January 30, 2021 - Zone 1

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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™

Volume 22, No. 23

January 30, 2021

Updating on their own timeline Rollers grow herd, improve facilities over six years By Andrea Borgerding andrea.b@dairystar.com

HEWITT, Minn. – The Roller family knew they had to make changes to the facilities on their dairy to ensure the farm’s future. With the goal of improving cow comfort and minimizing labor, Ryan Roller, planned every angle, dimension and feature of the family’s new 62-cow freestall, 30-cow bedded pack, tunnel ventilated facility and swing-10 milking parlor. “We wanted to get a barn that had more cow comfort – that was the main thing,” Gene Roller said. Ryan agreed. “I would say more efciency too,” Ryan said. “We would spend many hours milking.” Prior to updating their facilities, the Rollers – Gene and wife Brenda, along with their son, Ryan, and his wife, Amy – milked a herd of 50 registered Holsteins in a tiestall barn. The barn needed repairs, and with Ryan returning to the farm full-time, the Rollers’ next step was to construct a new Turn to ROLLERS | Page 6

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

The Rollers – from leŌ, Gene, holding Charlie, Brenda, Ryan holding Macy and Amy holding Caleb – recently nished a facility expansion project. The Rollers milk 92 cows near HewiƩ, Minnesota.

Dairies need to operate as businesses Sipiorski outlines important plans producers need to be protable By Krista Kuzma

krista.k@dairystar.com

After a year like 2020, Gary Sipiorski wants producers to be more proactive when it comes to the business side of their dairy. “There are things we can do as dairy producers to prevent (volatility), and working with your lender is one of them,” Sipiorski said. … “Let’s face it; dairy producers have a great deal of assets invested, and they need to be able to work with a lender to make good use of those and yet have some boundaries of what makes sense to make sure everyone is successful.” Sipiorski, an agricultural business and nancial consultant, presented “Financial knowledge your banker wants you to know” Jan. 15 during a Minnesota Milk Minne-Series webinar. “We do need to plan,” he said about dairy farmers. “I know with cows, you get up in the morning, there are chores to do, cows to milk and other things. ... I’m going to encourage you to take a look at a longer-term

plan then just what the day to day is.” Planning is needed because of the volatility seen in 2020. The novel coronavirus pandemic caused major disruption in the food service industry, which is only back to $54 billion in sales compared to $68 billion before the start of the pandemic, Sipiorski said. Large swings in the milk price also meant more government aid, which accounted for 42% of net farm income in 2020. “We’re not talking gross income, we’re talking net income,” Sipiorski said. “That has been huge. Don’t expect that in the coming year.” Sipiorski said a plan can help a farm manage potential ination, which could happen as the country’s debt to revenue ratio increases. “What happens with ination is we have too many dollars chasing too few assets,” Sipiorski said. On a dairy, Sipiorski suggests the debt to revenue ratio should be 1-to-1. “I encourage you to look at your balance sheet,” he said. “Look at the amount of debt and divide it by the amount of revenue, the amount of gross income you’re generating on your farm. How close are you to 1-to-1?” On a per-cow level, Sipiorski said debt should not exceed $10,000 per cow, and from a production

standpoint, Sipiorski said not to exceed $20 of debt per hundredweight of milk. “We see some farms exceed up to 2-to-1 (debt to revenue ratio),” he said. “The concern is paying things back. I know interest rates are low right now. We have to be careful not to get too far out.” In the last 20 years, Sipiorski said the country’s private debt by individuals and debt from businesses has increased severely, with each category around the $14 trillion mark. “Is debt wrong?” Sipiorski said. “It is not. It’s OK to borrow money as long as you do it for the right purposes.” To stay ahead of ination and debt, Sipiorski said a dairy must have productive assets. Every dollar used to buy an asset should generate at least $1 in return. “Be careful when you buy assets that don’t generate you enough income,” Sipiorski said. “A good example is a dairy cow. We can buy a good dairy cow for $1,500 and that cow will generate between $4,500 and $5,000 in income. That’s a good investment.” Sipiorski cautioned about high-priced tractor and land purchases. “Think about the return you’re going to get on Turn to PROFITABLE | Page 5

Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

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 (ofďƒžce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Krista Kuzma - Editor/Wisconsin (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofďƒžce: 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 (ofďƒžce) 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 Hoeďƒ&#x;er (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Julie Barnes (SE WI and Northern IL) julie.b@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 $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. 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 ďƒžnal 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 LLC.

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

A glance at the other side

Dairy Star likes to provide local stories, which is why we have two versions of the paper. Below are a few highlights from stories you will not ďƒžnd in this paper, but you can ďƒžnd online in zone 2. Find full editions on our website, www.dairystar.com, and click on the e-edition tab under the Dairy Star header. Kliebenstein enjoys in-home bakery business The Farmer’s Wife Bakery in Darlington, Wis., was born as a result of Morgan Kliebenstein’s love of baking and decorating cakes, a hobby she developed to help keep her grandmother’s memory close to her. Kliebenstein made and decorated her ďƒžrst cake about 11 years ago as an attempt to impress her future husband. Her little business has grown to ďƒžlling an average of two orders or requests a week. Developing an emergency response plan Creating an emergency response plan in advance and communicating it well with members of your team can make all the difference in how your farm might come through an emergency or natural disaster. Plans should include a chain of command; emergency contact information; maps and information about different areas and structures on the farm; a location for regrouping; as well as plans for both evacuation and sheltering in place. Daane Dairy replaces hoop barn for improved youngstock care When Daane Dairy near Brandon, Wisconsin needed more room for calves, the Daanes built a new calf barn with capacity for 100 animals. Replacing a hoop barn, the new structure is cleaner, drier and more spacious. Calves are housed in individual pens for the ďƒžrst two weeks before shifting to housing in groups of ďƒžve in a 10foot by 10-foot pen. A simple transformation of the pen from single to group housing eliminates the need to move animals. The new calf barn is one of many improvements the Daanes have made since building their dairy operation in 1998. Kocourek Bros. farm builds pit to contain feed pad runoff following expansion Protecting local waterways was high on the list of priorities for the Kocourek family when they expanded in 2016. Increasing the size of their feed pad and adding more bunkers meant that twice as much runoff could potentially end up in the stream that travels through their farm near Reedsville, Wisconsin. The Kocoureks worked with the Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to design and build a leachate collection pit near their feed pad to contain runoff and help protect the environment.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 3

It’s all inside... Columnists

Bon Yankton Homme

Clay

Sioux

O’Brien

Clay

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Woodbury

Ida

Monona

Palo Alto

P

Sac

Kossuth

nt

mo

Zone 1

Fre

bo du ery

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Mon

Page

Kanabec

Washington

ms ey

Hancock Cerro Gordo

t

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mb

Hu

Mitchell Howard Floyd

Greene

Bremer

Wright Franklin Butler

Guthrie

Boone

Dallas

Black Hawk

rs Ma

Tama

Jasper

Fayette

Clayton

an

e war Dubuque

an

ch

Bu

Benton

Dela

Jones

Iowa

Linn

Jackson Clinton

n Cedar so

hn

Jo

Scott

Muscatine

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Po

Polk

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ha

Story

aw

as

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Ch

Grundy un Webster Hamilton Hardin

Au

Pottawattamie Cass Mills

Win

Worth

lho

Ca

Crawford Carroll

Harrison Shelby

as

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Osceola

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Third Section: Page 39

on Emmet

Lyon

Plymouth

Ra

Wilkin ln

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Lin

Dairy Prole: Andrew Gathje

Houston

ake

Turner

Stewartville

Winona

Fillimore

Mower

sh

Hutchinson

Freeborn

Faribault

Martin

ne

Charles Mix

Jackson

am

Douglas

Gregory

McCook Minnehaha

Nobles

Wabasha

Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted

All

Tripp

n

Ha

Murray

Rock

Goodhue

Rice

Adair

Madison Warren Marion Mahaska Keokuk

Adams Taylor

gto

Todd

n so

Moody

Nicollet

Brown

W in

Mellette

Miner

Lake

Redwood

Union old

gg

Rin

Clarke

Lucas

Decatur Wayne

Monroe Wapello e

oos

pan

Ap

Davis

hin

Aurora

Sanborn

Brookings

Dakota

Scott

Sibley

Lyon

Wa s

Brule

Jerauld

Kingsbury

Carver

iek

Lyman

Beadle

Hennepin

McLeod

Renville

Yellow Medicine

eu r

Hamlin

Hand

Buffalo

Deuel

Anoka

Wright

Meeker

Chippewa

Lac Qui Parle

Codington

Clark

Kandiyohi

Second Section: Pages 3 - 4

Isanti

Su

Hyde

Spink

Sherburne

Swift

Grant

Benton

Stearns

Pope

Le

Hughes

Stevens

Ziegler retires from Southern Research & Outreach center

Pine

Mille Lacs

Morrison

Douglas

Waseca

Carlton

sh

Bennett

Faulk

Aitkin

Crow Wing

Todd

Big Stone

Day

Cass

we

Shannon

Stanley

Edmunds

Otter Tail

Grant

Cook Lake

go

Fall River

Roberts

Marshall

McPherson

Potter Sully

Jones Jackson

Sargent

Koochiching

isa Ch

Haakon

Dickey

Richland

First Section: Pages 22 - 23

Itasca

Becker

Ransom

Brown Walworth

M

Clay

Tra ver se

Campbell

Corson

Pennington

Custer

Cass

en

om ahn

Lincoln

Dairy Good Life

Pages 8 - 9 Second Section

Bames

LaMoure

McIntosh

Sioux

The “Mielke” Ziebach Market Weekly Meade

Lawrence

Stutsman

Emmons

Dewey Butte

Kidder

Logan

Grant

Page 33 First Section Perkins

Harding

Burleigh

Morton

Adams

Polk

Trail

Steele

Pipestone

Bowman

Page 32 Hettinger First Section

Griggs

Norman

Oliver

Just Thinking OutStark Loud

Slope

Foster

Mercer

Billings Golden Valley

Wells

Sheridan

Minnesota Dairy Initiative has been helping producers for 25 years

Third Section: Pages 8 - 10

St. Louis

Red Lake

Eddy

McLean

Beltrami

Pennington

Grand Forks

St. Cloud

Kids Corner: The Smude family

Lake of the Woods

Hubbard

Nelson

Roseau

Marshall

Benson

n

Dunn

Kittson

Walsh

Ramsey

McHenry

Ward

Pembina

io

Page 31 First Section

Cavalier

Towner

Pierce

Mountrail Something to Ruminate On

McKenzie

Rolette

First Section: Pages 18, 20

Da vi so n

Williams

Bottineau

First Section: Pages 1, 6 - 7

Lastrup

Kolbs breed for high-producing, long-life cows

Wadena

Renville

Burke Page 30 First Section

Divide

Paynesville

Rollers grow herd, improve facilities over six years

First Section: Pages 34 - 35, 37

Dear County Agent Guy

Hewitt

n

Malecha writes children’s book about dairy farm

Clearwater

Villard

Pages 8-9 First Section

Un

Ag Insider

son

fer

Jef

Van Buren

Louisa

Henry Des

Moines

Lee

Zone 2 Hanska

Women in Dairy: Angie Tauer First Section: Page 36

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

FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:

Garnavillo

Twelve robots plus unique herdsman help make Iowa dairy work First Section: Pages 10 - 11

What farm projects have you completed because of the moderate weather this winter? First Section: Pages 15-16

Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

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ConƟnued from PROFITABLE | Page 1

them,” he said. According to Sipiorski, the top 30% of dairy producers in the United States earn $1.25 more per hundredweight of milk compared to the average producer. “I’m going to encourage you to get your nancials together,” he said. “This is a good time to do it. You can’t plant corn tomorrow so you need to get all your numbers in line, not only for your accountant for your taxes, but for your knowledge and your plan and to know what your protability is.” That $1.25 can add up to a signicant amount of money over time. “This is real money, and we need to gure out how to capture those kinds of dollars,” Sipiorski said. Capturing as much prot as possible is important as production in the country continues to climb, the number of cull cows going to slaughter does not add up to where it should be to keep production down and grain prices increasing. “Work closely with who does your nutrition work,” Sipiorski said. “It’s possible we might be short with energy on corn and soybeans (because of the increased price).” Going into 2021, producers will be working on taxes. “Please do not run your farm based on your 2020 income tax return,” Sipiorski said. “That’s a terrible way to look at it.” Sipiorski said he thinks many producers manipulated the amount of taxes they paid by prepaying before the close of 2020. “We can really distort the income on a farm by the amount of depreciation taken by doing prepayments,” he said. “Be careful of that.” Other paperwork to take care of is an accurate year-end balance sheet. “At the 31st of December, you need to spend a few days before taking inventories of feed and cattle,” Sipiorski said. “If you haven’t done your balance sheet, do it. Get the numbers as accurate as you can – the assets and liabilities. Compare last year’s net worth to this year’s net worth.” Follow that by doing an accurate accrual income statement. “This is different than your taxes, but you’re still going to use income and expense,” Sipiorski said. “For example, if you paid an extra $50,000 fee in 2020 and will use it in 2021, you have to back that out. If you do your income

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 5

statement, it’s going to show you had a lot more expenses than really what you did have. You need to do the same with cattle and feed inventories.” Talking to a lender about current low interest rates and restructuring loans is also something many farmers should be doing, Sipiorski said. “We are in a different year of dairy farming,” he said. “It used to be if you took care of your cattle and your crops, you made money. And I can’t think of a better place to raise a family than on a farm. Today, we have to run the farm rst with the numbers, take a look at those and then we can make decisions on how to make our farm better.” Other benchmarks to pay attention to include net worth, working capital, return on assets, return on equity, operating expense and cost of production and asset turnover. “Can you turn (a prot from) it in three years?” Sipiorski said. “If not, you have too many assets that are not productive and generating enough income.” Having a cash income project is also important. Knowing this information is important to running a successful business; however, Sipiorski said 20% of producers have a written business plan based on true cash income statement. “Only 20% of dairy farmers do this and it ought to be much higher than that,” he said. Milk marketing might be a part of this plan. “If you’re going to do marketing, you have to educate yourself,” Sipiorski said. “Don’t just go out and start pulling triggers on marketing milk if you don’t understand what you’re getting into.” Sipiorski suggested farmers work with cooperatives, brokers or extension agents to nd more information. Overall, Sipiorski said it is important for dairy farmers to write down business, marketing and transition plans, and communicate often with their lender. “Want to get a lender’s attention? Show them you’ve done a cash projection. Lenders appreciate when you sit down with them early and you bring information to them,” Sipiorski said. “Less than 10% of producers will come in with the type of business plan I’m talking about. But we’ve got to do it today based on what we’re facing in agriculture.”

