Check out our Last Chance Deals on pages 16 & 17 of the Second Section
Deals! Deals! Looking for a Deal? Looking for a Deal?
“All
Using data to multiply potential A path to virus elimination
USDA implements National Milk Testing Strategy
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
In a continued effort to battle highly pathogenic avian inuenza H5N1 in U.S. dairy herds, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new federal order Dec. 6 — the National Milk Testing Strategy — that will grow surveillance efforts in an attempt to eradicate the virus.
As of Dec. 18, a total of 865 dairies in 16 states have had conrmed cases of H5N1 B3.13 strain of HPAI that has been affecting U.S. dairy farms since March. Nevada became the 16th state to conrm a case Dec. 6. California continues to experience the highest level of infection with 649 affected dairy farms, 313 of which have been conrmed in the past 30 days. A new case of H5N1 was reported in Texas Dec. 13, bringing the state’s caseload to 27 dairies since March.
In a webinar Dec. 10 aimed at educating producers about the recently released federal order, Dr. Julie Gauthier, executive director of veterinary services eld operations at USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, explained the NMTS.
“It is a very efcient way to screen a large number of herds using infrastructure that is already out there, with samplers collecting on a regular basis,” Gauthier said. “This will give us a quick snapshot of large numbers of herds, by focusing on milk at the processing facility. The test is extremely sensitive — we can identify a single infected cow contributing milk to a silo that might contain the milk of over 70,000 cows.”
Using the NMTS, the USDA will work with state regulatory agencies to collect samples in the 48 contiguous states.
“(They) are already sampling Grade A milk on a regular basis — at least four times every six months,”
Peissig uses robots to increase stocking density
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
DORCHESTER, Wis.
Robotic dairy farming has taught Jake Peissig to think outside the box and let the technology work for him, helping to maximize his efciency and protability.
units milking 250 cows. Over the past 12 years, he has reimagined his farm several times, guring out how to utilize technology to his best benet.
Peissig launched his robotic dairy farming career at JTP Farms in 2012, building a barn equipped with four DeLaval robotic milking
“When we rst built the barn, the robots were the most expensive part of the barn, so it made sense to maximize the robots, having 60-65 cows per robot,” Peissig said. “As time went on the robots stayed the same price but the cost to
Turn to PEISSIG | Page 2
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Part of the Lely Vector robo c feeding system scoops up corn silage to mix a new load of feed Aug. 14 at JTP Farms near Dorchester, Wisconsin. Jake Peissig installed the system because of issues nding a part- me feeder.
A holiday gi to remember
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
WILLARD, Wis. — A simple slip of paper, drawn from a box among hundreds of others, gave 14-year-old
Clara Williams a Christmas gift that will keep on giving for a long time — her very rst registered animal.
“I didn’t believe my mom when she told me,” Clara said. “It took me a while to believe her; she just kept telling me I won.”
Clara’s name was drawn as the winner of the grand prize in the Dairy Star’s annual Great Christmas Giveaway, after her mother entered her and her siblings at
Emily. “I put their names in boxes all over. This year, I only entered them once. I was pretty shocked when I got the phone call that Clara’s name had been drawn.”
Clara lives with her parents, Adam and Emily, and siblings Jack, Gus and Sonja, on their 225-cow dairy farm near the town of Willard. Clara helps with milking after school and on weekends.
“I just like being around the cows,” Clara said. “When you’re milking, you get to spend time with them.”
Clara’s new calf is Ms. Albedarn Admire Bella, a September-born daughter of Mystique Admire. The upcoming year will be Clara’s second year showing a calf at the Clark County Fair.
“I showed a calf this year, a Jersey named Sunset,”
were building our barn, it seemed like we were everywhere,” said Clara’s mother
Jake Peissig Dairy farmer
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Clara Williams milks cows Dec. 15 on her family’s dairy farm near Willard, Wisconsin. Clara is the winner of Ms Albedarn Admire Bella, a registered Holstein calf given as the top prize in the Dairy Star’s annual Great Christmas Giveaway.
Chippewa Valley Dairy Supply in Stanley. “Last year, while we
DAIRY ST R
Published by Star Publications LLC
General Manager/Editor
Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com
320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition - 320-352-6303
Nancy Powell • nancy.p@dairystar.com
Karen Knoblach • karen.k@star-pub.com
Annika Gunderson • annika@star-pub.com Editorial Staff
Stacey Smart - Assistant Editor 262-442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com
Danielle Nauman - Staff Writer 608-487-1101 • danielle.n@dairystar.com
Dan Wacker - Staff Writer 608-487-3858 • dan.w@dairystar.com
Tiffany Klaphake - Staff Writer 320-352-6303 • tiffany.k@dairystar.com
Amy Kyllo - Staff Writer amy.k@star-pub.com
Emily Breth - Staff Writer emily.b@star-pub.com
Sarah Middendorf - Staff Writer sarah.m@star-pub.com
Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 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@saukherald.com
National Sales Manager - Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 • fax: 507-634-4413
laura.s@dairystar.com
Assistant Sales Manager - Kati Schafer (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-979-5284 • kati.s@dairystar.com
Adam McClary (SW MN, NW Iowa, SD, Nebraska) 605-951-5270 • adam.m@dairystar.com
Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 • mike.s@dairystar.com
Hannah Ullom (Western Wisconsin) 715-933-4045 • hannah.u@dairystar.com
Keya Sleister (Eastern IA, Southwest WI, IL) 563-608-5988 • keya.s@dairystar.com
Julia Merten (Southeast MN and Northeast IA) 507-438-7739 • julia.m@star-pub.com
Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com
Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) • 320-248-3196 (cell)
Con nued from PEISSIG | Page 1 build doubled. Now it’s cheaper to add milking robots and maximize the barn space.”
To accomplish this, Peissig has doubled the number of robotic milking machines without expanding the barn’s footprint by increasing the number of cows in each pen.
Peissig’s barn is 350 feet wide by 160 feet long, with sand-bedded free stalls. The barn is cross-ventilated, using bafes in conjunction with 17 fans on the north wall.
“It’s still old school, before stir fans and VES fans,” Peissig said. “But for the number of hot days we have, our air movement is good — and bafes are cheaper than fans.”
The barn uses the guided ow system, requiring cows to move in a circular pattern through the barn to reach the robots and feed.
“The smart gate sorts cows to the feed bunk or the robot, depending how long it’s been since she visited the robot,” Peissig said. “The average cow in the barn makes the circle 12 times a day.”
A footbath is operated at the exit of each robot, which Peissig lls once a week with a copper sulfate solution. The herd is trimmed annually. The sort gates are also used to separate cows for herd health on a weekly basis and for reproductive protocols.
Nearly three years ago, following
his father’s retirement, Peissig decided to add automated feeding.
“Dad did a lot of the feeding, and I was having a difcult time nding a good part-time feeder,” Peissig said. “Adding the feeding system helped solve those headaches.”
Peissig said the automated feeding system scans the feed bunks with a la-
ser to determine when feed is needed.
“When the feed height falls to a certain level, it mixes another batch of feed,” Peissig said. “With this system, we have virtually zero refusals.”
Peissig’s system uses two robotic mixers. Typically, one robot is feeding while the other is being loaded.
Turn to PEISSIG | Page 5
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Cows socialize near a robo c milking unit Aug. 14 at JTP Farms near Dorchester, Wisconsin. When Jake Peissig rst built the barn, he worked to op mize usage of the robots. Since then, his philosophy has changed to op mize barn space.
Bonduel, WI
Algoma, WI
Heather Fuller
Hunter Kussmaul
Louie Freise
Bart Fuller
Tara Harper
Halayna Thousand
Jake Bradley Mike Thousand
Don Wallenhorst
Todd Mieden
Trevor Veech
Derek Van Wyk
Jim Houghton Tim Hickie
Mark Bahl
Pat Oyen
Delton Horst
Jason Zach Jodi Ames
Shawn Kirchhoff
Tonia Rackow
McKenzie Hromadka
Doug Garavalia
Michael Clay
Andy Mieden
Sean Nitka
in a pen to increase his stocking density, which allowed him to expand his herd without building onto the barn or stressing his cows.
“They are mixing and feeding about 36 loads a day,” Peissig said. “We leave the cows in the same group their whole lactation, rather than moving groups. If anything, we will adjust the pellets fed in the robots for high cows. If we had 16 pens, the robot could mix 16 different rations if we programmed it to.”
With his quest to increase efciency, Peissig began to reconsider efciencies in his milking system in 2021 when he added the fth and sixth robotic milking units.
“We had decided to quit keeping and raising our heifers and buy replacement cows,” Peissig said. “Our heifer facilities needed updating and repairing. My dad did most of the heifer chores; with his retirement, we decided not to go the heifer route anymore. It allowed us to shrink our labor force.”
That decision freed up space in the barn and Peissig took advantage to experiment with new ideas, turning his calf and pre-fresh area into another milking pen.
“We have 56 or 57 free stalls in all the other pens, so we put 56 stalls in the new pen,” Peissig said. “I wanted to see what would happen if we put two robots in one pen, and see how many cows we could get in.”
Peissig learned he could get 100 cows in the pens, with two robots.
“It was only 50 cows per robot, but it took us from an average of 2.7 milkings per day, up to 3.4 milkings,” Peissig said. “Increasing the number of milkings lowered our somatic cell count.”
A year later, Peissig added an additional robotic milking unit to two of the original 60-cow pens, increasing cow numbers in each of those pens. Today, he is milking around 420 cows housed
in ve pens with eight robots.
“I like it,” Peissig said. “I still have two 60-cow pens with single robots, so I could add two more robots and end up with 10 robots in a barn I originally built for four, milking 600 cows in a barn built for 250.”
To make the decision to increase his stocking density, Peissig used the data the technology in his barn provided. Peissig both evaluated his options and continues to monitor the results.
“We milk and feed with robots, we have rumination and activity monitors … yet I was lacking the time to sort through to nd the data I needed,” Peissig said.
Peissig learned of the Connecterra plan, a program that pulls all of the data gleaned from the technology he has implemented on his farm into a single location for easy analysis.
“(That) enabled me to bring in laying time, eating time and rumination time, per pen that was overcrowded versus the non-overcrowded pen,” Peissig said. “I’m able to cross-reference that with lactation number, days in milk — all of those different variables — and look at each one, to see how the cows are responding to the stocking density.”
Peissig considers his use of technology an investment in efciency as opposed to an expense.
“Several years ago, someone told me that as an owner-operator or manager of a business, you should consider that your time is worth at least $100 per hour,” Peissig said. “You don’t think of that when you’re busy xing hydraulic hose, forking out calf pens or stuff like that. Using technology allows you to become more efcient and effective in how you use your time.”
Merry Christmas!
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Cows eat total mixed ra on Aug. 14 at JTP Farms near Dorchester, Wisconsin. Jake Peissig uses two robo c milkers
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Cows eat while a robo c feeder distributes a fresh load of feed Aug. 14 at JTP Farms near Dorchester, Wisconsin. The robo c feeding unit has sensors that monitor feed height to determine when more feed is needed.
Gauthier said. “We are asking them to collect additional samples at the time they are making visits to each plant.”
Processing facilities of any size that receive raw, Grade A cows’ milk intended for pasteurization will be the focus of the NMTS sampling efforts. According to Gauthier, plants that manufacture raw milk cheese and other raw milk products will not be sampled.
“Focusing on Grade A milk intended for pasteurization gives us the vast majority of dairy herds in the country,” Gauthier said. “This is an effort to identify and control an animal health problem, not a food safety issue. We are not screening milk for the purpose of safety.”
Samples collected by state dairy regulatory collectors will be identied only by bulk tank units before being submitted for testing at National Veterinary Services Laboratories. NVSL will analyze milk samples by polymerase chain reaction for the presence of Inuenza A virus genetic material and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, looking for the presence of antibodies.
Scientists will be able to conduct genome sequencing on detected virus genetic material, allowing them to compare it to previously identied strains.
“We’ll be able to match that up with viruses detected in herds in other states, or know if it’s something new,” Gauthier said. “Antibodies present will give us additional data, that while not actionable, will give us an overall picture across the country of the level of disease.”
