“All
Farm loss slows in 2024
Wisconsin dairy herd numbers at 5,348
By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com
A legacy of education, industry promotion
By Dan Wacker dan.w@dairystar.com
Reversing the trend of the last four years, fewer farms in Wisconsin closed their doors in 2024 compared to 2023. As of Jan. 1, there are 5,348 licensed dairy herds in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. This is a loss of 313 farms or 5.5% compared to Jan. 1, 2024, when dairy herds numbered 5,661.
ELMWOOD, Wis. — A month ago, Paul Fetzer found himself in a familiar spot, sitting next to his wife, Char, at the Dairy Business Association’s Dairy Strong conference in Green Bay. After serving on the board for nine years, the now retired Fetzer felt he owed it to the board to sit in on proceedings and the yearly award ceremony. When the emcee began describing this year’s Advocate of the Year, Fetzer dropped his head, and the tears started to ow.
Better milk prices in 2024 are one possible reason for the exit of fewer farms. Class III prices reached $23.34 per hundredweight in September and averaged $18.89 for the year. This was up from an average of $17 in 2023.
Ben Miller, senior vice president of industry relations at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, said farm numbers do not tell the complete story across the countryside or reect how farm families are thinking about the next generation.
“The number of farms is only one indicator of what’s happening in the industry,” Miller said. “Farmers are aging and retiring. Families are also discussing how they can combine assets and capabilities to ensure their operation will be attractive to their children in the future. The industry is vibrant and robust here in Wisconsin.”
He said there is an increase in multiple generations working together and aligning knowledge, skills and abilities to optimize management and production while minimizing labor and other costs.
A farm love story
Josh and Steph Dahl
By Amy Kyllo amy.k@star-pub.com
RUSHFORD, Minn. —
After a conversation-lled
rst date to a Minnesota Twins game in July 2010, Steph Dahl felt good about her date, Josh.
“On my way home, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I could see myself spending the rest of my life with him,’” she said.
“I knew what I wanted. … I had a feeling that he was the one, like I could totally marry him.”
Marriage, three kids and nearly 15 years together have proven her intuition correct.
The Dahls dairy farm together near Rushford with Josh’s brother, Jon, and three employees. They milk 300 cows and farm 500 acres.
The couple’s story started with each of the now spouses looking for love on FarmersOnly.com. Though Steph did not grow up on a farm she had hobby farmed with her rst husband of 10 years before he passed away in a farming accident. When she was ready to date, FarmersOnly.com was the only online dating she tried.
“I’d never been on a dating website ever in my life,” Steph said. “When I found out about this one, I was like, ‘Yep, that’s what I want, because I knew I wanted a farmer.’”
For Josh, rarely leaving the farm meant online dating was a good option to meet people. The couple matched quickly. Josh had been on the
PHOTO SUBMITTED
pause with one of their favorite cows on their farm near Rushford, Minnesota. The Dahls, who milk 300 cows, met on FarmersOnly.com almost 15 years ago.
Ben Miller Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAIRY BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
Paul Fetzer (right) accepts his Advocate of the Year award at the Dairy Business Associa on’s Dairy Strong conference Jan. 17 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Fetzer worked at his family farm in Elmwood for 30 years and served on the DBA board for nine years.
DAIRY ST R
www.dairystar.com
ISSN Print: 2834-619X • Online: 2834-6203 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647
Published by Star Publications LLC
General Manager/Editor
Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com
320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition - 320-352-6303
Nancy Powell • nancy.p@dairystar.com
Karen Knoblach • karen.k@star-pub.com
Annika Gunderson • annika@star-pub.com
Editorial Staff
Stacey Smart - Assistant Editor 262-442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com
Danielle Nauman - Staff Writer 608-487-1101 • danielle.n@dairystar.com
Dan Wacker - Staff Writer 608-487-3858 • dan.w@dairystar.com
Tiffany Klaphake - Staff Writer 320-352-6303 • tiffany.k@dairystar.com
Amy Kyllo - Staff Writer amy.k@star-pub.com
Emily Breth - Staff Writer emily.b@star-pub.com
Sarah Middendorf - Staff Writer sarah.m@star-pub.com
Advertising Sales
Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647
Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@saukherald.com
National Sales Manager - Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 • fax: 507-634-4413
laura.s@dairystar.com
Assistant Sales Manager - Kati Schafer (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-979-5284 • kati.s@dairystar.com
Adam McClary (SW MN, NW Iowa, SD, Nebraska) 605-951-5270 • adam.m@dairystar.com
Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 • mike.s@dairystar.com
Hannah Ullom (Western Wisconsin) 715-933-4045 • hannah.u@dairystar.com
Keya Sleister (Eastern IA, Southwest WI, IL) 563-608-5988 • keya.s@dairystar.com
Julia Merten (Southeast MN and Northeast IA) 507-438-7739 • julia.m@star-pub.com
Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com
Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) • 320-248-3196 (cell)
Deadlines
The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication.
Subscriptions
One year subscription $42.00, outside the U.S. $200.00. 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 nal 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
by
platform a few months and Steph less than a month before they connected in May 2010.
The only complication was Steph was living four hours north of Josh in Pine City. Soon, Steph was driving down for weekends to help Josh farm.
“It wasn’t like we really went on dates,” Steph said. “My favorite memory is milking cows with him, riding in the tractor with him, feeding calves with him, just doing farm stuff. … We were just happy to be together. … The farm was our date.”
Well over a decade later, the pair are still farming together. Josh is in charge of day-to-day herd health, reproduction and milking. He also does eldwork. Steph and the children feed calves and do calf health and help with eldwork in the summer. Steph also homeschools the children.
The couple banter that part of the success of their marriage is buying Steph more Brown Swiss cows. The Dahls milk predominantly Holsteins as well as some Red & Whites, Brown Swiss, Jerseys, Milking Shorthorns, and Brown Swiss crossbreds. Last summer, when Steph was going through some health challenges, the couple said they joked that buying cows was going to solve those health issues.
“We bought a lot (of cows and heifers)” Steph said. “Finally, he said, ‘You know what? The medicine is going to
have to kick in. I can’t buy you any more.’”
Steph appreciates Josh and his approach to life.
“He’s just got such a huge heart for me, for our kids, such a love of farming and the animals,” she said. “He’s really passionate about what he does. … It’s not just a job, every animal is special to him.”
farm and go camping with family twice a year. As far as spending time alone together, they said it is usually a trip to Fleet Farm or going on a date once a year to a concert at a local county fair.
“My favorite memory is milking cows with him, riding in the tractor with him, feeding calves with him, just doing farm stuff. … We were just happy to be together. … The farm was our date.”
Josh said he realized shortly after they met, that Steph’s commitment to living on a farm meant she could be the one.
STEPH DAHL, DAIRY FARMER
“Her enthusiasm for wanting to be on a farm was obviously pretty big (for me),” he said. “It’s hard to nd someone who understands that you just can’t go at the drop of a hat and wants to be around the animals.”
It is her kindness that Josh appreciates the most.
“She makes everyone who she knows feel like they are the most important person,” he said.
The Dahls try to get away from the
Looking to the future of the farm, the Dahls are content. They recently nished some facility updates and like the place their farm is in. They hope to continue farming, and they dream eventually their children will take over the farm since their children have indicated interest in doing so.
t a d
“We’re hoping and praying that they still want to farm here when they’re old enough,” Steph said.
The couple said they work well together on the farm, and in life.
“We’re both pretty easy going,” Steph said. “We think a lot alike when it comes to the farm and what we want the future to look like.”
Josh agreed.
“We don’t get too high, we don’t get too low,” he said. “We stay pretty steady.”
WORLDWIDE LEADER IN SPREADING TECHNOLOGY
and
In Stock, Available to Install on Your Farm
“We began looking at a bottle washer to keep bottles cleaner and eliminate an extra job. After seeing the option to purchase the bottle washer and pasteurizer combination, we started to look at its benefits. Once we calculated what we would save by not buying bags of milk replacers, it was an easy decision to add the pasteurizer. Since installing the new system of the bottle washer and pasteurizer combination the calves drink better and are healthier.”
Fetzer was named the winner of the DBA 2024 Dairy Advocate of the Year award sponsored by the Vita Plus Corporation.
“This wasn’t anything I expected,” Fetzer said. “I just thought I was doing what I needed to do. I didn’t have any clue that they would be honoring me with that award.”
Fetzer realized he was the winner when the emcee said he farms with his brothers, Steve and Joe, at their 1,400cow dairy in Elmwood. He said he could not believe his ears and immediately doubt crept in.
“Am I really that deserving?” Fetzer said. “Have I done that much? Other people have done as much, if not more than me. There’s a lot of good people out there, so when they decided to choose me, it was extremely humbling.”
Fetzer regained his composure and walked to the stage to accept his award where he thanked as many people as he could during his impromptu acceptance speech.
“I tried to recognize all the people that had worked with our farm through the years,” Fetzer said. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”
Fetzer’s father, Bob, was an active member of the DBA and was the unofcial face of Fetzer Farms. After his passing in 2004, Fetzer lled the role vacated by his father.
“I started going to the Dairy Business Association meetings and getting more involved after Dad passed,” Fetzer said. “Dad was outspoken in the DBA when it formed and was part of the core group when they would talk about growing farms. I thought it was important that we continued to have a presence in that.”
Fetzer Farms has seen continuous expansion. In 1968, Fetzer Farms was a 60cow herd. Today, they are milking 1,400 cows three times a day in a double-20 parallel parlor.
Fetzer, along with Steve and Joe,
host people from all over the world at Fetzer Farms Inc. Though their hospitality they provide learning opportunities for local schools and universities and act as a representative of the Wisconsin dairy industry.
As part of his work with the DBA, Fetzer made a plethora of trips to Madison to advocate for the dairy industry with legislators.
“There are so many people who aren’t involved in agriculture anymore and don’t understand it,” Fetzer said. “We need people to understand agriculture, so it remains viable.”
Educating government ofcials and their representatives became an important factor for Fetzer during his time with the DBA.
“If we don’t keep up with politics, it’ll run us over,” Fetzer said. “It’s a humbling experience to talk with legislators and to get your point across. Their experience with agriculture varies. The more consumers and legislators get away from the farm and aren’t exposed to it anymore, the more important it is for us as dairy people to be there to tell them what’s going on and why we need their support.”
The Fetzers have hosted the Pierce County Dairy Breakfast and groups from Pepin Area Schools, the University of Wisconsin–River Falls and the University
of Minnesota. The Fetzers have continued to transform the farm with new technologies and practices which are on display during the tours.
“Bringing students to our farm helps give them rsthand training on something that’s fairly up to date,” Fetzer said. “It gives them experiences with something they might not have seen before if they don’t come from a dairy background or if they haven’t seen a larger dairy facility.”
With the continued expansion, Fetzer Farms has evolved its approach to dairy cattle and cow comfort. They use a radio frequency identication system for better data collection, motion detection for more accurate heats and monitoring movement and rumination, which leads to an increased pregnancy rate. Fetzer Farms has also been on the ground oor of genomic testing, leading to different breeding strategies and ideas.
Cow comfort improvements include a tunnel-ventilated heifer facility, a crossventilated barn with sand bedding, sand wash equipment and a sand reclamation system. A freestall barn features an under-barn manure pit.
“We’ve always tried to be on the leading edge of new technology and strategies, or tried to keep up with them,” Fetzer said. “As an industry, we’re so much better at cow comfort than we used to be 40-50 years ago. We learned how
to take care of cows so much better than before.”
By continuing to evolve their practices, Fetzer Farms has been an example of how the dairy industry has modernized and progressed with new technologies.
“It’s important for people to see how cows are raised,” Fetzer said. “There’s been a tremendous amount of improvement in new technology that has emerged to help us produce more and more quality product.”
Expansions throughout the history of Fetzer Farms enabled family members to come back to the farm. Fetzer and Steve joined Joe on the farm in 1993. Now, Steve’s daughter, Alicia, and Fetzer and Steve’s nephew, Brent, are two of 30 fulltime employees.
Fetzer retired from the farm in 2023, 30 years after he returned, but the calling of supporting the industry that has been part of his family for over a century remains strong.
“We need dairies, so I’m going to continue doing what I can for the dairy community,” Fetzer said. “When people call and ask for a tour of the farm, I’ll talk with Steve and Joe about bringing them out. It’s important for us to continue to educate people about our industry and the advances we’re making.”
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
Sunlight gleams Jan. 28 off the buildings of Fetzer Farms near Elmwood, Wisconsin. Paul Fetzer and his brothers, Steve and Joe, grew the opera�on to its present size of 1,400 cows.
BUNKER SILOS
Con nued from DAIRY NUMBERS | Page 1
“Milking cows 365 days per year is arguably the most difcult job in the world,” Miller said. “Hopefully this collaboration will help family members want to return to the farm.”
Cow numbers in the state remain strong at 1,266,000 as of November 2024, down slightly from a year prior when they numbered 1,270,000. The average number of cows per dairy farm is 235. Total monthly milk production across the state stayed the same from November 2023 to November 2024 at 2.58 billion pounds.
In the last ve years, dairy’s economic impact has risen by 16% and is now up to $52 billion in Wisconsin Miller said.
“Consumer demand is at a record high for all products,” he said. “Cheese demand, specically specialty cheese demand, is off the charts. We also see strong market opportunities abroad.”
As of Jan. 1, the Top 10 dairy counties by farm numbers are Clark, 631; Marathon, 346; Grant, 231; Vernon, 187; Lafayette, 172; Shawano, 159; Dane, 158; Chippewa, 151; Monroe, 150; and Manitowoc, 142. Of these counties, Lafeyette lost only one farm in 2024 while Vernon lost 18.
“I think what makes our industry so strong is its diversity,” Miller said. “Small, medium and large farms — that’s what makes Wisconsin who we are.”
