March 11, 2023 Dairy Star - 1st section - Zone 1

DAIRY ST R25

Locking in a price for milk

Brady (le�) and Bre� Weiland

milk 1,150 cows near Columbus, Wisconsin. The Weilands use forward contrac�ng to ensure protability and have 75% of their milk contracted for 2023.

Weilands ensure protability through forward contracting

By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com

COLUMBUS, Wis. – Fifthgeneration dairy farmers, Brady and Brett Weiland, have plans to purchase the family farm from their parents someday. To ensure this dream becomes a reality, the brothers do not leave their prots to chance. Locking in milk prices through forward contracting is a strategy they use to help guarantee the farm’s protability from one year to the next.

“Protecting the balance sheet is the No. 1 reason why we contract our milk,” Brady said. “It’s a good feeling to know that next year at this time we’re going to be able to pay the bank, ourselves and our employees, and we’re still going to be in operation. A couple guys in their 20s who are trying to buy the business from Mom and Dad can’t afford to go backward.”

The Weilands milk 1,150 cows between two dairies near Columbus with their parents, Roger and Tammy, and Brett’s wife, Emiley. The family farms 500 acres and buys the rest of their feed from neighbors. Unwilling to be at the mercy of the market for 100% of their milk check, the Weilands have prices

Reaching out to their community

Mirons inducted into Minnesota Livestock Breeders’ Association

Hall of Fame

By Amy Kyllo amy.k@star-pub.com

HUGO, Minn. – Fran and Mary Ann Miron have opened their farm to others.

The couple has hosted international delegations, welcomed U.S. and state legislators, opened their space for the lming of an episode of “The Bachelorette,” welcomed school children four to six times a year, and have served in city and county government positions.

“We’ve taken upon ourselves the need to reach out to the non-ag public to make sure that they know our story and that they understand what we do,” Fran Miron

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Fran and Mary Ann Miron were inducted into the Minnesota Livestock Breeders’ Associa�on Hall of Fame March 9 at the associa�on’s annual mee�ng in St. Paul. The Mirons, along with sons, Andrew and Paul, milk 200 cows on their farm near Hugo, Minnesota.

200-cow dairy farm in Hugo, were inducted into the Minnesota Livestock Breeders’ Association Hall of Fame March 9 at the association’s annual meeting in St. Paul.

Their nomination came from the mayor of Scandia, Christine Maefsky, who, with her husband, was also an inductee in 2016.

The scope of the Mirons’ involvement has ranged from international inuence all the way to their local communities.

Internationally, the Mirons have hosted delegations from Ukraine, Norway, Sweden, Australia, Switzerland, Canada and France.

The Mirons have also opened their farm to members of the U.S. Congress and state legislators. Miron said he believes these visits have been benecial for agriculture.

Turn to MIRONS | Page 6 said. “And, we have always felt the support of the community.”

The Mirons, who have a

Ley survives 16-foot fall through roof of machine shed

By Tiffany Klaphake tiffany.k@dairystar.com

Safe landing

Ley said. “That’s how I got started. As I was falling, I thought, ‘Is that how it’s going to end?’”

Ley walked away from the fall Feb. 7, which occurred while he was shoveling heavy snow off the sagging roof of the 40- by 80-foot shed on his farm near Lake Henry.

LAKE HENRY, Minn. – Kenny Ley had a problem. Signicant snowfall was accumulating on the roof of every building on his farm. So, Ley climbed a ladder to resolve the problem, but he did not come down the same way.

With no broken bones or lasting injuries from the fall, Ley is grateful to say he fell 16 feet through the skylight on his machine shed but was able to stand up and walk away.

As Ley landed on the only patch of ground not covered by machinery, he looked around and saw his skid loader less than a foot away and, on his other side, an original 4020 John Deere tractor.

“That 4020 was my rst tractor,”

“I told a buddy of mine, ‘I’m pretty lucky,’ and he said, ‘No, luck is when you win bingo; when you free fall 16 feet and walk away with no broken bones and no internal injuries, you move into the category of a miracle,’” Ley said. “There’s a lot of truth to that.”

Turn to LEY | Page 7

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MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Kenny Ley looks at the hole in the roof of his machine shed March 4 at his farm near Lake Henry, Minnesota. Ley was shoveling snow off the roof when he fell through the skylight of his machine shed.

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Net farm income was at record high levels the past two years. That trend is not expected to continue this year, but the expectation is it will still be an above average year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Chief Economist Seth Meyer spoke at the Agricultural Outlook Forum and said net farm income is expected to top $150 billion this year. That would be down 23% from this past year.

Record trade decit

USDA is forecasting a record agricultural trade decit of $14.5 billion. USDA blames the value of the U.S. dollar for the negative trade balance. Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman said this forecast is not unexpected given the Biden administration’s lack of attention on trade. Boozman emphasized the need to open new markets, expand existing markets and demand trading partners follow the rules of the trade agreements.

Agriculture pinched by labor shortage

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack addressed the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum. “The pandemic put a spotlight on agriculture’s workforce and highlighted labor instability, irregular migration and the need for increased labor protections,” Vilsack said. Vilsack said by addressing labor shortages, the United States can put resiliency back into the supply chain.

Plant-based confusion

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced draft recommendations for plant-based foods.

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It will continue to allow the plant-based food industry to use dairy terms, such as soy milk. The National Milk Producers Federation said the FDA guidance recognizes plant-based beverages do not have the nutritional value found in dairy products. However, NMPF remains upset with the labeling confusion.

Dairy Pride reintroduced

A bipartisan group of lawmakers have reintroduced the Dairy Pride Act. This bill would prevent products made from nuts, seeds and plants to use dairy terms, such as milk, yogurt or cheese. This follows the FDA proposed guidance allowing these non-dairy products to continue to use dairy-type labels. Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith is a co-sponsor of this bill.

Court of Appeals protects right to use common name

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the Consortium for Common Food Names and other dairy stakeholders defended the generic usage of gruyere as a common food name. European groups claim this type of cheese is produced only in the Gruyere region of Switzerland and France. “This sets a terric precedent for the right to use common food names in the United States,” said Krysta Harden, president/CEO, U.S. Dairy Export Council. “Now, we need other countries to likewise stand up for what’s right and defend that use just as strongly.”

Milk production edges higher

Milk production in the 24 major dairy states totaled 18.5 billion pounds in January. That’s up 1.5% from January of last year. Minnesota milk production increased 1.1%. South Dakota’s milk output rose more than 9%. Minnesota’s dairy herd declined by 1,000 cows in the past year. Meanwhile, an additional 17,000 cows were added in South Dakota.

DMC payments to be issued

For the rst time in 2023, Dairy Margin Coverage payments have been triggered. The February DMC income over feed cost calculation is $7.94 per hundredweight. Milk covered at the $9.50 level will receive an indemnity payment of $1.56.

Budget surplus totals $17.5B

Minnesota’s updated budget forecast remains largely unchanged from the previous report in November. The budget surplus totals $17.5 billion.

“First and foremost, this is good news for Minnesotans,” Gov. Tim Walz said. “This is a state where people know how to work hard. It’s a state that’s invested in infrastructure over many, many decades. It’s a state that understands our greatest natural resource is our people.” Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson emphasized a new approach was taken with this budget forecast. “I think we should all be cognizant of the inationary effect that’s built into that,” Johnson said. “If you add in that $1.4 billion, we’d have $19 billion surplus. That’s how it would have been reported had the governor not signed the bill a week ago.”

Biden appoints Ford to trade council

Land O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford has been appointed to the President’s Export Council. Ford is one of 25 people selected for this advisory group.

Schwager to lead common food consortium

The Consortium of Common Food Names has named Jeff Schwager as its new chairman. Schwager most recently served as CEO of the specialty cheese company Sartori. Schwager succeeds Errico Auricchio who has led CCFN since its founding in 2012.

Dairy checkoff board elections

Glenwood, Minnesota, dairy farmer Suzanne Vold was elected treasurer of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. The United Dairy Industry Association ofcer team includes Charles Krause, of Buffalo, Minnesota, as treasurer.

Minnesota State Fair names CEO

Renee Alexander is the new CEO of the Minnesota State Fair. Alexander has been the deputy general manager for the past 13 years. Alexander succeeds Jerry Hammer, who has been at the helm of the Great Minnesota Get-Together for 27 years.

MFBF hires communications specialist

Emma Wielinski is the new communications specialist for the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation. Wielinski previously worked for Land O’Lakes.

Trivia challenge

The Arctic Cat brand introduced the Pantera, Puma and Kitty Cat snowmobile models. That answers our last trivia. For this week’s trivia, what is the name of the 19th century French biologist who created the practice of pasteurization? We will have the answer in our 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.

“I think all of that … was important over the years as well to make sure that we had good farm policy from both the federal and state level,” he said.

When former president of the University of Minnesota, Eric Kaler, was beginning his presidency, the Mirons hosted a large delegation from the U of M. Miron, who is an alumnus, said the visit was important to maintaining a positive direction for the university.

“It helped acclimate (Kaler) to the importance of the college of agriculture and the need to maintain that presence,” he said.

Miron has served in local government for over 30 years. He was on the city council of Hugo for 20 years, part of which he served as mayor. Currently, he is a Washington County commissioner.

One of the issues Miron navigated while on the city council was land use disputes. He worked to balance the right to farm, rural culture, urbanization and the right to build and develop.

“As a farmer, I’m a strong advocate for land rights,” he said. “But I also appreciate our rural lifestyle and rural character, and we’re in a very urbanizing area. … When you look at land rights, that’s not only right-to-farm initiatives, but it’s also a right to develop and to do other things.”

For the Mirons, one of their biggest accomplishments is helping create a community with potential for success for all individuals.

“One of the things that Mary Ann and I are really proud of is the fact that our kids didn’t have to leave the community for opportunities,” Miron said. “That’s something that we don’t see in all rural communities.”

The Mirons’ six children live within 10 minutes of their dairy farm, and two of their sons, Paul and Andrew, are in charge of the

day-to-day operations on the farm. Although, Miron is still active on the farm.

On the farm, the Mirons have made it part of their farm’s identity to welcome visitors and to share what goes on every day.

The Mirons hosted numerous events for the public including breakfasts on the farm, lunches on the farm and corn feeds with their two daughters’ Princess Kay butter sculptures. Linda Christensen, who sculpted the iconic Princess Kay butter sculptures for 50 years, visited the Miron farm as her rst visit to a Minnesota dairy farm.

The Mirons have been involved in many agriculture organizations including FFA, the U of M, Dairy Herd Improvement Association, Washington County American Dairy Association, Washington County Farm Service Agency and the Minnesota Farm Bureau at the local and state levels.

The Mirons are humble when it comes to their induction into the hall of fame.

“It’s an honor to be among them,” Miron said. “I really just have a sense that we’re kind of in a shadow of some signicant greatness.”

Miron was pleased that the Minnesota Livestock Breeders’ Association chose to honor them as a couple.

“I felt more comfortable being honored as a team, because that’s really what we’ve been,” Miron said. “There’s no way that I could have done some of the service work that I’ve done without her holding down things here. Mary Ann has contributed so much in the way of seless service to others.”

Miron said he hopes their story inspires others to also serve.

“Hopefully, our experiences will encourage others to do similar things and contribute in their own way as their own skills allow them to,” he said.

Being a rst responder for 26 years with Lake Henry Fire and Rescue, Ley said he assessed himself and did not have any tingling in his hands or feet. He happened to have his cell phone with him and called his son, Brandon, who lives in Rockville. Brandon then made the 25-minute drive in 15 minutes.

As Brandon pulled into the farm so did Ley’s son-inlaw, Lance Kalthoff, who Ley called second. Ley’s wife, Cheryl, was at home on the farm getting ready to milk their 55 cows in the tiestall barn, but she did not have her phone with her because of bad cell reception.

By the time the men arrived, Ley was standing up and stretching out his muscles on a pallet fork in front of the barn. Though both son and son-in-law insisted Ley go to the hospital, he refused until the next day.

“After I fell, the rst thing that went through my mind was that 11 months ago, we just buried one of our own remen who fell off a chicken barn,” Ley said. “Last summer, there was a man by the Sauk Centre/Melrose area who fell through a turkey barn.”

The day Ley fell, 1.5 feet of snow was sitting on top of each of the six skylights on the shed’s roof.

“I’ve heard of so many guys falling through those skylights,” he said. “I didn’t

think I’d fall through with a foot and a half of snow on top of the skylight, but I went right straight through.”

Ley was scraping off the heavy snow that had fallen in the weeks prior. He had scraped the house roof, the sloped roof of the barn and the heifer shed. All he had left was the machine shed, which had started to sag.

