Spring 2020
Michigan Dairy Cattle News
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DRIVEN BY PASSION
Behind that glass of milk on your table, the cheese on your pizza and the butter on your bread, are the very dedicated dairy farmer-owners of MMPA.
AMANDA CAREY GOODFELLOW OF CAREY FARMS, MORLEY, MICHIGAN
Founded in 1916, the Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) is a farmer-owned milk 41310 BRIDGE ST., NOVI, MI 48375 PHONE (248) 474-6672
MIMILK.COM
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Michigan Dairy Cattle News
marketing cooperative and dairy processor serving 1,300 dairy farmers in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Spring 2020
Volume 6 • Issue 1 Spring 2020 The Michigan Dairy Cattle News is the official publication of the Michigan Holstein-Friesian Association, Inc. and the Michigan Jersey Cattle Club. Melissa Hart, Editor cell: 517-398-1957 email: farm.writer@hotmail.com 4520 Holcomb Rd., North Adams, MI 49262 Erin Robinstine, Ad & Layout Designer email: erin.robinstine@gmail.com 3854 S. KY Route 321, Hagerhill, KY 41222 Michigan Dairy Cattle News 850 Davenport Drive, Waxahachie, TX 75167 ph: 517-490-7736 michholstein1@gmail.com Published 4 times per year Michigan Dairy Cattle News EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Brent Moyer, Caro Steve Reed, Owosso Tim Baker, Byron Center Suzanne Tuttila, Waxahachie, TX
989-553-4333 989-277-2078 616-813-6745 517-490-7736
Michigan Holstein Association Brent Moyer, President 2647 E. Caro Rd., Caro, MI 48723 Steve Reed, Vice President 4795 W. Mason Rd., Owosso, MI 48867 Suzanne Tuttila, Executive Secretary 850 Davenport Drive, Waxahachie, TX 75167 Ph: 517-490-7736 michholstein1@gmail.com Michigan Jersey Cattle Club Elizabeth Rupprecht, President Allison Schafer, Vice President Jeff Dawson, 3rd Officer Lauren Siver, At-Large
989-640-6913 989-292-9851 810-404-0287 810-844-6159
Holstein Association USA Phone: 1-800-952-5200 1 Holstein Place, Brattleboro, VT 05302 Michigan and Indiana Representative Max Dunseth 278 S. Sprague, Coldwater, MI 49036 Cell: 269-251-0232 Michigan Upper Peninsula Representative Mandi Kipp De Pere, WI • 920-530-5023 mramsburg@holstein.com The Michigan Dairy Cattle News, the Michigan Holstein Association or their staff assume no liability for errors, omissions, content or for the effectiveness of advertising and cannot be held responsible for the timeliness of sale advertising that is scheduled less than thirty days ahead of the press date. Indexes are provided as an additional service. Publisher assumes no liabiltiy for errors or omissions. Subscription rate is $15/year.
Fall 2019
Spring 2020
on the cover...
O
ne of the least talked about subjects but one that needs the most honest communication is the topic of succession planning. No matter where you are in the process, we have a roundtable discussion that may help you and your operation as you make crucial decisions about the longevity of your farm. Also, in this issue we feature the award winners from the recent annual meetings of the Michigan Holstein Association and the Michigan Jersey Cattle Club. Are you looking for some great genetics to add to your herd? Look no further than these pages teeming with great options for you! Enjoy this issue of the Midwest Holsteins and seeing news from your fellow dairy farmers from around the Midwest!
table of contents
Melissa Hart
From the Holstein President’s Pen..............................................................................4 Michigan Junior Holstein News...................................................................................5 Notes from the Field.........................................................................................................6 From the Jersey Desk.......................................................................................................7 MHA 2020 Annual Meeting Minutes..........................................................................9 MJCC 2020 Annual Meeting Minutes...................................................................... 13
Succession Planning Round Table............................................................................ 15 Reed Sisters Receive Outstanding Young Breeder Award............................... 18 Steve Reed Named Master Breeder......................................................................... 20 Tim Hood Named 2020 MSU Dairy Farmer of the Year..................................... 21 Great Lakes Spring Show Rules................................................................................. 22 Great Lakes Spring Show Entry Forms..............................................................23-24 MMPA Farmers Take Home 45% of National Milk Quality Awards............... 25 One More Thing.............................................................................................................. 26 Calendar of Events......................................................................................................... 26 Advertiser Index.............................................................................................................. 26 Michigan Dairy Cattle News
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From the President’s Pen
Michigan Holstein Association Hello All, I would like to start by saying thank you to all of those that were able to attend the annual meeting in Frankenmuth this year. I look forward to what the rest of 2020 will look like for Michigan Holstein. Starting out the year here we are again, trying a new format to our spring sale. We will have two sale venues. Venue one will be a commercial/production type of sale held at Ravenna Auction. With this, your consignment only has to arrive the evening before and does not need to halter broke. For this sale, they are looking for young fresh cows or springing heifers. The commission will be eight percent, so if you have any extra animals to sell, please contact Randy Lettinga @ 616-437-2005. The second venue is our traditional Michigan Spring Foundation Sale held at the pavilion during our annual spring show, which now includes all breeds! The tie up sale is focusing on high type, show quality individuals along with a few high genomic animals. This sale will feature all show age calves and a few nice young cows. The rumor is the tie up sale has a few special Jersey calves consigned as well! If anyone has something special they would like to consign to the sale please contact Randy Lettinga. Our annual spring show is coming up soon. Once again
it is an All Breeds show, changed for the first time in 2019. We will welcome Brandon Ferry from Wisconsin to be the official judge. Our All-Michigan show will follow in July. Once again, as an organization, we will be featuring our All-Michigan winners in our magazine in a special section. This hasn’t been done in quite a few years and we want to bring this back as a tribute to the quality genetics exhibited by Michigan members. For this to happen each first and second place animal will need to have a professional photograph for the magazine presentation. Our editor will give specific details in the next issue. I would like to see our organization grow in how we can serve our membership. I feel our organization needs to further develop education and leadership opportunities that better serve our membership. So, in this respect, I feel we need to look at a strategic planning committee to further advance these areas. Also, on a one-year trial basis, we are going to work with Michigan Jersey Cattle Club, to try and streamline both organizations. In closing, I am hoping that as easy of a winter Mother Nature has given us here in Michigan that she holds out for a few more weeks. I also hope to see many of you at our spring sales or the show. I would also like to encourage any of you who have ideas or concerns to please reach out to myself or anyone of the board members. We are here to serve you and this association. Until next time‌
Brent
Brent Moyer President Michigan Holstein Association
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Michigan Dairy Cattle News
Spring 2020
Michigan Junior Holstein News
From Your President
We are quickly approaching spring time which will be the start of the next show season. The Michigan Junior Holstein Association is looking forward to the events that we have been planning for this upcoming year! We recently hosted our education workshop on February 8th in Frankenmuth for juniors around the state. We had a great turn out and want to thank all of those who attended. We started off the morning making poster boards with various dairy-related magazines, Bridget Moore from the United Dairy Industry of Michigan spoke about elevator speeches and sharing your passion for the dairy community, and ended the morning with dairy jeopardy. MJHA is looking forward to having Katie Coyne join us with Mill Wheel Dairy Show Clinics on March 20th for a showmanship and fitting clinic. Katie has led many clinics across the country and has led many juniors to the winner’s circle, especially at The World Dairy Expo. It will cost $15.00 per junior and will begin at 2:00 pm that Friday. You really don’t want to miss out on this opportunity! We will also be hosting our annual basket sale on March 19 and will be in the silent auction format this year. All proceeds from this will go towards juniors attending the National Holstein Convention this coming summer.