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ConƟnued from ROLLERS | Page 1

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facility. What the Rollers did not plan on was the building process taking several years to complete. “It was a wakeup call because we thought we could build in one year, be done and milking in it,” Ryan said. “It ended up being years of building.” In 2014, the Rollers built a 66- by 100-foot bedded pack barn adjacent to the tiestall barn. The pack barn provides 100 square feet per cow and initially housed their high producing cows while the Rollers continued to milk in the tiestall. “We put our better cows in the pack barn, and we couldn’t believe the response in increased milk production,” Ryan said. “That really pushed us to get the sand-bedded free stalls done.” But the next stage for the Rollers was building the parlor. In 2016, the Rollers completed the swing-10 milking parlor with used automatic takeoff units and a new rapid exit parlor. Today, one or two people can milk the herd in 1.5 to 2 hours. “I’m really glad we did 10 cows (per side),” Brenda said. “Having 20 cows in here at a time – it seems to go smooth.” Brenda said heifers easily transition into milking in the parlor. “The heifers are used to it in two days and are much easier to handle versus in the tiestall,” Brenda said. The entire herd transitioned well into the milking parlor, but at that time, cows were being housed in three different places – the pack barn, tiestall barn and pasture. The Rollers were eager to nish the next stage which was creating a sandbedded, 62-stall freestall area by adding on to an existing building and connecting it to the bedded pack barn.

Ryan had spent years researching the benets and management of sand bedding. He found the benets outweighed the challenges of managing sand. “I did a lot of research to be sure to get the stall design right,” Ryan said. “I looked at every specic design detail to be sure the cows would use them correctly.” Initially, the Rollers did not have money to purchase a stall groomer. Ryan manages the stalls by adding sand every 5-7 days and leveling the stalls in between. The barn was completed last fall, and the herd responded immediately to the new housing area. “It was a huge jump in milk production,” Gene said. “We are thinking because of the stalls and increased cow comfort.” The Rollers think more access to water was also a contributing factor to increased milk production. Just months into the new facility, the Rollers are relieved to have the project done. Despite it taking longer than they thought, building in stages ended up being a blessing in disguise. “One good thing about us taking a little more time is being able to see things that we thought would be better,” Brenda said. Even with all his design preparation and planning, Ryan agreed. “It’s frustrating because you have to be patient, but in a way it is good because at each step you have time to think about it and try to do every part right,” Ryan said. The Rollers also did as much construction as they could themselves to help cut costs. They poured not all Turn to ROLLERS | Page 7

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ConĆ&#x;nued from ROLLERS | Page 6 but most of the cement in the buildings, purchased dairy equipment, did the plumbing and installed stalls and headlocks. “If you can do it yourself, you can save at least half the cost,â€? Gene said. Looking back, Ryan said he would have done a few things differently. Managing manure in the barn is something Ryan would like to change eventually. “I designed the barn around cow ďƒ&#x;ow to the parlor,â€? Ryan said. “One thing I’d do differently is design the barn around manure ďƒ&#x;ow.â€? Manure is scraped several times a day into a small holding pit and hauled out twice a day. Ryan would like to make

an underground storage area where the holding pit is and pump it to a permanent storage. This improvement project is already in the works. “Eventually I would like to purchase a manure robot, but I am waiting for one that is designed to handle sand bedding,� Ryan said. In the 10-year plan, Ryan would like to invest in a Lely Vector feeding system. He designed the freestall facility with plans to add a feed kitchen adjacent to it. “I’m looking to hire labor in the future, and I think we could gain enough to make (the Vector) pay,� Ryan said. “I like the feeding consistency, not wasting feed and always have feed pushed up.�

ANDREA BORGERDING/DAIRY STAR

The Rollers built a swing-10, rapid exit parlor. The parlor has greatly reduced milking Ć&#x;me.

ANDREA BORGERDING/DAIRY STAR

The Rollers’ new freestall facility uses sand bedding. The herd’s milk producĆ&#x;on increased soon aĹŒer moving into the facility. Adding a milking parlor system is something Gene and Ryan were always working toward. “I like my cows, and I like to milk them myself – it forces me to work with them every day,â€? Ryan said. “I like that if I wanted to get 50 more cows, I can now.â€? Gene and Brenda milk in the mornings while Ryan does feeding and scraping. Brenda and Ryan milk in the evenings. The herd is divided in two groups – a high group and a low group. The low group consists of 30 cows housed on the bedded pack. The high

group of 60 cows is housed in the freestall area. Each group is brought into the holding area and milked one at a time. The Rollers recently made a key turning point in their expansion. “We are ďƒžnally where we can get rid of the cows we don’t want anymore,â€? Ryan said. “We were always trying to save animals.â€? The Rollers breed for longevity among other features so having 10- to 11-year-old cows in their herd is not uncommon. Through the years of expansion – a slow and steady pace of growth – the Rollers

were encouraged by the results from the changes they did for their herd. They know there will always be updates to be made to continue to allow for improvement. Ryan said there are many different ways to do things – there is no right or wrong way. “What works for one farmer may not work for the next farmer,� Ryan said. “Just about anybody can make anything work.� Ryan and Amy will be taking ownership of the dairy in 2022. Amy, who currently works off the farm, looks forward to helping more on the dairy in the future.

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Dramatic policy change is likely Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

When one political party controls the White would be the rst woman of color to serve in this role House, House and Senate, big policy changes at USDA. can be expected. Pro Farmer Policy Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer said President Biden’s rst priority is the USDA names three Deputy Under Secretaries for distribution of the COVID vaccine “We Biden Administration haven’t had a successful implementation The new Deputy Under Secretary for Ag Insider and distribution. Climate change will Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services also be addressed. I think one of the is Stacy Dean. Dean previously worked real reasons former Ag Secretary Tom at the Center on Budget and Policy Vilsack decided to come back to USDA Priorities and the Ofce of Management is climate policy. That’s a challenge to and Budget. The Deputy Under Secretary Vilsack.” Biden will also concentrate on for Rural Development is Justin Maxson, immigration policy and infrastructure, who previously worked at the Mary including rural broadband. Reynolds Babcock Foundation. The Deputy Under Secretary of Marketing An ‘America rst’ attitude and Regulatory Programs is Mae Wu, Combest Sell and Associates who previously worked at the Natural managing partner Tom Sell said the Resource Defense Council. By Don Wick Trump Administration had an impact on Columnist agriculture, especially international trade Senior USDA staff positions announced policy. “There’s no question President Dr. Gregory Parham is the interim Trump brought an ‘America rst’ attitude and the deputy assistant secretary for administration. Parham idea we need to stand by American production,” Sell served in the same role from 2013-2016. The new chief said. “The administration wanted to revamp trade of staff for the Ofce of the Secretary is Katharine policies, and this was painful at times for agriculture.” Ferguson. Ferguson had served in the Obama The Trump Administration also administered record Administration as the chief of staff for the White payments to farmers to help them get through House Domestic Policy Council. Robert Bonnie has those tough times. By using the Commodity Credit been named the undersecretary for Natural Resources Corporation, Sell said a precedent was established. and Environment and senior advisor to Secretary “Whether that will be carried forward in this Vilsack during the Obama years. Bonnie has now new administration we don’t know, but it was an been named the deputy chief of staff for policy and the extraordinary action taken by the administration.” senior climate advisor in the Ofce of the Secretary. Matt Herrick is the new communications director for Bronough is the nominee for USDA Deputy Ag USDA. Most recently, Herrick had a similar role for Secretary the International Dairy Foods Association. During the President Joe Biden announced sub-cabinet Obama Administration, Herrick was a spokesperson positions including Deputy Ag Secretary nominee for USDA and the U.S. Agency for International Jewell Bronaugh. Bronaugh currently serves as Development. the commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. She’s been a Food box program contracts awarded former State Executive Director for the Farm Service USDA has approved contracts for the fth round Agency and a 4-H Extension Specialist. Bronaugh of the Farmers to Families Food Box program. This

program provides fresh produce, milk and dairy products and meat. In total, USDA has distributed more than 133 million food boxes to support the farmers and families affected by the pandemic. DMC enrollment up in ’21 The number of dairy farms signed up for USDA’s Dairy Margin Coverage for 2021 totals 18,500. That compares to 13,500 in 2020. Marin Bozic, dairy marketing economist, University of Minnesota, sees value in this program. “Had this program been in existence for the past ten years, for every one dollar paid in premium producers would have collected $9 in gross indemnities before premiums.” Another lawsuit challenging wolf delisting The Humane Society of the United States is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for delisting wolves from federal protection. The lawsuit claims the government is violating the Endangered Species Act and its legal duty to protect wolves. This issue has been in and out of the courts since 2003. Rosado takes a policy role with IDFA Robert Rosado is the new senior director of legislative affairs for the International Dairy Foods Association. Most recently, Rosado was a senior staff member for the Senate Agriculture Committee. Previously, Rosado worked for the Food Marketing Institute, Biotechnology Industry Organization and American Meat Institute. MTA adds Forsyth to staff Trey Forsyth is the new director of government affairs for Michael Torrey Associates. Most recently, Forsyth was a policy advisor to agricultural trade ambassador Gregg Doud. Previously, Forsyth worked for Land O’Lakes.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 9

ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 Poeschl resigns from National FFA National FFA CEO Mark Poeschl has resigned. In a statement, Poeschl said there have been challenges faced during his tenure, but his intentions were for the best interests of FFA and student members. The National FFA has been dealing with a lawsuit after the removal of a national ofcer because he violated the code of conduct making diversity statements on social media. National FFA will now begin discussions on the selection of a new chief executive ofcer. Minnesota professor selected for ag air quality task force Twenty-six people have been appointed to serve on USDA’s Task Force for Agricultural Air Quality Research. Among those selected include Dr. Rodney Venterea of Mounds View, Minn. Dr. Venterea works for the Agricultural Risk Management agency

and is an adjunct professor in the department of soil, water and climate at the University of Minnesota. Trivia challenge Emmental is a hard, yellow Swissmade cheese that is known as a good melting cheese. That answers our last trivia question. For this week, what Italian cheese is made from heating the whey left over from the cheese making process? 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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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

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G A R N AV I L L O , Iowa – At least two things set Lee and Sara Pattison’s dairy near Garnavillo apart from other Midwest dairy farms. The rst is 700 cows milked by 12 robots. The second is 30-year-old Jessica (Schramm) Lansing, who never touched a cow until she was 19 but has been SHERRY NEWELL/DAIRY STAR the dairy’s herdswoman Jessica Lansing and her husband, Nevin, both work at Paƫson Dairy near since 2016. Garnavillo, Iowa. The 30-year-old woman never touched a cow unƟl she was 19 Lansing helped years old, but began a herdswoman career aŌer graduaƟng from the University work through the of Wisconsin - River Falls. farm’s transition to the robots from milking three times a day in a double-8 Tuesday is herd health, Thursday is vaccination day herringbone parlor. Since 2016, she, the Pattisons and for cows, and Friday is timed A.I. day where I do the the farm manager, Andy Corlett, have worked with majority of breeding,” Lansing said. She began developing those skills as a University other employees to make the farm run smoothly. “All employees together are the reason for our of Wisconsin-River Falls student studying dairy success and are by far our most important asset,” said science, Spanish and chemistry with the intention of becoming a veterinarian. But internships at Milk Lee Pattison. Pattison had a 25-year-old parlor needing updates Source’s calf-raising facility and Tidy View Dairy when he attended a meeting and saw a layout for drew her to herdsman work. A 1.5-year stint with Milk Source after college was followed by a similar robots that was a perfect t for his existing barns. “I needed a system that would have value in the future,” he said. After more than two years with the Lely A4 robots, cow visits to the robots are at 2.9 per day, and the herd is averaging nearly 100 pounds of milk per day. The herd includes 10 milking cows Lansing owns with her husband, Nevin, who also works for Pattison Dairy. Down the road, where the newlywed Lansings LEE PATTISON, DAIRY FARMER live, are 14 more dairy heifers they own. Lansing said she arrived for her rst dairy farm role at a southern Iowa dairy that sold out. Soon after, job during college wearing dress clothes and makeup. she landed with the Pattisons. Fortunately, that dairyman took her under his wing “Jess brings an upbeat attitude every day,” and exposed her to all the basics. Pattison said. “She loves animals and farming but Now her days start with milking the farm’s brings a different outlook, not growing up on a dairy hospital/maternity group and tending to newborn farm. She isn’t locked into what she saw growing up.” calves. She moves on to the older calves and then With Lansing and the other employees on hand, checks fresh cow milk samples as the rst step toward Pattison Dairy staggered their robot installation in the moving them into the robot pens. The rest of her day fall of 2018, starting with six robots milking rst- and is lled with maternity and herdswoman work. second-lactation cows. Older cows were transitioned “Every Monday is hoof trimming day, every a month later. Pattison said one drawback of the new model is a longer training period for labor, but he is happy with what the robots have done. “You need to be committed to making it work and training your help for success,” Pattison said. Lansing said the rst few months transitioning to robots were tiring. “We were learning new things right alongside the cows, so it felt like we were just treading water some days,” she said. “I think by the six-month mark, most of the cows had gured out the system, and we were less stressed about it all.” The robots were retrotted into the existing barn layout in SHERRY NEWELL/DAIRY STAR an “L” conguration on One of Jessica Lansing’s herdswoman duƟes is seƫng calves up for roboƟc Turn to feeding. The 700-cow herd raises all of its own calves and replacement heifers. LANSING | Page 11

“She loves animals and farming but brings a different outlook, not growing up on a dairy farm.”

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 11

ConƟnued from LANSING | Page 10 the sides of each of two sandbedded barns. Cows are in four pens which run the length of the barn. Automatic scrapers were also installed. Feeding was changed from early morning to noon, allowing for fetch cows to be brought in before being distracted by fresh feed. “Cow handling was our biggest learning curve,” said Lansing, who called the dairy management intensive. … “It was hard for us to remember that robot herds thrive on staying out of the pen as much as possible. We are probably more intense on fetching than most other robot herds, but this is how we have found the

best way to maximize milk production in our setup.” Four of the Pattison Dairy robots track somatic cell count. Rumination, activity level and milk production are tracked by all 12. One portion of the robot installation was customized to include a stainless steel pan next to each machine, replacing what would ordinarily be concrete hosed down multiple times each day. “We asked ourselves how we could get away from a situation where the inspector might see worn concrete and say, ‘Fix that,’” Lansing said. The cows are also fed

SHERRY NEWELL/DAIRY STAR

Jessica Lansing, herdswoman at Paƫson Dairy near Garnavillo, Iowa, programs a fresh cow into one of 12 robots on the farm. She began work at the dairy in 2016 and helped transiƟon the 700-cow herd to automaƟc milking.

SHERRY NEWELL/DAIRY STAR

Paƫson Dairy near Garnavillo, Iowa, milks 700 cows with 12 robots.

