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Dreaming of Dairy
Dreaming
“You have to be born into it.”
Ty Etgen has heard all these frequently about his aspirations of becoming a dairy farmer. The Ohioan knew from a young age this was his dream. Growing up in the town of Wapakoneta, Etgen recalled, “I’ve always wanted to be a dairy farmer for as long as I can remember.” Whether it was seeing friends’ farms or exploring the countryside while visiting his grandfather, he has held onto his dream.
At 16, while in high school, he secured a job on a dairy farm owned by Richard and Kim Steinke. He worked there for a few years and then took on a full-time farming role with Blair Lammers. When the economy struck the industry in 2009, he decided to attend The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI) for a degree in dairy science. While at ATI, Lammers connected Etgen with Air-Osa in Pixley, California, for a 2010 internship working with approximately 3,000 cows.
It was here that he was offered jobs, but he said, “I didn’t take them, because I had a dream and I wanted to follow that dream of working for myself and starting my own farm.” Even though Etgen was working long hours on farms and was pursuing his dream, he still found time and is thankful for his journey on the Ohio 4-H and OSU ATI dairy judging teams.
Shortly after, 2011 saw a partnership between Etgen and Phil Fisher for three years. The two milked approximately 60 cows. Just a couple years later, Etgen married his show-ring sweetheart, Heather Kennedy. Although she showed Ayrshires because that’s what her parents and grand-
parents raised, the two met through showing, which started something beautiful. They now have two sons, Cash, 7, and Henry, 5. Etgen wasn’t going to stop until his dream fully became a reality. Out of his 30 cows that were housed with Fisher, he kept 12 of the best and moved to Heather’s parents’ farm, Ron and Patti Kennedy, that had not operated for 10 years. For the next 2.5 years, Etgen milked anywhere from 12 to 20 cows while also working off-farm with Ron doing welding fabrication. Etgen knew it was a start, but he still wasn’t a full-time dairy Ty and Heather met in the show ring and last year they had great success at the Ohio State Fair,garnering the coveted Premier Breeder Banner. Grayson Gahring, (far right) helped get the cattle looking their best for the ring. farmer. With this thought and some buildings having age on them, a new 100-cow compost barn and a double-seven herringbone parlor were constructed on the farm in 2015 - and Etgen-Way in Harrod, Ohio, was born! Filling the new barn has been a combination of his and Heather’s cows, buying more and housing animals for other people. “I have bought some good heifers and cows for not a whole lot, and been able to breed from there,” Etgen explained. “Like many, I focus on type and udder. I like a high DPR (daughter pregnancy rate) too
of Dairy By Sarah Thomas
with an average production.”
His goals, hard work and determination have enabled him to breed three EX-94-point cows and develop another EX-94-point. Etgen-Way Corvette Subliminal EX-94 has been named a Junior All-American and was tapped Grand Champion of the junior show at the 2021 Ohio State Fair. Etgen is currently working on flushing her, along with Etgen-Way Acme Blackrose EX-94. Blackrose placed first in the production cow class at the 2021 Mid-East Summer National Holstein Show and traces back to two World Dairy Expo champions: Lavender Ruby Redrose-Red EX-95 and Stookey Elm Park Blackrose EX-96 3E.
“Blackrose is about nine-and-a-half right now and she has made over 210,000 pounds of milk so far,” he cheerfully noted.
Rounding out the trio of the homebred EX-94 cows was Etgen-Way Atwood Splash EX-94. “She passed a couple years ago, but she has transmitted well. She currently has two EX-91-point daughters, one of whom is a 3-year-old.”
Last but not least, Toppglen Atwood Waki EX-94 was purchased by Etgen as a calf and goes back to World Dairy Expo champions Starbuck and Winnie. “She IVFs well,” he said, with pride. “We have IVFed her five times and she has made 115 good embryos and has over 40 daughters on the farm right now. We hope to IVF her again and market more embryos.” For now and the future, Etgen yearns for a high breed age average (BAA). The Premier Breeder award is not one he takes lightly, either. “We wanted to be Premier Breeder at a national show and we were able to do that at the Mid-East National Summer Holstein Show last year. We merely missed it by a few points at spring show and it just bothered me all summer.” His goal is to one day capture Premier Breeder at World Dairy Expo.
On the other hand, his goal is to simply run a successful farm – especially financially. When asked how he made this all happen, he said, chuckling, “Lots of labor! Getting ahead and staying ahead is the key.”
Etgen is a huge proponent of forward thinking; for example, he feeds a high-forage diet. “To feed a high-forage diet, it of course requires high-quality forages. This way, I don’t have to buy nearly as much grain or mineral. My cows are healthier and they have less problems.” By controlling his inputs more, he is able to spend less on feed such as soybean meal.
As a first-generation dairy farmer, Etgen’s main advice is simple: “Work hard.” As he tells his sons, “If you can outwork 95 percent of the population, you can do what you want.” He also advised: “Don’t let the naysayers say you can’t do something. Use it as fuel for your fire! Stay laser-focused on your goals.”
As for the Etgen family, he is fortunate to be surrounded by people who push and understand him. Heather teaches first grade full-time and is extremely helpful on the farm. “If I didn’t have her, I’m really unsure of where we would be,” said Etgen. “She understands the lifestyle and the work.”
A dream once carried by a young suburbanite is now a reality. Although it didn’t magically happen overnight, that dream has made Etgen-Way into what it is today.
Cash, 7, and Henry, 5, both enjoy showing calves at their local county fair.
