CHECK OUT THE
HEART
starting on Page 23 of this section!
DAIRY
Heart For Dairy Feature
DAIRY ST R
February 26, 2022
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 24, No. 1
Herschleb named World Dairy Expo general manager Washington County native set to lead industry’s largest show By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
MADISON, Wis. – On Feb. 28, a new dairy professional will step into the role of general manager at World Dairy Expo. Growing up on a dairy farm in Germantown, Laura Herschleb went on to build a career in agriculture and the dairy industry, which included holding positions within WDE. She is now ready to take the reins of leadership in producing the world’s largest dairy event. Herschleb begins her duties following the retirement of Scott Bentley. “I’m really looking forward to working with the incredible team at World Dairy Expo and hosting the very best event we can,” Herschleb said. “Pursuing this opportunity has been
a lifetime goal of mine, and I am so grateful for what lies ahead.” From a college student in the Badger Dairy Club to ve years spent as the Dairy Cattle Show manager in the late 2000s to her return in 2018 as the marketing manager, Herschleb has spent many hours on the WDE grounds. She most recently assisted with projects related to education initiatives, attendee services and the trade show. “I got my rst taste of expo with the Badger Dairy Club, which does a lot of work behind the scenes,” Herschleb said. “My prior roles at World Dairy Expo gave me a greater appreciation for all the work folks have put in over the years and what the event has grown into. Expo is built on so many great traditions, and it is very special to have experienced many of them rsthand.” Herschleb’s most memorable WDE was the year she served as the Wisconsin Holstein Association princess attendant in 1998. “I had the opportunity to be down on the colored shavings during the International Holstein Show, and it was
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Laura Herschleb will serve as the new World Dairy Expo general Manager beginning Feb. 28. Herschleb has held previous posiƟons within the organizaƟon.
incredible being right there,” Herschleb said. “It was the year we had the Statue of Liberty display, and the whole experience was breathtaking.” Herschleb graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in dairy science and life science communication. She has held various positions in the industry, including marketing roles at Compeer Financial and Alltech. During her time with Alltech, Herschleb helped plan and execute the company’s booth at WDE. As a trade show exhibitor, Herschleb learned the ropes rsthand and continued building on this knowledge throughout her career. Proud to have roots entrenched in the dairy industry and agriculture, Herschleb said she had a unique upbringing in that she was the only person in her high school with any experience or knowledge of growing up on a farm. “It was interesting and fun to bring my friends to the county and state fairs and share that experience with them,” Turn to HERSCHLEB | Page 6
Keeping the legacy alive Schmitz brothers come home to farm after dad’s passing By Kati Kindschuh kati.k@dairystar.com
KATI KINDSCHUH/DAIRY STAR
Aaron (leŌ) and Tony Schmitz stand in their 200-cow freestall barn at their farm near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The brothers came back to the farm full Ɵme aŌer the passing of their father, Dave, in the spring of 2019.
FOND DU LAC, Wis. – Two years ago, Dave Schmitz was ghting for his life as he battled cancer. The dire situation drew his oldest son, Tony, back to the dairy farm. “It wasn’t even an option,” Tony said. “I was coming home when Dad got sick.” Tony, 26, and his younger brother, Aaron, 23, are the fth generation on their family’s farm, Schmitz’s East Branch Dairy, near Fond du Lac. The brothers now operate the farm. “We take a lot of pride in knowing the farm has been in the family for ve generations, and we didn’t want to be the ones to let that fall,” Aaron said. Since their father’s passing in spring 2019, Tony and Aaron have banded together to keep
their dad’s legacy alive. “He tried to keep things pretty simple and focused on doing the little things right,” Tony said. The Schmitz family milks 200 cows in a double-8 parlor three times a day and manages 700 acres of corn and soybean elds. When the brothers came home, Tony said an emphasis was placed on improving feed quality. “We’ve jumped 5 pounds in milk per cow since really focusing on making better feed,” he said. “We make sure our cut and harvest time on the hay really allows us to maintain a good quality and high yielding crop which leads to high milk production.” The Schmitzes’ dad and Turn to SCHMITZ | Page 7
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
North America dealers. USDA extends Dairy Margin Coverage signup
Dairy Prole brought to you by your
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647
The United States Department of Agriculture extended the deadline for farmers to enroll in the 2022 Dairy Margin Coverage and Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage program. The deadline is extended to March 25. Farmers can apply through their local Farm Service Agency ofce.
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
Record year for exports This past year was a record year for Wisconsin agricultural exports. The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said all exports were up with dairy product exports up nearly 15%.
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.
Business hampered by truck driver shortage The trucker shortage is real, but American Trucking Association Director for Intermodel Motor Carriers Jon Eisen said the labor shortage can impact various parts of the system creating delays. Eisen said the trucking industry wants to attract new drivers to the profession. “The average age of an individual entering CDL school is 34. That means they’ve been in a number of different jobs or occupations before they’ve come to trucking,” he said. Federal regulations require drivers be at least 21 years of age for interstate commerce. Eisen spoke at this week’s National Association of State Departments of Agriculture winter conference. Lawmakers want USDA action for organic dairies A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the northeastern United States is urging Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to respond to the recommendations of a task force that was organized after Danone announced its plans to end contracts with 90 organic dairy farms. Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy and nine other lawmakers said urgent action is needed to respond to the structural threat to organic dairies in the Northeast. Gray wolves to be relisted under Endangered Species Act A U.S. District Court ruled the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service prematurely removed the federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves last year. That means gray wolves will once again have federal protection in 44 of the lower 48 U.S. states. The animal activist group called Defenders for Wildlife calls the ruling a signicant victory. Wisconsin Farm Bureau President Kevin Krentz released a statement. “Wisconsin Farm Bureau is extremely frustrated by another judicial ruling from thousands of miles away that removes the authority of Wisconsin to manage its wolf population,” Krentz said. “This broken record of listing and delisting by judicial decree must end.”
Ag Insider
By Don Wick Columnist
Hebrink to retire in 2023 Compeer Financial President and CEO Rod Hebrink has announced his intention to retire in January 2023. Hebrink has been with Compeer and its legacy brand, AgStar Financial Services, since 1985. Hebrink has been president and CEO since 2014. The Compeer Financial board will begin the search process soon. Perdue selected for university position The University System of Georgia Board of Regents has named former Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue as its chancellor. Perdue served two terms as Georgia’s governor and was the only nalist for the job. Global collaboration for Zoetis, CowManager, Select Sires
Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 5
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 3
Watertown, WI
Mullen’s Dairy Bar an ice cream icon First Section: Pages 10 - 11
Richland Center, WI
Loresches combine grazing, conventional practices First Section: Pages 8, 9
Rib Lake, WI
Dairy Prole: Alex Matyka First Section: Page 31
Madison, WI
Herschleb named World Dairy Expo general manager First Section: Pages 1, 6
Sunprairie, WI
Curran’s book captures the essence of farm life First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Independence, WI
Transition impacts feed, animal health for Halama family Second Section: Pages 6 - 7
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE: Describe your protocol for treating pneumonia in youngstock. First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Fond du Lac, WI
Schmitz brothers carry on dairying tradition First Section: Pages 1, 7
Viola, WI
Heart for Dairy
First Section: Pages 23, 25
Ogema, WI
Ulrich celebrates ve years as Jersey breeder Third Section: Pages 3 - 4
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Zone 1
Zone 2
Columnists A Insider Ag Pages 2, 5 P First Fir Section n
Something S to Ruminate On Page 34 Fi First Section
Farmer and Columnist Page 35 First Section
Ra Ramblings fr from the Ridge Page P 36 First Firs Section n
Ju Thinking Just Out Loud Page 38 F First Section
Dairy Good Life Page 39 First Section
The “Mielke” Market Weekly Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
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ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 2 Zoetis, CowManager and Select Sires are launching a strategic collaboration to integrate genomic tools with predictive sensor systems. DNA traits and indexes developed by Zoetis will be put together with CowManager’s ear sensor technology to provide farmers with information on the health, fertility, nutritional insights and location of their cattle. Select Sires said the on-farm analytics and increased reliability in genetic selection will benet its dairy and beef customers. Deere Q1 earnings beat Wall Street expectations Deere & Company is reporting quarterly net income of $903 million, down from $1.2 billion in the same quarter last year. Farm equipment sales rose 6%. The price tag for John Deere equipment has increased to offset supply chain costs, but the company said that has not hurt demand. AGCO has stronger Q4 in 2021 Farm equipment manufacturer AGCO is reporting scal fourth quarter net income of $283.3 million on net sales of $3.15 billion. AGCO reports full year net income of $905 million on net sales of $11.14 billion. AGCO’s North American sales increased nearly 21% year-over-year on increased sales of high horsepower and mid-range tractors and precision planting equipment sales. Appointed to dairy checkoff board USDA has announced the appointment of 12 individuals to the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. Sara Bahgat-Eggert of Clayton, Wisconsin, is one of seven new appointees. Randy Roecker of Loganville, Wisconsin, was reappointed for a second term. They will each serve a three-year term on the dairy checkoff board. Rettler to serve another term John Rettler of Neosho, Wisconsin, has been reelected president of the FarmFirst
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 5
Dairy Cooperative board of directors. Steve Brock of Dagget, Michigan, will serve as vice president. Kathy Bauer of Faribault, Minnesota, and Bob Dietzel of East Dubuque, Illinois, were elected secretary and treasurer, respectively. FarmFirst represents dairy farms in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. Meissner on Edge Dairy as interim board member Josh Meissner has been appointed to ll a vacancy left by his father, Jerry, on the Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative board of directors. Jerry Meissner died in December 2021. The Meissner family operates NormE-Lane Farm at Chili, Wisconsin. Adamski takes over WFU presidency The Wisconsin Farmers Union has elected Rick Adamski, of Seymour, as its president. Darin Von Ruden, of Westby, who has been the WFU president since 2010, is now the organization’s vice president. Secretary Linda Ceylor, of Catawba, and treasurer Ed Gorell, of Eleva, were reelected. Trivia challenge Approximately 20 million pounds of cheese are consumed by Americans during the Super Bowl. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, how many pounds of milk are needed to produce 1 pound of cheese curds? 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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Herschleb said. Herschleb and her husband, Mike, have two children, Kolby, 12, and Lily, 10, and reside in Deforest. “I could not do this job without their support and the support of other family and friends in the area,” Herschleb said. “Both of my kids are involved in soccer, which is a big part of what we do in our spare time. I help coach my daughter’s team, and the kids are also involved in 4-H and show at the Dane County Fair.” Herschleb’s zeal for the dairy industry continually grows as she dedicates herself to putting on a WDE to remember this fall and for years to come. “Working with all of our committees, I’m hoping to do some really great things as we dive into the future,” she said. “I strive to lead through listening and want to hear from others involved in the show to learn what it is we should be doing. Scott Bentley leaves very big shoes to ll, and I plan to build on the show’s prior success while leading us in the best direction.” A new event schedule will launch at the 2022 WDE, which will take place Oct. 2-7. The event will span six days from Sunday through Friday, with youth contests held on Sunday, the Dairy Cattle Show beginning Monday and the trade show starting Tuesday. “This change allows us to retain the many expo traditions that are so critical and truly foundational to the event,” Herschleb said. “The new schedule also
allows us to be more in line with trade show standards in the industry while still meeting the requirements of the dairy cattle show, as we need those ve days in the show ring.” Herschleb encourages attendees to plan ahead for this schedule change by downloading the WDE mobile app to help map out time at the event. A return of the rich international presence is also expected for 2022. “We’re hopeful we will be able to enjoy a more normal show this year and have many international guests and exhibitors return, making it similar to World Dairy Expos of the past,” Herschleb said. Excited to see the trade show and cattle exhibitors this October, Herschleb likes getting out into the barns and exhibit halls to meet people and shake their hands. “I enjoy building relationships and learning about what’s going on at our exhibitors’ farms and businesses,” she said. Meeting the global needs of the dairy industry both today and into the future is one of the greatest opportunities of WDE in Herschleb’s eyes. “As the dairy industry continues to change, World Dairy Expo is going to be right there alongside it, growing and changing too,” Herschleb said. “I’m really excited for what’s to come, and I’m looking forward to welcoming everyone back this fall.”
Correction
In the Feb. 12 issue of Dairy Star, a cutline for the Elsinger Farms’ prole should have read, “... Good feet and legs, nice udders and moderate structure are the top traits the dairy looks for in breeding their herd.” Dairy Star regrets the error.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 7
ConƟnued from SCHMITZ | Page 1 three employees operated the farm until Dave’s health declined in late 2018. Their mom, Mary, also helped manage the farm. Aaron said they’ve been fortunate to have the employees they do and Tony agreed. “Good help is worth keeping,” he said. “You never know when you’re going to need some help.” Many of the farm’s employees have been there for more than ve years. In addition to the hired employees, the Schmitzes have extended family nearby to help throughout the year. “We are fortunate to have family just down the road to help with eldwork, putting corn in and making hay in the summer,” Tony said. Tony has taken on the role of herdsman along with feeding. “For the rst four or ve months, we were still doing herd checks on paper,” Tony said. “I told myself, ‘We’ve got to change.’” Now, the family uses a dairy herd management software to modernize their record keeping and are able to manage each cow more efciently. “It’s been worth its weight in gold,” Tony said. Aaron followed his older brother home in spring 2020 after earning his bachelor’s de-
gree in business administration. “When I went to school, it was always in the back of my mind to come home,” Aaron said. “Obviously with Dad being sick, it moved the timeline up.” Aaron has taken on the bookwork and works closely with his mother. As the Schmitz brothers took on the management of the farm, they quickly became more aware of economics and the nancial environment around the farm; a task both young men take with great responsibility. Tracking is key according to Tony. “With fertilizer prices being four times what it was the year before, you really have to focus on what’s important for your operation and what’s going to make sense for the future of your business,” Tony said. “We’re making sure we’re not getting careless with spending and keeping an eye on costs per hundredweight. We look at it monthly and evaluate.” As far as what the future holds, the brothers are weighing their options. “A lot of these buildings have been utilized for a long, long time,” Tony said. “That’ll be the next step, guring out what facilities we need. Moving forward, any further construction on the farm, cow comfort is paramount in mind. We take a lot of pride in having people drive
KATI KINDSCHUH/DAIRY STAR
Tony and Aaron Schmitz stand in front of calf hutches Feb. 3 at their family’s dairy near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The Schmitzes raise all of their heifer calves. by and see our farm. We want to be proud of the buildings, the product and business we run.” Their dad left behind a legacy in agriculture and educating the public as he served many terms on dairy promotion boards and councils and routinely opened up the farm for school tours.
