March 25, 2022 Dairy Star - 1st Section - Zone 1

DAIRY ST R25

Diagnosis then direction

Plourd

Keller survives near-fatal accident

Lake City woman recovers from incident with cow

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

By Kati Kindschuh kati.k@dairystar.com

MADISON, Wis. – As global economy trends continue to keep farmers on the edge of their seats, industry expert, Phil Plourd, was able to deliver insights and information on the global and U.S. dairy markets heading into 2023.

LAKE CITY, Minn. –Peggy Keller was given a 1% chance of living after a cow crushed her chest. Yet, she is alive today.

Peggy and her husband, Fred, milk 125 cows and farm 320 acres with their son, Brian, on their farm near Lake City.

nished scraping and was heading into a side room of the stanchion barn to wait for more cows to come in the barn. A cow was standing with her head in the side room door, blocking her way. The door stood at a 90-degree angle with the cement block wall of the barn.

Peggy was standing against this cement wall when she attempted to get the cow to move out of the doorway. The cow pulled her head out of the door, and instead of going to her stall, put her head into Peggy’s chest. With a cement wall behind her and no sorting stick to stave her off, Peggy had nowhere to go.

Plourd was a presenter Jan. 18-19 at Dairy Strong in Madison. He is the president of Ever.Ag Insights. Plourd began with good news, telling the audience that the “death of dairy” has been wildly exaggerated by the media.

Peggy sustained a lifethreatening injury in an accident with a cow in their stanchion barn. Peggy’s injuries included all of her ribs being broken except the top two, a collapsed right lung and a centimeter-sized hole in the right ventricle of her heart.

On Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, Peggy was helping with tasks for evening milking. She had

Phil Plourd

“Per capita, consumption of dairy products in 2021 was reported at 650 pounds per person per year,” Plourd said. “Overall, the dairy story is positive. Total cheese, butter consumption and yogurt is up by consumers, while ice cream has seemingly lost ground.”

Cheese is a big player in dairy markets, Plourd said.

“The pounds of milk that go into cheese versus pounds of milk going to uid milk, cheese has made up the difference in the loss of uid milk consumption,” Plourd said. “From an industry standpoint, we’d rather have people overseas eat pizza with U.S. mozzarella cheese.”

Retailers love cheese and butter promotions, Plourd said, so they are using these product promotions as trafc drivers to continue to get more shoppers in their stores.

“I’ll never forget that big cow’s head staring me in the face,” Peggy said. “I could have pushed her out of the way or something. … I didn’t think. I was just freaked out and frozen.”

Brian discovered Peggy around 7 p.m. after hearing her calls for help.

Peggy was taken to the hospital in Lake City and then was airlifted by Mayo One to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

She needed emergency surgery that night. Medical staff had to

Strategy set for next era

we communicate well and work well together.”

Currently, Austin and his father split the milk check equally and each owns 50% of the herd and equipment.

By Tiffany Klaphake tiffany.k@dairystar.com

ALBANY, Minn. –Austin Dobmeier has not always dreamed of being a dairy farmer, but after a college internship off the farm, he realized the barn is where he was meant to be.

Now, with a partnership in place and a limited liability company established, Austin is well-equipped to continue his career.

Austin and his dad, Tom Dobmeier, milk 70 cows in a tiestall barn near Albany. Austin returned to the

family farm, Lakeshore Dairy, six years ago and has slowly been buying into the

farm. “So far, we both like it,” Austin

“We are very happy with what we did,” Austin said. “I wouldn’t change anything.”

Together, they worked with an accountant and lawyer to make their partnership ofcial. They also talked with other farmers and read dairy publications about farm transitions to determine what route would be best for them, deciding in the end that Austin would get a percentage of the milk check and have that percentage grow over the course of 10 years.

“All dairy, all the time”™

AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR

Peggy Keller stands in the calf barn March 7 on her dairy farm near Lake City, Minnesota. Keller survived an accident with a cow in the stanchion barn that le her needing 35 units of blood.

Dobmeiers establish farm transition to secure future

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR Tom and Aus n, holding Harper, Dobmeier kneel beside a calf March 20 at their farm, Lakeshore Dairy, near Albany, Minnesota. Aus n has been farming full me with his dad for six years.

said. “It helps

Ever.Ag Insights

discusses dairy market trends from 2022 leading into new year

DAIRY ST R

Ag Insider www.dairystar.com

Published by Star Publications LLC

General Manager/Editor

Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com

320-352-6303 (ofce)

320-248-3196 (cell)

320-352-0062 (home)

Ad Composition - 320-352-6303

Nancy Powell • nancy.p@dairystar.com

Karen Knoblach • karen.k@star-pub.com

Annika Gunderson • annika@star-pub.com

Editorial Staff

Tiffany Klaphake - Assistant Editor

320-352-6303 • tiffany.k@dairystar.com

Maria Bichler - Assistant Editor

maria.b@dairystar.com • 320-352-6303

Danielle Nauman - Staff Writer

608-487-1101 • danielle.n@dairystar.com

Stacey Smart - Staff Writer

262-442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com

Abby Wiedmeyer - Staff Writer

608-487-4812 • abby.w@dairystar.com

Grace Jeurissen - Staff Writer

320-352-6303 • grace.j@star-pub.com

Jan Lefebvre - Staff Writer

320-290-5980 • jan.l@star-pub.com

Amy Kyllo - Staff Writer amy.k@star-pub.com

Consultant

Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292

Main Ofce: 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

Mark Klaphake (Western MN)

320-352-6303 (ofce) 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 Hoeer (Eastern Iowa, Southwest Wisconsin)

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

Julia Mullenbach (Southeast MN and Northeast IA)

507-438-7739 • julia.m@star-pub.com

Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN)

320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com

Deadlines

The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication.

One year subscription $40.00, outside the U.S. $200.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378.

Dairy farmers may see a further squeeze on margins in 2023. “Cow numbers are higher than what we had been forecasting and that incorporates into a 200 million pound increase in the U.S. milk supply,” said Mark Jekanowski, chairman, U.S. Department of Agriculture Ag Outlook Board. “Year-over-year, that would be up 2.1 billion pounds.” USDA cut its all-milk price forecast by 20% for the year, averaging $20.45 per hundredweight.

NMPF Board endorses federal order reform

After two years of debate and more than 130 meetings, the National Milk Producers Federation board of directors is giving its support to a proposal to modernize Federal Milk Marketing Orders. This proposal will be submitted to USDA for a federal hearing and a possible producer referendum. Federal orders have not had a signicant change in nearly 25 years.

More farm bill funding needed

A coalition of 400 agricultural groups is asking Congress to provide an increase in funding for the 2023 farm bill. In a letter to lawmakers, the coalition said the recent ad hoc disaster programs do not provide a timely or reliable safety net for farmers. The letter was signed by Farm Bureau, Farmers Union and trade groups representing everything from corn and soybean industries to dairy associations.

Farm bill needs to keep next generation in agriculture

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall testied at the farm bill listening session in Waco, Texas. Duvall said food security and national security should be taken into consideration when develop-

ing the next farm bill. “Crop insurance is the cornerstone of our farm bill and we need to broaden it, modernize it, and update targets and loan dates,” Duvall said. He also emphasized the importance of conservation programs and keeping younger generations interested in agriculture.

“Look around the room at the average age of farmers; we have to do something to make agriculture attractive to young people so they want to come back to grow the food and ber of the future,” he said.

Food prices continue to move higher

While the overall ination rate came in at 6%, food ination is at 9.5%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports at-home food prices were up more than 10% last month. Food consumed away from home increased in price by 8.4%.

Minnesota sets export record

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that the state’s exports reached a record high of $27 billion in 2022, a 16% increase from 2021. North American markets drove Minnesota’s export growth to nearly $12 billion. Minnesota conducted $70 billion in total trade in goods with

Mower Conditioners

and articles of

opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve

KuhnNorthAmerica.com rthAm Visit your local KUHN Hay and Forage Dealer today! INVEST IN QUALITY ® www.kuhn.com Van-Wall Equipment Albia, IA Indianola, IA Knoxville, IA Woodbine, IA Roeder Bros. Bellevue, IA Maquoketa, IA Vetter Equipment Clarinda, IA Denison, IA Indianola, IA Mt. Ayr, IA Shenandoah, IA Kunau Implement DeWitt, IA Preston, IA Diagonal Truck & Tractor Diagonal, IA Bodensteiner Implement Elkader, IA J P Scherrman Farley, IA Burco Sales Independence, IA Helmuth Repair Kalona, IA Graber Services Lockridge, IA Carroll Implement LuVerne, IA Greiner Implement Ottumwa, IA Engel Agri-Sales Sac City, IA Dee Implement of Waukon Waukon, IA Lindell Sales & Service Cannon Falls, MN Beck Implement Elgin, MN St. Joseph Equipment Eyota, MN Arnold's Glencoe, MN Kimball, MN Sauk Rapids, MN St. Martin, MN Dave’s Repair Hills, MN Isaacson Sales & Service Lafayette, MN Fluegge’s Ag Mora, MN Northland Farm Systems Owatonna, MN Lake Henry Implement Paynesville, MN Miller-Sellner-Slayton Slayton, MN Woller Equipment Swanville, MN A & P Service Wells, MN Jaycox Implement Worthington, MN Pfeifer Implement Sioux Falls, SD Grossenburg Implement Winner, SD Mark's Machinery Yankton, SD THE HAY AND FORAGE TOOL SPECIALISTS Mowers Mergers Rotary Rakes Wheel Rakes Tedders Harvesting high-quality hay and forage is the focus of KUHN's hay tool innovation. Our commitment is to help you gain a maximum return on investment by providing products known for performance, reliability, and longevity. THE MOST COMPLETE HAY LINE Cut Dry Harvest Save time, money and improve hay quality with KUHN.

215 countries last year with nearly $43 billion in imports. “Over 200 countries look to the state’s workforce to put food on the table, and this is another data point that demonstrates Minnesota’s diversity of economy, strength of the workforce and inuence in the global economy,” Walz said.

Net zero carbon target by 2050

A month ago, Walz signed climate legislation pledging the state’s electricity comes from exclusively carbonfree sources by 2040. House Climate and Energy Committee Chair Patty Acomb now wants to amend the cut in greenhouse gas emissions to 50% by 2030 and a net zero target by 2050. “It doesn’t have penalties,” Acomb said. “I’d much prefer carrots than sticks, so I think we have opportunities to incentivize the behavior that we want to see.” The bill was sent back to the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee on a split-party vote.

UMN invests in new research complex

The University of Minnesota is buying land in Mower County for its new Future of Advanced Agricultural Research Minnesota center. The FAARM complex will allow the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences to evaluate technological farming advances. Construction for the site in southern Minnesota will begin in 2026.

WOTUS regulatory uncertainty

James Callan Associates CEO Jim Callan said the issue of prior-converted wetlands is a concern. “That is a big issue for folks in the Prairie Pothole Region,” Callan said. “I’ve been on a call with them (the Environmental Protection Agency) where they were asked questions about prior-converted wetlands, and I didn’t think their answers were as solid as they could have been, so I’m worried about that going forward.”

A favorable spring outlook

World Weather Incorporated Senior Agricultural Meteorologist Drew Lerner offered an optimistic view for the 2023 Midwest crop. “Most likely,

the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest will have a fairly good growing season.” Lerner sees the potential for a ridge of high pressure to build in the central part of the country, which could dry out a portion of the Corn Belt and High Plains.

