade with the United States debate.” Dollars are tight for the new farm bill, but a and Mexico, but will defend its supply-management change in the way the Margin Protection Program is system. National Milk Producers Federation handled is expected to be realized. President Jim Mulhern challenged Freeland’s comments. “Canada cannot be allowed to maintain a Conditions in farm sector could be stabilizing Recent data from the Kansas City Fed’s survey system that establishes one of the highest milk prices in the world within its borders while using world of agricultural credit conditions suggest conditions
in the farm sector may be stabilizing. Ag credit conditions did weaken further in the second quarter, but the pace of deterioration has slowed. Although the rate at which farm loans are being repaid continued to decrease, the change from a year ago was not as sharp as in recent years. Only 37 percent of the Tenth District reported a decrease in repayment rates from a year ago, the lowest share since mid-2015. Similar to credit conditions, income in the farm sector continued to weaken but not as rapidly as in recent years. Bankers in most Tenth District states expected the decline in farm income to be slower this year than in 2016. Income is down for dairy processor Dean Foods reports second quarter net prots of $18 million, down from $33 million last year. Fluid milk sales are down, hurting the dairy company’s bottomline. Walmart, which is one of Dean Foods’ biggest customers, is preparing to open its own milk processing plant in Indiana. That decision will further reduce the volume of milk sold by Dean Foods. Alfalfa checkoff program funds research With the new alfalfa checkoff, research projects have been nanced through the program’s rst-ever round of funding. The projects funded include an evaluation of alfalfa forage quality and improving stand life by managing disease. Thirty-four proposals were made and nine were funded including projects conducted by the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Manitoba dairy research facility to be modernized With $1.4 million from the federal and provincial government, the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea Research Station dairy facilities are expanding. The plan includes a new automated milking system, freestalls for the dairy cattle, milk tanks and aboveground manure storage. The Dairy Farmers of Manitoba is also making an investment in this Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 9
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renovation product. Ceremony to lab groundbreaking A ceremony will be Aug. 31 for the groundbreaking of the new South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in Brookings. The South Dakota Legislature approved funding for the new facility in this past year’s session. Construction should wrap up by 2020. Dairy Shrine to honor MN dairy leaders The National Dairy Shrine will recognize artist Bonnie Mohr as its Guest of Honor during its 2017 awards program in October. Mohr, who is also part of the family dairy operation at Glencoe, Minn., is the rst woman to be honored with the National Dairy Shrine’s most prestigious award. Larry Tande of Medford, Minn. will receive the Pioneer Award at the same event. Tande is a long-time Extension leader, dairy breeder and dairy cattle judge. Jer-Lindy Farms has showcase herd Jer-Lindy Farms of Brooten, Minn. is the 2017 Dairy Showcase Herd at the Minnesota State Fair. The Jennissen and Sjostrom families are at the Great Minnesota Get Together
giving consumers a rst-hand look at the dairy industry. The showcase herd is found next to the Moo Booth in the dairy barn. Hergert retires Mike Hergert has retired from the Red River Farm Network. Hergert co-founded RRFN 21-plus years ago. Hergert was raised on a farm at St. Peter, Minn. and was a broadcaster in Preston, Albert Lea, Alexandria and Grand Forks over the past 46 years. Trivia challenge Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue previously served as the governor of Georgia. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, what is the most popular dessert in the United States? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora, and Sterling.
“It is the perfect combination ng.” with robotic milking.” ~ Paul Swenson of Nicollet, Minn.
How long have you been using the DHIA Milk Pregnancy Test? “We’ve been using the DHIA Milk Pregnancy Test for three months to save time.” Is there any beneÀt to using the milk pregnancy test if you milk with robots? Explain. “It is the perfect combination with robotic milking. We don’t have to take the sample or lock up the cow. Robot cows produce the most when nobody bothers them. Every robot herd should consider it.” How long have you been testing with DHIA? “A long time, we have records back to the 1920’s.” Why do you test with DHIA? “It’s the best way to manage our cows and record production records.”
Paul and Cindy Swenson with their daughter, Ashley 270 cows • Nicollet, Minn. Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association 307 Brighton Avenue South Buffalo, MN 55313 1.800.827.3442 www.mndhia.org
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
How to become a millionaire farmer Tranel provides benchmarks for all dairy systems By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
MORRIS, Minn. – Are you the next millionaire? Dr. Larry Tranel thinks so. In fact, he thinks every dairy farmer has the potential to make $1 million by milking cows. During the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center’s Organic Dairy Day Aug. 15 in Morris, Minn., Tranel spoke about the prot potential each farm has – whether conventional, hybrid grazing, organic or organic no grain. “In the Millionaire Model Dairy, I’ve taken the best of the grazing world and best of the connement world, and mixed it into a formula to create this model for young or transitioning farmers to get started,” Tranel said. Tranel, an Iowa State University Extension Educator of 28 years, developed his model in the 1990s after speaking with a dairy farmer from New Zealand. “This farmer shows me this graph of where he started with net return [in terms of protability] and where he wants to be in 25 years. He asked me where my graph was, and I didn’t have one. How do you know where you’re going … what’s your plan?” Tranel said. “I then went home and thought if I put in a low-cost parlor and worked the same hours, milking 80 cows on 80 acres, I could make decent money, and that could be a nice model for the industry.” Throughout Tranel’s model, he focuses on two important formulas that determine protability – rate of return on assets and return per hour of unpaid labor – with key measurements affecting protability, including milk price, labor efciency, milk production, quality feed and capital efciency. By comparing these values with different management systems, farmers can determine a
benchmark for where they should be. “The easiest way to learn about yourself is to learn through other people,” Tranel said. “The easiest way to learn about your organic system is to learn about the grazing system, the conventional system and learn about yourself through what they’re doing.” In the studies presented during the eld day, Tranel recorded data from farms in 2015 and 2016. The rst study observed 20 farms – ve conventional, four hybrid grazing, eight organic and three organic no grain – and compared protability based on measurements of return to unpaid labor per hour, cost of milk production per hundredweight (cwt.) equivalent and rate of return on assets. “The milk price is going to determine what system is most protable no matter what system you’re dealing with,” Tranel said. “But protability is quite different than cash ow.”
lent for conventional, $0.32 for hybrid grazing, $5.74 for organic and $9.16 for organic no grain. “The No. 1 factor is rate of return on assets. It marries your net return statement with your net farm income statement,” Tranel said. “It’s an all-inclusive measure to take and compare in the stock market to see what kind of returns you could get on assets.” Conventional farms in the study recorded a 5.75 percent return on assets, 4.59 percent for hybrid, 8.83 percent for organic and 9.54 percent for organic no grain. Taking the operating prot margin and multiplying it by the total volume of milk produced determined the farms’ prot. “There are two ways you can make money dairy farming, either by eliminating costs over price or by increasing volume,” Tranel said. “For grazers, organic and organic no grains, price versus cost tends to be your strength. But for conventional farmers, the asset turnover ratio tends More information and graphics to be their strength.” can be found online at: https:// Tranel further explained www.extension.iastate.edu/ the farms’ protability by dairyteam/business-and-finanselecting high prot farms cial-management within the study and comparing them. The rate of At the time of the study, the average conventional milk price return on assets was 8.04 percent, was $16.64 per cwt., $16.16 for 6.35 percent, 9.68 percent and hybrid grazing, $34.93 for or- 9.54 percent for conventional, hyganic and $41.24 for organic no brid grazing, organic and organic no grain, respectively. grain. Operating prot margin After determining cash income and expenses, with a four showed similar results with orpercent equity charge on assets, ganic receiving the highest perfarms estimated their labor earn- centage at 41.90 percent. While organic and organic ings per unpaid labor hour. Conventional farms noted $21.44, no grain showed more protabil$14.27 for hybrid grazing, $27.06 ity in the studies, Tranel noted for organic and $32.69 for organ- the difference in milk price, and how the competition would differ ic no grain. Cost of milk production per if conventional prices were in the cwt. equivalent was calculated, $18-20 range. “It only takes $1-2 change taking into consideration all nonmilk income divided by milk in conventional prices to swap price and then added to milk cwts. conventional and grazing herds sold. Net income, based on milk with organic and organic no grain price and cost of milk production, herds, if organic prices stayed came to be $0.45 per cwt. equiva- relatively the same,” Tranel said.
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Dr. Larry Tranel, with the University of Iowa Extension, demonstrates how farm protability cannot be determined by net farm income and return to labor alone during the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center Organic Dairy Day Aug. 15 in Morris, Minn. With the 2016 milk prices increasing by $2, conventional farms could see a rate of return on assets at 10.34 percent and hybrid grazing farms at 9.07 percent. Throughout his presentation, Tranel noted other areas where conventional and hybrid grazers would be superior to the organic systems, particularly in on-farm efciencies, such as paid and unpaid labor, as well as the construction of new facilities and parlor setup. “You have conventional producers paying big money for these facilities to get one or two pounds more milk, and they’re known to pay for themselves over time. Organic is being paid twice as much and should be able to do those changes, too, and have a much higher propensity to do so,” Tranel said. On most farms, the milking system is the most inefcient and overlooked area. Low cost parlors are also more efcient, safer and ergonomically correct, Tranel said. He advised attendees with low milking efciencies to consider a TRANS Iowa Low Cost Parlor. “Don’t settle pushing through 14 cows per person per hour. There are people out there
getting through 70 cows. I realize that’s what you decide your labor is worth, but also realize there are people being four times more efcient than you,” Tranel said. In 25-years’ time, it is possible for dairy farmers to push a prot of $1 million-plus by understanding the markets and following the guidelines of this particular model, Tranel said. “One guy who worked with the model, started with -$25,000, and left with $354,00 in assets and no debt, ready to buy a farm. It can still be done in tough times and you don’t have to be organic to do it,” Tranel said. “Every system can be protable depending on how you work it.” However, he warned farmers to be patient. “I always like to point out the rst three years where progress doesn’t look like progress,” Tranel said. “So many throw the towel in because they don’t understand protability and cash ow. It’s tough getting started dairying and building a career, but when it gets going it does get easier.” With the change in milk price since the 2016 study, Tranel will be updating his data to reect milk price in both the conventional and organic markets.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 11
A misplaced heart Bull calf is born with rare condition By Andrea Borgerding andrea.b@dairystar.com
HILLMAN, Minn. – From a distance, the 3-week-old Normande cross bull calf looks and moves like any other calf his age. But getting a closer reveals that the calf has something different about it – an ectopic or misplaced heart. The calf’s heart is protruding from its neck covered only by skin. “It’s a little creepy when you get a close look at the calf,” said veterinarian Dr. Dan Peterson. “One might think it’s just the jugular vein, but you can
NATASHA BARBER/DAIRY STAR
The bull calf’s heart is the large lump in his neck. The calf has been kept away from other calves to avoid being bumped or kicked.
actually hold the heart in your hand and feel it pulse.” The calf was born on Aug. 3 on R&R Farms near Hillman, Minn. where Ralph and Randy Rinkel milk 48 cows. Jen Sadler has been working on the farm for the past 2.5 years. She was present when the calf was born. “It was a normal delivery,” Sadler said. “When I moved the calf, I noticed right away there was something different with his neck. I could feel beating.” When the calf stood up, Sadler saw a large lump in the bull calf’s neck and could see it pulse. “I knew right away it had to be his heart,” Sadler said. Sadler called a veterinarian to see what could be done. She was told to make the calf comfortable – he would not live for long. “Well, he’s still here so I called Dr. Peterson and he didn’t know what to say at rst,” Sadler said. Rightfully so, the condition known as ectopia cordis is extremely rare with only two recorded cases. One more recently in 2015 when a Shorthorn bull was born with the same condition on a Pennsylvania farm. Peterson, a large animal veterinarian at Mille Lacs Veterinary Clinic, knew the condition was possible, but only through his referencing in humans. It is rare in humans, but can occur more often where the heart is located in the neck. Wanting to get a closer look, Peterson performed an ultrasound on the calf’s thorax area – between the neck and abdomen – to see if there was a second heart inside. “There is only one heart and it’s
NATASHA BARBER/DAIRY STAR
Jen Sadler holds a Normande cross bull calf born with ectopic cordis, where his heart is located in the neck. Sadler works on R&R Farms where they milk 48 cows near Hillman, Minn. perfectly normal, just that it is in the wrong location,” Peterson said. Unfortunately, Peterson said the prognosis for the calf is not good. The heart’s location will likely restrict its growth and not be able to sustain as the calf grows. “There is no protection for the heart,” Peterson said. “If he gets bumped or kicked, the heart will stop. The calf might live a long time, but there is a lot of risk.” Sadler knew the calf would be at risk from the day he was born, so she has been treating him extra special. “I get attached to all the calves,” Sadler said. “This calf follows me everywhere around the farm. I’ve named him Spiritual because he has
added so much spirit to the farm.” Sadler said Spiritual continues to grow and act like a regular calf his age. He has been able to drink and has started eating calf feed. Despite his short life expectancy, Sadler wants to keep the calf comfortable and let him live out his life. “It’s been suggested that I send him to the University of Minnesota for testing, but I want him to be able to live out his days here on the farm,” Sadler said. “He’s so healthy and has so much energy.” The calf may have a misplaced heart, but his spirit continues to bring hope and energy for as long as he is roaming R&R Farms.
