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DAIRY ST R
Milk pricing revisited
December 25, 2021
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 23, No. 21
Teenager takes home heifer calf
Fonder looking forward to calf becoming a part of herd
MMPA panel discusses FMMO, its future
By Jerry Nelson
jerry.n@dairystar.com
By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
WAITE PARK, Minn. – The push to reform the Federal Milk Marketing Order continues to gain traction. The pricing system guiding the country’s milk supply and solutions that may be on the horizon was discussed at the Minnesota Milk Producers Association annual meeting Dec. 8 in Waite Park. “We want to make things better,” Lucas Sjostrom said. “But, we’re far more worried about making things better in 2042 than now. Let’s have better price discovery for generations to come.” Sjostrom, MMPA executive director, joined University of Minnesota assistant professor Marin Bozic, and dairy farmer and MMPA President Shelly DePestel on a panel moderated by Joe Gill of KASM Radio. Last spring, MMPA and other dairy organizations announced the Class III Plus proposal for milk pricing, an initiative to reform the current FMMO and pricing of uid milk. And most recently, lawmakers introduced the Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act, which would require the United States Department of Agriculture to hold hearings to review proposals that could change Class I pricing. These initiatives are the outcome of dairy farmers’ requests for a milk price reective of the current market conditions. “We’ve had FMMO for over 100 years,” Bozic said. “It’s changed a bit but is designed for a world we don’t live in. Our future is not uid milk; it’s in cheese, exports, products that don’t have a high water content.” DePestel agreed. “When we talk about a system that has been in place Turn to MILK PRICING | Page 6
RUTH KLOSSNER/DAIRY STAR
Nicolas Fonder, of Milbank, South Dakota, receives the heifer calf from Dairy Star’s Great Christmas Grand Prize Giveaway drawing from Paul Swenson Dec. 18 near Nicollet, Minnesota. Fonder registered at Valley Dairy Supply in Corona, South Dakota.
MILBANK, S.D. – Nicholas Fonder is the winner of the heifer calf that was given away as part of the Dairy Star’s Great Christmas Grand Prize Giveaway drawing. Nicholas’ parents, John and Sandra Fonder, milk 40 Holsteins on their organic dairy operation located at Milbank. Nicholas has two sisters, Veronica, 15, and Elizabeth, 5. John and Sandra became foster parents several years ago and currently have two foster children at home. Sandra works in the human resources department at Valley Queen Cheese Factory. A native of Columbia, she serves as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking employees. The Fonders registered for the Great Christmas Grand Prize Giveaway drawing at Valley Dairy Supply in Corona. Turn to GIVEAWAY | Page 7
Klatt’s barn full of colors Farm dons all breeds from across the nation By Kate Rechtzigel kate.r@dairystar.com
NORWOOOD YOUNG AMERICA, Minn. − On the outside, Julie Klatt’s 132-yearold barn looks like any other. Upon stepping inside, the barn is anything but ordinary as the stalls are lled with color. “I was 6 when we started (having all the breeds),” Klatt said. “For 30 plus years, it’s been the legacy of this farm, and I don’t ever see us going back.” Klatt milks 40 cows on her dairy farm in Carver County near Norwood Young America. The herd at Evergreen Farm consists of Jersey, Guernsey, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Milking Shorthorn, Holstein and Red and White Holstein. The days begin at 6 a.m. for Klatt. “The big decider for me as to when I start my day is that our milkman picks us up at 7 a.m.,”
Klatt said. “I decided a long time ago it would be easier to start milking after he picked us up.” She then goes out to the barn, feeds the cows, cleans the stalls and milks. “I’ve always had the mindset of giving to the animals before taking from them, so I make sure they are all fed, bedded and cleaned before I milk,” Klatt said. As a mixed-breed herd, they run about 4.7% butterfat and 3.7% protein on test. After the herd is milked, Klatt gets ready to work off the farm. During the day, almost every day, Klatt works at Cathy Mackenthun’s Meat and Deli in St. Bonifacius. There, she works customer service at the fresh meat counter and also slices bacon. At the end of the day, Klatt is back to the farm to feed the cows and youngstock, clean the barn and milk. “It’s go, go, go all day,” Klatt said. “I look at it as you get out of the animals what you Turn to KLATT | Page 10
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Julie KlaƩ milks 40 Holstein, Jersey, Guernsey, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Milking Shorthorn and Red and White cows on her farm near Norwood Young America. All cows are separated in the barn by breed.
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Editorial Staff Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman - Staff Writer (608) 487-1101 • danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Abby Wiedmeyer - Staff Writer 608-487-4812 • abby.w@dairystar.com Kate Rechtzigel - Staff Writer kate.r@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Advertising Sales Main 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@dairystar.com Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Amanda Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Kati Kindschuh (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-979-5284 • kati.k@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
America dealers. Decision time for DMC North program
Dairy Prole brought to you by your The sign-up period for the 2022 Dairy Margin Coverage program is underway through mid-February. This is for dairy farmers who are not already locked into DMC coverage through the lifespan of the current farm bill, which is two more years. About 50 percent of dairy farmers are committed to the program. “The rest of the farmers have to decide about enrollment for 2022 and the thing is that you just never know exactly what’s going to happen with either milk prices or feed costs,” said Chris Galen, senior vice president, National Milk Producers Federation. “Right now, we’re looking at a better year ahead for milk prices, but guess what? Two years ago, that was the case; it was also true in 2020, and then look what happened in March of 2020 when everything just sort of hit the fan with the arrival of the coronavirus.” DMC enhancements included with new signup The USDA expanded the Dairy Management Coverage program, allowing farmers to enroll supplemental production. There are also updates to feed costs. “One of the changes we were able to make is to allow 100% of the costs of premium alfalfa hay for producers starting now, going forward,” said Zach Ducheneaux, administrator, Farm Service Agency. “There’s also a retroactive component that goes back to January 2020 to accommodate producers going through challenges. Ducheneaux said the USDA should be able to reach more dairy farmers with these changes. The FSA paid out more than $1 billion in 2021’s DMC program.
Vilsack stumps for Build Back Ag Insider Better plan in Wisconsin Due to the impasse within the Democratic caucus in the Senate, the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better proposal is on life support. Senate leadership now admit the $2 trillion bill will not pass before the end of the year and there’s no clear path forward for 2022. At the same time, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was on a Wisconsin dairy farm By Don Wick last week promoting the bill. Columnist Vilsack told the Wisconsin Farm Report agriculture has some misperceptions about this Build Back Better plan. “I don’t think it understands and fully appreciates that this is paid for and paid for by companies that haven’t paid any tax at all and by extraordinarly wealthy Americans that make more than $10 million or $25 million per year.” Secondly, Vilsack said the farming sector may not understand the investment in conservation and research within this proposal that will provide assistance to agriculture and compliment the new infrastructure bill. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 5
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 3
It’s all inside...
First Section: Pages 23, 25
Charles Mix
Moody
McCook Minnehaha
Hutchinson
Turner
Bon Yankton Homme
Clay
oln
c
Lin
Murray
Rock
Nobles
Lyon
First Section: Pages 18, 20
Woodbury Monona
Harrison Shelby
Kossuth
nt
Kanabec Worth
Mitchell Howard
Hancock Cerro Gordo
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mb
Hu
Floyd
Bremer
Wright Franklin Butler
Guthrie
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Boone
Dallas
Story
Polk
all
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Ma
Black Hawk
Tama
Jasper
Houston
aw
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Grundy un Webster Hamilton Hardin
Greene
Pottawattamie Cass
Fayette
Benton
Iowa
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Clayton
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Bu
Madison Warren Marion Mahaska Keokuk
Adair
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Adams
Page
Taylor
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MDI helps Redalen’s farm change, cultivate relationships
Winona
Fillimore
Mower
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Ca
Crawford Carroll
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For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
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Zone 2
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Zone 1
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Dick
O’Brien
Sioux
Freeborn
Faribault
Martin
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Hamminks make use of ryegrass rotation
Jackson
Osceola
Plymouth
Bruce
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted
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Gregory
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ns
Ha
Lake
iek
Todd
Douglas
Miner
ake
Aurora
Mellette Tripp
Sanborn
Fountain
Wabasha
sh
Brule
Jerauld
Goodhue
Rice
ne
Lyman
Nicollet
Brown
am
Jones
Buffalo
Brookings
All
Kingsbury
Haakon
Redwood
Dakota
Scott
Sibley
Lyon
Dela
Jones
Linn
Clinton n Cedar
o ns
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Jackson
Scott
Muscatine
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Beadle
Carver
Union ld
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Clarke
Lucas
Decatur Wayne
Monroe Wapello
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Davis
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Hamlin
Hand
Hennepin
McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine
W in
Hyde
Deuel
Anoka
Wright
Meeker
Chippewa
Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Clark
Kandiyohi
Isanti
hin
Hughes
Spink
Sherburne
Wa s
Stanley
Swift
Grant
Benton
Stearns
Pope
sh iek
Sully
Day
Stevens
Washington
Faulk
Potter
Ziebach
Big Stone
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Douglas
Third Section: Pages 3 - 4
Pine
Po we
Dewey
Edmunds
Crow Wing
ms ey
Roberts
Marshall
McPherson
Carlton
Todd Grant
Eustice’s writing career focused on dairy industry
Aitkin
eu r
Sargent
Brown Walworth
Bennett
Richland
Lincoln
Campbell
Corson
Dickey
McIntosh
Sioux
Otter Tail
Wilkin
Emmons
Burnsville
Cass
Ra
Ransom
LaMoure
Logan
Grant
Becker
Clay
Lake
Su
Cass
no
Mah
Cook
Itasca
Le
Bames
Tra ver se
Stutsman
Pipestone
Kidder
men
Hubbard
Norman Burleigh
Morton
Jackson
Polk
Trail
Steele
Wadena
Griggs
n
Fall River
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section Shannon
Foster
Koochiching St. Louis
Red Lake
n
Custer
Beltrami
Pennington
Grand Forks
go
The “Mielke” Pennington Market Weekly
Wells
Lake of the Woods
Marshall
Eddy
Oliver
Meade Lawrence
Walsh
Roseau
Petersons work together to move dairy forward
isa Ch
Page 32 First Section
Kittson
Benson
Sheridan
Klatt’s barn full of colors
bo
McHenry
Perkins
Butte
Pembina
Ramsey
McLean
Page 33 First Section
Just Thinking Out Loud
Cavalier
Towner
io
DairyAdams Good Life
Rolette
Un
Hettinger
Bottineau
Nelson
Page 31 Stark First Section
Harding
First Section: Pages 1, 10
Ward
Something Mercer Dunn to Ruminate Billings On
Bowman
Third Section: Page 9
Pierce
Page 30 First Section
Slope
First Section: Pages 1, 7
Da vi so n
Golden Valley
Willow River
Renville
Dear Williams County Mountrail Agent Guy McKenzie
Norwood Young America
Working Youth: Derek Anderson
du
Pages 2, 8 First Section Burke
Henning
Fonder takes home heifer calf
Ag Insider
Divide
Milbank
Clearwater
Columnists
Louisa
n rso Henry Des
fe Jef
Van Buren
Moines
Lee
First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Iowa’s Dairy Center hosts second annual Santa on the Farm First Section: Pages 34 - 35
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE: Dairy processors: What are you optimistic for in the dairy industry?
Calmar
Osage
Women in Dairy: Renee Kotek First Section: Page 36
Winthrop
Kids Corner: The Krogmann Family Third Section: Pages 10 - 11
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 5
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 2 EPA releases 2022 agenda The Environmental Protection Agency released its unied agenda for the year ahead. The agency is scheduled to issue the regulatory process for a new Waters of the United States rule in February. A national ambient air quality standard is also in the works with an announcement by August of next year. This is the proposal to regulate farm dust that came up during the Obama administration. Three interest rate hikes expected in 2022 The Federal Reserve will continue to hold interest rates near zero, but Federal Reserve ofcials are prepared to raise their short-term benchmark rate at least three times next year due to ination. After the two-day meeting wrapped up this month, ofcials said they’d keep rates near zero until they were satised labor market conditions were consistent with maximum employment. Level the eld for American exporters Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and South Dakota Senator John Thune are working together on a bill to address the supply chain disruptions. Klobuchar said ocean carriers are treating Midwest exporters unfairly. “What Thune and I are doing is to even the playing eld by making it harder for ocean carriers to unreasonably refuse to load goods ready to export at port and also get some clarity to the fees they’re imposing, which can be unfair.” A recent Commerce Committee hearing brought key players in the supply chain to the table. “Sometimes these hearings can be bogus and boring where they’re throwing popcorn at people. I’m really glad we did this one to call attention to the fact that Democrats and Republicans from ag producing states are not satised with what is happening at the ports.” Truck driver shortage challenges product movement Minnesota Trucking Association President John Hausladen says a shortage of truck drivers has been building for many years. “We are seeing a shortage of drivers that pre-dates the pandemic. There are many great people in this industry, but the average drivers are males in their mid-50s. As those people get closer to retirement, they’re dropping out. We haven’t been able to ll the pipeline as fast as we’d like.” Hausladen thinks the pilot program included in the Federal Highway Bill will help. “This bill created
a pilot for up to 3,000 men and women to get started. The Biden administration put forward an action plan and one of those actions is an apprenticeship program.” According to Hausladen, the trucking industry is facing a shortage of 80,000 truck drivers. Current trends indicate that number could be 160,000 by 2030.
Your business means a lot to us, and we thank you for your friendship and support this year.
