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DAIRY ST R
Volume 23, No. 24
February 12, 2022
“All dairy, all the time”™
More milk, less waste McLeod County ADA teams up with school districts to provide beverage dispensers By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
HUTCHINSON, Minn. – Students lined the cafeteria as they waited their turn to use the school’s new milk dispenser at Hutchinson High School Feb. 1. And when the students were done with lunch, they came back for a second, sometimes a third, helping of milk. “We’re winning,” Kevin Buss said. “These kids are sitting down and having conversation around milk. That’s pretty cool.” Buss, a dairy farmer from Hutchinson, worked with the school district and Minnesota Department of Agriculture grant funds to provide the high school with a milk dispenser to be used during lunch hours. The dispensers were also installed in the Dassel-Cokato and Litcheld school districts, which share the same food service
as Hutchinson. Each high school has one dispenser that has the option to serve milk from three spouts during the lunch hours. Not only has this method encouraged consumption, with fresh dairy provided by a local creamery, it has also eliminated some use of cartons and signicantly reduced waste, as noted in just the rst week of the program launching. At Hutchinson High School, 555 students were served on that rst day with only 2 quarts of milk dumped with the lunch trays, according to the school. Lesli Mueller is the director of child nutrition for the three school districts. “This is so new, but I have a feeling this is going to be a really good thing for the students,” she said. This program has been four years in the making. The idea for a way to provide fresh, great-tasting milk came from Buss’ time on the board for Midwest Dairy. JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR “It’s always been our goal to get quality food in front of kids,” Buss said. “But milk Hutchinson High School agriculture teacher ScoƩ Marshall (leŌ) and dairy farmer Leah Kurth (right) help students use the milk-dispensing machine at the high Turn to MCLEOD COUNTY ADA school Feb. 1 in Hutchinson, Minnesota. The McLeod County ADA helped spon| Page 6 sor the new machine.
Fight like a farm girl Community to host cancer benet fundraiser for Fick family By Kate Rechtzigel kate.r@dairystar.com
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Abby Fick is pictured with her parents, Tara and Troy, Feb. 2 at their home near Lake City, Minnesota. In December 2021, Fick underwent surgery to remove cancerous tumors in her leŌ arm and shoulder.
LAKE CITY, Minn. − Strength, determination and grit helped 14-year-old Abby Fick overcome malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor cancer and ultimately cope with the loss of her left arm and shoulder. “She’s always had a mind of her own, likes to be the mother hen and make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to do,” Tara Fick said. Troy Fick agreed. “Out of our four kids, she’s the toughest one,” he said. Troy and Tara Fick milk 250 cows in Lake City with their kids – Mallory, 19, Rylee, 16, Abby, 14, and Nolan, 12. Abby is recovering mentally, physically and emotionally from a surgery in late December 2021 which removed a cancerous tumor from her left arm and shoulder, and now the community is showing
up in support of the family. At 9 months old, Abby was diagnosed with neurobromatosis type 1, a health disease which attacks nerves in the body and develops tumors. “Most of the time the tumors are supposed to stay dormant,” Tara said. Since Abby’s diagnosis, the Fick family attended regular checkups up until Abby was in fth grade. “The doctors decided then that everything was going well enough that they could extend the checkups to every three years instead of every year,” Tara said. In the middle of May 2021, Abby came to Tara with tingling and numbness in her left arm. “She just nished playing softball so I didn’t know if she had just injured it or if it was sore because she was a pitcher,” Tara said. A month later, Tara noticed there was a signicant difference in the size of Abby’s left arm compared to her right. “It was much smaller,” Tara said. “So, I got her in to see the family doctor. He was very concerned and suggested I get
Turn to FICK | Page 7
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
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 507-696-9213 • 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 $40.00, outside the U.S. $200.00. 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 / Star Publications LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Star Publications 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.
North America dealers. IDFA, Port of Los Angeles addresses supply chain challenge
Dairy Prole brought to you by your
A dairy group, the Port of Los Angeles and a global shipping company are creating a Dairy Exports Working Group to tackle the current supply chain issues. This working group is designed to fast-track solutions and streamline the movement of dairy products from the middle of the country to the West Coast. The International Dairy Foods Association said the dairy supply chain needs “greater predictability and reliability.” Supreme Court will reconsider WOTUS case This spring, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider a case involving the denition of Waters of the United States. Rinke-Noonan attorney Kale Van Bruggen is surprised the Supreme Court will take up the case at the same time the Environmental Protection Agency is trying to redene WOTUS. “How the Supreme Court’s decision might impact the concurrent rulemaking by the agency will be the key takeaway from the case,” Van Bruggen said. Van Bruggen said it will be interesting to see if the Supreme Court case slows down EPA issuing the new WOTUS rule. Vilsack: New farm bill needs more exibility Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack would like the next farm bill to have exible programs. “We found in the course of the COVID pandemic, and other signicant disasters, that different parts of the country have been impacted or affected differently,” Vil-
sack said. “Sometimes a program Ag Insider designed to be nationwide works well in one part of the country but not as well in another part of the country.” Vilsack said that is why Congress felt the need to establish the WHIP+ program and increase investments in that program to address the issues. Vilsack said farm program flexibility should distinguish between geographical areas and commodities when providing By Don Wick assistance. Columnist “We allow the natural resources advantage we have in rural areas to be a value added somewhere other than rural places,” he said. “The challenge for us will be to look at ways in which farm bill programs can encourage a more circular effort where advantages stay in relatively the same location.”
Milk production report released December 2021 milk production in the 24 major dairy states totaled 18 billion pounds. That is down slightly from one year ago. South Dakota had the biggest increase over the past year, up 20%. An additional 30,000 milk cows are in South Dakota. Over the past year, Minnesota farmers added 5,000 cows to the dairy herd and milk production rose 1.7%. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 5
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 2, 5 First Section
Bon Yankton Homme
Clay
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Lin
Country Cooking
Lyon
Award of Dairy Excellence is given to Tormaschy family Third Section: Page 3
Monona
e Buena Vista
Sac
Harrison Shelby
mo
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Kanabec
Floyd
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Greene Guthrie
Boone
Dallas
ms ey Ra
Story
all
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Ma
Jasper
Polk
aw
as
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Ch
Bremer
Wright Franklin Butler
Black Hawk
Tama
Fayette
Benton
Iowa
Houston County hosts 9th annual basketball dairy nights Second Section: Pages 16 - 7
Clayton
n na
e war Dubuque
a
ch
Bu
Madison Warren Marion Mahaska Keokuk
Adair
Adams
Page
Taylor
Union old
gg
Rin
Clarke
Lucas
Decatur Wayne
Zone 2 Hutchinson
McLeod County ADA teams up with school districts to provide beverage dispensers
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Mitchell Howard
Hancock Cerro Gordo
old
mb
Hu
Worth
Grundy un Webster Hamilton Hardin
tg
Mon
Kossuth
lho
Ca
Pottawattamie Cass
nt
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on
ah
c Po
go
eba
Palo Alto
Crawford Carroll
Fre
Washington
Hubbard Clay
Ida
Mills
Zone 1
n inso Emmet
Dick
ke
ero
Ch
Woodbury
Richardton, ND
Wadena
O’Brien
Sioux Plymouth
Page 22 Second Section
Clearwater
Osceola
Caledonia
Houston
e
Turner
Fillimore
Mower
iek
Hutchinson
Freeborn
Faribault
Martin
sh
H
Jackson
ake
Nobles
Winona
ne
Charles Mix
Rock
Wabasha
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted
am
Douglas Gregory
n so McCook Minnehaha an
Murray
All
Tripp Todd
Moody
Goodhue
Rice
Dela
Jones
Linn
Clinton n Cedar
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Jo
First Section: Pages 1, 6
This is the front. We have what you need for what comes out the back.
Monroe Wapello
Muscatine
e
oos
pan
Ap
Davis
Louisa
n rso
Henry Des
fe
Jef
Van Buren
Jackson
o ns
n
Mellette
Lake
Nicollet
Brown
gto
Aurora
Miner
Redwood
Dakota
Scott
Sibley
Lyon
W in
Brule
Sanborn
Carver
hin
Bennett
Lyman
Jerauld
Brookings
Hennepin
McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine
Wa s
Kingsbury
Haakon
Chippewa
Anoka
Wright
Meeker
sh iek
Beadle
Kandiyohi
First Section: Pages 1, 7
Isanti
eu r
Hamlin
Hand
Buffalo
Deuel
Sherburne
Swift Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Clark
Benton
Stearns
Pope
Pine
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Su
Hyde
Stevens
Grant Spink
Crow Wing
Douglas
Community to host cancer benet fundraiser for Fick family
Carlton
Todd Grant
Lake City
Aitkin
Le
Hughes
Otter Tail
Big Stone
Day
Faulk
Potter
Sully
The “Mielke” Jackson Market Weekly Shannon
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
Edmunds
Third Section: Pages 23, 26
Jones
Roberts
Marshall
McPherson
Heart for Dairy
Stanley
Richland
Sargent
Cass
Po we
Fall River
Dickey
Ziebach
Pennington Custer
Ransom
Brown
Walworth
Becker
Clay
go
Salem
no
Mah
Lake
isa Ch
Page 39 First Section
Cass
LaMoure
McIntosh
Campbell
Corson
Dewey
Lawrence
Bames
Emmons Sioux
Adams
Come Full Dairy Meade Circle
Stutsman
Logan
Grant
Page 38 First Perkins Section
Butte
Kidder
Third Section: Page 29
Cook
Itasca
on
Burleigh
Morton
From the Zweber Farm
Harding
Norman
Oliver
men
ub
Page 37 First Section
Polk
Trail
Steele
Wilkin
Stark Veterinary Wisdom Hettinger
Griggs
Tra ver se
Bowman
Foster
Lincoln
Slope
Wells
Sheridan Mercer
Working Youth: Makenzie Alberts
Koochiching St. Louis
Red Lake
Eddy
McLean
Beltrami
Pennington
Grand Forks
Second Section: Pages 6 - 7
Pine Island
Lake of the Woods
Marshall
Benson Nelson
Roseau
Pipestone
Golden Valley
Walsh
Ramsey
McHenry
Ward
Kittson
n
Billings
Page 36 Dunn First Section
Pembina
Pierce
Dear County Agent Guy
McKenzie
Cavalier
Towner
Da vi so n
Williams
Rolette
io
Page 35 First Section Mountrail
Bottineau
Dammanns milk goats to pursue dairying endeavor
First Section: Pages 8 - 9
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Au d
Third Section: Pages 10 - 11
Glencoe
Fifth generation adapts to changing industry
Kalthoffs recognized for leadership, commitment at First District
Kids Corner: The Shaums
On the Road Renville with Princess Burke Kay
Divide
Watkins
Melrose
Sauk Centre
Page 34 First Section
Un
From My Perspective
Moines
Lee
Scott
Mantorville
Nash family strives to be the sweetest place in town First Section: Page 10
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE: Who is your favorite cow in your herd? First Section: Pages 15 - 16
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ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 2 Modernization sought for milk marketing orders The International Dairy Foods Association has released a working paper that makes the case for modernizing the way milk is priced. This paper was put together by University of Minnesota economist Marin Bozic and a dairy market research rm called Blimling and Associates. The Federal Milk Marketing Orders were established in the 1930s, and work is underway within the dairy industry and Congress to overhaul the current system.
‘A difcult stage in the relationship’ Speaking at a Washington International Trade Association virtual forum, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi said the United States is trying to cultivate a stable rapport with China, but the two countries are in a “difcult stage in the relationship.” China did not meet the trade obligations within the Phase One trade agreement, and Bianchi said the Biden administration is considering options to hold China accountable. New dairy option in school The United States Department of Agriculture is making transitional changes to its school nutrition standards. For the school year that begins this fall, schools will also be able to serve avored lowfat milk. The National Milk Producers Federation released a statement, thanking USDA for the change stating, “1% avored milk is not only fully consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it is also a nutrient-dense, low-fat healthy option kids will choose to drink.” USDA will be proposing long-term changes to the school nutrition standards later this year. World Dairy Expo names new GM Laura Herschleb will be taking over as general manager of World Dairy Expo at the end of the month. For the past two years, Herschleb has been the WDE marketing manager and will succeed Scott Bentley, who is retiring. Rozum recognized The Event Service Professionals Association has recognized John Rozum as its Meeting Professional of the Year.
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 5
Rozum is on the staff of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and previously worked for World Dairy Expo. Awards presented during Farm Bureau LEAP Conference Four people were honored during the Minnesota Farm Bureau Leadership, Education, Advocacy and Promotion Conference. Linda Binkley of Beltrami County was recognized as the Promotion and Education Advocate of the Year. Sarah Kuschel, of Cass County, received the Golden Apple Award. Libby Knoebel, who is formerly from Wright County, was presented the Golden Pitchfork Award and Minnesota Farm Bureau Past President Kevin Paap was named the Outstanding Friend of the Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. Minnesota Farmers Union announces staff promotions Claudine Arndt has been named the membership and Minnesota Cooks director. Previously, Arndt was a program manager of MFU’s Minnesota Cooks. Kyle Hoffman is the organization’s new communications and special projects coordinator. Hoffman joined the staff one year ago organizing membership in northwest Minnesota. Julia Wickham, who started as an intern with MFU, is now its legislative coordinator. Erica Bock, who also served as an intern this past year, is the new operations coordinator helping with events like the Minnesota State Fair and the state convention. Trivia challenge Kraft introduced Velveeta cheese in 1928. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, how much cheese do Americans consume during the Super Bowl? We will have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
Con�nued from MCLEOD COUNTY ADA | Page 1
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Hutchinson High School staff member Shelly Ebert rells the milk-dispensing machine Feb. 1 at the school. Ebert and other staff members have been suppor�ve of the new school lunch op�on. was always an ongoing issue. We know cartons alter the taste of milk.” Buss reached out to Mueller and expressed his desire to provide the schools with an alternative way of consuming milk. Mueller then connected with her colleagues in the Waconia School District, who run a prominent farm-to-school program, to learn more about the same concept they implemented in their schools. In 2019, Mueller and the food service staff were working toward implementing the milk dispensers to offer local milk. “It seemed like we could make it go,” she said. “Then, we were in the pandemic for 1.5 years.” Adamant on the program’s success, the McLeod County American Dairy Association generated the funds to provide an additional milk dispenser machine. Soon after, other community organizations and businesses showed their support as well. “We wanted to go all the way,” Buss said. “This was something we needed to get behind. There was not one person on the board that objected. This is promoting our product, and the kids are getting a nutritious, tasteful drink at lunch.” Mueller agreed. “It was scary at rst, with COVID-19 and stafng, we just didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “But when we talk about wanting a farm-to-school program and implementing that, this is how we get kids better quality products.” The schools work with Stony Creek Dairy, of Melrose, to provide 1% and chocolate milk options for the milk-dispensing machines. “We couldn’t be more excited as this showcases our passion,” said Nathan Terres, representative for the on-farm creamery. “This is about youth consuming milk and believing in what we’re doing.” Each dispenser has space for three bags of milk; an estimated 240 servings. In Hutchinson, the high school typically
received 425 cartons of chocolate milk and 135 cartons of 1% milk to fulll their lunch orders. Now, their cooler is lled with enough milk bags to last a week. However, the school will continue to use cartons during breakfast due to the few students using that service and the potential of greater milk waste. With some schools replacing milk with juice or water beverages in light of the national carton shortage, Buss is pleased this program is underway in his area. “I’m just so glad this got going when it did,” he said. “The school doesn’t have to worry about milk cartons, and kids can drink as much or as little as they want.” Mueller agreed. “That’s where the waste piece comes in,” she said. “We really want students to only take from the dispensers what they will drink. In other schools, I’ve seen those waste containers be almost non-existent because students take what they are going to drink and nothing more.” Throughout the rst week of the program launching in all three districts, volunteers from the communities were present – including dairy farmers – to assist students with using the dispensers. The kitchen staff, too, quickly adapted to the change in the lunchrooms. “My staff is super great,” said Lois Beilke, production manager at Hutchinson High School. “They are phenomenal and the reason everything is working as it should.” The milk dispenser machines add to the districts’ missions of providing students with locally-sourced food. Many meals are developed with the incorporation of fruits, vegetables and even beef that was raised by nearby farmers. Elementary schools within the districts will implement the milk dispenser machines into their lunchrooms in the coming months. “The kids can’t stop talking about how this milk tastes so good and so much better than what they’re used to,” Buss said. “Hearing that makes this all worthwhile.”
