LOOK INSIDE FOR OUR CENTRAL PLAINS DAIRY EXPO PREVIEW EDITION!
DAIRY ST R
March 13, 2021
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 23, No. 2
Tin Valley Farms embraces community through value-added options
A taste of farm life
By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
NEOSHO, Wis. – The Rettler family loves to give people a taste of farm life. Whether selling cheese made with their dairy’s milk or sharing their farm with others through tours or the renting of event space, John and JoAnn Rettler invite the community into their lives. When they built a barn in 2015, the Rettlers took more than their own family and cows into consideration. They anticipated creating a venue suited for education and social interaction. “You have to educate people,” John said. “So we
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Students from St. Kilian School pose with one of the newborn calves held by QuinƟn ReƩler (leŌ) March 9, 2019, at Tin Valley Farms near Neosho, Wisconsin. The ReƩlers give tours to school children of all ages, and feeding calves is one of the highlights.
built this barn with education in mind.” Welcoming school children of all ages, the Rettlers give tours and offer kids a hands-on farm experience to learn where their food comes from. The students eat lunch on the farm, and in the fall, hayrides are also part of the fun. The Rettlers have opened up their barn to the community, inviting neighbors, friends and businesses to host gatherings in their upstairs conference room. Decorated in a country theme, the space contains a full kitchen, TV, viewing windows of cows and robots, and plenty of seating to accommodate 50 adults. The family rents out the room for events such as company meetings, birthday parties, baby showers and more. While at the farm, guests can also visit the robot room and see the robots in action. The Turn to RETTLER | Page 5
Innovation under one roof Rolfs build automated facility for calves, cows By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
MCINTOSH, Minn. – From a newborn calf to a cow completing her lactation, every animal on Golden Sunrise Dairy Inc. is housed under one roof in a barn equipped with the latest feeding and milking technology. “I didn’t have any hesitation,” said Tim Rolf of the new construction. “I knew I needed the younger generation to help, and Derek studied a lot about what would be best for us.” On Feb. 18, 2020, Tim and his son, Derek, began milking their 140-cow herd with three Lely Astronaut A5 robots on their farm in Polk County near McIntosh. In 2018, the partners began construction on their housing facilities, which include an automated calf barn attached to a cross-ventilated freestall barn
that houses weaned youngstock, dry and lactating cows in addition to a kitchen for the Lely Vector. The barn stands 562 feet long with the width varying from 138 feet for the cow groups and 148 feet for the heifers and the kitchen. To the south of the facility is a short walkway that opens to a 106by-70 calf barn. Calves are housed in individual pens and bottle fed for the rst three days of life. They then transition to a pen of 20 calves on an automatic feeder until weaned. At 5 months, the heifers are relocated to the far east side of the freestall barn and move throughout a series of pens until three weeks precalving. A section of pens dividing the youngstock and lactating herds is allocated for far-off and close-up dry cows, including a maternity pen. Once in lactation, the cows can be moved into one of two pens based on lactation and stall availability in the pens. Turn to ROLFS | Page 10
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Derek Rolf, Tim Rolf and Jesse Moan operate Golden Sunrise Dairy Inc. in Polk County near McIntosh, Minnesota. In 2018, the Rolfs began construcƟon on housing faciliƟes for calves to cows that incorporates the industry’s latest automated technologies.
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Krista Kuzma - Editor/Wisconsin (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Amanda Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Kati Kindschuh (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-979-5284 • kati.k@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
A glance at what’s inside
Steps to a better night’s sleep Dairy farming consumes many hours of each day; however, it is important to leave enough time for a night of quality sleep. Dennis Hoiberg of Lessons Learnt Consulting talked about the affects consistently poor sleep can have on a person body. Plus, he outlined steps to getting a better night’s sleep in his Feb. 25 webinar “Sleep: The Fuel of Your Resilience.” Wika, Prieve share experiences as silvopasture graziers Sue Wika and Tom Prieve have learned a lot about how to graze their sheep and goat herds on their Paradox Farm in Battle Lake, Minnesota. The two shared their experience as silvopasture graziers Feb. 23 during the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service Growing Stronger virtual conference. Silvopasture is the deliberate integration of trees and livestock grazing operations on the same land and plays well the strengths of both animals on their farm. Dairying in the High Plains of Texas In 2005, the De Jong family took the leap into organic dairy farming alongside their conventional dairy businesses. They moved to the Texas panhandle and looked to help ll the need in the growing organic dairy market. Today, their dairy, Natural Prairie Dairy, supplies certied organic milk to three regional grocers from their ve dairy sites – four near Hartley, Texas, and one in Lake Village, Indiana. Gorsts embrace being rst-generation dairy farmers Although Aaron Gorst did not grow up a dairy farm, he spent enough time in his youth working on nearby dairy farms that it gave him an excitement for the industry and how he could be involved. In 2014, he embarked on his own dairying journey in a rented barn near Granton, Wisconsin. Over the years, he has worked to continue his dairying career, and now he and his wife, Ellen, milk 56 cows on their farm they purchased in June 2015 near Marsheld, Wisconsin.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists
The “Mielke” Market Weekly
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
Cr
Second Section: Pages 6 - 7
Green Lake Fond Du Lac
Dane
Iowa
Grant
go ba Calumet
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Columbia Dodge
Sauk
aw
Daul prefers learning in the barn
Lafayette Green
Jo Daviess
Zone 1
Waushara
for
Bloomington
Richland
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Vernon
Page 26 Second Section
Oconto
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Adams Juneau
Jefferson Waukesha
Rock
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Carroll
Walworth go
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n Win Ogle
Whiteside
Richland Center
Women in Dairy: Marsha Keller First Section: Page 36
Mercer
Hen
ren War
world phdR&D conducts trials alongside commercial dairy Second Section: Pages 8 - 9
Kenosha
Kane
Lee
Belleville
Dairy Prole: Darren Eichelkraut First Section: Page 39
Rock Island
ders on
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Racine
Fort Atkinson
McHenry
DeKalb
Zone 2
te
Shawano
Wood
Monroe
La Crosse
Country Cooking
Menominee
Portage Waupaca Jackson
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Ke w
Buffalo
in
Langlade
Marathon
Clark
Eau Claire
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Menominee
ton S he bo Milwaukee Ozauk M yg ee an anito wo c
Pepin
Chippewa
Forest
Lincoln
Taylor
M
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ing
Pierce
Oneida
Wa sh
Third Section: Page 11
Dunn
ren
Bo o
Dairy’s Working Youth: Brock Hoskins
St. Croix
Trempealeau
Chaseburg
Price
Delta
Dickinson
Vilas
Rusk
Barron
Page 31 First Section
Iron
ne
ur Polk
Veterinary Wisdom
First Section: Pages 1, 5
Flo
Sawyer
hb
Burnett
Wa s
Page 30 First Section
Page 32 First Section
Ashland
n
ABCs of Spring
Come Full Circle
Third Section: Pages 3 - 4
First Section: Pages 23, 25 Bayeld Douglas
Page 27 First Section
Tin Valley Farms embraces community through value-added options
Gorsts embrace being rst-generation dairy farmers
Do or
Goplin earns Herb Kohl Excellence Scholarship in amount of $10,000
Six feet from a hero
Neosho
Marsheld
aun ee
Whitehall
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Pages 8-9 First Section
Ma r
Ag Insider
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE: What is a main concern you have for the dairy industry moving forward? First Section: Pages 15-16
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 • Page 5
ConƟnued from RETTLER | Page 1
TRUST THE EXPERTS
PHOTO SUBMITTED
John ReƩler talks to students from Honor School in Neosho, Wisconsin, during a tour on the ReƩler farm in April 2018. When the ReƩlers built a new barn, creating a venue well-suited for educaƟon and social interacƟon was top of mind. barn’s 30-foot catwalk provides aerial views of cows and robots, giving visitors a perspective of Tin Valley Farms. The Rettlers farm with their four sons – Justin, Quintin, Paytin, and Austin – milking 230 to 240 cows with four Lely robots and farming 1,200 acres. In addition, they do 1,800 acres of custom work for several area farms and raise all of their animals start to nish. Austin is part time on the farm but is in the process of moving closer so he can help when needed. . His wife, Briana, feeds calves at Tin Valley Farms. John and JoAnn have two grandchildren – Justin’s son, Tucker, is 1, and Austin’s son, Maverick, will be turning one this year. The Rettlers hold family holiday parties and other celebrations in the barn’s conference room. The space is also used for feeding hired hands and is where the farm’s seven part-time
employees eat lunch prepared by John. JoAnn has worked at the Hartford Post Ofce for 18 years, and when the barn was built ve years ago, she took a fulltime position delivering mail. “I stepped back, and the boys took on what I did,” JoAnn said. “And John took over making lunch after I did it the rst 27 years. We always feed our help. Meals are a nice perk and are good for conversation. We also celebrate employee birthdays.” The rst milking in the barn took place Dec. 12, 2017. Up until that point, cows were housed in the new barn and walked to the old barn for milking. “The robots have never called in sick,” John said. “Our lifestyle changed tremendously too. We don’t have an a.m. and p.m. routine anymore, and everyone
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The ReƩler family – (front, from leŌ) PayƟn and JoAnn; (back, from leŌ) John, AusƟn, JusƟn and QuinƟn – milks between 230 and 240 cows and farms 1,200 acres near Neosho, Wisconsin. gets to participate in family activities and holidays. We would never go back.” John and JoAnn have been farming since April 1, 1991. They started from scratch, renting a farm before purchasing their current place seven years later. John grew up on his family’s farm and worked at Fleet Farm for ve years before running his own dairy. In 2019, the Rettlers began turning a portion of their farm’s milk into cheese to sell locally – the latest venture in the family’s quest to diversify. The idea came to JoAnn while handing out cheese during a school tour. After replying ‘no’ when asked if the cheese was theirs, JoAnn realized that making specialty cheese was possible. “Cheese was a way for us to diversify,” JoAnn said. “We can’t sell milk directly, but we can sell cheese.” Made by Specialty Cheese in Reeseville, the Rettlers are producing cheese in batches of 1,000 to 2,500 pounds and selling four varieties of semisoft cheeses including farmer, jalapeno, brick and Muenster. “Farmer cheese and jalapeno cheese are our biggest hits,” JoAnn said. Milk from the Rettlers’ cows averages 4% butterfat which JoAnn said is ideal for making cheese. Promoting Tin Valley Farms cheese with the tagline, “Taste the Value in Farming,” the Rettlers attend farmers markets in Oconomowoc, Greendale, Greeneld and Mukwonago throughout the year and sell gift boxes during the holidays. Tin Valley Farms cheese is also available at Albrecht’s Sentry Foods in Delaeld and at other local businesses, and can also be picked
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up on the farm by appointment. “Farmers markets have become the new grocery stop,” JoAnn said. “It seems like a lot of people are doing their grocery shopping at the market these days. Consumers want to know where their food comes from, and people develop product attachment to wholesome food they can buy locally. As a vendor at a farmers market, we’re actively participating in this hands-on experience.” JoAnn’s mother, Sandi, and daughter-in-law, Briana, are a big help, working the farmers market circuit when JoAnn is working at the post ofce. “The markets are 20-week commitments, and we’re there every weekend,” JoAnn said. “You need good support and a backup plan if you can’t make it, so we even have neighbors who pitch in. It’s very fun to get out to the markets. I was nervous about them at rst, but it went over really well. The samples were a major highlight.” Tin Valley Farms also promotes its cheese along with event space and tours on its website, Facebook and through mailings. Word-of-mouth is also an effective marketing tool for the Rettlers’ businesses. Exploring value-added options has allowed the Rettlers to differentiate their dairy, and the family is excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. Sharing a piece of their farm with the community is an aspect of farming they truly enjoy. “We live in a great agricultural community and have awesome neighbors,” JoAnn said. “We’re very lucky.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 • Page 7
AMPI, First District Association form American Dairy Cooperative CMA to create long-term strength in industry By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
LITCHFIELD, Minn. – Two dairy cooperatives have joined forces to optimize benets to their members and customers. Associated Milk Producers Inc. and First District Association announced the formation of American Dairy Cooperative, a Common Marketing Agency that will allow the cooperatives to coordinate value-added services while farmer-members maintain ownership and independence in their own cooperatives. “As we began discussions on the CMA, it was really important to both First District Association and AMPI that we retained our own identities and remained independent cooperatives,” Josh Barka said. “The CMA allows us to do just that while also providing an avenue to work together.” Barka is a dairy farmer from Litcheld and chairman of the American Dairy Cooperative. The CMA is intended to optimize operations within each cooperative and create a more efcient way of meeting dairy demand, both domestically and globally. These objectives may include
improving on-farm services, better use of manufacturing capacities and creating a larger dairy product selection. “The CMA is a natural progression for two like-minded cooperatives to better position themselves for longterm strength,” said Steve Schlangen, a dairy farmer from Albany and vice chair of the newly formed CMA. “It exemplies the cooperative principal of cooperation among cooperatives.” Bob Huffman, FDA president and CEO, agreed. “AMPI and FDA have a complementary portfolio of products that expands offerings to current and prospective customers, for example,” he said. “Providing more options strengthens customer relationships and increases sales opportunities.” Developing CMAs in other sectors of the agriculture industry has been advantageous for all cooperatives involved. For instance, four sugar beet cooperatives in Minnesota, Michigan and North Dakota – Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative, MinnDak Farmers Cooperative, American Crystal Sugar Company and Michigan Sugar Company – joined forces to form Midwest Agri-Commodities Company. That CMA has become a prominent global supplier of sugar beet pulp and other byproducts. Perhaps most familiar to the dairy sector is World Wide Sires Ltd., a CMA
made of the member cooperatives of Select Sires to jointly market cattle genetics. Forming CMAs has been in use since before the Capper-Volstead Act was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1922, which essentially gives cooperatives exemptions from anti-trust laws. “Co-ops have used this to their advantage,” said Michael Boland in a press release announcing the American Dairy Cooperative. “It allows cooperatives to coordinate value-added services with each other, while individual cooperative members retain ownership and independence.” Boland is a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. In forming the American Dairy Cooperative, the two entities worked with an attorney to appropriately establish the CMA. “The rst step was learning more about what a Common Marketing Agency is and how it could work for us,” Schlangen said. “CMAs have not been used much in the dairy industry but have been around for more than 100 years.” The American Dairy Cooperative will be led by a board of directors of both cooperatives to represent the annual production of 7 billion pounds of milk between AMPI and FDA farmer members.
