September 2021 January 2021
The POINT “Having rumination information available is a great way to monitor cow health. Finding cows on the front-end of a health challenge is critical to getting them back to ruminating quickly, keeping them healthy and profitable members of the dairy." United Dreams Dairy, LLC North Freedom, Wisconsin
Photo: Jim Galstad, Tim Evert, Jeff Evert, Michael Niemann, Rick Lehman, Chris Meyer.
United Dreams Dairy, LLC
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artnerships are created for a lot of reasons. Regardless of why, knowing who to partner with can be a more difficult decision. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case for Sauk county dairy producers, Tim and Lisa Evert, and Rick and Ronda Lehman. “Our parents were good family friends and Rick and I were the only ones in each family interested in dairying,” reflected Tim. “We both knew our small tie-stall herds were not a sustainable model for us, so in 1997 we decided to unite and created United Dreams Dairy, LLC.” Making partnerships work can be tricky, and while Tim says theirs isn’t perfect, there are a couple elements that contribute to making it work. “One thing we do that helps our partnership be successful is a monthly meeting with our business consultant where we discuss options before decisions are made,” said Tim. “Something else is while we manage the dairy together, we have our own family corporations allowing us some independence, though I admit we run things pretty similar.”
Bringing both herds together initially required Tim and Rick to build a parlor and a 360-cow freestall barn. Then, in 2018 a 400-cow cross-ventilation barn was erected, and the herd doubled in size. That same year Michael Niemann, Rick and Ronda’s nephew, and Jeff Evert, Tim and Lisa’s son joined the dairy as owners. In addition to the dairy, Rick and Tim each maintain a family corporation, LD&R and Evert Farms Inc., that raise young stock and crops which are sold back to the 825-cow dairy.
system for one that provided rumination insights. “Having rumination information available is a great way to monitor cow health,” shared Tim. “Finding cows on the front-end of a health challenge is critical to getting them back to ruminating quickly, keeping them healthy and profitable members of the dairy. We have a lot of confidence in Chris (Meyer, CentralStar A.I. Specialist) and wanted to stay aligned with Select Sires so we chose CowManager® for our new system.”
This partnership of two unrelated dairies was a unique approach in 1997, however it represents the mindset the Lehman and Evert families have for positioning for the future. “This team is very forward thinking. They aren’t afraid to implement a practice, make a management change or try something new if it can provide better results,” shared CentralStar Team Leader, Jim Galstad.
Responsible for managing the cow herd, Tim and Michael shared, “By using the alerts, we don’t have to be in the parlor at a specific time to see the cows, which means we can manage our time based on demands. CowManager does a great job identifying cows that aren’t feeling well, which we see through a decrease in rumination, allowing us to treat them sooner. It’s also very effective at identifying cows with mastitis before they really get sick.”
With that way of thinking, earlier this year the United Dreams Dairy team decided to upgrade their electronic activity monitoring
Continued on page 2.
