January 29, 2022 - 1st section - Zone 2 by Dairy Star

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DAIRY ST R

January 29, 2022

“All dairy, all the time”™

Volume 23, No. 23

Improving for the future

Two Twardokus generations make plans to farm together By Stacey Smart

stacey.s@dairystar.com

HARTFORD, Wis. – Nathan and Jessi Twardokus always knew they wanted to farm. Deciding which farm to go to – his parents’ or her parents’ – was what they had to gure out. The young couple found the perfect arrangement with Nathan’s parents but not in the traditional sense. They would farm together but at two separate locations at rst. Managing the farm owned by his uncle, Ron Twardokus, Nathan and Jessi milk 97 cows near Hartford, a mile down the road from Nathan’s parents, Dean and Carrie, who milk 75 cows. The plan is that within the year, the two herds will merge into one. A freestall barn is going up that will contain 180 stalls, and when the barn is nished, work will begin on a milking parlor. The new facilities at Ron’s farm will allow the two Twardokus herds to unite. “It will be great to combine herds and get all of our milking

cows in one facility,” Jessi said. Nathan agreed. “It will simplify chores a bit,” he said. “We hope to have the barn nished by April, and at that time, we’ll bring over rsttime heifers from my parents’ farm so they have a fresh start in a new setup.” The freestall barn and milking parlor will be the rst of their kind built on the property. Currently, cows are housed and milked in a T-shaped tiestall barn containing 45 stalls in the original part and 53 stalls in the addition built in 1976. Nathan’s parents also milk in a tiestall barn. “We don’t want to milk everyone here until we build a parlor,” Jessi said. “Hopefully we can start it this spring.” The plan is to put in a pit parlor in the 53-stall area of the barn that will either be a double-12 or double-14 swing style. The Twardokus couples will be milking about 180 head when they combine herds. “We don’t plan on going over 200 cows because between the four of us, 200 is enough,”

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

Nathan and Jessi Twardokus milk 97 cows and have been farming together since September 2019 near Harƞord, Wisconsin. The couple is in the process of building a freestall barn to combine herds with Nathan’s parents. Nathan said. “We want the farm to be manageable for four people.” The Twardokus family farms 1,200 acres of corn, silage, soybean and alfalfa along with

sweet corn for a canning factory. Nathan, Dean and Ron handle most of the eldwork. Carrie and Jessi help when needed but are focused more on the animals. Both couples milk morning and

night at their respective farms. Dean and Carrie built a calf barn in 2012, and all calves are housed at their place. Jessi and Turn to TWARDOKUS | Page 7

Exports expected to result in banner year for industry

USDA forecasts $200 million more in dairy sales By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

MADISON, Wis. – The United States is expected to see record results for international trade from 2021, and the dairy industry is no exception. “2021 is going to be a record,” Clay Hamilton said. “Our treasury is always about six weeks behind. What we are forecasting for exports for 2021 is $175.5 billion. That’s $25 billion more than the year before which is fantastic.” Of that $175.5 billion in exports, dairy’s share is approximately $7.7 bil-

lion; a $200 million increase from 2020. Hamilton is the associate administrator for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. He and Dana Coale, deputy administrator for the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service Dairy Program, spoke of last year’s dairy market in the presentation, “USDA Domestic and International Dairy Update,” at the Dairy Strong conference Jan. 20 in Madison. The demand for dairy exports is strong with many countries using dairy byproducts. Wisconsin, in particular, is a powerhouse for exports, contributing 28% of product moved in Canada, Mexico and China, Hamilton said. “Now, Wisconsin you should be proud,” he said. “That’s not just uid milk and basic products, but that’s also products that you processed here in

Wisconsin. And, we are doing everything we can to try to make sure that you can continue to do that.” Hamilton and his staff monitor policy to make sure export regulations do not hinder farmers’ potential to move products internationally. “We have a very delicate balance,” Hamilton said. “There are countries that have certain things that they want to see whether it’s a trace back to the systems or certications or approvals.” For example, Hamilton and his team work to ensure Canada was following compliance with the United StatesMexico-Canada Agreement. “We were very pleased to hear a couple weeks ago that the panel came back in our favor, and now we’re working with Canada to try to nalize it so that we can come up with an agreement that supports your ability to export products

to that market,” Hamilton said. China is another country the United States is focused on maintaining presence in for exporting dairy products. “They really believe in self-sufciency, and there are some other issues going on outside of agriculture,” Hamilton said. “So, while we do want to preserve that market as much as we can, we are also working with organizations to help companies identify alternative markets.” Alternative dairy export markets include tapping in to Asia, Africa and Latin America. “We are here to talk to the producers to see what their ideas are and how we can support them,” Hamilton said. “Our ofces are always happy to have people come in and talk about the opportunities.” Domestically, the dairy industry Turn to DAIRY EXPORTS | Page 6

Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com

ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Editorial Staff Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman - Staff Writer (608) 487-1101 • danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Abby Wiedmeyer - Staff Writer 608-487-4812 • abby.w@dairystar.com Kate Rechtzigel - Staff Writer kate.r@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Amanda Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Kati Kindschuh (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-979-5284 • kati.k@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $40.00, outside the U.S. $200.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star / Star Publications LLC.

The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Star Publications LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.

North America dealers. Farm Bureau delegates advance policy priorities

Dairy Prole brought to you by your American Farm Bureau Federation policy now calls for a bump in the reference price for all Title I commodities in the next farm bill. That same resolution also calls for increased commodity loan rates and adjustments in the farm program payment limitations. For dairy policy, farm bureau delegates sought more transparency in the federal milk pricing system. The biofuels policy now includes support for renewable diesel. Taking steps to ease supply chain disruptions Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed the current supply chain disruptions during his address to the American Farm Bureau Federation. “There’s a lot of reasons why we’re faced with the current dilemma and in a strange way part of it is good news in that there is tremendous demand,” Vilsack said. “That indicates that we’re beginning to expand and grow the economy, but when you have that demand it places a strain on the supply chain and after being dormant during the pandemic the supply chain wasn’t prepared for that immediate uptick in demand.” Action has been taken to ease congestion at the ports and put more truckers on the road. The shortage of shipping containers is also a focus. “We have too many empty containers leaving our ports without having agricultural products in them so we’re working on effforts to incent those containers to be lled with agricultural products.” Vilsack said. More announcements will be coming from United States Department of Agriculture in the near future. Special committee focused on supply chain The Wisconsin Assembly has a new special committee on trade and the supply chain. The committee will focus on the relationship between the labor shortage and supply chain disruptions. Representative Rob Brooks of

Saukville will chair this committee and Representative Alex Dallman of Green Lake will serve as vice chair. NASDA ready for ‘22 policy debate The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture has identied its policy priorities for the year ahead. That list includes, supply chain issues, animal health and the dening of the Waters of the United States. NASDA plans to announce its focus for the 2023 Farm Bill in the upcoming weeks.

Ag Insider

By Don Wick Columnist

There’s no way to return to pre-pandemic trade Speaking at a virtual World Economic Forum, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the world should not try to resurrect the trading system that was in place before the pandemic. Tai said lessons can be learned from the past two years and there is an opportunity to build something “that is different and better.” A stronger, more diversied supply chain is one recommendation. Ination at highest level since ‘82 Compared to one year ago, U.S. consumer prices rose seven percent in December. That represents the fastest increase in prices in nearly 40 years. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell has described ination as “a severe threat”

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 3

It’s all inside... Columnists

Ag Insider

Pages 2, 5 First Section

Krakow

First Section: Page 31

First Section: Page 29

Bayeld

Ashland

Polk

Houzners’ farm achieves century status

Lincoln

Taylor St. Croix Pierce

Pepin

Page 39 First Section

Menominee

Marathon

Buffalo

La Crosse

Dairy vital to success of Kwik Trip

Wood

Juneau

Vernon

Kids Corner: The Rasmussen Family

Third Section: Pages 8 - 9

Richland

Norwalk

Waushara

o ag Calumet

nn Wi

Green Lake Fond Du Lac

Columbia Dodge

Sauk

Wa sh

Pages 10 - 11 Second Section

ie am Brown

ett e

First Section: Pages 10 - 11

Dane

Iowa

Grant

Lafayette Green

Jefferson Waukesha

Rock

Walworth

Zone 1

Carroll

eba

n Win

Second Section: Pages 3, 5

ens

h tep

Jo Daviess

Reedsburg

Brunken purchases farm, renovates barn for herd

Racine Kenosha

Ogle

Whiteside

Rock Island

Madison

Hen ders

For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com

Dairy Day at Capitol connects farmers with legislators

Two Twardokus generations make plans to farm together First Section: Pages 1, 7

Kane

Lee

FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:

Mercer

Hartford

McHenry

DeKalb

Zone 2

g uta

Adams

Monroe La Crosse

Oconto

Portage Waupaca Jackson

Shawano

Clark

Eau Claire

Menominee

Langlade

Chippewa

Dunn

for

Dairy Good Life

The “Mielke” Market Weekly

hb Barron

Forest

Rusk

First Section: Pages 26 - 27

Page 38 First Section

ren

Oneida

Just Thinking Out Loud

Elroy

Price

Delta

Dickinson

Vilas

Flo

Sawyer

Trempealeau

Page 37 First Section

Burnett

Wa s

Something to Ruminate On

Iron

Do or

Page 36 First Section

aun ee

Douglas

Ke w

Ramblings from the Ridge

First Section: Pages 12 - 13

ton S he bo Milwaukee Ozauk M yg ee an anito wo c

First Section: Page 32

Olson enters world of genetics

ing

Rickerts have rich history in dairy industry

Lena

Women in Dairy: Taylor Przybylski

Page 35 First Section

Slinger

Dairy Prole: Dustin Melius

Eldorado

Ma r

Farmer and Columnist

Ringwood

Premier Dairy loses barn in re, nds survivors in aftermath First Section: Pages 8 - 9

How do you retain good employees?

re War

First Section: Pages 15 - 16

First Section: Page 33

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 5

ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 2 and is preparing for multiple interest rate increases this year.

president of DBA and helped create the Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative.

USDA makes no changes to production January’s USDA supply/demand report left 2021 milk production unchanged at 226.2 billion pounds. The forecast for 2022 was also unchanged at 227.7 billion.

Trotter appointed DBA/Edge Co-op CEO Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farm Cooperative Executive Director Tim Trotter has been named the chief executive ofcer for both organizations. Trotter will have many of the same responsibilities, but will also be tasked with growing both groups.

Hay stocks record low The amount of hay stored nationwide as of Dec. 1 was 79 million tons. That’s down six percent from December of 2020 and it is the third lowest Dec. 1 stocks number since 1977. Record low hay stocks were seen in Minnesota, North Dakota, Oregon, Maine and Massachusetts. Approvals made for Saputo Cheese plant Construction will begin this spring on the new Saputo Cheese plant in Franklin, Wisconsin. The $85 million cheese production, packaging and distribution facility will employ 650 people. A good year for tractor and combine sales U.S. tractor and combine sales enjoyed double-digit gains in 2021. For the year, tractor sales were up more than 10%. Sales of 100+ horsepower 2WD tractors were up more than 24 percent and articulated 4WD tractor sales were up 18.3 percent. The small sub-40 horsepower tractor sales were up less than nine percent. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers reports combine sales rose 25 percent. Meissner named advocate of the year The Dairy Business Association awarded the late Jerry Meissner with its Advocate of the Year Award. Meissner died last month. The Clark County dairy farmer was a founding member and past

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Former Deputy Agriculture Secretary elected National 4-H Council Chair Krysta Harden is the new board chair for the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees. Harden is the president and chief executive ofcer of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Previously, Harden served as the deputy agriculture secretary at USDA. Trivia challenge Cotija is the Mexican cheese that is white in color, rm in texture and tastes salty. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, in what year did Kraft introduce Velveeta? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.

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FOR REGIONAL TINGS: E E M N O S R E P IN Join Midwest Dairy staff and Minnesota Division board members at one of six meetings across the state. 1

The Cactus, Perham Wednesday, February 9 Crow River Winery, Hutchinson Thursday, February 10

Zumbrota VFW, Zumbrota Wednesday, February 16 The Falls Ballroom, Little Falls Thursday, February 17

Greenwald Pub, Greenwald Wednesday, February 23 Goodtimes, Caledonia Thursday, February 24

1 4

Tentative Schedule: 10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m.

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Speciﬁc agendas vary by location. Watch for more information via mail, email, and social media.