Playing defense in St. Paul The governor and members of the state House and Senate will all be on the ballot in Minnesota in 2022. Agricultural lobbyist Bruce Kleven says that will have an effect on the work done in the legislative session.” I don’t think it will be a productive session because of that and redistricting will loom large.” Redistricting will likely reect population loss in western Minnesota and growth in the urban area, primarily in the third-ring suburbs. Regarding farm policy, Kleven expects agriculture to be playing defense. “There may be a drought package, but it is getting late for that since we needed it in July.” New USDA staff have ties to Minnesota USDA has announced the addition of four new staff members and two of them have Minnesota connections. Anne Knapke is the new deputy chief of staff for policy and Bidisha Bhattacharyya is the senior advisor for climate and conservation. Knapke has spent time as a legislative director for Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. Bhattacharyya has been working as a policy advisor at the Farm Service Agency, but also worked on the staff of Minnesota Senator Al Franken and Minnesota Representative Betty McCullum. Trivia challenge Egg Nog is the Christmas beverage that is also known as milk punch. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, how many stomach compartments does the cow have? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
ConƟnued from DAIRY PRICING | Page 1
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for 100 years with little change, it has to be well studied and worked on,” she said. “It’s different in the Upper Midwest versus the coastlines, and that all has to be evaluated when making signicant changes.” The push for reform was heightened with the coronavirus pandemic, as many farmers experienced negative producer price differentials on their milk check. While the conversation surrounding milk price has been largely directed toward changing the formula so Class III milk producers are not affected as greatly when other classes falter, there is also an underlying message of transparency between processors and producers. “We would like to have a way for (producers) to seek clearly,” Bozic said. “Are they getting a good deal to whomever they are selling milk to? Why are they maybe getting paid less than others? How can we change that?” Sjostrom was quick to point out the market advantage processors have when some information is kept private but also the social advantage that could come from a national mandate on milk price structure with all processors’ cards on the table. Bozic has spent time learning about other countries’ transparent pricing systems, particularly in Australia and Ireland. “Transparency matters because we want processors to be asking, ‘How did you pay?’ ‘Are you treating people fairly?’” he said. “We’re not trying to create more trouble for our cooperative management. Like family, you always have contentious conversations, and we should have that in the dairy sector as well because they’re people you care for and want what’s best for them.” For about 20 years, Australia has been a deregulated milk market. While there are concerns with that structure in the United States for a number of reasons, the country also allows producers to stipulate who they ship milk to and
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the processors cannot impose volume or two-tier price limits. “That’s a rule that benets dairy farmers,” Bozic said, adding that all milk supply agreements are posted publicly. In Ireland, the country recently introduced an interactive milk pricing calculator. This allows producers to take their farm’s data and see how they could be paid by different cooperatives. “It’d be a dream where you could see within a 500-mile radius just how anyone is paying, private or otherwise, and what your price could be,” Bozic said. “We have a number of systems in the dairy industry with benchmarking to make farms efcient. We can do the same for milk pricing.” These conversations about transparency have been met with some reluctance, DePestel said. However, she is hopeful these conversations will continue and evolve for dairy farmers to have strong cooperatives for their milk and likewise cooperatives will have strong producers to keep the businesses moving forward. “We’re looking for a long-term solution, done right; not rushed and not done correctly,” she said. “Sometimes you pull a trigger much too quickly without doing your homework, research. Looking at other countries’ transparency is going to help us be there long term.” In the coming months, Sjostrom hopes that MMPA and the afliated dairy groups will nalize more details on their Class III Plus proposal, analyzing the current benets and consequences of the FMMO, and continuing the conversation around price reform. For Bozic, conversations such as those at the dairy group’s annual meeting is a way to keep the topic at the forefront and prepare for potential change at the national level. “From our perspective, any one focus is not enough,” he said. “We need to continue to have a broader, more robust conversation on exibility, pricing, increasing competition and transparency.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 7
ConƟnued from GIVEAWAY | Page 1
“Wow, that’s awesome,” Nicholas said upon being informed his name had been drawn and he had won the heifer calf. The heifer calf, Forest Lawn Select 3777, came from Forest Lawn Holsteins at Nicollet, Minnesota. Forest Lawn Holsteins, which is owned by the Swenson family, is the oldest continuously registered Holstein herd in the United States. Select was born Sept. 6. Nicholas, 16, is a sophomore at Milbank High School. He is an honor student and a member of the Milbank FFA Chapter. Nicholas would like to be a farmer when he nishes his education. “I already own one cow and have a heifer that’s due to calve in about a month,” Nicolas said. “This new heifer calf will t right into our herd.” In addition to doing chores, Nicholas helps with many of the eld operations on his family’s farm. He windrows hay, drives the silage chopper and assists with planting. Nicholas and Veronica are both accomplished violinists. In February, they were selected to be part of the South Dakota Music Education Association AllState Orchestra. The brother-and-sister duo has also been asked to provide music for social gatherings such as weddings. “I think that Nicholas was completely surprised when he was told that he won the heifer drawing,” John said. “It looks like Select has some really solid bloodlines. She denitely has the genetics to be a good cow and a good milker. Learning that Nicholas had won the heifer calf was a nice surprise for our whole family.” “This is going to be a Christmas that I’ll remember for a long time,” Nicholas said. “I can’t believe it. This is amazing.”
Richter is lucky cash winner Tim Richter has not considered himself to have much luck, having participated in a few community rafes with little return. That notion changed when Richter was named one of the cash winners of Dairy Star’s Grand Prize Christmas Giveaway Dec. 14. “I always register for this giveaway, but I never win anything,” Richter said. “Did I really win? I better go buy a Powerball or something.” Richter milks 80 cows with his Tim Richter wife, Sharon, and two daughters, Sara and Stacy, in Wadena County near Verndale, Minnesota. He will receive $1,000. The dairyman’s name was chosen after registering at Modern Farm Equipment Inc. in Sauk Centre. Richter was on his way out of the dealership when he was motivated to register for the giveaway. “They told me to a grab a calendar, and then I saw the Dairy Star box,” Richter said. “I was just about to the door. If they didn’t stop me, I might’ve just walked out.” When Richter was notied of his winnings, he was unsure how he would use the extra cash. “Should I buy a few more Christmas presents or keep it for myself?” Richter said. “Maybe I’ll give (my family) all a little bonus. They all work pretty hard.” Regardless of how the money will be used, Richter was appreciative of the prize and grateful for the staff at the dealership who encouraged him to grab a calendar. “I’m glad they told me,” he said. “It worked out pretty good.”
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
Here to protect, serve and farm
Borth spends time as deputy sheriff, dairy farmer By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
MENAHGA, Minn. – For most of his life, Daran Borth wanted to serve his community. As both a dairy farmer and deputy sheriff, two unlikely occupations to marry, Borth has been able to support his community in varying capacities. “For me, us farmers always seem to have strong work ethics. I think that helps me as a deputy sheriff, no doubt about it,” Borth said. “It’s the same in farming and police work; sometimes when the clock is supposed to stop, it doesn’t stop. You have to keep going until the job is done.” Borth is a K-9 deputy sheriff for Becker County, an occupation he has had for seven years. He works with 23 other sworn ofcers out of the county’s ofce in Detroit Lakes. Additionally, Borth and his wife, Christy, milk 120 cows on their farm near Menahga. The couple dairies in partnership with their oldest son, Derek, and his wife, Layla, and their two daughters, Brooke and Maryn. While Christy manages the dairy, Borth helps when he is
able, allowing him to focus his energy in law enforcement. “I’m pretty fortunate,” Borth said. “When both of my boys were growing up, they were heavily involved on the farm. And my wife, she runs everything. She’s not afraid of working.” Borth’s youngest son, Dustin, works in Florida. When Borth is on duty, he and his trusty canine, a 4-yearold German shepherd named Durman, patrol the county. They are responsible for serving civil papers, making felony arrests and trafc stops, and attending to requests ranging from suicidal calls to welfare checks and more. “We try to maintain and provide service to all members and residents of the county,” Borth said. Borth grew up around law enforcement. His grandfather served as a sheriff’s deputy for Hubbard County, and his greatuncle was a sheriff in Becker County. “I clearly remember seeing them in uniform,” Borth said. “When I grew up, that’s what I wanted to do. When I was a kid, I was inuenced pretty hard by those uniforms.” After going into military service in 1990 and being on Turn to BORTH | Page 9
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Daran Borth is a Becker County deputy sheriff and also dairy farmer. Borth and his family milk 120 cows near Menahga, Minnesota.
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Con�nued from BORTH | Page 8 active duty for four years, Borth stepped away from any form of serving while he and his family pursued dairy farming. They began as rst-generation dairy farmers in 2001. “We started from scratch,” Borth said. “The only thing that was here was a loang shed.” Since then, the Borths have grown and established themselves. They milk in a double-4 parlor. “Dairying has been a great place to raise a family, and hopefully our granddaughters can enjoy the same thing,” Borth said. “The dairy community is a strong community. People are present to promote it and make it a noble profession.” While Borth supported his wife in their dairying venture, he felt a calling toward service. In 2009, Borth pursued an education in law enforcement at Alexandria Technical and Community College in Alexandria. “I drove that every day, 75 miles,” Borth said. “Working extra has never bothered me. Some people can put in eight hours a day; I do twice that and thrive off it.” Borth said the challenge of becoming a police ofcer while dairy farming was one he readily accepted. “It was a battle, and one you couldn’t fully balance,” he said. “You just did what was absolutely on your plate at the moment. That’s how farming always is.” Borth is grateful for the support of his family members, who were instrumental – and continue to be – to his pursuit of the job off the farm. And likewise, Borth’s job has allowed the farm to follow its path. “To get where we are right now, in this day and age, this is what we had to do,” Borth said. “My wife is the boss on the farm with the cows; she and Derek take care of it all.” Borth typically works nights – with a schedule of ve days on, ve days off; then two days on, two days off. “My wife is pretty adamant about forcing me to sleep,” Borth said. “If it wasn’t for her, I might stretch it too thin. It’s hard because you get home and the sun is coming up. For me, that’s the best part of the day.” Working in uniform is not always easy. Two years ago, Borth and his colleagues supported efforts in the metropolitan area when the Twin Cities experienced unrest. But while Borth is often the face of law en-
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Derek Borth (le�) and his dad, Daran Borth, work on their dairy farm near Menahga, Minnesota. Daran is also a county sheriff ’s deputy. forcement when people are not in a positive situation, he nds the career to be rewarding. “You’re there on someone’s worst day, usually. If I have any interaction with the public, I try to go the extra mile for compassion and professionalism because how I conduct myself reects on me and everybody,” Borth said. “We’re there to protect and serve, and the people here are still very supportive of law enforcement. It’s
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a privilege to work in the area that I do.” When Borth is not on duty, he helps make hay during the summer, and he also enjoys hauling manure and seeing the returns of nourished soil. “Some people go shing and do yardwork. I dairy farm and then work as a sheriff’s deputy,” Borth said. “Some people need to work a lot and it’s good for me. It’s a good balance.”
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Pre-registration is required. Contact Leah Bischof at (320) 429-0611 or leahbischof@gmail.com or visit www.mn-dairy-initiative.org/events.html These retreats are hosted by the Minnesota Dairy Initiative. Farm Couple Retreats are supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Program award no. 2021-70035-35461 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The program is also made possible by the support of the following partners.
Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
ConƟnued from KLATT | Page 1
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put into them, and they are the bread and butter around here.” Her sister, Katie Schwarze, and dad, Butch, do all the breeding and help with chores and hay making when available. Klatt’s mom, Pam, was the farm’s herdsperson until 2020 when she passed of colon cancer. Klatt also runs 40 acres of small grains and alfalfa, and buys ground corn and hay for feed. No silage is fed except sweet corn silage to the open heifers, bred heifers and dry cows. Dairy farming was a career Klatt, a sixth-generation farmer, grew up around. “When I was 3 years old, we moved to Plato, and my mom and dad ventured out on farming on their own,” Klatt said. Pam was raised with registered Guernseys, and Butch grew up with grade Holsteins. However, as a cloverbud in 4-H, Klatt wanted Jerseys. “I had always admired the Degler family in our county and a couple of the Jersey breeders around here,” Klatt said. “I didn’t want to show against my sister and my mom’s youngest sister with the Guernseys.” At the Carver County Fair one year, the Klatts had both Guernsey and Jersey. “We got grand champion with both breeds,” Klatt said. “Someone said to my parents, ‘Why don’t you get a breed with some competing?’” KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR Klatt’s parents accepted the challenge and added Holstein to the herd. Cows eat at Evergreen Farm Dec. 9 near Norwood Young America, “Soon after, we were challenged Minnesota. The herd consists of Holstein, Jersey, Guernsey, Ayrshire, of getting (all the breeds) and we Brown Swiss, Milking Shorthorn and Red and White Holstein cows. did,” Klatt said. “My mom, grandpa and I road tripped to many a sale,” Klatt said. “We have Ayrshires Each cow is also given a name. from New Mexico, Holsteins from Wisconsin, Guern“Everything has always had a name from the beseys and Swiss from Iowa. At one point we even had ginning,” Klatt said. “It makes it easier because when one cow from Florida in here. A couple of the Jersey I go out there, I know them by name. When they’re cows from Texas still go back to one of the oldest herds breeding age, we know roughly how old they are just in the nation.” by what name they have.” All the cows are housed in the 40-cow tiestall barn About eight years ago, Klatt and her family started by breed. picking a theme related to how the cows are named. With Klatt’s love of Jerseys, it makes sense that For the last couple years, their theme has been based they are the rst cows in the barn. A Jersey cow, named off of World Dairy Expo, which pays homage to the Impulsive, holds the rst stall. family’s time showing at Expo for the last 40 years. “We always joke that the cow in the rst stall is “That’s always like our closing event for the year,” the HR department,” Klatt said. Klatt said. “We go to numerous shows throughout the A short walk down from the Jerseys lies the Hol- spring and summer, and when Expo comes, it’s the last steins. hurrah for the year.” “We put the Holsteins in the back of the barn beCow names used with the Expo theme for 2021, cause those are bigger stalls,” Klatt said. Instrumental to the Industry, include Cello, Kazoo, PicAcross from the Jerseys are the red cows − Ayr- colo, Violin, Fiddle and Trumpet. Next year’s theme is shire, Red and White Holstein, Milking Shorthorn and Essential Elements. Guernsey. Klatt is thankful for the support her family has had “We always liked Red and Whites because we had in acquiring all seven breeds. She considers herself the Guernseys and then Holsteins, so we moved the lucky to work with them all. Red and Whites in,” Klatt said. “I always joke that I have been privileged to work with all the breeds most of my life,” Klatt said. “I don’t have an issue with any of the breeds; I enjoy working with all of them.” However, two cows will always have a special place in her heart, Fanny Fox and Emperis. “Those cows made me who I am,” Klatt said. Emerpis was Klatt’s Jersey cow that won the 4-H and FFA shows as a junior 3-year-old. “Everybody that knows me knows I love that cow,” Klatt said. Fanny Fox was a Guernsey cow. “My mom and dad always tell the story of how my dad bred her that night and at 4 years old, I whispered in her ear, ‘You better settle or Dad’s going to ship you.’ And she settled,” said Klatt of the then 4-year-old cow. “She was always the sentimental favorite because it proved I was the cow whisperer.” Klatt and her family have taken pride in having a colorful herd, and Klatt looks forward to continuing that legacy. “It’s fun for us to be able to take a string PHOTO SUBMITTED of cattle to the fair that is just a menagerie of Julie KlaƩ leads a heifer around the ring at World Dairy Expo breeds,” Klatt said. “We maybe don’t win, in Madison, Wisconsin. KlaƩ exhibits her various breeds at but we hold our own in our classes and earn area shows. respect in all the breeds.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 11
Holiday traditions aglow Ciolkosz family embraces Christmas spirit By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
THORP, Wis. – A perfect early December evening at Ciolkosz Dairy includes one or more members of the Ciolkosz family stringing lights to turn the family’s 180cow dairy farm north of Thorp into a winter wonderland. “My dad always used to decorate the house; he had the kind of passion for Christmas, and then my brothers and I started helping him,” Bill Ciolkosz said. “We had a family of 10 kids, and Christmas was always a big deal.” Bill and Bridget Ciolkosz and their children, Carley, 19, Bryce, 17, Blake, 14, and Hailey, 11, are the fourth and fth generation of the Ciolkosz family to operate the farm since 1903. That is when Ciolkosz’s great-grandfather purchased the land from the lumber company and set to work clearing it, beginning the family tradition of dairy farming. Ciolkosz purchased the farm from his father in 2003 and slowly began growing the scope of the Christmas decorating. He estimates there are somewhere between 60 and 70 thousand lights twinkling around the farm. “For about the last 15 years or so, we have been decorating the farm,” Ciolkosz said. “We add a little more every year. We get a little carried away. We put lights on the barn, around the manure pit … anything that stands still and maybe some stuff that doesn’t.” The decorating does not end at the front door. Inside the house, the family celebrates with two Christmas trees and Bridget’s collection of Nativity scenes numbering well over 100. Ciolkosz said he is blessed his children have taken an interest in helping spearhead the decorating, making it a true family affair in more recent years. Spurred on by his boys, the Ciolkoszes began decorating the large pine trees in their yard a couple years ago. Besides decorating the trees in the yard, the Ciolkoszes string lights on the front of their milking parlor and on their old tiestall barn and machine shed; they light a path from their house to the barn. There are several Nativity scenes scattered around the farm. On the fence around the manure pit, they spell out the greeting, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.” As the years pass, Ciolkosz tries new things to keep the display easier to complete. “The words on the manure pit were always a chore and used to take anywhere from four to six hours,” Ciolkosz said. “I would zip-tie the rope lights to the fence, spelling out the words. More than once, I would nd I misspelled something or made a letter backwards and would have to take off the zip ties and try again.” Last winter, the farm’s A.I. technician suggested to form the letters from rebar. “I was able to zip-tie the rope lights to the rebar, and they went up really quick,” Ciolkosz said. “Then we just took them down, stored them that way, and this year just hung them right back up.” The technician also made a rebar tree and star that the Ciolkoszes added to their front yard. Storing the outdoor Christmas decorations takes up nearly half of the farmhouse’s basement, and Ciolkosz said that before they begin the actual task of decorating, a lot of time is spent in the basement making sure all the strands of lights work. “The kids like to decorate, and that is keeping the tradition alive,” Ciolkosz said. “The boys really enjoy it, and they have been learning a lot about electrical circuits and how electricity works.”
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
The Ciolkosz farm is all lit up with Christmas lights Dec. 13 near Thorp, WIsconsin. Each year Bill Ciolkosz and his family add a liƩle more to their display of lights. As their farm has grown, Ciolkosz said nding the time to decorate is sometimes difcult but is a priority for the family. “Sometimes we all get stuck doing more farm work than decorating,” Ciolkosz said. “In early November, we are nishing up harvesting, then comes deer hunting; we typically start decorating right after deer hunting.” Ciolkosz is not a fan of the vast commercialization of Christmas and dislikes how stores seem to try and push Christmas earlier each year. “You’ll see Christmas lights and hear Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but then the day after Christmas, suddenly there are no more lights and there is no more music,” Ciolkosz said. Ciolkosz does not turn his lights on until the second week of December and keeps them on through the second week of January. “That is another family tradition we like to keep, honoring Three Kings Day,” Ciolkosz said. “You need to celebrate Christmas when it really is.” While decorating the farm plays into the family’s own Christmas traditions, the Ciolkoszes have also learned about the role their holiday cheer plays in others’ celebrations within their community. “There are so many people that come out and look at the lights, and it is neat, because I never realized that we are a part of their Christmas traditions,” Ciolkosz said. “People have told us it is their Christmas Eve tradition to come see our lights after going to church, and then while they are gone, Santa will visit their house.” Ciolkosz said people often ask about the impact of the lights on the farm’s electric bill. He said he does see a signicant increase, but the enjoyment he derives from the lights is worth every penny.
“I just enjoy Christmas and the lights,” Ciolkosz said. “It is fun, and after deer hunting, it is so dark. You are used to so much
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Bill Ciolkosz, who milks 180 cows with his family near Thorp, Wisconsin, has been decoraƟng his farm for the past 15 years. He said he loves Christmas tradiƟons and sharing joy.
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
A dairy’s best interests in mind
MDI helps Redalen’s farm change, cultivate relationships By Kate Rechtzigel kate.r@dairystar.com
FOUNTAIN, Minn. – Every three months Mike Redalen and his right-hand man, Paul Lacey, attend meetings at a local restaurant to better their farm. The meetings are put on by the Minnesota Dairy Initiative. “MDI is really good networking for me because I get to hear what’s
going on at other farms, too,” Redalen said. “It seems like Paul and I just don’t get away enough to talk to other farmers, so the team kind of brings in ideas from other farms.” Redalen milks 200 cows with his parents, Don and Penny, on their farm in Fillmore County near Fountain. Redalen has two full-time employees: Lacey; a calf manager, Amy Means; and one part-time employee and a high school student who help milk, feed calves and do various barn chores. Redalen’s son, Lucas, 12, and Lacey’s sons Beau, 12, and Cole, 10, also help with grooming stalls, scraping
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Mike Redalen explains the robots on his farm Dec. 13 near Fountain, Minnesota. Redalen milks 200 cows.
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Cows are housed in a freestall barn at Mike Redalen’s farm Dec. 13 near Fountain, Minnesota. Redalen started with MDI when the barn was built in 2013.
manure, fetching and milking cows on the farm when they are able. The farm also runs 600 acres which includes feed for the herd, and cash crop corn and soybeans. Redalen and his family became involved with MDI when their robot barn was being built in 2013. “It was recommended, or almost mandated by my lender, that it would be a good thing to do because prior
to this barn we milked in a 99-cow tiestall barn,” said Redalen, who now milks with three DeLaval robots. “The rst role of the MDI team was to help plan the move into the barn and the change from milking 100 cows in a tiestall barn to up to 200 or more cows in this barn.” The team answered questions about how that would change the Turn to REDALEN | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 13
ConƟnued from REDALEN | Page 12
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
New grooving improves cow comfort at Mike Redalen’s farm near Fountain, Minnesota. Redalen credited the MDI team with the idea to x the wearing cement in the robot barn.
farm’s feeding routine – forage, haylage, silage storage – and how the daily, weekly or monthly schedules would change. After the barn transition was complete, Redalen and his family took a hiatus from MDI. While they worked with an industry eld representative to oversee the meetings and then tried running the meetings on their own, the Redalens eventually returned to the statewide program. In 2019, the family re-enrolled, and have been pleased with the collaboration to better the farm business ever since. The current team consists of Lacey, Redalen’s nutritionist, veterinarian, a eld representative from his creamery, a member from the milking equipment dealership, a representative from his breeding company and another farmer, Corey Mulhurn, who milks 800 cows and does custom harvest work for the farm. “One thing that’s good for us with robots, especially eight years ago, is that no matter who is working for me, (they have) never been a robot expert. It’s good to connect those people with someone from the milking equipment dealership for questions and troubleshooting,” Redalen said. “The meetings cultivate a relationship between them so they don’t always have to go through me if there’s a question.” With each meeting, the team addresses concerns or goals Redalen would like to achieve. Recently, they re-evaluated the oor of the new barn and looked for solutions to the wear it was showing. “At our last meeting, the most important issue with the barn was that our alleys had gotten really slippery after being in for eight years,” Redalen said. “So, I used the team as a sounding board and, by good luck, my vet was able to connect me with a company who regrooved the barn. It turned out really well.” Another good idea that came out of Redalen’s team meetings was improving the farm’s breeding strategy.
Through discussion, Redalen decided to switch to double ovsynch for the herd’s reproduction protocol. “That’s only been a positive thing,” Redalen said. “Over time that’s greatly improved our reproduction.” However, not all ideas that come out of Redalen’s MDI team meetings have been a success. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing either,” Redalen said. “We were having a lot of mastitis, and using expensive sawdust bedding which wasn’t helping. My nutritionist at the time had suggested not using any bedding, which we tried and it was just awful.” So, after having three cases of mastitis in a row, Redalen decided using no bedding was even worse than using expensive bedding. “What I took from that was, I don’t want to go back to paying a large amount on bedding which wasn’t working very well,” Redalen said. “So, on a short turnaround, we found a new bedding source that was way cheaper and with the improvements nally getting done on our milking system, it was like overnight the mastitis just stopped.” The farmer said he never would have made the change in bedding management without going through the process of trial and error. Among all the program offers, Redalen is thankful it brings all the people he does business with together. “It brings a team approach to solving problems and keeping everything going around here,” Redalen said. For those already enrolled or looking to create a team within MDI, Redalen had advice. He encouraged farmers to keep their team on task with the farm’s goals, get more peers on the team and, as a farm, take as much out of the program as possible. “Without MDI, we would be stuck doing a lot of things the same way and change would come a lot slower here,” Redalen said. “Get people to offer advice, take criticism and look out for the benet of the farm.”
