December 11, 2021 Dairy Star - Zone 2 by Dairy Star

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DAIRY ST R

Volume 23, No. 20

December 11, 2021

“All dairy, all the time”™

Improving everyone’s quality of life Boons celebrate one year of robotic milking By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Kris�ne and Brad Boon and their children – (from le�) Baylee, Natalie and Fletcher – milk 355 cows with six Lely A5 robo�c milkers on their dairy near Greenwood, Wisconsin. The Boons have used robo�c milkers for one year.

GREENWOOD, Wis. – Over seven years of careful consideration and planning, along with touring over 40 dairy farms throughout the Upper Midwest, laid the groundwork for a robotic milking system at Boon Farms in Greenwood. Shortly after purchasing the farm from his father Duane, Brad Boon came to a crossroads in decision making. The farm’s current parlor needed substantial upgrades. After his years of research and planning, Boon felt he was ready to take the plunge and build a new freestall barn for a robotic milking system. “We were milking in a slow, outdated parlor,” Boon said. “It took ve to six hours to get them all through. We were milking three times a day, so it was almost 24 hours a day.” Just over a year after the start up, Boon prefers not to remember

life before the robots. “I wouldn’t want to do it any other way,” Boon said. “We are just loving it.” The Boons milk 355 cows with six Lely A5 robots, which were started up on Oct. 26, 2020. There are 100 head milked twice a day in the farm’s old parlor. The two herds operate independently, including dry cow facilities. “I am blessed with great employees, long-time employees who know cows really well,” Boon said. “Some have been with us for nearly 20 years. We kept a group of cows milking in the parlor so that I wouldn’t need to let anyone go after things got settled in with the robots. That has been part of our success; our employees have been really good to us.” Boon plans to eventually incorporate the two herds together as his work force shrinks through natural attrition. “This barn is built with an offset peak and is designed for easy expansion to add more cows,” Boon said. “So we will be able to add on and add a couple of more robots to bring the parlor

Turn to BOON | Page 6

Plan and pivot Pfaff opts out of building new, purchases neighboring farm By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

ALMA CENTER, Wis. – Casey Pfaff changes his plans to keep up with the ever-changing dairy industry. “We were thinking of building a freestall barn in the last four or ve years, but actually we bought this second farm for less than what that freestall was going to cost,” Pfaff said. Pfaff, a 2012 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, milks 180 cows with his parents, Steven and Kristen, near Alma Center. In February 2020, the family expanded the dairy business with the purchase of a second farm. The Pfaffs had been trying to nd the right time to build a freestall barn for many years but decided to change that plan when a neighboring farm came up for sale. They now

milk in two barns. “We had been switching the whole barn out at home for the last 10 years,” Pfaff said. “There were 160 cows over there.” Pfaff and his father manage the two barns with the help of two employees. Everyone begins the day at the home farm, where they milk 82 cows in a tiestall barn. Once the cows are in and the milkers are on, one employee stays to milk while the other goes to the new barn and milks. Another 98 cows milked in a tiestall barn at the new farm. Most of the 2-year-old cows are housed in the new barn, where the stalls are smaller. The bigger cows are at the home farm, all housed in the tie stalls. When the family was switching cows, the switch cows were held in a bedded pack. Keeping the younger cows at the new farm now helps manage the ration since the two barns are fed differently. “The dry matter intake is a lot lower (at the new facility) because the cows are smaller, and we have 15 Jerseys here,”

Turn to PFAFF | Page 7

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Casey Pfaﬀ milks 180 cows with his parents, Steven and Kristen, on two separate farms near Alma Center, Wisconsin.

Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com

ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Editorial Staff Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman - Staff Writer (608) 487-1101 • danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Abby Wiedmeyer - Staff Writer 608-487-4812 • abby.w@dairystar.com Kate Rechtzigel - Staff Writer kate.r@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Amanda Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Kati Kindschuh (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-979-5284 • kati.k@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.

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

Dairy Prole brought to you by your

America $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill North signed intodealers. law

The infrastructure package includes $550 billion in new spending over ve years for roads, bridges, railroads, ports and waterways. There is another $65 billion to expand access to the internet across rural America. At the White House ceremony, President Joe Biden said this bill delivers real results. “Here in Washington, we’ve heard countless speeches and promises and white papers from experts, but today we’re nally getting this done,” Biden said. U.S. dairy industry meets to discuss farm policy, demand The National Milk Producers Federation and the National Dairy Board met in person in November to look back on the year and plan for 2022. NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga said farm programs were part of the discussion. “In the last year, we’ve seen improvements in the Dairy Margin Coverage program,” Bjerga said. “We had seen the creation of new initiatives like the Dairy Donation Program, which links dairy products with families that need them. We also need a revamp of the Federal Milk Marketing Orders.” There were conversations about U.S. trade during the dairy checkoff portion of the meeting. “This involved a discussion with Krista Harden, the head of the U.S. Dairy Export Council,” he said. “It looks like 2021 is going to be a record year for trade, but everyone is hearing about supply chain issues, crimping the ability for the U.S. to be a reliable exporter.” Opportunities ahead for U.S. dairy One bright spot for dairy industry is export demand. The United States Department of Agriculture is forecasting dairy product exports to increase $200 million in scal year 2022, reecting strong global import demand and tightening competitor supplies. American Farm Bureau Federation

Chief Economist Roger Cryan also has optimism for dairy export growth potential. “About 15% to 16 % or more of U.S. milk is going overseas in the form of dairy products,” Cryan said. “A lot of that is dry products that can be used to make and process other products overseas. We also export lots of cheese to Mexico. The future for dairy is bright in the long term.”

Ag Insider

Wisconsin makes investment in dairy exports By Don Wick Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers Columnist has signed legislation designed to increase agricultural exports. “Wisconsin’s robust agricultural and agribusiness exports are not only a cornerstone of our state’s economy but our Wisconsin way of life,” Evers said. The law will authorize spending of $5 million over ve years to increase Wisconsin ag exports by 25%. Half of that money will focus exclusively on dairy products. Hearings sought for federal order reform New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy and Maine Sen. Susan Collins have introduced a bill calling on USDA to begin national hearings on Federal Milk Marketing Orders. Six Midwest dairy groups released a joint statement saying they are pleased milk marketing Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 5

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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 3

It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider

Pages 2, 8 First Section

Alma Center

First Section: Pages 1, 7

A new farm for Schrauths

First Section: Page 36

First Section: Pages 1, 6

First Section: Pages 8 - 9

Bayfield

Douglas

Ramblings from the Ridge

Iron Ashland

Polk

Chippewa

Menominee

Shawano

Clark

Jackson

shi

Platteville

Dane

Lafayette Green

Kid’s Corner: The Wiederholts

First Section: Pages 15 - 16

Columbia Dodge

Sauk

Iowa

Grant

How do you use data the robots generate?

Green Lake Fond Du Lac

Third Section: Pages 12 - 13

Jo Daviess S

Carroll

Walworth

ago

neb

Win

Whiteside

Third Section: Pages 7 - 8

rson

Gransee wraps up long career as trimmer

Hen de

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

Evansville

Second Section: Pages 22 - 23

Kenosha

Ogle Kane

Lee

Mayville

Geiger lives her passion for goats

Second Section: Pages 6- 7

Rock Island Mercer

Moovin’ Mini the mobile dairy ambassador

McHenry

DeKalb

Zone 2

Baraboo

Racine

Rock

ens

h tep

Jefferson Waukesha

on e

FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:

e inn

for

Second Section: Pages 25, 27

Richland

go ba Calumet

Waushara

Measurements for a modern era

Juneau

Vernon

Madison

Adams

Monroe

e mi Brown

a tag

tte

La Crosse

Third Section: Pages 6 - 7

Country Cooking

Wood

Dairy’s Working Youth: Ian Pank

Trempealeau

Whitehall

Portage Waupaca

ng ton S he O bo Milwaukee zauk M yg ee an anito w

Eau Claire Pepin

Page 34 Second Section

Oconto

Marathon

Buffalo

Dunn

Pierce

Pages 8 - 9 Second Section

Langlade

St. Croix

The “Mielke” Market Weekly

Menominee

Lincoln Taylor

Page 33 First Section

Forest

Rusk

Barron

Third Section: Page 5

Come Full Circle

Pain mitigation leads to happier, healthier calves

Oneida

Eau Claire

Page 31 First Section

ren

Price

Veterinary Wisdom

Flo

Sawyer

Wa sh b

Burnett

Delta

Dickinson

Vilas

Page 30 First Section

Zone 1

Fond Du Lac

Women in Dairy: Jenny Briggs

un ee

First Section: Page 37

Page 27 First Section

Marathon

Boons celebrate one year of robotic milking

Farmer and Columnist

Greenwood

Pfaff opts out of building new, purchases neighboring farm

Frisle tops NAILE 4-H dairy judging contest

Prairie Farm

Lanark n

re War

Dairying the Erbsen way

First Section: Pages 34 - 35

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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 5

ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 2 orders are top-of-mind in the Senate and “a lasting solution” is needed for their dairy farmers. The six groups include the Dairy Business Association, Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Minnesota Milk Producers Association and dairy groups representing South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Nebraska.

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Polly-O brand sold to BelGioiso cheese BelGioiso Cheese has completed Emissions reporting waiver may be its acquisition of the New York-based lifted Polly-O cheese brand. Polly-O has strong The Environmental Protection Agen- market share in the northeast for ricotta, cy is reconsidering a rule implemented mozzarella and string cheese. during the Trump administration that exempted large-scale livestock farms IDFA honors dairy policy leaders from reporting emissions. A motion was The International Dairy Foods Asmade in federal court by the Biden ad- sociation has recognized six individuals ministration saying the EPA is concerned with the IDFA Leadership Award. This the exemption does not align with its honor recognizes individuals who helped current policy goals. enhance the economic impact of the U.S. dairy industry in farm and food policy. Ag banker survey released The honorees are Missouri Sen. Roy Seventy percent of ag bankers said Blunt, House Agriculture Committee overall farm protability was higher in Chair David Scott of Georgia, Georgia 2021 compared to one year ago. This is Rep. Sanford Bishop, Idaho Rep. Mike the rst time since the survey began in Simpson and USDA’s Jason Hafemeister 2016 that the survey found a majority and Bruce Summers. of ag lenders reported in increase in overall protability. The annual survey WDE judges named conducted by the American Bankers AsWorld Dairy Expo has announced sociation and Farmer Mac found 38% of its ofcial judges for the 2022 shows. net farm income came from government Two of those judges are from Wisconsin. support. There was less demand for farm Chad Ryan, of Fond du Lac, will judge loans this past year, but lenders expect the Ayrshire show, and Gerrt DeBruin, of that to change in 2022. Lake Mills, will be on the colored shavings for the Brown Swiss breed. World Dairy products report released Dairy Expo will be held Oct. 2-7, 2022, During October, total U.S. cheese in Madison. production totaled 1.15 billion pounds. That’s up 1% from September and Trivia challenge from one year ago. Italian cheese proA blizzard is the most popular item duction was up 3.5% on the year and on the Dairy Queen menu. That answers down slightly from the previous month. our last trivia question. For this week’s American cheese output was down by trivia, what popular Christmas beverage a small amount on the year and up 2% is also known as milk punch? We will from September. have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Kraft Heinz cheese business sold The Kraft Heinz natural cheese busi- Red River Farm Network, based in Grand ness has been acquired by the Lactalis Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recogGroup for $3.3 billion. Kraft Heinz will nized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the retain its Kraft Singles, Velveeta and Year and served as president of the National Cheez Whiz business. The France-based Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and Lactalis Group will operate out of the his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony Chicago area. There are three produc- and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, tion facilities in Wisconsin, California Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.

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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

ConƟnued from BOON | Page 1

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Brad Boon uses an L-shaped design for his roboƟc milkers, which allows one robot to keep some cows in a designated separaƟon pen, decreasing the number of fetch cows. cows up here.” As the dust has settled after the rst year, the robotic conversion has been everything Boon had hoped for and maybe even a bit more. The tunnel-ventilated barn is built with two identical milking pens, each with three robots. One side houses primarily rst lactation cows, while the other side houses mature cows, all in sand-bedded free stalls. The barn also includes a dry cow and maternity area, where the stalls have mattresses, along with room to keep newborn calves before they are moved to calf hutches outside. Each pen features drive-thru feeding, and manure is cleaned using an automatic manure scraper. An auger and piston pump move the manure to the pit. Future plans include the installation of a manure separator. Boon said he would like to have solid and liquid waste so the farm can reclaim and recycle the water. “I think that is the way the industry is heading,” Boon said. “Sustainability and sound environmental practices are going to drive everything we do on the dairy farm.” Along with sustainability, Boon said the installation of the robotic milking system has allowed him more time for the things he enjoys about dairy farming: caring for the cows and focusing on their needs. “It has made for a huge reduction of labor needed,” Boon said. “Our cows are healthier. We are now getting more milk per cow, but it took a while to get there. For most of the rst year, we stayed about where we were in the parlor. But, as cows are calving back in and starting new lactations, we are now seeing an increase.” The robots are placed in an L-shaped design, with two robots for each pen in the main robot room and a free-standing robot room for each pen, situated perpendicular to the main robot room. The free-standing robots allows for fresh cows to be kept in the separation pens until Boon changes their status in the computer.

Boon said the primary focus, after cow comfort, when planning the new barn was with an eye on labor efciency. “I didn’t realize how valuable those separation pens were until maybe six months in,” Boon said. “We don’t have to fetch fresh heifers because we keep them in there as long as we need to, to make sure they are going to the robot regularly. We use the separation areas for locating and catching cows for everything from breeding to hooftrimming to herd health work.” In the parlor, Boon said the herd typically averaged about 90 pounds of milk per cow per day. As the new lactations are beginning, the robotic herd is now averaging nearly 100 pounds per day with a 4.1% butterfat test. The cows are averaging right about three visits to the robots each day. Boon said the herd transitioned to the robots better than he expected. “We weren’t able to bring them up here to go through the robots before the startup,” Boon said. “When we moved them up here, that was it; they were getting milked in the robots. We pretty much pushed them through for the rst week, and then they caught on.” Within a matter of time, the majority of the cows were visiting the robots frequently on their own, leaving the fetch list pleasingly small. “By week three, our milk production was back to where we were in the old barn, and we were fetching maybe 10%,” Boon said. “By week four or ve, it was down to maybe ve cows on each side. … So, 10 cows out of 360; that is pretty darn good.” Boon has been thrilled with the benets and improvements he has witnessed throughout the entire farm since starting up the robots. “The conversion to robots is for my employees as much as it is for us,” Boon said. “They are the key to the whole operation, and I want them to be happy. It has improved the quality of life so much for all of us.”

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The Boons new freestall barn includes a dry cow, close-up and maternity area to keep the cows in the facility throughout the year.

Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 7

Con�nued from PFAFF | Page 1

Pfaff said. “They eat 3-4 more pounds of dry matter per cow at the home farm.” Pfaff’s father does the feeding and the breeding, the employees do the milking, and Pfaff beds the barns, cleans the mangers, takes care of about 200 head of youngstock and feeds calves. “We have around 400 head total,” Pfaff said. “There are always 30-40 calves to feed.” All the cows freshen at home, and the calves are housed in hutches. Once they are weaned, the calves are moved to the new farm and raised to about 400 pounds. From there, they return to the home farm for ve months, housed in an open-front shed with a bedded pack. “They move on through until they freshen in,” Pfaff said. The Pfaffs began planning to build a freestall barn about 2012, but the unstable markets of the dairy industry prevented them from moving forward.

“We were going to go across the road at the home farm where it’s at, and build everything brand new for 300 cows,” Pfaff said. “But it was barely going to cash ow, and we don’t like to be too tight.” Three years later, the industry looked a little better, and they thought about building a smaller freestall barn. Again, they put the brakes on the project. “We opted out of building, and a few years later this farm came for sale,” Pfaff said. The purchase of a second farm was a way for Pfaff to get some skin in the game, because he purchased the new farm. “We run it as one farm,” Pfaff said. “It’s their cows and my land.” The neighboring farm came with 105 acres of tillable land, a house, a bunker, two silos and a machine shed. Pfaff also believes the farm site provides a better opportunity for building a freestall barn when the right time arrives.

ABBY WIEDMEYER /DAIRY STAR

Heifers are housed at the original farm at Pfaﬀway Farms near Alma Center, Wisconsin. All heifers are raised on the original farm, with some moving to a newly purchased neighboring farm a�er calving.