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we’re able to keep it going and honor the foundation that has been laid down by the generations before us,” Tony said. “We are grateful to continue on the farming legacy that Dad carried. Hopefully, Aaron and I are able to keep it up for another generation.”
“We want people to come here to learn,” Tony said. “That was a big thing that my dad always wanted us to do is to continue supporting the agriculture education programs in the area.” Mary is the sole owner of the farm but supports her sons in their endeavors on the farm. “She’s just as proud that
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
Moving at their own pace
Loresches combine grazing, conventional practices By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
RICHLAND CENTER, Wis. – Wade and Amy Loresch are seeing the fruits of their labor after starting slowly in their dairy career. What began as 10 heifer calves grew into a herd of 70 Jersey and Holstein crossbred cows and more heifers than they have room for. “We nally shipped over
1 million pounds of milk last year,” Wade Loresch said. “Milk prices are catching up, and my son is home from college and wants to start milking cows.” The Loresches milk in a double-12 swing parlor near Richland Center. Dairy farming was an occupation the Loresches took on in 2009. Loresch had previously milked cows from 1999 until 2006 when he sold out following a divorce. In 2009,
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Wade (from leŌ), Cody and Amy Loresch stand in the parlor Feb. 9 at their farm near Richland Center, Wisconsin. They milk 70 cows.
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spent two weeks dumping milk secured for their milk, the Loand searching for a market. resches decided to increase cow It was their grazing practices numbers. They expanded the that nally helped them nd a herd in 2016 with a loan from home for their milk. their bank. “Scenic Central nally said “Cattle prices were through they would take our milk,” Lo- the roof,” Loresch said. “We resch said. “We were already were piecing together what we grazing; it was just something we did to help offset the costs.” Once they had a market Turn to LORESCHES | Page 9
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ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Cows eat TMR at the Loresches’ farm Feb. 9 near Richland Center, Wisconsin. The cows are grazed in the summer and fed TMR all year round.
Amy convinced Wade to begin dairying again. At the request of Amy, who is a graduate of Southwest Technical College’s Dairy Herd Management program, they started with a small group of heifer calves. When those 10 animals calved two years later, the Loresches were unable to nd a market for the milk. The couple
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 9
ConƟnued from LORESCHES | Page 8
could to start getting milk in the tank. We were just taking what we could get.” The couple was able to nd 40 cows to add to their herd and then focused on growing internally. After struggling to nd the right diet for their calves, they found that whole milk replacer worked the best to get their calves off to a strong start. “We were feeding whole milk for a while, and we were just not having luck with it,” Loresch said. “We also did not want to take from the tank what little milk we were producing. Then we went to a milk replacer that was made up of skim milk, because it was cheap and that wasn’t working either. The one nutritionist said with Jerseys we needed a higher fat (replacer) and that’s been working really good. We have tried cheaper milk replacers, but it really shows in the calves. I guess if I’m going to skimp on money, I’m not doing it on that.” With calf raising success established, the couple continued tweaking their management to increase milk production. “We started pushing for production with better feed quality,” Loresch said. “We had a lot of old equipment that prevented us from getting good hay made on time. We started investing in some better equipment. Last year, we went to a bigger tractor, a bigger chopper and a couple wagons.”
Loresch said the bigger equipment allows for a quicker harvest, leading to consistent quality feed. Loresch said he has seen the benets in milk production and cow health. In the summertime, the cows are on pasture but a total mixed ration makes up 90% of their diet. The TMR is adjusted based on how well the pastures are performing. If the pasture grows too tall, the forage is baled for heifer feed. “The paddocks we have are not used for intensive grazing anymore. We just let them go out there,” Loresch said. “The cows stay cleaner, and they have better feet and less wart issues.” The combination of grazing and feeding TMR has paid off in production and premiums. The Loresches’ milk is sent to Meister Cheese in Muscoda and is a part of the Cows First program through Chipotle. One of the requirements of this program is having access to pasture. This program earns them an extra $1 per hundredweight of milk sold. Loresch is a graduate of the University of WisconsinMadison Farm and Industry Short Course, where he learned grazing practices from Dick Cates, who was teaching there at the time. Loresch said he always believed in grazing in the right environment but also supplements a TMR year-round. “Grazing exclusively doesn’t always work if you’re just starting out and have a lot of
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Cody Loresch feeds grain to a calf Feb. 9 at his family’s farm near Richland Center, Wisconsin. Loresch is a recent college graduate and is working at the farm full Ɵme. payments because your production goes down,” Loresch said. In the last year, the couple has also updated their milking equipment with automatic takeoffs to decrease the amount of time cows spend in the parlor. “When we were at the grazing school with Cates, he would have speakers come in and say, ‘Have a lot of units and get them in and get them out,’” said Loresch of moving the cows through the parlor.
The couple’s parlor is expandable to a double-16 swing, something Loresch hopes to implement now that his son, Cody, is joining the operation as a full-time employee. Cody graduated from Southwest Technical College in 2021 from the agribusiness program and said he would like to apply his education at the home farm. Cody worked part time on the farm while he was in school and took on more duties once Amy
had employment off the farm in 2015. Expanding the parlor would allow the family to milk up to 170 cows in about 1.5 hours and to continue focusing on the successful grazing aspects of the farm. “Our goal, if Cody is going to be home, is to milk enough where it’s still manageable,” Loresch said. “We want to continue with the grazing, so we can’t really go much over that.”
“DHIA is a great tool to help keep our dairy profitable.” What are some of the DHIA tests you use?
We use the BASE DHIA testing as well as the Dairy Elisa checking for pregnancy. Which is your favorite test and why? We don’t have a favorite. All the information that we get from DHIA is utilized to make decisions on our dairy.
How does testing with DHIA beneÀt your dairy operation? We see many beneÀts from the information we get from DHIA testing on our farm. We closely monitor the somatic cell count of individual cows to keep the quality of the milk we sell at its best. Management decisions are also based on the results we get from using DHIA testing. The great amount of data that comes back to us in reports each month guide us in breeding, culling and many other decisions on our dairy. DHIA is a great tool to help keep our dairy proÀtable. Tell us about your farm. We milk around 100 cows in a double-10 New Zealand style swing parlor. Our cows are housed in hoop barns, with most of the cows being in the barn with sand free stalls. We have four grown children who all helped out as they were growing up. Our youngest son, Ethan, graduated from SDSU last May and is working with Ecolab and also on the farm. He wants to come back and take over the operation. We also have a full-time worker and a parttime worker. We raise all of our youngstock and farm Dean and Elizabeth Johnson 320 acres of corn, soybeans Johnson Dairy and alfalfa. We have recently 100 cows • Heron Lake, Minnesota began using cover crops in Testing DHIA for 41 years our operation.
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
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“This farm has been in our family for over 100 years and is now being run by third and fourth generation family members. Over the years we have tried other feed storage methods such as ag bags and piles with plastic and tires. We did not care for them very much because the feed was vulnerable to being destroyed by small wildlife. With the tower silos, we have never had wildlife cause moldy feed. Other than baled hay, we now use tower silos for all of our feed storage. We like the quality of feed that comes out of them - it is really good and we don’t have feed spoilage. It only takes two people to fill them, which helps in keeping a lower number of employees and saves money. As our feed storage will be grows in the future, we’re planning on adding another silo.”
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By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
WATERTOWN, Wis. – In the heart of downtown Watertown stands a beloved ice cream parlor people have been ocking to for nearly a century. Serving up homemade ice cream is what Mullen’s Dairy Bar is best known for, but the restaurant offers much more than food to those who walk through its doors. “We value traditions and family here,” said Adam Keepman, who owns the business with his brothers, Josh and Matt. “Not much changes at Mullen’s Dairy Bar, and I like that. We’re kind of that lucky place young kids through adults enjoy. Customers will say they remember their grandpa bringing them here, and that’s the STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR appeal of Mullen’s. People like the Adam Keepman, chef and proprietor, owns Mullen’s Dairy Bar with familiar and the nostalgia. Special his brothers, Josh and MaƩ, in Watertown, Wisconsin. The 90-yearmemories are made here.” old business is revered for its homemade ice cream and other dairy Mullen’s Dairy Bar is a hometown products, including malts, shakes and cheese curds. favorite soon to celebrate 90 years in business. Carrying on a legacy that began in 1932, the Keepmans are one of two families len family, Keepman expanded past the core offerings other than the Mullens to own the historic building and and created new avors. business. The Keepmans bought Mullen’s Dairy Bar “I went beyond the norm and started to treat the and reopened it May 2017 after Mullen’s shut down ice cream barrel like my soup barrel,” he said. “I try to the previous September. use fresh ingredients when I can instead of institutional “Mullen’s is one of the oldest ice cream parlors, additives. Our ice cream is somewhere in between Ben and when it closed in 2016, the town was distraught,” and Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs. Some of it is chunky, and Keepman said. “Luckily, it wasn’t closed for long. We some is more elegant and rened.” have intense fans as rabid as Packers or Cubs fans, and One of Keepman’s most popular creations is Dirt we also get a lot of out-of-state visitors.” Cake, which is made with devil’s food cake mix, Oreo As the name might imply, dairy is at the root of cookies and buttercream frosting. Mullen’s Dairy Bar. Ice cream in a cone, dish or sundae “Everyone goes absolutely nuts for Dirt Cake,” he is their No.1 product followed closely by malts, shakes said. “Each holiday season, we try to have different and cheese curds. Ice cream cakes, ice cream sodas specialty avors too. At Christmas, we’ll offer egg nog, and freezes, ice cream cookie sandwiches, and pints, gingerbread and peppermint mocha ice creams and an quarts and half-gallons are also on the menu along Irish cream avor during the spring.” with homemade macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese Mullen’s Dairy Bar sells about 200 gallons of ice sandwiches, pretzel bites with homemade cheese sauce, cream per week in the winter and 400 gallons per week and soups. Mullen’s Dairy Bar also sells hamburgers, in the summer. Keepman expects to sell about 600 including cheeseburgers as well as a burger topped gallons of ice cream each week this coming summer. off with cheese curds and a homemade cheese sauce. “We’re producing more ice cream than has ever “The original Mullen’s Dairy Bar produced milk, been produced at Mullen’s,” Keepman said. “We’re cream, sour cream, cottage cheese and orange juice while doing more ice cream than ever in the month of Februa tiny space up front was devoted to retail,” Keepman ary. We also sell a lot of cheese curds. We buy frozen said. “The Mullens used to do home deliveries of milk breaded muenster curds from Kraemer’s Cheese – a and had eight delivery drivers until the early 1980s. local distributor – while the milk for our shakes comes Our older customers grew up with Mullen’s delivered from Sassy Cow Creamery.” to their house.” Last summer, the Keepmans opened a second Mullen’s ice cream is made onsite using an ice Mullen’s Dairy Bar on the boardwalk at Fowler Lake cream mix from Neenah Classic Mix that contains in Oconomowoc. The seasonal location is open April 12% butterfat. Using the same base recipe as the Mul- through October serving dessert from a walk-up window. “This spring, we’re hoping to add hot dogs and chips to the menu,” Keepman said. The Keepmans also acquired a new account in Waterford – a deluxe dessert shop called Kravings, which is using the Mullen’s brand ice cream. “My brothers’ goal was to develop a wholesale ice cream business, and now our ice cream is sold in nearly 50 shops and restaurants, including Woodman’s and Festival Foods,” Keepman said. In summer, Mullen’s Dairy Bar has close to 60 employees between their two stores. In winter, they employ about half that number. The Watertown location is open every day year-round except for Mondays from November through March. “This place is lled with all sorts of good graces, and there’s so much good feeling here,” Keepman said. “That’s the magic of Mullen’s. It’s so different from any other restaurant or shop in the area. I treat this place like a church because it’s been really sacred to a lot of people for a long time.” Mullen’s Dairy Bar also overows with history. For example, a letter from Ray Kroc – the man who launched STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR the McDonald’s franchise – can be found framed on Mullen’s Dairy Bar has been a hometown favorite for nearly a century in Watertown, Wisconsin. Origi- the wall. Kroc sold milkshake machines earlier in his nally owned by the Mullen family, Mullen’s Dairy career, and Mullen’s was one of his accounts. Bar was once the producƟon site for milk, cream, sour cream and coƩage cheese. Turn to MULLEN’S DAIRY BAR | Page 11
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 11
ConƟnued from MULLEN’S DAIRY BAR | Page 10
The
I.R.S. is at
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Sarah Chapman scoops ice cream for a customer Feb. 15 at the store in Watertown, Wisconsin. The Keepmans use the Mullen family’s original ice cream recipe but have created many new avors since buying the business in 2017. “We still use those original mixers today,” Keepman said. “It was a special moment when we found that letter. It literally fell on my feet when searching through some historical volumes.” Reminding people of simpler times, Mullen’s cozy charm creates the perfect atmosphere for enjoying a sweet escape from everyday life. Capturing the vibe of a bygone era, the ambiance in Mullen’s Dairy Bar is that of an old-fashioned ice cream shop where stools line the counter and old-time rock and roll music plays in the background. “People can come in here and tell us their troubles because they feel comfortable at Mullen’s,” Keepman said. “That’s a nice feeling. But no matter what people come here for, we try to do it right every time.” Embracing his business’ close connection to the dairy industry, Keepman
appreciates the consistency and availability of ingredients he uses to make the products his customers demand. “I think we’re lucky to be Wisconsinites and have access to dairy farmers’ quality milk which allows us to create the products that drive our business’ bottom line,” Keepman said. “Wisconsin is the dairy state and the dairy capitol, and I’m proud to have it be a local tradition we can rely on. We’re in the heart of it all.” Operating the business with a love and respect for time-honored traditions, Keepman is devoted to preserving the heritage and authenticity of Mullen’s Dairy Bar while continuing to grow with the times. “I’m proud of what we do here,” he said. “People love their treats, especially ice cream, and we try to have the best ice cream around.”