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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

Sexed semen: How to optimize fertility

Research shows delaying insemination time is not best option By Stacey Smart

stacey.s@dairystar.com

MADISON, Wis. – Motivated by the desire to get more heifer calves out of a farm’s best cows, the use of sexed semen in dairy herds has grown dramatically in the last ve years. Sexed semen was introduced to the industry in 2006, and according to AgSource, 20% of all Holstein breedings used sexed semen in 2020 compared to 8% in 2015. In Jerseys, that number was much higher last year at up to 45%. Dr. Paul Fricke, Ph.D., dairy reproduction specialist and professor of dairy science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, expects these gures to continue to climb. Fricke shared background and new research on sexed semen during a Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Dairy Signal podcast to help shed light on ways of maximizing the fertility of sexed semen. The studies looked at timing of articial insemination when using sexed semen in rst-lactation cows and non-lactating heifers. “Sexed semen is a large investment in a farm’s reproduction program, therefore, we want to use it the best way we know how,” Fricke said. “I think a lot of people are trying to use sexed semen the same way they would use conventional semen. But in randomized controlled trials, sexed semen has about 80%-85% of the fertility of conventional semen.” When creating sexed semen, sperm are stained with dye and sorted or killed by a laser. As a result, many sperm are damaged or wasted, making it a less fertile option than conventional semen. Therefore,

breeding at the optimal time becomes even more important. Recent research disproves a concept in the industry that delaying timing of A.I. when using sexed semen is better for fertility. The idea that inseminating later relative to the onset of activity or estrus will lead to increased fertility with sexed semen was tested by Fricke and his team within a synchronized breeding protocol in which timing of ovulation was precisely controlled. Paul Fricke UW-Madison “One of the negatives of breeding cows to an estrus is that onset of activity is not an exact predictor of when they are going to ovulate,” Fricke said. “You don’t really put semen into cows at an optimal time when you inseminate to an estrus or increased activity. Fortunately, with conventional semen, timing is not as critical because it lasts quite a while in the reproductive tract.” Fricke’s team tested the hypothesis that the induction of ovulation earlier relative to a timed A.I. in a Double-Ovsynch protocol will result in more pregnancies per A.I. The study was done on rst-lactation cows on three farms in Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin. All farms submitted cows for rst timed A.I. using a Double-Ovsynch protocol in which cows were inseminated 8 to 12 hours later than normal at 24 hours after induction of ovulation. The recommended interval from induction of ovulation to time of insemination using conventional semen is 16 hours. “We know they’re going to ovulate about 28 hours after the nal GnRH treatment of the protocol so that gives us the

right timing for the best fertility,” Fricke said. “We modied the Double-Ovsynch protocol. Rather than giving the GnRH treatment in the afternoon, we moved it to the morning. That way, we’re inducing ovulation earlier so the interval from induction of ovulation to time of insemination is 24 hours. This is about the time they’re going to ovulate.” However, the modication proved negative for fertility. Cows inseminated 24 hours after the last GnRH treatment had fewer pregnancies per A.I. than cows inseminated at 16 hours, experiencing a decrease of 6 percentage points. In a similar study done on pasturebased herds in Ireland, cows were inseminated later rather than moving the time of the GnRH treatment. Cows were bred at 16-hour or 22-hour intervals, and the number of pregnancies per A.I. did not differ between the two groups. Breeding later did not increase fertility. In both scenarios, the conception rate for sexed semen was 80%85% that of conventional semen. Research shows the ability to synchronize ovulation and do timed inseminations in heifers helps improve conception rates. A study from the University of Florida looked at different protocols where heifers were inseminated with conventional or sexed semen. Heifers inseminated with conventional semen showed no difference in fertility if bred to estrus or timed A.I. However, breeding with sexed semen to an estrus resulted in signicantly lower conception rates as compared to timed A.I. “This really piqued our interest,” Fricke said. “It probably reects the fact you have to be very close to the right timing with sexed semen, likely because the sperm is damaged and has a shorter lifespan in the reproductive tract.” The recommended protocol in this study involved GnRH treatment, a CIDR

device for ve days, two treatments of prostaglandin and a timed A.I., yielding a 59% conception rate when using sexed semen. “We feel that once-a-day detection of estrus is not frequent enough when using sexed semen,” Fricke said. “Furthermore, the biggest cost to raising heifers is days on feed which is determined by when they get pregnant. If you wait for estrus, you’re delaying days to rst A.I.” Another study at the University of Florida conducted in 2020 looked at the effect of breeding heifers later when using a ve-day CIDR protocol. Half of the heifers in the study were inseminated 12 hours later than normal. For those bred with conventional semen, fertility was fairly standard. But conception rates with sexed semen were not good. “Research shows that if you’re using a timed A.I. protocol in rst-lactation animals, use the standard timing in that protocol when inseminating with sexed semen,” Fricke said. “In a Double-Ovsynch protocol, you would give the last GnRH treatment in the afternoon and breed the following morning.” Fricke and his team are wrapping up research that compares various treatment protocols and breeding strategies when using sexed semen on non-lactating heifers. One study examines the fertility of Holstein heifers inseminated with sexed semen after ve-day or six-day CIDR-synch protocols or once-daily detection of estrus after treatment with prostaglandin F2 alpha. In addition, Fricke’s team is doing a feed cost analysis to determine cost per pregnancy based on pregnancy rates yielded by different breeding protocols. Their ndings will be published this year. “At an $18 premium per straw, sexed semen is a big investment,” Fricke said. “Therefore, you want to make sure you maximize fertility.”

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 13

Central Plains Dairy Expo slated for March 24-25 Extensive COVID-19 safety precautions will be in place By Jerry Nelson

jerry.n@dairystar.com

NEW PRAGUE, Minn. – Last March, the 2020 Central Plains Dairy Expo was canceled due to the initial outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The Central Plains Dairy Expo gives producers an opportunity to connect with others in the industry, and to see the latest and greatest technology. This year, however, the Central Plains Dairy Expo will be held March 24-25 at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Extensive precautions will be taken to make the expo experience as safe as possible for all who attend. “The health and the safety of expo attendees and exhibitors is our top priority,â€? said Renee Brod, associate executive director of the Central Plains Dairy Association. “Because of this, we made the tough decision to forgo holding a welcome concert this year.â€? The Central Plains Dairy Expo will kick off with the Ag Prayer Breakfast, which will be held at 7 a.m. Wednesday, March 24. The doors of the Denny Sanford Premier Center will open at 6:30. “The ďƒžrst 300 attendees at the Ag Prayer Breakfast will receive a free hot bag breakfast,â€? Brod said. “Socially distanced tables will be placed on the ďƒ&#x;oor of the Premier Center. The bleachers will also be opened up for seating during the breakfast.â€? Some of the enhanced health safety measures include up to 4,000 masks that will be made available by Zoetis. Hand sanitizer stations will be located throughout the venue. The side curtains of the exhibitors’ booths have been increased from 3 feet tall to 8 feet tall. The city of Sioux Falls currently has a mask mandate. This mandate is set to expire March 13. “If the mask mandate is extended, we will require that all attendees wear masks,â€? Brod said. “If the mandate is not extended, masking will be encouraged but won’t be required. We will continue to ask that all exhibitors wear masks, if possible.â€? Brod encourages attendees to go online to preregister for the expo. “Preregistering will greatly streamline the check-in for attendees,â€? Brod

said. “There will be iPads placed at entry points that will be used for a fast and contactless check-in. Preregistration will make check-in a 30-second experience and will greatly reduce congestion.â€? All attendees should register online at least 30 days prior to the expo. To register, visit ww.centralplainsdairy. com/registration. A free mobile app is also available to help attendees keep track of events during the expo. The app can be found at www.centralplainsdairy.com/mobileapp. “The mobile app will send out push notiďƒžcations that will provide expo attendees with information about the industry-sponsored educational breakout sessions and other announcements,â€? Brod said. Capacity limits will be set for the breakout session rooms. The breakout session venues are also being expanded to make room for proper social distancing. The Wine and Cheese Social is slated to take place on the evening of Wednesday, March 24. The food and beverages will be prepackaged and will be served by Sanford Premier Center staff. All Sanford Premier Center staff members will undergo daily health screenings, including temperature checks. The staff will follow all COVID-19 safety protocols and will wear personal protective equipment. Sanford Premier Center staff will be constantly cleaning surfaces during the expo. A free pancake breakfast, which will be sponsored by Agropur, will be held the morning of Thursday, March 25. Touch-free coffee dispensers will be located throughout the venue. Contactless, card-only transaction concessions will also be available. “The safety of our expo attendees and exhibitors is paramount,â€? said Kristopher Bousquet, Central Plains Dairy Association president. “We are taking precautions and adhering to Denny Sanford Premier Center, ASM Global VenueShield Program and Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention) recommendations and checklists. We will do everything in our power to help you model the good behavior that we’re being told will keep you safe and feeling comfortable This year’s expo will provide attendees with a safe way to interact, in person, with dairy industry representatives and others in the industry.â€?

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 15

What projects have you completed this winter?

Bruce Heydmann Zumbrota, Minnesota Goodhue County 60 cows What farm projects have you completed because of the moderate weather this winter? I have been able to ďƒžx machinery, and make repairs to the silo unloader and barn cleaner. My son, Phil, works construction, so if he’s not working, he can help me. Having him help plus the mild winter helped me get a few things done. How does that compare to other years? This year has been wonderful. I have enjoyed it because it is so warm. There was a short time frame in October where it made me scared that winter was here to stay. It made me remember about the Halloween blizzard in 1991. I didn’t want to have that long of a winter again so it was good it warmed up going into November. Do you remember past winters similar to this one? A few winters ago, we had a short period in January where the temperatures were above normal. That was a nice break before it got bitterly cold again. In the early 80s, I remember a year where Phil was only a few years old and able to play outside because it was so nice, sunny and warm. Describe your perfect winter. I would like a winter that would never be below zero and have lots of sunshine along with minimal wind and snow. I don’t enjoy the snow because it makes for a lot of extra work. I don’t mind snow as long as it’s only a little bit and can cover the alfalfa. What are your favorite winter activities, both on and off the farm? I lead a pretty boring life so I don’t do much during the winter; however, not having as many projects to do in the winter allows me to spend more time with my grandkids. If it is warm enough, I like to cut trees and clean up the farm. Otherwise, I try to keep warm in the house or the farm ofďƒžce. What are your plans for your dairy in 2021? I plan to stay the same and not make too many changes. I will be freshening a bunch of heifers soon so I will be able to cull a few more cows. Tell us about your farm. I milk my herd in a tiestall barn. I also have 300 acres to raise corn, alfalfa and oats along with some pastureland. My wife, Cherie, and I have three grown children – Phil, Molly and Nikki – and ďƒžve grandchildren. I don’t have any employees. It’s just me and Phil when he’s able to help.

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Charles Malm Park Rapids, Minnesota Hubbard County 90 cows What farm projects have you completed because of the moderate weather this winter? More cleaning projects done. We got all outside corrals cleaned plus pole barns. We were able to get all baled hay

and straw home. How does that compare to other years?A very mild winter with no 40 degrees below zero days, and we usually have a lot more snow. We have only had to plow out everything one time so far. It’s been a much nicer winter than we usually have. We are very thankful for that. Do you remember past winters similar to this one? Not really. Many years we would be snowed in for a day or two. Before the dairy farm started, I worked out. After a storm, I would have to leave my pickup on the county road a quarter mile from home and carry the battery home to be sure it world start because of the cold weather. Many years, we had several weeks of below zero temperatures. So far, this has been a great year weatherwise. Describe your perfect winter. This is the most perfect January I can remember. I am hoping for an early spring and more good weather. What are your favorite winter activities, both on and off the farm? We spend as much time as we can at our lake home 10 miles from the farm. We live full time on the farm but really enjoy getting away whenever possible. We celebrate birthdays and holidays there much of the time. Some of the family like ice ďƒžshing, and summers are for water fun. In the summer when possible, you will ďƒžnd me at the end of the dock with a ďƒžshing pole. What are your plans for your dairy in 2021? Hopefully purchase a forage harvester with a kernel processor. We also would like to upgrade the combine with a 6-row chopping corn head. Maybe add another pole shed for youngstock. Tell us about your farm. I own 650 acres and rent 115 acres. We raise 300 acres of corn for grain and silage and 275 acres of irrigated land of alfalfa and alfalfa and orchard grass. We have 25 acres of dryland hay. Most of the alfalfa and orchard grass is sold for horse hay. If we have to breed a cow more than two times, we breed them to Angus. We sell Angus and Holstein steers as fat cattle. Our two sons, Gregg and David, help keep the farm going. Gregg lives near here, and David lives on the farm. Gregg is located near Park Rapids and sells straw, corn and sunďƒ&#x;ower. Gregg rents about 600 acres of land and plants irrigated soybean and irrigated wheat plus corn and sunďƒ&#x;ower. We milk 90 cows in a double-4 milking parlor in a freestall barn. Cows that do not adapt to the barn are in a pole shed.

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Mark Gerard Spring Grove, Minnesota Houston County 250 cows What farm projects have you completed because of the moderate weather this winter? We were able to get our fall v-ripping done by the end of November. If it had been wet, we would not have been able to get it done. We were also able to empty both manure pits and other manure that needed to be hauled. The roads were good. We can’t haul when the roads are ice-packed. Now we won’t have to haul anything in the spring if we can’t get to it. How does that compare to other years? We have not been able to v-rip for the past three years because it was too wet and winter came too soon. A year or so ago, we also had a wet year and everything was done in the mud. This year has been perfect. Scraping manure in the freestall barn has been nice. It has not frozen and has been able to ďƒ&#x;ow into the pit. Usually we have to use a bucket and pile it until it gets warmer. Do you remember past winters similar to this one? There have been a few winters in the past that have had warm ups here and there, but this is the warmest start to winter I have experienced. It has been two months longer until we saw true winter weather. It has been great. Describe your perfect winter. This year so far comes pretty close to my perfect winter. I would like it to be 20 degrees and stay there. That is the perfect temperature. I don’t really care how much snow there is as long as the stalks got chopped and the manure has been hauled before it ďƒ&#x;ies. What are your favorite winter activities, both on and off the farm? I don’t do much anymore. I used to snowmobile and pushing snow. Now that I’m getting closer to retirement, I like to watch John Wayne movies, check the markets and watch auctions of RFD-TV. What are your plans for your dairy in 2021? We don’t plan to grow right now. Every animal has a bed so we are working to get better not bigger; however, we are waiting for 40-degree weather to build a 36- by 150-foot coverall-building to house machinery. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Dianne, and I farm together with our daughter and her partner, Darci Cleven and Steve Soland. We will soon start the process to transition the farm to them. I have been dairy farming since 1977. We milk our cows in a double-9 parlor. Our farm is 40 acres, and we rent the rest of the land. My brothers, Tom and Jeff, custom raise our calves – heifers and bulls that we feed out as steers – along with taking care of our dry cows.

Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15

Matt Yorek Little Falls, Minnesota Morrison County 800 cows What farm projects have you completed because of the moderate weather this winter? We were able to pour concrete for our new barn addition into mid-December allowing us to nish construction this winter. How does that compare to other years? Compared to other years, this winter seems more like a long fall to me with very nice working conditions. Let’s hope it rolls right into spring. Do you remember past winters similar to this one? I can remember one other winter maybe 15 years ago that was very similar. The fall was very dry, and there was little to no frost. I can remember sorting cattle in January in an outdoor lot wearing only a sweatshirt. Spring came early that year also. I cannot remember which year it specically was, but I do remember how nice it was to work in. Describe your perfect winter. For me, a perfect winter would be in Arizona January through March, but I will take one like this until that happens. What are your favorite winter activities, both on and off the farm? My favorite things to do in winter would be spending more time with the family and maybe a little coyote hunting with the guys. What are your plans for your dairy in 2021? No major plans yet for 2021 besides getting the dry cows and lactating herd in their new pens and uncrowded, hopefully picking up a few pounds of milk on the way. Tell us about your farm. Our farm is a third-generation farm consisting of my dad and his brother with two sons each taking over. We are milking about 800 cows and farm 1,000 acres for feed.