While the ongoing coronavirus pandemic created challenges in organizing the CMA, the group is now in a position to identify specic opportunities, including marketing initiatives. “We anticipate cost savings and the ability to offer a wider array of products to meet the needs of our customers,” said Sheryl Meshke, AMPI co-president and CEO. Barka agreed. “(This) allows us to look into the future and see what synergies our cooperatives have together and how we can capitalize on those opportunities to provide economic returns back to each cooperative,” he said. As the CMA represents two likeminded cooperatives and their strong businesses in an ever-expanding dairy industry, the board members want farmers to understand the core purpose of the American Dairy Cooperative is to reect the ideals of AMPI and FDA as the organizations will now collaboratively benet in the industry’s marketplace. “Our goal is to work together … to protect the time-honored Midwest traditions of family-run dairy farms owning the processing plant while bringing the returns back to the family farm,” Barka said.
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World Dairy Expo will be held this fall, but where? Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
Madison’s coronavirus rules limit crowds. If stimulus bill could trigger huge farm program cuts. those policies continue, it would be impossible to Democrats are using budget reconciliation as the host World Dairy Expo in the city. Representatives vehicle for the assistance package which could of World Dairy Expo ofcials have met with Dane result in automatic spending cuts under the pay-asCounty and Alliant Energy Center ofcials to you-go rules. Boozman said there is the potential discuss current and future COVID-19 this situation could zero out all farm Ag Insider restrictions and its impact on the program spending within the next ve show. In a statement, World Dairy years. Expo leaders said they are committed to gathering the global dairy industry. Addressing workforce crisis At the same time, the organization The Farm Workforce Modernization is considering alternative venues Act has been reintroduced in Congress. for the 2021 show. WDE ofcials This proposal attempts to address did not disclose the other locations labor issues. “This bipartisan bill takes under consideration. Meanwhile, a signicant step toward ultimately State Representative Travis Tranel, a addressing through legislation the Republican from Cuba City, is pleading workforce crisis plaguing American with Governor Tony Evers to keep agriculture (and) NMPF urges the House By Don Wick World Dairy Expo in Madison. Tranel to swiftly pass this bipartisan measure,” Columnist is the only dairy farmer serving in the said Jim Mulhern, president/CEO, state legislature and said losing Expo National Milk Producers Federation. would be an embarrassment to Wisconsin. NMPF said the dairy industry needs a stable, legal workforce and called on the Senate to address ag Farmers to Families Food Box Program extended labor reform. USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box program will continue through April. “We are going to do a Ag credit survey offers positive news review of that program to determine how best to A dramatic improvement in fourth quarter crop coordinate the benets of that program as it serves prices has resulted in the quickest turnaround in rural and remote areas,” said Agriculture Secretary agricultural lending in more than a decade. That is Tom Vilsack. This program, which began during the the nding from the latest Federal Reserve Bank’s Trump Administration, is part of the government’s ag credit study. Farm loan repayments increased for food availability efforts during the pandemic. The the rst time since 2013. Loan demand is down. review is not complete, however, “it does make sense if we can preserve what works with the U.S. dairy farm numbers continue to decline program and does make sense to gure out how to The number of licensed dairy operations has use a highly efcient distribution system that works been on a continual decline over the past 15 years. today.” More than half of all dairy farms left the business during that time. Wisconsin had the largest decline COVID-19 bill may trigger PAYGO rules, in dairies this past year, down 610 farms from yearslashing farm programs to-year. Minnesota was second nationwide with Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member 380 fewer dairy farms. John Boozman is warning the latest COVID-19
Milk production rises Milk production in the 24 major dairy states totaled more than 18 billion pounds in January. That’s up 1.8% from one year ago. In Wisconsin, milk output totaled nearly 2.7 billion pounds. That’s up 3% from January of 2019. Land O’Lakes reports 29% year-over-year increase in earnings Land O’Lakes reports net income of $266 million for the scal year, an increase from $207 million in 2019. The dairy foods business enjoyed strong retail sales, offsetting the losses in the foodservice area. For WinField United, the margins for crop protection products were squeezed as basic manufacturers lowered prices. Earnings for the fertilizer business and the Purina animal nutrition segment were up. Two Wisconsin-based dairy co-ops merge Landmark Services Cooperative and Countryside Cooperative have merged. Landmark is based in Cottage Grove and serves 11,000 members in southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois and eastern Iowa. Countryside has 15,000 members in west-central Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota and is based in Durand. The newly formed co-op is working on a new name and branding, which will be announced later this year. Blazek accepts White House post A Wisconsin native has been hired as a special assistant to President Biden, concentrating on agriculture and rural policy. Kelliann Blazek has been working in Wisconsin’s Ofce of Rural Prosperity for Governor Tony Evers. Previously, Blazek was on the staff of Maine Representative Chellie Pingree, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic. Blazek grew up on a dairy farm at Bangor. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8
Harden named U.S. Dairy Export Council CEO U.S. Dairy Export Council Chief Operating Ofcer Krysta Harden has been promoted and is now serving as its president and CEO. Harden succeeds Tom Vilsack who led the USDEC after serving as agriculture secretary in the Obama administration and has returned to USDA. Harden previously served as Vilsack’s deputy agriculture secretary.
Trivia challenge House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott represents a district in the state of Georgia. That answers our last trivia question. For
this week, what former world leader is credited with helping to perfect soft serve ice cream? We’ll have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
Con�nued from ROLFS | Page 1
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Tim Rolf describes how the augers deliver feedstuffs to the mixing and feeding robot March 4 at his farm near McIntosh, Minnesota. The Rolfs use two robots to feed their youngstock and cows. “We put in three robots with a planned expansion to four,” Tim said. “When we started this, we also started using sexed semen to build our herd from within. We have 195 head of calves and heifers, and should reach full capacity around 2022.” With the exception of the calves, all animals at Golden Sunrise Dairy are fed using the automated feeding system which is equipped with two mixing and feeding robots. Every hour, the robots scan the feed bunks throughout the barn and make rations based on feed availability at the pens. “No matter if we move cows, it always delivers feed whenever the bunks reach a certain level that the robot scans and reads with a laser,” Tim said. “We have it set to run our dry cows and heifers pretty tight, and also prioritize milk cows. This means if heifers and cows both need feed, it’ll mix a ration for the milk cows rst.” The kitchen – which includes 72 blocks for feedstuffs to be stored – is designed for three days of feed storage. Currently, the Rolfs have it occupied with dry hay, haylage, corn silage and straw. They also use an auger system to deliver corn, soybean meal, minerals and water to the ration. “Once one robot goes to the barn, the other comes into the kitchen to mix another ration,” Derek said. “So far it’s been great. We continue to be amazed at
technology and how it works.” The Rolfs did not always imagine their facility upgrades to include so much automation. Yet, in developing plans for the future of the dairy, automation made sense. Tim and Derek have been dairying in partnership since 2016 when Golden Sunrise Dairy Inc. was formed. Prior to that, Tim’s brother, David, was also involved in the dairy operation which the Rolf brothers purchased from their parents in 1987. The brothers replaced a 4-stall parlor with a double-8 herringbone parlor in 1991 and grew the herd from 70 to 100 cows over the course of 13 years. “We started looking at robots as we knew our facility was getting to its end of life,” Tim said. “Robots were out long enough that we thought it was pretty interesting and knew the technology was working for people.” Derek agreed. “Something had to be done,” he said. “It was either tear down and build new or quit. I’ve always been here and always liked farming.” While a new barn and milking robots seemed to be the plan, incorporating the automated feeding system came after the Rolfs toured dairies that used both technologies. Turn to ROLFS | Page 11
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Heifers are housed in a freestall pen on the east end of the 562-foot long freestall barn at Golden Sunrise Dairy Inc. near McIntosh, Minnesota. All the animals are housed under one roof.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 • Page 11
ConƟnued from ROLFS | Page 10 “The plan was to keep the heifers in the old barn,” Derek said. “Then, we thought why ll silos at one location and make piles here? The Vector can feed everything, so we might as well put it all under one roof.” The Rolfs also hoped to improve cow comfort with the facility design. Previously, the cows were milked twice a day, but before and after each milking shift, the cows spent a lengthy amount of time in a holding area. Not only this, but with the growing herd, air quality and stall capacity were limited. Soon after moving into the
new facility, the Rolfs noticed a signicant increase in production. Their tank average went up nearly 20 pounds per cow. “It’s amazing to see how we held back in the old barn,” Derek said. “Now, we have 40 cows over 100 pounds. Before, we only ever had a couple cows over that.” The Rolfs attribute the increase to improved cow comfort through stall design, ventilation and housing youngstock in free stalls prior to lactation which has allowed for a smooth transition into the robots. “Cows milk, eat and lay down,” Tim said. “Part of that
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Feed ingredients are mixed in the mixing and feeding robot of the Rolfs’ Lely Vector feeding system March 4 at their farm near McIntosh, Minnesota. The family uses a kitchen to store three days’ worth of forages.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Calves wear an ID buƩon aƩached to their eartag while they are fed using the automated calf feeder at Golden Sunrise Dairy Inc. near McIntosh, Minnesota. The Rolfs began using the automated feeding system in 2018.
is also trusting in the Lord to take care of things and help us as we go along.” Tim and Derek work together to understand the technology and how it can best be suited for their dairy operation. They also work with Tim’s son-in-law, Jesse Moan, who became an employee of the dairy in May 2020. “I get here in the morning and help catch fetch cows,” Moan said. “I’m in charge of
feeding the calves, and then we all work together to scrape the stalls, feed and do other work on the farm.” It has been just over a year since the Rolf family began using all aspects of their automated dairy facility, and farming has never been more efcient. “With technology and cow comfort, hopefully we can improve all the way around,” Derek said. “We have the ge-
netics, but we weren’t able to get the production out of the old barn. It makes you start to wonder where the limit is.” Tim agreed. “Just thinking of my grandparents and parents, and all this change in technology, … 20 years ago you wouldn’t have thought this was possible,” he said. “And we’re still learning what it can all do for us.”