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
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From Our Side Of The Fence Daryl Larson President and CEO of Bongards Creameries Chanhassen, Minnesota Carver County Describe your processing company. Bongards is a dairy farmer-owned cooperative founded in Bongards, Minnesota, in 1908. The Perham, Minnesota, location is a natural cheese plant which processes 4.2 million pounds of milk per day for American-style cheese in 40-pound blocks or 500-pound barrels. Also, whey is processed into 90% protein, 80% WPC and dried, de-proteinized whey. The plant in Norwood, Minnesota, produces slice-on-slice, 40-pound and 5-pound loaf processed cheese. It produces 130 million pounds of processed cheese per year. The Humboldt, Tennessee, location produces slice-on-slice, 40-pound and 2-pound processed cheese. It produces 96 million pounds of processed cheese per year. What are short- and long-term goals your company has to continue serving your patrons? Short-term goals: Continue to pay a competitive milk price and maintain stable earnings; and continue to invest in our members’ plants to ensure we provide a sustainable and competitive market for our members’ milk now and in the future. Long-term goals: Strategic investments in our current facilities and processes to continue to add value to our members’ milk; investment in new facilities and processes as opportunities to improve protability and sustainability become available; and ensure that what we are doing is sustainable for the long term. What business decisions have you recently made to remain competitive in the industry? In 2014, we had an expansion of our Perham plant to more than double the amount of milk processed and improve efciency. In 2016, we had an expansion of our Humboldt, Tennessee, plant, which doubled the production capability of that facility. How have your dairy products changed over the years to meet consumer demands? Over the past three years, the pricing spread between barrel cheese and 40-pound block cheese has made 40-pound block cheese more protable to produce, so we have pivoted to producing far more 40-pound block volume than ever before and procuring barrels needed for our process plants from others. While the majority of Bongards processed cheese makes its way into the food service arena, demand for retail has spiked, and Bongards has responded by investing in a retail line for slice-on-slice product, and upgrading our 5-pound loaf process cheese line to produce deli-type products at a higher volume. How are market conditions and the current economy affecting your business? The cheese market in 2021, while far less volatile than 2020, has been signicantly lower than it was in 2020. This results in a lower milk price for our dairy farmers, which puts a strain on their protability and also impacts our protability in the cheese business. The labor crunch that most of the country is seeing has hit Bongards as well, resulting in higher labor costs and a shortage of workers for our plants. We have fared better than most, but it has impacted us and continues to impact us. Ination on the products we buy to produce our nished products (packaging, ingredients, freight, etc.) has resulted in substantial increases in our production costs. We pass as much of this added cost as possible through to our customers but are not able to pass all of the added cost along. Supply chain issues have required us to use different suppliers and carry far more inventory of some ingredients than previously needed to ensure supply of those ingredients is available for our production
Dairyy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 15
Dairy processors:
What are you optimistic for in the dairy industry? Bob Huffman CEO of First District Association Litcheld, Minnesota Meeker County
Describe your processing company. We’re a cooperative based in Meeker County’s Litcheld, Minnesota. We’re located on one campus but with four processing plants and a receiving intake that supplies the plants. We have about 700 patrons that bring in 8.3 million pounds of milk daily. Our plant has the capacity to process 7.5 million pounds of milk daily. We market the additional milk into Classes I and II. We make American-style cheese in 500-pound barrels and 40-pound blocks as well as whey protein concentrate powder and lactose powder byproducts. What are short- and long-term goals your company has to continue serving your patrons? Our short-term goals are to fully optimize the efciency and through-put of the plants we just built as well as further diversifying our product portfolio. Our long-term goals are all about growing in diversity and ensuring there is a market for our members’ milk for future generations, to be nancially sustainable and have independence to ensure we will always have a market with our new infrastructure. What business decisions have you recently made to remain competitive in the industry? The largest decision we’ve made was the investment for the expansion and the new plants. That investment was done for growth, sustainability and to meet the needs of future requirements of quality and food safety. How have your dairy products changed over the years to meet consumer demands? We’ve always been a cheese-making plant, and we’ve always made whey products. Over the years, we’ve improved the quality of those products, and we’ve focused our investment and decision making on innovation and technology to meet the highest specications. How are market conditions and the current economy affecting your business? Exports are our largest part of our protein and lactose business, and right now, it is hard to get on to the ports and through the ports. We aren’t seeing problems selling the product but getting the products to our customers. It’s been a trickle-down effect through the supply chain. Also, the rise of ination, in labor and the effects it has on labor and getting things, is just incredible. It’s tough for everybody who helps us, the milk haulers and others on the transportation side. What are you optimistic for in the dairy industry in the upcoming years? I see the potential for our farmer families and the innovation of products and demand for dairy to continue to grow. It’s up to people like us, the cooperatives. We have the right relationships to have an impact on the type of nutrition dairy farmers feed the world with. If the dairy industry comes together to have our voices heard and work through the economic impacts of what it takes to get a good, quality nutrition in milk, we can absolutely do it.
What are you optimistic for in the dairy industry in the upcoming years? Dairy remains a great value for consumers (a gallon of milk costs far less than a 12-pack of Coca-Cola). Milk and cheese products provide great nutrition at a reasonable cost. Besides that, they taste good. Dairy farmers are among the hardest-working folks on the planet and are resilient beyond belief, so they will continue to produce nature’s best food despite the varied and ever-changing challenges that face them.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Doug Wilke CEO of Valley Queen Cheese Milbank, South Dakota Grant County
Sheryl Meshke and Donn DeVelder Co-presidents and CEOs of Associated Milk Producers Inc. New Ulm, Minnesota Brown County Describe your processing company. Associated Milk Producers Inc. is a cooperative headquartered in New Ulm, Minnesota, and owned by 1,400 dairy farm families from Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. The cooperative’s cheese, butter and powdered dairy products are marketed to foodservice, retail and food ingredient customers. AMPI members annually market about 4.8 billion pounds of milk generating $1.8 billion in sales. AMPI operates ve cheese plants where nearly 10% of the nation’s American-type cheeses are produced as 640-pound blocks or 500-pound barrels. Types of cheese produced include cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, colby jack and a variety of pepper-style cheeses. AMPI continues to expand its cheesemaking portfolio by developing innovative avors. With annual production of more than 600 million pounds of cheese, AMPI is the largest cheese cooperative based in the U.S. What are short- and long-term goals your company has to continue serving your patrons? At AMPI, we remain committed to making good cheese and butter that delivers great avor every time. Short-term goals include increasing operational efciencies and reducing labor needs. Long-term, the co-op is committed to providing a reliable market for members’ milk and delivering high-quality dairy products to customers. What business decisions have you recently made to remain competitive in the industry? AMPI introduced the Co-op Crafted mark in 2019 to differentiate the co-op’s products in a crowded marketplace. The Co-op Crafted mark tells the story of Upper Midwest dairy farm families coming together as member-owners of a cooperative, caring for their land and animals, and producing nutritious, wholesome milk to feed a hungry world. The mark also symbolizes AMPI expertise in making some of the world’s best dairy products. AMPI and long-time customer Crystal Farms announced a licensing agreement in 2021 that includes the addition of AMPI’s Co-op Crafted mark to Crystal Farms cheese packaging when the cheese is sourced from AMPI. Also in 2021, AMPI and First District Association announced the formation of a common marketing agency – the American Dairy Cooperative. The vision of the ADC is to optimize cooperative returns through shared purpose and utilization of Midwest dairy farmer-owned assets. How have your dairy products changed over the years to meet consumer demands? As consumer tastes and preferences change, AMPI has been able to adapt with new avors. Chipotle, garlic dill and buffalo sauce are among new avor proles. We also continue to see growth from marrying Monterey Jack with peppers and spice. Health and wellness snacking are also front-of-mind with consumers, and convenience is key. Many have turned to natural cheese as a great-tasting, protein-packed option for their busy lifestyle. Our cheesemakers are experts in crafting cheese our customers can count on to cut and perform well as slices, sticks and cubes. How are market conditions and the current economy affecting your business? Dairy market volatility seems to be the norm, and the current pricing system is outdated. The increasing importance of international trade for the U.S. dairy industry is immense. Consider the fact that more than 95% of our potential customers live outside the U.S. For AMPI, we are expanding sales of processed American cheese in China and the Middle East-North Africa. Dinner Bell Creamery cheese produced at our Portage, Wisconsin, plant can now be found on Shake Shack cheeseburgers in Shanghai and popular brew pub restaurants in Beijing. The overall growing population – particularly in the middle class – with increased demand for innovative avors and healthy sources of protein is helping to drive increased dairy demand in these regions. What are you optimistic for in the dairy industry in the upcoming years? Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture began tracking per capita dairy consumption in the 1970s, dairy demand has grown, increasing 21% since 1975. Cheese consumption has more than doubled during that time – from 14 pounds to more than 38 pounds. Dairy products check
Describe your processing company. Valley Queen receives 1.8 billion pounds of milk from 40 dairy producers in northeastern South Dakota and western Minnesota. We produce 200 million pounds of cheese in a single processing facility in Milbank, South Dakota. What are short- and long-term goals your company has to continue serving your patrons? Since our founding in 1929, Valley Queen has been dedicated to the success of our customers, employees and dairy producers. We strive to be the premier privately-owned dairy manufacturer in the United States, and to be a positive contributor to the growth of our industry and the quality of life for our neighbors here in Milbank, a place we’re proud to call home. We continue to evaluate growth opportunities and continue our company’s long-standing relationships with our dairy producers. What business decisions have you recently made to remain competitive in the industry? In 2019, we completed our $52 million “VQ Next” expansion project. In 2021, we constructed brand new employee break room and locker room facilities for our team. We remain in close communication with our customers as we work to fulll their needs, including the development of new products and creating efciencies in our processes across the board. How have your dairy products changed over the years to meet consumer demands? Valley Queen has a reputation for great tasting, reduced fat cheddar cheese. As consumer interests have shifted toward embracing full-fat dairy in recent years, we’ve worked with our customers to develop and test innovative products while maintaining those that have been part of our business model for decades. How are market conditions and the current economy affecting your business? Supply chain challenges have impacted virtually every part of our business. From personal protective equipment to chemicals to the boxes and liners required to package our cheese, and now additional supply chain issues bringing prolonged shipping delays, it’s clear the impacts of the pandemic are far from over. We’re anticipating inationary cost increases to continue in the next year. Export shipping capabilities have been challenging for the majority of this year. What are you optimistic for in the dairy industry in the upcoming years? In spite of the many challenges the dairy industry has seen this year, we have a lot to be proud of – and to look forward to. Even in the uncertainty of a global pandemic, our team at Valley Queen has shown unwavering dedication to producing high quality dairy products for our customers across the globe. On a broader scale, we’ve become more connected than ever with our producers, customers and fellow manufacturers in pursuit of solutions that will serve the dairy industry as a whole. There are many opportunities ahead for innovation and growth. We’ve learned many lessons in 2021, and look forward to the start of the new year.
ConƟnued from AMPI many boxes for consumers – convenient, nutritious, affordable and great taste. In addition, farmers are good stewards of the land and active contributors in their communities. We must explore all the ways we can illustrate that cows, the products they produce and the dairy farmers who care for them are a solution to environmental and social issues, and a necessity in consumers’ lives. Dairy is a critical piece to achieving a thriving economy.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 17
From all of us at
Wishing you a happy holiday season and sending blessings to all the families we serve throughout the year.
Thank you to our customers.
We are extremely proud of the work we perform and the quality of the products we carry. We understand the rigors of the industry and that’s why when you need us, we’ll be there at the drop of a hat.
Proudly serving you from Brookings, SD; St. Peter, MN; and Melrose, MN. 58 Interstate Drive N.W., Melrose, MN 56352 | 800-636-5581
Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
Harvesting Quality Forages
Hamminks make use of ryegrass rotation Wim and Tom Hammink Hammink Dairy Bruce, South Dakota Brookings County 4,000 cows Describe your farm and facilities. We milk at two locations on our farm. We have a transition facility where we house all of our dry cows, with room for fresh pens and a hospital pen. That barn holds a total of about 800 cows and has a double-15 milking parlor. Our main dairy facility can hold up to 3,200 head and features a rotary parlor. What forages do you harvest? We harvest corn for silage, alfalfa haylage and ryegrass haylage. How many acres of crops do you raise? We grow about 1,250 acres of corn and 400 acres of ryegrass for forage. Describe the rations for your livestock. We feed corn silage, haylage and OneTrak to our milk cows. We feed our dry cows corn silage, straw and alfalfa hay. What quality and quantity do you harvest of each crop? We try to grow highly digestible silage corn and aim to harvest it at around 32% dry matter. We put up about 50,000 tons of corn silage Turn to FORAGES | Page 20
JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR
Wim (leŌ) and Tom Hammink put up about 50,000 tons of corn silage last fall on their dairy located at Bruce, South Dakota. The Hamminks focus on puƫng up quality forages, including ryegrass haylage.
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Tidings of Comfort and Joy
We wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We thank you for sharing your stories in 2021 and look forward to serving you in 2022. Cow comfort is our passion. Your dairy’s success is our priority. We are here for you with the tools to help your herd make a fresh start to reach their genetic potential. Want to stay in touch with industry updates and cow comfort resources? Scan the code below to subscribe to Comfort Matters Enews and be automatically entered in periodic free gallon drawings. See us at these and other events in early 2022 World Ag Expo, Tulare, CA, Feb. 8-10 Central Plains Dairy Expo, Sioux Falls, SD, Mar. 29-31 Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show, Oshkosh, WI, Mar. 29-31
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
ConƟnued from FORAGES | Page 18
last fall. We grow conventional varieties in our ryegrass and corn rotation. We seed annual ryegrass as early as possible in the spring and usually get at least ve cuttings. In a good year, we might get six cuttings. We also buy alfalfa from our neighbors. Some of them bring it to our farm chopped and some of it we will merge and chop with our own equipment. Describe your harvesting techniques for alfalfa and corn silage. We have 30-foot Claas triple mowers on a John Deere 7280R and a 34-foot Oxbo merger. We have a Claas 980 forage harvester with a hay head
and a 12-row corn head. Under normal rainfall conditions, we will cut the ryegrass at 21- to 25-day intervals. What techniques do you use to store, manage and feed your forages? Everything goes into piles on concrete pads. We pack the piles thoroughly and cover them with 12-mil plastic tarp. The haylage pile gets opened up and made longer for each cutting. Describe a challenge you overcame in reaching your forage quality goals. This year’s ryegrass haylage quality was very good, but the yield was low this
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Wim and Tom Hammink harvest about 400 acres of ryegrass each year. This fall, they harvested their nal cuƫng of ryegrass during the rst week of November. summer due to the drought. We had good ryegrass cuttings this fall and took a nal cutting at the beginning of November. PHOTO SUBMITTED
Tractors pack a pile of forage at the Hamminks’ farm near Bruce, South Dakota. All their forages are piled on concrete slabs, thoroughly packed and covered with plasƟc.
How does quality forages play a part in the production goals for your herd? Quality forages are key for good milk production. Almost all our ryegrass haylage is over 200 RFV and
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over 20% protein. Our corn silage tonnage was only about 18 tons per acre because of the dry summer. The quality looks good, but we are still feeding our 2020 silage. What are management or harvesting techniques you have changed that have made a notable difference in forage
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We hope this Christmas season treats you to all the best. Thank you for your patronage this past year— we look forward to serving you in 2022!
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quality? We have been growing ryegrass for haylage for several years. It works great in a rotation with conventional corn, and it likes the elds that we fertilize with lagoon water. We also don’t use any chemicals on the ryegrass because it overgrows everything. It results in nice, clean elds for the next corn crop.
