December 10, 2022 - Zone 1

DAIRY ST R

Volume 24, No. 20

“All dairy, all the time”™

December 10, 2022

Achieving the next generation

Felling receives platinum award for reproductive excellence

By Grace Jeurissen grace.j@star-pub.com

SAUK CENTRE, Minn. – Felling Dairy LLC was awarded the Dairy Cattle Reproductive Council’s highest award for excellence.

Six dairies received platinum recognition as part of the 2022 Excellence in Dairy Cattle Reproduction Awards from the council, which ranks dairies as platinum, gold, silver or bronze.

The winners were recognized Nov. 16 in Middleton, Wisconsin.

“I was surprised when they emailed and said we

Fresh tastes best

Hutchinson

schools expand bulk milk program

By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com

HUTCHINSON, Minn. – All students across the Hutchinson school district now have access to fresh milk straight from the farm.

On Oct. 25, Tiger and West elementary schools became the last schools in the district to roll out the bulk milk program that began in the high school and middle school last February. The feedback has been positive from students and staff.

Lesli Mueller, director of child nutrition for Hutchinson schools, was involved in getting the program up

“There’s a world of dif-

ference in the taste between coming out of a carton and coming out of the dispenser,” she said. “The milk is so fresh. It’s coming right off the farm. Kids are really excited about the taste.”

The improved taste of the milk has kids drinking more.

“I like that kids are drinking more milk,” Mueller said. “New kids are drinking milk. Once they gave it a try, they liked it; they just had to get past that rst taste.”

Mueller said she sees gains in both health and food knowledge through using dispensers.

“(Drinking more milk) is another way for kids to get nutrition as they are growing, another way to

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

The Felling Dairy breeding team – Victor Ledsma (from le ), Hilarion Torres, Jason Felling, Saul Hernandez and Marcos Gomez – stand in the freestall barn Nov. 28 at Felling Dairy near Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Felling Dairy received the pla num 2022 Excellence in Dairy Ca le Reproduc on Award.

JAN LEFEBVRE/DAIRY STAR

Kindergarteners Avalyn (le ) and Korbyn choose chocolate milk while Lesli Mueller stands by the milk dispenser Nov. 30 at West Elementary School in Hutchinson, MInnesota. Mueller is the director of child nutri on for the district and helped bring a milk dispenser program to all schools there.

and running. She also works for Litcheld and Dassel-

Cokato schools, where she has overseen the addition of dispensers as well.

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Net U.S. cash farm income is forecast to be a record high $188 billion for 2022. That’s up 25.5% from 2021. Cash receipts for corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops are up 19%. Receipts from animal agriculture are expected to increase over 30% from last year.

Catastrophe avoided

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In the words of President Joe Biden, Congress’ action on the rail contract will spare the country “a Christmas catastrophe in our grocery stores, our workplaces and in our communities.” The House and Senate took action to force unions to accept a tentative contract agreement that was adopted in September. Biden later signed the legislation. The ve-year contract gives union railroad workers a 24% bump in wages but does not address the issue of paid sick leave.

Farm bill extension remains a possibility

The Republicans have a slim majority in the House and a very tight margin is in the Democrat’s favor in the Senate. Compeer Financial chief mission and marketing ofcer John Monson said that will inuence the farm bill debate. “I don’t sense that given the dynamics in place right now, that we’re going to see a major shift in policy perspective,” Monson told Red River Farm Network. “It just seems to me that the path of least resistance is more of an extension of the current farm bill at least for a year, if not longer.” Monson said there will be different dynamics at play during the upcoming session. “The nutrition title will cost 85% of this next farm bill of $1.3 trillion. That’s going to be a big task.”

New legislators, new relationships

Midterm elections are behind us, and there will be

many new legislators in St. Paul, Minnesota, for the upcoming session. Minnesota Farmers Union government relations director Stu Lourey said now is the time to build relationships with the 65 rstterm lawmakers. “Talk to legislators, invite them out to your farm,” he said. “I think folks are anxious to ask for their time, but they want to do a good job and represent their constituents well.”

Lawmakers to clash over regulations

By Don Wick Columnist

The Minnesota DFL will control the governor’s ofce, House and Senate in the upcoming biennium. With the Democrats having a slim, one-vote majority in the Senate, incoming minority leader Mark Johnson believes the Republican caucus will need to be proactive. “We’ve got some really good ideas on ways to partner with them, but what that looks like at this point, I’m not exactly sure,” Johnson told Red River Farm Network. “We’ll have to see what their agenda is in agriculture.” Johnson, who is based in East Grand Forks, is worried about the potential regulatory impact on agriculture. “We’ve been able to ght back for six years and hold off a lot of those issues,” Johnson said. “Now the oodgates are kind of open; I’m really scared what that looks like for our ag industry.”

Pent-up demand for farm equipment

In an update on John Deere’s quarterly earnings, Reuters reported farm equipment and combines are virtually sold out for 2023. StoneX chief commodity economist Arlan Suderman said the high commodity prices in recent years have driven up demand. “Unfortunately, the same issues keeping us from getting new cars is also happening in the equipment industry,” Suderman said. The computer chip shortage is the missing link. “So much of our equipment is reliant on chips, and there is still a shortage,” he said. “The ability to manufacture and get products distributed has led to some long waiting lists for equipment.”

Dairy success

Strong management skills are a must for protable dairy farmers. “Most of the successful farmers have exible business plans and think about long- and short-range goals,” said Jim Salfer, University of Minnesota Extension dairy specialist. Salfer said the top dairies review their management plan on a regular basis. “They get together with their trusted advisors and say this is how we did this year,” Salfer said. “Based on our goals, what do you guys see coming down the road?” Record keeping skills and time management are also characteristics of successful dairy farms.

Domestic production for dairy

The National Milk Producers Federation is asking Congress to protect the domestic production of infant formula. When supplies tightened earlier this year, tariff waivers were granted to bring more baby formula into the United States. NMPF said the situation has improved and the preferential tariff benets should be allowed to expire at the end of the year.

Fed signals another half-point increase

Federal Reserve Board chairman Jerome Powell signaled the central bank is on track to raise interest rates by a half a percentage point at its next meeting. During a speech Wednesday, Powell said it would make sense to slow rate increases to give the economy time to adjust to previous rate hikes. A 75 basis point interest rate hike was seen for four straight months.

Booker Bill considers animal agriculture

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker has introduced a bill targeting large-scale livestock operations. The proposal would require packers, processors and farmers to register their businesses with USDA, submit a disaster preparedness plan and pay for disaster mitigation. The bill also calls for more humane treatment of downed animals or those being depopulated due to a disease.

Booker is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and has proposed similar bills in the past.

Supporting mental health

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is funding three projects dealing with mental wellness in agriculture. The Minnesota FFA Foundation received $52,000 to support activities at the chapter level. Grants were also awarded to the Southern Minnesota Agricultural Center of Excellence and the Latino Economic Development Center.

Hammer announces retirement plans

Minnesota State Fair CEO Jerry Hammer plans to retire next spring. Hammer has been on the state fair staff for over 50 years, including 26 years as the CEO. The Minnesota State Fair Board of Managers has started the search process.

President Gill

Farm broadcaster Joe Gill, who is with KASM-Albany, is taking over as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting in 2023.

Trivia challenge

Germany is credited with starting the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, how much eggnog is consumed by Americans each Christmas season? We will 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.

were nalists,” Jason Felling said. “To be considered for excellent performance in reproduction is humbling.”

Felling Dairy milks 1,200 cows in a 28-stall rotary parlor three times per day. The farm is owned in partnership between Felling, his wife, Marie, and Felling’s parents, Cyril and Deb Felling.

Also receiving a platinum award were the Davis Family Farm, Jayme and Brad Davis of Darlington, Wisconsin; Emerald Spring Dairy, Darrin Young of Plainview; Fetzer Farms of Elmwood, Wisconsin; High Noon Dairy LLC, Peter Bouma of Hereford, Texas; and Riddell Farms, Travis Riddell of Atwood, Ontario, Canada.

At Felling Dairy, all the breeding is done in-house which contributed to the recent achievement.

In 2018, the Fellings decided to train several employees who showed interest in learning how to articially inseminate. They provided those individuals with education, and now ve of their 30 employees are trained to do A.I., three of which are in charge of heat synchronization, heat detection and breeding on a daily basis.

The employees that A.I. for Felling Dairy have been dedicated to their job, and in turn, the results they receive in reproductive rates have gained the farm recognition.

“There is no way we would be achieving this level of reproduction in our herd without these guys,” Felling said. “They have been an asset to the farm, and I enjoy working with them.”

Felling likes to maintain a positive workplace and said he makes sure employees are heard; they work together as a team to change protocols on the farm.

“It’s important for me to listen to our employees because they are in places I’m not,” Felling said. “So, I have to build trust with them by being an open ear and taking their advice and considerations to heart.”

Felling will communicate with employees regularly to touch base on matings and synchronization. The farm uses double ovsynch around 70 days in milk and timed A.I. If a cow does not become pregnant at rst service, they watch for signs of heat until 30 days when the herd is pregnancy checked. If the cow shows up

open, they will re-synch her.

The farm uses all sexed Holstein semen on higher genomic cows and beef semen on the lower end. The heifers are bred with sexed Holstein semen.

Taking steps to get a cow bred back or a heifer pregnant for the rst time is a concise practice at Felling Dairy. They have implemented protocols that have worked for their operation.

“We are continuously adjusting things to improve,” Felling said. “This year, we adjusted our breeding age in heifers to around 415 days to give them more time to grow before freshening, and we extended our voluntary waiting period 14 days to not breed the cows too aggressively.”

Currently, Felling Dairy is achieving a pregnancy rate of 40%, a conception rate of 55% in cows and 58% in heifers.

Since 2018, Felling has been in charge of managing the breeding on the farm. When Felling started taking care of this aspect of the operation, he inquired about genomic testing. That became pivotal for the operation.

“I was skeptical of it at rst, but after doing it for several years now, I realize how valuable of a tool it is for herd improvement,” Felling said.

With the help of their STgenetics representative, Andrew Krause, the Fellings discovered the tools that took their breeding program to the next level.

“Andrew was the one that nominated us for the award,” Felling said. “He has been a key player in the success of our operation along with our great crew of employees.”

Genomic testing has made it possible for Felling to chromosomal mate his herd, helping mitigate the possibilities of inbreeding. He said they wrote sires in their systems before genomic testing and found that some of the cows had been misidentied. Genomic testing the herd allowed for the breeding team to x those inaccuracies and plan for a better next generation of producers.

Felling likes his cows to have moderate frames, good components and sturdy feet and legs. Production used to be highly sought, but after

reassessing their goals, the family agreed that utilizing more in-house forages for feeding and relaxing milk production was more protable for the farm and better for the cows.

Cow comfort at Felling Dairy is a priority. The free stalls are bedded with sand. Employees groom stalls during every milking and scrape pens. Sand is added to the stalls twice a week to keep them 75%100% full for maximum cushion and comfort. Cows are also routinely hoof trimmed.

“We’ve found that building a moderate framed cow and not pushing production has helped build our reproductive rates as well,” Felling

said. “Our cows are comfortable and well fed which helps them settle.”

Felling said when they utilized a higher quality forage-based diet, their cows had less problems transitioning into the barn after freshening and stayed in the herd longer.

The key for Felling Dairy has been balancing the three key components of good people, quality cow comfort and good forages.

“We don’t do a good job on our farm to seek recognition,” Felling said. “Awards aren’t what give me the drive to do better. It’s knowing that we can provide top care for our cattle and a great place to work for our employees.”

MARK KLAPHAKE /DAIRY STAR

Victor Ledsma sprays the tailhead on a heifer Nov. 28 at Felling Dairy near Sauk Centre, Minnesota. The farm uses double ovsynch and med A.I. to breed their cows and natural heat detec on in heifers.

get protein,” Mueller said. “They’re also learning about the farm and where their food is coming from. To me, that’s pretty exciting.”

Mueller said the district spent time preparing staff, students and parents for the change because there are reservations when attempting something new.

