CONVENTION FARM TOUR Merchandising Question and Answer with Ty Etgen | Etgen-Way | Harrod, Ohio

Ty and Heather Etgen with sons Cash and Henry Ty and Heather Etgen welcome Ohio Holstein Convention visitors as part of the self-guided farm tours on March 8th, 2024.

FARM ADDRESS: 9440 Sugar Creek Rd, Harrod, Ohio 45850

Q. Tell us about your operation.

A. I farm just shy of 300 acres, milk 100 cows, raise all my own forage and corn. We focus on cow families and do a lot of embryo work. I try to target 100 embryo transfers per year and we met that goal in both 2022 and 2023. I breed for and select bulls that are high type, high udder composite, not too high pins (try not to use anything below -1.0) decent DPR (try not to use anything below -1.0)  positive milk and positive components. Knowing that every bull I have in the tank is high type and high UDC, I try to focus each mating on outcross sire stacks, a correct mating on rear legs side view, strength and correct mating on rump angle. I raise all my own heifers (currently 110 heifers) and sell all of my bull calves at birth. I try to focus on making really high quality forage so I can feed a high forage diet. I think that’s where an operation like mine can make money. Currently I’m feeding an 83% forage diet consisting of alfalfa haylage, corn silage and a little bit of triticale, with 9 lbs. of “mix” purchased from ADM consisting of vitamins, minerals, bypass fat and bypass protein. I own all my own forage equipment and that has really helped keep the quality of my forage where it needs to be. I don’t like relying on other people to get the job done when it needs to be done.

Q. How do you determine which animals or embryos you are going to consign?

A. Years ago I used to consign just nice average stuff with nice average pedigrees and I struggled to get the prices that I wanted for my consignments. Being quite frustrated, the last three years or so I’ve started consigning my best stuff and have done well. That is what people want, I’ve learned that you need to sell your best.

Q. Once you’ve decided to have a sale, how you do go about prepping an animal for the sale?

A. Whether I’m consigning a cow or heifer, roughly a month before the sale they are pulled out of the “general population” group and put into an individual boxstall where I can individually feed them and make sure they get what they need whether it’s putting weight on or taking weight off to get them to look their best as if you were taking them to a show. If I need to put weight on a heifer, I will feed better quality grass hay and  I’ll give her more energy, usually corn silage. If I need to take weight off, I will feed just rough lower quality grass hay and 2.5 lbs of 45% heifer feed.

Q. How do you advertise?

A. I try to consign stuff out of my best cows and cow families which should create interest in itself. Advertising in the Ohio news helps and also advertising on Facebook. Which is something I need to do a better job of.

Q. What’s one of the mistakes you’ve made in the past that you learned from?

A. I’ve just hosted one tag sale six years ago here at the farm and it didn’t go real well. That really bothered me for a couple of years but looking back now I’m thankful for it. I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if the tag sale would’ve been a success. Out of the thirty calves I had in the tag sale, 19 of them went on to be excellent cows. Three at 94, three at 93 and three at 92. Most all of my best genetics are out of these cows.  I chose to keep costs at a bare minimum. I managed the sale myself, sale staff was myself and a few friends of mine that helped do the clipping. I had it late winter/ early spring when the Ohio Holstein convention was in Sidney thinking that I would increase the amount of people that would stop by and look. I made the catalog myself from copies of registration papers. I think if I were to do it again, I would have a professional catalog made.

I’ve been trying to consign to local state sales here in Ohio and Indiana to help support the associations. For whatever reason my animals sell much better in Indiana than they do here in Ohio. I do prefer to sell privately though. Private sales are much more profitable. Most sales, you have to have TB tests done and that means two vet visits to the farm which is roughly $250 and then you have trucking to get the animal to the sale and then there’s 15% commission. With all of this said, if you don’t have an animal that’s worth much more than the average price, it’s not worth sending them to a sale.

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in the past is not utilizing social media to advertise my farm and my animals. I’m trying to work on that and do better at it. I feel I’m not very good at it as well as not being able to take a good picture to post, therefore in the past I’ve  put off doing it.

Q. What is one of your biggest successes in cattle marketing?

A. My biggest success has been through embryo sales. I have been very competitive in the embryo market and have sold probably over 150 embryos over the last four years privately as well as through consignment sales. When you consign, you can usually negotiate a lower commission with embryos, usually 9-12% instead of 15%. You don’t have the health papers continued on page 11