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
A closer look
Industry news addressed with help from your neighbors
A push of condence
by Jennifer Coyne
Checkoff dollars encourage dairy consumption
PARKER, S.D. – A recent study published by the Innovation Center of U.S. Dairy revealed nearly 28 percent of Americans do not know where chocolate milk comes from, and seven percent of adults believe the dairy product is the result of brown cows. “In today’s world, with so many outlets of gathering information, it’s challenging to deliver correct information to consumers, but I also look at it as an opportunity. We now know what consumers want and how they want it,” Allen Merrill said. Merrill is a third-generation dairy farmer from Parker, S.D., where he and his family milk 150 cows. He also serves as chairman of the Midwest Dairy Association. Since the 1940s, regional American Dairy Associations have promoted the consumption of dairy products and education of production agriculture to consumers through dairy farmers’ checkoff dollars. However, in recent years, as the need for education and promotion is arguably greater than ever, organizations across the Midwest are doubling down on their efforts to connect with consum-
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MIDWEST DAIRY ASSOCIATION
Iowa State University students learn about on-farm dairy pracƟces from Dr. Leo Timms during an on-campus farm tour sponsored by Midwest Dairy AssociaƟon. ers.
“The National Dairy Council was formed in 1915, and that was our rst attempt at forming a trustworthy relationship with consumers,” Merrill said. “Over the years, we’ve recognized what we’ve accomplished and are adapting to new ways of forming those relationships.” Today, two of the most prominent
and successful efforts are the partnerships between National Dairy Council, United States Department of Agriculture and the National Football League; and nationwide retailers, such as Domino’s and Taco Bell. “With the National Dairy Council, we are able to educate more than 25,000 fourth graders each year, teaching them all about dairy farms and how
dairy ts into a nutritious diet,” said Patrick Geoghegan, senior vice president of communications with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. In Wisconsin, alone, more than three million students have been educated on the importance of dairy as part of a healthy and active lifestyle through the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. More than 1.2 million students in Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota also participate in the Fuel Up to Play 60 Program during the 2016-17 school year. Geoghegan noted 90 percent of students who participate in Fuel Up to Play 60 in Wisconsin have reported they are consuming more dairy. In addition to supporting efforts to educate young consumers, checkoff dollars also support food research to develop new and innovative dairy products that are able to meet the changing demands of today’s consumers. “With restaurant partners, we share the knowledge of food scientists to make their food better and more pleasing to consumers,” Merrill said. Both Merrill and Geoghegan referenced strong partnerships that have increased dairy consumption and awareness throughout the nation. In fact, Domino’s pizza boxes now include a dairy-related Undeniably Dairy logo and several salutes to America’s dairy farmers. More than 7 million pizza boxes with the logo are now being delivered every week in the U.S. Starting in September, napkins at Turn to CHECKHOFF| Page 13
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 13
Con�nued from CHECKOFF | Page 12 all 5,000 Domino’s retail locations will include the Undeniably Dairy logo and a “thank you” message to dairy farmers and their cows. At Culver’s restaurants, 100 percent of its cheese is made in Wisconsin with milk now the default drink in the kid’s meal; A&W cheese curds are made with Wisconsin cheese and now outsell fries; every year, 11 million Donato’s pizza boxes are identied with the Wisconsin cheese logo; Domino’s increased cheese usage by 43 percent and in doing so, moved an additional 230 million pounds of milk, and 90 percent of Taco Bell’s menu contains dairy. “These have all been really good partnerships to promote dairy,” Merrill said. Geoghegan agreed. “Our goal is to integrate dairy products into their menus and boost overall consumption.” With national programs and industry partners, like Domino’s and Taco Bell, dairy is returning to the limelight in American households. A report from Dairy Management Inc. showed domestic cheese consumption had risen from March 2016 to February 2017, as well as noting an increase in butter sales. “We live in an everchanging and highly competitive marketplace, and we’re all ghting for consumers’ attention and loyalty. Changing lifestyles, smaller families
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MIDWEST DAIRY ASSOCIATION
Former Midwest Dairy Associa�on Board Chair Jerry Messer talks with students at the Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador Summit. The program is sponsored through dairy checkoff dollars. and increased competition have contributed to the erosion in uid milk consumption,” Geoghegan said. “We’ve been fortunate in Wisconsin however, that as the nation’s leading cheese producer, we’ve seen continual increases in the consumption of cheese.” While these strategies have greatly benetted the dairy industry, organizations, such as Midwest Dairy Association and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, are faced with the constant challenge of connecting with consumers through their
preferred avenues. Merrill and his family have been long-time supporters of the national dairy checkoff program and have watched its evolution. “I can remember my folks being involved with the checkoff and it’s been a natural course for me to stay involved,” Merrill said. “We changed a lot – from bumper stickers and TV commercials to one-on-one interactions and farm tours.” Today, connecting with
consumers is most effectively done through face-to-face conversations and social media. The millennial population makes up 30 percent of the people in the United States, and is a driving force for dairy consumption. “These people thrive off of social media. They’ve built relationships and made connections with friends they’ve never met in person,” Merrill said. “We have to make those connections, because it’s a worthwhile investment … lost
opportunity is hard to regain.” Geoghegan concurred, referencing the organization’s 500,000-plus social media followers. “Consumers are hungry to understand where their food comes from,” he said. By connecting on social media and being present in an educational capacity, such as hosting farm tours, dairy farmers are able to form a vital relationship with consumers and be the resource for innovative, science-based facts, boosting consumers’ condence in the industry. While at times it may seem like an uphill battle relating to consumers and combatting misinformation about the industry and nutritional value of dairy, both Geoghegan and Merrill are assured in the strides the checkoff program has made and will continue to do so moving forward. “We believe an increase in conversation leads to an increase in sales,” Geoghegan said. Merrill afrmed Geoghegan’s statement while maintaining the need for continually look forward. “We’ve done a good job in the past, but we have to continue being creative. As consumers change, so must we to bring them closer to agriculture and build trust, and ultimately, sales,” he said. “If we aren’t the ones sharing that information, than who is?”
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 15
What measures have you taken to help during low milk prices?
Kristy Strite and her dad, Tom Strite Meadowlands, Minn. Saint Louis County 130 cows What measures have you taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? Shopping online for parts before running to a dealer. We’ve found that taking the extra time to browse online can sometimes yield a savings of up to 70 percent; plus, included free shipping is a bonus for us in northern Minnesota. We began cross breeding our Holstein cows to Jersey in 2007. Since then, we use only high protein Jersey bulls. In 2015, we started shipping our milk to Burnett Dairy in Grantsburg, Wis. They make cheese products and the high components in our milk pays off. We’ve seen as much as a $4 premium on our milk checks, which makes a farmer smile. We keep a lot of the farm expenditures low by doing the majority of the work ourselves. We eliminate the unnecessary breakdowns and repairs. What is one thing you do not sacrice during low milk prices? Nutrition. Taking care of our cows is the most important thing. They pay the bills. Did you apply for any milk price protection? No, we are enrolled in MPP in hopes that the program will improve in the future. We crunched the numbers but didn’t see it being affordable or offering much protection in our situation. How does this dip in milk price compare to others you’ve experienced in your dairying career? Milk prices tend to follow a three-year cycle. We’ve lived through historic highs and lows in recent years, but this dip in milk prices is out of the norm. Not only are the highs and lows becoming greater, we’ve never seen a low last for so long. There doesn’t appear to be an end in sight. If things do turn around, it’s going to be hard to catch-up. What do you do to alleviate personal stress because of dairy farming or low milk prices? Networking with our local farming friends (both beef and dairy) via social media is a good way to keep our spirits up. You don’t feel so alone when you see your friends and neighbors sharing the same daily struggles. We compare rain totals, harvest updates, photos of new baby calves, etc. And, adding a little humor helps keep things fun for everyone. Tell us about your farm. We celebrated our 25th year of farming on our 300-acre farm in northern Minnesota. The last 15 years, we’ve been an effective father/ daughter team with the help of a couple part-time workers. Tom does the feeding and manure handling, while Kristy takes care of the calves and does the milking on our 130 Jersey and Jersey/Holstein cross operation. In
Bruce Funk Melrose, Minn. Stearns County 70 cows What measures have you taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? I do not buy more than I can handle and I watch my expenses. I also think before acting. That goes for everything; the cows and what you x. I prepare for the low milk prices by prepaying when the milk price is high. What is one thing you do not sacrice during low milk prices? Genetics. I make sure to use quality bulls with deep pedigrees (four to ve generations back) at a reasonable price. I have been working with Bob Klassen and Kyle Pundsack for almost 30 years. These are my future cows that will hit the pipeline when the prices go up. If you cheat this it takes a couple generations to get back to where you were. Did you apply for any milk price protection? Why or why not? Yes, I originally signed up with the MPP at the $6.50 rate but I never got enough to even cover what I paid. Now I’m signed up for the lowest rate, $4, because I have to. How does this dip in milk price compare to others you’ve experienced in your dairying career? The rst time we had really low milk prices in 2009 it took me by surprise, and I wasn’t prepared for it. Now, when the milk price get high, I expect that low prices are coming so I try to prepay for things. I prepaid a lot of things in 2014. What do you do to alleviate personal stress because of dairy farming or low milk prices? I don’t worry myself sick. It will all work out in the end. You are better off to have a smile and feel good about yourself. You can’t know everything there is to know so ask for help from the people you work with, whether it’s your nutritionist or your banker. Work with them, not against them. Tell us about your farm. This farm is where I grew up. I graduated in 1982 and took over in 1985. My wife, Jan, works off the farm. We have three children, all who have off-farm jobs. We have 200 acres, 180 acres of which are tillable. We plant corn, soybeans and alfalfa. I milk in a 70-stall tiestall barn. 2002, we expanded from a tiestall set-up to a double-6 parallel parlor and a freestall barn. It’s been a time saver and has helped us get by with fewer hired laborers. Farming in the North provides unique challenges; we have frost by the end of August so we focus on growing grass mixes and ensiling everything. Our growing season is short; we’re lucky if we get a second cutting in our elds. We buy protein and corn mix by the semiload. We don’t push for high components rather than production. Once a week, our milk goes to a small bottling plant in Babbitt, Minn., and Dahl’s Sunrise Dairy delivers milk and butter to local homes and various health food co-ops in the area. The Jersey milk gives the butter an exceptional avor and color.