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
Hynek has unique perspective on life Eleva man happy to be alive 20 years after freezing to death By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
ELEVA, Wis. – The frigid weather residents of Wisconsin encountered in February might have brought back a few tough memories for the Hynek family in Eleva. Twenty years ago, on Feb. 27, 2001, on the coldest night of the year, 2-year-old Paulie Hynek managed to get the door to his family’s farmhouse open and wandered outside. By the time his father walked out the door for morning chores and saw Hynek lying in the snowbank, the doctors estimated Hynek had been outside for several hours. His core body temperature dropped down to under 70 degrees, and his heart had stopped beating. His father called 911. A helicopter landed at the farm and transported Hynek to a hospital in nearby Eau Claire. He was then sent to a hospital in Rochester, Minnesota. “I guess when they hooked me all up, apparently I still had some brain activity, so they started trying to save me,” Hynek said. Today, Hynek is 22 years old and enjoying every bit of life. He does not have any memories of the experience,
but ingrained in his personality is the idea of how precious life is. “If I try to compare myself to normal, my life is normal,” Hynek said. “It’s the way it’s been the whole time for me.” The only effect Hynek deals with now is a smaller left hand, which suffered frostbite, and his left foot is a bit smaller. His left leg is a bit shorter than his right, but fortunately he suffered no ill health effects and learning issues. “I remember distinctly in pre-school, the teacher forced me to use my left hand to write with,” Hynek said. “It was a way to keep that hand useful and make it work.” The outcome was a miracle. “They said at best I would either be in a vegetative state in a wheelchair,” said Hynek, telling the story as he bedded calf pens. “They didn’t know, for the amount of time I was dead, how much brain damage there would be. A lot of them said the only reason I recovered was because I was so young.” While Hynek has a deep appreciation for life, he does not consider his experience to be a life-changing one. “Maybe if older people,
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Paulie Hynek works on this family’s dairy farm where they milk about 70 cows near Eleva, Wisconsin. Twenty years ago, at the age of 2, Hynek wandered outside one frigid February night and froze to death, before being brought back to life. who have something happen, like a car crash or something, might feel like their life has changed, but for me I don’t remember it, so nothing has really changed,” Hynek said. “I sometimes think more about what I would be like if it never happened, but then I think
maybe I might be a jerk or something like that if it hadn’t happened. People tell me I talk a lot, but I guess I just have a lot to talk about it.” Hynek has never wanted anyone to think about him differently because of what he lived through 20 years ago.
“Since the story has been out there again, being 20 years ago, a lot of people who might not have known that happened to me have said, ‘Oh, you’re kind of famous,’ but for me, Turn to HYNEK | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 • Page 13
ConƟnued from HYNEK | Page 12
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Paulie Hynek cleans mangers while the herd of Holstein cows are outside at his family’s dairy near Eleva, Wisconsin. it’s just an old story, something that happened,” Hynek said. Hynek has spent his life helping on his family’s dairy farm, where they milk about 70 cows. He came to the family farm after graduating from high school in 2017, but he does not plan to spend his entire life on the farm. “I don’t want to be a farmer my whole life, though,” Hynek said. “I’m not sure what exactly I want to do, but I just want nancial freedom someday.” Entrepreneurship appeals to Hynek, and he thinks that growing up on a farm has helped plant that seed in his mind. “I think it would be great to be an
employer of some sort,” Hynek said. “I’ve talked to my brother and told him I feel like we could go out and run a business of some sort.” Hynek enjoys reading, especially books that encourage him to look at things from different perspectives. Reading has helped him continue to learn, grow and shape his viewpoints and future goals. “I just want to go out in the real world, experience things and maybe mess up a little bit, so that I can learn from my mistakes,” Hynek said. “My dad tells me never to let fear or common sense stop me.”
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What legislation do you want the new administration to consider? Joe Bragger Independence, Wisconsin Buffalo County 395 cows What legislation do you want the new administration to consider? Supply management/growth management. The success of the dairy farmers in producing huge volumes of milk constantly increasing production has led to smaller and smaller margins being returned back to famers. Export markets have long been touted as a godsend. Are they a blessing or a compete necessity? On the global market, we compete most solely on price, having the cheapest product doesn’t increase margins for farmers. In 2018, U.S. exports of milk solids reached an all-time high of 15.7% only to be beat in 2020 with 16% exports. U.S. consumption of dairy products has also reached new highs, reaching a 56 year high in 2020. Yet, we are pressured by production levels that burden prices. In early 2021, there are discussions around possible milk disposal as the spring ush approaches. I am referring to some type of producer driven base/excess program. We avoid the excess, improve prices, slow the exit and bankruptcy of dairy farmers, reduce government payments and only slightly increase prices to consumers. We become sustainable and responsible when we have a seat at the table in managing U.S. dairy production. What is a main concern you have for the dairy industry moving forward? The loss of dairy farms and consolidation. In 2013, there were over 16,000 dairy farms in Wisconsin which pales in comparison to 25,000 in 1995. As of Feb. 1, we have 6,907. In a recent statement by dairy economist Bob Cropp, he estimated there would be about 2,000 in 2040 unless governmental policy changed to reverse or slow this trend. Dairy farmers have long been the economic backbone of our rural communities. As fewer farms exist and consolidation occurs at an increasing pace, we may produce huge volumes of dairy products efciently yet we may also lose resiliency and become increasingly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions as we have witnessed in beef processing. What are ways the dairy industry could benet from the new administration’s focus on climate change? Dairy farmers do a great job of caring for our environment while converting forage that is not consumable by humans to nutritious and healthy products. We restore carbon back to the soil by the new innovative cropping systems that also help to maintain water quality. There can be benets to the farmer in the climate change issue, yet we need to get involved in the conversation and participate in the process to ensure we are treated fairly. In the absence of our participation, we will create another type of articial currency that will cost us more in carbon taxes and increased costs through products and services that any direct gain will be offset. How do you feel Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s experience in this role previously and leading the U.S. Dairy Export Council will help the industry? I surely hope he takes the time to explore new possibilities. We desperately need Federal Milk Marketing Order reform that stops the iron grip control our cooperatives and processors have on milk pricing with block voting. We need transparency in pricing, and the extreme negative PPDs experienced by many producers need to be corrected. I have had over $5 deducted from my class III or base price. This is rapidly approaching $200,000 in deductions. Many farmers have done a great job at risk management yet the effect of the PPDs being taken off after Class III pricing has made the Dairy Revenue Protection Program just about worthless. A last-minute change in the 2014 Farm Bill helped processors better manage risk. The 2020 Food Box Program that concentrated heavily on cheese caused a huge price spread among classes. Perhaps a more balanced approach to the Food Box Program should have been considered. What is a former or current policy you feel helped the industry? Dairy Margin Coverage, round two. The original program was useless. DMC has been a reasonable risk management tool that is favorable to smaller to mid-size farmers. However, once again the effect of the PPD deductions was not factored in. The
Ryan Klussendorf Broadlands Grass Farm Medford, Wisconsin Taylor County 120 cows What legislation do you want the new administration to consider? The federal milk marketing orders need to be reformed. It has been years since they have overhauled the system. It is completely outdated. It needs to be brought up to current times and markets. Milk price discovery also needs to be looked at to make sure we are capturing the value-added products to make sure the value is getting back to the farmer. What is a main concern you have for the dairy industry moving forward? The rapid exit of dairy farmers and the consolidation of everything in agriculture. It leaves no reason for a younger generation to want to start a career in farming. Industry has constantly told the farmer to produce more milk to build your business and survive. We should be concentrating on the lower cost alternatives to produce quality milk while keeping our businesses successful and not expanding to pay the bills. The oversupply in the market will hurt everyone’s bottom line if we continue to expand. What are ways the dairy industry could benet from the new administration’s focus on climate change? Agriculture has always been green and regenerative. We don’t need rules and regulations to make these adaptations. Looking at Wisconsin, we have several farmer-led watershed groups, where farmers are learning from farmers and neighbors to protect the environment better. This leads to more farms using no-till and cover crops practices that capture carbon. The talk of carbon credits could bring more value to the farmers’ pockets. How do you feel Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s experience in this role previously and leading the U.S. Dairy Export Council will help the industry? It’s good we have a former secretary in the position as he can hit the ground running and won’t have the learning curve to start getting things done. Exports are important to the dairy industry but are not the answer to the oversupply issue. We need to start looking at other alternatives to help the farmer thrive and not just survive. What is a former or current policy you feel helped the industry? Dairy Margin Coverage has helped the industry by protecting the farm’s margin. We would have gotten to see how benecial that program was in 2020 had the government not jumped in and manipulated the market, creating the huge negative PPD and reducing the payouts we would have seen. Tell us about your farm. My wife and I started farming in 2003 on a rented farm and bought our current farm in 2007 in Medford. We are a 120-cow rotational grazing farm with mostly Holsteins and Jersey with a few crossbred cows as well. Cows are milked in a swing-20 parlor and housed in a freestall barn when not out on pasture. We run 125 acres of pasture and 300 acres of cropland. The farm uses no-till practices and cover crops; by doing that, we reduce our fuel consumption, tillage costs and our use of commercial fertilizers. result is that even with a solid risk management program, farmers are unsure of what they are actually protecting and at what price. Tell us about your farm. Bragger Family Dairy is located in the driftless area of western Wisconsin in beautiful Buffalo County. It consists of 395 dairy cows, a few chickens and a small cooperative trout rearing pond. The Bragger family, brothers Joe, Dan and their families, along with their dedicated employees operate the farm while Joe and Dan’s mother Hildegard, 85, helps and keeps a watchful eye from the porch.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Dave Schwartz Slayton, Minnesota Murray County 115 cows What legislation do you want the new administration to consider? Why? I would like to see the administration address energy efciency. The rising cost of energy drives up the cost of everything, from farm equipment to fertilizer to the prices that we are charged for hauling our milk. What is a main concern you have for the dairy industry moving forward? I want to see continued good relationships with our international export partners. The U.S. dairy industry produces too much milk, so it is imperative that we maintain good relations with our trading partners. What are ways the dairy industry could benet from the new administration’s focus on climate change? The dairy industry is already close to net zero for carbon dioxide emissions. It will just take some good science to prove it. How do you feel Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s experience in this role previously and leading the U.S. Dairy Export Council will help the industry? They could not have chosen a better person for Secretary of Agriculture than Tom Vilsack. I served on the boards of Midwest Dairy Association and Dairy Management Inc. The experiences I had with Tom when he was on the United State Dairy Export Council were all very positive. What is a former or current policy you feel helped the industry? We are bringing back the Real Seal, which I think is important for conveying the dairy message to our consumers. The pandemic has raised the awareness among consumers that dairy products have a high nutritional value. More and more people are recognizing that dairy products are highly nutritious and a good buy. Tell us about your farm. We farm 1,000 acres and have a total of 200 head on our place. We feed our cows a TMR indoors with forages that are stored in our upright silos. All of our cows have electronic IDs and all of our free stalls have mattresses. We have a great team of employees who keep the farm running smoothly; we wouldn’t be able to do it without them. I took over from my dad in 1961, so this is my 60th year of dairy farming. We don’t have anyone in our family who wants to milk cows, so I’m concerned about nding someone to take over our dairy. My wife, Kathryn, is a retired school teacher. My hobby is winning tractor pulls with my IH 1066.
Tyler Otte Randolph, Minnesota Dakota County 560 cows What legislation do you want the new administration to consider? With programs like DRP and DMC in place it seems to be a nice safety net for farms during the inconsistent times of dairy farming. As dairy farmers we need to keep in mind that we are providing a product that needs to be in demand by the consumer, with this climate change seems to be a large issue of concern in our business. We need to continue to be proactive in making changes. What is a main concern you have for the dairy industry moving forward? Being part of the DEAL program through Midwest Dairy, I have been fortunate enough to learn more about the buying and purchasing habits of the consumer. Marketing also tends to be tough when it comes to marketing milk versus milk alternatives. That being said we need to provide products that are wanted by the consumer and provide these products with the best practices on and off the farm to keep a good relationship with the consumer. What are ways the dairy industry could benet from the new administration’s focus on climate change? Every year we put carbon into the ground between planting alfalfa and applying manure to the soil. These are great benets to the earth as well as the farmer. In addition, we can focus on being more proactive with change, especially when we may be able to get paid for change instead of being forced to change our practices in the future. How do you feel Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s experience in this role previously and leading the U.S. Dairy Export Council will help the industry? The new Secretary of Ag brings a lot of excitement for the dairy world as we haven’t had a person with this much dairy experience in a long time. His experience should certainly help nd more favorable solutions. He has good knowledge and experience with NMPF and our processors. What is a former or current policy you feel helped the industry? The change to Dairy Revenue Protection which provides protection like crop insurance to our industry. Collin Peterson being replaced in Congress is a huge loss for the dairy world as he understood the industry very well and was a great advocate for the industry in Congress. Tell us about your farm. Square Deal Dairy was built by my parents, Blake and Chicky Otte, in 1997. Today, we milk 560 cows, raise all of our youngstock and run about 1,500 acres of corn, alfalfa and vegetable crops. My brothers and I, along with our families, are the sixth generation to farm this land.