Testing results will be delivered to state animal health ofcials associated with the BTU numbers contained in the silo. They will work with their state’s dairy regulatory agencies to identify herds included in a positive silo.
The NMTS is broken down into ve stages, the rst of which is silo monitoring, which will lead to stages two and three — determining a state’s status and the detection and response to the virus in affected states.
“We’ll reach stage four when we have done enough testing for states to be considered unaffected,” Gauthier said. “Once we get all the states to stage four unaffected status, we’ll continue to conduct testing for a period of time — at least 90 days — to demonstrate that the entire country is free of infection, which is stage ve.”
The goal of achieving virus elimination in the U.S. dairy herd is both achievable and necessary, according to Dr. Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
“We certainly can get to be virus free,” Poulsen said. “Our trading partners may not be saying things out loud, but they have shown interest in making
sure this disease is not in products they import.”
Although Wisconsin has had no virus detected or reported in dairy herds, Poulsen is eager to begin surveillance for the virus using the NMTS.
“There is a lot we don’t know because the inability to do effective surveillance nine months ago has hampered the response,” Poulsen said. “Talking to dairy owners and veterinarians in the Texas panhandle area, Idaho, Colorado and California — they really want to do surveillance and eliminate the virus. They saw how damaging it really was and they want to make sure they have a farm to get to the next generation.”
The NMTS allows for exibility in its administration on a state-by-state basis, Poulsen said.
“We can’t use what we use for HPAI for this H5N1 in dairy cattle — the poultry and swine industries are much more consolidated,” Poulsen said. “Our industry is so decentralized, and each state’s industry is just a little different — with 27,000 farms, a onesize-ts-all approach doesn’t work. There is no codied or statutory regulation for H5N1 in dairy cattle, either.”
That exibility will allow for states to learn from the experiences of others.
“Some states are already doing this,” Poulson said. “We can learn from those and move it to other high-producing dairy states and eventually everywhere. The goal is to declare virus elimination and disease freedom for the World Organisation for Animal Health. That is the important one, especially for trade reasons.”
Poulsen said ramping up surveillance efforts will potentially lead to an increased number of conrmed cases. State animal health ofcials in Wisconsin are preparing for that possibility.
Biosecurity will remain paramount for producers, Poulsen said.
“Creating a line of separation, keeping unnecessary trafc off the farm and knowing who is coming and going from the farm, using boot covers or boots that can be and are sanitized when people move from the dirty side of the farm at the road to inside the farm, along with clean clothes and washing hands — those basic biosecurity practices are vital,” Poulsen said.
Poulsen said one of the biggest concerns he has heard from farmers in states that have not seen the virus yet is the worry of losing milk markets because of a conrmed positive.
“Everyone should still be able to market milk — not one single farm has ever not been able to market their milk,” Poulsen said. “Pasteurization kills the virus. That is a key point we can’t repeat enough.”
Clara said. “I was only able to show her in open class because she wasn’t mine. I’m excited I will be able to show Bella twice at the fair since I own her.”
Bella is bred by the Achterhof, Grulke and Gunderson families of Albedarned Dairy LLC near Baldwin. Her 2-year-old dam is a Good Plus 83 daughter of Brenland Domino out of a Very Good 88 daughter of Dymentholm Mr Apples Avalanche.
Bella’s third dam, Probert C BreeElla-Red EX-94, is a three-time Red & White Dairy Cattle Association AllAmerican nominee and was named the All-American Red & White Junior Three-Year-Old in 2014. She received honorable mention honors in the 125,000-pound cow class in 2017.
Probert D Babette-Red EX-91, Bella’s fourth dam, was nominated AllAmerican Red & White Junior ThreeYear-Old in 2012 while her fth dam, Reedale Devil Bonita-Red VG-86, was nominated Junior All-American Red & White Winter Calf in 2007.
Clara, an eighth grader at Greenwood Middle & High School, said she has enjoyed becoming active in FFA. She is preparing to compete in a Career Leadership Development Event this spring and has been involved in the chapter’s fruit sale and several trips, including one to World Dairy Expo.
“It was really neat to go to Expo and see everything there,” Clara said. “It’s really cool to think I own a calf who comes from a cow that won in the show there. That is really awesome.”
The prospect of helping a young dairy enthusiast grow and build their own herd led the owners of Albedarned Dairy to provide the calf for the Christmas giveaway.
“My sister, Jenna, and I always showed all grade animals; we never
The Williams family —Jack (front, from le ), Gus and
from le ), Adam, Clara and Emily — stand in their freestall barn March 1 near Willard, Wisconsin. The Williams milk 225 cows in a step-up
got to be a part of the show world,” said Vanessa Gunderson of Albedarned Dairy. “That dream of being able to grow your own herd, have your own animals and build your own pedigrees — that’s why we try the best we can to give back.”
Gunderson’s brother-in-law, Paul Grulke, said the experiences of his youth propelled him to a career in the dairy industry.
“I had lots of mentors that took time to teach and help me out,” Grulke said. “That is how you build the future
leaders in our industry, by putting that time and effort in. Providing this calf, and an interested youngster like Clara
winning — if we can help light that re in her, that is something great we can do for our industry.”
While it is hard to top the excitement of winning a calf, Ivan Weaver of Stetsonville was the recipient of a special Christmas gift, too — winning the top adult cash prize of $500 in the Great Christmas Giveaway, after registering at Northern Lakes Veterinary Supply in Abbotsford.
Weaver milks 110 cows with his family on his rst-generation Taylor County dairy farm, and speculates he will spend his winnings on the farm.
“I’ve milked cows for 25 years already, so I just keep on paying bills,” Weaver said.
Weaver was raised on a Pennsylvania dairy farm. He worked in construction for two years after nishing school before he struck off on his own, renting a barn at the age of 20. With the desire to purchase a farm on which he could pursue his dairy dream, Weaver found himself drawn to America’s Dairyland, where he realized that dream in central Wisconsin in 2009.
Winning a drawing such as this is a rst for Weaver.
“You just never know,” Weaver said. “I put my name in how many boxes over the years and have never won anything.”
Congratulations Clara Williams
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Sonja; (back,
parlor.
Building their dairy dream
Stern, Diemel enjoying rst year of farming
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
BONDUEL, Wis. — Luke Stern was drawn to dairy farming as a young boy, even though he did not grow up on a dairy farm.
“My dad is an agronomist and has a herd of beef cows,” Luke said. “I grew up on a farm, just not a dairy farm, but his friend had a dairy farm and I spent a lot of time there growing up.”
That early fascination led to high school jobs milking on dairy farms. Eventually he found himself working at Brian Engel’s dairy outside of Bonduel, where his future would be laid.
“When Brian started out, he did it on his own, like me,” Luke said. “Since he started like that, he wanted to see it keep going. He mentioned it one day, and I thought about it and decided it was something I wanted to pursue.”
The two struck up a deal where Luke would purchase the cows from Brian when he retired, and rent the barn. After
near Bonduel, Wisconsin. Luke purchased the cows from his former employer and began ren ng the barn May 1.
ve years as Brian’s employee, Luke purchased the milking herd May 1.
“Brian shipped to Mullins so we continued to ship there,” Luke said. “That transition was really smooth; it was basically just switching names on the check.”
Luke and his girlfriend, Alyssa Diemel, are milking 62 cows. Alyssa works full time
off the farm as a lab technician for CentralStar Cooperative Inc. and helps Luke on the farm milking in the evenings.
“That has been nice,” Luke said. Doing it by myself, I was out there until 10 p.m. sometimes. Now doing chores together we can get done usually by 8 or 8:30. She milks and I milk the bucket cows, and feed the calves and cows.”
Alyssa previously worked on a dairy farm as well.
“I like it; I want to be here,” Alyssa said. “It can be stressful some nights, but most of the time it’s pretty good. When I’m not here, I wish I was.”
Brian still owns the heifers, which Luke is purchasing as he needs replacements. Brian handles the cropping duties making the feed for their
commingled animals. The two plan for Luke to eventually take over the cropping duties as well.
“Brian’s been really good to me and we have a great working relationship,” Luke said. “He still helps me out in the barn and is a great mentor.”
The cows are fed a total mixed ration, with everything grown on the farm.
Luke has some equipment he owns and uses for custom work, creating an additional revenue stream.
Since taking ownership of the cows, Luke has begun learning the ins and outs of dairy farming.
“One of the biggest challenges has been stuff with the cows,” Luke said. “I have milked cows for seven years, but milking is different than owning them — knowing when to treat and what to treat them with and treating them at the right time, that has been the biggest learning curve.”
Over the past seven months, Luke has made changes to the barn to streamline his edgling operation.
“I put in a bigger bulk tank right away in May,” Luke said. “We were at the point that we were almost running it over on every-other-day pick up, and I wanted to stay on every-otherday.”
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Alyssa Diemel and Luke Stern stand with their cows Dec. 7
In August, Luke removed some youngstock pens at the end of the barn and replaced them with additional tie stalls, eliminating the need for switching cows and simplifying his choring routine.
With half a year under his belt, Luke has one eye rmly on the future.
“Right now, I just want to focus on paying for the cows and preparing to purchase the farm,” Luke said. “I just want to keep improving on what is here. In the future, I’d like to maybe put up a freestall barn for housing the cows.”
Once the house Brian is building is complete, Luke and Alyssa will move into the farmhouse. Luke is currently
living with his parents three miles away while Alyssa lives 15 minutes from the farm.
“Three miles isn’t that far, but being on the farm will be nice,” Luke said. “It will be nice to be able to just come out and keep an eye on things.”
So far, dairy farming has been everything Luke dreamed it would be.
“I like being my own boss,” Luke said. “I worked at a soda factory and milked here nights and weekends — a 10-hour shift there and milking here, that was draining. I worked two other jobs before that, too. Farming is hard work, but so far, it’s been worth it.”
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR (Le ) Cows eat at the feed bunk Dec. 7 on the farm Luke Stern rents near Bonduel, Wisconsin. Stern worked with his former employer to begin his own dairy farming career. (Below) Calves wait to be fed Dec. 7 near Bonduel, Wisconsin. Luke Stern replaced old wooden calf stalls with individual pens.
Roa st Your Bean s Roast Your Beans
Be Your Own protein Supplier
Be Your Own protein
Quality Roasted and steeped for By-pass protein
Value Stop paying trucking, elevator fees, grain bank charges and excessive shrinks
Experience We’ve roasted millions of bushels
Convenience Fully equipped with fuel, electricity, boom auger discharge and operator. It only takes minutes to set up and then we roast 10 tons per hour.
Class III prices expected to rebound next year
Prospects are good for dairy markets heading into 2025. “I think there’s going to be a chance to do more protein business with whey overseas, and I think butterfat remains a big component in terms of world trade,” said Dan Basse, AgResource Company. “We may bottom out here at $18 per hundredweight (on Class III milk), and we have a chance to make it up to $24-$26 (per hundredweight) for a high in 2025.” While other commodities are weak, Basse has optimism for dairy and beef markets.
Dairy supply and demand numbers updated
In the December U.S. Department of Agriculture’s supply and demand report, the 2024 milk production forecast was increased to 226.3 billion pounds. A bump in cow numbers was cited as the reason. For 2025, the forecast for milk production was also up from the previous estimate, totaling 228 billion pounds. USDA lowered its Class III price forecast for 2024 and 2025.
Eight bolts later, it will look like it was born there. Legendary kernel processors for pull-type forage harvesters. Legendary dairy nutrition and profits. Turn a wrench and turn it loose. Call us today for early order discounts!
requirement is likely unconstitutional and has been suspended pending further action by the courts.
Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation honors Stephenson
National milk testing strategy announced
By Don Wick Columnist Ag Insider
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a federal order requiring raw, unpasteurized milk samples to be collected nationwide and tested for H5N1. The rst testing will happen at dairy processing plants. Six states are included in the rst round of testing: California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Executive Director for Field Operations Julie Gauthier said there is a simple goal. “Ultimately, at the end of this process, we want to be able to declare the United States free of avian inuenza in dairy cows,” Gauthier said.