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Equipment and pictures added daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com 6 10 10 3 15 10 7 4 2 5 5 16 4 17 7 6 3 14 7 10 4 15 14 14 16 17 8 16 5 17 4 11 14 14
COMBINES
CIH 2388, 2003, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4008 hrs., 2948 sep hrs., #191439 ....$35,000 JD 4420, 1984, Corn/Bean, 2WD, Singles, Header, 1590 hrs., #191278...$10,500 JD 6620, 1987, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3903 hrs., #177388.............................$12,500 JD 7720, 1984, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2400 hrs., #191197 ............................$11,500 Case IH 8240, 2017, 2WD, 1733 hrs., 1318 Sep Hrs., #191428 ........... $212,000 JD 9500, 1993, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 5785 hrs., 3893 sep hrs., #189641 ......$19,900 JD 9500, 1991, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 6754 hrs., 5000 Sep Hrs., #185458 .....$22,400 JD 9510, 1998, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 5225 hrs., 3475 sep hrs., #189676 ......$28,500 JD 9510, 1999, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 3887 hrs., 2694 sep hrs., #190861....$42,500 JD 9550, 2001, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 5054 hrs., 3424 Sep hrs., #189036 ...$42,500 JD 9650 STS, 2003, Corn/Bean, 5240 hrs., 3504 sep hrs., #190984........$38,500 JD 9660 STS, 2003, 2WD, 3044 hrs., 2063 sep hrs., #190643 .................$64,500 JD 9670 STS, 2011, 2WD, 3669 hrs., 2503 sep hrs., #188158 .................$99,900 JD 9750 STS, 2003, 2WD, 3684 hrs., 2499 sep hrs., #191070 .................$49,500 JD 9770 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, 4548 hrs., 3172 sep hrs., #190521........$81,000 JD 9770 STS, 2010, Corn/Bean, , 3550 hr., 2460 sep hrs., #191137........$97,500 JD S670, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2430 hrs., 1453 sep hrs., #176660 . $199,500 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2974 hrs., 2063 sep hrs., #182070 . $144,900 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2081 hrs., 1658 sep hrs., #172017 ... $145,900 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2373 hrs., 1703 sep hrs., #178114 ... $147,900 JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2006 hrs., 1350 sep hrs., #174756 . $159,900 JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2017 hrs., 1446 sep hrs., #190055 . $161,000 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2426 hrs., 1762 sep hrs., #190078 . $191,000 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1980 hrs., 1183 sep hrs., #189953 . $202,000 JD S770, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2242 hrs., 1587 sep hrs., #181147 . $245,000 JD S770, 2019, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 592 hrs., 450 sep hrs., #191099 ....... $345,000 JD S770, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 282 hrs., 203 sep hrs., #191052 ..... $519,000 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1376 hrs., 800 sep hrs., #175318 ... $319,500 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 916 sep hrs., #183533 ................... $355,000 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1080 hrs., 690 sep hrs., #177549 ... $364,400 JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1346 hrs., 750 sep hrs., #191164 ... $368,000 JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1071 hrs., 653 sep hrs., #171103 ... $385,000 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 950 hrs., 800 sep hrs., #191082 .... $390,000 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 950 hrs., 800 sep hrs., #191081 ..... $390,000
8 16 16 16 16 1 3 14 16 16 16 8 16 8 2 15 6 16 16 10 14 5 14
JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 744 hrs., 508 sep hrs., #169507 ..... $409,500 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 996 hrs., 556 sep hrs., #187111 ..... $435,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 760 hrs., 235 sep hrs., #188459 ..... $454,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, #188309 ........................................ $454,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 834 hrs., 247 sep hrs., #188458 ..... $454,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 805 hrs., 630 sep hrs., #191086 ..... $475,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 468 hrs., 384 sep hrs., #191043 ..... $495,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 391 hrs., 285 sep hrs., #191076 ..... $500,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean; PRWD, 289 hrs., 217 sep hrs., #191047 ..... $504,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 216 hrs., 168 sep hrs., #191048 ..... $507,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 178 hrs., 122 sep hrs., #191049 ..... $509,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 387 hrs., 310 sep hrs., #191065 ..... $509,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 94 hrs., #191063 ........................... $520,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 337 hrs., 281 sep hrs., #191053 ..... $528,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 267 hrs., 161 sep hrs., #191038 ..... $529,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 448 hrs., 345 sep hrs., #190866 ..... $530,500 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 254 hrs., 189 sep, #191345................546000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 218 hrs., 168 sep hrs., #191046 ..... $565,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 108 hrs., 80 sep hrs., #191045 ....... $584,900 JD S790, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1366 hrs., 1058 sep hrs., #179097 . $315,400 JD S790, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1180 hrs., 683 sep hrs., #171378 ... $389,500 JD S790, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1039 hrs., 800 sep hrs., #191077 ... $410,000 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 421 hrs., 308 sep hrs., #191075 ..... $582,500
9 17 1 9 8 4 7 5 5
JD 2200, 2002, 34 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #185898 ...................$19,000 JD 2210, 2004, 24 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191188 ...................$19,500 JD 2210, 2006, 57 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #181942 ...................$32,500 JD 2210, 2017, 45.5 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #190971 ................$66,000 JD 2230, 2021, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #190850 ............. $113,900 JD 2230, 2019, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191162 ............. $134,000 Case IH 4300, 2001, 38 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186653..........$11,995 JD 2230LL, 2018, 52 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #190847 ...............$95,000 Case IH Tigermate 200, 2014, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #184441 ....................................................................................$39,900
FIELD CULTIVATORS
5 Case IH TIGERMATE II, 2003, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186586 ....................................................................................$19,000 5 Case IH TIGERMATE II, 2004, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186585 ....................................................................................$28,000 2 Case IH TM14, 2005, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #187546 .....$26,900 9 10 10 2 9 1 7 14 5 2 5 4 17 16 17 2 2 5 4 4 2 3 3 15 16 15 7 8
PLANTERS
JD 1750, 8R30 in, #186458 ......................................................................17,900 JD 1750, 1999, 6R30 in, #186405.............................................................18,500 JD 1755, 2019, 6R30 in, #186443.............................................................39,400 JD 1755, 2018, 8R30 in, #186434 ............................................................52,900 JD 1770, 1997, 16R30 in, #180078 ..........................................................19,500 JD 1770, 1999, 16R30 in, #186432 ...........................................................28,500 JD 1770, 2008, 24R30 in, #191119 ...........................................................99,500 JD 1780, 2001, 16/31R 15/30 in, #190820 ...............................................19,000 White 6524, 24R22 in, #190593 ............................................................20,900 JD 7200, 1993, 12R30 in, #190107 ...........................................................22,900 White 8516, 16R30 in, #189396 .............................................................22,000 JD 1770NT CCS, 2006, 16R30 in, #181880 ..............................................59,500 JD 1770NT CCS, 2008, 24R30 in, #186498 ..............................................86,900 JD 1770NT CCS, 2013, 24R30 in, #186453 ...........................................124,900 JD 1775NT, 2018, 16R30 in, #186435 ...................................................145,400 JD 1775NT, 2021, 12R30 in, #186465 ...................................................164,900 JD 1775NT, 2020, 16R30 in, #186437 ...................................................172,900 JD 1775NT, 2021, 16R30 in, #186497 ...................................................184,900 JD 1775NT, 2021, 16R30 in, #186470 ...................................................219,900 JD 1775NT, 2021, 16R30 in, #186469 ....................................................219,900 JD 1775NT, 2020, 24R30 in, #186454 ....................................................264,900 JD DB60, 2013, 24R30 in, #186440 ........................................................178,500 JD DB60, 2014, 24R30 in, #186429 ........................................................184,000 JD DB60, 2014, 24R30 in, #186455 ........................................................185,900 JD DB66, 2005, 36R22 in, #186477 ........................................................119,900 JD DB90, 2019, 36R30 in, #186444 ..................................................... $425,000 JD 1730, 2000, 12R22 in, #190191 .........................................................$17,900 White 6700, 22 in, #186494 .................................................................$10,900
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
OVER 700 COWS PER HOUR*
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DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470
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Thanks for giving us your time Thank you, dairy farmers, for opening your barns to us again this year. Often times, when I am interacting with farmers or business people within the dairy industry, the topic of story ideas comes up. Many ask, “How do you come up with enough stories to ll your paper?” Others say, “I bet you are starting to run low with story ideas.” On the Mark I politely say although there are issues we scramble to nd ideas or interview times that suit farmers because of their busy schedule (harvest time, especially) many farmers afford us time to visit. They have been gracious enough to open their barn doors and let us walk in, visit and tell their story to the dairy community. By Mark Klaphake That has been critical Editor to our success since the rst issue of Dairy Star in February 1999; writing what is happening on your farm and from your perspective. Whether your dairy is celebrating some kind of historical milestone, or if you are a young farmer who is renting his neighbor’s barn in hopes of a career of milking cows, or if you are implementing some new technology on your dairy in hopes of making things a little less labor intensive and being more efcient, we thank you. Of course, all news isn’t good news, and for these moments, we are overly appreciative of your time. There are farm tragedies – a barn re, drought, storm damage or farm accident – that are excruciating for you to talk about because of the heartache, pain and frustration you are going through. But, you graciously allow us the time to explain what happened and what direction you are headed moving forward. Those stories pull at all of our hearts, and although many are painful, many readers can relate. This year, one of the most remarkable stories we published was one of a dairy farmer who fell into a manure pit and survived. Another enormous piece of the pie for published stories comes from the human interest sector of farming. Several that come to mind in 2021 include a wife who donated her kidney to her husband, a farmer who had his family operate the farm while he recovered from hip surgery, a family who purchased AED for the local school, a lady who dairy farms and grows and sells owers, and a dairy that had the “The Bachelorette” shoot a scene at their farm. Those personal stories are engaging and interesting to our readers. I also would like to express my gratitude for the individuals, young and old, who allowed us to put them in our Dairy Star features. Whether it be our columnists or features like Kids Corner, Women in Dairy, Dairy Prole, From Our Side of the Fence, Dairy’s Working Youth or the weather pages, your views or thoughts are interesting to read and offer a connection to so many readers. I have had so many fellow dairymen talk about their fondness of these features because of their personality and genuineness. Making all the connections for these features and stories is our job, but we couldn’t do it without you, the dairy farmer. For this, the staff at Dairy Star is most grateful. Our staff wishes you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy New Year.
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OUR FARM, OUR STORY
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 23
Farming is a family passion Petersons work together to move dairy forward By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
WILLOW RIVER, Minn. – Family has always been at the core of Birch Creek Dairy’s success. “Everyone gets along, and we all enjoy dairy farming,” Mike Peterson said. “When, and if, that fourth generation is interested in joining us, we’ll make room.” Peterson is the third generation in his family to milk cows on the farm site
his grandparents purchased in 1943. He milks 300 cows and runs 1,200 acres with his brother, Matt, and parents, Stanley and Beverly, in a partnership at Birch Creek Dairy in Pine County near Willow River. Throughout the years, the dairy farm has supported the Peterson family, and in turn, the family has evolved the farming operation to meet the needs of today’s industry. “My dad jokes that dairy farming must be in
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
The Petersons – (from leŌ) Mike, Stanley, Beverly and MaƩ – milk 300 cows in Pine County near Willow River, Minnesota. Mike and MaƩ Peterson are the third generaƟon to dairy farm.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
MaƩ Peterson looks over the milking herd Nov. 11 near Willow River, Minnesota. Peterson manages herd health on his family’s dairy farm.
our blood,” Peterson said. “Maybe we’ve gotten used to the unpredictability and enjoy the challenges. We tighten up the belt and do a lot of things ourselves.” Peterson oversees eldwork and feeding on the
farm. His brother takes care of the cattle – all the herd health, breeding, hoof trimming and issues that may arise with fresh cows. The Petersons’ parents are still very much involved as well, their mother doing the business paperwork
and keeping the family fed, and their dad helping with eldwork. Another brother works full time off the farm but also Turn to PETERSONS | Page 25
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 25
ConƟnued from PETERSONS | Page 23 feeds one day a week, and the farm has ve full-time employees. The herd is milked in a double-8 parlor built in 1994. When Peterson’s parents purchased the farm from Stanley’s parents in 1967, they were milking 42 cows in a tiestall barn. Five years later, the couple added 14 stalls and constructed a housing facility for young calves. The family’s largest expansion came in 1980. “We went to 60 cows with two upright silos and an earthen manure pit,” Peterson said. “I was 10 years old.” Four years later, the family added a lean-to for youngstock. Peterson joined the business in 1992 after attending college. Matt, 10 years younger than his older brother, returned about 12 years later. In 1993, Peterson and his parents went forward with plans to build a freestall barn and parlor. The herd size continued to grow; and right before the construction, the Petersons were milking 120 cows through the tiestall barn. “Things kept getting delayed, and we didn’t start using the parlor until 1994,” Peterson said. “While we waited for the parlor to get done, we had already bought springers. So, for almost two months we were switching cows three times in the tiestall.” On Dec. 22, 1994, the Petersons sent cows through the parlor for the rst time. “We took trips out to Michigan and Wisconsin to look at parlor designs, but no one mentioned that when you take tiestall cows and put them in a parlor, that they don’t want to go,” Peterson said. “That rst time it took 12 hours to milk. We just about got done and it was time to start again.” In the last 20 years, the Petersons have made
smaller improvements to the dairy, including removing the back side of two bunkers to make feeding more efcient and adding on to the freestall barn for prefresh and fresh cows. The 80-foot freestall addition, done in 2014, created a more permanent maternity area that now allows the Petersons to milk treated and fresh cows separately. “That was better for labor savings and cow health,” Peterson said. “It’s one of those things you wish you would’ve done 10 years ago.” In Peterson’s time dairying, he has seen the industry change in Pine County. In what used to be a county speckled with dairy farms, milking cows has become a rarity. “They switched to beef cows and that was the end of tillage work,” Peterson said. “The trees started to grow and now the elds are half the size they were. If you quit doing anything (on the soil), it will all go back to woods.” The Petersons compete for land with people who want to purchase hunting property, and they also deal with the challenges of predatory wildlife and the weather patterns that come off Lake Superior. “If you get a year with the late spring and then frost before Labor Day, then the corn never makes it,” Peterson said. “That was especially true when I was a kid.” The family also has to make tactical decisions for equipment repairs, veterinarian calls and feed availability being so far removed from dairy infrastructure. “You have to go almost two hours before you can get anything,” Peterson said. “We haven’t bought hay in a dozen years. That’s why we farm the extra acres, though.” Despite the challenges dairy farming has
1943: Birch Creek Dairy 1980: Farm expands is established. milking herd to 60 cows.