Miller said there is a great deal of uncertainty around policy that impacts pricing, making it difcult to know if 2025 will also be a slower year of losing farms or if the decline will accelerate again.
“Prices are only one decision point, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we stay on this trajectory again this year,” he said.
A recent survey elded by DFW and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection revealed that 63% of primary decision makers on the farm have a succession plan. That number is up 21% from when this same survey was done in 2020. The survey also disclosed that 61% of these primary decision makers are over the age of 49.
“For those farms where a successor has been identied and transition plans put in place, 97% of those businesses transition the farm to a family member,” Miller said. “That’s important especially as primary decision makers are aging. These are difcult conversations to have that are oftentimes put off and avoided, but they are critical to ensuring our future re-
mains strong.”
Jeff Betley and his wife, Jena, are the third generation at Betley Family Farms near Pulaski. The Betleys milk 3,500 cows in a 50-stall rotary parlor on their farm that was started in 1944.
Focused on efciency, the Betleys doubled their herd in the last couple years with less people than when they started.
“We’re in a commodity business, so you can’t really ever stand still,” Betley said. “There aren’t many costs that go down, and you have to pay the bills. We’re not growing just to grow but rather to make sure the business remains great for the next 5-10 years until the next step comes along.”
The 3 mile road Betley’s farm sits on once had 13 active dairy farms. Today, his is the only farm that remains.
“It isn’t a sad story; that’s just how things are changing,” Betley said. “These farms were able to sell or rent the land, and there is a great deal of value in that. These families are still part of our neighborhood. Some are raising steers and working the land. It’s a great story of investing in the farm, and it’s worth a lot of money.”
There is a possible fourth generation at Betley’s farm.
“There’s interest from our kids, so we’ll see what the next ve years brings,” he said. “Our state is getting more efcient, and as the industry changes, it’s going to be more viable and stronger in the next generation.”
To the south, Illinois is experiencing a similar slowdown in the loss of dairy farms. Tasha Bunting, executive director of the Illinois Milk Producers Association, said there are currently about 360 Grade A dairy farms in Illinois, down from 380 a year ago. In 2016, there were about 600 dairies in the state. Illinois lost 40% of its dairy farms in nearly a decade.
“More dairy farms were exiting ve years ago,” Bunting said. “The pace has started to slow, which is good news.”
Bunting attributes the earlier decline to market dynamics and dairy farmers who were older in their careers. She said along with improved prices, Illinois dairy farms are having
Jeff Betley Dairy farmer
success with beef on dairy, which has improved their bottom line.
“This is helping keep farmers in a little longer or maybe see them through the next generation,” Bunting said.
Bunting identied two main pockets of dairy in Illinois — one in the north along the Wisconsin border and the other in the south around the St. Louis area, where milk processor Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. is headquartered.
“Prairie Farms is a draw, and the Wisconsin cheese market is a draw,” Bunting said. “The at, black dirt in the middle of Illinois is not conducive to anything but row crops right now.”
and push out the product these dairy farmers make. We’re looking forward to new opportunities and working to build upon those existing relationships.”
New opportunities are popping up on the processing side with a Tillamook ice cream facility coming online in the state later this year.
“Tillamook has not been in Illinois before, so this is exciting,” Bunting said.
Milk cow numbers remain relatively stable in Illinois at around 79,000, with production staying steady as well. In December 2024, statewide milk production was at 141 million pounds, down slightly from December 2023’s total of 144 million pounds. The average herd size is around 170 cows.
“Our dairy farmers are optimistic because the milk price is above where it has been for a while, and they’re hopeful that trend continues,” Bunting said. “Our partner agencies have done a lot of great work to promote
Furthermore, Prairie Farms Dairy is making investments in equipment and upgrades to shift its ability to make different products and distribute products to different parts of the state and country.
“We denitely don’t have as many processors as we did 15 or 20 years ago, but there is still interest and new investment coming on the dairy processor side,” Bunting said.
Bunting is hopeful farm numbers become more stable in upcoming years.
“Many factors, dynamics and support programs can inuence that,” she said. “When looking at the future of our dairy industry, it’s pretty bright and hopeful here in Illinois.”
· KUHN Knight ProSpread® series of non-commercial, high-capacity spreaders are designed for operations that process a wide array of semi-solid and solid materials
· Low loading height, easy maneuverability and increased machine e ciency
· Greater load capacity, metering capabilities and improved spread pattern
· Dual-Apron Design
· Hydraulic Apron Drive speci cally designed for heavy-duty applications
selection of box spreaders on hand!
Tasha Bunting Illinois Milk Producers Association
Funding the industry’s future
Baldwin introduces Dairy Business Innovation Act of 2025
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
WASHINGTON — With a desire to continue driving dairy industry innovation across the country, Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, along with Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, introduced the bipartisan effort known as the Dairy Business Innovation Act of 2025 Feb. 5 in a press conference.
“Wisconsin’s dairy businesses work hard, every single day to put our state on the map with world-class products,” Baldwin said. “They are key drivers of our economy. The Dairy Business Innovation Act has a real impact on Wisconsinites.”
The original Dairy Business Innovation Initiative was included in the 2018 farm bill, tasking the U.S. Department of Agriculture with providing technical assistance and grants to both dairy farmers and dairy businesses, not
only in Wisconsin but across the country.
“Since we established this, the program’s footprint has grown signicantly,” Baldwin said. “Millions of dollars are being invested in Wisconsin’s producers and processors, who are seeking to improve efciency, grow their businesses and are exploring new markets.”
Led by a partnership of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the program is administered by the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance, which serves 11 states throughout the Midwest. Other program hubs are in California, Tennessee and Vermont.
Rebekah Sweeney, senior director of programs and policy for the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, said DBIA has provided over $19.5 million to 255 dairy producers and processors in the region to date.
“DBII grants are smart investments — every dol-
lar, every dime is used to the fullest,” Sweeney said. “The grants are driving rural economic development, job creation, industry growth and advancement, and stabilization and strengthening of our
food supply chain. It was a lifeline for many dairy businesses through the pandemic and continues to be a catalyst as we meet new challenges, evolve and invent.”
Baldwin said she has
been inspired by the projects made possible through the grant funding.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF SEN. TAMMY BALDWIN
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (center) visits with Jen (le ) and Julie Orchard July 21, 2023, at Gurn-Z Meadow Farm where they operate Royal Guernsey Creamery near Columbus, Wisconsin. The Orchard sisters u lized a Dairy Business Innova on Ini a ve grant to begin processing milk produced on their farm into bu er.
“One of my favorite parts of being a U.S. Senator is seeing how these small grants can help our dairy farmers take their businesses to new heights,” Baldwin said. “I visited Royal Guernsey Creamery in Columbus, (Wisconsin), where I saw how they used a grant to launch a new processing venture making butter with milk from their farm. I was able to learn how Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville, (Wisconsin), used the funding to expand their cheesemaking facility and replace old and inefcient equipment.”
Scott Caliebe, chief nancial ofcer of Pine River PrePack in Newton, Wisconsin, spoke during the press conference about how his business has beneted from DBII grants. Pine River Pre-Pack is home to award-winning cheese spreads.
“When the pandemic hit, a quarter of our business just disappeared,” Caliebe said. “We were looking at how to best expand our market. Getting into new markets is expensive. This grant allowed us to more quickly adapt to market needs that were already out there. It allowed us to really grow, and an exciting aspect is that now we’re going to be moving beyond what we did with these grants.”
Pine River Pre-Pack
An assortment of award-winning cheese spreads Pine River Pre-Pack makes rest on a table July 2022 at their processing facility near Newton, Wisconsin. The business has received two Dairy Business Innova on Ini a ve grants allowing them to create products that help grow their customer base and open new markets.
has been awarded two DBII grants. The rst was used to diversify their product offering beyond traditional port wine cheese spreads.
“The program allowed us to automate production to a more desired pacing and size,” Caliebe said. “As a re-
sult, our sales have doubled within this business segment in a mere two years.”
The second grant allowed the company to better meet the needs of a growing customer base.
“We are able to offer smaller, single-serve options,
popular in places where the denition of a reasonable amount of cheese spread to consume differs from within Wisconsin,” Caliebe said.
“This has enhanced our product’s attractiveness to the international markets and opened our brand to South-
east Asia. Without these grants, Pine River would not be where we are.”
Those success stories mirror statistics gleaned from a DBIA survey, Sweeney said, stating that 93% of grant recipients report being able to retain or expand their valued workforce and nearly 80% say the grants have contributed to their business resiliency. Sixty-ve percent of respondents report the grant directly resulted in an increased sales volume for their businesses; 50% report they have increased the volume of milk they are processing. Another 30% say that an increase in milk usage is imminently ahead for their businesses.
“It’s energizing to hear positive feedback like that and see the results from across the state and Midwest,” Sweeney said.
Those results encourage Baldwin in her efforts to see the legislation attached to the pending farm bill, and she expects the bill to receive continued bipartisan support.
“This builds on the 2018 version and keeps the program running for years to come,” Baldwin said. “It increases resources available to Wisconsin dairy businesses, and those throughout the country. Our ag industry relies on it.”
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
What are some of the DHIA tests you use?
In addition to production and SCC, we use the milk pregnancy test, MUN, Johne’s and Leukosis.
Which is your favorite and why? The production and SCC.
How do you use them within your dairy? We use the production and SCC reports for culling decisions and use the fat, protein, and MUN reports to evaluate feed ration changes.
How long have you been using the DHIA pregnancy test? We have been using the milk pregnancy test for about two years.
What do you like about the DHIA Pregnancy Tests? It’s nice to be able to do the pregnancy test without any extra time or labor.
How does testing with DHIA bene t your dairy operation? We use the information to improve production and ensure milk quality. Our negative test results for Johne’s and Leukosis helps us market show and breeding stock. The milk pregnancy test provides timely information for reproductive management between vet herd health checks.
Tell us about your farm. I farm with my wife, Barb, and two youngest sons Benjamin and Daniel. We milk 85 cows. The boys plan to take over the farm in the near future. We raise farm 560 acres and corn, oats, alfalfa and grass.
Evers includes ag in budget proposal
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers plans to include $80 million for food and agriculture in his state budget. This funding includes more money for the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports. The budget proposal also includes a “truth-in-labeling” law that would prevent non-dairy products from being referred to as milk or other dairy-specific terms on the label. A $1 million increase in funding is also being sought for the Producer-Led Watershed Protection grant program. “According to DATCP, annual interest in the program continues to exceed the program budget,” said Evers.
Senate ag committee hears calls for stronger farm safety net
By Don Wick Columnist
More funding sought for Dairy Business Initiative
The Dairy Business Innovation Act was introduced in the 2018 farm bill. Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin is one of the sponsors of a proposal to increase the investment in this program from $20 million to $36 million. This program is designed to help dairy farmers and processors add value to their businesses, create new products, modernize facilities and expand markets. “Dairy farmers work hard every day to put out worldclass products, but they face steep challenges,” said Baldwin, referencing President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy.
Farmers to benet from reciprocal tariffs, says Trump President Trump announced new reciprocal tariffs, saying they will help farmers compete on a fairer playing eld. “I think the farmers are going to be helped by this very much because product is being dumped into our country and our farmers are getting hurt very badly,” Trump said. “The last administration hated our farmers at a level that I’ve never seen before.” Trump also expressed condence in the overall economic impact. “We know the jobs are going to be produced at levels that we haven’t seen before, and we think that the prices for some things, many things, could ultimately go down.”
In the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee hearing on the farm economy, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall spoke about the need for an updated farm bill to help farmers during tough economic times. “The USDA’s (U.S. Department of Agriculture) most recent farm sector income forecast has shown a $41 billion decrease in net farm income, down 25% from 2022,” testied Duvall.
“Despite lower prices, 2024 payments out of the farm bill going to farmers are projected to be the lowest since 1982.” National Farmers Union President Rob Larew echoed those thoughts: “We cannot afford a third extension of the 2018 farm bill; this farm bill should include strengthening the farm safety net and providing farmers with robust risk management tools, investing in voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs, supporting the next generation of farmers, and keeping the farm bill coalition together.”
Senate conrms Rollins
The Senate voted 72-28 to conrm Brooke Rollins as the new agriculture secretary. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman praised the decision, saying “America’s farmers, ranchers and foresters need a leader at USDA who will be an advocate for their livelihoods in rural America and be a strong voice to address the pressing needs of our agriculture community; Brooke Rollins is that person.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune outlined her priorities. “First, getting disaster and economic aid out the door and into the hands of farmers; second, getting the bird u and other animal disease outbreaks under control,” said Thune. “Third, getting the farm bill done, and nally, revitalizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to focus on its core mission and put America and American agriculture rst.”
Brian & Barb Kimm • Kimm Dairy 85 Brown Swiss • Pelican Rapids, MN Testing since 1963
A new strain of avian inuenza has been identied in dairy cattle. USDA reports genome sequencing of a milk sample from Nevada has conrmed the new strain of the virus. Before this detection, all of the avian inuenza infections in dairy cattle were the same strain. This new case is a strain that primarily has been found in wild birds this past winter and fall.
Supply/demand report updated
In February’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, USDA forecast 2024 milk production at 225.9 billion pounds. That’s up slightly from the previous report. Due to lower-than-expected cow numbers, USDA lowered its 2025 forecast to 226.9 billion pounds. The overall Class III milk price forecast is down from this past year.
Dairy exports decline
U.S. dairy exports declined slightly this past year, but it was a record year for cheese exports. U.S. cheese exports rose 17% over the past year and topped the 1-billion-pound mark for the rst time in history. U.S. suppliers set records in Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
House committee passes milk bill
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act with a bipartisan 24-10 vote. This proposal would end the ban on whole milk and 2% milk from school menus. School milk consumption has declined since this ban took effect more than 10 years ago. The National Milk Producers Federation and International Dairy Foods Association praised the passage of this bill.