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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

ConƟnued from DAIRY EXPORTS| Page 1

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faces important issues such as climate “It is a transparent process, and your change, sustainability and milk pricing, participation in it is essential,” Coale said. Once the dairy inall of which require dustry comes forward farmer input. with a proposal and “Climate change is real, and we’ve got request for hearing, to deal with it and nd the USDA will ask for better ways of doing input. Then after 30 days, the organization things so that we can will have to decide to provide safe, healthy move forward or not sustainable products,” with restructuring Hamilton said. “But FMMO. farming is a business. “What you are You can’t legislate or doing right now, the enforce anything on CLAY HAMILTON, conversations you are farmers that they can’t USDA FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL having in this room pay for.” SERVICE and the directors are Hamilton encouraged farmers to get involved in incentive having, the conversations that you are programs that target climate change and having with your colleagues across the U.S., are essential,” Coale said. “It’s very sustainability. “You are your best salesman,” important you utilize us as a resource Hamilton said. “You know how hard while we can talk with you and can help you worked to produce safe, sustain- provide information and guidance to the able products. You know all the efforts extent possible.” Throughout the process, dairy you make to protect the environment. That’s the message we’re trying to get farmers will have several opportunities out across the world; U.S. agriculture is to voice concerns and support before a change in FMMO is voted on. sound and safe.” Whether addressing domestic pricCoale said producers can get involved and make their voices heard as the ing policy or international trade, both Federal Milk Marketing Order may soon Coale and Hamilton encourage farmers be up for discussion and restructuring. to remain involved and share input.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 7

ConƟnued from TWARDOKUS | Page 1 Carrie are in charge of calf feeding. Up breeders that stay on an annual breeding until last fall, Nathan’s grandfather also schedule.” farmed with the Twardokuses. In addition, Jessi said they are see“At age 84, he did a lot of the planting ing more longevity in the cows from last spring, and we’re grateful for that,” crossbreeding. Their rst Swedish Red Nathan said. heifer recently calved, and they are now Nathan and Jessi met at the Dodge starting to get Swedish Red calves out of County Fair in 2015. The day after their their Montbéliardes. wedding in September 2019, Jessi joined “This breeding style replaces the Nathan on his uncle’s farm, and the couple concept of breeding a hard breeder to took over managing the cows. Driven to Angus,” Jessi said. “This way, if you get succeed, Jessi had ideas about what she a heifer, you can keep her and eventually wanted to change and immediately went milk her.” to work improving the farm’s herd health Nathan and Jessi are on a continual system and incorporating an OvSynch push to improve genetics, and breeding program. for good production is the goal. Previously on “ We ’ r e n o t a paper record syslooking for overly tem, Jessi said the fancy animals, even goal was to get a though it’s nice to good handle on rehave some of those production managearound,” Jessi said. ment while switch“We want longeving over to an elecity.” tronic recordkeepNathan and Jesing system. Getting NATHAN TWARDOKUS, DAIRY FARMER si also sped up the animals bred on milking process in time and creating the barn by switcha do-not-breed list were top priorities. ing from single pulsation to double last “There were some cows a year out March. and not bred, and we want to prevent that “Double pulsation is a lot better,” from happening,” Jessi said. “We needed Jessi said. “We used to milk with six units, to know basic things, too, like which cows and now we milk with 10.” were in the barn. After my rst milk test, Harvesting better crops is another I put every cow into numerical order. We area Nathan said his family is working got caught up, and our records are much to improve. more organized now.” “Ever since I started college, we’ve In October 2021, they began using been kind of behind on crops,” he said. AgSourceDM. “We struggled getting them off on time, “We like this system,” Jessi said. and as a result, we were always on drier “Nathan’s mom and dad have been using feed. But, it’s getting better. When you’re it for quite a few years and having the running 1,200 acres, you can’t get to same system as them will make it easy everything on time.” to transfer records.” All animals between the two farms Nathan and Jessi also found it neces- comingle except for milk cows. Currently, sary to put OvSynch protocols into place a lot of shufing of animals occurs beto ensure cows were bred back quicker. tween farms and a couple other locations, “We had to kick it in gear and get a which the Twardokuses would like to program going right away,” Jessi said. minimize in the future. Once the dairy “If a cow hasn’t shown heat by 90 days, barn at Dean and Carrie’s farm is empty, we give her GnRH followed by Lutalyse the family is hoping to nd a new use for seven days later. Three days after that, we the building, such as housing dry cows. breed her and give GnRH again.” “Condensing down all of that moveNow achieving a 50% pregnancy ment is a big thing for us,” Jessi said. rate, Nathan and Jessi feel they have “Eventually, we would like to bring moved reproduction success to a comfort- close-up animals here to calve.” able level. Both Twardokus couples are Both Nathan and Jessi are graduates breeding a three-way cross of Holstein, of Fox Valley Technical College. Nathan Montbéliarde and Swedish Red. has a three-year degree in farm operations, “We get more consistent milk from and Jessi has a one-year agribusiness dairy these animals,” Nathan said. “A Holstein technician degree. will peak and drop off, but almost every When he turns 25, Nathan can start time we DHI test, we can count on the buying into the LLC with his parents, and Montbéliarde cross to be milking a steady eventually, he and Jessi may purchase 60 pounds. (Montbéliardes) are also easy the farm from his uncle. As the younger

“As a farmer, I like the feeling of pride from what you get done in a day.”

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

Nathan and Jessi Twardokus bed stalls Jan. 4 near Harƞord, Wisconsin. Cows are housed and milked in a T-shaped Ɵestall barn. Twardokus couple works their way into ownership, Nathan, a fth-generation farmer, is happy to continue his family’s tradition of dairy farming. “As a farmer, I like the feeling of pride from what you get done in a day,” said 24-year-old Nathan. “At the end of the day, you can step back and look at your work and feel proud.” Nathan and his 23-year-old bride also look forward to raising a family on the farm someday and hope to buy a house in the neighborhood soon, as they currently live 15 minutes away in Horicon. “I want to give our kids the same

type of upbringing we enjoyed,” Jessi said. “We like this lifestyle. It’s simple, yet every day is different. And I like that Nathan and I get to spend time together each day.” Happy with the improvements they have made on the farm thus far, these young farmers are looking forward to the new chapter they will soon begin in their dairy farming career. Bringing two herds together will erase the lines of separation between two Twardokus farms and streamline work for greater efciency as a new generation comes on board.

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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

Discovering a gem in the ashes

Premier Dairy loses barn in re, nds survivors in aftermath By Stacey Smart

stacey.s@dairystar.com

RINGWOOD, Ill. – On the morning of Jan. 12, Eric Svenson carried a healthy newborn heifer calf out of the ashes of the previous night’s re that destroyed his family’s dairy barn. It was a beautiful sight to behold for his 93-yearold grandmother who stood watching from the living room window. Svenson named the calf Fire Truck in honor of the 20 re departments that helped quench the four-alarm re and protect the rest of Premier Dairy. Fire Truck became a bright spot during a dark time. Svenson and his wife, Mandy Parker, had just gone to bed Jan. 11 when they received a call at 9 p.m. that the tiestall barn was on re. The news came from Svenson’s aunt who lives on the farm with his grandmother. Svenson and Parker live across the road. “There are exhaust fans on the south end of the barn, and when we got there, the Christmas lights were still on and one fan was still spinning as ames were coming out of the fans,” Parker said. “It was just eerie.” Parker said she was not worried about the building at that

point. There were four animals inside and a John Deere tractor parked alongside the barn. Those were their priorities. Svenson went for the tractor while Parker ran to the other end of the barn to get two cows out. Two springing heifers were housed in a different part of the barn that Parker and Svenson could not get to. “As I watched the re I was thinking, ‘This is not the way I thought it would all end,’” Svenson said. “This is where all of our income was generated.” Parker had similar sentiments. “I felt really defeated just standing there not being able to do anything,” she said. “It just felt like it was all done. But from the re departments and neighbors who came to help to also seeing cattle trailers roll in to help move cows, all the support we received meant so much.” Svenson, Parker and their farm manager, Zach Nickels, who has been with Svenson for 20 years, milk around 160 cows and farm 400 acres near Ringwood. The 54-stall tiestall barn built in 1941 was where the family milked their cows, which are housed in a freestall facility. The barn was a total loss, but fortunately, no other buildings on the farm were damaged.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Eric Svenson holds onto a healthy newborn heifer calf pulled from the ashes of a re that claimed his family’s dairy barn near Ringwood, Illinois. He named the calf Fire Truck in honor of the reghters who came to their aid. “We’re really lucky,” Svenson said. “The re departments did a good job of keeping everything in one place.” Two grain bins and a machine shed containing straw,

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commodities and a mixing tractor are located near the barn, and the way the wind was blowing that night, those things became a concern. The reghters were also worried about the embers

reaching the subdivision next door and the ve silage bags on Turn to PREMIER DAIRY | Page 9

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 9

ConƟnued from PREMIER DAIRY | Page 8 the feed pad north of the barn. I saw the calf. It was unbelievable. They “For being in a town that doesn’t deal all seemed ne; they weren’t burned or with many barn res, the re departments singed. They looked happy and healthy.” did a great job,” Parker said. Parker agreed. With their milking facilities wiped “The heifers stuck their heads out out, cows were taken to six farms that of the little window in their pen to let night within a 20-mile circle. us know they were still alive,” she said. “We’re a (Dairy Farmers of America) “And then a little baby, dry and uffy, farm, and we just started on quota the rst came bouncing out behind the mom.” of the year,” Svenson said. “We could It happened to be herd health day. move quota around if the cows were at Their vet checked out the three survivors DFA farms that didn’t have enough milk. and reported they did not appear to have They wouldn’t get penalized.” suffered any damage and were going The next morning, Svenson took the to be ne. Not one animal perished as dreaded walk through the wreckage to a result of the re, and some might say check on the two heifers that lived in a the survival of those animals trapped in box stall beneath the barn ramp. the barn overnight was nothing short of “I didn’t want to go look because I a miracle. thought for sure they were dead,” SvenSvenson said most of their cows are son said. “I got halfway to their pen and now being milked in parlors but have PHOTO SUBMITTED heard someone moving around, and then adjusted well. A re destroys the original dairy barn at Premier Dairy Jan. 11 near Ringwood, Illinois. The farm was where Eric Svenson and Mandy Parker milked 160 cows and farm 400 acres.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The 54-stall Ɵestall barn built in 1941 was where the family milked their cows, which are housed in a freestall facility.

“The somatic cell count is the test I look at first.”

“All the farmers treat our cows like their own,” he said. “We supply whatever they need – medicine, semen, etc. Just dealing with insurance guys, dairy equipment dealers and builders has been so time consuming that I can’t imagine milking too right now.” Svenson and Parker miss the cows and make trips to visit their cows on a regular basis. The couple continues to house calves, heifers and dry cows on their farm. “Our big calving push is February, and we have 35 cows due in the next 45 days,” Svenson said. Svenson’s phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from everyone from college friends to the bank to the feed mill to people he has not talked to in years. “Everybody has been super helpful,” Svenson said. “It’s amazing how often they all call.”

The cause of the re is suspected to be electrical, but an investigation is in progress. “We’re really grateful for everyone who’s reached out to support us,” Parker said. “From the people who were there the night of the re to those who’ve dropped off food and donated money, we can’t thank you enough. This is not a high ag area, and it’s overwhelming the people who have gotten to us. We are super blessed.” The family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to rebuild their barn. “We have some ideas about what we want to do, but we’re still dealing with insurance so everything is up in the air until we get that nailed down,” Svenson said. “On June 1, it will be 22 years since I started here. The cows have to be back by then.”

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What are some of the DHIA tests you use? We use the fat, protein, and SCC tests.

Which is your favorite test and why? The somatic cell count is the test I look at Àrst to pinpoint high cows. I pick out the top Àve cows and try to Àgure out their issues. How does testing with DHIA beneÀt your dairy operation? Being able to see each individual cow’s components and SCC along with the reproductive records is very helpful. All those records just take a big load off for me and the farm. I look at them several times a week for breeding dates, dry off dates and other things.

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Tell us about your farm. I farm with my wife, Valerie, and our four children Mia, 8, Tony, 5, Dayton, 19 months old, and Sarah, 1 month old. We milk 67 cows in a tiestall barn and raise all our own replacement heifers. We farm 200 acres of rented land where we grow corn, soybeans and hay.

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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

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LA CROSSE, Wis. – The iconic Kwik Trip gas station stores are moving dairy products around the Midwest and beyond. What began as a single store in 1981 has grown to 800 locations and counting. John McHugh, direction of public relations at Kwik Trip, said the company’s growth was done with a family-oriented mindset. “We are a family-owned company that values the Midwestern roll-up-your-sleeves work ethic,” McHugh said. More than 80% of the products in the stores are produced in La Crosse through Kwik Trip’s own bakery, dairy and kitchens. The dairy intake bay accepts 20.98 million pounds of raw milk every month. PHOTO SUBMITTED Additionally, non-fat dry milk is used in Sam Ellingson (leŌ) and Dave Schoh are both quality control some of the products. laboratory technicians at the dairy plant in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. “Kwik Trip’s nished product list consists of seven types of milk plus their limited-time offers; whole, 2%, 1%, skim, low-fat chocolate, chocolate The holding silos can hold up to 220,000 gallons of raw milk. From the holding silos, the milk is pulled into the and strawberry,” said Jeremy Nickelotti, Kwik Trip dairy processing room and sent through a pasteurization system. director. The company also produces its own half-and-half, This removes the butterfat from the milk and incorporates ice cream, Italian ice and Greek yogurt. Of all the dairy the proper amount back into the milk. Depending on which products offered, the gas station’s top selling uid product products are being made, the product then goes through is 2% milk. Of the various ice cream avors, vanilla tops the homogenizer. Once the pasteurization process is complete, the milk the list as the most popular. The business has two plants on its campus; a uid milk is cooled. The milk is pumped into the pasteurized product plant that bottles all of the dairy items and another facility silos which can hold up to 98,000 gallons. From the silos, to package the ice cream. The bottling plant brings in the Turn to KWIK TRIP | Page 11 loads of raw milk and stores it in holding silos every day.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 11

ConƟnued from KWIK TRIP | Page 10

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Al Bollinger, a dairy supervisor, loads ice cream lids onto the lid dispenser at the dairy plant in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. the milk is pulled into one of four milk llers and put into a bottle or bag. “Kwik Trip is one of very few places left that does bagged milk,” Nickelotti said. “Another fun fact is that (the company) has a blow mold plant where they make their own half gallons and gallon jugs.” The bottling process is similar for the avored products; however, there are a few steps that include the addition of avoring powders. The ice cream process pulls raw milk in and blends the milk with cream and other ingredients to obtain the desired fat content. After the raw ice cream is blended, it is pasteurized and pumped into a pasteurizing aging silo where it is eventually brought back to a avoring tank. The mix is taken from 36 degrees Fahrenheit down to 20 degrees in the freezing process. The ice cream is then piped into a ller room where individual containers are lled, sealed and dated. From there, the ice cream travels into the spiral freezer, bringing the temperature below zero. Finally, the ice cream is bundled and stacked into the storage freezer before being shipped to stores. “(The company) sources all of their raw milk through cooperatives which all come from the tri-state area,” Nickelotti said. “Milk can go from the cow to the store in as little as 72 hours.” Purchasing trends have changed slightly in the last year and a half, with a swing in bottle preference. “There was an increase in larger container sales, gallons and half gallons during this last winter,” Nickelotti said. “Since then, over the summer and fall, we have noticed the trend of small bottle purchases returning.”