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
‘When I Listened to a Farmer’
Curran’s book captures the essence of farm life By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. – Pete Curran never set out to write a book. Having no experience in agriculture at the age of 54, he merely wanted to learn what farming and farmers were all about so he could secure a job as a seed salesman for Pioneer. When he began knocking on
farmers’ doors in 2017, Curran had no idea what kind of journey he was embarking on. “I asked the farmers about their farm, their family, their ancestors,” Curran said. “I would then write a short story about what I saw when I listened to each farmer. I also started taking pictures of the farmers with my (phone). I then put iers together that I used when prospecting, which helped cre-
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Fran and Alan Rademacher dairy farm with their daughter and son-in-law near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The Rademachers’ story, “YardsƟck,” is featured in Curran’s book.
ate some relevance on the farms I was calling upon.” Curran, a resident of Sun Prairie, also learned about farming by getting his hands dirty. He volunteered to milk cows, butcher chickens and conquered his fear of heights by climbing a silo to x a farmer’s agpole. “These farmers showed me what their life is like,” Curran said. “I asked a lot of personal questions to get a sense of who they are, why they do what they do, and how they make business decisions. I like to focus on who people are not what they do.” Over time, Curran’s collection of stories grew to the point that his cousin, Jim Brown, encouraged him to turn them into a book. “Jim told me, ‘You need to write this book right now. People need to see this,’” said Curran, who is now a milk tester serving farms in southern Wisconsin. “So that’s what I did.” Curran’s book, “When I Listened to a Farmer,” was published last July by Hearth and Home Press of Pennsylvania – an imprint of Sunbury Press. Containing photographs and lyrical stories, the book celebrates and honors farmers. Writing is not a task that comes easy to Curran, who is dyslexic. This is why his stories Turn to CURRAN | Page 13
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Pete Curran is the author of the book, “When I Listened to a Farmer,” which was published in July 2021. The book contains a collecƟon of lyrical stories and photographs featuring farmers of all kinds, including many dairy farmers.
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 13
Con�nued from CURRAN | Page 13
PHOTO BY PETE CURRAN
Steven Lins, of S & L Dairy, farms with his wife, Lori, in Columbus, Wisconsin. Lins was Pete Curran’s rst cold call, rst sale, rst repeat customer and mentor who allowed Curran to work the morning milking shi� for a week to help him learn about dairy farming. are not written in the typical fashion. His sentences are short and oftentimes contain a single word. For example, a section from the story “A Beating Heart” reads: “Blessed? Or burdened? The farmer. The legacy keeper. See the beating heart. … Third generation. Nurturing. Fourth generation.” Curran carefully selects his words for maximum impact. “I never embraced reading,” he said. “I’m a visual person, and I choose written words that are as visual as my photos to communicate what I see. I write in a succinct manner, and lyrical, prose-style writing is the only way I know how to write. I hear and see what I write, and I want people to visualize as much as I did when I interviewed the farmers.” Tried and true faces ll the pages of his book which features farmers of all kinds, including many dairy farmers. “Photography is really important to my book and is a big part of storytelling for me,” Curran said. “I’ve always been intrigued by photos and started taking pictures of barns and landscapes as well as people. I would love to do a photo book someday.” Curran’s book focuses on what he calls the three Rs of life – resilience, reverence and reality.
“Farming is work that tires your body and enriches your soul,” he said. “I’m in awe of the people who do this kind of work. I think farmers are chosen, and I think their families are chosen.” It sometimes took Curran multiple visits to get all the information he needed to write a story. ‘A Beating Heart’ was three years in development and describes the burden of being a legacy keeper. It is about a farmer who reveres his parents and keeps the farm going for his son. “Farmers are the original American entrepreneur,” Curran said. “They are incredible businesspeople, and anyone looking to learn about entrepreneurship should go work on a farm for six months or even a summer. You will learn so much.” Resembling poetry, Curran’s stories are told from the heart. “My stories are emotional,” he said. “I believe farmers are the caretakers of our souls. Farming is a meaningful way of life, and this book should make farmers feel good about themselves.” Curran admired the work ethic of the farmer so much that he continued writing stories long after he landed that rst sales job in the industry. He has an idea for a second book which would be titled, “The Dirt Keepers.” “This would contain more intense stories of who these farmers are,” Curran said. Curran also created a gallery exhibit called “A life. From dirt.” Premiering at the Rountree Gallery in Platteville in 2020, the exhibit was also on display at last year’s Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. The exhibit can be borrowed for free and highlights people and possibilities in agriculture. Demonstrating a genuine appreciation for the farmer, Curran has made countless friends of farmers who welcome him wholeheartedly into their homes and barns. “One farmer told me, ‘You taught me how to notice things,’” Curran said. “He was surprised I saw what I saw in his life.” Designed to bring joy and comfort to everyone who reads it, “When I Listened to a Farmer” will likely warm the heart of any farmer who pages through a copy. Curran also promotes his stories on his Facebook page where he continues to build his collection. “When I listened to a farmer, I saw a life,” Curran said. “But it was more than that. I saw timeless best practices for living a meaningful life, and this is what I wish to share with the world.”
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
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From Our Side Of The Fence Amy Sander Penterman Thorp, Wisconsin Clark County 850 cows
What becomes the greatest challenge with managing livestock over the winter? Frozen manure scrapers, slippery alley ways, frozen feed and equipment failure when it’s super cold. Calf health when temperatures uctuate. It’s a constant battle keeping everything running when it gets super cold. We work around the clock to make sure everything stays running. Once you lose the battle, you can’t catch up until you get a warm stretch. Describe your protocol for treating pneumonia in youngstock. We have focused on preventative versus reactive measures. We have added better ventilation and tweak it annually for optimal air ow. As soon as we hear coughing in our youngstock, we treat with medicated crumbles per our vet instructions. Severe cases are monitored by the vet and treated with his recommended protocol. We strive to keep pens bedded and dry at all times. Newborn calves are deep bedded with straw. Once they are moved to the autofeeder, their pens are bedded with straw and shavings. Describe a weather event this year that greatly affected your herd. The constant uctuations in temperature, warm then cold, then damp then warm, etc., have caused many issues this winter. We see more respiratory issues in our older heifers (3-7 months). Also, the extreme cold has limited how often we can high-pressure clean and disinfect hutches and calving pens properly. This has caused more scours and sickness than usual. What is the best management tool or strategy you use to get your herd through the winter? We utilize CowManager on our farm. We are able to closely watch feed intake as well as overall health. Our nutritionist is able to log on from home, and he monitors as well. CowManager also auto temps our cows, and we can see right away if there are issues going on in the herd. We work with our feeder to make sure frozen chunks of feed stay out of the TMR mixer. Proper feed management is key. It takes daily communication and observation and making sure all team members understand the importance of cold weather protocols on the farm. What was the most extreme winter you remember, and what hardships did you face on the farm that year because of the weather? In 2019, we had heavy, wet snow. We had a bad snowstorm with high winds that ended up collapsing a section of our freestall barn roof. We were fortunate that we did not lose any cows. We were able to get the roof xed within a month of collapsing. It was close to a year before our cows were back on track pre-roof collapse. You don’t realize how much that affects your herd long after the event happens. Working with the right people and staying patient helped get us through the rough period. It was a very stressful time for us. Tell us about your housing facilities for your animals and your farm. Our milk cows are housed in a tunnel-ventilated freestall barn and bedded with sand. We have automated scrapers. Our baby calf barn is naturally ventilated with additional fans and air tubes for proper air ow. Our heifer barn for ages 3 months to 8 months is ventilated with positive air ow. We have tweaked all these barns as there is always room for improvement.
Dairyy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 15
Dairy farmers:
Describe your protocol for treating pneumonia in youngstock.
Harvey and Jackie Menn Norwalk, Wisconsin Monroe County 72 cows What becomes the greatest challenge with managing livestock over the winter? Calves are the hardest to manage. Keeping waterers thawed is especially challenging for the calves. Describe your protocol for treating pneumonia in youngstock. Being organic, we focus on prevention by vaccinating for pneumonia. Pneumonia is the worst thing for us to come across. We use aloe pellets or add aloe to the milk if we do get a case. Describe a weather event this year that greatly affected your herd. We have had bad years in the past, but this year, there has not been anything that stood out. What is the best management tool or strategy you use to get your herd through the winter? For the milk cows, we use a winter dip. We nd it to be effective to prevent frozen teats.
AJ Schlintz Bangor, Wisconsin LaCrosse County 60 cows What becomes the greatest challenge with managing livestock over the winter? The biggest challenge for me is the weather going up and down. Sometimes it goes from 40 degrees to zero in one day. This is hardest on the calves. Describe your protocol for treating pneumonia in youngstock. Draxxin usually perks them up. Our veterinarian vaccinates for pneumonia when we dehorn and tag them around 50 days old or less. Describe a weather event this year that greatly affected your herd. There was a huge temperature change in December 2021 that was really hard on us. We lost two fresh cows and 10 calves that were less than 1-week-old. The weather was changing so drastically every day; there was just nothing we could do about it. What is the best management tool or strategy you use to get your herd through the winter?
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What is the most extreme winter you remember, and what hardships did you face on the farm that year because of the weather? About 3-4 years ago, it was 50 degrees below zero for days at a time. We covered the open feeding area with a tarp which is the only time we ever had to do that. We had waterers freeze and had to carry water to the heifers. We also had a hard time cleaning up because the manure would freeze so quickly. Tell us about your housing facilities for your animals and your farm. Our milk cows are in a freestall barn with mattresses. We have a freestall for the heifers that are breeding age and up. Weaned calves are in a loose housing facility, and our baby calves are in hutches. Harvey is the fth generation; his great-grandfather homesteaded the farm. We have always had Jerseys and were certied organic Jan. 1, 2009. We bought the farm in 1990.
Our vet offers good support. Other than that, we take it day by day. What was the most extreme winter you remember, and what hardships did you face on the farm that year because of the weather? I can’t think of one really extreme winter, but last year was kind of different because it went from 10 degrees below zero at the end of February to 50 degrees. It was like suddenly summer was here. That was the rst time since building the free stall barn that I did not even try to haul manure with a spreader. I piled it and dumped it in the eld with the skid loader. Tell us about your housing facilities for your animals and your farm. Our milk cows are housed in a free stall barn. Our dry cows are on a bedded pack in the pasture with a wind break. Our yearlings are also on a bedded pack, and our calves are in hutches. I have been milking cows since 2004. My wife, Liza, works off the farm as a loan ofcer, and our two children are Avery, 8, and Ayla, 6. This year, we are hosting a foreign exchange student from Mexico named Emilio. Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16
Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Donovan Huebner Columbus, Wisconsin Columbia County 1,100 cows
ferent weather changes from mild to cold, damp air to dry, sunny air has denitely kept us on our toes. Fast treatment and dry bedding in all ages of calves up to our cows has helped us continue to grow calves and maintain quality milk production all with minimal feed intake loss.
