Traveling the Guernsey path together
Siblings given 2024 National Outstanding Young Farmer award
By Emily Breth emily.b@star-pub.com
LESTER PRAIRIE,
Minn. — After years of dedication to the Guernsey breed and developing an in-depth breeding program, brother and sister — Kevin Anderson and Karen Johnson — were recipients of the American Guernsey Association’s 2024 National Outstanding Young Farmer award.
“We can’t beat the community we have in the Guernsey breed to help foster what we’ve done, what we’re working towards, and seeing other young people our age or younger that are just doing amazing things to help our breed,” Anderson said.
Anderson and Johnson currently operate Up the Creek Farm with their parents, David and Donna Anderson. The family milks 35-60 cows in a tiestall barn near Lester Prairie. The milking string size varies because the family
has a strong market for private treaty sales. The herd is primarily registered Guernseys but also includes several Holsteins and Brown Swiss.
The duo received their award in June at the National Guernsey Convention in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.
The award is given to a Guernsey breeder under the age of 35. The applicant must bring a positive light to the dairy industry and have proven success within their herd.
In the application, the producer must answer ve questions related to why they own Guernseys, their breeding program and responsibilities, involvement off the farm and future goals for the farm.
“It is unique that we applied together,” Johnson said. “Most of the time it is a single person. We applied together because we do this together and we wanted to present it that way.”
Kevin Anderson works on the dairy operation while Johnson helps when she can between raising two children and a full-time job with the University of Minnesota Extension. Johnson maintains animal health records and prepares cattle for shows.
The pair strives to improve the herd. Anderson does this through his genetic program. The duo strives to bal-
Johnson and Kevin
one of their Guernsey cows Nov. 22 at their farm near Lester Prairie, Minnesota. The siblings were recipients of the
on 2024 Na onal Outstanding Young Farmer award. in time can be considered the best (cow).”
ance three things: production, health traits and functional type.
The siblings said they spend a lot of time doing research and weighing their genetic options within the Guernsey breed. They aim to use high Cow Productivity Index bulls from strong maternal lines.
“We are trying to be a balanced herd,” Anderson said. “We have probably 5-6 cows in the barn that at any point
They said having their parents both come from a background in Guernseys has been an advantage. Growing up they were able to learn the different characteristics, management techniques and variety of genetics.
“It takes time to be a really good herd with any of the breeds,” Johnson said. “It’s fair to say that by having that exceptional Guernsey founda-
tion we had to keep it going. We couldn’t let that go, and some of my best moments have been with the Guernsey cows.”
Guernsey cows were introduced to the farm around 1950 when one was gifted to their grandpa, Glen. The Guernsey numbers continued to grow until it became a registered Guernsey herd.
Turn to OUTSTANDING YOUNG FARMER | Page 4
Feeding Flexibility & Durability in One Mixer
EMILY BRETH/DAIRY STAR
Karen
Anderson stand with
American Guernsey Associa-
Johnson is eager to get her kids involved with the farm with hopes of getting them excited about what the Guernsey breed has to offer.
“Kevin and I are very fortunate that we have been able to grow alongside the Guernsey cows that have provided opportunities that we have seen the full benet of over the years,” Johnson said.
Between work at the farm and
the time spent off the farm within the Guernsey community, including serving on genetic committees and more, the pair hopes to continue making progressive impacts on the dairy industry.
“Trying to take that next step to be young leaders within the Guernsey breed and getting to see that come in full (circle) was very special to me,” Johnson said.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Anderson and Johnson families — Barre Johnson (front); (back, from le ) David Anderson holding Izabelle Johnson, Kevin Anderson, Karen Johnson and Donna Anderson — stand together June 21 at the Na onal Guernsey Conven on in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Kevin and Karen were named the 2024 Guernsey Na onal Outstanding Young Farmer.
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The “Mielke” Market Weekly By Lee Mielke Competitive U.S. cheese, butter prices impact exports
Butter and cheese stocks fell in October, with the cheese inventory down for the eighth month in a row. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest cold storage report showed Oct. 31 butter holdings at 267.5 million pounds, down 35.8 million pounds or 11.8% from the September inventory, which was revised up 355,000 pounds. They were up 27.4 million pounds or 11.4%, however, from October 2023.
American-type cheese stocks fell to 772.7 million pounds, down 9.6 million or 1.2% from the September level, which was revised 461,000 pounds lower, and were down 61.2 million pounds or 7.3% from a year ago.
The “other” cheese category holdings dipped to 547.2 million pounds, down 16.4 million pounds or 2.9% from the September level, which was revised 6.9 million pounds lower, and were down 56.8 million pounds or 9.4% from a year ago.
The total cheese inventory on Halloween had fallen to 1.34 billion pounds, down a bullish 26.3 million pounds or 1.9% from September and was 116.1 million pounds or just under 8% below that of a year ago.
Cheese exports, thanks to U.S. competitive prices, have helped offset sluggish domestic demand, however, increased cheese-making capacity may temper this data in the months to come.
StoneX broker Dave Kurzawski said in the Dec. 2 Dairy Radio Now broadcast, “The report was bullish, but the market presently has been anything but.” The cheese inventory came lower than expected, he said, “We’re running very lean on cheese inventories and it’s hard to square that with a $1.65 or $1.70 per pound cheese price. Cheese stocks at these levels would argue for a Chicago Mercantile Exchange price of around $2.00, so we’re 30-40 cents undervalued.”
New capacity coming online may be inuencing prices, he said. Exports are strong and we are poised for even more, considering U.S. cheese at sub $1.70 is probably the cheapest in the world. He expects exports will continue to build, but that may be impacted by tariffs which incoming President Trump has threatened.
He said Trump may carve out some kind of deal even before he takes ofce because he doesn’t think Trump wants to be punitive to Mexico or Canada specically. He may simply be trying to message China. “We just don’t know what this is going to look like,” he said. “The futures market is probably worried about it but not really behaving that way.”
Fluid milk sales, after topping year-ago levels in ve out of the rst eight months of 2024, back-
tracked in September, according to USDA’s latest data. September packaged sales totaled 3.5 billion pounds, down 1.6% from September 2023.
Conventional product sales totaled 3.2 billion pounds, down 2.3% from a year ago. Organic products, at 249 million, were up 9.1%, however, and represented a typical 7.1% of total sales for the month.
Whole milk sales totaled 1.2 billion pounds, down 1.2% from a year ago, but up 2.0% year to date, and represented a typical 34.5% of total sales for the month.
Skim milk sales, at 150 million pounds, were down 10.5% from a year ago and down 11.4% year to date.
Packaged uid sales in the nine month period totaled 31.8 billion pounds, up 0.9% from 2023. Conventional product sales totaled 29.6 billion pounds, up 0.4% from a year ago. Organic products, at 2.3 billion pounds, were up 6.9%, and represented 7.1% of total milk sales in the nine months.
The gures represent consumption in Federal market orders, which account for about 92% of total uid sales in the U.S.
The good news is that Americans consumed record amounts of dairy products in 2023, led by surging demand for butter and cheese, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.
The Agriculture Department reported this week that per capita consumption of dairy products reached 661 pounds per person in 2023, an increase of 7 pounds per person over the previous year and matching the all-time record set in 2021.
Butter and cheese consumption surpassed previous records, says the IDFA, reaching all-time highs of 6.5 pounds of butter and 42.3 pounds of cheese per person in 2023. For context, a typical package of butter containing four sticks and weighs 1 pound and a standard bag of shredded cheese is half a pound.
Cottage cheese continues to win back shoppers, notching 2.1 pounds per person in 2023, a level not seen since 2019, and yogurt saw consumption increase from 13.5 pounds per person to 13.8 pounds in 2023, a 2% increase.
Fluid milk and ice cream consumption fell in 2023, although year-to-date sales in 2024 are showing strength.
The IDFA reports that in the past decade alone, domestic per capita consumption of cheese is up 19% and butter consumption is up 18%. In the past 20 years, yogurt consumption has grown 60%.
Overall, USDA data shows American’s per capita consumption of dairy is up 3% over the past ve years, 9% over the past 15 years, and 16% over the past 30 years, according to the IDFA.
Cash dairy prices were mostly lower in the shortened week of Thanksgiving. After jumping a nickel on Monday to $1.6950 per pound, the Cheddar blocks closed Wednesday at $1.6425 per pound, down a quarter-cent on the week, but 12.25 cents above a year ago.
The barrels nished at $1.6050, down 4.50 cents, lowest since April 15, 8.50 cents above a year ago, and 3.75 cents below the blocks. Sales for the three days totaled one load of block and 38 for the month of November, down from 57 in October. There were 10 loads of barrel on the week and 27 for the month, down from 28 in October.