“There is a at spot up on a hill by the pit where we could use natural ventilation to save (money) if that’s where we end up building,” Pfaff said. Pfaff said managing two barns is a lot of extra work but he believes the decision is paying off. “It’s more work with your hands because there’s another set of mangers to clean and another set of stalls to bed by hand,” Pfaff sad. “But we have gained some milk, and the cows are doing better.” Pfaff said morning chores take a little longer because they make sure the cows have time outside, but night chores are easier because they can milk in two barns at once. With the additional land on the new farm, the Pfaffs now crop 950 acres. “We are sort of half cash crop and half ABBY WIEDMEYER /DAIRY STAR dairy farmers,” Pfaff said. Casey Pfaﬀ greets his favorite show cow, Gracious Choice, Dec. 1 on his farm They custom hire the corn planting near Alma Center, Wisconsin. and fall chopping, but everything else is

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done by Pfaff, his dad and their employees. Pfaff and his ancée, Dakota, both enjoy showing cattle when time allows. All their Jerseys are higher-type animals, and a lot of the bigger, higher-producing cows at the home farm have good pedigrees as well. “It’s my hobby,” Pfaff said. “It’s like my vacation. It’s very rewarding, and we make money off the genetics we sell.” Pfaff is optimistic about his future in the dairy industry. His goal remains to build a freestall facility when the time and circumstances allow. Although that was the family’s original plan, they felt they could not pass up the opportunity for more land and have made the best of the buildings that came with it. “For now, it’s more work,” Pfaff said. “But we were so over-crowded back home. We would still like to build a freestall barn in the future. We just don’t know when.”

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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

A new farm for Schrauths

Young farmers make facility improvements, grow herd By Stacey Smart

stacey.s@dairystar.com

FOND DU LAC, Wis. – If the third time is a charm, then Evan Schrauth may have found his forever farm. On Oct. 8, he and his wife, Taylor, moved their herd 15 miles east from their farm near Waupun to a farm near Fond du Lac and immediately felt at home. Schrauth went from renting to owning to renting once again. “We never planned on selling our farm, but it turned out incred-

ibly well,” Schrauth said. “We lived there three years to the day.” Exactly one month after the Schrauths made their move, they welcomed a new baby girl to the family. Proud parents of 2-yearold Briella and 1-month-old McKenly, Schrauth said settling into a new farm with a newborn baby made for a crazy transition. The Schrauths milk 80 cows in the 70-stall barn with 60 stanchions and 10 tie stalls, but they hope to be milking about 95 come mid-December. Feed is purchased from their landlord. “I no longer have to truck feed or haul manure, which is very nice,” Schrauth said. “There’s a manure pit here, and the feed is here as well.” Schrauth was 4 years old

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

Evan and Taylor Schrauth with their children – (from leŌ) Briella and McKenly – stand in the barn they began renƟng in October near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The Schrauths milk 80 cows but hope to be milking 95 shortly.

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

The stanchions feature a 10-inch chain for added movement and exibility. Evan Schrauth added manger liners to the stanchion barn before moving cows into it Oct. 8.

when his dad sold the cows and took a job as a herdsman on a 2,000-cow dairy. Spending a lot of time on that farm with his dad, Schrauth knew from a young age what he wanted to be when he grew up. “My mom and dad have been trying to talk me out of farming since I was born,” said Schrauth, who briey thought about being a history teacher. “I loved cows from the time I was little. I can’t

x a tractor, and I’m not good with developed, and he began building crops. Cows are my specialty. No- Cloven View Holsteins – a herd body ever thought I’d get married focused on genetics. From the and have kids because the cows moment he nished a one-year course in dairy herd management are my babies.” Schrauth bought his first at Lakeshore Technical College, calf at age 11 – a Guernsey he Schrauth began fulfilling his named after his grandpa. That dream of becoming a dairy farmer. “I was 18 when I applied for investment was followed by the purchase of a grade Holstein that a loan and 19 when I started milkcame from the farm at which he ing,” said 25-year-old Schrauth. started milking cows in fth grade. A love for registered cattle soon Turn to SCHRAUTHS | Page 9

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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 9

ConƟnued from SCHRAUTHS | Page 8 “I walked across the stage on Sunday to get my diploma, and the next day I signed a loan for the cows.” Starting out with 35 crossbred cows, Schrauth rented a place in Lomira for three years before buying the farm in Waupun. Cow numbers continued to climb with each transition, and this latest move is no exception. The Schrauths moved in with 70 cows and expect to be at over 100 soon, growing the herd through recent purchases. Schrauth is also housing 15 cows for Ryan-Vu Dairy with plans to buy several of those animals. Schrauth said this farm is an upgrade from where they had been, and provides the opportunity to acquire more land. Schrauth made several improvements, including adding pasture mats that are providing top-of-the-line comfort to the milking herd. “Putting these mats in was the best thing I ever did,” Schrauth said. “I would never go back to a different mattress after having these. They’re incredibly comfortable, and it’s a continuous mat, so the entire stall is mattress.” The pasture mats contain rubber crumbs inside of 2-inch-thick tubes. Over the top, Schrauth installed the thickest foam possible followed by a durable cover. The Schrauths generously bed the mats with chopped bean straw. “You can see a lot more cushion with these mats,” Schrauth said. “Our cows stay in the barn a lot, so we want them to be comfortable.” Schrauth thought about ripping out the stanchions but liked the 10-inch chain link that moves with the cow’s head. “The stanchion is not rigid or rough on cows,” he said. “It swings back and forth; there’s movement. It’s a exible design that I have less trouble with than the 10 tie stalls. But my dream would be to have a freestall barn as I think that’s the best way to take care of a cow.” Schrauth also added manger liners in the barn and put in three concrete move-

able J-bunks in the barnyard, including one with headlocks. “This is our rst time having headlocks,” Schrauth said. “It’s great for herd health checks.” Schrauth and his dad also spent two weeks remodeling a barn ve minutes away, to house 30 heifers. “My wife was a saint,” Schrauth said. “She stayed at the old farm and took care of everything even though she was pregnant while we did all the renovations. Within six days of moving in, we were up 1.5 pounds of milk per cow, and our components went up tremendously.” Schrauth carefully calculates the return on investment of each decision he makes. “I like to gure out how much milk I need to make to pay for an improvement,” he said. “For example, if I gain 4.5 pounds of milk per cow, I can pay for the mattresses in one year milking 70 cows. I have notebooks full of numbers with examples like this.” Making a farm better than it was when he arrived is familiar territory to Schrauth. His farm in Waupun was far from perfect when he bought it. Schrauth designed and built a 24-stall freestall barn for dry cows and heifers with help from his dad, added automatic heated waterers in the cow yard, put mattresses in the 66-stall tiestall barn and installed tunnel-ventilated fans. After struggling with water issues, they also put in a water treatment system. “Everything we did was to make more milk, not to make life easier for us,” Schrauth said. “We didn’t have a lot of money, so my dad and I did most of the work ourselves.” But without enough land to build a new freestall barn, Schrauth said the farm was a dead end for he and Taylor. So when they were approached by an interested buyer, the Schrauths decided to slap a price tag on the farm and see what happened. Within six weeks, they sold their farm, found a

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

A cow at Cloven View Holsteins stands on the pasture mat Evan Schrauth installed before moving his caƩle to the farm he now rents near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The mat contains rubber crumbs inside of 2-inch-thick tubes, and is covered with thick foam. new one to rent and changed addresses. After making some initial improvements, Schrauth is turning his attention back to the cows. “Now I’m focused on improving genetics and hitting that next level of production,” he said. “The facilities are pretty incredible, so there’s not much to do there, and since we’re renting, we can’t change too much anyway. The focus is now on making the best cows we can.” Along with ushing and buying embryos, Schrauth signed his rst bull contract this fall. In addition, he has collected semen from one of his bulls – a polled Red and White Holstein – and sold 350 units. This year, the Schrauths took their rst animal to World Dairy Expo – a Guernsey calf that placed sixth in her class. And their 5-year-old cow, Drizzle, won the futurity

at the Fond du Lac County Fair. “Drizzle was my rst Excellent cow and the rst registered calf born on my farm,” Schrauth said. “She’s special.” Determined to farm, Schrauth immersed himself in the dairy industry and went from a boy with a dream to a man living the life he always wanted. “If I didn’t get the help I got, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “If you’re a young kid looking to get into farming, you need a support system.” Schrauth feels this most recent move could be his last. “I love this place, and if I get the opportunity, there’s no doubt I’d buy it,” Schrauth said. “It feels like home. But for now, we are happy renting and seeing where the future takes us.”

*Our branches will be closing at noon on Friday, December 24th!

“(The test) made more sense to do that than sort cows again.” What do you like about the DHIA Pregnancy Tests?

I like the DHIA pregnancy test because it allows us to do a late-lactation pregnancy check on cows before we dry them off without needing to sort animals for the vet an additional time.

How long have you been using the test? We have been using it for about

a year and a half.

Why did you choose to use it? The reason we began using it was that we had a few cows that were coming up open after their dry period. We started sleeving latelactation animals for pregnancy to prevent this. When the test became available, it made more sense to do that than sort cows again. How long have you been testing with DHIA? My father began testing with DHIA in April 1982.

Wishing you an abundance of happiness and good fortune this holiday season and all year!

Why is testing with DHIA valuable to your dairy? Testing with DHIA is valuable

so that we know what our cows are milking and helps us to make herd management decisions.

Tell us about your farm. I farm with my father, Paul, and my brother, Micah, on the farm my grandfather, Fred, bought in 1946. Our herd consists of 270 milking and dry Holsteins. We do a lot of crossbreeding to beef for our non-replacements and fatten out about 200 cattle a year. We run 650 acres of corn, soybeans and hay.

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A crew of volunteers use tractors to move trailers in and out of Richard Bosma’s farm on the Sumas Prairie area of BriƟsh Columbia’s Fraser Valley. They were working to rescue and relocate his herd during the historic ooding that occurred Nov. 16.

Sumas Prairie deals with flood devastation, aftermath By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

Bosma said a crew of about 25 worked diligently to get his milking cows and calves moved to safety that Tuesday, but as they were preparing to start moving heifers, news came that the nearby Barrowtown Pump Station was in danger of failing due to rising waters. “They told us everyone had to get out, because if those pumps failed, it would wash everything away,” Bosma said. “There were hundreds of people at the pump station sandbagging to keep the water away from the pumps. People that had been moving and hauling cattle all day spent the night sandbagging the pump station, and then they went back to rescuing and hauling cattle the next day.” When Bosma returned to his farm Wednesday morning (Nov. 18), he found his heifers slogging through more than 4 feet of water. The farm was inaccessible to trucks, so tractors were used to navigate trailers near the barn to begin loading heifers. The treacherous and exhausting work of rescuing and relocating animals was undertaken by hundreds of volunteers who showed up with all varieties of trucks and trailers. Chris Kloot milks 60 Jerseys near the neighboring city of Chilliwack. Kloot’s farm is on higher ground outside of the ood zone. He has had to dump milk – about 22,000 pounds – on several occasions because some of the routes to the processing facilities in Vancouver were severed by ooding. “My cattle are warm, dry and fed,” Kloot said. “So, it became necessary for me to do what I can to help my neighbors and friends.” Kloot was one of many who heeded the call to help transport as many cattle to safety as possible.

ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia – Nearly a year’s worth of rain that fell in a matter of days and heavy snow melt from the nearby mountain range caused swollen rivers and breached levees to wreak havoc on the Sumas Prairie area of British Columbia’s Fraser Valley and Washington’s Whatcom County, bringing oods of historic proportions. The nightmare began in the overnight hours of Nov. 16 when over 8 inches of rain fell throughout the Fraser Valley, an event meteorologists called an atmospheric river. The rains continued through the remainder of the month, dousing the area in a record-breaking 20 inches of rain for November. The Nooksack River, which ows north from Whatcom County into the Sumas River and eventually makes its way to the Fraser River in British Columbia via the Vedder Canal, was already running high because of snow melt in the northern range of the Cascade Mountains. The Sumas River runs through the Sumas Prairie, which is an old lake bed that was drained to create fertile farmland over 100 years ago, near Abbotsford. “Tuesday morning (Nov. 17), the police were knocking on our door telling us we needed to evacuate,” said Abbotsford dairy farmer Richard Bosma. “I told them we couldn’t leave; we had cattle.” Bosma, who milks 80 Holsteins with his wife, Judy, on their Vedderlea Holsteins Farm, said he has lived on Turn to FLOOD | Page 11 the Sumas Prairie his entire life and never experienced anything resembling the events of the past month. Bosma said they watched the water come across the eld, crest the road and flow into the buildings. As the waters continued to rise, people mobilized convoys of trucks and trailers and set up the treacherous work of rescuing animals. “The way the community rallied and responded was amazing,” Bosma said. “I am so very fortunate; all of my animals were saved and moved. There are over 150 dairy farms PHOTO SUBMITTED that have been affected. I A volunteer helps load Richard Bosma’s Vedderlea Holsteins herd onto a trailer have neighbors who were in order to evacuate the cows from the ood waters that engulfed Bosma’s not as fortunate; one lost farm Nov. 16. 160 head, another 90 and another lost 60.”

Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 11

ConƟnued from FLOOD | Page 10 “The water was moving fast and furious,” Kloot said. “It was pretty dynamic and very scary at times, driving through such fast-moving water. There were some pretty tense confrontations with police who were not allowing us through too. Everyone just continued to defy orders and keep doing what needed to be done.” Kloot said those hauling cattle continuously had to nd different routes around the ood waters and continue to be cautious avoiding washed-out roads and bridges, and exposed pipelines. “There were a lot of mixed emotions throughout. You were able to help some, and then there were some you could not,” Kloot said. “The majority of the dairy cattle in the area were rescued, but the hogs and poultry operations, those are another story.” Kloot said the difculties from the ooding were compounded by drought conditions experienced by the area earlier this year, creating a feed shortage throughout the Pacic Northwest. “All of the roads and railways into the valley were impacted, some underwater and others dealing with mudslides and washouts,” Kloot said. “It has been difcult to get enough grain in.” Kloot serves as a councilor for the city, a position affording him some leverage to petition the provincial government for assistance for ood-ravaged farmers in the area. The Canadian government heeded the calls from the area and stopped all grain exports at the Port of Vancouver and rerouted the grain back to farmers needing feed for their livestock and poultry. “It is not just the animals being affected here,” Kloot said. “We are seeing shortages everywhere in the stores, and we have gas rationing at least until mid-December. The Fraser Valley is the breadbasket of British Columbia.” Short feed supplies worry Bosma as well. Bosma said he is concerned for the farms taking in extra cattle and needing to procure feed for the additional animals as well as their own herds. “I think my silage bunkers will be alright, but we had over 400 wrapped round bales oat away,” Bosma said. “Some might be salvageable, but many of them have already absorbed so much water they are ruined.” D.R. Vaandrager’s Lavender Farms, where his family milks 150 Holsteins, sits about a mile away from the impacted ood areas. “It is really amazing how just the tiniest ridge in the land, like what we sit on,

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Water almost 4 feet deep ows through the freestall barns at Richard Bosma’s farm Nov. 17. A crew of volunteers began moving heifers from the farm that day.

can make such a difference,” Vaandrager said of his location. “Our elds have been ooded, but our farm has been OK so far. But, we have neighbors who have not been back to their farms in over two weeks now because of high water.” Vaandrager helped his neighbor move as many animals as possible and is housing that farm’s youngstock for the time being. “It took us three hours to go the 2 miles and back. The police were making it very difcult for us,” Vaandrager said of the hampered rescue efforts. “It was really an awful thing, the (animals) that could not be saved.” As the waters begin to recede in some areas, recovery efforts have begun on some farms. However, the Bosmas are still faced with over 2 feet of water remaining in their house and barns even though more than two weeks have passed since the initial ooding. Bosma said he has no idea when they might be able to begin the work of clean up and recovery, but said that, for the time being, he is grateful his milking herd has a temporary home on another farm. “I am 62 years old, but I am not ready to be done,” Bosma said of his desire to persevere and move forward. “I nally have the herd of cows I have worked all my life to build. I want more time to enjoy them.”

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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

Wisconsin dairy reaches out to the world Legislation invests $5M in growing agricultural exports By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill into law Dec. 3 aimed at increasing Wisconsin’s agricultural exports. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Tony Kurtz, of Wonewoc, and Sen. Joan Ballweg, of Markesan, will commit $5 million to increasing Wisconsin’s agricultural export markets to the tune of 25% by June 30, 2026. Nearly half the expenditure will be focused on growing dairy export Rep. Tony Kurtz markets. “Agriculture is without a doubt the backbone of Wisconsin,” Kurtz said. “I am excited for what the future of Wisconsin’s agricultural industry holds with increased exports. Out of a $105 billion industry, we are only exporting about 3%, just a little over $3 billion a year. There are such opportunities, but it takes people to go to those countries and build

those relationships, and we need some seed money to do that.” According to Kurtz, the bill’s roots date back to the governor’s January 2020 State of the State address, where he made a proposal that called for $1 million, focused entirely on dairy. Kurtz and Ballweg took that ball and ran with it, growing the legislation to developing the export markets of Wisconsin’s dairy, meat and crop products. “I am ecstatic that we got this done,” Kurtz said. “Our state never actually invested in our agriculture exports before. We do a very good job of promoting our manufacturing exports but have never really promoted our ag exports.” Kurtz said with the way the global economy is changing, Wisconsin is in a great position to begin working in earnest to capture a share of the changing markets. “In the next 10 years, the middle class of these other countries is going to grow by a billion people, and as those people obtain a greater income, they are going to want more proteins, more cheeses, more meats,” Kurtz said. “That is where we come in with our highquality products. I think we are in a unique opportunity.”

