BREEDER PROFILES
District 2 Holstein Breeders by Ashley Yager housing calf barn in1980, but after calves kept getting sick, it was turned into cold housing. In 2013 that barn came down and a beautiful Allan & Erica Lundberg, Osseo new calf facility was built, utilizing Calf-Tel stalls and group housing he passion for farming tends to start early in the barn, and that pens under one roof with side curtains and a milk house. The Lundbergs are looking to upgrade their yearling heifer is exactly where Allan Lundberg was at just five years of age. Allan is the fourth generation to farm on his homestead, founded in housing in the future as the numbers of ET calves increase. Calves 1886. His daughter, Erica, works side-by-side with him, as this special transition from their individual stalls when they are weaned at two duo has faced some of the greatest challenges life and farming can months. Allan tends to breed heifers to calve at 1-11, as they are provide. Despite a health scare and struggles with stray voltage, the usually plenty big enough. The farm will also have a taxi pasteurizing Bert-Mar herd is only getting stronger as Allan and Erica are more system in the near future, so calves will be transitioning from milk determined than ever to build a genetic program and market animals replacer to whole milk. When it comes to labor, the farm is run from the farm. by Allan, daughter Erica, Erica’s boyfriend The first Registered Holsteins and Graham Giese, who also has his own Bert-Mar prefix were introduced onto the business in custom hauling and field work, farm by Allan’s dad, Obert, and his wife, and Mahlon, a local Amish hired hand Margorie, in 1962. Registered cows were that has been full-time at the farm for 15 slowly added through the years, and in years. Allan’s wife, Susan, works off the 1978, the Lundbergs had the first cow in farm in Osseo, where she has been a the state over 40,000 pounds of milk. That special education teacher for over 25 years. cow was Shady-Corner Belle Kitty VG-85. Erica’s sisters Karla, Alyson and Sarah all She then calved as a ten-year-old and work away from the home farm. re-claimed the state record with 42,000 Erica made the decision to come home pounds of milk. At the same time of Kitty, to farm full-time with her father just three the Lundbergs had an EX-91 Lucifer Lad years ago. Prior to that she worked in New daughter who had 57 registered offspring Auburn and Independence as a K-12 art including 11 Chairman daughters with six teacher. Even during her teaching tenure, bulls being exported. she milked at night and on weekends. Unfortunately, many of the original When she realized she was more excited to herd genetics were lost due to a brutal milk cows on the weekends than go to struggle with stray voltage. In 2003 the school during the week she knew the farm Lundbergs stopped registering cows and Erica & Allan Lundberg with was a better fit. incorporated some crossbreeding to keep Luck-E Advent Atlanta-ET With Erica on board and a strong the herd alive. When the problem was diagnosed in 2010, the Bert-Mar herd saw immediate improvement flushing program, the Lundbergs have made great strides in just a few in production, cow comfort, and overall cow health. After two days years in their genetics and marketing. In fact, it was Erica’s research of computer catch-up on registrations, the herd was back in business, into the “A” family at Luck-E Holsteins that drew her and Allan to and Allan and family were ready to start investing in the cows again. purchase Luck-E Advent Atlanta-ET EX-94 96-MS, who has been a The Lundberg family now milks 92 cows under one roof in their transmitting powerhouse. Her full sister, Luck-E Advent Asia, is well tie-stall barn. They run a rolling herd average of 26,000 pounds milk, known in the Holstein world along with her two sons Adonis-Red and with 955 pounds fat. The farm consists of 560-acres owned, with an Awesome-Red. Atlanta herself has a son in AI, Luck-E Ladd Atlantaadditional 200 rented. Facilities were modified over time, as the P *RC. The Lundbergs wanted to invest in a cow that was really marketable, and Atlanta has given them a great jump. She is on an original barn only held 28 cows. Perhaps the biggest changes on the farm in the last 15 years have IVF schedule with her first daughters at Bert-Mar due to arrive at the come in the calf and heifer facilities. Allan put up a Lester warm end of March, and is on track to make 50,000 pounds of milk as an eight-year-old cow. Atlanta is the third cow from Luck-E to join the Bert-Mar herd; the first is an EX-92 Attic that Allan and Erica exhibited at the shows last summer and the second is a VG-86 Acme granddaughter of Lincoln Bonnie. In 2013, Ken-Flo Potter 598 VG-85 VG-MS, captured the fat production title for both state and national categories in the 2x division. At 4-01 in 302 days she made 36,550 with a 6.4% fat test and 2331 pounds of fat. Again at 4-11 in 305 days she made 44,580 with a 6.4% test and 2864 pounds of fat. At 365 days she ended with an impressive 51,176 with a 6.3% test and 3236 pounds of fat. “Flo” was an 11th generation VG or EX from the Debra’s, including seven generations of EX GMDs. From a VG-85 Progress, Flo’s second dam was Jerland Kaddy Devotion-ET, an EX-90 GMD owned in partnership with Larry Jerome. The Lundbergs recently lost this cow, but were able to produce a large number of offspring to continue her legacy including eight beautiful McGucci daughters as well as daughters from Aftershock, Atwood, and Corvette. Three years ago Allan and Erica purchased Prismagen Epic Oklahoma at the Wisconsin Spring Showcase Sale. She is the daughLuck-E Advent Atlanta-ET EX-94 ter of Hickorymae Manoman Opine-P who is at Regancrest making
Bert-Mar Farms
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8–wisconsin HOLSTEIN news/April 2016