Martin moves to USDA

USDA has appointed Prescott Martin III as the senior counsel in the Ofce of the General Counsel. Martin previously worked as chief counsel for the House Agriculture Committee under former Chairman Collin Peterson.

Behnke returns to World Dairy Expo

Lisa Behnke is the new communications manager for World Dairy Expo. This is a familiar role for Behnke who had the same job 12 years ago. Most recently, Behnke was the marketing director for Indiana-based Egg Innovations. Behnke also has experience with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, The Cattle Connection and Ag Source Cooperative Services.

Cheese sticks for adults

Crystal Farms is expanding its snack cheese stock lineup to include two new avors that target adults –Gouda and sharp cheddar. A company spokesperson said the focus on an adult audience is being done “because cheese sticks are a great, well-balanced option for people of all ages.”

Trivia challenge

Lous Pasteur is the 19th century French biologist who created the practice of pasteurization. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, how many glasses of milk does the average cow produce in a year? We will have the answer in our next edition of Dairy Star.

Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.

crack open her sternum in order to do the operation. Her heart stopped on the operating table, and they shocked it six times in order to get it started again.

“I could have died,” Peggy said. “I’m a walking miracle, I’m told. I’m just so thankful that they kept trying to start my heart and didn’t give up sooner because otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

Later, Peggy had the opportunity to meet and thank a member of the medical staff who was there the night of the surgery.

During her medical emergency, Peggy received 35 units of blood. She received two units in Lake City, eight on Mayo One and the rest at the Mayo Clinic. She and her family are grateful they lived near a facility with enough blood to save her life.

Peggy’s daughter was shocked after reading the clinical notes and seeing the amount of blood given.

“She said, ‘If that isn’t a kick in the butt to or an incentive to give blood, I don’t know what is. … It could save a family member’s life,’” Peggy said.

Peggy became fully awake and alert Oct. 12. By the weekend, she was able to walk with a physical therapist. Peggy remained in the intensive care unit for over a week before being transferred to a regular hospital room.

After the accident, Peggy temporarily lost some of her ability to use her motor skills, which made mealtimes, writing and using her cell phone challenging.

“Eating was hard, too, because my hands didn’t function,” Peggy said. “First, I started on a liquid diet and then eventually I had soft foods like Jell-O. And that was even hard to manage the spoon.”

On Oct. 24, after a hospital stay at Mayo Clinic, Peggy was transferred to the hospital in Lake City for rehabilitation. She said the staff in Lake City were excited to see her because they had not expected she would live.

Peggy returned home Nov. 2 to nish her healing process, 25 days after the initial accident. She said she had lost her muscle tone while in the hospital and used a walker and a cane while she regained strength. She was able to do physical therapy to help her navigate steps again too.

A meal train was established within days of the accident and continued until right before Thanksgiving.

Fred is grateful for all the support.

“Thank people for all the prayers, all the food and all the help,” he said.

Several neighbor boys have been helping them with calf chores since the accident.

Fred said the family was not told at rst just how dire the prospects were for Peggy’s survival.

“God didn’t have a place for her in heaven,” Fred said.

After her traumatic accident in the stanchion barn, Peggy will no longer be helping with milking.

“I just told the guys when I was in the hospital that I’m done,” Peggy said. “They understood, but I am willing to help with calf chores when needed.”

Peggy has experienced almost complete healing from the accident. Currently though, she is recovering from two broken wrists from a fall on the ice in early February.

In spite of the accident, Peggy continues to enjoy rural life.

“I still really love living on a farm,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to live in town.”

“The price of butter got to $3.25 at the (Chicago Mercantile Exchange), and late summer we saw aggressive promotions,” Plourd said.

Plourd said retailers benet more from selling a pound of cheese versus a gallon of milk because margins are small for uid milk.

“But, (uid milk) is not as big of a disaster as you might think,” Plourd said. “Fluid milk is down 4% in 2021 and projected to be down 2.3% through November. It’s only 19.5% of milk production in 2021, compared to 34% 20 years ago. Alternative milk has 10% market share of beverage milk sales in 2021, down 2% in 2022. They went backward for the rst time in a long time.”

Fluid milk became less popular simply because consumers have a large selection of options, so consumers are shopping more broadly, Plourd said. Also, the decline in cereal sales led to a decline in uid milk sales.

“The biggest problem for uid milk is that its best friend got sent to sugar jail,” Plourd said. “Pouring a bowl of cereal takes a lot of effort. You need a bowl, spoon, milk, time to sit down and clean up. It’s a hassle for the modern consumer. Sales are down 30% on cereal by volume since 2009, and uid milk is down 26% by volume since 2009.”

Plourd outlined critical factors for 2023.

“Milk prices went down in late 2021, and the U.S. is currently in a downward trend for cow numbers, but in 2022, milk production has bounced back up,” Plourd said. “Cow numbers are up on a year-to-year basis now.”

The question is how much more numbers will go up and for how long.

Plourd also discussed the cost of production between California and Wisconsin as they are the two largest players for milk production in the U.S.

“It’s $3 more per cow on cost of production in California versus Wisconsin,” Plourd said. “Cost of production is $22 per hundred weight in California versus $18.50 per hundredweight in the Midwest.”

Because it is more cost effective to produce in the Midwest, it would make the most sense to continue growing cow numbers in Wisconsin. However, there are other challenges.

“We can’t grow all that much because there aren’t replacement heifers,” Plourd said. “Inventory numbers show 3.7 million heifers, less than 40% ratio to dairy cows – the lowest level by those measures in eight or nine years. The animals are scarce and expensive, which is a barrier to growth.”

Another barrier to growth are the base/excess programs where processors are looking for smart growth from producers.

“Processors are full, so you can ship X, but if you ship X+, you’ll get a penalty,” Plourd said. “In the southwest and northeast, dairy processors have very stringent restrictions, making it hard to grow milk production under these programs. In the Midwest, there’s been enough plant expansion around the edges of the territory to support more cows, but it’s still hard to grow milk production.”

With a record year for dairy exports, cheapest in the world for 2022 but with high prices, $9.5 billion worth of dairy products were exported in 2022, which is 2.8 million metric tons. This is up 27% from ve years ago.

“We exported 15%-20% of U.S. milk production in 2022 as a result of Europe and New Zealand (being) on a limping export market,” Plourd said.

Plourd said this has opened some doors in global marketing.

“Long term, the U.S. has tremendous opportunity, and the situation in Europe is interesting,” Plourd said. “When European quotas went away, milk production exploded, and now it’s coming down because of environmental situations. The European government wants to cut cow numbers by a third, putting the U.S. in a strong position for exports in the next 3-5 years.”

As there are opportunities arising, there are also critical factors to remember.

“The U.S. consumer is approaching 2023 cautiously because ination is a big deal,” Plourd said.

As the job market remains strong, there is still a big gap in unemployment and job openings.

“The job market is evolving, which impacts consumer spending,” Plourd said. “Dollars spent at the gas station are dollars not spent elsewhere. If gas prices go up, consumer spending will shift again.”

Plourd also said we can never underestimate what he called the laziness of the American consumer.

“Post-pandemic, consumers are relying heavily on food delivery services,” Plourd said. “Services like EatStreet or DoorDash continue to hold strong as it’s convenient for consumers to get food delivered to their door. These services have COVID to thank for their boom in popularity as people ordered delivery services when they could not leave their homes at the height of the pandemic.”

In the near future, Plourd said he expects to see strong cheese and butter production and exports as foreign demand remains strong while international production continues to decline. The global scene, as always, has many moving parts.

“It is a pretty amazing story,” Plourd said.

From Our Yard to Yours.

The Great Plains Terra-Max is a highly versatile hybrid tillage tool that offers variable intensity tillage for both fall and spring eld conditions. This soil management solution is built to create a seed-friendly nish while leveling the soil, removing ruts, sizing residue, and managing stubborn weeds – all with one tool. The new TurboSpeed™ Blade optimizes soil penetration and breakout at faster speeds, producing remarkable tillage results in less time. Tillage is now on your terms with Terra-Max.

NEW MF ROUND BALERS, 4160V and 4180V ON HAND, RotoCut, Auto Oiler - CALL NOW (WATERTOWN)

NEW 2023 H&S 6128 MERGERS, 28’ Continuous Head Merger, 3 IN STOCK, CALL BEFORE THEY’RE GONE!!!

SEVERAL NEW NH FP240 IN STOCK! CALL TODAY!

LANDOLL 7431VT, 26 Ft. Vertical Tillage Tool, Rolling Basket Harrow $40,000 (WATERTOWN)

2022 KWIK TILL AVAILABLE HIGH SPEED DISKS 24’ AND 25’ HD MODELS CALL NOW! (POTTER)

2016 MF 7726, 3,500 Hrs., CVT Trans, 4 Remotes, DLX Air Seat $145,000 (WATERTOWN)

MILLER PRO 5100, 18 Ft. Unloading Box, EZ Trail 13 Ton Wagon, Good Condition, $9,000 (WAUPUN)

2013 MF 7624, 180 Hp, CVT Transmission, Premium Package, New Front Tires - $115,000 (WAUPUN)

2005 H&S HD7+4, 18 Ft. Unloading Box, H&S 16 Ton Wagon, VG Condition, $12,500 (WAUPUN)

2002 NH TM120, 9100 Hrs., Semi-

2019 NEW HOLLAND TS6.140 Only 366 hrs, powershuttle, like new! $84,900 (POTTER)

PowerStars, and T5 Tractors, 0.0% for 60 Months, Offer Ends March 31st.

NEW GREAT PLAINS TERRA-MAX, Brand New 20’ Terra-Max ON HAND, CALL NOW BEFORE IT’S GONE

Powershift Transmission, 2 Remotes, $24,000 (WAUPUN)

Polaris, Kuhn, Great Plains, H&S, Unverferth, Samasz, Bobcat Mowers, Ferris Mowers and much more!

“I started with 8% of the milk check,” Austin said. “Then, it went up to 12% the second year, and the third year I got 20%. After 10 years, I will have 100% of the LLC and buy out Dad if that’s what we want to do. We will re-evaluate at that time.”

Austin attended Ridgewater College in Willmar for dairy management; however, he did not start as a dairy management major. Initially, Austin pursued an agricultural business major. During his rst semester, he had an internship with a local cooperative.

“Every day I just wanted to leave my job and come home and milk cows,” Austin said.

In 2017, Austin decided to change his major and take over the family farm.

“That winter, I started to get some of the milk check,” Austin said.

The Dobmeiers also began making changes to Lakeshore Dairy to support Austin’s return to the business. They added onto their tiestall barn and added 26 cows to the herd as well as put up a heifer shed and added onto the dry cow shed.

Today, their herd consists of mostly Holstein cows, but they also own Milking Shorthorn, Montbéliarde, Viking Red and Jersey crossbred cows.

“We put in some comfort stalls, and that helped increase our tank average from 70 pounds to 86 pounds,” Austin said.

Austin also began making purchases of his own.

“I learned how to spend my own money, buy my own equipment and buy my own cattle,” Austin said. “I worked for the feed for my cows.”

Tom agreed.

“To spend it, you have to pay for it,” he said. “Austin is learning

that by buying his own equipment and going to the bank and taking out a loan. They don’t always teach you these things in school, but they are good life lessons.”