Spring 2020
Furthermore, it is that time of year to start thinking about the National Holstein Convention. The convention will be held in Pennsylvania from June 22nd through June 26th this year. If you are interested in attending and competing in a contest, please contact a MJHA board member, or find my email below. The deadline for most of the contests is April 1. Don’t forget that MJHA will help with the cost of the trip! Please like our Facebook page to stay updated on our activities throughout the year. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. We are looking forward to the upcoming events we have planned and are even more excited to see you there! Thank you for your time,
Kristen Burkhardt President MJHA burkha88@msu.edu
Michigan Dairy Cattle News
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Notes From the Field
Max’ & Mandi’s Memo
It’s hard to believe two months of the new year has already come and gone! Hopefully your new year is off to a great start, and you’re looking forward to what’s to come as 2020 unfolds. Our Holstein Association USA has been busy unveiling new updates as we continue to kick off the new year. Holstein Association USA has released its annual Pedigree Analysis of 2019 National Holstein Show winners. These lists provide a picture of the genetics behind the cattle receiving showring accolades at the highest levels of competition. The Pedigree Analysis is updated following the last National Holstein Show of the year. Included are lists of Leading Sires, Leading Maternal Grandsires, and Leading Sire Stacks of National Show Winners. Each category features separate lists for heifers and cows, along with an overall list. In addition, viewers will find other interesting information, such as the average classification score for each class and historical data from previous years. To view the complete Pedigree Analysis, check under the Popular Lists section on the Holstein Association USA website. Effective January 1, 2020, Holstein Association USA, Inc. increased ear tag, ear tag accessories and tissue sampling unit (TSU) prices by 4 percent. January 1, 2020 will mark the first
price increase in 25 years across the entire tag offering. Let me know if I can be of assistance when ordering ear tags. Starting with the 2020 show season, Holstein Association USA has changed the Junior transfer “received by” deadline to July 15 for both heifers and cows. This is a “received by” deadline — any ownership transfer not received by the Holstein Association USA office on or before July 15 will not be eligible for Junior Holstein Shows. Adding or dropping any owner after the deadline will disqualify an animal for Junior recognition. If there is a question as to whether a Junior ownership transfer has been completed, be sure to contact the Holstein Association USA customer service or visit www.holsteinusa.com to check the ownership status and ensure the transfer was received before the deadline. These chilly winter months are always a great time to recover from the hectic holidays and get caught up on your Association business, before turning your focus to a busy spring season. We are always ready to help you place a new order for tags, catch up on registrations, or answer questions about a program you’ve been thinking about signing up for. Feel free to contact us!
Max & Mandi
Max Dunseth Regional Sales Representative - HAUSA 269-251-0232 • mdunseth@holstein.com Mandi Kipp Regional Sales Representative - HAUSA Upper Peninsula of Michigan 920-530-5023 • mkipp@holstein.com
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Michigan Dairy Cattle News
Spring 2020
From the Jersey Desk
Michigan Jersey Cattle Club
Winter is fading and we are anticipating the opportunity that comes with spring. It continues to be an exciting time in the Jersey breed, as Jerseys remain one of the most sought-after breeds in the dairy industry. I’m so appreciative for the opportunity to lead this organization as we focus on our mission to promote the Jersey breed. For those of you who aren’t familiar with me. My husband, Drew, and I own and operate Thistle Dew Dairy in Vassar, home of Thistle Dew Jerseys and King Street Holsteins. We milk a small herd of 45 head of mostly Jerseys with Holsteins making up about a quarter of the herd. We have two little ones, 4 year-old Braxton and 2 year-old Charlotte. In addition to farm duties, I work for Michigan Farm Bureau representing the farmer members of the thumb region. Along with my election as your president in earlier February, we celebrated the Jersey breed at our annual meeting and like spring-time we walked out of the meeting with new opportunities. One of the biggest changes coming to the club is the addition of Suzanne Tuttila as our secretary/treasurer. We are excited to welcome her to the Jersey family. Suzanne is a familiar face to most as her dedication to the Michigan Hol-
Spring 2020
stein Association has helped them flourish. We look forward to her organization and excitement as she takes on this additional role. We would like to thank Brent Moyer, Mary Costigan, and Carrie Delong, retiring president, vice president, and secretary respectively, for their leadership and dedication to the club over the past years. We are thrilled to welcome Allison Schafer, your new vice president; Jeff Dawson, as third-member; and Lauren Siver as a new at-large member. The board looks forward to serving our members. Please feel free to reach out to me or any other board members if you have ideas on how we can better serve you and promote the jersey. We look forward to kicking off the show season. And watching those lovely ladies parade around the ring. I wish you all safe and productive spring, filled with opportunity.
Beth Rupprecht President MJCC 989-640-6913
Michigan Dairy Cattle News
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Michigan Dairy Cattle News
Spring 2020
Michigan Holstein Association 2020 Annual Meeting Minutes
The All-Michigan winners were recognized. From left, sitting: Malissa Reed, Kelly Raterink, Beth Rupprecht, Nicole Vander Ploeg. Standing: Brent Moyer, Randy Lettinga, Tim Baker, Ike Hunt, Darwin Sneller, Stan Moser, Drew Rupprecht.
February 8, 2020 President, Tim Baker, called the meeting to order at 10:36 AM and referred members to the Proof of Due Notice in the 2019 Winter Michigan Dairy Cattle News. Tim introduced a distinguished guest; Mark Adam who the association presented with the 2020 Distinguished Service Award. Tim noted all of Mark’s accomplishments at NorthStar/CentralStar and as a dedicated and active member of the Michigan Holstein Association. Tim presented Mark with a plaque. Mark thanked everyone for the honor. President Baker asked members to review 2019 Annual Meeting Minutes. Spring 2020
Elizabeth Rupprecht moved and was supported by Gene VanRhee to accept minutes as printed. Members approved; motion carried. Vice President, Brent Moyer, presented the financial report in the brochure. Members ask that we add line items for grant monies in proposed budget and have previous year’s review in hand. Following review, Christina Lehman moved to accept the reports as presented. Malissa Reed supported motion. Members approved; motion carried. Max Dunseth, Holstein USA Regional Sales Representative, shared his report, mentioning that Tim Bak-
er was on RFID-TV. Max mentioned the launching of Holstein Marketplace Sires that started in January 2019. This service assists Holstein breeders in marketing semen from their bulls to other dairy cattle breeders. Under the program, the bull owners retain ownership, and Holstein Marketplace Sires provides the vehicle for the semen to be sold. RFD-TV returned in 2019 for the “Holstein America” episodes. There were two of them. In September two dairies from Indiana were featured and the last one on February 7th had our own Tim Baker and Darita Holsteins form Indiana. In March, Holstein announced the new award Michigan Dairy Cattle News
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Michigan Holstein Association 2020 Annual Meeting Minutes
The 2019 Progressive Breeders Registry Award winners were recognized by HAUSA Rep. Max Dunseth (left). Recipients were Tim Baker (center) of Star Summit and Darwin Sneller of Starward Farms along with Holger-LRS Farm, LLC. And Carson Acres, LLC.
recognizing U.S. Registered Holstein cows and their owners for exceptional performance at National Holstein Shows. The All-National Showcase Program is designed to add value to Registered Holstein cattle and reward their participation in National Shows. Judges Conference will be at Maddox Dairy in California March 13th. The deadline for early entry is 2.28.2020. The next YDLI class deadline for class 12 is August 1st, 2020. Red Book Plus Online: This web-based bull search and information program was launched in August. Max stated that users can quickly and easily find information on Holstein bulls, build and save tailored lists based on criteria that is important to you, and create customized selection indexes to rank bulls. Max spoke about the past convention in Wisconsin, and mentioned the winners of the Elite Breeder, Distinguished Leadership, and the Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder, and gave notice to the Junior and Senior Dairy Bowl teams and their respected winners. Member activity: Max noted the difficult year we had for farmers and the loss of 818 farms in Wisconsin. Correspondingly, while 10 Michigan Dairy Cattle News
member activity was healthy in the Association’s programs, we didn’t break records like we had in the previous years, and the Association’s financials reflect that. Animals identified: 2019 we officially 693,266 Holsteins! This is the third highest number of animals the Holstein Association has identified in its history. Members: We welcomed 686 new Junior members and 284 new adult members to the Association in 2019. Per John Meyer: “We’re proud of the innovation that came out of 1 Holstein Place last year. I don’t know of any other organizations serving dairies that have come out with more new programs, products, or services that could be beneficial to their members or customers base than the Holstein Association did in 2019. Many thanks to all of you who played a part in the success of your Association.” Max noted the Progressive Breeders’ Registry and Progressive Genetics Herd Award winners and reminded all that these are high honors that recipients should be proud to receive. Melissa Hart, Michigan Dairy Cattle News, reported that the spring 2020 issue will be a Midwest Holsteins
issue as will the summer issue which gives advertisers more exposure. Melissa thanked all contract advertisers whom she is very thankful to for their support. Melissa reminds everyone that they ALWAYS have something to advertise which keeps their names out in front of people. Melissa talked about the All-Michigan pages of the past that she wants to revamp and make a special section of the fall issue. She wants to have professional pictures of all the winners in the All-Michigan pages. Melissa said she will need sponsors for this section of the magazine and possibly support for the professional pictures that Frank Robinson will take. Sponsor for pages $2-2.5K, Pictures: Instead of trinkets, money discounted off professional photos. Ike Hunt suggested and members in attendance agreed that the MHA sponsor the pages and that this is a good use of funds in the investment account. Melissa reminded members that she hears great compliments outside of the state for the things the association does. Kristen Burkhardt, Michigan Junior Holstein Association 2019 was a year full of great opportunity and growth for the Michigan Junior Holstein Association (MJHA). As we look back on the past year, we can’t help but thank everyone who helped make it a successful one. This past summer we sponsored another group of juniors to attend the
The Michigan Holstein Association President Tim Baker (right) presented Mark Adam (left) with the MHA Distinguished Service Award at the recent MHA annual meeting. Spring 2020
National Holstein Convention hosted in Wisconsin and came back with a first place in the banner contest. The youth who attended the convention were Lila Howell, Miriam Cook, Anna Moser, Abby Redman, Cash McCauley, Connor and Keegan Nugent. This is always a great opportunity for the juniors in our state to network with youth around the nation who are passionate about the Holstein breed, we look forward to sponsoring more juniors this upcoming year for a trip to Pennsylvania. At our annual meeting on July 17th we elected new members onto the board and the current board members are Kristen Burkhardt (president), Miriah Dershem (vice president), Anna Moser (secretary), Lila Howell (treasurer), Beka McDonald, Ian Black, Keagan Long, Miriam Cook, Irene Nielson, and Kyle Schafer (at-large members). Our current advisors our Renee McCauley, Tera Baker, Lauren Siver, and Sarah Dillon, our newest advisor. We have
Spring 2020
completed our third annual cheese sale where all proceeds go towards the activities that we host throughout the year, show awards, and the juniors that we send to the National Holstein Convention. We had a very successful sale this past November and would like to give a special thank you to everyone that supported us! The MJHA is hosting another educational workshop for the juniors on Saturday, February 8. This is a hands-on workshop for juniors to prepare for the Holstein Convention and also a chance to meet other youth from around the state and get involved in dairy-related activities, MJHA is looking forward to the spring show where we will be hosting Katie Coyne with Mill Wheel Dairy Show Clinics to host both a professional showmanship and fitting clinic on Friday, March 20 before the cow show. Katie has been doing these clinics around the nation and has had many successful juniors in all levels of shows including at The World
Dairy Expo. We will also be hosting our basket sale and will be doing this in a silent auction format this year. In this next year our goal is to involve as many juniors as we can and work on building our presence here in the state. If you haven’t already, follow our Facebook page to stay up to date with our current events. We look forward to another successful year and can’t wait to see what opportunities 2020 will bring. Tim Baker honored Kristen Burkhardt on her Distinguished Junior Member of MJHA award and she will be continuing on at the national level. Kristen was gracefully honored and thanked all who had a part in her successes. Tim Baker asked members to refer to page 16 for the membership report. He shared that we currently have 111 paid adult members. Brent Moyer gave the 2019 spring sale update and reported on the reinstituted fall/winter sale which made the
Michigan Dairy Cattle News 11
Michigan Holstein Association 2020 Annual Meeting Minutes
Kristen Burkhardt was awarded a scholarship from the MHA as the Distinguished Junior Member. She will compete in the national DJM contest at the National Holstein Convention in Lancaster, PA, in June.