LeRoy Mickelson Cyrus, Minnesota Pope County 60 cows What farm projects have you completed because of the moderate weather this winter? We have gotten a lot of projects done this fall and winter. The biggest job we did rst was haul our manure pile out and clean all the barns. Then we xed fences and xed some buildings. We’ve also hauled some grain. How does that compare to other years? Other years we have had a hard time getting the crops out and then have to worry about getting manure hauled out. This year we had an easy time completing both. Do you remember past winters similar to this one? Yes, I remember winters like this but I can’t remember what years they were. There have been a few over my life. Describe your perfect winter. I would say this winter has been the perfect winter so far. Mild weather and manageable snowfall. What are your favorite winter activities, both on and off the farm? I like to go to the shop after chores. I like xing things in my spare time and getting machinery ready for spring. Off the farm, I like to go to town just to get away for a while. What are your plans for your dairy in 2021? I don’t have any big plans. Just continue to do the best I can. Tell us about your farm. My brother, Vernon, and I milk 60 cows and raise steers. We also farm 950 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa.

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Carter Bork Beaver Creek, Minnesota Rock County 120 cows What farm projects have you completed because of the moderate weather this winter? We were able to get quite a bit of corn stalks baled and have hauled a lot of manure. We got a lot of extra yard work accomplished. We haven’t had to do nearly as much bedding. How does that compare to other years? This year has been a dream. It’s a 180-degree turnaround from last year. Our yards aren’t wet and muddy. It’s a lot easier to sort animals when you aren’t wading through 2 feet of muck. The dry fall enabled us to harvest better quality silage and put it up right. Do you remember past winters similar to this one? The winter of 2008 was somewhat similar. As I recall, it was a fairly mild winter. Describe your perfect winter. This winter is pretty much my ideal. We have been able to get a lot more done than we ever could have hoped for. What are your favorite winter activities, both on and off the farm? One of my favorite winter activities is going coon hunting at night. It’s also fun to ride around on an inner tube that’s being pulled across the snow by an ATV. My favorite off farm wintertime activity is ice shing. I have been able to get away and go ice shing a couple of times this winter. I usually catch mostly crappies but have also caught a few Northerns. One recent weekend, I managed to land a 34-inch Northern. That was a nice sh. What are your plans for your dairy in 2021? We plan to keep on doing the best we can with what we have. This includes making sure every animal is healthy and has plenty of high quality of feed in front of them. Tell us about your farm. This is very much a family operation. I farm with my uncle, Barry, my cousins, Tate and Tyson, my aunts, Kara and Tami, and my grandpa, Harley. We milk in a tiestall barn that was built in 1996. We have made a lot of improvements to the barn since it was built, including updating its feeding system. In addition to the dairy, we feed a few hundred head of beef cattle and nish 2,400 hogs. We also lamb 150 ewes each year and fatten out the lambs. We raise all of our own replacement animals. We have been using sexed semen for a while now, so our herd has pretty good genetics.

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Tony Schumacher Rubicon, Wisconsin Dodge County 55 cows What farm projects have you completed because of the moderate weather this winter? Cleaning and lining fences. I’ve been cutting down trees, clearing back brush and trimming tree lines. I haven’t really worked in the shop too much this winter due to the lack of snow and milder weather we’ve had. Instead, I’m doing more things outside. How does that compare to other years? This winter is a lot nicer and milder. Waterers are not freezing, and feed is not freezing to the sides of the silos. Everything works nicer when it’s warmer. I function better as well. We’ve had a couple cold nights but no cold snaps this year that stuck around. It’s been tolerable, and we haven’t seen that in recent years. Do you remember past winters similar to this one? The last mild winter I remember was in 2012. In February that year, it got up to 70 degrees. Describe your perfect winter. Sunny and 70 degrees with a margarita in one hand and the beach nearby. My perfect winter is not here, but this winter has not been bad. I can’t complain. What are your favorite winter activities, both on and off the farm? I sure do like the cows and enjoy milking. I also like to get together with a group of people and go four-wheeling. There usually isn’t much going on in the winter. It’s pretty quiet around here. What are your plans for your dairy in 2021? To hopefully still be farming. My plans are basically the same as last year – no drastic changes in sight. I’m not expanding or anything and plan to follow the same pace as 2020. If I have the opportunity to take on more land, I will, but I don’t know of any right now. Tell us about your farm. I am a fourth-generation farmer who grew up on the farm and never left. My dad passed away from cancer in 2000 when I was in high school so I started managing the farm with my mom. In 2011, I purchased the farm from her. Today, I milk around 55 Holsteins and run 350 acres of land. Most of it is used for feed, but I also sell a little extra. I raise all my heifer calves but do not keep any bull calves. In 2015, I hosted the Dodge County Dairy Brunch.

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Large air compressor 150 horsepower rotary and dryer ................................................................... $5,000 Bear Cat Feed Mill....................................................... $1,500 Two stainless steel propane dryers, 50 horsepower .................................................$15,000 ea. New and used Sukup or GSI grain bins ............... Prices vary Jamesway 7400 gal. Ultra-Trac tanker nice ...............$45,000 New Max-Trac s/s 7400gal tanker .............................$82,000

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 17

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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

Breeding Focus

Kolbs breed for high-producing, long-life cows Kolb Dairy Inc. Michael and Theresa Kolb Paynesville, Minnesota Stearns County 450 cows Describe your facilities and list your breeding management team. We have freestall barns with manure solids bedding and a double-12 parlor. Our breeding team consists of our A.I. technician Danilo and Theresa. Alta Genetics provides most of the semen and mating services. What is your reproduction program? Do you use a synchronization program? How do you get animals pregnant? For the cows, we use a synchronization program. We use tail paint to help with heat detection. The cows are bred the rst service with genomic sires. Second and third service they are bred to beef sires. Cows that are not conrmed pregnant after third service are evaluated for production and somatic cell count. If acceptable, we will use a CIDR on them, otherwise they will go on a do-not-breed list. Heifers are bred rst service with sexed semen. For the second and third service, we use beef semen. Heifers not pregnant after the third service are culled. Heifers are bred mostly on natural heats. We also use tail paint on them.

DANNA SABOLIK/DAIRY STAR

Michael and Theresa Kolb, pictured with Danilo, the farm’s AI technician, breed for longevity and high producƟon on their 450-cow dairy near Paynesville, Minnesota.

Turn to KOLBS | Page 20

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 19

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LUCK-E HOLSTEINS, The Engel Family, HAMPSHIRE, IL Milking 185 Holsteins, Bred over 400 EX RHA 25,464M 4.5F 1151 3.3P 829, SCC 160,000 2020 State Show Premier Breeder and Exhibitor, including winners in the group of recently fresh 2-year-old King Doc daughters (above). Two are VG88 full sisters to Luck-E Dr Antidote RC EX90 54H902 “Udder Comfort™ does an awesome job softening udders and is gentle to skin. Results set it apart from everything else. For silky udders that are ready fast, we use Udder Comfort on every fresh cow 2x/day for a week after calving. We also apply it prefresh for first-calf heifers, and get it between the leg and the udder to prevent irritation,” says Joe Engel, Luck-E Holsteins, Hampshire, Ill. The Engels have bred over 400 EX cows, including impact cows Asia, Atlanta, Kandie-Red, and a string of impact sires, including Red and Polled. Joe and Matt and parents Dennis and Beth milk 185 Holsteins. They focus on balanced cows from consistent families, wide from muzzle to pins, efficient and long-lasting in a freestall setup where good udders and high components rule. “We like to be proactive. It’s good for cows and milk quality. Since Udder Comfort came out, it’s the only one we use. We want fresh, crisp, perfect udders by 10 days to 3 weeks fresh. Over and over, Udder Comfort delivers. It gets udders spot-on, all the way ready, fast.” https://wp.me/pb1wH7-e6

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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

Tax break available for beginning farmers

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Rural Finance Authority is now accepting applications for a tax credit for the sale or lease of land, equipment, machinery, and livestock in Minnesota by beginning farmers. To qualify, the applicant must be a Minnesota resident with the desire to start farming or who began farming in Minnesota within the past ten years, provide positive projected earnings statements, have a net worth less than $851,000, and enroll in, or have completed an approved nancial management program. The farmer cannot be directly related by blood or marriage to the person from whom he or she is buying or renting assets. The farmer must provide the majority of the labor and management of the farm. The tax credit for the sale or lease of assets can then be applied to the Minnesota income taxes of the owner of the agricultural land or other assets. Three levels of credits are available: – 5% of the lesser of the sale price or fair market value of the agricultural asset up to a maximum of $32,000 – 10% of the gross rental income of each of the rst, second and third years of a rental agreement, up to a maximum of $7,000 per year – 15% of the cash equivalent of the gross rental income in each of the rst, second or third year of a share rent agreement, up to a maximum of $10,000 per year The Beginning Farmer Tax Credit is available on a rst-come, rst-served basis. Applications must be received by October 1, 2021. Interested farmers should note that they can also apply for a separate tax credit to offset the cost of a nancial management program up to a maximum of $1,500 per year – for up to three years.

ConƟnued from KOLBS | Page 18 Describe your breeding philosophy. To breed healthy, high-producing, long-life cows for our dairy. What guidelines do you follow to reach the goals for your breeding program? We have a 75-day waiting period before rst service. All of our cows are enrolled into a double ovsynch program. Cows are tail painted for heat detection and pregnancy tested at 30 days. What are the top traits you look for in breeding your dairy herd, and how has this changed since you started farming? The top traits looked for in our herd are: high component and milk production, good feet and legs, and good udders. What are certain traits you try to avoid? The traits we avoid are poor teat placement, week and narrow frame, and poor feet and legs. Describe the ideal cow for your herd. The ideal cow in our herd would have a strong frame, good feet and legs, good natured, have high milk production and a low SCC. What role does genetics have in reaching the goals of your farm? Genetics have helped us reach our goals by helping us to breed for better cows by improving traits. What percentage of your herd is bred to sexed, conventional and beef semen? We only use sexed semen on heifers for the rst service and conventional semen for the rst service on cows. After that, it is all beef semen. What is your conception rate? How does this differ with different types of semen? Our conception rate is 56%. For conventional semen, it is 55% on the cows, 56% with beef semen on cows, 66% sexed semen on heifers and 60% beef semen on heifers. What is the greatest lesson you have learned through your breeding program? Since we switched from a modied live vaccine to a killed vaccine, we

DANNA SABOLIK/DAIRY STAR

These cows are an example of what the Kolbs breed for on their farm. A priority when choosing semen is strong feet and legs, as well as high components and milk producƟon, and good udders. have experienced a much higher conception rate. Good nutrition, especially in the dry period, and cow comfort also play big roles in getting cows pregnant. What is the age of your heifers at rst service? 1213 months. How does your heifer inventory affect your breeding program? We use beef semen to help control our heifer inventory. Tell us about your farm. Kolb Dairy Inc. is a familyowned dairy and crop farm. Theresa helps manage the cows. We milk around 430 cows and have run about 2,000 acres of cropland. We grow corn, soybeans, small grain and alfalfa. We have ve full-time employees who help with the day-to-day duties.

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 21

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DISKS JD 235, 21 ft, 3-Section Folding, 9” Spacing, #178330.......................................$8,900 Wishek 862-NT, 2009, 33 ft, 3-Section Folding, #163465............................ $21,900 JD 2620, 2016, 26 ft, 3-Section Folding, 9” Spacing, #175512....................... $34,500 JD 637, 2011, 45 ft, 5-Section Folding, 9” spacing, #166177.......................... $34,900 JD 637, 2011, 42 ft, 5-Section Folding, 9” spacing, #178105.......................... $35,000 Sunflower 1550-50, 49 ft, 5-Section Folding, #172168 ............................. $38,400 JD 637, 2008, 45 ft, 5-Section Folding, 9” spacing, #176993..............................40400 JD 2680H, 2019, 42 ft, 3-Section Folding, #176202....................................... $99,500 FIELD CULTIVATORS JD 960, 1990, 32 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #174317 ...............................$4,400 JD 960, 1989, 42 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #165959 ...............................$6,900 Case IH 4300, 45.5 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #176927 ...................... $10,400 JD 980, 1996, 44 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #169542 ................................13900 Elmers 6400, 1991, 41 ft, 3-Section Folding, S-Tine, #178092 .................... $14,900 Sunflower 5035, 2016, 24 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #177191............................................................................................... $28,900 JD 2210, 2005, 54 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #167743 .......................... $30,900 Wil-Rich QX-2, 2008, 47 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #173990 .............. $32,900 JD 2210, 2010, 45.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #178291....................... $33,400 JD 2210, 2012, 32 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #173629 .......................... $35,900 JD 2210LL, 2014, 45.5 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #173708 .................. $39,000 JD 2210, 2012, 45.5 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #178521....................... $41,900 Case IH 200, 2011, 50 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #178082 ................. $43,500 JD 2210, 2009, 55.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #175257....................... $45,000 Case IH 200, 2014, 60 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #176029 .................. $47,500 Case IH 200, 2012, 55 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #178072 .................. $47,900 JD 2210, 2011, 60 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #168037 .......................... $49,400 JD 2230, 2018, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #176637....................... $94,900 JD 2230FH, 2019, 44 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #177180 .................... $97,900 PLANTERS White 6106, 1992, 6R30” in 1.6 Bushel hopper, #174852...............................$8,400 JD 7200, 1988, 12R30” , Wing Fold, 1.6 Bushel hopper, #176943 .....................$9,500 JD 1750, 1997, 6R30”, rigid frame, 1.6 Bushel hopper, #176829................... $13,900 JD 1750, 2000, 6R30”, rigid frame, 3.0 Bushel hopper, #176783 ................... $16,900 JD 1770, 2002, 16R30”, Flex Fold, 3.0 Bushel hopper, #174750 .................... $25,500 Wil-Rich PT2200, 2005, 24R22”, Wing Fold, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #177551 . $39,900 JD DB60, 2013, 24R30”, Flex Fold, Central Fill System, #178238 ..................$122,900 JD 1775NT, 2016, 16R30”, Flex Fold, Central Fill System, Row Command, #177616 .................................................................................$124,900