The third and fourth generation of Dobmeiers are combining Austin’s modern ideas with Tom’s experience to carry their farm forward.

“I don’t think it was just because I am here that things have improved,” Austin said. “I think it’s the fact that we can come together and work toward a common goal. He is not always right, and I am not always right. We do a good job of bringing our ideas together.”

TIFFANY KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR Aus n and Tom Dobmeier stand in their barn March 14 near Albany, Minnesota. The Dobmeiers increased their herd to 70 cows when Aus n returned home in 2017.

Austin learned the skill of articial insemination while in college and took over the breeding program after he came home, increasing the farm’s conception rate from 20% to 34%.

“That is my pride and joy,” Austin said. “It allowed me to show Dad that I could actually do it and that he can trust me. Ever since, he has been giving me a lot more responsibility.”

While Austin and Tom are proud to see their farm improving and growing, what they are most proud of is their family. Austin and his wife, Kiley, had their rst child, Harper, four months ago.

“The No. 1 reason I wanted to come home and farm is because I wanted to raise my family on the farm,” Austin said. “It’s why I am who I am today.”

Kiley, along with Tom’s wife, Anita, and theirdaughter, Gracie, help on the farm as needed. When the time does come for Tom to retire, Kiley will quit her job in town and farm with Austin and raise their family on the farm.

“The most important thing about farming is the family behind it,” Tom said. “You could have a bad day outside, but when you go in the house and see your kids, all your troubles are forgotten.”

“When faced with the decision to go to two compressors or the HiPer Chiller to cool milk in our two bulk tanks, we decided upon the HiPer Chiller because of its versatility. The HiPer Chiller also allowed us to have saleable milk as soon as the milk hauler arrives. In our opinion, it better maximizes our investment in milk cooling.”

Mueller Company’s HiPerChill™ 5 package chiller works in unison with an Accu-Therm® plate cooler to

cool your milk before it enters your milk cooler, ensuring the highest quality product from your robotic dairy.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Kiley (from le ), Aus n, Tom, Anita and Grace Dobmeier gather at their farm, Lakeshore Dairy, near Albany, Minnesota. Aus n is transi oning into taking over the family farm.

“I don’t think it was just because I am here that things have improved. I think it’s the fact that we can come together and work toward a common goal. He is not always right, and I am not always right. We do a good job of bringing our ideas together.”

AUSTIN DOBMEIER, DAIRY FARMER

Horning heads use gearboxes, not gathering chains. Increase forage harvest speed. Decrease the headaches. Now that’s freedom.

Gratitude for their cows

PROTECT AGAINST

Jennissens inducted into MLBA Hall of Fame

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

BROOTEN, Minn. – When Jerry and Linda Jennissen were selected to be inducted into the Minnesota Livestock Breeders’ Association Hall of Fame, they decided to write their acceptance speeches separately.

“We had made it clear to each other that we were not going to share our speeches with each other until we heard it there along with everybody else,” Jerry said.

Although their approaches were different, their speeches, delivered March 9 at the MLBA’s annual meeting in St. Paul, had something in common –both had made their love and respect for their cows a central theme.

The Jennissens milk 195 cows – registered Holsteins and a few Brown Swiss – in a double-8 herringbone parlor, but they plan to switch to four robotic milking units this fall. They also farm 250 acres, growing brown mid-rib corn for silage and alfalfa for baleage.

Their farm, Jer-Lindy Farms near Brooten, is the site of Redhead Creamery that they own with their daughter and son-in-law, Alise and Lucas Sjostrom. This spring, they are expanding the site, adding Redhead Creamery Spirits where they will produce spirits from whey.

A plaque with the Jennissens’ portrait now hangs in Haecker Hall at the University of Minnesota, among the other 200 portraits of MLBA Hall of Fame members chosen throughout the years since the award was rst issued in 1934.

“I remember as a youth going through that building and seeing all the pictures of the people hanging on the wall and never really thinking that someday I may be hanging on that wall too,” Linda said. “We feel very honored and humbled.”

The Jennissens were nominated by John Reed, who owns an Angus ranch near Brooten and is a previous hall of fame award recipient.

In introducing the Jennissens at the event, Reed summed up their contributions to the livestock in-

dustry.

“(They) have set an example in productivity, business development and consumer outreach for Minnesota’s dairy and livestock industry,” Reed said. “I could go on for a long time. These people are amazing.”

The award is given based on MLBA criteria, which looks for excellence in livestock breeding, contributions to organizations and youth programs, and service within the industry. The Jennissens have excelled in all three areas.

Linda was the rst female chairperson of Midwest Dairy Association’s Minnesota Division Board, served four years on the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board and accompanied Gov. Tim Pawlenty on a trade mission to China.

Jerry served on the Minnesota Milk Producers Association board, was in the rst class of Young Dairy Leaders Institute and was named its 2006 distinguished alumnus, and co-founded the Dairy Star newspaper. Both Jerry and Linda served on the Stearns County Holstein Association Board. They also provide 15-20 dairy heifers a year to 4-H participants for their projects.

Their farm received the International Dairy Foods Association 2017 Innovative Dairy Farm of the Year. It has also received a National Sustainability Award and been recognized as Minnesota Milk’s Producer of the Year.

For almost a decade, the Jennissens have given weekly tours of their farm, which to date have introduced thousands of people to life on their dairy and raised awareness about dairy farming.

“I would like to share that with consumers –where their food comes from, how we manage it, why we do it,” Linda said. “I feel privileged to live on a farm. Not many people have that opportunity, so I feel like it is something that I want to share, and I think it’s protecting our right to operate.”

Both Linda and Jerry said they place importance on dispelling misconceptions people may have about the dairy industry and farming in general.

“We care about our animals, we care about our land, we live here, and our grandchildren grow up in this environment,” Linda said. “They eat food that is grown on our land and drink the water that is here, so why wouldn’t we care about it?”

JAN LEFEBVRE/DAIRY STAR

Linda and Jerry Jennissen stand in a hallway at Redhead Creamery March 13 on Jer-Lindy Farms near Brooten, Minnesota. The hallway is where the plaque Linda is holding will hang, which the Jennissens received March 9 for being named to the Minnesota Livestock Breeders’ Associa on Hall of Fame.

Jerry agreed.

“People have a lot of things to worry about in this world,” he said. … “The thing they don’t need to worry about as much is their food. Farmers are doing a great job producing the safest, best quality, most abundant food supply in our history of the world.”

Jer-Lindy cows have been among Minnesota’s top 100 Dairy Herd Improvement Association herds for value and Holstein USA’s top 10% for type and production. They have earned more than a dozen years of Holstein USA’s Progressive Genetics Herd awards and several Progressive Breeders’ Registry awards.

In 2017, the Jennissens provided the showcase herd at the Minnesota State Fair, featuring their dairy cows for both the state’s livestock community and the fair’s nearly 2 million attendees.

“That was a project to which I surmise 98 out of 100 dairymen would say, ‘No, thank you,’” Reed said. “But, they took it on as a way to show their commitment to the industry and help the industry. They halter-broke 16 cows, trained them, brought them down to the state fair and spent 13 days showing their herd to the people.”

Jer-Lindy Farms began when the Jennissens married in 1979 after getting to know each other through events where they showed cattle. Both were raised on dairy farms. In his speech, Jerry talked about their rst meeting when he was 13 years old and Linda was 9. They were both showing heifers during Minnesota Dairy Days, and their heifers were tied up outside, next to each other. Linda was not pleased that Jerry’s heifer kept eating her heif-

er’s feed, and she let Jerry know it.

“She was cute, smart, fun,” Jerry said. “It was the beginning of a more than 50-year friendship that continues to this day. I am proud to be on a photo with that girl that will hang in the hall of fame today.”

As newlyweds, Jennissens rented farm sites. They bought their current site in 1983 and began milking 50 cows in a tiestall barn. The house had no electricity or plumbing and needed a major remodel. In 2002, they converted the barn into a at parlor and added a freestall barn. A pit parlor was built in 2009.

They raised four daughters – Tamara, Emily, Alise and Maggie – on their farm. All showed animals and won awards at county and state fairs. Jerry and Linda thanked their daughters in their speeches. Then, they thanked the cows that made their family’s dairy life possible.

“The dairy cow has been my ticket to travel to so many places in this great country and beyond,” Linda said. “Because of her, I have learned livestock management, production, manufacturing, marketing, sales and a love for ridiculously good cheese. After 43 years in dairying, the excitement of watching a cow give birth has not lost its luster, nor has the agony of watching one of your best cows take her last breath lost its pain. … It builds character.”

Jerry told stories that illustrated the gifts that come with the animalhuman connection and choked up when expressing his gratitude for his herd.

“It has truly been my privilege to be one of God’s caretakers of these animals,” he said.

When everything is tight, your information has to be right

Certified milk lab, milk meters, data handling, and field people insure data quality for your use in management. This quality data is also used as the basis to calculate genetic and genomic evaluations that benefit all in our industry.

Alemar Cheese Company creates old-world products

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

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. –Light pours in the windows and the air carries a note of ripening cheese at Alemar Cheese Company. There Charlotte Serino and her team focus on individual details and attention to their cheese.

“Every time someone gets a piece of cheese from us, it’s basically been touched by everyone in the plant with gloves on,” head cheesemaker Serino said.

When it comes to old-world cheese making, Serino said it comes down to not cutting corners. At Alemar Cheese Company, they focus on creating cheeses that are true to their variety, sacricing extended shelf life and other advantages in favor of a cheese that robustly embodies its type.

The company, which started in 2008, partners with Corstar Farm, a predominantly Guernsey, grass-fed family dairy near Litcheld. Alemar Cheese Company purchases all of the farm’s milk, picking it up twice a week and using it to make between

Hand crafted

450 to 1,000 pounds of cheese each week.

Serino said part of what makes Alemar Cheese Company old-world is sourcing their milk from one farm. As an artisan cheesemaker, Serino said she adjusts her cheese-making process to the milk they are receiving. The time of year and fresh cows all affect the milk. She said the milk will be thinner and have less components in the summer when the cows are on grass compared to less volume but higher components on a hay-based diet in the winter.

“You have to adjust some of your renneting, culturing and timing in order to compensate for that,” Serino said.

An advantage of the Guernsey milk is its golden color. Serino said the color of cheese can be important to consumers even though adding food coloring to cheese does not change the avor.

“There’s a reason people add annatto to cheese,” Serino said. “You can give someone white American and yellow American, and they’ll think they taste different because of color. So, the yellow color in the milk is important.”

Serino said she sees artisan cheese making as a blend of art and science. Part of why she enjoys cheese making is that there is room for creativity while also having distinct bounds.