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Mark Swensen Freeman, S.D. Hutchinson County 45 cows What measures have you have taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? We haven’t undertaken any major improvements on our facilities and have focused on maintaining what we already have. We are watching our feed intakes and are doing everything we can to minimize feed waste. All around the farm we are constantly working toward keeping our costs down. What is one thing you do not sacrice during low milk prices? When it comes to growing our crops, we will always follow our agronomist’s recommendations. Our goal is to maximize our yields, especially on our alfalfa. I have learned to trust our agronomist. He is honest, looks out for us and does everything he can to control costs. Did you apply for any milk price protection? Yes, we did. We had to pay $100 for MPP whether we used it or not. We chose the lowest level of protection to cushion the shock in case we got hit with extremely low milk prices. How does this dip in milk price compare to others you’ve experienced in your dairying career? This has been a prolonged dip in prices compared to the previous ones we have experienced. If there is too much milk supply, there simply isn’t much we can do about it. What do you do to alleviate personal stress because of dairy farming or low milk prices? I used to be a mechanic at our John Deere dealership. Working on our machinery helps relieve stress. Our kids are all active in sports. We enjoy getting away from the farm for a while and watching them at their sporting events. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my wife, Kerri, and our sons, Micah and Jacob, and our daughter, Erica. Micah is in high school, Jacob is in junior high and Erica is in grade school. We are the third generation of my wife’s family to operate this dairy farm, which includes 600 acres of cropland. In addition to the dairy herd, we have a beef herd that consists of 85 cow-calf pairs. We nish out all of our calves, including our dairy calves. My wife, our kids and I operate the farm with no outside hired help. Turn to FENCE | Page 16
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
ConƟnued from FENCE | Page 15 Ray, Cheryl and Allyson Seibert Sebeka, Minn. Wadena County 80 cows What measures have you taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? Why? We are trying not to make any unnecessary purchases. We are trying to make sure we are purchasing needs and not wants. We were able to get a tax credit by going on to the MNsure insurance and that is saving quite a bit on our health insurance each month. We have had very good reproduction success in the last several years and that is allowing us to sell a few springing heifers. The hay crop this year is very good, and we will have some hay to sell, although quality is an issue because of too much rain and humidity. What is one thing you do not sacrice during low milk prices? DHIA. Somatic cell and reproduction records are so important for making culling and other management decisions. It is so handy to have a snapshot of the herd available when you need to make a decision on whether to cull or keep or treat a cow. Did you apply for any milk price protection? Why or why not? No we didn’t do any contracting. The MPP is pretty much worthless, and I don’t know anything about the LGM program. The only way I will contract is if I could also lock in feed prices for the same period. How does this dip in low milk price compare to others you’ve experienced in your dairying career? This period hasn’t been as severe as 2009, but it has been going on for a longer period of time. The problem this time is that we haven’t recovered very much from the last period of low prices. There hasn’t been much time in between to catch up. What do you do to alleviate personal stress because of dairy farming or low milk prices? Stress? What stress? Just kidding. It has been a long summer with trying to put up hay and haylage with all the rain all the time, but we try to keep things light by maintaining a sense of humor. It is also important to stay connected with other people even if it is just by attending church or making a trip to town to get supplies. It helps to try to be thankful for what you have and not wishing things were different. Tell us about your farm. We farm about 250 acres with some additional pasture for youngstock and use four center pivot irrigators. We have a herd of about 80 Holsteins and crossbred cows, and raise our own heifers. The workforce consists of Ray and Cheryl and our daughter, Allyson, who joined us last year after graduating from North Dakota State University.
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Wayne Peters Lake City, Minn. Wabasha County 130 cows What measures have you taken to help your dairy through the low milk price? A lot of it has to do with nutrition. The rst is to put up as many good forages as I can. Last year, I had the best corn silage I had ever had, which has helped. It tested at 43 percent starch and 3966 for milk per ton. I get a lot of bang for my buck that way. I need that because I buy all my corn. I also am trying to make better haylage. First crop this year tested at 206 relative feed value. I decided to try a low lignin, high digestibility alfalfa and add tall fescue in when I seeded. Tall fescue is supposed to have high digestibility, so I think that will help in the ration in the future. This year, I am trying a protein blend of soybean meal, canola meal and distillers. I have never used a blend before. Usually I use soybean or canola meal. Last year for corn silage, I tried using conventional corn. The seed is cheaper and I have heard it is better for digestibility anyway. I have also tried to do better with components in order to get a higher premium on milk. This year, the milk check has averaged $2.21 above base price because of premiums. What is one thing you do not sacrice during low milk prices? Genetics. I hope to expand in 2020 so I recently started breeding all the heifers and cows to sexed semen. The bottom 10 percent of the herd is bred to Angus. For heifers, conception using sexed semen is about the same as using conventional semen; however, in the cows, conception went up compared to using conventional semen. I started putting the cows in a full presynch and ovsynch program so I no longer cherry pick cows. That way I know cows synch properly. I use the best fertility bulls and use bulls with high GTPI, with over 1,500 pounds of milk and 55 pounds of protein. I try to use the best of the best for bulls. Did you apply for any milk price protection? Yes. The rst year available, I signed up for the $6.50 level for the Margin Protection Program; however, that did not help. This year I paid the $100 for the $4 level and started contracting my milk at the beginning of the year instead of investing at a higher level through MPP. I want to avoid the roller coaster in the milk price. I always know where my breakeven is. One bad milk check can put you really far behind with a small herd. It is not about losing a bunch of money or making a lot of money, it’s about being able to farm everyday. I contract through my co-op, Land O’Lakes. Usually I just pay the 12-cent fee to contract a Class III base price. It’s easy and a no brainer if I can get it above break even. I will do calls if I think the market will go up. The only time I think puts are valuable are if you know the market will go down. Contracting allows me to pay the bills and take care of my family. How does this dip in milk price compare to others you’ve experienced in your dairying career? This year has not been a low milk price year for me because of contracting and high components. I started farming in 2006, so I went through the low prices in 2009. I lost $70,000 that year. I’m nowhere near that this year. That is always in the back of my mind and a constant reminder to make good business decisions. I have learned from my past experience. What do you do to alleviate personal stress because of dairy farming or low milk prices? You have to have a positive attitude. If you have a bad day, put it to bed when you go to bed and wake up with a new attitude. The little things in farming – like having a high-ranking heifer calf born or a perfect pregnancy check – help keep me going and puts me in a good mood. I also get to spend every day with my wife and kids. However, we like to get away from the farm for a bit and not have that burden all the time. We like to hang out with friends or attend fairs. Tell us about your farm. I am a fth generation farmer with my wife, Josie, and our children, John, 3, Ruthie, 1, and Oliver, 5 weeks. I started farming with my dad, Alan, in 2006. I bought the cows from him in 2013 and rented the facility until last year when we were able to buy the building site and 50 acres. I still work together with my dad, who plants the crops. I buy all my corn silage and haylage from him.
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
Repro Leaders
Mix of A.I., bulls used to get cows bred at Kruschke’s dairy Dan Kruschke Eagle Bend, Minn. Todd County 18 cows (I usually have 35 and now have 22 bred heifers to build the herd up again)
milk Jerseys.
What was your pregnancy rate average last year? It was at 28-29 percent.
What is your reproduction program? Do you use a synchronization program? We will A.I. a cow twice and if she does not settle then we put her in with the bull. We do not use any sync program.
What is your voluntary waiting period for cows? For heifers? For the cows, it is 40 days and for the heifers it is 550 pounds or 12 months. I
What is your rst service conception rate? I am running about 55 percent. I do my own A.I. work.
How do you observe for
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Dan Kruschke had a pregnancy rate average 28-29 percent on his 18-cow dairy near Eagle Bend, Minn.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Kruschke selects bulls for his cows that are plus on percent fat, protein and milk.
heat? I watch the cows for heats. I also get help from my milk units. They have pounds and temperature on them. In the winter when the cows do
Caution!
not get out as much, I watch if they drop in milk and the temperature is up then I breed them. Anything around 101.5 temperature and above.
How do you conrm pregnant or open cows? By vet checks. Turn to KRUSCHKE | Page 20
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 19
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
To View Pictures Visit www.dairystar.com and go to the Business Directory Listing
ConƟnued from KRUSCHKE | Page 18
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MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Dan Kruschke will start breeding his Jersey heifers with a bull at 12 months or 550 pounds. What is your breeding philosophy? How do you select bulls? What traits do you focus on? Does fertility play a role in bull selection? I try to get them bred as early as possible. I have a lot of cows that I dry up at 270 days in milk. They milk more in the early part of their lactation. I would rather dry them up early as well. When I select bulls, they have to be a three-plus bull – plus on percent fat, protein and milk. Now I also breed for polled genetics. How are cows and heifers bred? Do you have a different philosophy for breeding both? Cows are bred twice with A.I. and if they do not settle they are put in with the bull. Heifers are normally turned in with the bull. What do you do to settle hard breeders? They are turned out with the bull.
tfn
How many times do you try to breed a cow before you sell her? It depends on the cow. If I have an 80-pounds-a-day cow I will give her more time. If a
cow goes ve months without being bred she is sent down the road. Is there anything you have done or changed that brought about a signicant improvement in your reproductive program? I really try to keep an eye on the condition of the cows. Cows that are thin or overweight are harder to get bred. We also really watch our minerals in the feed, and I test all my hay and corn silage twice a year. Tell us about your farm. We own 72 acres of land and rent another 40 acres. We grow corn and a hay mix. We buy all our heifer grain. We milk in a tiestall barn and have no TMR. We have the cattle on a grazing program for the summer. We feed silage, baled hay, and ground ear corn and top dress protein on the silage. We feed three kinds of proteins including roasted soybeans, Propel and 37-8. The milking herd gets 37-8 and roasted soybeans and it depends on milk production if they get Propel.