Announcements expected soon for sub-cabinet USDA posts President-elect Donald Trump is moving quickly through the nomination process, naming members to his new administration. Brooke Rollins, who was a member of Trump’s Domestic Policy Council, will lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to Agri-Pulse President Sara Wyant, more top-tier agriculture department ofcials will be named soon. “They’re interviewing a lot of those folks as we speak; they may not all be announced here this week, but I do think that there’ll be a very good bench established before the inauguration,” Wyant said.
Draft dietary guidelines released
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Health and Human Services Department have released the latest dietary guidelines for Americans. The report, which is conducted every ve years, considers everything from the consumption of processed foods to weight management. The National Milk Producers Federation thanks the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee for continuing to recognize dairy’s role in a healthy diet. “The review also made clear that expanding the food group to include additional plant-based alternative beverages outside of fortied soy is not supported by scientic evidence,” said Gregg Doud, president/CEO. However, the NMPF is disappointed the committee only recommends the consumption of unavored milk.
Benecial ownership requirement suspended
A federal court in Texas has issued a preliminary injunction blocking a new reporting requirement for businesses, including farms. The Corporate Transparency Act required businesses to disclose their benecial ownership to the treasury department by the end of the year. That reporting
The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation presented its Distinguished Service to Wisconsin Agriculture award to Dr. Mark Stephenson. Stephenson is retired from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he served as the director of dairy policy analysis and the Center for Dairy Protability.
Olson re-elected
Brad Olson, who farms in Polk County, was re-elected president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. Joe Bragger, from Buffalo County, is the WFBF vice president.
Dairy First Award belongs to Quist
Boehringer Ingelheim awarded its Dairy First Award to Kristin Quist of Deer Park, Wisconsin. This award recognizes a dairy farmer for his or her commitment to milk quality. Quist manages a 1,200-cow herd and 20 full-time employees at Minglewood Inc. Quist takes a proactive approach to employee training and communication focused on milk quality and cow care.
Dairy processor grants awarded
Seven dairy companies will receive a dairy processor grant from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The grant recipients are Alpinage Cheese LLC, Organic Valley, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, Family Fresh Pack Hidden Springs Creamery LLC, Marieke Marketing LLC and Widmer’s Cheese Cellars. The next application deadline for this grant program is Jan. 17.
Wisconsin wins National 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl Contest
The Polk County 4-H team won the national dairy bowl competition at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky. The team was coached by Patt Hurtgen and Gwen Dado. Team members are Kallie Andersen, Evelyn Braaten, Suki Gatica and Darby Trent
Longtime Wisconsin dairy advocate passes
A leading voice in the Wisconsin dairy industry has passed. John Oncken, 93, died Dec. 2. At an age when most would be retired, Oncken continued to serve as a columnist for Wisconsin State Farmer. His career included time as the Clark County agriculture agent, farm broadcaster for KFRV-TV-Green Bay, advertising director for American Breeders Service and general manager of the American Dairy Association-Wisconsin. A celebration of life will be held in Madison in the spring.
Trivia challenge
Abomasum is the last compartment of a cow’s stomach. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, when did the U.S. tradition of leaving cookies and milk for Santa begin? We’ll have the answer in our next edition of the Dairy Star.
Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
Monitoring parlor performance
Evaluate metrics to improve efciency
By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com
Sometimes, a simple tweak in the parlor can make a big difference in performance. Curtis Horsens knows this to be true from personal experience operating a high-producing herd in northeastern Wisconsin.
In a webinar Dec. 4 entitled, “Leveraging Milk Monitoring and Parlor Performance Information to Boost Employee Compliance,” Horsens shared tips for evaluating parlor performance via reports generated by a milk monitoring system.
Their veterinarian evaluated the problem and made two small, lowcost recommendations: use a different ination and slightly reduce the system vacuum.
“Within weeks or months, all fresh heifers that calved in had a much more pleasant milking experience, which made the workers’ days easier,” Horsens said.
Establishing trustworthy identication and reliable milk weights through a milk monitoring solution is the rst step in improving parlor performance, Horsens said. From there, information produced by the system in customizable graphs and reports can be used to make decisions for improving a dairy’s efciency.
Curtis Horsens Merck Animal Health
Horsens is the North American senior training and development specialist for Merck Animal Health’s SenseHub Dairy portfolio and has experience managing high-producing herds.
An adjustment was needed in the parlor at the farm Horsens was managing when it became evident some of their rst-lactation cows did not enjoy being milked.
“There were a lot of cow-assisted takeoffs and a lot of dancing and inching,” Horsens said.
Horsens began by touching on key performance indicators, such as milk per stall per hour.
“For many years, 150 pounds per stall was the target,” he said. “Today, we see farms approaching 200 pounds per stall per hour.”
To achieve that number, excellent preparation, which includes good tactile stimulation of each teat, is critical. Proper timing of unit attachment is also important.
Turn to PARLOR PERFORMANCE | Page 12
Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the fellowship and support of our good friends, neighbors and customers. We are honored by your trust in us, and we consider it a privilege to serve you.
“Waiting 60-90 seconds after good stimulation gives the pituitary gland time to release oxytocin and make its way to the udder … to get that milk secreted,” Horsens said. “Then we can have that good letdown and minimal unit on-time.”
Milk ow rate during the rst 15 seconds should be greater than 2.2 pounds. At 30 seconds, ow rate should be 5 pounds or more, and at 60 seconds, 7 pounds or higher is desired.
“Some farms might be closer to 3.8 or 4.2 at 30 seconds, but as long as you don’t have bi-modal letdowns, it’s not the worst of things to come up short,” Horsens said. “But, we do see a lot of farms hitting these targets.”
The percent of milk produced in the rst two minutes should be 55% or more.
“That’s a good indication of employee routine, milkability of cows and their experience and comfort level in the parlor,” Horsens said.
Time in low ow, dened as less than 2 pounds per minute, should be less than 20 seconds per shift or less than 60 seconds per day, Horsens said. The peak milk ow rate should be greater than 8 pounds per minute.
“We’re going to see farms that blow this out of the water, but this is a good number to start setting your sights on,” he said.
The frequency of reattachments should be under 2%, and the frequency of manual mode should be less than 2%. Horsens said a distrust of the automatic takeoff is likely the motivation for an employee putting a cow in manual mode.
“They think cows aren’t com-
This graph shows ow rate by unit on- me during the dura on of milking. The gray shaded area is the performance average of the past week while the black line is the performance of the current milking shi , and the red dashed line is the average unit on- me of the current milking shi .
pletely milked out and don’t understand that a little residual milk is OK and actually a good thing by design,” he said.
A poor preparation routine could also be to blame, which leads to bimodal letdowns where milk is coming out of the teat cistern but not yet out of the udder.
“Teaching and training workers and setting standards that are measurable and insightful is a great way to understand trends on your dairy and start moving things in the right direction,” Horsens said.
Reattachments can be caused by a bad pulsator or a split liner that results in a quarter or two not being milked
out correctly. Furthermore, debris such as a rag in the vacuum line can create lower claw vacuum on end stalls.
“Reattachments are an important metric to understand if it’s happening at a particular stall or for particular shifts of workers,” Horsens said.
Turn to PARLOR PERFORMANCE
| Page 13
As we tie up another year, we’re reminded of just how fortunate we are to do business in this warm and welcoming community. Thank you for your
When evaluating metrics and making changes to improve efciency, the number of kickoffs is a good metric to analyze, Horsens said. Adjusting the system vacuum or changing ination might be the answer to creating a more positive milking experience for cows.
In an evaluation of ow rates over time of attachment, Horsens shared examples of a farm doing particularly well and a farm with room for improvement. The farm doing well reached peak milk by one minute and 20 seconds.
“There is no hint of bi-modal letdowns,” Horsens said. “They’re doing an excellent job with preparation. The people, machines and environment are working together to create a good milking experience for these cattle.”
The second farm exhibited bimodal letdown. Cows were getting milked out in the rst 15-30 seconds, but then a high proportion of cows did not reach peak milk ow until about 2.5 minutes after attachment.
“That bumps out average unit ontime and probably reduces milk production overall,” Horsens said. “We can zero in and nd out if this is happening on a particular milking shift or happening across the board.”
Flow rate at removal is another area Horsens focused on. A high ow rate indicates premature takeoffs, and in one example, 616 out of 5,303 or 12% of cows had removal with a ow rate greater than 3 pounds per minute. To be more efcient in a rotary parlor in this situation Horsens said cows could be grouped by milking speed to align takeoff more appropriately.
“Some groups will have average on-time of 3.5 minutes, while the two slower groups will be on 5.5 minutes,” he said. “You can spin the rotary at a different rate for those two slow groups and maximize efciency.”
In a second example, 36 out of 2,087 or 1.7% of cows had removal with a ow rate greater than 3 pounds per minute. He said anything under 5% is considered acceptable.
Information garnered from the milk monitoring system can help farm managers and owners view employee performance in measurable and objective ways. Horsens recommends creating a fun competition among shifts to improve milking performance by picking a few easy-to-understand key performance indicators to focus on. Examples include percent of milk in the rst two minutes, bi-modal letdowns, seconds of on-time and low ow.
“Teach and train your farm staff on a few metrics, quietly post those in the break room or parlor at the end of each shift and highlight what they should look at on that report,” Horsens said. “See if some friendly competition can enhance the output of your particular shifts. It’s a lot better than griping and saying, ‘We have to do better.’”
Horsens recommends setting aside a routine time each week to evaluate parlor performance metrics. “This allows you to reinforce successes and provide actionable improvements for the weak spots,” he said. “Once you have this information, you have a benchmark you can start to improve upon.”
Land Improvements
from our side our side OF THE
is your favorite Christmas tradition?
Ian Robers
I will be 9 Dec. 23
Parents: Dan and Morgan Robers
Exeland, Wisconsin Sawyer County 450 cows
What are you and your family doing for Christmas? We go to my cousin Jence's house one day, then to all my grandmas’ houses on other days.
What is on your Christmas list this year? Mystery tackle boxes, farm toys, a Kinze grain cart and a TV for my bedroom.
If you could give an animal on your farm a present, what would it be? I would give my fair steer, Bolt, a treat because he deserves it.
What is your favorite Christmas tradition? We play bingo at my cousin's house, and on Christmas, my mom and dad, my sisters and I go ice shing after presents.
If you had your own Christmas tree, tell us how you would decorate it. I would get a hole punch, make holes in all my pictures of my pets, put yarn through the holes, and hang them all over my tree with lights. I would put a John Deere 9RX Quadtrac on the top for a star.
Tell us about your most memorable Christmas present. Last year, I got a whole case of Prime from Santa. It was awesome because my mom never lets me get it.
What do you enjoy doing on the farm during Christmas break? My sister and I go ripping around on our four-wheelers in the snow and drift corners. I denitely do not enjoy shoveling calf hutches out.
16 years old
Parents:
Deereld, Wisconsin
Dane County
Around 200 goats
What are you and your family doing for Christmas? My family and I are going to Christmas parties and celebrating Christmas with all our families this year.
What is on your Christmas list this year? Clothes, socks and batting gloves for baseball.
If you could give an animal on your farm a present, what would it be? If I had to get a goat something for Christmas, it would be a back scratcher, and I would put it in their pen for them to use.
What is your favorite Christmas tradition? Just going to parties and spending time with friends and families on the holidays.
If you had your own Christmas tree, tell us how you would decorate it. I would decorate it with all red lights and then put ornaments up on the tree. I would keep it simple but make it look good.
Tell us about your most memorable Christmas present. My favorite Christmas present I have ever gotten was when my parents took me and my family on a trip to Florida. This was our rst big trip all together, so it has stuck with me forever, especially all the memories I made on the trip.
What do you enjoy doing on the farm during Christmas break? I enjoy being around family all the time and spending all week with the family on the farm doing what we have to do.
London Kuester
12 years old
Parents: Brian and Angie Staudinger Valders, Wisconsin Manitowoc County
2,400 cows
What are you and your family doing for Christmas? On Christmas morning, we open presents and eat brunch at my house. Then, we go to my grandma’s house and have dinner, open presents and play games with my aunts, uncles and cousins.
What is on your Christmas list this year? I would like Nike Blazers and EOS lotion.
If you could give an animal on your farm a present, what would it be? If I could give my calf, Cee Cee, a present, it would be a blanket and matching pajamas.