Turn to ALEMAR CHEESE | Page 13

SUPER SPECIALS

TRACTORS

JD 5525, FWA, cab, w/542 JD ldr & bkt, 6,100 hrs .. $39,000

JD 5065E, FWA, cab, w/loader & bucket ................... $51,000

‘13 MF 8670, FWA, w/1,699 hrs. 2013 ................... $164,000

COMBINES & HEADS

‘21 Gleaner S97 Combine, duals, 768 Sep, 1,050 E. hrs ...................................................... Coming In

‘10 Gleaner R76 Combine, Duals, 1787 Sep, 2751 E. hrs CDF Rotor ....................................... $86,000

‘05 Gleaner R75 Combine, Duals, 2,204 Sep, 3,133 E. Hrs ........................................................ $54,000

Gleaner 3000 /Challenger CH630 6row 30” Corn Head, Single Point ..................................... $18,000

‘10 Gleaner 9250-35 Draper Head....................... $37,000

‘09 Gleaner 8200-35 Flex Head w/Orbit Reel ...... $18,000

Gleaner 8200-35 Flex Head w/Crary Air Reel... Coming In

Gleaner 8200-30 Flex Head w/Crary Air Reel... Coming In

‘05 Harvestec 4306C 6 Row 30” Cutter Corn Head, Gleaner Mounts .................................................. $17,500

‘00 Geringhoff Rd630 Corn Head, Consigned, Gleaner Mounts .................................................. $14,000

Gleaner 313 Pick-Up Header .................................. $3,500

SKIDS, TRACK LOADERS, TELE-HANDLERS, & EXCAVATORS

‘07 Bobcat S185 Skid Steer, Cab, 4900 Hrs .... Coming In

‘14 Bobcat S570 Skid Steer, Cab, w/5,100 Hrs, H/F Control, 2 Sp. ............................................ Coming In

Bobcat T590 Track Loader, Cab, Hvac, 1500 Hrs, H/F Control 2sp................................................ Coming In

Bobcat T770 Track Loader, Cab, Hvac, 1,060 Hrs, Joystick, Track Sus. ............................................ $59,000

‘16 Bobcat T770 Track Loader, Cab, Hvac, 3,000 Hrs, H/F Controls, Track Sus...................................... $45,000

Mustang 2032

.................................... $13,300

ROW CROP, DRILLS & SPRAYERS

Hardi NP1100 80’ Boom, Foam, 463 Pump, 2500 Rate Controller,........................................... $12,900

‘13 Hardi Navigator 3500, 60’ Boom, Foam, 4 63 Pump, 5500 Rate Controler........................... $21,500

CIH 5100 Grain Drill 12’ w/6” Spacing, No Small Seeds. ............................................... Coming In

Great Plains YP1225-24 Twin Row 30” Planter, finger pick-up, 400 gal LF ................................... $69,000

GRAIN EQUIPMENT

Good Selection Of Used Augers .........................................Call

MANURE SPREADERS

New Idea 3632......................................................... $5,700

‘16 H&S HP550VB Hydra-Push vert beater ...... Coming In

MISCELLANEOUS

‘18 Bobcat Sweeperbucket 72”, Model # 6707837, Low Usage ............................................................. $4,900

Bush Hog TD-1500 Tri-Deck Finish Mower, 15’ .... $9,500

Bush Hog SQ 840 3-pt Rotary Cutter. ................... $2,400

Farm King Snowblower, single auger, hyd. chute, 6’ . $900 Merry Mac TPH-12 3pt Wood Chipper .................. $1,200

MF 2320 54” Mid-Mount Mower Deck .................. $1,100 Meyer 80” Skid Steer Mount Snowpusher, (Has Rubber Edge) .................................................... $900

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Charlo e Serino holds cheese at Alemar Cheese Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Serino has been the head cheesemaker there since 2021.

Bent River, the agship cheese at Alemar Cheese Company, is a Camembert. It is a rind-ripened cheese, which means the mold on the outside of the cheese ripens the inside whereas hard cheeses ripen from the inside instead. Alemar Cheese Company wants their Bent River to be an authentic Camembert. However, because of the intense avor and super creamy texture, it comes inherently with a shorter shelf life due to the chemical makeup of the cheese.

“The sort of theory I outlined with the Camembert is you could make a product that’s stable for six months,” Serino said. “Or, you could try to make something that’s really true to the spirit of the thing.”

Serino said there are different cheese-making techniques that can be used to make a cheese like a Camembert milder or have a longer shelf life such as modulating the fermentation, using a less aggressive strain of mold or adding cream to the milk. However, she said this is not the goal with the Bent River.

The Bent River, Serino said, should be eaten at most three months after being made because the avor prole of it continues to change even after it is not aging. The best window to enjoy the Bent River is between six to eight weeks after it is made because, at this period, there is a good balance of full avors.

“It tastes like butter and mushrooms and broccolis, some mustard greens and a nice bit of umami and, you know, just like funky barnyard avors,” Serino said.

Alemar Cheese Company makes nine cheeses. The Bent River was the rst cheese the company sold. Serino developed their newest cheese, Apricity. She learned the techniques to make the cheese on a goat farm where she previously worked. The cheese has its own unique avor

prole, and the cheese-making process is different from any of the other cheeses Alemar Cheese Company makes.

The company’s staff is comprised of six individuals, including Serino. Many of the staff come from restaurant backgrounds. Serino got started in cheese making by making cheese for herself. When she later worked at the goat farm that produced Apricity and other artisan goat cheeses, she gained many of her cheese-making skills. She also served as a cheesemonger at several grocery stores before joining Alemar Cheese Company in 2021.

Alemar Cheese Company sells their cheese mostly through grocery stores. Their products are also carried at Whole Foods Market, Lunds & Byerlys, Kowalski’s and other locations. Customers can buy cheese directly off the company’s website as well as sign up to be part of their cheese club subscription. The company’s products can even be found in California.

The Food Building, where Alemar Cheese Company has resided since 2019 after moving from Mankato, sells their cheese at the site’s café as part of the menu. Serino said the café gives her an outlet for cheeses she is experimenting with. Currently, she is working on developing a blue cheese and an Emmental cheese, which is a hard Swiss cheese.

Alemar Cheese Company is creating more options in the dairy case. Serino said the uniqueness and creativity within cheese making that they bring is a positive contribution to the dairy community.

“It’s a celebration of avor, Serino said. “It’s a celebration of food. It’s not trying to speed things up and cut corners.”

AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR

Charlo�e Serino washes Good Thunder cheese in beer Feb. 28 at Alemar Cheese Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company makes nine different ar�san cheeses.

F r o m O u r S i d e From Our Side

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

Jacob Twohey Stewartville, Minnesota Olmsted County

280 cows

How many employees do you have and what are their duties? We have one full-time employee and three part-time employees. Our employees are responsible for feeding and bedding calves, scraping crossovers, raking free stalls, cleaning waterers and robot rooms, and miscellaneous tasks around the farm.

What shifts do your employees work? Our full-time employee works from 6 a.m. to mid-afternoon depending on how busy we are that day. One of our part-time employees works varying hours during the middle of the day depending on what her personal schedule allows. Finally, our other two part-time employees switch off working from 4-8:30 p.m. doing night calf feedings and miscellaneous cleaning in the barn.

How do you nd employees? The No. 1 resource we have for nding employees is other employees. Oftentimes, when we need a new employee, we ask our current employees to help nd someone to hire. In the past, we have utilized online hiring platforms such as Indeed and ZipRecruiter to nd potential candidates.

What are qualities you look for when hiring employees? Prior to having robots, we usually did not have the ability to be selective when hiring an employee. Most often, we needed the employee more than they needed our job. Since implementing robots, we have drastically reduced our reliance on employees. We look for employees who are reliable, attentive and eager to learn new things.

What training process do they go through after they are hired? After an employee is hired, we usually have them work four shifts with our lead employee, and then I do a walk through with them to make sure they have a good grip on the job. Additional training shifts are scheduled if necessary. We just started milking with robots last August and have yet to hire a new employee. If we hired an employee today, I would likely do more of the training myself as I am more involved with our employees’ daily tasks now.

What are keys to retaining good employees? Competitive pay, paid time off and a schedule that works for the employee are denitely keys to getting an employee to come work for us. However, the best ways to get employees to stay are being exible with their schedule, being clear with our expectations for them and what they can expect from us, and engaging them with the tasks they do by allowing them to provide input.

What have you learned from your employees? Our employees have shown me the value in teaching the why behind what we do instead of just teaching how to do something.

Tell us about your farm. We milk 250 Holstein cows with four DeLaval V300 robotic milking units and farm 1,300 acres of corn, soybeans, alfalfa and peas. Our milk is sold to First District Association in Litcheld, Minnesota.

Pat Lunemann Clarissa, Minnesota Todd County

900 cows

How many employees do you have and what are their duties? We have about 20 full-time and part-time employees. We have the usual roles on a dairy this size – feeder, milking technicians, calf feeder, herdsman, handyman, etc.

What shifts do your employees work? We run three, eight-hour shifts for milking with three people on a shift. Then there are day people for the everyday tasks that vary from a few hours to all day.

How do you nd employees? Through existing employees, word of mouth and suggestions by friends. Want ads and websites like Indeed just don’t seem to work anymore in nding quality help.

What qualities do you look for when hiring employees? General attitude and appearance tell a lot. Look out the window and see what they drive. Too nice is a ag. A modest, well-kept car is a good sign. Men who act like banty roosters will not t our culture here.

What training process do they go through after they are hired? Our senior employees typically have the new people work beside them until we believe they’re ready to work on their own. Then, over time, there is training on animal handling and other procedures.

What are keys to retaining good employees? A calm, steady environment with coaching and employee empowerment is equally as important as compensation. We have paid vacation and follow the law on overtime. We have a structured and complicated pay scheme that pays more on nights, weekends and certain holidays. The most important part is to treat our employees professionally. My friend, Gary Allen from Eyota, told me many years ago, “Always remember that you could be milking all these cows by yourself tonight.”

What have you learned from your employees? If one hires good people, train them and then get out of their way. Allow them to take the lead in their role and feel ownership. One time I was lling in on an afternoon milking shift. When my night milker came in, she said, “These are my cows; get out!”

Tell us about your farm. We have a freestall barn and two compost barns for the cows with a parallel parlor. We grow corn, alfalfa and rye. Milk is shipped to Melrose. As I’m nearing retirement and our children are not interested in the dairy, we are researching an out-of-family transition. Hopefully we will nd a next generation with a passion for cows.

Star Blends has been helping Midwest farm families by providing, high-quality feed, dairy nutrition, and commodity contracting for more than 20 years.

Our state of the art mill can accuratelyblend anything from a custom pre-mix to complete feed, in balancing diets, or work with your private nutritionist or dairy consultant.

Tim Yorek Sobieski, Minnesota Morrison County 900 cows

How many employees do you have and what are their duties? We have 12 full-time employees. One takes care of our sand separation system, two take care of baby calves and youngstock, and all the rest milk cows, scrape the barns and do other chores.

What shifts do your employees work? Milkers and scrapers work either from 5 a.m. until about 3-3:30 p.m. or from 5 p.m. until about 3-3:30 a.m.

How do you nd employees? As we grew, our workers had friends they would call if we needed employees. We’ve never used hiring websites.

What are qualities you look for when hiring employees? I look for employees who are willing to learn about cattle and willing to work. I look for willingness to be part of a team, to work together and help each other.

What training process do they go through after they are hired? Mostly we train employees ourselves. There are companies out there – we’ve worked with Alltech – where they do milker training. You can have them come in every six months and work with milking, cow handling and other things. They’ll have someone come in who speaks Spanish if that’s needed so they can explain more and give more details. That’s a great asset to have. A lot of nutrition companies have somebody who comes in and does that for you free of charge.

What are keys to retaining good employees? The biggest thing is treating employees right, and treating them like you and I would want to be treated when working for somebody. One of our employees has been with us for 12 years. We pay a week’s vacation, and we help pay for housing. The milkers and scrapers can earn a bonus every three months when we’ve had a good average for somatic cell count.