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A waste container is sta�oned in the kitchen Feb. 1 at Hutchinson High School in Hutchinson, Minnesota. At the end of the lunch period, 555 students were served milk and only 2 quarts were dumped.
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 7
ConƟnued from FICK | Page 1 her into the Mayo Clinic to see a neurosurgeon.” Unfortunately, the soonest the Ficks could get an appointment was Sept. 18, 2021. “I talked to family and friends and wasn’t comfortable with that date,” Tara said. “I gured she needed to be seen sooner. So, I called over there every day to see if there was a cancellation.” The Ficks got the date moved up to Aug. 23, 2021, and Abby soon went through an assortment of tests and scans to pinpoint what was going on. “Luckily I did because the doctors over there were concerned about her loss of muscle mass and movement in the left arm,” Tara said. They discovered a tumor in the shoulder part of her left arm. The doctors then determined the tumor was cancerous. On Oct. 5, 2021, Abby was diagnosed with MPNST cancer. “We then had to change the team of doctors because the tumor was no longer just a tumor; it was cancerous,” Troy said. “A million things go through your mind.” Tara agreed.
“We kept thinking, ‘Why Abby? Why our family? Why a kid, and are we going to lose her?’” she said. Abby agreed. “I was sad,” she said. “And I thought, ‘Why me?’” Abby then went through three rounds of chemotherapy every 21 days with no success. The chemo would last for six hours three days in a row and on the fourth day she would come home. “They hit her pretty hard, because she had the kind of cancer you see in 50- or 60-year-olds,” Troy said. After the second round of chemotherapy, the doctors already had surgery dates scheduled. “They knew they were going to have to take her arm and shoulder,” Tara said. On Dec. 15, 2021, Abby went through surgery to remove the cancerous tumor from her spine and repair two discs they took out in the process. They had to take a bone out of her lower back to replace the disc. Two days later, she underwent surgery again to remove the cancerous tumor
How to help:
A benet will take place Saturday, Feb. 26 starting at 11 a.m. at the Lake City Sportsman’s Club in Lake City, Minnesota. Contact one of the following for more information: Nicki Eggenberger at 651-380-7022, Amy Poppler at 651-764-2995, Jill Cole at 507-251-7142, Tara Klassen at 507-272-7862, Tammy Evers at 507-421-9675, Tricia Stelling at 507-259-7448 or follow Abby’s Journey on Facebook. If you wish to donate to the family, checks can be made out to Abby Fick and sent to 29275 County Road 33 Lake City, Minnesota 55041.
which entailed removing her left arm and shoulder. The Ficks brought Abby home Dec. 23, 2021. “It’s denitely been an adjustment, physically and emotionally,” Tara said. “But her determination has helped her get through it. She could’ve sat there and felt sorry for herself, but she didn’t. She’s denitely been, ‘I’ll gure it out,’ and that’s going to help her be very successful in life.” Troy agreed. “I know I couldn’t have done it,” he said. “She can even tie her own shoes now; it takes her a little longer, but she gets it done.” Abby has not been able to get back to being involved on the farm since surgery but is looking forward to being active in 4-H this summer, training animals, riding the four-wheeler and swimming. The teenager uses a prosthetic shoulder and will get a prosthetic arm in the near future. “She’s two months ahead of schedule with healing,” Troy said. “The other kids have picked up a lot of chores for her. They PHOTO SUBMITTED don’t want her to get hurt.” On the farm, everyone is Abby Fick feeds a calf Feb. 4 on her family’s dairy near Lake involved with milking, feeding City, Minnesota. The family milks 250 cows. calves, hauling manure, driving silage trucks, running the packing tractor, covering the pile, scraping barn and bedding the kids, brought food or sent for the family. “It means a lot,” Troy said. sheds. During Abby’s hospital text messages. “We couldn’t have done “People we don’t even know are stay, Tara stayed at the hospital with Abby, and Troy and the kids this without them or their sup- coming out to support; thank you traveled back and forth and did port,” Tara said. “It helped us get just isn’t enough.” Abby agreed. the majority of the farm chores. through it.” “It feels good,” she said. This same community helped The Ficks are thankful for their family, neighbors and them design and sell shirts and “And, it’s denitely made me friends who have helped with bracelets and is hosting a benet stronger and helped my healing.”
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
Fishers in it for the long haul
Fifth generation adapts to changing industry By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
WATKINS, Minn. – As the dairy industry has evolved, and the community of farmers has become smaller, one family is keeping up in their own way. “We’ve gured out what works for us,” Andrew Fisher said. “It’s not necessarily what everybody else is doing.” Andrew is the fth generation of Fishers to dairy farm. He and his family – grandparents, Dick and Jane, and parents, Tony and Patti – milk 75 cows near Watkins. They also raise their bull calves and purchase some to nish out about 80 steers each year. Through farm diversity and using available resources, the Fishers have withstood the industry’s greatest challenges and are optimistic about their future as dairy farmers. “In the past year and a half, we’ve seen notable differences that just blow my mind,” Tony said. Andrew agreed. “Every little thing we’ve done has made the herd better,” he said. In recent years, the Fishers
purchased a portable feed mixer and installed long-day lighting, harvested a different variety of corn silage and started using automatic take-offs. Andrew has progressed the breeding program with articial insemination and a tactical sire selection, and the family has scheduled more routine hoof trims. This past summer, the Fishers also replaced mattresses in the tiestall barn and put in larger fans for the tunnel ventilation to work more effectively. Now, Tony and Andrew are watching cows come in to lactation without the effects of heat stress from the summer months. Most notably, these updates have aided in an increase in milk production by 4,000 pounds year over year. “It’s exciting to see these months of planning and decision-making come together,” Andrew said. “We’re seeing that gain in the cows.” Tony agreed. “Andrew is excited and enthused about (dairy farming),” he said. “He’s dedicated and not afraid to look at making changes on the farm.” When thinking about the future of the Fishers’ herd, Andrew is selecting bulls for quality traits, such as good feet and legs, a high udder and longevity, but also looking for bulls that carry polled genetics. “I want to create less stress for the animals,” Andrew said.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
The Fisher family – (front, from leŌ) Paƫ, Jane and Dick; (back, from leŌ) Andrew and Tony – milk 75 cows near Watkins, Minnesota. Andrew returned to the farm following college graduaƟon in 2019. “There’s not much to choose from, so I’m always looking around, and it’s really exciting when we see a calf come out of that mating.” The day-to-day operations are completed by Andrew and Tony, an arrangement that was put in place after Andrew came
on full time following college graduation in the spring of 2019. He now receives a portion of the milk check. “Dairy farming is more fun with Andrew here,” Tony said. Dick agreed. “He’s always wanted to farm,” he said. “Andrew’s been
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on the farm since he could walk.” Andrew leads morning and afternoon milking and makes all breeding decisions, while Tony takes care of mixing and feeding. Up until two years ago, Dick was responsible for feeding calves. Turn to FISHERS | Page 9
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ConƟnued from FISHERS | Page 8 He now helps around the farm when he is able. “Dad does a lot of the tractor
“I’ve always liked milking cows. Since I was 13, I milked here or for neighbors.” TONY FISHER, DAIRY FARMER
driving,” Tony said. Tony’s brother, Michael, works off the farm as a mechanic. He helps the family with equipment repairs and during spring eldwork and fall harvest. Patti also works off the farm but helps feed calves and
runs her family from eld to eld during the busy seasons. With Andrew’s return, the Fishers have been able to put up better quality feed and complete eldwork in a more timely manner. For instance, corn silage harvest can be done in four days. “We’ve been able to be more consistent with everything,” Andrew said. “If we’re busy in the elds, putting up hay or chopping silage, we don’t fall behind because we also have to be in the barn.” But, Andrew’s return and the improvements that have ensued not only give the Fishers an opportunity to dairy farm for years to come, it also is a reection of the family’s dedication
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Andrew Fisher pushes up feed Feb. 1 on his family’s farm near Watkins, Minnesota. Fisher works on the dairy and receives a porƟon of the milk check.
to the industry. “It feels good to have another generation here on the farm,” Dick said. Jane agreed. “There’s becoming fewer and fewer who can say their farm is going on to family,” she said. “I think it makes us proud for Andrew to have stakes in the dairy.” The Fishers began milking cows in the 1960s when Jane purchased 12 cows from her father. “Dick was hauling livestock, and I was raising ve kids,” Jane said. “I was looking for something we could do.” In 1996, the family lled the 58-stall barn, and over the next decade, the Fishers focused their efforts toward the dairy industry. “Back then, we had hogs at my place and also sold grain, but we decided to expand the dairy because of the income it allowed,” Tony said. “I’ve always liked milking cows. Since I was 13, I milked here or for neighbors.” Andrew’s interest in dairy farming is similar to Tony’s JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR when he was younger. There is Dick Fisher scrapes the alley of his family’s Ɵestall barn Feb. excitement when a promising 1 near Watkins, Minnesota. Fisher and his wife, Jane, began heifer comes into milk and see- milking cows in the 1960s. ing the results of working toward a better herd, Tony said. “It’s true when they say if their rst crops this past fall it forward while keeping in you take care of the cows, the and will take hay off the land mind the family’s long lineage cows will take care of you,” he this spring. The family is also in dairy. said. “We’ve worked hard and developing plans for updated “Andrew is gung-ho about continue to get the job done.” the dairy,” Tony said. “I remind youngstock housing. In the coming year, the FishWith each decision, the him to look at the big picture, and ers are looking to incorporate Fishers are mindful of how it together, we gure out what’s more cover crops. They planted will affect the farm, carrying next for our farm.”
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
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MANTORVILLE, Minn. − From hand-dipped chocolates to cocoa bombs and caramels, the Chocolate Shoppe in Mantorville is all dairy. “Honestly, without milk and butter, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do,” Lynnette Nash said. “Our products have milk and butter in them, and years ago, we even used butter from a local creamery.” Nash operates the Chocolate Shoppe along with her mother, Lynne Kenworthy, daughter, Alexa, and ve employees. The business has been in operation since 1976, specializing in hand-dipped chocolates. “Sometimes when you come in here, you will see three generations sitting here working at it,” Nash said. “My KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR husband, Luke, used to work for us until LynneƩe Nash is the owner of the Chocolate Shoppe in Mantorhe passed away, and my brother, Matt, ville, Minnesota. She purchased her family’s chocolate shop in has been kind of taking care of a lot of 2011. things Luke used to do.” The Nash family rst purchased the is pecan turtles which is made with caramel and nuts.” shop in 1989. However, the base of those beloved pecan turtles “My mom and I used to work for the previous and every other chocolate or caramel in the store is milk. owners and we just really liked it. So, when the oppor“We have one chocolate that is 70% cocoa that tunity came up to buy it, we thought it was an obvious does not have dairy in it, but everything else has milk decision,” Nash said. “I’ve always liked to cook and in it; that’s what sweetens the dark chocolate from the bake, except now I don’t get to cook or bake anything milk chocolate,” Nash said. “Plus, when we’re making except for chocolates.” caramels, caramel is made with milk and butter, and For many years, the Nash family has been satisfying toffee is all butter and sugar.” customers’ childhood fantasies and their unique orders, The Nashes use an old-fashioned recipe with dried all with dairy in mind. milk and powdered sugar for their cocoa bombs and buy “During Christmas, I did a baby reveal for a girl,” milk from local stores for mixing or blending if needed. Nash said. “I put dried strawberry milk in a cocoa bomb “Most of the milk comes in our chocolate that is and picked out pink marshmallows out of the mixture purchased from our supplier,” Nash said. bag for the middle. The top was just plain white, and After the Nash family receives the pre-made chocothen I streaked it with ambiguous yellows and greens late, they utilize machines which keep the chocolate and even little decorations on top so until they broke tempered, and then they hand dip the various candies it open, they couldn’t tell what it was. We do a lot of and nuts they are using. custom orders like that.” “Whenever you are working with dairy, anywhere Today, Nash and Matt handle most of the cooking in it, even if it says shelf stable, you always have to be of caramels and other chocolates. Lynne does most of aware that it can fracture or change,” Nash said. the hand dipping. New employee Gretchen does a lot In the summertime, the Nashes also sell ice cream. of the behind-the-scene things, and Alexa is involved “We’ve been with the same local supplier for 27 in everything except for the cooking of caramels and years,” Nash said. “They provide us with the best toffees. scoopable ice cream.” “At Marigold Days, the family steps in,” Nash said. The shop’s busiest time of the year is around “Everybody knows their spot and they just go for it.” Christmas. The family sells hundreds of boxes of The Nashes sell chocolate-covered pretzel rods, tof- chocolate treats. fees, pecan turtles and peanut brittle, just to name a few. “It starts in November and doesn’t end until Christ“There are very few things we make that don’t have mas is over,” Nash said. “One Christmas order is updairy in them,” Nash said. “Our most popular chocolate wards of 300 tins lled with 1.5 pounds of just turtles. We’re even up until midnight or 1 a.m. some of those nights.” Growing up with a dad who made cheese for Pace Dairy Foods Company, Nash grew to learn the importance of dairy from a young age. She took over the family’s chocolate shop in 2011. In her current role, Nash promotes dairy and agriculture. “We help out the local school and FFA programs and anybody who comes to us,” Nash said. As the Nash family continues to make reputable sweets in southern Minnesota, they are quick to note the community that has made their business successful. “Mantorville is a farming village,” Nash said. “From the big farmers to my brother who raises a couple cows, dairy is around this area, and we wouldn’t KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR know what to do if there weren’t LynneƩe Nash places a freshly dipped chocolate turtle on a tray on Jan. cows around.” 26 at her business in Mantorville, Minnesota. The chocolates will then be cooled down so they harden and reach the correct temperature.