To keep up with consumer preference, the company is continually looking for new items and avors to produce. “Variety allows our guest to gain more variety and to continue our commitment of guest satisfaction,” Nickelotti said. Part of the company’s success is also being present in the community. They promote dairy products whenever possible. “Kwik Trip donates to many June Dairy Day events and helps with on-farm breakfast events in their area,” Nickelotti said. Further involvement in the dairy industry comes from the company having a seat on the board of directors for the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association and being a member of the International Dairy Foods Association. They also compete in dairy product contests. The strawberry milk received rst place, of 1,400 entries, in the 2021 World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest. Nickelotti said none of Kwik Trip’s success would be possible without the dairy industry. “The dairy industry is a vital part of our process,” Nickelotti said. “Without it, we would not have a plant.” McHugh agreed. “The dairy industry and farmers are extremely important to the business,” he said. “Without them, Kwik Trip would be unable to supply their guests with the items they are accustomed to acquiring at their locations. Kwik Trip counts on their co-ops and patrons to supply them with the highest quality milk possible so that they can supply their guests the best quality products possible. Without farmers doing what they do to care for their animals, Kwik Trip couldn’t supply the high-quality items they do.”

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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

Seeing Red and White

Olson enters world of genetics By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

LENA, Wis. – Throughout his life, Daniel Olson has had a curiosity and an interest in creating businesses and embracing opportunities. That natural curiosity led Olson down a new path in the dairy industry of genetics and show cattle. “As a teenager, I was interested in genetics and would memorize the Red Books,” Olson said. “Now, I am interested in pursuing it as a different option and opportunity to see if it can become a viable business venture. But for now, we are just having some fun.” Olson is a seventh-generation dairy farmer. Together with his family, he milks about 160 cows on the home farm site. About 50 show cows are milked at a second location. “With the cost of living and margins, it is hard for a 60-cow dairy to be viable unless you nd another angle for the longterm,” Olson said. “That is my goal with this venture.” Turn to OLSON | Page 13

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Daniel Olson (center) stands with herdspeople Laura Holtzinger (from leŌ) and MaƩ Linehan, and sons Caleb and Josiah at the farm near Lena, Wisconsin. Olson entered the world of geneƟcs and is building a small herd of Red and White cows and is currently milking 210 cows.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 13

ConƟnued from OLSON | Page 12

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Cows relax on the bedded pack in the Olson’s new pack barn facility near Lena, Wisconsin. Olson has developed about a dozen Linehan and Holtzinger arrived with businesses, including Forage Innovations their animals, a small herd of Jerseys and where he consults on feeding more than Red and White Holsteins, July 8, 2021. 800,000 cows throughout the U.S. The young couple began caring for their The new venture began when Olson own cows and the small herd Olson had purchased two farms, each adjacent to been accumulating amid the construction the home farm ve years ago. One of process for the new facility. those has become the site for the famThe process has not been without ily’s second farm and the other location setbacks. The farm experienced a windhas been made into a facility for up to storm, and the roof of one of the new 600 heifers and will be used to house barns came down while the cows were in recipient cows carrying embryos from the barn. The trio considered themselves the genetic herd. lucky that all of the animals escaped “I hadn’t really done anything to injury in the collapse. develop this site, and I was thinking The barns to house the genetics and about ways to utilize it,” Olson said. “I show herd are nearing completion this would like to have something set up for winter. A few delays have been caused by my children to take over and run if any supply chain issues. The herd is milked of them would decide they want to be in a parlor and housed on bedding packs. involved in agriculture.” The last six months since cattle have Olson and his wife, Hannah, have moved to the second farm have presented nine children: Caleb, 17, Josiah, 16, a learning curve for Olson, Linehan and Helena, 13, Adrian, Holtzinger. 12, Ella, 10, Anders, “Our rst show 9, Everett, 6, Arthur, was the Wisconsin 3 and Charlotte, 9 State Show, and we months. Olson said experienced a few his two oldest sons bumps in the road have taken an active getting everything interest in genetorganized for that,” ics and show cattle Olson said. “But herd. things went much “I am really smoother for the new to the genetnext two: World ics business, but Dairy Expo and DANIEL OLSON, DAIRY FARMER from what I have the North American observed, I feel like show cows are often International Livestock Exposition.” undervalued. And, there is an overvaluOlson’s inaugural show season was ation of show calves,” Olson said. “My successful, he said, procuring his rst thought is to buy good cows and make Red and White all-American nomination calves to sell.” with Schluter Shelby Lee-Red-ET, who When he originally forayed into the received honorable mention honors in world of registered dairy cattle genetics, the 5-year-old class after a fourth-place Olson had his eye turned toward the nish at World Dairy Expo. genomics game, but soon decided that The farm hosted its rst Holstein route was not for him. USA classication in December 2021 “Trying to get the numbers that make with a resulting Breed Age Average of something special and have it be early 111.8%, which ranked ninth for herds in enough to be special can be exhausting,” the state of Wisconsin. Olson said. “To be viable, you need to “That BAA didn’t include any of the make lots of calves. It just wasn’t fun, and cows that we have purchased that already in the end, if something is not enjoyable, had a maximum score for their current I don’t need to be doing it.” lactation,” Olson said. “It was a really Olson hopes to market calves and good start, and I have great expectations embryos from the cows he has acquired for our next classication in March.” and possibly offer a custom embryo As the construction projects are recipient opportunity to others as well. completed on the farm, Olson has his Olson’s original timeline for devel- sights set on making the farm more oping the second herd had been to start visitor friendly with a long-term goal of milking in the new facility this past sum- hosting an annual sale at the farm. There mer. But, an opportunity presented itself are also ideas to incorporate agritourism, and plans were changed to accommodate. and Olson plans to work with Holtzinger “I came across Matt (Linehan) and to develop a social media marketing Laura (Holtzinger) on Facebook,” Olson campaign to promote the animals they said. “They were looking for a place to are working with. move their small herd to and it seemed “Our heifer pens are full of some like a good t to bring them here. It just really good animals out of some pretty made things interesting being the facili- good cows,” Olson said. “I think the ties were not ready.” future is looking pretty good.”

“I am really new to the genetics business, but from what I have observed, I feel like show cows are often undervalued.”

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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

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Dairyy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 15

From Our Side Of The Fence Merideth and Brandon Maier Thorp, Wisconsin Clark County 200 cows How many employees do you have, and what are their duties? We employ two full-time employees and two part-time employees. Our full-time employees milk ve days a week together. Our part-time employees are both in high school, so they help when and where they are needed, ranging from milking, xing, cleaning and eldwork, etc. What are the shifts for your employees, and how do you handle time off for them? Our full-time employees milk ve-days-a-week, morning and night shift. They have two full days off a week. The majority of the time they maintain a very consistent schedule. If time off is needed, we are exible. My husband and I will take their shift and/or our high school help will ll in. As far as our high school help, we understand school schedules can be hectic as well as extracurricular activities and home life. If one or both are not able to come when needed, we simply do the work ourselves or rearrange plans so they can come help a different day. What is the best method you use to nd quality employees? Our four employees have all been found through friends and acquaintances, through word of mouth. Reaching out to neighbors or individuals we do business with is best for us. They help us put the word out if we need help. What training process do they go through after they are hired, and what follow-up training or continuing education do you offer? We train our employees ourselves. We milk together for a good couple of weeks, teaching them procedures and protocols. Some employees take a little longer to train-in than others. Giving an employee the time they need to fully understand the entire job is crucial. Although they might only be doing one job on the farm such as milking, we try to give them a general knowledge about the entire operation. An employee is most valuable when they have an understanding of how our farm is run and our expectations in all areas. Communication is key. We have talked about sending our employees to conferences such as PDPW, but we have not pulled the trigger. We try to pour our knowledge into the high school kids. It is so fun to see a hunger for learning at that age. We do our best to expose them to vet work, animal nutrition, equipment maintenance, crop and manure management and the farm as a whole. It’s important for them to see that farming is not just milking cows; it’s so much more than that. We want them to see that agriculture has so much to offer and such a wide range of job opportunities after they leave high school.

Dairy farmers:

How do you retain good employees? Eric Mezera Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin Crawford County 110 cows and 160 goats

What training process do they go through after they are hired, and what follow-up training or continuing education do you offer? We do on-the-job training, and How many employees the time depends on how do you have, and what experienced they are. We are their duties? Other take the rst week or so than family, we have to show them what to do. two part-time employThey usually catch on ees. One of them milks cows, and one of pretty quickly. We generally have two them milks goats. people milking at a time. If someone is slower at catching on, we keep a third What are the shifts for your employees, person with them until they get it. We do and how do you handle time off for not offer any further education. them? The employee who milks the goats is in school so he milks at night from 6-9 How does your farm remain competip.m. Our employee for the cows mostly tive in retaining good employees? We milks at night from 4:30-7:30 p.m. and denitely raised our pay rate over the last sometimes on weekends. We are pretty ve years. We gave a Christmas bonus exible when they need time off and ll in the last two years. in the work ourselves. Tell us about your farm. At Hill-n-Vale What is the best method you use to nd Acres, we milk 110 cows and 160 goats. quality employees? We have posted jobs The home farm has been in the family on Facebook in the past or through word since 1868. My brother and I are the sixth of mouth. generation. We farm about 500 acres. Jason Vorpahl Random Lake, Wisconsin Sheboygan County 3,300 cows

How many employees do you have, and what are their duties? We have 60 employees, 50 are full-time and 10 part-time. Their daily duties include cow care, calf care, milking, feeding cows, nancial, human resources, business, crops, manure, equipHow does your farm remain competitive in retaining good employees? We have ment and shop management. a great team. All of our employees have been with us more than two years. We have all become family; the four employees love our kids and treat them so well. They all What are the shifts for your employees, love our animals and truly care for them. We do our best to give raises individually as and how do you handle time off for we see t. We try our best to take care of our employees; we do not offer insurance, them? Milking shifts are 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., paid time off or retirement. We do celebrate birthdays, host cookouts, give beef to 1-9 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Cow feeders employees when we butcher and give random thank you cards with cash. We try very work from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. Calf care has hard to communicate with our employees that they are appreciated. many different shift times. People in the shop work from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Employees Tell us about your farm. We are Maiers Acres, Brandon and Merideth Maier. We work between 30 and 60 hours a week with celebrated 10 years of farming last July. On average, we milk 200 cows, most of them regular time off scheduled. being registered Brown Swiss. Merideth is the fourth generation of registered Brown Swiss breeders. We are happy to be able to continue the tradition. We rent about 500 What is the best method you use to nd acres to meet our needs. We have three children, Collin, Bailey and Briggs. They are quality employees? Word of mouth. great help on the farm. We do our best to breed our Swiss for competitive, high-type genetics while maintaining milk production. We truly love what we do. Farming What training process do they go consumes most of our time, but when we take a break, you can nd us at a tractor through after they are hired, and what pull, cattle show or in South Dakota visiting family.

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follow-up training or continuing education do you offer? Each department is trained by its supervisor. Continuing education varies from daily learning to scheduled in-house meetings to attending industry educational seminars. How does your farm remain competitive in retaining good employees? Having an organized, enjoyable, clean, comfortable and safe working environment is key. We offer health insurance, simple IRA retirement plus percentage match, paid vacation, time-and-a-half holiday pay, somatic cell count bonuses, calving bonuses and Christmas bonuses. We also have rental housing for many employees. Tell us about your farm. I am a fthgeneration farmer at Rockland Dairy where we farm 4,500 acres and milk three times a day in two parlors – a double-32 and a double-13. We put out around 275,000 pounds of milk per day.

Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16

Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Morgan Robers Exeland, Wisconsin Sawyer County 450 cows How many employees do you have, and what are their duties? We have eight full-time employees and one parttime employee along with myself and my husband, Dan, and both of his parents. What are the shifts for your employees, and how do you handle time off for them? We have one full-time calf position who feeds morning and night. He prefers no time off. If needed, I take a shift for him. We have three milking shifts: 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1-9 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Each shift has two employees. One employee is in the parlor, and one is pushing cows. For time off, the afternoon crew will sometimes work a double to allow the morning crew a day off, or they will swap with each other. Our feeder is full time with every other weekend scheduled off plus vacation time to use at his discretion. While he is off, my husband feeds. I am the herdsman and do human resources duties. I’m there every day and every other weekend as well. My husband and I work the same weekends. We also have one part-time employee who lls in for me on my weekends off and also lls in as needed to breed, address ill cows or vaccinate if we are out of town. Dan’s mom does all of the bookwork, and his dad manages the crops. What is the best method you use to nd quality employees? For the most part, people show up here because they know someone working here. There are hiring groups for agriculture on social media that I have used and have had good luck with. I have found that social media works the best. What training process do they go through after they are hired, and what follow-up training or continuing education do you offer? On the day of hire, I go through the entire employee handbook. I lay out our expectations. You can always tell when someone is up for the task by their reactions to our standards. I also like to hire people without parlor experience. Protocols and expectations are different from farm to farm, and I have found it easier to train someone without existing habits. At our farm, parlor protocol is rst and foremost.