The machine shed has 11 rafters, and Ley said eight of them are cracked. The week prior, Ley and his son had reinforced all of them, but the shed roof was still sagging toward the top of the poles.

“If I had to do it all over again, I would just take all the machinery out and let the shed fall,” Ley said.

Ley said he is maneuvering insurance coverage, which states the shed is repairable.

Ley’s grown children along with his friends, Dale and Mary Lenzmeier, took turns helping on the farm, and the community rallied around him.

“I just had to think about something, and somebody would come and do it,” Ley said. “I didn’t even have to ask.”

Ley took two weeks off from regular chores and his full-time work at Notch Manufacturing to recover.

“Family, friends, neighbors, co-workers – even the guy that butchers our cows – called and offered to help,” Ley said. “Lake Henry is a

town of 100 people, and the amount of help that was offered was unreal.”

Though he was on a skid loader an hour after the fall, Ley’s muscles tightened over the coming days and would not relax. The day after the fall, he went to the doctor, having had his self-prescribed regimen of six Ibuprofen tablets and two glasses of milk before bed to stave off the pain.

“The doctor asked me, ‘How much milk do you drink that you fell 16 feet and didn’t break anything?’” Ley said.

Between Ley and his wife, they drink 1 gallon of milk a day.

For the next two weeks after the fall, Ley drank two glasses of milk at bedtime, intentionally knowing it would force him out of bed in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. His plan was that getting up regularly would prevent stiffness. Still, one morning it took him three hours to rise from his bed.

What nally made the difference for Ley was a massage

from a fellow rst responder. “I don’t know what she did, but that took care of all the stiffness and soreness,” he said.

Back when Ley was thinking about volunteering for the re department, his uncle, who was the re chief in St. Martin, gave him a special prayer to keep him safe.

“I say that every morning for me and the kids; it’s just automatic for me now,” Ley said. “I truly believe there is something to it.”

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Cheryl and Kenny Ley stand at their farm March 4 near Lake Henry, Minnesota. The Leys milk 55 cows in a estall barn.

Off to the races

Hansons attend Daytona 500

By Tiffany Klaphake tiffany.k@dairystar.com

GOODRIDGE, Minn. – The roar of an engine, the smell of burned rubber, and clouds of smoke lling the air. Those are the sights and sounds of the Daytona 500.

Racing enthusiasts Mike and Linda Hanson, of Goodridge, ventured to the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, to see the legends of NASCAR live during the opening race of the season.

“The Daytona 500 is the granddaddy of racing, the biggest race of all,” Mike said.

The Hansons do not leave their 150-cow registered Ayrshire dairy herd often, but now that their sons farm full time with them, they have started to cross things off their bucket list.

“The cars are going 180 to 200 mph, and the cars are between 2 inches and 2 feet apart, and they do that for 500 miles,” Mike said. “Try going down (Interstate 94) at 190 mph with 2 inches between you and the next car and do that for 500 miles. The athleticism of these drivers is pretty phenomenal.”

The Hansons, at the invitation of some long-time friends who are regulars at the race, received pit passes so they were able to take part in pre-race festivities. They spent time on the ineld of the track and saw the infamous

NASCAR in 2001. Mike is a fan of Dodge, and Dodge made a return to NASCAR in 2001.

“That’s what peaked our interest,” he said.

Linda said their family is interested in racing of all kinds.

“Racing is in our blood whether it’s sleds or cars,” she said.

The couple said they race snowmobiles and dirt bikes cross-country.

“We kind of like the rev of a motor; it’s an adrenaline rush,” Mike said. “If you did it, you understand it. It’s an individual thing. It’s you against everybody else.”

The Hansons have attended other races and events and met Kasey Kahne, who signed one of their NASCAR diecast cars. The duo has also collected hats and other memorabilia.

“My most prized possession is my No. 9 Kasey Kahne autographed car,” Mike said. “I also have a Bill Elliott leather jacket.”

Before the start of the Daytona 500, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds conducted an aerial show.

“Most of the races are very military minded,” Mike said. “There is a prayer, the national anthem and a yover.”

in

The Hansons milk 150 cows near Goodridge, Minnesota.

garages and cars up close. They also attended a pre-race Dierks Bentley concert.

Linda said they were awestruck as they approached the ineld.

“Getting to the track and walking through the tunnel into the ineld, I kept saying to myself, ‘We are really here,’” Linda said.

They walked on the legendary track

and, in true NASCAR fan tradition, inscribed their names on the yellow line marking the track’s edge next to thousands of other names.

They went to three races and spent ve hours touring the grounds before the big race started.

“There are all kinds of exhibits and other stuff to see,” Mike said.

The couple became serious about

Linda said the sounds and smells of actually being there brought the event to life.

“It’s a 2.5-mile track, so when the cars are on the opposite side of the track, you can watch the jumbo screen to see what it happening until the cars come back around,” Linda said.

Daytona Beach, Florida.

The Hansons said they follow drivers on Team Penske, such as Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney.

“(Ryan) is a young upcoming driver, and his dad, Dave Blaney, used to race back in the day,” Mike said. “NASCAR has a lot of family racing, where a driver had his dad or grandpa race. Even the professional side is very family-oriented with NASCAR.”

Though the Hansons, who are active with various dairy organizations, have attended meetings and conventions all over the world, they often do not attend such events together. When their children were young, they occasionally hired someone to milk so they could have one night away from the farm.

Now, their sons, the fourth generation on the farm, milk 150 cows with two robotic milking units and also utilize an automatic feeding system. They farm 2,800 acres of wheat, oats, soybeans, corn and alfalfa.

Matthew is in charge of the cows, and Steven takes care of the crops, but everyone helps where needed. David helps with

decision making but lives and farms with his in-laws in southern Minnesota.

Linda said the robots make it easier to get away.

“By switching to the robots, we don’t get calls from our boys asking questions about the milking equipment, because they know more about the robots than we do,” she said.

For the last several years, Mike said they have made it a priority to leave the farm for one week.

“Once I get in the car or plane, I just forget about what’s going on at home and focus on where I’m going,” Mike said.

This time around, the couple planned to y out of Thief River Falls but their ight was delayed, which

forced them to drive to the Twin Cities to catch a connecting ight only to have that ight delayed as well. Their ight to Charlotte, North Carolina, eventually took off but once again missed the connection. Due to the ight delays, the Hansons were forced to rent a vehicle and drive more than 400 miles across three states to make it to the race in time.

“We nally made it, but we ended up driving about half the distance to get there,” Mike said.

Regardless, they said the trip was one of the best things they have ever done.

“The whole thing was such an adrenaline rush,” Mike said.

500,

PHOTO SUBMITTED

An autographed Kasey Kahne hat and diecast car are among Mike Hanson’s most prized possessions. The Hansons met Kahne at a race.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Linda Hanson stands next to a racecar Feb. 19 at the Daytona Interna onal Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The car, which won last year’s Daytona

was on display as part of the fes vi es prior to this year’s race.

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for 75% of their milk locked in with forward contracts for all of 2023.

“Our family has been contracting milk for as long as I can remember,” Brett said. “All of us work together with our advisory team on setting a plan ahead of time. We watch margins closely. We know what we’re going to get paid for milk and what we’re paying for feed and do what we can to try and protect that margin.”

A form of risk management, milk contracting xes a future price for Class III milk by locking in the milk price for a set volume and particular time period. For example, if a farmer locks in a price of $19 for the month of May, and the Class III milk price drops to $13, the forward contract is going to compensate the farmer $6. However, if the Class III price exceeds $19, the farmer has to pay the difference.

“When you lock in a milk price, you give up all the upside and, in turn, prevent a lot of the downside,” Marin Bozic said. “It’s a big shortcoming in the sense you’re removing all that upside potentially. Cheese prices can get wild and rise quickly on strong demand.”

“The processor has to pay day-to-day margin calls, whereas we don’t have to pay it until our milk check comes, and they take it off our check,” Brett said. “The processor essentially carries the loan for us when the milk price ends up higher than our contracted price.”

Brady agreed.

“When we book it through our processor, the premiums we pay are more than if we did it through our margin account, but we like to use our capital for other opportunities rather than having it tied up in hedging loans,” he said.

The amount of milk they contract changes with the marketplace, and when milk prices are high, the Weilands typically contract 75% of their milk. Leaving the upside open on 25% gives them the opportunity to make more money depending on where the market goes.

“We talk to a lot of consultants and try to understand where the market may or may not be headed, and then we take all that into account while looking at the projected margin to form our own opinion,” Brady said. “You’re never going to hit it perfect. It’s kind of a gamble just like everything else we do as farmers.”

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‘17 Anderson Hybrid X bale wrapper

Miller Pro 7914 Merger, 14’

‘15 Tonutti TCR 12 wheel rake

Tonutti 12 wheel Dominator rake

‘20 Vermeer VR1022 wheel rake

H&S 12 wheel rake

‘15 Pottinger 762C rake

MF TD1620, 2 rotor tedder

‘12 NH H7450 13’ discbine

‘94 Hesston 8200, 12’ head

NH 1499 SP Haybine, 12’, CAH

NH492, 9’ haybine - NICE!

‘17 JD 835 9’ MoCo, center pivot

JD 946, hyd. swing, rubber rolls

Vermeer 840, 10’3” disc mow. cond.

Gehl 2450, 15’ hydro swing

disc mower Haybuster 2650 bale grinder

PLANTERS

‘12 Kinze 3000, 6RN, coulters, 2,200 acres

AROUND THE LOT

Sunflower 4211-9, disc chisel w/ buster bar

IH 6000 Consertill, 13 shank

DMI 530B Disc Ripper

JD 712 9 shank disc chisel

CIH MRX690, 5 shank disc ripper disc.

JD 980 Field Cult., 44’ w/harrow

CIH 4800 30’ Field Cult, w/3 bar coil

tine harrow

MISCELLANEOUS

Loftness

Bozic is an assistant professor in the department of applied economics at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He is also one of eight faculty members of the National Program for Dairy Markets and Policy. Bozic said 5% to 10% of the total U.S. milk volume is contracted currently. Milk futures are traded daily on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. A minimum contract size with the CME is 200,000 pounds. In most cases, farmers can contract milk through their cooperative, or they can contract independently through a broker. Cooperatives offer smaller contract sizes in 25,000-pound increments – a more attractive option for smaller farms.

“Last year when milk prices were $22 to $24 and north of that, there was a lot of contracting being done,” said Matt Tranel, broker/agent with Ever.Ag. “Signicantly higher prices than that had not been seen in the past.”

Tranel said his clients are typically heavier on coverage in the rst half of the year with the average customer contracting 50% to 75% of their milk. In the second half of the year, he said coverage averages 30% to 50%. According to Tranel, a lot of contract purchasing is done in the months of August, September, October and early November to prepare for upcoming consumer demand during the holidays.

“Farmers might not cover as much, but they try to get the most aggressive to layer in for following quarters because demand for dairy tends to drop after Christmas,” Tranel said. “I see data about spending habits come in off the scanners and get a sense of when the consumer is stepping back or reducing some of their purchases. This can be an indication as to when you should push your client to contract their milk.”

Bongards, a milk cooperative in Chanhassen, Minnesota, works with a brokerage rm in Chicago to help its patrons contract milk. Of Bongards’ 300 patrons, milk procurement and eld service manager Tom Beringer said 7.5% contract their milk, and that number has held steady for years.

“We have producers who don’t contract at all, some who contract all the time, and some that are in and out,” Beringer said.

Patrons call the broker directly to lock in prices.

“They might say, ‘I want two June contracts at $21,’” Beringer said. “The broker sends us the conrmation, and we put it in our milk payroll system. If June comes and the price settles at $20, they’ll get a dollar added to their contract. If the price settles at $22, we take a dollar off their milk check.”

Farmers contracting their milk pay a fee of 10 cents per hundredweight to Bongards. Bongards facilitates the margin calls for the farmer which comes out of Bongards’ accounts. A margin call is a request from the broker to deposit additional funds into the margin account.

A margin account contains the money a farmer needs to pay when the contract price falls short of the market price. If dealing directly with a broker, the farmer is responsible for putting their own money into the margin account.

When contracting their milk, the Weilands work with both their cooperative and a broker.

“We used to go directly through a broker, and now we’re going through our milk processor,” Brady said. “The broker works with our processor; he’s the middleman. We used to do a margin account, but now it all comes in on our milk check.”

When Brett calls the broker, he states if he wants to set up the contract through the processor or through the Weilands’ margin account.

The Weilands milk is split into multiple contracts, and each 200,000-pound contract could be locked in at a different price. Prices can change by the second, Brady said.