Ofcer team in place for Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy Dairy Farmers of America President and CEO Dennis Rodenbaugh is the new chair of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Brad Anderson of California Dairies is the new vice chair. Associated Milk Producers Inc. President and Chief Executive Ofcer Sheryl Meshke is the treasurer, and Schreiber Foods President/ CEO Ron Danford is secretary. The
executive committee rounds out with Heather Anfang of Land O’Lakes and Joe Digilio of Michigan Milk Producers Association.
Compeer Financial sends out patronage payments
Compeer Financial plans to distribute $187 million in patronage payments this year. The rst round of payments totaling $52 million went out earlier this month. A second payment worth $135 million will go out in August.
A game changer for hay production
John Deere has launched the Weave Automation Baler. “The weaving is done by the baler itself, and you don’t have to do it in the tractor.”
Kaylene Ballesteros, Deere’s go-tomarket manager for hay and forage, said the Weave Automation Baler is designed to make the baling process easier. “We have the ability to look at the bale chamber and see how it’s lled. The baler uses technology to adjust the weaving automatically.”
With AutoTrack sensors, the baler can operate with minimal learning, allowing operators to focus on driving straight over the windrow.
New small square baler on the market
AGCO has introduced the new Massey Ferguson SB 1436DB small square baler. It produces two rows of bales per eld pass, reducing labor, equipment and fuel costs while increasing productivity.
Trivia challenge
There are 13 essential vitamins and nutrients in milk. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, in what year did National FFA Week begin? We’ll have the answer in our next edition of the Dairy Star.
Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network of 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 sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
Looking to the future
Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery names new CEO,
By Dan Wacker dan.w@dairystar.com
ELLSWORTH, Wis. –
The “Cheese Curd Capital of Wisconsin” got a new leader last December as Kevin Pieh was named CEO of Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery. Pieh had been the interim CEO since September 2024. Along with new leadership, the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery underwent a rebranding, with its new look unveiled in January.
“I am honored to be the next CEO of Ellsworth Creamery and look forward to further connecting with our patrons, employees and customers in this capacity,” Pieh said. “Ellsworth Creamery is an incredible organization with a bright future and potential for strong growth. I’m excited to represent our farmer-owners and lead our outstanding team of employees.”
Founded in 1910, the creamery boasts a long history of working with patrons,
revamps logo
employees and the community. Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery produces 180,000 pounds of cheese curds each day at plants in Ellsworth, Menomonie and New London.
“We impact a lot of people in different ways,” Pieh said. “That’s a big focus for us, the team, families and stakeholders who are involved with the creamery. Our patrons, haulers, vendors, customers and overall our community are so supporting of local businesses. Our footprint here is important.”
At its founding in 1910, the Ellsworth Butter and Cheese Company became a cooperative and bought out the Milton Dairy Company.
Local farmers banded together to establish a processing plant they owned and directed. Some descendants from the founders are still part of the creamery and have continued the legacy of working together which began at the creamery’s inception.
“Our member-owners and patrons are the starting
Brian & Eileen Hoefler
Hoefler Dairy • New Vienna, IA
Purchased December 2017
point of who we are,” Pieh said. “We have some generational farms, and the tradition and heritage of our cooperative is amazing.”
Known for its cheese curds, the creamery has a diverse product line that also includes 500-pound barrels and 40-pound blocks of cheese.
The New London plant specializes in processed cheese. Originally from the Twin Cities area, Pieh joined the creamery in 2022 as the chief nancial ofcer. Prior to his move to Ellsworth, he worked at Land O’Lakes Inc. in the nance division and with Truterra, a sustainabil-
ity program under the Land O’Lakes umbrella.
“I started in nancial services where I learned a lot about risk management and forecasting,” Pieh said. “At Land O’Lakes, I learned more about the cooperative structure, equity and patronage and how a co-op operates from a nancial standpoint.”
With his elevation to CEO, Pieh is looking to cement a base as he takes on new challenges.
“As interim (CEO), we were navigating day-by-day,” Pieh said. “Now we get the chance to focus on laying the right foundation and how we can operate going forward.”
Teamwork has been and continues to be essential in the creamery’s efforts to advance.
“From an organizational, nancial and operational standpoint, we all need to work together,” Pieh said. “We have to have a healthy culture and solid foundation. That’s critical to support our patrons, our employees and our communities.”
FL SELF-LOADING
for straw, sawdust etc.
FEATURES:
• 3-in-1 – The BOBMAN bedding machines scrape the slats, sweep the stalls and spread an even layer of bedding all in only one pass!
• Reduces the time taken to clean out the stalls or the milking cubicles
• Can help to reduce somatic cell count & prevent mastitis
• Time and labor saving
• Save on the amount of bedding materials used
• Clean and dry cow resting surface
“Cleaning freestalls was a dreaded chore before, but now with the BOBMAN everyone wants to do them. It has helped us to save time, reduce labor, and have cleaner stalls. The support from Wille’s has been excellent as well.”
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Kevin Pieh was named the CEO of Ellsworth Coopera�ve Creamery in December 2024. Pieh joined the Ellsworth Creamery as the chief nancial officer a�er previously working at Land O’Lakes Inc.
The new Ellsworth Coopera ve Creamery logo features a simplis c design, pulling elements from previous Ellsworth Creamery marks. The creamery unveiled its new logo in January and will be implemen ng it on its products throughout the spring.
The team at Ellsworth extends beyond Pieh and his administrative team as they work closely with the board of directors to move the creamery in the right direction.
“We have 180 patrons that ship milk here every day,” Pieh said. “That faucet doesn’t turn off, so we need to make sure that we’re setting ourselves up to support our patrons and employees.”
As Pieh leads the creamery into the future, the creamery also launched a new logo. The design reects the history and longevity of the creamery but gives it a contemporary twist.
“We want to communicate the Ellsworth Creamery story to our customers in a way that resonates with consumers, that’s relevant and pops on the shelf,” Pieh said. “It’s important to honor the tradition and history we have and continue that going for-
ward.”
Like the older version, cows are included in the new logo. The updated logo features a cow standing near a barn with 1910 near its roof and Ellsworth Creamery taking a prominent spot below the illustration. The former logo featured a pair of cows standing outside a barn with Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery encircling the illustration.
“With the new logo, we’re still a cooperative; nothing has changed on the business structure,” Pieh said.
“Going forward, our new packaging will include the words ‘FarmerOwned’ to more clearly convey what Ellsworth Creamery is about.”
Customers can expect to see the new packaging on shelves this spring as the branding rollout has already begun.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
from our side our side OF THE FENCE
What is the best technology you have implemented?
Kyle Krueger Shawano, Wisconsin Shawano County 85 cows
Throughout the U.S. dairy industry, what technology has made the biggest impact? There are so many different things in today’s dairy industry that are making big impacts. Without technology, we would not be able to raise the crops that we do and get the milk out of the cows that we do. Technology in the dairy industry is an all-around thing that is very benecial. It is hard to determine what has been the best thing because there are so many that work together to be successful.
What technology have you recently added to your farm? On our farm, we use CowManager for the milking herd and breeding age heifers. We also use John Deere GreenStar for auto steer while planting and for yield maps on the combine. We also have a Lely feed pusher in the freestall barn that pushes up feed 12 times a day.
What is the best technology you have implemented? The best technology we have implemented on our farm is CowManager. Just to wake up in the morning and open up my phone and see what is going on in the barn before I get there is nice. I can see who needs to get bred or which cows need attention on the sick cow list. It saves a lot of time looking at cows, and I can just focus on the ones that need attention. The Lely feed pusher is also a huge benet to me as I don’t have to spend time pushing up feed. I can stay in the elds all day and not have to worry about the feed being pushed up.
What factors do you consider when deciding if a technology is right for your operation? A way we decide if it is benecial or not is to gure out whether it is saving us money or time. We do not have a lot of hired help here at the farm, so it is nice to have some things to help me get stuff done faster and easier. It is all about nding ways to be more efcient.
What technology(s) are you currently researching or looking into? I currently want to start doing some variablerate fertilizer prescriptions. We do a lot of soil sampling and yield data, so it would be nice to start implementing some of that. I do not have a way to do it on my current equipment, but the co-op that spreads fertilizer for me easily could. I am also looking into putting embryos in cows and seeing where I can go with that.
What advances will technology make during your career? Being only 22 years old, I feel there are going to be a lot of technological advancements to the way we raise crops and get more milk out of cows. Who knows what will come up, but it will be fun to see and hopefully implement on my farm.
Tell us about your family and farm. On our farm, we milk 85 cows and farm 450 acres. It is my mom and I on the farm full time with some other part-time help for milking and other small chores. Either my mom or I are always in the parlor milking, keeping a close eye on the cows. Our milk gets shipped to Oak Grove Dairy Inc., one mile from the farm. We enjoy farming a lot and will hopefully continue for a long time.
Cheryl Davis (pictured with LaVern and Chris Davis) Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin Columbia County 200 cows
Throughout the U.S. dairy industry, what technology has made the biggest impact?
Robotic milking and automated feeding systems are transforming dairy farm operations by enhancing efciency and cow comfort. However, these are not technologies we have adopted at this time.
What technology have you recently added to your farm? The most recent technology was a change to a better cow monitoring system. We also updated the employee time clock system to allow for automatic uploading of time worked, eliminating the need to calculate payroll by hand. We also have used more precision planting while utilizing the data available from the harvesting equipment.
What is the best technology you have implemented? The cow monitoring system with smart sensors has been a great benet to the farm. It allows our son, Chris, who is the herd manager, to have extremely accurate information about our herd’s fertility, health and nutritional status. Data is available 24/7 to the computer or smartphone.
What factors do you consider when deciding if a technology is right for your operation? The most important factor is determining if the technology is a benet to the dairy. Will there be a decrease in hours spent doing a task? Will it provide data that will result in an increase in the bottom dollar? Will the cost be offset by increased production?
What technology(s) are you currently researching or looking into? Nothing at this time.
What advances will technology make during your career? Articial intelligence will be at the forefront. Robotics will also be developed to allow for a smaller work force. We will be working smarter, not harder.
Tell us about your family and farm. Our farm is a rstgeneration farm. LaVern purchased the 18-acre farm in December 1976, and we moved here in June 1977. Milking six Jerseys, we both worked off-the-farm jobs. In 1979, we built a barn and expanded the herd to 50 cows. As time went on, LaVern worked only on the farm, and I continued my job as a software developer. During this time, our family grew: son Christopher, daughters Kathleen and Stephanie and son Michael, who passed away at 13 days. New buildings went up and acres were added, and we now own 420 acres and milk 200 cows in a double-6 herringbone parlor. We also have four wonderful full-time employees. We are so thankful for how God has blessed us.
Patrick
Christian Lomira, Wisconsin Dodge County
4,000 cows
Throughout the U.S. dairy industry, what technology has made the biggest impact?
Semi-automatic milking equipment. With the advent of milking parlors, farms have been able to increase milk production with efcient milking systems that allow for an increase in the number of cows being milked.
What technology have you recently added to your farm? We are currently in the process of building and installing a Stjernholm system for mechanical sand separation. This will help with the digester project being installed concurrently with this sand separation system.
What is the best technology you have implemented? It will be the Stjernholm system once it is in operation this summer. For one, we are looking forward to the sustainability benets of not needing to keep getting new sand to replace lost sand from our current sand-settling lanes. We will also be able to use the water from the parlor washes to reduce the water needed to clean the sand. Another benet will be cleaner sand for the cows to lie on versus the sand from the sand-settling lanes.
What factors do you consider when deciding if a technology is right for your operation? I like to talk to people who are using the technology. Also, I like seeing it in operation on a dairy and seeing how it works in real time.
What technology(s) are you currently researching or looking into? I am looking at Cattle Care to help with monitoring employees. This is more a way to help them keep improving on their job and less of a punishing tool. We are also looking to maybe implement a neck collar system or one of the articial intelligence camera systems to improve cow health.
What advances will technology make during your career? We will see the continuation of AI systems gathering and sharing information on the farm to increase efciency. We will also continue to see more efcient automation milking systems in parallel and rotary parlors, due to the challenges of labor.
Tell us about your family and farm. Christian Hill Dairy has been in our family for 107 years and is operated by Dale and Mary Christian along with their sons, Patrick, Chris, Curt and Bob. The next generation is also starting to help on the farm. We milk 3,600 cows in a double-50 parallel parlor and ship our milk to Foremost Farms USA. We operate tunnel-ventilated and naturalventilated freestall barns and raise all our replacements. We currently have 46 employees.
Kayla Coehoorn
Back 40 Acres
Pulaski, Wisconsin Shawano County 150 Cows
Throughout the U.S. dairy industry, what technology has made the biggest impact? I think the biggest technology to make an impact has been health monitoring systems — whether it be activity, rumination, temperature, feed and water intakes or Mastitis Detection Index and conductivity. These systems make it possible to catch illness earlier and see what is going on with a cow before you even take a look at her.
What technology have you recently added to your farm? In 2017, we built a new freestall barn with two DeLaval automated milking systems. With the AMS, we can watch the cows’ MDi and conductivity so we can catch or prevent mastitis. We also use DeLaval activity collars for heat detection and fresh cow monitoring. In June 2023, we upgraded our DeLaval Classics to the V300, which uses a camera to attach the teat cups. They have allowed us to milk a few more cows without adding on because of efciency and less stall time.
What is the best technology you have implemented? We are very happy with our DeLaval robotic milkers. The cows do so well. It has allowed us to expand without hiring employees and the cows average 2.7 milkings per day. Our time is more exible and we can focus on calves, heifers, cow health and cropping without having to stop for milking.
Tammy Fritsch Freedom, Wisconsin
Outagamie County 14 cows
Throughout the U.S. dairy industry, what technology has made the biggest impact? Herd health monitoring systems. Technology is the way of the future, and as farms are expanding and growing, these systems are that extra set of eyes on their herds to help them move forward.