What have you learned from your employees? I’ve learned a lot more about respecting diversity and personal backgrounds, and that everyone deserves respect.

Tell us about your farm. My brother, Matthew, and cousins, Adam and Job, and I run things day-to-day. My dad, Frank, and uncle, Jerry, help as needed. Adam’s oldest child, Riley, is now 16 and helping during summers and when he can. We milk in a double-16 parlor and farm 1,000 acres – 800 acres of corn and 200 acres of sorghum. We sell bull calves when they are 1 week old.

Contact

Louise Malecha Malecha Enterprises Villard, Minnesota

Pope County

1,150 milking and dry cows

How many employees do you have and what are their duties? For the dairy, we have one operation manager who crosses over into crops as well, one herd manager who oversees all dairy activity, one calf lead who oversees all calf activity and 19 other workers.

What shifts do your employees work? Herdsmen: 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. All work 12-hour shifts at different times, two herdsmen during the day, one at night. They are responsible for the treatment and care that is needed for all adult animals and to process fresh cows and newborns. Other duties include pushing up feed. Milking and pushers: Dayshift 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., nightshift 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. Responsible to prep, milk and push up cows. Feeder: Responsible for feeding all animals from 5 months of age and under; 4:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until tasks are nished. Calf department: 5 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Responsible to feed and care for newborn to 6 months, heifers and beef. Bedder: 4:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until duties/ tasks are nished. Responsible for bedding cows daily, bedding heifers on scheduled days and beef calves. Maintenance/relief feeder: Responsible for relieving the feeder on days off and does general maintenance at dairy. Cleaning: Responsible to clean the ofce and other designated areas twice a week and the shop ofce area once a week. We have found if we have a designated person clean this area, it will be kept cleaner.

How do you nd employees? Mostly through our employees.

What are qualities you look for when hiring employees? We have company values such as responsibility, trust and integrity. We look for these values in the person to be hired. You don’t always know if they possess them when you hire the person, but you will know in the rst couple months.

What training process do they go through after they are hired? Every department is different. There are specic procedures and protocols for each area. The new employee watches the skilled employee and then does the task. Then, it is repeated until they get it correctly.

What are keys to retaining good employees? Provide housing if they need it. We have a few perks: a somatic cell count bonus and a yearly bonus. Have a good work environment where they can have fun and be appreciated. Bring in meals. Have a competitive wage.

What have you learned from your employees? They want to be appreciated. There are those who want to stay doing the same job, and there are those who want to excel and learn more.

Tell us about your farm. We farm more than 2,500 acres around this area for our dairy animals. We grow alfalfa, soybeans and corn. We do custom chopping, baling and pumping statewide; which is why we have an additional 20 plus employees from March to December. Our herd consists of 2,500 dairy animals from newborn to adult. We have a DeLaval milking system and ship our milk to First District Association. We use a monitoring system called GEA CowScout. We also have some beef cows.

How do you nd employees? The majority of the time when we need a new employee, one of our own employees knows someone who is looking. Or with word of mouth, we can typically nd an employee within a few days. We have applicants who apply at the dairy at times; however, by the time I reach out to them, they typically have started working elsewhere.

1,400 cows

How many employees do you have and what are their duties? I have the luxury to work with 20 full-time employees and one part-time employee. I have 14 employees who are responsible for milking the cows, cleaning the stalls, moving the cows to and from the pen, and cleaning the alleys. I have one main feeder who is responsible for delivering feed to the cows. Another employee is responsible for bedding the stalls with our recycled sand. One employee is designated as our mechanic. I also have an employee who works as a relief for feeding, bedding and mechanic when they have their respective days off. I have a part-time janitor who helps keep our facilities clean. My supervisor and assistant supervisor are responsible for the health of the animals and help watch over the employees who are responsible for milking the cows.

What shifts do your employees work? Our milkers, coordinators and scrapers work ve 12-hour shifts a week with two days off. Milkers are responsible for prepping the cows, identifying any cows with mastitis or sick cows, attaching the milking units and post dipping the cows once they are nished. Toward the end of the day, the milkers are responsible for cleaning up the parlor with various tasks throughout the week. The coordinators are responsible for grooming the stalls, moving the cows to and from the parlor, and assisting in the parlor when time allows. Scrapers help groom the stalls, clean the manure in the alleys and clean the water tanks. The rest of the employees work 11 days every two weeks. Most employees work a 12-hour shift with the supervisors working an additional hour most days. The feeder is responsible for defacing feed piles, mixing batches of feed and delivering them to the pens. He also makes a premix batch during the day and removes tires and plastic off the piles. Then he repeats with defacing and delivering feed to the cows. The bedder starts by cleaning the sand lane in the morning and moving any sand needed prior to bedding the stalls. He moves sand around and rewashes sand as needed. He also helps with tasks throughout the year including anything from snow removal to packing the silage piles. The mechanic is responsible for making sure all of our pumps are running properly every day and works on projects as needed. The relief bedder lls in where needed. The supervisors are responsible for heat detection, articial insemination, vaccinations, treating any sick animals and helping with the coordination of employees who work with cows.

What are qualities you look for when hiring employees? I try to nd an employee with experience working in the parlor or scraping manure. Most of the time this is where we start our new employees, and we promote them as they progress. I can see a difference in someone who has experience milking a cow and those who don’t. I watch their body language and how they respond to questions when we start the application process. Knowing how they respond can tell me a lot about how they will be as a worker.

What training process do they go through after they are hired? The process varies depending on experience. Most of the time, we have an extra employee come in on a day off to help in the parlor as someone starts so they can learn the various positions in the parlor. The employee will help them go through the routine of the parlor and give feedback and tips on how to work more efciently. This usually runs around four days, depending on experience.

What are keys to retaining good employees? Some of the benets that my employees receive include having two days off a week, housing available, health insurance offered and vacation time after a completed year.

What have you learned from your employees? I work with mostly Hispanic employees. I have learned there are really hard-working employees and employees who want to come in and go home. Some of the employees put in a lot of work because they care about the business as much as I do. I have also learned a lot about their culture, how they grew up and have learned how to speak a fair amount of Spanish.

Tell us about your farm. The herd is 1,400 cows and 99% of them are Holsteins. I have all rst-lactation animals on the dairy. Once the cow is 210 days carrying calf, she is relocated to another site where she will be dried off and housed during her dry period. The diet consists of corn silage, haylage, ground dry corn, wet gluten, canola, straw, whey and lactating mineral. Feed is bought from local farmers in the area. Most of the farmers are within 5 miles of the site. Roughly 950 acres of corn silage are harvested and 420 acres of alfalfa. Our parlor is a double-24 parallel parlor with BECO pulsators. This last year we installed DairyLink for our wash and milk monitoring system. Most of the milk is sent to First District Association in Litcheld, Minnesota.

to the ve young ladies crowned Stearns County Dairy Princesses

Five ladies (from left) Kalie Ritter, the daughter of Glen and Leslie of Avon, Lanna Walter, the daughter of Dave and Cathy of Sauk Centre, Grace Woitalla, the daughter of Keith and Patty of Holdingford, Megan Ratka, the daughter of Kevin and Kathy of Cold Spring and Sophia Schiffler, the daughter of John and Kristie of Albany were crowned Stearns County Dairy Princesses at the annual banquet March 11 at the Freeport Community Center. Ritter and Ratka were scholarship winners and Ritter was named miss congeniality.

Ambassadors are Emily Peters, the daughter of Jeff and Melanie of Sauk Centre, Marissa Hartung, the daughter of Mike and Nancy of Opole, and Bethany Gerads the daughter of Tim and Karey of Albany.

Dustin Wirt Cottonwood Dairy Cottonwood, Minnesota Yellow Medicine County

Breeding Prole

Genomic testing propels Summit Dairy to the top

John Westra

Summit Dairy

Primghar, Iowa

O’Brien County

850 cows

Describe your facilities and list your breeding management team. Our free stalls are bedded with a mixture of sawdust and ground soybean straw. We milk twice a day in a double-14 parallel parlor. Irene Cancino, our herdswoman, has played a big role in our operation. She keeps an eye on things and makes sure that the cows stay healthy and happy. We also work very closely with our veterinarian, Dr. Beau Bosma.

What is your current pregnancy rate? Our herd’s pregnancy rate is currently 55%. Our current days open is 110 days with 153 days in milk.

What is your reproduction program? All of our breeding is done by Erik Bleeker and Nick Krogman of Select Sires. We have adopted a voluntary post-freshening waiting period of 70 days.

We do all of our breeding based on activity that’s been recorded by our CowManager ear tag system.

How do you get animals pregnant? We never use pre-synchronization. We use ovsynch only rarely, if

an animal doesn’t show any signs of heat by 90 days postpartum.

Describe your breeding philosophy. Don’t overstock the pens and make sure that the cows are clean, comfortable and calm. When you handle the cows, treat them the way you would want to be treated.

What guidelines do you follow to reach the goals for your breeding program? We want to have at least 40 heifer calves born each month. We do genomic testing on all of our cows and heifers and use that information to help us choose sires. We will breed our animals twice with Holstein sires. If they don’t settle after two services, we will switch to Angus sires.

What are the top traits you look for in breeding your dairy herd and how has this changed since you started farming? We look for good feet and legs, good body composition and high milk components. We don’t like frail cows as our cattle have to spend their whole

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

John Westra, herdswoman Irene Cancino and John’s son, Johnny, stand together March 14 in the double-14 parlor at Summit Dairy near Primghar, Iowa. Summit Dairy milks 850 Holsteins twice a day.

“What I like best about Udder Comfort™ is really two things that are related: The removal of swelling and how it helps with cell counts. We started using it more routinely with our fresh cows 5 years ago. The Udder Comfort Sprayer makes it easy, fast and uses 30 to 50% less spray per application. With more routine use of Udder Comfort, we get better results, seeing consistently lower SCCs, now averaging below 100,000, and the savings from better udder health,” says Matt Nealy. Matt is the ‘cow guy.’ He and his father Steve, cousin Tommy and uncle Tom operate the third generation Nealand Farms, milking 400 cows near Newville, Pennsylvania, MDVA co-op’s 2020 Producer of the Year, recognized for outstanding milk quality, animal care, farm and environmental practices.

“Udder Comfort is something we don’t cut. It gets swelling out faster for better milkouts and higher quality milk. We do every fresh cow for a week after calving. We mark high-count cows on DHIA and do them too. We tried knock-offs. They don’t work. Udder Comfort works!”

“It gets swelling out faster

time on concrete. The use of genomic testing has helped us dial in our herd’s genetics.

What are certain traits you try to avoid? Bad feet and legs, bad udders and poor teat placement.

Describe the ideal cow for your herd. She is medium sized, has good body depth, good feet and legs, and a sound, well-attached udder.

What role does genetics have in reaching the goals of your farm?

It has been huge. We have been doing genomic testing for seven years and have used the information it has provided us to help us make deci-

sions regarding embryo work, breeding and culling.

What percentage of your herd is bred to sexed, conventional and beef semen? We have done only a small amount of embryo transfer work over the years. We breed the top 20% of our herd with sexed semen. The rest of the herd is bred twice with Holstein semen, followed by beef sires.