Adapting to industry changes for you and great for the planet and great Panelists reect on for the environment.” supply chain disruptions Vincent said consumer preference has changed beyond the grocery store with with COVID-19 people wanting to know exactly where their food comes from. By Abby Wiedmeyer “There is a higher level of transparency abby.w@dairystar.com that is not just requested but demanded MADISON, Wis. – When the coro- by consumers,” Vincent said. “A young navirus pandemic hit nearly two years 12-year-old girl is like, ‘I like dairy, but I’m ago, Craig Culver and his business were not sure if it’s good for the planet and I’m not prepared for what would unfold in the not sure if the animals are really happy.’ months that followed but quickly adapted When I was 12, I was like, ‘Can I stay out to create a growing market of dairy sales. past 7 p.m. and ride my bike?’” “Before COVID-19, we were so ill Sexton agreed. prepared,” said Culver, co-founder of “The younger the consumer is, the more Culver’s. “We were so fortunate to have they want to know about the companies the drive-thru. The lines were long; we providing their food,” Sexton said. “We all are the slowest fast-food restaurant in the know what’s happening (on farms); we all world and I’m proud of that. We were able know that that’s the truth. We are actually to take care of our guests.” bringing farmers up to tell these stories Culver spoke of the disruptions in the because it is critical.” food supply chain and the way consumers Sexton also said companies will need think about their food as part of a panel, to look at data to determine how to keep “Supply chain crisis: What we learned and up with the changing demands. where we’re headed,” at the Dairy Strong “There are a slew of new technologies conference in Madison Jan. 20. emerging, but we as an industry need to Culver was joined by Chad Vincent, gure out how they all connect,” Vincent CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, and said. “I would focus on accelerating data Scott Sexton, CEO of Dairy.com. and getting it into an open format where After an initial drop in sales in March you can share. That is what’s going to be 2020 for the fast-food restaurant, the year important to consumer preferences, and ended with an increase in sales of 5% in when these huge disruptions hit us, that 2020 and 18% in 2021, Culver said. There you are agile and you can make changes were also over 50 new restaurants opened in quickly.” those two years, despite supply challenges. Sexton said there is technology being “I am amazed that somehow or another, used in the event of a recall to track a prodour suppliers had it pretty much taken care uct from the store shelf back to the farm of of,” Culver said. origin in less than two hours. However, the more pressing concern “There are a slew of new for food processors is available labor. “We’ve got a restaurant here in town technologies emerging, (Madison) that is advertising $20 an hour, but we as an industry and she could not get one single person to apply,” Culver said. “And that was just a need to gure out how crew member, not a manager or anything.” All the panelists agreed the panthey all connect.” demic caused disruptions, but they have all learned things from it and feel better CHAD VINCENT, prepared for these changes going forward. CEO OF DAIRY FARMERS OF WISCONSIN “We know bad things are going to happen to upset our industry that will The one food source the restaurant did upset the ow,” Vincent said. “Everybody not run short on was dairy. “We were scared, and it’s a mess yet I spoke to is a lot smarter today than they today,” Culver said. “But when it comes were a year ago.” Sexton said there is good news for data to the dairy products, we haven’t missed a beat. You guys have done a great job in the future. “Good news is there are a lot of digital supporting us and the United States. You keep producing, and the trucks keep getting systems today capturing and managing data,” he said. “I think a lot of what you to our places.” Along with supply chain disruptions will see is the openness of those systems for restaurants, American households and the connectivity of the data.” Culver agreed that the pandemic has developed purchasing and eating habits. accelerated certain changes he thinks are Because of this, grocery stores saw an good. increase in dairy sales. “We didn’t have online ordering or “When the chips were down, they went straight to dairy,” Vincent said of consum- the ability to take tablets outside and take ers. “To me, that warms the heart because orders there. We were just way behind,” we all know the power of dairy and how he said. “COVID-19 has pushed us to get good it is. Sometimes people like to pick those things in place. In many ways, it at that because there are competitors out was good for us, but I still don’t want to there that want to try and portray us as go through it again.” anything less than wholesome, and great
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 11
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
Stearns County couple named this year’s YCs Kalthoffs recognized for leadership, commitment at First District By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
MELROSE, Minn. – As dairy farmers, Adam and Jenny Kalthoff recognize the importance of being involved in the industry outside of the barn. That commitment has garnered the couple recognition as First District Association’s Young Cooperator of the Year. “I always knew that when I got back into dairy farming, I wanted to be involved,” Adam said. “We make time for the organizations or things we’re interested in doing. For us, it’s in our nature.” Adam and Jenny milk 50 cows with their three children – Olivia, Lukas and Leo – at Pondview Acres in Stearns County near Melrose. Every year, the cooperative honors an individual or couple under the age of 45 who has a strong passion for dairy farming and is actively involved in the industry and the community. The award allows the Kalthoffs to be a part of a select group in National Milk Producers Federation’s National Young Cooperators Program. This program provides individuals with educational and leadership
opportunities to better comprehend the issues dairy farmers and cooperatives face. “It’ll be fun to speak with other young cooperator couples,” Adam said. “And, we’ll have a chance to catch up on the latest (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) Program on animal care and sustainability.” Jenny agreed. “National Milk is a lot of policy, and I’m eager to hear what their goals are and where they want to be,” she said. “We get caught up doing what we do right here; milking cows, caring for them and raising a family, and then the milk goes off to the creamery. If they do a good job marketing it, we get a check in the mail. There’s more in between to learn about.” Locally, as young cooperators, the Kalthoffs will also have opportunities to share their dairy farming story with the public. In the past, these individuals have promoted June Dairy Month with radio interviews. The Kalthoffs rst joined First District Association’s Young Cooperator Board in
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
The Kalthoffs – (from le�) Jenny, Lukas, Olivia and Adam holding Leo – milk 50 cows in Stearns County near Melrose, Minnesota. Jenny and Adam were recently recognized as First District Associa�on’s Young Cooperator of the Year.
Turn to KALTHOFFS | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 13
ConƟnued from KALTHOFFS | Page 12
“Since I work with fellow dairy farmers, I want to get their messages or concerns to the cooperative or community.” JENNY KALTHOFF, DAIRY FARMER
“When they introduced the award recipients, they started explaining bits and pieces about us; our involvement with the Catholic school and three kids,” Adam said. “That’s when we knew it was pointing in our direction.” In addition to being on the cooperative’s young cooperator board, Adam is also vice president of Unit B. “My dad was involved in unit management, and I knew I wanted to be pretty
involved too,” Adam said. “If I have any spare time to give to an organization, I want it to go to my creamery.” Adam is also a member of the Midwest Forage Association, and he and Jenny are both strong supporters of their local private school. As a couple with young children, the Kalthoffs are hoping they can use the leadership and education they gain as young cooperators to relate with consumers. “We’re a young generation, raising our kids on the farm,” Jenny said. “We’re consuming the same product as other people, and they want to know where their food comes from. We can be that voice, step up to the plate in this leadership role. In a day and age when there’s alternative beverages and plant-based meats out there, we have to.” The Kalthoffs hope to use this platform to also be a voice for farmers within their cooperative who do not have the same opportunities to be more active in the industry. “Since I work with fellow dairy farmers, I want to get their messages or concerns to the cooperative or community,” said Jenny, who is also a large animal veterinarian. “Not everyone has time to speak their concerns or praise the good things. We can help with that.” Adam grew up with parents who were heavily involved in the dairy industry and their community. Through the Kalthoffs’ engagement off the farm, and with their most recent honor as young cooperators, Adam and Jenny are setting a similar example for their children in an industry they are passionate about. “I’m hoping this shows our kids that if it’s something they enjoy, they should get involved,” Adam said. “For Jenny and I, we work hard on our farm and we get away too. We’re dedicated to the industry, and now we’re being recognized for it.”
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2018, soon after they returned to Adam’s parents’ farm. On that board, they nominated other young farmers for the award. They have also helped coordinate the cooperative’s winter conference, picking out topics to cover and speakers to invite. “We target speakers for what people might want to listen to,” Adam said. Jenny agreed. “Whether that’s hoof health, the dairy markets, hearing from customers who buy our cheese and what their customers are looking for in a product,” she said. “It all goes back to educating and being those leaders.” Despite being involved on the board, and knowing eld representative Randy Ostendorf nominated them for the award this year, the Kalthoffs were humbled when they were recognized at the cooperative’s annual winter conference Jan. 15.
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Dairyy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 15
Who is your favorite cow in your herd?
Aricka Kaster Hull, Iowa Sioux County 130 cows
Who is your favorite cow, past or present? A Red and White Holstein cow No. 485 was a long-time favorite in our herd. She has been gone for more than 10 years. She was around for a decade. Although, she wasn’t the top producer in the herd, she was always a gentle and stable cow with a medium frame and always bred back in a timely fashion. What is her inuence in the herd? She has three great-granddaughters milking in the herd. All three are very similar to her. Her cow family seems to have good, stable longevity. Most have stayed in the herd until 7-to-11-years-old. All have been very calm cows to work with. What makes her a special cow on your dairy? In 1990, when we doubled our herd size, we purchased two Red and White Holstein heifers. Up until then, we had Holsteins. She was two generations down from those. My kids were young at that time, and they became attached to her because of her calmness. A couple times we had a visitor to the farm who had never milked a cow. It was always 485 that we went to. She stood perfect even with a stranger putting a milker on for the rst time. Where is this cow housed, and how does she receive treatment differently than her herdmates? Because she was so calm, and the kids were young, she was always put in a stall next to the alley. She would always get extra hay treats from the kids. How does this cow reect what your ideal cow would be? No. 485 is an example of my ideal cow: very gentle to work with and one that breeds back in a timely fashion. Also, she had many years in the herd with no major health issues. Tell us a favorite memory or story about this cow. If I knew one of my young children were in the barn and I didn’t see them, I just had to go to 485. Most likely, they would be by her combing her or sitting next to her if she was laying down. Many times, they would put their cap on her head. She didn’t mind that at all. It was a challenge to the kids to see how long she left the cap on. Tell us about your farm. We milk 65 cows and feed out our steers. We farm about 800 tillable acres raising corn, soybean, wheat and alfalfa. We have about 200 acres of pasture. Our work force is mainly me and my dad, Andrew. My youngest son, Tyler, helps when he isn’t working at his full-time job at a grain farm near Breckenridge, Minnesota.
Who is your favorite cow, past or present? My favorite cow was named Hey There because there was really no reason why she was more tame than the rest of the herd. That’s what we said when she came up to us. She was very calm and gentle, and she was well known for being shorter and stockier than a typical Holstein milk cow. She lived about 12 years and gave on average 75 pounds of milk throughout the years. What is her inuence in the herd? She was an older offspring from my grandpa’s herd of registered Holsteins, making her one of the oldest cows to be around the yard at one point. As of now, she still has the longest record of being around the herd while milking. What makes her a special cow on your dairy? She was randomly tame and loved to give you hugs. If you had a rough day, she would be there quietly waiting for a scratch behind the ears.
Ryan Talberg Freeport, Minnesota Stearns County 42 cows Who is your favorite cow, past or present? My favorite cow to ever work with in this herd is Ralma Willpower Ladyslipper. Ladyslipper was in the herd for ve lactations and nished with a 150,000-pound lifetime production with average components of 4.1% butter fat and 3.2% protein content. What is her inuence in the herd? Ladyslipper’s inuence is heavy for my herd. In her ve lactations, she produced three Very Good daughters, two of which are still milking. Her rst daughter produced three Very Good daughters along with ve granddaughters from Ladyslipper’s rst calf. The other two daughters still milking will have their rst daughters freshening this spring. In total, Ladyslipper has 12 great-granddaughters. Lastly, she is the foundation to the high genomic cattle in the herd.
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Where is this cow housed, and how does she receive treatment differently than her herdmates? She was housed along with the other cows but was often brought special treats such as fresh grass in the summertime. She was the cow that would calmly walk up to you and just wrap her head around you and wait until you scratched her. How does this cow reect what your ideal cow would be? Ideally she was a very calm milk cow that performed well for milk production. For a Holstein, she was black with white markings. Tell us a favorite memory or story about this cow. You could stand right next to her, and she would wrap her head around you and stand there while you scratched her. Even though she was old and did not milk well anymore, she held a place in the cow herd because of her personality. Tell us about your farm. I currently milk cows for M & M Dairy, which is located north of Hull, and help on a farm that raises stock cows and calf pairs at Rock Rapids, Iowa. In my spare time, I am at home helping my dad, Leland, with anything and everything on our family’s dairy farm. What makes her a special cow on your dairy? She was a low maintenance cow. She did her job to the best of her abilities. I never had to worry about her. Where is this cow housed, and how does she receive treatment differently than her herdmates? Ladyslipper was housed in the barn. She was let out every day for exercise. She was treated like the rest of her herdmates. How does this cow reect what your ideal cow would be? One had to admire her extreme dairyness, excellent feet and legs, moderate stature and extremely well-attached udder. I always viewed her as the epitome of what a modern commercial cow should look like. Tell us a favorite memory or story about this cow. My biggest memory of her is that her rst two calves were born backward. Tell us about your farm. I milk 42 cows which is comprised of registered Holstein and Brown Swiss. I rent the farm from my parents on our 40-acre farm. Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16
Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Gigi and Brian Polikowsky (not pictured are Alex and Daniel Polikowsky) Byron, Minnesota Olmsted County 50 cows
Josh Frenchick Eden Valley, Minnesota Meeker County 28 cows
Who is your favorite cow, past or present? Our favorite cow is Footprint Nick Milan. Milan was offered to me by Herb Brehmer as a springer after he sold his cows. He gave me rst option on the heifers as I used to be their tter. He called and said “You better come now,” sensing the urgency in his voice, I dropped everything and drove the 20 miles there. Upon arrival, Herbie took me right to the heifers and pointed to Milan with despair in his voice, saying, “If you can save her, give me $1,700 dollars; if not, beef her and send me the check.” Her left rear quarter was four times the size of her other three, and she was due in two weeks. So, I hurried back, hooked up the trailer and did a 180 back to get her. Six IV treatments with drugs unheard of these days, and the wildest concoctions imaginable in the quarter, I somehow saved it. She calved shortly after and then everything went our way. Her sire took a big jump with second crop, and then he checked out so the few daughters of his out there were extremely valuable. She scored 87 and indexed well. Her Command dam had to be brought in to get her raised from 83 to 85, and her Ned Boy granddam borrowed to get her VG 85. A really good ush cow, she sold hundreds of embryos and three bulls to Japan. Her rst ush was to Lindy to give her more depth, width and rear udder height. Mailings dam was one of the calves. We did Lindy to Rudolph to put in more style. The Rudolph was bred to Durham to slam the udder in there. The Durham was sold to John Bierbaum. He did her to BW Marshall, and the resulting heifer was done to Oman. She was done to Shottle, and the resulting calf was Shottle May. That fateful day 24 years ago when Herbie called me about Milan has changed the type side of the breed in an unprecedented way. This family from Milan forward is now responsible for a huge percentage of the hightype young sires available. McCutcheon and Meridian and all their sons like Kingboy, Monterray, Byway, Beemer and on. Make no mistake about it, the numbers don’t lie about the type proles behind these young bulls. What is her inuence in the herd? In addition to her being responsible for about two-thirds of the top type sires in the breed, she has many female descendants that have
done great. Some of them are donors who sold bulls to Japan and embryos abroad. We have a Crush 5-year-old that goes back to Milan who could be a major player this year. She has had numerous daughters and proceeding generations that have won at national and state show-caliber events. What makes her a special cow on your dairy? She is responsible for many of the upgrades on the farm as her genetics were in huge demand. She also opened doors for us as many international buyers came to see her, and I am still corresponding with them today. Where is this cow housed, and how does she receive treatment differently than her herdmates? She was housed in a free stall barn with pasture access 24/7. How does this cow reect what your ideal cow would be? She was nearly ideal as she was a great producer with decent components and fast milk out. She was a large cow with tremendous feet and legs and a tremendously attached rear udder who walked around easily. Tell us a favorite memory or story about this cow. The day she produced 50 eggs on a super ovulation. She had 18 No. 1s and 17 No. 2s. Tell us about your farm. Poly-Kow Holsteins and Jerseys is a 50-cow dairy owned and operated by Brian, Alex, Daniel and Gigi Polikowsky. We have some great family and friends we are blessed with to help everything go smoothly. We have many descendants from two Goldwyns from Atlee we owned years ago that are so exciting. Gigi introduced Jerseys to the farm eight years ago at 8-yearsold. Her herd comprises a larger percentage each year now, totaling 15 head. Lots of elite level potential with her neat group.