“I don’t like to go for that big homerun shot,” Brett said. “As long as the price is above our operating costs, I like to layer it in piece by piece, doing 10% to 25% each month so it averages out and takes away some of the risk. We layer in over the course of many months, doing a couple contracts here and there as long as we’re happy with where margins are at.”

The Weilands watch the markets daily and study price history for the last ve to 15 years to determine historic averages.

“Right now, the milk price is higher than previous years, and we’ve been well above that the last year or so,” Brett said. “We believe there’s more risk of a falling market than of milk going to $25.”

The Weilands also engage in other forms of risk management, including Dairy Revenue Protection, options and the Dairy Margin Coverage program. The Weilands’ combination of strategies helps them achieve a level of risk management they feel comfortable with.

“If we’re looking at good prices, we like to contract as much milk as we can,” Brett said. “Right now, we have the option to lock in and sell milk at a good price. We want to take advantage of that because we know at some point prices won’t be as high. If we were on the other end at $16 or $17 milk, we might be doing more puts and calls.”

The Weilands like to look into the future when contracting milk, and good prices prompt the family to reach further out.

“When you can lock in milk over $19, that’s pretty unusual,” Brett said.

The Weilands have targets in place for 2024 as they begin to layer in contracting for quarter one. Currently, 10% of their milk is locked in for January of next year. This year, the Weilands are focused on $20 milk or higher. Their focus for 2024 is slightly lower at $19.25.

“I’d like to sell January through June of next year for that price,” Brett said.

Bozic said it is prudent to hedge far out rather than the next available quarter. He recommends contracting milk nine to 12 months in advance.

“Producers should now be looking into the fourth quarter of 2023 and the rst quarter of 2024 and later,” Bozic said. “We need to be proactive.”

Tranel said a farm can contract up to two years forward on the CME.

“How far out people go depends on the market we’re in,” he said. “Right now, we have farms touching both third quarter and fourth quarter of this year, and a couple are touching rst quarter of 2024. Many times, people go six months out. It’s a matter of producer preference. When looking way out, bids and offers can be very far away from each other.”

Deciding how much to contract depends on a farmer’s risk preference.

“Some producers regularly hedge everything, while others are more opportunistic,” Bozic said. “When they believe the markets are going to drop, they hedge more. The higher the leverage, the higher the hedge ratio should be. I advise producers to layer it in. Start by hedging 10% of your milk, then a month later, maybe another 10%, etc. If prices rally, you have an opportunity to put in a higher oor.”

Bozic recommends farmers compare prices to their cost of production.

“If the price you can lock is higher than your cost of production, then pull the trigger,” he said. “Also, look at

Marin Bozic Assistant professor U of M-Twin Cities

Matt Tranel Broker/Agent Ever.Ag

historical patterns. Is the price higher than three-quarters of the prices we’ve had for that time of year for the last 10 years?”

Brady said his family makes decisions carefully and likes to think about things ahead of time.

“We want to be as objective as possible; we’re not deciding based on emotion,” he said. … “We like to have a plan for every scenario so we know how to react.”

Factoring in their use of DMC, the Weilands have a total of 80%-85% of their milk currently covered, which is similar to last year. They also used a small amount of DRP this year for rst quarter.

Tom Beringer

“We keep an eye on options, but we haven’t been doing much of that lately,” Brett said. “We look at what we can do with spread options. We watch if the milk price drops a fair amount, then we might do some options to open up the top side again for fairly cheap.”

When prices are in the middle and it is hard to speculate whether they will go up or down, the Weilands try to contract 50% of their milk and also use DRP, leaving the upside open without falling behind their operating cost.

“In that situation, we’re guaranteeing half of our milk and sliding in a oor for the other half,” Brett said. “We still have the opportunity to play the market and get the upside on 50%, but we’re also 100% covered on the downside.”

When contracting milk, the potential to leave money on the table is real, but it is a risk the Weilands are willing to take.

“We want to do everything we can to protect even if that means taking some off the top in an exceptional year,” Brett said.

“You’re never going to hit the peak of the market. There is always going to be some you missed out on, but you try to average out. The goal is to try to make every year protable and not go backward.”

The Weilands are committed to staying the course and sticking to their plan.

“In 2022, we left quite a bit of money on the table, but we’re already starting to see that money come back on the milk check in the last couple months,” Brady said. “In 2020, when COVID hit and milk dropped to $11, things looked rosy because we had DRP and 1.5 protection factor along with 40% of our milk covered through forward contracts.”

At Weiland Dairy, locking in the price of milk goes hand in hand with locking in the price of inputs.

“Inputs are a big part of it,” Brett said. “We wouldn’t lock in 75% of our milk if we didn’t have 75% of our inputs covered. You don’t want to lock in milk and get bit because inputs go up real high. We want protection on both sides.”

The Weilands have feed prices locked in for the entirety of 2023. They do a lot of physical contracts with their milk, locking in one price for six or 12 months.

“We have dry corn bought through November of this year, and soybean meal is locked in too,” Brady said. “Like milk, we layer in on feed also.”

Dedicated to riding the ups and downs of the market, the Weilands use forward contracting to continually push their farm successfully into the future.

“At the end of the day, you have to do what’s right for your business,” Brett said. “Know your numbers and ensure you can be in business another year from now.”

Editorial disclaimer: Futures and options on futures trading involve signicant risk and are not suitable for every investor. Information contained herein is strictly the opinion of its author and not necessarily of Ever.Ag and is intended for informational purposes.

DHIA FIELD REPRESENTATIVE PROFILE

What counties or area do you cover? We cover southwest Minnesota, northwest Iowa and southeastern South Dakota.

What do you enjoy about the farmers you work with? We just like getting to know a lot of different people from different areas. We get to talk to them every month and see what they are doing. Most of the farmers we work with are like family. For example, I have a wake tonight for a farmer who I test for whose mom passed away. She helped milk the evenings when I went there to test.

35

What do you like about your work for DHIA? We really like being independent to set our own schedule. We also get tremendous help from the ladies in the milk lab and the of ce; when we have a problem, they can help us out. It really works well.

What do you do in your free time? We enjoy working in our ower gardens and spending time with our grandkids. Our whole yard is ower gardens. We have thousands of tulips that bloom early in the year, and after that, we have others that bloom throughout the year. We have three grandkids in South Dakota.

DHIA: Now MORE than ever

Sauk Centre, MN Buffalo, MN 763.682.1091 www.mndhia.org

Cheryl and Daryl Hook

years with DHIA

“Most of the farmers we work with are like family.”

Milk procurement & field service manager Bongards

Pizza from the prairie

Pietz’s Kuchen Kitchen churns out Italian classic

By Jerry Nelson jerry.n@dairystar.com

SCOTLAND, S.D. –Few small, independent food businesses can claim they go through 500 to 750 pounds of cheese to make pizzas each week. But that is exactly the case for Lori and Roger Pietz, who own and operate Pietz’s Kuchen Kitchen of Scotland.

Roger and Lori got into the pizza-making business via a circuitous route.

“We started making and selling kuchen in March of 2008,” Roger said. “That was the culmination of a dream that was in the making for 20 years. When I was a boy, I would stand on a stool and watch my mother make kuchen. I knew that if we could develop a kuchen recipe that was close to Mom’s, I could sell it.”

Kuchen is the German word for cake. There are numerous types of kuchen; the kind that is made at Pietz’s Kuchen Kitchen includes a custard-like lling that contains cream and fruit. Kuchen

is considered by many to be a dessert.

The South Dakota Legislature designated kuchen as the ofcial state dessert in 2000.

Pietz’s Kuchen Kitchen soon developed a following and became widely known for its delicious kuchen, kolaches and meat rolls. Kolaches are a round Czech pastry that are traditionally made of sweetened yeast dough with a fruit lling in the center.

“We have shipped our products to every state except Hawaii,” Lori said. “We have also had visitors from nearly every state stop by for a visit of our kitchen facilities. Many people who are vacationing to South Dakota learn that kuchen is the state’s ofcial dessert. They want to have the full South Dakota experience, so they … and drop in for a visit. They usually buy some of our products too.”

Roger and Lori decided to take the plunge into making pizza in 2019. It took them some time to develop all the different types of pizza they now offer.

“We experimented quite a bit with our recipes before we settled on their nal versions,” Lori said. “Our family and our four full-time employees were our taste testers. They really enjoyed that part of their jobs.”

Roger and Lori decided

to name their lineup of pies South Dakota Pizza.

“We use as many South Dakota-sourced ingredients as possible in our South Dakota Pizzas,” Lori said. “This includes such things as the South Dakota-produced axseed and the honey that we

include in our pizza crust.”

Cheese is the star ingredient of every pizza. Roger and Lori did not have to look far for a source of this all-important component. Dimock Cheese, a small artisanal cheesemaker, is located about 35 miles north of Scotland.

“We asked the folks at Dimock Cheese if they could supply the cheese for our pizza, and they immediately said yes,” Lori said. “It was a natural t for everyone concerned.”

Pietz’s Kuchen Kitchen offers more than a dozen pizzas, including three breakfast pizzas.

“We are now working on a recipe for a taco pizza,” Roger said. “We hope to introduce it soon.”

Lori said the products sold are handmade and contain no articial preservatives.

“Our grandsons grew up in the kitchen, so they know how to make kuchens and kolaches,” Lori said. “We make everything from scratch, including our marinara sauce, and we use as many natural ingredients as possible.”

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Roger and Lori Pietz started making kuchen in 2008 at their business, Pietz’s Kuchen Kitchen, in Scotland, South Dakota. They began to make and sell their South Dakota Pizza in 2019.

Roger said their pizza is unique.

“There’s nothing else like them,” he said. “Our pizzas might cost a little bit more, but we feel that their quality is unmatched.”

Pietz’s Kuchen Kitchen churns out about 2,000 pizzas per month along with about 2,000 kuchens.

“We purchase our cheese in blocks from Dimock Cheese and shred it ourselves in our big mixer,” Roger said. “We will make 1,000 pounds of pizza dough at a time. On a normal day, we will whip up about 300 pizzas and 500 kuchens.”

There are presently between 70 and 80 retail establishments and pubs that carry South Dakota Pizza. Roger and Lori hope this number will soon grow.

“We became a federally inspected facility last year, so we can now sell our products across state lines,” Roger said. “Our pizzas and kuchens have

proven to be popular for fundraisers. For instance, the Yankton High School band recently placed an order for 1,000 items that they will use to raise money.”

It was only tting that one of the rst retail establishments to carry South Dakota Pizza was the store at Dimock Cheese.

“South Dakota Pizza is our bestselling item in our frozen food section,” said Kim Tiede, retail store manager at Dimock Cheese. “We sell thousands of pizzas per year. The Mammoth Three Meat and the Homesteader’s Supreme are the most popular.”

Roger and Lori continued to be surprised, yet satised, with their delicious success.

“I never thought that our pizza would reach this level of success,” Roger said. “It has been a lot of hard work, but we love it.”

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Lori and Roger Pietz make more than a dozen types of pizza, including three breakfast pizzas. Their Barnyard Bacon and Egg Breakfast Pizza has proven to be popular.

O f T h e F e n c e Of The Fence

Janet Bremer

My Barnyard View Hastings, Minnesota Dakota County

100 cows

What social media platforms do you use?

I actually have accounts on all social media platforms. My most-used platforms are Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Why do you choose to share information on social media? Most people in the U.S. are at least three generations removed from farming. It is important to get the word out about what we're doing. Unfortunately, sometimes that means defending what we do. If we don't share our own story, who will? Social media gives us the ability to tell our story to a vast audience.

How often do you post and what kind of information do you share? I share most frequently on Instagram and Facebook, typically several times each week. I share about our daily goings-on on our farm. I post about tours and events, calves being born, what equipment is used for, and progress on spring planting and fall harvest. I post about dairy princess activities since I am the Minnesota dairy princess coordinator. I also share about my family, which helps to form a connection with my nonfarming audience.

What is the most unique social media post you have made about your farm? When the pandemic rst began, my daughter and I developed a story time for children. Each post begins with a farmrelated book reading followed with an activity. The activity can be a craft idea, game or tour of a related topic on our farm. These story times are posted on Facebook, on my blog (My Barnyard View) and on YouTube. The story times are also listed as an educator’s resource and linked on the Midwest Dairy website.

What ag-related social media accounts do you follow? My favorite account is Iowa Dairy Farmer. I like his no-nonsense approach to sharing his story. He is comfortable talking about any topic, and he is not afraid to confront people who are misinformed. In what ways do you think social media helps or hurts the dairy industry? Social media can be a blessing and a curse. It can be a very effective avenue to share the true story of what happens on our farms. It gives us the opportunity to reach those who don't have a connection to farming or perhaps can't visit a farm. Sadly, social media also opens farmers up to criticism and misinterpretation. Farmers need to remember that when you engage in social media, you are never going to win over those people whose minds will never change. We can't let that discourage us from continuing to share.