Each milking employee works two weeks in the barn pushing cows and cleaning stalls with someone. Once in the parlor, they shadow that position until we are condent they understand the importance of our protocol. We usually hold an annual meeting with a translator to refresh all of us on the importance of cleanliness, proper animal care and timeliness. I go to courses on calf care, conict management, nancial literacy and other useful programs. We also have friends who host English classes on Sundays. We allow employees to clock in then go to that if they want to. How does your farm remain competitive in retaining good employees? We start each position at a at rate. After a 30-day assessment, we do an increase and again after 90 days or so. We also offer rent-free housing, discounted health insurance and paid vacation. Each year, everyone gets a at-rate increase that is generally a percentage of their current wages. We also pay time and a half for holidays. We give a cash bonus at Christmas and give clothing throughout the year. The most important thing is to have a personal relationship with our team. Tell us about your farm. Our farm originated near Burlington. In 1981, my father-in-law, Mike, moved the family farm to Exeland where he continued milking the herd. His father, Mick, moved to Exeland shortly after, and they continued to farm together. In 2005, they expanded the tiestall barn to accommodate 30 more animals. In 2010, I came into the picture. Dan and I got married, we built the new freestall barn and expanded the herd from 70 cows to 200. We started expanding our land base and formed the LLC. In 2013, we expanded manure and feed facilities; in 2015, we built our heifer facility; and in 2018, we expanded the freestall barn to accommodate 450 cows. We have three kids, ages 6, 9 and 12, who enjoy being here. In February 2019, our barn collapsed during a severe winter storm. We lost 27 fresh cows and had to rebuild our fresh cow portion of the freestall barn. Our crops include 500 acres of corn, 160 acres of alfalfa and 60 acres of a clover-grass mix. We hire our corn chopping and combining as well as most of the manure hauling. We produce over 30,000 pounds, and we owe that to great management, our nutritionist, our veterinarian and the entire team here.

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Ethan Ulness Valders, Wisconsin Manitowoc County 440 cows How many employees do you have, and what are their duties? We have 10 employees – four full-time and six part-time. Our fulltime employees do most of the milking and scraping of pens. One of our full-time guys also helps with herdsman work, giving shots and providing other day-to-day care. Our part-time employees include high school kids who help with calf feeding. Part-time help also lls in on nights and weekends. What are the shifts for your employees, and how do you handle time off for them? The morning milking shift is from 3 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.; the afternoon milking shift is from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and the night shift is from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. We have schedule changes where some people work two shifts one day and then one shift other days. All full-time employees have one day off per week. We are exible, and if an employee requests a day off, it’s basically a guarantee they will get it. Or, if they need a weekend off, we try to be exible and make it work. What is the best method you use to nd quality employees? Word of mouth. What training process do they go through after they are hired, and what follow-up training or continuing education do you offer? We have them work with the manager or assistant herdsman for a few shifts and cover everything from newborn calf feeding through milking or whatever their task is during a shift. From newborn calves to fresh cows, we have protocols for each area of the farm and have a protocol book that we give to all employees to follow for each task. We don’t have a true continued education program, but about twice a year, we get together to refresh employees on tasks and go over everything. How does your farm remain competitive in retaining good employees? After they are employed for one year, we offer employees a week of paid vacation. We have one house where our longest employee lives who has been with us for more than 10 years. Employees also receive end-of-year bonuses, and we try to do little incentives throughout the year in the form of gift cards, etc. We also offer paid holidays. We treat our employees right and are fair to them and maintain good communication. Tell us about your farm. We expanded the farm in 2010. We built a new facility starting with 300 cows before expanding to 500. We run about 1,000 acres. We are a centennial farm as the farm has been in my family for more than 100 years. My great-grandma kept the farm going during the Spanish u as a single mother with three kids, one being very young, when my great-grandpa passed away. I am the fourth generation at Hi-Tower Farms and will be taking it over with a family friend who has become a partner in the business as my dad phases out of the operation.

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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

Harvesting Quality Forages

Baling protocols key for Speltzes

Eric Speltz Altura, Minnesota Winona County 800 goats

Describe your farm and facilities. We milk 800 goats, nish 1,500 meat goats a year, raise 50 beef cows and run about 220 acres of hay. We also run a custom baling and wrapping business. What forages do you harvest? We harvest alfalfa, oat and winter rye. How many acres of crops do you raise? We have 220 acres in alfalfa, 90 acres in oat which is a nurse crop, 80 acres in corn for feed and 80 acres in winter rye. We haven’t done winter rye every year, but the last couple years we have. Describe the rations for your livestock. The milking goats get 2.5 to 3 pounds of a 15% mix of corn, a soyhull pellet, a protein pellet, which has all their vitamins and minerals, and we offer free choice baleage which is about 25%-45% in moisture. We feed the youngstock an 18% Turn to FORAGES| Page 20

KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR

Eric Speltz pushes in fresh alfalfa to a pen of goats Jan. 19 on his farm near Altura, Minnesota. Speltz harvests alfalfa between 170 and 200 RFQ and 10-13 bales per acre per year.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 19

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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

ConƟnued from FORAGES| Page 18

protein, but it still has the same corn and soyhull pellet mixture. What quality and quantity do you harvest of each crop? For quality, we shoot for 170 to 200 relative forage quality, and we harvest 10-13 bales per acre per year. Describe your harvesting techniques for alfalfa and corn silage. We only harvest alfalfa. We harvest the corn as

dry corn to mix back into the ration. The alfalfa is cut at 25- to 28-day cutting intervals and baled into 4-by-4.5-foot bales with three Kuhn balers. My son, Gable; my friend, Brady Beyer; my brother-in-law, Terry Schultz; my dad, Ron Speltz; and Patrick Kalmes help me with harvest and help with the custom baling and wrapping business. My wife, Melissa, provides all the meals we need during harvest time. What techniques do you use to store, manage and feed your forages? Everything is in-line plastic wrapped with 1 mil in plastic. We feed about 2.5 to three bales a day to the milking goats. Describe a challenge you overcame in reaching your forage quality goals. Instead of cutting at 32 days, shortening the cutting to 28 days this year seemed to help improve our quality. The weather, and having our own equipment, also helps. We have the exibility of having our own equipment and enough people around to get it done. My brotherin-law cuts it with his Haybine, so he can cut 120 acres a day, and then we can harvest it fast with multiple balers.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Eric Speltz and his crew wrap their hay within 18 hours aŌer the hay is baled. This is important for their forage quality.

How do quality forages play a part in the production goals for your herd? They play a large part as having a highly-digestible

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Eric Speltz and his family milk 800 goats on their farm near Altura, Minnesota. They also run 220 acres of hay, 90 acres of oats, 80 acres of corn and 80 acres of winter rye. feed makes more milk. Goats are also good at wasting hay, so having a little bit of moisture on the stems prevents the leaves from all falling off when we’re handling it. What are management or harvesting techniques you have changed that have

made a notable difference in forage quality? Putting plenty of plastic on and getting them wrapped within 18 hours after they’re baled. We don’t add an inoculant, so tight bale wrapping and wrapping with enough plastic helps to improve our forage quality.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 21

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COMBINES JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean; PRWD, 1376 sep hrs., #175318......................... $319,500 JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2006 hrs., 1350 sep hrs., #174756 ........ $159,900 JD S670, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2430 hrs., 1453 sep hrs., #176660 ........ $199,500 JD 6620, 1987, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3903 hrs., sep hrs., #177388 ......................$12,500 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1080 hrs., 690 sep hrs., #177549 .......... $364,400 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2373 hrs., 1703 sep hrs., #178114........... $147,900 JD S770, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2242 hrs., 1587 sep hrs., #181147 ........ $245,000 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2974 hrs., 2063 sep hrs., #182070 ........ $144,900 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1379 hrs., 916 sep hrs., #183533 .......... $355,000 JD 9500, 1991, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 6754 hrs., 5000 sep hrs., #185458 .............$22,400 JD 6620, 1979, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1557 hrs., #187694 ......................................$7,900 JD 9670 STS, 2011, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3669 hrs., 2503 sep hrs., #188158 ......$99,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 791 hrs., 596 sep hrs., #188309 ............ $454,900 JD 6620, 1983, Corn/Bean, 3800 hrs., #188350 ...............................................$9,500 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 834 hrs., 626 sep hrs., #188458 ............ $454,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 760 hrs., 539 sep hrs., #188459 ............ $454,900 JD 7720, 1986, Corn/Bean, 2WD, #188736 ......................................................$8,500 JD 9510, 1998, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 5225 hrs., 3475 sep hrs., #189676 .............$28,500 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1981 hrs., 1420 sep hrs., #189953 ........ $202,000 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2429 hrs., 1762 sep hrs., #190078 ........ $191,000 JD 9770 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 4550 hrs., 3172 sep hrs., #190521....$81,000 JD 9660 STS, 2003, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3044 hrs., 2063 sep hrs., #190643 ......$64,500 JD 9510, 1999, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 3887 hrs., 2694 sep hrs., #190861 ...........$42,500 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 449 hrs., 345 sep hrs., #190866 ............ $492,000 JD 9650 STS, 2003, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 5240 hrs., 3504 sep hrs., #190984....$38,500 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 268 hrs.,161 sep hrs., #191038 ............. $529,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 108 hrs., 80 sep hrs., #191045 .............. $584,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 219 hrs., 168 sep hrs., #191046 ............ $565,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 289 hrs., 217 sep hrs., #191047 ............ $504,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 216 hrs., 168 sep hrs., #191048 ............ $507,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 178 hrs., 122 sep hrs., #191049 ............ $509,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 337 hrs., 281 sep hrs., #191053 ............ $528,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 94 hrs., sep hrs., #191063 ..................... $520,900

JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 113 hrs., 79 sep hrs., #191064 .............. $518,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 387 hrs., 310 sep hrs., #191065 ............ $509,900 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 421 hrs., 308 sep hrs., #191075 ............ $582,500 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 397 hrs., 285 sep hrs., #191076 ............ $500,000 JD S790, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1040 hrs., 800 sep hrs., #191077 .......... $410,000 JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1347 hrs., #191164 ............................... $368,000 JD 7720, 1984, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2400 hrs., #191197 ....................................$11,500 JD 4420, 1984, Corn/Bean, 1590 hrs., #191278 .............................................$10,500 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 256 hrs., 189 sep hrs., #191345 ............ $546,000 Case IH 8240, 2017, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1733 hrs., 1318 sep hrs., #191428 . $212,000 Case IH 2388, 2003, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4008 hrs., 2948 sep hrs., #191439 ....$35,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 160 hrs., 109 sep hrs., #191479 ............ $535,900 JD 9570 STS, 2010, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2330 hrs., 1566 sep hrs., #191699 ... $109,000 JD S670, 2016, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1632 hrs., 1181 sep hrs., #191715........... $188,000 JD S670, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2590 hrs., 1673 sep hrs., #191790........ $167,000 JD 9760 STS, 2005, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3466 hrs., 2257 sep hrs., #191809 ......$64,900 Case IH 9250, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1000 hrs., 860 sep hrs., #191840. $363,000 JD S680, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1938 hrs., 1362 sep hrs., #191923 ........ $271,000 Case IH 8120, 2009, PRWD, 3250 hrs., 2250 sep hrs., #191978 ................. $108,000 JD S670, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2250 hrs., 1600 sep hrs., #191983 ........ $185,000 JD 9760 STS, 2004, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 4011 hrs., 2754 sep hrs., #272677....$49,900 JD S680, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1659 hrs., 1197 sep hrs., #273603 ........ $247,900 JD S680, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1487 hrs., 1053 sep hrs., #273646 ........ $254,900 JD S790, 2018, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1229 hrs., 914 sep hrs., #273973............. $334,900 JD S790, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1060 hrs., 684 sep hrs., #274274 .......... $449,900 JD 9750 STS, 2002, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3436 hrs., 2491 sep hrs., #274290 ......$34,900 JD 6620SH, 1982, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3594 hrs., #274596 .................................$6,950 JD S790, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1208 hrs., 920 sep hrs., #274893 .......... $359,900 JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1268 hrs., 888 sep hrs., #275242 .......... $369,900 JD S760, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 35 hrs., 1 sep hrs., #275325 .................. $459,900 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 406 hrs., 299 sep hrs., #275515 ............ $549,900 JD S790, 2021 Corn/Bean, PRWD, 322 hrs., 231 sep hrs., #275632 ............. $534,900 JD S680, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1147 hrs., 872 sep hrs., #275715 .......... $289,900

JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 108 hrs., 81 sep hrs., #275855 .............. $554,900 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 147 hrs., 94 sep hrs., #275856 .............. $554,900 JD S790, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1140 hrs., 864 sep hrs., #275917 .......... $429,900 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1133 hrs., 823 sep hrs., #276000............. $324,900 JD 9870 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2721 hrs., 1905 sep hrs., #276033. $109,900 JD X9 1100, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 485 hrs., 321 sep hrs., #276061....... $699,900 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1658 hrs., 1253 sep hrs., #276066 ........ $224,900 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, 513 hrs., 382 sep hrs., #276139 ....................... $524,900 JD 9570 STS, 2011, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1354 hrs., 1050 sep hrs., #276142 ... $129,900 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1588 hrs., 1130 sep hrs., #276170 ........ $329,900 JD 9650 STS, 1999, Corn/Bean, Duals, 5395 hrs., 3467 sep hrs., #276232.....$34,900 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2350 hrs., 1713 sep hrs., #276314 .......... $219,900 JD S680, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2195 hrs., 1507 sep hrs., #276315 ........ $247,900 Case IH 1680, 1987, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4125 hrs., sep hrs., #276343...............$8,950 JD 9670 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, Duals, 2237 hrs., 1720 sep hrs., #276368.....$94,900 JD 9670 STS, 2008, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4225 hrs., 2830 sep hrs., #276373 ......$79,900 JD S770, 2018, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1411 hrs., 1051 sep hrs., #421313........... $277,000 JD 9510, 1998, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4089 hrs., 2827 sep hrs., #523878 .............$28,500 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 995 hrs., 772 sep hrs., #523885 ............ $379,000 JD 9570 STS, 2008, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2888 hrs., 1873 sep hrs., #524017 ......$89,900 JD 9670 STS, 2010, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2920 hrs., 2184 sep hrs., #524114 ......$95,900 JD 9510, 1999, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4167 hrs., 2964 sep hrs., #524200 .............$28,500 JD S690, 2017 Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1421 hrs., 1187 sep hrs., #524271 ......... $295,000 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2748 hrs., 2048 sep hrs., #524469.......... $165,900 JD 9600, 1992, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4764 hrs., 3192 sep hrs., #524471 .............$22,000 JD 7720, 1984, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 4408 hrs., #524535 ....................................$8,950 JD 9500SH, 1992, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 6029 hrs., 4203 sep hrs., #524869 ........$19,000 JD S680, 2012, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2575 hrs., 1817 sep hrs., #524875 .......... $132,500 JD S680, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1172 hrs., 763 sep hrs., #525836 .......... $280,000 JD S790, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 795 hrs., 608 sep hrs., #525863 ............ $429,000 JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2366 hrs., 1513 sep hrs., #527150 .......... $145,000 JD 9750 STS, 2002, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 6200 hrs., 4200 sep hrs., #531028 ......$34,900 JD S760, 2018, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 745 hrs., 550 sep hrs., #531221............... $314,900

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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

Self learning teat positions

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Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United Dairy Systems, Inc. West Union, IA 563-422-5355 WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825

Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470

MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA Advanced Dairy of Mora Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Brookings, SD 800-636-5581 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416

Snow days as a kid

Growing up on a farm, whenever there was a snow day at school, there would be a fun day at home with a little work involved. My parents are full-time dairy farmers, so snow days as a kid meant they had extra help on the farm. But snow days also meant we didn’t have any homework, just a few extra chores and an entire day of fun. When school was canceled, we’d get up in the morning and help my mom milk cows while my dad would feed and plow snow. My parents have a 54-stall stanchion barn with a freestall barn where most of the cows spend their days By Kati Kindschuh in the winter, but we always Staff Writer kept a few cows in the barn. We’d nish milking, do all of the cleaning, bed everything down and give extra hay to the cows who stayed in. We would nish our chores and immediately head outside to play in the snow. When my dad plowed the driveway, he would always make a big pile of snow in front of the house, so we could build snow forts and tunnels together. My brother and I would take turns digging the tunnel, because we were smaller than our older sisters. Using shovels and empty ice cream pails, our imaginations would be in full effect as we built snow castles and secret tunnels, spending hours outside playing. Eventually, our bellies would get hungry, so we’d go in the house, noses and cheeks rosy from the cold winter air, and my mom would have something for us to eat. If we had some Nestle chocolate, we’d make hot chocolate before heading back outside to play. One winter, my dad got creative in the shop and made the ultimate toboggan. It was huge. He used an old piece of hard plastic that was smooth on the bottom for the base. Then he used some pipes and secured them on each side and the front to be like a frame for the sled. He had a safe way to secure it to the old John Deere snowmobile, and we were off. With all four of us kids on the sled, we’d y through the elds behind the barn. Like a snowy rollercoaster, we’d laugh and scream in excitement when my dad went down a big hill or over a snow drift. Even our border collie, Tippy, loved to run in the snow and follow us. My dad would pull us around. “But not on the hay elds,” he would say. The homemade toboggan was a great mode of transportation. My dad would take us back to the ultimate sledding hill, just north of our barn. We’d bring a few sleds and snow tubes. We would race down the hill, sprint back up and go down over and over again. Snow days as a farm kid were the best. When other kids were inside watching TV or playing video games, we were outside using our imagination and making memories with our siblings. Our snow pants and gloves were soaked from being out in the snow all day. We wished the next day school would be canceled so we could do it all over again. Those were the days. I’m sure my parents loved the extra help in the barn. I bet my mom loved to see us play all day and sleep like angels that night too. Snow days as adults are a little different. There are more responsibilities and a to-do list to accomplish, but treating snow days just like kids do isn’t so bad either. If nothing else, you’ll get a lot of fresh air, some exercise and maybe escape with your imagination for a brief while.

is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2022 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. Nothing in this document shall constitute a warranty or guaranty of performance. www.delaval.com

Stray Voltage Consulting Do you have an upcoming auction? Advertise it in the Dairy Star call 320-352-6303 for more information.

Concerned your operation has stray voltage? Is your herd performance not where it should be? Are your livestock lapping water? Are your livestock having excess health issues? Give us a call today – we will give your operation a thorough stray voltage checkup!!

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 23

Sustainable dairying into the next generation Composting, cover cropping incentives are key for panelists By Kate Rechtzigel kate.r@dairystar.com

WELCH, Minn. − Every dairy farmer milks cows and manages the land just a little bit differently than their neighbors. For three farmers, they found practices that not only help achieve their farming goals today but create a sustainable future for another generation. Three producers − Michael Jenson Jr., of Elk Mound, Wisconsin; Pat Troendle, of Lanesboro; and Cody Heller, of Alma Center, Wisconsin − shared ways they have made their dairy farms more sustainable for the next generation during the seminar, “Arming your dairy for the future,” at Form-A-Feed’s Dairy Conference Jan. 13 in Welch. “Sustainability is kind of a political keyword in a way, but if I was going to put a word on it, I would call it protability, and that matters to us,” Jenson said. “By implementing compost, we were able to save $8,000 and improve the quality

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Cody Heller (from leŌ), Pat Troendle and Michael Jenson, Jr. speak about composƟng, cover cropping strategies and green energy pracƟces they are using on their farms during Form-A-Feed’s producer panel Jan. 13 in Welch, Minnesota. The producers believe that by uƟlizing these pracƟces, their farms will become more sustainable for the next generaƟon. in our forages.” Jenson and his family − wife Jenny and kids, Michael III and Kylee; and his parents, Michael Sr. and Phyllis − milk 120 cows with two Lely robots and raise beef cows. Jenson beds with recycled solids from a neighboring farm and also composts.

“It’s kind of funny; I didn’t know much about compost when we started,” Jenson said. After several meetings with representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, composting soon became a part of the Jensons’ sustainable farming methods. Only one day following a consult to explain the method of composting, Jenson started his journey with the practice. “It’s been the best thing we’ve done,” Jenson said. To start a lane, he begins with a 6-inch base that is rich

Composting became a sustainable option When Jenson was looking for ways to improve the sustainability, and ultimately protability, of his dairy farm, composting was not an option he readily thought of.

in carbon, either pen pack manure or cornstalks. “They call this base an evaporation wagon,” Jenson said. Afterward, Jenson goes out daily and spreads liquid manure on top of the base. The manure comes from the barn or other pens. “The key is spreading it thin, that way we get natural evaporation,” Jenson said. “There’s no wrong way of doing it.” Typically, the family applies two or three months’ worth of manure before pushing the waste into a row.

“Once it’s in a row, that’s when the composting process actually begins,” Jenson said. To speed up the process, Jenson and his family have a company that turns the compost. “If you don’t have the equipment, that’s ne,” Jenson said. “We started with nothing. We had a manure spreader and a tanker, and that’s what we started with. It’s so simple to start, anybody could do it.” Under perfect conditions, the compost can be ready to spread on the elds within six Turn to PANEL | Page 25

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Gorter’s Clay & Dairy Equipment, Inc. Pipestone (507) 825-3271

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Tri-County Dairy Supply Inc. Janesville (608) 757-2697

Midwest Livestock Systems Zumbrota (507) 732-4673

Iowa: Langs Dairy Equipment Decorah (563) 382-8722 Precision Dairy Equipment Elkader (563) 245-2560

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 25

ConƟnued from PANEL | Page 23 to eight weeks after the initial turn. “There’s really no wrong way to do it. It’s nature; it’s going to work,” Jenson said. “Anything you can do will help it along and increase the speed, but ultimately, the end product is going to be the same.” All in all, Jenson is proud of the success he has seen on his farm by utilizing compost. “During the consult, we gured it would cost us up to $12,000 to have a manure pumper come and move my manure, but if I spread it myself, I would save $8,000,” Jenson said. “That year, we ended up making $4,000 an acre on 2 acres. … My rst year after we starting using the compost product, I got rst in corn silage at the World Forage Analysis Superbowl and the second year I got third. I had some of the best corn silage in the world, and I contribute that all to the compost product.” Troendle cover crops to improve soil health Troendle has used cover crops to help conserve the soil and give the land a nitrogen boost on his family’s farm which sits in a valley in southern Minnesota. Troendle and his wife, Chris, and brother-in-law, Ben Taylor, milk 200 cows and run 600 acres, 40 of which are an organic cash crop. “One of things my family and I think about when we’re talking about sustainability is that we are blessed to have 6 inches of top soil when it rains,” Troendle said. “We want to make sure it stays there. So, we’ve really emphasized cover cropping, particularly in the past 10 years.” Much like Jenson, Troendle started with little equipment. They rst used a grain drill that was not meant to be used for no-till management of the soil. “We’d come in right after the day we would do corn silage so there was a little bit of moisture in the ground,” Troendle said. “We seeded in the cover crop and were able to get some decent cover crops.” However, in the last three years, they have upgraded to a high-speed disc with an air seeder. “Now, we can actually cover some acres at 8 to 10 mph, and we’ve been able to reduce our rates from 80 pounds an acre of a four-way blend to 50 pounds an acre of winter rye, turnips, radishes and Dwarf Essex Rapeseed,” Troendle said. “Next year, we are going to

reduce that blend down even more and add in oats.” According to Troendle, their biggest challenges have been with winter rye. “We want things to green up in the fall so it can hold that topsoil, and we want things to get green in the spring,” Troendle said. “But, when you’re working with rye, we found that you either want to get it killed or worked in before it gets 6 inches above ground.” Troendle said in his experience, it has taken a two-day rain event for the rye to go from 6 to 11 inches, making the cover crop difcult to work with. By reducing the amount of rye in the blend, they hope the cover crop will be easier to manage. Troendle also grows organic crops on a two-year rotation: a corn cash crop and an oat and pea blend, and a seven-way blend of forages. “Planting one thing in a cover crop is better than nothing,” Troendle said. “But our topography really drives what we feed our cows; we need to feed a 6040 diet of alfalfa and corn silage to the cows in order to keep nutritious topsoil.” Heller invests in renewable energy options After nearly four years of inactivity on the farm’s manure digester, Heller is ready to start the machine up again. Heller installed the digester in 2013 when the Wisconsin government had an energy program that allowed grant funding to support the installation and a contract with a power company. Now, under a new contract, Heller will be able to sell liquied natural gas to a Canadian-based company. “So, economics again have come back to the table and shown us that we can prot off our manure,” Heller said. Heller and his wife are the fourth generation on their farm in Jackson County, where they milk 1,500 cows, raise 2,000 hogs and run about 6,000 acres. Heller stopped using the manure digester when it was not a protable management option for his farm. “I have nally reached a point where I can view the numbers and monetize to make manure management through a digester economical, and that hasn’t been true in the past,” Heller said. “When the power purchase agreements were in place and that

green energy was paying us a subsidized dividend, it made sense. Today it makes sense again.” Heller is also adding solar energy to the farm. “It all revolves around the carbon footprint,”

“... we are going to take our least productive land, add solar and make a prot on it.” CODY HELLER, DAIRY FARMER

Heller said. “These developers are working with wind, solar, digesters and other green energies to net zero your farm and make it economical for that carbon credit to come into play.” Investing in renewable energy is a way Heller can be condent his children will have an opportunity to farm if they so choose. “I have to be worried about my children and what their future looks like, so staying ahead of the sustainability curve is my goal,” he said. Once the solar panels are installed, Heller estimates each one will bring in about $1,200 per acre of cropland. Between the panels, the Hellers are going to plant strips of alfalfa or other grass varieties. “These crops will grow low enough so they don’t block off the panels,” Heller said. “But we are going to take our least productive land, add solar and make a prot on it.” Heller is also looking forward to the opportunity to show consumers the sustainable efforts his farm is putting in place. “(The power company) is able to say which farm the energy is coming from and how much,” Heller said. For anyone looking to take their dairy’s sustainability practices to the next level, Heller encourages them to be curious. “Putting it together is a big challenge,” he said. “The more people you can ask questions to, the better.”