What is your conception rate? Our overall conception rate is 49%. Our conception rate with sexed semen is 48% and 52% with beef semen.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned through your breeding program? Keeping the cows comfortable is key. The cows will do their jobs if you pay attention to them and give them the tools they need.

All of the cows at Summit Dairy wear ear tags that track the animals’ ac vity. Breeding is done strictly based on the informa on that is supplied by the ac vity monitoring system.

What is the age of your heifers at rst service? 13.5 months.

How does your heifer inventory affect your breeding program?

We have plenty of heifers for replacements and are even able to sell a few. This in turn has affected the way we have been able to make our culling decisions.

Tell us about your farm. My wife, Rachelle, and I have four daughters and one son. Our daughters help

on the farm in their own ways. Our son, Johnny, is getting married in the fall and has decided to join our operation on a full-time basis. We have 12 employees, and our herd is 100% Holstein. We are the stewards of the cattle and the land and take care of them the best we can. That’s what the Lord calls us to do; nothing would be possible without him.

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

John Westra (le ), owner of Summit Dairy, discusses the results of a herd health and pregnancy check with veterinarian Dr. Beau Bosma March 14 at his farm near Primghar, Iowa. Summit Dairy recently adopted a system that involves wai ng un l 70 days postpartum before breeding their cows.

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

DRAWN PLANTERS

JD 7200, 16 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #554425 ......................................... $17,500

JD 1760 1998, 12 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #555184................................. $28,500

JD 1750 2013, 8 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #557276................................... $29,900

Kinze 3650 2004, 16 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #554220 ........................... $37,500

JD 1770 1997, 24 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #554724................................. $41,000

JD 1770NT 2011, 16 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #558025 ............................

JD 1790 2005, 16/31 Row, 15/30 in. Row Spacing, #558582 ......................

JD 1745 2021, 8 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #554538...................................

JD 1770NT 2014, 12 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #555097 ............................

JD 1765 2020, 12 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #554632.................................

9824 2013, 24 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #550993 ..........................

9824 2014, 24 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #557455 ...............

8524 2008, 24 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #554541 ........................

JD 1790 2012, 24 Row, 20 in. Row Spacing, #556432...............................

JD 1770NT CCS 2012, 24 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #549541 ................... $175,900

JD DB66 2010, 36 Row, 22 in. Row Spacing, #554085 ..............................

JD DB60 2013, 24 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #550243 ..............................

JD DB90 2014, 36 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #547541 ..............................

JD DB90 2014, 36 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #547540 .............................. $187,900

JD DB66 2009, 36 Row, 22 in. Row Spacing, #557083 .............................. $192,500

JD DB60 2012, 24 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #535120 .............................. $194,900

JD DB66 2012, 36 Row, 22 in. Row Spacing, #556901 .............................. $208,900

JD DB66 2012, 36 Row, 22 in. Row Spacing, #551939 .............................. $209,000

JD 1770NT CCS 2007, 16 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #554234 ................... $209,900

JD 1775NT 2022, 16 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #549843 .......................... $239,000

JD 1775NT 2022, 16 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #549844 .......................... $239,000

JD 1795 2022, 24 Row, 20 in. Row Spacing, #553542............................... $285,000

JD 1795 2022, 12/23 Row, 15 in. Row Spacing, #542311 ......................... $299,000

JD DB60 2019, 24 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #551039 .............................. $319,000

JD 1775NT 2022, 24 Row, 30 in. Row Spacing, #549842 .......................... $419,900

$47,000

Top Air TA2400 2014, #544397 ................................................................. $51,900

Fast 9815T 2016, #554246 ........................................................................ $69,900

SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS

Case IH SPX3200B 2000, 90 ft. Boom, 20 in. Spacing, 5000 hrs., #556886$27,000

JD 4730 2008, 90 ft. Boom, 15 in. Spacing, 3810 hrs., #552343 ................. $89,000

Hagie STS12 2010, 90 ft. Boom, 15 in. Spacing, 4221 hrs., #276184 ...... $146,500

Hagie DTS10 2014, 80 ft. Boom, 15 in. Spacing, 1366 hrs., #557463...... $169,900

Hagie STS14 2012, 120 ft. Boom, 20 in. Spacing, 2220 hrs., #556677 .... $219,900

JD R4038 2018, 90 ft. Boom, 20 in. Spacing, 2137 hrs., #557458 ............ $224,900

JD R4038 2018, 90 ft. Boom, 20 in. Spacing, 1172 hrs., #551981 ............ $294,900

JD R4045 2019, 120 ft. carbon fiber Boom, 20 in. Spacing, 1780 hrs., #421298 ................................................................................................... $389,500

JD 410R 2022, 120 ft. Boom, 20 in. Spacing, 178 hrs., #549941 .............. $459,000

JD 410R 2022, 120 ft. Boom, 20 in. Spacing, 171 hrs., #550674 .............. $465,000

JD 410R 2022, 120 ft. Boom, 20 in. Spacing, 500 hrs., #555322 .............. $469,900

JD 410R 2022, 132 ft. carbon fiber Boom, 20 in. Spacing, 637 hrs., #548964 ................................................................................................... $504,500

JD 412R 2022, 132 ft. carbon fiber Boom, 20 in. Spacing, 310 hrs., #555968 ................................................................................................... $524,900

The chute provides comfort for the cow and easy use for the operator during trimming, breeding, palpitation, and other vet work.

• AHG2011 Automatic Headgate standard

• Front and back Belly Belts provide better animal stability

• Rubber flooring provides safe footing and is quieter creating less animal stress

• Side panels for optimal animal access

• Durable powder coated steel frame with zinc rich primer

• Dimensions: Width - 40”, Length - 92”, Height - 82”

We ship SpeeDee and UPS!

Fillmore County doubles animal units

Change will allow farm operations freedom to expand

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

more family members join the operation. On family farms, he sees the increases in efciencies and safety as a key reason for expanding.

“If you have a site, and you nd a good site to build a dairy facility, rather than build a whole bunch of small sites, you’re better off to build in a larger location or a larger facility that has more safeguards in place,” Bakke said.

one animal unit. They dene a mature dairy cow of 1,000 pounds or more as 1.4 animal units, a pig that is 55 to 300 pounds is considered 0.3 animal units, and a chicken of 5 pounds at a facility which uses a liquid manure system is considered 0.033 animal units.

for sink holes and caves.

“Not that I’m against animal agriculture,” he said. “I’ve got a feedlot permit for I think 350 head. … I think we should have more livestock on the land. The ‘and’ part about it is that we have to be really careful about these liquid manure systems and especially in this part of the world.”

PRESTON,

Minn. – Livestock producers in Fillmore County can now expand.

That is because the Fillmore County Board of Commissioners approved a raise in the county’s animal unit cap, moving it from 2,000 to 4,000.

The board unanimously approved the decision Feb. 28 at its meeting at the Fillmore County Courthouse in Preston after receiving the recommendation from the Fillmore County Planning Commission.

Tom Thompson, a member of the planning commission and a crop farmer, said he feels the decision has important economic impacts for the community.

“There’s a lot of people who don’t understand how many mouths are fed from a farm,” he said. “It’s not just the people that own the farm or work on the farm. It’s all the mouths that are fed from that farm and other farms doing business with other local businesses.”

Fillmore County Commissioner Duane Bakke said one of the reasons for increasing the cap was to give freedom to family farms to expand as

Thompson said he sees farm consolidation as a fact that must be lived with. With this reality, he wants to make sure farmers have the opportunity to move forward on their operations.

“Having a cap really shackles the farmer as to what they are able to do,” Thompson said.

On Feb. 16, a public hearing was held before the planning commission for testimony. Bakke said about 35 individuals testied, with about an even split of for and against. The commission also received letters and emails. Bakke said that more of the emails were against the increase; however, only one-third of the email opposition came from people who live in Fillmore County.

Margaret Johnson, a dairy farmer from Fillmore County, testied at the public hearing in favor of the cap change. She said she appreciates the decision to raise the cap because it sets a precedent of agriculture being a priority for Fillmore County.

The state of Minnesota denes an animal unit using the manure made by one slaughter steer or heifer as equal to

NEW & USED EQUIPMENT ON HAND

With the change to Fillmore’s cap, farms that wish to increase their animal units over 2,000 go through a multi-stage process. First, there is permitting through the state of Minnesota and its agencies. Then, there is federal permitting. Once these permits are in place, the farm must have an Environmental Assessment Worksheet done which includes a public hearing. Once a farm has completed these steps, they can apply for a conditional use permit with Fillmore County.

Bakke said that approval of these permits is dependent on the merit of the application.

“There’s people that apply for things already now that get turned down on sight,” he said.

Bakke said one of the main concerns with the change brought up in the public hearing was water quality.

Vance Haugen, who milks 190 cows in Fillmore County, testied against the increase. Haugen is concerned that the large liquid manure systems necessary to support large animal unit operations will have a negative effect on the water supply because of the unique geological makeup of Fillmore County. Haugen said Fillmore County has karst topography, meaning it has porous limestone rock and that the area is known

Some of the other concerns raised by opponents to the change included air quality and damage to local roads.

Thompson said farmers will do the right thing when it comes to their animals, the environment and their neighbors around them because their livelihood depends on it.

“As a farmer myself, I’m very aware of what (they) deal with every day and dealing with their livestock,” he said. “The welfare of their livestock, land and community is always in the forefront of their mind. I just don’t believe that any farmer would do anything to disrupt any of those priorities.”

The original cap of 2,000 animal units dates to a 1997 rule that Bakke himself helped implement. Bakke said at the time, the rule was put in place to protect Fillmore County from a 2.5 million poultry operation that was trying to nd a place to establish in Minnesota.

Currently, most farms in Fillmore County are well below the previous 2,000 animal unit cap. Bakke said the decision to raise the cap is not going to change Fillmore County very much and he does not anticipate many applications for increased animal units.

Dura-LeafPlus,50lbs...............................$179.95

SuperC-318,50lbs....................................$169.95

HardyNorthern,50lbs...............................$159.95

CLOVER

SEEDDAYSSPECIAL

$5OFF

March27-April1

OPENPOLLINATEDCORN

Krug,90Day,56lbs.....................................$95.95

ReidsType,100Day,56lbs.........................$95.95

Each50lb.bagof Magna-Red RedClover (Abovevarietyonly)

MagnaRed,50lbs.....................................$149.95

MediumRed,50lbs...................................$139.95

AlsikeClover,50lbs...................................$149.95

YellowBlossomSweet,50lbs...................$149.95

CrimsonClover,50lbs...............................$109.95

BerseemClover,50lbs..............................$109.95

LadinoClover,50lbs..................................$229.95

WhiteDutchClover,50lbs.........................$229.95

BalansaWhiteClover50lbs......................$129.95

MISCELLANEOUS

HybridSorghum-Sudangrass,50lbs..........$38.95

BMRSorghum-Sudangrass,50lbs.............$59.95

WildGameFoodSorghum,50lbs...............$50.95

DwarfEssexRape,50lbs............................$62.95

JapaneseMillet,50lbs................................$63.95

PearlMillet,50lbs.......................................$91.95

SunflowerBlackOil,1lb...............................$3.95

Sunflower,GreyStripe,1lb.........................$11.99

AustrianWinterPeas,50lbs.......................$49.95

DiakonRadishes-Tillage,50lbs..................$92.95

HairyVetch,50lbs.....................................$119.95

Flax,50lbs...................................................$65.95

Buckwheat,50lbs.......................................$56.95

YourCompleteSeedDealerInWisconsin

SPECIAL PRICES PRIZES BETTERQUALITY... BETTERPRICES

Monty’sPlantandSoilProductsReponhandforall

GRASSES

SEEDDAYSSPECIAL

$5OFF

Expires4/1/23

PulaskiWarehouse

LAWNGRASSES

Each50lb.bagof Mor-Leaf Timothy (Abovevarietyonly)

Mor-LeafTimothy,50lbs...........................$119.95

ClimaxTimothy,50lbs...............................$109.95

OrchardGrass(late),50lbs.......................$154.95

OrchardGrass,50lbs................................$139.95

SmoothBromegrass,50lbs......................$179.95

ItalianRyegrass(Annual),50lbs................$59.95

TetraploidAnnualRyegrass,50lbs.............$46.95

TetraploidPerennialRyegrass,50lbs.......$119.95

FestuloliumPerennialRyegrass,50lbs....$129.95

MeadowFescue50lbs..............................$169.95

TallFescue,50lbs......................................$109.95

SwitchgrassCave-In-Rock,1lb.pls...........$15.99

ReedsCanarygrass(lowalkaloid)50lbs...A$K!!