Who is your favorite cow, past or present? Janice (Gemeo Gold Janice) is the matriarch of our herd. Janice was born April 10, 2006. She will be turning 16 years old this April. Last classication, she scored 90 points when she was 14-years-old. Janice holds good production when in milk. Janice is the queen of the barn and acts like it most days. She is usually grumpy and doesn’t have time for human interaction. Some days, she will let you give her head scratches, but she will let you know when it’s enough. She is the one cow, no matter what, that will never leave this farm. What is her inuence in the herd? Janice has given us four daughters (one due to calve this year); 12 granddaughters (six due to calve this year); 12 great-granddaughters (six due to calve this year); one great-great-granddaughter (due to calve this year); and two great-great-great-granddaughters (one due to calve this year). What makes her a special cow on your dairy? Janice is special for obvious reasons: her age and herd production. Janice’s eldest daughter Jackie (12-years-old) has had seven daughters. For the most part, they all are easy breeders and calve easy. Where is this cow housed, and how does she receive treatment differently than her herdmates? Janice resides in the maternity pen because it is winter. When it is nice out, she gets the front pen and pasture to herself. And sometimes, if we have an open stall in the barn, she gets to come in and be stalled. She prefers being in the barn. In the summer, we let her walk around the grove and eat grass. How does this cow reect what your ideal cow would be? The best part about Janice is her longevity. She milks well and so do all of her offspring. Tell us a favorite memory or story about this cow. Janice has had two 4-H Minnesota State Fair trips shown by Josh’s brother. She is not a cow you walk up to in the pasture or pen and think you will be greeted or loved. She will put you in your place, and this attitude has rubbed off on some of her daughters and granddaughters. She runs and acts like she is 2. When put in a pen with others, no one messes with Janice. She wins in all the ghts. Our maternity pen has windows to the inside of the barn. Janice usually has her head through the window supervising and taste-testing as we walk by with feed and when we are milking. Tell us about your farm. We farm 160 acres of corn, wheat and alfalfa with Josh’s brother, Jon. We purchased our place in 2018. We gutted what was remaining in the barn and remodeled the inside. From concrete to pipelines, we put it all in. Twenty-eight tie stalls were measured out to make sure the girls would have room and be comfortable. We started milking in our barn in March 2021. The day we moved the cows home, Janice was the rst cow to enter our barn, fourth stall from the milkhouse door. That will always be her stall.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
Breeding Prole
Combination of reproduction strategies key to Elsingers’ success Jeff, Brenda and Mike Elsinger Elsinger Farms Lomira, Wisconsin Describe your facilities and list your breeding management team. Cows are housed in a 6-row free stall barn and milked three times a day in a double-14 parallel parlor. Heifers are raised onsite until they reach breeding
age at which point they are sent to a custom heifer raiser and return home when ready to freshen. Our breeding management team consists of Brenda Elsinger; herdsman and afternoon breeder Andres Avila; CentralStar breeders Eric Gudex, Victor Lopez and Dennis Gunst; veterinarian/nutritionist Monty Belmer of Waupun Vet Clinic; and Susie Martin and
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The breeding management team at Elsinger Farms includes – (from leŌ) Andres Avila, Eric Gudex, Brenda Elsinger, Brian Kelroy, Susie MarƟn, Victor Lopez and Dr. Monty Belmer. The Elsingers maintain at 32% pregnancy rate on their dairy near Lomira, Wisconsin. Brian Kelroy of CentralStar. What is your current pregnancy rate? 32% STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Brenda Elsinger looks over reproducƟon reports Feb. 2 on her farm near Lomira, Wisconsin. The farm uses a combinaƟon of electronic heat detecƟon, synchronizaƟon and daily tail chalking as part of their reproducƟon program.
What is your reproduction program? Do you use a synchronization program? How do you get animals pregnant? We use a combination of electronic
heat detection, synchronization and daily tail chalking. We do our mating through CentralStar and breeding is done by CentralStar A.I. specialists. Our program begins with a 70-day voluntary waiting period, and all cows are enrolled in a G6G program for rst service: GnRH is given at day 60, Lutalyse at day 67, GnRH
again at day 69, and the cow is bred on day 70. We do cherry pick some animals if they are showing good heat before 70 days. Any animal found open through ultrasound is resynchronized. PregTurn to ELSINGERS | Page 20
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 19
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NORTHKILL CREEK FARM, BERNVILLE, PA Balthaser and Weaver Families 120 cows, 23,792M 3.9F, 120,000 SCC (Right) Wilson Balthaser, Tammy and Hayden Weaver, Hannah, Traci and Randy Balthaser and ‘Groovy’ “We love Udder Comfort™ and use a lot of it before and after showing and when our cows and 2-year-olds freshen. It works!” says Traci Balthaser. She and Randy milk 120 cows at Northkill Creek Farm, Bernville, Pa. They have been using it over 10 years. “We got samples when it first came out, and have used it ever since. There’s nothing better.” “Udder Comfort works really well to keep udders healthy and eliminate swelling,” adds Randy’s sister Tammy Weaver. She and Fred raise the heifers at their Lancaster County farm. They all love seeing the 6th generation work and show together, taking ownership of the hard work, ups and downs, competition and determination to develop their own passion for dairy. Hannah Balthaser’s homebred EX90 Brown Swiss Northkill Creek Groovy was their first major show grand champion, topping the junior shows at Harrisburg and Louisville as well as All-American open show reserve grand and champion bred-owned. Hayden Weaver showed his EX94 Heart&Soul Sammy Ricki, to be PNJS Supreme. https://wp.me/pb1wH7-hF
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
ConƟnued from ELSINGERS | Page 18
nancy checks are performed by ultrasound at 33 and 60 days and again before dryoff.
Describe your breeding philosophy. We strive to mate cows and heifers to the best possible bulls based on matings through CentralStar. Our goal is to get cows pregnant as quickly and efciently as possible after the voluntary waiting period. What guidelines do you follow to reach the goals for your breeding program? We follow the guidelines suggested by our herd health veterinarian. We’re open to trying different things. If something is working, we’ll run with that. If it’s not working, we’ll put our heads together with the vet and try a different alternative. What are the top traits you look for in breeding your dairy herd, and how has this changed since you started farming? Good feet and legs, moderate structure, good milk components and a nice udder. We have always looked at these traits and think that’s why we have really good, sound animals. What are certain traits you try to avoid? Poor components and really largestructured cows. Describe the ideal cow for your herd. Our ideal cow is moderatesized with good feet and legs, good components, longevity, high daughter pregnancy rate and good disposition. What role does genetics have in reaching the goals of your farm? Genetics plays a huge role. We use genomics to help us pick the best youngstock on our dairy to mate with the best bulls, doing this helps speed up our genetic advancement. We’ve been genomic testing for two years and
started with our calves and heifers. We have closed the gap from there and are 100% genomics tested on the heifer end. What percentage of your herd is bred to sexed, conventional and beef semen? Beef semen 64%, sexed semen 32% and conventional semen 4%. What is your conception rate? How does this differ with different types of semen? First lactation conception rate is 52%; second lactation is 47%; and third lactation 40%. The cows have a conception rate of 46% with sexed semen and 45% with beef semen. The virgin heifers have a 58% conception rate, with 52% sexed and 55% beef. What is the greatest lesson you have learned through your breeding program? You need to trust the people on your team and make sure the correct people are in place in order to make the breeding program successful. What is the age of your heifers at rst service? 14 months. How does your heifer inventory affect your breeding program? We monitor our heifer inventory and adjust the use of beef semen accordingly. We know exactly what we’re going to have for heifer calves which allows us to keep our heifer inventories more manageable. Tell us about your farm. Jeff farmed with his dad until 1989 when Jeff and I purchased the farm we are currently on from a retired farmer. We brought 50 cows with us when we started. We formed a partnership with our son, Mike, after he graduated from school and started our expansion. We built a freestall barn in 2005 and a milking parlor in 2007. We
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
This prefresh heifer exemplies the type of animal the Elsingers strive to breed. Good feet and legs, nice udders, and moderate structure are the top traits the dairy looks for in-breeding their herd. are a dairy and cash crop operation, and we are proud our somatic cell count has averaged under 100,000 for the last four years. A farm is not just about the land, buildings and cattle. It’s about the people we’ve met along the way. We’ve enjoyed
raising our kids on the farm and consider our employees part of our family. It’s more than just farming to us, it has a lot to do with the people, and we have a really good team here.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 21
1-YEAR INTEREST WAIVER ON SELECT SPRAYERS
JD 4920 2005, 5850 hrs., $ #274049
54,900
JD R4030 2019, 1474 hrs., $ #274204
254,900
JD 4930 2010, 2200 hrs., $ #191426
Terragator TG9300 2013, 2481 hrs., $ #187229
JD R4038 2017, 2190 hrs. $ #275254
JD R4038 2016, 3038 hrs. $ #275257
129,000
219,900
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105,000
199,900
JD R4023 2015, 1826 hrs., $ #275709
144,900
JD R4045 2016, 3339 hrs., $ #267493
219,900
Equipment and pictures added daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com
DRILLS
Brillion DH-212, End Wheel, #525698.........................................................$19,900
FIELD CULTIVATORS
Case IH 4300, 30 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #181148.............................$8,500 Case IH 4300, 2001, 38 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186653 .................$11,995 DMI Tiger Mate II, 2000, 32 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #275938........$12,900 JD 980, 1998, 44 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #276171 ............................$14,900 Wil-Rich Excel 42’, 1999, #276243 ..............................................................$14,900 JD 980, 2002, 27 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #275563 .............................$14,900 JD 980, 2002, 44 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191670 .............................$17,500 JD 2200, 2002, 34 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #185898...........................$19,000 Case IH TIGERMATE II, 2003, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186586$19,000 Wil-Rich QUAD 5, 1998, 42 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191850...........$19,500 JD 2210, 2004, 24 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191188...........................$19,500 Case IH TigerMate II, 2003, 55 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #272294 ...$24,900 Case IH TM14, 2005, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #187546 ...........$26,900 Case IH TIGERMATE 2, 2009, 60 ft, #273153 ..............................................$27,900 Case IH TIGERMATE II, 2004, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186585$28,000 JD 2210, 2005, 55.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #274609 .......................$29,900 JD 2210, 2010, 65 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #273967...........................$32,900 Case IH 200, 2009, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #275589 ................$37,900 JD 2210, 2014, 55.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #523982........................$47,500
PLANTERS
JD 7000, 8R30”, Rigid, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #183615 ..........................$9,900 JD 7200, 1991, 16R30”, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #275813.......................$12,900 Checchi & Magli Wolf Pro 1, 2019, Rigid, #526034 ..................................$14,995 JD 1750, 8R30”, Rigid, Vacuum, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #186458 ........................$17,900 JD 1780, 2001, 16/31R15/30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, 3.0 Bu. Hopper, #190820..$19,000 JD 1770, 1997, 16R30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #180078 .......$19,500 JD 1780, 2002, 6/11R15/30”, Rigid, Vacuum, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #180078 ...$19,900 JD 1750, 2006, 6R30”, Rigid, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper,#276309...............$25,900 JD 1770, 1999, 16R30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #186432 ......$28,500 Case IH 1200, 2008, 16/31R15”, Vacuum, Central Fill, #272706....................$29,900 Kinze 3600, 16R30”, Rigid, Finger Pickup, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #275620........$29,900 JD 1755, 2019, 6R30”, Rigid, Finger Pickup, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #186443 .....$39,400
Kinze 3650, 2002, 16/31, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #276302 ................................$39,900 Wil-Rich PT-2200, 2007, 24R22”, Wing Fold, Vacuum, 3.0 Bu., #191659 .....$41,000 JD 1770NT CCS, 2006, 16R30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill, #181880 ......$59,500 Case IH Early Riser 1240, 2011, 16R30”, Vacuum, Central Fill., #275290 ...$59,900 Kinze 3600, 2009, 12/23R15”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bu. Hopper, #531310 .$74,730 JD 1770NT, 2013, 24R30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bu. Hopper, #273978 ........$79,900 JD 1790, 2005, 16/31R15/30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill, #531342 .......$81,000 JD DB90, 2006, 36R30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill, #531337 ..................$89,900 JD 1790, 2010, 16/31R15/30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill, #275036 ........$99,900 JD 1775NT, 2017, 12R30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill, #531308 .......... $132,900 JD 1775NT, 2018, 16R30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill, #186435 ........... $145,400 JD DB60, 2013, 24R30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill, #186440 ............... $178,500 JD DB60, 2014, 24R30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill, #186455............... $185,900 JD 1775NT, 2015, 24R30”, Exact Emerge, Central Fill, #275625 .................. $224,900 JD 1775NT, 2020, 24R30”, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill, #186454 ........... $264,900 JD 7300, 1989, 12R30”, Wing Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bu. Hopper, #190126.............$9,000 White 6700, 12R22 in”, Rigid, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #186493 .............$9,900 White 6700, 22 in, Rigid, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #186494 ..................$10,900 JD 1710, 1998, 12R30”, Wing Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #191814 .....$15,900 JD 1700, 2014, 4R30”, Rigid, Vacuum, Mini Hopper, #275821 ........................$17,900 JD 1710, 1997, 12R30”, Wing Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #191791 .....$19,500 JD 1720 CCS, 2010, 12R38”, Wing Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill, #276333 .........$29,900 JD DR24, 2020, 24R30”, Exact Emerge, Central Fill, #274275 .................... $319,900
PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS
HARDI NP1100, 2004, #191848 ....................................................................$8,500 DEMCO 500, 2011, #525209 ...........................................................................$8,500 REDBALL 670, 2006, #191961 .......................................................................$9,900 TOP AIR TA1200, 2005, #180618 ................................................................$12,500 REDBALL 680R-1350, 1999, #186516 .......................................................$14,900 HARDI NAVIGATOR 4000, #180889 ..........................................................$15,000 HARDI COMMANDER PLUS 1200, 2002, #181150 ..................................$17,500 TOP AIR TA1200, 2010, #275678 ................................................................$17,900 TOP AIR TA1200, 2011, #531277 ................................................................$18,900 TOP AIR TA1200, 2006, #190823 ................................................................$19,500 HARDI COMMANDER 4400, 2009, #188739 .............................................$28,900
SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS
CASE IH 3185, 2004, 90-Foot, Poly, 4000 hrs., #531252 ..............................$39,500 ROGATOR 1184, 2010, 120-Foot, Stainless, 4610 hrs., #191681 ..................$53,500 JD 4920, 2006, 120-Foot, Stainless, 3688 hrs, #187626.................................$71,000 ROGATOR RG1100, 2013, 120-Foot, Stainless, 3506 hrs., #191696 ............$74,500 JD 4830, 2010, 120-Foot, Stainless, 3870 hrs, #191797.................................$88,500 ROGATOR RG1100, 2013, 90-Foot, Stainless, 3250 hrs., #191700 ..............$97,000 JD R4023, 2015, 90-Foot, Poly, 1826 hrs., #275709 ....................................... $144,900 HAGIE STS12, 2012, 90-Foot, 3077 hrs., #276184..................................... $149,900 JD 4630, 2013, 80-Foot, Poly, 1030 hrs., #275374 ...................................... $159,900 JD R4038, 2014, 120-Foot, Stainless, 3490 hrs., #275787 .......................... $169,900 MILLER PRO NITRO 5240, 2013, 90-Ft, Stainless, 1650 hrs., #276351 . $174,900 JD R4038, 2017, 2885 hrs., #275251.......................................................... $189,900 JD R4038, 2016, 90-Foot, Stainless, 2400 hrs., #274783 ............................ $194,900 JD R4038, 2016, 120-Foot, Stainless, 3038 hrs., #275257 .......................... $199,900 JD R4038, 2018, 1751 hrs., #275667.......................................................... $204,900 JD R4045, 2016, 120-Foot, Stainless, 3339 hrs., #267493 .......................... $219,900 JD R4038, 2017, 90-Foot, Stainless, 2190 hrs., #275254 ........................... $219,900 JD R4038, 2016, 90-Foot, Stainless, 2200 hrs., #275266 ............................ $219,900 JD R4045, 2017, 120-Foot, Stainless, 2950 hrs., #275252 .......................... $229,900 JD R4030, 2019, 100-Foot, Poly, 1474 hrs., #274204 ................................. $254,900 JD R4038, 2016, 120-Foot, Stainless, 1180 hrs., #275312 .......................... $269,900 JD R4038, 2019, 120-Foot, Stainless, 1135 hrs., #276194 .......................... $329,900 JD R4038, 2020, 120-Foot, Stainless, 683 hrs., #275047 ............................ $359,900 JD R4045, 2018, 120-Foot, Stainless, 1175 hrs., #275627 .......................... $359,900 JD R4045, 2019, 120-Foot, Stainless, 1575 hrs., #421298 .......................... $399,500 JD R4045, 2020, 120-Foot, Stainless, 1332 hrs., #275782 .......................... $399,900 JD R4038, 2021, 132-Foot, Stainless, 590 hrs. , #190973 ........................... $419,900 JD R4038, 2021, 120-Foot, Stainless, 200 hrs., #191080 ............................ $429,000 JD R4038, 2021, 132-Foot, Stainless, 235 hrs., #191060 ............................ $449,900 JD R4038, 2021, 132-Foot, Stainless, 380 hrs., #191034 ............................ $450,000 JD R4044, 2021, 132-Foot, Stainless, 367 hrs., #191061 ............................ $459,900 JD R4044, 2021, 132-Foot, Stainless, 261 hrs., #191079 ............................ $479,000
Locations throughout minnesota & western wisconsin! CALL TODAY! (320)365-1653 SEE OUR COMPLETE INVENTORY WITH PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS AT: www.mmcjd.com
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
Could a retrofit be the right fit for you?