association $1681.00. Randy Letting will be managing the spring sale again. The sale committee suggested and was approved by the board for Randy to manage a sale similar to the 2019 spring sale at the MSU Pavilion. Randy will also host a more commercial sale at Ravenna on Thursday March 19, 2020. The Spring Foundation Sale on March 20, 2020 at the MSU Pavilion will be the fancier type. The Foundation Sale is a guaranteed $2500 and for the sale at Ravenna the association will earn 2% of the profit. Randy said the sale for Thursday has several consignors lined up already. There are several consignments with great pedigrees lined up for the Foundation Sale as well. Randy urged members to get their consignments in early so they can be in the ads. There will also be Jersey heifers for sale. Melissa Hart and Nicole Vanderploeg shared their show committee report. Nicole advised that there are spring show entries available online, in the magazine and on the tables at the meeting. Brandon Ferry will be the judge. No confirmed judge for summer show at this time. Melissa and Nicole shared a power point of the 2019 summer show All-MI winners and passed out those certificates. Joe Domecq shared that the summer show schedule is not yet set. Joe suggests that one judge 12 Michigan Dairy Cattle News
The MHA held board elections and those board members present: From left sitting: Nicole Vander Ploeg, Kelly Raterink, Malissa Reed. Standing: Brent Moyer, Drew Rupprecht, Steve Reed.
seems more reasonable with the numbers we have now. Stan Moser asked about the show schedule. Joe Domecq plans to work with show committee representatives to tweak the schedule to make it better. As soon as there is a definitive schedule it will be shared via Facebook and email. Brent Moyer, 2019 Outstanding Young Breeder Award winner, honored the 2020 Wayne Webster Memorial Outstanding Young Breeder Award winners: Elizabeth and Malissa Reed. The ladies thanked everyone. Darwin Sneller, 2019 Master Breeder Award winner, honored the 2020 Master Breeder; Steve Reed. Steve thanked everyone. Steve thanked Jess Jakubik for getting the Reed family started with showing at the state level. Ike Hunt handled elections. Tom Atherton moved to cast a unanimous ballot for President: Brent Moyer. Max Dunseth supported motion. Members approved. Max Dunseth moved to cast a unanimous ballot for Vice President: Steve Reed. Malissa Reed supported motion. Members approved. Director at large nominations candidates: Sherry Meyer, Drew Rupprecht, Allison Schafer, Eric Seller, Evan Stieg. Kelly Raterink nominated Malissa Reed for Director at large from floor. Elizabeth Rupprecht moved to close nomina-
tions. Dana Sue Kirk supported motion. Members approved. Max Dunseth and Ike Hunt collected ballots. Sherry Meyer, Malissa Reed, Drew Rupprecht, Allison Schafer, Eric Sneller are the new Michigan Holstein Association Board of Directors Representatives. Brent Moyer presented out-going board members with honors: Jennie Koebel, Sarah Dillon (neither in attendance) and Jessica Jakubik. Thank you for your time spent supporting the association! Brent also presented Tim Baker with the plaque and gavel honoring him for serving as President of the Michigan Holstein Association for the past two years. Melissa Hart mentioned that there may be an opportunity to move future annual meetings back to Friday afternoons/evening (per the GLRDC planners). Stan Moser brought up that it would be difficult to have junior on Friday evenings as there are many conflicts. Board will discuss at next meeting. Joe Domecq and Brian Troyer will need to know by July meeting. Tom Atherton moved and was supported by Tim Baker to adjourn meeting at 12:29 Members approved. Respectfully Submitted, Suzanne Tuttila Spring 2020
Michigan Jersey Cattle Club Annual Meeting
February 8, 2020 Bavarian Inn, Frankenmuth Meeting called to order at 9:20 am by President Brent Moyer. Secretary’s report from Annual Meeting February 2019 was read. Motion made by Jeff Dawson and supported by Larry Place to accept Secretary’s report as read. Motion passed. Treasure’s report was presented. CD = 5107.72 Savings = 9025.16 Checking 400.00 Futurity = 40.00 2019 expenses Summer Show Awards, Jersey Journal Ads, Summer show meal, Futurity payout Motion made by Larry Place and supported by Tom Atherton to accept the treasure’s report as presented. Motion passed. Old Business Discussion on the direction of MJCC. Suzanne Tuttila has agreed to being the MJCC Executive Secretary at no cost for the first year to see how many hours etc she would spend on MJCC tasks. Responsibilities will include membership, futurity, maintain financials and minute taking at any meetings. This also includes providing necessary forms to MDCN, printing certificates for All Michigan and Res All Michigan. Motion made by Jeff Dawson and supported by Tom Atherton for Suzanne Tuttila to be MJCC Exec Sec that includes above listed responsibilities. Motion passed. Other discussion on how to promote MJCC and the brown cow; 1. All Junior Show class winners Spring 2020
will receive $5 and a membership form 2. Maintain Facebook page 3. Need to work on incentives for MJCC members 4. Education to producers that registered doesn’t necessarily mean show cows/heifers. Also discussed that MHA is working on organizing a committee that will comprise of all dairy breed representatives as the other breed clubs in Michigan and becoming smaller or none existent and MHA is recognizing the need for a way for the other dairy breeds to have a place within the Michigan purebred dairy cattle. MHA is suggesting the committee be called Michigan Dairy Cattle or something along those lines to go with the MDCN publication. Jeff Dawson and Malissa Reed agreed to sit on this committee to represent Jersey. New Business Melissa Hart provided an update of the MDCN that is going well. MJCC thanked Melissa for her hard work and dedication of the magazine. Brent announced that MHA is welcoming Jersey consignments to their spring sale. All Michigan Jersey Show- MJCC needs to go back to providing certificates for All Michigan and Reserve All Michigan and the membership agreed. We will request that Suzanne gets the certificates printed and MJCC will cover the cost. Motion made by Beth Rupprecht and supported by Tom Atherton to feature the All Michigan and Reserve All Michigans in the MDCN. Melissa will need a professional photo for this. Beth amended her motion to MJCC will provide a $25 gift certificate towards the photo. Motion maintained support and was passed. Summer Show – MJCC needs to provide awards/ribbons for class winners. Suggested that Deanna Buell gets with Suzanne to order awards together and that may decrease cost. Tim Place
and Deanna Buell will remain the show chairs. National Jersey will sponsor 1st3rd place ribbons for Summer Show. MDCN will sponsor the same award they did last year. Larry Place would like to sponsor and Bred and Owned award. Elections There are 2 board member positions that are up (Carrie Delong and Malissa Reed) Carrie announced that she is declining to run again. Nominations included Lauren Siver and Malissa Reed. Motion made by Beth Rupprecht and supported by Tom Atherton to close nominations and vote by unanimous ballot. Motion passed. Nominations for President included Beth Rupprecht. Motion made by Malissa Reed and supported by Martin Thomsen to close nominations and cast unanimous ballot. Motion passed. Nominations for Vice President included Mary Costigan who respectfully declined and Allison Schafer. Motion made by Jeff Michelak and supported by Tom Atherton to close nominations and cast unanimous ballot. Motion passed. Nominations for Third Member (due to no secretary or treasurer) included Jeff Dawson. Motion made by Larry Place and supported by Tom Atherton to close nominations and vote by unanimous ballot. Motion passed. Current Board of Directors includes Nick Clark (2022) Tim Place (2022) Greg Palen (2021) Drew Rupprecht (2021) Deanna Buell (2021) Lauren Siver (2023) Malissa Reed (2023) President Beth Rupprecht (2022) VP Allison Schafer (2022) Jeff Dawson (2022) Motion made by Jeff Dawson and supported by Tom Atherton to adjourn at 10:21 am. Motion passed. Respectfully submitted, Carrie Delong, MJCC Secretary Michigan Dairy Cattle News 13
SELECT SIRES 7HO14859 MAXIMUS
NM$
% Rel
+1,058
74
+1,264 +2825
7HO14250 LEGACY
+1,089
77
+1,237 +2894
7HO14792 MAGNITUDE
+987
74
+1,275 +2900
7HO14364 EISAKU
+956
77
+1,007 +2822
GENERVATIONS 250HO14134 RENEGADE
NM$
ROLAN x Blowtorch x YODER
FRAZZLED x YODER x LIQUID GOLD CASPER x LYLAS x Numero Uno SAMURI x Rubicon x MORGAN
Jaltaoak x MILLINGTON x DAVINCI
+954
% Rel 76
DWP$
®
DWP$
GTPI
®
GTPI
+1,067 +2848
12/19 CDCB/HA/Zoetis Genomic Evaluations. TPI is a registered trademark of Holstein Association USA. DWP$ is a registered trademark of Zoetis Inc., its affiliates and/or its licensors. ™NxGEN is a trademark of Select Sires Inc. All bulls qualify for semen export to Canada. RENEGADE photo by Jordan, all other bull photos by Thomas. ®
Contact your CentralStar representative to learn how to join the NxGEN program and begin capturing breed-leading genetic trends today!