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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

Slow, steady wins the race

Houzners’ farm achieves century status By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

ELROY, Wis. – In March 2020, Rich Houzner was going through records of his family farm when he saw the date of purchase by his greatgrandparents. The farm was a century old. “I was going through the abstract and saw that on March 10, 1920, Joe and his mother, Mary Houzner, bought this farm,” Houzner said. “It was ironic I discovered it on the day of 100 years.” Houzner milks 54 cows with his wife, Mary, their son, Lance, and Lance’s girlfriend, Mikayla Newlun, near Elroy. Their son, Trystan, who works in LaCrosse, and his wife, Allison, lend a hand when needed. Houzner said it is because of the family’s commitment that the farm has been able to carry on for 100 years. “This hasn’t been a oneperson deal by any stretch of the imagination,” Houzner said. “We’re doing things because of the desire and the commitment; otherwise, what’s it all about?” The Houzner family started farming prior to 1920. Houzner’s great-grandparents bought the neighboring farm in 1907 and farmed until 1919 when his great-grandfather passed away. “In 1919, my grandfather and his mother sold that farm and moved to town,” Houzner said. “They didn’t like it (in

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

The Houzner family – (front, from leŌ) Rich and Mary; (back, from leŌ) Trystan, Allison, Mikayla Newlun and Lance – stands in front of their house on their 100-year-old farm Dec. 31, 2021, near Elroy, Wisconsin. The family milks 54 cows. town) and wanted to buy their farm back, but they couldn’t. So, they bought this farm which borders their original farm.” When Houzner’s father joined the operation in 1949 as a newlywed, brucellosis disease infected the herd, and he was forced to sell a number of cattle. To make ends meet, he took a job at the railroad yard in Elroy. “He came to love that,”

Houzner said. “He worked for the railroad and farmed all his life.” When the railroad operation in Elroy shut down, Houzner’s father took a railroad job in Portage. This led the family to a crossroads of whether to move closer to Portage and give up farming or continue the hour and a half commute to continue to farm. “Mom and Dad sat down and had to make this

decision when he got the job in Portage,” Houzner said. “I was a freshman in high school, and they said, ‘Should we keep the farm, or are you interested in it?’ To me, it was like they were asking if we should sell home. I said, ‘No, we are not going to do that.’” Houzner admitted that once he was married and started having kids, the commitment he made so early in life wavered slightly, and in

1997, he sold the cows. “We had kids, and I thought we should start having some fun,” Houzner said. “I was pretty much guaranteed on the phone that there was a job waiting for me as soon as the cattle left.” Houzner and Mary sold the cows Sept. 15, 1997. One week later, the job Houzner thought would be waiting for him was Turn to HOUZNER | Page 27

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 27

ConƟnued from HOUZNER | Page 26

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Lance Houzner and Mikayla Newlun pet one of their favorite cows, Buddy, Dec. 31, 2021, on their farm near Elroy, Wisconsin. Houzner is the Ōh generaƟon to farm on his family’s century farm. no longer available. “We kind of went through the same thing my grandfather and his mother went through,” Houzner said. “We thought we’d have this different life, and it didn’t turn out. Changing your schedule doesn’t change who you are.” The Houzners decided to bring cows back to the farm only six weeks after they had sold their herd. “Looking back, I think that was one of the best things to ever happen to us,” Houzner said. “I just thought (my) grandparents never dropped the ball, (my) parents never dropped the ball, and (I) don’t want to be the one to drop the ball. It’s an emotion that I think most farmers harbor.” With a fresh commitment to the farm, the Houzners worked hard at dairying. Houzner raised his family on the land he had always called home. Mary worked as a loan ofcer for a local bank, and they all worked together to keep the farm going. “We had all day long with the kids in the barn,” Houzner said. “It wasn’t fun stuff, but it was together stuff.” The family took a number of vacations as the kids grew older. “We rode bike all our life,” Houzner said. “When the boys were younger, we had them in a side car with little bike helmets on. We’ve been to Montana quite a few times and British Columbia.” Now that their sons are grown, the farm has grown as well. The farm had 39 cows on 196 acres when Houzner bought the farm from his mother in 1995

and is now home to 54 cows and 351 acres. The family milks in the original tiestall barn, although the horse stalls have been removed to accommodate more cows. When Lance graduated high school, he used his graduation money to buy a mixer wagon to feed a total mixed ration and introduced a beef enterprise to the operation as a way to diversify and make a place for himself on the farm. They now raise 300 dairy beef steers a year, which they market privately and commercially. Over the last ve years, the Houzners have made improvements to allow them to continue farming. Lance added a combine to the farm’s line of equipment, and the family built ve cement stave silos. In 2020, Lance and Mikayla added automatic takeoff milkers and took over most of the herd management, allowing Houzner to retire from milking. “It’s a little bit different, but it’s not like there’s a void time because I don’t milk,” Houzner said. “There’s just a lot to do with so many extra cattle now.” When reecting on his part in the farm’s growth over 100 years, Houzner said he took his actions one step at a time. “The goal is not to be the biggest ever around here but just to be able to keep doing it,” he said. “Slow and steady wins the race. You see a lot of century farms out there, but not a lot of them are still doing what they originally set out to do which is milking cows.”

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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 29

Women In Dairy Taylor Przybylski Krakow, Wisconsin Shawano County 85 cows Family: Parents Gary and Diane Przybylski; older sister Lindsey Przybylski; and long-term boyfriend Riley Caron.

the cows. Then, Dad and I head off to Pulaski to feed the remainder of our 55 heifers and 10-12 dry cows. Around 10 a.m., we are typically done and either run errands, do extra work around the farm, eld work, care for our other animals or take a break until about 3 p.m. Then, we head back out to do it all over again. I do most of the evening milking starting at 4 p.m. and also feed calves and heifers at home. Mom stops on her way home from work to feed heifers and dry cows before coming to the main farm to help nish. We are usually done and in the house or in the eld around 7 p.m. Then, I feed our other critters, make dinner and try to be in bed by 9 p.m.

Tell us about your farm. My parents started farming in 1985 after purchasing my mother’s childhood farm from my grandparents in Angelica. They started with 65 registered Holsteins and expanded the herd to 225 registered Holsteins and Brown Swiss cows. My parents sold the farm in 2005. My father proceeded to raise beef cattle but retained a few heifer calves from the original herd. Once the heifers were old enough to breed and calve in, Dad decided to start milking at our rented facility near Pulaski. My parents purchased some Jersey springing heifers along with more Holsteins and a few other breeds at my request to ll the barn. In 2016, after much debate, my parents purchased the farm we now own, Greener Pastures Dairy, near Krakow. I purchased cattle as we grew our herd from 35 to 85 cows and now own about one-third of the milking and youngstock in our herd. We also have horses, chickens and pet goats. My dad and I crop about 350 acres for feed and cash cropping.

What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? In the past year, we remodeled the oldest portion of our barn. The 30 stalls in this section were broken, small stanchions. We were able to demo out all of the old stalls and replace them with much larger tie stalls. Although we lost three stalls due to widening the new ones, our cows beneted signicantly from the upgrades we made to cow comfort. New mats were also put in the new stalls. With the new stall design, we are not limited on the size of cows that can utilize the tie stalls. We had a signicant reduction in hock lesions and other comfort-related issues.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? The day starts out around 4:15 a.m. Dad, myself and either my mom or our parttime hired hand, Connie, get to the barn to start milking around 4:30 am. Dad mixes the TMR for the cows while two of us milk. If Mom is there, she heads off to work at Green Bay Packaging around 6:30 a.m. while I feed the calves and heifers at home and Dad nishes milking and feeds

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. About 10 years ago, our cows were on pasture, and we noticed several of our bred heifers had gone through the fence. My sister and I ran into the pasture to gather the cows and get them into the barnyard while we repaired the fence. One of our oldest cows, Ariel, refused to go into the barnyard with everyone else, so after dealing with her

stubbornness for long enough, we gave up. We knew she would not cause trouble and try to go through the fence while we were xing it, so we just let her be. Not ve minutes later, she went to the one small hill in the pasture and laid down with a smug look on her face. Ariel truly knew she was the queen bee and the matriarch of our herd at the time. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? The lessons that dairy farming has taught me throughout my life is what I enjoy most about dairy farming. I have learned that no matter how I feel or what is going on, I have the responsibility to get up and give my cows the best possible care. I was given age appropriate tasks around the farm which taught me responsibility, independence and perseverance. I also learned about the cycle of life and love watching our animals grow from babies all the way to adults who have babies of their own. I also learned about some of the challenges and losses we can experience on the farm, which have helped me appreciate when things go well. I truly believe that being raised on a farm is the absolute best and well-rounded childhood a kid can have. What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Buying into my parents’ herd. At 22 years of age, I applied for and got, a loan of my own through the Farm Service Agency

to purchase cattle to grow our herd. I hope to take over the farm with my boyfriend, Riley, one day, and I knew this was the rst real step to making that dream a reality. What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? In 2016, I was the Shawano County Fairest of the Fair. This position allowed me to grow in my professionalism skills all while promoting agriculture and the dairy industry as a public gure. I use social media to help promote my farm and the dairy industry. I am a substitute teacher in the Pulaski Community School District. While working in the schools, I love sharing information with students about my farm and answering their many questions. Sharing the stories of farmers with others is one of the most important and impactful things we can do in our industry.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? The dairy industry has changed in recent years for women. Women have gone from historically just running the household to being active partners on the farm. Do not fear voicing your opinions and possible contributions to the farm. Women are multi-talented and often think about things in a different way than their male counterparts. Women working on an equal playing eld to men is allowing our industry to grow and change in so many new and exciting ways. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? My favorite things to do include riding horses, working out, making crafts and playing with my other pets. I own four horses and a miniature donkey and enjoy giving riding lessons to local students in the community. I also spend time volunteering in our county’s 4-H horse project.

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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 31

Dustin Melius (pictured with his ancée, Marlena Oechsner, and their children, Jedidiah (left) and Ezekiel) Slinger, Wisconsin Washington County 100 cows How did you get into farming? I have been involved in farming since I was a youngster. I was riding in the tractor with my dad as long as I can remember. I learned how to mow the lawn, and once I could reach the clutch, I was taught how to drive a tractor. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? Is the milk price for real, and how long can it stay there? It would be great to see family farms be sustainable, but I’m afraid that larger dairies will expand with rising milk prices, ooding the market. What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? We have been breeding more with beef bulls. We have never had a shortage of heifers so it is nice to get cows pregnant sooner and receive four to ve times as much for a calf. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I have no quit in me. My ancée asks me, “How are you still going?” after numerous long days. The response she normally

gets is that I have to. We only have a few part-time employees who assist with the milking so the majority of the work falls on myself and my 71-year-old father. Whatever needs to get done will get done as long as my body is able.

What is the best decision you have made on your farm? We experimented with threetimes-a-day milking on a couple occasions, but I am condent that twice-a-day is where we will be staying. The cows are more comfortable; the employees, my dad and myself are less stressed; and it is more cost effective. We were rushing chores or eldwork in order to get back to the barn for the next milking. It was chaotic and exhausting. I don’t see us trying it again. What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? My morning bagel. Maybe not exactly, but my ancée, Marlena, makes me a bagel every day before she leaves for work. She is my rock and the foundation of my life. Without her help and support, the farm and I would be nothing. My employees are essential. It is so difcult to compete in today’s job market because either you can’t pay enough to keep good people, or there isn’t anyone who wants to do farm work anymore. I appreciate my team and try to show them that every day. Last, but not least, is my faith in God.

the media or activists might try to belittle what we do, I’m making a difference. I have a purpose, and until I feel that my purpose isn’t to farm, I will keep on. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? You are not alone. This industry is brutal. Sometimes you don’t see or talk to anyone off the farm for days, but it is important to socialize with someone. I take one night a week to bowl with my buddies. If I don’t get that, it puts a damper on my mood. Most people will listen, so vent if you need to. Mental health is important.