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Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signs a bill into law Dec. 3 in Madison, Wisconsin. The bill will commit $5 million to increasing Wisconsin’s agricultural export markets by 25% by June 30, 2026. Kurtz said a lot of work is being done on Wisconsin’s ports, including those at Superior, Milwaukee, LaCrosse and Prairie du Chien. The improved shipping infrastructure will go hand-in-hand with developing Wisconsin’s agricultural export markets, he said. “I know the people at (the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection) and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will get this off the ground,” Kurtz said. “The big thing is that

travel has to open to develop these trade missions. In 2021, there were no trade missions because of COVID.” DATCP and WEDC are required to submit specic plans for the program by Dec. 31 and at least 15% of the program funds must be used for grants. While the bill calls for a 25% increase by 2026, Kurtz said the Legislature will need to be somewhat exible in reviewing the program because of the COVID19-related travel restrictions. “We can’t look at the ve-

year mark and say, ‘This was a failure,’ if we don’t reach 25% by then when the rst year or year and a half we are still dealing with COVID,” Kurtz said. “We need benchmarks to know if this is working and if it is a program we should continue funding.” Kurtz said the legislation is tied to the budget process. When the program audit is conducted, the Legislature will be moving into the next budget cycle. “I wanted to time it with when

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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 13

ConƟnued from EXPORTS | Page 12 we are working on the budget,” Kurtz said. “Then when we get the audit report, we can see that it is working and know we want to put more money into it; or we will see that it is not reaching the growth we wanted and look at what we need to do differently.” State Senator Howard Marklein of Spring Green, represents the 17th Senate District, which he says is one of the districts the most dependent on agriculture in the state. Marklein serves as the co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee and the vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Tourism and has championed the bill as it made its way through the legislature. “A 25% increase of exports is a big goal, but I think it is good to challenge ourselves,” Marklein said. “We do a great job at production, and this is not about increasing production. It is about nding new markets for what we are already producing.” He agreed with Kurtz that there is a chance COVID-related implications might put a damper on the program reaching its full potential, but said that is something that will need to be addressed in the future. “We cannot wait for the perfect time, or we would never do anything,” Marklein said. “I am glad we are doing this now, and

we will have to deal with the challenges of COVID as they come to us.” Dairy-related organizations have applauded the work put forth in this bill and look forward to what the legislation will do to help grow new markets for Wisconsin dairy farmers. “The strength of Wisconsin’s dairy economy rests in large part on the opportunities we have to sell more of our highquality products around the globe,” said Dairy Business Association President Amy Penterman, a dairy farmer from Thorp,, in a press release. “This investment will help us not only remain competitive in the global marketplace but be a leader.” In a press release, following the signing of the bill, Evers reiterated his continued support of Wisconsin’s agricultural community and dairy industry. “Wisconsin’s robust agricultural and agribusiness exports are not only a cornerstone of our state’s economy but our Wisconsin way of life,” Evers said. “We started this work to promote and increase Wisconsin’s product exports even before the pandemic to help support our farmers and our rural communities, and I’m proud this legislation has nally made it to my desk.”

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Dairy farmers:

How do you use data the robots generate?

Ron and Ester van Langen Edgar, Wisconsin Marathon County 140 Cows

cows, udder health, calving and dry off. Looking at the cows is still the best report you can get. What changes have you made since installing the milking robots? We grew from 40 cows to 140 and started A-B strip grazing; every 12 hours the cows get a new piece of grass. The cows have to come through the barn and grazeway to get to the other paddock. For the rest, we kept farming like we were used to in the Netherlands, where we had a parlor and computer feeding, no TMR.

Describe your robotic milking setup. We have two Lely A3 Classic robots in a new facility that we built in 2009. We started milking with the robots Sept. 15, 2009. We graze as much as possible and green chop to get the cows back to the barn at night; we don’t feed any silage in summertime.

Trevor Jones Bangor, Wisconsin LaCrosse County 110 cows Describe your robotic milking setup. There are four Lely A4. They were installed in October 2017. It is a freestall barn with a completely open concept. Describe your milking facilities prior to using robots. Why did you install robots? Prior to the robots, 75 cows were milked in a stanchion barn. My uncle, John, who owns the farm, wanted to free up time. In what ways has your farm and family benetted from this technology? Milk production has gone up, butterfat has increased, my uncle has more time for his kids’ sporting events, and less wear and tear on the body. How do you use the data the robots generate? Which reports are your favorite? The heat probability report is very accurate, and we use that when breeding, which has been good. The rumination report helps with cow health. Our volume report on the robots is accurate as well. What changes have you made since installing the milking robots? The herd increased by 25plus cows. We also hired a nutritionist which we didn’t have before and that helped increase milk production. What type of research did you do prior to installing robots? My uncle went on over ve tours to other robotic farms. The furthest he traveled I believe was four hours into Minnesota. In hindsight, what would you do differently with implementing automated technology on your farm? When designing the barn, we wish we would have added more space for calving. Tell us about your farm. John is the third generation, and I am the fourth. We crop 1,500 acres and raise all of our youngstock including steers. We also raise pigs from feeders to nished.

Describe your milking facilities prior to using robots? Why did you install robots? From August 2008 until we switched to robots, we milked in a tiestall, and before that we milked in a parlor. The biggest reason why we chose to install robots was the price. Robots were a lot cheaper than the double-16 swing parlor we originally wanted to build at that time. It’s crazy how much more expensive parlors are here compared to parlor prices in Europe. In what ways has your farm/family benetted from this technology? We’re more exible but chores have to be done anyway; when things go well it saves labor, when you have to treat a few cows, a parlor is handier. Because we were one of the rst with robots in this area, we had a lot of visitors and we made a lot of friends, it helped us integrate into the United States. How do you use the data the robots generate? Which reports are your favorite? Since the robots measure fat and protein, we stopped with DHIA. The robot calculates how much concentrate (pellets) they get in the robot and feed stations by the amount of fat and protein the cow gives. We have activity collars and breed off that. Our most used reports are heat and insemination, collect

What type of research did you do prior to installing robots? While living in the Netherlands we visited a lot of open houses, talked with a lot of farmers that were using them, but never expected to install them so fast. In hindsight, what would you do differently with implementing automated technology on your farm? I would like to have a slatted oor like we had in the Netherlands. Now the oor is always wet and it is more work with hand scraping crossovers. But, that was too expensive at that time. Tell us about your farm. We tried to farm in the Netherlands for 14 years on a third-generation dairy farm but couldn’t make ends meet. We started in August 2008 on a 120-acre dairy farm with a 45-cow tiestall barn in Edgar, Wisconsin. We found a real good banker and built the freestall barn with robots in 2009. After that, we updated a lot and bought more land. Now we own 440 (320 tillable) acres and rent 95 acres where we grow mainly grass. This year, we had 52 acres of soybeans and 40 acres of corn. Farming is great in Wisconsin. What we have built up here in the last 13 years we couldn’t do anywhere else.

but sell roughly the same amount of solids since switching to robots. It didn’t happen overnight but is coming along nicely. We also have better transition from calving to peak production and much less trouble with retained placentas and ketosis.

Michael Jenson Jr. Elk Mound, Wisconsin Dunn County 140 cows Describe your robotic milking setup. We have two Lely A4 robots that we retrotted into a 4-row, tail-to-tail freestall barn in December 2017. Describe your milking facilities prior to using robots. Why did you install robots? We had a double-8 parallel parlor (it is now for sale); there were many reasons, but labor was the biggest factor. In what ways has your farm and family benetted from this technology? There is so much information you get about the cows, but we have found the biggest benet is exibility of time. People think we don’t have to work anymore but we do. There is plenty of work to be done, but it can be done at various times; we are not set on a strict milking schedule. How do you use the data the robots generate? Which reports are your favorite? We use the data for breeding and culling decisions from a management standpoint. My go-to reports are heat reports and sick reports. The robots know so much more, so much faster than we ever could without them. What changes have you made since installing the milking robots? We did reduce our herd size by about 20 to 25 cows

What type of research did you do prior to installing robots? We did a lot of internet research, but ultimately, we got in the truck and visited many robotic farms. We toured both Lely and DeLaval farms. In hindsight, what would you do differently with implementing automated technology on your farm? With the Lely system, I think it would be better to have a 6-row barn versus a 4-row barn, but that is easy for me to say without having a 6-row. We also were a sand barn and switched to deep-bedded manure solids. Ultimately, I think some sort of mattress would be best suited for robots. Tell us about your farm. I am the fth generation to operate this farm. My dad (Mike Sr.) is very involved working every day. It’s been our family farm since 1857. We now compost almost all our manure, even the liquid. That has been a help from a nutrient management standpoint and has helped us get better quality forages. We have taken third and champion in the standard corn silage division and second in the baleage division at the World Forage Analysis Superbowl, only having entered those three samples.

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ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Dale Wagner Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc County 240 cows

Describe your robotic milking setup. We installed four Lely A4 robots in August 2015. We were the rst farm in Manitowoc County to put in robots, and they were retrotted into our existing freestall barn. We have two pens with two robots per pen. The robots were placed on one end of the barn rather than in the center. We’re going to replace the A4s with A5 models sometime this winter. The A5s are currently sitting in the shed. Describe your milking facilities prior to using robots. Why did you install robots? We milked in a double-6 at barn parlor for 19 years. When we made the decision to put in robots, we were at a crossroads – do we quit dairying or put in a conventional parlor and milk more cows? The atbarn parlor was used up, and labor is getting to be a bigger issue all the time. Going to robots has taken most of that out of the equation. In what ways has your farm and family benetted from this technology? The robots added exibility. Before, we had milkers, but they didn’t always show up. Then we’d spend 5 or 6 hours milking. Now, it just takes 1.5-2 hours to fetch cows and scrape stalls, and you’re done. Chores don’t take as long, and you can take care of things when you have time versus milking cows at 3 a.m.,1 p.m. and 9 p.m. like we used to. We saved a lot of labor, taking ve full-time people off our payroll and replacing them with a few part-timers. Milk production has also gone up. One cow milked over 200 pounds per day and averaged 158 pounds per day for her lactation. We also have 2-year-olds pushing 130-135 pounds per day. Cows average 3.1 trips per day through the robot. How do you use the data the robots generate? Which reports are your favorite? We like the activity monitors for heat detection – almost everything is bred off that. We look at the health report every day to see if mastitis issues are starting, if there’s a cow showing minor ketosis or a displaced abomasum, etc. We also use all the production information, which is current every day. As a result, we no longer DHI test. We look at the failed milkTheresa Krehmeyer for Pfaff’s Prairie Farm Melrose, Wisconsin Jackson County 560 cows Describe your robotic milking setup. We have seven Lely A3 and two Lely A3 Next. The rst seven were installed in fall 2009, and the newer two were installed 3.5 years ago. Describe your milking facilities prior to using robots. Why did you install robots? The Pfaffs milked 120 cows in a tiestall barn down the road. They added the robots two at a time and expanded their herd. They wanted to expand, and they wanted to be more labor efcient. In what ways has your farm and family benetted from this technology? The farm is more efcient. The cows are much calmer because they can get milked when they want to, depending on their lactation stage. Fresh cows can go in the robot up to six times a day. We get a lot more milk per cow with the robots. How do you use the data the robots generate? Which reports are your favorite? I use the data every single day as the herdsman. The three reports I use the most are the udder health report which tells me the somatic cell count; the activity report which tells me who is in heat; and the health report which ags cows based on the temperature of their milk. That tells me

ing report as well and may use that to make culling decisions. What changes have you made since installing the milking robots? We decreased herd size, going from 270 milking to 240. Also, our involuntary cull rate dropped considerably; therefore, we’re selling quite a few springers because we’re not getting rid of as many cows. One of our biggest struggles was how to deal with the foot bath. We bed twice a week, and that’s when we run cows through the bath. We didn’t do that the rst year and a half and started having foot problems. Now we physically push them through, and that pretty much took care of it. What type of research did you do prior to installing robots? We visited about a dozen farms in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. We talked to farmers to nd the good, bad and ugly with robots and also did online research. We researched brands and did some cost analysis. After our second full year with robots, we compared upkeep to parlor upkeep, and the numbers were identical on a hundredweight basis. In hindsight, what would you do differently with implementing automated technology on your farm? We switched to robots cold turkey. We shut down the parlor and decided we were not going back. I don’t think I would do that again. I’d milk some of my tail-end cows in the parlor and bring them in as fresh animals. They didn’t go through the robot as often as they should, so we struggled. Secondly, we were overpopulated, which made for three or four really long, bad days. We downsized within a week. Tell us about your farm. My wife, Cheryl, and I bought this farm from a neighbor in 1986. We started with 30 cows and grew from there. We milk about 240 cows and run about 900 acres at Twin Elm Family Farms, and our son, Tyler, is a partner. We also run a custom harvesting business and do cash cropping. We have one full-time employee who feeds and does tractor work, as well as three part-time people – a herdsperson, cow pusher and calf feeder, and also a college student who lls in to give people time off. Cheryl is the calf manager and helps with feeding calves and does bookwork. the cows may be getting sick or having problems, and the cows needs to be looked at. What changes have you made since installing the milking robots? When the robots were rst installed, each robot had its own pen of cows. That really caused problems when one broke down. Now we basically have two groups of cows for all nine robots. We do keep the fresh heifers separated from the rest of the cows until they learn the robots. What type of research did you do prior to installing robots? I was not employed here when they installed the robots, but Tom (Pfaff) toured some robot farms and also worked closely with his local dairy supplier. In hindsight, what would you do differently with implementing automated technology on your farm? Tom’s only complaint is usually that maintenance can be costly. The technology is awesome. There is nothing the cow does that you don’t know about. Tell us about your farm. The farm is owned by Tom and Sara Pfaff and family. They have farmed here for about 61 years. I have been herdsman here for 10 years. The cows are a registered Holstein herd, and they average around 90 pounds of milk per cow per day. They run about 3,200 acres.

Jason Holschbach Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc County 500 cows Describe your robotic milking setup. We have eight GEA Monobox/RX9500s. All eight are in the center of a new freestall facility completed August 2017. Describe your milking facilities prior to using robots. Why did you install robots? We were milking 450 cows in a 12-stall swing parallel parlor which was located in our retrotted original tiestall barn. The cows were housed in separate free stalls. Our parlor and housing facilities needed updating as they were quite worn and outdated. After extensive research, any type of retrot just wasn’t cost effective. In addition, through our research, we saw an opportunity for us to get back to managing our cows as a family, versus managing people, by implementing robotic milking technology. This was a very compelling reason for us to install robots. In what ways has your farm and family benetted from this technology? Having the robotic milking technology has allowed us to get back to focusing on managing our cows instead of managing employees. We are all very hands-on people when it comes to our cows. This technology allows us to work directly with our cows and focus on the ones that need just a little extra attention. How do you use the data the robots generate? Which reports are your favorite? The amount of data generated by the robots is almost endless. Ultimately, we are looking rst and foremost at data that lends insight into cow health, so primarily milk, conductivity and eating deviations day over day. This allows us to prioritize cows starting to get sick over other cows. We also use sev-

eral equipment-centric reports allowing us to monitor each robot daily and any maintenance that needs to be done, before we have a total box shut down for extended periods of time. What changes have you made since installing the milking robots? The availability of real-time data (eating, activity, milk weights) has enabled us to use data rather than visual detection to nd cows needing attention. This has sped up the time from detection to treatment, resulting in better overall cow health and lower veterinary costs. What type of research did you do prior to installing robots? We visited multiple dairies running all types of robots, both retrot and new-build barns. We also had extensive discussions with our veterinarian, nutritionist and their peers to hone in on the right t for our needs and management style. In hindsight, what would you do differently with implementing automated technology on your farm? We were too cautious in assuming which cows our robots would attach to and sold quite a few based on udder geometry that maybe should have been given a chance (let the robot decide). We reduced cow numbers to make transition easier but found it more challenging than expected to ll back up. Tell us about your farm. Cloveredge Farms LLC is a family-owned farm in Manitowoc County, just outside the city of Manitowoc. The farm is owned by Bernard, Roger and Joe Holschbach. Three additional employees, two of whom are family, also help on the farm. We milk 500 cows in addition to raising all our youngstock and running 1,300 acres of crop land.