What technology have you recently added to your farm? We installed CowManager in July 2024 to enhance our herd health. It builds an algorithm with your herd, and we were fully online in October with accurate information and alerts. In addition, we brought all our baby calves online last month so we can monitor calves too.
What is the best technology you have implemented? With the recent implementation of CowManager, we have had better conception rates, fewer herd health issues and earlier detection of health issues. The main reason I installed CowManager was for the breeding aspect. I spend a lot of time in our creamery, and this system helps keep an eye on my cows. I can’t see when my cows are in heat. We were controlled internal drug release synching our animals previously, which is expensive and timebased. Now, I get alerts when cows are in heat, and it gives me an ideal breeding window. I have the app on my phone, where I receive notications. Every time an animal goes off feed for three hours, I get a notication. This is important because, for example, if a cow is off feed or there’s no movement because she gets hurt, I normally
What factors do you consider when deciding if a technology is right for your operation? When deciding to transition to robots, we had to look at all options: robots versus parlor versus xing our tie-stall barn versus selling the cows altogether. Thankfully, during my time at Fox Valley Technical College, we toured several Lely and DeLaval robot farms and saw how happy and content the cows were. Luckily, my parents were on board with the changes of dairying. We knew it was going to be a big investment, but if we wanted to keep going, we knew robots would be the right t.
What technology(s) are you currently researching or looking into? This year, we are upgrading our robots to the V310, which will have progesterone testing to determine heats and pregnancies. I would also like a system to measure rumination and body temperature to detect illness earlier, but that's on the wish list.
What advances will technology make during your career? When we rst put the robots in, we never thought we would have to remove them to upgrade, but we made the right choice when we did six years later. In the future, I think we will see more ways to monitor cow health and well-being without having to walk pens. These advances will help farmers get away from so many shot programs for reproduction. At the end of the day, we will still have to treat cows and be with them, though.
Tell us about your family and farm. The farm is made up of Wayne and Connie Nischke; Ashley and Ricky Mikle; and Kayla and David Coehoorn. We enjoy working together and everyone has their area of expertise, which works for us. The farm was purchased by Wayne’s parents over 55 years ago, and Wayne and Connie purchased it from them in 1989. Over the years, the farm grew on the land and cropping side, but cow numbers stayed the same until 2017. We raise all young stock. The herd includes both Holsteins and Jerseys.
would not put my eyes on that cow and see that issue until chore time that night. This way, I get the notication when I’m at the creamery and can go check on her. All calves have a CowManager tag in their ear by 1 week old. For another example, if they are not consuming grain, the system lets me know. We also have the transition module set up for cows that are calving in, and we are going to add the calving module that is coming out later this year.
What factors do you consider when deciding if technology is right for your operation? We take in the nancial side of all technology we would want to consider. We also look at how it will benet labor, costs and our future herd.
What technology(s) are you currently researching or looking into? Ideally, we would look at the technology surrounding better housing, including better livestream video, ventilation and cattle movement. Since we are a microdairy, it would be great to have all our animals under one roof and monitored.
What advances will technology make during your career? As a dairy farm and milk plant owner, all technology is looked at to help with labor and cattle comfort. Cow comfort is huge. If you implement a great technology plan but your cattle are not comfortable, that technology is not going to work. Technology and comfort have to work hand in hand, and I think this will continue to advance as we look into the future.
Tell us about your family and farm. We are a small dairy farm with a creamery onsite. We bottle our milk and make cheese from our 14 Guernseys at Two Guernsey Girls Creamery. The farm is run by Tammy and Dave Fritsch and our daughter, Breanna. We purchased our current property in 2017 and built the creamery in 2021. We retrotted a horse stable for milking and started with ve stalls on one side. Two months ago, we implemented eight stalls on the other side. Cows only come inside to milk; otherwise, they are outside on a bedding pack and graze in the warmer months.
OptiDuo™ remixes feed and then repositions it evenly along the feed bunk. This leads to less sorting and a more even distribution of feed, which means less stress for low ranked animals.
With DeLaval VMS V300, it all revolves around you, which is why we have developed the V300 to be the world’s most exible milking robot–so that it works for you and not the other way around. Whether your operation is small or large, the VMS V300 can help you farm your way.
How many times a day do you milk, and what is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? We milk two times a day. Our current herd average is 26,666 pounds of milk, 1,269 pounds of butterfat and 882 pounds of protein, with tests of 4.8% butterfat and 3.3% protein.
Describe your housing and milking facility. The cows are housed in a loose housing barn built in 2020. They are also fed in this building. It is cleaned and bedded with fresh straw every day in winter. In spring, summer and fall, the cows choose to go outside more, and they are free to go to the feedlot or pastures whenever they wish. The barn is only cleaned as needed during the spring, summer and fall seasons because they are outside so much. The cows are milked in a very simple at 6-cow parlor built in 1982.
Who is part of your farm team, and what are your roles? Jim: Milking, deciding day-to-day tasks, eldwork and hauling manure. When we have breakdowns, he gets to be on the phone trying to arrange to get things xed and up and running again. Marilyn: (Jim’s wife) Feeding calves and making sure they are healthy, helping in the morning by loading feed and feeding all the animals, assisting with milking when needed and taking care of all the bookwork. She is also on duty for any
TOP PERFORMERS
cleanup. Peter: (Jim and Marilyn’s son) Milking, making all the breeding decisions including heat detection and selecting bulls for A.I. breeding. He loads the total mixed ration and feeding and cleans the sheds to keep the animals comfortable and dry.
What is your herd health program? We have monthly herd checks. We check for pregnancy, dehorn calves and assess any
other health concerns we have with the cows. We try to use the cow’s natural cycle for breeding and limit the use of chemical hormones.
What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? The cows are dried off two months before calving for their yearly holiday. They are treated with Tomorrow dry tubes at dry off. They are housed and
fed separately from the milking cows. They also have access to pastures during this time. When they freshen, the ladies are moved back into the milking herd.
What is the composition of your ration, and how has that changed in recent years? Our ration consists of dry alfalfa, haylage, corn silage and a grain mix. All forages are tested, and
the grain mix is prepared by our nutritionist, Jerry Schroden, who works at Gilman Coop. He has been our trusted nutritionist for many years. The newest change we’ve made is purchasing a TMR in late December. Before that, we used a Kelly Ryan feeder wagon, what we fondly referred to as our “poor man’s TMR.” It worked very well, and now we are looking forward to the benets of a real TMR.
Tell us about the forages you plant and detail your harvest strategies. We plant corn for silage and alfalfa. We work with an agronomist to keep the soil healthy and harvest the best crops we can. We rely on custom harvesters to bring in the crop when it is at its peak quality. We store all corn silage and haylage in bags. We make some dry hay but also purchase dry alfalfa hay as needed. We purchase all of our corn and concentrates from Gilman Coop.
What is your average somatic cell count and how does that affect your production? Our average somatic cell count is 143,000. The healthier the cow, the better they will produce. Everything we do as far as feeding and keeping them clean plays
Jim, Marilyn and Peter Schumer of Schumer Family Farm
St. Stephen, Minnesota | Stearns County | 82 Cows
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Jim, Marilyn and Peter Schumer stand near their farm sign Feb. 14 on their dairy near St. Stephen, Minnesota. The Schumers milk 82 cows.
HIGHEST QUALITY SHAVINGS
“Then and now... best thing we could have done!”
“We started using Udder ComfortTM 15 years ago. It was the best thing we could have done to make a tremendous difference. People try to get us to use other products, but they don’t ever stand up to the results with Udder Comfort,” says third generation dairywoman Michelle Hasheider-Burianek of Elm Farms in southern Illinois.
“We use this routinely on our fresh cows when they calve in, they are separated after going through the robot, and we apply the Udder Comfort at the head gates.
“We do this for 2 to 3 days; heifers 4 to 5 days. Udders milk out nice and evenly, and we save money by shipping more milk with less need for treatment,” she says.
“If we see a hard quarter or a conductivity spike, we grease her up with Udder Comfort. Any animal in the sick pen also gets it,” Michelle explains.
“Our kids are really involved in showing, and they enjoy it. So, we also use Udder Comfort on our show cows. I’ll even use it on a swollen hock, it’s that good,” she adds.
-
Generations of success with Udder Comfort: Michelle Hasheider-Burianek and daughter Teagan (left and right)
Michelle Hasheider-Burianek
into the outcome. The somatic cell goes
and down depending on the weather.
What change has created the biggest improvement in your herd average? Building the loose housing barn in 2020, because the cows now can be indoors when the weather is cold. They used to be outdoors yearround. Genetics have played a big role as well, having a big impact on milk production and components.
What technology do you use to monitor your herd? None. We have a small herd of 82 cows and can interact and keep an eye on each cow daily. Peter really enjoys the cows and can remember every detail about every cow and heifer on the farm. Rarely does he have to look up anything on paper copies. He is our technology.
What is your breeding program, and what role does genetics play in your production level? Peter loves the genetic part of improving the cows and is always looking to make the next generation better. He works very closely with our A.I. technician, Grant, from Select Sires on selecting bulls that best t each cow. Recently, we started using gender sorted semen on all our heifers and our top-end cows.
List three management strategies that have helped you attain your production and component levels. First, we are very hands-on; we can detect heat and any other problems with the
cows and address them quickly. Also, we keep them clean and dry. Second, we focus on quality feed. Third, we focus on good genetics.
Tell us about your farm and your plans for the dairy in the next year. Our farm has been in the Schumer family since 1867. We keep things as simple and conservative as possible for the nancial health of the farm. We can’t always afford the most progressive thing out there, but we do the best we can with what we have. We try to make some improvements each year depending on the price of milk. Our next goal is to put in a new parlor; Peter is researching that
now. The parlor we have does the job, but it is very slow and is getting worn out. Peter is our youngest son and loves the cows and the farm, so we are very thankful to have the next generation to keep it going. We have four other children — Melinda, Luke, Paul and John — who all have their own careers but have appreciated growing up on the farm and love coming home to it. We also have 18 grandchildren who all love to come to the farm and help. We are grateful that we can give them that opportunity. We have lots of help from our kids and grandkids when things get busy or when things go wrong. It is a comforting feeling to have family.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY
Cows eat TMR in a loose housing barn Feb. 14 near St. Stephen, Minnesota. The Schumers built the facility in 2020. Before that me, the Schumers cows were outside all the me.
(below) Peter Schumer studies a bull book on Hilltop Dairy near St. Stephen, Minnesota. Peter works closely with their A.I. technician for selec ng bulls.
STAR
1790 2014, #583560
1795 2023, 700 Est. Acres, #573347
1790 2013, 18,500 Est. Acres, #591922
............................................................
JD 7200 1989, #579856 .................................................................
JD 7200 1995, #585624 .................................................................
White 8800 2013, 11,000 Est. Acres, #589902...............................
Feed your way
New strain of H5N1
D1.1 located by National Milk Testing Strategy in Nevada, Arizona
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
Nearly a year after the rst cases of HPAI H5N1 were conrmed in Texas dairy cows, the disease continues to create new questions.
Until recently, dairy cow infections were limited to the B3.13 strain, tracing back to a single spillover event that occurred in Texas in late 2023.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection conrmed that a new strain of H5N1 has been detected in both Nevada and Arizona, through compliance with the National Milk Testing Strategy. The new strain, D1.1, originated in wild migratory birds.
A Feb. 11 press release from the Arizona Department of Agriculture said the conrmation of D1.1 at a Maricopa County dairy farm was unrelated to the recent detection of the strain in Nevada. The press release said every dairy farm in Arizona has been tested at least once in the month of January, with only one facility testing positive.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website, as of Feb. 18, a total of 972 cases have been conrmed in 17 states. In the past 30 days, 36 new conrmed cases have been documented in Arizona, California, Michigan and Nevada.
Most states have enrolled in the NMTS and are currently performing active surveillance. Three states — Colorado, Mississippi and Pennsylvania — have all achieved unaffected status, reaching stage four of the NMTS with ongoing testing and surveillance activities demonstrating the absence of disease.
On Feb. 17, Wisconsin DATCP announced plans have been nalized to join into the federal order that established the NMTS, utilizing samples already being collected for routine milk testing.
In a Feb. 4 webinar hosted by the National Milk Producers Federation, Dr. Jennifer Siembieda from USDA APHIS Veterinary Services said the path towards stage four unaffected status depends on the size and scope of each state’s dairy industry.
“Mississippi doesn’t have a huge
dairy industry,” Siembieda said. “They were able to do on-farm bulk tank testing and achieved three negative tests on 100% of their herds. That is the simplest route to stage four.”
Reaching stage ve, absence or elimination of the disease across the country, will be achieved when all states have reached and maintained stage four status throughout a prolonged period of testing.
Dr. Jason Lombard of Colorado State University has been studying disease transmission on farms but said the data varies from farm to farm, noting that one farm had 33% of clinical cows and 19% of non-clinical cows shedding the virus, while another saw 95% of cows exhibiting clinical symptoms shedding along with 30% of non-clinical cows.
Lombard said the likelihood of aerosol transmission is gaining traction in his mind.
“Most of the positive environmental samples are from the parlor surfaces and liner samples, that goes with the high viral load we see in milk,” Lombard said. “As quick as disease spreads throughout the herds, if we were looking at transmission purely through milking machines, I don’t think it would move as fast as it is moving. I do think it could move through aerosol transmission in the parlor — there is a lot of milk splashed, water sprayed.”
In addition, Lombard has been looking at what the post-infection future looks like for affected cows.
“There are some changes in 21day pregnancy risk after the cattle introduced clinical symptoms,” Lombard said. “We don’t know how much of that is impact of the actual disease or an impact of resource allocation — the people normally responsible for that work were relegated to treatment of sick cows.”
Changes in the incidence of abortion are inconclusive as well and could be impacted by many factors, Lombard said.