Linda Field has worked in the district’s lunch program for almost 30 years. She said it was unsettling at rst to think about the change.

“To be honest, I had my concerns, but the kids have proved me wrong,” she said. “They have done a wonderful job with the change.”

Field has seen positive results both in students drinking more milk and wasting less.

“This is denitely a lot better than kids taking just a few swallows from a carton and then throwing it in the garbage,” Field said.

Besides reusable glasses ending carton waste, students are throwing away less milk because of the principals, teachers and other staff taking time to explain and show how the dispensers should be used, encouraging students to take only the amount of milk they think

they will drink, knowing they can always return for more.

Although there is a bucket in each lunch room for students to dump any milk they do not drink before placing their used glass in the crate provided, the buckets now have little to no milk in them after lunch periods. The crates of used glasses can be placed directly in dishwashers.

Like Mueller, Joanie

Steinbach, a lead cook in the elementary schools, sees benets with the dispensers.

“The kids think it’s fun, so they are drinking more milk,” she said. “They love it. They’re also learning to be responsible and not to waste.”

Rob Richardson, a culinary coordinator in the elementary schools, agreed.

“Kids like the avor and the ability to go back for seconds,” he said. “It actu-

ally simplied things quite a bit.”

Richardson also said he appreciates both the reduction of waste and the cooler space they now have since they do not need room for carton storage.

Milk is supplied to the district by Stoney Creek Dairy near Melrose. Nate Terres, who is in charge of sales and marketing for the dairy, said he is glad to be part of the district’s efforts to

offer a better milk product. Stoney Creek delivers milk once a week to Hutchinson schools and other schools that now have bulk tanks –Eden Valley-Watkins, Maple Lake, Litcheld, DasselCokato, McCray and West Central.

Terres said he knows of schools in the state that have made the switch, including schools in Minneapolis.

“It’s a great way to get students excited about dairy and to drink more milk,” he said. “The non-drinkers see how excited the other kids are and might give milk a try. We might make a milk drinker for life.”

Terres said he sees dispensers as being positive for both students and the dairy industry in general.

“It doesn’t matter which farm’s milk they drink, but it does mean a lot to us at Stoney Creek to be a part of it,” he said. “Healthwise, it’s benecial to these kids, and it helps grow the whole dairy industry.”

Mueller said she is grateful for others who rst got her thinking about adding the dispensers.

JAN LEFEBVRE/DAIRY STAR

Head cook, Joanie Steinbach, and culinary coordinator, Rob Richardson, stand by one of two milk dispensers Nov. 30 at Tiger Elementary School in Hutchinson, Minnesota. Both said they saw posi ve student responses when the school district changed from carton milk to dispensers.

Barb Schank, nutritional services director in the Waconia district, had already implemented a bulk tank program several years ago. When a state meeting for directors was held at Waconia, Schank showed Mueller and the other directors how the program worked.

A few months later, Kevin Buss, who was on the Minnesota Dairy Promotion Council, contacted her about implementing a program.

“I thought, ‘Maybe I should be considering this,’” Mueller said. “I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel because I could always use Barb as a great resource.”

Mueller decided she wanted to take time to prepare everyone in Hutchinson before launching the program.

The district sent out information and materials to teachers a month ahead of time, helping them with what they could say to kids to help things run smoothly. Some even did a practice run with their students before their school’s launch date.

“We also put up posters and had announcements, just getting kids excited and really promoting it that month before starting,” Mueller said. “Things ran so much smoother that way, not that we didn’t have any hiccups, maybe some little spills, but surprisingly not as many as some thought there might be. I don’t think we even talk about spills anymore because there’s hardly been any.”

Elementary students wore cow-themed eye glasses on the rst day.

“They got a kick out of it,” Mueller said.

Kindergarteners Avalyn and Korbyn from West Elementary School approve of the new dispenser in their school.

“I like pulling up the levers,” Korbyn said. Avalyn mentioned the milk itself.

“I like when it tastes good like that,” she said.

Students have a choice between chocolate and white milk at each dispenser. Both Avalyn and Korbyn are fans of chocolate.

Mueller is also hearing approval from parents.

“Just like us, they were a little reluctant at rst, wondering if it was all going to work, but I’m denitely hearing good things, such as their kids coming home and saying how good the milk tastes,” she said. “They are probably hearing more comments now about school milk than they were before.”

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Minimal processing yields maximum benets

Deerland Dairy produces non-homogenized products

By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

FREEPORT, Ill. – Paul Graybill grew up showing Jerseys and wanted to have his own herd. After seeing dairy setups across the country as a classier for the American Jersey Cattle Association, Graybill decided the only way to have a small dairy and remain protable was to diversify by processing their own products.

“It starts with really good milk from Jersey cows,” Graybill said.

Graybill and his parents, Doug and Kris, have been producing and selling Deerland Dairy yogurt since 2019 on their dairy farm near Freeport.

“Yogurt is one of the fastest growing products in the industry,” Graybill said. “It’s also one of the healthiest options so it’s an easy sell.”

The yogurt is made from 100% unhomogenized Jersey milk. Graybill said this adds to the avor and health benets of the product.

“The fewer processes that you run milk through the more natural it is,” he said. “Jerseys bring over 5% butterfat, and cream is all the value in yogurt. Yogurt is all about protein, and Jerseys typically run over 4% protein, so it adds to the quality.”

The process for Deerland Dairy’s yogurt begins with pasteurization. The raw milk is pasteurized and held at the pasteurization temperature for 30 minutes. It is then brought back to culture temperature. The cultures, avors and colors are added to the milk in the same vat that it is pasteurized in.

The product then runs through the pipeline to the ller machine. At this point, the product is as liquid as unprocessed milk. Cups are lled and foil tops are applied by a machine. Graybill then puts the lid on the container and sends the cup on a conveyor belt where the container is stamped with a sell-by date. It then slides down the ramp where cups are collected and put into

milk crates.

The crates of yogurt are placed in an incubating room where the product spends ve to six hours heating. The incubation process brings the pH below 4.6 and allows the product to set in the cup. After the incubation period is complete, the nished product is transferred to a cooler, where it is stored until being distributed.

Deerland Dairy products are sold in stores and restaurants throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Kris also sells the products at a farmers market every week. Besides yogurt, the farm also produces sour cream and buttermilk. Many restaurants get their buttermilk and sour cream in 10-pound bags.

Yogurt is available in plain, strawberry, blueberry and vanilla avors. Graybill said their best-selling avor is plain, especially at the farmers market.

“People who want a high-end product like this want to add their own things to it,” Graybill said. “They like to buy plain yogurt and add berries or local honey from the market to avor it.”

Originally, the Graybills milked up to eight Jersey cows and processed all of the milk into their own products. Doug milked in the morning before going to work as a pipetter, and Graybill milked at night after working as a hoof trimmer during the day. When Doug had back surgery in 2020, however, the cows were rehomed to Kilgus Dairy in Fairbury. The Graybills now own 25 cows, all of which are housed elsewhere.

The move was bittersweet; the whole reason for making yogurt was to be able to have the cows. However, the partnership with Kilgus Dairy opened doors for the Graybill family. Because Kilgus Dairy processes all of their milk into products under their own label, they have been able to help distribute the Deerland Dairy products alongside their own.

Once a week, the Graybills deliver their products to Kilgus Dairy and bring milk back for their production. Kilgus Dairy milks all Jersey cows as well.

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Doug and Paul Graybill stand in their processing plant Nov. 19 near Freeport, Illinois. The Graybill family processes non-homogenized dairy products with milk from Jersey cows.

could work together as a family and raise kids on a farm,” Graybill said. “This is the way for small farmers.”

What counties or area do you cover? I have a lot of different counties that I have farms such as Swift, Kandiyohi, Cottonwood, Meeker and Stearns counties.

What do you enjoy about the farmers you work with? I love getting to know the farmers and how everything is going with them. Every farm is different, and it’s fun to see how different farmers do different things.

What do you like about your work for DHIA? I enjoy working around animals and people, so this job was a good t for me. I’m glad DHIA can help farmers in making their farm the best it can be. It’s a great company that’s centered on helping any farm big or small.

What do you do in your free time? My husband and I have four teenagers so I keep busy with their sports and events. We also live on a hobby farm with horses, goats, chickens and a big garden.

Sauk Centre, MN Buffalo, MN 763.682.1091 www.mndhia.org

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Darcy

Genetics garner success

Sexton receives Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation award

By Taylor Jerde taylor.j@star-pub.com

MILLVILLE, Minn. –

Over the last decade, Staci Sexton has spent her days growing and diversifying the genetics of her herd. She has sold nine bulls into the A.I. industry and shipped embryos across the U.S. and internationally; she has sold high genomic heifers and concentrates on polled genetics.

“I have always enjoyed genetics,” Sexton said. “I was in dairy judging, and I liked seeing how the animals look and also looking at their health and production traits while adding all that together. I enjoy seeing how one breeding from the next can change things and improve things.”

Sexton’s growth, combined with success, has resulted in her being named the 2022 Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award winner at the organization’s an-

nual meeting Nov. 17-19 in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The award winner is chosen based on their involvement in, and the nancial progress of, their farm and their contributions to the MFBF and their community.

Sexton spends her days working full time on the family dairy farm, Irish Ridge, where she also houses her herd, Schoene Kuh Dairy. She, her parents and brother, Lance, work together on the farm.

The family has a unique way of running the dairy farm. Animals are housed together and work is done in tandem, but family members have separate focuses on the farm. They have two bulk tanks, separate nances and different breeding programs.

Sexton decided this would work best for her and her family in order to focus on what she enjoys most –genetics.

“I like seeing my genetics grow,” Sexton said. “We keep everything separate but still work together to help

each other out.”

Along with growing her herd, Sexton is active in the Wabasha County 4-H program where she assists with the dairy show and previously coached the knowledge bowl team and the

dairy judging team. Sexton is the secretary of the Wabasha County Dairy Herd Improvement Association Board. She also served on the Wabasha County Fair Board from 2011-15 and helps with the fair as needed.

Sexton is also an active member of the Wabasha County Farm Bureau, where she served as a board member for two years. Through Farm Bureau, she attends many conferences and meetings.

“It’s a great thing for young farmers,” Sexton said. “It’s a great way to meet new people.”

After Sexton graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2010, she had a job with Land O’Lakes as a nutritionist. Sexton knew she wanted to return home to farm but wanted to go a different way with genetics.

At the age of 25, Sexton began her own herd of dairy cattle on her parents’ farm.

She started with 35 cows and bought the feed each day from her parents. She now has 60 cows – a mixture of Jersey, Holstein and Red and White Holstein –and rents 120 acres from her parents. They grow corn and alfalfa and use barley and pea as cover crops.

Sexton said she enjoys raising calves and seeing them reach their full potential. Previously, she raised

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Staci Sexton receives her award Nov. 19 at the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federa on annual mee ng in Bloomington, Minnesota. Sexton was named the 2022 Minnesota Farm Bureau Federa on Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award winner.

calves for another farmer with high genetic animals. She calved in his cows, and if she liked them once they calved, she had the opportunity to purchase them.

“That helped me grow my herd,” Sexton said.

Sexton said she is proud of the nine bulls she has raised and sold for use in the A.I. industry. Such success has allowed Sexton to purchase new equipment to enhance the farm.

In the last 10 years, Sexton and her family have invested into the farm. They built their newest calf shed in 2013, and in 2016, they built a heifer shed and also purchased heat detection collars.

Sexton also purchased a skid loader and bale chopper and most recently added weight readers in the parlor. Such advancements have allowed Sexton to become more efcient and focus her time on genetics.

Sexton said she enjoys being active in the agriculture industry through organizations such as Farm Bureau, which have allowed her to travel across the U.S. She said agriculture has taught her hard work and dedication.

“Agriculture has been a big part of my life,” Sexton said. “Agriculture is the backbone of the community.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED Staci Sexton puts a milker on a cow at her parents’ farm near Millville, Minnesota. She and her family work and house animals together, but Sexton has her own herd, Schoene Kuh Dairy.

o m O u r S i d e

O f T h e F e n c e Of The Fence

Eric Klein Lake City, Minnesota Wabasha County 700 cows

What is the size of your stalls and the depth of sand within them?