Continued from cover. The reproduction plan at the dairy begins with a Double Ovsynch program. Once cows are enrolled and meet the 70-day voluntary waiting period, they are eligible to be bred based on CowManager insights. Those not bred based on activity continue through the synchronization protocol. Since installing CowManager, the herd’s heat detection and pregnancy rates have consistently improved, at an average of 4 percent each. Today the dairy has a 67 percent heat detection rate and a 31 percent pregnancy rate. “Identifying cows to breed through CowManager means cows spend less time in the lockups, reducing stress and time away from feed and water. At the same time, it’s more efficient to find, sort and breed cows,” shared Chris. Tim adds, “Not having to work and breed cows has removed a huge labor burden for our dairy.” “I’m excited to see the good repro results on cows that have had health events,” shared Chris. “When we intervene early,
we are able to keep cows on track and get them bred on time.” “We trust Chris, it’s his repro program,” shared Tim and Rick. “Between him and the way CowManager works it saves our dairy from having to hire a full-time employee. CowManager has been a great investment!” That trust and value of collaboration extends beyond the reproduction program. Working with CentralStar Genetic Consultant, Dave Sarbacker, the dairy has implemented a breeding program that creates future herd replacements from the best genetics, while using beef genetics on lower genetic merit animals, which helps manage heifer inventories. Animals are ranked by relative value, and the top 20 percent are bred using elite sires from the NxGEN® program. Beef genetics are mated to the lowest genetic ranking animals, while conventional dairy semen is used on the balance of the herd. “We have a lot of confidence in our CentralStar team to keep our genetics moving forward and help benchmark our herd,” shared Tim. Using the best genetics is the start of the equation to building a profitable future
herd, however ensuring elite calves make it to the milk herd is equally as important, but certainly not a problem for the dairy which has only a 3 percent calf death loss. “Good calf health starts with attention to details,” shared Rick. “It’s all family members that care for the calves and because we are so hands-on, we catch and treat problems early.” Many other factors, including putting up quality feed, also play an important role in having a healthy, productive herd. “Jeff does a great job with bunker management,” noted Chris. “We aren’t afraid to spend money on plastic,” said Jeff. “We line the walls and everything in the bunker with plastic and pay close attention to packing. All of this helps us make the best feed possible for the cows to perform on.” “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success,” said Henry Ford. The partnership to create United Dreams Dairy is no exception to this. The foresight Tim and Rick had to partner and create United Dreams Dairy has resulted in a successful and sustainable business.
IT’S TIME...
to know she's still pregnant before dry off with routine milk pregnancy testing. Time to Rest
Least invasive method to confirm pregnancy. Promotes resting time which is associated with improved production. Research shows one hour of lost resting time leads to approximately 3.5 lbs. less milk/cow/day.
Saves Time
Conduct through routine DHI samples or send samples direct. Eliminates time and labor to sort, restrain and palpate animals.
Now is the Time
At 98% accurate, the milk pregnancy test is convenient and cost-effective to use before dry off.
Learn more from your CentralStar team or call 800.631.3510.
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www.mycentralstar.com • 800.631.3510
Sire
NM$
CFP
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+796
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7HO15167 GAMEDAY
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14HO15519 APOLLO
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7HO15337 SUPERCHARGE
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250HO15513 ELON New
7HO15370 REGAL
+926
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7HO15394 DRIVE
+983
+129
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Sire
NM$
CFP
DWP$
GTPI
7HO15396 HUCK
+958
+143
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7HO15569 SUPREME
+988
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7HO15465 CRUSHER
+962
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7HO15719 DEKE
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250HO15662 RIX
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RENEGADE x Delta-Lambda x Denver BIG AL x Blowtorch x YODER LEGACY x Achiever x Delta LEGACY x Apprentice*RC x YODER LEGACY x Rubicon x MORGAN
RENEGADE x FRAZZLED x Delta
LEGACY x FREEBORN x MODESTY LEGACY x Yoda x HURRICANE
CALVARY x LEGENDARY x Josuper MAXIMUS x MOOLA x DUKE
MAXIMUS x HODEDOE x JEDI Heroic x REASON x Rubicon
DWP$
®
GTPI
®
Sire
NM$
CFP
7HO15651 MOZZARELLA New
+936
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14HO15289 BEDROCK-PP
+842
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Heroic x Marius x Fortune
LIMELIGHT-P x FRAZZLED x MONTROSS LEGACY x Medley x JEDI
MAXIMUS x FRAZZLED x MONTROSS SPARTACUS x MOOLA x LOPEZ
+926
DWP$
®
GTPI
®
+151
+875 +2872
+1,017 +150
+778 +3046
Potential September Release Sires
MAXIMUS x HUSKY x FRAZZLED MAXIMUS x FRAZZLED x Silver MAXIMUS x TAHITI x JEDI
REVELATION x Medley x Delta
®
®
NxGEN sires top the charts for many sought-after production and health traits! If you are not yet using the NxGEN program, ask your CentralStar team about enrolling to take advantage of maximizing your return on genetic investment. 8/21 CDCB/HA/Zoetis Genomic Evaluations. Visit www.selectsires.com for reliability information. ®NxGEN is a registered trademark of Select Sires, Inc.