Future milk production for affected cows as they nish that lactation shows decreases of 10% on average. Things are looking more promising for cows that have returned to the milking string, commencing their next lactation, with mature equivalent projections being in line with pre-infection numbers.
Lombard’s research has also
looked at how comorbidities might affect cows that contract H5N1, nding no association in H5N1 viral shedding with bovine viral diarrhea, bovine leukemia virus or Johne’s disease.
Researchers have been working on developing vaccines to guard against H5N1 infection, but achieving an approved product may be in the distant future, according to Dr. David White, with the USDA APHIS Veterinary Services Center for Veterinary Biologics.
According to White, eight ongoing eld studies are working towards a vaccine, but none have provided data back. White said most of the studies are considered condential information at this time.
Dr. Jamie Jonker, the NMPF’s chief science ofcer and vice president of sustainability and scientic affairs, said trade issues can complicate the use of vaccines in dairy cattle.
“The use of vaccines in dairy cattle is complex,” Jonker said. “There are a number of promising candidates in eld trials that will result in several that could be useful in the toolbox, but it is unlocking that toolbox for usage that is complex. … We conrmed that pasteurization completely destroys the live virus. The use of vaccines can be a trade-limiting issue in poultry, there are concerns in some sectors of the poultry industry about the potential trade disruptions from vaccine use in dairy cattle.”
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Holstein cows eat total mixed ra on May 16, 2024, at a dairy farm in Wisconsin. The dairy industry has been dealing with the ramica ons of HPAI H5N1 since March 2024.
MOBILE CALF FEEDING
Abts Equipment LLC
New Franken (920) 866-2485
Gillett (920) 866-2485
Argall Dairy Systems, Inc.
Belleville (608) 424-6110
Platteville (608) 348-3385
Fuller’s Milker Center LLC
Lancaster (608) 723-4634
Wisconsin:
Richland Center (608) 723-4634
Gehring Sales & Service, Inc.
Rubicon (262) 673-4920
Joe’s Refrigeration, Inc.
Withee (715) 229-2321
Leedstone, Inc.
Menomonie (866) 467-4717
Midwest Livestock Systems Menomonie (715) 235-5144
Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon (920) 960-9260
The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater (608) 883-2880
Tri-County Dairy Supply Inc.
Janesville (608) 757-2697 Iowa:
Decorah (563) 382-8722
Gorter’s Clay & Dairy Equipment, Inc.
Pipestone (507) 825-3271
Leedstone, Inc.
Melrose (888) 267-2697
Glencoe (877) 864-5575 Plainview (800) 548-5240
Midwest Livestock Systems Zumbrota (507) 732-4673
South Dakota:
Midwest Livestock Systems
Renner (605) 274-3656
Annual climate summary
2024 brings record-breaking warmth to Wisconsin
By Steve Vavrus, Bridgette Mason and Ed Hopkins
Editor’s Note: The following climate summary was provided by the Wisconsin State Climatology Ofce.
Wisconsin’s 2024 weather was warm, wet and wavering, leading to the warmest year on record and a precipitation ping-pong between record-dry and record-wet months.
This past year was ofcially the warmest year on record since 1895 for Wisconsin, with a statewide average temperature of 47.6 degrees — 3.8 degrees above the 1991 to 2020 normal. This surpassed the previous record of 47.4 degrees, set in 2012. In fact, warmer-than-normal conditions dominated the whole country, with pronounced temperature anomalies coating the upper Midwest and northeastern U.S. as part of the nation’s warmest year on record.
In Wisconsin, most areas experienced temperatures 3-4 degrees above normal. The second warmest February on record contributed signicantly to the year’s exceptional warmth. Just like 2023, July was the only month cooler than normal, but only by 0.4 degrees.
The highest temperature recorded in Wisconsin in 2024 was 98 degrees on August 26 — Mondovi, Buffalo County — and August 28 — Brodhead, Green County, and Beloit, Rock County. The lowest was minus 25 degrees — in Butternut, Ashland County, on Dec. 13 and Dec. 14. Notably, minus 25 degrees ties for the state’s second mildest annual minimum temperature on record.
Wisconsin’s annual temperature range — the difference between the year’s highest and lowest temperatures — was the smallest on record in 2024 at 123 degrees. His-
torically, annual ranges often exceeded 130 degrees, with lowest temperatures in the minus 30s or below and highest temperatures above 100 degrees. However, there has been a consistent narrowing in recent decades, a trend which results from a cooling of the annual maximum and a warming of the annual minimum temperatures.
Wisconsin also saw a notably wet year in 2024, ranking as the 13th wettest on record with a statewide average of 37 inches, compared to the normal of 34.05 inches. This included the very wettest Marchthrough-August period on record. However, conditions quickly switched to the sixth driest September-through-October on record, representing another precipitation ping-pong pattern like Wisconsin experienced in 2023.
For the year as a whole, wetter-than-normal conditions were felt across much of the state, particularly in central and southern counties.
Northern Wisconsin, however, experienced drier-than-normal conditions in 2024, contributing to regional variability.
Top 10 Wisconsin weather, climate events in 2024:
Warmest winter on record
Dubbed a “Lost Winter” December 2023 through February 2024 was the warmest winter since records began in 1895, with impacts including a snow drought, early maple tree tapping and the second shortest ice duration on Madison’s Lake Mendota. The only hint of winter came during a two-week cold snap in mid-January.
Freaky February
February 2024 was one of the most eventful months in Wisconsin’s weather history, featuring the state’s rst February tornadoes and spring-like warmth that culminated in Wisconsin’s highest temperature ever
recorded during the meteorological winter season when Kenosha reached 77 degrees Feb. 27. However, temperatures plummeted the following morning, setting a record for the largest 24-hour temperature fall at multiple locations, including Milwaukee, which dropped from 74 to 23 degrees.
Record snowfall in April
A powerful early April snowstorm brought record-breaking snowfall to Wisconsin, including 15 inches in Shiocton and 17 inches in La Crosse over two days. The storm caused widespread havoc by disrupting rush hour trafc, raising Green Bay’s water levels by over two feet and leaving over 100,000 households without power.
Very wet spring, early summer
May-to-June rainfall set a statewide record with 12.51 inches between the two months. June was especially soggy, ranking as the sixth wettest on record, with La Crosse seeing rain on 24 days and localized downpours such as the 4.81-inch deluge at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum June 19.
Extreme daily rainfalls
Short-lived but intense rainfall events in July caused ash ooding, a dam breach in Waupaca County and a state of emergency declaration in four counties. On July 14, Madison set a record for rainfall intensity when 2.23 inches fell in one hour. The city was struck again two months later with nearly four inches of rainfall Sept. 21, becoming Madison’s wettest September day on record.
Slew of tornadoes
Tornadic weather dominated spring and summer, highlighted by the May 21 outbreak, which produced 16 tornadoes, including the rst ever on Washington Island. A tornado near Cochrane leveled a century-old barn, and Madison endured its worst power
outage since 1976, affecting 42,000 customers.
Late August heat wave
A late-August heat wave generated the year’s hottest temperature of 98 degrees at Beloit, Brodhead and Mondovi. The absence of 100-degree days in 2024 continues a recent decreasing trend in triple-digit heat in Wisconsin, despite such extremes being common historically.
September’s compound extreme September was an extreme month, ranking third warmest and sixth driest on record. The last time Wisconsin experienced this kind of compound extreme month landing among the 10 warmest and driest was March 2016. Based on Wisconsin’s long-term data since 1895, there have only been 31 compound extreme months of any combination — warm-dry, warm-wet, cool-dry or coolwet.
Late summer to early fall drought, warmth
Drought intensied from late August to October, leading to all of Wisconsin becoming drought-stricken for the rst time since the U.S. Drought Monitor began in 2000. Unseasonable warmth worsened conditions, with Madison and Green Bay reaching record-late 80-degree readings Oct. 29, nearly 30 degrees above average.
Warmest year on record
2024 was ofcially Wisconsin’s warmest year on record, with a statewide average temperature of 47.6 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 47.4 degrees set in 2012. February stood out as the most unusually warm month — 12.2 degrees above average — whereas July had the distinction of being the only cooler-than-normal month of the entire year by 0.4 degrees.
Building friendships, creating connections
Kamm
wins Fairest
of the Fairs’ Miss Congeniality award
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
NEW RICHMOND, Wis.
Representing the county fair she grew up loving was something that came naturally to Phia Kamm.
“I’ve always been a dairy kid and serving as the St. Croix County Fairest of the Fair has allowed me the opportunity to see and learn more about our fair,” Kamm said. “When I decided to run, I gured it would be my last year as an exhibitor, so why not give back to an organization that truly has given me so much.”
Kamm represented St. Croix County at the Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs competition, Jan. 8 in Wisconsin Dells as one of 33 vying for the state title. There she was selected as a Top 10 nalist and was chosen by the other contestants as
Kamm takes a moment with a herd favorite Jan. 15 at
near New Richmond, Wisconsin. Kamm’s family milks 185 registered Holsteins and Jerseys.
the winner of the Miss Congeniality award.
“That meant as much to me as if I’d won, because it wasn’t
something I was trying to do,” Kamm said. “That meant the other girls liked me and I did what I had wanted to do go-
ing into the contest: make new friendships, build new relationships and create connections.”
Kamm, a sophomore at the
University of Wisconsin-River Falls studying dairy science and food science management, is involved on her family’s farm, Nova Holsteins, where they milk 185 registered Holsteins and Jerseys.
At college, Kamm serves as the secretary of the school’s dairy club and participates in intramural sports programs with other club members. She is also a member of the St. Croix County 4-H dairy judging team and will be traveling with her team to the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh, Scotland, later this summer, after placing third last fall in the National 4-H Dairy Cattle Judging Contest at World Dairy Expo.
After completing her degree, Kamm plans to return home to join her family’s operation. She stays involved while attending school, coming home during breaks and on weekends. She takes care of calf management duties such as registrations, vaccinations, tagging and dehorning. She also milks in the mornings.
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Phia
her family’s dairy farm
“I love it here so much and I am so proud of the herd we have developed,” Kamm said. “I want to come back and continue developing great cattle with my dad and uncle. I’m a big dreamer, I have so many plans for the future.”
Robots and an on-farm creamery, where they will process their milk into cheese and ice cream, create the fabric of Kamm’s future hopes and dreams for her family’s farm.
Sharing with other young people about the life she was blessed to be born into Kamm said is a priority. She hopes to someday take over the role of chairing her club’s dairy committee from her father.
Phia Kamm represents St. Croix County at the Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs compe on Jan. 8 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Kamm was selected as a Top 10 nalist and chosen as the winner of the Miss Congeniality award by her peers.
“It’s truly so important to me to give kids the opportunity to show,” Kamm said. “Last year we took 32 head from the farm — I hope that never stops. Our doors are always open for kids who want to explore that passion.”
Serving as her county’s Fairest of the Fair, her nal year as a dairy exhibitor will give Kamm the chance to not only experience the fair outside the dairy barn but also provide a platform for her to showcase her love of the dairy industry.
“Fair season is my favorite time of year,” Kamm said. “I love sharing everything about the life I have on the farm, and I love watching kids fall in love with their animals.”
Participating in the statewide contest was an experience Kamm said she will not soon forget.
“The really neat thing about this year was the number of girls with dairy backgrounds,” Kamm said. “We all really bonded over that. Even the judges commented on the wide variety of ag backgrounds throughout the whole group.”
Kamm said she did not enter the contest with great expectations, hoping to perhaps earn a spot among the nal 10 contestants.
Kamm said one-on-one time with the judges comes during a 13-minute interview. She said the other interactions contestants have with the judging panel are made up of group interactions, typically with 5-7 other hopefuls. Contestants are also evaluated on a prepared radio spot and on their responses to two impromptu questions. Additional im-
promptu questions are asked of the Top 10 contestants and again of the nal ve.
“I enjoy public speaking, so that was not difcult for me,” Kamm said. “But navigating the dynamics of the group interactions was a little challenging.”
As part of her candidacy, Kamm prepared a basket consisting of a variety of items that represented St. Croix County for the Wisconsin Association of Fairs’ annual fundraiser.
“I got a lot of support from our community, assembling my basket,” Kamm said. “Everyone I asked for a donation was so willing to help out. That was wonderful.”
Kamm said she was surprised by the diversity of the demographics of the contestants.
“We came from a lot of very different places in life,” Kamm said. “Ages ranged from high school seniors to the oldest contestant who was 27. Despite all the differences, we all really connected.”
Between workshops and interacting with the judges, Kamm said each day of the event was full.
“The convention was really easygoing, with a lot of socializing,” Kamm said. “I describe myself as an introverted extrovert — I love people and talking to them, but some of those days by 9 I was ready to go to bed.”
Kamm said she came away better for taking part in the competition.
“All of the girls were truly incredible,” Kamm said. “I truly got lucky with this group — I walked out with some of the best friends and connections that will last me a lifetime.”
PHOTO SUBMITTED
IN DAIRY women
Tell us about your family and farm. We moved to America from the Netherlands in 2004 and started the farm in 2006 with 120 cows. We have three kids: Ian, 17; Lisa, 14; and Heidi, 12. My husband Gurben’s brother and sister-in-law joined the farm, and we’ve expanded a couple of times. Six years ago, we changed from a milking parlor to robots.
What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? It depends on the day. I feed calves in the morning and twice a week in the afternoon and work with my sister-in-law to feed the rest of the week. I am in charge of bookkeeping and payroll and help out in the barn when needed.
What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? We hired a nancial advisor. We have a more in-depth view of the farm nancials.
Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. The switch from milking parlor to robots. We had come to a point where we could not get reliable help anymore. With the switch to robots, we haven’t hired anybody new for the last six years. The employees we have now have been with us all that time.
What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? We love the freedom and being outside.