2 JD 1775NT, 2019, 16R30”, Flex Fold, Central Fill System, Row Command, Electric Drive, #174754......................................................................................$149,500 14 JD DB66, 2012, 36R22”, Flex Fold, Central Fill System, Row Command, #166296.............................................................................................................$189,500 16 JD DB66, 2017, 36R22”, Wing Fold, Exact Emerge, Central Fill System, Row Command, Electric Drive, #175194 ..........................................................$349,500 ROW CROP TRACTORS 5 International 1066, Cab, 2WD, Syncro, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 7911 hrs., #176992 ............................................................................................. $13,500 11 JD 4840, 1979, Cab, 2WD, PS, 1000 pto, Duals, 8000 hrs., #177919.............. $26,400 10 JD 4450, 1983, Cab, MFWD, PS 540/1000 pto, Duals, 15500 hrs., #177261 . $35,900 14 JD 8300, 1995, Cab, MFWD, PS, 1000 pto, Duals, 10129 hrs., #158662 ........ $49,500 15 JD 6155R, 2018, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 383 hrs., #147651 .$129,500 4 JD 6155M/ 640R Loader, 2019, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 254 hrs., #153304................................................................................$134,900 17 JD 6155R, 2019, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 123 hrs., #159734............................................................................................................$134,900 9 JD 6145R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, 289 hrs., #153237 .............................................................................................$137,900 4 JD 6175M, 2019, Cab, MFWD, Partial PS, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Loader, 260 hrs., #160856 .............................................................................................$142,900 6 JD 6210R, 2012, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 493 hrs., #178040 .$142,900 3 JD 8360R, 2012, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 4450 hrs., #177867.............................................................................................$152,000 8 JD 7210R, 2018, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 2019 hrs., #172425 ...........................................................................................$168,900 5 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, PS 540/1000 pto, Duals, 939 hrs., #176600 .$179,500 4 JD 7210R, 2019, Cab, MFWD, 540/1000 pto, Duals, Loader, 416 hrs., #177177 .............................................................................................$195,000 1 JD 7210R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 300 hrs., #176074$199,500 6 JD 8245R, 2017, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 1267 hrs., #176592 .....$201,400 2 JD 8295R, 2015, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 1465 hrs., #172975.............................................................................................................$209,500 16 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 1362 hrs., #169246.............................................................................................................$218,500 16 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 1344 hrs., #169248.............................................................................................................$218,550 1 JD 8245R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 300 hrs., #176076$224,900 1 JD 8245R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 300 hrs., #176075$224,900 8 JD 8270R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, PS, 540/1000 pto, Duals, 475 hrs., #175590$229,000

Visit one of our 17 locations in Central Minnesota! (1) = GLENCOE 4561 Hwy. 212

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16 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 880 hrs.,#169247 ..........$230,150 1 JD 8270R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, PS, 1000 pto, Duals, 300 hrs., #176082 ........$237,900 4 JD 8270R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, PS, 540/1000, Duals, 700 hrs., #175591 .............................................................................................$239,000 17 JD 8245R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 592 hrs., #171965 ..............................................................................................$239,500 1 JD 8245R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 3 00 hrs., #176079 ................................................................................................$252,900 1 JD 8245R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 296 hrs., #176077 ................................................................................................$252,900 1 JD 8245R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 300 hrs., #176078 .............................................................................................$252,900 6 JD 8295R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 630 hrs., #172428 .............................................................................................$265,400 17 JD 8270R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 316 hrs., #176084 .............................................................................................$267,900 4 JD 8320R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 650 hrs., #175589 .............................................................................................$285,900 4 JD 8320R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, 500 hrs., #175588 .............................................................................................$289,500 15 JD 8320R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 632 hrs., #171962 ..................................................................................$289,500 10 JD 8320R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT,1000 pto, Duals, 300 hrs., #176086 .............................................................................................$298,500 1 JD 8320R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 297 hrs., #176087 .............................................................................................$298,500 1 JD 8320R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 298 hrs., #176088 .............................................................................................$298,500 1 JD 8320R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 300 hrs., #176380 .......$298,500 6 JD 7310R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 540/1000 pto, Singles, Front Hitch, Front PTO, 50K Transmission, 385 hrs., #178287 ............$299,500 1 JD 8320R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 300 hrs., #176085 ................................................................................................$301,900 1 JD 8345R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/Suspension, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 313 hrs., #176094 ..............................................................................................$314,900 1 JD 8345R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 296 hrs., #176092 .........$314,900 3 JD 8345R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 298 hrs., #176093 .........$314,900 1 JD 8345R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 308 hrs., #176101 .........$318,900 1 JD 8345R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 1000 pto, Duals, 413 hrs., #176098 .........$318,900

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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

A team approach to dairying

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ST. CLOUD, Minn. – When it comes to helping farms, Minnesota Dairy Initiatives takes a team approach. “It stands for, ‘Together everyone achieves more,’” Leah Bischof said. “If your farm is ready to make changes, adapt and get information in your hands through a team approach, it’s really benecial.” Bischof is the state director for the Minnesota program, which is celebrating 25 years in 2021. MDI is funded through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to Leah Bischof help dairy farmers with business MDI state director and strategic planning by creating advisory teams based on a farm’s needs. The program also offers peer group opportunities for networking and brainstorming ideas. “As farmers, we get so caught up in the day-today tasks and those can easily consume a lot of our every day,” Bischof said. “But it is really important to stress to farms about doing some strategic and business planning – thinking ve, 10, 25 or 20 years out – because I think a lot of times it gets put on the backburner.” The program has a large focus on protability. “I think we’re living in a time and age – with COVID-19 and how volatile the milk price was last year – where it’s important for farmers to try to focus on and increase efciency, and increase viability for the farm,” Bischof said. Bischof and nine other coordinators throughout the state work with farms to create an advisory team, put together agendas for meetings, facilitate gatherings, recommend action plans and hold the farm members accountable for change. “We make sure the right people are there who t the goals of the farm,” Bischof said. “For example, if a farm transition timeline is the goal of the farm, it doesn’t make sense to have the veterinarian there. We make sure the goals and people t together so we’re making effective use of time.” Many times, industry professionals – veterinarians, nutritionists, bankers, etc. – who already work with the dairy will be the ones to suggest to reach out to MDI to form a team. “They care about these farms they work with,” Bischof said. “They develop personal relationships, get to know them and their families, and want them to stick around.” There are several reasons farms seek out the help of MDI. One is to work through a specic management Turn to MDI | Page 23

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ConƟnued from MDI | Page 22 problem such as high somatic cell count or poor reproduction, Bischof said. Another reason is to help with low cash ow or increase protability. “We get a lot of these calls because the last ve or six years really has been volatile so I think a lot of farms are in that boat trying to gure out what that looks like for their operation,” Bischof said. Planning for the future of the farm – a transition, expansion, value-added product addition or diversication – is

“We want to sign up farms for this program that are willing to change and adapt to the changes.” LEAH BISCHOF, MDI STATE DIRECTOR

another big reason dairies give MDI a call. This ts together with a need for better family communication. “I learned there are a lot of generational differences and gender differences when it comes to values and goals, and how to position a farm for the future,” Bischof said. “Having a facilitator that’s not a family member come in is helpful.” All MDI coordinators have gone through facilitation training in order to know what questions to ask and how to ask them, along with how to manage conict in order to have successful meetings.

“We want to sign up farms for this program that are willing to change and adapt to the changes,” Bischof said. “That’s one thing that’s consistent in the dairy industry – how much it’s constantly changing.” In the 2019-20 scal year, MDI had 257 farms with a total of 59,633 cows enrolled in the program. Of those farms, 223 had advisory teams with the rest being part of peer groups. After paying a $200 enrollment fee, each farm that is wanting an advisory team must meet at least twice during the year in order to receive a $500 scholarship to be used to enhance the farm, depending on its goals. “The $500 is really a perk at the end of the day,” Bischof said. “I think the true value comes from the team approach, getting the people on the team to do brainstorming and help the farm navigate and do business planning for moving forward.” These farms included in the program are not a one-size-ts-all category. One farm Bischof works with is a young woman starting her dairying career with 14 cows on a rented farm after not growing up on a dairy. Another farm is a 2,000-cow dairy working on a transition plan to bring in the next generation as the previous one retires. Working with farms of all types and sizes is one of Bischof’s favorite parts of her job. “No story is exactly the same and each farm has different goals, but at the end of the day, they’re all producing milk,” Bischof said. “I think it’s such a unique thing about Minnesota’s dairy industry. It’s something I’m happy to be a part of and something I take as a challenge.”

SDSU Extension to assess farm-ranch stress South Dakota State University Extension faculty will conduct a statewide comprehensive needs assessment to nd more ways to help agricultural producers deal with stress through a new U.S. Department of Agriculture program. The Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network program is a 12-state collaborative that seeks to expand stress management and mental health resources and services to agricultural producers and stakeholders in the North Central region. The program is supported by a three-year, nearly $7.2 million USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant through the 2018 Farm Bill. “We decided to complete a comprehensive needs assessment to get a better understanding of how we can expand our work in South Dakota to provide more assistance across the state,” said SDSU Extension Mental Health Specialist Andrea Bjornestad, an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development. She leads the South Dakota team, which will receive more than $440,000 in funding. Bjornestad has been doing research on the mental health of agricultural producers since 2015. She also leads the SDSU Extension rural behavioral health team, which focuses on farm stress management. Last year, she gave more than 20 presentations on coping with stress for agricultural organizations across South Dakota. “This is a statewide effort to identify how to best to serve farmers and ranchers with the hopes of creating an assistance network across the state,” Bjornestad said. Producers already have chronic stress due to external factors outside their control, such as weather and market prices. Now they have the COVID-19 pandemic, which adds to their stress.

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Bjornestad will be assisted by SDSU Extension Range Specialist Krista Ehlert, an assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resource Management, who will spearhead the West River effort from SDSU’s West River Research and Extension Ofce in Rapid City. “By working together across the state, Dr. Bjornestad and I are combining our skillsets and expertise–hers in mental health and mine in agriculture–to have a multi-pronged approach to rural behavioral health,” Ehlert said. SDSU Extension Director Karla Trautman said, “This project will establish the critical foundation needed to identify the mental health needs across rural communities in South Dakota. By establishing this foundation, SDSU Extension is then positioned to provide appropriate resources in accordance with our land grant mission, which is to provide transformational strategies that meet critical needs.”

Partnering with ag organizations A statewide task force composed of representatives from 10 agricultural organizations, including the South Dakota Department of Agriculture, will provide guidance on the comprehensive needs assessment. “This provides an opportunity to expand our work by partnering with state agricultural organizations to develop a more extensive distance network,” Bjornestad explained. The Extension specialists met with the task force this month in a virtual retreat. Other South Dakota organizations represented on the task force are the Wheat Commission, Sheep Growers Association, Pork Producers Council, Soybean Association, Stock Growers Association, Grassland Coalition, Soil Health Coalition, Farm Bureau and Cattlemen’s Association.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 25

By Steve Frericks

County Executive Director Douglas County FSA Office

United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide additional assistance through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, expanding eligibility for some agricultural producers and commodities as well as updating payments to accurately compensate some producers who already applied for the program. Producers who are now eligible and those who need to modify existing applications due to these updates can contact the USDA Farm Service Agency between Jan. 19 and Feb. 26. Some of these changes are being made to align with the recently enacted Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 while others are discretionary changes being made in response to ongoing evaluation of CFAP. “The COVID-19 pandemic has left a deep impact on the farm economy, and we are utilizing the tools and monies available to ease some of the nancial burdens on American producers to ensure our agricultural economy remains strong, independent and a global leader in production,” Perdue said. “As part of implementing CFAP 1 and CFAP 2, we identied new areas of support, and Congress recently directed us to provide additional relief. This additional assistance builds on to the $23.6 billion in assistance already provided to our farmers and ranchers impacted by the pandemic, and we will continue to implement other provisions enacted by Congress.” Contract producers of swine, broilers, laying hens, chicken eggs and turkeys who suffered a drop in revenue in

2020 as compared to their 2019 revenue because of the pandemic are eligible for assistance. Producers could receive up to 80% of their revenue loss, subject to the availability of funds. Producers of pullets and turfgrass sod also now are eligible for CFAP payments. The commodities were not explicitly included in the initial CFAP 2 rule. Payments are based on eligible sales, and the payment calculation in the updated rule includes crop insurance indemnities, Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, and Wildre and Hurricane Indemnity Program – Plus payments. Similarly, FSA adjusted the payment calculation to use the producer’s eligible 2019 calendar year sales, and 2019 crop insurance indemnities, NAP and WHIP+ payments, multiplied by the applicable payment rate for all sales commodities, which include specialty crops, aquaculture, tobacco, specialty livestock, nursery crops and oriculture, for CFAP 2. Producers who applied during the sign-up period that closed Dec. 11, 2020, can modify an existing CFAP 2 application between Jan. 19 and Feb. 26. Additionally, FSA adjusted the payment calculation for certain row crops for CFAP 2, specically those for which a producer had crop insurance coverage but not an available 2020 Actual Production History approved yield. FSA is now using 100% of the 2019 Agriculture Risk CoverageCounty Option benchmark yield to calculate payments when an APH is not available rather than 85%, which was in the original CFAP 2 calculations. This calculation change is only for producers with crop insurance coverage who grow barley, corn, sorghum, soybean,

sunower, upland cotton and wheat. Producers who CRP General Signup Offer Deadline 2/12/2021 applied during the sign- CFAP 2 Expanded Eligibility Deadline 2/26/2021 up period that closed Dec. Quality Loss Assistance Program Deadline 11, 2020, can modify an 3/5/2021 existing CFAP 2 application 2021 ARCPLC Program Elec�on Deadline between Jan. 19 and Feb. 3/15/2021 26.

Call or Email your local FSA office for details.

These deadlines are fast approaching. CFAP 1 top-up payments for swine FSA is providing an additional CFAP 1 inventory payment for swine to help producers who face head. Newly eligible producers who continuing market disruptions from need to submit a CFAP 2 application changes in U.S. meat consumption due to the pandemic. Swine producers with or producers who need to modify an approved CFAP 1 applications will soon existing one can do so between Jan. 19 automatically receive a top-up payment and Feb. 26 by contacting their local of $17 per head increasing the total Turn to FSA | Page 26 CFAP1 inventory payment to $34 per

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ConƟnued from FSA | Page 25 USDA Service Center. New applicants can also obtain one-on-one support with applications by calling 877508-8364. In addition to the changes being made to CFAP, per language in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, FSA will extend 2020 Marketing Assistance Loans to provide additional exibilities for farmers. FSA is also preparing to move forward on implementation of the remaining provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. To learn more about this additional assistance, visit farmers.gov/cfap. Enrollment begins for Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs Agricultural producers can now make elections and enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2021 crop year. These key USDA safety-net programs help producers weather uctuations in either revenue or price for certain crops, and more than $5 billion in payments are in the process of going out to producers who signed up for the 2019 crop year. Enrollment for the 2021 crop year closes March 15. ARC provides income support payments on historical base acres when actual crop revenue declines below a specied guaranteed level. PLC provides income support payments on historical base acres when the effective price for a covered commodity falls below its reference price. Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpea, corn, crambe, axseed, grain sorghum, lentil, mustard seed, oat, peanut, dry pea, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium and short grain rice, safower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybean, sunower seed and wheat. 2021 elections, enrollment Producers can elect coverage and enroll in crop-bycrop ARC-County or PLC, or ARC-Individual for the entire farm, for the 2021 crop year. Although election changes for 2021 are optional, enrollment (signed contract) is required for each year of the program. If a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm and makes an election change for 2021, it will be necessary to sign a new contract. If an election is not submitted by the deadline of March 15, the election defaults to the current election for crops on the farm from the prior crop year. For crop years 2022 and 2023, producers will have an opportunity to make new elections during those signups. Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the farm. In partnership with USDA, the University of Illinois and Texas A&M University offer web-based decision tools to assist producers in making informed, educated decisions using crop data specic to their respective farming operations. Tools include: – Gardner-farmdoc Payment Calculator: The University of Illinois tool that offers farmers the ability to run payment estimate modeling for their farms and counties for ARC-County and PLC. – ARC and PLC Decision Tool, the Texas A&M tool, allows producers to analyze payment yield updates and expected payments for 2021. Producers who have used the tool in the past should see their username and much of their farm data already available in the system. - For more information on ARC and PLC, including two online decision tools that assist producers in making enrollment and election decisions specic to their operations, visit the ARC and PLC webpage. For additional questions and assistance, contact your local USDA service center. To locate your FSA ofce, visit farmers.gov/service-locator.