Enhancing producer profitability through integrated services.
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Why you need more third and greater lactation cows I recently participated in the Select Sires’ Achieve More Profit with More Lactations webinar. Together with Gary Sipiorski, a Bank Director and Private Dairy Consultant we shared some really good information on how you can grow your bottom line without growing herd size. I encourage you to scan the code and watch it. Here I'll drill down on one of the concepts, which is why you want more of your herd as third and greater lactation cows. Let’s start with a goal, which should be to have 40 percent or greater of your herd as third and greater lactation animals. Not only does this goal grow your profitability, helping you stay in business, but it also increases efficiencies, and lowers greenhouse gases and your herd’s carbon footprint. When you have more first lactation animals, you have lower production and less profit. Generally, a second lactation cow produces 15 percent more than a first lactation cow, and a cow in her third or greater lactation will produce 10 percent more than a second lactation, or 25 percent more than a first lactation. When a cow stays in the herd until a fifth or greater lactation, she produces about 60 more pounds per day of life. Milking 40 percent or more third and greater lactation cows is about profit per stall. Each stall must be occupied by the most profitable cow, which is typically an older cow. Herds are always striving for more production. Changing herd dynamics can accomplish this goal, while reducing herd turnover and the number of heifers you need to raise, both of which are considerable costs. There’s nothing but upside with this concept. Take a look at the examples to the right and see how it can improve your bottom line. 4
Julie Ainsworth Dairy Records & Consulting Coordinator julie.ainsworth@mycentralstar.com
How increasing the percent of third and greater lactation cows affects your bottom line. Using a replacement value calculation you can see by reducing the number of first lactation cows from 43 to 30 percent, the increased production alone in this 491-cow herd would be worth over $59,709 at $17 milk. All this gain can be made without milking any more cows.
CURRENT Scenario
PROPOSED Scenario
Cows Sold 108
Cows Sold 124
Cows Died 42
Cows Died 10
Replacement Cost
Replacement Cost
$1,800
$1,800
Cull Cow Value
$0.65
Cull Cow Value
$0.65
Cull Cow Weight
1,500
Cull Cow Weight
1,500
CWT Milk Sold 116,656
CWT Milk Sold 116,656 Reduced 1st Lact % - Addl Milk CWT
0
Reduced 1st Lact % - Addl Milk CWT
Cost per CWT Produced $1.00
Cost per CWT Produced $1.41
Total Cost $120,300
Total Cost $164,700 Expense
3,512
Savings
-$44,400
$44,400
Viewed another way, set your herd goals for lactation ratios.
CURRENT Scenario
GOAL Scenario
# of Cows
305-Day Milk Avg..
CWT Produced
43% First
240
23,891
57,338
31% Second
96
27,494
26% Third+
155
Lactation Group
Lactation Group
# of Cows
305-Day Milk Avg..
CWT Produced
30% First
147
23,891
35,120
26,394
30% Second
147
27,494
40,416
27,761
43,030
40% Third+
196
27,761
54,412
Total
126,762
Total
129,948
Subtracting the "Current Total" from "Goal Total" results in 3,186 more hundredweights of milk produced. At $17 milk, the difference between the two (3,186) equals $54,162 more profit. That profit is made without adding cows, but instead by having different lactation group ratios. These are real numbers obtained by not having too many heifers push older cows out the door.
www.mycentralstar.com • 800.631.3510
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ways to increase the number of older cows in your herd
Raise Fewer Heifers Raising fewer heifers instantly lowers your investment in a non-productive unit. But don’t just raise less, identify and keep those with the most profit potential for your dairy.