He is the one who has given me the abilities to keep doing this for this long and keep our family farm alive. He is always watching over my family and farm. We are blessed. What strategies do you use to withstand the volatile milk prices? We have been more aware of beef prices and what our breakeven is on the cows so we don’t hang onto problem cows as long as we used to. We have enough replacement heifers so we have the exibility to keep good-uddered, young cows as the majority in the herd. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? How do you maintain family relationships

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while also working together? I treat my employees with the highest respect. Without them, we would not be the farm we are today. I treat them how I would want to be treated if I was an employee and make sure they know they are appreciated. As for family relationships, anyone who has worked in the dairy industry with family knows there are good days, and there’s everything else. Family is who get you through the roughest times so you can share a smile on the days where you accomplished the task. Sure, sometimes you get upset at your family, but tomorrow is a new day. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Pride. Seeing the fruits of my labor. Even though

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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

Four generations of progress

Rickerts have rich history in dairy industry By Kati Kindschuh kati.k@dairystar.com

ELDORADO, Wis. – What started as 33 cows and a team of horses has ourished into a family-run dairy farm amid America’s Dairyland for the Rickert family. “Starting in 1976, all the boys seemed to be really interested in farming and hoped they could join us,” Don Rickert said. “This was the reason we decided to make the big investment to expand.” Don is the patriarch of Rickland Farms, where his family milks 1,100 registered Holsteins in Fond du Lac County’s Eldorado. He is joined in a partnership with his sons, Jim and Greg, and their families. With four generations actively striving for progress, Rickland Farms has a strong foundation for its success. The herd boasts a rolling herd average of 29,863 pounds with a 4.1% butterfat and 3.1% protein. Since 1994, they have received the Holstein USA’s Progressive Genetics Herd award, developing or breeding 140 Excellent cows with 46 multiple Excellents awarded, including one Elevation daughter who received her 5E designation. Over the last four decades, the Rickerts have focused on improving their herd’s type and health traits. With great success, they have sent over 90 bulls to stud. “We are really happy with how our (Total Performance Indexes) have improved steadily while still improving production and health traits,” Jim said. “It takes a few generations to make signicant changes, but we keep working to improve our herd’s genetics for the next generation.” Don developed his family’s farm when he returned from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course in 1952. Growing up, he and his parents farmed 180 acres using a team of horses to do eldwork. “This changed when my parents, Eldor and Edna, got a combine in 1945,

KATI KINDSCHUH/DAIRY STAR

The Rickerts – (from leŌ) Don, Jim, Andrew and Miles – stand in their 1,200cow freestall barn Jan. 6 on their farm in Fond du Lac County near Eldorado, Wisconsin. Don Rickert has been inuenƟal in progressing the farm through the decades. one of the rst in the area,” Don said. “In 1949, we got a chopper, which was a much easier way to make hay.” Don and his late wife’s, Lila’s, ve children were involved on the farm growing up. Following college graduation in the early 1980s, both Jim and Greg returned to the family farm to pursue careers as dairy farmers. “I liked learning from mentors and other students who had knowledge of great cattle genetics and herd management,” Jim said. “I didn’t show any animals at the county fair until I could drive. As soon as I got a taste of it, I invested in cattle with good genetics to help the herd and to take to shows.” In 1981, Don and Lila formed a corporation. This enabled the boys to obtain shares and gain equity through the years. “The farm nancial crisis of the ‘80s took a toll on some area farmers,” Jim said. “But we were fortunate enough to have enough equity and less debt than others. Had we not, the farm could look very different today.” Through the years, the farm has

made smart buying decisions to grow their acreage to over 2,000 acres. This opened a window of opportunity to increase the herd size to accommodate their growing families. In 1999, Jim and Greg formed a limited liability company. The Rickerts built a freestall barn and double-12 parallel parlor with the opportunity to expand the parlor to a double-16. “It denitely has improved the amount of wear and tear on the body,” Jim said. “Milking in a stanchion barn is harder on the knees and back, and the parlor has allowed us to keep farming without too many health problems.” Not only has the family continually improved their genetics and herd health, they have constantly looked for ways to make eldwork more efcient. In 2019, the farm purchased its own tiling equipment. Eldorado is 10 miles west of Lake Winnebago, and Jim said the farm has heavy red clay and lowlying silt loam soils. “We decided to invest in the tiling equipment to create better drainage in the elds,” Jim said. “If you’ve ever

farmed in clay soils, you know how difcult it can be in the spring and fall to get eldwork done.” At 88 years young, Don is not hitting the brakes quite yet. Aside from getting his knees replaced a decade ago, he continues to remain physically active on the farm and does the farm’s payroll and nancials. “Leaving the management to Jim and Greg is something that was hard to do, but I was happy to help when asked,” Don said. “I enjoy doing my own ofce work, which is why I think I feel young. It is said that you are only as old as you feel.” Don also enjoys playing sheepshead twice a week and supporting his greatgrandchildren in their endeavors, many of which he was involved in during his youth. “It is fun to watch another generation grow up; most people don’t get that opportunity,” Don said. The Rickert family’s community involvement has only prospered following Don. Jim, too, is a part of many community and industry groups. This legacy that Don and Jim have created runs deep, as Jim’s son, Andrew, and grandson, Miles, continue to have the same passion for agriculture and the Holstein breed. Andrew took charge of hauling the farm’s milk in 2020. This involves transporting 47 loads per month and saves the farm over $1,500 each month. On the farm, Miles helps keep the heifer barns clean, feeds grain and hay to calves as well as feeds milk to younger calves. “In the future, I want to continue to add technology to the farm, including automation to the tractors and eld equipment,” Miles said. In reecting on the history of Rickland Farms, much of the farm’s success is credited to Don. He created an opportunity for himself to keep moving his farm forward and was innovative to stay competitive in an ever-evolving industry. “I am proud we built an operation that was good enough that the next generation wanted to continue to build on,” Don said. “A farmer always takes pride in seeing the next generation take over what he has built.”

Dairy Day at Capitol connects farmers with legislators

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 33

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Reps. Travis Tranel (from le�) and Don Vruwink and Sens. Patrick Tes�n and Brad Pfaﬀ speak with dairy farmers on a legisla�ve panel Jan. 18 at the Dairy Day at the Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin.

Water quality revisited, truth in labeling addressed By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

MADISON, Wis. – Dairy farmers and state legislators gathered for the fourth annual Dairy Day at the Capitol Jan. 18 at the Best Western Premier Park Hotel in Madison. The event was put on by the Dairy Business Association and was an opportunity to connect Wisconsin dairy farmers with their lawmakers. In a legislative panel including reps. Travis Tranel and Don Vruwink and Sens. Patrick Testin and Brad Pfaff, the economic importance of the dairy industry to Wisconsin was discussed. It was also an opportunity to talk about investing in agriculture when budgets and laws are developed. “To invest in agriculture in this state, we’re investing in our state’s economy,” Pfaff said. “We’re investing in our people. We’re investing in our communities, and we’re investing in the long term.” Testin pointed to the importance of allowing farmers to do their work uninterrupted. “We need to make sure from a policy perspective that we’re not throwing unduly road blocks and red tape into our agriculture industry,” Testin said. “Making sure that we have smart legislation that nds that balance to ensure we have good conservation practices while at the same time realizing agriculture is a foundational bedrock for our state.” Vruwink said he believes in the importance of incorporating agriculture into Wisconsin’s schools to make sure there are resources for young people interested in pursuing agriculture. “We need to ensure that our agriculture programs in our schools stays strong,” Vruwink said. Tranel offered a unique perspective as a legislator and farmer himself. Tranel’s family milks 550 cows near Cuba City. “What I like about my role specically within legislature is there are very few real farmers left unfortunately, and a lot of my job is to go to meetings or sit on panels like

this and afterward tell my colleagues, ‘That’s a great idea, but it’s never going to work in the real world and here’s why,’” Tranel said. At the capitol, water quality legislation remains due to delays from the coronavirus pandemic. Tranel spoke about his experience touring the state to speak with people about water quality initiatives. “Just bringing awareness to the issue (of water quality_ has helped shed light on what agriculture is already doing without government forcing them to do it,” Tranel said. “The dirty little secret that nobody wants to talk about is farmers have cared about the environment long before it was cool.” The discussion on the panel transitioned to the three truth-inlabeling bills that have yet to be signed into law. The bills aim to prevent plant-based companies to use terms like milk, cheese and ice cream on their products. Tranel was a co-author for the bills and spoke passionately about why the legislation is important for consumers and farmers alike. “I believe in truth in labeling so we have consumer protection, because there are people out there who get confused,” Tranel said. “We have truth in labeling in so many other state statutes. I don’t understand why we wouldn’t apply the same to products that are listed out in legislation making sure that we are protecting our dairy industry. Science is great, but it’s going to be a case of technology moving faster than what government regulations can keep up with.” Pfaff agreed. “We all know milk comes from a (mammal); it doesn’t come from an oat,” Pfaff said. “This is what’s so frustrating about politics. There’s absolutely no reason that these bills are not on the senate oor. … I’m proud to be an original co-sponsor on these bills, and I’m going to continue to advocate on this. To me, this is just common sense.” Vruwink said the truth in labeling measures would be benecial for farmers and consumers. “Farmers need consumers, and consumers need farmers,” he said. “When we work together, we’re all better off.” The panel ran short on time and did not discuss concentrated animal feeding operations and immigration laws that would impact the labor force.

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Assistance available for adverse weather conditions By Steve Frericks Farm Service Agency

It is cold outside. The staff at Farm Service Agency commends all livestock producers for the true grit it takes to endure the harsh Minnesota environment. Keep in mind that FSA has programs available for livestock producers who suffer losses from qualifying events such as extreme cold or blizzards. Livestock operations are impacted by adverse weather conditions nearly every year. Tornadoes, oods, blizzards, extreme heat, extreme cold, straight-line winds, eligible winter storms and other types of damaging or unusual weather can directly result in injury or death of livestock. When operations experience livestock losses or injury due to these conditions, a call to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Center can be the rst step in participating in the Livestock Indemnity Program. The LIP provides assistance for livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather, disease and attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law. For disease losses, FSA county committees can accept veterinarian certications that livestock deaths were directly related to adverse weather and unpreventable through good animal husbandry and management. “The Livestock Indemnity Program provides producers with a vital safety net to help them overcome the nancial impact of extreme or abnormal weather,” said Steve Frericks, Stearns County FSA executive director. “Weather events have had signicant impacts on some livestock producers, and we encourage them to reach out to our ofce as these losses occur.” For 2022 livestock losses, a notice must be led within 30 calendar days of when the loss is rst apparent. Supporting documentation must be provided to the FSA ofce no later than 60 calendar days after the end of the calendar year in which the eligible loss condition occurred. Livestock producers must provide evidence that the death of livestock was due to an eligible adverse weather event or loss condition. In addition, livestock producers should bring supporting evidence, including documentation of the number and kind of livestock that died, photographs or video records to document the loss, purchase records, veterinarian records, production records and other similar documents. Owners who sold injured livestock for a reduced price because the livestock was injured due to an adverse weather event must provide veriable evidence of the reduced sale of the livestock. USDA has established normal mortality rates for each type and weight range of eligible livestock. For example, the normal mortality rate for an adult dairy cow is 1.5% and non-adult dairy cattle (less than 400 pounds) have a set normal mortality rate of 5%. These established percentages reect losses that are considered expected or typical under normal conditions. In addition to ling a notice of loss, an application for payment must be submitted by 60 calendar days after the end of the calendar year in which the eligible loss condition occurred. For more information on LIP, to submit a notice of loss or an application for payment, contact the USDA Service Center or visit https://www.farmers.gov/recover. Dairy producers are reminded to get 2019 production to the FSA. USDA announced the availability of the Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage. Dairy producers can purchase buy-up coverage for 75% of the difference between their actual 2019 production and established DMC production history (not to exceed a combined total of 5 million pounds). The enrollment period for SDMC and 2022 DMC coverage closes Feb. 18. The 2022 Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs are underway. Elections must be made on each farm for crop year 2022 by March 15. Failure to elect a program and enroll by March 15 will result in no price and/or yield protection under the ARC/PLC program for the 2022 crop. As a reminder, you can always change your election choice right up to the deadline date. Don’t delay your decision and miss out on this election process. Stay warm. Stay safe. Happy planning for 2022. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.

Laying in the snow Well, it nally happened. Usually it is in December, but there wasn’t much snow and ice. Last night, I slipped and fell, or should I say took a head dive and ended up laying on the ground. I was radiating heat, actually steaming, from cleaning calf pens. There was a dusting of snow falling that melted before it even got to my face. I laid there without a rush to get up. I wiggled my feet. Nope, I was not paralyzed, but my shoulder stung with a bit of pain. No one had seen me fall, so there won’t be any embarrassing moments. I had sent my helper home, and I had a peaceful moment alone in By Tina Hinchley the snow. I was working with Farmer & Columnist my 15-year-old high school employee feeding calves. He is new to farming and needs guidance, support and someone to watch over him with the babies to be certain all of them are doing alright. Even if I helped him a few days ago, the routine seems to get lost, and his efciency drops. Weighing and mixing the calf replacer properly is critical. I try to be encouraging, helping get the pails delivered to the calves before it cools too much. I show him, again, the way to hold the bottles for the newborns to make sure they all drink. I have him use the bottle brush to be certain the corners get cleaned. I remind him that he has two hands to stack pails and bottles on the drying rack. We have all been here before, trying to make a good employee out of a kid who doesn’t know what farming is about. This is taking my time and tests my patience all while I am trying to stay positive through the evening. As it approached 9:30 p.m., I knew his parents would be waiting for his call to be picked up from the farm. As it turned out, because of the snow storm, they were waiting in the driveway on their way back from the grocery store. I told him goodbye, and he said, “Good night; thank you for helping me again.” That made it all worthwhile. I wanted to be done. I didn’t want to clean the wet calf pens, but I knew they had to be done. We have our calves housed in our old dairy barn which is retrotted with pens right next to the gutter. Forking out the wet straw and bedding and scraping the wet wood shavings into the gutter always gets the calves excited. When I open the gate, they run from one end of the barn to the other, waiting for me to put the straw in. That night though, I was going to give them

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 35

a little more insulation and add some wood shavings. Our shavings are stored on the other end of the cow yard in a small building attached to the freestall barn. I went out with the big wheelbarrow and also got the rolling top dress bin to ll up with shavings. As I opened the barn door, I noticed the snow was coming down thick, and the farm was so quiet. I took a deep breath and remembered when I was a child how I loved the way cold air felt in my lungs. I walked with the wheelbarrow, with my feet crunching in the snow, and repeated the path with the bin. As I opened the barn door, my feet ew out, and I did a rolling face plant onto the snow-covered ground. I laid there for about 10 minutes, feeling good about things. Thankful I am alive, and my health has been good. I am happy with my family, and both my girls are home every day. I am glad my son calls every once in a while to say hello. I am comforted

my husband and I are farming together. I took a big breath, exhaled and watched the fog come from my mouth. I laid there with my eyes closed almost in a state of meditation. Could I fall asleep here? Could I actually freeze here? I noticed my face starting to tingle. Then I began to think about how long it would be before Duane would call me to see what is taking so long. So, I rolled over and nished up the calf pens and went to the house. Duane was sleeping in his chair. Honestly, I don’t know if he would have called after all. That night, I had a peaceful moment alone in the snow to reect on my life, and all is well. Tina Hinchley, and her husband, Duane, daughter Anna, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. The Hinchley’s have been hosting farm tours for over 25 years.