Tell us about your farm. At our farm, 100 Holstein cows are milked twice daily in our double-8 herringbone parlor. We have an additional 100 youngstock and steers. We raise corn, alfalfa, oats, peas and barley. Our milk is sold to Dairy Farmers of America.

Paul Fonder Big Stone City, South Dakota Grant County

48 cows

What social media platforms do you use?

I use YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Rumble and Truth Social. I use the social media platforms mainly for educational purposes.

Why do you choose to share information on social media? Because it gets the most exposure. I chose to share information on social media to help educate people about how organic dairy farming works. I also try to stop the spreading of misinformation in regard to organic dairy farming because it doesn’t take long for false information to spread on social media.

How often do you post and what kind of information do you share? I usually try to post content daily if I can. I mainly share day-to-day activities that go on around the farm and even my opinions on things happening in the ag world or world events in general that can affect what we do on our farm. What is the most unique social media post you have made about your farm? Probably my most unique post was a YouTube video I did in the fall of 2015 where I showed the whole growing season of one of our corn elds from planting to harvest. It racked up well over 100,000 views.

What ag-related social media accounts do you follow? I follow a number of ag-related social media accounts. Some of them include Big Tractor Power, How Farms Work and Welker Farms, etc. I follow them because I think it’s interesting to learn about what and how other people farm. In what ways do you think social media helps or hurts the dairy industry? Social media can denitely be a good tool to help educate the non-dairy farmer about how crops are raised, how cows are milked and how every farmer farms differently whether they are organic or a conventional farmer. Just as much as social media can be used for good in farming, it can be used for bad things too. I once had someone take something completely out context from one of my YouTube videos to try to use it against my brother and me. So, you do have to be careful what you post and how you post it. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my younger brother, my nephew and sister-in-law, and we have been certied organic since 2006. We milk 48 Holsteins twice a day in a 48-stall tiestall barn. We also work on a weekly basis with a livestock nutritionist from Crystal Creek, an animal livestock nutritional supplement supplier out of Spooner, Wisconsin. We sell our milk to Organic Valley of La Farge, Wisconsin. We farm just over 400 acres of land, all of which is farmed organically. We raise corn, oats, alfalfa and soybeans. We will try winter wheat this year for the rst time. Most of our crops go for livestock feed and the rest is sold to other organic crop buyers.

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Rita Vander Kooi

So She Married A Farmer Worthington, Minnesota Nobles County 2,500 cows

What social media platforms do you use?

I initially started with a WordPress account and would simply post the link to my Facebook page. However, now people enjoy watching videos more than reading blogposts, so I am much more active on Facebook. I sometimes will push a great photo or reel through Instagram to Facebook as well.

Why do you choose to share information on social media? I love to! I have friends and acquaintances stop me in town all the time to thank me.

How often do you post and what kind of information do you share? I post daily to Facebook. I have had my page for eight years but only started posting every single day ve months ago. My following has nearly doubled since I started making it a routine. The information I share is genuinely me and a lot of many different things. My Christian faith, my fantastic husband and kids, and fresh cow and calf care. I aim to be authentic, relatable and inspiring.

What is the most unique social media post you have made about your farm? I gave my 14-yearold daughter my phone on the night we nished our long corn silage run in 2022. I asked her to string together photos and videos of the people, the elds, the trucks, the chopper and the food. When she nished making the video, I wrote a few long paragraphs about why farmers don’t just pack a sandwich. It was shared over 500 times and has almost 250,000 views. It was well-received because it conjured up so many great memories of meals together on the farm for so many people.

What ag-related social media accounts do you follow? I follow Iowa Dairy Farmer, NY Farm Girls, Dairy Dad and Dairy Carrie. They are fantastic, genuine people in real life plus have great content.

In what ways do you think social media helps or hurts the dairy industry? It helps. Sharing our story whether in a conversation at the grocery store, in a discussion with your best friends or simply from your phone on social media is always a great idea.

Tell us about your farm. Joe and I, along with my father-in-law, Dave, have Ocheda Dairy just south of Worthington, Minnesota. We also operate a custom silage harvesting business and do some cash cropping. We are members of Associated Milk Producers Inc.

James Goldsmith Earlville, Iowa Delaware County

150 cows

What social media platforms do you use? I utilize Facebook to stay updated with what’s going on in my friends’ and family’s lives. I take advantage of Twitter to stay on top of news related to the commodity market along with timely agronomy and business insight. I also spend time on TikTok where I enjoy getting to see content from farmers around the world. I am not the largest user of YouTube but listen to quite a few podcasts. I nd that podcasts keep me more entertained while I’m working in the tractors or skid loaders compared to music. I try to listen to a range of podcasts from industryspecic ones like “The I29 Moo U Dairy” or “Market to Market” to general business podcasts like “The Indicator by Planet Money” to fun podcasts like “Radiolab” or “The Moth.”

Why do you choose to share information on social media? Sharing information can help to build bridges with consumers and help to dispel misconceptions that people may have about the dairy industry or agriculture in general.

How often do you post and what kind of information do you share? I help manage the Facebook page for our local county’s promotion group, so I try to make a point of posting something a couple times a week. The information might include sharing what our local 4-H dairy quiz bowl or judging team has been up to or local examples of dairy sustainability or animal care.

What is the most unique social media post you have made about your farm? The rst time that I wrote a post that was specically about my farm was when we were

Kate Spadgenske

Spadgenske Dairy

Menahga, Minnesota Becker County

350 cows

What social media platforms do you use? Our farm is on both Instagram and Facebook as @SpadgenskeDairy. I use other media platforms in conjunction to share little snapshots of what’s happening day to day on our family farm and how we do things that are unique to the dairy industry or even unique to just our farm.

Why do you choose to share information on social media? Social media is an extremely accessible and important tool for farmers to use. It opens a doorway to consumers to see where their food comes from and the care and compassion that goes into producing it. Sometimes all it takes is a cute picture of a newborn calf to spark someone’s interest in the dairy industry. Also, it is a super cool way for fellow agriculturalists to share ideas with each other about their own farms. A good amount of my followers are other farmers from all around the world.

How often do you post and what kind of information do you share? In the summer months when things are busy, I’m normally making a post every week about what’s going on around the farm. In the slower winter months, I post a lot on the calves and the care that goes into them since I’m the calf manager on my family’s farm. It gets tricky being creative and coming up with content and photos. But anytime there’s something going on, I’m taking pictures. Doing that helps build a good inventory of content to use later on. I try to keep things short and sweet but also stick tidbits of facts and information in the posts when possible to keep people coming back to my page for more.

What is the most unique social media post you have made about your farm? A few months ago, we got a Lely Juno for the farm. I grabbed a quick video of it going along its path in the feed lane and posted it. Within a few days, the post had reached 20,000 views and continues to climb in views. It’s nothing special, but for some reason, that video caught the algorithm and took off. I always think it’s impressive when your content starts reaching an audience bigger than the population of your

Alan and Jennifer Klejeski

Trinity Farms

Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota Pine County

33 cows

What social media platforms do you use? Our main social media platform is YouTube, but we also use Facebook and Instagram. For YouTube, we have a channel about our dairy farm that has 25,600 subscribers, and we’ve had over 7 million views on our channel.

Why do you choose to share information on social media? It was Alan’s idea during the pandemic. He wanted to nd more ways to reach consumers to help show what life is like on a dairy farm and how we take care of our animals. It’s one way to let the consumer in our barn without having them come to our farm. Consumers are so far removed from the farm these days.

How often do you post and what kind of information do you share? We post at least once a week. When we have more time, we will post two or three times a week. We post everything from day-to-day chores to eldwork, and we’ve shown our home antibiotic test kit that we do because our son is allergic to antibiotics. Our posts showing our kids growing up on the farm and what they get to do are always popular. People always comment how they remember growing up on a farm.

having a particularly hot spell, and I took the time to explain some of the various ways we work to keep our animals cool and comfortable. I think that when you are running a more local page like I do, it is important to tailor the information to match what might be going on in the community around you.

What ag-related social media accounts do you follow? I try to follow a wide variety of ag-related accounts that help me to see different perspectives in our industry. Within dairy, I really enjoy seeing how The Milkman and Milkmaid talk about issues surrounding sustainability or how Iowa Dairy Farmer addresses those tough questions or misunderstandings that consumers may have. Outside of dairy, I enjoy pages like Calf Vet (beef), Millennial Farmer (row crop) and This’ll Do Farm (pork) to see what is going on in other sectors of agriculture.

In what ways do you think social media helps or hurts the dairy industry? The biggest concern that I have with social media is how fast false or misleading information can spread and the lasting impact that can have on people’s perceptions of the industry. However, if we choose to ignore social media the problem will only get worse by creating a bigger vacuum for those activists to use. The biggest asset social media gives us is the ability for consumers to feel they can directly hear from farmers on the food-related topics they care about. That creates an authentic connection that is hard to replicate in almost any other form of media.

Tell us about your farm. My wife, Abby, and I farm along with my parents, Jim and Kristi. We milk about 150 dairy cows in a double-8 parallel parlor along with raising our replacement heifers. We also nish about 300 head of Holstein steers each year between our home-raised steers and groups that we purchase. The milk is marketed through Prairie Farms, and we work with the team at NFO Livestock Manchester to market our fed cattle. We also operate about 500 acres of row crops which consist of a mixture of corn, hay and soybeans.

hometown. That denitely puts things in perspective.

What ag-related social media accounts do you follow? I personally follow the big dairy accounts like NY Farm Girls, Iowa Dairy Farmer and That Fit Agvocate. I also follow a lot of ag-related pages that aren’t just dairy. I follow poultry producers, pork producers and even some niche product pages like goat soap and orists. I like to see what’s going on outside the dairy world and always nd myself learning something new.

In what ways do you think social media helps or hurts the dairy industry? Sometimes social media can be a double-edged sword. I really do feel that it allows us to build a bridge between producers and consumers. All of us have friends and even some family members who have no clue what really goes into farming. And we all are always pulling out our phones showing friends and family, and sometimes strangers, photos of what’s going on at the farm. Why not broaden that audience? It’s super helpful to use the tools we have to network and share what we love to do. Just sharing a simple picture of a calf or a tractor can open the door to tons of conversations. On the other hand, it’s super easy for people with ill intentions and a small understanding of the agricultural world to see videos and photos and make up narratives that simply aren’t true. People tend to have no lter when they’re behind a screen. They can be brutal with both comments and messages. Thick skin is necessary if you plan on reaching a big audience. It requires a sort of vulnerability to allow the whole world to see what you do. But that’s also what makes sharing it so important. Getting our stories out there allows people to have a more comfortable relationship with the dairy products in their fridge.

Tell us about your farm. Our farm is a partnership between my dad, Mark, and his twin brother, Mike. We farm 1,300 acres, mostly hay and silage corn to supply our herd with feed. I have an older brother, Ryan, who trucks for a local company, and two younger brothers, Adam, who is furthering his education at Ridgewater College in Willmar, Minnesota, and Seth, who is my right-hand man anytime I need someone to carry a calf or operate a pitchfork. My mom, Kristine, does freelance photography. That’s a huge help. I always have ample photos available to use on our media pages. Our milk is bottled at Cass Clay in Fargo, North Dakota. We milk 350 cows. We have a pit oor freestall barn. Our parlor is a retrotted double-13 parallel parlor. I feed the calves on the farm, birth to weaning, utilizing other technologies like our automatic calf feeder, and I also work part time doing nutrition and sales at the local cooperative.

What is the most unique social media post you have made about your farm? Our No. 1 video is with Alan’s dad, who has draft horses. I will go over to their farm from time to time and get video of him working with his horses. He uses them to plow his garden. That video has over 900,000 views. We also had a YouTube video of us lling our corn crib and a Brown Swiss heifer watching and trying to get at the corn. That video got a lot of traction from people with non-farm backgrounds.

What ag-related social media accounts do you follow? On YouTube, we follow a lot of other farms. We like Gierok Farms in Wisconsin. On Facebook, we follow Hoard’s Dairyman, AGDAILY, Dairy Star and several other news sources for dairy. We use them to keep up with what is going on in the industry.

In what ways do you think social media helps or hurts the dairy industry? I think it helps it a lot because we can bring in the consumer and people with non-farm backgrounds to show them how we take care of our animals and our land. The internet has such a big reach, and everyone is on social media of some sort. It really helps to show consumers where their food comes from.