HAY&PASTUREMIXES

SEEDDAYSSPECIAL

$10OFF

Expires4/1/23 PulaskiWarehouse

Each50lb.bagof Hay&PastureMix or$5OFF each25lb.bag

AlfalfaForageMix,50lbs..........................$179.95

AlfalfaBaseMix,50lbs.............................$169.95

CloverBaseMix,50lbs.............................$139.95

HorsePastureMix,25lbs............................$79.95

MaxForageExtenderMix,25lbs................$64.95

WildLifeCloverMix,50lbs.......................$219.95

AlloftheabovemixesaremadewithDura-LeafPlusAlfalfa, Magna-RedRedCloverandMor-LeafTimothy

Birdsfoot,50lbs.........................................$309.95

BARLEY

Cert.Kewaunee,50lbs.................................$20.95

Cert.Lacey,50lbs........................................$19.95

Uncert.Robust,50lbs..................................$18.95

SPRINGTRITICALE

Triticale,Spring,50lbs................................$21.95

INOCULANTS

Alfalfa-Clover,Treats50lbs.....................................$8.95

Trefoil,Treats50lbs...................................................$9.95

SoybeanTerraMaxDry,Treats500lbs.-10unit....$18.95

SoybeanTerraMaxDry,Treats2000lbs.-40unit..$48.95

Cell-TechLiq.Soybean,Treats50units...................$89.95

HenryMoore,110Day,56lbs......................$95.95

BooneCountyWhite120Day,56lbs...........$95.95

ONIONSETS

Yellow,32lbs...............................................$33.95

White,32lbs.................................................$34.95

Red,32lbs....................................................$35.95

SuperSweet,10lbs.....................................$31.95

SWEETCORN

CatalystXR,bi-color,66day......................3,000Kernel/$36.99 NorthernXtra-Sweet,67day.....................3,000Kernel/$29.95 X-traTenderXTH2171,bi-color,71day....3,000Kernel/$34.99 Signature,bi-color,73day.........................3,000kernel/$37.99 AnthemXR,bi-color,73day.......................3,000Kernel/$37.99 X-traTenderXTH2475,bi-color,75day....3,000Kernel/$34.99 Honey’NPearl,bi-color,76day.................3,000Kernel/$29.99 GoldenBantem,80day..............................3,000Kernel/$15.99 IlliniX-traSweet,85day...........................3,000Kernel/$28.99

MANYOTHERBULKGARDENSEEDSTOCHOOSEFROM: Peas,Beans,Carrots,Cantaloupe,Beets,Squash,Pumpkins, Watermelon,Radishes,Gourds,OrnamentalCorn,Etc.

$10OFF

SEEDDAYSSPECIAL Expires4/1/23 PulaskiWarehouse

Each50lb.bagof Athletic,Sunnyor ShadyLawnSeed

AthleticLawnMix,50lbs..........................$139.95

SunnyLawnMix,50lbs.............................$149.95

ShadyLawnMix,50lbs.............................$139.95

AnnualRyegrass,50lbs..............................$46.95

PerennialRyegrass,50lbs........................$119.95

CreepingRedFescue,50lbs.....................$139.95

KentuckyBluegrass,50lbs.......................$149.95

TurfTypeTallFescue,50lbs......................$119.95

WhiteDutchClover,50lbs.........................$229.95

LAWN&GARDEN FERTILIZER

22-0-5Weed&Feed(Trimec)Formula $29.99 /50lb.bag.Covers12,500sq.ft

19-0-6With(Dimension) CrabgrassPreventer $28.99 /50lb.bag.Covers12,500sq.ft

Lawn&GardenLime,50lbs..........................$3.19

PelletizedLawn&GardenLime,40lbs.........$6.99

PelletizedGypsum,40lbs..............................$8.99

SEEDOATS

Cert.Antigo,bu.-early.................................$13.50

Cert.Badgerbu.-early................................$13.50

Cert.Rushmorebu.-mid.............................$13.50

Cert.Esker2020,bu.-mid...........................$13.50

ForagePlusbu.-Late..................................$13.75

Uncert.Ogle,bu.-mid..................................$12.50

Uncert.Jerry,bu.-mid.................................$12.50

PEAS&MIXTURES

ForageFieldPeas,40-10,50lbs.................$25.50 50%Pea-50%OatMix,50lbs...................$25.50 50%Pea-50%BarleyMix,50lbs..............$25.50 50%Pea-50%Tritcale,50lbs....................$25.50

GARDENPEAS

SugarAnn,56day,50lbs............................$99.95 LittleMarvel,63Day,50lbs........................$99.95 SugarSnap,64day,50lbs..........................$99.95 GreenArrow,68Day,50lbs.........................$99.95 OregonGiant,69Day,50lbs........................$99.95

WILDLIFEFOODPLOTSEED

$10OFF

SEEDDAYSSPECIAL Expires4/1/23 PulaskiWarehouse

Each50lb.bag ofWildlife CloverMix (Abovevarietyonly)

WildlifeCloverMix,50lbs.........................$219.95 ImpactForageCollards,3lb.......................$11.99 HunterBrassica,3lb...................................$14.99 WinfredBrassica,3lb..................................$14.99

GrazaRadish,3lb........................................$19.99

SmallBurnett,3lb.......................................$13.99 Chicory,1lb...................................................$7.95

SugarBeets,1lb...........................................$5.95

TonicPlantain,1lb........................................$5.99 Rutabaga,3lb..............................................$13.99

BarKantTurnips,3lb..................................$11.99 Kale,1lb.........................................................$4.99 DwarfEssexRape,50lbs............................$62.95

Turnips-PurpleTop,50lbs...........................$99.95 Turnips,SevenTop,50lbs.........................$129.95 WidowMaker,25lbs..................................$114.95 BrassicaBrunch,25lbs.............................$114.95 WildGameFoodSorghum,50lbs...............$50.95 BuckBuffet,25lbs......................................$17.95 BuckForageOats,50lbs.............................$37.95 SwitchgrassRCBigRock,1lb....................$16.99 SwitchgrassRCTecumseh1lb...................$16.99 SwitchgrassCave-In-Rock1lb.pls..........$15.99

E3-ROUND-UPREADYBIO-GENESOYBEANS GREATSELECTION! 140,000seedsperunit BG9100E31.5Maturity......................unit/$52.00 BG9150E31.5Maturity.......................unit/$52.00 BG9180E31.8Maturity.......................unit/$52.00

E3-ROUND-UPREADYPRO-HARVESTSOYBEANS

GREATSELECTION!

140,000seedsperunit

Round-UpReadyandE3Varieties...startingat$55.00

CONVENTIONALSOYBEANS

MN1410,1.4,50lbs......................................$24.00

Viking1518N,1.5,140,000seedsperunit...$34.00

EXCELLENTSUPPLYOF

Solitude in South Dakota

ing what he feeds his animals – corn, alfalfa, sorghum and Sudan grass.

The 73-year-old bachelor lives alone in the house on the farm where he grew up with his parents and 10 siblings.

Schaffer stands alone in Campbell County

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

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

HERREID, S.D. – Five years ago, Allen Schaffer’s dairy farm became the last one in Campbell County, but Schaffer is used to operating solo.

On his own, he milks 45 Jersey cows twice a day with a tiestall setup in a hoop barn. He also single-handedly raises 130 head of beef cattle and crop farms 200 acres, grow-

“Everyone’s moved away,” Schaffer said. “I don’t mind being alone. It’s solitude. You don’t have a lot of people bothering you.”

Plus, his schedule is full.

“I don’t have time to socialize much,” Schaffer said. “I am usually busy working here. I don’t go to town very often.”

Schaffer is his own boss and team. The next generation, Schaffer’s nieces and nephews, are not interested in taking over the farm, and he has no employees.

“There’s nobody to work here,” Schaffer said. “I’ve had kids help me, but they don’t know much (about farming) because they are town kids now. Decent workers already have a job someplace in town. Everybody is looking for help but can’t nd anybody.”

So, Schaffer keeps farming alone and plans to do so until he cannot anymore.

“I don’t feel old,” Schaffer said. “I get aches and pains, but they usually go away. As long as I’m healthy enough to do it, I’ll keep doing it. It hasn’t been too bad.”

Schaffer said he does not

get sick often, but if he does, it does not change his routine.

“You go on milking anyway,” he said.

The only time he stopped milking was 10 years ago, when he rolled his four-wheeler and broke his femur, crushing it where it meets the hip.

“I crawled back to the fourwheeler,” Schaffer said. “It

was upside down, so I pulled myself up. It was pretty painful. I ipped it over and drove it home because I couldn’t walk.”

His brother and sister happened to be visiting and were in the house to help. Still, Schaffer waited until the next day before going to the doctor when he said he was denitely convinced his leg was broken.

He needed surgery and received three pins in his leg.

“We dried off the cows and restarted after they were fresh again,” Schaffer said. “There was about ve months where I wasn’t milking at all.”

MARIA BICHLER/DAIRY STAR

Allen Schaffer stands among his Jersey cows March 19 on his farm near Herreid, South Dakota. Schaffer milks 45 cows in a �estall setup within a hoop barn.

Luckily, it was autumn and most of the harvest had been completed. He was still alone, however, and maintained things on the farm until he was off of his crutches. That winter of 2012 was when the hoop barn was being nished so that Schaffer could increase his herd. The barn, 38 feet by 100 feet, has 40 stalls and allowed Schaffer to go from 25 cows to 40 that spring.

Schaffer balances his milking schedule with other farm chores.

“It changes with the seasons because of eldwork,” Schaffer said.

During winter, he milks at 6 a.m. and 3 p.m., but there are other seasons where he can be found milking at 3 a.m.

It was around 1980 when Schaffer began taking over the farm when his dad began the process of retiring. Until then, they had worked together with Schaffer’s mom helping with milking and calf care. His father passed away in 2001. His mother lived in the house with Schaffer until a few years ago. She passed away in 2022.

The fourth oldest of his siblings, Schaffer graduated from Eureka High School in 1967 from a class of 35. About a quarter to a third were from dairy farm families, and his friends lived on dairy farms. They moved away or went into other lines of work.