14 Michigan Dairy Cattle News
Spring 2020 SS934_1219_Product of the USA
Zielland Future Hannah
Zielland Durham Lupe-ET Zielland Mark Letty VG-87 Zielland Jazz Joni
60 - NATIONAL HOLSTEIN CONVENTION
REED
DAIRY
Thank you for the honors, Michigan Holstein Association! Master Breeder: Stephen Reed Outstanding Young Breeders: Malissa and Elizabeth Reed 989.277.2078 • malissa.reed@mycentralstar.com facebook.com/ReedDairyFarm
NATIONAL HOLSTEIN CONVENTION - 63
Brenhaven Big Guns
ster: 2nd Dam’s Maternal Si a EX-95 Ratliff Price Alici
Born 12.20.19 Sire: Brenhaven Blackies Big Gun (Hired Gun X Miss Sambo Black Gold EX 95)
We have Big Gun Semen Available Dam: Ratliff Tequila Aquire EX 90 Best record: 4-08 296D 2x 18,420M 6.1% 1129F 4.0% 731P 2nd Dam: Ratliff Jade Ainsley-ET 3rd Dam: Bridon Ethan Almond EX-91 Maternal Sister to Ainsley (2nd Dam): Ratliff Price Alicia EX-95 • Supreme Champion, NAILE 2009 & 2010 • National Grand Champion, BU & BBO of Show, All-American 2009 & 2010 • All American 5-Year-Old ‘10 • Grand Champion KS State Fair 2009 & 2010 • All American 4-Year-Old ‘09 • Res. Grand Champion Central National ‘09 • 1st 4-Year-Old, BU, BBO * Production Award, Central National ‘09
Ad Design Kristy Roose
BRENT ROBINSON
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BRENT MOYER
I will be attending & am happy to assist anyone in any way.
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BREN_HAVEN@YAHOO.COM
SUCCESSION PLANNING ROUND TABLE
Advice on Managing the Transition No One Wants to Talk About By Bev Berens Turning the farm over to the next generation is hard. It is not like a typical estate where everything is turned to cash and split among family. Farming is capitol intense. Assets like land and homes have sentimental attachments beyond family members operating the farm. Sometimes, there simply is no second generation to bring into the farm business. According to Roger Betz, MSU Extension, 70% of family owned businesses do not survive the transition. Family discord or procrastination and lack of planning leads to disaster. Attorney Steven Tjapkes, who is also a farmer and veterinarian, discusses aspects of farm succession planning with Michigan Dairy Cattle News. Three Michigan farm business add comments from their perspective. The Farms Rodney Daniels operates a 530cow dairy in Whittemore with his two brothers, nephews and daughter. Daniels has made a successful transition from his parents to he and his brothers. He now wants to bring his daughter into an ownership position. The farm milks 3X per day in a double 9 herringbone parlor around the clock. They are building a robot barn to control costs and eventually plan to add a second robot barn. Geert and Gertie Van den Goor operate Goma Dairy in Marlette. With no family interested in taking over the business, the Van den Goors reached out to friends Brent Moyer and Brent Robinson, owners of Pinnacle Genetics in Caro as successors to their business. Together they formed Green Point Dairy, LLC., that will allow two successSpring 2020
ful businesses to merge into one 10,000 head business over time, ensuring the long-term viability of each farm, and capable hands to carry on a business.
Where do you start the succession plan? Tjapkes: The process begins by taking inventory. The current quality and adequacy of equipment and technology is done to see if the farm is up to date or if there are deferred purchases or excess deferred maintenance. If the equipment is out of date or in need of much repair, that will absorb cash flow for the transition process. In addition to an inventory of equipment and assets, there needs to be an inventory of personnel determining if there are business managers and technical people in place to keep the farm running into the next generation.
“Start planning when you need to, like when you are bringing in another partner. We’ve done what our accountant has told us to do. He is a third party and not emotionally involved. That eliminates any one party dictating how things are going to go.” Rodney Daniels pay for the farm. Often this issue necessitates a substantial change in the type of farming operation. Daniels: Our daughter’s husband has his own farm. He doesn’t want our financials to impact him as we are making this expansion. Keeping other family businesses from being impacted.
What are some pitfalls and how Van den Goor: Not starting early do you address them? Tjapkes: The two key pitfalls that I see most commonly are a failure to agree on a common goal and a failure of cash flow. The failure to agree on a common goal can frequently appear in the generation of current owners. One owner may have a goal of keeping the farm operational and in the family at all costs, while the other current owner may have a goal of treating all children equally. This disjunction of goals can derail a succession plan in a big hurry. The second large challenge is that of cash flow. This is most significant on smaller family operations. Once the existing ownership wishes to transition and retire, the next generation is trying to find a way to both replace that lost labor (which comes at a cost) and a means to generate income to
enough. We took a more European approach and are allowing 10-15 years for the transition plan to take place.
Robinson: When the incoming generation wants to take over so badly that the senior generation allows bad judgement despite consequences.
From an attorney standpoint, one partner exits easily while others struggle. Any advice? Tjapkes: How easily an existing owner can exit is dependent upon a couple of factors. The first factor is when that owner does not wish to retire no matter what. As I draft various documents or present legal strategies for an exit, often, they are all rejected by the current ownMichigan Dairy Cattle News 15
Succession Planning Round Table er, not for any legal reason, but simply because the current owner doesn’t want to engage in a succession plan. In addition to the personality of the owner, the available assets for transition are a key element in a successful exit strategy. Persons who have planned and have life insurance in place to satisfy non-farm children or persons whose non-farm spouse have engaged in careers with some form of retirement benefits makes the transition much easier.
When do you start succession planning? Daniels: Start planning when you need to, like when you are bringing in another partner. We’ve done what our accountant has told us to do. He is a third party and not emotionally involved. That eliminates any one party dictating how things are going to go. Van den Goor: Start early, the earlier the better.
How do you determine who is going to run the books and keep the other partners informed financially within the business? Tjapkes: The issue of bookkeeping is one that frequently arises. As we move from one generation to the next, oftentimes the bookkeeper is the spouse of the operator or an old family friend working from their basement. This sort of bookkeeping is often inadequate to deal with the transition from farming as a sole pro-
“The transition needs to be gradual beginning with cows, then equipment and finally land and buildings. Expecting all the money for a business built over a lifetime is unrealistic.” Brent Moyer 16 Michigan Dairy Cattle News
prietorship to farming in an entity structure with multiple owners. I find it best to begin by bringing in an outside experienced agricultural accountant. I also encourage all the entity owners to attend annual meetings with the accountant. The presence of a third party, professional keeping track of the books and records is essential for a smooth transition.