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Strategic partnerships to build demand, trust in 2021 Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 27

As the Midwest Dairy team embarks on a new year and a new three-year strategic plan, we’re eager to hit the ground running and continue the momentum generated in the dairy category over the past several years. In my role, I oversee our strategic retail and foodservice partnerships, an area crucial to our overall business goals of increasing dairy sales and building consumer trust. In 2020, we saw shoppers turn to dairy for comfort, nutrition and enjoyment as they cooked more at home and sought simple pleasures to get through challenging days. We worked closely with our partners – By Martha Kemper grocery and convenience Vice President stores, restaurants and others Dairy Experience in the foodservice industry – – Demand to understand how consumer preferences are shifting, so that we could provide resources and promotions to meet those needs. This focus on consumers led to the creation of impactful activations that drove incremental dairy sales. More specically, we engaged in 29 successful retail partnership activations that have resulted in more than 23 million incremental pounds of milk sold. Of course, there are other external factors that have contributed to these numbers; however, data and tangible results point to partnerships driving dairy demand. Additionally, we can make the connection that these partnerships also increase trust, because trust and sales go hand in hand. In retail, our research has shown that milk is a basket-driver, meaning that people who buy milk often buy additional dairy items, which makes any attention drawn to the dairy aisle a win for the category, store and consumer. This past year, we also saw an e-commerce boom, which arrived around ve years earlier than experts predicted. We’re working with retail partners to nd creative ways to engage with these consumers to ensure dairy remains at the forefront of their online shopping. Stores are also testing placements with complementary items, such as a milk cooler in the cereal aisle or a cheese cooler near the crackers, to make it easier than ever for consumers to put dairy in their carts. We remain focused on expanding and developing relationships that create a strong catalytic return on dairy farmers’ investments. Through evaluating our partnerships, we learned best practices that will drive decisions in 2021. While there are many, two examples of this include: – As a continuation of our relationship with grocery retailer Coborn’s, we partnered on a promotion that included a virtual farm tour, social media content featuring dietitians sharing about dairy, advertising and weekly circular support, and online and in-store messages highlighting local dairy farm

families. This partnership not only led to increased sales and awareness about dairy’s commitment to wellness and sustainability, but also proved that integrated campaigns are greater than the sum of their parts, an approach we will be incorporating into more retail partnerships this year. – A newly reinvigorated relationship with restaurant chain Pizza Ranch that started as a National Dairy Month activation has now expanded into an ongoing partnership that is driving additional dairy sales and building trust for dairy in local communities. In 2021, this partnership will include additional work with ag coalitions and Pizza Ranch to align more efforts and drive sales that will support local agriculture. Again, recognizing that together, we can make a greater impact than we can apart. For both retail and foodservice, we are building on our existing partnerships while also engaging in new endeavors to reach consumers in diverse ways.

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In addition to in-store and online partnerships, we’ll continue partnering with social media inuencers to share dairy’s sustainable nutrition story. Research shows consumers are interested in learning more about sustainability, and sharing this content deepens our connections with consumers via the many diverse channels from which they receive their information. We are positioned well for the challenges that 2021 will bring and know that strategic retail and foodservice partnerships will continue to be a key to our success. To learn more about our efforts and how they are increasing sales, I encourage you to visit midwestdairy.com to read success stories and listen to insightful discussions on our podcast, Dairy on the Air. We’re honored to do this work on your behalf, and we’re excited about all that’s in store for 2021 as we keep the momentum moving forward and nd new, innovative ways to build dairy sales and consumer trust.

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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 Dana Adams, adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968 Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205

www.extension.umn.edu/dairy

Do you know if your cow has hit her lifetime breakeven?

At this time of the year, dairy farmers are meeting with lenders and tax accountants to discuss end-of-year nances, planning for the upcoming year and benchmarking their performance to farms of similar size. Often, this benchmarking effort is done on an annual basis with farmers comparing the milk price they receive to their production costs on a hundredweight basis. This annual breakeven is an important benchmark; however, analyzing how long it takes a cow to achieve her lifetime breakeven, in addition to the annual breakeven, can provide important management insights for dairy managers. By Joleen C. In a study performed at the University Hadrich, Associate Professor of Minnesota, cow-level data from 67 farms and Extension was used to calculate a lifetime breakeven for Specialist 14,955 cows who had consecutive and complete lactation data. Data for these 67 farms came from the Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association and the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management’s FINBIN. The Minnesota DHIA data contained cowlevel production records, while the FINBIN data contained herdlevel annual nancial records and feed quantities fed. A cow’s lifetime breakeven is calculated by subtracting all costs accumulated over her lifespan, including costs accrued as both a heifer and a cow, from all revenues accumulated, including sales from milk, calf sales and voluntary culls. Heifer-raising costs were estimated using daily average Midwest heifer raising yardage costs and body weights reported in DHIA at rst freshening. FINBIN data included annual farm expenses, which were allocated to each cow based on her milk production. This allows us to capture greater nutrient requirements for high-producing cows. The proportional expense allocation allowed each cow to have a different expense tied to her specic characteristics. This differs from a simple average, which allocates the exact same expense to every cow in the herd. Cow-level milk revenue was calculated using the individual cow’s yearly milk production and annual average milk price for each farm. Cull and calf sales were estimated by using average salvage values and calf sales values for Minnesota dairies. Cows received the annual average salvage value only if they were voluntarily culled in that year and received the average annual calf value if they calved with a bull calf in that year. We used the data to determine when and if the cow covered

her lifetime costs and began to generate positive prot. Comparing the number of cows who breakeven in their rst, second and third lactations to the total number of cows in the herd can show how efcient cows are at reaching their individual lifetime breakeven. Analyzing the lifetime breakeven for all cows in the herd collectively can show how efcient a farm is at getting cows to prot generation in their herd. Of the 14,955 cows analyzed, 5,824 (39%) achieved their breakeven prior to leaving the herd, with 9,131 (61%) never recovering all of their expenses. Of 5,824 cows that achieved their breakeven, 849 cows reached it in their rst lactation; 2,992 cows in their second lactation; 1,536 cows in their third lactation; and 447 cows broke even in their fourth or later lactations. Farms who outperformed their peers nancially were compared to the other farms in the dataset. The farms who retained a greater percentage of prots over the years had a lower percentage of cows breakeven in their rst lactation when compared to the other farms (7.5% vs. 12.9%). However, nancially stable farms had a much greater percentage of cows achieve their breakeven in their second lactation (32.5% vs. 24.1%) and a slightly greater percentage of cows hit breakeven in their third lactation (15.1% vs. 14.1%). Additionally, nancially stable farms had a greater percentage of cows that reach their breakeven during their lifetime (55.1% vs. 51%). These results suggest that nancially strong farms keep their cows for a longer period of time, allowing them to hit their breakeven and generate a larger amount of lifetime prot at the cow level and overall farm prot for the herd. Although these cows may not be generating a large amount of revenue in their rst lactation, they are more likely to achieve their breakeven and generate more prot over their life in the herd. It is easy to make culling decisions based on annual revenue generated by the cow. But, this study demonstrates that many of the cows in our herds never generate enough revenue to cover the investment cost of raising the cow to her rst calving. Every dairy farm has different production costs, so when you cull your cows, are you sure you recovered all of the costs that cow incurred to-date? Keep in mind, it doesn’t make sense to keep a cow that will continually generate losses due to health reasons or low production, but for those cows that are productive members of your herd, do you know when they reach their lifetime breakeven? Alexandra Gambonini, Agricultural Economist, USDAAMS-Dairy Program, contributed to this article.

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What is management? By Joe Armstrong & Emily Krekelberg University of Minnesota

Management is a general term that could mean something different to everyone. A difcult term to dene, management often refers to the day-to-day operations of the farm and is pointed to as the most important predictor of success. Despite the lack of an industry-wide agreed upon denition, we view the following as the components of management. – Basic husbandry. Basic husbandry is just like it sounds, the basics. Think of this as Animal Care 101. Water, shelter, cleanliness and lowstress handling are all components of basic husbandry. Animals are healthier and more productive when they are hydrated, clean, dry and handled with minimal stress. Water is without question the most important nutrient and should be accessible to all animals at all times. Shelter doesn’t necessarily always mean a roof overhead. A wellmaintained bedded pack and a windbreak can mean shelter as well. Animals need protection from the elements in some way. Cleanliness prevents disease, promotes cow comfort and instills a sense of pride in your operation. Low-stress handling is a must for all operations. Basic stockmanship is an essential skill for all people on the farm. – Nutrition. In general, a healthy rumen equals a healthy cow. The ration and how it is delivered impacts growth, productivity, immune status and reproduction. A correct body condition score combined with a balanced mineral status creates healthy cows and healthy offspring. Quality ingredients are a must for optimal health and productivity. Arguably, water should also be included in this category as it is the most important nutrient and drives dry matter intake. Important to note, the on-paper ration and the actual ration the cows eat rarely match. Correct ration formulation is crucial, but how, where and when it is delivered is an equally important aspect of nutrition. – Communication. Communication is key to any relationship. This includes communication with employees, partners, nutritionists, veterinarians and milk haulers; pretty much everyone that you work with. Clear communication of expectations, protocols, responsibilities and treatment of animals trickles down from the top. Keep in mind this might include needing to use languages other than English. Additionally, keep in mind that even when translated not everyone is literate, so pictures and in-person teaching have the biggest impact. Employee training is a huge piece of communication, and the operation’s success depends on well-trained employees. – Preparation. Prevention is better than treatment. Be proactive rather than reactive. Look ahead and be as prepared as possible for the different possibilities. Finding and stopping an issue before it gets going will always be superior to moving after something is engrained. In many ways, this category ties in with everything else. Communication, basic husbandry and nutrition all play a part in being prepared. – Adaptation. When it comes to farming, things don’t go as planned. The ability to adapt to these changes is crucial for livestock success. Again this category leans on others. Being prepared makes it easier to adapt, having great communication skills moves the new plan forward and being constantly vigilant with basic husbandry mitigates the impact of changes to the plan. Adapting requires knowledge of the system as a whole and intuition for how pieces of your operation t together. The better you know the system, the easier it is to adapt when necessary. – Evaluation.

There isn’t a way to know if something is working unless you evaluate an outcome. When anything is implemented, plan to measure an outcome to determine success before it is implemented. Evaluating current practices and protocols creates efciency by eliminating practices that are not benecial and keeping those that show measured improvement for the operation. – Attention to detail. Often the success of a particular piece of the system is reliant on attention to details. Cleanliness in particular is rooted in attention to detail. Micro-managing is not recommended, but instilling the same attention to detail you would take with a task in your employees is recommended. Attention to detail is tied directly to your farm’s culture and the pride you and your employees take in their role on the farm. – Established farm culture. Your farm should have a distinct feeling to it, an identity that gives you and your employees pride in working on the farm. Creating a positive environment with shared goals makes for an easier workday. While some of the ways we create farm culture may seem small, they have a huge impact on your success. A culture is a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization. The culture you set on your farm will inuence how people prioritize work and do their jobs. Spend some time thinking about what is most important to you as a business owner. Some examples are cleanliness, safety, animal care and milking efciency. Consider the values and goals you have already outlined and how those t into the culture you want. Hire employees who take your culture seriously, and through the entire hiring and training process, emphasize how important it is to you. Talk about the informal ways in which you envision the farm being a work environment that encourages your identied values and goals. Also teach about parts of the current culture that you’re working on changing. You could say, “You may notice that a few people take shortcuts on certain jobs. We’re working on building a culture that encourages safety. My expectation is that you will take all proper safety precautions regardless of what others may still do.” Farm culture isn’t about what you say, it’s about what you do. A leader’s inuence is very strong, and that is no different on the farm. Setting an example will show everyone on your farm what the expectation is and prove you are no exception to the expectation. Feedback plays a major role in any organization, and it allows you to know what works and what doesn’t as you develop your farm culture. Keep in mind that feedback is a two-way street. You should not only give feedback on performance but listen to feedback from others on practices that are and aren’t working. This is also a great way for others on the farm to share their ideas and become invested in being a part of the farm culture. Everyone is responsible for upholding farm culture, and one individual should not be blamed for a mistake. Your farm culture should make everyone comfortable enough to correct mistakes or nd solutions. Work with everyone on your farm to understand that if something does happen, it’s due to a failure of the whole system, not one person. Decide how you measure the effective practice of your farm’s culture. Determine as a team how you want to measure your success. Next, decide how you reward effective performance. Ideas include monetary bonuses, a pizza party or even verbal recognition. Include everyone in deciding how this step looks; it is important to know what motivates people.

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 29

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Withstanding winter Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

A recent blizzard that howled across the prairie Not that this winter compares with those we reminded us that winter in this neck of the woods is endured when I was a kid, mind you. Those were something that has to be taken seriously, similar to epic winters, biblical winters, the kind of winters one counting your toes at the end of the day and discovering might associate with the word “smote” as in, “And the that one is missing. Lord looked down upon the You know it’s pale Northerners and he was Tough h winters i are the h wintertime in the Northland T sore displeased with their when you bundle up and wintertime driving habits, step outside and take a Arnold Schwarzeneggers of so he smote them. The Lord deep breath and the end of our seasons. smote the Northerners with your nose instantly goes a winter such as they hath numb and your nasal hairs never seen; verily, he smote crystallize and you turn to your wife and say, “This them really good, you betcha.” ain’t too bad. At least the wind isn’t blowing.” During one of the winters of my childhood, a Tough winters are the Arnold Schwarzeneggers road grader snowplow got stuck on the township road of our seasons. A tough winter will work you over and that runs east and west near my parents’ dairy farm leave you shivering with the words, “I’ll be back,” and remained stuck until April. Now that was a real echoing in your head. winter.