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We are constantly striving to create a better sense the most feasible, but they are ideas nonetheless. of family and team among our employees on our Where would our farm be if it weren’t for the birth farm. Be this by learning a bit more Spanish, a bit of new ideas? We need to cultivate new thoughts in more English or the simplicity of smiling. each other so our children and employees feel it is Years ago, our team mediator extraordinaire, a welcome thing to voice their solutions to problems Laura Daniels, asked us aat hand. An environment to nish this sentence: w where all feel comfortable to Our tteam iis att our b bestt when h Our team is at its best O give their creative best can when we. As you read my we appreciate one another for only be more productive and response, I’m certain some benecial for all involved. thoughts will strike a chord what it is we bring to the table. Our team is at our best with you; most of these w when we appreciate one aren’t farm specic. Perhaps another for what it is we your teamwork skills need a little attention at your bring to the table. Be it a knack for numbers, the farm. What would your answer be if you were to ability to x anything, noticing an ill animal, years nish that statement? of experience, knowing what will heal an animal or Our team is at its best when we respect each other’s incredible attention to detail and routine. All of our ideas. They may not always be the best ideas, or even skills have their place on the farm, and a little bit of

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appreciation goes a long way, especially the use of those words we often forget to say – thank you. If we don’t use those words with each other, there are some little people with big ears who are going to grow up thinking those words are not important. Ramblings from the Ridge Our team is at its best when we recognize we’ve been learning these somewhat farmspecic skills from the time we could walk and talk. Sometimes our gut feeling is more acceptable to rely upon than any other bit of knowledge. Our gut feeling should be valued and sought By Jacqui Davison out in certain situations. Columnist Everyone feels part of a team when their opinions feel valued. Our team is at its best when we are cognizant of the fact that our way indeed may not be the only way to accomplish a task. We each have a different set of eyes when assessing a problem; the employees and children have ideas – fresh and young. They are going to need to feel valued in their thought-sharing as they grow. Perhaps we all need to practice taking a deep breath when another team member gives an uninvited suggestion and internally remind ourselves it isn’t meant as an attack on our current methods. Someone on the other side of the fence is merely offering a suggestion while watching a loved one struggle with an issue. Perhaps they see something we missed. We are often working with blinders on, having done the same things for years. It is often hard to change or to look beyond the problem in front of our nose. At the same time, attempting to use some tact when feeding a new idea to a team member usually makes the whole idea easier to digest. Our team is at our best when we feel like our ideas, thoughts and overall intelligence that comes from years of learning alongside other farmers and caretakers of animals, machinery and land is a valued commodity. Valued in the sense that it goes without saying that everything we do is based on a deep love for our farm, our family and its intended success. Our decisions and ideas are rooted in this and should be respected. Rarely is a decision made on pure speculation; there are always underlying reasons that cause a team member to take a ride on that train of thought. A functional team values this and takes each member’s ideas into account rather than pulling the tracks up as the train leaves the station. Team Ocooch is a powerhouse when we are all working toward the same end result on a project. However, as strong as we are when we are working together, if one of us has a bad attitude, has lost our sense of what it means to be a team or isn’t open to new ideas, it is extremely detrimental to our overall productivity. It is virtually the equivalent of having to drag a cement block around with you everywhere. No matter what you do, it drags you down. Working with family day in and day out will never consistently be sunshine and roses, but striving to listen better and be more empathetic may prevent working with family from being cloudy with weeds. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira (14), Dane (12), Henry (7) and Cora (4), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 37

Recent temperature uctuations have presented challenges for calf raisers across the Midwest and many farms have seen an uptick in respiratory issues. While calf hutches are often referred to the gold standard Something to Ruminate On as of calf housing, the need for intensied management during the most inclement winter weather has deterred many from this option. The result is more calves being raised in barns or other housing with greater protection By Barry Visser from the elements. Nutritionist Many of these structures rely on natural ventilation to provide clean, fresh air to the calves. This works well in the summertime; however, as doors, windows and curtains are closed in the winter, providing sufcient air exchanges to keep calves healthy can be challenging. Whether using mechanical or natural ventilation, the goal is to provide fresh air uniformly at the calf level throughout the housing facility so all calves receive an adequate quantity of draft-free, fresh air. The source of this fresh air is the ambient outside air. Therefore, proper ventilation means taking outside air and evenly distributing it throughout the barn. The goal of a ventilation system is to control heat and moisture within a shelter and remove other gases and pollutants. In the winter, the focus needs to be on controlling and removing excess moisture produced within the barn. Generally, cold temperatures within the barn do not affect calf health during the winter. However, damp and wet

air in the barn during the winter will negatively barn and the outdoor temperature. affect calf health. Proper nutrition needs to be provided to calves It is important to remember that calves are in the wintertime as additional calories are needed constantly producing water vapor as they breathe. for maintenance. Calf jackets will help calves Researchers at Penn State retain r the body heat they University estimate that, at Th produce. Good bedding use The goall ffor calf lf b barn 37 degrees, a calf produces and management is needed 1.25 ounces of water per ventilation in wintertime to provide insulation as hour. While this may not in the Midwest is to have calves burrow into the pack seem like much, it equates in cold temperatures. It also to almost 2 pounds of a minimum of four air helps the calf maintain a water per calf per day that exchanges dry and buoyant hair coat. g p per hour. needs to be removed from Frequent F cleaning and the barn. removal r of soiled bedding One issue with winter ventilation is the can be an efcient method to keep air fresh and physical property of cold air. Cooler air cannot reduce ammonia concentration, especially in hold nearly as much water vapor as warm air. older calves. If air within the barn is not constantly replaced Work with your calf team and advisors if with fresh outside air, this moisture can begin to you feel ventilation is not adequate in your barn condense on surfaces such as the oor, ceiling and regardless of the season. Focusing on ventilation pen dividers. This additional moisture can create in the winter months can result in improved health an ideal environment for pathogen growth and and performance of calves. lead to disease outbreaks and transmission. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus. The goal for calf barn ventilation in wintertime in the Midwest is to have a minimum of four air exchanges per hour. Good ventilation not only provides the needed air exchange, but it also provides good air distribution throughout the barn. This can be a struggle with the lower ventilation rates of winter, leading to areas of the barn with air that is stale and wet while other areas have good air quality. Proper air distribution can be provided by The Dairy Star a positive pressure ventilation system. A welldesigned positive pressure system will deliver is sent only to fresh air at the calf level without creating a draft. DAIRY FARMERS! For mechanically ventilated calf barns, work If you would like to advertise in the DAIRY STAR, with the consultant who designed the system call 320-352-6303 for more information. to stage the fans for adequate air exchanges depending on both the indoor temperature of the

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Groundhog Day Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022

I ipped over my calendar the other day to 47% accuracy rate for an early spring. take a sneak peak of what to expect for upcoming I caught the movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill February birthdays and events. There it was, Feb. 2, Murray last winter. I give it two thumbs up and hope 2022, Groundhog Day. Now, I’m not one who really to watch it again. It is a funny movie with a subtle follows the predictions of an overgrown rodent and message of how changing our daily routine can make his weather-forecasting abilities, but after these cold a world of difference in our lives and those around snaps, I’m looking forward to uus. The premise of the movie is some good news. that Murray’s character repeats Once O we make k a change, h For the past 120 years in the same day over and over and Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney as simple as a smile, only over again. The day happens to Phil has been predicting the end then can we expect a be Groundhog Day. He is stuck in of winter. On a clear day, when a rut of how he moves through a he can see his shadow, he retreats different outcome. day and the way he views people back into his burrow for another and events surrounding him, six weeks of winter weather. But which is not always in the nicest on a cloudy day, with no shadow, spring will make an way. Eventually, he starts to make simple changes and early arrival. How accurate is Phil? If you ipped a is amazed at the impact it has on the day and himself. coin, you would be more accurate than the groundhog. The movie illustrates the phrase, “If you keep Since 1969, Phil has correctly predicted a longer doing the same thing over and over, how can you winter 39% of the time when he saw his shadow. He expect a different outcome?” Once we make a change, has a much better success rate on cloudy days with a as simple as a smile, only then can we expect a different

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outcome. Another way to look at it is walking the same path day after day, year after year. Eventually we have walked over the same spot so many times that we didn’t realize we created a rut 6-feet-deep Just Thinking Out Loud and can’t see another way. We need to shift our thinking, change our perspective and take a new step on a different path. We started a new path on our farm. Mark has always admired the ability of other families to have weekly family meetings around the By Natalie Schmitt kitchen table to discuss jobs for the coming Columnist week and plans for the long-term future. Mark, Austin and I agreed that talking in the barn probably wasn’t the best atmosphere. We were all present, but it is difcult to truly focus on what someone is saying while trying to put on the milkers. So, we decided to take a step on a new path. We initiated 10 a.m.? Tuesdays. We picked Tuesdays because everything seems to go wrong on Mondays, or you’re trying to x everything that broke over the weekend. It has become a priority in our scheduling of events and projects. We’ve only missed one meeting because I was traveling with Katie over the holidays. I found myself in Nashville that Tuesday morning longing to be around the breakfast table with Austin and Mark to talk about the latest jobs or projects. I am already starting to see positive changes in how we interact with each other by taking this new step. Will spring come early, or will we continue to endure winter weather? One thing is for sure; spring will get here right on time regardless of what a groundhog sees or doesn’t see. Maybe we should ip a coin and start planning from there. As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.

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A cast for Christmas

Glen and I made it 14 years and 360 days into our parenthood journey before one of our children broke a bone. Dan joined the wrestling team this year and quickly fell in love with grappling. I’ve been very impressed with the sport too. Dan likes the focus on discipline and body control. I like the comprehensive approach to training, with physical work on strength, exibility, and coordination, and mental work on goal setting, toughness, and persistence. I could see Dan’s improvement in all of those areas almost immediately. Even better was the excitement that accompanied Dan home after every practice. Each night, he was eager to show me what he’d learned or practiced. One night included a demonstration of how to do a cradle – using me as his opponent. Never in a million years could I have imagined that our living room oor would be a wrestling mat or that I’d be folded into a cradle Dairy Good Life by my son, but it was a blast. A couple weeks into the season, Dan told me, “Mom, I like wrestling as much as I like shooting trap – and that’s a lot.” Unfortunately, his rookie season was limited to just two meets. A week before Christmas, Dan came home from a Friday night meet with his hand in an ice pack. He said he fell on his hand during one of his matches. His hand was swollen, but he could move all of his ngers. I gured it was just jammed and told him to keep icing it. Over the weekend, though, the swelling got worse and worse. By Sunday night, his normally lean By Sadie Frericks hand looked like a pudgy toddler mitt. I brought him Columnist in Monday to get it checked out. “Yep, it’s busted,” were his doctor’s words after the x-rays came back. The lms showed a neat spiral fracture of the middle metacarpal bone in his right hand. “We’ll put you in a splint today and then cast it next week.” I watched as they molded a berglass splint around Dan’s hand and wrapped it up with an ace bandage. “Um, don’t you have something a little more durable than an ace bandage?” I asked. In my head, something more durable meant something more barn-proof. After we got home, the more-durable solution occurred to me: vet wrap. I covered the ace bandage with royal blue vet wrap, leaving Dan with a much more waterproof, barn-proof splint. The next question that came up regarded showering. The doctor’s order was to wear the splint 24/7 with absolutely no removal. I knew the solution for showering the second Dan asked: A.I. sleeves. So there’s been an A.I. sleeve hanging from the shower curtain rod in our bathroom for the past month, and it’s kept Dan’s splint and cast perfectly dry. The harder challenges to overcome have been the emotional ones. One of Dan’s wrestling coaches encouraged the wrestlers to write their goals down and post them where they’d see them every day. When I saw Dan’s goals scribbled on a note and stuck to our refrigerator, I thought to myself, “This is exactly why extracurricular activities help kids develop into well-rounded, successful adults.” Dan took those goals to heart. And the disappointment on his face and in his voice when he told me – “Now I have to wait until next year to pin someone.” – were heartbreaking. But sports – and other extracurricular activities – also teach our kids valuable lessons in overcoming setbacks. We started listening to the book “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand on our Thanksgiving road trip; Dan nished listening to it during Christmas vacation. It’s a magnicent book about a World War II soldier in the Pacic Theater. The soldier’s stories about perseverance and resilience came at the best time. Especially with movement-limiting injuries, it’s easy to fall into thinking about everything we can’t do. Resiliency grows when we focus instead on thinking about everything we can do. The switch in Dan’s thinking was evident as he began listing off all the things he could do with one hand, both with the wrestling team and in the barn. Dan talked with me and his coaches about ways he could maintain his strength and tness while casted, and he’s been diligent in doing those activities. He’s looking forward to summer wrestling camps and becoming a better wrestler. And his goals for this season are still on our fridge where they’ll stay until he checks them off next year. Getting a cast for Christmas was denitely not what Dan wanted, but I believe one day he’ll see the lessons he learned during this time as gifts. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children – Dan, 15, Monika, 12, and Daphne, 9. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 29, 2022 • Page 39

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