Moyer: The transition needs to be gradual beginning with cows, then equipment and finally land and buildings. Expecting all the money for a business built over a lifetime is unrealistic.
Daniels and Van den Goor: Based on who has the correct skill set for an ever-evolving job.
Van den Goor: There must be no losers in the deal, everyone must be a winner in the deal.
Daniels: That is why we are expanding, so we can create the needed income for everyone.
After a transfer of the operation, How do you deal with the younger generation must the feelings of family members provide a living for the older both within the partnership generation. How do you make and those who may not sure you’re taking care of the be involved in the business? senior partners but not breaking Tjapkes: The important item to keep in the younger generation? Tjapkes: Providing adequately for the older level of ownership while maintaining enough cash flow for a successful operation is the central business challenge to any family farm transition. Traditionally, on smaller family farms, the older generation simply lived on the farm, had their basic needs met from the farm and continued to work as much as their physical strength allowed. The concept of the current farm ownership retiring and having a separate maintenance is relatively new. Often, the only way to increase the amount of profit is to increase the size of the entity in such a manner that there is adequate cash flow for the senior level. Other methodologies to adequately provide for the senior exiting partners is to generate liquidity by selling off unprofitable assets or starting ancillary businesses. If the senior level or selling level of ownership has the assets then the loan documentation can allow the senior level to toggle the loan back and forth between full payments, interest only payments and suspended payments. This ability allows the entity to survive in down market.
mind is clear and open communication. While it is impossible to prevent all levels of hurt feelings, it is possible for the current ownership to make it known to the family what their goals are for succession planning. If the current owners are clear in their desire to transition a farm from one generation to the next, which may entail part of the family not receiving an inheritance, that needs to be spelled out clearly and early in the process. If more than one member of the family is being involved in the farm in the next generation, it is also important that the role those children will play in the future operation be set out in advance. Good communication can’t prevent hurt feelings, but it can get all the issues out on the table so that the feelings can be managed to the best extent possible. Daniels: I view it as a business and the business must survive.
Is there additional professional assistance that needs to be part of the process? Tjapkes: In any good transition program, the attorney, the accountant, a business appraiser and, if warranted, an Spring 2020
outside investment consultant should all work together on the plan. This team approach coordinates the legal, tax and value challenges all at once.
of the first generation dying, can receive a step-up in basis. Therefore, it is often necessary to break a transition down into different steps to manage the tax consequences.
Where do family members who are not part of the business Daniels: It hasn’t been too bad. fit in and how can they “Because we had no family be addressed equitably who was interested in taking once the senior partners have passed? over the farm business, we turned to friends who we Tjapkes: For family members not infeel do an excellent job with volved on a full-time basis, I have found that they can be participants in the en- their business and by combining terprise that owns the real property. The the two, we know that entity that owns the real property can what we have built will generate some return by the receipt of land rents and it is that part of the opcontinue and can add to eration that has the best chance of future appreciation. This allows family mem- their long term success as well.” bers to be involved without participating in the operational entity.
How difficult is it to find someone you can trust? Van den Goor: Because we had no family who was interested in taking over the farm business, we turned to friends who we feel do an excellent job with their business and by combining the two, we know that what we have built will continue and can add to their long term success as well. Moyer: The biggest risk we have in this is losing a friendship. Fortunately, so far, our management styles are very compatible and the transfer and sharing of responsibilities has been smooth.
What about tax ramifications? Tjapkes: The tax ramifications of business succession need to be managed very carefully. The sale of equipment from one generation to the next is treated very differently than the sale of other assets from one generation to the next. Additionally, land that is inherited by reason Spring 2020
Geert & Gertie Vanden Goor
What happens if the farm goes broke? What kind of guarantee that mom and dad will still get paid? Tjapkes: If the farm can no longer make the payments to the first generation, I make certain that the existing generation has kept ownership of the land. By saving the land to the end of the transition process, the most valuable asset can be retained in the current generation. If the land needs to be sold as part of the transition process, or to generate cash flow for the transition, I make certain that a mortgage has been filed.
them does not have the work ethic they did. Sometimes, this is true and other times it is only a perception. Therefore, I like to begin the transition process in slow stages where the expectations of work are clearly laid out. In this manner, if only a little bit of transition occurs, and there really is a problem with the younger generation not paying enough time and attention to the farm, the process can be more easily unwound.
Do you have some standard advice to share to all parties entering this process? Tjapkes: The advice I begin the process with to all clients is for them to take a moment to honestly assess their goals and to realistically assess the financial situation. The financial realities of a family situation will dictate what can and cannot be accomplished. I also advise each family that everybody’s situation is different and not to listen to the story from your neighbor and think that your farm can transition in exactly that same way. Being flexible is a key to success.
The ad deadline for the summer issue of
What happens when the younger generation wants to take vacations and the parents think they should stay there and work like they did?
Michigan Dairy
Tjapkes: The issue of intergenerational work ethic has been around since the dawn of history. Most generations feel that the generation coming up behind
is May 10.
Cattle News
Michigan Dairy Cattle News 17
‘Whenever We Win, We Win Together’
Reed Sisters Receive Outstanding Young Breeder Award
Reed Sisters, Liz (center) and Malissa(right) were presented with the 2020 Wayne Webster Memorial Outstanding Young Breeder Award by the 2019 winner, Brent Moyer, at the recent Michigan Holstein Association Annual meeting. By Bev Berens If the honor of receiving Michigan’s Outstanding Young Breeder Award wasn’t enough, keeping all the Michigan Holstein Association breeder recognition awards in the family will make 2020 one to remember for the Reed Family. “It is fitting to all win in the same year,” said Malissa after she and her sister Liz were named Outstanding Young Breeders and their father named Master Breeder at the Association’s annual meeting. “What we do is very team 18 Michigan Dairy Cattle News
based. We know our roles and whenever we win, we win together.” She continued, “Liz and I are both surprised. It is pretty exciting to see people appreciating what we’ve been working for and it is very cool that we can get there together.” The sisters learned a breeding philosophy from their father and continue that when selecting matings—type over index, style, balance, good feet and legs. They continue learning by experience and from their peers and have a goal of building a larger facility for their heif-
er raising program which would allow them to expand their show string. One of Liz’s favorite cows is ReedEli Lawnboy Tigerlily-Red, the first cow she bred with her own prefix. The cow contracted blackleg, but Liz was able to help bring her back to health and production. That event solidified that she wanted to be on the farm with cows, full time. Malissa, a genetic specialist, has had a lot of luck with SJ-Reed Atwood Symphony, an EX-90 Atwood out of a VG-88 Jasper. “She is a black, silky-hided, nice-uddered cow and produces the same in her offspring,” she said. The sisters learned early on that feeding is most important in raising good animals, and especially for the show ring. Protein to get the growth, energy to for fuel, and in the right combination. “The animal’s success is 80 percent environment and 20 percent genetics, and to get the value out of the genetics, you have to get the right nutrition,” Malissa said. They credit many people for helping them gain skill, knowledge and confidence. Their parents, Steve and Elaine, Joe Domecq, Jess Jakubik, Brent Moyer, Moss McCauley, Tim Baker, Kenda Brinks and Todd Watts have shared their support and knowledge freely. Malissa’s advice for others working with family is to stop competing against each other. “Find your role and complement each other in your individual strengths to make your farm and cows the best possible.”
Spring 2020
The “aAa” Breeding Guide has been around since 1950, which means it predates linear traits and ranking indexes as well as Genomics. It is widely misunderstood in that it is not “another form of genetic selection” that would replace what you use currently for choosing mating sires, but is a “guide to how to harvest the best results from genetics” by its precise knowledge of how physical form and function are inherited. “aAa” takes the bulls you wish to use, and guides you in matching them to your cows most capable of complementing their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses. “aAa” use results in more “balanced” cattle in the only way that matters – a physique capable of all desired functions, able to thrive in any physical and nutritional environment. This means easier calving, more consistent in performance, more uniform in growth rates and size, better use of homegrown forages, and longer functional lives (allowing you to capture higher mature cow yield levels).
Design Kristy Roose
Let us assume that, as a survivor of the recent four years of economic trauma, you are determined to stay viable in the dairy business. In this, you have heard the old saying: “insanity is to keep doing the same things over and over, while expecting a different result.” Cattle breeding in the popular way is like that – the longer you do it, the less it does for you. Too often it reverts to “inbreeding depression”, an effect proven by research to result from “likes to likes” matings for too many generations. Popular genetic selection produces faster maturing heifers, but also faster aging cows, so your replacement costs remain higher than optimal. It becomes an expensive treadmill. Thus, if you have been resisting a try at “aAa”, not understanding what it means, but are not fully satisfied with the cattle you are getting, consider a visit with me so I can demonstrate what “aAa” breeding guide really can do for you. Start out by visiting the “aAa” website at www.aAaWeeks.com, then give me a call.