Amanda Knoener Kress-Hill Dairy Newton, Wisconsin Manitowoc County 150 cows
What becomes the greatest challenge with managing livestock over the winter? Any open-style yards or scrape alleys become the greatest challenge for us. The rst real cold snap more than a day long is always a blast to nd out which waterers aren’t keeping up and are freezing. It’s hard to stay ahead of anything that’s exposed to the elements. Describe your protocol for treating pneumonia in youngstock. We treat youngstock with Draxxin and a pain killer of sorts, primarily if only certain cattle show signs. If it happens throughout a group, we get a prescription from the vet for a crumble treatment in the feed. Describe a weather event this year that greatly affected your herd. When the temperatures had the nice 20- to 40-degree daily swings about two months ago, we had some issues with some calves, mainly over 3 months old. We had pneumonia but also scours and switched to a different colostrum replacer. That pretty much solved all of the problems. What is the best management tool or strategy you use to get your herd through the winter? We try to keep doors shut and sealed and manage curtains to keep the most consistent temperatures with the constant weather uctuations we get. Frost protection cream on fresh cows also helps. We use sand-bedded free stalls, but on the really cold days, we put straw in the stalls for fresh cows to help keep them more comfortable and more protected from frostbite on the udders. What was the most extreme winter you remember, and what hardships did you face on the farm that year because of the weather? I would say the worst was at least 10 years ago when we had silos and some open feed yards on part of the farm. We tried to keep ahead of chipping the sides of silos and preventing cows from slipping in the yards along with keeping pipes from freezing in the barn for the individual cattle waterers that used to be there. Tell us about your farm and your housing facilities for your animals. We milk on two farms. Both have parallel parlors – a double-8 and double-15 with 6-row and 4-row freestall barns. Calves are housed in huts and then go to jumbo huts. The heifers and dry cows are on sand bedding and pen pack lots on different farms. We work 3,000 acres and grow and harvest all the crops for the cattle along with some cash cropping. My dad, Dave Huebner, is basically retired but runs for sand for me weekly and helps work up elds and combine. I farm with ve key guys who are like brothers to me – Barry Van Buren, James Berndt, Jesse Robbins and Jake and Ryan Skalitzky. Without them, and the other really great employees, the farm would not be where it is today. When things get difcult on the farm, we work together and get it done.
What becomes the greatest challenge with managing livestock over the winter? The greatest challenge managing our livestock during the winter is the ne line of keeping them warm and dry but not too warm to keep good quality air. Our calves are housed outside in individual huts (with collars) and move through Super Hut shelters. When the weather gets extremely cold, drafty and snowy, we like to provide extra measures (lock calves in individual huts, aps on Super Hut windows and doors, close barns to avoid freezing) to keep calves out of the elements. But after many trials, errors and successes, we became aware that when you are helping with the cold, snow and drafts, it can affect the air quality and cause more problems. If you are too warm in the winter in your barn or huts, then your animals are too warm also. Open it up and get some fresh air in. Our freestall barn always has at least one exhaust fan pulling air out of the barn to keep the air moving and prevent it from becoming stale. Describe your protocol for treating pneumonia in youngstock. We have a well-staffed and experienced calf team, so calf sickness is monitored closely and caught at early stages. Our protocol is to rst check the temperature of the calf to determine how aggressive the treatments need to be. With a fast diagnosis, we usually treat with an anti-inammatory (Flunix/Banamine) to edge the temperature and/or pain and then also an antibiotic to ght the pneumonia. I have found Draxxin and Resor both work the best on our herd. They also can be bought with the anti-inammatory drug mixed in. Describe a weather event this year that greatly affected your herd. This winter, we seem to have been battling with more pneumonia cases than normal. The dif-
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What is the best management tool or strategy you use to get your herd through the winter? The best management tool for our farm is to have some awesome employees. Having constancy throughout our whole farm is a big factor in healthy calves, healthy cows and good production. The same people (including me) work with the calves and cows every day. They know when someone isn’t feeling good or needs to be evaluated. Teamwork and communication have denitely been key to avoiding extreme sickness. In the winter months, our team understands it is more labor intensive and works hard to keep dry, warm calves and clean cows to avoid sickness and frostbite. What was the most extreme winter you remember, and what hardships did you face on the farm that year because of the weather? The most extreme winter we had was during the polar vortex. I’m not sure what we didn’t face during those cold days. It was long hours, long days and a lot of frozen things. But, we made it. Tell us about your farm and your housing facilities for your animals. We started farming 12 years ago by renting the buildings and land and buying a herd of grade Holstein cows. Then throughout the years, we bought some registered show animals. We bought the buildings and land and currently own 600 acres of land. The farm is old, with a freestall barn and parlor that was built in the early 1970s. All our youngstock are housed in individual huts and Super Hut shelters until about 7 months old. The cows are all housed in a freestall barn with outside drive-by feeding.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
Harvesting Quality Forages
Putting away forages quickly key for Grubers Bob and Kaylie Gruber Lastrup, Minnesota 220 cows Describe your farm and facilities. We milk 220 cows in a at-barn parlor. The cows are housed in a free stall barn with sand-bedded free stalls. All heifers are kept for replacements in a separate bedded pack barn. Bull calves are sold weekly. List the forages you harvest. We raise haylage and corn silage. How many acres of each do you raise? We raise 200 acres of corn, 250 acres of haylage, and the rest is grass. What quality and quantity do you harvest of each crop? We try to get 20-25 tons of wet silage per acre with over 7% protein and over 35% starch. We try to get 5-8 dry tons of haylage with 150 relative feed value or greater and over 20% protein.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Bob Gruber stands in his freestall barn Feb. 17 on his 220-cow dairy near Lastrup, Minnesota. Gruber operates the farm with his wife, Kaylie.
Describe your harvesting techniques for alfalfa and corn silage. What I look for is a good weather window that coordinates with a time frame that works for a harvest crew. Turn to GRUBER | Page 20
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 19
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STEMPFLE HOLSTEINS, Maynard, Iowa Paul, Jody and Scott Stempfle, 750 Reg. Holsteins 95 lbs/cow/day 4.1F 3.2P (3x), SCC avg. 160,000 Family featured in Sept. 2021 Holstein America on RFD-TV 2021 IA-District 1 Young Holstein Breeder Award (Scott)
“We have been using Udder Comfort™ for 10 years. We use the lotion when we show, but we also use the blue spray at the dairy on all fresh animals after each milking for a week after calving,” says Scott Stempfle in an interview after being notified as one of our World Dairy Expo ‘gallon drawing’ winners. Scott and parents Paul and Jody have a 750-cow dairy near Maynard, Iowa. As herd health manager, Scott enjoys seeing the progression from a mating that produced the calf to seeing her develop into the milking herd. Many in this registered Holstein herd go back to Butlerview Roy Glamorous. “Transition at calving is the most important part of a cow’s lactation. Udder Comfort is an important tool to get her through that transition and into her milk faster,” says Scott. “We stick with what works, and we have always had really good results with Udder Comfort. It brings edema down and softens udders to milk faster and easier so cows get a healthier and faster start in their lactations.”
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
ConƟnued from GRUBER | Page 18
We get help from family, but it takes a little while to line them up. As soon as I see that window, we move fast to get the hay knocked down, but there’s a lot of variables that come into play including humidity, wind speed and topsoil moisture that determine row width. But nine times out of 10, we’re shooting for a very wide windrow for quick dry down. When we get close to harvest moisture, we merge the rows together to keep the chopper full and hopefully remove the crop off the eld as swiftly as possible. Our corn silage harvest is the same thing. It mainly revolves around weather and help. When we do hay, we
have four guys in tractors with boxes, one on the merger and one on the chopper and sometimes one cutting more hay and one standing by the bagger. What are management or harvesting techniques you have changed that has made a notable difference in forage quality? We are seeding alfalfa at a higher density. We usually shoot for 20-24 pounds an acre for seed. We are also chopping corn silage higher to leave more core stock behind in the eld and have added a kernel processor. All the things we have done have helped create higher energy and more digestible feed. MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
The Grubers store all their feed in bags at their farm near Lastrup, Minnesota. They mark eld and moisture changes on the sides of the bags. Describe a challenge you overcame in reaching your forage quality goals. Getting feed put up fast is always a challenge because there are so many things that have to happen; many machines and people running at once, we’re always trying to improve our efciencies by investing in better harvest equipment to help get the job done fast. MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Bob Gruber holds feed from the cows raƟon in his hands Feb. 17 on his dairy near Lastrup, Minnesota. The Grubers have two raƟons for their cows. The early lactaƟon cows’ raƟon is dominated by haylage and the late lacaƟon cows get fed more silage.
Describe the techniques you use to store, manage and feed your forages. We store all our feed in bags. We mark eld changes and moisture changes on the sides of the bags. When
we are feeding, we know what is coming and can make changes accordingly. Our haylage has the most variability so I always feed from two haylage bags. If one changes abruptly, it keeps the ration somewhat constant. We did 10.5 10-by-250 bags of silage and seven 10-by-250 bags of haylage. Describe the rations for your livestock. Milk cows are fed two rations. One side of the barn consists of fresher cows, and the other side consists of longer-day bred cows. The fresher cows ration is dominated by haylage while the longer-day cows are getting higher silage. Dry cows
receive some silage, dry corn and bypass protein with all the grass hay they can eat. The heifers get grass silage and lower quality haylage, all to get good height by 23 months while avoiding over conditioning. What part does quality forages play in the production goals for your herd? Higher quality forages results in two things, more energy and protein per pound of ration fed and higher feed intake. Both of them result in more milk with lower feed cost so it could be the difference in being protable or not.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 21
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FIELD CULTIVATORS
International 4600, 28 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #189936 ............ $5,750 Case IH 4800, 28 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #182692 ........................ $5,900 Case IH 4300, 30 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #181148 ........................ $8,500 Case IH 4300, 2001, 38 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186653 ............$11,995 JD 980 1998, 44 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #276171 .....................$14,900 Wil-Rich Excel 42’, 1999, 42 ft, #276243 .................................................$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 ....................... $9,000 Case IH Tigermate II, 2003, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186586 ...................................................................................................$19,000 Wil-Rich Quad 5, 1998, 42 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191850......$19,500 JD 2210, 2004, 24 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191188 ...................$19,500 Case IH TM14, 2005, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #187546 ........$26,900 Case IH Tigermate II, 2004, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186,585 ..................................................................................................$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 Wil-Rich Quad 5, 2012, 36 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #531719......... 33,900 Case IH 200, 2009, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #275589............$37,900 JD 2210, 2008, 42 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #531703 .....................$39,900 JD 2210, 2014, 55.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #523982 ..................$47,500
PLANTERS
White 6100 6R30 in, Rigid, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #187246 ......... $6,500 Kinze PT, 6R30 in, Rigid, Finger Pickup, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #531720 ...... $6,900 JD 7200, 1991, 16R30 in, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #275813 ..............$12,900 Case IH 1200, 6R30 in, Rigid, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #531372 .......$18,500 JD 1770, 1997, 16R30 in, Flex Fold, Vacuum, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #180078 ...................................................................................................$19,500 JD 1770, 1999, 16R30 in, Flex Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #186432 ...................................................................................................$28,500 Kinze 3600, 16R30 in, Rigid, Finger Pickup, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #275620$29,900 Wil-Rich pt-2200, 2007, 24R22 in, Wing Fold, Vacuum, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, #191659.....................................................................$41,000 Kinze 3600, 2009, 12/23R15 in, Flex Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, Row Command, Electric Drive, #531310.............................................................$74,900 JD 1770NT, 2013, 24R30 in, Flex Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, Row Command, #273978 .........................................................................$79,900
JD 1765, 2020, 12R30 in, Flex Fold, Vacuum, 3.0 Bushel Hopper, Row Command, #531611 .........................................................................$85,000 JD DB90, 2006, 36R30 in, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill System, #531337 $89,900 JD 1770NT CCS, 2011, 24R30 in, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill System, Row Command, #531676.........................................$109,900 JD 1775NT, 2018, 16R30 in, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill System, #186435 .................................................................................................$145,400 JD DB60, 2013, 24R30 in, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill System, Row Command, #186440 .......................................................................$178,500 JD DB60, 2014, 24R30 in, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill System, Row Command, #186455 .......................................................................$185,900 JD 1775NT, 2015, 24R30 in, Exact Emerge, Central Fill System, Row Command, #275625 .......................................................................$224,900 JD 1775NT, 2020, 24R30 in, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill System, Row Command, Electric Drive, #186454 .................................................$264,900 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 in, Wing Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #191814.....................................................................$15,900 JD 1700, 2014, 4R30 in, Rigid, Vacuum, Mini, #275821 ............................$17,900 JD 1710, 1997, 12R30 in, Wing Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bushel Hopper, #191791.....................................................................$19,500 JD 1720 CCS, 2010, 12R38 in, Wing Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill System, #276333 .....................................................................$29,900 JD DR24, 2020, 24R30 in, Exact Emerge, Central Fill System, Row Command, Electric Drive, #274275 .................................................$319,900
PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS
Hardi NP1100, 2004, #191848.................................................................. $8,500 Demco 500, 2011, #525209....................................................................... $8,500 Redball 670, 2006, #191961 .................................................................... $9,900 Redball 680r-1350, 1999, #186516 ......................................................$14,900 Hardi Navigator 4000, #180889 ...........................................................$15,000 Hardi Commander Plus 1200, 2002, #181150 ....................................$17,500 Top Air TA1200, 2011, #531277 .............................................................$18,900 Top Air TA1600, 2012, #531603 ..............................................................$28,000 Hardi Commander 4400, 2009, #188739 .............................................$28,900
SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS
Case IH 3185, 2004, 90’, Poly, Narrow tires, 4000 hrs., #531252 .............$39,500 RoGator 1184, 2010, 120-Foot boom, 4610 hrs., #191681 .....................$53,500
JD 4920, 2006, 120-Foot boom, 3688 hrs., #187626 ..............................$71,000 RoGator RG1100, 2013, 120-Foot, 3506 hrs., #191696 ..........................$74,500 RoGator RG1100, 2013, 90-Foot boom, 3250 hrs., #191700 ..................$97,000 JD 4830, 2013, 120-Foot boom, 3991 hrs., #531608 ............................$143,500 JD R4023, 2015, 90-Foot boom, 1826 hrs., #275709............................$144,900 Hagie STS12, 2012, 90-Foot boom, 3077 hrs., #276184 ........................$149,900 Case IH Patriot 4430, 2012, 120-Foot boom, 2770 hrs., #531726 .......$159,000 JD 4630, 2013, 80-Foot boom, 1030 hrs., #275374 ..............................$159,900 Miller Pro Nitro 5240, 2013, 90-Foot, 1650 hrs., #276351 ..................$174,900 JD R4030, 2016, 120-Foot boom, 1865 hrs., #531624..........................$179,900 JD R4038, 2016, 90-Foot boom, 2400 hrs., #274783............................$194,900 JD R4038, 2016, 120-Foot boom, 3038 hrs., #275257..........................$199,900 JD R4045, 2016, 120-Foot boom, 3339 hrs., #267493..........................$219,900 JD R4038, 2017, 90-Foot boom, 2190 hrs., #275254............................$219,900 JD R4038, 2016, 90-Foot boom, 2200 hrs., #275266............................$219,900 JD R4045, 2017, 120-Foot boom, 2950 hrs., #275252..........................$229,900 JD R4030, 2019, 100-Foot boom, 1474 hrs., #274204..........................$254,900 JD R4038, 2016, 120-Foot boom, 1180 hrs., #275312..........................$269,900 JD R4038, 2019, 120-Foot boom, 1135 hrs., #276194..........................$329,900 JD R4038, 2020, 120-Foot boom, 683 hrs., #275047............................$359,900 JD R4045, 2018, 120-Foot boom, 1175 hrs., #275627..........................$359,900 JD R4045, 2019, 120-Foot boom, 1575 hrs., #421298..........................$399,500 JD R4045, 2020, 120-Foot boom, 1332 hrs., #275782..........................$399,900 JD R4038, 2021, 132-Foot boom, 590 hrs., #190973............................$419,900 JD R4038, 2021, 120-Foot boom, 200 hrs., #191080............................$429,000 JD R4038, 2021, 132-Foot boom, 235 hrs., #191060.............................$449900 JD R4038, 2021, 132-Foot boom, 380 hrs., #191034............................$450,000 JD R4044, 2021, 132-Foot boom, 367 hrs., #191061............................$459,900 JD R4044, 2021, 132-Foot boom, 261 hrs., #191079............................$479,000
VERTICAL TILLAGE
Great Plains Turbo Till 3000, 2005, #276350 .......................................$22,900 Landoll 7431-29, 2012, #276267 ..........................................................$29,900 Great Plains 3000TM, 2014, #525095 ..................................................$39,900 Summers VRT3530, 2015, #189645 ......................................................$42,900 Case IH 330, 2015, #178991 ...................................................................$42,900 Kuhn Krause 8000-30, 2014, #531223 .................................................$44,900 Kuhn Krause 8000-40, 2012, #276034 ..................................................$52,900 Kuhn Krause 8000 Excelerator, 2014, #181417 .................................$59,900 JD 2660VT, 2020, #275326 ....................................................................$77,900
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
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DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470
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. All facts and figures are the result of data collected on test farms. Results may vary and are not guaranteed. Nothing in this document shall constitute a warranty or guaranty of performance. www.delaval.com
The calf hutch
Well, it’s hard to believe, but we are in the month of February, which means I’ve been at Dairy Star for about three months now. These past three months have been eye opening for me as I have learned from talking to farmers, I’ve covered hard topics and have learned that GPS doesn’t always take me to the right spot. But through it all, I learned that southeastern Minnesota dairy farmers are faithful, strong and some of the most hardworking By Kate Rechtzigel people I’ve ever met, so Staff Writer thank you for letting me cover your stories. Some of my favorite memories so far have been traveling to dairy farms across the state and connecting with farmers. Growing up on my family’s farm, we never had the opportunity to travel because we were always in the barn with Grandpa or Dad working on something. We took one shing trip a year but that was about it. So, being able to travel, see different farms and how they do things, and meet new farmers has been an exciting venture and the best part of my job. February has always held a special place in my heart. No, not because of Valentine’s Day but because my birthday is the 12th. My mom reminds me every year that she wanted to have me on the 14th. While I wasn’t born on Valentine’s Day, she did bring me home that day. She jokes the return trip home made up for it, even though her and Dad had to drive to the hospital in a blizzard on the 12th.