What is your favorite Christmas tradition? Going to pick out and decorate our Christmas tree.
If you had your own Christmas tree, tell us how you would decorate it. I would put my favorite sports — basketball, softball and volleyball — on it and my school colors, red, black and white.
Tell us about your most memorable Christmas present. I would have to go with Legos because I really like to build with them and play around with Legos from my parents.
What do you enjoy doing on the farm during Christmas break? I enjoy going sledding in the ditch and building forts in the yard.
Landon Brattlie
Brent and Jennifer Brattlie
Otto, 12, Eleanor, 7, Ivan, 3
Parents: Seth and Erin Anderson Ettrick, Wisconsin Trempealeau County 200 cows
What are you and your family doing for Christmas? We will go to see the rotary lights. We will also go to visit both grandparents, our aunts and uncles. We got our dad a movie as a gift; it is a surprise until he opens it. We will have a popcorn and movie night together.
What is on your Christmas list this year?Otto: A bunch of books — I love to read — and a music stand; I just started learning to play saxophone. Eleanor: A hoverboard and a Barbie Dream House. Ivan: I want a sparkly present with a farm and a skid loader.
If you could give an animal on your farm a present, what would it be? Otto: Yahoo is my fair calf, and I would give her fresh bedding and a head scratch because she led so well at the fair. It was my rst time showing a calf at the fair. Eleanor: I would give Snowake the kitten a kitty toy. Then she could play with her two brothers. Ivan (answered by Erin): I (Erin) asked him this question over supper one night. He got down off his chair and went to ask our dog, Signe, what she wanted for a present.
What is your favorite Christmas tradition? Otto: Going to Grandma’s house, going to the rotary lights and hanging Christmas lights. Eleanor: Going to Grandma’s house to open presents. Ivan: Rotary lights.
If you had your own Christmas tree, tell us how you would decorate it. Otto: White lights, a lot of ornaments and a star on top. Eleanor: I would put a star tree-topper on the top and decorate it with pretty ornaments and tinsel. I would put multi-colored lights on it. Ivan: A balloon Christmas tree. That would be cool.
Tell us about your most memorable Christmas present. Otto: All the books I have gotten. It is too hard to decide. I love all of them. Eleanor: My giant pink unicorn. I got it from Amy and Cliff (my aunt and uncle), and it’s special because it has lots of memories and love. Ivan: I want a farm and a skid loader in my present.
What do you enjoy doing on the farm during Christmas break? Otto: Plowing snow and cutting wood with Grandpa. Eleanor: Playing outside and building snowmen, snow angels and building tunnels. Ivan: Riding in the skid loader, scraping manure and getting a big load to dump in the manure spreader.
Olivia Eipers
11 years old
Parents: Ryan and Nicki Eipers Dodge Center, Minnesota Dodge County 150 cows
What are you and your family doing for Christmas? We are going to my grandma’s house just down the road to celebrate with my aunt and uncle.
What is on your Christmas list this year? Roller blades, a lava lamp and some cowthemed room decor.
If you could give an animal on your farm a present, what would it be? I would get a gift for my dog, Scrappy. It probably would be a giant bouncy ball because he and his brothers like to play with balls.
What is your favorite Christmas tradition? Opening presents on Christmas night. It is always after milking, and we will watch a Christmas movie while we do it. We go from the oldest to the youngest. We each open a gift and then go back to the rst person.
If you had your own Christmas tree, tell us how you would decorate it. I would probably decorate with a bunch of homemade decorations and farm decorations like cows and tractors. It would be a real tree.
Tell us about your most memorable Christmas present. A radio from my mom. I always wanted my own because I would always steal my dads to use. I like to listen to my favorite stations — country music and stuff.
What do you enjoy doing on the farm during Christmas break? I like to sled with my siblings. It is something fun that we have always done. Sometimes, my mom will try to teach me how to milk cows. I enjoy it because someday I want to take over the farm.
How many times a day do you milk, and what is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? We milk three times a day. We have a rolling herd average of 29,927 pounds milk, with 4.5% fat and 3.3 protein on the year. We uctuate a little bit with the weather, but we are trending up right now in those two components as we are taking advantage of good feed quality and time of year.
Describe your housing and milking facility. We started investing in cow comfort heavily in 2019. In 2020, we nished a tunnel-ventilated barn that houses 400 of our milk cows. We tore down the previous structure to just cement and doubled the size of it. In 2021, we renovated our hospital/fresh cow pen to tunnel ventilation and updated the holding area and parlor. In fall 2023, we renovated and added on to the last barn left on the farm to be updated. That is a natural ventilated barn with chimney fans to allow fresh air exchange in the winter.
The whole farm was built in 1997, and now we have renovated all the facilities in the past three years. The barns were shot. Previously, we never had insulation in the roof and the manure gasses were rotting everything.
Who is part of your farm team, and what are their roles? Blake and Chicky are both full time.
TOP PERFORMERS
Otte Family: Blake and Chicky, Tyler and Kelsey, Bret and Kayla, Eric and Laura Banner Square Deal Dairy LLC | Randolph, Minnesota | Dakota County 660 cows, milking and dry
Blake feeds cows every morning and is in charge of the crops. Chicky is in charge of the calves and nancials. She feeds calves every morning and most afternoons. Tyler is the herdsperson as well as in charge of the employees who milk the cows. Eric
is on the farm full time and does day-to-day feeding, bedding and health on the young stock. He is also the crop guy. Bret is off the farm as a nutritionist. He helps out with youngstock and feeding cows on weekends and any other time needed as a ll in.
We have eight full-time employees, four part-time employees and six seasonal employees for our harvest because we do some custom chopping.
What is your herd health program? Every Monday the vet
comes. We pregnancy check milk cows, walk fresh cows and walk calves just to make sure we are all on the same page. We pregnancy check heifers every 2-3 weeks. We vaccinate all year long with a protocol built into DairyComp. We use DairyComp pretty heavily to build protocols for our yearly vaccines to the cows as well as dry-off vaccines. We vaccinate calves at birth, 45 days, weaning, six months, seven months and a year old.
What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? Our cows get dried off about 60 days prior to calving. We move them off the farm for ve weeks and then they get moved back here to a pre-fresh facility for the remainder of pregnancy. They are dry-treated, and given some vaccines at the time of dry-off. When we move them back to the home farm, we give them their booster of ScourGuard. We operate both farms so they are under our care the entire pregnancy. The pre-fresh cows on the home farm are walked every hour and our employees are trained to help with calving. The fresh cow pen has about 40 cows. They are there for 14-20 days post calving.
Wishing all of you
Happy Holidays
PHOTO SUBMTTED
The O e family — Brynley (front row, from le ), Emmet and Jaxson; (second row, from le ) Kelsey, Chicky, Blake and Kayla; (third row, from le ) Hudson and Kinsley; (back row, from le ) Tyler holding Brooks, Eric, Laura and Bret — gather this autumn at the end of harvest near Randolph, Minnesota. The O e family has a herd of 660 cows on their dairy.
The barn on Christmas Eve, A quiet, patient place to walk. For we imagine on that night, As legends say... even the animals talk. You can hear them if you listen, And let the world be still.
To the birth of the Son, The Father’s will... on earth. As dawn clothes Morn In golden rays, Sighs of a weary world Give way to songs of praise. May the reason for the season Warm your celebrations. And may knowing The Gift Born in lowly manger, Bring peace and joy to your life.
Off the farm, their ration is corn silage based with triticale added and a custom dry cow mineral mix. At the home farm, the diet is similar except the triticale is switched out for longstem dry hay and they receive a different mineral mix.
What is the composition of your ration, and how has that changed in recent years? Our forage ration consists of 2/3 corn silage and 1/3 haylage that we grow. In addition, we add purchased dry hay, distillers grain, corn gluten, soybean meal, delactosed whey and a protein/ mineral/vitamin mix. Our challenge is to accommodate our ration to the market value and the availability of byproducts.
Tell us about the forages you plant and detail your harvest strategies. We raise all our haylage and corn silage and purchase additional dry hay. Our biggest push is focusing on making the best forage we can. We plant 50% Enogen with the remainder being silage corn varieties. Enogen silage has shown us to be more digestible. All forage is stored in piles except some alfalfa that is put up as baleage.
What is your average somatic cell count and how does that affect your production? This is a work in progress. Yearly it averages about 250,000. We bed with green manure solids. Manure solids work great nine months out of the year, but during the summer they are harder to manage. You have to demand excellence from cows, equipment and employees to get the SCC through the tough times.
We work as hard as we can to get it lower.
We don’t think SCC affects our milk production directly, but it does affect the immune system of a cow, so there are secondary advantages that you can gain from a lower SCC.
What change has created the biggest improvement in your herd average? By renovating our facilities, we have greatly improved our cow comfort. We have big cows and to expect a lot of fat, protein and milk production out of Holstein cows, they have to be comfortable all day long. We are able to deep bed in our solids. All of our feed alleys are under cover. Our feed is consistent and cows want consistency. We are able to provide quality feed with the environ-
› Self Unloading
› Self Loading (If Tires Are Stacked Properly)
› Haul Up to 80 Sidewalls (Varies Depending Loader) or 110 with wheel loader tire shooter
› Reach over 18’ Cement Walls (Varies Depending Loader) ›
ment-controlled barns. The cows are never uncomfortable because we blow so much air through the barns.
What technology do you use to monitor your herd? We use Dairy Herd Improvement Association monthly testing, and we have worked with Minnesota Dairy Initiative since 1997. Last year we got SenseHub, a Merck Animal Health collar system that gives health, rumination and heat detection information on all cows. We have used Feed Supervisor for over 20 years. Our parlor uses RFIDs to identify the cows and meters to monitor daily milk weights.
What is your breeding program, and what role does genetics play in your production
level? We love genetics. We have used a lot of beef on dairy for the past three years. Across the herd, we are 80% beef bred. We use sexed semen on all our heifers and sexed on about 10% of the cows. Our goal is to produce good cows with the sexed semen being used on our highest genetic valued animals and production animals using DairyComp. We use the parent average net merit as well as our relative value of the cows based on herd mates to pick out our top cows. We credit much of our fat and protein levels to our breeding program. Since 2016, we have been focusing on shipping solids.
List three management strategies that have helped you attain your production and component level. Our nutritionist,
vet and MDI team. You have to have a good relationship with all three to get out of the cow what you want. You can breed the cows the best you can, but you have to feed them correctly. You can only use the feed that you make, so it is trying to rst make the highest quality feed and then feed it in the right way to get the most production as well as performance out of that feed. From our vet, it is healthy cows. Healthy cows make milk. Cow comfort and health have always been a big focus for us, and we don’t struggle with that. We are very preventative so we can keep cows rolling and doing what they are supposed to do. With MDI, it is the team management. They help us so that we are all on the same page to accomplish whatever we implement.
Tell us about your farm and your plans for the dairy in the next year. Tyler, Bret and Eric are the fth generation to milk on the farm. Our parents are the fourth generation. They started in 1997 with 250 cows. We have done three expansions since then. We milk in a double-11 parallel parlor. We ship our milk to Plainview Milk Products Cooperative and also supply the milk for CannonBelles Cheese. In the coming year we have no big plans. We are wrapping up the building projects by getting dirt moved, etc. There is always a project list. We want to maintain, keep the barn working for us and continue working on management. We are only a few years into the expansion so there are always changes.
Whether you are cooling milk or produce, Paul Mueller Company offers an array of chillers designed for a variety of industrial dairy applications. Utilizing our Accu-Therm® plate coolers, our chillers provide a superior source of chilled water which allows for rapid cooling of your product. This rapid cooling is beneficial as it inhibits bacteria growth and lowers energy costs. We have various models of chillers and can help you find one that is just right for your specific application.
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
Tyler O e walks the alley in the pre-fresh area Dec. 10 at Square Deal Dairy LLC near Randolph, Minnesota. The pre-fresh area is walked hourly.
JD S780 2023, 437 hrs., 178 sep hrs., #581321
JD S780 2021, 1000 hrs., 708 sep hrs., #582103
JD S770 2023, 303 hrs., 173 sep hrs., #582478
JD S770 2023, 264 hrs., 159 sep hrs., #582479 .............................