Midwest cheese plants were running relatively normal schedules this week, minus the holiday, according to Dairy Market News. More milk was available, as is typically the case during a holiday week, but some plants said their extra milk was light in comparison to Thanksgiving week in previous years. Some plants were looking for more milk if the price was right. Cheese markets are still uncertain moving toward the nal month of the year. Barrel makers say demand has been a little less robust in recent weeks. Some retail Cheddar and Italian-style cheesemakers have been running active schedules to meet demand, said DMN, and were expecting a quick return to that following the weekend.
Western cheese production was mostly steady through the holiday week. Milk volumes were indicated to be tight for some parts of the region, but cheese manufacturers noted Class III milk was ample. Domestic cheese demand is reported to be steady. Domestic prices continue to have a competitive edge to international prices, which is helping to draw international buyer interest. Export demand is steady and there’s plenty of cheese available, according to DMN.
Cash butter saw its Wednesday close at $2.4925 per pound, 4.75 cents lower on the week, lowest it has been since Dec. 15, 2023, and 16.25 cents below a year ago. There were 10 sales on the week and 58 for November, down from 318 in October.
Central butter plants were contending with a lot of cream in the holiday week and some were turning away offers. Cream suppliers were hopeful for a smooth week because any additional and/or unexpected downtime at butter plants could create some real backups, as a number of plants were down for at least an extra day this week. Butter market tones continue to face somewhat bearish pressure as the holiday season begins and the end of the year is in sight.
Turn to MIELKE
Butter production is steady in the West. A few producers were shifting more of the focus to bulk butter production, said DMN.
In some cases, decreased butter prices are indicated to be a contributing factor for shifting production to the bulk side. Cream is generally available throughout the region. That said, many manufacturers have ample in-network or contracted amounts of cream and are not looking to secure more. Domestic demand is reported on the lighter end and in line with the pre-holiday week. Buyers continued to secure loads for the rst quarter of 2025.
HighGround Dairy said, “U.S. butter is cheaper than Europe and Oceania, and the door for exports could open on the price advantage, if domestic processors have line time to make the international spec.” European butter is 82% butterfat, not 80% as in the U.S., and is unsalted.
Grade A nonfat dry milk closed Wednesday at $1.3950 per pound, up 2.75 cents on the week, and 21.50 cents above a year ago. There were 14 sales on the week and 77 for the month, down from 120 in October.
Dry whey closed Wednesday at 71 cents per pound, up a nickel, highest CME price since March 28, 2022, and 31 cents above a year ago. There were three sales on the week and 30 for the month of November, down from 46 in October.
The Global Dairy Trade Pulse auction Tuesday featured 4.86 million pounds of product sold, down from 4.96 million in the last Pulse.
HighGround Dairy said 98% of the total offered was sold. Seventy-three metric tons more regular whole milk powder and 72 metric tons less instant whole milk powder (67 metric tons in total) was sold versus the last Pulse.
The price on skim milk powder was down slightly while the price on whole milk powder was up slightly from the last Pulse.
In politics, dairy processors gave a thumbs up to President Trump’s pick of Brooke Rollins and Robert F. Kennedy to lead USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, respectively. Michael Dykes, DVM, president and CEO of IDFA said, “IDFA is condent that President-elect Donald Trump is choosing leaders for USDA and HHS who understand that safe, reliable food systems are the foundation of health and wellness for our great nation. Once conrmed, IDFA looks forward to working with Ms. Rollins at USDA and Mr. Kennedy at HHS to enhance the diet quality of Americans, protect the integrity of food production and processing, and establish a regulatory environment that drives innovation and efciency. These efforts will enable our industry to continue leading the world in the production of high-quality dairy nutrition.”
“Fluid milk production, at the farm level, is mixed across the country, and gets stronger moving east to west,” according to DMN’s weekly update. “Pockets of the Northeast are seeing weaker volumes, while in other portions of the Northeast and Southeast, milk levels are ticking up in small increments.
Elsewhere in the region volumes are steady. Farms in the Central region are seeing gradual seasonal growth in milk production. Farms in the West region are seeing steady or strengthening numbers. California handlers convey milk production is trending slightly higher week to week. Farms in the Pacic Northwest are reporting steady volumes. The remaining states are all reporting stronger numbers.”
“Class I bottling demand is strong throughout the country. Class III demand for milk is strong in the Central and East regions, while the West region is seeing steady demand from cheesemakers. Cream remains amply available in all regions. Demand for cream for Class IV is steady, but demand is increasing for other classes. Condensed skim availability is mirroring milk in the East region and is looser in the West region. Demand for condensed skim remains steady,” said DMN.
Expanding to ensure their future
Keiths purchase dairy, double herd in two years
By Amy Kyllo amy.k@star-pub.com
WAYNESBORO, Ga.
The past two years, Ryan and Whitney Keith have experienced many changes, from buying their own dairy to updating facilities and doubling their herd.
The Keiths milk 310 registered Brown Swiss and crossbred cows near Waynesboro, about an hour south of Augusta. They farm 430 owned and rented acres for the dairy as well as another 280 acres seven miles from the dairy. Two hundred of these acres are used as pasture for their beef operation.
The couple is assisted by three full-time employees, two high school students and their three children ages 7 and under.
“(Farming gives) the freedom to raise your family the way you want,” Whitney Keith said.
Having their kids alongside them instead of at daycare is a luxury, Keith said. Their
children help sort cattle, open gates and more.
“They are just about as handy as another full-grown adult,” Keith said. “Having the memories of them working alongside us and having that experience for them will aid them in whatever they choose to do.”
The Keiths purchased their dairy from Whitney’s parents in October 2022. Soon after, they began the expansion.
The push for expansion was two-fold. First, there was the need for cash ow. Second, expanding helped secure their future ability to dairy.
“We’ve increased probably faster than we thought we would, just to be able to keep going,” Keith said.
Though the Keiths are one of several dairies on their road, these other dairies are small, so lling milk loads was a challenge. This spurred the Keiths to increase.
“Not having full tankers, we all would have suffered,” Keith said.
About 70% of the Keiths’ milk is sold through a cooperative, the rest is sold to Whitney’s parents, who operate a processing facility called Southern Swiss Dairy LLC.
In December 2022, they retrotted a double-8 Germania herringbone parlor into
the space their former double-6 herringbone parlor held. The t is tight, but the cows stand at a steeper angle which allows four more cows.
At about the same time, they purchased 75 cross-bred cows from a single farm about two hours away. “We preferred that they
all came from one place, so we weren’t co-mingling cows with the opportunity to spread disease,” Keith said.
Turn to KEITHS | Page 11
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Keith family — Caroline (from le ), Whitney, Ryan holding John, and Leeann — gather in March on a rural road near Waynesboro, Georgia. The Keiths milk 310 registered Brown Swiss and cross-bred cows.
In June 2023, they added an approximately 85-stall lean-to onto their freestall barn to increase their capacity to about 240 stalls. The Keiths aim to keep the barn at 20%-25% overstock for a capacity of 325.
At the same time, they bought more cows from the same farm to bring their numbers to where they are currently.
The Keiths raise their own forages and generally buy grain and concentrates. They raise predominantly corn, triticale and sorghum, plus a little hay.
Most acres are triple cropped. The Keiths plant triticale in late fall, which grows throughout the winter and is harvested in middle to late March. By April 1, their goal is to have corn planted. They chop in early July. They chase the corn with sorghum, which is chopped in November.
“We don’t have a season where nothing’s growing,” Keith said.
Their farm is located on the northernmost edge of the coastal plain with sandy loam soil and at topography. Underneath the area is a good aquifer, and their farm also has a spring, from which they can irrigate during drought.
“We’re very blessed that we have a secure water source,” Keith said.
Much of the nearby land is planted with cotton or peanuts. Keith said their soil is ideal for cotton, so there is land competition.
Georgia winters are mild. Keith said a few days of sub-freezing weather is the coldest they get. They occasionally receive freezing rain, but rarely snow. Recently, the Keiths went to the mountains to get a Christmas tree and it was the rst time their children had seen snow.
The Keiths calve year-round on pasture, but avoid calving older cows in the heat of summer. In the summer, when the heat does not abate overnight,
the cows are stressed.
The Keith’s freestall barn feed rail area is equipped with fans every 25 feet and sprinklers. In the free stall area, there are fans every 50 feet. Fans and sprinklers turn on automatically when the temperature is over 65 degrees.
“You get acclimated to it, but you certainly don’t want to stress cows during those times,” she said.
The Keiths’ farm was affected by Hurricane Helene. Usually during hurricanes, Keith said they only receive wind and rain, but this time they suffered damage because the eyewall of the storm passed close to them.
The hurricane hit early Sept. 27 leaving the farm without power for 11 days. Their 60- by 80-foot heifer shed was a total loss, with its beams snapped off at the ground. Half the roof was blown off their holding pen, their commodity shed room was damaged, they had damage to their farm ofce and two 50-foot oak trees fell on their home’s roof.
“We were very lucky just in the fact that we had somewhere to go and that we could milk cows and not have to move animals around,” Keith said.