Given the harsh winters we often experience, it’s unsurprising that we Northerners have learned to cope by using colorful expressions to describe wintry weather. It has been said that Eskimos have dozens of words that all refer to snow. In a similar Dear County Agent Guy fashion, our Northern culture employs timetested maxims to convey the message that baby, it’s cold outside. These aphorisms run the gamut from, “It’s colder than a well digger’s heinie,” to “It’s cold enough to freeze the metal spheroid components off a brass By Jerry Nelson monkey,” to my favorite, Columnist “It was so cold out this morning that I saw a couple of cottontails trying to jumpstart a jackrabbit.” But the main method we use to cope with these long, cold winters is hunkering. In essence, hunkering means pulling in your horns and drastically lowering your expectations. Seemingly minor things such as getting a car or a tractor started on a subzero morning come to be looked upon as major triumphs. Keeping the driveway clear and the house warm are worthy of a Medal of Honor. A big part of hunkering involves eating. My uncle Ray told me of enduring truly Arctic conditions while he worked on the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. He recalled how one morning he went to the mess hall’s kitchen and drank – with great relish, he said – approximately a quart of bacon drippings from that morning’s breakfast. This highlights how important it is for we Northerners to consume our recommended daily allowance of nutrients from the bacon food group. Other essential food groups include the cheeseburger, pork chop, T-bone steak and pork sausage groups. There aren’t many vegetarians living up here, but for those who want to try, there are always the jelly donut or the chocolate chip cookie food groups. It should go without saying that the proper beverage with which to wash down all these yummies is a large mug of steaming, black coffee. Coffee that’s so strong, you could stand a steel fence post in it. Once upon a time during my teenaged youth, we were struck with an honest to goodness three-day blizzard. When the maelstrom had at last subsided and a path had been hacked through the mountainous drifts that had buried the roads, I drove to my Nelson grandparents’ farm to see how they had weathered the storm. I should have known better than to worry. Grandpa and Grandma were hunkerers from way back. They had closed off all but two of the rooms in their farmhouse to save on heat, and Grandpa had a cheery wood-and-corn-cob re crackling in his basement woodstove. They were glad to have a visitor and bade me to sit at their kitchen table. Grandma immediately served us mugs of ultra-strong coffee along with a delectable, calorie-rich snack. Which reminds me: Another important component for we Northerners is the cream and bread topped with brown sugar food group. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, S.D. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@ dairystar.com.

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Nutrition key to reproductive success

Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 31

Reproductive success is a major component of economic success in dairy herds. Most herds have noticed signiďƒžcant improvement in reproductive performance the past decade. Today, some herds are approaching 40% pregnancy rate. Credit is due to the sophistication of Something to Ruminate On breeding programs, real-time heat detection tools and emphasis on fertility traits in genetic selection programs, such as daughter pregnancy rate and sire conception rate. We continue to see improvements in cow comfort, heat abatement, and By Barry Visser forage and feed bunk Nutritionist management. Nutrition also plays a major role in reproductive efďƒžciency in dairy cattle. This column will serve as a reminder of nutritional components that promote the best breeding performance possible. The feeding program throughout all production stages is important for optimizing a herd’s reproductive efďƒžciency. Dry matter intake begins to drop seven to 10 days pre-calving. Feeding practices today aim to minimize the pre-calving DMI drop to diminish the extent and magnitude of negative energy balance. Stable DMI intake before and high DMI after calving usually minimize post-calving metabolic problems and the magnitude of negative energy balance. One of the consequences of metabolic diseases is that cows have reduced appetite and oftentimes lose more bodyweight. The goal is for cows to have a body condition score of no greater than 3.5 during the dry period and to lose less than 1 BCS during early lactation. Cornell University data revealed that the ďƒžrst ovulation after calving typically occurs about 10 to 14 days after energy balance is at its most negative point. The point when a cow starts her upward swing sets the timing for subsequent ovulations. In addition, the follicle that will ovulate near the ďƒžrst insemination began development shortly before or just after calving. The follicle takes about 10 weeks to develop according to Dr. Jose Santos, University of Florida reproductive specialist. Thus, follicles ovulating near the time of ďƒžrst breeding were likely developing during the time of negative energy bal ance. The extent and magnitude of the negative energy balance may affect the fertility of the ovum released. Relative to reproduction, the goal for feeding protein has been to not feed it in excess, especially not excessive amounts of rumen degradable protein. Milk and blood urea nitrogen (MUN and BUN, respectively) are monitored accordingly. According to Dr. Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois, the actual targets for MUN are 8 to 12 mg per dL with the aim at reducing feed costs and nitrogen excretion by animals. In addition to environmental beneďƒžts, reducing excess nitrogen reduces energy demand on the cow because the process to excrete nitrogen requires energy. High circulating concentrations of ammonia and urea may be toxic to sperm, ova or embryos, or may reduce the binding of luteinizing hormone to ovarian receptors, which leads to a decrease in serum progesterone. In general, the focus has been the potential for embryo mortality with high BUN, which is reďƒ&#x;ected in higher MUN. Nutritionists use amino acid balancing to reduce overall dietary crude protein and improve protein efďƒžciency. An increasing amount of data shows beneďƒžts to overall reproductive success. Maintenance

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of pregnancy is obviously as important as conception rates. In addition to reducing BUN, University of Wisconsin research showed lactating dairy cows supplemented with a protected methionine source saw reduced incidences of early embryonic loss. Researchers are currently re-evaluating cows’ protein and amino acid requirements in early lactation during negative energy balance. Minerals (macro and trace minerals) and vitamins (A, D, E) are all critical to metabolic functions related to reproduction. While these nutrients are always important for production, health and reproductive performance, mineral and vitamin availability is particularly critical during the period between freshening and rebreeding. Use of highly available sources (maximizing absorption) is helpful to ensure status in the animal and prevent over-formulation that can create other problems, including antagonisms of

2

one mineral due to high levels of another. Although still an area requiring considerable research, numerous trials have shown a response to the correct balance of essential fatty acids. Protected forms of omega-3 and omega-6 fats may be beneďƒžcial to reproduction. Nutrition related to reproductive efďƒžciency is a delicate balance. Energy and protein are the major nutrients and should be in the topmost priority to optimize reproduction in dairy cattle. Minerals and vitamins must be balanced in the diet. On the other hand, nutrients should not be over-fed as this may also impair reproduction. Work with your nutritionist to ensure your cows receive a balanced diet designed to maximize reproductive performance and herd proďƒžtability. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.

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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

What a great winter to milk cows. No major snowstorms to dig out from under. No lingering subzero temperatures to thaw out from. Winter is over halfway done, and it hasn’t been too bad. Spring is right around the corner, and we know any precipitation we receive now will quickly be gone. Of course, this has to be the winter we took off milking, but it is still working out. We’re enjoying the slower pace while we’re trying to nd our new rhythm. Breaking our work loop was a great rst step in a new direction. Wobbly and tentative but still a good step in a new direction. Don’t know where it is going to take us yet, but at least we’re moving in some direction. I’m enjoying our time off this winter, but I really am missing a regular routine. Of course when I envisioned this break, I saw us traveling to visit family and friends. Trips to explore new areas and discover new ideas to old problems. In reality, we have been staying home for the most part, but I just couldn’t take it any longer. My

uncle Sid passed away in mid-December, and I kept my distance to protect my families during the holidays. By mid-January, I was itching to hit the road. Loaded up with face masks and a large bottle of hand sanitizer, I headed south for home. I hadn’t seen my family in over a year. That was long enough. While I was there, I was content to hang out at home with my mom. Just the two of us going through boxes of old family pictures, trying to put names of the past with the photos in our hands. Mom was not thrilled to go through our boxes of pictures, but as she discovered going through Uncle Sid’s stuff, if she didn’t, then these people would be lost to future generations. After a week of taking it easy, it was time to load up and head back to Minnesota. I brought back several family treasures. My grandmother’s icebox refrigerator. She used it to store cookies, pies and hide liquor bottles. My great grandparent’s International Harvester cream

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separator. I don’t think it was ever used. My great-great aunt Addie’s dining room set. It has been waiting for over 60 years to have a family gather around it again. Since we have all this free time on our hands, I thought Mark and I could nd a new routine restoring Just Thinking Out Loud and cleaning up my family treasures. As I headed north between snowstorms across Iowa, my sister called to tell me that our niece tested positive for COVID-19. Before I made it home, I swung in to St. Cloud for a drivethru COVID-19 test. Of course I came back By Natalie Schmitt positive as did my mom. Columnist So now I’m nishing up my quarantine period. As mom said, she’s been quarantined for 11 months already, what’s the difference? Luckily for both of us, it was a mild case, and we’ll be ne soon. Once the family knew of our exposure, we have been receiving calls to check on how we’re feeling. The standard answer for both my mom and me is, “I’m ne.” Which reminds me of a story my cousin shared on Facebook. It is the story about Clyde, his favorite cow Bessie and a tractor accident. You can imagine overhearing the coffee club guys telling this story at the feed store. A farmer named Clyde had a tractor accident. In court, the trucking company’s fancy hot-shot lawyer was questioning Clyde on the stand. “Didn’t you say, at the scene of the accident, ‘I’m ne,’” asked the lawyer. Clyde responded, “Well, I’ll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my favorite cow, Bessie, into the …” “I didn’t ask for any details,” the lawyer interrupted. “Just answer the question … please. Did you or did you not say, at the scene of the accident, ‘I’m ne,’” Clyde said. “Well I had just got Bessie into the trailer behind the tractor, and I was driving down the road.” The lawyer interrupted again and said, “Your Honor. I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the highway patrol on the scene that he was just ne. Now several weeks after the accident, he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question.” By this time, the judge was fairly interested in Clyde’s answer and said to the lawyer, “I’d like to hear what he has to say about his favorite cow, Bessie.” Clyde thanked the judge and proceeded. “Well, as I was saying. I had just loaded Bessie, my favorite cow, into the trailer and was driving her down the highway when this huge semi-truck and trailer ran the stop sign and smacked my John Deere tractor right in the side. I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into the other. I was hurting real bad and didn’t want to move. However, I could hear old Bessie moaning and groaning. I knew she was in terrible shape just by the sound. “Shortly after the accident, a highway patrolman came on the scene. He could hear Bessie moaning and groaning, so he went over to her. After he looked at her and saw her fatal condition, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes. The patrolman came across to road, gun still in his hand, looked at me and said, ‘How are you feeling?’” “Now tell me, what the heck would you say?” “I am ne!” Natalie, Mark and his brother Al, farm together near Rice, Minn. They milk 100 registered Holsteins under the RALMA prex. Their four children are grown up and all involved in agriculture with hopes of someone returning to the farm. For questions or comments, please e-mail Natalie at mnschmitt@jetup.net

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I didn’t grow up in a Christmas card family. But I married into one. And it wasn’t long before sending a Christmas greeting became part of our holiday routine. Then, after we added a third child to our fold, I folded on our Christmas card tradition. I sent out a combination birth announcement and Christmas card when Daphne was born. By the time Christmas came around the next year, I decided not to mail cards, in hopes of saving time, money, natural Dairy Good Life resources, and, mostly, my sanity. Instead of sending cards, I switched to digital greetings. I shared Christmas letters and photos in blog posts. Truth be told, writing a Christmas letter was much harder than simply sending a card. You’d think that, for a writer, penning a Christmas letter would be easy, but I struggled with what to include, what to leave out, nding the ne line between sharing accomplishments and bragging. Writing Christmas letters is its own art. Now, I’m so glad I wrote those letters, because they are a joy to re-read. This nostalgia helped prompt the revival of our By Sadie Frericks Christmas letter tradition – along with the sage words Columnist of my friend Suzanne, who wrote in her early holiday letter: “If you’re thinking of skipping the work of sending a Christmas greeting, please reconsider; it’s often all we get for the year – one small glimpse into each other’s lives, but it does serve to encourage and strengthen our long-distance relationships with you. At least I can say with condence that in the whirlwind of our busy lives, we appreciate knowing that we are still somehow connected to you.” And, then, as if Suzanne’s rst paragraph wasn’t enough of a gentle nudge, she signed the letter with a more substantial nudge: “Love to hear from you guys!” It didn’t take long for me to make up my mind. The shift in our society towards digital-only connections has left me feeling more and more unconnected. The allure of an old fashioned, tangible letter won over my time-constraint based hesitation. It helped, too, that we had actually had a nice family photo to include with a letter. Glen’s sister needed a photo of us for a project, so she took several pictures for us one Sunday afternoon. Before that, we hadn’t done anything or gone anywhere in nearly 12 months that had required us all to look presentable at the same time. Glen and the kids agreed that sending a Christmas card felt like a good idea. Monika offered to help with stamping and addressing envelopes. Glen asked each of our children to write down the best parts of 2020; he and I made lists, too. In a year when so much was postponed or altogether canceled, those lists helped us look back at all of the fun things we did; to see all of the goodness that happened, despite all of the challenges. I assembled all of the lists into a letter – one that I’m sure I will enjoy reading when I come across it in the future. (If you’d like to read our letter, I did post it on my blog, as well – www.dairygoodlife.com.) The next step in the card sending process was updating our address list. I denitely did not budget enough time for that task. After eight years of collecting dust, our address list was signicantly outdated. You don’t realize how many moves and life changes happen in the lives of our family and friends over the years until you edit them all at once. When cards and envelopes arrived and letters were picked up from the printer, Monika got to work stufng envelopes and afxing stamps. One night while I worked on Christmas cookies, Monika worked on addressing Christmas cards. With nearly every address label that she applied, she asked the same questions: “Who is this? How do we know them?” This was the only part of our Christmas card revival that I did not expect. Many of the friends on our mailing list are connections from other times in our lives or other places we lived. I’ve kept them on our list over the years because I value our connection – even if it’s been years since we connected in person. But I didn’t realize that our kids have never met some of the friends and family on our list, except maybe through the Christmas cards they send to us. Answering Monika’s questions was a poignant reminder for me of all the wonderful people we call friends and family. It was also a family history lesson for Monika about all of the places we lived and jobs we held before we bought our farm. I took one other tip from Suzanne’s letter. Instead of collecting the Christmas cards we receive in a basket on our table, as I’ve done in the past, I strung the cards up along a wall in our kitchen, bunting-style. The smiling faces of the friends and family we hold dear are still decorating our kitchen now. I may just leave the cards up all year, so that we are continually reminded of the people who enrich our lives. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minn. They have three children – Dan, 13, Monika, 11, and Daphne, 7. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.

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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

An author on the farm

Malecha writes children’s book about dairy farm By Danna Sabolik

danna.s@dairystar.com

VILLARD, Minn. – Louise Malecha has always wanted to be an author. As of Jan. 13, 2021, that dream is reality. “I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I didn’t know if I would write a selfhelp book, or a mystery novel, but the idea for a children’s book sort of transpired in my mind a couple years ago, and I knew it would be a great place to start,” Louise said.

Louise and her husband, Todd, live on their farm near Villard where they milk 1,050 cows three times a day. Including the youngstock on the farm, Malecha Enterprises is home to 2,300 animals. They also do custom hay and corn chopping, wheat straw baling, manure pumping and are quite diversied within the operation itself. Using the dairy farm as inspiration, Louise wrote down a story she knew

“...the idea of a children’s book sort of transpired in my mind a couple of years ago, and I knew it would be a great place to start.” LOUISE MALECHA, DAIRY FARMER

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The children’s book “Going to Papa and Nana’s Farm” was wriƩen and illustrated by Louise and Katelynn Malecha. The story was inspired by Louise’s own grandchildren and the family’s dairy farm.

well and called it, “Going to Papa and Nana’s Farm.” The story depicts two children visiting the dairy farm owned by their grandparents, also known as Papa and Nana. The children spend the day going around the farm with their grandparents, learning about calves, milking, feeding and xing tractors. To compliment the story, Louise’s daughter, Katelynn, illustrated the project. “Mom said ‘I want to write a children’s book. Can you illustrate it?’ and I told her she had to write the book rst, so I knew what to draw,” Katelynn said. “Then about a month later she gave me a draft and I realized she was

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create drawings for the book. She took pictures of the farmsite in order to reference it during the illustrating process. “I really enjoyed it,” Katelynn said. “It was fun to have a big project and gure out what my process is. I think I’m going to pursue it in the future, if opportunity arises.” Katelynn currently works full-time as the farm’s branding and marketing specialist and does independent photography and graphic design locally.