Eric Vogel Athens, Wisconsin Marathon County 75 cows Describe your robotic milking setup. We milk in a remodeled tiestall barn with a Lely A3 Next robot which we started in November 2011. Describe your milking facilities prior to using robots. Why did you install robots? Our barn was a 65-cow tunnelventilated tiestall before the robot. Cows stood tail-to-tail, and we had 3-inch pipeline with automatic takeoffs. We installed the robot to save our bodies from the physical demands of tiestall milking and to gain the benet of a third milking with no hired help. In what ways has your farm and family benetted from this technology? Our family has beneted from the robot in many ways, but mostly from a chore exibility standpoint, which allows us to make it to our boys’ sporting events and other community organizations we are involved with, which tend to have meetings at what would have been our normal chore time. The robot provides our farm with savings on water use and energy consumption, as well as increased income from higher milk production and lower herd health costs, plus other farm enterprises (beef, crops, custom work, etc.) that we can put more time toward with the robot milking our cows. And, it helps improve farm protability. How do you use the data the robots generate? Which reports are your favorite? The data from the robot is used mostly for herd health benets and reproduction. My favorite report to look at is the milk production report because I can look at the whole herd performance on a daily basis and detect who is not feeling well and then look at other reports that ag a cow as not feeling well or in heat. What changes have you made since installing the milking robots? Since installing the robot 10 years ago, we have been able to increase the capacity of the robot. We never realized how many slow-milking cows we had until they started using the robot. At rst, we could only milk 55 cows. Now through culling and breeding, 70 cows on our robot works pretty well. What type of research did you do prior to installing robots? After going to an open house on a new freestall farm that put in robots in our area, I knew that was what was next for our farm. Then we visited some retrots in Minnesota so we could get a visual of what our tiestall would look like with a robot. In hindsight, what would you do differently with implementing automated technology on your farm? I would have built a new barn with two robots. I feel as though we spent too much money to use our existing barn. And we did not totally capitalize on the labor savings side of the robot using our existing facility. Tell us about your farm. We farm about 550 acres of corn, soybean, oat and hay. We raise our own youngstock and are building a cow-calf beef herd that is currently at about 30 cows.

Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 17

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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

Breeding Focus

Annexstads breed for functional, trouble-free cows

Mike, Rolf and Jean Annexstad Annexstad Dairy Farms Inc. St. Peter, Minnesota 200 cows

Describe your facilities and list your breeding management team. We have a sand-bedded freestall barn built in 1996. We remodeled the existing tiestall barn into a holding pen and double-9 parallel parlor the same year. The freestall includes cooling fans and sprinklers to mitigate heat stress. The breeding management team involves almost our entire crew: veteri-

narian, nutritionist, Genex and Select Sires representatives, our A.I. technician and also the people involved in the farm’s feeding and milking who observe cows showing heat signs. What is your current pregnancy rate? 25%. What is your reproduction program? Do you use a synchronization program? How do you get animals pregnant? Ninety percent of our cows are bred with an ovsynch program. All cows receive two Lutalyse shots 14 days apart before 60

KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR

Mike (from leŌ), Jean and Rolf Annexstad have a concepƟon rate of 53% on their 200-cow dairy near St. Peter, Minnesota.

KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR

This cow reects what the Annexstads look for in an ideal cow. They want animals of moderate size with excellent feet and legs and a well aƩached udder with correct teat size and placement.

days in milk. Our vet does a reproductive check every two weeks starting at 60 days in milk. Cows are then started on ovsynch. Cystic cows receive GNRH and are rechecked in two weeks. If cows are still cystic, they receive a CIDR and are started on ovsynch. Cows that are open at 28-32 days are restarted on ovsynch. The remaining 10% of cows are bred on observed heats.

Describe your breeding philosophy. We try to breed for high-functional, commercial cows that produce high volumes of high-component milk that are as trouble-free as possible. What guidelines do you follow to reach the goals for your breeding program? We don’t have specic guidelines that we follow.

What are the top traits you look for in breeding your dairy herd, and how has this changed since you started farming? The top traits we look for are net merit dollars, pounds of fat and protein, daughter pregnancy rate, somatic cell score and rear teat placement. Most of those traits didn’t exist when we started farming. We used to pay Turn to BREEDING | Page 20

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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 19

CUSTOM-MADE HUTCHES By Elrosa Lumber Company

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P.O. Box 140, Elrosa, MN

“We can do all in our fresh groups without slowing throughput.” — Britney Hill

FOUR HILLS DAIRY, BRISTOL, VERMONT, The Hill Family, Britney Hill, herd manager 2300 cows, 84 lbs/cow/day, SCC avg. 130,000

“We’ve been using Udder Comfort™ a long time. Now, with the new Udder Comfort Battery-Operated Backpack Sprayer, we are able to use it quickly and easily on all animals in our fresh groups daily,” says Britney Hill, herd manager and part of the next generation operating Four Hills Dairy, Bristol, Vermont, milking 2300 cows, calving 10 animals a day, and applying Udder Comfort to fresh groups in the parlor for 5 days. They also love it for their award-winning show cows. “With the new Udder Comfort Battery-Operated Backpack, we can do all in our fresh groups without slowing parlor throughput,” says Britney. “It is more efficient than the previous manual sprayer. Without the pump arm in the way, it’s less bulky, easier to maneuver. “It’s convenient, and the battery charge lasts. Using Udder Comfort on all of our fresh animals makes them more comfortable. Our fresh heifers adjust to milking much faster and with better letdown. Using this year-round for fresh cows, keeps our SCC around 130,000.”

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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

ConƟnued from BREEDING | Page 18 a lot of attention to improving udders, What is your conception rate? How and feet and legs. Now we very rarely does this differ with different types of cull cows based on those traits. semen? Our current conception rate on cows is 53%. We don’t track the concepWhat are certain traits you try to tion rates on different types of semen. avoid? We avoid bulls that transmit too much stature, a negative daughter preg- What is the greatest lesson you have nancy rate or high somatic cell score. learned through your breeding program? Genetic progress is slow, but Describe the ideal cow for your herd. after 50 years of being enrolled in mating The ideal cow in our herd is of moder- programs, the genetic improvement is ate size with excellent feet and legs and very impressive. We rarely have a heifer a well-attached udder with correct teat with poor feet, legs or udders today. size and placement, and ease of milking. They are healthier and milk production She has consistently high-quality milk is very good. production with the focus on total pounds of fat and protein produced daily. She is What is the age of your heifers at rst a healthy cow with negligible treatment service? Thirteen months. costs, and she breeds back with ease in every lactation. The ideal cow would have How does your heifer inventory affect several trouble-free lactations. We also your breeding program? We try to have appreciate cows with special personali- 0.75 heifers for every cow. This dictates ties. All of those traits would make her our use of sexed, conventional and beef a money maker and fun to work with semen. We used to sell a number of bred each day. heifers, but we try not to have surplus heifers at this time. What role does genetics have in reaching the goals of your farm? Tapping into Tell us about your farm. Mike and Rolf’s top genetics provides us with the oppor- parents started dairy farming here in the tunity to work with healthy, functionally 1950s. With several employees, we milk, correct cows. That’s what makes it fun feed and grow crops for 200 cows. The to wake up every morning and head to third Annexstad generation of Matthias, the barn. Good cows help all of the rest Leif and Emily pursue college and careers of the dairy farming tasks fall into place. at this time, helping when they can. We raise calves and heifers until a year of What percentage of your herd is bred age, then heifers are custom-raised and to sexed, conventional and beef semen? bred off the farm until they calve. We About 10% of cows and 30% of heifers grow alfalfa and corn for forage, corn are bred to sexed. About 40%-50% of for grain, canning pea, soybean and varicows are bred to beef, and the balance ous other cover crops on 620 acres. We are bred to conventional semen. market beef and male Holstein calves at 7-14 days of age.

KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR

Mike Annexstad goes through DHIA reports on Dec. 2 at his family’s farm near St. Peter, Minnesota. The Annexstads use the current DHIA reports when examining cows on their farm.

Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 21

LOW-RATE FINANCING AVAILABLE

JD 9770, 2009 4548 hrs., 3172 $ sep hrs., #190521

JD 9670, 2009 2625 hrs., 1650 $ sep hrs., #190656

Case IH TM II, $ 2003, 50.5’ #186586

JD 2210, 2006, $ 57’, #181942

81,000

19,000

99,500

JD 9550, 2001 5054 hrs., 3424 $ sep hrs., #189036

32,500

White 8516, 16 row, 30”, #189396

Financing subject to pre-approval through JD Financial. Some restrictions apply. See dealer for details.

42,500

22,000

JD S670, 2016, 1421 hrs., 915 $ sep hrs., #191133

233,000

JD 1770, 2008, 24 row, 30” #191119

99,500

Equipment and pictures added daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com 16 7 3 10 10 7 4 5 2 5 17 16 7 6 3 4 14 7 10 4 15 14 3 14 4 15 16 10 16 5 17 11 14 8 16 16

COMBINES

JD 6620, 1979, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Singles,1557 hrs., #187694 .................$7,900 JD 7720, 1986, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Singles, #188736..................................$8,500 JD 6620, 1983, Corn/Bean; 2WD; Singles, 3800 hrs., #188350 .................$9,500 JD 6620, 1987, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Singles, 3903 hrs., #177388 ...............$12,500 JD 9500, 1993, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 5785 hrs., 3893 Sep hrs., #189641......$19,900 JD 9500, 1991, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 6754 hrs., 5000 Sep hrs., #185458......$22,400 JD 9510, 1998, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 5225 hrs., 3475 Sep hrs., #189676......$28,500 JD 9650 STS, 2003, Corn/Bean, 5240 hrs., 3504 Sep hrs., #190984 .......$38,500 JD 9510, 1999, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 3887 hrs., 2694 Sep hrs., #190861 ...$42,500 JD 9550, 2001, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 5054 hrs., 3424 Sep hrs., #189036 ...$42500 JD 9750 STS, 2003, Corn/Bean, 3684 hrs., 2499 Sep hrs., #191070 .......$49,500 JD 9660 STS, 2003, Corn/Bean, 3044 hrs., 2063 Sep hrs., #190643 .......$64,500 JD 9770 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, 4548 hrs., 3172 Sep hrs., #190521 .......$81,000 JD 9770 STS, 2010, Corn/Bean, 3550 hrs., 2460 Sep hrs, #191137 ........$97,500 JD 9670 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, 2625 hrs., 1650 Sep hrs., #190656 .......$99,500 JD 9670 STS, 2011, Corn/Bean, 3669 hrs., 2503 Sep hrs., #188158 .......$99,900 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2974 hrs., 2063 Sep hrs., #182070 $144,900 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2081 hrs., 1658 Sep hrs., #172017... $145,900 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2373 hrs., 1703 Sep hrs., #178114... $147,900 JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2006 hrs., 1350 Sep hrs., #174756 $159,900 JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2016 hrs., 1446 Sep hrs., #190055 $161,000 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2426 hrs., 1762 Sep hrs., #190078 $191,000 JDS670, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2430 hrs., 1453 Sep hrs., #176660 . $199,500 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1980 hrs., 1183 Sep hrs., #189953 $202,000 JD S670, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1421 hrs., 915 Sep hrs., #191133 .. $233,000 JD S670, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1614 hrs., 963 Sep hrs., #181669... $237,500 JD S770, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2242 hrs., 1587 Sep hrs., #181147 $245,000 JD S790, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1366 hrs., 1058 Sep hrs., #179097 $315,400 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1376 hrs., 800 Sep hrs., #175318... $319,500 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1377 hrs., 916 Sep hrs., #183533... $355,000 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1080 hrs., 690 Sep hrs., #177549... $364,400 JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1070 hrs., 653 Sep hrs., #171103... $385,000 JD S790, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1180 hrs., 683 Sep hrs., #171378... $389,500 JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 744 hrs., 508 Sep hrs., #169507 .... $409,500 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 996 hrs., 556 Sep hrs., #187111 .... $435,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 834 hrs., 247 Sep hrs., #188458 .... $454,900

9 17 7 9 5 9 5 2 5 1 5 9 5 8 8 8 4

FIELD CULTIVATORS

Case IH 4800, 28 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #182692 .....................$5,900 Case IH 4300, 30 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #181148 .....................$8,500 Case IH 4300, 2001, 38 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186653..........$11,995 JD 985, 1998, 47 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #185899......................$12,000 Wil-Rich Quad 5, 2000, 42 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191024....$12,900 JD 2200, 2002, 34 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #185898 ...................$19,000 Case IH TIGERMATE II, 2003, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, #186586 ......$19,000 Case IH TM14, 2005, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #187546......$26,900 Case IH TIGERMATE II, 2004, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, #186585......$28,000 JD 2210, 2006, 57 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #181942 ...................$32,500 Case IH Tigermate 200, 2014, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, #184441 ...$39,900 JD 2210, 2017, 45.5 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #190971 ................$66,000 JD 2230, 2018, 52 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #190847 ...................$86,500 JD 2230, 2021, 56 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, # 190849 ............... $110,900 JD 2230, 2021, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #190850 ............. $113,900 JD 2230, 2019, 60 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #190851 ................ $125,500 JD 2230, 2019, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191162 ............. $134,000

MULCH FINISHERS

7 JD 726, 1998, 30’, 3-Section Folding, #185271..........................................$22,900 14 JD 726, 2001, 38’, 3-Section Folding, #186290 .........................................$24,900 14 Kuhn Krause 6200-45, 2014, 45’, 9” spacing, #180001 ...........................$45,900

BOX DRILLS

11 JD 455, 1992, 25 width, 7.5”spacing, #190817 .........................................$19,800 14 JD 1590, 2013, 15’, 7.5” spacing, #191157 ................................................$42,900

9 7 10 14

PLANTERS

White 6100, 6R30”, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #187246 .......................................$6,500 JD 7000, 8R30”, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #183615 .............................................$9,900 JD 1750, 1999, 6R30”, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #186405..................................$18,500 JD 1780, 2001, 16/31R15/30”, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #190820 .....................$19,000

9 5 5 2 1 10 2 4 17 11 7 2 16 16 17 2 2 3 3 5 15 4 4 16 2 16 6 16 15 5 3 8 8 7

JD 1770, 1997, 16R30”, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #180078................................$19,500 White 6524, 24R22”, Flex Fold, #190593 ..................................................$20,900 White 8516, 16R30”, #189396 .................................................................$22,000 JD 7200, 1993, 12R30”, 3.0 Bushe Hopper, #190107.................................$22,900 JD 1770, 1999, 16R30”, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #186432................................$28,500 JD 1755, 2019, 6R30”, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #186443..................................$39,400 JD 1755, 2018, 8R30”, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #186434..................................$52,900 JD 1770NT CCS, 2006, 16R30”, #181880...................................................$59,500 JD 1770NT CCS, 2008, 24R30”, #186498...................................................$86,900 JD 1770NT, 2014, 12R30”, #186459..........................................................$89,900 JD 1770, 2008, 24R30”, #191119 ..............................................................$99,500 JD 1770NT CCS, 2008, 24R30”, #186442...................................................$99,900 JD DB66, 2005, 36R22”, #186477 ...........................................................$119,900 JD 1770NT CCS, 2013, 24R30”, #186453.................................................$124,900 JD1775NT, 2018, 16R30”, #186435.........................................................$145,400 JD 1775NT, 2021, 12R30”, #186465........................................................$164,900 JD 1775NT, 2020, 16R30”, #186437........................................................$172,900 JD DB60, 2013, 24R30”, #186440 ...........................................................$178,500 JD DB60, 2014, 24R30”, #186429 ...........................................................$184,000 JD 1775NT, 2021, 16R30”, #186497........................................................$184,900 JD DB60, 2014, 24R30”, #186455 ...........................................................$185,900 JD 1775NT, 2021, 16R30”, #186470........................................................$219,900 JD 1775NT, 2021, 6R30”, #186469..........................................................$219,900 JD DB88, 2013, 48R22”, #186478 ...........................................................$229,500 JD 1775NT, 2020, 24R30”, #186454........................................................$264,900 JD DB60, 2017, 24R30”, #186492 ...........................................................$289,500 JD DB66, 2012, 36R22”, #187683 ...........................................................$299,000 JD DB66, 2017, 36R22”, #186501 ...........................................................$349,500 JD DB90, 2019, 36R30 in, #186444 ........................................................$425,000 JD 7300, 1989, 12R30”, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #180958..................................$9,000 JD 7300, 1989, 12R30”, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #190126..................................$9,000 White 6700, 12R22”, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #186493 .....................................$9,900 White 6700, 22”, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #186494 .........................................$10,900 JD 1730, 2000, 12R22”, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #190191................................$17,900

Visit one of our 17 locations in Central Minnesota! CALL TODAY! (320)365-1653 (7) = ALEXANDRIA (9) = PRINCETON (12) = AITKIN (14) = ELBOW LAKE (16) = BENSON (4) = ST. CLOUD (1) = GLENCOE

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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

OVER 700 COWS PER HOUR*

*based on a 106-bail PR3100HD turning at 4.9 seconds per bail

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Over

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Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: 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 WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713

DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470

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

is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2021 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. All facts and figures are the result of data collected on test farms. Results may vary and are not guaranteed. Nothing in this document shall constitute a warranty or guaranty of performance. www.delaval.com