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Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United Dairy Systems, Inc. West Union, IA 563-422-5355 WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713
DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470
MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA Advanced Dairy of Mora Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Brookings, SD 800-636-5581 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2022 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. Nothing in this document shall constitute a warranty or guaranty of performance. www.delaval.com
For the love of cows
I cannot remember a time in my life where I have not loved cows. Many of my best memories, and some of my most painful ones, have a four-legged loved one in the center. Throughout my life, I have been blessed to have many special cows in my life, and to have loved so many. Two of them rise to the top. They were my best friends, my condants and they still hold special places in my heart. Licorice was born in 1983 at Grandma and Grandpa Kroning’s farm. By Danielle Nauman From the beginning, she Staff Writer was special to me; she was my rst real show calf. I showed her at the District 3 Holstein Show in Lancaster, Wisconsin, that summer as a March calf. The class was big, and she placed third. Ray Kuehl judged the show and later told my grandpa it didn’t take him long to gure out who the little blonde girl with the really nice calf was. I showed Licorice at our county fair my rst year in 4-H. My fancy December calf had not placed well in her class and my dad told me not to get my hopes up with Licorice because the judge didn’t seem to like what we had. I grabbed the halter and as we headed to the showring I told my dad, “We’re going to win.” And, win we did. The next summer, as a junior 2-year-old, at our District 2 Holstein Show, Licorice was coming in heat, and she jumped me in the ring, knocking me at on the ground. It created quite a ruckus as people grabbed for Licorice’s halter. My dad got to me and took over showing her. Licorice won her class that day. Dr. Dave Dickson was judging and he later told my dad he couldn’t believe he missed the whole thing. Licorice calved for the last time July 15, 1988, in the middle of one of the hottest, driest summers I can recall. That day still holds the record high temperature. We had her under fans and were rinsing her off all day long. She nally calved about 9:30 p.m., with a heifer calf born upside down and backward. The calf was alive, and I named her Lucky. Dad had been down to check Licorice at 2 a.m., she was up and eating but hadn’t cleaned. When Mom got to the barn at 4:30 a.m., Licorice had cleaned but was laying there dead. That was one of the worst days of my life. I still tear up thinking about losing Licorice. Her calf became Little Licorice. The cow I had the greatest bond with was Chenell, who was a Christmas gift to me from my parents in 1986. Chenell was the rst animal I took to the Wisconsin Junior State Fair. Our class was huge and we were way down the line, closer to the bottom than the top. Judge Lowell Lindsey came through the line one last time and stopped by Chenell. He told me to bring my heifer out and gave her a good look. Then he said, “This doesn’t happen too often, but I missed your calf. So tell me where you want her to go.” I responded by pointing at the top heifer and saying, “See that white one up there? I want to be one ahead of her.” He laughed and said he’d see what he could do. We ended up seventh and I will never forget the reality check he gave me. Chenell was the only Holstein class winner I ever had at the Junior State Fair, winning the dry cow class in 1993, and was pulled out for champion because of her great frame. Chenell always had huge bull calves or huge sets of mixed twins. As a result, she suffered three displaced abomasums throughout her life. I spent the summer of 1991 in Japan as an exchange student, and Chenell did not take my absence well. Our vet was running out of ideas with her and he nally asked my parents if they could call me in Japan and let me talk to the cow, which they did. They said she perked up and did better for a few days. He was nally able to catch the oating DA she was suffering. He referred her to the vet school. They found she had a tear in the tissue holding her abomasum to the body wall, and she was twisting there. Chenell stayed around with us until she was 14. The day I lost her is another day I remember each year with tears in my eyes. The passage of time and my memories revolve around the cows I have been lucky to have loved.
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 23
HEART
HEART
DAIRY
DAIRY
Brian Schock
Sue and Al Mensen
Tell us about your farm. Dad purchased this farm in the mid-1980s. We grow 200 acres of corn, 130 acres Brian Schock milks 80 cows in McCook County near of soybean and 50 acres of Salem, South Dakota. Schock has been farming for alfalfa. We also have 120 32 years. acres of pasture. We raise our replacement animals and chop and bag our forages.
Tell us about your farm. Our farm is located Sue and Al Mensen milk 130 cows in Delaware northwest of Dyersville. County near Dyersville, Iowa. The Mensons have We milk 130 Holstein been dairy farming for 30-plus years. cows. We raise our heifer calves as well as the bull calves and nish them out as steers. In addition to that, we grow corn and alfalfa.
Tell us about your family. My wife, Tanya, and I have three children, Brianna, 21, Jordan, 18, and Derek, 15. My mom, Judy, keeps the books for the farm. My brother Travis comes out all the time and helps with everything from planting and harvesting to grinding hay to bedding the cattle. Tanya is a secretary at the school. She also comes out to help with chores in the evening.
Tell us about your family. We have three grown children. Nicole is our oldest and she dates Evan. Eric is our middle child and is married to Maggie; they have one son, Gavin, and another one on the way. Eric helps us on the farm. Our youngest is Kristi and her boyfriend is Austin. We enjoy time together with our kids, working and having fun on and off the farm. During harvest season, we have extended family who helps us as well.
What has been the highlight of your dairying career? Simply watching our kids grow up on the farm and working with them. Not everyone gets to work with their family. I enjoy watching our kids show cattle at the county and the state fair. We have some friends whose kids show some of our cattle. The kids and their parents get a big kick out of the whole process of training the cattle to lead and getting them ready for the show ring.
What has been the highlight of your dairying career? In January 2016, we took a leap of faith (and patience) and put in Lely robotic milkers. This was denitely an adjustment from milking our 90 cows in a tiestall barn. With the help of Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems and many others, we have enjoyed the process of increasing milk production, the exibility and labor savings. Al would also say seeing the smile on his dad’s face (Dale) after the robots were installed was a huge highlight to everyone too.
What do you love most about dairy farming? Being my own boss and working with our animals. I enjoy being out in nature and experiencing the seasons as they change. What has been the biggest obstacle you have faced in your dairying career and how did you overcome it? My biggest obstacle arose when my dad, Larry, suddenly passed away in 2015 at age 68. It was a huge blow to our entire family, but we all pulled together and managed to get through it. What are some rules of thumb you have followed as a farmer? I have always planted early maturing corn because we don’t have a dryer bin. This has saved us a lot of money on drying costs. Make sure you have the proper moisture level when you are chopping alfalfa or corn for silage. You only have one chance to put up good forages. What are words of encouragement you would give to young farmers starting their dairying career? Dairy farming is not easy, but you have to keep plugging away every day. Always bear in mind that there are better days ahead.
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What do you love most about dairy farming? Al says his favorite part is being our own bosses but also taking pride in producing a product people can enjoy and benet from. I agree. But, also being able to raise the children on the farm was rewarding through growing a good work ethic, spending time and learning from one other. What has been the biggest obstacle you have faced in your dairying career, and how did you overcome it? In 2016, Sue was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was tough on our family and friends, but it made us stronger all together. Sue takes care of all the calf chores and is the boss behind the bookwork. We are thankful that seven years later, Sue is cancer-free and has never let that stop her from being the dedicated farm wife, mom and person she is. What are some rules of thumb you have followed as a farmer? Everyone was put on this Earth for a reason. Regardless of your position, all are needed in the workforce. What are words of encouragement you would give to young farmers starting their dairying career? Be dedicated, but remember to take time for family and friends. Remember to keep an open mind when people give suggestions.
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
Schedule of Events
30TH ANNUAL
Carver County
DAIRY EXPO
9:00 am 10:15 am
Session A
Over 40 Vendors!
10:30 am
Session B
Regional Extension Educator, University of Minnesota
11:30 am
(Includes lunch, refreshments and program notes. Cash or Check only.)
Monday, February 21, 2022
9 AM-3:15 PM • CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
12:30 pm
Owner, Fieldstone Consulting
Keynote Address: “Dairy industry megatrends and pearls from the past”
Enjoy Lunch and the Trade Show Session D
2:15 pm
Session E
“Impact of daily and seasonal rhythms on nutrition and milk production” Isaac Salfer
Online information available at https://z.umn.edu/2022DairyExpo and Facebook: @CarverScottExtension
Jim Paulson
Corey Geiger - Editor, Hoard’s Dairyman
Trade Show and Education for Dairy Producers.
grand prize. Must bets are eligible for the present to win. Multiple prizes for com pleting the program evalua and returning tion. Must be present to win .
Jared Holt
Partner, Ascent Financial
Author of “On A Wisconsin Family Farm…Historic Tales of Character, Community and Culture” - book sales and booksigning in the afternoon in the tradeshow area.
531 Morse Street • Norwood Young America, MN
3:15 p.m. Grand & Evaluation Dr Prize awings All registered partici pan
Session C
“Is there a future “Forage value “Developing for small and of winter and a successful midsize dairy summer transition plan” farms?” cover crops” James Salfer
COST: $10/person $5/Student (with ID)
Hosted by University of Minnesota Extension-Carver County and the Carver County Dairy Core Team
Registration - Trade Show Open until 3:00 p.m. Early Bird Drawing in Trade Show Arena
“A farm “Best management without drama. practices for manure: Better Culture, Are they worth it” better profit” Melissa Wilson, PhD Jared Holt
Partner, Ascent Financial
Assistant Professor, Animal Science, University of Minnesota
3:15 pm
For Dairy Expo information, please call Carver County Extension (952) 466-5300.
Session F
Door Prize Drawings - Trade Show Arena
Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Manure Nutrient Management & Water Quality
In case of inclement weather, please call the Farm Information Line for event status: 1-800-232-9077
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 25
VISIT THESE BUSINESSES AT THE SHOW!
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
HEART
HEART
DAIRY
DAIRY
Peter Seitzer
Cletus Fischer
Tell us about your farm. I’m the fourth-generation on the farm, and my son, Nicholas, plans to be the fth. Our farm Peter Seitzer milks 65 cows in Nicollet County near was founded in 1886 by my St. Peter, Minnesota. Seitzer has dairy farmed for great-grandfather. We have 37 years. always milked cows. In addition to milking 65 Holsteins, we farm 630 acres of corn, soybean, alfalfa and small grains. Within the last year, we have put up solar panels that offset about 40% of our electricity usage, and we have planted a rye cover crop for the rst time on some of our corn silage acres. Over the coming years, my son and I plan to keep incorporating more and more cover crops while working toward a mostly no-till system. In addition, we plan to retrot our current tiestall barn into a robotic barn, update some of the other facilities and continue diversifying the farm for the future. Tell us about your family. I’m lucky to have a wonderful family. I have been married to my beautiful wife Ann for 29 years. She works as dental hygienist off the farm. I have two sons, Matthew and Nicholas. Matthew is a civil engineer working in the Twin Cities, and Nicholas is a senior at the University of Minnesota. What has been the highlight of your dairying career? The highlight of my dairying career has been improving my herd’s genetics through the breeding of high-producing, functional cows. What do you love most about dairy farming? I love dairy farming and everything that comes with it. I love being independent. I love being able to see the fruits of my labor. I love being outside. I love putting up high-quality feed and raising good crops, and I love working with my family. What has been the biggest obstacle you have faced in your dairying career and how did you overcome it? In 2011, I lost my brother, and business partner, to brain cancer. After this, I became solely responsible for everything that happened on the farm, which was a little scary at rst. In order to overcome this challenge, I found some good hired help, and as Nicholas got older, he stepped in and did a lot more things around the farm. What are some rules of thumb you have followed as a farmer? Some general rules of thumb I have followed as a farmer are to make hay when the sun is shining, put in the extra effort and don’t take the little things for granted. What are words of encouragement you would give to young farmers starting their dairying career? I would tell young dairy farmers to stay positive even when things seem bleak. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Diversify your operation as much as you can to spread out your risk. And, most importantly, have a passion for what you’re doing.
Tell us about your farm. I milk 40 cows, and my wife helps when needed. We farm 200 acres of corn, alfalfa and some oat.