What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Keeping calves happy and healthy. There was a period of time when we had sick calves all the time. It was depressing,
Julie ten Hoeve Waverly, Iowa Butler County 650 cows
and I had a hard time enjoying the work. We were able to build a new calf barn with lots of changes, and the calves have been healthy. We are thankful we can raise healthy replacement heifers.
What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? We have had groups tour the farm. In the near future, we will have a group of students from my daughter’s school come and visit the farm.
What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? In the Netherlands, the dairy farmers wear coveralls over their normal clothes in the barn. We still do that here. Only the coveralls get dirty, and it saves you loads of laundry, time and frustration. On the serious side, depend on God. When things go well, know all blessings come from Him. When things get tough, keep that communication with Him alive. He is with you.
What is a challenge in the dairy industry you have faced and how did you overcome it? Dealing with unreliable employees. We were feeling stressed out. Our bank saw the challenge, and together, we were able to put in our robots.
When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I am privileged to be a stay-at-home mom; I realize I have it easy compared to other dairy moms. I enjoy making homemade food like yogurt, bread and sourdough. I have a big garden in the summer that keeps us fed all winter. But I love a good book, and we take the time to go on vacation with the kids once a year.
Cows got the itch? Lice identication, management
See cows getting the itch? Lice is a very common winter and early spring season pest in cattle. Populations decrease in spring once cattle start to shed heavy winter coats. During the winter, cattle are challenged by weather, nutrition, gestational status, immune response and overall health, providing an opportunity for a growing lice population. Sucking and biting lice are the two most common species that infest cattle. Biting and sucking lice can reduce the performance of the animal by lowering body condition and decreasing feed efciency, milk production and overall animal health.
By Karen Johnson University of Minnesota
It is common for herds to have some level of lice infestation at any given time, and mixed infestations of both biting and sucking lice are common. Certain animals in the herd can act as a reservoir host that transfers the infestation from season to season. Lice can easily spread due to close contact with other cattle through feeding, transporting and contact with fences, equipment or other items that cattle use for scratching.
Adult lice are small (1/16-1/8
inch), have no wings and are at-bodied. Lice have modied legs that are used to grasp the hairs of their host. Biting lice feed on the skin, hair, secretions or raw esh around wounds on the outside of the animal. Biting lice tend to feed alone and will quickly hide when disturbed. Sucking lice pierce the skin and feed on blood. Generally, sucking lice move slower and tend to feed in clusters with others. Lice prefer to spend their entire life cycle on cattle. Their life cycle includes three phases: egg, nymph and adult. Female lice lay their eggs at the base of cattle hair, about one per day for up to 35 days. It takes about one week for eggs to hatch into a nymph. It takes another three weeks to mature from a nymph to an adult.
Lice irritate cattle through their movement and feeding on the animal’s body. Signs of infestation are cattle that begin excess licking and scratching on posts, water troughs, fences and any other stationary object. Scratching then leads to hair loss and raw spots. Large infestations can lead to reduced body condition scores
M
‘50 Farmall Cub, white demostrator ......................$3,500 ‘68 Oliver 1750, Loader, Cab ................................$8,900 USED SKIDSTEERS
‘20 E50 Excavator, 5 Hours ................................$72,000 ‘22 E35i Excavtor, Cab with A/C, 80 Hours ........$48,500
‘15 418 Mini Exc, 906 Hours ...............................$13,900
‘19 MT-85, 1468 Hours .......................................$16,900
‘04 MT-52, 1238 Hours .......................................$17,900
‘20 T-870, Glass Cab with A/C, 2 Speed, 1475 Hrs ...........................................................$69,500
‘19 T-770, Glass Cab with A/C, 2 Spd, 870 Hrs..$65,000
‘14 T-590, Glass Cab with A/C, 3950 Hrs ...........$32,900
(3) S-76, Glass Cab with A/C, 2 Speed, 680 Hrs and up ................................Starting at $42,500
‘15 S-770, Glass Cab with A/C, 2 Speed, 1775 Hrs ...........................................................$46,900
‘21 S-740, Glass Cab with A/C, 2 Speed, Hi Flow, 6600 Hrs ...........................................................$28,900 (2) 2012 S-650, Glass Cab with A/C, 2 Speed, 2500 Hrs & Up .................................Starting at $28,900
‘14 S-530, Glass Cab & Heater, 2 Speed, 5360 Hrs ...........................................................$19,700
‘02 S-250, Glass Cab with A/C, 6900 Hours .......$17,500
(3) S-185, Glass Cab with A/C, 2000 Hrs and up ..............................Starting at $18,500 ‘92 7753, Glass Cab and Heater, 3600 Hrs ........$10,500 USED TILLAGE W-R 3400, 34’, 4 Bar Spring Tooth Harrow ..........$6,900 W-R 2500, 28’, 4 Bar Spring Tooth Harrow ..........$5,500 W-R 2500, 24.5’, 4 Bar Spring Tooth Harrow .......$3,600 Case I-H 4300, 25’ ................................................$7,500 ‘91 DMI Tigermate, 24.5’, 3 Bar Spring Tooth Harrow .....................................................$6,950 2013 W-R 513 Soil Pro, 7 Shank, Harrow ..........$29,500 2008 W-R 957, 9 Shank, Harrow ........................$12,900 Pepin Spike Harrow, 5 Section .............................$2,500 USED PLANTERS
White 6700, 12x30, Verticle Fold ..........................$5,500
2010 G-P YP1625A, 16x30, Center Fill ..............$39,900 J-D 7200, 12x30..................................................$10,500 USED HAY EQUIPMENT
‘00 N-H 1441 Discbine, 15’ Cut...........................$11,900
‘20 N-H 210 Discbine, 10’ Cut.............................$24,900
‘13 N-H H-6740 Discmower, 7’ 10” cut .................$9,750
‘09 N-H FP-230, Crop Proc, 824 Cornhead, 27P hayhead .....................................................$19,900
and blood loss that causes anemia.
Close inspection should be used to determine the level of lice infestations. Upon close inspection, lice can be seen by parting the hair. To determine the severity of the infestation, count and record the number and species of lice found per square inch of the hide. The economic threshold to treat lice is 10 or more lice per square inch of the hide, checked in ve different locations on the face, neck, back and tailhead.
Lice infestations tend to be easy to control if you know what type of lice are affecting your herd. There are both pour-on and injectable treatment options available. Pour-on formulations are effective against biting and sucking lice. Injectable formulations are effective primarily against sucking lice. Work with your veterinarian if you have had signicant lice populations year after year. Alternating products with different active ingredients will provide better control of the lice population.
When purchasing a product to
Dana Adams adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968
Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130
Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184
Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391
Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711
Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104
Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334
Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863
Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109
Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435
control lice, be sure to read and follow the label. Specic details are included, which are related but not limited to parasiticide mode of action/active ingredients, parasites that the product controls (i.e. biting and/ or sucking lice), dosage and how to apply and meat and milk withholding times. On the market, there are several parasiticides such as doramectin, eprinomectin, ivermectin or moxidectin that provide single-dose lice control. Other products may require multiple applications based on the mode of action used to break the life cycle of lice. A nal note: When applying the product, make sure to treat the entire group to try to prevent reservoir hosts.
If you are noticing initial signs of discomfort, do some close inspections on your cows to see if they meet the economic threshold of 10 or more lice per square inch to treat. A simple application of several pour-on and injectable treatment options is available to ensure lice don’t become a problem in your herd.
Isaac Salfer ijsalfer@umn.edu 320-296-1357
Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093
Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205
Melissa Wilson mlw@umn.edu 612-625-4276
Isaac Haagen hagge041@umn.edu 612-624-7455
Michael Boland boland@umn.edu 612-625-3013
Sabrina Florentino slpore@umn.edu 507-441-1765
Scott Wells wells023@umn.edu 612-625-8166
Erin Cortus ecortus@umn.edu 612-625-8288
Melissa Runck mkrunck@umn.edu 507-836-1143
Grazing cover crops in dairy systems
Hopefully, by this time, you are at least aware of the importance of soil health. If you are familiar with the principles of keeping the ground covered, increasing biodiversity, keeping a root in the soil at all times, minimizing disturbance and integrating livestock, then let’s dive in.
Assuming we have been planting cover crops, notilling and increasing the diversity of our crop rotations or cover crop mixes, why go to the extra length of grazing cover crops? Even on our dairy farms, integrating crops and livestock can seem like a foreign concept. Our cropping and dairy cattle production are often two separate systems that only interact when the total mixed ration is placed in front of the cow and the manure hauled to the eld.
By Sabrina Florentino University of Minnesota
corn crop residues for two months before hay feeding led to 1,3822,357 pounds per cow of hay savings for the season compared to cows in a dry lot. Additionally, a South Dakota study of a corn, soybean, rye and cover crop rotation found that integrating cover crop grazing increased farm protability by $17.23 per acre in the rst year and $43.61 per acre in the second year. Of course, there are any number of variables in your specic farm’s context that can alter the degree of protability of grazing cover crops.
We are sourcing experts
nd those hard to nd items including:
• Electric motors
• Fan parts (blades, bearings, belts and pulleys)
• Gearboxes
• Submersible pumps
• PPE - hoof trimming and maintenance
• Camlock fittings
• Hose & Tubing
• Push to connect fittings
• Air compressors
• Waterer parts
• Parlor items
So, why consider grazing cover crops? Until livestock are integrated back into the cropping rotation, soil health is not fully optimized. Hauling stored manure to the eld does not have the same impact as a grazing animal assisting directly in nutrient cycling in the soil. When grazing livestock are managed properly on crop elds, their manure, hoof impact and grazing of plants stimulate soil biology, improving nutrient cycling and, in turn, water inltration. Cover crop grazing studies have shown that Soil Organic Carbon, microbial biomass carbon and potassium concentrations are greater when grazing cover crops compared to not grazing cover crops. Additionally, researchers found that increased SOC was associated with decreased soil bulk density and increased water-stable soil aggregates. These factors possibly translate to minimizing soil erosion and increasing water inltration.
Conversely, it is not hard to nd studies that demonstrate detrimental cover crop grazing impacts on soil health. However, these studies often do not detail how the livestock were managed and how much cover crop biomass was removed by grazing livestock. This gap in detailing which livestock management methods were used casts doubt on any conclusions about livestock impact.
Economically, cover crops are a feedstuff opportunity. If cattle are already being grazed on perennial pastures, cover crops can extend the grazing season in either direction. The savings acquired from grazing cover crops instead of using stored feed can cover the expenses of planting the cover crop. The fencing and labor costs of grazing cover crops can be traded for the manure hauling and forage harvesting costs of housing cattle in a dry lot.
As one example, a study showed that utilizing winter grazing of stockpiled grass-legume mixtures or even
In an upper Midwest dairy system, late summer corn silage harvest affords an opportunity to plant a diverse cover crop mix. Depending on weather conditions and cover crop species selected, this timing should allow for adequate cover crop growth to graze cattle in the spring. Utilizing small grains in your cropping rotation can provide an even larger window for cover crop planting, growth and fall grazing after small grain harvest. Cover crop mixes often provide more than adequate nutrition for our dairy heifers, steers or dry cows. Initially, supplementation of dry hay may be needed when turning heifers or cows out onto high protein cover crops to prevent digestive upset. Visit the University of Minnesota extension website or the Midwest Cover Crop Council selector tool for more information about cover crop species’ nutritional value and agronomic properties.
There are many benets to grazing cover crops, yet concerns remain. For example, what if grazing cover crops on cropland will decrease subsequent cash crop yields? There is potential that livestock can have detrimental effects on the soil or subsequent cash crop if they are not managed properly. The same soil health principles should be applied to grazing livestock. Minimize disturbance by taking livestock off the eld if conditions are too wet or keep them moving to a new paddock at least once a day. Maximize soil cover by controlling how much of the cover crop stand the cattle eat. Do not overgraze.
Other concerns may be that grazing leads to greater water pollution and runoff. However, keep in mind that grazing the above-ground biomass affects the below-ground root structure of cover crops. As long as cover crops are not over-grazed, this root structure and soil cover should remain in place to prevent erosion and water pollution.
Whether grazing cattle for increased soil health benets or to ll gaps in the forage chain, consider what opportunities are available for increasing farm resiliency and protability.
National Mastitis Council knows there is a real problem with the damage caused by milking machines. They teach a class on how to score teats which is renewed yearly. Their score sheet shows how bad the damage is and helps explain swollen, damaged teat ends and slow milking quarters all leads to mastitis. TridentPulsation™ doesn’t have to score teat ends. The pulsation is turbo charged to close the liner off below the teat end and massage the teat length. The only pulsator that does away with the normal damage done by conventional pulsator. TridentPulsation™ is the only system to lower SCC and lower cull rates. Get serious and fix the problem –not score it!
TridentPulsation™ System
607-849-3880 • 607-352-0053
Trident@TridentPulsation.com
Typical teat damage caused by your milking system
Crucial colostrum
nursery Feb. 3 on his farm near
sin. Carncross built the new calf nursery at Wargo Acres in 2019, an e
ort that has yielded more consistent calf raising.
Carncross extracts value from management system to feed newborns
By Dan Wacker dan.w@dairystar.com
LODI, Wis. — How calves are raised has a direct impact on how productive they can be as a cow. Craig Carncross is helping get calves started on the right foot with his nursery and the ColoQuick colostrum management system.
Carncross milks 425 Holstein cows at Wargo Acres near Lodi. The herd has a rolling herd average of about 34,000 pounds of milk with tests of 4.3% butterfat and 3.4% protein.
Managing colostrum and ensuring calves are receiving it in a timely manner is not a new concept in the dairy industry, but getting it done correctly each and every time is a challenge. For Carncross, utilizing a system like ColoQuick that produces a way to uniformly thaw and heat colostrum for optimal quality has been aiding his goal of giving the best possible product at the calf’s rst feeding.
“When we have our onboarding of our calf feeders, I make sure they know how important these rst 24 hours are,” Carncross said. “With our protocols in place, and with the ColoQuick system as part of that, we have seen a lot of successes with our youngstock program.”