1992: Mike joins his parents in a partnership.
1984: Lean-to is built for youngstock.
1967: Stanley & Beverly purchase the farm.
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JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Mike Peterson fuels up a tractor Nov. 11 on his family’ dairy farm near Willow River, Minnesota. Part of his responsibility includes feeding. presented the Petersons, the family is adamant there is no other way they would rather spend their days. For Peterson, it has been a lifestyle that married his passion for farming with the desire to be with family. “It’s cool to farm together, no doubt about that,” Peterson said. “And, it’s a good place to raise a family. There’s no substitute for anything like that.”
2004: Matt joins the farm partnership.
1994: Petersons begin milking in a double-8 parlor.
2014: 80-foot addition to freestall is completed.
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
Deadlines approach for USDA program By Steve Frericks Farm Service Agency
It is time to check with the Farm Security Agency ofce about programs and deadlines. Dairy Margin Coverage signup is underway. Contact a FSA ofce for full details with signup requirements. Happy holidays from FSA staff. It is a pleasure to work with the dairy community. USDA builds pandemic support for certied organic, transitioning operations The United States Department of Agriculture will make $20 million available through the new Organic and Transitional Education and Certication Program as part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, which provides new, broader and more equitable opportunities for farmers, ranchers and producers. Certied operations and transitional operations may apply for OTECP to cover eligible expenses paid during the 2020, 2021 and 2022 scal years. For each year, OTECP covers 25% of a certied operation’s eligible certication expenses, up to $250 per certication category. Crop and livestock operations transitioning to organic production may be eligible for 75% of a transitional operation’s eligible expenses, up to $750, for each year. For both certied operations and transitional operations, OTECP covers 75% of the registration fees, up to $200 per year, for educational events. Additionally, both certied and transitional operations may be eligible for 75% of the expense of soil testing required under the National Organic Program to document micronutrient deciency, not to exceed $100 per year. Signup for 2020 and 2021 OTECP will be through Jan. 7, 2022. Producers apply through their local FSA ofce and can also obtain one-on-one support with applications by calling 877-508-8364. Visit farmers.gov/otecp to learn more. USDA expands assistance to cover feed transportation costs for drought-impacted ranchers The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program provides nancial assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farmraised sh for losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events or loss conditions as determined by the secretary of agriculture. ELAP already covers the cost of hauling water during drought, and this change will expand the program to cover feed transportation costs where grazing and hay resources have been depleted. Under the revised policy, eligible ranchers will be reimbursed 60% of feed transportation costs above what would have been incurred in a normal year. Producers qualifying as underserved (socially disadvantaged, limited resource, beginning or military veteran) will be reimbursed for 90% of the feed transportation cost above what would have been incurred in a normal year. A national cost formula will be used to determine reimbursement costs which will not include the rst 25 miles and distances exceeding 1,000 transportation miles. The calculation will also exclude the normal cost to transport hay or feed if the producer normally purchases some feed. For 2021, the initial cost formula of $6.60 per mile will be used (before the percentage is applied) but may be adjusted on a state or regional basis. To be eligible, livestock must be intended for grazing and producers must have incurred feed transportation costs on or after Jan. 1. Although producers will self-certify losses and expenses to FSA, producers are encouraged to maintain good records and retain receipts and related documentation in the event these documents are requested for review by the FSA county committee. The deadline to le an application for payment for the 2021 program year is Jan. 31, 2022. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
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Optimistic for dairy in the new year
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 27
As we prepare for a new year, Midwest Dairy has been reecting on 2021, evaluating our work and using the metrics gathered to increase dairy demand and consumer condence as we look ahead to 2022. While the coronavirus pandemic has brought challenges over the past two years, our staff and strategic plan have adapted as the dairy community navigates the journey. We’ve prioritized reminding consumers of the unique health benets of dairy, and with heightened consumer concern about dairy’s sustainability, we focused on sharing dairy’s story of being a solution for the environment. Throughout the year, we worked to better connect Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) and their parents with dairy’s sustainability story, along with how dairy can help provide important immunity and overall By Molly Pelzer health benets. Midwest Dairy CEO We’ve tapped critical partners to share dairy’s messages in ways that reach consumers both when and where they are shopping for or consuming dairy, and in ways that are meaningful to their lives. As of Dec. 15, we have teamed up with 21 school districts on 34 dairy optimization projects in 221 school buildings, reaching over 7,400 students and 2,800 teachers. We have also developed and executed 39 activations with 13 retail and foodservice partners to share dairy’s sustainability story and highlight dairy foods. We will continue to learn the impact of these efforts in the coming months after our school, retail and foodservice partners provide sales data from the holiday demand season. What does 2022 hold? At Midwest Dairy, we’re optimistic about the year ahead and plan to build on dairy’s momentum, continuing to focus on building trust and more demand among consumers. Members of Gen Z and their parents will again be one of our primary audiences. This group makes
A Mid At Midwest D Dairy, i we’re ’ optimistic about the year ahead and plan to build on dairy’s momentum ... b h population l i andd possesses over up about 20% off the $100 billion in spending power. With 90% of Gen Z identifying as video gamers, we are expanding work with inuencers in the gaming world and on social media platforms like TikTok. Inuencers will authentically share sustainability messages and help Gen Z engage in dairy messaging that ultimately showcases the wellness value of dairy products, including how dairy is made with care for the planet. In addition, the “Reset Yourself with Dairy” campaign that began late this year will continue to highlight the nutritional, comfort and calming values dairy brings to their lives. Where else is Gen Z being inuenced related to food? At school. Schools are the largest “restaurants” in their communities, and we’ll continue to invest in creative programs that promote a love for dairy and its nutritional value. This year, we’ll continue partnering with schools, implementing innovative initiatives such as smoothie and breakfast programs that increase
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students’ access to dairy. While getting products to consumers is important, building consumers’ condence in dairy is equally signicant. We want consumers to understand why dairy farmers are just as passionate about the environment as they are. Our main campaign to share this message, “What You Do, Dairy Does Too,” has a toolkit available under the resources tab on midwestdairy.com. We welcome your help to share these messages and continue to build consumer trust. Retail and foodservice partnerships will also remain a critical focus. We will continue working with grocery stores, convenience stores and restaurants to connect dairy’s sustainability story and products with target consumers as they continue to grow their love and purchases of dairy products. Midwest Dairy staff has been working tirelessly to build relationships
with new and existing partners, relationships we are excited to report on in 2022 as they are implemented and begin to show positive results. And tied closely to all of these initiatives, dairy food research and innovation will remain a top priority, ensuring we are creating products and offerings that align with what consumers are looking for. Our Cooperative and Processor Support program, which supports product innovation, is sparking interest from processors, and we will be doing more of this in 2022 to continue driving more relevancy in the supply chain for dairy foods research and innovation. Midwest Dairy is stepping into 2022 with numerous opportunities to support dairy innovation, reach new consumers, strengthen relationships with existing consumers and maximize your checkoff investment.
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
The cold weather ventilation challenge By Kevin Janni
University of Minnesota
For years, I have taught students about the ventilation challenge facing people who manage dairy barns in cold weather. Very cold weather is when outside temperatures are zero degrees Fahrenheit or lower. The challenge for the manager is trying to balance two common recommendations for unheated dairy barns. The recommendations are to maintain inside barn temperatures above zero degrees to minimize manure freezing to the oor and inside barn relative humidity less than 80% to avoid condensation on cold surfaces. Another target is to maintain barn temperature above 23 degrees to avoid noticeable lactating cow production losses. It turns out the two recommendations cannot be met at very cold temperatures without adding supplemental heat. While adding heat might be possible, I have not heard of it being done in barns for lactating cows. The very cold weather ventilation challenge reminded me of temperature monitoring done in the 90s in two naturally ventilated barns in northwestern Minnesota and in a barn in central Minnesota in the last 10 years. The monitoring results demonstrated these three producers managed their barns to maintain temperatures above 14 degrees during the coldest weather. They broke the second recommendation – keeping relative humidity less than 80% regularly when temperatures were very cold. While working to revise a ventilation standard, I went back to the engineering basics and calculated the ventilating rates needed to manage air temperature, humidity level and carbon dioxide concentration inside a barn during very cold weather. These basic equations are based on heat, moisture and gas balances. The balance that requires the highest ventilating rate is the one that needs to be used. The carbon dioxide balance has rarely been a concern because normally the moisture or heat balances were higher. The moisture mass balance requires the highest ventilating rates during cold weather. The heat balance requires the highest ventilating rates in warm and hot weather. The ventilating rate needed per 1,450-pound cow in a barn is 40 cubic feet per minute per cow to keep the carbon dioxide concentration in the barn at 5,000 parts per million or less. The 5,000 ppm CO2 level is based on an eight-hour exposure limit for human workers. I am not aware of a CO2 limit for cows. The moisture balance is complicated because cold air does not hold very much moisture. If the barn temperature drops to single digits during very cold weather, the ventilating rate needed to balance moisture gets very large, and the manure and waterers can freeze up. Based on my barn temperature monitoring research, dairy producers don’t let that happen for good reasons. Based on barn monitoring data and the observation that the recommendations cannot be met during very cold weather, it is clear that cold weather ventilation analysis needs to break the rules and let the humidity go to levels that lead to supersaturation and condensation, or frost formation. Supersaturation and condensation conditions are difcult to model. Table 1 gives expected indoor barn temperatures, carbon dioxide concentrations and condensation expectations for different ventilating rates for a naturally ventilated dairy barn with curtain sidewalls, an insulated roof (Rvalue = 10), and 1,450-pound cows. The barn temperatures vary depending on how much fog is produced and removed by ventilation versus how much condensation occurs. Higher barn temperatures occur when heat from condensation is available to warm the barn.
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The results in Table 1 demonstrate barn temperatures can be kept above 23 degrees even if outdoor temperatures drop to minus 30 degrees, by reducing the ventilating rate to 40 cubic feet of air per minute per cow. Condensation on the curtain sidewalls is expected and the CO2 concentration is very close to the worker 5,000 ppm limit. If the ventilating rate is increased, the barn temperatures and CO2 concentrations decrease. In all minus-30-degree cases, condensation on cold surfaces is expected. Your barn may behave differently. The results in Table 1 show the barn temperatures increase as outdoor temperatures increase, and condensation continues to be expected. Condensation and frost on cold building materials can lead to building deterioration. High moisture levels may also lead to respiratory health problems for the cows, reduce the insulating value of their hair coat and produce a cold and clammy feel. To minimize building deterioration and cow health problems during cold weather, the ventilating rate needs to be increased when outdoor temperatures rise above zero degrees to remove more moisture and dry out the barn again. We never know when a polar vortex will hit or how long it will last. You may not have too many hours or days when you face the very cold weather ventilation challenge. But if you need to reduce ventilating rates during very cold weather to manage barn temperatures, be sure to increase ventilating rates as soon as possible to reduce humidity levels and dry out the barn to enhance animal health and avoid building deterioration. Table 1. Barn condiƟons expected during very cold weather in a barn with an insulated roof and curtain sidewalls.