Cletus Fischer milks 40 cows in Morrison County near Pierz, Minnesota. Fischer took over the family dairy farm in 1980 with his wife, Sheila.
Tell us about your family. I have been married for 42 years, and we have three kids: Kim, Scott and Bethany and 11 grandchildren.
What has been the highlight of your dairy career? I enjoy seeing the industry continue to improve itself. In my last 42 or more years of farming, I have seen the genetics of cattle improve, from production traits to body type. The opportunity to collaborate with professionals to improve your herd is remarkable. It’s not just genetics, it’s the equipment too. There are a lot of options for dairy farmers to learn about and work with. What do you love most about dairy farming? I get to stay right at home. I don’t have to travel for work, which is a small perk compared to being able to watch your family grow. One of the greatest things that has come from my farm are my kids and their kids. They’ve been able to experience this life and develop strong work ethics. Family is very important, and it lls me with pride seeing my children and grandchildren participate in and experience a life we built and care for. I love watching them grow up and get involved around the farm. What has been the biggest obstacle you have faced in your dairying career, and how did you overcome it? A big challenge I and countless others face are low milk prices while the cost of other farm inputs remains the same. I have been able to face it by not buying as much or limiting my investments. I work with community businesses that care about and understand their customers’ situations. I have worked with businesses that help out by providing payment plans. The biggest factor is spending your money wisely. What are some rules of thumb you have followed as a farmer? Never borrow more than you can pay back. I also nd it important to not get anxious on the bad days. Have faith and work through it. What are words of encouragement you would give young farmers starting their dairying career? Your family comes before work. Take care of your loved ones and always make time for them. A good second bit of advice would be to not get too far in over your head. Things can change fast.
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Tour de Forage offers alternative ration models, species ideas By Sherry Newell Contributing Writer
MELROSE, Minn. – With grain prices increasing, feeding a dairy ration higher in forage content could be worth considering, said speakers at the 2022 Tour de Forage Jan. 26 in Melrose. Two presentations included data showing how cows performed just as well or better on high-quality forage, replacing a larger portion of corn and other protein sources. The event was one of three information days organized by the Midwest Forage Association and regional forage councils in southeast, northeast and central Minnesota in cooperation with University of Minnesota Extension. “This could be a very economical alternative,” said Dana Adams, an extension livestock educator, of adjusting rations. “That’s because it becomes less dependent on market uctuations.” Adams said the high quality of forage produced across Minnesota can be an opportunity for producers to control input costs. However, she also suggested continually monitoring and adjusting for forage quality within the ration. A dairy cow, she said, can handle a high-forage diet, but quality is key. “It’s not her, it’s us – the human aspect. (We) need more time to adjust,” Adams said. “Not all the forages on a given farm are always the best.” Lower quality forages can be fed to either heifers or dry cows, she said. “(A higher-forage diet) requires something of a mindset challenge,” Adams said. “You no longer have a safety net of grain if your forage quality uctuates.” Successful high-forage rations hinge on forages low in lignin and neutral detergent ber and high in NDF digestibility and non-ber carbohydrates, Adams said. “NDF digestibility plays an especially important role in dry matter intake, rumen ll, rumination and, consequently, milk production,” Adams said. She said the benets of feeding a higher percentage of quality forage include higher milk components and fewer metabolic and hoof issues in addition to saving grain costs. Adams cited equipment changes, harvest timing, storage and bunk management as key considerations when looking to implement high-forage rations. Stall space is also important, because approximately 50% of cows in the pen should be laying in stalls and ruminating after eating. She advised a gradual transition to feeding a diet higher in forage percentage, and carefully monitoring success by observing cud chewing, screening manure and monitoring components.
University of Minnesota feed efciency studies have compared highforage diets to conventional rations on rstlactation ProCROSS and Holstein cows from 46-to-150 days in milk. ProCROSS is a three-breed rotation using Holstein, Montbéliarde and Viking Red. Brad Heins, an associate professor who works with the herd at the West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morrison, reported on the research. It measured dry matter intake, production, body weight and condition score, and residual feed intake. Cows were fed a high-ber, low-starch (HFLS) ration with 47% more alfalfa hay and 30% more corn silage. Heins said there was little difference in fat and protein components and in body weight and condition throughout the study. However, the ProCROSS cows were more feed efcient on the heavier forage use without any loss of fat and protein. “Holstein cows fed the traditional ration were probably least efcient,” Heins said. “They don’t milk enough compared to what they eat. So, we might want to think about doing (a high-forage diet), especially if grain costs keep going up.” Heins also touched on the use of alternative forages, including Kernza, an intermediate wheatgrass, as forage. The WCROC planted its rst Kernza crop on an old soybean eld in the fall of 2016. “It’s a smaller grain that grows very tall with a deep, dense root,” Heins said. “It’s tolerant to drought and can handle a wide range of temperatures.” While it can be harvested as grain, Heins said his goal was to utilize it for spring and fall grazing. He also said Kernza could make sense in terms of crop diversity, soil fertility, nutrient cycling and winter cover. The Kernza studies at Morris included strip grazing of Kernza with and without red clover two- days-at-a-time. “Heifers gained just as well as on conventional pasture,” Heins said. “The kernza did a bit better in the fall; we got about two-to-three more weeks of forage.” Next, Heins said, will be an effort to ensile the crop and do digestibility studies to see if Kernza silage can replace grass. Heins also reported on grazing systems at WCROC, using a mixture of species on 300 acres of organic pasture. The center has used BMR sorghum sudangrass and teff grass and oat with turnip in one system. In another, perennial ryegrass, orchard grass, chicory, meadow fescue, alfalfa, red clover and white clover have been used. “No single species has it all; diversity is key,” Heins said. “A lot of these forages can be used in many different ways, but across a season, we can almost double forage production if we use a warm-season grass.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 27
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
Prevention is key with unpredictable weather
Costello talks health trends By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
MONDOVI, Wis. – The unpredictable weather is something that continues to challenge dairy farmers in the Midwest, but with the right approaches, prevention can ease the stress of inclement weather for both cattle and farmers. “This fall and winter has been a rough year to be a cow or calf, just because the weather has been doing that whole 60-degree swing,” Dr. Nicole Costello said. “It’s just hard to keep calves Dr. Nicole consistently Costello comfortable.” DVM Costello, a veterinarian with Mondovi Veterinary Service, said the inconsistent weather has resulted in more cases of pneumonia and more antibiotic use as farmers try to stabilize the temperatures of calves in these circumstances. “My farms that typically don’t treat or have less than 10% of
their calves with pneumonia are running 20%-25% because we just can’t outcompete Mother Nature,” Costello said. Costello said when it comes to prevention, farmers are looking at what environmental factors they do have control over. Farmers with calf barns have been looking at their ventilation system to try and keep temperatures as stable as possible. “We don’t want to button everything up and then the next day it’s 42 degrees,” Costello said. “They’re very cognizant of getting everything opened up in the morning and just trying to keep that air ow consistent.” When farmers are looking at when to vaccinate or move calves, for example, Costello recommended looking ahead at the weather and plan to do things when there is a week of consistent weather ahead to lower the stress point for the animals. “That’s how I look at a lot of things with calves,” Costello said. “We can push them and push them, but there is always that tipping point. Once it goes over, it’s game over.” Costello said a common hiccup with this method comes when weaning calves. Sometimes she nds that calves need to be moved through the system, and it is not economical for the farm to wait for better weather to wean them. “Some have added an extra intranasal vaccine to try to prevent
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any respiratory problems, while others have used a slower weaning process where they taper them down over time,” Costello said. The key is to keep calves warm and dry with consistent bedding. Costello said when it comes to
fared the best over the winter are the ones with a solid vaccination program in place. “Having a good vaccination protocol is key to success here,” Costello said. “With weather like this, you can pick out the holes of who is vaccinating “My farms that typically don’t well and who is not.” Costello has treat or have less than 10% of herds that pick a month and vaccinate their calves with pneumonia are during that month every year, and running 20%-25% because we others that base it around just can’t outcompete Mother season. their calving “We have to Nature.” nd a way to make it work in your DR. NICOLE COSTELLO, DVM system,” Costello said. “I think with cows, she has only seen a spike in pneumonia cases within the last two a little creativity you can. It’s not weeks. Much like the calves, it often always going to be the gold standard of how I want it to be, but we can came down to ventilation. Poor ventilation can lead to nd a way to make it work so that respiratory problems with humidity the cows have some protection.” Regardless of the timing, build up and sporadic air movement Costello stressed the importance of caused by fans. “All those little things we can a vaccination protocol to combat the usually get away with that we don’t unpredictable weather during the normally think of as problems in the winter season. “Make sure your cows are winter have been more of a problem this year just because the weather has vaccinated,” Costello said. “When been so inconsistent,” Costello said. the weather does this, it’s cheap “One of my farms said it’s like we’re insurance because it’s not very talking about summer heat, which is expensive, and if it prevents one cow from getting sick, then it’s paid for kind of true, just the ip side.” Costello said the farms that have itself.”
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Women In Dairy Ann Schulz Mayville, Wisconsin Dodge County 90 cows Family: Our immediate family consists of my husband, Tony, and our 2-year-old daughter, Edith. Our extended family includes Tony’s parents, Glen and Teresa Schulz of Mayville; and my parents, Mark and Mary Huenink of Cedar Grove. Both of our parents are active dairy farmers; Tony’s parents with us and my parents (along with one of my older brothers and his family) on a 75-cow dairy and seed farm. Tell us about your farm. The farm, known within our family as Whirling Winds Dairy, consists of 90 milking cows and about 120 youngstock. All lactating and dry cows are housed in a 4-row free stall barn and milked in a double-6 at parlor, converted from a stanchion barn. We raise replacements on the farm. Nursery calves are housed in individual pens converted from old tie stalls. Once weaned, they are moved to group pens converted from old maternity pens. At around 6 months of age, they move outside to a lean-to type housing. At 13 months, they move to a breeding group within the lean-to and remain there until conrmed pregnant when they are moved to an outdoor lot. At three months prior to calving, they are moved to the dry cow pen, and then three weeks before they are due, they are moved to a maternity pen. We have three groups of lactating cows: two high groups and a low group. We crop about 250 acres (owned and rented). Our primary crops are alfalfa, corn, sudangrass, rye grass, soybean and oat. The farm is owned by Tony’s parents with a transition plan in place for when they retire. Tony and I own most of the cattle, about half of the machinery and are in the process of purchasing a small acreage of land about 2 miles from the home farm. We have two high school students who help a few nights a week with milking chores, and Tony’s sister and brother-in-law help with special projects. We also have great neighbors who are there to help at a moment’s notice. What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? I have a part-time role on the farm. I start morning chores around 5:30 a.m. It takes about 30 minutes to get the barn and milkhouse set up and bring cows in from the free stall barn to start milking. Usually, I am able to milk one group of cows while Tony grooms and scrapes. After this, I head into the house to care for Edith, and my father-in-law takes over milking with Tony. After that, my day on the farm consists of anything I can safely do with a toddler in tow, which includes data entry, lling sand in the freestall barn, processing calves or running for parts or medications. Edith’s naptime is a great time to tackle moving calves and heifers and bedding and cleaning pens, as needed. What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? In December 2020, I was listening to “The Dairy Signal” and heard Dr. Paul Fricke talk about research conducted earlier in 2020 regarding synchronization of heifers and breeding with sexed semen. We had been breeding heifers to sexed semen from estrus detection, and our conception rate was not where we wanted it to be. I replayed the presentation for Tony a few days later, and we decided to talk about the ve-day CIDR synch protocol with our veterinarian. Our vet highly recommended the protocol, and we started implementing it immediately. Since we’ve been using the program, we are seeing conception rates that are consistent with the research trials, which is a big improvement over where we were. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. A farm is a great place to make memories. Edith enjoys giving cookies to calves. It is one way to get her comfortable around the calves and to keep a few calves friendly for her to visit as they both grow. When it came time to move a group of calves, the rst calf to move was one that was familiar with cookies. Tony was trying to push her out of the pen, but she wasn’t having it. I told him, half joking, that we should coax her out using a cookie. Tony laughed and said, “That won’t work.” Having said that made
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me determined to coax this calf to the next pen with a cookie. So, I retrieved a cookie and let the calf sniff and lick at it. As she stretched her neck to reach for it, I slowly stepped back. Bit by bit, she followed the cookie until she nally leapt out the door into her new pen. We looked at each other in amazement and started laughing.
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 29
What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? After I graduated college, I worked for a farm equipment manufacturer for several years. One of my colleagues had a huge, framed picture of a cow in his cubicle with a label at the bottom that read “End User.” It was such a great reminder that everything we did was for the cow: the machines were designed, manufactured, marketed and sold to make great hay or mix great feed or spread nutrients back on the land all so that cows could be healthy and productive. Now, I have the great fortune of working with cows every day. That is what I enjoy, the cows. What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Every day is an accomplishment. I am never guaranteed a tomorrow – in life or in the dairy industry. I never take a day for granted and strive to make today better than yesterday. What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? I work part-time for the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board as their coordinator. The board is made up of individuals passionate about promoting Wisconsin’s $45.6 billion dairy industry during the Wisconsin State Fair. We provide educational opportunities for attendees with our interactive Dairy Lane exhibit and cow and goat milking demonstrations. We also promote the consumption of dairy products at the fair through managing the Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill and Dairyland Shake Shop. We also help manage the Dairy Products Contest and Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Auction. Our proceeds help fund scholarships for students pursuing careers in the dairy industry and help support our dairy promotion development at the fair. We have such a unique opportunity to educate a primarily urban audience about dairy at the state fair, and we are continually investing in opportunities that help tell the story of dairy to those who may be unfamiliar with the benets of dairy in a balanced diet. What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? As they say in bungee jumping: Don’t wait until you are ready; you’ll never be ready. Just jump. I tend to overthink things at times, and I may not be the only one who exhibits that trait. But I’ve learned in order to progress, you have to move forward despite the unknowns. You are stronger than you think and can work through more than what you believe you are capable of doing. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I enjoy being outside, so if I do have free time I am typically outside. In the summer, I garden and can. In the fall, I take in the cooler weather and fall colors as much as possible through hikes, walks or jogs. In the winter, I enjoy snowshoeing, and in the spring, I start planning what to plant in the garden.
Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 31
What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Probably the lifestyle. It sounds crazy, but there is something new every day. Things change, and there are always challenges.