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Dave Rosen Glenwood City, Wisconsin St. Croix County 140 cows What legislation do you want the new administration to consider? I would like the Biden Administration rst to enforce the federal anti-trust laws. We need the Department of Justice to aggressively prosecute violators of federal anti-trust laws. There hasn’t been any meaningful investigation into mergers and acquisitions of large-scale agricultural businesses, be it producers, suppliers or processors, in decades. Family farmers need a competitive market environment not only for dairy but for all of agriculture and commodities. What is a main concern you have for the dairy industry moving forward? Vertical integration within the dairy industry is needed to protect our family dairy farmers and rural communities. Very large retail food businesses, like Walmart, are threatening to build their own dairy farms and their own processing facilities. What are ways the dairy industry could benet from the new administration’s focus on climate change? Family farm agriculture recognizes the current bills on climate change that are before Congress appeal primarily to the urban communities. I believe these proposals could help or harm agriculture, so I encourage the new administration to appoint a climate change task force to look into ways to inform and articulate a farmer and rural agriculture position. How do you feel Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s experience in this role previously and leading the U.S. Dairy Export Council will help the industry? Vilsack worked to pass and implement the Healthy HungerFree Kids Act in efforts to improve the safety of the American food supply. Vilsack let down independent family farmers in the Obama Administration when he failed to take action against agribusinesses domination. He also failed with the meat packers in his own state of Iowa when he had the authority to implement new rules to improve the 1921 Packers and Stockyard Act. The question? Will Vilsack continue to support policies in the dairy industry, promoting exports as a way to deal with the persistent milks surplus that has collapsed milk prices below the cost of production? Or, will he implement some kind of inventory supply management to protect the farmer’s price? Based on his past, the question remains the same, as he stated at the National Farmers Union convention, “Times have changed and so have I.” What is a former or current policy you feel helped the industry? The Healthy Hungry-Free Kids Act mentioned above. Tell us about your farm. I live on our family dairy farm with my ancé
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Scott and Yvonne Hoese Mayer, Minnesota Carver County 125 cows What legislation do you want the new administration to consider? No legislation comes to mind right now, just to continue getting dairy products into the Food Box Program. What is a main concern you have for the dairy industry moving forward? The oversupply of milk and getting the products to the consumers. Another concern is the products that are using the name milk, such as soy milk and almond milk. These products don’t have milk in them but call themselves milk. What are ways the dairy industry could benet from the new administration’s focus on climate change? To get the information out that dairy is not the cause of climate change. How do you feel Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s experience in this role previously and leading the U.S. Dairy Export Council will help the industry? His experience on the U.S. Dairy Export Council and eight years of being the Secretary of Agriculture will help in getting more of our product out into the world market. What is a former or current policy you feel helped the industry? Opening the door for more foreign trade for our agricultural products. An example would be China purchasing more of the whey products to feed their growing hog industry. Tell us about your farm. We have three grown children and eight grandchildren. We farm with our oldest son, Eric, and his family. We milk 125 cows and grow our replacement heifers. We run about 1,200 acres of alfalfa, corn and soybeans.
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Breeding Focus
Genetics moves herd forward faster at Quarry Hill Dairy John and Connie Meyer Quarry Hill Dairy Rollingstone, Minnesota Winona County 900 cows Describe your facilities and list your breeding management team. We have two farmsites. Both have sand-bedded freestall barns. The main site has a double-8 herringbone parlor. The cows give birth here and are milked while trying to get them bred. At 150 days
in milk, they go to our other farmsite about 2 miles away, which has a double-6 herringbone parlor. Cows are milked three times a day. Our breeding management team includes three people from Select Sires: Jennifer Bonner, who does the mating; Brandon Thesing, who helps us track heifer inventory; and Jordan Pahl, our A.I. technician. Employees, Alejandro Castanon, who gives synchronization shots, and Andrew Plumski, herd manager, are
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
John Meyer and his wife, Connie, own and manage their 900-cow herd at Quarry Hill Dairy near Rollingstone, Minnesota.
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Young calves at Quarry Hill Dairy are housed in pairs before moving to larger groups.
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
ConƟnued from MEYER | Page 18 Describe your breeding philosophy. We want medium sized cows with good feet and legs, and udders. We want them to last awhile and milk well with high components. We only want to have enough heifers on our farm for what is needed to replace cows leaving the herd. What guidelines do you follow to reach the goals for your breeding program? Bulls need to be positive on udders, feet and legs, and foot angle. We also don’t want cows with too much set to the leg. They do not last long. We have slowly implemented more beef and sexed semen into our reproduction program. We rst started using beef semen on hard breeders 10 years ago and have used more in the last ve years. We have used sexed semen for the past ve years. We have not used conventional semen in the past year. What are the top traits you look for in breeding your dairy herd and how has this changed since you started farming? We used to breed for more size, but we have realized over time that mediumsized cows are more efcient. We also put more emphasis on components where in the past we only looked at milk. What are certain traits you try to avoid? We try to avoid
large cows or ones with too much set to the leg. Describe the ideal cow for your herd. She is medium in size with excellent feet and legs along with a well-attached udder. Our ideal cow would produce 35,000 pounds of milk in one lactation with 4% butterfat and 3.3% protein. She would breed back within two services and have minimal health issues. What role does genetics have in reaching the goals of your farm? Breeding is important for health traits and components. We can move forward in our herd faster when using the right genetics. We can also constantly try to correct traits on good production cows that don’t last long because of not being put together right. What percentage of your herd is bred to sexed, conventional and beef semen? Right now, 20% of the milking herd is bred using sexed semen while the rest is breed to beef. For heifers, about 95% are breed using sexed semen and the rest are bred to beef. Heifers are bred with sexed semen for three breedings before given beef. What is your conception rate? How does this differ with different types of semen? The conception rate on
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Quarry Hill Dairy owner, John Meyer (right), looks over cows with employee Alejandro Castanon, who takes care of the synchronicaƟon program for the 900-cow herd. cows bred with sexed semen is 50% and 51% for beef semen with a pregnancy rate of 37%. The voluntary waiting period for our cows is 68 days in milk. For heifers, the conception rate is 58% with a 47% pregnancy rate. What is the greatest lesson you have learned through your breeding program? It is important to have goals for our herd. About 30 years ago, we randomly picked out bulls. Now we are more consistent in
the type of matings we choose. What is the age of your heifers at rst service? 410 days of age. How does your heifer inventory affect your breeding program? We work with our genetics company to make sure we have enough heifers on hand or don’t have too many. The hardest part about going into this program was worrying we would not have enough heifers for replace-
ments; however, that has never been a problem. Even if it had been, fresh heifers are relatively inexpensive so we could buy them if needed. Tell us about your farm. Quarry Hill Dairy has two dairy sites and raises 1,200 acres of corn and alfalfa for our herd. Our heifers are custom raised. Twenty employees help us keep our dairy running. We have two daughters, Megan and Kate.
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Equipment and pictures added daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com Air Drills and Seeders 6 Case IH SDX 40/adx2230, 2007, Width: 40, Spacing: 7.5”, Shoot: Double Shoot, #180891 ......................................................................................................$53,900 Box Drills 14 JD 9350, 1988, Width: 40, Spacing: 6”, #180679..........................................$10,900 Disks 10 JD 2620, 2016, Size: 26 ft, 3-Section Folding, Spacing: 9”, #175512 ............$34,500 7 JD 637, 2011, Size: 45 ft, 5-Section Folding, Spacing: 9”, #166177 ..............$34,900 15 Krause 6200-45, 2014, Size: 45 ft, Spacing: 9”, #180001...........................$45,900 3 Wishek 862-NT, 2009, Size: 33 ft, Kind: 3-Section Folding, #163465 ........$21,900 Field Cultivators 4 JD 980, 1996, Size: 44 ft, Kind: 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #169542 ......................................................................................................$13,900 2 JD 2210, 2012, Size: 32 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #173629 .......................................................................................................$35,900 10 Sunflower 5035, 2016, Size: 24 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #177191 ......................................................................................................$28,900 7 Case IH 200, 2012, Size: 55 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #178072 .......................................................................................................$47,900 9 JD 960, 1989, Size: 38 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #180045 ...$5,500 5 Case IH TIGERMATE 200, 2011, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #180766 .......................................................................................................$40,900 5 JD 960, 1990, Size: 23 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #180621 ...$3,200 14 JD 960, 1989, Size: 42 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #165959..$6,900 14 Elmers 6400, 1991, Size: 41 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: S-Tine, #178092 .......................................................................................................$14,900 Mower Conditioners 10 NH H7230, 2015, #176984 ..........................................................................$22,400 10 JD 956, 2010, #172718 ................................................................................$24,900 10 JD 635, 2017, #166698 ................................................................................$22,900 17 Hesston 1372, 2010, #178648 ...................................................................$17,400 7 New Idea 5212, 1992, #177618 ...................................................................$5,650 7 JD 635, 2009, #173285 ................................................................................$16,500 6 JD 946, 2010, #179286 ................................................................................$18,500 11 JD 1219, 1985, #180677................................................................................$3,400 8 NH H7550, 2014, #167351 ..........................................................................$19,900 Mulch Finishers 2 JD 724, 1990, Size: 20 ft, Kind: 3-Section Folding, #174088 ..........................$8,500 6 Sunflower 6331, Size: 25 ft, Kind: 3-Section Folding, #174316....................$5,900 Planters: Drawn 4 JD 1750, 1997, 6 Row 30, Frame: Rigid, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, #176829........................................................................$13,900 2 JD 1775NT, 2019, 16 Row 30, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Plate,
Hopper: Central Fill System, Row Command, Electric Drive, #174754 ........ $149,500 10 JD 1750, 1996, 6 Row 30, Frame: Rigid, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, #179650........................................................................$13,000 6 JD 1750, 2001, 6 Row 30 in, Frame: Rigid, Metering System: Finger Pickup, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, Row Command: No, #180767........................................$16,500 6 JD 7200, 1988, 8 Row 36, Frame: Wing Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, #180622..........................................................................$8,400 9 JD 1770, 1997, 16 Row 30, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 3.0 Bushel, #180078........................................................................$19,500 16 JD DB66, 2017, 36 Row 22, Frame: Wing Fold, Metering System: Exact Emerge, Hopper: Central Fill System, Row Command, Electric Drive, #175194 ........ $349,500 5 JD DB44, 2013, 24 Row 22, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: Central Fill System, Row Command, #179347 .............................. $159,900 8 JD 1770NT, 2013, 16 Row 30, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 3.0 Bushel, Row Command, #177779 ..............................................$75,900 14 Wil-Rich PT2200, 2005, 24, Row 22, Frame: Wing Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 3.0 Bushel, #177551.............................$39,900 Planters: Integral 15 JD 1710, 24 Row 22, Frame: Wing Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 3.0 Bushel, #168140........................................................................$19,900 3 JD 7300, 1992, 12 Row 30, Frame: Wing Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, #175563.......................................................................$11,900 Pull-Type Sprayers 10 Hardi NAVIGATOR 1000, 2007, #169543 ...................................................$15,000 7 Fast 9508, 2008, #169075 ..........................................................................$23,900 1 Hardi NAV550, 2005, #179504 ...................................................................$10,400 15 Top Air TA1600, 2015, #177863 .................................................................$38,400 16 Hardi Navigator 4000, #180889 ...............................................................$15,000 14 Redball 132’ walking tandems, #176938................................................$14,900 3 Top Air TA2400, 2011, #179435 .................................................................$44,900 3 Hardi Navigator 4000, 2013, #179001 .....................................................$24,000 Round Balers 4 JD 459, 2014Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 3600 Bale Count, #177752.........................................$29,400 4 NH Rollbelt 450, 2011, Pickup: Regular, Wrapping: Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 1200 Bale Count, #173712 .........................................$17,000 4 JD 560M, 2019, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 2100 Bale Count, #179000 ........................$45,500 2 NH BR7060, 2011, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, Precut Knives, 7300 Bale Count, #169262 ..................$23,900 2 JD 569, 2012, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 3300 Bale Count, #173254.................................$38,400 2 NH 664, 1998, Pickup: Regular, Wrapping: Twine Only, PTO: 540,
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Width of Bale: 5 Feet, Bale Count, #171161 ....................................................$4,950 2 JD 569, 2015, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 7222 Bale Count, #179148 ........................$37,500 10 JD 569 Silage Special, 2015, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 3300 Bale Count, #178210 ...$41,500 10 NH Rollbelt 460, 2015, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, Precut Knives, 4553 Bale Count, #178211.$33,500 10 JD 569, 2013, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 19368 Bale Count, #177245 .....................................$21,500 10 JD 535, 1990, Pickup: Regular, Wrapping: Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #180802 .........................................................................................................$7,200 17 JD 569, 2014, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 15560 Bale Count, #179194 ......................$25,900 6 JD 460M, 2018, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, Precut Knives, 5985 Bale Count, #164359 .$43,900 6 JD 459 Silage Special, 2017, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Surface Wrap Only, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 3800 Bale Count, #177855.........................................$35,900 6 JD 569 Silage Special, 2013, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 9540 Bale Count, #177861 .......................$29,400 6 NH Rollbelt 460, 2015, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet,9000 Bale Count, #178946 ....$20,900 6 JD 560M, 2019, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 7200 Bale Count, #179188 .........................................$42,400 6 Claas 480RC, 2017, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, Precut Knives, 5165 Bale Count, #179187 ..................$31,500 6 JD 567, 2002, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 8312 Bale Count, #179041 .........................................$13,400 12 JD 469, 2015, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 8060 Bale Count, #175511 .........................................$23,900 15 Vermeer 605H, Pickup: Regular, Wrapping: Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #172413.......................................................................$1,600 9 JD 450M, 2019, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 1045 Bale Count, #177758 ..........................$34,500 9 JD 510, 1983, Pickup: Regular, Wrapping: Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #172166.......................................................................$1,400 5 JD 568, 2008, Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 13500 Bale Count, #176786 ......................$23,900 5 JD 569, 2013.............. Pickup: Mega Wide, Wrapping: Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 8000 Bale Count, #172972 ........................$30,900 11 NH BR780, 2003, Pickup: Regular, Wrapping: Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #169873.......................................................................$9,900 3 Vermeer 605F, 1980, Pickup: Regular, Wrapping: Twine Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, #168368.......................................................................$3,250
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
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What to expect at the 2021 PDPW Business Conference
New location, safety protocols, industry-leading content
Final preparations are underway for the 2021 Professional Dairy Producers® (PDPW) Business Conference. In addition to delivering the cutting-edge, forward-thinking keynote sessions, breakout sessions and other programing, the event will be conducted in accordance to current health protocols. The annual business conference will be held March 17-18, at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Registration is available at https://pdpw.org/programs/Discover2021/new_registration. “For many of our dairy producer members, the 2020 PDPW Business Conference was the rst event that moved to a virtual format when the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading in the U.S,” said Shelly Mayer, PDPW executive director. “While we’re proud to have made the switch to a virtual event last year, we also recognize the importance of gathering in person this year. When we began looking for options for our 2021 conference, the health of our members, dairy community partners and families was the number-one priority.” The newly expanded facility and sanitation protocols of the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center played a large part in the decision to host the PDPW Business Conference there, said Mayer. The Kalahari has been hosting in-person group events since June 2020 in accordance with guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PDPW and Kalahari staff have reviewed the conference agenda carefully to accommodate social distancing in all session formats, from keynotes to interactive sessions and offerings within the Hall of Ideas and Equipment Trade show. Capacities have been
“When we began looking for options for our 2021 conference, the health of our members, dairy community partners and families was the No. 1 priority.”