Outside Ventilating temperature rate (F) CFM/cow -30 40 50 60 70 -20 40 50 60 70 -10 60 70 80 90 0 80 110 140 170
Indoor temperature (F) 23 to 34 17 to 27 13 to 21 9 to 17 34 to 42 28 to 35 23 to 30 19 to 26 34 to 38 30 to 34 27 to 32 24 to 27 37 32 25 21
Condensation Expected Expected Expected Expected Expected Expected Expected Expected Expected Expected Expected Expected Not expected Not expected Not expected Not expected
Carbon dioxide concentration (ppm) 4930 4030 3430 3000 4930 4030 3430 3000 3430 3000 2670 2420 2670 2060 1700 1480
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Extension, MDI partner to demystify success in heifer raising By Dana Adams
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 29
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Both University of Minnesota Extension and Minnesota Dairy Initiative have strong relationships with dairy producers. This involves knowing local dairy families, their management styles and their needs. Most published research indicates heifer growth plays an important role on milk production and efciency in milk production. Conversations with both extension and MDI, as well as overarching industry trends, prompted the offering of an educational program to share the variety of options available to a dairy’s management team regarding heifer raising during this inuential stage of a dairy cow’s life. UMN Extension worked in partnership with MDI to offer the program “Farmers Night Out: Should they stay or should they go?” at Greenwald Pub Nov. 16. The team welcomed 19 attendees, primarily from Stearns County but with some from Pope and Kandiyohi counties as well. The group represented approximately 3,000 milking cows in central Minnesota. There were four members on the producer panel, representing two farms in the central region of Minnesota. These farms were recruited to the panel to share their approach on heifer raising as it relates to their differing farm sizes and management styles. Loran and Heidi Sellner of Sleepy Eye, and Arnie and Kris Gruenes of Twin Spruce Farm, Richmond, operate dairy farms and their heifers are raised offsite. “We don’t raise any calves,” Arnie said. “Within two weeks, they are shipped off-site. The only heifers we have on-site are baby calves or pre-fresh heifers. Our heifers go to a calf ranch until they are 4 or 5 months old. Then they get moved to a grower at another site.” The Sellners send their heifers to a grower at about 5 months old. They are brought back after they are conrmed pregnant. The Sellner farm visits their heifer raiser on a semi-regular schedule, communicating routinely about animal performance. The Grueneses visit their heifer raiser infrequently. Arnie shared that he looks at the animal returning to his farm as a testament to the quality of the heifer raiser. If the quality of the animal is poor, a new heifer raiser should be found. “You are losing money,” said Arnie of that situation. Both farms relied on weight the quality Reviewing R i i the h weights i h off the h of theto indicate returning heifers. animals before they go to a Reviewing the weights of the grower and after they return animals before they go to a and after they return gives the owners an indication grower gives the owners an indication of the care and health of the of the care and health of the heifers. Communication and heifers. trust help both the owner and raiser keep tabs on animal r health and performance. h Both farms have been working with their heifer raisers to use either paper or digital records. The Grueneses shared how their raiser keeps digital records that can be accessed and merged to their software when the animal returns to the farm. “All treatments are recorded,” Arnie said. “We know when a heifer has been treated three times. Then we cull them. We don’t have room or time to not be productive. Our cull rate is not real high.” The farms represented on the panel found watching a heifer’s weight to be critical. If, for example, they notice a heifer continuously weighs less than her herd mates, the animal is agged as a possible cull. Panelists emphasized communication with the heifer raiser on nutrition, health and conception has helped create quality heifers returning to their herds. Overall, panelists expressed a positive experience with the off-site heifer raising practice. Several questions were asked by attendees, including one centered on how heifer raisers are paid and if this changed to reect the cost of feed. Arnie said they pay by head per day plus yardage, and that it hadn’t changed to reect increasing or decreasing feed costs. The Sellners said they were using the same model with their heifer raiser. The meeting wrapped up with dinner and informal conversations about overall industry trends, individual experiences with heifer raisers, and news of friends and family. Of the 19 attendees surveyed following the program, 60% either strongly agreed or agreed they would change a behavior based on what they learned from the program. All participants either agreed or strongly agreed they would recommend this program to others. When attendees were asked the most important thing they learned, they shared, “basing analysis on performance and results versus micromanaging,” and “take good care of heifers; they will perform.” When asked for additional comments, attendees shared “good panelists,” “more data” and “glad you put this on.” Both extension and MDI were happy with attendance and participation, and look forward to holding more events like this in the future.
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The Christmas spirit Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
Clinton Berndt was a gregarious, barrel-chested little tykes got a surprise visit from jolly old St. Nick. man. He farmed with two of his ve sons in the Ruth recruited her somewhat-reluctant husband for White, South Dakota, area, where they raised corn the job. “I borrowed a Santa suit from the city of White and soybean and kept a herd of beef cattle. tthat rst year,” Clinton said. Clinton looked like “But word got around and any other farmer you might Cli Clinton llooked k d lik like any other h people started calling and happen to meet. But inside asking if I could be Santa for that barrel of a chest there farmer you might happen to was a heart of pure gold. meet. But inside that barrel them too. I discovered that I It’s not just that Clinton got quite a kick from being was a doting grandpa to his of a chest there was a heart of Santa, so by the time the next 17 grandkids. And it’s more pure Christmas rolled around, I p gold. g hhad bought my own suit.” than the fact that he was a good neighbor and a valued Clinton passed many member of the local community. It’s because Clinton happy Yuletides as Santa, looking forward each year Berndt was also Santa Claus. to the time when children would climb onto his knee Clinton played Santa Claus for more than a and whisper their Christmas wishes into his ear. His quarter of a century. Ruth, Clinton’s wife of 55 years, new career seemed secure that is until he suffered a ran a preschool and thought it would be a treat if the stroke.
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“I had to relearn how to walk and talk and eat,” Clinton said of his recovery from the stroke. “It was a bit iffy as to whether or not I could be Santa that year. But then some friends gave Ruth an elf Dear County Agent Guy outt – complete with pointy ears – so that she could come with me. By working together, Ruth and I got through it just ne.” One year, Clinton was asked by a local shopping mall to be its Santa. That’s how Clinton met John Cleveland. By Jerry Nelson John is a resident at Columnist Advance, a non-prot agency that supports people who have disabilities. John has a cognitive disability and is obliged to use a wheelchair. “They wheeled John up to me,” Clinton said. “And when I asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he said a John Deere 630. I said that Santa would see what he could do.” Clinton later learned John is an avid toy tractor acionado and is especially fond of John Deere. “That night as I laid in bed, I got to thinking about John,” Clinton said. “I guess I have a soft heart because all I could think was, ‘Here I have everything, and he has absolutely nothing.’ I knew that I had to do something about it.” The next day Clinton went to his local John Deere dealership. “I asked them if they had a toy 630 and they said they did, but that they kept it under the parts counter. I told them that I wanted to buy it for a guy at Advance, and they said, ‘Oh, you must mean John Cleveland. He comes out here every few weeks to look at it. We keep it under the counter so that it doesn’t get sold.’” Clinton discovered the price of the toy tractor was much steeper than he had expected. “Terry Jacobson, the dealership’s owner, walked in just then so I put my arm around his shoulders and said, ‘Terry, how big does your heart feel today?’” Clinton said. Clinton explained the situation to Terry, who agreed to split the cost of the toy tractor. “I didn’t tell Ruth what I was up to until I brought the tractor home,” Clinton said. “But she immediately agreed that it was a wonderful idea and wrapped the tractor in festive Christmas paper.” A short time later Clinton and Ruth, dressed as Santa and his elf, went to Advance to visit residents who had been unable to see Santa at the mall. Santa and his elf arranged to meet John in a private setting where they presented him with the toy John Deere 630. “I tell you, there’s nothing like the look on John’s face when he saw that tractor,” Clinton said, his voice choked with emotion. “Nothing like it in the world. That’s what Christmas is all about.” Clinton passed away at his home some years ago. But warm memories of his Christmas spirit will continue to live on. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, South Dakota. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@dairystar.com.
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Is your glass half full or half empty?
Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 31
Dairy producers are used to volatility and uncertainty, but the last couple years have been unimaginable in so many ways. We are approaching 22 months of a Something to Ruminate On pandemic. Whether we’re talking about feed, labor or crop expenses, input costs are signicantly higher. The excuse of supply shortage or delivery logistics has become all too frequent. That’s a long list of big challenges. But, as By Barry Visser we usher out 2021 Nutritionist and turn the calendar to a new year, we can also take note of the many good things we enjoy in the dairy industry and think about our glass of milk as being half full instead of half empty. I hope you will indulge me in this Christmas season as I veer from the normal theme of my column to reect on a few positive attributes of our industry. My glass begins to ll quickly as I think about the people in the dairy industry. The men and women who get up every morning to milk and feed cows are the lifeblood of this business. It is true these chores look much different than they did when I was a kid. Parlors are much more common and becoming more sophisticated. TMR mixers allow for a uniform diet to be presented to cows. Robots are doing the milking on several farms and even some of the feeding. Yet, even with these advancements, a successful farm still
needs the work and passion of people focused on with a lack of timely rains. Plant breeders have the cows and their well-being. developed hybrids and technology to withstand As our industry evolves, dairy owners and many of these challenges and avoid the disasters managers wear a lot of hats. The decisions on experienced in past years. If you were around for today’s dairy farm seem to carry greater magnitude the drought g of 1988,, you y are probably especially and consequences than tthankful for these ever before. While many B But, as we usher h out 2021 and d technologies and the safety of these owners and net they provide. managers are true cow turn the calendar to a new The nal pour of milk in people with innate skills year, we can also take note my cup is a return to some in animal husbandry, their of the many good things we element of normalcy. I’m duties often require them suggesting COVID-19 j y in the dairyy industryy ... inot to spend signicant time enjoy is in the rear-view mirror, outside of the barn. How b but I am thankful we’ve fortunate we are to work in an industry where so been able to nd a balance to get our kids back to many people share a passion for one key element school, return to church and have industry events – the cow. This allows owners and managers to like World Dairy Expo. work closely with their farms’ leadership teams It is my sincere hope you nd peace and joy to make the best day-to-day decisions. Most dairy in this Advent season as we celebrate the birth of farms also depend on a team of trusted advisors Jesus. God bless the hardworking men and women to help them achieve their goals. The concepts of of the dairy industry. community, neighbors and helping each other for Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus. the betterment of everyone is alive and well on dairy farms. We’ve all heard and likely said, “Technology is changing rapidly.” Nowhere is this truer than in the dairy industry. Information is literally at our ngertips. Cows wear devices that provide data more accurately and quickly than ever, allowing farm managers and caretakers to take prompt and precise action. It will be exciting to see where technology takes us in the next 10 years. Genetic progress in dairy cattle has allowed us to select for traits well beyond functionality. Our friends in the agronomy genetic sector deserve some credit as well. Some parts of the Midwest would call the 2021 growing season a challenge
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Countdown, count up Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
We are in countdown mode as the end of is room for them in the warm barn as the star on the year approaches. We are counting down the Harvestore shines over the spot. to Christmas morning when we get to see the Once we’ve counted down, then we need holidays through our tto start counting up the grandchildren’s eyes. We n number of bales of baleage We need d to retrain i our b brains i are counting down parties W left in the tube. The number and celebrations with so we can remember the good of doors closed in the silos. family and friends as we The number of animals on welcome a new year. We things and our role in bringing hand as we create a starting are even counting down in them about. point of inventory for the the barn. We have counted balance sheet to kick off down to only one empty tthe new year. stall left in the barn this We can also count up Christmas season. The cats have all moved to the the memories of the past year and blessings of the back of the barn as they snuggle together, creating year to come. However, it might feel hard to count a giant fur ball of orange, black and white. As the blessings and nd good memories after a tough winter winds howl outside, they are thankful there year of loss and sadness. Why is it we seem to
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focus on the bad memories and struggle to recall the good? A professor at the University of North Carolina said, “The negatives scream at you but the positives only whisper.” Wow, is that so true. In my mind, I can Just Thinking Out Loud replay mistakes I’ve made over and over, reminding me how bad I felt, cementing those negative feeling to my mood and self-esteem. Dr. Byran Sexton of MidMichigan Health said we are hardwired to remember the negative memories as By Natalie Schmitt a survival tool from Columnist hundreds of years ago. An example he used is how a dementia patient can still recognize the danger of a rattlesnake sound when nothing else around them makes sense. He said it is hard to remember the positives of the day because they are not necessary for protecting us from the dangers of tomorrow. “If we ruminate and worry about the past or obsess about something we did wrong, it can prevent us from doing that wrong thing again, helping to keep us alive a little bit longer,” said Sexton. “But worry, anxiety and rumination will never help us to thrive.” Dr. Sexton said memories are tricky. Good ones slip away like Teon while bad ones stick to us like Velcro or static cling socks, especially when we are tired. We are more likely to remember bad experiences than good ones when we struggle to sleep. We need to retrain our brains so we can remember the good things and our role in bringing them about. At the end of the day, after supper but before your head hits the pillow, say three good things about the day and how you helped them come about. Dr. Sexton calls this preloading our brain with positive patterns and positive things before you falling asleep, which equals a better mood and better sleep quality. He calls this the three good things exercise. He said if you do this every evening for two weeks, you will form a new habit. You’ll start to notice things during the day and log them away for your three good things routine in the evening. Austin brought a similar idea to our weekly Tuesday breakfast farm meetings. He suggested we start each meeting on a positive note. We voice something we did or something we noticed others doing that are important to us. My rst positive was how excited I get seeing the numbers climb after the milk truck picks up our milk. We have nally hit 10,000 pounds with every-other-day pickup. Austin and Mark are doing such a good job with feeding and milking the cows. It was something I felt, but probably didn’t tell them directly, until our meeting. Now I’m on the lookout for positives I can bring to the next Tuesday meeting. This three good things exercise may actually work. So while we are busy counting down, let’s not forget to count up our blessings and joys as we say goodbye to 2021 and welcome 2022. As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.
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Every year, I need to be reminded that holiday treat making is more about the experience and memories than it is about the nished products. I have to put my perfectionism aside and accept that what ends up on the cookie tray might not look as perfect as I want, but the treats will be enjoyed all the same. This year, I opted to forgo the usual method I use for decorating sugar cookies in an effort to save time. Instead, I thinned my go-to icing recipe and poured it over the cookies. The result is perfectly imperfect: little drizzles of icing drape over the sides of the cookies here and there. The nished Dairy Good Life cookies taste as delicious as always but took less than a quarter of the time to decorate. I believe accepting imperfection applies to matters beyond the cookie tray too. The Christmas season is lled with lots of opportunities to seek perfection. We want our Christmas trees and houses to be perfectly decorated. We want our family photos on our Christmas cards to look just so. We spend countless hours and dollars searching for the perfect gifts and then even more time and money on wrapping them perfectly. We dress and groom our children so they look perfect for their holiday programs and recitals. We expect perfect behavior from our children (and everyone else) at By Sadie Frericks gatherings with family and friends. Columnist But, really, does it matter if all of the decorations are on one side of the tree? After our new cat, Norbert, knocked our Christmas tree over while trying to swipe an ornament, all of the ornaments now adorn the top of our tree. Does it matter if one of the kids is wearing mismatched socks at the Christmas program? What does matter is that we do our best, have fun and cherish our time with family and friends. Christmas shouldn’t be about perfection. I hope you’ll join me in embracing our imperfections – culinary and otherwise – this holiday season. From my family to yours, may your Christmas season be full of blessings and joy.