JD S780 2022, 561 hrs., 395 sep hrs., #582802 .............................$489,900
JD S790 2022, 1145 hrs. #582858 ................................................$449,900
JD S780 2022, 582 hrs., 420 sep hrs., #582868 .............................
JD S780 2022, 959 hrs., 630 sep hrs., #583674 .............................
JD S780 2021, 787 hrs., 593 sep hrs., #584232 ............................
New Holland CR8.90 2023, 191 hrs., 123 sep hrs., #584544 ......$526,900
JD S790 2021, 1227,hrs., 930 sep hrs., #584898 ..........................$349,900
JD S780 2023, 349 hrs., 242 sep hrs., #585176 ............................
JD S780 2023, 593 hrs., 426 sep hrs., #585530 ............................
JD S780 2023, 488 hrs., 358 sep hrs., #572927 .............................$539,900
JD S780 2023, 344 hrs., 238 sep hrs., #573052 .............................$624,900
JD S780 2023, 417hrs., 198 sep hrs., #573053 .............................
JD S780 2023, 511 hrs., 259 sep hrs. #573054 ..............................
JD S760 2023, 343hrs., 245 sep hrs., #573154 .............................
JD S790 2023, 593hrs., 405 sep hrs. #573278 ..............................$553,900
JD S790 2023, 566 hrs., 290 sep hrs., #573285 .............................$570,900
JD S790 2023, 685 hrs., 390 sep hrs., #573286 .............................
JD S790 2023, 454hrs., 276 sep hrs., #574575 .............................$599,900
JD S780 2023, 569 hrs., 290 sep hrs., #574576 .............................$529,900
JD S780 2023, 485 hrs., 334 sep hrs., #585531 .............................
JD S770 2022, 580 hrs., 475 sep hrs., #586955 .............................
TRACK TRACTORS
JD 9620RX 2021, 833 hrs., #568970.............................................
HIGHEST QUALITY SHAVINGS
Contact one of the following dealers to learn more:
IOWA
Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc.
Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290
United Dairy Systems, Inc.
West Union, IA 563-422-5355
Monticello, IA 319-465-5931
WISCONSIN
Advanced Dairy Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201
Bob’s Dairy Supply Dorchester, WI
715-654-5252
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 608-635-0268
Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI
920-346-5579
The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI
800-872-3470
MINNESOTA & SOUTH
DAKOTA
Farm Systems
Melrose, MN
320-256-3276 Brookings, SD 800-636-5581
Advanced Dairy Mora, MN
320-679-1029 Pierz, MN
320-468-2494
St. Charles, MN
507-932-4288
Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
Spreading holiday joy
Lights, mailbox draw visitors to Mickelson Dairy Farm
By Dan Wacker dan.w@dairystar.com
BLACK EARTH, Wis. — For many, December is a time for family, traditions and celebrations. For the family at Mickelson Dairy Farm, December is a time when they continue a brightly lit tradition that has been going on for more than 30 years.
Highlighting their farm’s display is a pair of candy canes drawn with red and white rope lights on their silo and a unique mailbox. The fourthgeneration century farm near Black Earth is operated by Sara Amble and her husband, Aric.
“Christmas lights have always been something I love this time of year,” Amble said. “We’d go around and look at lights at night when I was younger, and I saw a neighbor who would put them up on their farm, and I thought, ‘I want to do that.’”
From there, a tradition was born. Amble and her father, Craig Mickelson, began decorating the farm. The machine shed was the rst to have lights. Then, Amble got the idea to extend them to the highest point on the farm, the silos.
“At rst I wasn’t sure how it was all going to look,” Amble said. “Running 200 feet of rope lights up the lad-
Sara Amble stands at the lighted entrance to the cow yard Dec. 11 at Mickelson Dairy Farm near Black Earth, Wisconsin. The farm uses over 4,000 feet of lights to illuminate the Christmas display. der was tough, but I was really excited for how it looked at the end.”
Each year the display has some variation. Some years lights are hung on the 700 feet of fence line that runs from the milking barn to the freestall barn. Other years rope lights extend to the apex of the milking barn and all the way around. This year Santa Claus is perched atop the northernmost silo,
greeting people who pass by.
There have also been years when the lights stayed in the boxes.
“We go in spurts with it,” Amble said. “There are some years where we don’t put them up. Between weather,
and being busy on the farm, sometimes it just doesn’t happen.”
The years the family cannot get around to decorating, the neighbors notice.
“I posted a picture online around this time of year a couple of years ago, and all I heard about was how disappointed people were that we didn’t decorate,” Amble said. “We started doing it again as a way to try to spread a little cheer.”
The lights help spread cheer to their neighbors, which is an incentive for the family.
“Once you get that pat on the back for doing a good job, it makes you want to keep going,” Mickelson said.
Amble echoed a similar sentiment.
“It brings us joy to know that people are bringing their kids and their families out here to see the lights and the farm,” Amble said.
At a time of year when the sun goes down as milking starts, the extra light is a bonus.
“It’s nice that it brightens up the whole yard too,” Amble said. “You have no problem getting around with our lights this time of year. We’ll keep them up after Christmas for a bit too just because it does help us get around.”
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
With the increased visibility in their
“The lights bring in people from all over,” Amble said. “We’ve seen people from New Mexico stop by. We had ve buses go up and down the road one year. It really is a way to connect people to the farm. In a time where people don’t know where their food comes from, this is an easy way to help connect those worlds.”
During the summer, Mickelson Dairy Farm has another attraction to bring people out to the farm. Now on its fourth iteration, the mailbox for the farm is unique in its own right, bearing a striking resemblance to the animals in the barn.
“During the winter we have the lights, but in the summer, we have our cow mailbox,” Amble said.
Mickelson built the rst cow mailbox in 1976. After a few variations that needed repair, it now features a wooden frame with a metal mailbox as the cow’s head. The mailbox sports the glow of Christmas lights this time of year.
The cow mailbox has been featured in farming magazines as well as a John Deere calendar. It is another way Mickelson Dairy Farm is spreading cheer and making days brighter.
“At the end of the day, if you have something that you can look back at, be proud of and maybe provide a little joy for someone else, that’s what it is all about,” Mickelson said.
Day 1: Lee Martinek Day 2: Harlan Selander Day 3: Tom Meyer
Day 4: Pam Geier
Day 5: Jason Raths
Day 6: Jennifer Schmelzer
Day 7: Scott Reideman
Day 8: Joe Hollinger
Day 9: Katie England
Day 10: Rodney Laabs
Day 11: Emily Pankratz
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
Mickelson Dairy Farm lights up the night Dec. 11 near Black Earth, Wisconsin. Sara Amble and her father, Craig Mickelson, have been decora ng the farm for 30 years.
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
Mickelson Dairy Farm’s dis nct mailbox is decorated for the holiday season Dec. 11 near Black Earth, Wisconsin. The mailbox, in addi on to Christmas lights, provides an a rac on and a chance for people to come see the century farm.
From cows to cafeterias
Ten Finns Creamery supplies milk to schools
By Sarah Middendorf sarah.m@star-pub.com
MENAHGA, Minn. — After an unplanned conversation and some hard work, Joel and Amanda Hendrickson have their Ten Finns Creamery milk on the menu at 10 local schools for the 2024-2025 school year.
“When you walk through the school you will notice that you see a lot of Ten Finns hoodies,” said Jay Kjos, Menahga Public Schools superintendent. “There is a lot of pride in the local people doing well.”
The Hendricksons milk around 145 cows and farm 440 acres with the help of their 13 children. They also own and operate an on-farm creamery — Ten Finns Creamery — where they process milk from the herd and bottle it in half-gallon and 8-ounce cartons. Hendrickson said 30%-35% of their milk goes to schools and grocery stores.
Before the Hendricksons started selling milk to Menahga Public Schools, Hendrickson had a conversation with Kjos at a volleyball game.
Hendrickson asked Kjos if he had tried their milk. Kjos said he could not drink milk. Hendrickson told him he might have better success with their milk because it is A2 for beta-casein and does not contain the A1 protein that some report having issues digesting. Ultimately Kjos tried the Ten Finns Creamery product and found that he could drink the milk.
Amanda and Joel Hendrickson hold cartons of milk Dec. 9 at Ten Finns Creamery near Menahga, Minnesota. Hendrickson said 30%-35% of their milk goes to schools and stores.
“He was sold right away,” Hendrickson said. “Once people learn about the whole A2 protein, that’s been a big seller.”
The rst step to getting Ten Finns Creamery milk in the school was to win the bid. The Hendricksons submitted their per-carton prices for each avor, then waited for staff to review the bid and submit it to the school board, which chooses the vendor.
To educate other superintendents
about the A2 milk, Kjos invited Hendrickson to give a presentation about his products during an area conference for superintendents at the Menahga Public Schools.
“(Jay’s) been a huge help,” Hendrickson said.
The conference was held again this year. This time, Kjos brought all the superintendents to the farm for a tour of the facility.
Kjos has built a relationship with the
Hendricksons through this venture.
“(Joel’s) been really good as he’s getting his business going,” Kjos said. “We worked out any of (the issues in) the processes because we have a good relationship. He has just been really (available).”
Menahga was the rst school customer for Ten Finns Creamery, a relationship that began with the 2023-2024 school year. The Hendricksons have grown that number to 10 schools this year.
There have been learning curves along the way. Before the 2023-2024 school year, Hendrickson ew to Las Vegas to investigate a carton machine for 8-ounce cartons.
The machine was delivered right before school started, so the Hendricksons had little time to get the kinks worked out. Keith Hendrickson, owner of Dairyland Equipment of Menahga Inc., who is a friend and relative, helped them get everything running.
“He didn’t know this machine, but he’s learned it with me,” Hendrickson said. “I was ready to bring them half gallons of milk for the rst few days (if the vending option didn’t work).”
Ultimately, they found success. But with growth has come new challenges.
“This year, now that we are doing so much, there’s a bunch of learning again,” Hendrickson said. “I’ve lived off the least amount of sleep this fall ever.”
The machine has two lines and can ll about 9,400 cartons an hour, so in 3-4 hours they can ll 25,000 cartons, Hendrickson said. They are lling 40,00050,000 cartons a week, a task that takes 8-10 hours. The creamery lls cartons for orders on Tuesdays and Fridays or Saturdays.
Turn to TEN FINNS | Page 27
techniques to stir up and suspend the solids prior to and during the pumping process. We use state-of-the art agitation boats which provide vertical agitation throughout the lagoon. It can easily stir up and maintain the solids in suspension. In addition, Lagoon Pumping uses traditional stick agitators to wash down the banks and to maintain a horizontal movement to the lagoon to assure suspension of the solids throughout the pumping process.
Hosereels
Tires, Dual Drive.
PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE
Schools have the option of white, strawberry and chocolate milk. Roughly 70% of the milk going to schools is chocolate, Hendrickson said. All schools order white and chocolate. A small number of schools order strawberry milk as the creamery started producing this variety several weeks ago.
Monday through Thursday are delivery days, with each school visited twice per week. The creamery has one delivery truck that is used to bring the milk to the schools and grocery stores. Ten Finns Creamery milk has a 16-day shelf life.
Filling thousands of cartons per week requires teamwork for the Hendricksons. From milking and feeding to bottling
and delivering, there are many hands in the process. Their oldest son, Zach, has learned the ropes of the creamery and can carton milk with little assistance. Jenna Pinoniemi, their niece, does all of the deliveries with help from some of Joel and Amanda’s daughters. Their daughters also help transfer cartons from the lling line to the crates and then to the cooler.
“It’s an interesting story to say the least,” Kjos said. “It’s also a story of determination, grit and success, and what better way to motivate my peers? I am proud of Joel and Amanda and what they have done out there and that (they are) part of our community.”
PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE
Cayden Honga (from le�), Levi Davidson, Jay Kjos, Autumn Schmidt and Tate Makela sit together Dec. 9 in the cafeteria at Menahga Public Schools in Menahga, Minnesota. Ten Finns Creamery is distribu�ng milk to 10 different schools.
PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE
Lucy Hendrickson grabs half gallon cartons off the machine Dec. 9 at Ten Finns Creamery near Menahga, Minnesota. Ten Finns Creamery’s milk has a 16-day shelf life.