Greg Palen (trained and approved by aAa since 1994)
P: (989) 277-6031 F: (989) 834-2914 E: greg@michiganlivestock.com
Spring 2020
Michigan Dairy Cattle News 19
Steve Reed Named Master Breeder
Steve Reed (right) of Owosso is the 2020 MHA Master Breeder Award recipient. He was presented with the award at the recent Michigan Holstein Association annual meeting by last year’s winner, Darwin Sneller(left).
By Bev Berens Steve Reed of Owosso was named the 2020 Master Breeder for Michigan Holstein Association at their annual meeting in February. Steve and his wife Elaine have four children: Karreen Bird, Elizabeth, Malissa and Earl Reed. “I am so surprised, the award is completely unexpected,” Steve said. “There are a lot of people who have deserved this award over the years, and it is so exciting to be among them.” The Reed farm was started in 1945 by Earl and Isabel Reed who bought 25 Holsteins and 456 acres in Owosso. The farm grew to 100 cows with the help of his sons Dennis, Ken, Martin, Steve, David and Pat. Reed joined the family farm after graduating from the MSU Ag Tech Dairy program in 1980. At the same time, he took a sales position with 20 Michigan Dairy Cattle News
Michigan Animal Breeders Cooperative. Shortly after, he moved into a genetic consultant position. In 1981, he bought his first registered Holstein, Arc Bell Gypsy. In 1994, the Reed brothers built a new parlor and expanded to 200 cows. Ten years later, they were milking 300 cows in a double twelve herringbone. The lure of showing cattle beckoned the family when Karreen was old enough to enter the ring. Together, Steve and Karreen took their first excellent cow, SJ-Reed Special Choice to the fair. She was an EX-90 Mark Adam out of an 81-point Blackstar. They continued to improve genetics and began showing further from home. One of Steve’s favorite cows is RiVal-Re Adv Sushi-Red-ET who won grand champion of the All-Michigan Red and White show in 2010. She was
an EX-91 Advent out of an EX-90 Red Marker from Golden Oaks Serenity-Red EX-91. Another is a homebred cow, SJ-Reed Ladd Sylvia-Red EX-92, a Ladd-P daughter from the Sushi-Red family. She was the supreme champion of the All-Michigan show in 2016. She is now EX-92 EE and has produced promising daughters. Sylvia placed third as a 4-year-old at the Red and White show in Louisville. Developing and showing cows has become a family event with daughters Elizabeth and Malissa, who are fully involved with breeding their own line of superior cattle at the farm. Friends have helped along the way and all share the winner’s circle together. Jess Jakubik, Brent Moyer, Tim Baker and Todd Watts are just a few of the friends who have made showing and breeding great cattle so enjoyable. “I have to thank my wife Elaine, she has put up with a lot,” Steve said. “While the girls and I are off showing somewhere like Louisville, she might take a vacation up north.” Reed’s breeding philosophy is more about production, type and udder composite than high indexing cattle, and a balance of those traits make for a profitable, well-balanced herd. “I hate ugly cows,” he said. “Don’t keep having those genes in your barn, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy, ugly ones continue to produce ugly cattle.” Steve has been a member of the Michigan Holstein and National Holstein Associations for 40 years. He has served as a board member, director at large, National Convention delegate and sale committee member. Reed has gained respect for many breeders he has encountered over time. Some favorite pieces of wisdom that have become part of his philosophy and that he instills in his daughters: “Everything is for sale. Money does not get mastitis.”
Spring 2020
Tim Hood Named 2020 MSU Dairy Farmer of the Year
EAST LANSING, Michigan – Tim Hood, who along with his wife Debbie own and operate Hood Farms Family Dairy, received the 2020 MSU Dairy Farmer of the Year Award. The award is given by the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University (MSU) and was presented at the 2020 Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Hood Farms Family Dairy, located in Van Buren County, was established in the 1890s and transitioned to a dairy farm in the 1940s. Today, the farm includes more than 1,000 acres of corn, soybeans, alfalfa and wheat crops primarily used as forage. Tim grew the dairy from 50 milking cows to 500 cows and over 400 youngstock today. He transitioned the operation from a tie-stall barn to a fabric-covered freestall barn with a double 15 parallel parlor. Several members of the Hood family are involved in the operation: Tammy (Hood) and Ty Spicher, Charlie Hood, Britney Hood, Jennifer Buskirk and four grandchildren. Tim places a priority on working to sustain the dairy industry. Hood Farms Family Dairy has twice hosted MSU Extension’s Breakfast on the Farm, which allows the public to see a working farm up close and to learn about modern agriculture. “I see people drive slowly by the farm trying to get a look inside. I know they are curious,” Tim said before the 2015 event. “Many consumers don’t understand modern-day farming practices, and it is important that they know our story.” Thousands of attendees attend Breakfast on the Farm each year, and Tim’s willingness to invite such a large Spring 2020
crowd onto his property was not only a sign of genuine transparency but also a desire to communicate his dedication to farming. “If you ask him what he loved most about Breakfast on the Farm, it would be seeing the faces of people and their excitement to walk through the barns being able to learn about cows and agriculture,” Tim’s Dairy Farmer of the Year anonymous nominator said. Tim is a member of several dairy industry leadership and promotional organizations. He is District 2 director of Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) Board of Directors, representing over 200 farms in Michigan and Indiana. He served on the MMPA Advisory Committee from 1998 to 2005. He also serves on the United Dairy Industry Association Board of Directors, the Michigan Dairy Market Program Committee, the United Dairy Industry of Michigan Board of Directors and the Michigan Farm Bureau Dairy Advisory Committee. Tim’s priority on sustaining the dairy industry is illustrated through his involvement with MMPA. Through
MMPA’s involvement with the Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture (M-AAA), Tim reviews M-AAA research proposals from faculty at MSU on behalf of MMPA and makes recommendations for funding. M-AAA is a partnership between the state’s animal agriculture industries and MSU focused on advancing the Michigan animal agriculture economy. Tim was honored for 35 years of membership in MMPA in 2012, and he was a District 2 finalist for MMPA Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperator in 1996-1997. In addition, the farm was recognized with the MMPA Bronze Quality Award in 1998, 2009, 2012, 2016 and 2018. “This is a family farm and we take care of our animals,” Hood said in 2015. “They are clean and comfortable in their freestalls. We take care of them because they are our livelihood.” As Hood Farms Family Dairy has evolved through the years, so has Tim’s role. He still arrives at the barn early, asking team members about their day and checking on the well-being of the cows. He’s also focused on moving the farm into the future, which means guiding the next generation on what it takes to make the dairy run successfully. “Tim Hood is an inspiration for all dairy farmers and a great example of how dairy farms are integrated into their communities,” said Dr. Pam Ruegg, Chair of the Department of Animal Science. “It is with great pleasure that the MSU Department of Animal Science recognizes Tim Hood as the 2020 MSU Dairy Farmer of the Year.”