My friends and I would then all climb on the hutch and hang on tightly while my dad drove as fast as he could around one of our fields. Growing up, that weekend was always special, too, because it was the one time all year when I was able to invite my friends over to the farm to show them what I actually do. I looked forward to the weekend and probably told my friends one too many times that it was my birthday weekend. The events that occurred on that day made up for my constant reminders in school; Grandma would make a fancy dinner with whatever I wanted and get a Dairy Queen cake for the occasion. I would show them around the farm and introduce them to all the cows, calves and newborn kittens. And seeing as I had a winter birthday, my dad would get out the four-wheeler or one of my uncle’s snowmobiles (depending on how much snow there was) and attach it to the top of a Polydome calf hutch which he manufactured into a sled. My friends and I would then all climb on the hutch and hang on tightly while my dad drove as fast as he could around one of our elds. Occasionally, one of us would fall off, and my dad would have to come back and pick us up again. We had so much fun sledding that my friends would talk about that for weeks after the fact. And, I had so many people come up to me at school and ask when next year’s birthday party was going to happen. But, my favorite part was getting to show them a glimpse into my life on a dairy farm. This year was much different for obvious reasons of course. I can’t really t on a calf hutch with all my friends anymore, and we didn’t have nearly as much snow as we did when I was a kid. So instead, I relief milked cows for my neighbor, brought two newborn calves into the barn, caught up with an old coworker and spent good quality time with my family. My old coworker and I played bingo, my mom took all of us kids out to lunch at the Fireside in Dennison, Minnesota, and my grandma cooked up a brunch for me at her house after church. All in all, it was a birthday well spent.
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 23
HEART
HEART
DAIRY
DAIRY Bob and Therese Guenther
Michael Kleinhans
Tell us about your farm. We have a dairy and cash grain farm. We farm 675 acres raising corn, soybean, wheat and alfalfa. We have 80 milk cows. We raise our heifer calves and a few beef calves. We house the milking herd in a 4-row Bob and Therese Guenther milk 80 tail-to-tail freestall barn with center cows in Dodge County near Ashippun, aisle drive-thru feeding. In 2020, we Wisconsin. The couple has farmed for completed phase one of our grain facility 45 years. which includes a 5,000-bushel wet bin, dryer and 45,000-bushel storage bin for corn. We hope to complete phase two which will be a storage bin for soybeans. Tell us about your family. We have been blessed with three hardworking sons: Jacob, Luke and Andrew. They have worked side by side with us since they were little, and our farm is what it is today because of their dedication and work ethic. Jacob and Luke have brought some great young ladies into our life. Luke is married to Liz, and Jacob will be getting married this June to Becca. These young ladies do not have a farm background, but they are happy to be a part of whatever is going on each day on the farm. What has been the highlight of your dairying career? A highlight for us has been looking back at where we started and seeing where we are today. We are the rst generation on our farm, and everything we have accomplished has been through our hard work and determination. Our boys have been with us every step of the way and as proud as we are of the progress we have made on our farm, we are more proud of the ne young men they have grown up to be. What do you love most about dairy farming? Farming always brings challenges. Navigating through those challenges with your family by your side every day is rewarding. Working together is denitely one of the things we love the most, but at times, it can also be a challenge when ideas and opinions differ. But at the end of the day, family is what matters most. What has been the biggest obstacle you have faced in your dairying career, and how did you overcome it? Fluctuating prices and weather are always challenging in farming. The last several years trying to navigate a global economy using risk management tools such as forward contracting in both dairy and grain have been major challenges as well. Keeping pace with technology requires a lot of attention on our farm. Putting time and effort into educating ourselves is how we overcome these challenges. What are some rules of thumb you have followed as a farmer? I try to not use the phrase, “Because that is the way we have always done it.” I have found that when you are unwilling to change or listen to others’ opinions, you get stuck in a rut that is difcult to get out of. This will often lead to roadblocks to success. We have tried to embrace change and realize it is a part of life. What are words of encouragement you would give to young farmers starting their dairy career? Do not be afraid to seek advice on questions you have, whether it be for an agronomist, nutritionist, veterinarian or equipment dealer. But more importantly, seek advice from other farmers you respect. Many farmers have a wealth of information they are willing to share. Don’t be afraid to ask. Also, remember that every farmer had a different starting point. Don’t compare your farm to another farm. Be proud and yet humble of all your accomplishments. Most importantly, take time to enjoy life and those you share it with. Life goes by quickly, and the work on the farm never seems to get done. There are many times when the work on the farm can wait while you take time away.
Tell us about your farm. I farm 550 acres (450 owned, 100 rented), Michael Kleinhans milks 150 cows in Manitowoc and milk twice a day County near Kiel, Wisconsin. He has farmed for 35 in a straight-8 step-up years. at barn parlor built in 1996. Cows are housed in free stalls, and I raise my youngstock. My grandpa bought the farm in 1921, and I am the third generation to farm here. I purchased the farm from my parents in 1987 with 82 cows and 80 replacement heifers. We did everything on a land contract, which worked out great. My dad had trust in me and never stepped on my toes. He knew I was conscientious about what I was doing and respected my decisions, which always makes everything go more smoothly. I have one full-time person, Judy, who is like family to me. She’s been here for 12 years and has helped me out a lot. I also have three part-time employees. Tell us about your family. I have two sons, Ryan, 21, and Alexander, 19. Ryan is a videographer and covers a lot of sporting events, including Badgers and Brewers games. Alexander is a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh majoring in business. What has been the highlight of your dairying career? I have been receiving milk quality awards through Land O’Lakes where I ship my milk for as long as I have been farming. I consider that accomplishment the highlight of my dairying career. I was also picked for national awards from the National Mastitis Council and have earned three platinum awards, four gold awards, two silver awards and one bronze award. I always like to make a good-quality product to put out there. I wouldn’t drink milk myself if it wasn’t good. Ever since I started, my somatic cell count has been under 100,000. And for the last 25 years, it’s been under 70,000. My rolling herd average is 29,000 pounds of milk, 3.9% butterfat and 2.9% protein. What do you love most about dairy farming? Watching the sun rise and set and socializing with my employees and all the people who come to the farm like the vet, milkman, etc. Talking to other people puts a different perspective in your own eyes and is something people appreciate. It’s what makes the world go round. As a dairy farmer, I have a reason to get up in the morning, and farming is also like a free exercise program. I also love the changes of the season on the farm, from smelling the ground worked up in the spring to the smell of fresh-cut hay in the summer to the fall corn silage harvest. I love the simple things that a lot of people overlook. What has been the biggest obstacle you have faced in your dairying career, and how did you overcome it? When I did changes on the farm and upgraded, reconstructed or remodeled, it sometimes took longer than I wanted it to, and there were many things to work around. One summer, we did the whole feeding system, which was horrendous. We also built a new heifer facility, which was a big feat. I love the challenge, but it gets overwhelming when things take too long. I overcame it by having a little more patience and thinking how it was going to be a lot better when it was all done because I was improving things. I knew it would be what I wanted and was worth the inconvenience. What are some rules of thumb you have followed as a farmer? If challenges arise, which they denitely will, keep patient and eventually it will pass. It will get better. Make sure the things you do are improvements for a better and easier life. What are words of encouragement you would give to young farmers starting their dairying career? Be prepared for any challenges that may come up and know you’ll get through them. Start small and stay at a level you can be comfortable with. Then, when you have more nancial stability, you can get more aggressive. That’s what I did. I started out light, and when I knew I could handle it, I got more aggressive. Don’t go in over your head right away. I bought the cows and machinery rst on a land contract. I paid them off in a few years and then bought the farm and 100 acres around it. I did it in baby steps. We all want stuff that’s shiny and new, but you can’t have it all at once.
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FARM INFORMATION STATION Joe Gill • Farm Director
SERVING CENTRAL MINNESOTA FOR OVER 50 YEARS Catch the Dairy Star’s Mark Klaphake with Joe Gill at 6:45 a.m. the 2nd & 4th Fridays of the month on KASM!
PO Box 160, Albany, MN • (320) 845-2184 • Fax (320) 845-2187
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
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Contact Your Local Calf Star Dealer For More Information Wisconsin:
Abts Equipment LLC New Franken (920) 866-2485 Gillett (920) 866-2485 Argall Dairy Systems, Inc. Belleville (608) 424-6110 Platteville (608) 348-3385 Gehring Sales & Service, Inc. Rubicon (262) 673-4920 Joe’s Refrigeration, Inc. Withee (715) 229-2321 Leedstone, Inc. Menomonie (866) 467-4717
Minnesota:
Midwest Livestock Systems Menomonie (715) 235-5144 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon (920) 960-9260
Gorter’s Clay & Dairy Equipment, Inc. Pipestone (507) 825-3271
The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater (608) 883-2880
Leedstone, Inc. Melrose (888) 267-2697 Glencoe (877) 864-5575 Plainview (800) 548-5240
Tri-County Dairy Supply Inc. Janesville (608) 757-2697
Midwest Livestock Systems Zumbrota (507) 732-4673
Iowa:
Langs Dairy Equipment Decorah (563) 382-8722 Precision Dairy Equipment Elkader (563) 245-2560
South Dakota: Midwest Livestock Systems Renner (605) 274-3656
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 25
HEART
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DAIRY
Dennis and Virginia Hatfield Tell us about your farm. We farm 500 acres and milk 200 cows organically. We raise all of our youngstock. We milk in a parlor that was rebuilt in 2018 after a re.
Ken Cook
Dennis and Virginia Haƞield milk 200 cows in Richland County near Viola, Wisconsin. The Hatelds have been farming since 1987.