COMPACT LOADER YEAR-END SAVINGS
IOWA
Automated Waste Systems, LLC
Hull • 712-439-2081
Bobcat of Brookings, Inc. Brookings • 605-697-5544
Aldrich Tractor, Inc. Verdale • 218-445-5430
Farm-Rite Equipment, Inc. Dassel • 320-275-2737
Farm-Rite Equipment, Inc. Long Prairie • 320-732-3715
Farm-Rite Equipment, Inc. St. Cloud • 320-240-2085
Farm-Rite Equipment, Inc. Willmar • 320-235-3672
Lano Equipment of Norwood Norwood Young America 952-467-2181
Miller Sellner Slayton, LLC Slayton • 507-836-8571 Swanston Equipment
IN DAIRY women
Tell us about your farm and family. Our family farm started back in 1963 with my great-grandparents, Ray and Florence Heim, milking 30 cows. My grandparents, Lloyd and Joyce, took over in 1976 and grew the milking herd to 50 cows. A devastating re in 1995 destroyed the original farm, causing Lloyd and Joyce to make a big decision of whether or not to keep farming. Farming was their passion, and they rebuilt in 1996, milking 200 cows, which set the foundation for our family. In 2000, two of their sons, Jeremy and Scott, joined the partnership. Over the years, many additions were made, and our cow numbers increased. Cow health and comfort were super important to us and will continue to be, so we installed collars to track cow health. Results from the collars continued to help us adjust to ensure healthy animals. In 2021, we built a maternity barn to focus thoroughly on our mothers during one of their most stressful periods in life along with calves’ rst couple hours/days of life. We are now at 825 milking cows and raise our own calves and heifers. Our calves are on automatic feeders to receive milk any time of day. They start on the feeders on Day 5 of their lives until they are about 65 days. Seeing a need in Kewaunee and surrounding counties for improved manure applications, Jeremy and Scott embarked on a new journey, and Heim Brothers Custom was born in 2015. They use some of the highest technology to take great care in continuing to provide neighboring farms with a way to handle their manure in a safe, clean and environmentally friendly manner, ensuring all nutrients are recorded and accounted for. Over the years, family members continued to join our farm journey. Rod, Lloyd’s oldest son, came back to the farm in 2020 to work in the shop. Carrie, Scott’s wife, started her role as milker when she was only 14 years old and is now the head herdsperson. I worked on the farm while growing up and took on the role of calf manager in 2013. Ben, Jeremy’s son, and Sam, Rod’s son, worked on the farm while growing up as well and joined full time after high school in 2021 and 2022. We have been blessed to have numerous employees who are also related to us and continue to be a part of what we built.
What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? A typical day for me starts
Kiley Heim Algoma, Wisconsin Kewaunee County 825 cows
with feeding our calves every morning and walking and checking for anyone that might be a little off. From there, every day is a bit different; however, many are similar but just not always done in the same order. I usually go around the yard, feed the cats, ll the refrigerators with soda and water, grab any of the shop paperwork to go into the computer, put ordered items away, look at our cow and youngstock tracking systems, make lunch for the crew daily, do paperwork for billing and paperwork for the shop maintenance monitoring system, order supplies, work on projects that pop up and much more.
What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? The decision to bring in more technology for our young calves will be super benecial, I believe; however, it is too early to know for sure. We will have data and be able to understand when calves need assistance before they show signs of struggle.
Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. When I was growing up helping my aunt sort cows, the mostly white cows would always be the hardest to move to where they needed to be. One day, I fell right on my butt and was covered in cow poop because of a white cow. Since that day, I have always said, “I dislike all white cows.”
What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your time to the dairy industry? I enjoy the calves the most. Their cuteness catches my eye, but their spunky and big personalities win over my heart. Raising calves can have hard times within it; however, being able to see the calves grow up and be happy is really rewarding.
What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Becoming the calf manager. I was young when I had the opportunity to step up and be the leader in this area. I came to realize that calf raising wasn’t the easiest, but to continue what our family loves to do each day, I needed to understand and give all the care and love I had to the calves so they stayed healthy. Realizing this was a big turning point for me.
What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? We as a family like to promote dairy by always having dairy products on hand to be able to offer milk or cheese to whoever tours or has a meeting scheduled. This past summer, we hosted Breakfast on the Farm. It was fun watching everyone come to the farm and discover all the technologies that farming has to offer. We try to explain our story through videos and post them on social media for more people to see. Our website allows us to offer tours if anyone is looking up farms in Kewaunee County to check out. We’re trying to continue to promote dairy in more ways each year.
What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Always have an open mind to learn new things. Know that just because someone else uses a product or does something they nd works for them doesn’t mean it is always going to do the same for you. Also, keep your voice heard when it comes to decision-making in your area. You are the “expert” for your dairy/job.
When you get a spare moment what do you do? In my spare time, I coach high school basketball and like to spend time with friends and family. Going to country music concerts with friends is something I try to do a few times each year.
Bring on the cold
Winters in Minnesota are infamous for their unpredictable swings between “rather chilly” and “bitter cold.” For livestock managers, the work does not stop when temperatures plunge. Chores must go on, whether it is a mild 61 degrees or a frigid 16 degrees. Those who live in cold climates often have vivid memories of bone-chilling days that left them miserable. While many farmers have established effective cold-weather habits, there is always room to improve safety and comfort. This article aims to provide practical tips on preparing for and managing the challenges of working outdoors during the colder months.
bluish skin, as reduced blood ow leaves these areas vulnerable.
By Dana Adams University of Minnesota
Understanding hypothermia and frostbite
When most people think of hypothermia, they imagine a stranded movie character, shivering in the snow with blue lips. However, hypothermia can set in during everyday activities when the body loses heat faster than it can generate. Symptoms start subtly with shivering, fatigue and a loss of coordination. If ignored, they progress to more severe signs like dilated pupils, blue lips, and slowed pulse and breathing.
Frostbite is another cold-weather hazard, often affecting extremities such as ngers, toes and noses. Early indicators include tingling, numbness and pale or
A less commonly discussed condition is immersion hypothermia, which can occur in milder temperatures, around 40 degrees, especially when people are exposed to rain, sweat or cold water. Symptoms mirror those of hypothermia and can develop quickly. Recognizing these dangers is vital, as pushing through discomfort or ignoring body signals can have long-term consequences.
Dressing for success: layering on the warmth
The cornerstone of safe and comfortable winter work is wearing the right clothing, and layering is the key. Each layer serves a specic purpose:
— Base layer: This inner layer should be loose and made of moisturewicking materials like wool or synthetic fabrics. These materials help keep your core dry by pulling sweat away from the skin. The loose characteristic of base layers allows for better air circulation and for individuals to heat the air next to their body, simply adding another layer of warmth.
— Outer layer: The nal barrier should be wind and water-resistant to protect against harsh weather conditions. Covering exposed areas is equally crucial. Be sure to keep your nose, ears,
cheeks, chin, neck, ngers and toes warm and dry. Wet gloves or boots can lead to frostbite. Always start with dry gear. Avoid tight footwear, as it restricts blood ow, increasing the risk of frostbite. Store boots in a warm, ventilated area overnight to ensure they are ready for the next day.
Preparing for a long day in the cold
Planning ahead can make outdoor workdays less burdensome and more efcient. Start the day with a nutritious meal to fuel your body and stay hydrated to maintain energy levels. Bringing a warm beverage and snacks for breaks can help sustain energy and improve mood throughout the day.
Employers play a signicant role in creating a safer and more comfortable work environment. Here are some practical ways employers can support their teams:
Education: Train employees to recognize the signs of cold stress, hypothermia and frostbite. Encourage open discussions about proper clothing choices and preventative measures.
Medical preparedness: Ensure prompt access to medical attention for workers showing signs of cold-related illnesses or injuries.
Scheduled breaks: Provide warm shelters or designated break areas to allow employees to recharge and prevent cold stress.
Dana Adams adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968
Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130
Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184
Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391
Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711
Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104
Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334
Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863
Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109
Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435
These measures not only enhance safety but also foster goodwill and improve overall team performance.
Practical tips for winter efciency
Be weather-wise: Monitor the forecast and adjust plans as needed to prioritize safety.
Gear up: Invest in high-quality, durable winter clothing and boots. Dry, warm gear can make a signicant difference.
Hydration and nutrition: Cold weather can be deceptive; staying hydrated is just as important in winter as in summer. Pair hydration with nutrient-rich snacks and meals to keep energy levels high.
Building a culture of cold-weather safety
Winter brings its unique set of challenges, but it is also an opportunity to reinforce a culture of preparedness and teamwork. Recognizing the signs of hypothermia and frostbite, investing in proper apparel and fostering a supportive work environment can make all the difference. For farmers and their teams, winter does not have to be a season of dread. By adopting these strategies, they can not only improve safety but also enhance efciency, ensuring the work gets done without unnecessary risks. Let’s face the cold head-on — together.
Isaac Salfer ijsalfer@umn.edu 320-296-1357
Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093
Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205
Melissa Wilson mlw@umn.edu 612-625-4276
Isaac Haagen hagge041@umn.edu 612-624-7455
Michael Boland boland@umn.edu 612-625-3013
Sabrina Florentino slpore@umn.edu 507-441-1765
Scott Wells wells023@umn.edu 612-625-8166
Erin Cortus ecortus@umn.edu 612-625-8288
Melissa Runck mkrunck@umn.edu 507-836-1143
Bagging his best buck
Brault forges family connections in the woods
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
POUND, Wis. —
For more than 50 years, Steve Brault has donned blaze orange and headed to the woods in November, pursuing a sport and hobby taught to him by his father.
“I really enjoy watching the wildlife,” Brault said. “I love hunting with my grandkids, teaching them to enjoy experiencing nature and the wildlife. They usually shoot bigger bucks than I do, but this year I had them beat.”
Brault harvested a 10-point buck on his rst-generation Marinette County dairy farm where he lives with his wife, Theresa. The Braults, along with their adult children —Marc and Melissa — milk 85 cows and farm 300 acres. Another daughter, Ashley Darga, and her family help out on the farm as schedules allow.
The Braults raise corn for silage and alfalfa for baleage to feed their dairy herd.
The deer population around the farm is plentiful, but not always welcome the Braults said. Crop damage from both deer and bear is experienced regularly. Damage continues beyond the eld as stored feed is frequently damaged too.
“The deer will come right up to the feed piles and they will rip right through it in the winter,” Steve said. “It’s not uncommon to see 50 or more deer out there at any given time.”
Hunting the herd has contributed to great family memories over the years, Brault said as he has watched his children and grandchildren experience hunting successes.
“This guy is not the biggest whitetail harvested here on the farm,” Brault said. “But he is the biggest one I’ve ever gotten myself.”
The biggest buck Brault recalls being taken on the farm was a 12-pointer, shot by his granddaughter, Myia, in 2016. It was her rst deer, harvested at the age of 10. The next year another granddaughter, Magge, bagged a 10-pointer.
Brault scored his buck on opening day, after spending the afternoon sitting in his tree stand. While some avid hunters know the trophy bucks they stalk and bag, Brault was unacquainted with the deer he harvested during the rearms deer season using a .30-06 rie.
“I will sit in the evening and watch, and I’ll sometimes see over
70 deer a night,” Brault said. “But this was the rst time I’d seen this particular deer.”
Having partaken in the annual deer hunt throughout his life, Brault said the camaraderie of enjoying the hunt with family is what draws him back to the woods each fall.
“Hunting is a part of me,” Brault said. “It’s something we do as a family.”
Teaching his children to appreciate the sport of the hunt has created memories Brault said he treasures.
“I taught my kids and grandkids to hunt just like my father taught me to hunt” Brault said. “Now I have a 4-month-old great-granddaughter, Millee, and I hope she will grow up and love and enjoy hunting as much as I do. I hope I am able to experience the joy of teaching her to hunt and everything that comes with it.”
Those bonds created by many successful forays into the woods throughout the years are what forge the stories of hunting that Brault enjoys reminiscing about with his family.
“Spending time together, sharing something you enjoy, that is what makes deer hunting special,” Brault said. “One of my favorite memories of hunting was back when you had to go register your deer at a registration site. We’d load up the deer and all go together. I’d take the kids; everyone could go show off their deer to everyone at the registration site. It was really a community event. It brought people together. I miss doing that.”