Though much of the herd is now crossbred, Keith grew up showing registered Brown Swiss and does ushing on some of her cows. Keith breeds the Brown Swiss for longevity, with some reaching 7-8 lactations. Her goal is to someday show with her family at World Dairy Expo.
The cows are one of the reasons Keith said she enjoys farming.
“I just enjoy having nice cattle around,” Keith said. “I recently heard somebody say that, ‘Good cows make you excited to get to the barn every day, and I hope to always have those cows around.’”
Randy S., Jerry, Randy W., Alex, Jen, Shelly, Thomas, Mike and Joe at Pierz Co-op want to wish you and your families a
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Cows eat at Ryan and Whitney Keith’s farm Dec. 3 near Waynesboro, Georgia. The herd is milked in a double-8 herringbone parlor.
Production, type, genetics enhance protability
By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com
LAKE GENEVA, Wis.
A focus on protability regardless of herd size or goals was the basis of a presentation given by Ben Rupchis at the American Dairy Goat Association national convention in Lake Geneva Oct. 19-25. Rupchis manages the Goat Teaching and Research Facility at the University of California, Davis and owns Bearly Dairy Goats, a herd of Alpines, Lamanchas, Saanens and Toggenburgs, with his wife.
Selecting the ideal goat
and production. When looking to make a change, we have to leverage both management and genetics.”
The advantages of genetic gain include increased output, efciency, sustainability and marketability.
“We want to create a healthy animal with a long, productive life,” Rupchis said.
“When we use genetics to expand the health and production of our animals, that expands our marketability.”
Tens of thousands of goats have been appraised over the years, providing a large historic data set. Rupchis said there is a modest baseline in dairy goats with signicant room for progress.
“We’ve made impressive progress already in structural type, but there are other things we can turn our eye to and put emphasis on,” he said.
This visual representa on shows the factors included in calcula ng Predicted Transmi ng Ability in dairy goats. PTA is the es mate of gene c merit rela ve to breed base, which allows comparison of animals within the same breed.
During his presentation, “Production, Type and Genetics: The Trifecta of Dairy Profitability,” Rupchis shared ideas for improving protability through genetic decisions.
“We can make a lot of progress in a lot of different ways,” Rupchis said. “We have strong models from other species for improving efciency
The benets of a buck’s genetics can be seen relatively quickly because the generation interval between goats is short, especially compared to cows.
Rupchis focused on how heritability and key genetic concepts should be considered when making breeding decisions. Heritability is a measure of genetic inuence on specic
quantitative traits, such as milk yield and stature, as opposed to environmental inuence.
“We can measure those traits very reliably,” he said. “High heritability results in more rapid genetic progress.”
Rear udder arch is a trait with low heritability, Rupchis said.
“If there is a lot of envi-
ronmental inuence on something, that makes it hard to breed for,” he said. When it comes to production traits, protein has the greatest heritability, followed by pounds of milk and butterfat.
“Fat has strong environmental inuences— from weather to ration changes to
goats in heat,” Rupchis said. “There is denitely a genetic component, but it’s lower than protein or milk. We see tremendous genetic variation in dairy goats, which means there is also room for tremendous opportunity.”
Ben Rupchis University of California-Davis
When looking at a sire’s type and production evaluations, heritability and quantitative data are factored in to produce an estimate of the animal’s genetic merit. However, more caution is applied to data that is gathered on traits with lower heritability.
“If there’s an animal with one full lactation, and her protein is super high and fat is also pretty high, we place more condence in her protein value because of its greater heritability,” Rupchis said.
Predicted Transmitting Ability is the estimate of genetic merit relative to breed base, which allows comparison of animals within the same breed. The base is reset every ve years to account for progress.
“We want to compare genetics to the present — not to 1989 when evaluations started,” Rupchis said.
Milk, fat and protein are expressed in pounds of yield as positive or negative PTAs. Fat and protein percent are also expressed as positive or negative PTAs. An evaluation of 0 would indicate a genetically average goat.
“The production data is breed-specic,” Rupchis said. “You can’t compare the PTA of a Nubian to a Nigerian, for example.”
When analyzing milk production data to calculate percentile rankings, protein is weighted most heavily followed by butterfat, then milk. Rupchis said one pound of protein is equal to about 70 pounds of milk, whereas one pound of fat is equal to about 30 pounds of milk.
“Most goat milk in the U.S. is used for cheese, and that’s what these numbers are based on,” he said. “If you just bottle milk, you can select almost entirely on milk. If you’re making cheese or selling milk to a creamery that’s making cheese and paying you based on pounds of protein, then you might want to select for protein.”
The reliability rating demonstrates the degree of condence in a doe or buck. A goat that has been in the herd for eight years and freshened seven times will have a higher level of reliability than a goat recently purchased that kidded once and only has a couple of tests.
Reliability takes into account individual lactation data on does and
progeny data for both bucks and does, including total test days, number of herds a sire has daughters in, and the number of herd mates for comparison. Rupchis said a buck that is over 60 or 70 for reliability can be used with condence.
Though progress has been made in type in the last 40 years, there are also challenges.
“There is a lack of goat-specic research, especially in the U.S.,” Rupchis said. “We may think of certain things as desirable for type, but we don’t necessarily have data that backs that up.”
In a type assessment, certain traits can be seen visually with relative ease and consistency, such as mobility, body condition, and udder and body capacity. Other functional traits, such as milk production, somatic cell count, reproductive soundness, kidding ease, milking speed and more, cannot be captured through visual type assessment.
“We need to be mindful of what we can’t see,” Rupchis said.
A goat that maintains body condition without any tendency towards over-conditioning will exhibit greater feed efciency and resilience to metabolic and disease challenges. In addition, a goat with ease of motion and graceful walk results in greater animal comfort and longer herd life. A goat with a strongly attached udder and capacity indicates heavy milk production over a long period of usefulness.
“Our ADGA scorecard is reafrming some of the things we’re breeding for in production,” Rupchis said. “We must take into account from a breeding perspective what we can and cannot see in regards to production because it will drive us to some of the more desirable extremes we may see in time.”
Rupchis said a producer should identify priorities and goals and pinpoint what is efcient and protable for their operation. They should include all selection parameters and determine selection intensity.
“You want to be as mindful of what you don’t select for as what you do select for,” he said. “Whether you milk ve goats or 500, the type of dairy goat we want is one that can function efciently over a long, productive lifetime.”
Growing within agriculture
Schmitt kids continue to work in industry
By Emily Breth sarah.m@star-pub.com
Some visions have changed for Mark and Natalie Schmitt’s four kids — Jonathan, Katie, Michael and Austin — who were featured in Kids Corner in the Oct. 9, 2004 edition of Dairy Star. But some have not, including the dream of having a “merry-go-round,” aka rotary parlor.
“It’s still my dream,” Austin said. “It’s the ultimate way to milk cows.”
All four attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Jonathan majored in applied plant science with an emphasis in agroecology and a minor in dairy science.
Michael received his undergrad at the U of M in animal science with an emphasis in dairy production and a minor in applied economics, then earned a master’s degree in cattle genetics from the University of Florida.
Katie majored in animal science with an emphasis in industry and business and minored in communication studies and agricultural food business management.
Austin majored in animal science with an emphasis in dairy production and a minor in agronomy and ag business.
Jonathan Schmitt
Michael Schmitt
Katie Schmitt
Jonathan is an agronomist at Peterson’s North Branch Mill in North Branch, Minnesota. He consults with farmers on seed, chemicals and fertilizer, scouts elds and samples soil.
“Growing up on the farm I was always more interested in the crops than the cows,” Jonathan said. I’d rather spend 18 hours a day sitting in a tractor than two hours in the barn.”
Growing up on a dairy farm inuenced his career choice because it provided him with the opportunity to learn about a variety of aspects of agriculture he said. At his parents’ farm, he had the ability start helping with test plots by the age of 10.
“I am passionate about plants and growing high-quality grains and forages and problem-solving,” Jonathan said. “We have to be able to gure out what is wrong with a plant by looking at it and it’s a fun challenge.”
Jonathan’s favorite job growing up on the farm was hauling chopper boxes. Now his favorite farm memories revolve around bringing his three kids — Ethan, Emma and Ava — out to the farm.
“Seeing my kids play with grandpa and help grandpa and grandma on the farm is a pretty good memory,” Jonathan said.
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Growing up with all brothers did not get Katie out of any chores, including stacking straw bales, but it did create some great memories for her.
While Michael shared a similar dream to Austin of a rotary parlor, his career took a turn to science. Michael now serves as a director of PEAK Genetics based out of Shawano, Wisconsin, which supplies A.I. bulls to Alta Genetics Inc., GENEX Cooperative, Jetstream Genetics and CRV. He is responsible for the dairy cattle breeding program.
“I’ve seen both sides of this business by growing up on a farm that sold bulls to A.I. companies … and now I get to work for a company that makes and buys A.I. bulls, so it is kind of a full circle,” Michael said.