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 21
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Over 1200 items with pictures updated daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS 11 Versatile 1156, 1988, 6000 hrs., #139641 ............................... $51,900 10 JD 8430, 1975, 1893 hrs., #138881 ............................... $15,500 1 JD 8560, 1991, 6305 hrs., #140759 ............................... $33,900 7 JD 8640, 1987, 10435 hrs., #137151 ............................... $20,350 2 JD 8770, 1996, 7970 hrs., #138494 ............................... $32,900 7 JD 8870, 1995, 4370 hrs., #138377 ............................... $60,900 8 JD 8960, 1992, 7694 hrs., #137900 ............................... $45,000 6 JD 9200, 1994, 6844 hrs., #138865 ............................... $67,500 3 JD 9330, 2010, 1260 hrs., #140493 ............................. $185,000 8 JD 9400, 1996, 6173 hrs., #134367 ............................... $79,000 7 JD 9620, 2006, 6120 hrs., #138706 ............................. $114,490 7 JD 9360R, 2013, 1289 hrs., #139202 ............................. $195,900 3 JD 9470R, 2015, 214 hrs., #139203 ............................. $269,000 1 JD 9560R, 2013, 2344 hrs., #127914 ............................. $219,000 7 JD 9560R, 2012, 1751 hrs., #133796 ............................. $239,000 5 JD 9620R, 2015, 461 hrs., #137678 ............................. $365,000 4 JD 9620R, 2015, 514 hrs., #125913 ............................. $365,000 CHISEL PLOW 10 Summers 32’, 2014, #132426 ............................... $64,900 COMBINE PLATFORMS 8 JD 615P, 2016, #133555 ............................... $26,000 1 JD 630F, 2009, #140685 ............................... $20,900 4 JD 630F, 2011, #113753 ............................... $25,900 7 JD 630F, 2012, #126623 ............................... $27,900 8 JD 630F, 2013, #136713 ............................... $29,900 6 JD 635F, 2007, #135115 ............................... $18,500 5 JD 635F, 2006, #140683 .. $18,700
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7 JD 635F, 2009, #140297 ............................... $19,900 5 JD 635F, 2010, #140551 ............................... $22,900 5 JD 635F, 2009, #131606 ............................... $24,500 4 JD 635F, 2008, #132156 ............................... $25,000 1 JD 635F, 2011, #140574 ............................... $26,950 3 JD 635F, 2011, #134729 ............................... $29,800 4 JD 635F, 2012, #118150 ............................... $33,900 5 JD 640FD, 2014, #139826 ............................... $69,500 COMBINES 10 Case IH 8010, 2006, 2125 hrs., 1506 sep., #132086 .......... $99,000 6 JD 9500, 1995, 5104 hrs., 3524 sep.,#140342 ........... $25,900 12 JD 9500, 1989, 4400 hrs., 3300 sep., #132034 .......... $27,900 5 JD 9500, 1992, 5306 hrs., 3502 sep., #140474 .......... $35,900 11 JD 9500, 1995, 2588 hrs., 1747 sep., #140676 .......... $38,900 2 JD 9550, 2001, 3367 hrs., 2352 sep., #134900 .......... $71,900 2 JD 9600, 1995, 5000 hrs., 190 sep., #133728............. $34,900 5 JD 9610, 1997, 4224 hrs., 2856 sep., #138424 .......... $47,000 9 JD 9570 STS, 2008, 1563 hrs., 1084 sep., #115868 ........ $139,500 7 JD 9570 STS, 2010, 910 hrs., 682 sep., #122037........... $169,500 3 JD 9660 STS, 2006, 2574 hrs., 1891 sep., #140592 ........ $115,000 6 JD 9760 STS, 2004, 2642 hrs., 1763 sep., #107702 .......... $98,900 10 JD 9760 STS, 2004, 2354 hrs., 1558 sep., #132810 ........ $118,000 7 JD 9770 STS, 2008, 2845 hrs., 2021 sep., #139325 ........ $119,840 7 JD 9770 STS, 2009, 2597 hrs., 1919 sep., #124372 ........ $127,900 8 JD 9770 STS, 2010, 2427 hrs., 1776 sep., #135046 ........ $132,900 4 JD 9770 STS, 2009, 1861 hrs., 1289 sep., #117362 ........ $162,900
71,900
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Case IH 8010, 2006, $ 2125 hrs., #132086
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4 JD 606C, 2013, #116470 ............................... $53,900 8 JD 606C, 2013, #132413 ............................... $53,900 2 JD 606C, 2013, #132993 ............................... $53,900 7 JD 608C, 2014, #134969 ............................... $67,500 6 JD 608C, 2015, #140472 ............................... $69,900 6 JD 612C, 2008, #127007 ............................... $49,500 7 JD 612C, 2009, #126839 ............................... $52,900 2 JD 612C, 2010, #135623 ............................... $57,500 7 JD 612C, 2012, #106737 ............................... $74,900 2 JD 612C, 2014, #134078 ............................... $85,000 8 JD 612C, 2014, #126047 ............................... $95,900 8 JD 612C, 2015, #126164 ............................... $99,500 8 JD 612C, 2016, #134111 ............................. $109,000 7 Fantini 6R30, 2010, #133739 ............................... $25,900 1 Geringhoff RD830B, 2004, #132061 ............................... $18,900 RIPPERS 6 Case IH 870, 2011, #130393 ............................... $44,900 5 JD 2700, 2005, #139346 ............................... $15,500 1 JD 2700, 2004, #140687 ............................... $15,900 2 JD 2700, 2006, #130972 ............................... $18,900 3 JD 2700, 2005, #139398 ............................... $22,000 6 JD 2700, 2009, #118932 ............................... $27,900 5 JD 2700, 2013, #135020 ............................... $30,900 8 JD 2700, 2013, #134946 ............................... $33,900 8 Kuhn 4855, 2015, #138368 ............................... $59,900 8 Case IH 730C, 2011, #135148 ............................... $30,000
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
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Focus on youth wellness, builds trust with dairy
“The average cow chews 50 times a minute; healthy content cows chew their cud for eight hours a day.” “I nally visited a dairy farm, which was a check box on my wish list. I feel a great respect for dairy farmers.” “Heading back from a Wineld answer plot where we learned about drones, corn, wheat and their growing process. It was great!” These comments are a sample of the feedback from student leaders who participated in the seventh annual Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador Summit in Minneapolis. I was lucky enough to attend, and it was an impressive event. The four-day event welcomed 183 student ambassadors and 85 educators from 44 By Molly Pelzer states, not to mention more than Midwest Dairy Council 30 dairy farm families. The kick-off event was held in U.S. Bank Stadium, home to the Minnesota Vikings and the location where Super Bowl LII will be played next February. How were we lucky enough to experience this impressive location? By leveraging the strong relationships developed between the Minnesota Vikings organization and Midwest Dairy Council who have collaborated on the Fuel Up to Play 60 program for the past 10 years. This program is the nation’s largest youth wellness program and focuses on school nutrition and physical activity. What a thrill to participate in activities on the same eld where players will compete to earn a Super Bowl ring. The positive energy around me served as proof of the impact that the checkoff’s focus on youth wellness is having on tomorrow’s dairy consumers. The Fuel Up to Play 60 program reaches 5.5 million students in the Midwest. The event was an opportunity to celebrate youth leaders and champions for the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. It also provided an opportunity to hear ideas from students, program advisors and parents about how to make the program even more relevant. The students were eager to learn about the nutritional power of dairy foods and to show their commitment to increased activity. They participated in healthy smoothie and pizza making challenges and enjoyed a variety of games. They also jumped right into in an event where they competed for $1,000 grants to implement programs to help solve health and wellness challenges in their schools. One of the most exciting exchanges happened when students from around the country held roundtable discussions with dairy farmers and brainstormed ideas to involve dairy farmers in classroom activities. Consumers today want to know where their food comes from, how it is produced and how the animals are treated. Students are no different. Their denition of healthy eating has changed, and the checkoff is committed to giving student leaders the tools needed to become dairy champions in their communities. As a rst step, students had the opportunity to learn about where their food comes from by visiting either a dairy farm, the test kitchens at Land O’Lakes or a Wineld answer plot to learn what seeds, soil conditions and nutrients are needed to maximize crop yield. Outside the event, there are many examples of how students are sharing information about dairy farming. During the recent Iowa State Fair, a Fuel Up to Play 60 student ambassador toured the dairy area of the fairgrounds with Gov. Kim Reynolds, sharing how the program has helped students in her school learn about farming. Students from Arkansas have shared positive dairy experiences with leaders from Walmart and Del Monte. And, earlier this year, ve student ambassadors were featured in a video highlighting their dairy farm visit in Iowa that was featured at the Central Plains Dairy Expo. Dairy farmers can be proud of the dairy checkoff’s focus on youth wellness because it is building trust in dairy farming, and students tell us they are enjoying more dairy foods at school and at home. The program has also fueled impressive leadership development. Our next focus is to fuel students’ interest in agriculture and food production career opportunities. The student ambassador summit was a great start for that new venture.
A faithful gathering on the farm
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 23
Borgerdings host Rural Life Celebration By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
BELGRADE, Minn. – A steady soaking August rain did not stop members of the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minn., from participating in the annual diocesan Rural Life Celebration, held Aug. 13 in Belgrade, Minn. “The rain really drew us
together under the tent where everyone gathered as one in faith, and I was smiling inside because we needed the rain,” said Joe Borgerding, who welcomed hundreds of worshipers to his family’s 180-cow organic dairy farm for the celebration. Borgerding and his wife, Toni, and family, as well as fellow parishioners from Sts. Pe-
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Joe Borgerding welcomes AbboƩ John Klassen, OSB, to speak about the importance of rural communiƟes, and thanked all in aƩendance for parƟcipaƟng in the day’s acƟviƟes.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Bishop Donald KeƩler blesses the wine during the Liturgy of the Eucharist at the Rural Life CelebraƟon Aug. 13 on Joe and Toni Borgerding’s 180-cow dairy farm near Belgrade, Minn. ter and Paul in Elrosa, Minn.; St. Donatus in Brooten, Minn.; and St. Francis de Sales in Belgrade, hosted this year’s event. Catholic Charities approached the Borgerdings as the organization was planning the 2017 event. “We felt it would be an honor to have a Mass on our farm, especially with the Bishop, to celebrate rural life. We also felt it was important for family to see what a farm looks like and what we do,” said Borgerding of why his family decided to be the host farm. “Plus, it was a beautiful demonstration of cooperation within our cluster.” Members from the parishes formed a tri-parish planning
committee that met for months prior to plan the event, fund raise and schedule volunteers to make the event successful. Borgerding also noted the help his family received from their employees. “My family and I really have to thank everyone for their cooperation,” he said. As the congregation nestled in underneath a tent for morning Mass, Bishop Donald Kettler, who celebrated Mass, welcomed all who were able to attend and support rural living in Minnesota. Every year, parishes within the Diocese of St. Cloud host an event commemorating rural communities and raise money for a fund to help those within
the community. The diocese, as well as Catholic Charities, created the Rural Life Fund for families and individuals within rural parishes in drastic need of help. “One family lost everything, including their trailer house they called home for many, many years. With help from you, we were able to help them move a new trailer house onto their property,” said Kathy Langer, director of Social Concerns with Catholic Charities. “I have many stories just like that … all that have been helped because of your support.” After Mass, parishioners Turn to MASS | Page 25
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Daryn Yoder Leon, IA (641) 344-6002
Chad Tesch Canton S.D. (605) 759-5622 Dan (Boone) Uphoff, Sioux Falls S.D. (605) 321-1862
Natures Best Roger TeSlaa
Inwood, IA
(605) 370-2249
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
712-722-3626
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CALL YOUR LOCAL GEHL DEALER TODAY! • A&C Farm Service Inc. Paynesville, MN • Aldrich Tractor Verndale, MN • Arnold’s St. Martin, Willmar, Kimball, MN • Baumler Implement West Union, IA • Caledonia Implement Company Caledonia, MN • KLS Implement Inc. Elrosa, MN
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 25
ConƟnued from MASS | Page 23 were greeted with drinks and a warm meal at the Borgerdings’ farm. A small petting zoo, farm tour and live music by the Slew Foot Band kept attendees engaged throughout the afternoon. “We had a Plan A, but I always call that a dream. So, with Plan B, we shifted things around, but that’s farming … and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The petting zoo went over really well,” Borgerding said. “Our theme for the day was ‘Caring for God’s Creation: Sharing in the Stewardship of God’s Country,’ and we were able to show that here in Stearns County.” Abbot John Klassen, O.S.B., agreed. “It takes an imaginative cooperation for a community to thrive. As farms grow, men and women work together to give job opportunities to young people,” Klassen said. “Within rural communities, there is always an astonishing faith tradition present.” While rain showers came and went throughout the afternoon, a sense of community pride was ever present as people beamed with appreciation and support for rural life in central Minnesota, reecting Klassen’s words. “Small farms are the vitality of our communities … no matter the challenges, [Jesus] will be there to guide us and love us,” Bishop Kettler said.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Megan Lensing, of Belgrade, Minn., serves sweet corn to churchgoers during the Rural Life CelebraƟon Aug. 13 at Joe and Toni Borgerding’s dairy farm near Belgrade, Minn.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
AbboƩ John Klassen, O.S.B., preaches to churchgoers about the need for a strong faith in rural communiƟes during the Rural Life CelebraƟon Aug. 13.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Altar servers lead the procession aŌer Mass ended Aug. 13.