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Steve Brault displays the 10-point buck he bagged during opening day of rearms season Nov. 16 on his family’s dairy farm near Pound, Wisconsin. Brault has enjoyed deer hun ng for over 50 years.
Pitzen, Rindy volunteer for Dickeyville-Paris
By Dan Wacker dan.w@dairystar.com
DICKEYVILLE, Wis.
Perched atop some of southwest Wisconsin’s rolling hills sits the village of Dickeyville, hometown to Jerry Pitzen and Beau Rindy. In addition to their roles as dairy farmers, the two volunteer with the DickeyvilleParis Fire Department and Rescue Squad.
Pitzen, 85, owns Pitzen Farms, located a short walk from the re department. There he and his son milk 150 cows in a double-10 parlor as a third-generation farm. Rindy, 30, farms with his grandparents at Green Acres Dairy. Rindy handles the majority of the labor, milking 45 cows in a tiestall barn and housing them in a freestall barn. He has been volunteering for the re department the past eight years.
The initial re training is a 70-hour class, held at the rehouse, with additional training needed for driving,
Fireghting farmers
Jerry Pitzen (le ) and Beau Rindy stand next to a re engine Dec. 3 at the rehouse in Dickeyville, Wisconsin. Pitzen has served on the department for 47 years and Rindy has volunteered the last eight years.
specialized equipment and more.
“When I decided to join, my cousin Tony (Droessler) talked me into it,” Rindy said.
“I was living with a roommate and we both decided we wanted something to do after chores, and I’m halfway available during the day so we both joined. He has since
good help on our farm. My son takes care of pretty much everything, and we have Julie Augustine and Jeff Puls who help us out a lot. It’s the long calls that make it more difcult on the dairy farmers.”
It takes a village to help keep things in working order, and that extends to Green Acres Dairy as well.
“If I’m out on a call and it’s getting close to milking, my grandparents will help me,” Rindy said. “They’ll go get the cows and scrape the freestall barn. Depending on how long the call will take, my brother, who works as a plumber, also comes and will help get me started so all I have to do when I get there is carry units to the barn.”
Always being on call can make for long days and nights.
quit, but I’ve stayed on. I really enjoy helping where I can.”
The reason Pitzen signed on remains his passion today.
“I was in the military when I was younger, and I’ve seen where people needed help,” Pitzen said. “I joined the department after I got out of the military. I had to wait
seven years because our roster was full, but I’ve been at it 47 years now.”
Being on call at all times means schedules at home are sometimes changed.
“I’m lucky with where I’m at,” Jerry said. “I can usually get someone to run me up to the rehouse pretty quickly, and we have some really
“We had one call that came in late and we were there all night,” Pitzen said. “When we got close to nishing up, Beau went right to the barn to milk. There are nights where you just don’t go to sleep after a call and you just carry on through the next day.”
Some calls make for unique situations.
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
Jerry Pitzen explains the storage spaces for hydraulic rescue tools Dec. 3 at the rehouse in Dickeyville, Wisconsin. Members of the department are instructed on equipment use as part of their training.
“(When) we got one call, I was in the tractor hauling bales and saw some of the trucks go by,” Rindy said. “I hopped out of the eld and took the tractor and a wagon full of bales to the call, got parked and started directing trafc.”
To handle situations like this, one of the trucks carries additional equipment and gear for the volunteers who weren’t at the rehouse when the call came in. This gives Rindy, Pitzen and others the ability to head straight to the emergency, put on their gear, and help.
On-site, knowledge gained on the farm helps Rindy and Pitzen make a difference in the eld.
“We have more general knowl-
edge on how things work than some of the others,” Rindy said. “As a dairy farmer you turn your own wrenches, you have to make it work. If something goes wrong on these trucks, we could piece it together if needed.”
Pitzen has also seen farming knowledge give them an advantage such as recently when they were practicing training with rescue airbags. They were trying to lift a boom, but the way it was set up originally was pushing the boom out.
“Booms only go up,” Pitzen said. “That’s just one example of how our knowledge from the farm can help us. Calls with farming equipment there’s a base level of knowledge for the machinery that is really helpful.”
DAIRY ST R
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
Warmth during the winter
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Jingle Bells,” “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” are some of the classic Christmas songs most of us know well. Personally, I think these are best played when decorating the Christmas tree or when accompanied by a light show.
For several years, my mom and I drove around looking at Christmas lights in the area. It was by far one of my favorite things to do. We would go a block out of our way if we saw lights in the distance. From year to year, this looked different, but there were commonalities: it was an opportunity to take in the beauty of the lights and spend quality time with my mom.
Some years, we would only look at the lights on the 8-mile drive home, while other years, we would take time to drive through various streets, admiring all the hard work everyone put in. Luckily, some houses do an amazing job year after year. These are my alltime favorites to drive past.
Growing up, I always appreciated the changing of weather. As the leaves turned, the ground began to freeze and snow covered everything, I always thought this was the most wonderful time of the year. Being able to look out the window to a white blanket laid across everything made “walking in a winter won-
derland” a reality. It also meant the snow in the yard would be pushed onto what looked like the biggest snow pile ever.
My siblings and I would use it to sled down, attempt to carve tunnels through it or use it as a shield during snowball ghts. Now, when I see the snow pile, I remember all the memories we made and wonder how I didn’t freeze while doing that.
Having four other siblings, we were guaranteed to have our fair share of mischief passed from sibling to sibling. Being the youngest, I learned a lot of tricks from them.
those that mean the most to me.
Coming from a big family, our holiday gatherings — even if they are just with my immediate family — are loud and crazy. Every year, we get together with my extended family on my mom’s side, which is roughly 60 people. We eat lots of food and have endless laughter. We spend the day catching up, playing games and opening presents. It is loud and can be crazy, but it is well worth being able to see all my relatives around the holidays.
During chores, we would bring snowballs into the barn and throw them at whoever was milking cows — and, of course, try not to hit my mom or any of the cows in the process. We knew they would get revenge on us by the time winter or chores were over, but it was fun to do regardless.
By Sarah Middendorf Staff Writer
Regardless of if there are 10 or 50 family members gathered together, some may have to speak louder or shout while having a conversation with the person next to them. All I can say is that I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I feel fortunate that I get to spend time with my family around the holidays because there are some not as fortunate.
Nowadays, winter looks a little different. I don’t sled down the big pile and have not made nearly as many snowballs. I do, however, look forward to the holidays so I can sit down, relax and spend time with
Christmas for some may be a time to get presents, but for me, it is a time to reminisce, make new memories and appreciate those around me who mean the most.
Minimize bird challenges on your dairy farm
Winter weather has descended across much of the Midwest over the past few weeks. With colder temperatures, we are seeing a signicant increase in bird pressure on dairy farms.
Something to Ruminate On
Birds have always been a concern on dairy farms, but the onset of avian inuenza virus type A (H5N1) has brought a greater spotlight to the issue. Birds are drawn to livestock operations’ continuous supply of available fresh feed. They feed at forage bunkers, piles and feed bunks, consuming the energydense components of the feedstuffs or ration. Birds also increase disease risk by contaminating livestock feed.
By Barry Visser Nutritionist
European starling
The most common invasive bird migrating to dairy farms in the winter is the European starling. Adult starlings are about 8.5 inches in length and weigh 3.2 ounces. Like most other birds, starlings consume about half their body weight in grain daily. It is not unusual for ocks numbering in the tens of thousands to migrate to a farm, leading to feed consumption well above 1,000 pounds per day.
Starlings consume high-dollar feed ingredients, such as grains and concentrates. Estimates of bird damage on commercial dairies in Wisconsin, New York and Pennsylvania suggest that starling damage resulted in $64,000 of feed loss annually per farm when the bird population reached 10,000 birds or more per day.
Furthermore, dairy nutritionists formulate rations to optimize animal performance and health. This loss of nutrients consumed by birds can greatly impact the nutrients available to cattle, directly impacting animal performance and the bottom line. In 2018, Colorado researchers reported an average of 5.5% reduction in dietary net energy levels in commercial total mixed rations consumed by starlings compared to those with no bird presence.
Relationship between disease and bird abundance
Birds have been implicated in the transmission of pathogens due to their close contact with animals. The most common way pathogens are spread from birds to livestock is through the excretion of feces into cattle feed and water sources. Starlings can y at speeds up to 45 mph and travel 20-30 miles each day between roosting and feeding sites, thus transporting pathogens between livestock facilities.
The presence of high-density bird ocks at livestock facilities creates conditions ideal for the transmission of pathogens between birds and cattle. Birds can acquire and recirculate pathogens, including H5N1 bird u and salmonella, on dairy farms. Starlings may also contribute to pathogen transmission by physically moving cattle feces containing salmonella, E. coli, or other pathogens into feed and water troughs, thereby disseminating pathogens throughout livestock facilities.
Solutions
for
starlings
The best defense is to make the farm less inviting and deter birds from coming in the rst place. Clean up waste feed from outside and around bunkers so it is not as easily accessible to birds. Seal any holes or gaps birds may use to gain access to buildings where food is plentiful.
Strategies that deter perching in rafters or inside buildings can be used as well. Install netting in open spaces to block access to the rafters. The use of a simple mechanical device, such as sharp wire or barbs on rafters, or chemical agents that make roosting sites sticky or slippery, are common practices used on-farm
to deter birds from roosting in barns. However, each of these methods can take time and money to maintain over long periods.
Solutions to control bird populations by lethal methods have been under scrutiny due to the slow death of affected birds and the effects it can have on non-target species that may consume it, such as songbirds. Most of the nuisance species of birds (sparrows, pigeons and starlings) are not protected under federal law. Thus, shooting and trapping are available methods to help control bird populations. While both can be time-consuming and have safety concerns, several dairies have found success in exterminating large numbers of starlings after dark with night vision and air guns.
Harassment devices are another way to deter birds from staying on a farm for an extended period. Sophisticated laser devices, propane exploders, hawk kites, ultrasonic sounds, pyrotechnics and others have been used extensively on farms. However, if not used at the right time of the year, effectiveness drops dramatically, and they are not long-term solutions. These devices also require a focus on safety.
For now, the best defense against birds is to make sure food and water are not easily accessible to them. This takes a combination of cleaning, maintenance and due diligence to remove opportunities for our feathered foes to make a “home” on the farm and protect the health of cattle and the dairy’s bottom line.
Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
As we close another year, we at Leedstone send you our deepest gratitude.
We are honored to work with so many farms and families. Thank you for allowing us to support you in caring for your herd, maintaining and upgrading your equipment, and creating a more productive atmosphere for your herd and your crew.
It is our privilege to serve you and collaborate on your goals. We look forward to working further with each of you and connecting with more farms in 2025.
Here’s to a New Year of opportunities, continued partnerships, and success for our entire agricultural community!
Parodies for presents
Rosie, the Black White Holstein
You know Sutton, and Fruitcake, and Backstrap, and Halo, Snowake, and Mazda, and Honda, and Dumbo.
But do you recall
The most famous bovine of all?
Rosie, the Black White Holstein
Had a very curious tongue. I recall when I felt it
Years ago, when I was young.
All of the other bovines
Used to be content with grain. Not so the case with Rosie, She preferred to not eat plain.
Then one frigid winter’s eve, Jacqui came to say, “Rosie with your tongue so strong Hold it out so nice and long.”
Then how she tried some soda, Slurping it up with glee.
“Rosie, the Black White Holstein, You’ll go down in history.”
At Christmastime, more than perhaps any other time of year, I miss the comfort of milking cows in the old stall barn that currently houses our weaned calves. The steam rolling off the animals from the contrast in temperatures. The readymade hand warmer — that little pocket right in between the udder and the hind legs — that spot just wait-
ing to thaw ngers frozen from sledding. If I happen to get the short straw and have to feed calves down there, the smells take me right back in time. Hay, animals, straw, manure.
Rose stood in the second stall past the feed alley walkway, next to the giantess, Dumbo. The two had the funniest personalities. Dumbo loved to reach her head around as I milked; she would then snatch the paper towels out of my back pocket and eat them.