Tell us about your family. Dennis and I met through a personal ad in Hoard’s Dairyman. We had seven dates, with our wedding being the seventh one. We have four grown children: Matthew, Carl, Avery and Aaron. What has been the highlight of your dairying career? When we won the Outstanding Young Farmer award in 1999. What do you love most about dairy farming? Being able to raise the kids on the farm where they learn good ethics. I also love getting to see calves grow into cows.
What has been the biggest obstacle you have faced in your dairying career, and how did you overcome it? March 5, 2018, we lost our parlor in a re. It was the third year of transitioning to organic, and 10 days after, we found out Dennis was put on the liver transplant list. We overcame these obstacles one at a time with the help of our insurance agent and a lot of prayer. What are some rules of thumb you have followed as a farmer? Make sure you care for your family and neighbors because that will come in handy when you need it. What are words of encouragement you would give to young farmers starting their dairying career? Know your numbers, make sure you value your neighbors and talk to older farmers for mentors.
Tell us about your farm. We milk 200 cows in a double-8 parlor in the Ken and Alan Cook milk 200 cows in Monroe Counold dairy barn. Our cows ty near Wilton, Wisconsin. Ken has been farming are housed in a freestall for 54 years. barn which is separate from the parlor. When we began farming, we had 113 acres. It has been a growing process, and we now farm 690 acres. We raise our own replacements too. Tell us about your family. My wife, Mary, is on the milk board, the town board and the county board. We have three children, Tammy, Michelle and Alan. Alan is on the farm full time and part of our farm’s LLC. What has been the highlight of your dairying career? I don’t know if it’s the highlight, but the biggest change has denitely been building the parlor and freestall barn. What do you love most about dairy farming? I have to like the cows and doing it the way I want to do it. I still have some favorite cows that I am attached to. What has been the biggest obstacle you have faced in your dairying career, and how did you overcome it? Transitioning Alan into the operation which involved adding cattle. My back and knees getting bad contributed to us building the parlor. What are some rules of thumb you have followed as a farmer? We always tried to grow within our means, and we never made a big splurge. What are words of encouragement you would give to young farmers starting their dairying career? Don’t forget where you came from.
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
Teamwork makes the dream work
Gielow brothers build herd calf by calf By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
BEAR CREEK, Wis. – Building a top-quality herd of registered Jerseys and Holsteins is a dream that brothers John and Scott Gielow have shared since their family dispersed their herd and sold the farm more than 10 years ago. Together, they have spent the last eight years laying the foundation for their joint venture of Mossy Ridge Jerseys and JSG Holsteins. “Our rst calves were born in 2014,” Scott said. “They were from embryos that we had in the tank from before the cows were sold. Since then, we have bought a few here and there, and we have bought quite a few embryos.” While the Gielow family had milked a herd of grade Holsteins, they became interested in pursuing registered dairy cattle when their father won a registered Holstein calf in a giveaway held at Farm Progress Days. Eventually, their father developed an interest in Jerseys as well, and his sons followed suit. “We really like the Jerseys and plan to focus more on them,” John said. “With component pricing of milk, it makes sense. They also require less feed input and produce less manure. They are just more efcient.” Building their herd has not been an
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Brothers ScoƩ (leŌ) and John Gielow house their small herd within a 360-cow herd in Bear Creek, Wisconsin. They have been working together to develop a herd of high-type Jerseys and Holsteins since 2014. easy task for John and Scott, and they have had obstacles to overcome. Each of them work off the farm while also working on the farm where they house their animals. John is on the farm for both the morning and evening
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in short order and moved the cows to JJ Meadows Dairy in Bear Creek. “We moved the cattle during one of the cold snaps the end of January,” Scott said. “It was not ideal weather to be moving animals and changing their routines.” The farm they have relocated to is home to about 360 cows, and the brothers are pleased with how their small herd has settled into their new home. John and Scott intend to someday market genetics from their herd through sales of live cattle and embryos. “We want to have genetics and animals that people want to buy,” John said. “It is how we want to diversify and not rely only on a milk check.” When they are considering animals and embryos for purchase, they put a great deal of emphasis on the cow family. “We want to buy into deep cow families, animals with good pedigrees,” Scott said. “With the Jerseys, we have found that you tend to be able to know what you’re going to get based on the cow family.” The brothers have made several key purchases from top Jersey cow families, such as those that descend from Huronia Centurion Veronica EX97. Other cow families they have invested in include Jerseys from Hawarden Jace Pix EX-95, Xcaret Minister Nutbar EX-93, Ratliff Price Alicia EX-95, Bri-Lin Imperial Snow Turn to GIELOW | Page 27
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 27
ConƟnued from GIELOW | Page 26 VG-86 and Paullor Granger Jest EX94 and Holsteins from the Ja-Bob Mark Heavenly Joy EX-92 family. “We try to focus our mating decisions around strong functional type,” Scott said. “We believe you can feed them to milk, but you cannot change the structure they are born with.” The Gielows said breeding a strong, balanced cow that can thrive in a freestall environment is their goal. They place their focus on selecting for udder traits and good feet and legs. Their diligence is beginning to pay off. On their January Jersey type appraisal, they were pleased with how their cows scored, with an average appraisal score of 87.3 points. Jersey bulls they using include River Valley Victorious, River Valley Cece Chrome, Guimo Joel, River Valley
Joyride, St-Lo Presto, Elliotts Regency Casino and River Valley Venus VIP and Tower-Vue Prime Tequila. Holstein service sires include Regancrest-GV S Bradnick and Luck-E Awesome-Red. In order to grow their herd at the quickest rate possible, they primarily use sexed semen. They have utilized in vitro fertilization and hope to expand that program as they continue to bring in animals from top cow families. They work with Red Carpet Holsteins in Kirkland, Illinois, for their recipient needs. “In order to be able to start marketing our genetics, we feel we need to grow our herd inventory rst,” Scott said. “Right now, we don’t feel like we have enough stock to begin selling animals. That is our ultimate goal to get to that point.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 29
Louisa Peterson Bangor, Wisconsin La Crosse County 675 cows Tell us about your farm. Our farm was established in 2010 when two non-related families partnered. My husband and I manage the farm operations of dairy, beef and supporting cropland. The main operation is a registered Holstein dairy with a double-10 parlor and sand-bedded free stalls. What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? I get the kids on the bus at 6:50 a.m., then nd out which farm chores need to be nished. I check emails, pull customer orders and check in at the township for mail and projects. I feed the beef steers and cows with my favorite farmer. Then, I grab the kids from school by 3:10 p.m., have afternoon calf chores at 4 p.m., then dinner, homework and last-minute things. What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? We have diversied without expanding. We launched an online farm store where we direct market 21-day, dry-aged Angus beef, Duroc pork and also offer Wisconsin dairy products. We ship nationwide on Tuesdays, deliver locally on Wednesdays and offer on-farm pickup by appointment. Summed up, it’s a website and a freezer. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. It’s memorable but not beautiful. Chasing black cows in the dark with my husband. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I love to hear from our customers. In dairy, we see the tanker go down the road but not how our farm’s milk that’s made into butter may impact someone’s life. With the farm store, I hear back about how our meat made a memorable family meal, and it’s incredibly rewarding. What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Hosting more than 4,000 folks for breakfast in 2019. It’s hard to explain, but it was the breakfast that was almost canceled. We had hosted the prior year as well, so we weren’t thinking it would be back, but we couldn’t let it go. With the support of the community in a small town, it was bigger and better than ever. What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? We have participated in the national checkoff program Adopt A Cow where classrooms all over can adopt one of our heifer calves, and we send updates through the school year and then give a virtual farm tour. I’m also active in our local dairy promotion group and nd myself pushing product almost everywhere I go. What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Follow your dreams, and don’t take no for an answer. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I volunteer at church and school and am the elected clerk for our township. If there was a day that I could do whatever I wanted (without consequences), I’d go junking for old church cookbooks and nd good coffee.
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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
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Dairy prole
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 31
Alex Matyka Rib Lake, Wisconsin Taylor County 65 cows
How do you maintain family relationships while also working together? The farm is run by all family help. We do argue sometimes about how something should be done, but we come to middle ground and keep plugging along.
How did you get into farming? I’ve always had family that milked cows, from Grandpa to cousins. I’ve always loved the eldwork and have also grown to like the cows.
What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I enjoy working with the family and doing something I like doing.
What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? The price of fuel and fertilizer, and the parts availability are a major concern along with the milk price and cull price, which never moves in relativity to the increase in input costs. What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? Last spring, we installed a TMR mixer. The cows’ production was low, and we had to try something to get the numbers up. The results were better than I expected or even hoped for. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I enjoy xing things. It helps being able to make repairs and build equipment rather than paying the dealer to buy new or x it. There is also
What advice would you give other dairy farmers? I haven’t been farming long enough to give much advice, but I have been told to remember the cows make the money. DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Alex and Camille Matyka and their children – (from leŌ) James, Rachel and Andrew – milk 65 cows in Taylor County near Rib Lake, Wisconsin. extra satisfaction in seeing something nished that I’ve built. What is the best decision you have made on your farm? The best decision we have made is getting out of the rented barn and beginning the takeover of my wife’s home farm.
What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? First would be my family. Without them, it would be impossible to keep up with the work, and it wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable. Second is the manure pit; the rented barn required daily haul which caused more headaches and expense than it was really worth. The third would be the
shop, it makes winter repair jobs much more bearable. What strategies do you use to withstand the volatile milk prices? I try to keep the payments low, make repairs ourselves, keep the cows milking and run some steers. We have extra feed so they run with the heifers, and it is a nice shot of cash here and there.
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? In the next year, my wife and I hope to complete the buyout of her home farm. Within the next ve years, we hope to transition to a free stall and parlor setup. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? I just enjoy spending time with my family and kids. It does not matter what we are doing. It is just about being together.
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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Managing high feed costs By Jim Salfer
University of Minnesota
Feed costs increased dramatically last year, and futures indicate they will remain high throughout 2022. Alfalfa prices remain stubbornly high. Grain, byproduct and protein prices have increased. Fat, vitamin and mineral prices have dramatically increased. Luckily, futures prices indicate that milk prices will be considerably above their long-term average. It is still important to manage feed cost as it is 40%-50% of the total cost of production. Below are some practices that may help lower feed costs without affecting performance: Minimize waste and shrink. This is the biggest and likely the easiest way to reduce feed costs on many farms. For forages stored in bunkers or piles, this is an insidious cost because you don’t write a check for it. Table 1 shows the effect of two different shrink levels on actual daily feed cost using an example diet and current feed prices. In a year, a 100-cow dairy can save $58,400 by reducing the shrink from high shrink to low shrink. It is not uncommon to have shrink of 30% on forages with bunkers and piles and 10% shrink on concentrates in commodity sheds. Maximize the use of homegrown feeds. If you raise most of your own feed, work with your nutritionist to maximize the use of homegrown feed. If you are feeding purchased dry hay, consider reducing the amount and increase the corn silage in the diet if adequate inventory is available. Even with a higher purchased protein cost, usually the total diet cost will be lower. Optimize bunk refusals in cows and heifers. With excellent bunk reading and feed management, many farms have been able to successfully reduce bunk refusals to 2% or below for lactating cows. This feed can be fed to replacement heifers or the low group in a free stall barn. But this is not low-cost heifer feed. If no moldy or unpalatable feeds (such as thistles) are fed to replacement heifers, the goal should be a refusal level of zero for replacements. As the level of refusals are reduced, it is important to have high-quality feeds and strategies to maintain feed along the entire bunk as well as frequently pushing feed up and feeding at consistent times. Fifteen minutes is 1% of the day; it is easy to end up with an empty bunk with uctuating feeding times with low refusal levels. Avoid overfeeding nutrients. All classes of animals should be fed at recommended nutrient requirements but not much above. Heifer diets balanced considerably above national research council recommendations are a waste of
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Table 1. Effect of feed shrink on actual daily ration cost Ration No Large Small amount shrink shrink shrink Hay ($250/ton) 4 pounds $0.50 $0.71 $0.56 Haylage 50% DM ($139/ton) 29 pounds $2.00 $2.85 $2.22 Corn silage ($64/ton) 60 pounds $1.92 $2.74 $2.13 Corn ($6.40/bushel) 11 pounds $1.25 $1.38 $1.32 9.2 pounds $2.53 $2.81 $2.66 Purchased supplement ($550/ton) Total feed cost -----$8.20 $10.49 $8.89 1No shrink = actual ration cost; large shrink = 30% shrink on forage and 10% shrink on concentrates; small shrink = 10% shrink on forages and 5% shrink on concentrates. nutrients. Research shows that feeding at recommended levels is adequate for excellent growth. Review additives and determine if they are cost effective in the diet. Cull non-productive cows and heifers. Research shows that heifers treated for respiratory disease early in their life were more likely to never have their rst calf. Cull heifers early if they have multiple treatments for pneumonia and save the raising cost and later disappointment in performance. Do not raise more replacements than needed. Make smart treatment and cull decisions on cows. Higher cull prices mean it may be
more protable to cull a cow early instead of treating her. Minimize non-productive days. Cows dried off longer than 60 days (Research supports cows can even be dry considerably fewer days than this.) and heifers older than 22-24 months at rst calving constitutes nonproductive days. Work to minimize the percentage of animals in these categories. Feed costs are not likely to decrease anytime soon. Examine the factors listed above. These are factors that can be implemented with minimal effects on performance in most herds.