Tell us about your farm. We milk 33 cows. We have at least one of almost every breed. We milk in a barn that has tie stalls and stanchions. We farm around 200 acres of corn, alfalfa, grass and sometimes some small grains. Our milk is shipped to Associated Milk Producers Inc. My dad is retired now, but my brother, Paul, helps some. Jenn’s parents help some, but most of the time, it is us and the ve kids. The farm has been in our family since 1951, but my grandpa actually sold the cows in 2003. I had to buy all new cows and restarted our dairy in the fall of 2006. Jenn has a whole herd of chickens, a goose, an Appaloosa horse and of course a bunch of barn cats that our kids also enjoy.

Prole

Solid management yields protable results at Kieler Farms Inc.

Dr. Dan Kieler

Kieler Farms Inc.

Platteville, Wisconsin

2,000 cows

Describe your facilities and your breeding management team. We milk in a 50-stall rotary and with a 12-row cross-ventilated barn since 2018. Brandon Klein is our Select Sires technician, and Dan Meisen is the herdsman who takes care of all the reproductive shots.

What is your current pregnancy rate? It is 37%.

What is your reproduction program? The voluntary waiting period is 72 days. All cows are bred rst service using double ovsynch. Klein walks and chalks daily. Cows are given a pre-pregnancy GnRH shot a week prior to pregnancy check and are ultrasounded at 29-36 days.

Do you use a synchronization program? Yes. All rst service is bred off double ovsynch. Open cows go through regular ovsynch.

Describe your breeding philosophy. My goal is to get all cows pregnant as efciently as possible to the proper bull based on genomics.

What guidelines do you follow to reach the goals for your breeding program? Compliance and automation. We use a wand and RFID

system to identify cows on shot and herd check days to rapidly, correctly and efciently get the work done.

What are the top traits you look for in breeding your dairy herd and how has this changed since you started farming? I look at cheese merit, combined fat and pro-

tein, dairy wellness prot dollars, and sire conception rate and daughter pregnancy rate.

What are certain traits you try to avoid? I like to avoid animals with poor health traits, poor reproductive traits and slow milking speeds because we have a smaller rotary parlor.

Describe the ideal cow for your herd. A moderately sized cow with good reproductive traits and good production with sound feet and legs and proper udder conformation.

What role does genetics have in reaching the goals of your farm? Genetics and genomic testing is helping us reach our goals of shipping the most pounds of solids possible. All animals are genomic tested to determine which will receive sexed semen, and the rest are bred to beef. Genetics are just as important on the beef semen we put in too. I

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Leah and Dan Kieler stand by their farm sign Feb. 28 at their farm near Pla eville, Wisconsin. The Kielers milk 2,000 cows and farm 4,500 acres.

“Using the Udder ComfortTM Battery-Operated Backpack Sprayer every day the past 3 months made us more compliant with our fresh cow protocol for better udder health. We’re getting our fresh cows sprayed more consistently with Udder Comfort 3x/day for a week after calving. Our SCC came down from 165,000 to 137,000. We run a really full freestall, and if we do get clinicals, they clear faster and don’t become herd health manager at his family’s 750-cow Registered Holstein dairy near Maynard, Iowa.

“We really notice a lot more udder texture and veination at 2 weeks in milk if they are sprayed consistently and right away, compared with 3 to 4 weeks in, if they are not,” he adds.

“This Sprayer is smooth. It puts a nice, even, effective coat of Udder Comfort on the udders.

“It gets under the udder, broadcasting over the ligament and around the teats, where you want it,” says Scott.

“We have relied on Udder Comfort over 10 years as the best tool to get cows through transition and into milk faster with healthier udders. We always talked about getting milkers to stick to the protocol. The Sprayer does that,” he explains.

“The Sprayer is more convenient and user-friendly than I thought it would be. It holds a lot of product, charges fast, holds the charge well, so it’s always ready in the parlor. It’s easy to grab, turn on, and go.”

really look for marbling and ribeye size when selecting a beef bull as all our crossbred calves are being nished and sold on a grid marketing system.

What percentage of your herd is bred to sexed, conventional and beef semen? Our herd is bred approximately two-thirds beef and one-third sexed semen. No conventional Holstein semen is used. We currently do not do any in vitro fertilization work, but it is possible in the future as we get some higher genomic animals.

What is your conception rate? How does this differ with different types of semen? Our conception rate is around 50% on beef semen and 48% on sexed semen. We also only use 4M sexed semen on cows.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned through your breeding program? Getting cows pregnant is one of the most important things to do on the farm. It is important to be monitoring short- and long-term trends. When something isn’t working as well as it should, develop a plan and take action.

What is the age of your heifers at rst service? I will start breeding heifers at 11-12 months of age. I really try to focus on accelerated and rapid growth program on heifers, making sure they have proper protein and calories at all growing phases. Heifers also receive Synovex C implants at 3 and 7 months of age.

How does your heifer inventory affect your breeding program? I want to maintain a certain number of heifers per month, and I watch inventories. But, I mainly limit my numbers by watching conception rates and limiting the number of sexed services on a weekly basis through a system I put in DairyComp.

Tell us about your farm. We are a family farm in Platteville, Wisconsin. Owners are Louis and Ann Kieler, Eric and Leah Kieler, Matt and Renee Clark, Drs. George and Jackie Kieler, and myself, Dr. Dan Kieler. We milk about 2,000 cows and raise our replacements and crossbred bull calves. We also have a 160 beef cow-calf herd and farm around 4,500 acres.

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Cows are milked in the 50-stall rotary parlor Feb. 28 at Kieler Farms Inc. near Pla eville, Wisconsin. The parlor was implemented when the family built a new site for 2,000 cows.

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Dr. Dan Kieler checks a cow Feb. 28 at his farm near Pla eville, Wisconsin. Besides being a veterinarian, Kieler is part owner of Kieler Farms Inc. with eight family partners.

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Wright returns to barn after family stepped in to milk cows

By Tiffany Klaphake tiffany.k@dairystar.com

OSAGE, Minn. – At 72 years old, Dennis Wright tore the metatarsal joint in his foot and needed to have surgery, but he had no intention of selling his 40 cows so he could recover.

“The only time it crossed my mind was in 2021 with the drought, but I just couldn’t talk myself into letting the cows go,” Dennis said. … “Dairy farming is just what I’ve always done; it’s all I know.”

Instead of walking away from a lifetime of dairying, Dennis asked his son, Jason Wright, and his nephew, Clinton Wright, to work in his absence on the Wright Way Dairy Farm near Osage.

“It means the world that they helped me,” Dennis said. “There is no way I could have done anything like this without selling the cows, and that wasn’t an option.”

Dennis had surgery Dec. 22, 2022, and was back in the barn at the end of February. He is now going through the routine that has been his life’s work.

“Sitting in the house was awful,” Dennis said. “It feels good to be going back out again.”

The goal of the scheduled surgery was to reduce pain in Dennis’ foot, pain brought on by milking cows in a tiestall barn for more than 50 years.

“I still have quite a bit of swelling

Given a helping hand

and numbness in my foot,” Dennis said.

Dennis said had he used a milking stool from the onset, he may have never needed surgery. But, he waited three decades before using a stool to milk.

“I’ve been milking for 51 years, and I want to keep farming until I can’t,” Dennis said. “It’s in my blood.”

Both Jason and Clinton live close to the farm so it made helping easier. Jason works for a large potato grower, and Clinton works full time in Detroit Lakes. When Clinton got off work, he went straight to the farm to do the evening milking.

“I’ve always liked farming, but there isn’t enough money in it for us all to farm full time,” Clinton said.

Prior to Dennis’ surgery, Jason and Clinton helped Dennis farm year-round by assisting with eldwork and the more physical tasks as time allowed.

Dennis takes care of all the A.I. Jason and Clinton have both tried to learn the practice themselves but never could do it well enough to A.I. in Dennis’ absence. While Dennis was laid up, they paused breeding until Dennis was able to move about more freely.

While Dennis was recovering, he used a knee scooter to maneuver around the farm, and the gutter of the tiestall barn prevented him from getting further inside to complete regular chores. Instead, Dennis resigned himself to rinsing the milkers and instead let Jason and Clinton milk the cows and take care of the day-to-day tasks.

“Things went good,” Dennis said. “We had a pretty decent January this year so that helped out.”

Turn to WRIGHT | Page 25

Grapple buckets, bale spears, rock buckets etc.

Snow Buckets

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Dennis Wright and his son, Jason Wright, stand in the milkhouse of Wright Way Dairy Farm near Osage, Minnesota. Jason milked cows for Dennis for several months while Dennis recovered from foot surgery.

The Wrights farm about 1,000 acres and raise grass hay, barley, ax and corn in the light, sandy soil of northcentral Minnesota. Dennis also has a brother-in-law who is retired but helps with eldwork in the summer.

The farm has been in the Wright family since 1945. When Dennis’ parents purchased the farm, many of their neighbors said the land was not worth farming because of the poor soil. Dennis has overcome the obstacles that come with farming that area of the state without an irrigation system.

An additional challenge for the Wrights is hauling manure each and every day. When the

temperatures dip well below freezing, they have enough storage to wait a few days between hauling loads. Otherwise, they haul manure daily.

Jason and Clinton grew up helping on the farm so the tasks come second nature to the pair.

“We grew up doing the chores so we don’t know any different,” Clinton said. “It would be weird not to have the cows in the barn.”

Clinton bought his uncle’s share of the farm when he retired more than 10 years ago.

“Growing up, if I wasn’t in school, I was over at my uncle’s farm,” Clinton said.

In fact, on the last day of school each year, the school

bus would drop Clinton at the farm instead of his home so he could spend the summer at the farm. Clinton’s involvement in the farm through the years has never ceased, but when Dennis

was laid up, he took on more milking responsibilities.

Clinton has a herd of 20 beef cattle at his farm, which is just up the road from Dennis’ farm.

“I would rather farm than work,” Clinton said. The Wrights said they are proud to continue farming on their family’s land and want to carry on the tradition.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Dennis Wright takes a break in between cows at his farm near Osage, Minnesota. Dennis is back to milking cows a er recovering from foot surgery.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Clinton Wright (le ) and Jason Wright feed a calf at Wright Way Dairy Farm near Osage, Minnesota. The Wrights milk 40 cows in a estall barn.

Growing amid dairy’s decline

works off the farm in the agriculture industry.

“I was in college when we became the last dairy in the county,” Brett said. “In order for us to have a legitimate ADA, the president and vice president had to have separate addresses. We put my address as my grandparents’ place since I didn’t have my own address yet so that the state would allow us to keep our ADA.”

Ofcers on the ADA board must be current dairy farmers, so Mark serves as president and Brett as vice president. Kent is a member. The other four members used to milk cows but do not any longer.

Blackwelders forge ahead in Big Stone County

By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com

Editor’s note: This is the fourth story in a series highlighting families who are the last dairy farm to operate within their respective counties across our coverage area. Dairy Star hopes to shed light on the industry’s landscape surrounding these farms and how these isolated farms thrive.

Read their stories at www.dairystar.com.

CHOKIO, Minn. – Big Stone County has its own branch of the American Dairy Association even though the county only has one dairy farm remaining.

“For being the only dairy, we’re lucky that we have some former dairy farmers who are still willing to be on the board,” Mark Blackwelder said. “We do promote things yet. We’ve got the malt wagon at the Big Stone County Fair.”

Mark and Amy Blackwelder and their sons, Brett and Kent, milk 320 Holsteins near Chokio using six Lely robotic milking units. They also grow soybeans, corn, wheat and alfalfa on 2,750 acres. Their daughter, Katelyn,

Having their own ADA is important to county residents, especially during the Big Stone County Fair.

“The (ADA’s) malt wagon is a big attraction for the fair,” Brett said.

The wagon is managed by board members, who work shifts during the fair and nd other volunteers, often family members or retired dairy farmers, to work as well.

The Blackwelders make sure to work a shift, but they do not have a lot of extra time for the fair because they are busy keeping their fth-generation dairy farm humming. Although there are several dairies in nearby Stevens County, Blackwelder Farms is the lone one in Big Stone.

“Even in the early 1990s, we still had 20-plus herds in Big Stone County, and those were just the ones on test (with Dairy Herd Improvement Association),” Mark said. “In the early 2000s, I think we still had 10 of them. A lot of them were smaller: 30-, 40-, 50-cow dairies.”

Brett said the expansive land in the area may have been a factor in dairy’s decline, as farmers opted for larger grain farms rather than dairies. The Blackwelders keep milking cows because of both their farming goals and preferences.

“It’s constant income, and it will keep all three of us on the farm and support three families,” Brett said. “I’ve liked working with cows. It’s a challenge obviously, but it can be rewarding seeing changes you make that make your cows healthier or more productive.”