Rosie, however, had a more unique taste. She liked chocolate Ho-Hos from the dayold bakery and would stick her bristly tongue out and slurp down orange Crush Soda as I poured it from the can.
By Jacqui Davison
It is something about how the seasons can make memories oat back into your mind. For me, Christmas memories are as much about cows as gifts and the gorgeous Nativity at church. A favorite is when we would come in from the barn at night and see the lights from the Christmas tree in the living room window. These days, I have farther to walk to milk cows, but we still set the farm’s tree up in the window for the very same purpose. Merry Christmas to you and yours; I hope you are making memories to last a lifetime, especially those with cows.
Jacqui Davison and her family milk 800 cows and farm 1,200 acres in northeastern Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira, Dane, Henry and Cora, help 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.
Columnist
Ramblings from the Ridge
Establish livestock inventory
By Steve Frericks Stearns County FSA executive director
Are you a livestock producer? Are you prepared for extreme winter weather? In the event of extreme winter weather, is your livestock paperwork in order? The Farm Service Agency administers the Livestock Indemnity Program to help compensate eligible livestock producers in the event they lose livestock due to a natural disaster event. This could be a blizzard as dened by the National Weather Service. It also could be prolonged extreme cold that is abnormal for a particular time of the year. One of the major components of this program is having an accurate starting year livestock inventory from a reliable or veriable source. A few simple ways to accomplish this is to have a vet count noses during their next farm visit. A nutritionist or adult farm business management instructor can do the same. Now is the time to prepare. Let’s all hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Please call your local ofce if you have any questions about this program or any other programs that FSA administers.
Marketing assistance loans
FSA offers a 9-month commodity loan to provide interim nancing after harvest to help meet cash ow needs without having to sell your commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. Producers self-certify their current year bushels which are veried against the acres reported to FSA in the spring. Producers can take out a loan against the bushels in their bins. When they are ready to market the grain, they simply notify FSA, and we provide a marketing authorization to the elevator. When you are done hauling, the elevator sends the applicable amount owed to FSA and the balance to the producer. It is a very simple process. Remember this is a loan that carries an interest rate for December of
5.250%. Applicants are responsible for maintaining the quality of the grain under loan. If you are still looking to get a Marketing Assistance Loan in 2024, please contact the ofce now. This process can take time. If you are thinking about a 2025 MAL loan, you certainly can start the process now and we will be ready to proceed ASAP in January.
Marketing assistance for specialty crops program
This program aims to help specialty crop producers expand markets and manage higher costs. It is accepting applications from Dec. 10, 2024, through Jan. 8, 2025. Funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation, MASC was announced in November alongside the $140 million Commodity Storage Assistance Program for facilities impacted by 2024 natural disasters. Eligible established specialty crop producers can apply for MASC benets by completing the FSA-1140, MASC Program Application, and submitting the form to any FSA county ofce by Jan. 8, 2025. When applying, eligible specialty crop producers must certify their specialty crop sales for the calendar year 2023 or 2024. For MASC program participation, eligible specialty crop sales only include sales of commercially marketed raw specialty crops grown in the U.S. by the producer. The portion of sales derived from adding value to a specialty crop (such as sorting, processing, or packaging) is not included when determining eligible sales. Further explanation of what is considered by FSA for specialty crop sales as well as an online MASC decision tool and applicable program forms, are available on the MASC program webpage.
Farm stress
We know there is a lot of stress in the ag community right now. If you recognize this stress in your family members or friends, do not hesitate to seek the appropriate help. The Minnesota Farm and
Rural Helpline is a free, condential service that provides support for people struggling with stress, anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts related to farm and rural life. The helpline is available 24/7 and can be reached by calling (833) 600-2670, texting FARMSTRESS to (898) 211, or emailing farmstress@state.mn.us.
Farm loan manager, Jerry Hurrle
As the year comes to a close and we look forward to the New Year, we need to begin planning for 2025. Each year brings new changes and new challenges as we review our progress. A good place to start is to update your balance sheet and review your 2024 income, expenses and production information. What problems or challenges occurred? With the current crop prices, the prot margins and cash ow planning are much more difcult. Review your nancial position and ratios. Is your working capital adequate? Can you repay your annual operating loan? Will you have income taxes due? What will your cash ow be for the new year, and what adjustments need to be made? Sometimes there are more questions than answers. If you maintain accurate and up-to-date records, the review process and ability to answer these questions can be much easier and faster to complete. It is recommended that you meet with your lenders sooner rather than later to review your cash ow, debt structure and nancing needs.
The staff at FSA would like to wish you and your family a blessed holiday season. FSA is here to help you be successful in the business of agriculture. We are honored to be part of an industry that is so important. Happy Holidays, Steve. Farm Service Agency is an equal opportunity lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 20250. Visit www.fsa.usda.gov for application forms and updates on USDA programs
9600 2019, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1756 hrs., 1130 CH hrs., #553763 .......
9700
The gift of joy
We are running out of room in our “inn” this holiday season. Forget an Advent calendar counting down the days to Christmas — it seems every day there is a new gift delivered, sometimes even two.
I have been calculating and coordinating where to put all our December calves. I only have ve open domes left and 10 animals still to calve this month. Hopefully, there will be a few bull calves coming in this group or we will have to nd room in an open pen in the back of the old barn. This is not an ideal place but one that can house our special gifts. Sounds like a familiar story of long ago.
The Christmas season has been a time of calculating and coordinating — squeezing in holiday concerts, baking holiday treats, nding the “perfect” gift and still managing the daily routine on the farm. Some years, I would stress winning the battle, and other years, I would wave a white ag as I let go of
the stress. Yet, the holiday season always seemed to work out just ne regardless of what I did or did not do.
When the kids were younger, we would rack our brains trying to discover the “perfect” gift for each child’s interest and personality. One year, the boys received their own Red Rider BB guns. The squeals of joy still echo in my heart as they ripped off the wrapping paper, anticipating their greatest wish. It was the “perfect” gift that lasted for a few years, then the gift faded with childhood. The guns stood silent, bumping around the gun rack as bigger guns captured their attention. The “perfect” gift has been abandoned until this past Thanksgiving, when Jonathon rediscovered his gift from long ago. His son was now old enough to squeal with delight as they restored the gun with a fresh cleaning and a rub down of gun oil. It was the “perfect” gift of joy for a
little boy at Christmas time. I thought we had done pretty well over the years in our search for the best Christmas presents. That is, until Austin and Joelle were talking about their childhood Christmas gifts. Austin said he couldn’t recall a single gift he received as a kid. He remembered the experiences shared, like ice shing with Mark and his godfather, or his rst airplane ight to Texas over break to visit my parents. He didn’t remember the red travel backpack he received just for that trip. Looks like I need to pull out his photo album to jog his memories of the gifts he received. It wasn’t like he didn’t receive any.
By Natalie Schmitt
In the homily in church this past week, Rev. Sauer focused on the anticipation of joy to be found in his childhood Christmas gifts. Like Austin, he couldn’t recall exactly what presents he opened, but he did remember feeling short-changed. He received everything he wanted but struggled to nd the joy of Christmas. That set me to thinking — and missing a chunk of his sermon.
What is the “perfect” gift? Where does joy come from? Simple questions, yet complex answers. I can only speak for myself, but here is what’s rolling around in my head. The “perfect” gift is given out of love. The gift can be anything. It can be a homemade decoration from innocent little hands. It can be a treasured moment on an ordinary day. It can be a few simple words or a well-timed hug. It can be in the cry of a newborn baby or the tears of wisdom trickling down your cheek at the discovery of a simple truth. It is fun to unwrap a gift, anticipating what someone special wants to share with you. But as we’ve gotten older, it’s not about the physical gift. The real gift is time. Time to be together. Time to share laughter and hugs. Time to be present in each other’s lives.
Now that our kids are all adults and living in different states, we treasure our time together over the holiday season. That’s not to say we still don’t throw a present under the tree for our version of the “White Elephant” game. It has to be something to eat or drink from your local area. My present always seems to contain Red Head Creamery cheese, Thielen Meats country sausage and a bottle of spirits. I wouldn’t mind getting that one back, but I’m always curious to see what’s coming from Kansas or Wisconsin, too. There isn’t a bad present in the bunch. What would be my “perfect” Christmas present? What would bring me joy? The gift of words. I treasure words. They are a gift that I can unwrap any day I need to hear the whisper of love to lighten my path or ease my heart. I hear the words in the voice of loved ones long gone. I hear the love, the respect earned and the parent’s pride as my dad “introduced” his daughter to his friends. They were the last words I heard him say. A perfect gift.
As Mary treasured the angel’s words and the kings’ gifts, may we also nd joy in receiving the perfect gift of love.
As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark Schmitt started an adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.
Columnist
Just Thinking Out Loud
The gift of bilateral movement
This time of year, most mentions of gifts invoke mental images of colorfully wrapped boxes adorned with ribbons and nestled under Christmas trees. But the gift I’ve been thinking about most this past month doesn’t come in a box. Nor is it a gift you can receive. Bilateral movement is a gift you can only give yourself.
What is bilateral movement? Biomechanists dene bilateral movement as any movement that moves both arms or both legs at the same time, like pulling with both hands or squatting. I prefer to think of bilateral movement as moving — and using — both sets of limbs equally.
hand. When we clean refusal out of the manger, we use a shovel to throw it over the stalls into the gutters. When I started cleaning mangers bilaterally, it took me a while to gure out the mechanics of ipping the shovel over the stall with my left hand forward on the shovel handle. For thirty-some years, I had only operated a shovel with my right hand forward.
By Sadie Frericks Columnist Dairy Good Life
The goal of bilateral movement is to maintain (or develop) strength equally on both sides of the body.
I began bilateral movement in farming several years ago when a hand injury forced me to learn how to prep teats, attach units, and carry milkers with my left hand. After my right hand healed, I committed to using both hands/arms equally while doing chores. I now alternate prepping and attaching with both hands, using my left hand when milking a cow on her left side and my right hand when milking on a cow’s right side. I alternate carrying milkers with each hand. I make a gure-8 in the barn while cleaning stalls so that I can switch hand positions on the shovel. And I push up feed on both sides of the barn going from east to west so that I can switch arms.
I don’t worry about my legs as much, because I squat to prep and attach. But, if I kneeled on one knee to attach like some farmers do, I would switch legs each time I kneeled. Dan learned the hard way in wrestling last year what happens when you only use one side of your body for a specic movement. Wrestlers usually only shoot from one leg or the other. (Shooting is a lunging motion that involves dropping one knee to the mat and driving into the opponent.) Dan shoots with his right leg. After he injured his right knee, it became apparent that his right leg had become signicantly stronger than his left leg from all of the shooting he was doing. He’s now more conscious about maintaining equal strength in both legs.
I’ve found that bilateral movement also helps maintain and develop coordination in your non-dominant
Maintaining strength and coordination in both hands has proven to be invaluable. Six weeks ago, I slipped, fell, landed on my elbow, and injured my right shoulder. The impact of the fall ruptured one my rotator cuff tendons and tore my biceps tendon. I’ve been farming with one arm since I fell, which was way easier to adapt to because I had already been using my left hand for just about everything. I will admit, though, that attaching nipples to bottles with one hand is something I should have been practicing more.
I’ve also had to switch to using my left hand for eating and brushing my teeth – and a million other little things, it seems. Again, I’m certain becoming left-handed would have been way worse if I had’t already been using my left hand as much as I was.
By this time next week, I’ll be sporting some new titanium shoulder parts. The good news: My doctor said that because I insisted on early diagnosis, the retracted tendon hasn’t started to scar, and I can expect to regain full strength and range of motion after surgery. The bad news: It will take six months of physical therapy before I regain enough strength and range of motion to farm with both arms.
I’m fully prepared for the challenge. After rehabbing my left shoulder ve years ago, I know how frustrating and painful the process will be. But I also know what it takes to fully recover. And, by the time I’m done, I expect I will be pretty darn close to being completely ambidextrous.
Merry Christmas to you and yours. If you don’t already, I would encourage you to consider giving yourself the gift of bilateral movement. You never know when you’ll need that strength and coordination.
Sadie Frericks and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children: Dan, Monika, and Daphne. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@ gmail.com.