Get more for your beef x dairy calves with
When you raise too many heifers it puts you in a situation to push out older cows that are in the prime of their productive life. Remember cows that are midway through their second lactation have paid for their rearing expenses and are now generating profit for your dairy. Here are a few steps to implement to raise the appropriate number of heifers. • Know how many heifers you need for replacements, taking into account cull rates and expansion plans. • Identify the heifers to keep that have an index important to your economic viability. Don’t think about only production, consider health and livability so they stay in the herd longer. • Have a plan for heifers you do not need. Use beef semen on low production animals to control numbers and accelerate your genetic progress. • Ask your CentralStar team to create an inventory management plan to meet your goals, and add profitability to your bottom line. Balance Herd Turnover Costs The most profitable cull rates for a herd are between 25-30 percent. That does not mean you shouldn’t sell a cow that is not profitable. However, if you sell too many unprofitable cows, know the reasons why (nutrition, mastitis, reproductive failure, etc) so you can take corrective action. A 25-30 percent cull rate allows you to refresh the herd with new progressive genetics while allowing more older cows to reach their lifetime production peak. This cull rate also greatly reduces the number of heifers you must raise, which reduces costs.
ProfitSOURCE beef sires are specifically selected for use on dairy cows with a focus on traits needed to earn top dollar for your beef x dairy calves. ProfitSOURCE Partners, TD Beef and Power Genetics, offer improved, secure pricing for qualifying calves. ProfitSOURCE connects packer interest with improved uniformity and cutability along with age, sire and source traceability through RFID. ProfitSOURCE calf care guidelines ensure feeding and carcass performance, adding value along the supply chain.
CentralStar consultants can help you determine the best breeding plan to ensure the highest profitability for your herd. Ask your CentralStar team for a ProfitSOURCE sire list and how to put a plan in place for your dairy!
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$7,000 in Scholarships Awarded CentralStar Cooperative awarded seven individuals with $1,000 scholarships to help pay for post-secondary education. In addition to being children of cooperative member-stockowners, applicants were asked to provide meaningful commentary about their experiences and how those events helped cement a commitment to the agriculture industry. The following students have received scholarship funds. Isabella Atkinson, East
Isabella Atkinson
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Grant Buwalda
Troy, Wis., is the daughter of Tim and Tammy Atkinson, Atkinson Enterprise. Grant Buwalda, Waupun, Wis., is the son of Dan and Kristie Buwalda, Buwalda Cottonwood Farms, LLC. Eliza Endres, Waunakee, Wis., is from Endres Berryridge Farms, LLC, and is the daughter of Randy and Karen Endres. Brianna Hill, Gregory, Mich., is the daughter of Brian and Jodi Hill, Clarinda Farms, LLC. Rounding out the list of winners is Joseph Schuh, Seymour, Wis.,
Eliza Endres
Brianna Hill
son of Brent and Carrie Schuh, Schuh View Dairy; Kylie Weaver, Goshen, Ind., daughter of Lyle and Carla Weaver, Weavercrest; and Kathleen Zahm from K&H Grain, Marne, Mich., daughter of Herb and Christine Zahm. The application period for the CentralStar 2022 scholarships will open this spring. Visit www.mycentralstar.com/scholarship for more information.
Joseph Schuh
www.mycentralstar.com • 800.631.3510
Kylie Weaver
Kathleen Zahm
Select DTX
™
Nearly four years ago, Kessenich Farms, LLC, a 600-cow Jersey and Holstein herd in DeForest, Wisconsin was faced with reproduction issues. Wade Kessenich recalls, "we had a lot of abortions in the third trimester and we knew it had to be something in feed. We talked to Steve (Otteson, CentralStar A.I. Specialist) and our nutritionist and began feeding DTX."