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Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United Dairy Systems, Inc. West Union, IA 563-422-5355 WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825
Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470
MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466 East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Watertown, SD 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2021 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. Data collected at test and pilot farms. Results will vary from dairy to dairy. Nothing in this document shall constitute a warranty or guaranty of performance. www.delaval.com
calculated for each room with seating arrangements that allow attendees to reposition chairs to ensure safe distances. Overow areas equipped with audiovisual equipment are available for attendees when room capacities are met. “Hosting the PDPW Business Conference at the Kalahari not only provides the social distancing and sanitation requirements to host the conference, the location at the Wisconsin Dells provides dairy producers of all ages with opportunities to relax, recharge and enjoy time with families after the conference sessions are over,” said Katy Schultz, PDPW board president and dairy producer from Fox Lake, Wis. Hand-sanitizing stations are positioned at all room entrances; high-trafc areas and meeting rooms are fogged each night to ensure whole-room disinfection. PDPW will also provide every attendee with a mask and individual hand sanitizer bottles upon arrival. Food and beverages will be prepackaged or individually served by Kalahari staff. For more information on the Kalahari’s current protocols, visit www.kalahariresorts.com/what-weare-doing-to-ensure-a-safe-getaway.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 • Page 23
Cultivating her future through teaching Goplin earns Herb Kohl Excellence Scholarship in amount of $10,000 By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
WHITEHALL, Wis. – At a point in life where most young adults are questioning what direction the future might take them, 18-year-old Kendra Goplin has the navigation points on her compass rmly set and is pursuing her goals with determination. Goplin, a senior at Whitehall Memorial High School, was awarded one of 100 scholarships – a $10,000 Herb Kohl Excellence Scholarship. Goplin lives in Osseo with her parents, Shane and Melinda, and two sisters, Vaida, 15, and Brinna, 14. The scholarship is awarded to recognize students who excel in leadership, citizenship, school and community involvement, and academic achievement. To be eligible to apply, students must be residents of the state of Wisconsin and intend to enroll in a postsecondary institution. To apply, students must submit a series of essays, letters of recommendation and demonstrate their leadership and involvement in their school and community. Goplin’s FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience helped her application rise to the top. Goplin, who plans to attend South Dakota State University to major in agricultural education, has spent her high school experience devoted to
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Kendra Goplin, 18, of Osseo, Wisconsin, is one of 100 Wisconsin high school seniors to be awarded a $10,000 Herb Kohl Excellence Scholarship. pursing her interest in the eld. Since 2018, Goplin has served as a member of the Trempealeau County Farm Bureau Board and is the group’s Ag in the Classroom chairperson. Before the coronavirus pandemic began last spring, Goplin went into elementary school classrooms in her own district and throughout the county with her involvement in the Farm Bureau’s
Ag in the Classroom program. She taught fourth graders of the importance of agriculture in Wisconsin. “I planned and put together 45-minute lesson plans that focused on Wisconsin agriculture,” Goplin said. “I went before school administrators to share my plans and how they aligned with the state curriculum standards.” Before the pandemic, Melinda,
who is also the FFA advisor, estimates Goplin had contact with over 2,000 elementary school students. Although COVID-19 threw a wrench in Goplin’s mission, she did not stop. While she was unable to continue visiting classrooms, she created digital interactive notebooks for teachers and students to use during virtual learning. With her mother’s connections, Goplin was able to make her digital notebooks available for free to teachers through online curriculum and content sharing websites. Goplin has not limited her sharing about the dairy industry to classroom learning. She has worked to create a video series called “AGventures with Kendra,” where she shares information about dairy cows and farms with the consuming public on YouTube. Informing consumers was the spark that ignited Goplin’s passion for agricultural education, stemming from her experiences as an exhibitor at the Wisconsin State Fair Junior Dairy Show and the knowledge gap she witnessed with fair-goers. “I was once asked how long it would take a steak to grow back on the cow after it was cut off,” Goplin. “Those types of questions were one thing, but then I would hear parents attempting to explain things to their children, giving them information that was completely incorrect. That is when I realized that not everyone has grown up like I have with the background knowledge on how food is produced.” Turn to GOPLIN | Page 25
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 • Page 25
ConƟnued from GOPLIN | Page 23
While Goplin was not raised on a dairy farm, she has strong roots in the industry as both her parents grew up on dairy farms. Through involvement in 4-H and FFA, Goplin found her passion for agriculture and in particular the dairy industry. “I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with dairy farmers in our community to have the chance to become a part of the industry,” Goplin said. Goplin began her dairy career showing Holsteins and Brown Swiss that belonged to family friends Aaron Johnson and Beth Nelson at the Trempealeau County Fair. Goplin credits Johnson and Nelson, along with her parents, for nurturing her love of the dairy industry. “Being able to show sparked a passion for the dairy industry in me when I was young,” Goplin said. “And now that I’m one of the older members, I am able to help younger members have the same kinds of experiences.” A theme throughout her life, Goplin followed a desire to do something that would stand out. She set out on a mission to add the one dairy breed missing from the dairy show at the Trempealeau County Fair – Ayrshires. The purchase of her rst Ayrshire, Old-Bankston JC Benedict Brea-ET, did more for Goplin than just introduce a new breed to her fellow county 4-Hers. Goplin exhibited Brea on the colored shavings of World Dairy Expo in 2019. Brea received an all-American nomination and was named the honorable mention Junior All-American Fall Calf the same year. Goplin enjoyed her rst Ayrshire experience so much she
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Kendra Goplin talks to fairgoers peƫng a cow at a previous Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis, Wisconsin. Experiences like this have served as a catalyst for her desire to become an ag teacher. sought out a second calf, Lazy-M Lochinvar Mist-ET, for what turned out to be an abbreviated 2020 show season. “The dairy industry is wonderful for all the connections you make,” Goplin said. “I know so many more people now, most of who I would have never met without the common interest in the dairy industry.”
Last fall, those connections helped Goplin land a spot on the newly created Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Agricultural Youth Council. As a member, Goplin has attended a series of monthly virtual meetings where the participants have heard from speakers on a variety of topics including policy issues and
agricultural career paths. “I have gained so much from the dairy industry; it has played a huge role in my life,” Goplin said. “By choosing to be involved in agricultural education, I can give back to the industry, helping others grow through similar experiences.”
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
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DBIA spring grant program opened March 1
The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA), a partnership between the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) and Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA), will open the application period for its next grant cycle on March 1. During this next grant cycle, DBIA will be distributing $1 million in grants. Grant applications will be available for download on the DBIA website starting March 1, 2021 and are due April 30, 2021. Applications will be scored and selected by June 1, 2021 and awardees will be notied by June 10, 2021. The grant application will be posted on this page: https:// www.cdr.wisc.edu/grant-program. Dairy enterprises (farmers, entrepreneurs, processors, etc.) in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin are eligible to apply. Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded through a competitive process. Eligible project categories are: • Dairy farm diversication through dairy product development, specialization, packaging and/or marketing strategies. • Creation of value-added dairy products (use milk to manufacture cheese, yogurt, beverages, etc.). • Enhance the value of a dairy commodity or byproduct through product development or alternate use (e.g., converting liquid whey permeate for animal feed into a product for human consumption). • Creation or expansion of a program for exporting dairy products. Interested applicants are encouraged to join DBIA staff for a free webinar on March 9. This webinar will provide more information on the DBIA grant program, give tips about the grant application process and answer any questions. Watch the DBIA website for more information.
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Six feet from a hero The anticipation of leaving the farm for a few days is often lled with stress and anxiety. The days are lled with lists of things that need to be done and notes to leave for those we will not see before we take off on our adventure. Going on a journey during the pandemic was not what we wanted to do, but our certicate for a condo stay was going to expire. So, the ight was booked, car rented, and the condo room was conrmed for our stay. Duane and I were gone for four days, but being alone on the farm for just one day with problems is too much for anyone to handle. Our daughter Anna was in charge. She managed the mornings, and then our student crew arrived in the By Tina Hinchley Farmer & Columnist evenings to fetch cows to the robots and feed calves. Anna had the phone numbers for the veterinarian, electrician and Lely support. Kevin, her husband, mixed feed in the evenings after he returned from his position as a plumber and maintenance engineer. Planning the trip to San Diego, California, was simple. We ew out of Madison a little after 5 a.m. To our surprise, the plane was packed. Every seat had been taken, and the attendants were watching closely to make sure everyone’s mask was over their noses. The only time the mask could be removed was to take a drink or eat, and then the mask needed to be put back on. After a layover in Arizona, we ew into San Diego with the sun shining brightly and warming us as we made our way to get our rental car. We found out California had just recently opened up for outdoor dining and limited activities. We had planned to hang out at the condo, cooking in and relaxing on the beach. We knew the Midway aircraft carrier was open for visitors, but the tour was unguided and restricted to only a few areas that had enough airow. We planned to tour the Midway on our second day in California. The condo did not have cooking supplies. So, we needed to nd a place to eat for the evening. Duane looked on his phone and saw that Outback Steakhouse had an eatin option. As we left the condo, we noticed it was a lot cooler than just a few minutes earlier. As soon as the sun set, we needed to wear our jackets. It was actually cold for us. To our dismay, when we entered the steakhouse they directed us outside under a canopy but near a propane patio heater. The waitstaff pulled the heater toward our table and gave us a paper menu. Not long after the waitress took our order, an older couple was seated at a table just over 6 feet away, and our heater got moved closer to them. We had to share the warmth. We struck up a conversation about how chilly the weather was, and that we were from Wisconsin. We came from the cold and got to enjoy a little bit of the sun on our visit to San Diego. Both of them are from Illinois and grew up on farms. Their families owned land and were crop farming. The farm talk continued. How many children we have, how many cows, how much land, and then we showed them our camera app on our phone. A cow had just calved in the calving pen. We talked back and forth while eating and enjoyed each other’s company. We mentioned we wanted to tour the Midway aircraft carrier and see what else was open. The woman lit up and mentioned she was a volunteer on the carrier, and she dug through her purse to get us free coupons to tour the ship. After she got out the coupon, her husband got out his card, and we exchanged our business card with them. The card said John C. “Jack” Ensch Captain, USN (Ret.), and it went on with his address and phone number. I commented that we were pleased to have met them, and I called him Captain Jack and thanked him for his service. They both smiled and nodded their heads. We nished our meals at the same time and left together. Before heading to our cars, Kathy mentioned we should look her husband up on YouTube. He was a prisoner of war held captive for over 1,000 days in Vietnam. After returning to our condo, Duane looked Jack up on YouTube. This man who sat near us through the evening was quiet, modest and enjoyed talking about farming. We never could have imagined what we learned from that video. All four POWs spoke about their last ight before capture. Their injuries, torture and the support of each other every day. Listening to them speaking and then talking about leaving Vietnam Feb. 12, 1973, and returning to the United States gave me a new appreciation and a personal look at the man we had met only an hour before. The next day, we went to tour the Midway. We arrived
shortly after it opened at 10 a.m. and walked around for six hours listening to the hand-held audio in our self-guided tour. On the top of the carrier where the different types of aircraft were on exhibit we listened to Captain Jack’s voice on our handheld speaker as he talked about the planes and told personal stories. There were many volunteers and several who knew Captain Jack and the other three POWs. All four of these men volunteer on Midway, sharing their stories about their lives in the Air Force and as a POW. What a joy it was to spend an hour eating next to this man and his wife. Jack is a humble hero; Kathy is too. I am thankful they and so many others have done so much to protect our freedom. I have already written to them to let them know what a great time we had on the Midway and how thankful we are to have met them. Tina Hinchley, and her husband, Duane, daughter Anna, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2,300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. The Hinchley’s have been hosting farm tour for over 25 years.