Mark agreed.

“When I came back to farm in 1984, I was in the eld, too, but I really liked the cow side of it,” he said. “I’m still in the barn every day.”

However, being the only dairy farm in Big Stone County has its challenges.

“The milk goes to Land O’Lakes in Melrose, an hour and a half away,” Mark said. “Our robots are also serviced out of Melrose, and the vet is about 45 minutes away. We’re fortunate that implement dealers are close, but as far as dairy infrastructure, there’s not a lot around for us.”

The family has found ways to deal with the distances.

“We keep a large inventory of dairy-specic parts on hand,” Brett said. “I’ve learned to x a lot on my own when robots break down. If we need the dealer to come out, it’s usually for a pretty major problem.”

The Blackwelders have two fulltime employees, and their hoof trim-

mer, Mitch Ackerman, travels two hours to their farm from Sauk Rapids and has for over 20 years.

“We’re just happy he’s willing to drive this far,” Brett said.

Another reason the farm succeeds is the two generations work well together.

“We are trying to work to each other’s strengths,” Brett said. “I’m more of a cow guy than Kent, so I kind of take care of the cows. Kent has a knack for xing tractors and keeping them clean and performing properly. I would be looking for an excuse to go work with cows rather than wax a tractor.”

Mark agreed but said he sees his role as less specic.

“I’m in the barn, then I’m in the eld,” he said. “I don’t know if I have any strengths. I’m just consistently here all the time.”

Brett said Kent works with cows but does bookwork and is a big part of the grain operation. Kent also has a seed business.

DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO

Bre Blackwelder checks over data provided by the milking robots in October 2020 on his family’s farm near Chokio, Minnesota. Bre manages the milking herd and calves on the dairy.

DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO

Mark and Amy Blackwelder and their sons, Bre and Kent, manage the last dairy farm in Big Stone County, Minnesota. The family milks 320 Holsteins and grows soybeans, corn, wheat and alfalfa on 2,750 acres near Chokio.

“It’s constant income, and it will keep all three of us on the farm and support three families.

I’ve liked working with cows. It’s a challenge obviously, but it can be rewarding seeing changes you make that make your cows healthier or more productive.”

BRETT BLACKWELDER, DAIRY FARMER

Mark’s wife, Amy, works off the farm but does farm payroll and bookwork.

The family operates as a team.

“As long as we can keep advancing and they keep picking up our milk, I’m sure we’ll be at it for the foreseeable future,” Brett said.

That includes Mark. He has watched the farm continue to grow and said he does not see himself ever fully retiring.

“We’ve stuck it out and kept with the times, slowly expanding as we could and trying to keep the farm mod-

ernized,” Mark said. “I’ve always said I’ll be done when they kick me off the tractor. My dad, Earl, was in his 80s and still out here whenever he could be. That was his life, and I still enjoy it too.”

Brett said he does not mind being the only dairy farm in their county. Sometimes it even makes him feel good.

“People say to us, ‘Oh, you’re that dairy farm,’ because we are the only one,” Brett said. “When we say our last name, we get recognized as the dairy.”

Kent Blackwelder manages the crops at the Blackwelders’ family farm near Chokio, Minnesota. He also manages a seed business.

Katie Reineking Plymouth, Wisconsin Sheboygan County 60 cows

Family: My dad, Steve, and I are on the farm full time, and my mom, Patti, and brother Scott, both work off the farm but also help. I also have my own photography business I do on the side.

Tell us about your farm. We milk 50 Holsteins in a tiestall barn with AIC Expresso automatic take-offs. Our newborn calves are raised on milk replacer in Calf-Tel pens in our heifer barn. They are weaned at about 2 months and are moved to bedded pack pens. At breeding age, they move into free stalls and are bred through A.I. Our dry cows are also housed in this building in free stalls. We raise corn and alfalfa on about 200 acres and store feed in bags and Harvestore silos. We mix a partial mixed ration of corn silage, haylage, high-moisture corn and protein mix, and we top dress the rest of the highmoisture corn and protein. Heifers are fed a total mixed ration and hay. About 75% of the herd are Red and White Holsteins or red carriers and also registered.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? My main focus is working with the cows. I do both milkings every day by myself unless I have other commitments. I work with my dad on getting everyone fed and getting the barns cleaned. My mom feeds the calves in the morning and at night, but I check on them, bed them and take care of them as needed. I also do all our breeding and take care of newborns or sick cows as needed. I mix feed for the cows in the afternoon and every other day for the heifers. I bed the pack pens and add sand to the free stalls as needed. I go to sessions in the afternoons or evenings and will work on photography or 4-H dairy things in the afternoon or before I go to bed, depending on the time of year.

What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? I switched from Calf Guard to First Defense Tri-Shield paste on my newborn calves and have had much

less incidents of calves getting a bout of scours at 1 week old. They just keep cruising along once they hit the ground now.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. I have a lot of great memories growing up on the farm and spending time with my grandparents and parents, but one of my most memorable is when my dad bought me my rst calf at the Great Northern Sales Arena. I was so excited to have a calf of my own and still have many descendants in the barn from her today that are all very special to me.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? Seeing all my hard work and decisions come to fruition and all the people I have met and opportunities I have received.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? I’ve been attending World Dairy Expo for many years and always dreamed of being able to grace the colored shavings with one of my own animals. This past fall, I was able to exhibit my rst calf at WDE and place in the top half of my class while also being able to be an ofcial photographer for WDE.

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? I have worked with the Wisconsin Holstein Association princesses and Sheboygan County Fairest of the Fair to take pictures for them throughout the year for the past couple of years. I also chair the 4-H junior dairy project for Sheboygan County. I work with others on the committee to put on activities for the kids and work with them throughout the year. I have also been able to cover other events and work for other businesses to help tell their story through pictures I have taken.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Never stop learning and be open-minded.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I love to cook and bake when I get the chance and try out new recipes.

www.extension.umn.edu/dairy

Silage management does not end after harvest

One of the largest expenses for a dairy is the feed bill. Each Holstein dairy cow consumes approximately 50 pounds of dry matter daily to meet milk production needs. Of her total mixed ration, typically 50% to 60% can be ensiled forages. Many dairy producers put up silage or baleage after harvest and feed this part of the ration daily without another thought. Just like a silage bunk or bag will differ in moisture or crude protein from year to year, feeding practices and feed analysis might be worth further examination.

to change over time. To continue feeding high-quality silage, producers should monitor management factors such as silo feed-out and silo management during storage. These crop and management factors impact each other and the quality of the feed that arrives in the bunk during both the ensiling and long-term management of silage.

By Dana Adams U of M

Throughout the year, dairy producers send silage samples to feed labs to better understand the quality of what they are feeding their cows. Both crop factors and management factors can inuence the nutritive value of the silage coming out of the eld. Crop factors that impact the quality of silage include moisture content, buffering capacity and sugar content. Some common management factors that are important to monitor during harvest include chop length, silo packing speed and silage pack density. The silage that has been stored can continue

In mid-winter, little can be done to alter silage moisture content, chop length and packing speed that occurred during ensiling. Steps that can be performed to monitor and maintain silage quality include managing how silage is fed out and the silo itself. Creating and maintaining an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment with low pH limits the activity and growth of spoilage organisms. However, exposure to even a small amount of oxygen allows yeast to grow. Yeast converts organic acids and residual plant sugars to carbon dioxide, water and heat. This results in higher silage pH, which allows bacteria, yeast and molds, once inhibited by the acidic environment, to grow. These organisms consume nutrients and produce heat. To collect the highest quality silage from a silo or bag, the daily removal rate must be kept ahead of aerobic spoilage. This delicate balance can be navigated by sizing storage structures to forage needs. The removal rate is determined by environmental temperatures and the density

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of the silage mass, which affects the rate at which air permeates the forage.

All exposed surfaces of the silage mass allow oxygen to enter, therefore warranting a plan of attack to maintain silage quality. Properly packing and sealing structures limit exposure to oxygen, creating an anaerobic environment and limiting loss during storage. Once silage is taken from the silo and is exposed to oxygen, it begins to heat and spoil. The time it takes for this to occur is referred to as anaerobic stability. Anaerobic stability can be affected by spoilage organism populations, temperature, forage dry matter, or forage species, to name a few.

Management of the silage face is also extremely important due to its exposure from the time the bunk is opened until it is emptied. It can be thought of not as a proverbial sprint but as a marathon. Minimizing oxygen exposure can be accomplished by evenly removing silage from the face and maintaining a smooth vertical surface, perpendicular to the ground. Consciously working toward this goal can make this routine task really count toward maintaining high-quality silage.

Silage quality can vary throughout a pile or throughout a bag. Regular silage testing allows producers to know, rather than guess, if what they think they are feeding is in fact what the ration is pro-

Dana Adams, adam1744@umn.edu

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viding. Typically, silage samples arrive at a feed lab and receive a standard analysis. A lab’s fermentation analysis can be a more in-depth look into that feed. It can explain if excellent, average or poor fermentation has occurred. In some cases, it can qualitatively explain the poor nutritive value, high refusals and therefore low intakes by the herd. Now, a fermentation analysis should not be relied on alone but instead paired with a standard chemical analysis. Together, they can be used to evaluate if good fermentation occurred in a silage sample. Fermentation analysis may be used in identifying intake or performance issues. Feed and fermentation analysis can be used as a tool for making management decisions.

Silage management is a marathon and not a sprint. It requires a strong start composed of appropriate chop length, silo packing speed and silage pack density during ensiling. To maintain that highquality silage, strong silage management also requires maintaining an anaerobic environment through minimizing oxygen exposure to the pile or bag face. Starting with a quality silage, mindfully maintaining the silage face and regular sampling work together to allow producers to keep their ration on track and reach the herds’ potential.

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Dairy technology: What is out there?

In January, Torsten Hemme, CEO of IFCN Dairy Research Network and his team, along with Walt Cooley, vice president of operations for Progressive Publishing and editor-in-chief at The Cow Tech Report, organized a virtual event: the rst Global Dairy Tech Mapping. During this event, they shared a dairy tech map they created, a compilation of logos including approximately 190 dairy farm tech companies around the world. They classied them as small, medium or large based on how many cows are using the technology, with 71 companies in North America and 67 in Europe. There are so many technologies at different stages of adoption.

– About half of the virtual live attendees were concerned about the impact of reduced milk prices in 2023 on the farmers’ ability to invest in new technology.

– About half of the participants would like to see more technologies in farm management and about 20% chose health management or supply chain.

Plan to join us June 20-21 for the Precision Dairy Conference in Bloomington, Minnesota. Dairy producers, we want to have your participation. Cooley will be presenting an updated version of the dairy tech map.

By Marcia Endres U of M

Over 900 people registered for this event, which shows the high interest on this topic across the dairy supply chain. What about dairy producers? I do not know how many of them attended, but I think it is important that companies connect with dairy producers to identify needs they have and nd solutions to their challenges. Technology is here to stay, but every farm has different needs. Some might use very little technology, and others might be fully automated, use data integration, animal monitoring and so on.

Some key points from this dairy tech event:

– Software, automation and sensors are the most noticeable technologies on the map.

– Companies are focusing primarily on technology for overall farm management, health and feeding, with some more recent additions on data integration.

– Data ownership and data using rights will become a more important topic in the future.

– Ination, interest rates and world conicts can be challenges to attract funding for dairy tech development.

The theme of our conference is “Partnering with tech to improve dairy farm protability and sustainability.” Technology will not completely replace human labor and management. However, as a partner with humans, it can provide data for making the right decisions, help with labor challenges, make farm management easier, help improve animal health and welfare, demonstrate sustainable practices and more.

At the conference, we will have a dairy tech spotlight that will include types of newer technology in the U.S. market. One technology that is becoming more common is the use of computer vision. Cameras have become more affordable and articial intelligence and machine learning techniques are making it possible to detect and analyze for various things on the farm. At the session, we will have three companies using this type of technology.

One of the companies uses computer vision for monitoring employees in the parlor and checking for protocol compliance among other things related to milking procedures. Another one is using computer vision to detect lameness and to record body condition score automatically as cows leave the parlor. Lameness continues to be one of the most important animal welfare problems on dairy farms, and early, objective detection will certainly help

reduce lameness, which improves not only animal welfare with less pain but also improves protability with greater milk production. In addition, consumers want good animal care and less animal pain and suffering. A win-win-win! The third company uses computer vision to detect mastitis automatically with current installations in rotary parlors. A cow-side and farm ofce technology that can test the milk for mastitis pathogens and provide suggestions for the best antibiotic treatment for each case of mastitis will also be presented.

