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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 19, No. 16
The future of dairy lies in exports Plan to increase international sales by 5 percent in ve years By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
MADISON, Wis. – Three dairy industry leaders – Tom Gallagher, Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), CEO; Tom Vilsack, CEO and president of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC); and Marilyn Hershey, Pennsylvania dairy farmer and DMI board vice chairperson – met Oct. 4 in Madison, Wis., during the week of World Dairy Expo for a press conference to talk about the future of dairy. “What’s on my mind is improving trust among consumers and the ability of farmers to be able to operate in the next ve to 10 years,” Gallagher said. In order to continue operating, dairy farmers will need a place for their milk, which is becoming a concern with producers as milk is lling processors to near capacity. “The reality is we do an incredibly good job at producing milk. In fact we do an everincreasing good job each and every year. It’s projected that will continue. No matter how well we do on the domestic side of consumption, we’re still going to have to have strong exports in order to stabilize markets,” Vilsack said. Vilsack and Gallagher talked about how their two organizations will work together to use checkoff dollars to increase the U.S. dairy export market. Right now, exports account for 15 percent of the nation’s dairy sales. Vilsack and Gallagher said they are working on a plan to increase that to 20 percent within three to ve years. “The reality is, we can’t stay at 14-15 percent. We have to expand exports … To do that, Tom Gallagher mentioned the word trust and it’s incredibly important we go out and establish trust not with our own consumers, but with consumers around the world. If they trust us, they will try our products. If they try our products, they will absolutely love them. Turn to EXPORTS | Page 5
October 14, 2017
Herd data at Johnson’s ngertips
Ear tag system monitors activity, rumination, eating, temperature By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
FOUNTAIN, Minn. – Whether Michael Johnson is standing right in front of his cows or in another state hundreds of miles away from home, he knows their status and whether or not his cows are feeling well. It is all because of the latest technology the Johnsons have implemented on their 570-cow dairy, Trailside Holsteins, near Fountain, Minn. In January 2015, they started using a rumination and activity monitoring ear tag that has changed the way they manage their dairy. “One of the biggest things for me is the piece of mind that all my cows are being monitored 24/7. I can look up any cow at any time and say she’s been eating this much or she’s feeling good,” said Johnson, who farms together with his dad, Jon, along with his wife, Margaret, and their children, Sawyer, 5, Levi, 3, and Claira, 1. The tags connect to the RFID tags the Johnsons started using in 2014, one of the reasons this particular product caught Johnson’s eye. It is also a web-based program, with no software costs. Johnson appreciates the capability to check on any cow from any location with his smartphone. The tags monitor rumination and eating time along with activity and temperature. Turn to JOHNSONS | Page 7
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Michael Johnson checks his smartphone to look up a cow while in his barn on his family’s 570-cow dairy near Fountain, Minn. The Johnsons use informaƟon from a ruminaƟon and acƟvity monitoring ear tag, which can be checked anywhere there is an internet connecƟon, to streamline cow management on their dairy.
Starting young Langerock brothers revitalize barn to launch dairy career By Jerry Nelson
jerry.n@dairystar.com
MARION, S.D. – Many young people spend their late teens and early 20’s going to school and trying to gure out what to do with their lives. But at age 20 and 18, brothers Lincoln and Landon Langerock have already launched a new career as dairy farmers. “I knew that we had to do something on our own if we wanted to farm with our parents,” Lincoln said. Lincoln is a graduate of Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, S.D., where he studied agriculture business and marketing. His brother Landon
JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR
Brothers Lincoln and Landon Langerock recently launched their dairy farming careers and are milking 45 cows near Marion, S.D. Lincoln is a graduate of Lake Area Technical InsƟtute in Watertown, S.D., and Landon graduated from Marion High School in May.
concurred. “We saw dairying as a way to make room in our family’s farming operation for Lincoln and me,” Landon said. Landon graduated from Marion High School this past May. The brothers milked their rst cows July 10. They are milking about 45 cows, but a group of bred heifers they recently purchased will soon expand their milking herd to 65 head on their dairy near Marion, S.D. Lincoln and Landon’s parents, Larry and Karolyn, are pleased their sons are carrying forward their family’s dairy farming tradition. The Langerock family also includes 15-year-old identical twins Lawton and Logan, who are freshman at Marion High School. This past winter, as their dairy farming plans took shape, Landon and Lincoln embarked Turn to LANGEROCK | Page 6