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 • Page 27
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 Dana Adams, adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968 Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Characteristics of successful farms
My work experiences have allowed me to interact with many farmers throughout the Upper Midwest. There seems to be a common thread between the most successful farmers. Below are some of the common characteristics I have observed. – Successful farmers have an attitude of gratitude. For most of us, our relationship with our families and friends are more important than nancial success. These farmers are gracious and thankful for the consumers who buy their products, the agribusiness personnel who work with them and their employees, and family members who help them succeed. By Jim Salfer – Successful farmers have a passion U of M Extension for their work and a positive attitude toward the future. Even though they may not know what the future holds, they understand prices and costs are cyclical. They believe farming can be a good business, and the right business strategy will allow them the lifestyle they enjoy. – Top dairy farmers have exible business plans with longand short-range goals. Business plans can be simple. A good business plan will help identify your competitive advantage. Research has found that having a plan is less about accurately predicting the future and more about setting regular goals, tracking your progress toward those goals and adjusting your business as conditions change. Successful farmers are constantly scanning the environment looking for trends and opportunities to leverage their advantages. They ponder about how their business ts in that changing future. If anything, 2020 taught us the future is unpredictable and constantly changing. Successful farmers of the future will be nimble and constantly looking for new opportunities while minimizing risk. In the short term, they plan and take advantages of opportunities as they arise. I encourage farms to annually have a meeting with trusted advisors to share their vision for the future and get input on trends they might be missing. – Top dairy farmers are organized and the work gets done on time. These farmers plan ahead and anticipate the work that needs to be done. This proactive approach helps minimize the number of crises that occur. – Top farmers have excellent cow skills. Dairy farmers have excellent cow sense. They have a unique ability to spot a sick cow before she gets too sick. They can observe a cow in estrus just by her behavior. On large farms, owner/managers
realize they need to hire and/or train people to develop these skills. – Top dairy producers consistently procure or produce a lot of high-quality forage. High-quality forage is the foundation for good production and good cow health. In addition, they do an excellent job of managing forage inventory. They anticipate low inventories of forage and make adjustments to the diet or procure forage well in advance of running out. – Top producers keep good records. Top producers realize production and nancial records are crucial to make management decisions. Records are used in conjunction with setting goals and developing an action plan to set a course for profitability. Records are also used to moniMost producers M d can tor progress implement these practices, against the In adand many of these practices goals. dition, on an do not require high amounts annual basis, these records of capital outlay. are used to benchmark their farm against past performance and other dairies. – Top dairy producers have healthy comfortable cows. Top producers realize clean, dry and comfortable healthy cows will be higher producing cows. They keep all animals on the farm clean and well bedded. Buildings are well ventilated. Water and mangers are clean. – Top dairy managers have excellent dry cow programs and take special care of special needs animals. The top producers realize dry cow management is the key to a protable subsequent lactation. Transition cows are special cows with special needs. Most health problems occur during this period. Good dairy producers observe these cows closely and intervene at the rst sign of trouble before cows are extremely ill. These are some of my observations of the common characteristics of the top dairy producers. Many of these are not easy to do on a consistent basis. However, the good news is there are no magic feeds, pills, shots or other secrets the top producers have in their management toolbox. Most producers can implement these practices, and many of these practices do not require high amounts of capital outlay. We offer a business planning class, “Planning your dairy farm future,” that can help you reach your goals. If you are interested, contact me for more details.
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Creating conditions for dairy calves to thrive By Dana Adams
University of MN Extension
At their core, dairy calves need several things to thrive. Appropriate quality and quantity of food and water, as well as a good environment. A good environment can mean anything. In this article we will delve into this vague term and what it means for producers, especially during the winter. What is the current ventilation in the barn at calf level (when the calf is standing or laying down)? Does ventilation vary throughout the barn? By establishing this baseline, we can gauge improvements. All animals naturally produce heat, moisture and gases. Without an outlet, these can stay close to our animals creating a perfect environment for pathogen growth. For calves that are in the process of building their immune system, this increased pathogen load can pose a challenge to their health. The goal of ventilation is to bring outside air in and evenly distribute it throughout the barn. This ow will take outside air and mix it with the in-barn air that contains moisture, dust, pathogens, gases and heat. Appropriate ventilation will also provide an outlet, allowing old air to escape while pulling in new air. During winter, a six-room volume exchange per hour is recommended for calf barns. Naturally, this recommendation will change based on the time of year or the temperature outside. This rate allows old air to leave the barn but is not so high
as to create a draft for our dairy calves. In our calf barns, having appropriate humidity will assist in keeping our animals warm and dry during the cold winter months. Providing deep, dry bedding will provide a warm environment for animals to nestle down into. After building that supportive micro-environment, the goal should be to keep the building’s humidity lower than outside levels. Keep in mind that controlling air ow will also assist in monitoring humidity. I have been in a few calf barns where humidity has produced condensation that accumulated on the roof and rained down on calves, resulting in a less than optimal situation. Barn ventilation, regardless of an animal’s size, is never a one-and-done situation. It changes based on the size of the animal, immune status, time of year, or even time of day. It is a valuable piece of your overall management plan and warrents continual evaluation. Now is the time to take a look at your existing ventilation and how it can be utilized to improve your farm and animals’ overall success. The information for this article was from the extension.org, a part of the Cooperative Extension System, linked below. If you would like more information about dairy calf ventilation, visit: https:// dairy-cattle.extension.org/role-of-facility-design-and-ventilation-on-calf-health/. Please direct questions either to my email at adam1744@umn.edu or call the Stearns County Ofce at (320) 255-6169 x 3.
Farm Resource Guide available
The Farm Resource Guide for 2021 is now available at many University of Minnesota Extension County ofces across the state. This resource guide includes a wide variety of useful farm business management information including the following items: – Custom rates: What to charge for planting etc. – Average farmland rental rates by county: From two sources with projections for 2021. – Flexible Rental Agreements: Examples of how they work and how they have worked in past. – Lease forms for Cash Rent and Share Rent arrangements: Which you can ll in the blanks. – Farmland sales information for all counties in Minnesota: Lists current average ag sales. – Information on charges for custom feeding, commodity storage, leasing buildings and various bin rental rates: List various costs like leasing a dairy barn and machine storage. – Current information on pasture rental rates, tree timber values: List pasture rates and timber sales. – Marketing information along with recent cost trends for Minnesota: Many charts are included. – Commodity price probabilities for corn, soybeans, alfalfa hay, straw, grass hay, hogs and cattle: Puts odds to getting break even prices and tables show historic patterns. – Corn and soybean yields by county: USDA county yields used for calculating the farm bill payments – Feedlot Rule Highlights: Information on Manure Agreement and Easements – Manure Spreading Lease examples and Land Application Agreement: Forms included. If you would like your own copy of the Farm Resource Guide, please e-mail me at bauxx003@umn.edu or give me a call at 507-372-3900 ext. 3906 and let me know what format you would like. I will send out the materials and an invoice as soon as possible. I hope you nd the Resource Guide useful and would welcome your feedback on what you would like to see included in next year’s Guide. For more farm business information, please see the University of Minnesota Extension website: https://extension.umn.edu/managing-farm
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ABCs of spring Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
Alas, all the animals anxiously await the arrival of spring The assaults on the senses and shed antlers it may bring Bubbling brooks beckon boots with bread-bagged bouncy feet Boys bust out bikes, birds babble, babies will be here soon to greet Congratulations, Cora! Four years of cuddling and crazy Children are clever, curious, climbing, taking chances – not too lazy. Dog delights in dirt: disgusting, dingy and damp Dane discovers drab deer disguised, in the distance they tramp Ewes are enormous; eager eagle swoops over trees to his throne Everything equally wet, no use to moan ‘Fulcrum,’ a fun, favorite word as of February Finley and furry four-legged friends, all found on our dairy Goats gearing up, growing, getting to end of gestation Green grass gives us goodies for feeding next generation
Henry is happy and helpful as long as he’s not dying of hunger Hunting is a handy habit these boys established when younger Ira is intrigued by the intricate workings of an incubator Insert innumerable eggs now, hatch itty-bitty chicks later Jumping and joking, how jittery boys are every day They jabber, they jest; they are just full of joy to play Kids keep the kitchen a happening place Keen eyes will nd kittens soon from their well-kept space Leaks in the sap lines, laughing and learning, long days of light Lucky it won’t be too long until our lovely lambs can leap to heights Maintenance on machinery while all is mucked in mud Maple syrup boiling, marvelous for meals, rarely a dud Nibbling on new growth, neat nests are for nature’s ‘goodnights’ Nearby nice neighbors are excited for needed new sights
Oliver observes the open sky by opening windows, opening doors Oblivious to the outdoors? Only open your eyes to see much more Pig lard pastry on a pie makes it positively perfect and gives me pleasure Pacing planting promises Ramblings from the Ridge a productive season by my measure Quietly being stuck in quicksand puts you in a quandary Quick yelling is best: “Come and help me!” Return of rhubarb, rascals rush and run through the brush Red birds rollick, ridiculously happy children By Jacqui Davison making slush Columnist Stars in the sky, splendid, superb, sparkling, so serene Sneaky squirrels make sap collecting a sticky scene Teamwork makes more time for talking Turning of the seasons means more time for thankful walking Usually under the snow we nd some unsavory creatures Unlikely to unearth something with unique features Vivacious vixen vacates the road in front of the van fast Very vibrant as she vrooms past Wisconsin weather is warm, weird, wild and wacky Water-logged, walnut-mud pies are wonderfully creative and tacky Yolks bright yellow, young animals yawn Yellow grass turns to green – yes! – on the lawn Zippers that stick, then zap, they are broke Zany poetry, written with zeal, no joke! Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira (14), Dane (12), Henry (7) and Cora (4), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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After canceling the 22nd Annual Wisconsin Jersey Spring Spectacular because of COVID-19, the Wisconsin Jersey Spring Spectacular Committee is pleased to announce plans are underway to host a show in 2021 at the Vernon County Fairgrounds in Viroqua, Wisconsin. Entries forms will be released shortly. Registered Jersey cattle from across the Midwest will circle the ring as breeders distinguish themselves in the industry. In past years, the event welcomed up to 500 attendees with cattle from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and beyond. Showmanship begins on Friday, May 7. The cattle show will start with winter heifers at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 8 and milking classes starting at 12:30 p.m. The Wisconsin Jersey Spring Spectacular will include a silent auction that funds Wisconsin Junior Jersey Breeders Association activities and contributes to the operation of the show. Additionally, the committee is accepting sponsors to help cover the cost of the show and fund improvements to the Vernon County Fairgrounds. The Wisconsin Jersey Spring Spectacular is organized solely by volunteers. For more information about donations or entries, contact Karla Peterson by phone/text at 608-6061818, or email at karlap2008@live.com.