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
Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391
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Building a strong foundation
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 33
Keeping Families on the Farm™
Together, these Robots Create
AN EVEN BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR YOUR COWS MILKING—ASTRONAUTS
The Dieball Family (Dieball Dairy) near Green Isle, MN, started milking with Astronauts November of 2018 (A4 milking robots, in N Jun Juno feed pusher, Luna cow brushes). "W "We've achieved everything we were ho hoping for, plus a lot more! And the cows love them. If the robots leave co th the farm, the cows will be leaving right be behind them."
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Eleah Watson leads Grass-Ridge ConvenƟon Cof at her farm near Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Watson won the registered calf in an essay contest last month.
Watson wins Holstein calf with essay By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
STEVENS POINT, Wis. – When 13-year-old Eleah Watson attended her rst Wisconsin Holstein Association Junior Convention last month in Appleton, she held a ticket to the group’s annual calf rafe fundraiser. When her name was not called as the lucky winner at the drawing, little did she know that only one month later she would indeed be bringing home a little white calf named Convention. Junior member Tristen Ostrom’s rafe ticket was drawn as the winner of the calf. But he and his family made the decision to offer the calf to another junior member as the prize of an essay contest. Eleah is the daughter of Nathan and Diane Watson of Stevens Point. The Watsons sold their herd of dairy cows in 2016. And, while the cows may have left the family’s Portage County farm, the love of Holsteins, particularly Red and White Holsteins, did not leave Eleah’s heart. Eleah was 8-years-old when the cows left the farm. She began showing in 4-H at the Central Wisconsin State Fair in Marsheld the next year with a calf borrowed from a family friend. Unwilling to give up on her passion, she is now a veyear veteran in the showring. The Watsons purchased Eleah a Red and White calf, which she eventually sold at calving. She also was a recipient of a Wood County Holstein Breeders calf loan and invested in another Red and White calf. When that heifer calved in last June with a heifer calf, Eleah sold the young cow to pay back the loan and continued growing her 4-H project through the calf. Her edgling herd got a little boost last month with the calf from the association’s drawing. The calf, Grass-Ridge Convention Cof, was bred and donated by the Lippert family of Pittsville. She is a September calf sired by OCD Legendary Coffee out of a VG-87 Morningview Mcc Kingboy daughter with 100,000 pounds of lifetime milk production. The second dam is an EX-90 2E Regancrest Reginald daughter with 195,000 pounds of lifetime milk production. “I saw the post about the essay contest
on Facebook,” Eleah said. “I decided it was worth a try to enter.” After spending several days perfecting her 500-word essay explaining why she was a deserving winner of the calf, Eleah’s parents helped her submit her entry and the waiting began. “One night Dad started yelling, all excited,” Eleah said. “He had just read the email from the Wisconsin Holstein Association saying that I had been selected as the winner of the calf.” Nathan had worked as a relief A.I. technician and had bred cows at the Lippert’s Grass-Ridge Farm, so he arranged to bring Convention to her proud new owner. Eleah is looking forward to showing this summer, having two calves to exhibit at the fair in August. “This is such a nice calf to be a foundation animal for Eleah,” Nathan said. “She’s a really nice calf with a really good pedigree. Eleah’s a lucky girl.” In addition to showing, Eleah has been participating in dairy judging through her Wood County 4-H club, and this year, she took an interest in Dairy Quiz Bowl. “I have really been enjoying getting involved in the Junior Holstein Association,” Eleah said. “I like dairy judging and quiz bowl, and I had a lot of fun at convention. I like the whole atmosphere. Everyone is there because they love cows, especially Holsteins.” In addition to working with and showing her calves, Eleah has enjoyed showing New Zealand rabbits since she was about 8-years-old. As a home-schooler, Eleah is in the eighth grade and would like to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course to study dairy herd management. Her goal is to one day own a small herd of registered Holsteins. “This calf would help my dairy project because it would give me something to work off of, breed offspring and build my own generation,” Eleah wrote in her essay. “You can’t build a house without nails and wood, and you can’t build a great building on a weak foundation. How can I build a generation of winners on a weak foundation? I believe this calf could be that strong foundation.”
FEEDING—VECTOR SYSTEM
The Rolf Family (Golden Sunrise Dairy, Inc.) near Mcintosh, MN, started Vector feeding in late 2019 (A4 milking robots, Vector feeding system, Collector cleaners, Luna cow brushes). “With heifers and milk cows under one roof, the Vector allows us to feed an unlimited number of rations with an unlimited number of ingredients. It also gives the cows a consistent mix, and we all know cows love consistency!”
CLEANING—DISCOVERY COLLECTOR
The Kerfeld Family (Kerfeld Dairy) near Melrose, MN, started cleaning their barn with the Collector in January of 2020 (Collector cleaners, Luna cow brushes). “The Collector saves us close to an hour each day from scraping with the skid loader. And the cows' legs are a lot cleaner than when we manually scraped 2 times a day. We really like it!”
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
Dairy beef crosses have our attention
Many dairy farms have begun breeding a portion of their herd to beef bulls to produce calves for beef Something to Ruminate On production. This allows dairy farms to better manage replacement heifer inventories and, in some cases, receive market premiums over straightbred baby bull calves. Wisconsin data shows the number of inseminations of Holstein females to beef semen rapidly increased from 2% in 2016 to 23% in By Barry Visser 2020. No doubt we are well Nutritionist beyond this today. As this practice has become more common, some dairy farms are exploring the practicality and protability of retaining their dairy beef calves to market as feeder or fed cattle versus baby calves. Regardless of when these beef crosses are sold, there is a vested interest across the industry to create a nished product desired by packing plants and consumers. Observations from cattle feeders and meat packers indicate dairy beef animals can be extremely variable in health, growth, performance and carcass traits, which creates problems for feeders and packers. Wisconsin survey data indicate that many dairy farms select bulls solely on coat color, semen cost and calving ease, and do not consider bulls with traits that complement dairy cow traits to improve carcass qualities and feedlot performance of these calves. When selecting a beef bull, of any breed, carefully consider the growth and carcass characteristics that bull will bring to the cross. Expected Progeny Differences is the genetic language for beef and represents the genetic potential of an animal as a parent. EPDs are an estimate of how genetically superior calves will perform compared to average or below-average EPD calves. Beef sire selection practices can improve to include feedlot performance and carcass traits, such as muscling with ribeye EPD, quality grade with marbling EPD and frame score. Dr. Tara Felix from Penn State University suggests selecting bulls with superior muscling while also contributing to marbling to increase your chance of producing dairy beef calves that better t packer preferences. Research by Dr. Felix and others at Penn State continue to look at which breed is most ideal for beef-on-dairy crosses. Today, there is no clear-cut winner, but Dr. Felix notes that we have tremendous potential to gather detailed data from large-scale dairy operations to better answer this question. The dairy industry understands the importance of efciently growing and raising a healthy heifer calf and the subsequent impact on milk production. The same applies to newborn dairy beef calves heading to calf ranches. Calves that get sick early in life will grow slower throughout their lifetime and have a reduced quality grade when hung on the rail. Hence, we need to treat our dairy beef crosses with the same care and management strategies implemented for their dairy replacement counterparts. Feeding 4 quarts of high-quality colostrum to the calf as soon as possible after birth is the most important thing you can do for calf health. It is especially important for dairy beef calves destined to leave the farm at a young age to receive colostrum. Calves are born with an immature immune system, which means they have little defense against disease. The timely ingestion of adequate amounts of high-quality colostrum allows the calf to acquire passive immunity from the dam. Passive immunity helps the calf ght disease during the rst few months of life as the immune system develops. The goal of a dairy beef program is to produce calves that nish efciently and uniformly with carcass traits similar to native beef cattle. Dairies that succeed at this will nd a ready market for their calves. If measuring success of passive immunity through total protein levels in dairy beef calves, it may be valuable to share your protocol and history with the buyer of your calves to solidify this relationship. Larger dairies can produce dairy beef calves in much greater numbers than the average beef herd, plus they can provide a year-round supply. Focusing on genetic selection will result in improved calf uniformity and performing good newborn calf care practices will improve success in the next phases of feeding. These actions can strengthen relationships with others in the supply chain, ultimately contributing to bottom-line success. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
A trip to World Ag Expo When we decided to attend World Ag Expo, we thought it was just another farm show. We couldn’t have imagined the volume of booths, the diversity of the crops that are raised and the technology that is available to farmers worldwide. This show is the largest annual outdoor agricultural exposition with more than 12,000 exhibitors and an attendance of more than 100,000 each year. It is held at the International Agri-Center in Tulare, California, starting the second Tuesday of February. We ew out of Rockford International Airport in Rockford, By Tina Hinchley Illinois. The airport is a Farmer & Columnist hub for UPS and Amazon but also Allegiant. This airline was unknown to us, and the ight to Las Vegas was the only ight that day. We all ew in comfort, landing in Las Vegas just before midnight. We grabbed a rental car and off we went into the Nevada desert. We woke to warm and sunny skies, just like a winter getaway should be. After a quick breakfast, we drove past elds of orange trees, nut trees and grapes. All of the elds, or should I say orchards, had trees planted in perfect rows in all directions. In between the orchards, there were dairy farms. Large farms with many cows and elds of forage growing in strips. Feeding cows in California is different because they can grow feed year-round. These dairy farms diversied a portion of their acreage into fruit or nut trees, grapes or other crops such as cotton. This is how they manage to be nancially sustainable in the state with many regulations for water, manure and even dust. Once we arrived at the expo, our eyes were wide open. So much machinery and technology to harvest the nut crops, work the ground and keep it watered. We saw huge ground equipment, large tractors, even one electric tractor and a tractor that uses methane as fuel. We saw advancements in the bee industry and technology for harvesting various nuts. In the dairy building, we found many of the same dairy folks that are at World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin. What a small world when we can all see each other on the other side of the country. The Lely dealers invited us to a new startup that has 12 robots with plans for 12 more in the next year. That made our plans for Wednesday evening. We later met up with the four men who were at our farm. They are all part of the World Ag Expo team. Steve Wilber was the chairman this year, and we caught him giving out the World Ag Expo Farmer of the Year Award to a family. This is always a surprise, and the family was honored to be given the award. Steve and his wife invited us to the exhibitors dinner. This took place in a huge tent. There was food, wine, cheese and a band. The following day, I had a Zoom meeting in our hotel room so we were late getting to the show. We had so much more to see and had heard about a drone that harvests apples in Washington. Jerry Sinift drove us around in his personal golf cart to search for this apple-picking drone. This was one of the highlights of the show. In Washington, they grow apples in hedges. They weave the sapling branches into fencing so the apples can be hand-picked with scissor lifts. This drone was invented in Israel and can identify different types of apples. Using a suction handler on the end of a rod, the drone gently picks the fruit and drops the apples
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 35
on a canopy where they roll into a bin. The drone was amazing to watch, and I believe it will be another way that automation can help with labor shortages. We left the show early so we could make our way to the Lely event at Fred Rau Dairy in Fresno. The 125,000-square-foot barn is open-sided with natural ventilation, compost bedding and ush lanes. The 1,400 cows are milked by 12 Lely robots. One of the robots installed was the 5,000th robot sold in North America. They will be nishing a second barn to increase to 2,100 cows with 12 more Lely robots. This dairy is being managed by a mother-daughter team. It was a great conversation starter when we were introduced. We shared my role on our farm with our daughter, Anna. There were a lot of similarities in this new barn: the robots, the brushes and the Lely Juno being used to push feed to the cows. But yet, the barn was very different with no side walls and different
methods of manure handling and regulations. This farm is 4 miles long and 1 mile wide, and they also have almonds as part of their diversication. When we left, the barn seemed to glow with the lights shining around it. I felt grateful to live in Wisconsin, knowing our cows are happy in our barn too, but just a little envious of the warm weather year-round in California. Three days of California was just enough to quench the need to get some warm weather, visit with some new friends and meet up with old friends too. It is always good to come home. I can’t help but miss our cows. Tina Hinchley, and her husband, Duane, daughter Anna, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. The Hinchley’s have been hosting farm tour for over 25 years.