The head-tohead stalls are 48 inches wide and 14 feet long. The outside rows are 48 inches wide by 9.5 feet. Stalls are bedded with 8 inches of sand. We don’t have brisket boards.

What benets do you see from using sand bedding? We see less lameness, fewer injuries from slipping in the alleys and increased milk production.

How often do you replace sand or put sand in stalls and what is the method of adding sand? We add sand to the stalls twice a week using a skid loader and bucket.

How do you maintain and clean your stalls? Three times per day before the cows in that group get milked, we scrape out dirty or wet sand with a hand scraper.

How do you get rid of or recycle used bedding?

We have a ush ume that the sand and manure is scraped into when they clean the pens three times per day. The ume delivers that to the mechanical sand separator, which is located in a separate building. Our mechanical sand separator is a one-shot made by Daritech Inc. After 3-7 days, we move the sand with the payloader and pile it up next to the freestall barn to bed the stalls. We also have a vibrating slope screen to help clean the water to aid in sand separation.

What challenges can arise from using sand bedding?How did you solve those problems? There is a downside. Sand wears on equipment and concrete and everything. The production increase outweighs the extra expenses caused from sand. You can’t really solve those problems. Sand gets everywhere.

Tell us about your farm. The farm is owned by Eric and Chassidy Klein and Dean and Lois Klein near Lake City, Minnesota. We milk 700 cows and ship our milk to First District Association. We farm 2,000 acres. We also raise our heifer replacements and dairy crossbreds.

Greg Larson

Norwalk, Wisconsin Monroe County 310 cows

What are the benefits of sand bedding?

Twin Spruce Farms-North Perham, Minnesota Otter Tail County 1,350 cows

What is the size of your stalls and the depth of sand within them? The stalls are 48 inches wide and 17 feet curb to curb. Sand bedding is 8-10 inches deep.

What benets do you see from using sand bedding? Cow comfort is the main benet. We do not see any perching on the stalls. The hygiene scores are better, and we see more condence in the herd as far as mobility and traction.

How often do you replace sand or put sand in stalls and what is the method of adding sand? Stalls are raked three times a week and bedded once a week. We add sand with a sand shooter attachment on the skid loader.

How do you maintain and clean your stalls? We have a hoe that we use to scrape stalls as we collect cows at milking time. If there is any defecation or urine, we rake it out.

How do you get rid of or recycle used bedding? The sand gets scraped into the manure pit with the manure and then applied to elds when the pit is emptied.

What challenges can arise from using sand bedding? How did you solve those problems?

The manure pit needs to be managed. We bought a large enough pump and tractor to agitate everything so it could be hauled. Sometimes we use two pumps. Another challenge is that the cost of trucking has doubled in the last six months. We are looking into ways to haul our own to save on that cost. When sand is delivered on cold days, it tends to clump. We manage that by putting it in the stalls right when it is delivered.

Tell us about your farm. We are a cash crop farm and wanted to dairy. We farm 4,000 acres of corn, soybean, alfalfa and small grains. I have always been involved in the dairy because I love cows and the industry. Our milk is shipped to Foremost Farms. We have an excellent team and are excited about the future.

What is the size of your stalls and the depth of sand within them? The stalls are 48 inches wide and 6 feet long. The sand depth is 4-6 inches.

What benets do you see from using sand bedding? We have better cow comfort with more stall use as well as lower mastitis rates from bacteria not harboring in the sand.

How often do you replace sand or put sand in stalls and what is the method of adding sand? We add sand 2-3 times a week with a sand shooter or skid loader and bucket.

How do you maintain and clean your stalls? We hand scrape manure and wet sand out and work the stall level with a groomer on the tractor three times a day.

How do you get rid of or recycle used bedding? We scrape manure and sand into a ush ume and run it into a sand lane where we reclaim the sand. We stack the sand until it is dry enough to reuse.

What challenges can arise from using sand bedding?How did you solve those problems? You have to have an inventory of sand to allow the sand enough time to dry out before using again in the stalls. We have had the manure lagoon ll with sand over time from sand making its way through the settling lane. The increased agitation when pumping or hiring an excavator can be necessary for storage.

Tell us about your farm. We have two milking sites, one in Perham, Minnesota, and one in Richmond, Minnesota. We farm about 2,500 acres of land. This past year, we purchased a site near Sauk Centre, Minnesota, for our heifers. Our milk is sold to Bongards. Twin Spruce is run by Arnie and Kris with the help of three of seven children: Arnie Jr., Ashley and Andy. Some of the boys come home to help when they can.

Matt Byrnes Dorchester, Iowa

Allamakee County

180 cows

What is the size of your stalls and the depth of sand within them? Our headto-head stalls are 4 feet by 8 feet. The outside stalls are 4 feet by 9 feet. They are all bedded with bluff sand approximately 12 inches deep.

What benets do you see from using sand bedding? Cow comfort is the No. 1 benet. Additional benets include a low somatic cell count. We just don't have to treat many cows for mastitis. We also have increased footing. We started using sand-bedded free stalls in 1998 when I started dairy farming on my parents’ farm. We tore out the old concrete stalls that were bedded with corn stalks. We went with sand because that’s what people where telling us is the best for cow comfort, and it was also more economical than mattresses and shavings.

How often do you replace sand or put sand in stalls and what is the method of adding sand? We add sand every 10-14 days by using a skid loader and

What is the size of your stalls and the depth of sand within them? We have three different-sized stalls in our 60-stall tiestall barn. All stalls are 76 inches long, or a little over 6 feet, and most are 56 inches wide. We have a 3-inch PVC bedding saver pipe in the back of the stalls and a 9-inch curb in the front of the stalls. Before adding sand, we ripped out the pasture mats and left the standard rubber mat beneath intact. It provides a nice, at cushion on top, and then I go as deep as I can with the sand which is about 9 inches initially and keep the stalls as full as I can. Half of our cows live in the tiestall barn and half live in our renovated freestall barn. We bed with sand in both barns.

What benets do you see from using sand bedding? The biggest benet we see is the quality of laying time. When I walk in the barn, all the cows are lying down. And if I walk through the barn, the cows won’t even get up. In the past, when I pushed in feed or cleaned up, cows would jump up left and right. We have no swollen hocks, and we went up a little in milk too. If you can improve cow comfort and efciency by putting sand in, it’s worth it. My mom was concerned about milking on sand, but she actually nds it more comfortable than the mats. I’ve had knee issues, and since putting sand in, my knees haven’t bothered me as much. We have more cushion now when stepping up and down in the stalls. Sand also saves me time as I don’t have to bed the cows every single day. I go through and rake and clean the stalls. It saves me a half hour every morning not having to shake straw. Putting sand in only takes 15 minutes.

We started using sand in our tiestall barn Oct. 28. The freestall barn has been bedded with sand since my parents bought the farm in 1991. It is benecial for these cows to be on sand. Previously, our cows were on pasture mats, and I didn’t like how hard the cows’ feet got. This made them more susceptible to getting a sore foot and didn’t allow for good foot growth. When we trimmed the cows, they hardly had any shedding or pad, just a at, hard sole wore down to nothing. Seeing the difference of cows’ feet in the free stalls versus the tie stalls and the amount of lameness the tiestall barn cows had over the freestall cows was a big push for putting sand in.

bucket. We also utilize a sand shooter at times.

How do you maintain and clean your stalls? We remove any manure or wet sand from the back of the stall each time we take the cows to the parlor and scrape the barn twice daily.

How do you get rid of or recycle used bedding? We currently don't reclaim any of the sand from the stalls. The sand goes into the manure pit.

What challenges can arise from using sand bedding? How did you solve those problems? The biggest challenge with using sand bedding is handling it once it's in the manure pit. We try to agitate well before pumping the pit. Whatever is left at the bottom of the pit is loaded with a loader and hauled out with slingers. Usually, we are able to remove 70% pumped and 30% needs to be hauled with the slingers.

Tell us about your farm. My wife, Michelle, and I along with our three teenage sons are very involved in the day-to-day operation of our 180-cow dairy. We also employ two high school students who help milk in the evening and on weekends. We have a 3-row freestall barn and milk in a double-8 parlor. Our milk goes to Foremost Farms. We raise our grain and forage to feed our herd and replacements.

How often do you replace sand or put sand in stalls and what is the method of adding sand? We add new sand in the tiestall barn once a week with a skid loader and sand shooter. If we didn’t switch cows in and out and have them tracking sand out every time, we could probably go every two weeks before adding new sand.

How do you maintain and clean your stalls? I have to be more aggressive initially with the trainers than I would like, but I don’t want cows making a mess under themselves. I don’t like to see manure, so I’m always cleaning under the cows. In the morning, I go through and groom the stalls with a garden rake and pull out any wet sand. I also do that at night before the cows come back in the barn.

How do you get rid of or recycle used bedding? We spread it on our elds. We’ve always had sand because of the free stalls. We spread a load every single day and have had no issues on the elds. We don’t recycle it; we use fresh sand all the time.

What challenges can arise from using sand bedding? How did you solve those problems? Wear and tear on the barn cleaner and putting sand on the land are challenges that can arise. We have a standard barn cleaner, and we recently put a plastic liner in the gutter so the barn cleaner chain and concrete at the oor of the gutter do not wear out as fast. Nobody wants barn cleaner troubles especially in the winter, but the barn cleaner doesn’t pay your bills. I don’t think the amount of sand we’re using will affect the land, but our agronomist will tell us next fall when he takes soil samples. The availability of sand long term is something I also wonder about.

Tell us about your farm. I farm with my parents, Jeff and Kate, and my wife, Riley. Our daughter, Adlee, is 1, and we have another child on the way. We milk between 110 and 115 registered cows at Jeffrey-Way Holsteins. We milk two groups of cows in our tiestall barn. We have 60 Excellent and 55 Very Good cows, none lower. Our average classication score is 90 points. We breed for type, production and longevity. Cows average 90 pounds of milk, 4.3% butterfat and 3.4% protein. We ship our milk to Klondike Cheese in Monroe, Wisconsin. We farm around 300 acres and make a lot of baleage which we top-dress with corn silage, haylage, high-moisture corn and protein when feeding cows. Genetics has always been the main goal for our farm, which has allowed us to milk fewer cows and have a successful operation.

Brooks Hendrickson Belleville, Wisconsin Green County 110 cows

Kevin and Ben Pearson Britannia Dairy Flandreau, South Dakota Moody County 1,100 cows

Describe your facilities and list your breeding management team. One of our freestall barns is naturally ventilated while the other is tunnel ventilated. We bed our free stalls with sand. All of our employees, including our milkers and our cow pushers, are part of our breeding management

team because they help keep our somatic cell count low. We have found that cows with a high SCC have lower conception rates. Ben does all of the breeding.

What is your current pregnancy rate? Our pregnancy rate is 42%.

What is your reproduction program? We use a double ovsynch on all of our rst services. We also give the animals two shots of luteinizing hormone 24 hours apart. We use activity monitors to catch animals that didn’t settle and perform pregnancy checks every two weeks.

How do you get animals pregnant? We have recently been giving a shot of GnRH at the start of estrus. This has increased our conception rate by 5%.

Describe your breeding philosophy. Our goal is to get more than 90% of our herd pregnant after three services.

He has an app on his smartphone that he uses to access this informaon from anywhere at any

What guidelines do you follow to reach the goals for your breeding program? We aim for strict

compliance regarding the shots that we give our animals and keep up on the activity transponders. A good transition program is critical to reproductive success. We have started giving a calcium binder to our transition animals.

What are the top traits you look for in breeding your

dairy herd and how has this changed since you started farming? We look for sires with sound health traits, good udder height and width, and a positive daughter pregnancy rate. Our herd is mostly Jerseys, and we recently started crossbreeding with Holstein sires. We monitor the stature of

our Holstein sires and only use bulls that are easy calving.

What are certain traits you try to avoid? We avoid a large stature and a low DPR. If a rst calf heifer isn’t performing well in the milking parlor, we

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

Ben and Kevin Pearson operate Britannia Dairy, a 1,100-cow opera on located near Flandreau, South Dakota. Over the past few years, the brothers have received one pla num and two gold awards from the Dairy Ca le Reproduc on Council.