On the farm, Michael took interest in making selections for their breeding program. His interest in this aspect of farming is one of the reasons he chose the eld. He said he also enjoys the people he works with.
“They bring (energy) to work in the industry,” Michael said. “I really like working with folks like that.”
The challenges that arise daily are another reason Michael enjoys working with dairy genetics. He said he is constantly pushed to improve animals and has a great support system.
“We had a really close community of people that were involved in the farm and supportive of us,” Michael said.
“We probably made memories every day that have been impactful in our lives,” Katie said.
After growing up on the farm, she moved to Madison, Wisconsin, and started working for World Dairy Expo doing marketing and communications.
Katie has been the outreach specialist for the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding for almost two years. Her main role is interacting with farmers and providing them with information about genetic selection traits and research being done to make a more protable cow.
“My goal and mission in life is to do good,” Katie said. “Working in the dairy industry and for CDCB, a nonprot, I have the ability to do that and help people like my family be more protable.”
Katie said she gives a lot of credit to growing up on her parents’ farm for the reason she has been able to grow
Jonathan Schmitt
Michael Schmitt
Katie Schmitt
in her positions and industry as much as she has.
“(It) gave me a really great understanding of what the dairy industry is,” Katie said. “I got to see a diverse dairy industry across the country and around the world even though home is a very modest farm in central Minnesota.”
Austin Schmitt
What started out as helping with chores after school turned into a lifelong venture of dairy farming near Rice, Minnesota.
“After college I came home and farmed for a couple of years,” Austin said. “I had plans on going to manage a dairy somewhere else. Those plans changed when they asked me to come back until (my uncle) healed from surgery.”
Austin spent two and a half years at the home farm before he went to manage a dairy farm in South Dakota. During his 18 months there, he received hands-on experience with robots, parlor systems, employees and work schedules, and learned how to work with people who are not family.
“I wanted to be in control of my own future, take chances, reap my own rewards and go the route I want to go without having to check in all the time, so I came back (to the home farm),” Austin said.
On the home farm, Austin milks around 90 cows in a tiestall barn. He said it is a joy when his siblings come back home.
“We are pretty spread out geographically, so it is always nice when they come back and we laugh about stories and visit with each other again,” Austin said. “We all have our interests, but we are all intertwined with each other.”
SPECIFICATIONS
3/4” Auger Flighting
1/4” Abrasion
Austin Schmitt
DAIRY ST R
application.
Breeding quality Nigerian Dwarfs
Wildwood Acres focuses on
genetics, family
By Emily Breth emily.b@star-pub.com
LYONS, Neb. — Not long after moving to a 5-acre plot in the country, Blake and Angie Meyer found their niche raising, breeding, selling and showing Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats.
Their farm, Wildwood Acres is located near Lyons. They milk a herd of 30 Nigerian Dwarfs, with part of the milk used for Angie’s Wildwood Goat Milk Soap brand.
The Meyers farm with their children by their side.
“I think it helps our children with life lessons,” Blake said. “It’s a good way to teach them about the circle of life.”
Angie said outside chores and the goats give the children the chance to learn responsibility.
“We don’t want them to grow up behind a screen,” Angie said. “We want them to learn hard work; work ethic is huge.”
During their milking season, usually from the end of January to September, they milk at 5:30 in the morning and between 4:30 and 5:30 in
the afternoon.
Goats are rotationally grazed as long as weather and pastures permit. This helps with the workload that includes full-time jobs and childrearing. Angie is a teacher and Blake is a sales representative for AKRS Equipment.
In her spare time, Angie also makes her goat milk soap.
To keep the workload manageable at kidding time, they breed a maximum of 20 does. They focus on quality over quantity by considering linear appraisal data, pedigree and genetics. The Meyers said they want goats that excel in milk production and have correct type conformation.
“You can have a doe that will milk a whole slug but not have the body conformation to hold up that udder over time,” Blake said. “We want something that is going to structurally last and be productive.”
To push for improvements, the couple tried laparoscopic A.I. for the rst time. They brought in three does and two were successful. Blake said they were happy with the result.
Angie said some of their friends who raise goats have multiple breeds, but that is not something the couple see themselves doing. Blake said this is because of the knowledge they have of the characteristics and genetics in the Nigerian Dwarf
breed. The Meyers said they want to continue to improve their herd and be able to provide quality animals, both in and out of the show ring.
“We want to do our best to make the Nigerian breed better,” Angie said.
The couple said they have struggled locally to market their animals as breeding stock because people in their area think of Nigerian Dwarfs as pets rather than dairy animals. Angie said this makes people not want to spend as much for a quality animal.
This attitude has not altered their ability to market across state lines though. One of their bucks was sold to a breeder in Florida, and does have been sold across the Midwest.
When it comes to goat health, the Meyers are attuned
to their herd.
“You have to really know your goats,” Angie said. “If their ears are droopy that might be their only sign, but they could have a high fever.”
With the need for quick treatments, the size of the Nigerian Dwarf’s has been an asset. Angie said it makes it easier for her to treat on her own without waiting for Blake. As well, the goats’ size means they need less space and feed.
At milking time, the goats are trained to go to the shed and hop up on the milking stand.
Sometimes they even learn to arrive in a specic order. Blake built their milking shed and milking stand with his dad.
Initially the couple did milking by hand, but Angie said this became difcult once the herd increased in size.
In 2016, the herd was expanded because Angie wanted to start making goat milk soap. Her late grandmother, Margaret York, who made old-fashioned soap, was her inspiration.
Both the soap brand and farm name were inspired by York.
“Just thinking of her favorite hymn, ‘Church in the Wildwood,’ that’s where Wildwood Soap came from,” Angie said. “Then when we were trying to think of a name through (the American Dairy Goat Association) and Wildwood Acres came around.”
In the future, the Meyers plan to continue focusing on genetics, attending shows and making time for family.
“It’s a way of living; it’s not just a job,” Angie said.
EMILY BRETH/DAIRY STAR
The Meyer family — Angie (from le ), Ainsley, Adalene and Blake holding Henry — stand in front of their farm sign Oct. 15 at Wildwood Acres near Lyons, Nebraska. Angie is a teacher and Blake is a sales representa ve for AKRS Equipment.
EMILY BRETH/DAIRY STAR
A group of Nigerian Dwarf goats eat hay Oct. 15 at Wildwood Acres near Lyons, Nebraska. The smaller breed has the advantage of ea ng less feed and requiring less space for housing.
Sen. Frentz named Minnesota Milk’s 2024 Legislator of the Year
Minnesota Milk Producers Association announced its 2024 Legislator of the Year, Sen. Nick Frentz (18, DFL).
The award was presented at Annexstad Dairy Farm in Nicollet County in September. The association will formally recognize Sen. Frentz during its annual Dairy Dinner banquet on the evening of February 4, 2025, in St. Paul, followed by the annual Dairy Day at the Capitol on February 5.
“It was an honor to host Sen. Frentz at our farm,” said dairy farmer Jean Annexstad, co-owner of Annexstad Dairy Farm. “We appreciate his work supporting farms like ours. It is good to know we have an advocate in St. Paul.”
Sen. Frentz has demonstrated his alignment with policies positively impacting Minnesota’s dairy community and remains curious about the issues impacting farms. His support for scientically sound initiatives is essential to the state’s farmers who are prioritizing environmental efforts. He is also aware of issues impacting employers, especially in regard to how taxes and fees affect businesses like dairy farming.
Minnesota Milk applauds inuential legislators with this annual award as a token of appreciation for their commitment and support to the state’s farming community.
For more information about Minnesota Milk’s Legislator of the Year award, visit mnmilk.org.
Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board accepting scholarship applications
The Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board is offering $1,000 scholarships to individuals who will be third or fourth-year college students or second-year short course/technical college students during the 2025-26 academic year. Any Wisconsin resident who is currently enrolled as a full-time student at a four-year Wisconsin school or short course/technical college in Wisconsin and is pursuing a dairy-related or food science degree is eligible to apply.
The application is available at WSFDairyPromo.org/scholarships. Application deadline is Jan. 15, 2025. If you have questions, please contact Stephanie Hammerly at programassistant@wsfdairypromo.org.
The Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board is made up of individuals passionate about promoting Wisconsin‘s $45.6 billion dairy industry during the Wisconsin State Fair.
Holstein Association USA announces revised linear scale for stature
Holstein Association USA implemented a revised linear scale for scoring stature into the classication program beginning Dec. 1. This updated scale is based on a cow measurement project conducted in 2023 by Dr. Jeffrey Bewley, Holstein Association USA dairy analytics and innovation scientist.
“In our objective measurement study, we determined the average and range of Holstein cow stature was larger than our old scale reected,” said Dr. Bewley. “This change will allow classiers to assign linear scores more reective of the current Holstein population, which will improve data quality for conformation and genetic analyses.”
The updated scale now ranges from 55” to 65”, which is an increase from the previous scale that ranged from 51” to 61”. Every one-inch increase in stature is a ve-point increase on the scale.