The session will also include an internal bolus that can monitor temperature, activity and rumination, a dairy management software company and a data-integration software company. With so much data coming from many sources, the producers need to have an easy way to use that information to make informed decisions.

Many factors inuence what is important when deciding to use or not use technology. Of course, one has to consider the need for each type of technology. Is it going to benet the operation’s bottom line? The level of comfort and skill using the technology is also important. A handy farmer or employee who can x minor issues themselves goes a long way to save money and making sure there is less downtime. We need to understand the economics of the technology. Will there be a return on investment? How much risk are we willing to take, especially with new technologies? Relationship, expertise and proximity of technology suppliers is also a key deciding factor. The farm needs to have the infrastructure needed to run the technology appropriately and effectively. The technology needs to be robust, reliable and withstand the farm environment.

Please join us in June for a discussion on dairy tech. This will be a neutral space for us to learn from each other and conference presenters, many of them being dairy producers sharing their experience with technology.

Nate Isensee Norwalk, Wisconsin Monroe County 40 cows

How did you get into farming? My grandpa had a farm. I grew up here and stuck around.

What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? Pay price of milk is always a big concern. I also wonder what will happen with the cost of inputs.

What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? I bought eight beef cows for extra cash ow.

Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I can look at a cow and tell if something is wrong with her. It is one advantage of having a small herd.

What is the best decision you have made on your farm? Putting up another silo. I avoid a lot of mud by not using bags.

What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? My skid loader because it does everything. Everybody needs one. A good manure spreader to keep everything cleaned up. My cordless tools like the impact wrench. It makes xing things very convenient.

What strategies do you use to withstand the volatile milk prices? I don’t do any impulse buying, and I don’t buy what I don’t need.

How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? Just roll with the ow. I don’t work with too many people; it’s mainly just me.

What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Being my own boss and being outdoors.

What advice would you give other dairy farmers? If you can live without it, don’t buy it. If you have to use a pitchfork, then use a pitchfork.

What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? In the next year, I am going to pour more concrete to make a feed room next to the newest silo. In ve years, I plan to still be in business.

How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? I enjoy high school sporting events, snowmobiling and looking for deer sheds in the winter.

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Garbage dump delights

I have always had great respect for garbage. The piece of furniture I have had longest and has gone with me every time I have moved is an old stereo cabinet my dad pulled from the dump south of Melrose, Minnesota, when I was a kid. It has been renished once by him and once by my husband – and I love it. In size and sturdiness, it is perfect for holding games inside and heavy lamps or knickknacks on top.

By Jan Lefebvre Staff Writer

My husband, Mark, is a respecter of garbage as well. When he was growing up on his family’s dairy farm, he, his brother, Greg, and the Goodin boys down the road would race on their bicycles to the dump in Dayton, Minnesota, to retrieve old bicycle parts. Then, they would recongure their bikes, using the parts to soup them up or make pedaled works of art. They even named their group the Dump Diggers.

When I married Mark and moved to his family’s farm, I soon learned some townsfolk think of rural farming areas as places to dump things, both of the living and the nonliving variety.

Since our farm was located near a spreading suburbia, people often dumped tires, couches, appliances and mattresses along the gravel roads around our farm and elds. I suppose some dumpers thought because farmers have equipment to move their garbage and land to store it, maybe they wouldn’t mind taking care of a little extra refuse. Others probably didn’t even give dumping a second thought.

The strangest dumped things were of the living kind in the form of pets no longer wanted. Various animals, often clearly former house pets, appeared from time to time. This was sometimes good and sometimes bad, for both farmer and animal. The animals lacked collars but had clean coats, clues they were most likely dumped off. No one ever came looking for them or posted signs with their photographs.

A dog that appeared one day from a probable drive-by received the name Rex or Ricky – Mark can’t remember which – and it had a keen sense of herding. Grateful for a second chance and liking the farm, he enthusiastically kept alert, ready to help move cows whenever needed. However, after a few weeks, he disappeared into the night.

Another dumped dog that wasn’t given a name and didn’t deserve one passed the time getting into the steer pen and chasing the steers around, upsetting them. Let’s just say he suffered an untimely end.

Snoopy, a cat named by my nephew because of its coloring being similar to the Peanuts character, was a jolly, purring dump-off who loved to be scratched behind the ears, unlike some of the inbred farm cats that were wary of most people. The farm cats all had patchy black and white fur and looked perpetually startled, but they were sly survivors. We called them the checkered kitties, naming none individually.

Poor Snoopy, however, suffered from farm inexperience. One day he walked over to me and revealed that half of his tail had been recently chopped off. My husband said it had happened in the silage blower fan, which began to turn while Snoopy was snooping in it. Mark had heard the shrieked meow and had seen the bloody aftermath.

Snoopy’s feelings quickly recovered. He didn’t seem too bothered by his new look. Afterall, now he matched a few of his also-dumped peers who had suffered similar cosmetic surgeries. The farm-born cats, taught by their mothers who were taught by their mothers, never seemed to lose body parts.

Our farm itself had a dump pile, hidden at the bottom of a steep hill. One day Mark and I strolled there for a look down history lane. Sitting between tractor parts, busted crates and other rusted farm items was a 1957 Chevy Mark’s uncle had wrecked back in the day. It still looked pretty cool. When we peaked in a doorless dishwasher, Snoopy was taking a nap in it, his stub tail sticking up behind him.

When the Lefebvre family sold the farm, we said goodbye to the dump pile, but that didn’t end my love of garbage.

Recently, Mark and I sold our home and the 11 acres we had lived on since we moved from the farm so many years ago. Our twins, Emma and Jackson, were 5 years old then. Now, they are 25.

Mark and I joke that we have become minimalists, getting rid of almost everything and moving to an apartment in downtown St. Joseph, Minnesota.

My stereo cabinet made the cut and came with us. It now holds our television.

In St. Joseph, the businesses around us all have huge outside garbage bins, but don’t worry; I’m not tempted. I love a good city dump, but I am not a dumpster diver.

A feel good season

A couple weeks ago on a mild weekend in February, I was home from school enjoying doing chores on our farm. That clear Saturday morning was a feel good day lled with the beauty of the vibrant sun shining down on us so early in the day. The snow had been melting, but the ground was crisp with the freezing overnight temperatures. I took my time feeding our calves their milk so I could soak in how wonderful of a morning it was.

On the Road with Princess Kay

It wasn’t only me who noticed the early morning beauty. So did the cows and youngstock. Throughout chores, the cows were all standing chewing their cud, facing toward the rising sun taking in the morning and the heat radiating onto them. By the looks of them, they were feeling just as wonderful as I was. I have always loved being able to notice the winter days getting longer, brighter and melting into spring. The added extra couple minutes the sun shines each day boosts my ambition and my spirits. For me, the fresh feel of a day is the rst sign that spring will soon be here with the anticipation and excitement of warm weather, greenery and blooms leading to a growing season ahead. Between now and the true spring, there is much that can happen, more wintery weather and cold temperatures, but as the days get longer, the feel good thoughts of spring keep me going.

This month, I was lucky enough to have some great feel good events as my journey as Princess Kay continues. The rst was the Mounds View Police Foundation’s Daddy Daughter Dance. This was the sixth year the Mounds View Police Foundation hosted their father-daughter dance for young girls and their dad, grandpa or father gure to enjoy a special night together. Just like all the other young ladies bringing their dads, I had to do the same and bring my dad, Francis. As the young ladies and their dads were checked in, I was able to greet them with some dairy goodies. They all wore beautiful dresses, and their hair was awlessly done by their moms. Some wore crowns, and others wore colorful fragrant corsages given to them by their dads. After a meal together, the dance oor was open and ooded with girls. I spent the rest of the evening on the dance oor singing and twirling around to Disney songs and some of the classics with the young ladies. The night wasn’t complete without a couple polkas with my dad.

I ended my February adventures traveling down to Woodson Kindergarten Center in Austin, Minnesota, to celebrate Read Across America Week. I joined 170 students and 16 teachers for an afternoon full of dairy reading and learning. I read “My Family’s Dairy Farm,” a story of 8-year-old Lucas and his family’s dairy farm. The story goes through how dairy farmers work hard for their cows to produce safe and nutritious dairy products for us all. The students were able to see through Lucas’ eyes what dairy farmers do to ensure content and healthy cows.

I am always in a feel good mood after each event where I represent our wonderful dairy community. The people I meet and our interactions and conversations fuels and energizes me just like the beginning of spring. Each year, I wait for our multiple lilac bushes around the farmyard to bloom and ower. The ower’s sweet scent spreads across the farm as the bushes ash their various shades of purple. As a little girl, I

would go up to the large owering bushes to inhale the divine smell the blooms gave off. After evening chores, I would pick a couple small branches of lilacs and bring them to the house. I would take one of the assorted plastic cups from the cupboard and ll it with water for a vase. As the feel good season of spring gets closer, I will be looking forward to a bouquet of purple lilac owers sitting on the table as the busyness on the farm and in the elds begins.

Princess Kay of the Milky Way Rachel Rynda serves as the Minnesota dairy community’s goodwill

ambassador. Rynda grew up in Montgomery, Minnesota, on her family’s dairy farm. She attends University of Wisconsin-River Falls, studying agriculture business with a minor in dairy science, with plans to assist farmers with their nances. She enjoys participating in sports and singing in church with her dad.

Princess Kay is active doing school visits, representing dairy farmers at the Fuel Up To Play 60 activities in conjunction with the Minnesota Vikings and sharing the importance of dairy farming and dairy foods at appearances across Minnesota.

By Rachel Rynda

69th Princess Kay of the Milky Way

Radio daze

Radio has always been an integral part of farm life. Long before the advent of the so-called internet and the so-called worldwide spider domicile, our trusty radios kept us abreast of what was happening in the universe.

That was a much simpler time, when modem meant you had cut the weeds out in the pasture and download speed had to do with how fast you could throw bales off a hay wagon.

The rst radio I recall is the boxy blue-green RCA that sat on my parents’ kitchen table. A unique feature of that radio arose from its designer’s disregard for the amount of heat that would be produced by its vacuum tubes. The net result was that a small hole had melted in the top of the radio’s plastic case.

Every morning (allowing some lead time for warm-up) at exactly 6 a.m., my parents would

switch on the old RCA and “The Star-Spangled Banner” would begin to play. The stirring and patriotic tune was followed by the booming voice of Bert Getz, the morning DJ at KBRK AM.

Bert was the smartest guy in the whole world. He knew everything: the latest sports scores, what the weather would be like that day, the farm markets and tasty tidbits of news from every corner of the globe.

I once asked Dad how our radio worked, and he said that a tiny know-it-all guy named Bert lived inside. As I peered through the melt hole on the top of the old RCA, Dad said, “See him? He’s turned on his light and he’s wearing a little cowboy hat.”

I eventually learned how a radio actually works but not before the old RCA died, probably due to a buildup of breadcrumbs that I had dropped into it for poor little Bert.

I met Bert in person many years later, an encounter that left me feeling vaguely disappointed. Only upon reection did it occur to me that my disappointment arose from the fact that Bert hadn’t been wearing a cowboy hat.

As my seven siblings and I grew up and began to help with the milking, we insisted upon having a radio in the barn. This created a problem. We kids wanted to listen to our music (rock ‘n roll), while Mom and Dad wanted to listen to their music (which was hopelessly stodgy and extremely polka-centric).

We compromised by milking to the stodgy stuff (and Bert) in the morning and doing the chore time boogie to our music at night. That music now carries the stodgy-sounding moniker, “classic rock.”

None of our tractors had cabs or radios. I learned to make do while performing eldwork by listening to the playlist of tunes stored in my mental jukebox. The trouble was that my jukebox would sometimes get stuck on one particular song and play it over and over. The longest week I ever spent was the afternoon I listened to “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” by Tony Orlando and Dawn about a million times. I sorely wished someone would drop in a quarter and pick a new song.

I was presented with a transistor radio the Christmas when I was 11. The radio wasn’t much by today’s standards. It didn’t connect to the internet and couldn’t store any MP3s, but I thought I had the world by the speaker wire because it received both AM and FM. Imagine! All of that in a box you could carry with one hand!

Sometimes of a winter’s night, I would take my radio to bed, duck under the covers and scour the airwaves with the volume turned way down low. I discovered that AM radio waves can skip off the ionosphere, enabling the receiver to pull in stations from far, far away.

My little transistor radio would pick up signals from such exotic locales as Chicago, St. Louis and Little Rock. I would sometimes even hear voices that spoke French or Spanish fading eerily into and out of the ether. I felt like a voyeur, peering into foreign windows in distant lands. I was traveling without leaving the warmth of my bed.

These days, radio is alive and doing quite well despite the advent of such innovations as streaming services and Sirius XM. One day our youngest son, who was a teenager at the time, asked me what I thought of Eminem.