Tragedy strikes the town I call home On Nov. 21, an unspeakable tragedy occurred in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where my family and I live. During our city’s annual Christmas parade, a man with a long criminal history intentionally drove an SUV through the crowd, killing six people and injuring more than 60 others. All of this happened less than 1.5 miles from my house. Although my husband, children and I were not at the parade, we know plenty of people who were. Some narrowly escaped injury or worse. A friend of mine described it as a war zone, like something By Stacey Smart out of a movie: bodies lyStaff Writer ing in the street, blood everywhere, people running and screaming. A fun and festive event became a deadly and horrible memory. Filled with anger and sadness, I prayed for everyone who was at the parade that night. I prayed for those who died and those who were injured, and their families, as well as for the mental health and wellbeing of every spectator who saw and heard things no person should ever have to experience. I continue to hold all parade-goers close to my heart in prayer. Thousands of people came to enjoy the festivities that day and watched with happy hearts as 68 parade entries marched by in the 58th annual Waukesha Christmas Parade, the theme of which was Comfort and Joy. Participants included the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies, high school marching bands and sports teams, dance troupes, businesses and more. The Waukesha Christmas Parade is an event my family and I have attended many times. It takes place on Main Street, in the heart of downtown, and people set up chairs to claim a seat hours before it starts. The city is lled with smiles and the laughter of those in attendance – both young and old – as they celebrate the excitement of the holiday season. Children scramble to collect candy as they wait to glimpse Santa and Mrs. Claus. Since my children are older, it had been a few years since we went to the parade. However, this year both of my kids would have marched in it had we not been out of town. Students from their high school’s state champion sports teams were marching in the parade; therefore, my daughter would have walked with her softball team and my son with his football team. I am grateful we were not there. Thankfully, none of the students from their school were injured. Following the shock and horror of that November night, school was canceled across Waukesha the next day. Some schools canceled classes for the entire week. My kids and I attended Mass at their high school that Monday and were joined by many others who came together to mourn, remember and pray. There was also a vigil in downtown Waukesha that evening, along with other Masses and prayer services in the community. It was a surreal feeling seeing and hearing my town’s name splashed across national and world news. Waukesha was featured for a terrible reason. But there is so much to love about this town. It is not a dangerous city by any means. I have lived here for 21 years and always felt safe. I have enjoyed raising my family here. This is our home. We will not let this tragedy dene our city. By the grace of God, we will triumph over evil. Churches, local businesses and other organizations collected money for the victims’ families. Churches and schools offered counseling services to help people cope with mental anguish and emotional distress. One week later, the city of Waukesha observed a minute of silence at 4:39 p.m. as bells rang at two local churches in remembrance of the Nov. 21 tragedy. Ten days after the parade, my daughter and I visited the memorial for the deceased at Veterans Park that sits at the end of Main Street – the end of the parade route. Six white crosses stand in remembrance of each life lost, displaying messages of condolences and love. The site is lled with stuffed animals, owers, candles, balloons and more, symbolizing an outpouring of community love and support. It was my rst time visiting downtown since the Turn to SMART | Page 23

Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 23

parade. It felt weird to drive down the street where people had been brutally murdered, or walk down the sidewalks knowing what people witnessed from the very place I was standing. As we sat in our favorite coffee shop that evening, with Christmas trees

Brewers baseball jerseys to school, and my husband wore a Brewers jersey to work. Although our hearts are broken here in Waukesha, there is a strong sense of unity among its citizens. The tagline, Waukesha Strong, appears everywhere, aand the campaign, Unite with a Blue Light, Although Al h h our h hearts are has blue light glowing from broken here in Waukesha, homes and businesses all over and surrounding there is a strong sense of unity Waukesha communities. among its citizens. Last Saturday, my child dren and I visited downtown W Waukesha again. I was happy li i iin the h windows, i d I llooked k d out glistening to see the city was lled with Christmas onto the somber street where disaster so recently occurred. Our city is forever spirit. Decorations lled the town, changed. It was violated, and a large scar casting a festive glow over everyone – remains. I don’t think any Waukesha tokens of the season set in place prior resident will ever step foot downtown to the parade. People of all ages were again without recalling that tragic day. lined up to have their picture taken with One of the victims who died was Santa and his reindeer. A horse-drawn an 8-year-old boy named Jackson. carriage strung with Christmas lights Jackson loved baseball and played for carried people up and down Main Street. the Waukesha Blazers. On Friday, Dec. It warmed my heart. Flags in the city remain at half-staff. 3, people from across Wisconsin and But amid the suffering and grieving, beyond showed support for Jackson and there is hope as people seek peace and his family by wearing baseball jerseys as part of a campaign called Jerseys healing. for Jackson. My kids wore Milwaukee

Attention Readers:

FALL F A L LSALE FA SALE 5% 5 %DISCOUNT DISCOUNT

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Due to the upcoming holidays, there will be early ad deadlines for the December 25th issue of Dairy Star. Ad copy will need to be submitted by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15.

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Wishing You a

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AND

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For your friendship, for your patronage, for your kindness and for your patience, we’d like to come together and thank everyone in this community who has inspired and supported us this year. We’re so very grateful to be here, and we wish everyone around us a joyous and beautiful holiday season.

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Servicing Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois and Upper Michigan!

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11.22.21am

ConƟnued from SMART | Page 22

Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

DAIRY ST R

The Great Christmas “GRAND” PRIZE

GIVEAWAY 2021

Grand Prize Drawing Will Be Held Tuesday, December 14, 2021 THE WINNERS WILL BE POSTED ON WWW.DAIRYSTAR.COM, MILK BREAK NEWSLETTER AND ON FACEBOOK.

ADULT “GRAND” PRIZE

2) $1,000 CASH GIFTS! 17 & UNDER “GRAND” PRIZE

“Grand” Prize Heifer Calf: WOODMOHR VICTORIOUS GINNAY Born: September 23, 2021 Dam: Woodmohr Gentle Ginny-ET EX- 93 Sire: River Valley Victorious-ET Granddam: Budjon-Vail Jade Gianna-ET EX-94 Gr G Ganddam: Llolyn Jude Griffen-ET EX-95

Grand P Calf come rize sF Woodmohrom Jerseys, ow r by Wendy ned &J Schmidt o ohn Bloomer, Wf I

Wendy and Jon Schmidt of Woodmohr Jerseys are p pictured with Woodmohr Victorious Gennay, the heifer calf that will be given to a lucky youth in the Great Christmas Giveaway drawing.

Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 25

WISCONSIN

LAFAYETTE COUNTY

• Chippewa Farm Service, LLC Chippewa Falls • 715-382-5400 • Chippewa Valley Dairy Supply Stanley • 715-644-2350

MANITOWOC COUNTY

CHIPPEWA COUNTY

CLARK COUNTY

• Bill’s Tire & Service Inc. Colby • 715-223-4762 • Cloverdale Equipment Curtiss • 715-223-3361 • Premier Livestock Withee • 715-229-2500 • Silver Star Metals Withee • 715-229-4879

COLUMBIA COUNTY • Central Ag Supply Baraboo • 608-356-8384

DANE COUNTY

• Argall Dairy Systems, Inc Belleville • 608-424-6110

DODGE COUNTY

• Central Ag Supply Juneau • 920-386-2611

DUNN COUNTY

• Leedstone Menononie • 866-467-4717 • Midwest Livestock Systems Menomonie • 715-235-5144

FOND DU LAC COUNTY • Redeker Dairy Equipment Inc. Brandon • 920-346-5576

GRANT COUNTY

• Argall Dairy Systems, West Platteville • 608-348-3385 • Fuller’s Milker Center, LLC Lancaster • 608-723-4634 • Innovative Ag Services Cuba City • 608-744-2287 • J. Gile Dairy Equipment Inc. Cuba City • 608-744-2661 • Premier Co-op Lancaster • 608-723-7023 • Scott Implement Platteville • 608-348-6565

GREEN COUNTY

• Monroe WestfaliaSurge/Koehn, Inc. Monroe • 608-325-2772 • Top Notch Feed & Supply New Glarus • 608-527-3333

IOWA COUNTY

• Premier Co-op Mineral Point • 608-987-3100

JACKSON COUNTY • W.H. Lien, Inc.

Hixton • 715-963-4211

KEWAUNEE COUNTY

• Luxemburg Motor Company

• Center Hill Veterinary Clinic Darlington • 608-776-4083 • EIS Implement Two Rivers • 920-684-0301

MARATHON COUNTY

• Brubacker Ag Equipment, LLC Edgar • 715-613-7308

MONROE COUNTY

• Preston Dairy Equipment Sparta • 608-269-3830

PEPIN COUNTY

• Anibas Silo & Repair Arkansaw • 715-285-5317 • Komro Sales & Service Inc. Durand • 715-672-4263

PIERCE COUNTY

• Ag Partners Grange Hall • 715-647-5002 • Western Wisconsin Farm Store Ellsworth • 715-273-5066

RICHLAND COUNTY

• Fuller’s Milker Center, LLC Richland Center • 608-647-4488 • Premier Co-op Richland Center • 608-647-6171

SAUK COUNTY

• Central Ag Supply Baraboo • 608-356-8384

TREMPEALEAU COUNTY • Komro Sales & Service Inc. Whitehall • 715-538-1495

VERNON COUNTY

• Koon Kreek Feeds Coon Valley • 608-452-3838 • Premier Co-op Westby • 608-634-3184

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ALLAMAKEE COUNTY • Innovative Ag Services Waukon • 563-568-3455 • Waukon Veterinary Services Waukon • 563-568-2487

CLAYTON COUNTY

• Innovative Ag Services Elkader • 563-245-1230 Monona • 563-539-2001

DUBUQUE COUNTY

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• Helle Farm Equipment Dyersville • 563-875-7154 • Innovative Ag Services Cascade • 563-852-7245 Farley • 563-744-3337 • New Vienna Ag Automation New Vienna • 563-921-2896 • Skip Breitbach Feeds Balltown • 563-552-2393 • Scherrmann’s Implement Dyersville • 563-875-2426 • Ungs Shopping Center (IAS) Luxemburg • 563-853-2455

JACKSON COUNTY • Innovative Ag Services Andrew • 563-672-3228

MINNESOTA DAKOTA COUNTY

• Werner Implement Vermillion • 651-437-4435

HOUSTON COUNTY

• Farmers Win Coop Caledonia • 507-725-3306 Houston • 507-896-3147 Spring Grove • 507-498-5321 • Hammell Equipment Eitzen • 507-495-3326

GOODHUE COUNTY

• Ag Partners - Grain Site Bellchester • 651-923-4453 Wanamingo-Grain Site • 507-824-2231 Wanamingo-Agronomy Location 507-824-2215 • Ag Partners Farm Store Cannon Falls • 507-263-4651 Goodhue • 800-732-1439 Pine Island • 507-356-8313 • GB Feed and Supply Bellchester • 651-923-4425 • Midwest Livestock Systems Zumbrota • 507-732-4673

WABASHA COUNTY

• Ag Partners Farm Store Lake City • 651-345-3328 Plainview • 507-534-2531 • Beck Implement Elgin • 507-876-2122 • Leedstone Plainview • 800-548-2540 • Wingert Sales & Service Plainview • 507-534-2285

WINONA COUNTY

• Ag Partners Lewiston • 507-523-2188 • Elba Coop Elba • 507-796-6571 • S&S Dairy Systems St. Charles • 507-932-4288

Luxemburg • 920-845-2011

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*Enter as often as you like. One entry per store visit, please. Winners must be 18 years or older and a Grade A or B dairy farmer for adult prize, or 17 years or younger and a son or daughter of a Grade A or B dairy farmer for heifer calf. Winners must also live in the Dairy Star circulation area to be eligible and are responsible for transport of animal.

Year-end planning Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

Good harvest and good prices have been achieved perhaps beyond. by many this season. Seasonable fall weather has Income tax planning is essential. Farmers, as allowed most to complete fall tillage g in ppreparation p cash taxpayers, p y , have a lot of methods to control for the 2022 crop. aand balance the amount of So, what is next? High F tax paid each year. Work Farmers, as cash h taxpayers, crop input cost for 2022 with your farm business and apparently the lack of have a lot of methods to management instructor and/ availability for some inputs control and balance the or your tax accountant to may be a great cause for review options including concern. What’s next is amount of tax paid each year. prepaying for 2022 inputs, the evaluation of 2021 and ddeferring income or using planning for 2022. To begin 1179 deductions (remember this process, I would suggest the following steps: not to use this if you have a loan on the item). If you income tax planning; developing a capital purchase are planning on a major capital improvement project plan for the next three or more years; creation of next year, it may work in your best interest to reduce the Dec. 31 balance sheet; analysis for the whole your taxable income as much as possible this year via farm return on investment and a complete enterprise prepaying, etc. This should allow you to increase cash analysis; and cash ow projection for 2022 and (working capital) in your bank account early in 2022.

One other item to consider in tax planning is the Employee Retention Credit. If you qualied in 2021 for this credit and plan to apply for the funding early in 2022, the ERC credit is taxable in 2021 even though you may not get From My Perspective the money until 2022. For those operations with several employees and potentially a sizable ERC credit, this could have a signicant impact on your income tax plan. The ERC funds are taxable in the year of the expense. It is important to create a tentative 2- to 3-year (or more) capital replacement By Tom Anderson and improvement plan. Columnist Determining how much the cash ow can handle with the volatile market swings is crucial to continued success and growth. Machinery will depreciate (at least on the balance sheet) 10% or more on an annual basis, so machinery replacement is critical to balance sheet growth. However, in an era of highpriced machinery, it may be difcult to come across good deals. On dairy farms, my benchmark is to keep the loan and lease payments under $2.50 per hundredweight of milk. Figuring out where you are (debt payment per cwt.) and where you will be if you make a capital purchase is an excellent exercise in helping make that decision. The balance sheet is likely the single most determining factor to your farm’s protability. Measuring and tracking equity (net worth) growth year-over-year, at the same time of year, is essential for setting trends. With inventories (especially feed/ grain) varying from month to month, a balance sheet at various times of the year could give undesired results when comparing trends. I suggest using reasonable market values on all grain, forages and market livestock. Valuing corn, for example, at $6 on the balance sheet and then eventually selling it for $4.50 will likely give a false impression of real gains. My preference, if the commodity is not contracted, is to use a valuation number closer to your cost of production and take the gain on your balance sheet when the real gain is recognized at the time of sale. Some will disagree with me on that statement, and perhaps I am too conservative, but this method will result in true equity gains being realized when they occur. A farm nancial analysis should be done on an annual basis. It allows you to see the return on your investment in various categories as shown below. The Finpack analysis system used by the Minnesota Farm Management program calculates: – Liquidity: Compare the beginning to the end of the year. It measures the nancial position of the business to meet short-term obligations. – Solvency: Change in net worth. The ability of the business to pay all its debts, if liquidated. – Protability: Including net farm income (income – expense – depreciation), rate of return on assets, rate of return on equity and an operating prot margin. – Repayment capacity: Measures the capacity of the business to repay debt and replace assets. – Efciency: Measures the strengths and weaknesses of cost control, including operating expense ratio. In addition, doing an enterprise analysis (dairy, corn, corn silage, hay, etc.) allows you to see the protability and cost of production for each area of your farm business. I encourage you to connect with a farm management person or your banker to have these discussions on the nancial performance of your business. Cash ows are merely a nancial projection of the upcoming year. It is important for the banker, but more importantly, it helps you have a road map and mentally process what your intentions will be for the upcoming year in terms of capital purchases, sale prices and net prot. I would challenge everyone to review this plan more frequently throughout the year to see how their business is progressing. If you have questions about any of these ve areas, contact your local farm management person or your banker. Tom Anderson is a Farm Business Management faculty member at Riverland Community College.

Cookies make holidays happy

Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 27

Unseasonably warm weather has fooled me into thinking Christmas is still off in the far distance. This week after Thanksgiving with the Black Friday sales, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday, I am slapped into the reality that December is here. I need to get moving and plan for the month. I am looking at the calendar to count how many weekends and open days I am going to have to get into the spirit. We have a few holiday parties to attend this year and also business meetings that need to take place before the end of the year. I will need to schedule time By Tina Hinchley for baking and some Farmer & Columnist holiday traditions with the family before the dates get lled in. I want to do more this year. I want to feel excitement and be full of cheer. Last year, there were so many cancellations and meetings that went virtual; I didn’t seem to have the ambition to go all out. At year’s end, I was hoping things would magically turn around and become better in 2021. I don’t think we even purchased a Christmas wreath, and the little hallway tree was all that got taken out for decorations. It wasn’t a happy holiday season for me and many others. I believe homemade cookies, candies and breads are like therapy to make others happy. Whether you are baking or making, eating and sharing Christmas cookies, candies and breads can make a huge difference in making someone’s day, week or holiday. There is something special about homemade food.