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Should you extend the VWP in your herd?
Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 • Page 31
In a December 2016 Dairy Star article, we discussed economics of changing the voluntary waiting period comparing a 60-day voluntary waiting period to an 88-day VWP for rst lactation and for second and more lactation cows. Extending the VWP often recommended Veterinary Wisdom is to improve reproductive performance on rst breeding, improve pregnancy rates and to increase protability by extending lactations. Cows with extended lactations would be expected to have higher milk production per day of productive life (including dry periods) By Jim Bennett because of relatively Columnist lower days spent dry compared to lactating. Two papers in the Journal of Dairy Science by Stangaferro in 2018 looked at effects of 60- versus 88-day VWPs for double ovsynch protocols in three commercial New York herds during 2014-16. Results of the comparison showed improvement in rst service conception rates for rst lactation cows with the longer VWP, but no change in conception rates for older cows with a longer VWP. The main message from those studies was that extending the VWP from 60 to 88 days using a double ovsynch protocol resulted in a net gain of $68 per cow for lactation one and a net loss of $85 per cow for lactation two or more over 18 months. The main reason for the loss in older cows was increased culling and replacement of an older cow with a heifer. The take home message is that a longer VWP may make sense for rst lactation animals but does not make sense for older cows. More recently, the same group looked at three options: double ovsynch with a 60-day VWP (DOVS60), double ovsynch with an 88-day VWP (DOVS88), and presynch ovsynch with cherry picking cows in heat and a 50-day VWP (PSOv50).
Once again they compared rst lactation cows to cows are DOVS88 and PSOv50. However, the older cows. The study was based on one herd and a economic gain versus the DOVS60 is fairly small. modeling program. The herd was using BST during For older cows, DOV60 and PSOv50 would be better the trial. Cows became pregnant sooner after calving than DOVS88, and the difference between the low with the DOVS60 and PSOv50 than with DOVS88 VWP protocols and the 88-day VWP is signicantly for both younger and older cows. At 350 DIM, the greater than the difference for younger cows. Thus, proportion of nonpregnant cows was no different for a blanket recommendation to increase the VWP each of the three protocols for lactation one animals, beyond 60 days in all lactation groups is not likely to but for older cows more be protable. Increasing the animals were open at 350 VWP in lactation one may Ask k questions i when h someone DIM for DOVS88 than the A be slightly protable. The other two protocols. tells you to increase your herd’s main reason longer VWPs For culling, all protocols were not more protable in had similar outcomes for voluntary waiting period. older cows was increased lactation one animals, but culling. culling was signicantly There are three other increased for older cows in the DOVS88 protocol. points to consider. First, these studies were all done on Regarding milk income, rst lactation animals showed cows injected with BST. It is likely that not using BST more income for the total lactation with the DOVS88 might result in better protability with shorter VWPs, compared to DOVS60 and PSOv50, but there was no because the rate of decline in milk production in later difference between protocols for older cows. lactation is greater in animals not supplemented. Cash ow per available milking slot was modeled Second, the performance of a PSOv protocol is, to for the 18-month period after calving with various some degree, dependent on heat detection for rst pricing scenarios. On average, cash ow for rst insemination, and this may vary signicantly between lactation cows was $16.70 greater per available herds. Third, in today’s world of high pregnancy milking slot with the DOVS88 versus the DOVS60. rates and farms needing fewer replacements, cows Over the entire range of variables, the return was get fewer breedings, and thus chances to get pregnant negative $38 per slot to positive $75 per slot. The before being coded do not breed. Extending the VWP average difference for DOVS88 versus PSOv50 lowers the number of available days for a cow to in rst lactation animals was only $1.20, in favor get pregnant. As a result these studies may actually of DOVS88. The difference for DOVS60 versus underestimate the negative effects of increasing PSOv50 was negative $15.50 for DOVS60 for rst VWPs in older cows today. lactation cows. Thus, ask questions when someone tells you to For second lactation and older animals, the mean increase your herd’s voluntary waiting period. Talk to return of the DOVS60 versus DOVS88 was negative your veterinarian and ask him or her to help evaluate $87 per slot. Over the range of input costs, the return any potential changes. was negative over 99% of the time for the DOVS88 Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at versus DOVS60. For DOVS88 versus PSOv50, the Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center average return was negative $83 per slot. The average in Plainview, Minnesota. He also consults on dairy difference between DOVS88 and PSOv50 was about farms in other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four $4 per slot over 18 months. children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail. The bottom line from these studies is that the com with comments or questions. most likely of the three different VWPs and protocols that are likely to be most protable for rst lactation
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Spring time brings mud Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
I have never been in a hurricane. I have watched a tornado throw a trampoline into a tree and a straightline wind distort a hoop barn into a shape I didn’t know was possible without it breaking. But, never a hurricane. I imagine a hurricane to be similar to the time I was taking the cows to the pasture and a 4-inch downpour occurred in the time it took me to get back to the barn from the far side of the farm except with more wind. Everywhere we travel, I can’t help but participate in a bit of agricultural tourism. Even a trip to the next town down the road from ours requires careful observation of all the elds and animals passed along the way. It’s what comes of being in an occupation your whole life. It is not possible to drive around without checking on things whether your own or other’s. There are stories about my grandfather’s issues with driving relating to his inability to continue
in a straight line if he turned his head to check out a eld or cows in a pasture. Thankfully, I seem to be generally capable of staying in my lane while looking at all the farms we pass, or Emily would probably not let me drive us anywhere. On our trip in Puerto Rico, we did a fair amount of driving around the island in our little rental SUV mostly on winding mountain roads. That sort of driving required considerable attention to driving as the roads were closer to one lane than two, and the local custom appears to be to drive them as if it were a race. Fun driving but not the best kind for observing all the farming going on within view of the road. Nonetheless, I found plenty of moments to look away from the road to see groves of avocados, banana trees, and lots of Holsteins, Holstein crossbreds and beef cattle grazing happily on some tall rather coarse looking species of grass.
Being spring in Minnesota, naturally my thoughts constantly turn to mud. It’s hard not to think of mud this time of year. It’s on your boots when you From the Zweber Farm step out of the barn or tractor. It’s on your pants when you accidentally walk too close to a tire. It’s everywhere. Farms who have cattle on pasture year round like us or who daily haul manure, also us, have a close relationship with soil in its liquid form. Thinking on our trip By Tim Zweber while feeding the other Famer Columnist day, I got to thinking about those dairy farms in Puerto Rico. It doesn’t just rain there, they have hurricanes there. How does one deal with the kind of mud that must result from 12-plus hours of sideways buckets of rain? Like I said at the beginning of this article, I don’t know as I’ve never had the experience, but I bet we’ll all get a little taste of it soon. Warm weather is here, and rain is in the forecast. The frost will soon be gone, and soon there will be phone calls made requesting a bigger tractor and some chains. Here’s hoping this is a quick spring and you get a minimum number of things stuck in the mud. Until next month, keep living the dream and be careful where you step. Sometimes the mud is deeper than it looks. Tim Zweber farms with his wife Emily, their three children and his parents Jon and Lisa by Elko, Minnesota.
DCRC opens Herd Reproduction Award nominations
Nominate an outstanding dairy herd for the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council’s (DCRC) 2021 Excellence in Dairy Reproduction Awards program. Dairy industry professionals, including veterinarians, extension agents, articial insemination and pharmaceutical company representatives, dairy processor and co-op eld staff, and consultants, may nominate dairy herds with reproduction excellence. This awards program recognizes outstanding dairy operations for reproductive efciency and wellimplemented procedures. Nominations are due April 30. To nominate a herd, go to: www.dcrcouncil.org/ awards/nominate-a-herd and complete the required information. From the nominations, judges evaluate reproductive performance criteria and narrow down the nominations to a group of nalists. Dairies named as nalists submit herd management data and judges rank the nalists as Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze. To learn more about past winners, go to: www. dcrcouncil.org/awards/past-reproduction-awardwinners. Herds earning Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze are invited to attend the DCRC Annual Meeting, which is scheduled for Nov. 10-11, in Kansas City, Mo. Watch the DCRC website – www.dcrcouncil.org – for program updates.
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Reections on extension
“Is University of Minnesota Extension something we still need?” ask friends and family occasionally. To answer, it takes some reection. Extension has a deep history with agricultural progress in this country and around the world. What began in 1909 in Minnesota to help farmers become more productive and protable has made several pivots. You can easily learn about Extension’s history online. It is quite amazing to see how it has changed through decades as detailed with many examples. Come Full Dairy Circle the What I remember while growing up on our farm is that Extension agents were held in high regard. When my father began his farming career he took a U of M Extension short-course on operating a diversied farm. The aid of Extension was needed to take the knowledge from the university’s research and teaching arms and apply it to what was actually needed to help the farmers throughout the state learn new methods to aid in farming success. The Extension agent communicated, reached out and made farm visits to impart the knowledge. Now this is the job of the By Jean Annexstad Extension educator and means of communication have transformed. Columnist A quick Google search for “University of Minnesota Extension” today yields a variety of diverse online courses you can take that range from “The Successful Beekeeper” to “The Science of Manure Management.” Information on master gardening, human nutrition, community development and household nances are topics any family could use. You can nd answers to any garden or food-related questions you have through a query on the website answered by Master Gardeners and educators. So today, “Extension provides practical education and research you can trust to help people, businesses and communities solve problems, develop skills and build a better future,” states the website www.extension.umn.edu. When you visit the website, for example, you can discover that the week of March 8-12 has six events scheduled. One of them is the Winter Dairy Series webinar of “Best Practices for Productive Farm Meetings” which is part of a several-week series that can be accessed by registering for the webinars. Another way I believe Extension is viable today is the youth programs it offers. Most of them revolve around 4-H in both rural and urban settings. I can think of many examples of youth who have used the skills and leadership learned through 4-H to pursue their lifelong goals and careers. Spending time with their project areas of interest sparked their career direction. My nephew spent three years carefully detailing the landscaping plans around his family’s home in his 4-H project. He is now an established landscape architect. Many youth who spent their summers involved in livestock projects have careers as veterinarians, livestock farmers or advisors in livestock and crop production. People who excelled in the small engine projects went on to be mechanics; those who perfected leadership skills are teachers; clothing construction experts have sewing businesses, and the list goes on. Youth projects today have evolved into STEAM, robotics, the 4-H Science of Agriculture Challenge, environmental and community-related topics. Now Extension reaches into every aspect of life in Minnesota. This happened in 1990 when the law expanded Extension’s reach. This evolved into ve capacity areas today. One example is food security and how Extension directs people to resources. A person helping in this key effort is Kathryn Draeger, statewide director, U of M Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. She explains how Extension is relevant in 2021. “For example, because Extension works with food access, we were able to pivot quickly and provide support to communities around the state when COVID-19 hit last year. We hit the ground running to help communities and rural grocery stores in a number of ways. Hearing that people who were exposed or sick with COVID-19 needed to quarantine for two weeks, we developed a fact sheet for a 14-day emergency meal kit that could be created at a small town grocery store. The kit contained food that was available, affordable and easy to prepare in case someone was sick. That fact sheet has been downloaded over 7,500 times and was used by community groups to help people who were quarantined. Knowing that grocery stores are critical to keeping food access throughout our state, we created a curbside pickup and delivery plan and fact sheet based on the experiences of actual small town grocers who were doing their best to protect customers and their front line staff. And then we distributed it to over 250 stores and were able to support dozens of stores in planning in case they need to switch to curbside pickup.” Draeger and her Extension co-workers also developed “The Farm to Grocery Toolkit” which helps farmers who are growing and producing farm products to sell them directly to grocery stores. You can probably tell I am an Extension/4-H volunteer. My opinion is that Extension’s reach is different in today’s world than in past times but is very much needed. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, Minnesota, in Norseland, where she is still trying to t in with the Norwegians and Swedes. They milk 200 cows and farm 650 acres. She can be reached at jeanannexstad@gmail.com.