Tom Mulrooney Fennimore, Wisconsin Grant County 160 cows How did you get into farming? I have farmed all my life. I got started with my neighbor in 1977, and we farmed in halves. He helped me get started. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? I worry about the young people trying to make a living at this if people do not realize how important dairy is to our nutrition. It is surprising to me how many people are impacted by the dairy industry and how many people do not realize that. You have to relate everything back to your belly. When things get rough, you still have to be able to eat. What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? We have changed our mindset to looking at the exit process. We are trying to keep things going and make it so that someone can come in and buy it reasonably. It’s always been my goal to transition this farm to a young family like my neighbor did for me so long ago. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy
What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Treat it as a business. If you’re not making any money, don’t go bigger because you will just make less. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? Sell it. We have the farm sold and are just about to transition a new person in. We bought a new farm a few miles away with a nice house and some buildings and a little pasture that I can continue putzing with. farming easier for you. I understand cattle. I have also learned that when your wife is helping you move cattle, sometimes it’s best to shut your mouth; otherwise, you won’t have any help. What is the best decision you have made on your farm? Going to a freestall setup. It helped our cow comfort and production. What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? My skidloader because everything here was
built for a skidloader to do the work. My TMR because it has made feeding easier. When we switched from the tiestall to the freestall, we had to switch from feeding each individual cow to feeding all the cows at once, and the TMR has helped with that. I also could not live without my mule, which is the ATV. It saves so many steps and makes a lot of things easier. What strategies do you use to withstand the volatile milk prices? We try to strive for production. We try not to let the prices today bother us and
just continue to think about tomorrow. It’s like taking care of a dry cow to prepare for her lactation. I also worry about having enough feed in the summertime so I stock up on that when I can. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? We try to treat our employees how we would like to be treated. I take care of them, and they know I won’t have them do a job that I won’t do.
How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We have done some traveling over the years. We have hosted exchange students from Slovakia and Germany, which gave us the opportunity to visit them. That was a really neat experience to get to know other cultures. We have also gone to the Bahamas and Florida in the past.
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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Progress on SCC By Mike Schutz
University of Minnesota
Efforts by the United States dairy industry to reduce somatic cells in milk have resulted in enormous improvement in milk quality over the last 20 years. Initial efforts to measure and record somatic cell count accompanied advancement in NIR technologies for rapid measurement by dairy plants and Dairy Herd Improvement testing services. In the 1980s, reporting of SCC by plants and DHI became common and served multiple purposes. Somatic cells are immune cells, mainly neutrophils, that enter the milk of cows to do what neutrophils do, which is ght infection. Through research, it has become clear that SCC is only expected to be elevated during mastitis or infection of the mammary gland. So, SCC serves as both an indicator of mastitis in cows and a direct measure of milk quality because the antibacterial properties of the cells have a sizable impact on cheese cultures and yield efciency, and the protease and lipase activity of the cells can dramatically reduce the shelf life of uid milk. The ability to measure SCC in milk provided opportunities to manage it; and the dairy industry responded in a big way. Figure 1 shows the dramatic reduction in annual average SCC of herds on DHI test for Minnesota (Vikings purple), Midwest (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin in Packers/ NDSU Bison gold), and United States (red, white and blue). The focus is intended to be on the continued dramatic reduction of SCC in the past 20 years. While Minnesota DHI herds do have a somewhat higher average than in the Midwest as a whole, this gap has, in fact, reduced over time and is likely due to the number of smaller DHI herds in Minnesota milking in older facilities. Low SCC can be achieved by farms of all kinds as indicated by the annual list of low SCC farms reported by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture but certainly can be more challenging in older facilities. To help understand the impacts of this improvement, we can look at market access. The legal standard for Grade A milk in the U.S. requires milk not to exceed 750,000 somatic cells per mL. From the graph, milk apparently meets that benchmark readily. However, in 2001, 4.9% of U.S. DHI herd test days would not have met that standard. By 2020, that number was down to 1.2%. Of course, because not all milk from cows tested on DHI test days goes in the tank, these numbers overestimate the impact on marketability but provide another benchmark of progress. While the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments has voted down several attempts to reduce the legal standard of SCC in milk, market demands have become more restrictive. Around 2011, U.S. dairy product manufacturers began to implement a 400,000 cells per
mL limit on milk to allow access to European markets. In 2001, 31.1% of herd test days would not have met that standard, while by 2020 that number improved to 8.3%. Because reduction in SCC depends on the challenging task of reducing clinical and subclinical mastitis, this reduction in incidence of elevated SCC is quite remarkable. The rst genetic evaluation for linear SCC score (SCS) was in 1994. Figure 2 has the average per cow SCS (green) and the genetic (blue) and environmental (red) trends since 1984 when the rst DHI SCC records were collected. The averages correspond to the U.S. line from Figure 1 because a change of a full unit in SCS reects a halving of SCC. Clearly, environmental trend, which is mainly management, has accounted for most improvement in SCS. When rst rolled out as a trait in 1994, and because of the antagonistic genetic correlation with milk yield, producers were encouraged to include selection for lower SCC only as part of the Net Merit Index which included PTA for SCS with a weight of -6%. That emphasis was
increased to -9% in 2000 and -10% in 2010. In Figure 2, one can observe the impact by those changes contributing to continued reduction in average SCC despite a leveling of the management trend. In 2018, the emphasis on SCS in Net Merit was reduced to -4% and then to -3% in 2021, but those shifts resulted from measures of clinical mastitis and udder composite traits being included in the index. Time will tell what impacts the reduced direct emphasis on the selection index weight for SCS will have. Probably, relationships of PTA for SCS with cases of mastitis has changed over time. Previous work has shown that genetic contributions to SCS from contagious and environmental pathogens differ. As the prevailing causes of mastitis shift from contagious to environmental mastitis, those relationships may change as well. So, it is encouraging that PTA for clinical mastitis is now included in Net Merit, but there remains value in direct selection against SCS for its impact on milk quality.
Dana Adams, adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968
Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620
Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334
Isaac Salfer ijsalfer@umn.edu 320-296-1357
Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610
Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277
Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863
Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093
Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130
Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711
Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109
Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205
Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184
Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104
Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435
Emma Severns sever575@umn.edu 507-934-7828
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Injection site management
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 33
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By Brenda Miller
University of Minnesota
It is almost a given that a cow will need some sort of injection at some point in her lifetime whether it be a vaccine or a treatment of some kind. As farmers, it is our job to properly administer those injections for the best results and least amount of stress for the cow (and handler). There are three routes of administration for injections in an animal: subcutaneous (under the skin), intramuscular (into the muscle) and intravenous (into the vein). When an intramuscular injection is given, it leaves an injection site lesion (tissue damage). The lesion will never go away, it is permanent. If the injection was given in a marketable piece of meat, that lesion and the meat surrounding it will be discarded when the animal is slaughtered as these lesions cause scar tissue to form around the lesion. This results in a reduction in tenderness and thus meat quality for most of the muscle. According to the 2016 National Beef Quality Audit, less than 5% of fed cattle had injection site blemishes. However, 20% of slaughter cows and bulls had injection site blemishes. Unfortunately, that is a loss of roughly $188 million dollars annually in the meat industry. We can do better as an industry especially on the slaughter cows and bulls. To alleviate this, there are only three locations a needle should be inserted into cattle: neck (subcutaneous and intramuscular; Figure 1), ear (implants) and vein. If two injections need to be given to an animal, they should be given one on each side of the neck. Three injections: one on one side and two on the other side of the neck with about 4 -inches between injection sites. This is roughly the width of your palm. Only give 10cc per injection site to spread out the pharmaceuticals and get the most efcacy out of the product. Needle selection is extremely important when preparing to give shots (Figure 2). There are many factors to take into consideration when choosing which needle size to use. Some of these are: route of administration, size of animal, viscosity of the uid and amount to be injected. Needles come in different gauges. The gauge refers to the size of the hole in the needle. The higher the gauge, the smaller the hole. Fluid viscosity refers to the thickness of the uid. As an example, penicillin is much thicker than oxytocin; therefore, you would likely use a lower gauge needle. Whereas, for oxytocin, you would use a higher gauge needle. If
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Figure 1 you ever give an injection and notice a few drops coming out of the injection site, it could be an indicator that your needle size may need to be adjusted. Those drops may not seem like much, but the animal is not going to get its full dosage if it is dripping out of the injection site. Always purchase quality needles and change them frequently. I personally prefer to use a new needle for every animal. This ensures the sharpest needle point and least amount of pain for the animal plus it helps with disease control in a herd. However, I realize not all farms do this and that is OK. Make sure to change needles at minimum every ve-to-10 head and check the needle after every injection for contamination, bends or burrs. If you do not want to be injected with said needle, then you better not be using it on your animals. Dull and/ or burred needles are painful and can cause other issues. If a needle gets bent, be sure to discard it immediately. If a needle breaks off inside an animal, it can travel up to a half an inch every hour it is inside the animal’s tissue. Always get a new needle before going back into the bottle of pharmaceutical, never insert a used needle into the bottle, to avoid contamination of the bottle. The next time an injection is needed, read the label to see which route of administration you need to use, take into consideration the viscosity of the liquid and size of the animal, and choose your needle accordingly. Make sure you are injecting the animal in the neck region only, use new needles, change them frequently and monitor needle condition for best results.
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
Busy time of year It is a busy time of From My Perspective the year, but then, when is it not busy on a dairy farm? Summer through fall, cropping seems to take its share of time in addition to the day-to-day dairy cow functions. Now is tax preparation, balance sheet completion, farm analysis and of course, cash ow projections for 2022. Hopefully behind all of this By Tom Anderson is the contemplation of, Columnist “What can be changed in the future?” For some it is the decision of how to transition the farm to the next generation. Or perhaps how to retire and reduce the tax implications and have enough to life for the next stage. These are huge implications for your future and need a great deal of thought and discussion with family members, bankers, lawyers and, hopefully, your farmmanagement person. Outside input is an extremely important part of the decision-making process. We all need to realize these are not one-time events but a process that can take months and likely, many years to complete. Transition especially is a process that may take 10 years or more as you transition the business assets and management duties I would like us to consider the question that all dairy farms (in fact any business) need to evaluate on an on-going basis. How do we get to the next level? How do we get better? How do we stay competitive? I know of some Holstein dairy herds at 30,000 pounds of milk with 4.3% butterfat and 3.3% protein and less than 100,000 somatic cell count with a pregnancy rate of 28%. These are great herds. The problem is we live in a competitive world where the neighboring farm or one across the county or the other side of the nation is at 32,000 pounds of milk with 4.5% butterfat and 3.4% protein and an 80,000 SCC with a pregnancy rate of 33%. That is our competition, whether we like it or not. We are in a changing world that never stands still, and surely, the past couple of years has seen more changes than ever before. Some of these we may like and others not so much. Nonetheless, it is reality, and we will need to compete in a global market. I had an amazing text this week from a producer who harvested an annual average of 6,113 pounds of milk per robot per day ranking him 15th in North America for pounds per robot per day and 23rd in the world for fat-and-protein-corrected milk. Amazing. That is our competition, and I can assure you that it will only get more and more competitive. The question remains, “How do I get to the next level and stay competitive in this global market?” In my opinion, we can’t change something if we don’t know what it is today. So rst, determine what we need to measure, measure it, and then nally set a goal of where we want to be by a selected date in the future. As an example: A few years ago, we seldom, if ever, talked about energy-corrected milk or pounds of components produced per cow per day. A lofty goal two-to-three years ago was 6 pounds of butterfat and protein per cow per day. Now, the goal is likely more than 7 pounds per day. A cow producing 90 pounds at a 4.0% butterfat (3.6 pounds) and 3.3% protein (2.97 pounds) has a total of 6.57 pounds of components. With the current component pricing of your milk, it may well be worthwhile to look deeper into the cost and benet to increasing your components. My recommendation is to gather your team of individuals to begin to identify areas where you can improve. These may be production related, revenue generation, cost efciencies or other areas that can improve your nancials. Welcome the critic to your group, and don’t hold a grudge or harbor ill feelings against those who you feel are being critical. The honest and open communication will be benecial to your overall protability. Set a few identiable benchmarks, prioritize them and determine a process to reach your goals. Tom Anderson is a Farm Business Management faculty member at Riverland Community College.
Finding warmth on chilly days
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 35
The cold snap is ofcially here, and Mother Nature is proving that she is determined to not let up on her combination of wind and chilly weather. I hope you are nding ways to keep yourselves warm and are able to nd joy in each day. I’ve been nding lots of warmth and joy through On the Road with my appearances in the last Princess Kay month, through the cold weather and all. I kicked off midway through the month with First District Association at their annual meeting. I was able to lead the Pledge of Allegiance and share a few words. I reminded attendees that it truly takes a village to run a dairy farm, and we By Anna Euerle have so many individuals 68th Princess Kay of the such as our veterinarians, Milky Way nutritionists, milk haulers and milk cooperatives to be thankful for. Though it was particularly chilly that day, getting to visit with so many enthusiastic individuals was more than enough to keep everyone’s spirits up. Later in the month, I met with 72 third-grade students at Morris Elementary, which was particularly special for all of us because of their close connection to dairy farming. These students had the opportunity to tour a nearby dairy farm previously and were even more excited to share that with me and come along on my virtual farm tour. They had lots of great questions and stories to share. I then made the trip up to Ashby, where I spent the entire day visiting with students from kindergarten all the way up to high school seniors. This kept me on my toes for sure, and we were able to do a variety of activities throughout the day that were tailored to their ages. Classes went through the virtual farm tour, made butter, had a butter-sculpting contest and asked
Aside from being able to share your love for all things dairy farming with a wide scope of others, you could also potentially compete to be named one of the 10 nalists selected at the May event. It’s the next step on the road to being the 69th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. This is such an exciting time of year for so many young women eager to advocate for the dairy community, an opportunity that impacts us all for many years into the future not only as individuals, but in our careers and hobbies as well. To nd out more, contact your county’s American Dairy Association to nd out how to apply or get involved in the program. You won’t regret it. And, to all those involved in the dairy industry, if you know of any young women who you think may be interested, encourage them to check it out. You can tell them that they have a unique skill set for this
opportunity. You can show these potential candidates that you support them and believe they can be a great representative of the dairy community. So, who are you going to encourage to represent you and your fellow dairy farmers? Princess Kay of the Milky Way Anna Euerle serves as the Minnesota dairy community’s goodwill ambassador. Princess Kay is very active doing school visits, representing dairy farmers at the Fuel Up To Play 60 activities in conjunction with the Minnesota Vikings, and sharing the importance of dairy farming and dairy foods at appearances across Minnesota. Euerle grew up in Litcheld, Minnesota, working on her family’s dairy farm. She will soon graduate from Ridgewater College in Agribusiness with a dairy emphasis. In her free time she enjoys cooking, baking and being outdoors.
This is such an exciting time of year for so many young women eager to advocate for the dairy community ... questions about myself and the dairy community. I visited with about 150 students that day. I rounded off the month with the Winter Carnival Grand Parade with my trusty Minnesota State Fair gopher sidekicks, Fairborne and Fairchild. We enjoyed walking through the parade route waving at everyone that braved the cold to come and watch. We are into February now, and that means one thing for young women with a passion for the dairy community, it’s time to sign up at the county-level to become a dairy princess. The dairy princess program is truly one-of-a-kind, and each county has their own spin on events over the course of the year. This gives a platform, and many leadership opportunities, to those interested in the program, and for those who may be a bit more reserved, it allows young women to see what being a dairy princess is all about before potentially attending the Dairy Princess Leadership and Promotion Conference in May. I encourage you all, if you meet the requirements, to apply to become a county dairy princess.