"A
s soon as we started feeding DTX, it right(ed) the ship, significantly reducing the number of abortions. Along with that, it helped reproduction for the entire herd. At the time, our herd had a pregnancy-rate percent in the low 20s; we were fine with that because from a profitability standpoint, we were not sure being higher made sense. Today, we have a pregnancy-rate percent in the low 30s. DTX brought us to that level in a profitable way.
production levels without extra cost. We’ve tried other products; they are too costly when you look at the dollars you put in compared to the dollars you get out. DTX isn’t that way. With DTX, we’re able to eliminate adding a binder and other supportive therapy. On a modern dairy, the products you choose have to work like a Swiss Army
Knife. They must help in a lot of different areas. DTX is one of those products. It remedies many areas, including reproduction, SCC, and animal health. There isn’t any other product on the market like it. We continue to feed it, because we can’t stop using a product that gets these types of results."
The products you choose have to work like a Swiss Army Knife. They must help in a lot of different areas and DTX does. It remedies many areas, including reproduction, SCC, and animal health. It’s difficult to balance a ration with two breeds in the same pen and sorting is inevitable. DTX works differently than a binder and eliminates the problems sorting causes. We feed DTX even when there are no toxins in the feed, because it improves gut health and the cows are healthier. Our biggest driver is selling solids. With DTX in the ration, we are able to sell the same amount of solids with a cheaper ration, because the cows are healthier and produce a higher-quality product. There are a lot of things you can feed to buy your milk. Most of them are money in and money out. That’s not the case with DTX. With DTX, we’ve reduced the amount of starch and protein in the ration, and still achieve Enhancing producer profitability through integrated services.
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Presorted First Class U.S. Postage PAID Lansing, MI Permit #505
P.O. Box 23157, Lansing, MI 48909-3157 800.631.3510 • mycentralstar.com Return Service Requested
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Call for Board Candidates
Later this year, Director elections will be conducted in districts 2, 5, 8 and 11. Common stockowners that meet the qualifications and submit a candidate application by November 1, 2021 are eligible to run for the appropriate available position. Visit www.mycentralstar.com for more information. Scan the QR code to access the application. CentralStar, its agents or employees cannot and do not guarantee the conception rate, gender, quality or productivity to be obtained in connection with the use of its products or recommended techniques. It makes no warranties of any kind whatsoever, expressed or implied, which extend beyond the description of its products and hereby disclaims all warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In the unlikely event that any of our products shall be proven to be defective, damages resulting from their use shall exclude consequential damages and be limited to the purchase price of the product. Find complete trademark and warranty statement at mycentralstar.com/production-information. All gender SELECTed semen is processed using SexedULTRA technology. ™SexedULTRA and SexedULTRA 4M are trademarks of Inguran LLC.™gender SELECTed semen is a trademark of Select Sires Inc. ™NxGEN is a trademark of Select Sires. ®CowManager is a registered trademark of Agis Automatisering. Select BioCyle Plus and CONVERT are trademarks of Select Sires and manufactured by Agrarian Solutions, Middlebury, Indiana. ProfitKSOURCE™ is a trademark of Select Sires. NxGEN® is a registered trademarks of Select Sires.
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Join us at World Dairy Expo Virtual Farm Tour Prairieland Dairy Saturday, October 2, 10:00 a.m. Mendota Room 1, Exhibition Hall Join Jim, Mark and Chuck Fahey as they take you on a virtual tour of their 1,500-cow, Belleville, Wisconsin dairy. They will share insights on the management of the dairy, including their first-hand experience using CowManager and how it assists with managing the herd’s health, nutrition, and fertility.
Predict Herd Risk When It's Needed Most Friday, October 1, 11:30 a.m. Atrium, Exhibition Hall Join Dr. Ray Nebel, Research and Technical Consultant, and Marcus Hollmann, Nutritionist, as they discuss the functionalities of CowManager’s new Nutrition module and how it can help lower your herd risk during the transition period. Seventy-five percent of adult cow disease events occur during transition. CowManager’s unique transition monitor alerts up to 50 days prior to calving for cows that have reduced feeding minutes when compared to contemporaries.
Stop by the CowManager booth (4004) in the Exhibition Hall to learn more, or talk to your local CentralStar team.