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR Kevin Pearson tracks his herd’s reproduc ve progress on a computer.

me.

“Udder Comfort™ is like ketchup. We put it on everything, and it makes everything better! We have been using this product forever, especially on fresh cows for 4 to 5 days after calving. It also softens and heals flareups fast. Other products don’t do anything. Udder Comfort brings down swelling faster, so why use anything else?” says 4th generation dairywoman Ashley Olson. She works with cows every day at Jo-Al Acres, where she and Jeff milk 50 in a crops and grazing operation near Coon Valley, Wisconsin.

Their 14-year-old son Jed hopes to be the 5th generation in dairy. We met him checking feed and helping Jason and Leah James of Pine Valley Farm, Mineral Point get their Pine Valley Justice Carlin ready for the World Dairy Expo Milking Shorthorn show.

Leah and Ashley went to college together. They share a passion for cows and for moving dairy forward. They also share a pack at Expo and love the results they get with Udder Comfort at shows and for their respective herds at home.

Photo courtesy

won’t hesitate to ship her. Selecting sires is a balancing act.

Describe the ideal cow for your herd. She is an F1 Jersey-Holstein crossbred with high milk production, a welldeveloped udder and proper leg set.

What role does genetics have in reaching the goals of your farm? We hope that crossbreeding with Holstein sires will help us achieve our goal

of producing more energy-corrected milk. We use top sires whenever they are available.

What percentage of your herd is bred to sexed, conventional and beef semen?

All of our heifers are bred the rst two services with sexed semen; after that, they are bred with beef bulls. We use sexed semen for the rst two services on the cows that we want to produce replacements. The rest of our cows are bred to Charolais sires.

What is your conception rate? The conception rate for our rst service is 50% to 60%. We have seen little difference in the conception rates between sexed, beef and conventional semen.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned through your breeding program? Get the shots into the cows at the right time, and make sure your activity transponders are working. We know how the system works and are constantly trying to improve.

What is the age of your heifers at rst service? Our heifers receive their rst service at 12 months of age.

How does your heifer inventory affect your breeding program? We keep track of our heifer inventory and use more sexed semen if our numbers start to get low. Economics dictate that we keep our pool of heifers as small as possible. But, we also want to retain the ability to cull a rst calf heifer if she isn’t performing.

Tell us about your farm. We moved here from North Yorkshire, England, in 2007. We purchase all of our forages, and our heifers are raised by a heifer grower located in southwest Kansas. At 10 months of age, our heifers are taken to M & M Livestock at Chandler, Minnesota. Our heifers arrive back at

our

farm at three weeks prior to calving. Over the past few years, we have received

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

Ben Pearson thaws semen prior to breeding Jersey cows. The Pearsons have begun to use Holstein sires with the goal of increasing their herd’s produc on of energy-corrected milk.

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

Every cow at Britannia Dairy wears an ac vity monitor. Readers located throughout their dairy barns gather and transmit ac vity data 24 hours a day.

dairy

one platinum and two gold awards from the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council.

IOWA

Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931

Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290

United Dairy Systems, Inc. West Union, IA 563-422-5355

DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825

Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321

Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106

Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267

Christmas trees with character

My dad was a big believer in cutting down our own Christmas tree out of our own woods. To go to the store and buy one would be a travesty in his mind.

We would bundle up, drive over to what we called the pines, which was a part of the farm that had a big stand of pine trees, and trudge through the snow (usually) to nd the best tree we could.

Dad would describe these trees we brought home each year as full of character. Most people would probably think they were a second cousin to Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree.

WISCONSIN

Advanced Dairy Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201

Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713

Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579

The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470

MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA

Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Brookings, SD 800-636-5581

Advanced Dairy Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Pierz, MN 320-468-2494 St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Wadena, MN 218-632-5416

Several times, my dad would collect extra branches, and he would use those branches to make pine bough swags that he would tie up on the posts in the barn, decorating the barn for the holiday too. We used kiln-dried shavings as bedding in the barn, so the barn always had a slightly piney smell, but the smell from those pine boughs was so much different – better and more alive.

By Danielle Nauman Staff Writer

When we would get the tree home, there would usually be some sort of engineering required to convince the tree to cooperate. Some years, the trunks were slightly crooked. Sometimes, the tree had to be tied to the curtain rod.

One year, the best we could nd had some rather large gaps. Not to be deterred, my dad drilled holes in the trunk of the tree and inserted additional branches to ll in the blank spaces.

My mom often recounts the tree Dad brought home for their rst Christmas. When it stood alongside the old brick farmhouse they lived in, the top of the tree bypassed the tops of the upstairs windows. That one required quite a bit of engineering.

We never had trouble with needles falling off our fresh-from-the-woods trees, except for in 1988, which had been an incredibly hot and dry summer. That year, needles were falling off as we drug the tree home. The vacuum cleaner got plugged up a couple of times that year.

Once the tree was up and (hopefully) secured, Mom would dig out the boxes of ornaments, all which had a story behind them.

When I was a kid, my grandma Nauman would give us ornaments every Christmas. My favorites were the ones she made when her and my mom would go to ceramics classes at a lady named Etta’s house, near Wilton, Wisconsin. I used to go along and paint small simple things myself. I always loved going to Etta’s, so those ornaments bring back many good memories. As I grew older, I started collecting cow ornaments and probably have enough of those for at least one entire tree.

As we grew, once in a while, Dad would cave and would pick up a tree from the local grocery store, but they were never quite the same as the ones that came from the pines. I am grateful that my own son was able to experience the tradition of going out into the pines with Grandpa to nd a Christmas tree.

I hate to admit that I haven’t put up a Christmas tree in several years now. Dad died the day after Christmas in 2010, and honestly, the holiday has never been the same for me. Once Austin grew older and December became a busy month with hockey and other activities, it seemed more of a chore than something delightful to do.

There have been several years, around late October, when I think this will be the year I’ll get another Christmas tree. I usually think about all the ornaments packed away in totes full of newspaper and paper towels and about going to pick out all those trees with Dad. Those memories take over and spark an interest and desire. But by the time December rolls around, any enthusiasm I may have had has usually blown out the door with the cold wind, as I have been thrust into the rigorous routine of trying to balance winter chores with work.

Young farmers recognized

Sahrs nalists for Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Award

By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com

BRICELYN, Minn. – Innovation and leadership in farming earned Nathan and Loy Sahr recognition.

By expanding their dairy operation through raising heifers on-site and also by serving in leadership roles for the Minnesota Farm Bureau in Faribault County, the Sahrs became nalists for the 2022 Minnesota Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award.

The other two nalists were Staci Sexton of Wabasha County and David and Michaela Ehlers of Grant County. The nalists were recognized at the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting Nov. 17-19 in Bloomington, with Sexton receiving the award.

The Sahrs are the fth generation to farm at Sahrside Dairy near Bricelyn, where they milk 1,450 Holsteins three times per day in a double-16 parallel parlor. They also farm 1,840 acres. The farm was established in 1898.

“Our main goals for the farm in the future are to continue to be protable and also to be able to produce all of our own feed for the dairy cows so that we have more control over our cost of production,” Nathan Sahr said.

According to the Minnesota Farm Bureau, the annual achievement award highlights efforts in production farming and leadership achievement. Contestants are evaluated on their farming operation growth, nancial progress of operation and leadership.

“More specically, the judges look for excellence in management, growth and scope of the enterprise and self-initiative that have been displayed throughout the operation,” Sahr said.

These are goals the Sahrs have worked toward.

“My dad and I farm together at Sahrside Dairy,” Sahr said. “While neither of my brothers or sister are involved in the operation, we do have about 25 employees that help with milking, feeding, cleaning and maintenance.”

Sahr’s parents live on the farm site, and he and Loy live about 4 miles away.

The Sahrs are putting their own stamp on the progression of the farm by raising replacement heifers and steers.

“We add leftover feed from the dairy’s milk cows to the heifer rations to save on feed costs,” Sahr said. “We

can raise our own heifers way cheaper than we can in having somebody else do it for us; while simultaneously, we can make sure they’re kept as clean and healthy as possible.”

Other plans at Sahrside Dairy include building a calf barn to get calves out of huts and building a sand storage area.

Combining operation growth with nancial sense is one reason they were nalists for the achievement award, but the Sahr family has valued this principle for generations.

“After realizing we could truck our own milk a lot cheaper than it was being trucked for us, we decided to haul our own milk,” Sahr said. “Our trucks

haul out milk two to three times a day to Agropur, where the majority of the milk from our cows is made into Parmesan cheese.”

The Sahrs also became nalists due to their commitment to Minnesota Farm Bureau efforts.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Nathan and Loy Sahr were nalists for this year’s Minnesota Farm Bureau Federa on’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award. The award recognizes accomplishments in produc on farming and leadership. Turn to SAHR

IOWA

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY

• K & R Feed and Grain

Dorchester

• 563-568-4513

BREMER COUNTY

• Via eld

Sumner • 563-578-3214

DELAWARE COUNTY

• Del-Clay Farm Equipment

Edgewood • 563-928-6445

• Edgewood Feed Mill Edgewood • 563-928-6405

DUBUQUE COUNTY

• Brunkan Equipment

Worthington • 563-855-2434

• CJ Beeps Equipment Farley • 563-744-5010

• Eastern Iowa Dairy Epworth • 563-876-3087

• Helle Farm Equipment Dyersville • 563-875-7154

• New Vienna Ag Automation New Vienna • 563-921-2896

• Roeder Implement

Dubuque • 563-557-1184

• Scherrmann’s Implement Dyersville • 563-875-2426

• Skip Breitbach Feeds Balltown • 563-552-2393

• Ungs Shopping Center (IAS) Luxemburg • 563-853-2455

FAYETTE COUNTY

• Via eld

Elgin • 563-426-5566 Maynard • 563-637-2285

FLOYD COUNTY

• Livestock Systems

Charles City • 641-220-5257

HOWARD COUNTY

• Farmers Win Co-op Cresco West • 563-547-3660

SIOUX COUNTY

• Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Rock Valley • 712-476-5608

WINNESHIEK COUNTY

• Brynsaas Sales & Service Decorah • 563-382-4484

• Franzen Sales & Service Fort Atkinson • 563-534-2724

• Lang’s Dairy Service Decorah • 563-382-8722

MINNESOTA

BECKER COUNTY

• Adkins Equipment Inc. Detroit Lakes • 218-847-3131

BENTON COUNTY

• Farm-Rite Equipment St. Cloud • 844-262-2281

• First National Bank of MilacaGilman Of ce • 320-387-2233

• Gilman Co-op Creamery Gilman • 320-387-2770

• Midwest Machinery Sauk Rapids • 320-259-6222

BROWN COUNTY

• New Ulm Regional Vet Clinic New Ulm • 507-233-2500

CARVER COUNTY

• Bongards’ Cologne • 952-466-5521

• Lano Equipment of Norwood Norwood/Young America 952-467-2181

• Storms Welding Cologne • 952-466-3343

DAKOTA COUNTY

• Midwest Machinery North eld • 507-645-4886

• Werner Implement Vermillion • 651-437-4435

DOUGLAS COUNTY

• Midwest Machinery

Alexandria • 320-763-4220

• Nelson Creamery Nelson • 320-762-0115

• Osakis Creamery Assn. 320-859-2146

• Pro Ag Farmers Co-op Gar eld • 320-834-2271

FILLMORE COUNTY

• Farmers Win Co-op

Rushford • 507-864-2161

• First Southeast Bank Harmony • 507-886-6922

• Hammell Equipment Harmony • 507-886-2255 Rushford • 507-864-2845

• Midwest Machinery Grand Meadow • 507-754-1100

GOODHUE COUNTY

• Ag Partners Farm Store

Goodhue • 651-923-4496

• Midwest Livestock Systems, LLC Zumbrota • 507-732-4673

• Midwest Machinery Cannon Falls • 507-263-4238 Wanamingo • 507-824-2256

GRANT COUNTY

• Midwest Machinery Elbow Lake • 218-685-4438

HOUSTON COUNTY

• Caledonia Haulers

Caledonia • 507-725-9000

• ESB Bank

Caledonia • 507-725-3329 Eitzen • 507-495-3321

La Crescent • 507-895-2227

• Farmers Win Co-op Caledonia • 507-725-3306 Houston • 507-896-3147

• Hammell Equipment Eitzen • 507-495-3326

• Midwest Machinery Caledonia • 507-725-7000

ISANTI COUNTY

• Midwest Machinery Princeton • 763-263-6000

KANDIYOHI COUNTY

• D&D Ag Supply & Construction Pennock • 320-599-4466

• Farm-Rite Equipment Willmar • 877-484-3211

• Midwest Machinery Stewart • 320-562-2630

MCLEOD COUNTY

• Leedstone Glencoe • 877-864-5575

• Midwest Machinery Glencoe • 320-864-5571

• Mueller Sales & Service Dairy Equipment Glencoe • 888-205-0974

MEEKER COUNTY

• Farm-Rite Equipment

Dassel • 888-679-4857

• Schlauderaff Implement Co. Litch eld • 320-693-7277

MILLE LACS COUNTY

• First National Bank of Milaca

Milaca • 320-983-3101

• Foreston Farmer’s Co-op Creamery Foreston • 320-294-5711

MORRISON COUNTY

• Central MN Credit Union Little Falls • 888-330-8482

• Lash’s Auto Pierz • 320-232-0537

• Litke’s Veterinary Service Pierz • 320-468-6666

• Midwest Machinery Little Falls • 320-632-5469

• Modern Farm Equipment Pierz • 320-468-2161

• Pierz Co-op Pierz • 320-468-6655

• Sunrise Ag Cooperative Buckman • 320-468-6433 Lastrup • 320-468-2543 Little Rock • 320-584-5147