Below is the updated scale for reference:
55” = 1
56” = 5
57” = 10
58” = 15
59” = 20
60” = 25
61” = 30
62” = 35
63” = 40
64” = 45
65” = 50
The intent of this update is to ensure there is a normal distribution of stature scores, and that the scale most accurately represents the biological range of today’s Holstein cow. This change started as a recommendation from the conformation advisory committee and was later approved by the Holstein Association USA board of directors.
National Dairy Shrine elects new board members, appoints ofcers
At its recent annual meeting the National Dairy Shrine appointed two new board members and welcomed new leadership to the Board of Directors.
The person who will lead the organization as President in 2025 is Tina Larson, from Pine Island, Minnesota. Born and raised on Havana Heights Guernsey farm in Steele County, Minnesota, Tina is currently the Senior Advertising Specialist with World Wide Sires. In this role she works closely with the marketing teams in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Canada to create and implement their advertising campaigns. In addition, she is the main graphic designer for the World Wide Sires corporate advertising campaigns and works closely with the rest of the advertising team to coordinate all global messaging for the company.
Tina joined the board of National Dairy Shrine in 2019 after a call from then Executive Secretary Dr. David Selner. Feeling the need to give back to the organization that had awarded her scholarships in her youth, she happily agreed. “Working with the rest of the Board of Directors, the Executive Board and the Executive Secretary has been a profound and valuable experience,” she says. “The mission of National Dairy Shrine to Inspire the Future, Honor the Past and Preserve the History of the dairy industry inspired me to serve as the president for the coming year.”
The organization also selected Jodi Hoynoski of Gill, Massachusetts as Presidentelect to lead the organization starting in 2026.
Joining the board of directors are Nick Randle and Benjamin Styer. Randle is the U.S. Senior Marketing Lead at Zoetis for Dairy Productivity and Milk Quality and a Red and White Holstein breeder from Sterling, Massachusetts.
A senior at the University of Minnesota studying Animal Science with a dairy production emphasis, Benjamin Styer is a student representative to the board of direc-
tors. Styer grew up on his family’s dairy farm, Alfalawn Farm, in Menomonie, WI. Through 4-H, Ben’s team won the national contest at the World Dairy Expo, granting him the ability to judge internationally in Scotland and Ireland. At the University of Minnesota, he competed on the collegiate dairy judging team. Highlights of Ben’s judging career include being the high individual overall at the North American International Livestock Exposition and National Intercollegiate World Dairy Expo contests, both contests that his team won. Ben has exhibited at all levels of competition and enjoys being home to work with animals when time allows. He hopes to have a career related to dairy cattle genetics before eventually returning home to his family’s dairy farm.
Prairie Farms celebrates NMPF Dairy Product Judging Contest awards
The annual National Milk Producers Federation Dairy Product Judging Contest recently wrapped up, and it was a successful year for Prairie Farms Dairy. With 18 ribbons, Prairie Farms won more awards than any other company competing in the contest. The awards ceremony was held during the 2024 Joint Annual Meeting of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, National Milk Producers Federation, and United Dairy Industry Association, which took place in Phoenix Oct. 20-23.
This year, 11 NMPF co-ops competed for 83 awards in 26 categories. Prairie Farms came out on top, receiving 22% of the awards, including sweeps in four categories: Hard & Mold Ripened Italian, Swiss, Reduced Fat Cottage Cheese, and Flavored Yogurt: —Hard & Mold Ripened Italian Cheese: 1st place – Faribault, Minnesota; AmaGorg. 2nd Place – Mindoro, Wisconsin; Pasteurized Blue Cheese. 3rd place – Faribault, Minnesota; St. Petes Select Blue Cheese.
—Swiss Cheese: 1st place – Faribault, Minnesota; 44° North Rinded Swiss. 2nd place – Luana, Iowa; Baby Swiss. 3rd place – Luana, Iowa; Swiss.
—Reduced Fat Cottage Cheese: 1st place – Chandler, Oklahoma; 2% Cottage Cheese. 2nd place – Wichita, Kansas; 1% Cottage Cheese. 3rd place – Kansas City, Missouri; 2% Small Curd Cottage Cheese.
Turn to UDDER STUFF | Page 25
A slice of America’s Dairyland
Hixton Cheese & Village Market offers taste of local products
By Dan Wacker dan.w@dairystar.com
HIXTON, Wis. — Halfway through America’s Dairyland on Interstate 94, travelers can partake in a slice of Wisconsin’s most famous product at Hixton Cheese & Village Market.
Owned by Christine Dixon, Hixton Cheese and Village Market will turn 3 years old this April. The market specializes in cheeses from Marieke Gouda, Nassonville Dairy, Lynn Dairy, Nordic Creamery, American Milk Producers Inc. and Westby Cooperative Creamery, as well as local meat and honey, gourmet popcorn, milk and syrups.
Dixon was born into the dairy industry. She grew up as the youngest of four to Bob and Virginia Yeskie. The Yeskie family milked around 50 cows and she and her brother, Tim, were responsible for chores as her two older brothers, Greg and Dennis, had already moved on from the farm.
“I denitely learned my work ethic on the farm,” Dixon said. “Now that I’m older, I feel proud to support farmers because my dad was one. That’s how we grew up and the farm is the reason we turned out to be the people we are.”
After spending time in Carson City,
Nevada, Dixon moved back and eventually took a job at Foremost Farms USA near Marsheld. There she learned about the process of making cheese.
Her experience at Foremost, and later the AMPI plant in Blair, showed her how loyal customers can be, she said. With those plants closing their onsite stores, and locals unable to get their cheese the same way they used to, Dixon had the idea to start her own store.
“I saw the reaction from those customers when those two closed the retail stores,” Dixon said. “The fact that they couldn’t go to their own hometown plant to get cheese anymore hurt some people.”
In the fall of 2021, Dixon was diagnosed with breast cancer. A diagnosis that could have put the brakes on her idea actually accelerated the process. Dixon underwent surgery early in January 2022. Just a few months later, Hixton Cheese & Village Market opened, and within the rst few months, Dixon had her second surgery. Since the surgeries and treatment, Dixon has been in remission.
“When I was going through the cancer, I had the ‘What if you’re not here tomorrow’ kind of attitude,” Dixon said. “I jumped into this without much thought of what happens if it doesn’t work, or what happens if it does.”
Dixon’s oldest brother, Greg, and his wife, Beth, came home to help her and her dad while she went through the rst surgery. Greg, who is ghting his own battle with cancer, inspired Dixon to keep following her dream.
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
Jan Hruza (from le ), Chris ne Dixon and Genell Severson stand at the counter at Hixton Cheese & Village Market Nov. 18 in Hixton, Wisconsin. Dixon opened the store in April 2022.
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
A cheese cooler displays items at Hixton Cheese & Village Market Nov. 18 in Hixton, Wisconsin. Hixton Cheese and Village Market puts a focus on selling locally made cheese and other products.
Dixon rented the building neighboring Sampson Heating & Air Conditioning, owned by Dan, Gina and Chris Pogreba, in downtown Hixton a few minutes from the interstate. The Pogreba family helped Dixon get her store off the ground in those early days.
“(Dan, Gina and Chris ) had just put up a new building around the same time we were opening,” Dixon said. “They had decided to do an open house and asked me to join them. We must have had 300 people in here in those three hours. I can’t say thank you enough for what they’ve done.”
Knowing she was going to be limited in the rst few months, Dixon surrounded herself with friends.
“I hand-picked a couple of girls to work with me here,” Dixon said. “Lorie Johnson, Genell Severson and Julie Peterson all have dairy backgrounds, and they all grew up here. They’re my three main girls. They’re all such great employees and that has helped make us as successful as we have been. Ruth Lindberg helped design the store and spent a lot of time here before the opening. She was instrumental in getting it ready to open in April.”
Friendly faces, a local product and a billboard on I-94 have drawn in pass-
ersby from all over the world.
“I’ve met so many different people,” Dixon said. “I got a visit and a card from a scout with the Boston Red Sox, we had a singer stop in on his way through to perform in the Twin Cities and he left us with a CD of his beautiful music, and most recently, Brett Favre’s neighbor. I’ve also met people from Ukraine, Italy, Germany, Norway, Canada and Mexico. I’ve reconnected with relatives and old neighbors and classmates.”
Connection to the community she grew up in continues to play a vital role in how Dixon runs Hixton Cheese & Village Market.
“I’m proud to have a business in downtown Hixton,” Dixon said. “It helps put us on the map a little bit and I like the idea of keeping our main street buzzing. It reminds me of my childhood.”
Dixon believes she found the right product.
“With our location, right off the interstate and surrounded by great creameries and cheese producers, I’m very happy that I can support people from our area, and farmers like my dad,” Dixon said.
Butter, cheese consumption at record high
Report shows spike in per-capita intake
Some say it is butter late than never. Others say dairy is melting the competition. However, you choose to say it, the data is unmistakable: Americans consumed record amounts of dairy products in 2023 led by surging demand for butter and cheese.