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JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
A photo display of the three churches and local families highlights the rural communiƟes of Belgrade, Elrosa and Brooten, Minn., at the Rural Life CelebraƟon Aug. 13.
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Jeff Weyer
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In Central, South Central Minnesota Call: Mike Schafer
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In Southwest Minnesota, Northwest Iowa, South Dakota Call: Jerry Nelson
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
Emergency assistance for livestock
The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) provides emergency assistance to eligible livestock, honeybee and farm-raised sh producers who have losses due to disease, adverse weather or other conditions, such FSA News & Notes as blizzards and wildres not covered by other agricultural disaster assistance programs. Eligible livestock losses include grazing losses not covered under the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), loss of purchased feed and/or meBy Ryan Brunn chanically harvested feed Stearns Co. Exec. Dir. due to an eligible adverse weather event, additional cost of transporting water because of an eligible drought and additional cost associated with gathering livestock to treat for cattle tick fever. Eligible honeybee losses include loss of purchased feed due to an eligible adverse weather event, cost of additional feed purchased above normal quantities due to an eligible adverse weather condition, colony losses in excess of normal mortality due to an eligible weather event or loss condition, including CCD, and hive losses due to eligible adverse weather. Eligible farm-raised sh losses include death losses in excess of normal mortality and/or loss of purchased feed due to an eligible adverse weather event. Producers who suffer eligible livestock, honeybee or farm-raised sh losses from Oct. 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2017 must le: • A notice of loss the earlier of 30 calendar days of when the loss is apparent or by Nov. 1, 2017 • An application for payment by Nov. 1, 2017 The Farm Bill caps ELAP disaster funding at $20 million per federal scal year. The following ELAP fact sheets (by topic) are available online: • ELAP for farm-raised sh fact sheet • ELAP for livestock fact sheet • ELAP for honeybees fact sheet To view these and other FSA program fact sheets, visit the FSA fact sheet web page at www.fsa.usda. gov/factsheets. ARC/PLC acreage maintenance Producers enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs must protect all cropland and noncropland acres on the farm from wind and water erosion and noxious weeds. Producers who sign ARC county or individual contracts and PLC contracts agree to effectively control noxious weeds on the farm according to sound agricultural practices. If a producer fails to take necessary actions to correct a maintenance problem on a farm that is enrolled in ARC or PLC, the county committee may elect to terminate the contract for the program year. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
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The county fair The Transition Pen
By Laura Scholtz & John Rosenhammer Father/Daughter Farming Duo The nal kid’s graduation, the arrival of the rst grandchild, the rst wedding, and our last county fair; it has certainly been an exciting past few months for our family. Last week, during our nal county fair I couldn’t help but reminisce about how far we have come since our rst county fair 17 years ago. In April of the year 2000, my parents moved our family from an old farmhouse a few miles from the farm to our brand new house built onsite. At this time, all ve of us kids were born and ranged from ages 2 to 11. For my older brother Joe, and I, moving to the farm meant we were nally allowed to join 4-H and show cows at the county fair. My dad asked our Genex salesman to help pick out calves to show, and he picked out a March calf for me that I named Freedom. Our rst couple years showing, I don’t remember being worried about where we placed in the classes. That all changed when we became state fair eligible. Watching the older 4-Hers show and hearing them talk of stories at the state fair sparked a desire in me to make sure I would win a trip to the state fair so I could join in on the fun. My rst year eligible at the county fair, it was my fth time showing Freedom. At the time, she was a 4-year-old grade Holstein cow. After she placed rst in her class, it was time for state fair line-up. I remember feeling nervous. I watched the judge intently, making sure Freedom looked her best each time he walked by and praying I could make the cut to go on to state fair. To my surprise, he pulled Freedom rst into line and she was grand champion of our county fair. I could not have been happier. At the state fair in the coliseum, I proudly lead Freedom in her class of nine cows, and the judge quickly put her in last place and gave me a red ribbon. I remember feeling confused. How could my champion cow be put in last place? I made the decision that day that I wasn’t going to be satised with placing last. I started dairy judging, went to other shows around the state and observed how cows were tted and prepared for the show ring. I especially watched lots of showmanship competitions. Dairy judging taught me how to analyze cows, looking for strengths and weaknesses. In return, I could pick my own show cows each year and have condence they were the best we had available. Watching other shows allowed me to see what type of cows did well in their classes, and my dad would try to breed for cows that embodied these traits. Unlike many others I saw, my dad refused to buy me any show animals and instead forced me to learn how to make the best of the ones we had. Little did I know that is one of the most powerful lessons I have learned in life. My dad made us attend t-
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 27
ting workshops, and practice clipping and doing toplines on our cows at home. He always encouraged me to watch each showmanship competition at the shows we went to in order to seek out ways to make animals appear better than they were. I learned to hold the head up high, pull excess esh away from under the throat to hide it, walk slowly, set up quickly, use paint to hide blemishes and blow the topline hair up perfectly to make the cow look awless. All of these strategies paid off and I nally received blue ribbons at the state fair and placed in the middle of my classes. My dad’s breeding continued to improve our show cows and my very lucky younger siblings never placed last in their class like I had. Looking back, our 17 years showing at the county fair taught us kids so many lessons. The most important lesson was certainly how to get along with each other, as we all had different attitudes about getting up early to be at the fair and we always had to be nice to whoever was holding the hose on the wash rack.
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1121 1020 984 969 961 959 953 944 942 913
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I learned to have patience for animals, determination that I would get a high-strung cow to lead, developed motivation to improve each year, and ambition to get more involved in the dairy industry. I am grateful I took advantage of all the opportunities to give milking demonstrations and connect with fairgoers by answering their questions. Besides this, the friendships built with other 4-Hers have lasted well beyond our 4-H days. In fact, two of my bridesmaids were girls I met showing cows. Plus, my husband and I met at the county fair when he was showing beef cattle, and both our dads and grandparents attended the same county fair and were in 4-H together. Now, we will enjoy a few years break before the rst granddaughter, Ava, is ready to start her adventure. Laura Scholtz farms with her father, John Rosenhammer, and uncle, Greg, on Roseview Dairy near Sleepy Eye, Minn. They milk 200 Holsteins and run 580 acres of cropland.
Exceptional Young Sires
DWP$ NM$ Milk CFP DPR
7Ho12951 7Ho12788 507Ho13771 507Ho13628 507Ho13607 7Ho13662 7Ho13766 7Ho13504 7Ho12978 7Ho12600
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1203 853 1180 125 +3.9 1189 964 2502 176 +1.0 1172 1024 1487 169 +3.4 1165 922 1816 139 +2.9 1146 857 1170 124 +3.4 1142 799 1243 126 +1.5 1141 917 1860 172 +2.2 1140 916 1811 186 +.3 1135 827 1203 125 +3.1 1129 957 1800 152 +2.6
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Growth of cattle grazing cover crops
Betty Berning bberning@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Rafael Bisinotto rbisinot@umn.edu 612-625-3130
It is well established that winter cover crops, when used in rotation with other crops, improve soil health. Cover crops are commonly used as a green manure or harvested for grain and straw; however, they could be grazed with livestock in the early spring and summer. In addition, grazing is a low-input method to feed livestock which could improve soil health by adding fresh manure to the eld or pastures. Farmers who want to improve soil health and utilize a low-input grazing system may benet from integrating crops and livestock in their system. Integrating crops and livestock on a multi-function operation By Brad Heins could have multiple benets and the potential U of M Extension to improve the protability of these kinds of operations. Researchers at Iowa State University, the University of Minnesota, and Rodale Institute are in the third year of a four-year project, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture Organic Research and Extension Initiative, to evaluate the production, environmental and economic benets of growing cash crops with forage crops for grazing, including small grains and hay crops for livestock feed. They are comparing two crop rotations – pasture-winter wheat-soybean-pasture and pasture-winter rye/hairy vetch-corn-pasture – and grazing dairy steers on the cover crops as a method of integrating livestock and organic cropping systems. At the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center’s organic dairy in Morris, Minn., the dairy bull calves are: Holsteins; crossbreds comprised of Holstein (HOL), Montbéliarde and Viking Red (MVH); and crossbreds comprised of Normande, Jersey and Viking Red (NJV). Researchers are grazing steers on a pasture divided in half for the two crop sequences (S1: Pasture-wheat-soybean and S2: Pasture-rye/vetchcorn). These pastures are separated into 15 paddocks with a non-grazed enclosure in each paddock. Winter wheat (WW) and winter rye (WR) forages were planted on September 11, 2015, for grazing during spring 2016. During this spring, calves were randomly assigned to replicated groups (winter wheat or winter rye), but balanced by breed group to reduce potential breed bias. Twelve-month old dairy steers started grazing the wheat and rye pastures on April 25, 2016. Forage samples were collected when steers moved to new paddocks, which was about every three days. Winter rye (2,626 lb. dry matter per acre) had greater herbage mass compared to winter wheat (2,021 lb. dry matter per acre). Crude protein was very high in both the winter wheat and winter rye across the grazing season, which lasted until June 14, 2016, for these grasses. From early May through the end of the grazing
Hugh Chester-Jones chest001@umn.edu (507) 835-3622 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu (612) 624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu (320) 589-1711 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu (612) 625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu (320) 732-4435 Kota Minegishi kota@umn.edu 612-624-7455 Randy Pepin pepin019@umn.edu (320) 333-1369 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu (320) 203-6093 M. Scott Wells mswells@umn.edu 612-625-3747 Emily Wilmes krek0033@umn.edu (320) 255-6169
season, the crude protein was lower than at the start of grazing; however, the steers were probably more efcient at utilizing the protein when it was lower compared to high protein levels observed during late April. Digestibility of the winter wheat and rye also was very high. As the wheat and rye matured, the digestibility was lower; however, the dairy steers grazed each paddock and wheat and rye four times in a two-month period. For cover crops, HOL and MVH steers did not differ in body weight between cover crops throughout the grazing season. However, NJV steers grazing WW tended to be heavier than NJV steers grazing WR throughout the grazing season. For average daily gain, breed groups did not differ throughout the grazing season. At harvest, MVH and HOL steers weighed more than NJV steers, and steers grazed on WW (483 kg) weighed more than steers grazed on WR (458 kg). Dressing percent, marbling score, back fat, ribeye area and yield grade were not different between breeds or cover crops. For cover crop differences, beef from steers grazing WW had higher avor, texture, juiciness and overall liking, and lower toughness and off-avor compared to beef from steers grazing WR. For breeds, the NJV steaks had a higher texture liking and lower toughness compared to steaks from both MVH and HOL. Furthermore, NJV and MVH steaks had higher juiciness than HOL steaks. The NJV steaks had a higher avor liking than HOL steaks. The omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids were not different between steers that grazed WW compared to WR. From this study, cover crops did not inuence the omega-6 or -3 fatty acid concentration in the fat of beef. The omega-3 fatty acid concentration was higher in fat from MVH steers compared to HOL fat. The omega-6/3 ratio was higher in HOL back fat compared to NJV and MVH back fat. Although these steers were nished on a forage diet, they received grain during the pre- and post-weaning stages. This may have inuenced the higher omega-6/3 ratio in this study than steers fed a no-grain diet throughout their lifetime. In this study, the wheat and rye cover crops were ready to graze three weeks earlier than other perennial pastures on the farm. This study not only applies to grazing steers, but to grazing dairy cows as well. By grazing cover crops, we were able to start grazing three weeks earlier in the grazing season and graze the system three times through with about 16 days of rest between grazing periods. Grazing winter wheat and winter rye are both feasible to graze in the early spring and summer. The integration of livestock in organic cropping systems is a prerequisite for long-term agricultural stability. We are studying methods to integrate crops and livestock to determine this model’s effect on animal performance, crop productivity (including small grains for grazing), soil quality, food safety and social acceptance. During the third year of the project, organic row crops will be harvested and crop/livestock budgets will be produced.