In the dairy aisle, there are many seasonal new products. There is fun cookie dough that is easy to take from the tube, cut and bake. Snowakes, reindeer, snowmen and other designs to grab and go. These were on sale this week, and I watched as a mom let her kids pick out what they were going to bake. I also watched them pick up a half-gallon of eggnog, because her kids just love the stuff. The interaction made me smile and gave me goose bumps to be a proud dairy farmer behind the scenes. When I was heading to pick up sugar, there was an elderly lady picking up her baking supplies while her daughter was shopping. The daughter had her calculator to gure what package of sugar was the best buy. There was a young man looking at his shopping

list viewing the nuts. He clearly was confused, trying to decide what size package to purchase. There are 6-ounce, 12-ounce and 16-ounce packages of pecans. There are so many options that it can be hard to choose. His shopping cart was full; he was going to be making some sweet and savory cookies. I was so busy watching others in the store that I almost forgot to pick up butter. Butter was on sale too. Everything is better with butter. I am certain this year’s baking will help me get into the holiday spirit and feel the joy of making cookies. Tina Hinchley, and her husband, Duane, daughter Anna, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. The Hinchley’s have been hosting farm tour for over 25 years.

Th There is i something hi special i l about homemade food. Knowing someone took time to make the treat with their own two hands is comforting. Knowing someone took time to make the treat with their own two hands is comforting. I am on a budget, so I watch for sales in the grocery store yer. This week, the baking items are going to be soaring off the shelves with so many items on sale. I am sure there will be fantastic fun being whipped up in many kitchens. Big and little people, young and old, will be baking all sorts of holiday happiness this weekend. Just going to the grocery store is exciting when aisles are lled with all the ingredients to make some baking magic. I do not think I have ever seen so many different colors of sprinkles for cookies as I have during my last shopping visit. I can imagine a child looking at all of the cookie toppings and having a hard time to pick out just a few. The deli staff had pre-baked sugar cookies with all of the frostings and sprinkles in to-go containers on a table for all the shoppers to see. This was a great marketing plan. Everything is ready to decorate if someone doesn’t have time to bake. Easy-peasy, just frost and sprinkle. Whenever we make any frosted sugar cookies, they are the rst to be chosen from the cookie tray.

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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

www.extension.umn.edu/dairy

Traits of successful multi-generation businesses By Jim Salfer

University of Minnesota

Farmers pride themselves on being part of farms that have been passed on through multiple generations. States give out awards for century farms. This is a major accomplishment because not many businesses succeed for multiple generations. According to the Family Business Institute, only 30% of family-owned businesses transition to a second generation, 12% to a third, and 3% operate into the fourth generation or beyond. It is best for the vitality of our country and, even more importantly for our rural communities, if farms and other small businesses thrive. In the United States, family-owned businesses employ 60% of workers and create 78% of new jobs. Family Business International analyzed family-owned businesses throughout the world. They discovered four traits consistently found within thriving and successful multigenerational family businesses. These four traits were: good governance; the ability to identify and develop family and non-family talent; an orderly succession strategy; and having what they called family gravity. Family gravity is the business’s ability to capitalize on what makes their business special. Even though these small businesses were not farms, many of the keys to success are the same. Here are some take home messages about the traits that led to success. Good governance: These businesses had boards and were operated in a professional manner, not mixing business decisions with family dynamics. These businesses did not have family members with hidden agendas but instead had transparency relating to business decisions. They believed this led to sound decision making and management practices. Common traits of unsuccessful family businesses had family members with hidden agendas and preferential treatment favoring certain family members, which may result in irrational business decisions. Committing to sound decision-making and management practices was important for success. Identied and trained future leaders: The Family Business Institute observed that this is an area in which most family businesses could improve. Often not much time or thought is invested in identifying a leader who has the skills to maintain or grow the business. The most successful businesses evaluated future leaders on the skills, potential and value they brought to the business. The most important trait business owners looked for in their successors was shared values, vision and a good cultural t. This, along with a desire to change, learn new skills and the vision to adapt to the changing industry were important. These future business owners/leaders worked within the business for several years and were provided training to be set up for successful. All family members joined the business were expected to add value to the business. Family gravity: This term encompassed six key elements the successful companies aspired to implement. – These businesses had clearly dened values which united family members

and built strong relationships. This gave these businesses a moral center that helped sustain it in the face of challenges and difcult decisions. – The businesses’ vision for the future was clearly dened and communicated, and was the basis for the family’s business decisions. This is important in a rapidly changing business environment. This allowed the businesses to set goals and determine priorities. – Excellent communication ensured everyone could carry out his or her responsibilities and be a positive force for the business. – Family members had a mutual understanding of respect and support. This allowed for a healthy exchange of ideas, and discussion of key and delicate issues. This determines how resilient the family will be and how it will respond to change. – Good family governance and a commitment to professionalism helped ensure decisions were made and authority exercised to minimize conict. This also allowed the business to attract and retain superior employees. – Family roles were clearly dened for all members. Not only were business that exhibited these traits more likely to end up in a successful transition, but they were also more nancially successful. University of Minnesota Extension and Minnesota Dairy Initiatives offer a four-session course that focuses on many of these principles, called “Planning Your Dairy Farm Future.” We will again be offering this course in a couple of locations in 2022. If you want to learn more, email salfe001@umn.edu or call 612-360-4506, and I can share more details. Dana Adams, adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968

Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711

Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610

Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104

Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130

Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108

Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184

Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334

Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391

Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863

Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620

Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109

Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277

Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435

Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Isaac Salfer ijsalfer@umn.edu 320-296-1357 Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205 Emma Severns sever575@umn.edu 507-934-7828 Melissa Wison mlw@umn.edu 612-625-4276

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Dairy bedding considerations

Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 29

By Karen Johnson

University of Minnesota

By this time of year, farmers have either made or purchased the necessary bedding for winter. However, do you know the positives and negatives of the bedding you have selected for your farm? There are a number of bedding choices to pick from. When selecting a bedding type, you must think through a number of factors such as your farm’s manure handling system along with bedding availability, cost, cow comfort, pathogen growth potential and ease of use. Research has shown effective bedding management encourages cows to rest longer, decreases injuries, reduces fatigue and decreases the potential for mastitis. Increases in quality lying/resting time has been proven to increase the overall health and productivity of the cow. According to the typical daily time budget published by Rick Grant of the W. H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute, lactating dairy cows devote 12 to 14 hours per day to lying down or resting. Effective bedding management ensures clean cows, specically the udder and legs, to help reduce environmental pathogens and bacteria from entering the udder. It is important to keep the stall surface and the bedding as clean and dry as possible. Although a mattress adds to the comfort of the cow, the mattress doesn’t replace the benet of some type of bedding. Adequate amounts of clean, dry bedding will ensure minimal contamination to the udder. Compost bedded pack barns rst started being built in Minnesota 20 years ago. Approximately 12-18 inches of a material such as wood shavings or sawdust is initially spread in the barn. Manure builds up gradually. The barn must be aerated to a depth of 8-12 inches twice daily to encourage active composting. Wood shavings or sawdust are added weekly as needed. The pack is removed once or twice a year to be spread on elds, reducing the need for additional manure storage. Compost bedded pack barns are noted for cow comfort, as cows have the freedom to lie down more naturally. Cows have a soft bed to increase lying time and decrease hock lesions compared to other bedding types. There are additional costs for bedding to maintain the pack for optimal composting temperatures. The heat generated by the composting process helps keep the resting surface dry and controls pathogens and y larvae. Proper ventilation is critical to help reduce bedding moisture and remove the gases produced by the composting process from building. Care must be taken to ensure teats are cleaned and dried properly before milking. Cornstalks can be baled from the residue remaining in a harvested eld of corn. In most cases, this is a good economic option, as the cornstalks, after being used as bedding, are returned to the eld with the addition of manure. Similar to wood shavings or sawdust, cornstalks have a high water-holding capacity. Cornstalks are commonly used in deep-bedded packs but not in compost barns. Harvesting, bedding and manure removal of cornstalks can be hard on equipment. Sand, inorganic by nature, doesn’t support pathogen growth, resulting in reduced risk for mastitis. Bedding depth of 6-8 inches in a tie stall or free stall is recommended for optimal cow comfort and cleanliness. Be careful where you source your sand. Naturally occurring sand has smooth edges that increase cow comfort, versus crushing rock into sand which creates sharp edges. Sand particle size matters as well. The big negative to sand is that it can be hard on facilities and equipment. Disposal is difcult since the sand must be separated from the manure before applying to the eld. There are systems designed to capture, clean and recycle sand for use as bedding again. In most areas, straw is a relatively easy bedding type to source. Its soft, absorbent nature provides an ideal surface on which cows can lie down. Straw is easy to handle, breaks down quickly and adds organic matter to elds. Bacteria counts are generally lower compared to sawdust. Whether used in bed packs or stalls, cows tend to get dirtier with straw, which increases the potential for mastitis. Cost and the farm’s manure handling system are the top reasons why farmers don’t use straw. Wood shavings or sawdust are commonly used across dairy farms as they are easy to use, very absorbent and break down easily. Due to their organic nature, wood shavings and sawdust allow for rapid pathogen growth. Some farmers have chosen to add lime to the bedding to reduce the pH, slowing down pathogen growth and bacteria counts. Increased laying time for cows has been observed in deep-bedded wood shavings or sawdust. Availability and price are the biggest negative factors for use. Regardless of the bedding type, removal of all soiled bedding material is necessary. Most farmers clean stalls during milking; however, more frequent cleaning may be necessary to make improvements to cow cleanliness. In addition, periodic removal of all bedding from the stall or bedded pack and replacing with fresh clean bedding will be necessary to keep pathogen and bacteria levels down. Know what type of bedding you have and create a strategy that works best for you to manage that bedding type on your farm.

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Deer camp traditions Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

Deer season has its own set of traditions in my family, and oddly enough, most don’t actually involve shooting deer. My cousins and I would play cards at the small money table using coins instead of actual bills and sit and talk for hours about all of the important things in life in our younger days. Sometimes we sat and listened to the card game at the poker table as it reached its crescendo, smiling at the wonder of our loud, boisterous extended family with Grandpa Ike at the helm. Time has a way of changing traditions. The aging and loss of a family member and the addition of the next generation into deer camp has a way of strengthening those family threads that can get frayed. This year, we introduced what I hope will become new traditions. The passing of Grandpa Ike this past summer left a more noticeable void the week of Thanksgiving. Ordinarily, I would be calling to invite him over for turkey dinner, and the day after my aunt and her granddaughters would arrive at his house for

lefse making and gingerbread house building. Instead, Aunt Sherry, Jayden and Kendall arrived at the farm Friday just in time to help me clean up yet another dish disaster and prepare my potatoes for Saturday’s lefse making extravaganza. It was like the cleaning fairy that I had been wishing for arrived. Aunt Sherry started in on the dirty dish mountain and shooed me off to put Cora down for a nap. The girls helped boil and rice the potatoes with expertise, and when all 20 pounds were cooling on the porch, we headed off to the other house. I had nished Henry’s quilt that morning, and the plan was for Sherry and I to tie it together that evening. It was as close to a quilting bee as I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. Jayden and Kendall threaded the needles to keep us working along, and Henry even snuck in a few stitches of his own. Peter started my chores and texted with a calving dilemma, so we worked until our embroidery oss ran out. I traded in sewing needles for breeding sleeves as we sped off to the barn. The girls

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Productive Lactations ³ÐÒÔÙ Ìß µÝä#Àõ By John Champagne, D.V.M., M.P.V.M. Cattle Technical Services Merck Animal Health

Proper use of core-antigen vaccination has a tremendous impact on udder health in the next lactation. More than 50% of clinical coliform mastitis cases that ÚÎÎàÝ ÔÙ ßÓÐ öÝÞß ^]] ÏÌäÞ ÔÙ ØÔ×Ö ÚÝÔÒÔÙÌßÐ ÏàÝÔÙÒ ßÓÐ dry period.1 That’s why a core-antigen vaccine like Bovilis® »#b ÞÓÚà×Ï ÍÐ ÒÔáÐÙ Ìß ÏÝä#Úõ Core-antigen vaccines help a dairy cow’s immune system recognize coliform bacteria, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), when they invade the udder. ÅÓÐ ÍÐÙÐößÞ ÚÑ áÌÎÎÔÙÌßÔÚÙ Vaccine which occur by enhancing endotoxin the cow’s immune response, levels correlate can include reductions in mastitis severity, milk loss, with safety, pregnancy loss, culling and ÙÚß ÐøÎÌÎä death associated with E. coli infections.

damage to the udder. This reduces the potential for systemic disease. Core-antigen vaccines contain levels of endotoxins, which can be the result of the manufacturing process. That’s why it’s so important to evaluate the amount of endotoxin present when selecting a vaccine. Bovilis J-5 is a Gram-negative core-antigen vaccine that’s ÑÚÝØà×ÌßÐÏ ßÚ ÛÝÚáÔÏÐ ÌÏÐÜàÌßÐ ÌÙßÔÒÐÙ ÐãÛÚÞàÝÐ ÑÚÝ ÌÙ ÐõÐÎßÔáÐ ÌÙßÔÍÚÏä ÔØØàÙÐ ÝÐÞÛÚÙÞÐ âÓÔ×Ð minimizing the potential adverse endotoxin loading associated with vaccine endotoxin levels. ÄßàÏÔÐÞ ÞÓÚâ ³ÚáÔ×ÔÞ »#b ÓÌÞ ÙÚ ÙÐÒÌßÔáÐ ÐõÐÎß ÚÙ ØÔ×Ö production.2 And when compared to similar products, ³ÚáÔ×ÔÞ »#b ÓÌÏ ßÓÐ ×ÚâÐÞß ÐÙÏÚßÚãÔÙ ×ÐáÐ×Þ (¶Æ*Ø½) ÛÐÝ ÍÚßß×Ð Ôß ÔÞ ^b ßÔØÐÞ ×ÚâÐÝ ßÓÌÙ ßÓÐ Æ Ä ÁÓÌÝØÌÎÚÛÐÔÌ recommendation.3 Reducing E. coli mastitis with Bovilis J-5 It is important to note that vaccine endotoxin levels ÎÚÝÝÐ×ÌßÐ âÔßÓ ÞÌÑÐßä ÙÚß ÐøÎÌÎä ÃÐÞÐÌÝÎÓ ÚÙ ÐøÎÌÎä found the use of Bovilis J-5 reduced the rate of clinical coliform mastitis 2.4-fold compared with the use of ¶ÙáÔÝÌÎÚÝ® »#b ÏàÝÔÙÒ ßÓÐ öÝÞß ^]] ÏÌäÞ ÚÑ ×ÌÎßÌßÔÚÙ 2

Why vaccination works In the udder, Gram-negative coliform bacteria can reproduce rapidly with each bacterium containing ÐÙÏÚßÚãÔÙ âÔßÓÔÙ ßÓÐÔÝ ÎÐ×× âÌ××Þ ¶ÙÏÚßÚãÔÙ ÎÌÙ ÛÝÚÏàÎÐ Ì ÎÌÞÎÌÏÐ ÚÑ ÏÐßÝÔØÐÙßÌ× ÔÙ÷ÌØØÌßÚÝä ÝÐÞÛÚÙÞÐÞ ÔÙ ßÓÐ ÃÌßÐÞ ÚÑ Î×ÔÙÔÎÌ× ÎÚ×ÔÑÚÝØ ØÌÞßÔßÔÞ âÐÝÐ ÓÔÒÓÐÝ ÔÙ ßÓÔÝÏ# ÌÙÏ ÑÚàÝßÓ#×ÌÎßÌßÔÚÙ ÎÚâÞ ÎÚØÛÌÝÐÏ âÔßÓ öÝÞß# ÌÙÏ ÎÚâ ÅÓÐ ÌÍÔ×Ôßä ÚÑ ßÓÐ ÎÚâ Þ ÔØØàÙÐ ÞäÞßÐØ ßÚ ÜàÔÎÖ×ä second-lactation recognize, destroy cows.2 While not and remove ® ® ® ® BOVILIS J-5 ENDOVAC-DAIRY ENVIRACOR J-5 J-VAC restricted to older these bacteria cows, the greatest Û×ÌäÞ Ì ÞÔÒÙÔöÎÌÙß Dose 5 mL 2 mL 5 mL 2 mL ÏÔõÐÝÐÙÎÐ ÔÙ role in reducing ³ÚáÔ×ÔÞ »#b ÐøÎÌÎä the negative a b c d Mean EU/mL* 44 85,156 5,936 351,636 over that of outcomes from a ¶ÙáÔÝÌÎÚÝ »#b a,b,c,d coliform bacteria ¾ÐÌÙÞ âÔßÓ ÏÔõÐÝÐÙß ÞàÛÐÝÞÎÝÔÛßÞ ÏÔõÐÝ (Á~] ]b) was in cows that infection. ÓÌáÐ ÎÌ×áÐÏ Ìß ×ÐÌÞß ßâÔÎÐ ÅÓÔÞ ÔÞ ÞÔÒÙÔöÎÌÙß ÍÐÎÌàÞÐ Vaccination increases antibody numbers. Therefore Ú×ÏÐÝ ÎÚâÞ ÏàÝÔÙÒ ßÓÐ öÝÞß ØÚÙßÓÞ ÚÑ ×ÌÎßÌßÔÚÙ ÌÝÐ Ìß the cow’s immune system is better able to destroy and greatest risk to clinical coliform mastitis remove these bacteria before they cause further local caused by E. coli and Klebsiella species. s.4

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION This product contains oil adjuvant. In the event of accidental self-injection, seek medical attention immediately. For additional information, see the product label. ^ ³ÝÌÏ×Ðä »² ¸ÝÐÐÙ ¾» ² ÞßàÏä ÚÑ ßÓÐ ÔÙÎÔÏÐÙÎÐ ÌÙÏ ÞÔÒÙÔöÎÌÙÎÐ ÚÑ ÔÙßÝÌØÌØØÌÝä ÐÙßÐÝÚÍÌÎßÐÝÔÌ× ÔÙÑÐÎßÔÚÙÞ ÌÎÜàÔÝÐÏ ÏàÝÔÙÒ ßÓÐ dry period. J. Dairy Sci. 2000:83(9):1957-1965. _ ·ÔÐ×Ï ßÝÔÌ× ßÚ ÎÚØÛÌÝÐ ÐøÎÌÎä ÚÑ ³ÚáÔ×ÔÞ »#b ÌÙÏ ¶ÙáÔÝÌÎÚÝ »#b áÌÎÎÔÙÐÞ ÌÒÌÔÙÞß Î×ÔÙÔÎÌ× ÎÚ×ÔÑÚÝØ ØÌÞßÔßÔÞ ÏàÝÔÙÒ ÐÌÝ×ä ×ÌÎßÌßÔÚÙ Merck Animal Health technical bulletin, 2020. 3. Comparison of endotoxin concentrations in Bovilis J-5 with those in three commercially available Gram-negative, lipopolysaccharide core-antigen vaccines. Merck Animal Health technical bulletin, 2020. a ¹ÚÒÌÙ »Ä ÄØÔßÓ ¼½ ÅÚÏÓàÙßÐÝ µ² ÄÎÓÚÐÙÍÐÝÒÐÝ ÁÄ ·ÔÐ×Ï ßÝÔÌ× ßÚ ÏÐßÐÝØÔÙÐ ÐøÎÌÎä ÚÑ ÌÙ E. coli J5 mastitis vaccine. J. Dairy Sci. 1992;75:78-84. ©2021 Intervet Inc., d/b/a Merck Animal Health, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.