Earlier today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that per capita consumption of dairy products reached 661 pounds per person in 2023, an increase of 7 pounds per person over the previous year and matching the all-time record set in 2021.
Butter and cheese consumption each surpassed all previous records, reaching all-time highs of 6.5 pounds
and 42.3 pounds per person, respectively, in 2023. For context, a typical package of butter containing four sticks weighs 1 pound and a standard bag of shredded cheese is half a pound.
Cottage cheese continues to win back shoppers, notching 2.1 pounds per person in 2023, a level not seen since 2019.
Yogurt clocked impressive growth as well, with consumption increasing from 13.5 pounds per person to 13.8 pounds in 2023, a 2% increase.
Fluid milk and ice cream consumption fell in 2023, although year-to-date sales in 2024 show strength for these dairy staples.
In the past decade alone, domestic per capita consumption of cheese is up 19% and butter consumption is up 18%.
In the past 20 years, yogurt consumption has grown 60%. Overall, USDA data show Americans’ per capita consumption of dairy is up 3% over the past ve years, 9% over the past 15
years, and 16% over the past 30 years.
“You butter believe that dairy consumption is growing,” said Michael Dykes, DVM, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association in Washington, D.C. “Dairy is one of the most nutritionally complete foods available. Milk, cheese, yogurt, whey-protein-infused tness beverages and many other dairy foods contain up to 13 essential nutrients, making dairy one of the most nutrient-dense foods available. For avor, affordability and nutrition, people of all ages are choosing dairy more than ever.”
One-On-One with
Describe your current route and how many farms do you breed at? I started this route with ABS Global in July from scratch. I cover parts of four counties — Clark, Marathon, Wood and Portage. I’m breeding at least 15-25 cows a day, to as many as 60 or 70 on ovsynch days. Generally, I do as many as 10 or 11 stops a day. I have some herds I stop at every day and some that I only go to when they call for service. My largest herd right now is around 1,100 cows.
How did you become an articial insemination technician? It was something I had never thought I would end up doing. I went to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and majored in technical agriculture with a minor in animal science and played football for a year and a half before I hurt my knee. After graduation I chose to get into breeding cows right away, in January, 1993. One of my teachers had worked for Midwest Breeders, which became 21st Century Genetics around that time, and he led me that way.
lief technician after just under a year away from breeding. I took the job with ABS Global in July. I’m not sure exactly how many cows I’ve bred in my career, but I would estimate somewhere around 125,000.
Describe your career path since starting as an A.I. technician. I bred cows for 21st Century Genetics until 1997, when my dad had cancer and I went home to take the farm over. The last two years I farmed I bred cows for Select Sires NorthStar Cooperative when we had $9 milk in 2002 and 2003. In February 2004, I sold the cows and I started breeding cows for Accelerated Genetics through 2010, before driving truck over the road for a couple of years. I started breeding cows again with Select Sires in 2012 until 2022, when I left breeding cows because of some health issues. I started breeding cows again as a re-
What kind of specic training did you have to become an A.I. technician? Back then it was very different than it is now. Most herds were tiestall and stanchion herds; the freestall herds were a rarity to breed at. They trained us at the stockyards in Green Bay. You were just arming cows and very rarely could you nd one that was actually in heat. Today, they go into a large herd and they have practical cows; it’s a better way to learn for someone who has never bred a cow before. I can remember our instructor from 21st Century telling us we should nd another eld because what we were doing wasn’t going to exist in ve years. They were pushing farmers to breed their own cows in the bigger herds. Their mindset was different in those days — that once the farms got bigger, farmers would breed their own cows. Some do, but it is a time and labor-saving mechanism on the farm to have a technician come in and take care of the breeding.
How does technology impact your work? Activity monitors are good at helping catch cows that show poor heats. They save a lot of time compared to tail-chalking. Being able to see the cows that are in heat and where they are in the barn is helpful. It also helps with the accuracy of knowing when a cow is in heat, based on more than just visual signs. After years of working with these systems, I don’t question them anymore. I do tail-chalk heifers at some of my farms.
Brian Muraski
Has HPAI H5N1 impacted the way you do your job? For me it has not changed anything — you have to make sure to keep your boots clean and disinfected, keeping everything as clean as possible. Following biosecurity protocols is always a foundation of breeding cows. You are in so many barns, in contact with so many cows on any given day, you have to be conscientious of biosecurity.
What things do you consider essential to your job? To succeed daily on this job, you have to make sure you are always as clean as you can be — keep your equipment clean and maintained, make sure your thaw unit is working and have condence in your ability to breed a cow. Beyond that, having a good, reliable vehicle is helpful.
What have been some of your memorable experiences? Things are different now, technology-wise. Years ago, going out to nd some of
HORST REPAIR
the farms was challenging, not knowing the area. All you had was a plat book and back then some of the addresses were just a rural route number. It took longer to know where you were going and a lot of times you’d end up at the wrong farm, and some people were upset when you pulled in the driveway. I got chased off once by a guy with a shotgun. Sometimes you’ll have dogs that will nip or snarl. I keep dog biscuits on hand — once they get to know you, they usually aren’t too bad.
What advice would give someone just starting out as an A.I. technician? When you go into a farm, respect that farm and the people. Do a good job, try to earn their respect and you’ll have customers down the road. That is how you build up a route. I’ve never started with a fully established route. It is a tough job — I respect anyone who does this. It is a hard way to make a living.
Brian Muraski ABS Global
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Brian Muraski tail-chalks heifers Nov. 26 near Granton, Wisconsin. Muraski visits several farms each day.
Mid-American Hay Auction results for Nov. 21
—Flavored Yogurt: 1st place – Wichita, Kansas; Blueberry. 2nd Place – Wichita, Kansas; Black Cherry. 3rd Place – Quincy, Illinois; 1% Peach.
—Open Class: 1st place – Luana, Iowa; Cream Cheese. 3rd place – Luana, Iowa; Neufchatel.
—Cottage Cheese: 1st place – Wichita, Kansas; 4% Small Curd. 3rd place – Quincy, Illinois; 4% Small Curd.
—Natural Cheese Snack: 2nd place – Shullsburg, Wisconsin; Mixed Cheddar Curds. —Yogurt – Greek Plain: 2nd place – Wichita, Kansas; Plain.
In the NMPF Communications Contest, the Prairie Farms marketing team was named Communicator of the Year, the contest’s top award for work that exemplies truly outstanding achievement. The team received nine additional awards in various categories, including writing, photography and videography.
Holstein Association USA seeks nominations for 2025 awards
Each year, Holstein Association USA celebrates dairy community leaders with its prestigious Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder, Distinguished Leadership and Elite Breeder awards.
Holstein enthusiasts are invited to submit nominations for the Elite Breeder and Distinguished Leadership awards. Nominees for these two awards will be considered for three years following their initial submission. Current Holstein breeders between the ages of 21 and 40 are encouraged to apply for the Distinguished Young Holstein Breeder award. Nomination applications must be postmarked by Jan. 31, 2025.
Award applications are available on the Holstein Association USA website. Honorees will receive recognition during the 2025 National Holstein Convention being held June 23-26, 2025, in St. Louis, Missouri. More information about the 2025 National Holstein Convention can be found at www.holsteinconvention.com
Additionally, a scholarship is available to students interested in agriculture who plan to pursue their master’s degree in business administration. The Robert H. Rumler MBA Scholarship awards $3,000 to a qualied individual pursuing their MBA at an accredited university. Applications for this scholarship must be received by April 15, 2025.
Supporting sustainable dairy: New checkoff conservation resource goes live
The dairy checkoff has launched the Dairy Conservation Navigator, an online resource hub designed to provide farm advisors, stakeholders and conservation professionals with science-based information on sustainable farming practices and technologies.
The Navigator aggregates science-based information from more than 70 experts, helping users make informed decisions that enhance farm protability and sustainability efforts.
Dairy checkoff scientists and others developed a list of over 80 practices that have a positive environmental benet in areas including nutrient management, methane reduction, soil health, manure handling and more. The tool can be accessed at www. dairyconservation.org.
The tool features a lterable database, allowing users to nd solutions tailored to their specic needs. Each practice includes a summary outlining its purpose, conditions for use, implementation considerations, funding options and environmental benets.
The Navigator also includes information on emerging sustainability practices and technologies that could transform the industry. Additionally, the checkoff partnered with experts nationwide to create free short courses covering topics like environmental modeling, carbon markets and water conservation.
The tool is designed for the wide range of professionals who support farm decisions, including veterinarians, nutritionists, agronomists, equipment suppliers, conservationists, nancial advisors as well as those associated with cooperatives, processors, university extension and others.
DMI will introduce the tool at industry events and conferences with partners like The Nature Conservancy and the Conservation Technology Information Center. To learn more about checkoff strategies, visit www.dairycheckoff.com.