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Dairy goat farmers get creative Farmers are an inventive lot. The original recyclers: ďƒžxing what they have, repurposing items, and sometimes creating something out of nothing. Here are four creations in use by a couple of central Minnesota dairy goat producers. These are just a few simple ways to reuse items you By Brenda Miller may already have U of M Extension in your possession or can make without spending much money. 1. Hay feeder for kids by repurposing a 15 gallon barrel. Cut a large rectangular hole on the top and circled holes on one side. Stabilize the feeder in the front with a 1 x 2 and screw the feeder to a wall using another 1 x 2 or 2 x 4 on the inside of the feeder. You could also make hooks, attach them to the feeder and hang the feeder on a gate. (Designed by Marty Olson) 2. Big square bale hay feeder using cattle panel and angle iron. Cut the cat-
tle panel to the dimensions of your big square bale and weld the angle iron on to make the corners. You can move this manually or lift it with a skid loader. (Designed by Marty Olson) 3. This bottle and nipple holder is actually an oven rack cut in half. Bonus is that you can create 2 holders from one oven rack! Cut the oven rack in half, bend the end tines into a “J� shape, and screw to the wall. Each tine can hold either a bottle or nipple, or another piece of feeding or cleaning equipment. (Designed by a local Amish producer) 4. Mob feeder for kids by repurposing pails and adding nipples. Decide how many kids you want to feed out of one bucket, purchase the corresponding amount of nipples, cut holes in the bucket and attach the nipple. Make sure your gasket is snug to make a good seal so milk doesn’t leak out. Replace gaskets and nipples as necessary. Make sure to wash and disinfect the feeder after each feeding. Another way to make a mob milk/grain feeder is to cut a PVC pipe in half, add end caps, and attach hooks to hang it on a fence or gate. (Designed by a local Amish producer)
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 29
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Staying married Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
My wife and I have been married for a long time you laugh. As a result, I have gotten into the habit of now, and we can’t help but feel we are hopelessly out making my wife laugh every day, even if I’m pretty of style. Why? Well, I’m ashamed to admit this, but sure I haven’t done anything wrong. There are very neither one of us has ever been divorced. few days when my comedic efforts are unnecessary. Not (according to my wife) that the option hasn’t Every night, just before we shut off the lights, been seriously considered. This is especially true I will turn to my wife and say, “Hey, Honey, look when I forget about the toilet seat rule and she almost at this. I have a little something to show you.â€? And takes a midnight swim. then she will laugh and “So,â€? you might ask, O laugh. Fortunately, hers was One off the h things hi Ih have “What is the secret to a a sheltered childhood and long and happy marriage?â€? learned over the years is that all of those old Bazooka Joe According to all those I collected as a boy it’s hard to stay mad at some- comics trashy magazines you see are new to her. at supermarket checkout one who makes you laugh. Another valuable counters, there are about a tip which will ensure many zillion such secrets ďƒ&#x;oating years of contented matrimoaround. Sadly, I have only managed to learn but a ny is to never criticize the cook, even if she dishes up few. Even so, I will be glad to share what little knowl- a hearty portion of cooked moose entrails. edge I have gleaned. Moose what? Yup, moose entrails. Thanks to One of the things I have learned over the years the internet, I recently became aware of a news item is that it’s hard to stay mad at someone who makes which bore a dateline of Oslo, Norway. The story
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was about a woman who found a ring she had lost three years earlier. She discovered the ring – and this is the part that only people such as Julia Child can ever hope to understand – while cooking a pot of wild moose entrails. I couldn’t help but wonder. Did that mean the moose was wild? Or just the bubbling cauldron of entrails? I know what you’re Dear County Agent Guy thinking. You are wondering, “Why doesn’t my Signiďƒžcant Other ever do something like that for me?â€? Well, have you ever asked him or her? Have you ever held that person tenderly and whispered, “Honey, what say we do something different tonight? How By Jerry Nelson about you haul out the Columnist big kettle and cook up the abomasum of a large and goofy-looking semi-aquatic herbivore?â€? Well, have you? I thought not. And that leads us to another important aspect of a successful long-term relationship: honesty. I bet that in reality, the lady from Norway had simply forgotten where she had put the allegedly lost ring. Instead of confessing her absentmindedness, she faked losing the ring in a snowdrift while she was helping her dunderheaded husband push their car out of the ditch. Some years later, she put her hand into one of the far-ďƒ&#x;ung compartments of her labyrinthine purse and – whoops. The ring had been in her purse all along. Her hubby happened by just then, so the lady deftly ďƒ&#x;icked the ring into a pot of moose reticulum that was simmering on the stove. Later, while serving up a plateful of yummy moose guts, she found the misplaced ring. The husband was an avid outdoorsman and thus predisposed to believing incredibly tall tales regarding anything outdoorsy. He quickly alerted the wire services, who thought the whole thing sounded too preposterous not to be true so of course they ran with it. You can see how one teensy little ďƒžb can quickly spiral out of control. No doubt the poor woman will eventually be invited to be a guest on Martha Stewart’s TV show. No doubt Martha will ask her to demonstrate her method for recovering lost jewelry from the innards of big game animals. Oh, what a tangled web we weave. The moral of the story is this: It is OK to forget. A little forgetting is good, nay, essential for a healthy relationship. For example, if my wife will forget that I nearly caused her to receive a midnight baptism, I will drop my plan to publicly announce her true age on the advent of her next birthday at which time she will reach the advanced age of ‌ um ... gee, I forget. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@dairystar.com.
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Vacation at the fair
For only the second time since I can remember, I will not be attending the Minnesota State Fair. The rst was a matter of circumstance – living hundreds of miles away. This time, however, was an oversight on my part, as Willie and I planned our much-anticipated summer vacation during the Minnesota holiday. As we plan for our getaway, I can’t help but think of all the young 4-H members preparing their animals for the livestock encampment weekend and the memories that will last long after the barn doors close. After we moved to Minnesota and were living in the country, Dad encouraged my siblings and I to join 4-H. I was nine years old at the time and overly enthusiastic about the vast possibilities of projects to present at the fair – from poultry to dairy to photography to sewing … the list goes on. By Jennifer Coyne Emily was our rst dairy animal on our hobby Staff Writer farm. She was my brother, Nick’s, and in our opinion a promising fall calf – a colorful personality, friendly and could walk like a dog. The judge thought otherwise and politely pointed out that maybe we shouldn’t have housed her with the steers, following the same diet as her male counterparts. Emily was our rst lesson learned. The next teaching moment came a few years down the road, when I was eligible for a state fair trip. That year, I had shown a pen of Buff Orpington pullets in an egg production class. I had just missed the state fair cutoff and was beside myself as all my friends moved on to the state competition without me. As luck would have it, a spot in the state fair lineup opened and I proudly took my pen of birds to the state fair. But as quickly as luck arrived, it too dissipated when the show ring clerk handed me a red ribbon. My rst state fair trip was another lesson learned. Throughout the years, the lessons continued and with each fair I gained a greater appreciation for my work throughout the year that led up to those pivotal weeks of summer, but also my self respect as I improved upon each project. Fairs were also a time to foster relationships between people who share the same values as me and knew how to make fun of being in the barn on those early mornings and late nights. Recalling those times, the most comical moments were found on the day of our dairy show. We had a friendly rivalry with the neighboring 4-H club to see who could make it out to the wash rack rst on show day. For a few years, we were in the barns rst, washing our cows in the morning darkness. It was bittersweet when my time in 4-H ended, and the fairs no longer guaranteed a vacation of sorts. But this year has been different, and in a good way. I’ve had the chance to return to my 4-H roots and volunteer my time at county fairs in central Minnesota as a judge for various events. Willie is probably tired of me coming home from the fairs, giddy with excitement for the youth who are developing their passion in agriculture – but I can’t help myself. Like many in agriculture, the 4-H organization shaped my future – my understanding of responsibility, fortitude and success, but also failure. It was through my years in 4-H that I created the strongest of friendships and a path towards my career today. And while I may be missing the greatest days of summer, I’m content in knowing there are hundreds of youth across the state taking part in an event where, for them, the work feels like vacation.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 31
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USED HAY TOOLS Vermeer 504 Pro baleage baler, just in, BAU1702G.................................................Call Vermeer 605 SM Cornstalk Special, like new, Just in!, BAU1701G ....................$33,500 Vermeer 605 Super M with power windguard, 2013 model, BAU1608G...........$32,500 Vermeer 605 Super J, twine only, BAU1605G .....................................................$5,500 Vermeer 605 M Baler, approx. 17,000 bales, BAU1508G ..................................$ 18,500 JD 854 baler, 1 year old, approx. 5800 bales, BAU1502G, unbelievable price .................................................$31,500 or best offer JD 569 baler, BAU1501G, 7200 bales, LIKE NEW, new pick up teeth ....................................................................$31,500 or best offer Gehl 1875 Baler, 5x6 bales, BAU1504G..................................................................CALL Massey Ferguson/2746A, 2007 model, 6x4 baler, BAU1609G ...........................$14,500 Vermeer R23A Basket rake, very nice, HYU1704G...............................................$9,500 Tonutti V12 rake, some new teeth, HYU1515G ...................................................$4,200 Vermeer MC1030 mower conditioner, very nice, HYU1703G ............................$17,000 MacDon Hydra swing mower, HYU1601G ..........................................................$9,750 JIFFY 920 Bale Processor, HYU1701G ..................................................................$7,250 Vermeer TE 330 Tedder .....................................................................................$18,950 USED FORAGE BOXES Massey Ferguson Model 116 Forage box, left front unload, FWU1602G .............$2,850 H&S LK500, Front unload silage box, FWU1603G ...............................................$1,250 John Deere 2 row wide chopper head, 36” rows, green, FWU1601G .....................CALL Used 16 ft Miller Pro model 5100 forage box, 4 wheel gear, FWU1511G .............................................................................................$9,500 each 4100 Miller Pro Silage Box, FWU1513G ..............................................................$3,775 H&S 20’ front unload forage box, FWU1514G .....................................................$7,000 Badger BN950 forage box, very nice, FWU1515G ...............................................$4,500 2- Badger 1055 forage boxes, tandem axle, FWU1702G & FWU1703G..................CALL 3- Badger 1050 forage boxes, tandem axle, FWU1704G, FWU1705G, FWU1706G .................................................................CALL Used Badger Blower .....................................................................................Make Offer MANURE PUMPS Some used drag hose equipment, Call for more info. on what is available. 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Milking Equipment • Manure Equipment • Feeding Equipment • Housing • Route Supplies
Summer shift Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
I heard on the radio the other day that Minnesota is 10 inches above normal precipitation for the last 12 months. I’m sure these rst weeks of August have helped push the average upwards. I can’t complain. The August rains have been great for our crops and farm checkbook. The pivots have stood still while storm systems delivered the needed moisture for the crops to grow. The corn is green from top to bottom with very little stress as the cobs begin to ll out. After the third cutting, the alfalfa elds have lled back into a lush green carpet. It has us wondering if we should take a fourth cutting and where we would store it. My lawn mower seems to be the hardest working piece of equipment. Once I nish mowing around buildings, calf domes and apple trees, it looks like I need to start over. What happened to dry, dormant yards to mark the back end of summer heat?