Michigan Dairy Cattle News 21
FRIDAY, MARCH 20: 7 PM Cow classes~Alternating breed
classes; alphabetically
SATURDAY, MARCH 21: 8:30 a.m Showmanship
(Age as of day of show)
Division 1: 8-12 • Division 2: 13-15 • Division 3: 16 & over
9:30 a.m.: immediately following showmanship. Heifer classes Judge: Brandon Ferry; Hilbert, WI 1. ELIGIBILITY: All animals exhibited at shows must be accompanied by the registration certificate from their respective breed no photo copies of registrations will be accepted. Ownership shall be established by the name on the certificate of registry or the presentation of the certificate of registry along with a signed and completed transfer and fee, which will be forwarded to the respective association. Each Holstein animal must be at least 87%-RHA. 2. JUNIOR MEMBERS: Junior members must have project animals registered in their name and they must show their animal, or have another junior member show their animal to compete in the junior division and to qualify for the junior ribbons in the class. Show Ownership - Animals two years and over must be prior to January first of the year shown. Ownership of animals less than two years old must be prior to June first of the year shown. All animals exhibited in showmanship must be owned by the junior showperson. 3. YOUTH CLASSES: Youth classes include 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 and 18. The Junior and Reserve Junior Champion will be selected from the first and second place winner from classes: 1,2,3,4,5, and 6. The Intermediate and Reserve Intermediate Champion will be selected from the first and second place winners from classes 8,9,10,11 and 12. Senior and Reserve Senior Champion will be selected from the first and second place winners from classes 13,14,15,16,17 and 18. Grand and Reserve Grand Champion will be selected from the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Champions. 4. HE ALTH CERTIFICATES: Michigan official Health Rules must be observed. All cattle exhibited must be free of contagious and infectious disease including extensive ringworm, scab, mange, and warts. Cattle under quarantine are not eligible for exhibition. All decisions regarding health of any animals shall be made by the official veterinarian and implemented by the show chairman. ALL CATTLE MUST HAVE AN OFFICIAL RFID TAG. 5. DHI RECORDS: It shall be the responsibility of each exhibitor to make available all registrations, health or DHI sheets. 6. SHOW AUTHORITY: The Show Committee, Michigan Holstein Association and the Michigan Ayshire, Brown Swiss, Geurnsey, Jersey Red & White Cattle Club(s), its agents reserve the final and absolute right to interpret the rules and regulations of the show and will settle all matters in connection with the show. 7. EXHIBITORS: All show people are encouraged to display a standard exhibitors card harness with class number clearly visible, and are encouraged to wear white pants/jeans or skirt. 8. POINT SYSTEM: The point system for determining Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor Awards shall be as follows: Placing 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Jr. Females, Dry Cows 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Sr. Females 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 9. PREMIER BREEDER AWARD: The Premier Breeder award is presented to the breeder of no more than 6 animals, all shown in the single classes, which total the most points. No entry is required and the winner need not be an exhibitor at the show nor the owner of the point-winning animals. BREEDER DEFINED: The owner of the dam at the time of service shall be considered the breeder. Where animals are registered in the names of different members of a family residing on one farm and where the herd is one unit, all animals shall be considered bred by that unit. 10. PREMIER EXHIBITOR AWARD: The Premier Exhibitor award is presented to the exhibitor of no more than six animals. all shown in the single classes, which total the most points. EXHIBIT OR DEFIN ED: The exhibitor must be the owner or member of a partnership owning the animal. Where animals are registered in the names of different members of a family residing on one farm and where the herd is one unit, all animal may be considered exhibited by that unit. 11. SUBSTITUTIONS: Substitutions may be made both in and out of respective classes. Changes must be made before the close of entries. 12. FIRST BRED AND OWNE D: First place bred and owned animals will be recognized for the highest placing animal bred and owned by the exhibitor, as determined by registration certificate. Breeder is to be determined as the owner of the dam at the time of service; where a herd is registered in the names of different members of a family residing on one farm, where the herd is one unit and everyone is using the same prefix, all entries may be considered as Bred and Owned by Exhibitor. 13. DRY COWS: Entries in dry cow classes must have produced a live calf within 18 months or prove to be with calf. A cow shown dry must have been reported dry on DHI records or any cow that was last fresh 280 days or more, prior to the date of the show, may be shown at the option of the exhibitor in either the dry or milking cow class. The DHI sheet must accompany animals to be shown in the dry cow classes.
Please note: Anyone who owes the Michigan Holstein Association or the Michigan Dairy Cattle News more than $100 and is over 90 days delinquent will not be able to show in any state sponsored show including the Great Lakes Spring Show. Any person and/or immediate family member of a person who owes the Michigan Jersey Cattle Club or the Michigan Dairy Cattle News more than $50 and is over 90 days delinquent will not be able to show in any state sponsored show including the Michigan Jersey Show. The debt must be paid by close of entries.
22 Michigan Dairy Cattle News
1- WINTER HEIFER CALF-born after November 30, 2019 and before March 1, 2020 2- FALL HEIFER CALF- Born after August 31, 2019 and before December 1, 2019 3- SUMMER YEARLING HEIFER- born after May 31, 2019 and before September 1, 201 4- SPRING YEARLING HEIFER- born after February 28, 2019 and before June 1, 2019 5- WINTER YEARLING HEIFER- born after November 30, 2018 and before March 1, 2019 6- FALL YEARLING HEIFER- born after August 31, 2018 and before December 1, 2018 **A- JU NIOR AND RESERVE JUNIOR CHAMPION - JUNIOR SHOW: from the calf and yearling classes. First and second place animals will be considered. **B- JUNIOR AND RESERVE JUNIOR CHAMPION- OPEN SHOW: from the calf and yearling classes, first and second place animals will be considered. 7- JUNIOR BEST THREE FEMALES- from the calf and yearling classes, all must be bred and at least one owned by exhibitor. 8- DRY COW 9– UNFRESHENED SUMMER YEARLING- Please note: this entry is not considered for any champion ribbon. Born 6-1-18 through 8-31-18 10- JUNIOR TWO YEAR OLD COW- born after February 28, 2018 and before September 1, 2018 11- SENIOR TWO YEAR OLD COW- born after August 31, 2017 and before March 1, 20178 12- JUNIOR THREE YEAR OLD COW- born after February 28, 2017 and before September 1, 2017 13- SENIOR THREE YEAR OLD- born after August 31, 2016 and before March 1, 2017 **C-INTERMEDIATE AND RESERVE INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONJUNIOR SHOW- from classes 8-12. First and second place animals will be considered. **D-INTERMEDIATE AND RESERVE INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONOPEN SHOW-from classes 8-12. First and second place animals will be considered. 14- FOUR YEAR OLD COW- born after August 31, 2015 and before September 1, 2016 15- FIVE YEAR OLD COW- born after August 31, 2014 and before September 1, 2015 16- AGED COW- born before September 1, 2014 17- 125,000 POUND COW- any cow, any age, with official lifetime credits over 125,000 pounds of milk as of show day as verified by DHI records or performance pedigree. 18– JERSEY LIFETIME PRODUCTION- Lifetime Cheese Production Class For cows with minimum lifetime production of 10,000 lbs. cheddar cheese equivalent, based on lifetime credits through October 31, 2018 on official DHI/ DHIR testing. Cows may show in either age appropriate class or Lifetime production class, but not both. Official individual cow page must be submitted at show check in to verify eligibility and calculate lifetime cheese yield. **E- SENIOR AND RESERVE SENIOR CHAMPION-JUNIOR SHOWfrom classes 13-17. First and second place animals will be considered. **F- GRAND AND RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION FEMALE-JUNIOR SHOW- Junior, Intermediate and Senior Champions will be considered. **G-SENIOR AND RESERVE SENIOR CHAMPION-OPEN SHOW- from classes 13-17 First and second place animals will be considered. **H- GRAND AND RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION FEMALE-OPEN SHOW- Junior, Intermediate and Senior Champions will be considered. **I- BEST UDDER OF SHOW- from the best uddered animals in the individual classes. One award will be presented. **J- GRAND AND RESERVE BRED BY EXHIBITOR IBITOR - from the first place animals in the individual classes. 18- DAIRY HERD- four milking or dry cows all owned by the exhibitor. 19-- THREE BEST FEMALES-all three must be bred and at least one owned by exhibitor. 20- PRODUCE OF DAM-two offspring, any age, from the same dam. May be owned by more than one exhibitor. One bull permitted. 21- DAM AND DAUGHTER-any cow and one of her female off spring, any age, may be owned by more than one exhibitor. **K- PREMIER EXHIBITORIBITOR AWARD- The exhibitor winning the most point on six or less animals. **L- PREMI ER BREEDER AWARD- The exhibitor winning the most points on six or less animals.
Spring 2020
MARCH 20: COWS ~7 PM MARCH 21: HEIFERS ~ 9:30 AM 8:30 a.m ....... Showmanship (Age as of day of show) Division 1: 8-12 • Division 2: 13-15 • Division 3: 16 & over
9:30a.m. Great Lakes Spring Show All Breeds Show Alternating classes
ONLY ONE EXHIBITOR PER ENTRY FORM More Entry Forms are Availabe from the MHA Office call: 517-490-7736 (Copies May Be Made of this Entry Form) All exhibitors please use the same entry form. Local Hotel: Red Roof Inn, 3615 Dunckel Rd., Lansing, MI 48910 (800-RED-ROOF or 517-332-2575) MAIL ALL ENTRIES AND FEES FOR THE GREAT LAKES SPRING ALL-BREEDS SHOW Michigan Holstein Association 850 Davenport Drive, Waxahachie, TX 75167, Phone: 517-490-7736 Checks made payable to: Michigan Holstein Association Entries are due March 13, 2020. • Late Entries Close at 4:00 p.m., March 20, 2020 No Late Entries in Show Catalog. All 2020 State Sale animals are eligible to be shown if entered by entry close.
Check In Show cattle may move on Tuesday, March 17 after 6 pm. Remember to have your RFID tags in place before you leave your farm. Check in for show will be... Wednesday, March 18 from Noon-4 p.m. Late check-in will be on Friday, at the immediate conclusion of sale. Additions, deletions and class changes must be made by 4:00 pm on March 20. There is no entry fee for sale animals. If you purchase cattle from the Foundation Sale and want to exhibit, you must enter your animal by or at the IMMEDIATE conclusion of the sale on Friday, March 20.