“Well,” I replied, “I’ve always liked the peanut kind better than the plain.”

He shook his head and walked away, muttering something about someone being hopelessly stodgy.

It’s comforting to know some things never change.

Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, South Dakota. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry works full time for Dairy Star as a staff writer and ad salesman. Feel free to email him at jerry.n@dairystar.com.

By Jerry Nelson Columnist

Dear County Agent Guy

Too much information

Humans like simple, straightforward information.

For example, when we are ill and do not know why, we likely would go to the local doctor for help. The doctor might order one or more tests, and we might patiently await results. Most of us like results like positive or negative, and do not like results like most likely or maybe. However, in medicine, whether human or veterinary, even a simple positive does not necessarily mean certainty; thus, we need to be careful in interpretation. We veterinarians regularly see clients use interpretations of test results in ways that might cause one to make the wrong decision because it is hard for us to understand why positive might not actually mean positive, for example.

Tests have some inherent characteristics. Sensitivity refers to the ability of a test to correctly nd a positive result. For example, if you use on-farm culture to diagnose mastitis pathogens, the culture system might have 70% sensitivity to detect Staph aureus. That means the test would detect 70% of the truly positive samples. Specicity refers to the ability to correctly identify a negative result. So, for example, if the culture system has a specicity of 90%, it would correctly identify a negative result 90% of the time, but 10% of the time it would identify a true negative sample as Staph aureus positive. Tests also have something called positive and negative predictive values, which mean the actual sensitivity and specicity depend on the true prevalence in the sample population. This means, for example, that a test for Johne’s disease that has a specicity of 90% might not actually nd 90% of the true positives every time. If the population of tested animals have a really low rate of

true infection, the positive predicted value might be lower, and if nearly all of the animals actually have Johne’s, the positive predictive value might actually be substantially higher than 90%. This can be hard to get one’s head around, but it is important.

Let’s go back to the on-farm culture test. The Minnesota Easy Culture System II is probably the most widely used and best on-farm milk culture system. This test has two available systems, a Bi-plate and a Tri-plate. Perhaps we have a result that we think is Streptococcus uberis. We make the diagnosis and treat the cow according to the on-farm protocol. Is this appropriate? Unfortunately, it is not. According to a paper by Royster, et. al., (Journal of Dairy Science, 97:3648-3659), the Bi-Plate and Tri-Plate had high or intermediate sensitivity for the broad categories of no growth, gram positive, gram negative, Staph. aureus and Streptococcus spp., but both tests had poor sensitivity and specicity to identify more specic categories, such as Strep uberis. From the paper, “The results of this study suggest that using the Bi-Plate or Tri-Plate to identify specic bacterial species, other than Staph aureus, will frequently lead to inaccurate results and should not be attempted.” Thus, our test result may not actually be correct, and we should not make the diagnosis of Strep uberis even though the interpretation looks pretty clear.

There is another problem with test results. Let’s say you want to compare inseminators’ performance on your farm, and you decide to look at each breeder’s conception rates. You are pretty sure that each breeds the same type of cows, e.g. standing heats versus timed breeding, so you think that Joe’s conception rate of 52% is much better than Tony’s rate of 46%. You are likely correct in judging that the sensitivity and specicity as well as positive and negative predictive values of pregnancy diagnosis are very high, especially when combined with observations over time, such as a cow coming back into heat or not. However, the problem here is the certainty of knowing the results are really different might be very low. How can this be? The answer lies in the inability of a cow to be a little pregnant or a little open. Pregnancy is what we call a binomial outcome, meaning yes or

no, or one or two. What if Joe and Tony each only inseminated 15 cows? There are not many possibilities of results with so few cows. In fact, one might need hundreds of breedings to actually tell the difference between a 46% and 52% conception rate. To understand this better, we use something called condence intervals. Anyone who has looked at the BREDSUM command by inseminator in DairyComp305 should have noticed those little bars on the graph of results. The bars represent the “real” results, meaning the results we can be sure are correct with 95% condence. So, for example, if Joe’s bars range from 44% to 60% and Tony’s range from 38% to 54%, the bars overlap, and we cannot say the results are actually different. We should make decisions based on these results with great caution.

These are just two examples of test results that may lead us to make the wrong decision. These results are really too much information and should be ignored rather than acted upon. For help interpreting any test results on your dairy, ask your veterinarian. They are experts in this area and can help.

Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in Plainview, Minnesota. He also consults on dairy farms in other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail. com with comments or questions.

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JD 9900 2019, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1221 hrs., 884 CH hrs., #550177 ................ $493,000

JD 9900 2020, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 844 hrs., 583 CH hrs., #553436 .................. $508,000

JD 9800 2019, Kernel Processor, PRWD,

........................... $74,500 Claas 940 2020, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 650 hrs., 480 CH hrs., #532728 ............... $399,900

JD

2019, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1224 hrs., 811 CH hrs., #532049 ................ $409,900

JD 7780 2013, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 3370 hrs., 2109 CH hrs., #274502 .............. $169,900

JD 9800 2020, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1414 hrs., 942 CH hrs., #554135 ................ $459,900

JD 8600

By Jim Bennett

Columnist

Veterinary Wisdom

Turning 40 with a Colombian vacation

Last month, I left you guessing what mountainous, warm, Spanish-speaking place we’d be visiting with dairy farms. The wait to nd out where is over. I’m sure the suspense was keeping you up at night.

We visited Colombia for my 40th birthday. I’ve wanted to go there since I saw pictures of Colombia in papers and magazines. Many people reminded us to stay safe when we mentioned our vacation plans, and many people assume the country is mostly jungle. But, it has a bit of everything from snowy mountains to warm beaches to temperate forests and, yes, deep jungle; although, we stuck to the mountainous area in the middle of the country.

We ew into the city of Rio Negro outside of Medellin, Colombia, and stayed in a hostel near the airport our rst night there because the best ight leaves Minneapolis at 6 a.m. and doesn’t get to Colombia until 10:30 p.m. Most of the day is spent sitting in Miami. The next morning, we woke up and got a big breakfast at the hostel/ car rental/parking lot/gas station/taxi restaurant. It seemed pretty typical for businesses to be two to 10 different things all at the same time. Our cab driver showed up just as we nished our cups of coffee and hot chocolate to take us to pick up the motorcycle we rented to get around the country.

The cab ride through the city of Medellin was fun

as we got to see most of the large city tucked in a mountain valley. The trafc was crazy with every inch of road occupied by vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and people. I was glad someone else was driving. After an hour ride from the southeast corner of the city to the northwest side, we arrived at the home of Jeff Cramer, an expat Colorado guy. After being a successful professional photographer for years all over South America, he started a motorcycle rental and tour business in Colombia. We packed a few clothes and our rock-climbing gear on the bike with Jeff wondering if we were crazy. When we told him we intended to climb to the top of a well-known granite monolith that is a tourist

attraction in a nearby town, he decided we were crazy and wished us luck but said he wasn’t worried about us as anyone goofy enough to want to do that would have no problem with anything else they’d encounter.

On our rst day of riding the motorcycle, we discovered a couple things about Colombia. There are no straight or at roads as you are always going up or down a mountain and following the winding path of a river. Also, mountains are rather geologically unstable so at any time a perfect four-lane highway may have a 3-foot deep dip in it or, inversely, a big berm that you would go airborne off of if not avoided or gone over slowly. The mountain also

Inside Every Seed is the Potential for an Incredible Harvest

tends to slide down onto the roads or the roads slide down the mountain. The highest speed road we encountered was 80 km/h, which is slower

with our years

than some people drive gravel roads in Minnesota. The challenge of moving goods around the country became clear to us pretty quickly and explains a lot of how people live and work there.

We rode the backroads around Medellin in a big circle, stopping to admire the cows and pastures often. We never did stop and chat with any dairy farmers unfortunately. Our Spanish-speaking skills are good enough to get around and have simple conversations, but we quickly found out that we don’t speak nearly enough Spanish to drop in unexpectedly and discuss dairy farming with anyone.

The areas that were drier and also hotter had beef cows and large ower farms. The areas with more rain, and thus better pastures, had the dairy herds and avocado plantations. The biggest herd we saw maybe had 50 milking cows. So, at least in that region, there are not large farms. The dairies were all part of a cooperative called Unilac, and milk was stored in cans in sheds along the road for pickup by a milk truck. Where the cows were actually milked we did not see other than a guy hand-milking a cow next to his house. We saw one Brown Swiss and the rest of the dairy cows were Holsteins or Jerseys. Often, the cows watching us ride by were Holstein-Jersey crossbreds.

Until next time, keep living the dream, and maybe go check out dairy farms somewhere new. There’s always something to learn.

Tim Zweber farms with his wife, Emily, their three children and his parents, Jon and Lisa, near Elko, Minnesota.

From the Zweber Farm

Taking stock of dairy’s strong history

Our dairy industry was built by generations of hard work, grit, determination and innovation. In the course of the daily activity on our farm, we often fail to remember how hard previous generations labored to not only make a living but to create our dairy industry.

The NexGen: Adventures of two dairy daughters

By Megan Schrupp & Ellen Stenger Columnists

Recently, we embarked upon an adventure that gave us a small glimpse into the history of our industry. It has allowed us a fresh perspective of what our ancestors experienced and an appreciation of some small things we take for granted. We now understand what Maya Angelou meant when she said, “If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.”

Cream separators were invented in Sweden in 1880 by Gustaf de Laval. De Laval devised the rst mechanical cream separator that used centrifugal force to separate cream from milk. Historically, separation was done by simply waiting for the cream to rise to the top of the pan and then skimming it off or draining the milk from the bottom. This invention and the Babcock test, a method for determining the percentage of fat in whole milk or cream, is credited with changing the entire trajectory of the dairy industry.

Over a decade ago, we purchased a McCormick Deering 3-S cream separator developed by the International Harvester Company in 1940. At the time, we thought it would be a necessary addition to our collection of antique dairy equipment, as cream separators were once a staple on every dairy farm in the country. Income was generated from the sale of cream rather than uid milk itself. The cream was rst separated on each farm, loaded into cans and sold to the local creamery.

Recently, we’ve been giving more thought to the origins of our food; even as farmers, we discover how little we’ve experienced. During this time, we happened upon our old separator, which had been forgotten under a tarp in the back shed. Upon further investigation, we concluded that our separator was in pretty good shape and something should be done with it. Incredibly, it contained

all the necessary stainless steel parts for actual operation. In our rst column, we mentioned that we milk some Guernseys, a breed that our grandfathers milked generations ago. How interesting it would be to process Guernsey milk and separate the cream as our ancestors did almost a century ago. However, before we could undertake that adventure, our separator needed some care. Our neighbor, an experienced restorer of antique tractors, gave the separator an overhaul with new coats of original maroon-colored paint, a few new gold decals to go along with some of the originals that remained and a thorough polishing of the stainless steel parts. As in any adventure, a surprise also occurred. While rummaging through an antique store in northern Minnesota, our father, Vern Becker, found the instruction manual for our 3-S model.

Armed with 10 gallons of fresh Guernsey milk, we were ready. Our owner’s manual instructed us on how to correctly assemble the separator. The most crucial part of the assembly was the bowl, containing 30 individual stainless steel dividing disks. When spun at a high rate, these disks separate the cream from the milk. The manual also aided us in providing careful instructions for the operation of the separator, regulation of the density of the cream, and cleaning and maintenance of the motor, clutch and gears. Slowly, we poured our milk into the supply can on top. We started the motor, opened the faucet and drained the milk into the dividing bowl. Running at 1,725 rpm, skim milk began quickly pouring out of the lower spout. After what felt like ages, the cream sluggishly began creeping out of the upper spout, markedly thicker and slower than any of us expected. The other surprise was the color difference between the extremely pearl white skim milk and the Guernsey cream’s deep golden color. As we stood there watching the separation in action, a thought occurred to us. A century ago, we would have needed to hand crank this separator at 60 rpm for all our milk every day before it was sold for processing. How much work that must have been. The labor savings that occurred when technology, such as a motor, was applied would have been incredible. The plethora of things on our dairy we use every day to accomplish mundane tasks were once life-changing innovations. The hard work of the generations before us, the smart-thinking innovators who created solutions and advances in our industry, is something we should all pause on and remember where we once were and where we are today.

Megan Schrupp and Ellen Stenger are sisters and co-owners of both NexGen Dairy and NexGen Market in Eden Valley, Minnesota. They can be reached at Nexgendairy@gmail.com

Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI

Seehafer Refrigeration, Inc. Marshfield, WI; Sparta, WI

Stanley Schmitz Inc. Chilton, WI

Glencoe,