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serious.” Katelynn graduated from Alexandria Technical and Community College in the spring of 2019 with a degree in communications, art and design. Throughout the following summer, Katelynn worked with her mom to illustrate the book. “It was a great opportunity for me,” Katelynn said. “I was fresh out of college and the rst children’s book I’ve ever illustrated.” Like Louise did with the text, Katelynn used their farm as inspiration to

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Katelynn (leŌ) and Louise Malecha partnered to write and illustrate a children’s book about visiƟng a dairy farm. The mother-daughter duo published their work January 2021. Louise and her husband, Todd, milk 1,050 cows near Villard, Minnesota.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 35

ConĆ&#x;nued from MALECHA | Page 34

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Louise and Todd Malecha are pictured in their freestall barn with their grandchildren (front) Ellie; (middle, from leĹŒ) Jacob, Rayna and Maximus; (back, from leĹŒ) Tessa, Samuel, Heidi and Greta. The book features augmented reality, which provides an interactive experience with the book by using videos from the Malechas’ farm. All the reader needs to do is download an app, scan the page and follow the prompts. “It was exciting to provide that in the book, as well,â€? Louise said. Three places in the book that allow for an augmented reality experience: Papa and Nana walking with grandkids

through the barn, feeding cows and feeding calves. Louise said the story was inspired by her own family. “As the grandkids grow older, they have started to come to the farm, and have begun to ask more and more questions,� Louise said. Her goal was to tell the story of a Turn to MALECHA | Page 37

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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

Women In Dairy Angie Tauer Hanska, Minnesota Brown County 250 cows

vast world experience. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I love community promotion and sharing what we do the most. It’s so fun to engage with and be a part of our local community. Agriculture has also given me a great circle of friends and professional counterparts I wouldn’t have otherwise.

Family: My husband, David, and I have two children: Ruby, 9, and Adam, 6. Tell us about your farm. We milk 250 Holsteins on a third generation farm in addition to farming 420 acres of corn, alfalfa and various grain crops. We have implemented a cover crop/double cropping rotation that has helped us create a stable and sustainable feed source. In addition to our family, we have two full-time employees and four part-time employees. What is the busiest time of day for you? 3:30 p.m. I’m a library media specialist at our high school and it’s when we get home. Between getting caught up on the day’s farm events, homework, dinner, prepping for the next day, paperwork, phone calls and laundry, it takes a lot to get settled before chores. When you get a spare moment what do you do? I love to cook and try new recipes. In the winter, I enjoy decorating my house, reading and playing cards/board games with the kids. In the summer, I love taking the kids to the beach just a few miles from our house or the local pool. Exploring the area on quick afternoon trips is also a favorite. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. We host agricultural interns through the University of Minnesota MAST program. We have hosted 22 kids from 10 countries. The people we have met and things we have learned are unparalleled in life. My kids also have a built-in social studies lessons on the daily in their own backyard. They have

How do you stay connected with others in the industry? I read a lot of agriculture publications, research the internet in my spare time and attend as many events as I can whether in person or as a webinar. We are also a partner farm for Adopt a Cow, and I am the princess coordinator for Brown County. I try to participate in any agriculture volunteer opportunity I can. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? I am inspired by all the women who came before me who worked hard to make their farms great, did their best and did it without complaint or praise. There is so much to be learned from those older generations of women. There are so many fearless women in agriculture doing their best each and every day. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Kelly Reilly, the actress who plays Beth Dutton on the show “Yellowstone.” In three hours, we could set the world on re in the best sort of way and accomplish so many things. She has the grit and stamina our next generation of females is going to need to be successful. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? Beach house on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi for a friend’s wedding. The ocean was amazing and touring the ag areas of Mississippi was fascinating. I also did ve days in Rapid City, South Dakota, with my kids and a friend, and we had a blast. Cabin vacations are a favorite with our immediate family. They are quick, easy and relaxing.

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Katelynn Malecha used images of her family’s farm as inspiraĆ&#x;on for the illustraĆ&#x;ons throughout the book, “Going to Papa and Nana’s Farm.â€? This calf is part of the story in the children’s book Katelynn and her mother, Louise Malecha, published in January. couple kids visiting their grandparents’ farm in rural Minnesota. “I wanted to help tell the story of where our food comes from,â€? Louise said. “This is an easy way to tell people what the lifestyle in the ag world is like.â€? Louise decided to tell that story through the curious eyes of children. “I’m a person who likes things short and sweet,â€? Louise said. “I just started writing and it took off from there. I had a story not too long after I started, but soon realized there were too many other stories within it.â€? After editing the book down to the strongest storyline, Louise had her ďƒžrst book written. She plans to continue the series in the future, with the same characters and using the same farm as inspiration. Louise hopes to highlight the other facets of Malecha Enterprises, like the straw baling business that spans north to the Canadian border and west into the Dakotas. The farm is large and diverse, but also provides a livelihood for ďƒžve of her seven children. Louise was the main manager of the dairy until recently, as she has begun to step back to allow the next generation to begin transitioning to ownership.

“Todd and I were married in 1989, and the farm and family have been growing since,â€? Louise said. The couple has seven children, and 12 grandchildren and more on the way. Needless to say, the story of visiting Nana and Papa’s farm practically wrote itself. But the writing was not the hard part. “They say 5% of writing a book is actually writing it,â€? Louise said. “The rest of it is marketing and getting your work seen.â€? To make her work seen and published, Louise researched for ďƒžve months to study the best route to take for publishing, marketing and selling her book. “That was the hardest for me,â€? she said. “The story was an everyday occurrence, so telling it was easy.â€? The book was ofďƒžcially released Jan. 13. By 7 a.m. it was a best seller on Amazon, where they published the book. In just over 24 hours later, the book hit international best seller, as well as nine other categories of children’s books criteria. “It’s been a busy couple of days,â€? Louise said of the days following the book’s release. “I’m excited it’s released, and I can’t wait to hear what people think of it.â€?

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8800, 2016, 1607 Hrs, RWA ............................ $304,900 8600, 2016, 785 Hrs, RWA .............................. $359,000 8600, 2017, 792 Hrs, RWA .............................. $325,900 8600, 2016, 1055 Hrs, RWA ............................ $294,400 8600, 2015, 1197 Hrs, RWA ............................ $262,500 8600, 2015, 1531 Hrs, RWA ............................ $236,400 8500, 2016, 665 Hrs, RWA .............................. $329,000 8500, 2016, 588 Hrs, RWA ............................. $315,000 8300, 2017, 350 Hrs, RWA .............................. $336,400 8100, 2016, 519 Hrs, RWA .............................. $241,900 7980, 2013, 1921 Hrs, RWA ............................ $185,900 7780, 2014, 1270 Hrs, RWA ............................ $212,400 6850, 1998, 2324 Hrs, RWA .............................. $69,500 6710, 1993, 4050 Hrs, RWA .............................. $49,400 5400, 3360 Hrs, RWA ........................................ $16,900 All hours listed are “cutter hours�.

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How cold calves can freeze your prots Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

Building a snowman. Ice shing. way to check for dampness is the knee Polar bear plunges. Many of us cherish test. Kneel on the bedding for about 30 all things winter. But for your calves, seconds to a minute. If you stand up and the winter cold can be dangerous and your knees are wet or cold, then there negatively impact their future milk isn’t enough bedding. production. Cold stress – Review newborn Calf Chronicles inuences growth rates as protocols with employees: calves use their energy to Make sure your calf care keep warm instead of for team knows why they growth. In a Cornell study, need to keep calves warm researchers found that an and dry and how to be increase of 2.2 pounds in most efcient getting the daily gain during the prejob done. wean period can result in – Use calf jackets to 1,874 pounds more milk keep calves warm: A rule in rst-lactation cows, of thumb for using jackets and the trend continues in is when the daytime high later lactations. Clearly, it and the nighttime low is important to optimize added together equal 90 By Ellen Cushing average daily gain and degrees or less, it’s time Columnist take steps to protect to pull out those jackets. calves from cold stress. Make sure calves are – Check milk replacer (or milk) completely dry before putting a jacket feeding temperatures: The optimal on them and adjust straps weekly to temperature for feeding milk is 101-105 allow for growth. Between calves, degrees F. A calf’s body temperature is it’s important to launder jackets with about 102 degrees, and feeding milk at detergent in hot water to prevent that temperature means she does not spreading bacteria. have to use energy to warm up the milk. – As temperatures drop, increase This gets trickier in cold climates. Some the amount of milk being fed: Calves farmers keep bottles in a pail of warm use energy to keep themselves warm. water and feed a maximum of four Increasing the amount of milk or milk calves at a time. Others use insulated replacer fed will offset this energy tanks for storage or put lids on pails expenditure so calves are not consuming to keep the heat in. Take temperatures fewer calories than they use up. For during the feeding process to ensure every 10 degrees below 32 degrees, you’re within the ideal range. You a calf needs about 10% more milk to might be surprised how quickly the meet its nutritional requirements. You milk can get cold. can add more milk to each feeding or – Make sure bedding is dry and add another feeding in order to meet deep: Straw bedding is preferable in these needs. winter, allowing calves to nestle into it – Offer free choice water: Calves and reserve body heat. Bedding should that have available water show a be deep enough that you cannot see the higher average daily gain, but it can be calf’s legs when she lies down. One difcult to keep water in front of calves

in the colder months. You want calves to have access to water, but you don’t want it to freeze or be too cold that they have to use energy to warm it up as they drink. One way you can combat this is to provide warm water. Additionally, use the feed-and-dump method in cold months to help prevent water buckets from freezing. To implement this method, give calves in a row warm water, go back around and feed them, and then come back and dump water pails. Or put out warm water before you take your lunch break and then go back after and dump water buckets. – Block the wind: Wind chill can cause major problems for calves. To stop the wind, use wind breaks, patch up holes in hutches, use hay bales as a makeshift wall, or move hutches to a less windy area during the colder months. These steps will decrease the chance for frostbite and help calves save energy. – Boost employee morale: It’s not always fun to work outside in winter months. Even if you have a calf barn, chances are it’s chilly, and employees have to endure some rough elements. The cold adds one more layer of stress to your employees, so try to combat this with small acts of kindness. A coffee/ hot cocoa station, providing hand warmers or even a few winter caps can go a long way. It lets your employees know they are appreciated. Appreciated employees tend to work harder and feel more purpose from their job, which should result in overall better calf care. – Keep the maternity pen clean: The maternity pen is where it all starts. If the pathogen load is high in this pen, odds are you will deal with sick calves. Make sure the bedding is clean,

deep and dry to help keep calves warm and prevent pathogen exposure. Give special attention to this area when your calving numbers are higher. Rather than always cleaning out the maternity pen on a specic day, try to clean it every so many calves. A week where you have 20 calves is a lot different than a week when you have ve. – Prevent scours: Sick calves are never fun to deal with, but treating sick calves in the winter is the worst. Calves are born without an immune system, and colostrum antibodies are vital to preventing diseases, such as E. coli, coronavirus and rotavirus. Unfortunately, colostrum does not always have the antibody levels a calf needs to outweigh the environmental pathogen load, and that’s where you can insert a veried colostrum antibody product to help push your calves through the rst few weeks of life. Although prevention means taking another step early on in the calf’s life, it signicantly outweighs the cost of treating later. It might be tempting to rush through protocols when your skin prickles from the cold. But unlike calves, we can take care of ourselves. How well do you typically adjust for them in colder months? Remember, the effects of cold stress can linger far past the last snowmelt. Let’s protect our calves from all that conspires to harm them. Ellen is the First Defense regional sales and marketing manager for Wisconsin and Minnesota. She’s a problem solver who loves walking calf hutches and diagnosing protocol drift. A great day is a day spent helping dairy and beef farmers keep their baby calves healthy! Ellen can be reached at ecushing@immucell.com.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021 • Page 39

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Andrew Gathje Stewartville, Minnesota Olmsted County 55 cows

and doing things how we want to in order to run our business. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? The best advice I received was to have pride in whatever product you make, whether it’s milk, meat or grain. If you are proud of what you produce, the rest will fall into place. Also, make sure you enjoy the process. The steps to do it might be hard work, but it makes it worth it in the end.

How did you get into farming? I was a traditional farm kid who got into it because I grew up here. I started feeding calves at 6 years old and milking cows when I turned 9. As I got older, I ran the tractors and combine. I picked up more responsibility over time. I attended college at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and earned a degree in dairy science and ag business. I graduated in December 2019. I took my last nal in the morning and was home by that night to milk cows and start my farming career. I live on the farm in the house my grandparents used to live in. My parents live on a farmsite where I grew up down the road. I farm together with my dad, Andy. My mom, Nora, works off the farm. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? Competition with advertising is a concern. Whenever I turn on the TV, I see commercials for milk alternatives. Rarely do I see an ad for cow’s milk. I know checkoff money taken from our checks is used for promotion. If time allows, I might want to be involved in that. Another concern is the milk price. Last year COVID-19 threw a wrench in the market, and the negative PPDs really hurt dairy farms. I hope the price can get back to normal.

What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? Although we spend more fuel on running the mixer, feeding a TMR has helped us save money over time. It helps us minimize feed waste, which saves us money and time. I spent a lot of days as a kid forking hay out of the mangers. The TMR has also made the cows healthier. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? We do not have any employees because we do all the work ourselves. But when working with family, you have to be willing to forgive and move on. You can’t hold grudges.

What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? We have not invested a lot in the dairy; however, in 2011 we installed auto takeoffs for the milkers in our stanchion barn. That really helps because no matter who is milking the milker gets taken off at the right time. In the spring of 2019, we also bought a TMR mixer and began feeding a total mixed ration.

Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I am able to get up in the morning. No matter what time I went to bed, I can be up for chores at 5:15 a.m. I also need to do a job right. If I did a chore and only put in half the effort, I usually end up going back to do it the way the proper way otherwise it will bother me.

What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? Two years ago, we started feeding a TMR rather than component feeding. It has saved us so much time. We don’t have enough wrapped bales to mix in for each day of the year, but that is the goal.

What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I like not having to work in town and working with animals. I like the freedom of making my own schedule

What has been the best purchase you have ever made on your farm? The mixer. We can throw everything in at once to mix and feed the herd. We used to have to give several types of feed at different times with component feeding. Before the mixer, used 5-gallon pails each day in order to feed the replacement heifers. Another good purchase for the farm has been the bigger combine we bought in 2017. It has cut down time on harvesting, which helps us move grain faster. Time is valuable. What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? In 2020, the tank average raised 20 pounds of milk per cow. We also had corn silage yields up to 37 tons per acre and corn yields over 300 bushels per acre. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? In the next year, my goal is to maintain the herd’s 4% butterfat and 3.3% protein test, and add 5 pounds of milk on to the tank average. I also want to get a plan started for a different milking and housing facility. My young brother, Ben, graduated from South Dakota State University last year and is working on a grain farm in South Dakota before he returns home to the farm this May. In the next ve years, I hope we are no longer milking in this stanchion barn and using either robots or a parlor. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? Because I farm with my family, I need time for myself so I get out and see other people. I have been able to reconnect with friends and neighbors so it has been fun to see those people again.

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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, January 30, 2021

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