ENTRIES DUE MARCH 13, 2020 EXHIBITOR
No. of Entries
___________ x $25/entry = __________
Dual Red & White ________x additional $10/entry= ________ ADDRESS No. of Late* Entries ___________ x $50/entry = __________ *After March 13, 2020
CITY STATE & ZIP
No. of Extra 5Ft.
___________x $11/5 feet = __________
Total:
Mail entries to:
FAX
PHONE
Michigan Holstein Association 850 Davenport Drive
DATE
SIGNATURE
Open Show
Waxahachie, TX 75167
Junior Show BIRTHDATE OF JUNIOR
Spring 2020
Michigan Dairy Cattle News 23
Junior Show Open Show
Name of Exhibitor Breed
RW Dual @ $10
ANIMAL NAME
DATE OF BIRTH
REGISTRATION NO.
CLASS Number
305 PRODUCTION RECORD
SIRE
DAM BRED & OWNED
OWNER
Breed
No
RW Dual @ $10
ANIMAL NAME
DATE OF BIRTH
REGISTRATION NO.
CLASS Number
305 PRODUCTION RECORD
SIRE
DAM BRED & OWNED
RW Dual @ $10
ANIMAL NAME
DATE OF BIRTH
REGISTRATION NO.
CLASS Number
305 PRODUCTION RECORD
SIRE
DAM BRED & OWNED
RW Dual @ $10
ANIMAL NAME
DATE OF BIRTH
REGISTRATION NO.
CLASS Number
305 PRODUCTION RECORD
SIRE
DAM BRED & OWNED
Yes No
OWNER
Breed
Yes No
OWNER
Breed
Yes No
OWNER
Breed
Yes
RW Dual @ $10
ANIMAL NAME
DATE OF BIRTH
REGISTRATION NO.
CLASS Number
305 PRODUCTION RECORD
SIRE
DAM BRED & OWNED
Yes No
OWNER
Great Lakes Spring Show
24 Michigan Dairy Cattle News
Spring 2020
MMPA Dairy Farmers Take Home 45 Percent of National Milk Quality Awards Seventeen Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) dairy farmer members were recently awarded National Dairy Quality Awards by the National Mastitis Council (NMC), making up nearly 45 percent of the total award winners. Honored at the NMC annual meeting in Orlando, Florida last week, these MMPA members were among 38 nationally recognized farms in the annual award program. Two MMPA farms earned the highest honor, which was granted to only six dairy farms in the U.S. The platinum award winners were Kris and Carla Wardin of Evergreen Dairy in St. Johns, Michigan and Brent, Nancy, Tyler, Ben Wilson of Wilson Centennial Farm in Carson City, Michigan. MMPA farms won seven gold awards, eight silver awards in addition to four honorable mentions. MMPA offers a portfolio of member services to help members produce the highest quality milk possible, with field representatives working closely with each member to achieve quality goals. MMPA also offers a quality premium incentive for its members producing higher quality milk. MMPA’s large representation in the NMC National Dairy Quality Award Program underscores the hard work of the cooperative’s farms while competing against other well-performing farmers across the country.
“MMPA dairy farms have a reputation for producing high quality milk and this year’s representation in the National Dairy Quality Awards is yet another a testament to maintaining excellence,” Ben Chapin, manager of field services said. The winners were selected from a pool of 82 applicants nationwide. The winning operations stood out for consistently producing high-quality milk. Applications were evaluated for measures of quality, systems of monitoring udder health, milking routine, protocols for detection and treatment of clinical and subclinical cases of mastitis and strategies for overall herd health and welfare. MMPA winners were nominated by their member representatives. The National Mastitis Council, along with quality partners Boehringer Ingelheim, GEA, Ecolab, IBA Inc., Conewango, milc Group and Hoard’s Dairyman sponsored the awards. The National Mastitis Council (NMC) is a not-forprofit professional organization devoted to reducing mastitis and enhancing milk quality. The NMC promotes research and provides information to the dairy industry on udder health, milking management, milk quality and milk safety. Platinum Awards • Wilson Centennial Farm of Carson City • Evergreen Dairy of St. Johns Gold Awards • Crandall Dairy Farms LLC of Battle Creek • De Grins Oer Dairy of Blanchard • Van Polen Farms of Marion • Rubingh's Dairyland LLC of Ellsworth • Wirth Farms of Evart • Gross Farm Inc of Weidman • Raterink Dairy Farm of Zeeland Silver Awards • Dick Haven Farms LLC - Jersey Operation of McBain • Schultz Dairy LLC of Sandusky • Bosscher Dairy of McBain • Spring Lake Farm of Stanton • Benthem Brothers Inc of McBain • Nienhuis Family Dairy of Zeeland • Bontrager Farm of Wolcottville, Indiana • Leroy Zimmerman of Carson City Honorable Mention • Higgins Farm of Grant • Ephraim Martin of Sheridan • Dodde Dale Farms LLC of Falmouth • Gilde Farms of Lake City
Spring 2020
Michigan Dairy Cattle News 25
Calendar of Events 2020
March 19: Michigan Production Sale, Ravenna Auction, Ravenna, MI March 20: Michigan Spring Foundation Sale, MSU Livestock Pavilion, East Lansing, MI March 20-21: Michigan All-Breeds Show, MSU Livestock Pavilion, East Lansing, MI March 20: Mill Wheel Dairy Show Clinic, MSU Pavilion, East Lansing, MI March 26-29: Spring Dairy Expo, Columbus, OH April 3: Indiana State Sale, 6:30 pm, Columbia City, IN April 3-5: Spring Fling Tag Sale, Lookwell Farm, Elkhart, IN April 8-11: New York Spring Dairy Carousel, Syracuse, NY April 23-25: Wisconsin Spring Showcase, Madison, WI June 11-13: Indiana State Holstein and Jersey Shows, Laporte, IN June 22-26: National Holstein Convention, Lancaster Marriott & Convention Center, Lancaster, PA July 20-24: Michigan Dairy Expo, MSU Pavilion, East Lansing, MI
One More Thing...
Enter the 2020 Michigan Holstein Association photo contest! It’s easy. Send your high resolution color photo to Suzanne Tuttila at michholstein1@gmail.com and the membership committee will pick a winner. Your photo will be featured in the Michigan Dairy Cattle News! Contact Suzanne for more details. Rose Stieg of Holger Farms was presented with the UDIM Dairy Promotion Award at the recent Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference held in Frankenmuth. The full story will be in the next issue of the MDCN! Our membership issue is coming up! If you want to be listed in the membership directory in the Summer issue, please renew your membership today! Contact Suzanne Tuttila at 517-490-7736 to renew!
Like us on Facebook! Like the Michigan Holstein Association and the Michigan Jersey Cattle Club Facebook pages so you can keep up to date with the activities in the state! 26 Michigan Dairy Cattle News
2021
June 21-25: National Holstein Convention, Columbus, OH
2022
June 27 - July 1: National Holstein Convention, Sioux Falls, SD
aAa Weeks (Greg Palen).................................................................. pg. 19 Adam, Mark.............................................................................. MW pg. 29 Bosscher Dairy................................................................................. pg. 14 Bovine Beautician.............................................................................. pg. 6 Buell’s Bovines.................................................................................... pg. 4 Central Star....................................................................................... pg. 14 Commodity Blenders, LLC............................................................... pg. 11 Dairy Agenda Today.......................................................................... pg. 8 Dawson Jersey Farms........................................................................ pg. 6 GENEX................................................................................................ pg. 28 Green Meadow Farms, Inc....................................................... MW pg. 15 Indiana State Holstein Sale..................................................... MW pg. 51 Michigan Spring Foundation Sale....................................MW pg. 40-41 Mill Wheel Dairy Show Clinic.................................................. MW pg. 34 MMPA.................................................................................................. pg. 2 Pinnacle Genetics..................................................................... MW pg. 45 Posey Creek......................................................................................... pg. 4 Prenger’s, Inc...................................................................................... pg. 5 Reed Dairy................................................................................ MW pg. 34 Rod-er-Dic Farm....................................................................... MW pg. 39 Silent-b Registered Holsteins.................................................. MW pg. 20 Spartan Production Sale................................................................... pg. 7 ST Genetics........................................................................................ pg. 27 Star-Summit Farm................................................................... MW pg. 43 Starward Farm........................................................................... MW pg. 6 SunQuest Registered Holsteins.............................................. MW pg. 34 Tomerton Holsteins, Jerseys & Ayrshires......................................... pg. 4 Tonic Holsteins......................................................................... MW pg. 29 Wonderbred Holsteins..................................................................... pg. 26 Zielland Farms.......................................................................... MW pg. 25
index to advertisers Spring 2020
Spring 2020
Michigan Dairy Cattle News 27
Celebrating 5 Years of the ICC$ Index ™
The GENEX kind of cow is …
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888.333.1783 // www.genex.coop 28 Michigan Dairy Cattle News © 2020 Genex Cooperative. All rights reserved. A-22357-20
Spring 2020