To learn more more, contact your veterinarian and visit BovilisJ5.com.

hadn’t ever been in the barn with me, so this was an adventure. The giggles, squeals and overall willingness to pitch in (even reaching an arm in a cow calving) were pure delight for Peter and me. We love to see the newness of such an experience through someone else’s eyes. Two new calves fed and cozy an hour later, and Ramblings from the Ridge we headed to the cabin for supper with the rest of the crew. Saturday morning started early with Sherry and I nishing tying the quilt before I milked cows. Chores ran late, and the girls (and Dane, my lefse rolling professional) red up the lefse griddles and had the rst batch done by By Jacqui Davison the time I walked through Columnist the door. Fresh off the griddle lefse, soft butter and homemade jam all rolled up in a perfect package. There is something so heartwarming in knowing you are making something your ancestors made decades ago, while using your great-grandma’s lefse rolling pin. The hunters and their younger offspring make it a point to do some things to help around the farm on the second Saturday of camp. This year, one crew was busy splitting, throwing and stacking wood in the basement of the farmhouse while the carpenter cousins worked on a small building. All crowded in the farmhouse to devour Sherry’s chicken dumpling soup, a taco bar and the much-anticipated lefse. After a quick prayer of thanks, the loud hum of the house turned into delightful sounds of slurping soup and enjoying a meal together. As the hunters went back to the woods, the boys got creative in their candy house making. They aren’t too fancy; a small milk carton covered in graham crackers for a house, marshmallow and pretzel fences, Oreo four-wheelers, pretzel log piles, animal cookies to represent a deer down in the woods, sprinkles for the blood trail. The rst cousins involved in this are starting to become too cool to frost graham crackers with the rest of us but can be convinced to help a little one. This has become a coveted tradition for the young ones as they talk about getting to come along to the second week of deer camp with the big guys. I had many helpers in the barn that evening as all the kids seemed to want a part of the action. Chores were done while four-wheelers kept delivering cousins down to the cabin to eat supper and hang out. Card games were played. Finley was the big winner of the night and will still grin from ear to ear if you mention it. Frankly, I am grinning about the weekend as well. It was so good for my soul. I learned quilting tricks and what I need to do with my lefse to make it as silky smooth and delicate as Aunt Sherry’s. But, more so, the time with family made many memories for all of us. We may tweak our traditions a tad over the years, but at the core, it is still a family spending time together. As my cousins and I stood around observing the generation before us, sitting comfortably on the couch talking, and the generation we created, playing games and riding four-wheelers into the night with their cousins, the happiness was evident all around. “This. This right here is what deer camp is all about,” we concluded. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira (14), Dane (12), Henry (7) and Cora (4), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.

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Painting by numbers Numbers can tell a story. For example, numbers that represent key performance indicators can tell at least part of the story of a dairy farm. When numbers from a group of farms are combined, they can tell the story of the group. Veterinary Wisdom Every year, our practice completes a benchmarking project to paint the story of a large share of the freestall herds in the practice. Let’s take a look at some of the numbers to paint a picture of these dairies for the time period from mid-2020 to mid-2021. The numbers below are the average (mean) of By Jim Bennett 29 herds representing Columnist over 21,000 cows. The numbers for each herd represent a 12-month average for each parameter. First, inventories and culling: The ratio of youngstock to cows was 89% this year. This is total heifer inventory divided by lactating and dry cow herd size. The trend here is downward. Farms used to typically have well over 100% heifers to cows. The turnover rate (culling and dead divided by total number of calvings) supported by the heifer supply (live births minus deaths and sold) in the last 12 months was 36%. The actual turnover rate for the herds was 30%, so on average, herds are producing enough heifers to maintain turnover rates. The average culling rate (sold and deaths divided by average lactating and dry cow herd size) was 34%. The average percentage died was 4%, and the percentage of herd culled in the rst 60 days of lactation was 8%. The average age of the herd was 47 months, and the percentage of herd that are in lactation one was 35%. We have seen a trend of reducing culling and increasing average herd age in the last few years, but the trends had been going the other way until recently. In 2004, the average culling rate was 32%, but by 2013, it had reached 40%. The average age was 46

months in 2004 but reached a nadir of 43.5 months in 2014. Heifer supplies have been getting smaller, and we expect the effects of smaller inventories on culling and herd age to become more prominent in the next few years. Farms will need to learn how to manage lower culling rates. Production: Our herds averaged 94 pounds of energy-corrected milk (ECM), with remarkable component levels of 4.1% butterfat and 3.2% protein. The average pounds of fat and protein combined per cow per year was 6.4. This is a testimony to our farmers’ management skills and the efforts of their nutrition professionals. For energy corrected milk by lactation, we see averages of 82, 97 and 101 pounds for lactations one, two, three and up, respectively. On average, lactation three and up cows gave 19 pounds more ECM than lactation one, which is why our farmers want a greater percentage of older cows in their herds. Reproduction: The average for pregnancy rates and conception rates was 32% and 49%, respectively. In 2004, the respective averages were 18% and 34%. Our farmers have had remarkable success increasing pregnancy and conception rates in the last two decades. The success in improving conception rates is particularly stunning, because it is often difcult to signicantly increase conception rates in dairy herds. Improvements are most likely due to more farms using timed A.I. programs, improvement in timed A.I. programs and better herd nutritional management. Youngstock pregnancy rate and conception rate averages were 28% and 57%, respectively, with a wide range of pregnancy rate (4%-44%). The value of high youngstock pregnancy rates is becoming better understood by our producers, as lower youngstock pregnancy rates are usually due to low service rates rather than conception rates, and thus are fairly easy to change. Abortion rates (total abortions divided by average herd size) averaged 8% for cows and 2% for youngstock. Abortion rates in cows tend to track conception rates; as conception rates have gone up, abortion rates have declined. Twinning rates have also declined to an average of 3% last year. Most likely this is due to more herds using timed A.I. programs, and

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better nutrition and control of periparturient diseases. Youngstock: 5% of heifers died up to calving; this includes 3% of heifers that died in the rst 60 days of life. The average age at rst calving was 23 months. This has declined signicantly over the last two decades. The average net herd replacement cost was $1.46 per hundredweight ECM. Disease rates: The ability to capture disease rates is

F example, For l numbers b that h represent key performance indicators can tell at least part of the story of a dairy farm. limited to diseases where one can develop a relatively standard denition and by the ability of the producers to record that data. For the farms that have good data, the average rates of displaced abomasum, retained placenta, milk fever, ketosis and metritis were: 1.5%, 3.1%, 2.2%, 9% and 5%, respectively. These rates are calculated by the number of cases divided by total number of calvings, because they occur after calving. All of these have declined tremendously over the last couple of decades. For example, the highest rates of displaced abomasum, metritis and retained placenta reported for any year since 2004 were 7%, 18% and 8%, respectively. Clearly, fresh cow health is much better than it used to be. This is a snapshot of some of the more interesting parameters tracked in our last herd survey. So, now you have a partial picture of how dairies look in southeastern Minnesota. How does the picture of your dairy compare? 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.

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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

Prepping for winter

It’s the time of year where brisk mornings and warm days have changed to cold mornings and, well, also cold days. The kids get excited every time the weather forecast mentions snow, and I feel a tiny bit of panic. No matter how long the fall season goes on, I never seem to get From the Zweber Farm to all the projects to prepare for winter. Could be that I’m a person who needs a deadline on a project or it will continue in perpetuity toward the unachievable goal of perfection. On our farm, we don’t grow any row crops or own a combine. So, when the forages are done growing, By Tim Zweber we’re done with eldwork Farmer & Columnist for the year. Not entirely true, as there’s usually a big pile of compost to haul and a hay eld or two to plow down to get ready for reseeding next year, but close enough. You’d think that would give me time to clean all the equipment for storage and get everything crammed into the sheds long before urries threaten to fall. You’d be wrong. The part that screws up having everything put away long before November is that I always seem to need to do just one more little repair on the equipment that ts best if it goes in rst, so everything else has to wait for that to be put away. There is a very specic way everything has to get parked in the sheds to t it all in, like a large, expensive game of Tetris played with tractors and the skid loader. The cost of not ipping a piece in time or picking the wrong spot is usually some time spent with a mallet or jack, bending a guard or part back into shape. I usually employ one or more of the kids to stand there and watch as I back things in, so they can shout and wave after it’s too late and I’ve backed up an inch too far. Fall is also the time we do major construction projects. It’s nice to not have to work on building projects in between hay crops, as sometimes there are no “between” days for a month or two. It’s also nice to have a bit of motivation to keep the project moving along, in the form of fearing that if we don’t get it done quickly the ground will probably freeze and a foot of snow will fall. This year we waited a bit too long to pour a new feeding area for the milk cows by the free-stall barn, but there should be time to put up a nice new hoop house for the layers. The old chicken barns are starting to resemble Swiss cheese thanks to the rats that love the all-you-caneat chicken feed buffet and refreshment bar. I’m looking forward to moving the chickens to some much-easier-toclean housing, and I’m especially excited to permanently evict the rats. My parents’ house and our woodshop are heated by an outdoor wood boiler. Fall is the time we cut rewood. There is no lack of trees along the eld edges needing to be cut down due to wind damage or just plain growing the wrong direction. Cutting wood is a job I denitely prefer to do when it’s chilly out. First, it’s hard, sweaty work, and second, it’s a lot easier when there aren’t leaves on the trees. It takes quite a few cords of wood to keep everyone warm all winter so we better get started. Hopefully you all are ready for winter to show up and are kicking back waiting for the snow, humming Christmas songs while the chilly wind blows between chores. If not, know you’re in good company. Let’s all hope the snow holds off just a little longer because there’s always a bit more that needs to get done. Until next time, keep living the dream and go nd those Carhartt overalls because you’re going to need them sooner than you think. Tim Zweber farms with his wife Emily, their three children and his parents Jon and Lisa by Elko, Minnesota.

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We had an animal ready for butchering recently. So, we called a local meat butchering, cut and wrap shop to get an appointment to bring in an animal from our farm. July 2022 was the rst available appointment. The lack of butchers is not a new thing, though it has been getting more attention lately. An article in the Nov. 30 Star Tribune detailed the problem and focused on meat-cutting programs that will be added to the curriculum in two Minnesota community colleges next fall. It was also reported that interest in this type of course offering around the country is picking Come Full Dairy Circle up. Both schools are offering a semester of classes for students to understand the business from farm to slaughter to market to kitchen. “The students will graduate from the schools and enter the workforce at an apprentice level and know the basic fundamentals of meat-cutting, food safety and handling,” according to Willmar Ridgewater College’s Dean of Instruction Jeff Miller. This sounds like an excellent idea because the shortage of people with these skills and those who are pursuing this profession is painfully felt in rural By Jean Annexstad America. As butchers retire, livestock farmers have Columnist fewer options to have their animals slaughtered. Just a few years ago, we could call our local butcher shop about 15 miles away and set up a day to pick up the animal we wanted to have butchered. Then I would pick up the boxes of beef they had cut, wrapped and ground several weeks later. The next task was depositing the meat in several freezers around our farm and distributing it to other family members, employees or neighbors. The owner of the plant, who picked up our animal himself, had often told us about his difculties nding employees. He also spoke of the regulations that were becoming overwhelming for his family-owned business. Then the pandemic made things more complicated. We had an appointment for a beef to be processed in October 2020. In August of that year, a phone call alerted us they were no longer able to slaughter and process whole beef animals. In the meantime, a friend had an unused slot elsewhere, so we were able to have our animal processed a few months later. The urgent need for more butcher shops and trained workers is well documented in rural communities. Our situation was not unique. The meat processing industry has undergone many transformations. First the animals were butchered and processed on the farm by family members. What a huge job just the butchering must have been, and I can’t imagine preserving it all with no freezers. In our local area, the Norseland Locker Plant operated from 1937 to 1980. The locker plant was a part of the Norseland Cooperative Creamery, and families using it could arrange to bring livestock from their farm to the butcher shop where the butcher would slaughter, cut, wrap and freeze the meat for them. Curing was also available. The meat was stored in one of 150 deep-freeze lockers large enough to hold 200 pounds of food. Each locker was rented with a separate key for the family to use whenever they wanted their meat. What a help this must have been for large, busy farm families living only a few miles away. Today many local butcher shops have shut down, leaving less capacity for those seeking this service. Just a few multinational companies dominate the meatpacking industry today. Recent pandemic-related plant shutdowns shed light on this. All of this brought back memories of my mother’s stories of her father’s butcher shop. She grew up next to it in the small town of Cleveland, Minnesota. Although I never met my grandfather, I knew he had apprenticed in a St. Peter butcher shop and then started his own in nearby Cleveland. My mother told us how he opened his shop for a few hours after church on Sundays for people who needed last-minute meat or other items for their dinners. It seems more people wish to make their meat purchases from local farmers these days. Sometimes trends swing back around to where they started. Some of the male calves sold from our farm and raised as steers are butchered, processed and frozen in local shops, with frozen meat cuts or hamburger sold directly from the farms. Many people prefer local. It is really an interesting trend, and I am glad there is industry backing and money from the Minnesota Legislature for the community colleges to teach meat cutting once again. The program offered through Central Lakes College in Brainerd involves a “mobile slaughter unit” which is a customized 36-foot truck that is a small slaughterhouse on wheels, according to the Star Tribune article. The $500,000 cost of the unit was approved by the Legislature. Enjoy delicious meat. I know I don’t take it for granted now as I once did. 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.

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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

Dairying the Erbsen way

Family farm remains traditional through success in genetics By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

LANARK, Ill. – Down the country roads of Lanark sits a humble farm that thrives with a good family and good cows. Kevin Erbsen grew up at Erbacres Holsteins and continues the family’s livelihood with the help of his

children and his brother, John. “This farm has been in the family since my dad and mom got married in the 1950s,” Kevin said. Today, the Erbsens milk 46 cows in a tiestall barn. Kevin begins his day by cleaning mangers and running the barn cleaner before milking. “It takes about an hour and a half to get cleaned up before I start milking,” Kevin said. The cows are let out every day and spend most of the morning outside. By early afternoon, chores begin again for the evening. “It’s all I’ve ever done,”

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Kevin Erbsen holds a picture of his family’s cows on his farm Nov. 27 near Lanark, Illinois. Erbsen and his family milk 46 cows.

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Kevin Erbsen points out pictures of his favorite cows in the barn oﬃce Nov. 27 at his farm near Lanark, Illinois. Erbacres Holsteins has bred 183 Excellent cows to date.