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The pessimist
Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
Farmers are the original eternal optimists. Indeed, it was a hailed-out farmer who rst coined the phrase, “Just wait until next year!” Not, as legend has it, a diehard sports fan. Optimism is an essential component of a farmer’s character. Perhaps the most pessimistic guy I ever knew was an old, tough-as-nails bachelor farmer named Martin Rud. Dad owned some equipment with Martin, so I saw a lot of our next-door neighbor as I grew up on our family’s dairy farm. Martin often dropped by to share the latest gossip and had an uncanny knack for arriving right when we were sitting down to breakfast. Dad always asked Martin if he wanted to have a bite. Martin never had to be asked twice. Martin would bolt down his food, sit back, slurp coffee and expansively expound upon the world’s ills like a man with a belly full of free scrambled eggs and toast. One of Martin’s favorite topics was the coming drought and
nancial apocalypse. Martin would unfailingly proclaim that we were long overdue for a horrendous dry spell. The ensuing recession would make the Great Depression look like a Sunday school picnic. Each spring on the rst really warm day, Martin would come over to clean oats with the fanning mill that he and Dad owned together. As soon as I was old enough to handle a grain shovel, I was nominated to scoop oats from the bin into the mill. This was based on Dad’s observation that I possessed a weak mind and a strong back. The amount of dust and discomfort I endured led me to think that what he actually meant was I was? expendable. As I shoveled oats amid the choking cloud of dust, Martin would effortlessly scoop the clean grain into a waiting wagon. Leaning on his shovel in the breezy doorway, Martin would eyeball the sky and prognosticate. “Yep,” he would declare, “going to be a dry one this year. A guy had better plant oats so at least he’ll get a little something.”
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Martin’s cynical outlook never varied from year-toyear despite the fact that we usually had decent weather and harvested fairly good crops. I couldn’t help but notice that Martin never became so pessimistic that he wouldn’t plant at least half of his land to moisture-hungry, Dear County Agent Guy but more protable, corn. Then came 1976. The year it never rained. The dry centennial. The sun became a demon who taunted us from on high, pressing down upon us, scorching everything it touched. Our corn was knee-high twice that year: rst as it tried valiantly to grow in the parched soil, and once By Jerry Nelson again as the sun broiled Columnist it down into a shriveled brown shadow. And, Martin was in his glory. It’s not that he took pleasure in our collective misery; it was more that he felt vindicated. Martin solemnly predicted that the coming years would extend the drought and bring such calamities as widespread bank failures and seething clouds of grasshoppers. Martin was both right and wrong. He was right that oat was the only crop that produced grain that year. But, he was wrong about the prolonged drought. The following year featured an excellent growing season and above-average yields. Despite this, Martin continued to gloomily forecast a decades-long drought and an economic Armageddon. But each summer the rains would come, perpetually proving him wrong. The unending string of inaccurate predictions seemed to take the spark out of Martin, and he rented out his land. He was still as tough as iron, so I doubt that being he was nearly 80 had anything to do with it. It was more that he became a victim of his own pessimism. On the rst really warm day of the spring after he retired, Martin stopped by our farm. He explained that he’d decided to sell the last of his oats. A truck was coming, and he was wondering if I was busy. I said I’d be right over and would bring a grain shovel. We clambered into Martin’s creaky old wooden granary and shoveled oats that had probably been there since the Eisenhower administration. I was young and in my prime, but Martin was able to match me scoop for scoop. When we paused to straighten our backs, Martin studied the zenith and clicked his tongue. “Yep,” he declared portentously, “good thing a guy’s not farming anymore. Don’t look like the corn will amount to much of anything this year.” Martin was right but for the wrong reason. A lot of our corn became stunted that year due to excessive rainfall. 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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Parlor tricks
Working in the parlor is like driving the chopper because one gets to see the results of one’s labor. The parlor, like the chopper, needs to be running properly to maximize the harvest. Here Veterinary Wisdom are some simple ideas to make your parlor run well. Remember that milk runs downhill. In lowline systems, milk can run downhill all the way from the teat to the receiver jar unless there are obstructions to the ow. When running downhill, the ow in the hoses and lines is laminar, meaning there are layers of air and milk. This keeps the By Jim Bennett teat end vacuum stable and Columnist close to the line vacuum. In contrast, for milk to move uphill, a slug forms which temporarily blocks the airow. A vacuum drops behind the slug for the length of time it takes for the slug to move up the hose to the line. This results in slower milk ow from the udder and longer milking times as well as greater vacuum uctuation at the teat end. In high-line systems, the line vacuum needs to be higher to maintain adequate vacuum levels at the teat end. This means the vacuum applied to the teat ends at the beginning and end of milking will be higher, and this can cause teat-end damage. Most parlors are designed to take advantage of laminar ow by allowing milk to ow downhill to the line, but sometimes barriers are inadvertently put in place. For example, in many parlors the milk hoses are way too long, creating a valley for the milk to ow into and requiring a slug to move the milk out. In other parlors, hose length is not standard, so milk runs downhill for some cows but not for others. It is not always possible for milk to run downhill from every udder on every cow, but it should be possible for the vast majority. Otherwise, one is wasting one of the big advantages of a low-line system. Unit positioning is important. Units should be square on the udder when viewed from the rear or the side. Poor
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positioning can result in poor milk out of one or more quarters. Poor positioning can also lead to admission of air and squawking, which can result in longer milking duration, poor milk out and mastitis. Poor positioning also can be painful to the cow. Some, but not all parlors, will need hose positioners to maintain proper positioning. All the milking technicians need to use the supports, and they should understand the reasons for their use. Poor positioning sometimes happens because hoses are too long. Poor positioning can also lead to slug ow if hoses are tipped to one side or the other. Venting is needed to move milk away from the teats. The vents can be in the mouthpiece, the short milk tube or the claw. Vents need to be examined at the beginning of milking to make sure they are open; otherwise, it will be difcult to move milk away from the teats. Another problem we commonly see is systems with vents in more than one place, like the claw and the short milk tube, for example. This may result in lower claw vacuum at peak milk ow and longer milking duration. While the effects may be subtle, the effect is greater on high-producing, fast-milking cows. Teat end health is important. Less than 20% of cows should have teats with scores of 3 or 4, and less than 20% of teats should score 3 or 4. A teat with a score of 3 or 4 will have fronds of tissue protruding more than 1 mm from the teat end. Rough teat ends can lead to mastitis and longer milking times. Rough teat ends usually are caused by longer time milking in low ow. Cleanliness really is next to godliness in a parlor. Teat barrels, and especially teat ends, need to be clean and dry. Bacteria do not have legs; they move in uid, so wet teat ends facilitate transfer into the udder. A common mistake in many parlors is not drying the teat ends properly. Technicians often dry the barrels with a twisting motion but neglect to dry the teat end. They need to pinch the teat end with a clean towel or the clean side of a towel to get them dry. Cleanliness does not just apply to the teats. It is not uncommon to see the outside of liners and claws with caked manure. Bacteria can be transferred from the manure to the technician’s gloves, and then to the teat and ultimately can infect the cows. Keeping the rest of the parlor clean will encourage technicians to be clean. You do not need to get every drop of milk out of the
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cow. A reasonable goal is for most cows to have between 100 mL and 250 mL left in the udder, or up to about 1 cup of milk. It is unusual to nd parlors where most cows have 100-250 mL of milk left; almost always, cows are milked drier than this. Fewer than 20% of quarters should have more than 100 mL of milk left. Usually, when a quarter is not fully milked out, it is due to that quarter being slow milking or poor unit positioning. Trying to harvest every drop of milk leads to longer milking duration, longer times in low milk ow and possibly poor teat end health. Milking preparation is important. Cows need at least 10 seconds of tactile stimulation, and units need to be attached when milk letdown occurs. Attaching too early or too late results in delayed milk ejection. Every minute of delayed milk ejection costs about 7 pounds of lost milk per day. Consistency is key in the routine. Often, we see consistency decline when an extra person comes into the parlor for a period of time, and there is not a clear denition of how the routine needs to change to maintain proper timing. Cows should be comfortable during milking. A reasonable standard is less than 10% of animals kicking or stomping near the end of milking. If there are too many, it may be due to improper take-off settings, vacuum or pulsator settings or electrical problems. Minimizing duration of milking is important because milking, by itself, is somewhat of a traumatic event. The most traumatic part of milking is the time spent in low milk ow, because the teat end vacuum tends to correlate inversely with milk ow. As milk ow drops, teat end vacuum will move toward whatever the line vacuum is. Changes that reduce milk ow tend to affect your best cows the most, because peak ow vacuum on those cows tends to be lower already. Keeping the parlor running smoothly helps you harvest the right amount of milk quickly, carefully and with comfort for the cow. Parts of this article were taken from Northern Valley Livestock Services December 2021 newsletter. Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in Plainview, Minnesota. He also consults on dairy farms in other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail.com with comments or questions.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 37
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The importance of friends Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
Our truck engine decided to quit inexplicably fell off the oil pump so our truck functioning after a decade of mostly trouble- forgot to keep pumping oil to all its spinning bits. free service hauling cattle and hogs to-and-fro. It isn’t unusual for an engine to quit pumping oil It wasn’t a surprise, or maybe it was. I’m still and lock up. For the engine to somehow lock undecided and, as usual, stumped as to how my up while parked after driving around ne the equipment always causes day d before and then for seasoned mechanics to If iit weren’t it i to start and run just ’ ffor ffriends i d and d cock their head to the side, ne after being hauled to frown and say, “Huh, never family, some weeks would the mechanic is unusual. seen that before.” Maybe really be tough to deal with or The mechanic I took the that’s because I went to a truck to was my partner vocational technical school really expensive. from school as there are to become a mechanic and precious p few people I x all the simple problems trust t to work on things I myself, or maybe I have equipment that always could x myself were time in greater supply. fails in exceptional ways. It’s nice to own Getting our truck to the repair shop my friend exceptional things; unless, of course, the only works at required buying my brother-in-law a way they are extraordinary is in how they die. case of beer or two to haul it because I only have Similarly to how our Case 970 died without one truck, and the likelihood of it pulling the warning one day after more than 30 years of atbed trailer with itself on it wasn’t real great. chugging along because the oil pickup tube We also were supposed to haul both cattle and
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hogs to the butcher shop a couple days after it died, so I borrowed my friend’s farm truck From the Zweber Farm and bought more beer as well as a tank of diesel as thanks for the kindness. Somehow, as I alluded to earlier, shortly after the truck got into the repair shop, my friend thought it would By Tim Zweber need a new engine. But, then it magically Farmer & Columnist started right up after sitting in the shop overnight and had no oil pressure issues when tested. I went and picked it up happy I’d not need to ask another favor to borrow a friend’s truck to pick up beef from the butcher shop that day. Turns out there was something wrong with the truck, but it somehow made it the hour and a half round trip to pick up a trailer load of frozen beef only to die in a snowstorm a quarter mile from our farm. Luckily, Dad had a tractor going, the Case 970 I mentioned earlier, and towed me the last bit to the farm so we could unload the beef. If it weren’t for friends and family, some weeks would really be tough to deal with or really expensive. Again, my brother-in-law helped me out and towed the truck back where it just came from. Again, I had to hit my friend up for use of his farm truck because of course beef and hogs needed to get to the butcher shop before the truck would be back. Also, it turns out my wife has a cousin that owns an auto salvage yard, and he helped me get an engine a lot quicker than a person usually could get one. Some days it feels like if I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have none at all. Despite how big a pain it was to be without a truck for the most part of a month, I got a great reminder how important friends and family are. Hopefully this article is enough to remind you of that. There’s no need to replace your vehicle’s engine in the near future. Until next time, keep living the dream, and don’t forget to check the oil. Tim Zweber farms with his wife Emily, their three children and his parents Jon and Lisa by Elko, Minnesota.
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Taking a wee break
Every Sunday night, for an hour, my husband Rolf and I take a little trip to the Yorkshire Dales. We are transported to the beautiful scenery of pristine green hills, winding roads, stone barns, dogs wagging their tails, sheep on hillsides, horses on stately estates and of course, cows. We are viewing season two of “All Creatures Great and Small,” featuring the tales of well-known veterinarian and author James Come Full Dairy Circle Herriot. PBS Masterpiece Theater has made the tales into a series, which airs on PBS. You may have read and loved the book series as I did in the 1970s. The books no doubt inspired many through the years to pursue the veterinary profession. The plots of each of the show’s episodes move along interestingly but with the British nuances and sense of humor. I personally don’t miss the violence, chase scenes and edginess of many shows set in American cities. The series takes place in the 1930-1940 decades of a rural veterinary practice in the village of Darrowby. By Jean Annexstad It is nice watching a drama from a time when the Columnist phones were rotary, the vehicles were classic, and the main characters relax by having a few draughts at the local pub, Drover’s Arms, before going home to a delicious home-cooked meal set out lavishly on the kitchen table. I also appreciate the housekeeper’s stern command of, “Pail!” when the vets come back from their farm calls with lthy clothes needing a good soak. The practice in the story consists of a senior veterinarian, Siegfried Farnon, his younger brother Tristan, James Herriot, a new-to-the-area veterinarian who has just accepted a job with the practice, the housekeeper Mrs. Audrey Hall, and Helen Alderson, a local farmer, who is also James’ love interest. There are many plot twists and turns among the lives of the main characters; from the animals cared for at the wealthy estate owner’s horse stables to the plainer, hardscrabble sheep and cattle farms; and with pets, such as spoiled Triki Woo, a Pekingese owned by the venerable, wealthy Mrs. Pumphreys. Rolf and I both enjoy and banter about the show’s animal and veterinary references. Sometimes the British terms for things are funny and perplexing. A few weeks ago, the farmers “stirks” were sick with “husk.” The dairy heifers apparently had contracted a parasite on pasture and their prognosis was not great. We forgot to ask our own vet during that week’s herd check if he had ever treated stirks for husk. A check with Wikipedia conrms that husk is a parasitic bronchitis, a disease of sheep, cattle, goats and swine commonly known as lungworms. So, it’s no wonder that the show’s Dr. Herriot gave his diagnosis to the recently-widowed farmer with such concern. Where the show shines for us is that it does an excellent job of depicting the relationship between clients and veterinarians and also how the clinic (or surgery, as the Brit’s call it) functions to serve clients. It seems that many things are the same, no matter the decade. The animal owners and veterinarians, along with their staff, have unique problems to solve in terms of doing what is best for the animals with sometimes heart-wrenching options. The veterinarians are treated like the knowledgeable and caring professionals that they are. They take the farmer or pet owner’s plight to keep animals healthy within a reasonable cost scenario into consideration. The veterinarians often must deliver bad news, and yet they are able to do it with such care and concern. There are funny parts, of course, such as the large boar that almost rams Tristan, and when James runs from a bull and lands in the manure pile. I have to thank Rolf for the idea of reviewing this series for my column, because I was out of ideas this month. The show is a nice break every week and something to look forward to. Who knows, someday, perhaps we can see Yorkshire or some other far-ung place in person. The travel bug still bites me on occasion, and the Viking River Cruises are a main sponsor of PBS Masterpiece Theater, so maybe the bug will bite Rolf too. Until then, I am guessing we have many more cows to milk, calves to feed and crops to raise. The Yorkshire Dales on the tube, it is. If you are looking for a fun break and the series I’ve reviewed isn’t your style, I have another recommendation. “Holstein America,” the only television program of its kind that pays tribute to the nation’s dairy farms and families. The next episode airs Thursday, Feb. 10 on RFD-TV, and you can catch it on Holstein USA’s website and YouTube channel afterward. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, Minnesota, in Norseland, where she is still trying to t in with the Norwegians and Swedes. They milk 200 cows and farm 650 acres. She can be reached at jeanannexstad@ gmail.com.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022 • Page 39
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 12, 2022
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