SNAP Healthy Fluid Milk Incentive Program expands to 1150 Stores in 32 states by 2025 with award to Auburn Hunger Solutions Institute
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently awarded a grant to Auburn University’s Hunger Solutions Institute to signicantly expand the Healthy Fluid Milk Incentives Projects to more than 1,150 retail stores in 32 states since the program began in 2020. HFMI pilot projects provide SNAP beneciaries with a dollar-for-dollar match when they purchase healthy uid milk options, helping SNAP participants stretch their dollar with healthy dairy options.
Since 2022, USDA has awarded nearly $10 million in grants to Auburn HSI to partner with retail food establishments to implement HFMI projects. The latest USDA grant will provide $2.79 million in FY2024 congressional appropriations to Auburn to bring the program to 438 additional participating locations across 18 states, including locations in rural communities, counties with persistently high poverty rates, and low-income and low access census tracts. HFMI, or Add Milk! as it is known at retail stores across the country, is reaching more than 25,000 SNAP households every month, a number that continues to increase as more stores come on line and more SNAP participants become aware of the program.
The International Dairy Foods Association, led by President and CEO Michael Dykes, D.V.M., lauded the expansion of the HFMI program, noting the important role dairy incentives play in improving health outcomes for Americans. IDFA led the charge to create HFMI in the 2018 Farm Bill and has continued to closely collaborate with Congress and USDA to expand the program to more communities across the country. IDFA is a major proponent of incentivizing SNAP participants to purchase healthy dairy options to increase access to affordable, nutritious food and beverage options for food and nutrition insecure Americans.
The latest federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans report showed that more than 90% of Americans do not consume enough dairy products to meet daily nutrition requirements, impeding positive health outcomes for Americans of all ages. Studies have shown that incentive programs, like HFMI, increase purchase and consumption of the incentivized food.
IDFA is asking Congress to include provisions in the next Farm Bill that would expand the existing HFMI program to include all milk varieties as well as cheese and yogurt. The organization supports the Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2023, bipartisan legislation (S. 1474/H.R. 5099) that would implement early HFMI learnings to improve the effectiveness of incentives to increase SNAP participants’ consumption of healthy dairy products and expand access to dairy incentives to additional areas of the country that are in most need.
To learn more about the health benets of milk, cheese and yogurt, visit www.idfa. org/dairynourishes.
Special Feeder Cattle & Dairy Auction
Early Consignments Dairy Cattle
COMPLETE HERD DISPERSAL. (140) Holsteins, including 70 milking cows, 20 dry cows, 50 bred heifers. Cows are averaging 70-75 lbs milk in the tank on 2x milking with 150scc. Bull breeding with top bulls bought from Trent-Way Genetics. All heifers are bred to Angus and due from Jan 15th to March 1st. Heifers and cows are fully vaccinated. Cows are housed in sand bedded free stalls, milked in a parallel parlor. Coming from Darlington WI.
Early Consignments Feeder Cattle
(29) Beef steers & heifers. All out of Angus cows bred ai to Charolais then cleaned up with a registered Angus bull. Calves are 2x vaccinated with Bovi shield & Vision 8, wormed with Epri-Gard, weaned Sept 30. Being fed dry hay and some corn silage. Outstanding quality set of black and tan calves from a reputation consignor!! Vernon Martin, Withee.
(20) Holstein steers. 500-550 lbs. Double vaccinated, on free choice hay and grain. Very nice set!! Stutzman, Loyal (12) Feeder steers. 4 Angus cross, 3 Angus, 5 Holstein. 2 x vacc. 600- 700 lbs. Very nice!! Harm, Spencer. (16) Holstein feeder steers. 600 lbs. 2x vacc.
3rd Mondays of the month at Thorp
Tractors
John Deere 8120 tractor. 4WD, CAH, front suspension, 16 speed powershift, 26 MPH, 5 remotes, Greenstar ready, new 710 rear tires and duals, 75% on front tires, 11,500 hours. Very nice!!; 2010 John Deere 8345R tractor. 9000 hours, front suspension, super single tires, 14 front weights, 360 degree LED lights. Nice!!; John Deere A tractor. Single hydraulic hook-up. PTO. All new tires.; John Deere 50 tractor. Runs and drives, needs carb work.; Skid Loaders & Excavators
Doosan DX 35-7 mini excavator. 2023 model, CAH, Long arm, 2 speed, Hydraulic thumb, 1 year factory warranty remaining. Only 370 hours!! 1 owner machine!!; Cat 239D track loader. 2017 model, 1762 hours, 66HP, CAH, Aux hyd, new tracks & idlers 100 hours ago. Ready to work in every way!!; Cat 259D-3 track loader. 2019 model, 2360 hours, tracks about 70%, Cab & heat. Nice condition!; Tillage IH 530B disc ripper. 5 shank.; Manure Handling
H&S 370 manure spreader. Good working cond.; (2) 2014 Houle 5250 manure tanks. Good working condition.
Feed & Grain Handling; Loyal 20ft x 7in conveyor on transport. 2 new rims and tires, 1 HP motor. Nice!; Kewanee 500 grain elevator; Minnesota 400 gravity box.; Harvest Flow 250 bushel gravity box.; Bearcat roller mill. Very good cond.; Cob Crusher roller mill.; Wagons Flat wagon;
Forage Handling Martin 8ft Ag Bagger. Working cond.; New Holland 489 haybine.; John Deere 336 small square baler w/kicker. Needs knotter rebuilt.; John Deere 336 small square baler. Worked when last used, has been shedded for past 5 years.; Sukup 6 row stalk shredder. Good working cond.; Esh 4218, 6 pod tedder. Good working cond.
Linking the consumer to the farm
Atkins Raw Milk Dairy provides connection, transparency
By Dan Wacker dan.w@dairystar.com
ATKINS, Iowa — On July 1, 2023, Iowa passed Senate File 315, setting in motion a new movement in dairy consumption in the state. It legalized the sale of raw milk under certain conditions and enabled dairy farmers like Jay and Barb Schanbacher to diversify their market.
The Schanbachers own and operate Schanbacher Acres Inc., milking 170 cows near Atkins. Jay is a third-generation dairy producer. Barb grew up on a dairy farm until she was 8 and then returned to dairy life when she married Jay 25 years ago. Last August, the couple started a four-cow micro-dairy named Atkins Raw Milk Dairy.
At Schanbacher Acres, Jay and Barb and their hired help milk in a swing-20 parlor. With the opening of the microdairy, Jay and Barb retrotted a 36-stall tiestall barn to work as a swing-5 parlor for their four cows at the location they
used to raise heifers. They used leftover parts from three parlor remodels at the conventional dairy to put the framework in place for the smaller, specialized space, and purchased a 150-gallon bulk talk.
“We saw the demand for raw milk even before it was legal,” Jay said. “We’d have people stop at the other farm and ask if they could buy the milk from us on the spot and we always had to turn them away.”
Their location put them in a spot where trafc on the farm was common as the trend of direct sales was beginning to take hold.
“We’re in a great location, right off of the highway and near Bloomsbury Farm,” Barb said. “There’s a market for it … but I also think COVID changed a lot of people’s minds about the supply chain and where your food comes from.”
Atkins Raw Milk Dairy specializes in A2A2 milk. Along with half-gallon jars of milk, consumers can also purchase Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, fresh cheese curds, homemade butter, whey protein powder, fresh mozzarella and liquid whey, all made with raw milk by Jay’s brother, Jeff. Customers can also purchase hamburger and eggs from farms owned by Schanbacher family members.
Jay
ners
Jeff milked on the current site of Atkins Raw Milk Dairy before becoming a Lutheran pastor in 1999. Since then, Jay and Barb used the facility as a site to raise their heifers before retrotting the barn for the mi-
CIH 8920, 2WD, 3,500
CIH 8920, 2WD, 4,100
CIH 8910, 1955 hrs., 2WD,
CIH 7120, 2WD, 5800 hrs.
CIH 5250, 2WD, 4,700 hrs.
CIH MX120, 2WD, 3,800 hrs.
1456,
CIH Tigermate II, 26’
CIH Tigermate II 26’ w/rolling
CIH
cro-dairy.
“We did a genetic audit at Schanbacher Acres and found out that we had a signicant amount of cows that were A2A2.” Jay said. “We targeted only our A2A2 cows to bring
over to Atkins Raw Milk Dairy and we target our animals that have high component numbers.”
Turn to ATKINS | Page 27
DAN WACKER/DAIRY STAR
Barb and
Schanbacher stand in the feed alley of their freestall barn Nov. 20 at Schanbacher Acres Inc. near Atkins, Iowa. Schanbacher Acres milks 170 cows in a swing-20 parlor and part-
with Atkins Raw Milk Dairy.