OLMSTED COUNTY

• Ag Partners Stewartville • 507-533-4222 Lewiston • 507-523-2188

• Hammell Equipment Chat eld • 507-867-4910

OTTER TAIL COUNTY

• Bongards’ Perham • 218-346-4680

• Farmers Elevator of Fergus Falls & Henning 218-736-3301

• PCCA-Country Store Perham • 218-346-7075

• Perham Stockyards Perham • 218-346-3415

• Pro Ag Farmers Co-op in Henning 218-583-2947

• Pro Ag Farmers Co-op in Urbank 218-267-2401

PIPESTONE COUNTY

• Gorter’s Clay & Dairy Equipment Pipestone • 507-825-3271

POPE COUNTY

• Midwest Machinery Glenwood • 320-634-5151

RICE COUNTY

• Ag Partners - Agronomy Le Center • 507-357-6868

STEARNS COUNTY

• A&C Farm Service

Paynesville • 320-243-3736

• Albany Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Albany • 320-845-2801

• Arnold’s of Kimball Kimball • 320-398-3800

• Arnold’s of St. Martin St. Martin • 320-548-3285

• Arnzen Construction/St. Rosa Lumber Freeport, In St. Rosa 320-836-2284 or 1-888-276-1751

• Magni Financial Albany • 888-330-8482 Avon • 888-330-8482 Belgrade • 888-330-8482 Cold Spring • 888-330-8482 Freeport • 888-330-8482 Melrose • 888-330-8482 Paynesville • 888-330-8482 Sauk Centre • 888-330-8482

• Centre Dairy Equipment & Supply Inc. Sauk Centre • 320-352-5762 or 1-800-342-2697

• Dairyland Supply Sauk Centre 320-352-3987 or 1-800-338-6455

• Ecker Feed Service, LLC New Munich • 320-837-5800

• Elrosa Grain & Feed Elrosa • 320-697-5515

• Elrosa Lumber Elrosa • 320-697-5591

• Farm Systems Melrose 1-800-636-5581 • 1-800-247-0012

• Feed Co.

Paynesville • 320-243-3938

• Freeport State Bank Freeport • 1-800-252-9856 320-836-2126

Greenwald • 320-987-2265 New Munich • 320-837-5297 Melrose • 320-256-7208

• Hartung Sales & Service, Inc. Freeport • 320-836-2697

• Lake Henry Implement Lake Henry • 320-243-7411

• Leedstone Melrose • 800-996-3303

• Melrose Implement Inc. Melrose • 320-256-4253

• Midwest Machinery Paynesville • 320-243-7474 Sauk Centre • 320-352-6511

• Modern Farm Equipment Sauk Centre • 320-352-6543

• Nutrien Ag Solutions 320-352-6564

STEELE COUNTY

• Northland Farm Systems Owatonna • 507-451-3131

SWIFT

COUNTY

• Midwest Machinery Benson • 320-843-2610 Madison • 320-598-7575 Morris • 320-589-2011

TODD

COUNTY

• Magni Financial Grey Eagle • 888-330-8482 Long Prairie • 888-330-8482

• Farm-Rite Long Prairie • 866-514-0982

• Olson’s Custom Farm Service Staples • 218-894-2474

• Pro-Ag Farmers Co-op in Browerville Browerville • 320-594-2711

• Pro-Ag Farmers Co-op in Clarissa Clarissa • 218-756-2112

• Pro-Ag Farmers Co-op in Eagle Bend Eagle Bend • 218-738-2552

WABASHA

COUNTY

• Ag Partners Farm Store Plainview • 507-534-2531

• Beck Implement Elgin • 507-876-2122

• Leedstone Plainview • 800-548-2540

• Midwest Machinery Plainview • 507-534-3116

• Wingert Sales & Service Plainview • 507-534-2285

WADENA COUNTY

• Dairyland Equipment of Menahga Menahga • 218-564-4958

• Midwest Machinery Wadena • 218-631-2311

• Olson’s Custom Farm Service Verndale • 218-445-5500 Sebeka • 218-837-5749

WINONA COUNTY

• Elba Co-op Creamery Elba • 507-796-6571

• Lang’s Dairy Equipment Lewiston • 507-452-5532

• Lewiston Rentals and Repairs Lewiston • 507-523-3564

• Midwest Machinery St. Charles • 507-932-4030

WRIGHT COUNTY

• Hobert Sales Inc. Cokato • 320-286-6284, 1-800-820-6455

• Midwest Machinery Howard Lake • 320-543-2170

SOUTH DAKOTA

BROOKINGS COUNTY

• W.W. Tire Brookings • 605-696-7400

CODINGTON COUNTY

• Glacial Lakes Livestock Watertown • 605-886-5052

MINNEHAHA COUNTY

• Central Valley Dairy Supply Garretson • 605-467-0812

• Midwest Livestock Systems Renner • 605-274-3656

ROBERTS COUNTY

• Valley Dairy Supply Corona • 605-432-5224

“We understand the benets of being involved with Minnesota Farm Bureau,” Sahr said.

He and Loy have attended many Farm Bureau Leadership, Education, Advocacy and Promotion conferences, and Sahr has served for eight years as a young farmers and ranchers chair for the Faribault County Farm Bureau.

“We have enjoyed networking with, and learning from, other farmers as well as learning more about how politics affect agriculture,” Sahr said.

The Sahrs have four young children.

“Never a dull moment here,” Sahr said. “Our kids also love helping with heifer chores, and we love that they’re learning valuable life lessons in the process. We would love nothing more than to see one of our kids be the sixth (generation to farm).”

The children were with the Sahrs in Bloomington when the award winner

was announced. Since both Sahr and Loy grew up in families that were involved in the Minnesota Farm Bureau, having their family there was extra special.

The Sahrs had to leap one more hurdle at the event before the award decision was made.

“Minnesota Farm Bureau notied us that we would be interviewed at the annual meeting as nalists,” Sahr said.

After the interviews were completed, the judges selected the winner.

Even though the Sahrs did not receive the top award, they appreciate the wins in life they have already received through dairy farming.

“We believe raising our kids on a dairy farm is one of the greatest gifts we can give them,” Sahr said. “They are learning the value of hard work, common sense and empathy while simultaneously making lifelong memories together as a family.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Nathan Sahr stands in the double-16 parallel parlor on Sahrside Dairy near Bricelyn, Minnesota. Sahr and his wife, Loy, were nalists for Minnesota Farm Bureau Federa on’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Achievement Award.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Nathan Sahr sits on a tractor with sons Wesley (le ) and Wya on Sahrside Dairy. Nathan, his wife, Loy, and their four children are the  h and sixth genera ons on the farm.

From chores to champs

Dairy youth compete in Minnesota state tournaments

By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com

Throughout state tournaments this fall, dairy farm youth have contributed their skills and talents to their teams’ efforts. Dairy Star asked several of these students about their successful seasons.

When Minneota High School took rst place in the football Class A state tournament, two brothers and their cousin, all dairy youth, were on the Vikings team.

Zack Fier plays running back and corner back, and his brother, Brock Fier, plays running back and linebacker. Their parents are Kevin and Mindy Fier. Zack and Brock’s cousin Destin Fier is the son of Kurt and Julie Fier. Together the families milk 450 Holsteins, Red and White Holsteins and Milking Shorthorns with a robotic milker at Fierview Dairy near Taunton, Minnesota. All three boys said they also value teamwork on the football eld.

“Our team has the ability to work together and get along really well,” Brock said.

Destin said the farm has taught him life lessons.

“It has helped me learn to work hard and get things I earn,” he said.

After placing second in the state tournament last year, the Fiers said winning this year was extra rewarding.

“After playing last year and being as good as we were but falling short, I did not know how we were going to rebound,” Zack said. “I am super proud of all the young kids that stepped up and how the whole team handled the adversity to get us to where we are.”

Lydia Vatland is a sophomore at Mabel-Canton High School and a defensive specialist on the Cougars volleyball team, which earned third place at state. Her parents, Kevin and Joanie Vatland, own Vatland Dairy and Beef Farms near Mabel, Minnesota, where they milk 30 Holsteins and Jerseys in a tiestall barn.

Vatland said the small size of her team and school is a positive aspect.

“Considering how young and small our team was, many opponents would overlook us, but we used our small size to our advantage and gave it our all,” she said. “I enjoyed seeing how such a small community can come together to support the same thing.”

Growing up on a dairy farm also helped prepare Vatland for being a dedicated athlete.

“From a very young age, I learned what it means to always work hard and put all your effort into something you’re passionate about,” she said. “It also taught me about responsibility and learning to care for something other than yourself.”

Miles Mulhern is a junior on the Chateld High School football team. He

played on the defensive line and started at nose tackle. His team, the Gophers, took second place in the Class AA state football tournament. Miles, the son of Mitch and Jennifer Mulhern, works with his uncle, Cory, at Mulhern Dairy near Fountain, Minnesota, where they milk 1000 cows (Holsteins, Brown Swiss and Jerseys) in a herringbone parlor. Mulhern said that doing chores prepares him for football.

“Working around the farm helps a lot with strength,” he said.

Mulhern said that he enjoys his teammates, especially when they get together for meals. He thought his team was special from the beginning.

“Many people believed we would not make it to this point this season,” he said. “We proved them wrong.”

Paige Gruber represented Melrose High School at the state swim meet in two relays. The 200-yard medley team took fourth; the 200-yard freestyle placed eighth. Paige is the daughter of Conrad and Sandra Gruber. At Gruber Dairy near Spring Hill, Minnesota, they milk 60 Holsteins in a tiestall barn.

Gruber said she is proud of the cohesiveness her team creates.

“From the little seventh graders all the way up to the seniors on the team, everyone is so supportive of one another,” she said. “We want each other to succeed individually because we know it will help the team overall.”

Gruber said that growing up on a farm helped her value hard work.

“I understood that, for anything you want, you’re more than likely going to have to work for it, and a good majority of the time it is not going to be fun,” she said. “Anytime something would get hard (in swimming), I would remind myself that nothing is worse than picking rocks on a hot summer day.”

Ty Cleven played center for the Spring Grove football team in the state nine-man tournament. The Lions took 2nd place.

Cleven said he appreciates making it all the way to the nal game.

“I’m proud of how much we believed we could win and how far we got,” he said. “I enjoyed being able to play with my brothers for longer.”