The recent monsoon season has made me nervous about hosting farm camp this year. We were scheduled to host the event on Aug. 15. We thought this was a perfect time to squeeze in something extra. It is after third crop hay and baling straw, between county and state fairs and during the dry part of summer. What could go wrong? As raindrops dripped off my baseball cap on my last lap around the garden with the lawn mower, I was beginning to wonder if it was a sin to pray for the rain to stop in August. I mentioned this to Austin, and he reminded me we should always be thankful for rain, even when it is too much at the time because when it doesn’t come, we would have nothing without it. The rains moved out Monday afternoon and the sun rose on a beautiful dry Tuesday morning as the helpers started to arrive to set up for farm camp. It turned out to be a perfect day for over 100 kids from
third through sixth grade to explore life on the farm. They were intrigued by the giant black and yellow garden spider which has strung a web between the grape vines. They dug hills of red potatoes out of the moist, sandy soil. They tasted green, yellow and purple beans which they found hidden among the leaves. They learned about all of the different things made out of corn, soybeans, beef and pork. I didn’t know corn was used in batteries. At the dairy station, Mark and Austin took the Just Thinking Out Loud kids on a tour of how milk is produced. They climbed a ladder to peer into the empty bulk tank as Mark explained that our milk would be on their table by Thursday. He started up the milking system to let the kids experience what a cow feels when she is being milked. Every one of them stuck a nger into By Natalie Schmitt a milking unit to feel the Columnist gentle vacuum massage. Austin taught the kids about nutrition and how a cow’s stomach works to break down feed. He used his favorite show cow, Fawn, as his live demo. Some of the kids remembered this big gentle black cow who stood at the cross walk just basking in all of the attention. She was standing in her same station again waiting for all of the attention to be lavished upon her. Libby, Greta, Ingrid and I demonstrated how to make instant ice cream. They shrieked with excitement as I poured liquid nitrogen in a cream mixture and Libby started to stir. The cream bubbled up over the edges of the large Styrofoam cup like a mad science experiment. The girls set up the serving cups and spoons so the kids could sample fresh nitro-cream. Then it was off to see the baby calves. They held out their hands for the calf to smell. As the calf wrapped its rough tongue around their hand in search of something to drink, the kids pulled back with a quick jerk and wide eyes. They were not anticipating that. It was so much fun having a yard full of laughter, learning and life. Looking around, I don’t know who learned more – the kids or the adult helpers. I think everyone discovered something new on the farm. I hope this experience planted seeds of curiosity to explore new opportunities surrounding them. They will be our future customers and workers who help us produce the food and fuel to keep our world moving. We had perfect timing with camp. Once the kids loaded up on the buses and returned to town, and the tents, tables and chairs were loaded on the rental trailer and the extra animals returned to their farms, the clouds decided it was time to wring out the extra moisture and rain again. We literally squeezed camp in between the rains. Perfect. Now as I continue to mow my yard in August, I’m starting to see a shift in the seasons as summer slides into the back half. The oak trees are dropping acorns for the squirrels to store. The geese are starting to ock together as they settle down in the wet spots. I heard on the radio that the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a good old-fashioned Minnesota winter with lots of snow. I hope the rst freeze waits until the corn has matured, and we can reap a bountiful harvest. I’m not quite ready for summer to shift into fall. Natalie, Mark and his brother, Al, Schmitt farm together near Rice, Minn. They milk 100 registered Holsteins under the RALMA prex. Their four children are great help around the farm and are pushing Natalie out of several jobs. Therefore she is thankful to have something else to do. For questions or comments please e-mail Natalie at mnschmitt@jetup.net.
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Coyotes attacked our calf
My version of this story started with a blurry, ip-phone photo. I was sitting in the stands alongside the arena at the county fair, watching Dan show his funny chickens, when my phone buzzed. The message was from Glen, who was at home nishing up morning chores. Dairy Good Life The picture in his message showed what looked like black hair and bright pink esh. I stepped out of the arena and pressed send to call. “What is that?” I asked, brimming with concern, when Glen answered. “It’s a calf,” Glen replied. Shortly after I left for the fair with the kids, a gentleman drove into our yard and told Glen that there was a newborn calf in one of our remote pastures. The remote pasture is adjacent to a shed and yard used by a masonry company; it was one of the masons who saw the calf and came to let us know. Glen said he shook his head and thought, “What the By Sadie Frericks heck?” Two days before, we had brought home all of the dry cows and heifers that were due to calve in the next Columnist three weeks. Glen made a special effort to squeeze that task into the pre-fair craziness so that we wouldn’t have to deal with remote calvings during the fair. Still in disbelief, Glen drove over to the pasture, but couldn’t nd a calf anywhere. After tracking down the mason’s phone number and calling for clarication, the mason said the calf was lying next to the shed. Glen didn’t nd a calf there, so he went home to get the 4-wheeler, knowing he could search the 30-acre pasture a lot faster on wheels than he could on foot. His second search of the pasture yielded not one, but two newborn heifer calves. Hera, one of our Holstein cows, was with one of the calves. Glen quickly deduced from the petite size of the calves – and the fact that Hera wasn’t due for another 22 days – that we had our rst set of twin heifer calves of the year. Twin heifer calves are usually an exciting event, but in this case, the excitement was tempered with concern. One of the calves had a gaping wound on her ank, right where the hind leg meets the body wall. Pieces of hide and esh, including part of the calf’s knee joint, were missing. Glen said he could have t both hands inside the hole if he tried. Glen was torn between staying with the calf until our veterinarian arrived to assess the damage and making it to the fair in time for the dairy show, which was scheduled to start immediately after the poultry show. In the end, he left the calf and came to the show. We decided over the phone that our vet would call if she needed help or if she had concerns about the wound. We returned home from the fair that afternoon to nd the heifer calf alert, hungry, and all stitched up. I couldn’t believe how long the line of sutures was. It didn’t take long at all to come up with a name for her: Stitch. At the direction of our veterinarian, we started Stitch on a course of antibiotics to keep the wound from getting infected. We also gave her a daily dose of meloxicam to help control pain. One of the questions that we had been asking each other was, “How in the heck did this happen?” But when we took a closer look at the wound, after it was cleaned up and sutured, we could see bite marks surrounding the area. In theory, it made sense that this calf could have been left unattended while Hera was with the other twin. A coyote found the calf, took a couple bites, the calf bellowed in response to the pain, and either Hera or the rest of the herd rushed over, chasing the coyote away. We’ll never know for sure, but we can’t think of any other plausible explanation. Whatever happened to Stitch, she wasn’t letting it bother her. She drank her bottles vigorously and romped around afterwards like a normal calf. Unfortunately, all of that romping around pulled her stitches out a couple days later. Seeing the wound wide open gave me a new appreciation for what this calf had endured. Amazingly, the body wall and peritoneal cavity hadn’t been punctured. Most of the leg muscles were intact. Like Glen had explained, there was a chunk missing from the front of her knee joint, but obviously not enough to impair movement. We called the vet back to re-suture the wound. But, it turned out, that wasn’t an option. Even with the antibiotic treatment, the wound was draining from inside, due to the sheer amount of empty space inside. The seepage had weakened the skin along the edges of the wound. Our vet explained that because of the skin condition and the fact that the wound was in a high movement area, a new set of stitches would most certainly pull out as well. She said our only option now was to allow the wound to heal by second intention. “By what?” I asked. Healing by second intention is medical/veterinary speak for healing from the inside out. It would take much longer for the wound to heal and the chance of the wound getting infected was much greater, but, with daily cleansing of the wound and daily antibiotic therapy, our vet thought Stitch had a good chance. Truth be told, I had trouble believing her. But our vet was right. Stitch is a month old now and the wound is closing up well. I expect it will be a couple weeks yet before it heals up completely, but I think the worst is behind us. It will be a joyous day when Stitch rejoins her twin, Hitch, in the calf pen. (For now, Stitch is living under a spruce tree in our yard. We decided, and our vet agreed, that sod would be the best environment for keeping the wound clean; the wound was so deep that it would have been impossible to keep straw and shavings out of it.) Once again, I am amazed by the resilience of the bovine species and thankful for the good veterinarians who help us take care of our cows and calves. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 75 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 10, Monika, 7, and Daphne, 4. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife. com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 33
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Prepare for corn silage harvest
Fewer daylight hours and cooler nights remind us corn silage harvest will be here soon. Identifying and achieving harvest goals has huge production and performance implications along with economic impacts on your dairy. Corn silage must Something to Ruminate On be ensiled at optimum dry matter (DM) to maximize packing density and fermentation. For bunker and piles, the optimal DM range is 30 to 35 percent. Bags are similar, but may tolerate a couple points drier. Note tasseling dates of elds. Silage By Barry Visser harvest usually begins Nutritionist 42 to 47 days after tasseling; however, this is dependent on several factors, such as rainfall, temperature, corn hybrid and fertility. As harvest nears, monitor whole-plant moisture for a more accurate harvest date. Collect some representative stalks (manually or mechanically) and dry them to obtain a whole-plant DM. The range of dry-down is typically 1/2 to 1 percentage point per day. Kernel processing is critical, especially as DM and milk line progress. Pre-harvest is a good time to check processing roll condition and gap setting. Roll gap clearances are generally measured in millimeters (mm) with a normal opening of one to four mm. This setting is dependent on kernel maturity, hardness and size. Settings ideal for harvest in previous years may be signicantly different for the current crop. Once the chopper is rolling, evaluate kernel processing and adjust accordingly. The rst method is to use a 32-ounce cup of corn silage before ensiling and spread it on a at surface. You should see no whole or undamaged kernels. The second option it to use a bucket of water. Place a couple handfuls of corn silage in the bucket, skim off the oating plant material, pour off the water and evaluate the corn particles that remain in the bucket. Theoretical length of cut (TLOC) determinations for corn silage are dependent on factors such as harvest DM, percentage of ration contribution and storage structure. Typical TLOC ranges from 5/8 to 1 inch (16 to 25 mm). As DM increases, considerations need to be made to shorten the TLOC. Consider your inoculant strategy. Adding a research-proven silage inoculant has been shown to increase DM recovery by three percent and energy by two percent as the fermentation is optimized. Now is a good time to determine if you will have adequate weight and time of packing equipment on the storage structure to achieve a packing density of at least 15 pounds per cubic foot DM. Calculate the rate of delivery to the structure in tons per hour and multiply by 800; that’s how many pounds of packing equipment need to be on the bunker or pile. Oxygen barrier plastic is always recommended in combination with conventional plastic for covering. Have supplies on hand to avoid delays in covering. Although uncovering and recovering a bunker or pile is a tedious chore, layers of spoiled feed due to soaking rain will have long-term consequences. As a general rule, cover a pile if the rain delay is more than 12 hours and expected rainfall is more than one-quarter inch. Finally, be safe. Corn silage harvest brings an increase in machinery trafc and long hours. Make safety your top goal this corn silage season. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
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Life-long dairy dream turns golden
Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 35
Hahn family establishes A2A2 Guernsey herd
In what is serving as a large feed and utility area for the Hahns, there is an outline HIGHLAND, Wis. – A of the old parlor pit, which life-long dream for Amanda has since been lled in. The Hahn and her parents, Bob and milk house area of the barn Linda, is nding fruition in the was an existing structure they rich cream of golden Guernsey renovated to meet their needs. While the Hahns are new milk. The Hahns recently moved into their new 28-stall to their facility, they are not tiestall barn, milking their new to the dairy industry or small herd of 28 registered the trials and tribulations that Guernsey cows near Highland, come with the ever-changing economic landscape. From Wis. “This has been a dream for 1989-1999, Bob and Linda had a herd of registered Holsteins all of us,” Amanda said. on a farm near Cambria, Wis. Bob agreed. “That was a good herd,” “At our age, we are nuts,” said Bob, of the involvement said Bob, adding that they he and his wife, Linda, have marketed a lot of heifers, many in the herd. “But this is what to foreign markets. “We hosted many tours we’ve wanted to do for 40 years. I’m not going to sit in a during World Dairy Expo,” Linda said. retirement home.” During the years Bob has At the end of July, the Hahns moved their herd from not been dairy farming, he has a rented barn near Cobb, Wis., always been involved in the into the new barn, which they industry, working as a milk built using parts of a horse hauler, a eld man and also barn that had been renovated working with milk marketing on a regional and national from an old dairy barn. “Before it was turned into scale with several companies. More recently, the Hahns a horse barn, there was an 80cow herd milked here, in one worked with a herd of Jerseys of the rst parlors in the area,” owned by their daughter, Amber, and her husband, said Linda. By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Amanda, Linda and Bob Hahn are working together on their farm to develop a herd of Guernseys, specializing in A2A2 geneƟcs. The Hahns milk 28 cows on their dairy near Highland, Wis. Brian. The dispersal of that herd brought them to the Guernsey breed, and the beginning of a third herd of high-quality dairy cattle. “I’ve always liked Guernseys,” Amanda said. “They are gentle and have good dispositions. I became interested in them through the Hoards’ Dairyman Farm.” Since developing that
initial interest in the Guernsey breed, the Hahns have become interested in focusing on the A2A2 genetics of the breed, after they learned about it from the national breed association. “We sort of fell into the A2A2 gene,” Amanda said. “We’ve been lucky to have a lot of help in beginning the herd from the U.S. Guernsey Association, and mentors
like Brent Clements and Deb Lakey.” Clements is a founding member of the Global Guernsey Marketing Group, which is focused on expanding the prevalence of the Guernsey breed, while Lakey is the secretary-treasurer of the Wisconsin Guernsey Breeders Association. Turn to HAHN| Page 37
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
Women In Jeans Laurie Orth Winona, Minn. Winona County 60 cows
Family: My husband, Jim, and I have two daughters. Katelyn and her husband, Zane Ziebell, have two children, Kenzie and Zeke. Eryn is marrying her ancé, Andrew Hornberg, this fall. Tell us about your farm. We own a 156-acre dairy farm. We milk 60 cows, which are mostly Jerseys. I do most of the calf chores. I also help make hay and with corn harvest. What’s the busiest time of day for you? It depends on the season. The morning is my busiest time of day. But during harvest season, it is busy all day. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I love ower gardening, baking, cooking, embroidering, reading and pretty much anything crafty. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. When our family hosted Family Night on the Farm in 2006. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I enjoy working side by side with my husband, Jim. I think we make a good team. He is patient with me. I did not grow up on a farm, so he had to teach me about farming. Also, I loved when the girls were still in school. Jim and I made a point to be in from morning chores to have breakfast with them before they went to school. We also always tried to eat supper as family. After we are done with evening chores, we make a point to have family time. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Jim and I are on the Winona County American Dairy Association board.