Cookie icing Makes enough icing to pour over three dozen 3-inch cookies. 2 cups powdered sugar 3 tablespoons heavy cream 1 tablespoon light corn syrup 2 tablespoons water 1/4 teaspoon avored extract* (almond, raspberry, orange, vanilla, etc.) pinch salt Combine ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until completely blended. Transfer icing to a liquid measuring cup. Place cookies on cooling rack inside a baking sheet to catch drips. Drizzle slowly over cookies, covering as much of the cookie as desired. Top with sprinkles. Let sit overnight or until icing is rm before stacking cookies. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children – Dan, 15, Monika, 12, and Daphne, 9. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
A holiday favorite Iowa’s Dairy Center hosts second annual Santa on the Farm By Kate Rechtzigel kate.r@dairystar.com
CALMAR, Iowa − Despite the freezing rain and snowing conditions, Iowa’s Dairy Center hosted its second annual Santa on the Farm event Dec. 10 in Calmar. “Anytime we can connect dairy with a positive experience, it’s great,” said Mariah Busta about Santa on the farm. “The attendees are going to go home and tell their family, and they’re going to feel good about purchasing milk and dairy products because they know that milk is local.” Busta, coordinator at the Northeast Iowa Dairy and Agriculture Foundation, partnered with Farm Bureau to put on the event at Iowa’s Dairy Center. Iowa’s Dairy Center milks about 220 cows in Winneshiek County. On the farm, half of the herd
is milked in a double-8 herringbone parallel parlor three times a day by two full-time and some part-time employees; the other half of the herd is milked with two robots. “We have one robot for Jerseys and one for Holsteins,” Busta said. “I’m the only non-farm employee, so I do all of the education, marketing and outreach.” This was the second annual wintertime event, which welcomed 200 people. “People know to come to breakfast on the farm and look forward to it every year,” Busta said. “However, due to COVID-19 numbers increasing last year and limited options to see Santa Claus, we were looking for a way to bring the holidays to the farm.” In December 2020, Iowa’s Dairy Center hosted its rst drive-thru Santa on the Farm. “We set up lights and a route, Santa and Mrs. Claus
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Santa Claus aƩends the Iowa Dairy Center’s Santa on the Farm event Dec. 10 in Calmar, Iowa. The Center milks 220 cows in a double-8 parlor and two robots.
came, and we had some milk and cookies. We decided to advertise it,” Busta said. “We were blown away by the attendance.” All 800 people who
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Santa Claus greets aƩendees at Iowa Dairy Center’s Santa on the Farm event Dec. 10 in Calmar, Iowa. AƩendees saw cows being milked, met Santa, received milk and cookies, and went home with a dairy goodie bag.
anyone knows Jerseys, they know they are really curious,” Busta said. “The Jerseys were just fantastic about being up by Santa Claus and in the background for pictures. It was super fun.” They also partnered with Midwest Dairy and were able to have the county and state dairy princesses at the event handing out milk and cookies. “People loved seeing the cows, the names on their ear tags and the cleanliness of our barn,” Busta said. Blown away by the success of the event, Busta and her team decided to have Santa on the Farm again this year. However, this year they were faced with the challenge of weather and only had 50 cars. “We had not so great of weather, so the attendance was denitely impacted,” Busta said. “But the response we got from the community wanting to come and be there, not only from the local towns but also from a couple hours away, was just incredible.” Growing up on a dairy farm herself, Busta knows how busy dairy farmers can be. “When we can come together as a community and pull these things off, it’s a huge win for everybody,” Busta said. “Because everybody benets when consumers know, feel
good and are condent about dairy practices and dairy products.” Busta’s favorite part was when people showed up to the event to support the dairy community. “Just seeing people’s smiles makes everything worth it,” Busta said. “The most rewarding part is knowing that you’re making a difference. Especially with less people growing up on a dairy farm, you realize how important of a story (dairy farmers) have to tell.” Busta looks forward to planning other events similar to this one. “I’ll have a communications intern this summer who will be able to help put these things together,” Busta said. “So, I’m really looking forward to that and coming up with more ideas like Santa on the Farm, because the more we can get the community involved, the better it is for the entire dairy community in general.” Busta looks forward to having Santa visit the farm in years to come as a way to connect with consumers. “Anytime you can connect really good experiences and inject dairy in that, people will have good feelings about the way farmers care for their cows and the way their milk and dairy products are produced,” Busta said. “A positive experience with dairy is always a win for us.”
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021
Women In Dairy Women in Dairy Renee Kotek Osage, Iowa Mitchell County 140 cows
Family: I farm with my husband, Jon, and three kids: Frank, 5, Evan, 4, and Jenna, 3. Tell us about your farm. We bought our farm six years ago, moving from Wisconsin. We have a double-8 parallel parlor, raise our replacements and farm 160 acres. What is the busiest time of day for you? Afternoon and evening are the craziest times for me; I feed calves, one kid comes off the bus, I wrangle the other two and try to get started milking in a timely manner. Getting snacks and dinner prepared are ideal but don’t always happen. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? Sit and think about all the things I should be doing instead (i.e. laundry, dishes). If I get a spare moment during the day, I take a quick nap. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. A heifer was having trouble calving, and I didn’t have any help. I pulled and pulled with everything I had, nally was successful and burst into happy and exhausted tears. I looked over to see my 3-year-old, who was watching the whole time, give me a thumbs up and say, “Way to go, Mom.” What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? Watching my children grow and experience all things farm related. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? The Facebook group Dairy Moms. It keeps me informed (dairy-related) and sane (everything else non-dairy). Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? Aunt Doris. She’s been a dairy farmer her whole life. She was a city girl who married a farmer and had three kids, which is similar to my own life. She’s someone who knows the struggles, knows the challenges, yet is still happy with where life has taken her. She’s a tough cookie and one I can count on for honesty and
a reality check. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Carrie Underwood. She seems down-to-earth and has the ability to touch many people, both young and seasoned. She’s in line with her health and proves hard work pays off. In her early days, she was a “Got milk?” role model; she could easily reboot that project and show the benets of milk to your health as you age. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? Before kids, Jon and I would go to a different all-inclusive resort in Mexico every year. It was great; we would sleep the rst couple days, then eat, drink, lay around and explore. Cozumel was one of my favorites. What are some words you like to live by? Everything happens for a reason.
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How to support neighbors in crisis COMET training offers guidance for rural communities By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
LANCASTER, Wis. – In an effort to connect rural communities with the resources they may need to thrive emotionally, Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program and Farm Well Wisconsin adopted a training for neighbors to help neighbors. “We offer this training to help people learn how to support each other better, so that we can create thriving rural communities where everybody has the support that they need to live fullling lives,” Chris Frakes said. Frakes joined Shawn Monson, both of Farm Well, to deliver the training called Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory during a virtual event Dec. 7 at the Lancaster Public Library. The idea is to train people in rural communities to be able to have a conversation with someone who appears to be struggling with stress. The training was developed by the High Plains Research Network. In Wisconsin, rural communities face signicant shortages of both primary care and behavioral health care providers, said Frakes. High Plains Research Network statistics show that in 2018, people in southwestern Wisconsin reported an average of more than four poor mental
health days each month. The number rose in the last two years with the presence of the coronavirus pandemic. In a 2021 survey, 66% of farmers and farmworkers said the pandemic has impacted their mental health. This information was used to develop a series of questions and guidelines for people to use, which developed into the COMET training. “COMET believes in the power of everyday interactions,” Monson said. “COMET also believes that family members, teachers, coworkers and acquaintances can have a powerful inuence on a person’s wellness trajectory.” The program’s questions and guidelines are meant to support community interaction by strengthening the fabric that binds people in a community. This is done with a series of very simple questions to let fellow community members know someone is listening to them. Monson said everyone is subject to moving along a natural trajectory from wellness, to a vulnerable space, to crisis. The purpose of the questions is to catch someone before they get to the crisis stage and help them rebound to wellness. “The important thing to remember at this point in the process is that it’s acclimated pre-crisis,” Monson said. “There’s a way of supporting someone so they hopefully move away from crisis and back toward wellness with a gravity assist.” Gravity assist is a term to describe one object helping another object get
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from one point to another if that object is not capable of getting there on its own. This concept is applied to the COMET process by using people to help each other stay mentally well. The questions that initiate the COMET process include, “You don’t seem to be yourself lately,” or “I noticed you haven’t … lately,” or “How are things at home/work/school?” Sometimes these questions make people feel nosy; however, for someone in a vulnerable space, they can make a big difference, said Monson. “There’s a difference in being nosy because you’re a gossip, and recognizing that someone is in distress and you want to support them and be kind,” he said. Once the initial question is asked, a person is to listen without offering solutions with the objective of holding space for the person under stress, so they can feel heard. When people offer solutions right away, the person under stress may feel as if the questioner is trying to get rid of them, and the true problem might never surface. Frakes and Monson gave an example of a neighbor noticing a fellow neighbor’s unkept lawn. If someone were to bring the subject up to the home owner with the intention of initiating the COMET process, it might seem logical to offer help with the yard work. However, it is important to realize the real problem is not the yard; the yard is the visible part. The lawn might be neglected due to other chaotic factors causing stress for the person and
moving them toward crisis. “You don’t want to go into xit mode too fast because sometimes people are just checking to see if it’s really OK that they talk about a problem,” Frakes said. Once a person does open up, it is important to offer full attention. People will be more honest when there is adequate eye contact and followup questions are asked. It can also be helpful to follow up a few days later with a text or a phone call. “Following up really helps build trust, and calling or texting can be a good strategy to do that,” Monson said. One thing that causes people to hesitate to ask questions is the anxiety of how to end a conversation once it has started. The training emphasizes concluding with care by ending on a positive note. “Something as simple as saying, ‘Thank you for sharing this with me,’ and reassuring them that what they have said is going to stay with you can make people feel better about disclosing information,” Monson said. The process is meant to deal with people who may be in a vulnerable space. More in-depth trainings are available for people who are worried about a loved one in crisis. Frakes said everything is more manageable with help. “To me, the core of COMET is anything we are struggling with can be talked about,” he said. “When people sit and listen to us, we don’t feel so alone.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, December 25, 2021 • Page 39
Brandon Zemke Zumbrota, Minnesota Goodhue County 70 cows How did you get into farming? My wife, Alydia, and I were born and raised in dairy farming. My parents had this farm and sold the cows in 2002. Alydia’s parents farm near Oak Center where they milk 200 cows. We always enjoyed dairy farming; I had worked for dairy farms all throughout high school, and my wife did in college. So, we were both constantly in dairy, and we wanted to farm but had to nd a way to dairy farm without breaking the bank. So, we bought the farm here in 2014, did some renovating and started farming. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? The virus is probably going to rule the hen house again this year. And, volatility has always been there in dairy. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? We started testing cows ve months ago and got on with AgSource. Through testing, we were able to keep track of each individual cow.
What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? We breed everything to beef so all our calves are beef calves. That helped me tremendously because with the manpower that we had here and all the work that came with it, we were stretched too thin. So, for our replacement heifers, we are buying back springers, and everything is sold as a beef calf right now. That’s helped free me up a lot for the day. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? In the big picture of everything, milk prices have been pretty darn good this year. We always try to be as energy efcient as we possibly can. Because the fuel prices are going sky high right now, the milk house is a little cooler, once the skidloader is warmed up, we are shutting it off more, and the house is a few degrees lower. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? It’s me and my wife, so we practice listening rst before talking and try to be as patient as possible. With cows, sometimes patience is hard to remember to bring to the table, but you have to bring patience to the table.
new ones, you can get feeding rates right on the money. So, we bought the TMR, ripped out the electronic bunk and now we have a drive-by H bunk. We feel as though we’re not guessing anymore when feeding animals. What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Juggling daily life with my wife and our sons, Norman, 3, and Melvin, 1, with chores and everything.
Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. A lot of motivation and high energy. A lot of my peers I grew up with all throughout high school and competed against, so I’ve always tried to keep up stride for stride with those guys. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? The lifestyle, always having your family around. It’s denitely not the money. It’s straight up the lifestyle, always seeing your kids and your wife is hands down No. 1 for me. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Dairy farming is denitely not a sprint; it’s a marathon. Some-
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times when I feel like I’m in a bad situation, I have to calm myself down, take a deep breath, and remember that I will work through it. Try not to get too worked up about things. Not every day is going to be peaches and cream. You have to take the good with the bad, and on the bad days, you just have to keep going. Sometimes bad days are not fun, but you have to keep motoring through. What has been the best purchase you have ever made on your farm? A tie between a skidloader and a TMR mixer. The skidloader is a cheap right-hand man. For our TMR, we used to have an older style electronic bunk, and you could kind of get it in the ballpark for feeding rates, but with these
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? To keep farming for the next year. Within the next ve years, we denitely want to get into sand-bedded free stalls. Right now, we’re on a bedding pack, so the labor is intense. We’d have cleaner cows. That is one thing that bothers me about the bedding pack is you bed them every single day and they’re still dirty. I miss seeing real, nice, clean cows when they’re on sand. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? Hanging out as a family. On Sundays, we go to church and spend a lot more time together. We don’t go very far so we try to have nice, good family time after every evening milking.
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