Cleven is the son of Darci Cleven and works at Gerard Dairy near Spring Grove, Minnesota, helping to milk 250 cows in a step-up parlor. He also milks an Ayrshire and a Milking Shorthorn that he bought himself.

Two dairy youth competed for the Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Jaguars in the Minnesota Class A state volleyball tournament. The Jaguars made it to the seminals. Faith Radermacher is an outside hitter for the team. Her parents, Aaron and Jessica Radermacher, are owners of Radermacher Dairy LLC near Brooten, Minnesota, where they milk 240 Holsteins and Jerseys in a parabone parlor, but they are converting to a ro-

Zack Fier

Brock Fier

Paige Gruber

Lydia Vatland

Harley Roering

Miles Mulhern

Destin Fier

botic milking system.

“Growing up on a dairy farm helps me to stay active and in shape because I work daily,” Radermacher said. “It helps me with time management and improves strength.”

Her teammate, Harley Roering, is a defense specialist on the team. Roering milks cows at Jer-Lindy Farms, the site of Redhead Creamery near Brooten, Minnesota. Her parents are Alan and Lori Roering.

Roering said her team is what made going to state memorable.

“I am proud of how well our team connection is,” she said. “We can have a lot of fun and can also take things seriously when we need to. I think state really brought our team together because we spent so much time together; even after a long day of playing, we still visited each other in our hotel rooms.”

Radermacher also has respect for her teammates.

“I’m proud of my team for overcoming the setbacks that we experienced early on this season and for having come as far as we did,” she said.

Swimming at state for the Sauk Centre Mainstreeters, Stella Schirmers competed in two relay events along with the 100 buttery and the 100 backstroke. Stella’s best results came in the backstroke, placing 11th. Stella is the daughter of Dave and Missy Schirmers. The family milks 200 cows in a parallel parlor at Schirmers’ Dairy near Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

Stella remembers doing chores on the farm at a young age.

“I had to quickly learn how to keep up with my older cousins and siblings while working,” she said. “It has taught a good work ethic.”

Team togetherness is something Stella enjoys.

“After working hard to get to state, it was rewarding to spend time with all of my teammates at the hotel and restaurants,” she said.

Stella’s cousin, Nate Schirmers, competed at state. Nate played safety for the Mainstreeters football team, which made it to the quarternals in the Class AA tournament. He is the son of Tim and Jody Schirmers, who

also run Schirmers’ Dairy.

“I think the biggest thing that I learned by growing up on a dairy farm was work ethic,” Nate said. “Getting up early to milk, and seeing my dad do that every day, showed me what it takes to achieve something.”

Nate said he appreciates team camaraderie

“Just being able to keep playing games with this group of guys was what I enjoyed the most,” he said.

Both Porter Kuechle and Nicholas Becker played on the offensive and defensive lines for the Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles in the Class AA football state tournament, making it to the seminals. Kuechle milks cows with his parents, Perry and Sarah Kuechle, at Kuechle Dairy near Watkins, Minnesota, where they milk 220 Holsteins in a double-12 parallel parlor. Kuechle said that growing up on a dairy farm helped him in football.

“It taught me the value of hard work and dedication,” he said.

Becker agrees.

“Growing up on a dairy farm helped me because I was gaining strength from helping on the farm,” he said. “It also taught me that you get out of it what you put into it.”

Becker’s parents, Tom and Amanda Becker, own Becker Family Farm near Watkins and milk 65 Holsteins in a tiestall barn.

Both Becker and Kuechle said they enjoyed how their football team got along together so well.

“I’m most proud of the effort everyone puts in and what comes out of the effort,” Becker said.

“I’m proud that we never give up and are just one big family.”

When Samuel Jeurissen wasn’t doing chores on his parents’ farm this autumn, he was playing offensive guard and defensive end for the Lester Prairie Bulldogs, which made it to the Class A quarternals in foot-

ball.

Jeurissen’s parents, Rick and Mindy Jeurissen, own Jeurissen Family Farms near Lester Prairie, Minnesota, and milk 130 Holsteins in a double-12 parlor. Jeurissen said he enjoyed the football season in its entirety. The Bulldogs were undefeated in regular competition.

“We all came together at the beginning of the year and clicked,” he said. “Everyone knew what they were going to do, and it showed all the way through the season.”

Jeurissen said he was happy that the extended season gave more relatives a chance to see him play. He also said that working on the farm has always kept him physically strong.

“It helps a lot more when you are younger,” he said. “When I was in elementary school and middle school, I was stronger than most everyone. Being active (now) in the off season helps me stay in shape, so when two-a-days start, I don’t struggle as much as most people.”

Noah Thompson plays running back, linebacker and special teams for the Jackson County Central Huskies. Thompson works with his uncles at Hinkeldey Dairy Farm near Windom, Minnesota where they milk 115 Holsteins and a few crossbreds in a double-8 herringbone parlor. Thompson’s parents, Todd and Sarah Thompson, are connected to the farm in that Sarah grew up there.

Thompson said growing up around the farm taught him lessons he applies to athletics.

“Time management, dedication, work ethic and leadership – along with these lessons it also helps you to learn how to deal with struggles,” Thompson said. “For instance, you may struggle doing chores, breaking a show animal, clipping for show or washing it. Dealing with those struggles on the farm teaches you how to overcome struggles in sports such as when you make a bad play or are really exhausted but still have to give your all.”

Thompson said making the state tournament will stay with him forever.

“Getting to step onto the eld was just so surreal as many high school athletes don’t get that chance if their seasons are cut short,” he said. “Making it to the state football tournament and playing at US Bank Stadium will be a memory I won’t ever forget.”

Ty Cleven

Nate Schirmers

Stella Schirmers

Faith Radermacher

Nicholas Becker

Porter Kuechle

Samuel Jeurissen

Noah Thompson

Caring for a vital resource: Farmers’ hands

By Karen Johnson

A farmer’s hands are his or her lifeline. Every aspect of the day revolves around the ability to utilize their hands to get the job done. However, winter can be particularly hard on hands. Often farmers experience extremely dry, cracked and sometime painful hands during winter. The main cause is due to the lack of moisture. Cold air has a much lower moisture holding capacity than warmer air. Indoor heating systems dry out the inside air even further creating an environment that is difcult to keep skin healthy. Another factor to keep in mind is that during winter it is highly encouraged to increase hand washing due to the presence of seasonal respiratory illnesses.

The top layer of the skin, the epidermis, is the main protective barrier and where dry skin develops. When the epidermis dries out, the skin will not shed as rapidly as it normally does. This causes a buildup of thickened skin. Increased time in the cold, dry wind makes this situation worse. In addition, developing dry skin becomes more common as we age.

Moreover, people who experience dry skin in previous winters are more likely to have it happen again.

Below are some suggestions on how to combat dry skin on your hands:

– Start using moisturizers before you know that your dry skin typically starts. Moisturizing creams work well for mild dryness. Consider oils or ointment for moderate to severe dryness.

– Wear high quality, warm gloves to protect your hands when outside in the cold.

– If you don’t already have gloves as part of your milking procedures, wear gloves while milking to prevent excessive teat dip contact with hands.

– Establish an extra step in your hand washing routine. Use mild soap with warm water. Then, pat your hands dry and apply moisturizer. Moisturizing your hands several times a day combats skin dryness more effectively than one daily application.

– The best time to moisturize is immediately after a shower or right before bedtime.

– Contact a medical professional if your symptoms are more severe.

As farmers, we know equipment breakdowns happen even at freezing temperatures. In these situations, you can do one of two things. One being to determine a different way to complete the necessary tasks without the broken piece of equipment until it warms up enough to x it. This is not likely on most Minnesota and Wisconsin dairy farms as each piece of equipment is required in the daily operation of the farm. The other option is to x the broken equipment in the safest way possible. Move equipment inside if you can, wear the necessary layers of clothing and gloves to stay

warm and know the signs of frostbite. Frostbite is the extended exposure to extreme cold that leads to damage to the skin and underlying tissue. Pay special attention to your hands and feet, as they are the rst to show signs of frostbite. First signs include cold skin with a prickling feeling followed by numbness and inamed or discolored skin.

Having dried, cracked and painful hands during chores is not a desired way to work through winter on the farm. Take the necessary steps now to protect your hands before the winter damage becomes extreme.

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

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

Isaac Salfer ijsalfer@umn.edu 320-296-1357

www.extension.umn.edu/dairy WHICH BARN IS BEST FOR YOUR HERD? Birds just love this barn. The webs in these trusses are easy nest areas for birds. They also restrict air flow which leads to poor ventilation and moisture buildup in the building.

Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093

Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205

Emma Severns sever575@umn.edu 507-934-7828

The arched rafters create a more open barn allowing better ventilation. Also since there are no open webs in the trusses, there are no places for birds to nest. Starwood Rafters Uses Pole Sheds • Free Stalls Riding Arenas Pavilion Shelters Machinery Storage

• Spans up to 72 ft. • Up to 12’ spacing depending on the load you desire • Bird nesting control • Better ventilation & visability • No feed alley post obstruction • Additional ceiling height Starwood Rafters Lam-Ply Truss ANOTHER QUALITY PRODUCT FROM STARWOOD RAFTERS

Robotic Milking and Understanding the Complete Robot Barn Experienced experts discuss barn design, cost, labor, ops changes, plus more! FEBRUARY 28, 2023 Dubuque, IA REGISTER ONLINE Visit Fiveg.com for more information & to reserve your seat Your Dairy Engineers 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. • Sauk Centre, MN 56378 (320) 352-6303 • Fax: (320) 352-5647 Don’t ddle around with your advertising dollars!

Planning for your farm’s future

By Jim Salfer

The end of the year is a good time to reect on what went well over the past year and to plan for a successful future. Building a successful farm business does not happen by accident. Business planning can be daunting and is not something that comes naturally to many people. To sustain a successful business, the owners and managers need to provide leadership and the vision to take a business into the future. It is less daunting if proven business planning principles are followed.

Figure 1 shows a process that can help a business plan their future. Here is an explanation of the steps:

– Who are we? It is important to understand that people are the key to any business’s success. Owners or potential owners should evaluate their personal and business core values. Values represent the business’s highest priorities and passions. Small business owners bring deeply held values and beliefs to the organization. This creates the farm and family culture and identity. Values should help identify the business’s highest priorities and passions that lead to the goals for the future. A farm that has a business goal of minimizing hired labor will likely make different decisions than a farm that has a goal of milking many cows on multiple sites.

– Where are we now? A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning technique that can identify a farm’s

Figure 1

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It can provide insights, such as where the farm should focus its energy and resources. Strengths and weaknesses refer to internal factors, and opportunities and threats are external factors. Farms should focus on maximizing their strengths. What are the strengths and skills of the owners and managers? Are they good at managing people or is cow management more of a strength? Can the weaknesses be turned into strengths through training or hiring someone to complement the owner’s weaknesses? Can your farm business capitalize on the external opportunities that are identied? Do you have the interest and resources to seriously consider any of these opportunities? Are the external threats identied likely to become real issues? Can the risk be lessened or eliminated?

– Where do we go from here? Who are the future leaders and managers of the business? Are there family members interested in joining the business? What interests and skills do they contribute to the farm? What additional education, training and experiences

will they need to be successful? If you do not or may not have family successors, what is your succession plan? Do you have an employee or employees who have the passion and skills to become partners? If so, what would be the timeline for such a transition? How will you determine that he, she or they have the passion and the skills to succeed as your partner?

Do owners or managers have skills to start another business to complement the farm? This could be a related business such as custom chopping or manure pumping. Alternatively, the business could be something unrelated such as an on-farm repair business.

– How do we get there? The last step is to create a roadmap to achieve goals. Working with trusted advisors and others can help develop, plan and keep you on task. They can also help identify and overcome roadblocks.

All these steps are important to increase the chances of success. Trying to shortcut the process could result in a business where owners and managers are not congruent in their vision of the business. This can divide re-

sources and can create confusion between owners and managers resulting in disagreement on the direction of the farm. Taking the time for all owners and future owners to deliberately plan for the future of the business will pay dividends because everyone will be working toward a shared common goal.