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Theme songs
Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
The wild idea for this column was born from a simple conversation between Peter and I about one of our cows, Grace. This tank of a creature has always been easily identiable, from rst calf heifer status to a mature fourthlactation cow. She has a condent air about her. This may seem like a bizarre way to describe a bovine, but as Peter exclaimed, “She’s huge, and she is well aware that she is.” Grace was on our radar as a potential cow to have postfresh problems, but despite her stature, she sailed through those few challenging days with no issues whatsoever. If all the other cows are peering through the bars on a gate, Grace is standing with her head over the top. She stands tall and proud, ears perked, ready for anything; that’s who she is. As I milked Grace one night, I began to wonder, “What if our cows had their own theme songs?” Similar to a rodeo where the gate is pulled and the bucking bull ies out, and his song is blared over the stereo system. Except, in our case, I imagined the songs being played every time a cow enters the parlor to be milked. Grace’s song, you
wonder? “Sexy and I Know It.” Francesca is a tall, slender cow with a bit of a hitch in her giddyup, perfect for the classic Roy Orbison hit, “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Cruella has unique facial markings, giving her the look of having white eyebrows on her otherwise black face. She also can be quite vicious. “Cruella De Vil” is her song. If you have ever watched “101 Dalmatians,” I’m betting you know the tune. Frankie is a beautiful black cow with a mellow personality, but her name alone earns her the Aerosmith song, “Dude (Looks Like a Lady).” Woodstock has laid claim to the rock classic “Brick House.” “She’s a brick house, she’s mighty-mighty, just lettin’ it all hang out.” She is one solid gal. She was giant when she was dry, plowing her way through the pen, and one would have thought she’d slim up a bit upon calving, but not so. 5526 is so old she doesn’t have a name, but she has a song nonetheless. “All I Have To Do Is Dream” by the
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Everly Brothers ts her. She snores so loud you can hear her across the barn which makes it easy to tell if she’s not where she’s supposed to be. Just listen for her chainsaw running. Honey is a lovely little rst calf heifer that is truly a sweetheart. Ramblings from the Ridge Always welcoming a gentle pat, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” is Miss Honey for certain. Shaq is a statuesque older cow that could likely be caricatured playing basketball, like her namesake. I can’t walk by her without hearing “Pump Up the Jam” and simultaneously thinking it By Jacqui Davison is the ‘90s again. Columnist Gemma and Tassia are named after sisters in real life but only birthday buddies in the farm world. Yet, they are often seen together in the parlor and their pen. “I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher ts this pair. The Winter Olympics four years ago gave us plenty of naming fodder for newborn heifers. We have Lauren Gibbs, Lindsay Vonn, Kyle Mack but the most magnicent of all is Shaun White. Named for a redheaded snowboarder, she is an impressively large cow. “We Are the Champions” would undoubtedly be her theme song. Carmena constantly leaks milk, and is a champion in the sense that her cow story started out as a young heifer that calved too soon and we nursed her along to become the noble creature she is today. Her proportions scream out the song “Milkshakes”, as in ‘my milkshakes bring all the calves to the yard.’ Dirt is a lazy cow that prefers to always be the last in the pen and last out, then stand by the gate until informed she needs to move along. “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” seems relaxed enough for her tune. Pepito is a Jersey who has an udder that is getting closer to the ground with each lactation. Flo Rida’s “Low” is most denitely her jam. Kendall is a striking animal, and after a close call with an unhappy stomach, she has claimed “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” as her tune. Hannah was struggling with intestinal issues a month ago, but as Gloria Gaynor sang, “I Will Survive.” Starburst had a rough couple weeks in the post-fresh pen and is now climbing up in production. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” comes to mind as I see her. Aerosmith has developed a bit of a waddle as she ages. “Walk This Way” by her namesake is her theme. Macy is a large, handsome cow that outgrew some of the stalls and then calved early with twins, however these days if you asked her how she was doing she may quote Lizzo and tell you she’s feeling “Good As Hell.” Skittles cannot keep her feet still when being milked. “Footloose” best ts her. Perhaps she hears it in her head and calls what she does dancing rather than kicking. Belvedere has a mustache of epic proportions. Truly. She needed a song by a group known for great facial hair. “American Made” by the well-groomed Oak Ridge Boys. Saving the best for last, Cora’s Swiss would polka into the parlor to the oomp-pa-pah of the “Too Fat Polka.” “I don’t want her, you can have her, she’s too fat for me.” Now that I have started this, I can’t seem to turn it off. The kids keep asking me what this cow or that cow’s theme song is. Hope you enjoyed a chuckle to chase away the winter blues. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira (14), Dane (12), Henry (7) and Cora (4), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 37
By Steve Frericks Farm Service Agency
The days are getting longer. You have battled through the winter elements, and we can see the end in sight. Everyday gets a bit longer. Do your best to address your Farm Service Agency program needs before springtime workload opportunities take priority. There are multiple signups ongoing at the FSA in March. A general Conservation Reserve Program signup has been announced with a March 11 deadline. The Risk Management Agency announced a cover crop program that includes a requirement to report cover crop acreage to FSA by March 15. Producers have also been completing enrollment in the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs in advance of the March 15 deadline. While the deadline has been extended to March 25 for the Dairy Margin Coverage and Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage programs, operations are encouraged to complete enrollment as soon as possible. Whether a landowner is interested in enrolling acreage in CRP or a producer wants to complete their DMC enrollment, it all starts with contacting the local U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Center. Additional information on the programs and deadlines outlined in the article below can be found at farmers.gov and fsa.usda.gov. General CRP signup Agricultural producers and landowners can sign up soon for the CRP, a cornerstone conservation program offered by the USDA and a key tool in the Biden-Harris administration effort to address climate change and achieve other natural resource benets. The general CRP signup will run through March 11 and the Grassland CRP signup will run from April 4 to May 13. Alongside these programs, producers and landowners can enroll acres in Continuous CRP under the ongoing signup, which includes projects available through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement. Pandemic Cover Crop Program Agricultural producers who have coverage under most crop insurance policies are eligible for a premium benet from the USDA if they planted cover crops during the 2022 crop year. To receive the benet from this year’s
PCCP, producers must report cover crop acreage by March 15. PCCP, offered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency, helps farmers maintain their cover crop systems despite the nancial challenges posed by the pandemic and is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, a bundle of programs to bring nancial assistance to farmers, ranchers and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions. PCCP provides premium support to producers who insured their crop with most insurance policies and planted a qualifying cover crop during the 2022 crop year. The premium support is $5 per acre, but no more than the full premium amount owed.
data will both speed implementation and further encourage participation in these permanent programs, including the Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Rainfall Index Crop Insurance Program, as Congress intended. The second phase of both the livestock and crop programs will ll additional assistance gaps and cover eligible producers who did not participate in these existing programs.
Forthcoming disaster assistance On Feb. 3, the USDA provided an update on forthcoming assistance for agricultural producers impacted by weather-related disasters in calendar years 2020 and 2021. On Sept. 30, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 117-43). This act includes $10 billion in assistance to agricultural producers impacted by wildres, droughts, hurricanes, winter storms and other eligible disasters experienced during calendar years 2020 and 2021. Additionally, the act specically targets $750 million to provide assistance to livestock producers for losses incurred due to drought or wildres in calendar year 2021. USDA will follow a two-phased process to administer relief to eligible livestock and crop producers, with the rst phase utilizing a streamlined process that relies on existing data that producers have already reported to USDA. For the rst phase of livestock assistance, USDA intends to use existing Livestock Forage Disaster Program application data; streamline the application process to require no or minimal additional paperwork; and distribute at least half the $750 million through the rst phase by the end of March. The broader program to provide assistance to crop producers will follow a two-phased process similar to that of the livestock assistance with implementation of the rst phase this spring. Phase one of the crop assistance program delivery will use existing federal crop insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program data as the basis for calculating initial payments. Making the initial payments using existing safety net and risk management
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ARC, PLC enrollment FSA is encouraging producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to make or change elections and to enroll for ARC and PLC programs. The election and enrollment period runs through March 15. Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-CO or PLC, which are both crop-by-crop, or ARC-IC, which is for the entire farm. Although election changes for 2022 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, if a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm and makes an election change for 2022, it will be necessary to sign a new contract. Extension of DMC, SDMC signup period USDA has extended the deadline to enroll in DMC and SDMC for program year 2022. The deadline to apply for 2022 coverage is March 25. The DMC program, created by the 2018 farm bill, offers reasonably priced protection to dairy producers when the difference between the allmilk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. SDMC will provide $580 million to better help small- and mid-sized dairy operations that have increased production over the years but were not able to enroll the additional production. Now, they will be able to retroactively receive payments for that supplemental production For more information, contact your county USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
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Hunkering down Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
February may be the shortest month of the year, but it sure is starting to feel like the longest. It is kind of like being in the middle of raising a young family. The days seem long but the years are too short. Just think, the rst days of spring are only one month away. Looking outside my ofce window, warm spring days are at least another three months away. I guess we need to hunker down and wait it out. The weather forecasts have been pretty accurate this winter despite the wild swings from sub-zero to almost tropical by Minnesota standards. While the temperatures have been vacillating between extremes, a neighbor pointed out there were 23 sub-zero days in January. I don’t even want to think what February’s count will be. I do know the sun’s power is growing stronger. White clouds were rising off the roof of the old garage the other morning. Mark and I looked out the kitchen
window trying to determine if it was steam or smoke. Mark asked who was going to put on their boots and go check it out. That was my cue. I slipped on my boots and grabbed my hat and coat. I didn’t know what I was going to discover. The old ’52 Ford truck is parked in this garage, and I sure hoped it was just steam and not a freaky re starting from bad wiring in an old building. I slowly opened the door, just in case there was a re. Nothing. Walking around the garage, I could feel the warmth of the sun’s rays and realized it was just steam rolling off the cold shingles. Thankfully there are still shingles left on the old garage. Wicked north winds pushed through here in a hurry a few days earlier. One moment I was looking out the window and suddenly a wall of wind arrived, picking up every drop of snow in the yard not frozen down. I struggled to see the outline of the barn through the white-out conditions. We topped out at 50 mph.
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Because of the warm sun and swinging temperatures, much of the snow in the yard has softened and then froze again to create the largest Just Thinking Out Loud ice rink. Knock on wood, I haven’t wiped out yet, but I try to be prepared. I’m fully protected and padded from numerous layers of clothing. The only thing I slip on are my big winter boots with the large tread to hold my feet stable on the slippery slopes surrounding the calf domes. By Natalie Schmitt We pulled our last Columnist December calves out of the domes, and I have the next few days off. We have not had any calves during January and February for the last two years. They say if you do something three times, then it becomes a habit. Fingers crossed for next year. I am enjoying not having to pamper new little ones through stretches of sub-zero days. Right now, we are hunkering down in the house, or in the barn, waiting for the latest round of snow to arrive. We are forecasted to end up with 8-15 inches of snow over the next two days. Of course, this is also the week we are scheduled to classify a barn full of 2-year-olds. That should prove to be interesting. We have been clipping and cleaning cattle getting ready for the big day. Sure beats working outside ghting off frostbite ngers and frozen toes. One of my favorite things to do while we hunker down in February is to dream. As I ip through the seed catalog, I dream about a summer garden. I dream about trips I hope to take to celebrate anniversaries and family weddings. I dream about the upcoming batch of spring calves and which one will be the rst calf our grandson Ethan will show this summer. I stumbled upon this quote from the winner of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature, Albert Camus of France. He wrote, “In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” Here’s to the summer within us all, pushing through this winter season to nd spring just around the corner. As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.
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Apricity
Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022 • Page 39
My new favorite word, at least for the next month or so, is apricity. When I rst saw it shared as the word of the day, I immediately fell in love. It has such beautiful phonetics and an even more lovely denition. Apricity is an obscure word from Old English vernacular that means “the warmth of the sun in winter.” The word is so old and unused that it’s no longer found in most dictionaries. It comes from the Latin word apricus, which means having lots of sunshine. A similar word, in verb Dairy Good Life form, is apricate, which means to bask in the sun. My second thought after discovering this word was, “Oh, I’m going to name the next A-calf Apricity.” We already have a number of sun-related names in the herd – Sunlight, Sunrise, Solar, Shine, Sunny, and Solstice. It will be nice to continue the theme with a new letter. We’ll have an Apricity, an Apricate and an Apricus to start. When you really think about, apricity deserves great appreciation. Here in Minnesota, apricity is the difference between a great winter day and a miserable winter day. How many times, on a bitterly By Sadie Frericks cold winter day, have you heard a Minnesotan utter, Columnist “Well, at least the sun is shining.” We crave apricity even if we’re not outside. I choose to sit down for lunch on the sunny side of our kitchen table. Sitting in the warmth of the sunlight beaming through our picture window warms me up far faster than my hot lunch. I’m convinced animals crave apricity too. Our house cat, Norbert, always nds the sunniest spots for his naps. And our winter-loving Australian shepherd, Ozzie, can often be found lying on the snow sunning himself. I wonder if he ips over s p periodically to cool the warm side and We crave apricity even warm the cool side. Our cows seek the sun too. if we’re not outside. I Last summer, we built a sand-bedded choose to sit down for freestall barn to house our extra cows in winter. These are the ones who don’t lunch on the sunny side the t in our tiestall barn, both quantitatively of our kitchen table. and dimensionally. I’ll probably dedicate a future c column to how much I love our sand barn, but sufce it to say, it’s one of the best investments we’ve ever made. Anyway, our sand barn is just stalls and alleys. The cows still eat and drink in the yard, where they did when they spent the winter on an outdoor bedded pack. Between the sand barn and the bunks, there’s an open area we’ve nicknamed the courtyard. We know our sand stalls are comfortable, because I’m pretty sure those cows spend the entire night lying down. But on sunny mornings, you’ll only nd a cow or two in the stalls. The rest are standing in the courtyard basking in the sun. I always gured that given a choice between resting on sand or standing on concrete, cows would choose to rest. There’s something about apricity, though, that draws them outside. I’m sure it feels good to have the sun warm their bodies. But it turns out there are biological benets beyond feeling good. Research done on large mammals in the wild indicates that apricating in the winter helps large mammals reduce their energy needs. Biometric monitoring showed that the Alpine ibex reduces both body temperature and heart rate at night, presumably to conserve energy. They then sunbathe in the morning to increase body temperature to a level sufcient for locomotion. Utilizing apricity to warm their bodies on sunny days is much more energy efcient than warming their bodies metabolically. It appears the benets of our cows’ mid-morning sunbathing are two-fold: feel good and reduce energy used for thermoregulation. In hindsight, I’m glad the design we chose for our sand barn gives our cows the opportunity to take advantage of the warmth of the sun in the winter. In foresight, I see myself using the word apricity a whole lot more. I hope you will too. It’s too beautiful a word to be obsolete. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children – Dan, 15, Monika, 12, and Daphne, 9. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, February 26, 2022
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