FIVE TAKES FROM OYDC FINALISTS

OYDC FINALISTS 2019

Eric & Brittany Carson

HOMEFIELD: Hesperia, Michigan

THE FACTS: Eric and Brittany are leaders within their community. Eric is a graduate of MSU’s dairy management certificate program and is a member of the Newaygo County Fair Dairy Committee, Newaygo County Fair Board, Newaygo County Farm Bureau and MSU Extension Advisory Team. Brittany also has the interests of their community at heart as an employee of Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial.

THE FARM: Eric and Brittany farm 450 acres and milk 180 cows on their farm Carson Acres LLC. Sustainability is at the core of the farm’s mission with the goal of producing crops and milk of the highest quality with respect to the animals, people and land that produce it. Eric and Brittany are proud members of the Muskegon Local in District 3.

THE FIVE: What makes a difference on your farm?

1. Consistent care “From milking procedures to caring for the animals, each employee provides consistent care following the same milking procedure and keeping an eye out for any cow acting abnormal. We work close with our nutritionist to ensure we are reaching our goals, while maintaining healthy cows and making minimal ration changes.”

2. Quality forages “We strive to put up the best forages because without quality feed it’s hard to achieve our herd goals. From picking the correct hybrids of seed corn that will work nicely in our rations, to maintaining a consistent cutting window for alfalfa (26-28 days), we work to feed our cows the highest quality forages possible.”

3. Genetics “Genetics play a big role in our herd. We are 100 percent AI bred herd and we select bulls that have good feet and legs, while also increasing milk production, fat and protein. By being a mostly closed herd and raising all of our own heifers, we have been able to develop some very productive cow families.”

4. Activity monitoring “To help better manage our herd, we installed SCR activity monitoring in 2017. With the system, we have been able to diagnose sick cows quicker before there's even visual signs, pick up on the cows who may not show signs of heat, and determine how the cows like a ration change or how heat stress affects them.”

5. Cow comfort “In 2012, we built a modern freestall barn with larger stalls, wider alleys, curtain sidewalls and fans has allowed us to keep cows around longer and worry less about air movement. We remove any foreign matter from the stalls at each milking (3x), add new sand every ten days and clean each drinker at least once a week.”

OYDC FINALIST 2019

Jeremy Karsten

HOMEFIELD: Posen, Michigan

THE FACTS: Jeremy is continuously looking toward the future with ways to improve himself and his farm. He’s an MSU graduate with a dairy management certificate and has also completed a hoof trimming course. During his college years, Jeremy was an MSU Dairy Club member and today is involved with Michigan Farm Bureau as a county board member.

THE FARM: Jeremy farms 1,000 acres and milks 250 cows as a partner with Skudlarek Dairy. He strives to provide a pure, high quality product for consumers, while maintaining a profitable business that supports the growth and development of their employees. Jeremy is a member of the Hillman Local in District 4.

THE FIVE: How do you reduce energy consumption on your farm?

1. Parlor efficiency “To make sure that we are using as little energy as possible in our parlor, we maintain routinely and keep the cooling system up to par. We also switched to a variable frequency drive vacuum pump that uses limited amounts of energy.”

2. LED lighting “On our farm, we started to, and are still in the process of, upgrading all lighting systems to LED lights. We have already seen a lower energy bill and are looking forward to an even lower one in the future as our lights continue to slowly be replaced.”

3. Sustainable field practices “We have reduced tillage for field preparation, which not only reduces the amount of fuel our tractors use, but also decreases the amount of time needed to prepare fields for planting. We also have a refined harvest processes to maximize utility of equipment and fuel.”

4. Utilizing pasture “We pasture our heifers and dry cows which saves us a large amount of fuel and equipment associated with harvesting feed for them. This practice also reduces our feed costs by utilizing nature’s resources.”

5. Electric golf carts “To get around the farm, we use electric golf carts. They provide useful transportation, are incredibly handy for chores, and also have great style while reducing our fuel usage.”