University of Minnesota Extension and Minnesota Dairy Initiatives have partnered to secure a U.S. Department of Agriculture risk management grant for workshops to help dairy producers work through these steps and begin planning for the future. The workshop involves worksheets and discussion between participants. The discussion, worksheets and case studies are designed to assist owners, potential successors and other key managers develop a potential path for the farm to thrive in the future. These workshops will be held at various locations throughout the state.

Contact me at salfe001@umn.edu or 612-360-4506, your local extension educator or an MDI coordinator for more details.

Calf Warmer

Sonberg Osage, Iowa Mitchell County 135 cows

Family: My husband, Shawn, and children, Easton, Jasper, Lyla and Oliver.

Tell us about your farm. We have recently taken over sole ownership of the farm this year from my husband’s parents. They help with chores. Our nephew also helps on the farm along with our kids. We also have chickens that lay eggs as a side business for the kids.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? I take care of milking duties in the mornings and ll in with milking at night. The older boys help in the mornings while I make sure the younger ones are up for school. I ll in for vacations and illnesses at the hospital in the medical records department during the day or take care of bookwork for the farm along with all the household chores. After school is crazy with the kids’ sports activities and making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be. Some days it is hard to know which way I’m going.

What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? Taking over the business has been a big change.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. The rst time I had to milk alone was

probably the most memorable experience. I also enjoy when I nd my favorite cows and form a special bond with them.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? The newborn calves are always fun. I enjoy seeing my kids work hard and learn to work together.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Taking over the bookkeeping this year was intimidating to me, but so far, everything seems to balance. Hopefully I survive tax season.

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? I love showing family and friends around the barn. We also have people stop who want a quick tour. My nephew is working on getting a dairy vending machine put in the school.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? It really helped me when I joined the Dairy Moms Facebook group and started following Dairy Carrie. I love the information and the ability to relate to others in the industry in an honest way.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I love to spend time with my family and friends. A group of us try to get together to make Quilts of Valor each year. I also enjoy going to my kids’ sports activities.

Becky

Mayville, Wisconsin Dodge County 115 cows

How did you get into farming? I was born into it. I am the third generation on this farm. I farm with my mom and dad, and my wife and sister both work part time on the farm as well.

What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? The supply chain is really messed up right now, and I’m having a hard time nding some basic things to run a dairy. We used to buy things as we needed them. Now, it seems like if you nd it, you buy a few months’ or a year’s supply and stock it yourself just to have it. Hopefully that part of it doesn’t get worse. You don’t realize all the things you need to run a dairy farm until you can’t nd it or it’s on backorder and you have to look for an alternative product. Our industry is better off with a variety of farm sizes, but it seems like the smaller family farms are getting driven out by the bigger farms. With less people and less families in dairying, it has put a damper on the local economy, and once thriving small towns with small ag-related businesses seem to be becoming a thing of the past.

What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it?

A few years back, we built a tower silo for more feed storage. When we chop forage, many times it’s just Dad and I, and the silo makes it easier to put up good quality feed with less labor. Dad can park in one place and unload the wagon while I ll one out in the eld, and the silo holds all of our rst crop haylage. It replaces about three bags per year, and it’s nice that the feed is more centrally located to ll the mixer. There’s also no mud or plastic to deal with, keeping the yard tidier.

Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. For the last eight years, I’ve been breeding all the cows instead of getting a technician. It’s nice to be able to breed when the cow is in the barn instead of rounding them up later and waiting for a technician. Doing it myself also saves money.

What is the best decision you have made on your farm? Building the heated shop. Equipment used to get xed in the shed or outside in the cold. Having a warm, bright shop with LED lighting allows me to do a much better job with equipment maintenance at any time of the year, and it’s also nice to keep the tools organized in one place. Also, if something freezes up, like the manure spreader, I can back it in and leave it to thaw if I have to.

What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? The skid loader because I do everything with it. Whether it’s feeding, cleaning pens or just moving things around, it’s

one of those pieces of equipment that you need every day. Also, the fourwheeler. It’s handy to have to scout

Steven Batterman (pictured with his wife Jessica and August)

The season of joy, dairy

The Christmas season is one of my favorite times of the year. Each year, I look forward to the joy Christmas time brings; the falling snow, lights and decorations, and time spent in the kitchen preparing goodies for the season.

As a little girl, singing Christmas songs in the barn, especially “Little Drummer Boy,” was my absolute favorite part of the holidays. One year, I nagled an empty ice cream pail and tied it up with baler twine to hang around my neck as my own drum. Along with my drum were two uneven snapped twigs for my drum sticks that I found in the lawn. As the song came on the radio in the barn, I would grab my ice cream pail and sticks and play along to the “rump a pum pum” of the carol as I marched down the alleyway of the barn with a wide smile on my face. I look forward to the same joy that I had back in the barn when “Little Drummer Boy” played over the radio. The joy found in the holiday season brings people together. Whether it be friends, family, neighbors or a whole community, the Christmas season allows us to spend time with the people who matter most to us. Over the last month, I saw the joy found in bringing people together.

Chipper bars 2 cups oatmeal 1 cup our 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 cup butter, melted Mix all ingredients. Save 1 cup. Pat into a greased 9-by-13 pan. Then, pour 1 can sweetened condensed milk mixed with 1/3 cup peanut butter over crust. Top with reserved 1 cup mix and 1 cup chocolate chips. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Princess Kay of the Milky Way Rachel Rynda serves as the Minnesota dairy community’s goodwill ambassador. Rynda grew up in Montgomery, Minnesota, on her family’s dairy farm. She attends University of Wisconsin-River Falls, studying agriculture business with a minor in dairy science, with plans to assist farmers with their nances. She enjoys participating in sports and singing in church with her dad.

Princess Kay is active doing school visits, representing dairy farmers at the Fuel Up To Play 60 activities in conjunction with the Minnesota Vikings and sharing the importance of dairy farming and dairy foods at appearances across Minnesota.

By

The Heartbeat of Your Dairy.

I joined Minnesota Farm Bureau for the annual meeting banquet. I was able to visit with Farm Bureau members from across the state and speak at the special event. The evening consisted of celebrating a meal together and, after recognizing the outstanding members from across the state, a fun night was held with dessert and games. The night was full of great conversations and appreciation for the agricultural community.

Next, I joined Minnesota Farmers Union at the 81st annual convention. I visited with the children and read some dairy story books to them before lunch. As we gathered, lunch was served with foods grown from Farmers Union members. After lunch, I was able to speak, pull door prize winners and join in on great conversations with members. It is in events like this that people are brought together to share ideas and have a good time.

Finally, I spent time with a kindergarten class from Lower Harriet Elementary School in Minneapolis. The students enjoyed learning what a dairy farmer does each day on the farm and how many important people help care for our cows to get dairy foods to their tables. The students especially loved learning about taking care of our calves, and they were so amazed to see the comparison between a calf bottle and a human baby bottle. After the presentation and questions, students were excited to go home and share, for their homework, what they learned throughout my visit.

For me, the center of any of my holiday celebrations is dairy. Whether it is listening to Christmas carols in the barn while milking cows or dairy foods placed in the center of the table surrounded by family or friends, dairy gives an unmatchable feel to the holiday season. The Christmas season gives us a chance to put smiles on people’s faces. That may come in the form of a quick visit with someone or spending time with those closest to us surrounded by foods that bring us together. Here is a recipe to share for your gatherings this year. Happy holidays.

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Editorial disclaimer: The views expressed by our columnists are the opinions and thoughts of the author and do not reect the opinions and views of Dairy Star staff and ownership.

Rachel Rynda 69th Princess Kay of the Milky Way

On the Road with Princess Kay



u season

A contemptible cold bug has been circulating lately, a vicious virus that hits you hard enough to make you wish that you were dead but not so hard that it kills you.

Every single bone aches. Your head feels as if it’s in a vise, and there’s scarcely time to breathe between all the nose blowing and the coughing.

This abominable bug recently caught up to me. I spent hours of quality time on the couch, trying to alleviate my symptoms with various over-the-counter remedies. In my experience, most cold viruses will

Our kitchen table resembles the cold and u section of a pharmacy. I’ve taken so many OTC drugs that were I to donate blood, it would probably be categorized as a controlled substance.

hacking all over his oatmeal, Dad ordered, “Go out to the porch if you’re going to cough like that.”

I was sent out to the porch, which had a roof but no walls. I was essentially outdoors, where the mercury hovered at 10 below zero. I was only wearing my jammies.

I generally don’t catch many colds, and when I do they generally don’t last very long. Part of the problem, I think, is that I’ve let myself get soft.

I recall having croup when I was a little kid. Or maybe it was Lassa fever or malaria or dengue. In any case, I was pretty sick and was coughing almost constantly.

Dad came into the house from morning milking during one of my extended coughing spells. Wanting to eat his breakfast in peace and without a sickly kid

As I stood there hacking out tremendous clouds of steam, a wondrous thing happened: I suddenly began to feel better. After spending only a minute in that super-chilled air, my fever miraculously broke and my coughing abated. Dad was a home remedy genius.

Glancing up from his breakfast when I came back in, Dad remarked, “Looks like you lived. Cold air is good for you; it opens up the lungs.”

That or it’ll kill you. Either way, my coughing would have stopped.

This latest cold virus caused a perfect storm of suffering at our house. Specically, my symptoms were at their worst on a day that was so cold and snowy that my wife decided the better part of valor was to stay home from work. No sense in becoming stuck in a snowdrift and forking over a day’s wages for a tow truck.

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The trouble began with one of my innocent questions.

“What did people do BK?” I asked as I blew my nose for the 100th time that hour. “You know, before Kleenex?”

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“They used hankies, of course,” she replied.

“I mean even before hankies, back in caveman days. Did they use jars? And what was the standard size? Pint? Quart? Whoa, look at this. Is that a chunk of brain?”

“You’re grosser than a boxful of slugs,” she said. “Speaking of which, you need to do a better job of tossing your used Kleenex. It looks like a snowdrift is forming by the wastepaper basket.”

“Those can’t all be mine, missy. You’ve been honking like a Canada goose too.”

Our frank exchange of views was cut short when I was gripped by another of my violent coughing jags. By the time I recovered, I was panting and sweating and had forgotten what all the fuss was about.

The snowstorm abated somewhat by the next morning, and my wife, despite the hazardous driving conditions, was able to make it safely into work. She called to report that everything was ne and that she doubted she would ever again spend an entire day home alone with me.

Maybe it’s time to pry myself off the couch and try Dad’s cold air cold cure. But rst, I’ll have to shovel a path through that drift of Kleenex.

Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, South Dakota. 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 works full time for Dairy Star as a staff writer and ad salesman. Feel free to email him at jerry.n@dairystar. com.

800-597-2394 or 605-338-6351 5301 West 12th St., Sioux Falls, SD www.pfeifersonline.com 5

How we do it here

Any work protocol is just how we do it here.

A protocol denes a process, which is a series of steps. All work is performed in a process. That process might have been dened by the owner of the busi-

Veterinary Wisdom

By Jim Bennett Columnist

ness, a manager or supervisor, or by the person doing the process.

As managers, we would like all signicant processes to be performed consistently as dened by the right protocol. Of course, there is no business in the world where this actually happens every time, but going in that direction is part of good management. A lot of time is spent managing employees to ensure they follow protocols toward this effort. However, it is not only employees who do not follow protocols; indeed, sometimes we may be our own worst enemy.

One place this can happen is the use of reproductive protocols, whether it is how we breed cows, give injections or what we choose to do with an open cow on reproductive exam day. It is easy to

dene all the steps in reproductive protocols, but many of us like to treat some cows differently, at different times, for different reasons, when we really should leave those cows in the protocol and walk away.

For example, a veterinarian may be asked when a cow should be bred. This is often asked while he or she is performing a reproductive exam and focused on a headset attached to a portable ultrasound machine.

If you have never seen the screen in one of these headsets, you may not realize one never sees, in ashing, red capital letters, “Breed this cow.” Or, even better, “Breed this cow at 2 p.m.” Instead, we see ovarian and uterine structures that tell us the cow might be close to, just past or in heat. Determining when to breed a cow is based on the farm’s breeding protocol, whether it be tail paint, standing heat or timed breeding.