The youngstock program at Wargo Acres features a calf nursery built in 2019. Calves are placed in pens with straw bedding. Carncross feeds newborns three times a day, providing a gallon of colostrum at the rst feeding, followed by a second and third feeding at intervals of 8–10 hours. Calves receive between 1-2 liters for the second two feedings.
This protocol, along with bi-weekly lung ultrasounds has helped Carncross and his dairy stay ahead of potential health issues.
“If we see a high lung score, we can treat the calf before it turns into a
problem,” Carncross said. “We’ll see an improvement afterward with how fast the calf will drink, but before seeing the score, we didn’t even notice anything was wrong.”
The colostrum system at Wargo Acres helps get the rst feeding in the calf’s stomach within 30 minutes of being born. Delivering these antibodies early can lead to a healthier future.
“When we get the calf moved back into the nursery, we can have the colostrum ready to feed,” Carncross said. “The calf is placed in the clean pen and can be fed immediately. That kind of speed helps make our employees efcient so we can have the same guys moving cows to the parlor that are also checking on the maternity pens.”
With the investment in genetics into dairy herds, having high-quality colostrum available for calves — heifers and bulls alike — has taken on a new level of importance.
Typically, colostrum is harvested, measured for quality, frozen and stored for later use if the quality is high enough. As quality varies, building a colostrum storage and management process has become more pivotal in the furthering of Wargo Acres.
“We store our high-quality colostrum in a chest freezer,” Carncross said. “We want to see heifer calves get four liters of colostrum with a Brix score of 25 or above. I like seeing 30. Four liters with that colostrum at 30 gives the calves almost 600 (immunoglobulins). We’ll use the lower-scored colostrum for the second feedings, and we’ll use commercial product if we need to improve the quality of our colostrum for those later feedings.”
A colostrum management system also allows for more timely feedings Carncross said. Instead of waiting to bring the newly freshened cow to the milking barn, they can provide a feeding to the calf potentially hours before a feeding would have been available without the system.
“When a calf is born, our process is to dip the navel and start prepping our nursery for the arrival of a new calf,”
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
Craig Carncross stands in his calf
Lodi, Wiscon-
ff
Carncross said. “We’ll start thawing a cartridge of colostrum, and by the time we bring the calf in, we have a feeding ready to go.”
The ColoQuick system features a plastic cartridge large enough for a single feeding of colostrum. To start the process, the person managing the calf feeding loads the cartridge in the system and initiates the thawing process. The system submerges the cartridge in warm water and rotates it to bring the temperature up to 107 degrees. This provides a uniform thaw, preserving the nutrients for the calf.
“This system has been really helpful for us,” Carncross said. “It helps us limit the number of variables that can cause illnesses in our calves.”
Prior to using the system, Carncross said each person working with the calves thawed colostrum their own way. This made it tough to pinpoint issues. Now, everyone who handles the calves keep the same protocols and uniformity, a feature Carncross said he enjoys.
“Before this system, we would have people thaw the colostrum in ex-
tremely hot water, or we’d feed it when the colostrum was too cold,” Carncross said. “We stored in the fridge for a bit too, but we kept seeing inconsistencies with our temperature of when we fed or packaged. This system helps us be consistent with how we feed our calves.”
The system is helping Carncross’s youngstock get the highest quality colostrum available no matter who is in charge of calves that day.
“The simplicity of this process is the best part,” Carncross said. “I can teach someone once, and the next time they can step in and do it themselves. This helps us provide the highest quality colostrum to set calves up for success.”
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
Craig Carncross puts colostrum into his ColoQuick hea ng system Jan. 27 at his farm near Lodi, Wisconsin. Carncross has used the ColoQuick hea ng system since 2012.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
February 25 - 27
The Dairy Signal ®
Online, noon - 1 p.m., CT
Visit www.pdpw.org to participate in live-streamed event. Audio/video recordings also available free.
February 26 - 27
Financial Literacy for Dairy ®
(Level 2, concluding session)
PDP Headquarters - Juneau, Wis.
Visit www.pdpw.org for details.
March 4 - 6; 18 - 20; 25 - 27
The Dairy Signal ®
Online, noon - 1 p.m., CT
Visit www.pdpw.org to participate in live-streamed event. Audio/video recordings also available free.
March 11 - 12
Cornerstone Dairy Academy ®
Alliant Energy Center - Madison, Wis.
Visit www.pdpw.org for details.
BOTTOM LINE DAIRY’S Track, understand the right numbers
As dairy farmers and business owners, we are often told that a key to success is to “know our numbers.”
That sounds nice, but it’s a little too simple for today’s complex dairy industry. We are surrounded by numbers: milk production and animal health data, crop yields and input costs, feed rations and inventory updates, labor costs and much more. I think the key isn’t merely knowing our numbers but understanding which numbers are the most important and setting up a system to track and make decisions based on them.
member to take on some of the day-today work or shifting workloads across family members or employees.
There is no one-size-ts-all answer to setting up a nancial system that works for each dairy and dairy team. On our dairy, we’ve set up an in-house process that includes data from DairyComp, QuickBooks and our own spreadsheets. Others may choose to work with accountants and consultants who suit your team’s time availability and skillsets.
Brady Weiland PDP
The need to focus on the numbers that matter was driven home to me several years ago when I participated in Financial Literacy for Dairy, a course developed by Professional Dairy Producers. A generation or two ago, it was assumed that farmers who worked hard and cared for their land and animals could typically earn a living for their families. That isn’t the case today. We need to understand how to manage risk and costs in every aspect of our organizations.
For a dairy owner or manager, the rst step is making a commitment to work on the business, not just in the business. That can be a challenge for those of us who love working with animals and enjoy the day-to-day tasks on the farm. Making time for the management tasks may require promoting another team
There are so many variables in our business, from feed costs and interest rates to milk prices and more. We’ve been able to generate cash-ow projections so we understand the difference between $15, $18 or $20 milk prices on our bottom line. If we can lock in a $2 to $3 margin, that’s better than breaking even or a negative margin. The same is true for interest rates; we can now project the impact of rates going up and make decisions accordingly.
Establishing key performance indicators, specic goals with metrics, has been key to keeping everything in check. By using KPIs, we can track metrics such as pounds of fat and protein produced per day per cow, pregnancy rates, feed efciency on a cost-per-day basis and more. Knowing these numbers enables us to have in-depth discussions on what factors can drive improvement.
We conduct monthly meetings with the family management team, which includes me, my brother and our parents. Our family team also meets quarterly with a team of advisors consisting of our nutritionist, veterinarian, business consultant, lender and tax accountant to review nancial statements and KPIs.
When we get busy with daily tasks, particularly during planting and harvesting season, it’s easy to forget about the big picture and inuences on our bottom line such as the weather, exports and other market trends. Through PDP’s The Dairy Signal webinar program, I’ve found a group of economists I follow to stay on top of news that might impact the commodity world and our farm.
Our dairy has evolved and grown over the past 10 years, from milking 350 cows at one farm to adding another nearby farm and now milking about 1,200 cows. We have 18 employees across both locations. Knowing our numbers isn’t just a good thing to do; it is absolutely critical for locking in protable milk production so we can grow our balance sheet for expansion and sustainable success.
Brady Weiland of Columbus, Wis., is the fth generation to own and operate Weiland Dairy LLC, with his parents, brother and eight employees. Brady and his brother also own and operate High Gear Holsteins LLC and employ an additional nine employees on that dairy. As dairy manager, Brady oversees the two 600-cow herds.
Dairy Challenge highlights future dairy leaders
With this month’s column, I’m straying from my typical themes of feeding and nutrition to highlight some of the best and brightest students from across the Midwest who represent the future of the dairy industry.
Last week, South Dakota State University hosted more than 120 students from 14 universities for the Midwest Regional Dairy Challenge. The event was supported by nearly 100 volunteers, including dairy producers, industry professionals and university staff and faculty, many of whom are Dairy Challenge alumni.
During this multiday event, students work in teams to apply theories and knowledge from the classroom to a real-world dairy.
Something to Ruminate On
By Barry Visser Nutritionist
Dairy Challenge started in 2002 with the rst competition held at Michigan State University. Since then, more than 8,000 collegiate students have participated in the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. The program has seen tremendous interest and growth, and it now encompasses four regional competitions across the country in preparation for the national contest in April.
At the national contest, teams of four students from the same university compete against other university teams. In contrast, for the regional competitions, participants are assigned to teams to work with students from different universities. Often, these students are meeting for the rst time. While this can be challenging, it also is great for building crucial team development and communication skills needed once students enter the workforce.
This year’s host farm was MoDak Dairy near Watertown, South Dakota. We send a huge thank you to the Moes Family for opening their door to all these students. This also included sharing with participants the farm layout, herd health records, performance data, nancial information and feed analysis and rations.
Students arrived at SDSU in Brookings, South Dakota, Wednesday evening and were split into their respective teams. Each team was assigned a mentor who served as a resource throughout the contest, not just for their respective team but for others who may need assistance. Additional roaming mentors were available as resources throughout the event as well.
On Thursday morning, students loaded buses and headed to MoDak Dairy. Each team strategized how to divide responsibilities and which areas to focus on while at the dairy. For the next couple of hours, students observed and took measurements across all aspects of the dairy, including the feed center, milking parlor, maternity area and dairy calf, heifer and cow barns. The on-farm time concluded with a question-and-answer session with owners and managers from MoDak Dairy.
Buses returned to the SDSU campus, and students had another opportunity to ask questions of the dairy. Teams used the next several hours to prepare PowerPoint presentations and submit them by 6 p.m. Simultaneously, a panel of 20 judges was tasked to prepare a nal presentation with its key ndings and recommendations. Judges represented ve primary areas of expertise: nancial, nutrition, reproduction, herd health (veterinarian) and management (dairy producer).
PROVEN NxGEN SUCCESS
The most influential proven Holstein sires of current times share a similar history and their stories begin with NxGEN. Sires like 250HO14134 RENEGADE, 7HO15085 PARFECT and 14HO15223 CONWAY all kick-started their careers as members of the NxGEN program. Gain earlier access to top-ranking sires and reach your genetic goals faster by leveraging NxGEN genetics. Visit our website to complete a membership form.
Friday was presentation day. There were four rooms with ve judges in each room. Teams had 20 minutes to present their ndings and answer questions. Upon completion of scoring, the teams received feedback from the judges. The day concluded with the judges’ presentations and awards for the top teams.
As a representative for MoDak Dairy, I was able to see several of the presentations. It is remarkable how a composite team of students from multiple universities with a wide range of skills and personalities could come together and deliver very professional presentations. Not all teams agreed on the top priorities and biggest opportunities for the dairy, but each did a great job of justifying their recommendations, including partial budgets.
These students represent the best and brightest across the Midwest and the future of our dairy industry. Many will seek employment in the industry and a high percentage will return to production agriculture and become managers and owners of progressive dairy operations.
Thank you to the SDSU coaches, Dr. Maristela Rovai and Lynn Boadwine, for their hospitality and efforts, along with all the Dairy Challenge committee members, judges, coaches and volunteers. I also want to recognize the students for taking the time to participate and stretch their skills. They are the future of our industry.
Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
CAPTURE GENETIC TRENDS
PHOTO SUBMITTED
About 120 college students convene for the Midwest Dairy Challenge at MoDak Dairy near Watertown, South Dakota. Since its incep on in 2002, the Midwest Regional Dairy Challenge has had more than 8,000 students par cipate.
Obstetrical calls
By Jim Mlsna
“Doc, I can nd a tail, but no legs.” To most large animal vets, those words mean you’re probably going to be at this farm for a while.
Last week I had the same experience with one of our cows and it rated as one of my toughest deliveries. At the start, only a tail and just a touch of a leg could be felt — and this cow was big. I remarked that I needed an arm like Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks’ center with a 7-foot, 3-inch wingspan. A cesarean section was on my mind but those are hard and long and tough to do on big cows. The roads were icy so my backup help was stranded at her house. Finally with the help of a special snare — a malleable one with loops on both ends — I was able to catch the leg and get a chain near the knee of the calf’s leg. Then it was more work to slip the loop toward the fetlock and bring it out through the vagina without tearing the uterus or cervix. After two hours of never giving up the leg was out of the vulva. The other leg remained unreachable.
The calf felt small enough to be delivered without the other leg and it did come out with a little help. I checked the uterus again for another calf and couldn’t feel anything. Mission accomplished, I thought with relief.
Until the next morning and the cow was down and straining. Another calf, was my immediate thought. It happens to everyone if you’re in this business long enough. 7904 did get up but only had a head presented with no feet. After 90 minutes we delivered the second calf.
Delivering 7904’s twins made me think about other tough obstetrical problems in cows. One that is very difcult to diagnose is a schistosomus reexus. It is a deformity in which the calf is actually sort of inside out. Imagine the rear half of the calf being split near the ribs and then folded over the back. All four feet are near the head and the internal organs are not surrounded by muscles and skin. Many times the heart is still beating. When a person is examining the uterus they will feel organs and wonder if it is placenta or actual fetal organs. That is the tough part. What’s next? If it is small, hopefully it can be delivered through the vagina. If the feet are forward or it is large, then a C-section is necessary.
Two days after my asco with 7904, I examined a birthing cow and found two heads and four feet. The trick is to be sure the legs you are pulling on are connected to the head you want to deliver. Pushing one calf back and maneuvering chains onto the other is challenging, especially if the cow is lying down. But we succeeded in delivering a set of healthy beef-cross twins. Those are the moments veterinarians and cow people really appreciate.
One obstetrical emergency that our non-farming friends can’t stomach is a prolapsed uterus or cast withers. I’m always amazed at how an organ that big can become inverted and slip through the small hole of the cervix. I’m more amazed at how vets are able to replace them.