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
Friendship founded on dairy
Farmer, milk hauler continue lasting careers in parallel paths By Andrea Borgerding andrea.b@dairystar.com
PRINCETON, Minn. – They say if you love what you do, you do not work a day in your life. That can be said for two men who have worked within the dairy industry for most of their lifetimes. Not the same career but aligned career paths brought dairyman Richard Reiman and milk truck driver Jim Skogquist together in a working relationship – and eventual friendship – that has held steadfast through the years. “Richard was on my rst milk route of 18 dairy farms when I started hauling milk in March 1980,” Skogquist said. “He is the only one left on my original route.” Reiman took over the family farm near Princeton in 1978. The dairy includes a 50-cow tiestall barn and cropland. Reiman previously milked in a step-up parlor for a few years when his cow numbers grew to 75. Today, Reiman’s daughter, Kristen, and her husband, Thomas Duden, own the farm as the fourth generation. Reiman continues to work on the farm, milking 40 cows and completing daily chores. In 1980, Skogquist was just steps away from beginning his own career as
ANDREA BORGERDING/DAIRY STAR
Jim Skogquist (leŌ) and Richard Reiman stand together at the Reiman family’s dairy March 4 near Princeton, Minnesota. Reiman was on Skogquist’s original milk route when he began hauling milk 41 years ago. a dairy farmer. Skogquist later withdrew his farm loan application. Weeks later he found himself with his own milk route, hauling milk for Cloverleaf in
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ANDREA BORGERDING/DAIRY STAR
Jim Skogquist marks down the amount of milk on a pick up at the Reiman family’s dairy March 4 near Princeton, Minnesota. began his every other day milk pick up at the Reiman dairy farm. With common interests in dairying and farming, Skogquist and Reiman quickly developed a lasting relationship. “It’s like when you meet someone and you nd out what type of person he is, I knew Jim was the type of person you want to be around,” Reiman said. Skogquist was surprised one day shortly after starting hauling Reiman’s milk that they shared a connection. Skogquist attended the same 4-H group as Reiman’s wife, Margaret. He had not seen her since they were 14 years old. “I saw her at the farm one day and I was kind of shocked to see her,” Skogquist said. “I stopped and reminisced with her.” In 1995, Skogquist moved to the Princeton area where he purchased cropland and raises corn and soybeans. Farming in the same area brought him and Reiman even closer through sharing equipment and helping each other with farming tasks. “The relationship worked,” Reiman
said. “We found something in common, and we often worked together.” In 2001, Skogquist sold his milk milk truck and began a construction company. At the same time, Reiman transitioned to producing organic milk requiring a different milk hauler. But in 2012, Skogquist found himself lling in for the local milk hauler and once again began visiting the Reiman farm every other day. “I went back to selling conventional milk and Jim happened to be hauling milk in the area for First District,” Reiman said. Skogquist was pleased to once again be stopping at the Reimans’ farm. “It just happened that I was hauling for First District and Richard’s neighbor was selling to First District too,” Skogquist said. “Richard is my rst stop in the morning.” At 8:30 a.m., Skogquist backs his semi-trailer into the quarter-mile long driveway. While the milk is loaded onto
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021
Women In Dairy Marsha Keller Richland Center, Wisconsin Richland County 950 cows
Family: My husband, Gordy Keller, and I have been married for 48 years. We have three children and seven grandchildren. Our son is the fth generation to farm on our family farm. In 2011, Ryan and his wife, Michelle, were picked as one of the National Outstanding Young Farmers. Our daughter, Cari, is a large animal nutritionist for Landmark Cooperative. Cari and her husband, Billy, have a small farm where they raise Katahdin sheep and Holstein steers for their girls to show for 4-H. Laci, our youngest daughter, is a midwife at the Richland Hospital. Laci and her husband, Steve, also have a small farm where they raise sheep and beef animals for their kids to show in 4-H. Tell us about your farm. Until 2007, we farmed 585 acres, and we milked 300 registered Holsteins. At that time, we made a partnership with two neighbor brothers, building a new barn and parlor. We increased our cow numbers to 925 cows. Combining the land and additional renting of ground, we now farm 2,200 acres. We sell all bull calves and raise our replacement heifers. Each partner has their own niche in the day-today running of the farm. I am the bookkeeper and grounds keeper, and I mow hay when it’s that time of the year. I also manage the young calves. What is the busiest time of day for you? The busiest time of the day for me is from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. when I am in the barn. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I do not have just one thing. I love to watch grandkids in sports and concerts. When Gordy and I have a day off and the weather allows, we like to ride motorcycles. I also enjoy the Airbnb we started last year. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. Hosting tours of our dairy farm for visitors and hosting three dairy breakfasts for the county have been some of the most memorable. Life has changed, and when I get to share the farm, it is my opportunity to answer questions and clear up misconceptions of where food comes from. The most outstanding memory I have is when we were sending kosher milk to a local plant. The young rabbi from New York who was here to monitor the milking did not know milk came from cows. He honestly thought it came from the grocery store shelf. He was so full of questions and was willing to learn. I spent a lot of time with him answering questions. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I have enjoyed raising our kids on the farm and seeing our grandkids raised on the farm. Life’s lessons are huge, and there is no better place to have them learn them than on the farm. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? I read, and when I have a question, I ask people for advice. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? My grandmother who
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farmed. Her going from the house to the barn to the eld was something I always looked up to. She could load hay in a dress, cook meals for a threshing crew and go to church on Sundays. I learned a lot from her, which I never realized until I married and started farming with Gordy. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? I do not have a prominent woman in mind but an open invite to any women who have not experienced life on the farm. I love to have them come and see the sun come up and experience the birth of an animal, which is an unbelievable miracle. I would also like them to experience the pain of having your kids 4-H project die and know you tried your best to save it and then comfort them. Smelling the rst ground turned over in spring and watching fall harvest completed with no injuries are a few other experiences I would like them to have. Lastly, realizing a spotless house is some days a dream. No matter where we placed at a show, it was a great experience because we were there with friends and family. What is the best vacation you have ever taken? The best vacation happened four years ago as we took our rst family vacation. Fifteen of us traveled to Mexico over Christmas. What a fun time everyone had. We celebrated 45 years of marriage, turning 65 and our rst family vacation with all the kids. Becoming Junction View Dairy gave us that ability to travel and leave the farm with far less worries than before. What are some words you like to live by? I would like people to realize if none of us could see, we would be on an equal playing eld with race. It would make no difference if we were pink, purple or striped. We should all work harder to get along with our fellow people and treat others the way we want to be treated.
¿Como se dice?
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Have you ever wondered ‘How do I say that in Spanish?’. Below are a few common phrases heard around the dairy, along with how to say them in Spanish.
› Follow the milking routine please. Siga la rutina de ordeño por favor. Seh-gah lah rroo-tee-nah deh ohr-deh-nyoh pohr fah-bohr
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ANDREA BORGERDING/DAIRY STAR
Richard Reiman (leŌ) and Jim Skogquist visit in the milkhouse March 4 at the Reiman family’s dairy near Princeton, Minnesota. Reiman milks 40 cows now owned by his daughter, Kristen, and her husband, Thomas Duden. the truck, the two men catch up for a few minutes in the milkhouse. “I’ve enjoyed a lot of different conversations with farmers over the years,” Skogquist said. “All different subjects. I have an interest in farming so it’s easy for me to talk with them.” At 63, Skogquist continues lling in for drivers three days a week. The schedule works well for him to enjoy time off but also continue doing something he enjoys. “I’m going to keep doing it for a while yet,” Skogquist said. “I don’t know how long but as long as my health is good. I would miss it if I didn’t.” At 67, Reiman, too, intends to
continue farming for as long as he is able. “They say don’t do anything different when you retire,” Reiman said. “It’s easy for me to say as I have something I can keep doing as long as my daughter needs me to milk cows and my knees keep working.” Long, enjoyable careers have carried both Reiman and Skogquist through many ups and downs in life – all while building a lasting friendship with each other. Although neither Reiman nor Skogquist plan to retire soon, they both know they will keep in touch even without the visit in the milkhouse.
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Carlson competes in collegiate wrestling
U of M athlete credits farming for mental, physical strength By Logan Sass
U of M Athletic Department
PENNOCK, Minn. – While wrestling has been an instrumental part of Cael Carlson’s family over the years, there is still one thing that runs deeper in the Carlson blood: the family farm. About two hours west of the Twin Cities is where you will nd the Carlson dairy farm in Pennock, a farm that consists of over 1,800 Holstein dairy cows and was founded by Carlson’s great-, great-grandfather in 1891. Since then, the farm has been maintained by Cael’s grandfather, who wrestled in high school, as well as his dad and uncle, Chad and Carl, who combined for three Minnesota state titles and both competed for the University of Minnesota Gophers in the 1990s. Now, Carlson, who has two state titles in his own right for Willmar High School, has every intention of following in his family’s footsteps and becoming a fth-generation dairy farmer. Before that, he hopes to build on an impressive debut as a true freshman in 2019-20. Competing unattached, Carlson compiled a 17-5 record with nine pins and an individual title at the Don Parker Open. A double major in agricultural business management and animal science with an emphasis in dairy production, the redshirt freshman is taking advan-
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Cael Carlson is an athlete on the University of Minnesota’s wrestling team. He is studying agriculture business management and animal science with plans to return to his family’s dairy farm near Pennock, Minnesota. tage of his athletic and academic pursuits in hopes of using his newfound knowledge back home on the farm, fullling a passion that has been instilled in him ever since he was a little kid. “I couldn’t imagine doing anything else in my life,” Carlson stated. Carlson’s tasks on the farm varied as he was growing up. It started by shadowing his father, helping with miscellaneous tasks such as daily maintenance or feeding the cows. As he grew older, his role shifted into learning
more about the business side of dairy farming. However, maybe even more important as a student-athlete are the values learned that translate into the sport of wrestling. For Carlson, it would be rare for him to nd a lesson that he hasn’t already learned on the family farm. “I think farming has helped me in having the physical and mental strength that is needed to compete at the highestlevel of the sport,” Carlson said. The responsibility of doing his
chores on the farm goes hand-in-hand with his obligations to be successful in the classroom. The grit that he shows after a long day in the practice room is that same attitude he carries working outside during those cold winter months. The adversity that Carlson may have faced in the sport of wrestling does not even compare to the adversity of when a tornado hit his farm three summers ago. Yet, in both aspects of life, Carlson knows how to overcome those obstacles. If you could summarize everything he has learned on the farm though, it would be hard work. “The great thing about farming is that it teaches kids about life in the real world and that no matter how you were feeling at times, some things just need to be done” Carlson added, or as he bluntly puts it, “You can’t just take a holiday or a sick day from the cows.” At the end of the day, what brings him back to the farm every year is his family. “I remember looking around one day and seeing my dad, brothers, grandma, uncle, and cousins all working in the eld together. It wasn’t about working for the cows, it was us working for our family and our traditions. I don’t know many occupations where you can work with your family every day and that is so special to me,” Carlson recalls. So, once his wrestling days at the University of Minnesota are over, it will be back to the farm for Carlson. It may seem like a simple life, but he wouldn’t want it any other way.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 13, 2021 • Page 39
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Darren Eichelkraut Belleville, Wisconsin Dane County 52 cows
a lifestyle that always has more to offer. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Don’t be afraid of different. Some of the best decisions I have made as a farmer were the ones that everyone said would never work.
How did you get into farming? I am the fth generation on my family farm. After moving away and working construction out of high school for a few years, I came back because I realized there was no better place to raise a family.
What has been the best purchase you have ever made on your farm? My baleage equipment. Being able to put up high-quality feed under varying conditions, on my schedule, has made all the difference.
What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? I worry that once the government funds stop coming, the oversupply of milk will create another crash in pricing for most farmers. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? I installed a Val Metal Alfred round bale feeder in my stanchion barn. I can now unroll and feed full round bales in my barn without having to process them. This allows me to make baleage instead of putting up all small square dry hay. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? I cut back on the amount of row crops I plant. As an organic farmer, this has saved me a ton of time and maintenance costs. The extra time I get to spend with my family is priceless. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? Being a member of Westby
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Learning to balance farm life with family life. There will always be more work that needs to be done. But there’s only one moment to raise a family.
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Darren and Nicole Eichelkraut and their daughter, Aria, 5, and son, Merik, 3, milk 52 cows in Belleville, Wisconsin.
Cooperative, I have been fortunate in not having to take any drastic cuts in price. But doing most of the repairs myself and making our heifer and calf feed from our own grain has always helped keep costs down. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? Treat them like family. My only fulltime employee is my dad. As for parttime help, I do my best to make sure
they know how much I appreciate and value their time and effort. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I love to learn new skills, be a Jack of all trades, and I am not afraid to fail in the process. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Knowing every day will be different from the last. This is
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? I hope to spend the next few years maintaining what I have and paying down debt. If I’m lucky, there will be a no-till drill in my shed within ve years. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We like to go to dairy events like breakfasts on the farm, county fairs and World Dairy Expo. With most of that being put on hold, we love to spend time playing in the woods and going on UTV rides.
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