DAN WACKER/DAIRY
Barb and Jay Schanbacher stand by their retail center Nov. 20 at Atkins Raw Milk Dairy near Atkins, Iowa. Atkins Raw Milk Dairy sells half-gallon jars of raw milk, Greek yogurt, co age cheese, fresh cheese curds, homemade bu er, whey protein powder, fresh mozzarella and liquid whey, all made from raw milk.
Those component numbers bring in athletes and tness enthusiasts.
“A demographic I was not expecting was the gym and tness people,” Jay said. “We have bodybuilder types, athletes from all levels who are eager to use our product.”
Along with the added benets from the milk itself, Jay and Barb have grown to enjoy the interaction they have with customers. This includes taking prospective customers through an onboarding process when they are interested in purchasing milk and educating consumers on the product they are potentially consuming.
“It’s great to have a face to connect with,” Barb said. “I’m always open to conversations with them. If they need anything, they can always call me or text me. We’re here for them.”
Jay also expressed his appreciation for direct-to-consumer sales.
“A demographic I was not expecting was the gym and tness people. We have bodybuilder types, athletes from all levels who are eager to use our product.”
“I’ve probably on-boarded nearly 500 people since we opened,” Barb said. “When a new person wants to come in and buy raw milk, I meet with them personally to answer any questions they might have, show them our operation, whatever they might need. That helps us get to know them, and they get to know us.”
JAY SCHANBACHER
On their farm, consumers know who, what, where, when and how the product was produced.
“I like connecting with people, which was a lot different than before when I was working by myself on the farm,” Jay said. “It was different when you put the milk in the tank, milkman comes, milk goes away. Now we see a completely different level of appreciation from our customers.”
Connection and transparency in the product are two elements of production that are the driving factors behind Atkins Raw Milk Dairy.
“I think that’s why a fair amount of people come to get raw milk,” Jay said. “They feel that there’s this gray box that they don’t know anything about between the farm and the store. Creating that connection has been important to us.”
STAR
Christmas gifts
I’m always on the lookout for special Christmas gifts throughout the year. I’ll stash my treasures in a secret closet away from snooping kids or in one of my freezers. I have bags of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, Aronia berries and cranberries stacked in the freezer ready to be transformed into sweet Christmas gifts.
These are four new recipes I’ve been working with for this year. Our milk truck driver, Ronnie, kept me supplied with Aronia berries this summer. I didn’t know what I was going to do with this surplus, but I think I’ve found a few great ways to use them up. I gave Ronnie a couple of mufns one morning, and he shared one with another farmer on his route. The consensus was I should enter the recipe in a holiday baking contest.
I think I’ll just share it here instead. The nice thing about Aronia berries is that they are very similar to blueberries, just a bit drier. They can be substituted for each other in recipes.
I have also been stocking up on cranberries. Mark loves cranberry sauce, and I was able to can some sauce for later this winter when you just need something with a twang to break the dullness of winter. Cranberries also freeze so well that I have them on hand
throughout the whole year. I’m hoping to try my luck at canning cranberry juice later this winter.
The last recipe is one I know I will be making a few more times to give away fresh. The avors are explosive. It is like the avor of the holidays in a single bite. Merry Christmas.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
SUNDAY 12-7 p.m. Receiving hours
MONDAY 6:30 a.m. Receiving Hours
8 a.m. Cattle, Hogs, Sheep & Goats Auction
TUESDAY 12-7 p.m. Receiving Hours
Aronia mufns
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups our 1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups Aronia berries, frozen 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 large mufn cups or 18 regular-sized mufn cups.
In a bowl, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and uffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla, salt and baking powder.
With a spoon, fold half of the our, then half of the milk into batter; repeat. Batter will be thick. Fold in Aronia berries. Spoon batter into mufn cups and sprinkle a dash of nutmeg onto each mufn.
Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown and springy to touch. Remove pan from oven. Remove mufns from pan and cool on rack.
Aronia berry preserves recipe from Forager Chef.com 1 pound (3 cups) berries, either fresh or frozen
2 cups water
2 ounces red wine vinegar
Zest of half a lemon and orange
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cups apple sauce, preferably unsweetened
4 teaspoons pectin
3 cups sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
hope to make it with these other berries on a cold winter day when I’m craving a taste of summer.
I like jam more than jelly and have left the berries in the juice. If you don’t want to waste the discarded berries, roll them into some oatmeal to form fruit balls for the birds to enjoy this winter.
Fermented blueberry syrup recipe from Forager Chef.com 1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen and thawed blueberries
1 2-inch strip lemon peel
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Mix berries, sugar, vanilla and lemon peel together. Let stand for 15 minutes, then mash berries to release juices. Pour into a half-gallon jar or another non-metal container. Cover jar with lid and allow to ferment for 4-5 days or up to a week.
Pour contents of jar into blender or food processor. Slosh a bit of water around in jar to capture all the fruit. Process until slightly smooth with still bits of fruit remaining. Pour into a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer syrup for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat until it starts to boil. This is not a thick syrup recipe; it is more like a simple syrup. Turn off heat and stir in lemon juice.
Pour syrup into hot sterilized jars, leaving a half-inch headspace. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. It will keep for months in the fridge if you don’t want to can it.
Cranberry chutney
1 bag cranberries
WEDNESDAY 6:30 a.m. Receiving Hours
10 a.m. Cattle, Hogs, Sheep and Goats Auction
THURSDAY 12 p.m. Hay Auction
Cover berries with water to clean them, drain. Combine berries with 2 cups water and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Mash berries and allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Strain juice from berries. Add applesauce to juice. Discard berries or make into fruit scrap vinegar.
Mix sugar, salt and pectin together. Add to juice mixture along with lemon and orange zest. Bring mixture to a rolling boil until it starts to thicken, around 10-15 minutes on high heat. Whisk in lemon juice and pour into four sterilized half-pint jars. Place lid and ring on jar and process in water bath for 10 minutes.
I think this recipe would also work with blueberries, blackberries or raspberries. I haven’t tried these yet, but
1 seedless orange quartered (leave on peel, just make sure to wash very well) 1 jar maraschino cherries, drained 1 cup sugar
3 shots whiskey or brandy, divided (one for the recipe, two for the cook)
Place all ingredients into food processor or blender. Pulse till chunky. Store in quart jar for a few days to allow avors to meld. It is great on hot buttered biscuits, in a bowl of oatmeal or on top of a chunk of chocolate.
As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark Schmitt started an adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.
Food columnist, Natalie Schmitt
Mixed berry salad
32 ounces plain Greek yogurt
16 ounces whipped topping
1 1/2 (3.4 ounces) packages lemon instant pudding
2 pounds frozen mixed berries
Mix yogurt, whipped topping and pudding together. Add in the frozen berries and refrigerate overnight before serving.
Dairyman’s delight
From the Kitchen of Mary Rosen, Albany, Minnesota
Crust:
1 1/2 cups our 3/4 cup butter, melted
2 (3.4 ounces) chocolate cook-andserve pudding
8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 cup powdered sugar 16 ounces whipped topping
Mix together the our and butter and press in a 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes; cool. Cook pudding as directed on the box using 3 cups of milk. Set aside and cool. Cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Then fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over the cooled crust and add the cooled pudding. Chill. Top with the rest of the whipped topping.
Poppy seed bread
1 1/8 cups oil
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
3 cups our
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Glaze:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Combine all ingredients together. Pour mixture into greased and oured bread pans (two medium and one small). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (small pan) or 60 minutes (medium pan). Toothpick should come out clean. For the glaze mix together sugar, orange juice, vanilla extract, almond extract and butter. Spoon over hot bread still in pans.
SPECIAL FEEDER CATTLE AUCTION AND BRED BEEF COWS
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
DAIRY CATTLE AUCTION
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 11:00am
Expecting our usual run of quality dairy cows, springing heifers, open heifers, and breeding bulls. Check our website for early consignments.
REPUTATION CONSIGNMENTS
20 20 FANCY Registered Holstein Dairy Cows and Springing Heifers. Parlor/freestall. Load includes(10)dairy cows, fresh 2-3 year olds, out of a 32,491# RHA. (10)springing heifers, due JanuaryMarch. Headlock/freestall adapted. Extensive vaccination program. Reputation consignor. Out of on one of the elite dairy herds in MN. **** Will be HPAI/N5H1 tested *** Coming from Stelling Farms, Millville MN
5 Registered Holstein Dairy Cows, load includes a close springing heifer. Cows are fresh, tie stall milked, accustomed to freestalls and headlocks, out of a 30,000#RHA, on 2x milking. Selling on of cial test. AI breeding over 25 years, full vaccination program, regular herd health and hoof trimming. Excellent quality! 100% guaranteed sound. Reputation consignor. Owner topped the sale with his load last
two were organic herds. Quality dairy cows $3,000- 3,950. Top loads avg $2,900-3,400. Top Holstein springing heifers from $2,800-3,600. Top organic springers $4,000. One herd organic avg $2,800, the other $2,860. Market is de nitely fantastic for selling dairy cattle. If you have dairy cattle to sell give us a call. Thank you and we appreciate your business.
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