In your opinion, what’s the importance of women in today’s dairy industry and how have you seen that change over the years? I think women and wives help keep a farm a family farm. Being able to work side by side with your husband and children is a great family moment. But, I know rst hand how hard it is to be a one-income family and to nd affordable insurance. I hear a lot of families say that is the main reason for spouses to have to work in town – for the benets. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? No one in particular, but we love to give tours of our farm to children. I love the look on their faces when they let a calf suck their ngers or when Jim shows them how to put the milker on a cow. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? We do not take long vacations, but we get away for a weekend a few times a year. Every year, we go to World Dairy Expo. These vacations to Madison, Wis., were some of my favorite when the girls were both still home. We would go to World Dairy Expo and stay at a hotel with a waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. We loved seeing old friends and seeing what is new in the industry. We liked to stay to see who would win supreme champion. It was always a great family getaway.
FARM INFORMATION STATION Joe Gill • Farm Director
SERVING CENTRAL MINNESOTA FOR OVER 50 YEARS Catch the Dairy Star’s Mark Klaphake with Joe Gill at 6:45 a.m. the 2nd & 4th Fridays of the month on KASM!
PO Box 160, Albany, MN • (320) 845-2184 • Fax (320) 845-2187
What are some words you like to live by? Stay positive and have fun.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 37
Contunued from HAHN| Page 35
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DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
These heifers represent the future of the Hahns’ breeding program, which is focused on breeding for type with the presence of the A2A2 gene. “People already know that Guernsey milk is premium,� Clements said “The A2 gene makes it even more valuable. We want Guernsey herds to be selling their premium milk at a premium price.� Clements said a goal of the US Guernsey Association is to help more members work to direct market Guernsey milk, particularly A2A2 milk, and take that milk out of the federal milk marketing orders. Currently, nearly 90 percent of the breed carries the A2A2 gene, Clements said. Clements doe not foresee A.I. companies will have much, if any, interest in taking bulls that are not A2A2 in the future. Studies have found that A2A2 milk is easier for people to digest. The Hahns have been investing in top Guernsey genetics throughout much of the past year, purchasing foundation stock from top breeders throughout Wisconsin and the United States, with cows coming from as far away as Texas and Oklahoma. While not every animal in the current herd carries the A2A2 gene, the Hahns are breeding to have a 100 percent A2A2 herd as soon as possible, using that as the primary selection trait when considering service sires for their herd. While the Hahns use genomics in their sire selections, they have done minimal testing on the females in their herd. “We are looking to start testing more of the females from our top families,� Amanda said. “Our goal is to develop to the point where we are able to sell breeding stock carrying the A2A2 gene to other Guernsey breeders. We want to help improve the Guernsey breed,� Amanda
said. “The association and the breed have helped us, and we want to be able to help back.� “We’d rather be in the front of the parade than at the back,� Bob said about their dedication to developing top type genetics that carry the A2A2 gene. As they develop a herd carrying the A2A2 gene, the Hahns are keeping a variety of milk marketing options open, including the possibility to someday direct market A2A2 milk. The Hahns would also focus on breeding for type, with the desire to participate in showing their herd as well. “We haven’t been able to do much showing this year because it’s been so hectic,� Amanda said, citing the building process taking up much of their spare time. Before settling on the type of facility they would pursue, the Hahns looked at building a freestall and parlor. After a great deal of family discussion and debate, they decided to pursue the tiestall barn. “We broke ground in April, and then May was so wet, not much got accomplished,� Linda said. “But once the walls got poured, then things started moving pretty quickly.� Being relatively new to their new home, the Hahns have marveled at how easy the cows took the transition from the rented barn in Cobb to the new farm. “It was like they ran to get on the trailer,� Amanda said. The Hahns are pleased with their new facility and with the changes they are already seeing in their herd, after just a few short weeks. They are well on their way to achieving their goal of a breeding a top Guernsey herd and successfully marketing the premium milk the breed is known for.
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THE NEXT GENERATION OF DNA TESTING Biogenetic Services, Inc. is offering a new DNA biomarker technology test(beyond SNP’s) that determines whether certain high milk regional biomarkers are present, as well as the expression of the biomarkers in individual heifer calves, pre-lactation heifers, ďŹ rst lactation heifers or adult (two or more calves) milking cows.
The Penn State Research Foundation has noted that â€œâ€Śthis technology is very important for the milk producers because there is a need in the art for a method capable of identifying milk producing animals (ungulates) with high performance that cannot otherwise be identiďŹ ed with current genetic and genotyping methods alone. Thus, there is a need in the art for a method capable of identifying dairy cows and other dairy producing livestock with high milk, fat and protein that cannot otherwise be identiďŹ ed with genetics alone. This technology addresses this unmet need for increased milk production. To initiate a biomarker test(s), a blood sample is collected by the milk producer and mailed to Biogenetics for analysis. A report of the results is provided for each shipment of samples in a format that is easy to understand and to use. The results also are entered into a proprietary dairy or farm database maintained by Biogenetic Services, Inc. This test provides a great opportunity for dairy producers to signiďŹ cantly increase milk production of their dairy cows and thereby to increase proďŹ ts from their dairies.
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
The 28-stall, Ć&#x;estall facility was designed by the Hahn family to house their Guernsey herd, and is focused on cow comfort.
1321 Sixth Street 1321 • BSixth ROOKINGS, Street SOUTH • BROOKINGS, DAKOTA S 57006 OUTH DAKOTA 57006 BUSINESS: (605)697-8500 BUSINESS: •(605)697-8500 1-800-423-4163 • 1-800-423-4163 Come see us at FAX (605)697-8507 FAX (605)697-8507 Email: info@biogeneticservices.com Email: info@biogeneticservices.comArena Booth #486 at the World www.biogeneticservices.com www.biogeneticservices.com
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
Introducing the New Monobox
The Monobox at first sight Have a look at our new Automation Family Member! The open, animal-friendly design with its wide entrances and exit ways ensures safe, easy and fast access to the box. Adjustable place dimensions allow for optimal positioning of every cow, even in mixed herds. Thanks to the modular assembly and safely embedded servicefriendly actuation, installation can be done very quickly and maintaining the system becomes highly simple and secure.
The Monobox allows us to implement the platform strategy for our DairyProQ milking stall module for the first time!
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Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017 • Page 39
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Jessica and Trevor Hintzman New York Mills, Minn. Ottertail County 60 cows How did you get into farming? My wife was married into it, and I was raised on a dairy farm. I bought my rst herd of 12 cows when I was 16 years old. After high school I went to Central Lakes College in Staples, Minn., for Farm Business Management for six years. In that time I met my wife, and in 1998 we purchased my uncle’s cows. In 2000, we purchased my parents’ 65 cows and had about 120 total. We milked for four more years and got out of farming in 2004. We worked off the farm until 2008 when we got back into farming with all Jerseys where we are today with 60 cows. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? It is a hard business to get into now days with varying prices between commodities, milk, livestock, supplies, parts and labor. You really need to be a jack-of-alltrades and manage all expenses very well to make it work. We would like to see newer small farms, but without heavy nancial support it is very hard. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? We have been using Milk Pregnancy Testing for almost a year. Now we can check one or two cows at a time instead of clumping more cows together to make it worthwhile for a vet call. We now have a tighter grip on our reproduction cycles and keep our cows on schedule. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? We purchased a newer round baler with a crop cutter and started putting up all our hay in balage. It’s very fast, easy, and better feed. The cows absolutely love it and have seen a huge increase in milk production. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employee(s)? My wife, son, and I do all the chores along with working off the farm. We have no employees. I manage the vet, nutrition and breeding needs based mostly on what my cows are telling me.
Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. My ability to read my cows. If you pay attention to your cows they will tell you what they dislike and their needs. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Being your own boss, and the ability to try new things and see the outcome of it. This is especially true with the genetics. Breeding for better cows and more milk is the most fun.
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? In the next year, I would like to nish upgrading my livestock facilities to make moving and working with the livestock easier and more efcient. I also want to improve my feed storage by building a bunker for silage. Within the next ve years I want to be debt free, keep improving my cow’s genetics, and continue to push my land management for more tonnage of better feed and quality.
How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? During the summer, we like to ride motorcycle, go to county fairs and show in the open livestock class. During the winter months, we watch our son wrestle. We also like spending time with family and friends.
What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Watch your cost of production and keep your debt low. Dairying is much more enjoyable if you are making a prot on your milk and having a margin of room to move with the milk and commodity price uctuation. It helps you to see the light at the end of the tunnel. What has been the best purchase you’ve ever made on your farm? It’s a toss-up between a skid steer and the TMR mixer. They both make dairy farming a lot more consistent and less effort in everyday work. What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? The ability to make it work to stay in the dairy business, seeing the farm grow into the vision we planned and raising a family in it.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, August 26, 2017
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