Another example is what we do with cows diagnosed open on herd check day. There should be a very well-dened protocol.

For example: Cows with a corpus luteum greater than 1.5 cm receive GnRH and are enrolled in an ovsynch protocol. Cows without a corpus luteum greater than 1.5 cm receive GnRH and a CIDR and are enrolled in an ovsynch protocol.

However, sometimes we cannot help ourselves and want to do something different to an open cow. Maybe she is someone’s favorite cow. Maybe someone thought they might have seen her in heat last weekend. Maybe she is kind of thin. Maybe it depends on who is holding the clipboard. So, we decide, right

on the spot, based entirely on that one brief ultrasound exam to pull her from the protocol and do something different. We give her prostaglandin. After that, hopefully someone sees her in heat and breeds her.

We should not do this without a compelling reason. For example, maybe the cow is so lame and so thin there is good reason to believe she will not ovulate. But, there should only be a tiny percentage of cows that are taken out of the protocol for compelling reasons. It is not only farmers; sometimes veterinarians like to pull cows from the protocol, too, for reasons we think are compelling when they are not compelling enough.

Often, when farmers or veterinarians deviate from the protocol, it is done based on experience. However, pregnancy after A.I. is a binomial outcome, meaning yes or no. When we judge success based on binomial results, we need a ton of observations to know if the difference is real and not just chance. So the “Tried that here; it didn’t work” thinking needs to be based on hundreds of breedings, maybe even thousands. Only a tiny minority of farms are large enough to have enough breedings in a reasonable amount of time to make correct decisions. That is why we rely on research and, to some degree, veterinary experience with lots and lots of cows. Research on thousands of cows tells us, for example, that a second injection of prostaglandin in the second part of the double ovsynch protocol will signicantly increase conception rates in second lactation and older cows. Such research and experience are used to de-

velop protocols. Our job is to choose the best protocol for the farm and then to work within it. Over time, we might observe results that are not what we expected. In those cases, we then can ask, are we doing the protocol correctly, or is our protocol not the right protocol for us? If we are pulling a signicant number of cows out of the protocol, we really do not know what we are actually doing and cannot answer those two questions. Thus, we can only succeed by chance instead of by design.

The key is to be smart about designing and implementing the protocol and then stick with it. Clients in our veterinary practice in southeast Minnesota, on average, have been increasing herd pregnancy rates by about 1 point per year for nearly the last 20 years. Much of this increase is due to proper use of well-designed reproductive protocols. There are about 45,000 dairy cows in our practice. Using a net value of $15 per cow per point of pregnancy rate per year, the total increase in value to the community of our practice’s clients would be $675,000 per year. Protocols work not just for mixing feed or milking cows but also for getting cows pregnant. Sticking with the protocol should be just how we do it here.

Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in Plainview, Minnesota. He also consults on dairy farms in other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail.com with comments or questions.

Who owns the water?

This has been an interesting month in our small town of Elko New Market, Minnesota.

We are located 30 minutes south of Minneapolis on Interstate 35. To call it a small town is a bit of a stretch, or at least it feels that way if you lived here when it was a farming community of 250 people before it became a suburb with a population around 3,000.

Either way, small town is how the residents view our community. Every time a new project or development in the town is brought up for approval by the city council, the civically minded assess and argue whether the change will cause the town to stop feeling small. I suppose the day people quit caring about what happens in the town as a whole and worry about their specic neighborhood is when it has lost the small-town feel, but it seems we’re safe for now as

the whole township, as well as the city, is talking.

A little over a month ago, members of the community found out a local developer submitted a proposal for a large water bottling plant. If approved, it will be the rst industrial business to be sited in the area that has been theoretically the town’s industrial park for a couple decades.

Due to the way these things are handled, many people in town felt rather taken off guard to not know about the plans until only a little over a month before the city council either approves the permit or it is automatically approved at the 60-day limit.

I say the town has to approve or it will automatically be approved because there aren’t that many boxes to check in this town to meet the minimal criteria to build here, and the developer and bottling company have checked them all.

Some people are upset because it will be built by their homes, some are concerned about the effect of plastic bottles on the environment, some people don’t want any more trafc on our inadequate freeway interchange, and others, myself included, are concerned about the effects of tripling the draw on the local aquifer with one business.

From the Zweber Farm

Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes and a whole lot of swamps, rivers and streams to boot. Obviously, we aren’t like the West where the access to water that comes with land purchases is often more valuable than the land itself. That said, water is a resource that, while renewable, is not innitely extractible without consequences. When people resettled this area – I say resettled because if we’re being honest the Native Americans settled it before us – there was a seemingly endless supply of trees which took considerably less time than expected to log off. The trees are growing back and aquifers rell, but the process, like seemingly all natural processes, takes time.

Our family has joined with a large number of people in the township and city to express our concerns with allowing a company based in California to move in and prot off of bottling a resource we all depend on.

It’s been an interesting experience in civic engagement and grassroots organization that I’ve not seen in our town before. Through a lot of conversations with people around this topic, I have continually bumped on the question of who owns the water all around us and how to value that resource.

The water gets to the aquifer by ltering down through the soil. Farmers are the biggest owners of the land which provides that ecological service, yet beyond using the water for irrigation in some areas,

It’s been an interesting experience in civic engagement and grassroots organization that I’ve not seen in our town before.

we don’t prot off that service. The Department of Natural Resources issues the permits that allow people to pump from the aquifer, so I guess one could say the government owns it; although other than stopping people from drawing too much water in an area, they don’t stop anyone from utilizing the resource. I have yet to come up with an answer and maybe never will. Hopefully it won’t matter, but looking West, I have my doubts.

Time to nish this coffee and get back outside to haul some manure and feed cows. Until next time, keep living the dream and maybe take advantage of all that water we have around here by doing a little ice shing. I hear it is good relaxation to sit and stare at a hole waiting for a bobber to move. Then again, maybe it’s just the beer everyone brings with them.

Tim Zweber farms with his wife, Emily, their three children and his parents, Jon and Lisa, near Elko, Minnesota.

Reections: Seek the helpers, be positive

The month of December can be a good time for reection. I am inclined to think about where I have been and what is ahead as I go about taking care of the livestock and people in my life.

Come Full Dairy Circle

By Jean Annexstad Columnist

It is appropriate in this month’s column to reect with readers, because it will be my nal one. I have decided it is time to switch my focus to other tasks and demands on my time on our dairy farm and in life. I have loved and will miss this monthly sharing of thoughts and ideas with all of you. I consider you my friends and folks who are likeminded in our enthusiasm for all things dairy.

Writing this column has been a stretch for me in my journalism career. Prior to this, I had only written stories to report on the ideas, achievements, challenges, works and words of others who either dairy farm or who advise those who operate dairies. I know I have also employed that technique in my column by sharing information gleaned from others when it seemed relevant to what was happening on our dairy farm or with the challenges we all face as dairy farmers.

Besides pulling information from other talented and intelligent helpers, I have always tried to sprinkle personal information about our farm, the people who work with the cattle and crops, including my own family members, into my column. I hope that all of you who read my words from time to time have enjoyed learning about Annexstad Dairy Farms. Perhaps reading about some of our specic trials, achievements and everyday tasks has shown that we all encounter many of the same challenges on our dairy farms. As peers in this business, we can all benet and build on each other’s successes when we are aware of what we face.

It is easy to get mired down in the time and energy it will take to meet the demands of running our dairy farm well into the future. We will personally need to decide many things if the next generation wants to continue with our dairy. This will take multiple conversations with advisors to seek information and the best course. It will require ambition and the drive to move forward. And, it will take paperwork, which is not the favorite task of any farmer I know.

We have started this process, but there is much left to do. In the midst of manure hauling, milking, feeding and all of the other tasks, nding the time to nalize a plan is a challenge. We need to rely on others to help us. It will take intelligence from advisors, helpers and experts to join with us to get a plan nailed down, nanced and implemented. Fortunately, our industry has many people who are poised and willing to help.

Seek out the helpers and remain positive.

That will be our mantra as we move forward with our barn renovation, manure system changes and make transitions to technology for milking and cow management. It is likely good advice for all aspects of farming and life.

On a more personal note, our family has much to look forward to. Our three adult kids have each launched careers in agriculture after obtaining their college degrees. After an internship at a large Wisconsin dairy, Matthias has decided to farm with us as he ponders his options for employment or further education. Leif has begun as a genetic and reproductive advisor for Minnesota Select Sires, and Emily is marketing and communications manager for Holstein Association USA. All three are immersed in their careers; it is fun to witness how they use their knowledge and student experiences to help others in the dairy business and to aid us with our plans.

We are excited to gain a new son when Emily marries Anthony Bosch in July 2023. Anthony brings many talents and skills to our family. He is a skilled mechanic (My xer list is always ready for his visits.) and works as a precision ag specialist at a John Deere dealership.

Their wedding will be fun to plan and implement in the coming year and most certainly a family event to remember.

I look forward to the next column writer’s words of wisdom, knowledge and encouragement. I have been an avid reader all of my life and will continue seeking the help and positive thoughts of others to propel me on my life path.

Thank you, Dairy Star readers, for taking time to read my words. I hope I have given you something to ponder, wonder or maybe smile about with this column.

All the best to each of you and blessings for the Christmas season as you celebrate and remember the manger where love came to Earth in a humble stable.

Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, Minnesota, in Norseland, where she is still trying to t in with the Norwegians and Swedes. They milk 200 cows and farm 650 acres. She can be reached at jeanannexstad@ gmail.com.

RECALIBRATE WITH RECAL

The RECAL line of probio cs is NOT just another probio c on the market. RECAL is a probio c heavily weighted towards be er diges on and u liza on, primarily FIBER DIGESTION. There are a lot of nutrients in your forages that can be u lized by improving diges on.

RECAL is also a probio c that produces more B-vitamins in the rumen of that cow, mainly vitamin B12. B-vitamins are well known to aide in s mula ng appe te, stress, immune system, reproduc on and also very important in rumen diges on.

In March of 2021 a friend of mine told me that he was using and really liked the RECAL probio c and that I should check into it. I wasn’t having any issues but I was seeing a fair amount of corn passing through the cows. I asked my nutri onist about it and he said that products like that don’t do any good and that it would be a waste of money. I decided to go ahead and call Jamie Troxel about the RECAL anyhow as I had been seeing his adver sements. We talked on the phone and Jamie said he was going to be in my area that next week, so I told him to stop in.

Jamie came to my farm and looked at my diet, saying that he doesn’t want to change anything, he just wants to see what type of diet I was feeding. He looked at the feed, the cows, and the manure, and asked some ques ons about the herd and where produc on was at. He then talked about the RECAL Probio c and the three di erent products that he has to o er to feed on a daily basis. He then o ered me a free 30-day trial and explained how that worked. I thought what the heck, I don’t have anything to lose so I took him up on the o er.

Jamie will tell you it is not all about milk produc on. It is the li le things!!! If you don’t get the li le things right you aren’t going to get higher produc on and be more pro table. He will also tell you that the RECAL isn’t for just herds with issues, it can improve all herds but not all herds see the same results, every farm is di erent. Since I was seeing a fair amount of corn passing through the cows, he recommended I start with RECAL Plus SS. He showed me how to feed it and told me what to watch for. The cows don’t lie but you need to know what to be looking for.

When I started the RECAL Plus SS the manure was consistent but s and had a fair amount of corn and ber showing. Milk produc on was hanging right about 81#, 4.00% BF, 3.10% Pro, 12 MUN, 100,000 SCC. Within three days I could see a di erence in the manure. It was ge ng creamier and a few days a er that I could see that there was less corn and ber in the manure. I did gain about three pounds of milk about a week a er star ng the RECAL. I was seeing stronger heats too and I was extremely happy with what I was seeing in the cows. Since then, I have switched to feeding just the RECAL Plus.

I milk about 80 cows near Quarryville, PA and I highly recommend every dairyman call Jamie and try the RECAL Probio cs even if your nutrionist tells you otherwise. With the 30-day trial he o ers, what do you have to lose????

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