Here is the story of my rst cast withers as a veterinarian:
It was July Fourth and my rst full night on call. I remember it being a beautiful moonlit night. I got a call from a farm over in the hills of Wonewoc, Wisconsin. A beef farmer had just checked his cows and saw that one had something hanging out. We drove over the hilly pasture and found the cow in a ravine. Eventually we got a rope on the cow, but she struggled to get away and ended up in a junk pile. After the third attempt to anesthetize her with an epidural she was next to a roll of barb wire and an old tire. The farmer asked me three times, “Should I shoot her, Doc?” I told him we were going to try again and we did. We got her restrained and I got her uterus replaced and her vulva stitched up. And while I was cleaning up, she expired.
One January afternoon a hobby farmer called about his beef heifer being down outside. What I didn’t know was that she had prolapsed her uterus and it was frozen to the ground. What in the heck do I do now, I wondered. When I tried to separate her uterus from the frozen earth, blood came gushing. So I did the only hysterectomy of my life and after a lot of surgery and suturing, the heifer got up and went on to a new career.
As I reect on these memorable calls, I think, Where do younger veterinarians get the obstetrical experience I did? I give thanks for those beef vets in Mobridge, South Dakota, who tolerated me tagging along for a few weeks during their calving season.
Being prepared
By Steve Frericks Stearns County FSA executive director
Farming is about being prepared. We had warm conditions three weeks ago. Were you prepared to get all your pen-pack manure hauled? Now the bitter cold is upon us., are you prepared by having your livestock pens properly bedded and your water systems insulated properly? You are working through tax preparation efforts. Were you best prepared throughout the year? Did you take advantage of all the U.S. Department of Agriculture program opportunities available this year? Are there aspects of our programs that you did not understand?
The staff at the Farm Service Agency can help with some of these questions. I am not sure if we are willing to help haul manure or x a water fountain in the bitter cold, but we certainly will provide you with the most current program information we have available at this time.
Please note the deadlines for our current program signups:
— The Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage enrollment period for the 2025 crop year is Jan. 21 through April 15.
— The Dairy Margin Coverage enrollment period for the 2025 program year is Jan. 29 through March 31.
We invite you to call your ofce and set up an appointment. This will help us better assist you during your ofce visit. We know your time is valuable. This will help us expedite the signup process. Ask our team about all the options for conducting your business.
Farm records and other changes
If you are making any changes to your farming operation (land sold/purchased, renting new land or dropping land) please notify FSA immediately after these changes occur. Updating your records now will save you time when signing up for ARC/PLC,
reporting your acres and ensuring maps are ready. FSA is not notied by the county recorder’s ofce of these sales. In addition, notify FSA if your bank account has changed.
Livestock reminder
It is really cold. This is a reminder for all livestock producers of the importance of keeping good records throughout the year. It becomes essential to have inventory and loss records when applying for our Livestock Indemnity Program due to eligible adverse weather events. LIP provides disaster assistance to livestock owners who experience livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by eligible events for the 2025 calendar year.
Farm stress
We know there is a lot of stress in the ag community right now. If you recognize this stress in your family members or friends, do not hesitate to seek appropriate help. The Minnesota Farm and Rural Helpline is a free, condential service that provides support for people struggling with stress, anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts related to farming and rural life. The helpline is available 24/7 and can be reached by calling (833) 600-2670, texting FARMSTRESS to (898) 211 or emailing farmstress@state.mn.us.
Applying for FSA direct loans
The FSA offers direct farm ownership and direct farm operating loans to producers who want to establish, maintain or strengthen their farm or ranch. Direct loans are processed, approved and serviced by FSA loan ofcers.
Direct farm operating loans can be used to purchase livestock and feed, farm equipment, fuel, farm chemicals and insurance, and it can help with other costs including family living expenses. Operating loans can also be used to nance minor improvements or repairs to buildings and renance
some farm-related debts, excluding real estate. Direct farm ownership loans can be used to purchase farmland, enlarge an existing farm, construct and repair buildings and make farm improvements. The maximum loan amount for direct farm ownership loans is $600,000, and the maximum loan amount for direct operating loans is $400,000. A down payment is not required. Repayment terms vary depending on the type of loan, collateral and producer’s ability to repay the loan. Operating loans are normally repaid within seven years, and farm ownership loans are not to exceed 40 years. We cannot stress enough that, if you need FSA direct loan assistance, please reach out sooner than later. Many people are seeing cash ow and balance sheets that are less than ideal. Getting on the list will help ensure you receive the best service available.
Please contact your local FSA ofce for more information or to apply for a direct farm ownership or operating loan.
Farm Loan Program - February 2025
5.125% - Farm Operating Loans, Direct 5.500% - Farm Ownership Loans, Direct 3.500% - Farm Ownership, Joint Financing
1.500% - Farm Ownership Loans, Beginning Farmer Down Payment
Farm Storage Facility Loan Program - February 2025
4.375% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 3-Year 4.500% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 5-Year 4.500% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 7-Year 4.625% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 10-Year 4.750% - Farm Storage Facility Loans, 12-Year
Farm Service Agency is an equal opportunity lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 20250. Visit www.fsa.usda.gov for application forms and updates on USDA programs
The end is near?
“Prepare. The end of the world is coming.” We’ve heard the doomsday news cried out over the centuries. Remember 12/31/1999? Yet, we are still plugging away, and the earth is still spinning on its axis. I hope that is the case with my doomsday prediction. Based on what has been implied over the years, I gure the world will stop spinning Feb. 28 or soon thereafter once the inertia of motion stops completely. The reason? There will not be a single Schmitt home to milk cows.
There has never been a time when at least one Schmitt was in the barn milking cows. We couldn’t all be together to celebrate a whole event because someone always had to get back home at milking time. I don’t know if wisdom has nally caught up with our age, but we hope to discover that time will keep moving even if we’re not in the barn.
Ever since Michael and Rachel announced their
engagement this past summer, I’ve been preparing for a Madison wedding road trip. My rst call was to a former milker. Darren has helped us off and on over the years when we needed an extra hand. I remember when his parents “kicked him out” of their conversion when he said he wanted to milk cows. He was a shy 14-year-old, but his gentle demeanor made him a perfect t to help milk our cows. He has lled in during times of sickness and injuries and has helped cover for a quick trip getaway, too. He just slips right into the routine without missing a beat. It helps that we haven’t changed the routine in the last 25 years, either. He and Anna will take good care of the cows.
We couldn’t just leave all the jobs to our two milkers. We don’t even run with a crew of two on an everyday basis. Fortunately, our neighbor, who retired from milking, can handle the machinery and feedings. If something breaks, he’ll know just who to call or
HYUNDAI WHY CHOOSE
CONVENIENCE PERFORMANCE
Our popular HL940XT, HL955XT, and HL960XT all feature over 11 feet of dump height clearance to reach over taller feed mixers. These popular models are powered by fuelefficient and reliable Cummins engines, plus high-quality ZF transmissions and axles.
Our loader cabs are generously-designed to be spacious and cozy with great features like: heated air-ride seats, bluetoothenabled radios with hands-free calling, tilting / telescoping steering columns, twoway radio provisions, large 7” color and touchscreen monitors, heated mirrors and high-powered automatic climate control systems.
SERVICEABILITYSAFETY
Service is designed to be easier on Hyundai loaders. Our machines are equipped with remote-mounted fluid drains, ground level access to engine oil filters and fuel filters, fully-tilting engine hoods, swing-out oil coolers, maintenancefree center pivot pins, remotely-located grease zerks and our industry-leading telematics solution, Hi MATE (free for 5 years).
We design our loaders to be the safest machines on the jobsite, featuring standard rear-view cameras, optional 360 view camera systems with dynamic object detection, excellent operator visibility, convenient anti-slip steps and large grab rails, cab, attachment and rear-grill work lights, and automatic
even how to x it himself. But, if we do this right, he shouldn’t need to x anything.
This past month, with the extended cold weather, I swear everything will be xed and in tip-top shape for our work crew because it has already been broken. We’ve replaced milk receiver probes and pumps, drilled holes in the Harvestor to replace an auger and replaced belts and sprockets on the feed conveyor. I asked Austin the other day if there was anything else that could break. He hoped not.
When I get ready to go visit my family in Illinois, I have a routine. The house has to be cleaned. Laundry done. Dishes washed. I have packed the freezer with meals and plenty of cookies to keep Mark from starving while I’m gone. I rush and rush to get things done, but why? In case something happens to me on my trip, at least it looks like I was ready. It is kind of like remembering to put on clean underwear in case you’re in an accident.
I’m trying to gure out what we can do before we leave to help out the help. Unfortunately, there aren’t quite as many jobs that can be done ahead of time. We can’t pre-mix enough feed for our time away. We can’t leave enough milk for the calves to drink at their own leisure. Of course, this is where a robotic calf feeder would be helpful. What we can do is have all the equipment greased and in tip-top condition. All the sheds and domes can have extra bedding to eliminate a job for our helpers.
Since it has only been Schmitts doing the jobs on this farm for over 90 years, I will have to get Mark and Austin to write down procedures and routines for feeding, milking and cleaning the barn. There won’t be anyone here who has grown up doing these jobs and just knows how. I have a supply of clipboards to hang in the feed room, the milk house and the old barn so everyone can “see” what to do and how to do things.
Who knows, maybe this can be the rst step in a new direction for our farm, proof that the world won’t stop spinning if we’re not milking cows, a chance for a new direction. I just wish there were more clipboards hanging around with directions on how to make that work.
Now, we need to keep everyone healthy and let go of the rest. Only God is going to keep the March Madness Tournament storms at bay. Here’s to taking a leap of faith that this is just the beginning and not the end.
As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark Schmitt started an adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.
By Natalie Schmitt Columnist
Commitment to cows, community
VanBedaf Dairy honored with National Beef Quality Assurance Award
By Tiffany Klaphake tiffany.k@dairystar.com
CARRINGTON, N.D. — VanBedaf Dairy was recently recognized on a national stage for taking an extra step in cow care and in their community.
VanBedaf Dairy was awarded the 2025 National Beef Quality Assurance Dairy Award in early February. Piet van Bedaf has been farming full time since 2015 and is in a partnership with his parents, Conny and Corne, at their 1,650-cow dairy near Carrington. Piet’s brother, Dries, also helps out on the farm.
“It was always my plan to come back to the farm after college,” van Bedaf said.
Van Bedaf and his wife, Taryn, went to San Antonio, Texas, to receive their award from the National Cattleman’s Beef Association during Cattle Con.
“We won the dairy farm portion of the award, which was very exciting,” van Bedaf said.
The National Cattleman’s Beef Association has ve categories for their beef quality awards: cow-calf; feed yard; marketers, as in sales barns; educator; and dairy operations.
“We were able to meet the people that won the other awards and were very honored to have been in the same room with those people because they had some really good operations,” van Bedaf said.
The van Bedafs were nominated by Lisa Pederson, a North Dakota State University Extension livestock specialist. The van Bedafs were nominated because of their diligent employee training and community outreach.
“She thought we had a good chance at winning the award,” van Bedaf said. “We were hesitant because it is a beef quality award and you don’t always think of beef quality on a dairy farm.”
Even though the van Bedafs do not nish out their beef calves, they qualify because their beef calves and cull cows enter the food supply.
At VanBedaf Dairy, cows are milked in a double-24 parallel parlor and all replacements are raised onsite. Heifers are genomic tested and results are used to determine breeding decisions, van Bedaf said. The top 80% of the heifers are bred with sorted Holstein semen and the bottom 20% are bred to beef. For the cows, the top 40% are bred with sorted Holstein semen and the bottom 60% are bred to beef. The beef calves are sold at 2-8 days old and the Holsteins remain on the farm for their lifespan.
All employees at VanBedaf Dairy receive training, work with a mentor within their area for one month and sign a mandatory letter of commitment to treat animals as humanely as possible.
“We have protocols for everything on our farm from vaccinations to par-
Piet van Bedaf and his wife, Taryn, hold up the award they received Feb. 4 at Ca le Con in San Antonio, Texas. VanBedaf Dairy was selected for its commitment to cow care and community outreach.
lor management,” van Bedaf said. “It’s all on paper, but we feel it is best to learn from someone that’s actually doing it and can show them in person.”
Van Bedaf’s mother, Conny, sister, Maartje, and brother-in-law, Casey, own and operate Cows and Co Creamery, 3 miles from VanBedaf Dairy.
About 1% of milk from VanBedaf Dairy goes to Cows and Co Creamery where it is made into gelato, Gouda cheese, cheddar cheese curds, European-style drinkable yogurt, and A2A2 white and chocolate milk. The rest of the milk from the dairy is shipped to Bongards. The creamery is situated on an old dairy farm and the original milk house is used as an on-farm store. Cows and Co Creamery also has a retail location in Fargo, delivers to more than 10 cities in North Dakota, and ships Gouda cheese and gelato nationwide.
Van Bedaf shows the world what happens on their farm through his YouTube channel, Piet Van Bedaf — ND Dairy Farmer.
“I post a video once a week, on Wednesdays,” van Bedaf said. “I have been doing that for the past couple of years, (showing) different things I do around the farm, from crops to cows to calves.”
The van Bedaf farm and family are involved with their community by hosting regular tours of their dairy farm throughout the year. The farm opens its doors to the general public, export buyers, university classes and elementary classes, van Bedaf said. The farm hosts a tour group almost weekly. Every other year, the farm hosts an open house the rst Sunday in June. This year the open house will be June 1.
“We feel it is important to give tours because consumers are getting further and further removed from agriculture and people are asking more and more questions about where their food comes from and how the cows are being treated,” van Bedaf said. “We feel the best way to answer those questions is by bringing people out to our farm so they can see for themselves. (Then) they can make those decisions for themselves versus (us) just telling them this is how cows are taken care of.”
FRITSCH FORAGE FACER
•
•
CALF CONDO POLY CALF STALLS
QUICK CONNECTS
PHOTO SUBMITTED