Kevin said. “I just like taking care of cattle, I guess.” Kevin’s parents had three daughters and three sons who all worked together. They began milking 60 cows on a nearby farm with a barn that housed 28 cows. The family switched cows in and out during milking. In the fall of 1975, the Erbsens bought the current site and milked in two barns to avoid switching.

time,” Kevin said. “Everybody had their part, but it was still a lot of work.” The Erbsens began farming with a grade herd, but then had a sale in 1961 and rebuilt the herd with registered cattle. Kevin and his siblings joined 4-H and began showing and taking an interest in genetics.

“As long as there were a lot of kids around to help, it was OK,” Kevin said. With two barns full of cows, the Erbsens chose to divide and conquer the chores. Kevin’s mother, Pauline, milked in one barn with the help of a few kids, and his dad, Kenneth, milked in the other barn with the rest of the kids. “We milked at the same

Turn to ERBSEN | Page 35

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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 35

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Kevin (leŌ) and Payton Erbsen look over the cows Nov. 27 at Erbacres Holsteins near Lanark, Illinois. Payton plans to join the farm once he nishes college. “I guess you’d say my dad got us heading in the right direction,” Kevin said. “We bought some good cattle along the way.” Once the family had registered cattle, they began focusing on breeding with A.I. and doing a better job mating the cows. It led John to a 30-year career of mating cows. “Genetics is what I do every day,” John said. John’s passion for genetics put him on a path to join the show world with a group of partners. He purchased a cow named KHW Regiment Apple Red, who is the granddam of Erbacres Snapple Shakira ET, the supreme champion at World Dairy Expo this year. “I bought Apple because of her pedigree; I loved her mother,” John said. “Sometimes you get lucky and buy the right one.” The cattle in which John and his partners invest in are usually sold to others. “I think the biggest gratication that I get out of it is that I’ve sold a lot of young heifers out of Apple’s family and to see them do well for their new owners and to breed on,” John said. Together with his partners, John has marketed approximately 200 daughters of the Red and White cows around the world. “It’s hard to really wrap your head around it, even for me,” John said. Under the management of John and Kevin, the Erbacres herd has bred 183

Excellent cows. Of those, 25 have been named Gold Medal dams, and 24 have been named a Dam of Merit. John helps at the home farm when his schedule allows, and he also houses cattle there. With humble roots, Kevin and John carry on, each in their own way, and look forward to the future of Erbacres Holsteins. Kevin’s son, Payton, is hoping to join the farm after college. He is a junior studying animal science at University of Illinois in Champaign, and said he always wanted to farm. “I’d say growing up on the farm, coming back is all you’d want to do,” Payton said. “Sitting in school, you always want to be out.” Payton’s favorite part of farming is talking about cows with his dad. “I like when we can go out to the cow yard or stand in the barn and you can look at a cow and talk about what we like and don’t like,” Payton said. “Then we talk about breeding and what bulls are doing good now and bulls that are young and coming up.” The team at Erbacres Holsteins covers many areas of the industry, a feat Kevin said is doable because of their dedication to dairy. “Not everything works the way it’s supposed to,” he said. “Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don’t. You’ve got to work hard at it, and hopefully the good outweighs the bad most days. Most of the time it’s good.”

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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

Women In Dairy

to work side-byside with him every day. We make a great team. It is an honor to get to work together toward our dreams. In the dairy industry, one never quits learning. He has been a great teacher and partner. I truly enjoy sharing our farm with my family and friends. One of my favorite things is when my friends come to visit the farm and we get to teach them about what we do. I feel educating others helps promote the dairy industry. Jim and I have an

Jenny Briggs Stratford, Wisconsin Marathon County 56 cows

Family: Husband, Jim Briggs; my oldest son, Cody Wenke, lives and farms in Iowa with his wife, Jessica, and my two beautiful granddaughters, Mattie and Maleah; my youngest son, Justin Briggs, lives on the farm with us and helps us with mechanical repairs. Tell us about the farm. My husband and I have always been involved in farming. He grew up on a dairy in Massachusetts, while I grew up on a farm in Iowa that had livestock and did custom haying. We milk a small herd of 56 cows, primarily Jerseys. We milk in a tiestall barn and do rotational grazing. We raise a few heifer replacements, and Jersey and Jersey-beef crossbred steers for beef. We sell beef by the quarter, half or whole. What is the busiest time of day for you? Most often it is in the evenings. I work all day at my off-farm job, so when I get home, my responsibilities include outside chores and evening milkings. Outside chore duties include bottle feeding calves, feeding steers and heifers, and checking on dry cows. I do daily counts of all the cattle to ensure everyone is healthy and accounted for, as well as making sure everyone has proper feed, water and bedding. The busiest time of the year is from fall until the end of the year. Working in health care is the busiest time for my offfarm job, which cuts back the hours I am able to help at home. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? There never seems to be enough spare moments on the farm. There is always something to do. Napping would be my rst thought; however, I love to spend time with family and friends. I’m thankful that my family visits throughout the year. I enjoy reading or listening to books. My husband and I love to try out different restaurants, so when we get the chance, we support a local one. One of my favorite things is taking drives around the countryside. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. A beautiful sunset after a long day of harvest; the sight of a calf being born; the view of the cows out grazing on pasture; a beautiful sunrise when the rest of the world is still asleep and calm; the sight of the milk truck picking up our milk; the laughter of family on a good day or the silent tears on a challenging day. Each and every day spent on the farm is memorable. I’m grateful for life on the farm and wouldn’t trade it for anything else. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I married into the dairy industry. My husband has always been involved. He grew up on a dairy that bottled and processed their own milk. I mostly enjoy getting

¿Como se dice?

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Have you ever wondered ‘How do I say that in Spanish?’. Below are a few common phrases heard around the dairy, along with how to say them in Spanish.

› Somatic Cell Count Conteo de células somáticas Kohn-teh-oh deh seh-loo-lahs so-muh-tee-kahs

› Milk quality is very important

intense passion for what we do.

How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Being a small farm, it is hard to connect face-to-face. The best way I can stay connected is through social media. Being able to connect online allows us to stay up to date through socialization with peers and listening to dairy or agricultural webinars. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? Marie Canon. I met her at a dairy conference I attended in Madison. She has been involved in the dairy industry for several years, farming with her husband. Her family recently opened Canon Creamery in Pennsylvania. Her passion for the industry, her determination and hard work ethic has been essential to the diversication of her family farm. She inspires me to continue to strive to reach our goals and know that dreams do come true. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? I love to give tours of the farm to anyone. I often have friends come to the farm with their families. My husband and I love to share with others about what we do. It’s fun to have people come to the farm who have never been on a farm before. It allows us to explain the why behind what we do and help dispel any mistruths they might have. Our cows are friendly and will walk up to us in the pasture and greet us. Visitors who come to the farm love this. So, I would gladly give a tour to any prominent woman who would take the time to get to know us. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? A trip in April to St. Pete’s Beach in Florida with my high school friends the year I turned 40. We had a great time reminiscing about younger years and soaking up the rays on the beach. While I was gone on my trip, back in Wisconsin we had a major snowstorm where we got over 2 feet of snow. I remember sharing pictures with my husband of my feet in the sand, while he shared with me pictures of the snow going over the top of his boots. It was nice being away and relaxing and not having to shovel snow. What are some words you like to live by? Don’t forget to live, laugh and love. Live each day to your fullest; you never know when it will be your last. Laugh often, because life is much better when you’re laughing. I enjoy bringing smiles to others. Cherish in the memories of those who have passed before you, and bring to life what you loved most about them. Take time out of your life to volunteer; helping others is rewarding. Stay humble. Most importantly, never stop dreaming. No one else is going to chase after your dreams for you; get out there, work hard and make things happen.

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La Calidad de la leche es muy importante Lah kah-lee-dahd deh lah leh-cheh ehs mwee eem-pohr-tahn-teh

› Mastitis is a very expensive disease La Mastitis es una enfermedad muy costosa Lah mahs-day-dihs ehs oo-nah ehm-fehr-meh-dahd mwee kohs-toh-sah

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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 37

Memorize the cows, not the notes Frisle tops NAILE 4-H dairy judging contest By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

PRAIRIE FARM, Wis. – When Justyne Frisle placed ninth at the Wisconsin 4-H Dairy Judging Contest earlier this year, she qualied for the team that represented Wisconsin at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky, in November. “It was my rst national contest,” Frisle said of competing in Louisville. “I was kind of nervous; I didn’t want to do really badly. My goal was for our team to win, to do well in reasons and to hopefully place in the top 20.” Frisle and her teammates placed second overall and won the reasons portion of the contest. Frisle topped not only the reasons portion of the contest individually but was also the overall high individual. “It was a really good contest; it ran really smoothly, and the classes were really good,” Frisle said. “I was kind of blown away by how many people were competing. I still cannot believe that I won it.” Frisle is the 18-year-old daughter of Dean and Leslie Frisle of Prairie Farm in Barron County where their family milks 65 cows. Frisle is a senior at Prairie Farm High School and is planning to study dairy science at either the University of Wisconsin-Madison or the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Frisle’s teammates were Brady Bleck of Sheboygan County, Emma Dorshorst of Wood County and Abigail Powers of Dunn County. Coaches Matt Dorshorst and Jim Powers accompanied the team to the contest. The competition consisted of 10 placings classes and four sets of oral reasons Nov. 7. The results were announced the next morning. “After the contest was nished, I compared placings with my teammates

and felt pretty good,” Frisle said. “We all had similar placings, with just a few pairs switched around. I had felt really good about two of my sets of reasons too.” Contest day was long for Frisle, who said she was the last contestant to nish giving reasons Sunday afternoon. “I almost fell asleep while I was studying my reasons,” Frisle said. “It was such a long day, and I had to wait until the very end to give my last set of reasons.” Although this was her rst national contest, Frisle has participated in dairy judging almost longer than she can remember. “I always tagged along when my older sister was showing or going to dairy judging,” Frisle said. “We hosted dairy judging practices on our farm, and I would listen at those. I’m not even sure when I actually started thinking about judging; it has just been something that I’ve always been around.” Frisle said her parents and grandparents have been instrumental in teaching her the ner points of dairy judging. She also credits her long-time dairy judging coach, Steve Fronk, for helping pique and maintain her interest. Frisle has high hopes for her county judging team in 2022. “Our team was really young this year,” she said. “Two of our members were competing as seniors and giving reasons for the rst time, so hopefully they’ll be more condent next year, having done it for a year.” Oral reasons were initially a bit of a stumbling block for Frisle. “I thought I had to memorize my reasons, and I could never do it,” Frisle said. “Then I started to realize I needed to memorize the cows not the reasons. If I was able to see the cows in my mind and talk about them as I saw them, it made it a lot easier.” That is the one piece of advice Frisle said she would share with a new competitor: Make sure your notes are accurate descriptions of the cows rather than a full set of written reasons. “I really enjoy being able to spend time with friends and being around cows,” Frisle said. “I think it is interesting to see how different people think. I like the competition too.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Justyne Frisle is named the overall high individual and winner of oral reasons at the North American InternaƟonal Livestock ExposiƟon’s naƟonal youth dairy judging contest Nov. 7 in Louisville, Kentucky. Frisle is from Prairie Farm, Wisconsin.

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The Wisconsin 4-H dairy judging team – (front, from leŌ) Justyne Frisle of Barron County; Emma Dorshorst of Wood County; Abigail Powers of Dunn County; and Brady Bleck of Sheboygan County; (back, from leŌ) coaches MaƩ Dorshorst and Jim Powers – takes second place overall and is the winning team in oral reasons at the North American InternaƟonal Livestock ExposiƟon’s naƟonal youth dairy judging contest Nov. 7 in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021

Keeping up with the industry Fuller’s Milker Center adds second location By Abby Wiedmeyer

LANCASTER, Wis. – Fuller’s Milker Center in Lancaster has added a second location in Richland Center through the acquisition of the formerly named Advanced Dairy Solutions Inc. Effective Nov. 1, Advanced Dairy Solutions has sold the milking and cooling division to Fuller’s Milker Center. “Basically, things lined up just right and we took advantage of it,” said Mike Thousand. Thousand is an owner of Fuller’s Milker Center and is joined by fellow owners Ronald Wilson, Mark Bahl, Heather Fuller and Bart Fuller, all of whom are involved in the daily operation of the business. There were no plans to add a second location until the owners were approached by Advanced Dairy Solutions. Fuller’s Milker Center had support from GEA to complete the consolidation, and they felt a combination of forces was a good move.

“We are working to make our business adapt to the challenges and changing circumstances that the dairymen face,” Bart Fuller said. Fuller’s Milker Center has acquired the milking and cooling staff from Advanced Dairy Solutions, so customers can rest easy knowing their route delivery crews and maintenance technicians will remain the same. Those technicians are working out of the same Richland Center location as always, and the store is open for parts as usual. The phone number for the Richland Center location is staying the same for the milking and cooling division as well. There is staff on site in Richland Center to answer phones and be available to customers. Management duties and service calls are being dispatched from the main ofÀce in Lancaster. The combination of workforces will bring expanded services to the Richland Center area. Fuller’s Milker Center has trained their staff, updated tools and equipment, and expanded their electrical expertise with one master electrician and two journeymen. This knowledge will

carry over to the new location. The owners believe that with the changes happening in the dairy industry, this acquisition will help keep them relevant in the volatile dairy industry. “This really ensures that we can stay competitive in purchasing so things don’t change for the customers,” Fuller said. The owners said their time in the industry so far has been busy, and they are doing their best to keep up. “The dairy industry has changed, and we are changing with it,” Wilson said. “I think we’ve always kind of felt that as the industry grows and the dairymen grow, we want to continue to grow with them and keep up with the industry.” Fuller’s Milker Center was started in 1953 by Bill and Jean Fuller and one employee. It began as a small business in a basement. By 1978, the business had grown from the basement to the garage to a brand-new building in Lancaster. The business was purchased at that time by John, Jim and David Fuller. In August 2001, Fuller’s Milker Center moved to its current location on U.S. Highway 61 North in Lancaster.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 11, 2021 • Page 39

Austin McCulley Valders, Wisconsin Manitowoc County 270 cows

What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I most enjoy working with my family. My father and I do many of the day-to-day chores, and we are fortunate to have great employees as well. It is great to have a team that does their best to provide the best care to the cows and youngstock.

How did you get into farming? I grew up farming with my father and brothers. It is something I loved to do from childhood on, and always felt was a great lifestyle.

What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Farming can be mentally straining. Find a hobby that can take your mind off the daily stress.

What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? I believe COVID-19 will continue to make global markets unsteady, but we as farmers are fortunate to produce a product the world cannot survive without. Whether or not we can produce dairy products protably can be another issue at times. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? I don’t know if switching from bagged feed to piles is new technology, but we did this in the past year with alfalfa. It has produced much more consistent feed, especially from a moisture standpoint. When bagging alfalfa, moisture always changed from eld to eld, and we do not see those changes with our piled feed. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? Within the past year, we quit using dry cow treatments across the board. We went from using on all cows to just using on high somatic cell count cows, which are very few. We now milk all cows out 24 hours post dry-off and again 48 hours after that. We see very few mastitis cases, and the cows respond to mastitis treatments better when they need to be treated. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? We have always strived to be as efcient as possible. Having alley scrapers allows our dairy to do all milkings with one person per milking shift, which is a big labor saver. We have done some no-till planting and have used rye, pea and oat as

What has been the best purchase you have ever made on your farm? Picking just one is difcult, but a pasteurizer for feeding calves has made my job as herd manager much simpler. We struggled to do a good job raising calves on milk replacer, and since purchasing the milk taxi, we have very few sick calves and much better growth rates. PHOTO SUBMITTED

AusƟn and BriƩany McCulley and their son, BenneƩ, milk 270 cows near Valders, Wisconsin. cover crops to get the most feed per acre and produce high-quality heifer feed. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? Communication. We make sure our employees know they are important, and we make a point of talking to them daily to ensure issues are taken care of before they become bigger issues. Making sure employees know they mean more to you than the labor they provide can make the difference. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. My passion is the cows. I breed them to be functionally correct enough to last many lactations and care for them in a way that they can fulll their genetic potential. I have enjoyed purchasing some registered cattle over the past dozen years and building families from these animals.

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What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? I have been dairy farming all of my life, and I must say marrying my best friend, Brittany, and becoming a father to my son, Bennett, have been my biggest accomplishments in my life. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? Within the next few years, we are planning to add a few stalls to our main dairy barn so we can move springing heifers into the milking facility earlier and also separate close-up and far-off dry cows. This is an area we struggle with sometimes, and the pen they stay in currently can become crowded, resulting in post-fresh issues. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? I enjoy hunting. I spend most of my free time in the fall hunting deer as well as hunting raccoons with my coonhounds, Murphy and Louie. During the summer, my family enjoys going to watch my father and brothers compete at local tractor pulls.

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