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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 18, No. 15
A bountiful summer hay harvest
September 24, 2016
Balancing dairy, community service
Kalpins receive Douglas County Farm Family of the Year award By Missy Mussman missy@dairystar.com
MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR
BJ Dodds kneels on a stack of big square bales of alfalfa hay on his 100-cow dairy near Parkers Prairie, Minn.
Many dairy farmers able to take an extra crop this year
MILTONA, Minn. – It is not that often Donny Kalpin is called away from milking cows, but when his volunteer reghter pager goes off, everything else takes a back seat. “I’ve had to take the milkers off and go,” Donny said. “I can’t stay to nish because there may be a person that needs help getting out of a burning building.” His service to the community as a volunteer reman for the Leaf Valley re department and his dedication to his dairy farm is part of the reason Donny and his family received the 2016 Douglas County Farm Family of the Year Award. Donny, his
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Kalpins – (from leŌ) Donny, Karla, Mitchell and Michael – are the 2016 Douglas County Farm Family of the Year. The Kalpins milk 29 cows near Miltona, Minn. wife, Karla, and their sons, Michael, 22, and Mitchell, 18, milk 29 cows on their farm in Leaf Valley Township near Miltona, Minn. “We were shocked,” Karla said. “We knew friends who received it in the past, but never thought we would get it. It’s really nice. We’re going to
enjoy it.” Giving back to the community has always been a big part of the Kalpins’ lifestyle. One of the largest ways has been through the re department. Donny has been a Turn to KALPINS | Page 6
By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
GOODHUE, Minn. – David Buck said taking a fth crop off his family’s alfalfa elds has only happened once or twice in the past during his dairy farming career. This year, he was able to add a tally to the list. “It’s pretty rare for us to get a fth,” said Buck, who milks 600 cows and farms 420 acres of alfalfa with his family near Goodhue, Minn. “It was a very good hay year.” Many other dairy farmers were in the same fortunate situation as Buck, taking an extra cutting off this year’s hay ground. Lyle Dicke said this is the third year he has been able to take a fth cutting. “The last three years we have moved it (rst crop) up,” he said. “It was very typical that it used to be done around Memorial Day time.” Now Dicke starts cutting his hay around mid May and nishes by Sept. 1. “The last three years we’ve been able to squeeze in ve [crops]. We used to do David Buck four, but the future is ve,” said Dicke, who Dairy producer chopped his rst four crops and wrapped round bales for the fth crop. Along with his family, the dairyman milks 175 cows and farms 340 acres with 85 acres in an alfalfa and fescue mix near Goodhue, Minn. Farther north in Parkers Prairie, Minn., BJ Dodds was thankful for the circumstances that allowed him to take four crops this Turn to HAY CROP | Page 5
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Alan Oeltjen chops silage corn near the dairy he operates with his brother, Steve, by Villard, Minn. The Oeltjens milk 70 cows.