“(My parents) needed help here, and I kind of stayed, I guess,” Schaffer said. “It kind of evolved. You start, and things change slowly. Then, you end up where you are at.”

Schaffer’s dad had grown up on a farm and bought the current site in 1945. The Schaffers used cans to move milk until a bulk tank was added in 1972. Before that, they used to separate the cream and sell it in town.

“When we grew up as kids, we milked by hand,” Schaffer said. “Then, we went to a pipeline with machines. Now, I’ve got automatic takeoffs and things like that, but this is old-fashioned already.”

He also remembers a community of small dairies.

“Back in those days, everybody had a few milk cows and a few beef cows, some chickens, some hogs,” Schaffer said. “There used to be a lot of little dairies. They were all self-sufcient back then.”

Today, the closest dairy farm is to the north in North Dakota.

MARIA BICHLER/DAIRY STAR

Allen Schaffer preps a Jersey cow before milking March 19 at his farm near Herreid, South Dakota. The 73-year-old is the last remaining dairy farmer in Campbell County. He also raises beef ca�le.

MARIA BICHLER/DAIRY STAR

The Jersey herd awaits to be milked in the a�ernoon of March 19 on Allen Schaffer’s farm near Herreid, South Dakota. In 2012, Schaffer put up this 38- by 100-foot hoop barn with 40 �e stalls so he could expand from 25 cows to 40.

“Farming has changed a lot,” Schaffer said. “Now it’s all specialized. You’re all crops or all cattle or all dairy or all hogs. Most people do just one thing. Now there are a lot of wide-open spaces and hardly any farms at all.”

The dairy infrastructure has left his area as well.

“One challenge is getting (dairy) supplies because there’s no one around,” Schaffer said. “The last supplier is up in Wishek, (North Dakota,) about 60 miles away, so I get most of my stuff through them. They will deliver if it’s a big enough order. Some other stuff I can get through the mail, ordered out of supply houses.”

Other equipment can be found nearby because there are crop farmers around. Several implement dealers are within a short driving distance.

Milk from Schaffer’s farm does not need to be trucked far. It travels about 35 miles to DairiConcepts in Pollock where it is used for cheese.

With a market for his milk, Schaffer continues dairy farming and takes the changes around him in stride.

“Change is inevitable,” he said.

Even at his age, Schaffer thinks about making changes himself.

“I’ve got to probably make some changes here to make things go a little easier,” Schaffer said. “With a tiestall barn, it takes more time because you have to change out cows, move them here and there. I also need better facilities for raising calves, but there’s a lot of things to consider (such as) nances and how to do it.”

Schaffer phased out Holsteins in favor of raising Jerseys.

“They’re a little easier to work with,” he said. “They’re gentler and not as big. They don’t eat as much, but they don’t give as much milk. But, they give me better quality milk.”

Besides feeding his cows year-round, he also grazes them whenever weather permits on the gently sloping pastures around his farm. He said he likes the land his farm sits on.

“It’s kind of rolling, hilly land,” Schaffer said. “It’s got character to it. It’s not like at farmland where you can see from one end of the eld to the other.”

Schaffer plans to stay there.

“It’s home,” he said. “I was born here and raised here. Where else would I go?”

Kuhn Rakes In Stock All Have Early Order Prices!

MARIA BICHLER/DAIRY STAR

Allen Schaffer gets the units ready for milking March 19 on his farm near Herried, South Dakota. Schaffer’s milk is marketed through DairiConcepts of Pollock, South Dakota, where it is used for cheese produc�on.

GA-4731-T Single Rotor Gyro Rake

GA-4230-T Single Rotor Gyro Rake SR-614-GII Wheel Rake SR-312 Wheel Rake GF 5202-THA 4 Rotor Tedder

“I’ve got to probably make some changes here to make things go a little easier. With a tiestall barn, it takes more time because you have to change out cows, move them here and there.”

ALLEN SCHAFFER, DAIRY FARMER

What’s Your Personal Record?

2,000 Cows

3–4X Milking 8 Min Turns

3 Min, 15 Sec Avg Milkout

Double P Dairy in Marathon City, Wisconsin, is redefining efficiency with a parlor system that delivers consistent milking performance and record-breaking returns. Think you can beat that? Take your herd for a lap around GEA’s DairyRotor.

Central Ag Supply, Inc.

Juneau, WI • 920-386-2611

Baraboo, WI • 608-356-8384

Leedstone, Inc. Melrose, MN

Kozlovsky Dairy Equipment

Kaukauna, WI • 920-759-9223

Weston, WI • 715-298-6256

Glencoe, MN

Centre Dairy Equipment and Supply, Inc.

Sauk Centre, MN

Centre Dairy Equipment and Supply Inc. Sauk Centre, MN

320-352-5762 • 800-342-2697

Leedstone, Inc.

Melrose, MN 320-256-3303 • 800-996-3303

Fuller’s Milker Center, Inc.

Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems

Epworth, IA • (563) 876-3087

Fuller’s Milker Center, LLC

J Gile Dairy Equipment, Inc.

Lancaster, WI • 800-887-4634

Richland Center, WI • 608-647-4488

Kozlovsky Dairy Equipment

J Gile Dairy Equipment, Inc.

Cuba City, WI • (608) 744-2661

Midwest Livestock Systems, LLC

Glencoe, MN 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575

Plainview, MN • 800-548-5240

Menomonie, WI • 715.231.8090

Midwest Livestock Systems, LLC

Monroe Westfalia Surge

Zumbrota, MN • 800-233-8937

Menomonie, WI • 715-235-5144

Renner, SD • 800-705-1447

Preston Dairy Equipment

Monroe WestfaliaSurge Monroe, WI • 608-325-2772

Preston Dairy Equipment

Sparta, WI • (608) 269-3830

Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Rock Valley, IA

Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346

Colton, SD Service 800-944-1217

Stanley Schmitz, Inc.

Edgerton, MN Chemical Sales 507-920-8626

Tri-County Dairy Supply

Stanley Schmitz, Inc.

Chilton, WI • 920-849-4209

Tri-County Dairy Supply

Janesville, WI • (608) 757-2697

Manure mishap

py, squishy manure. My dear husband, who always has the best intentions, would often continue these conversations while we got back to work shoveling manure into the bucket of the skid loader. He tried to keep things light by trying to get us to smile or laugh with his endless stories and tried-and-true dating advice for Justin.

By Tiffany Klaphake Staff Writer

As dairy farmers with young kids, we are used to things not going according to plan and taking longer than expected. Or, so one would think. About six weeks ago, on a Saturday that started out like any other Saturday, the noontime chores were underway. My brother-in-law, Dan, was running the barn cleaner, my husband, Jason, was mixing feed, and I was in the house watching our kids and making dinner.

It took a little longer than usual for Jason to come in for dinner. I assumed something must be up. It’s not the rst time and won’t be the last time some issue arises and dinner gets put on hold. When Jason came in, he said the barn cleaner had frozen up. Thankfully, Dan was able to get the majority of the manure out of the barn before it all came to a halt. We have a gravity ow system going from the barn to the manure pit, and it had never frozen.

The day before had been on the colder side with a strong south wind, and the barn cleaner is on the south end of the barn. But, the temperature had remained above zero. Jason and Dan tried running water to the back of the barn for several hours to no avail.

The next day came time to pitch the manure out by hand. Thankfully, the barn door is wide enough to get the skid loader in and drive down the middle walkway of our stanchion barn. Armed with pitchforks and shovels, Dan, Jason, Justin (a neighbor kid who helps us part time) and I began the process. My youngest stayed in the house and napped, and my 2-year-old came out to the barn and watched the process unfold.

Scoop by scoop, we made our way down, making quick conversations while Dan jumped in the skid loader and hauled out the bucket load of slop-

Jason considers himself full of helpful dating advice since it only took him 36 years to nd a wife. He teased Justin that manure shoveling is something one should not do on a rst date to impress a girl. These meanderings would occasionally result in a few drops of manure going into my mouth while I was laughing or responding back to one of his revelations.

In just under two hours, the task was done. While step one was done, we still had to get the reception pit unplugged. Even though the temperature was in the 20s, it still wouldn’t budge. This was not a good sign.

Jason called and requested a portable tank to come Monday morning to vacuum out the remaining manure so they could see into the funnel and hopefully nd the issue. When that didn’t seem to make a difference, they called a guy who has a jetter, a hose with a special nozzle that is designed to unclog pipes. After about half an hour, the manure that was still sitting in the reception pit started to go down. After an hour and a half, the manure started to ow, and the barn cleaner was running like it should.

After 48 hours, nally it was revealed. The mystery was solved. It was not frozen like we originally thought. There was a buildup of straw in the funnel right before the elbow that led to the pipe to go to the manure pit.

The silver lining to all this is how you look at it. Yes, I had to help shovel an entire barn full of manure on a Sunday afternoon. But doing it with family, working toward a common goal, it hardly felt like work. To me, it goes to show even small things can leave a big impact. According to Jason, it goes to show couples who pitch manure together stay together. I will admit he does have a point. Working together in good times and bad will make us stronger as a family.

Is custom harvesting an option for your dairy?

By Colleen Carlson and David Bau

There are many factors to consider when making the decision to custom hire harvesting of alfalfa and silage on your dairy. A few of the questions a dairy operator would need to answer are: What is the outlook on your dairy? Do you like cows or are you a cropping, equipment operator and x-it person? Do you have enough labor to attend to both the harvesting and dairying on the farm?

When the next generation joins the farming operation, consider their core interests – cropping or dairying. Similarly, if you are losing the labor source, hiring a custom operator may be more efcient during the busy seasons and the sale of harvesting equipment may be used for another investment. Oftentimes, expanding the dairy system and updating the harvesting and hauling equipment does not t in the same budget.

Using custom operator services can allow a dairy producer to realize the efciency of larger scale harvesting equipment without carrying the high costs of machinery ownership. Most custom operators have their own trained work crews who are familiar with the operation of the equipment and harvest practices.

The following two paragraphs out-

line some considerations.

Milk production suffers due to the time commitments of eldwork. Crops are planted and/or harvested late due to the labor demands of the dairy herd. Your current line of equipment is not large enough to perform cropping operations in a timely manner, thereby limiting forage quality, crop yields, etc. It might be advantageous to lower your cost of production by liquidating some of your eld. Some machinery is only used a few days out of the year.

You have an aging line of machinery and cannot justify the cost of repairs or replacement costs. Your farm labor resources are limited. You would rather work with and concentrate on the cows and leave the eldwork to others. You want to spend more time with your family. You are willing and able to give up some control of your cropping operations. You are willing to enter into a contract that is economically benecial to both parties.

How can you know if hiring a custom operator will be able to lower your costs? The rst step is to understand your own harvesting costs by completing a budget analysis. This will help you better understand the equipment and timeliness cost of the operation. Yet some costs or benets – such as having

uniformity in silage size and quality resulting from lling the bunker in a few days versus a couple of weeks, delaying response to timely cattle chores or missing a child’s sporting event – may not be able to be quantied.

What is the value of timeliness?

When you miss the optimal harvest window, what is lost in crop value? For instance, alfalfa can be harvested at the wrong stage of maturity or get too dry from lying in the eld too long; both result in lower quality forage. This is where a custom harvester can pay off by utilizing equipment and labor most efciently.

How can you entrust one of your most prot-making enterprises to a custom harvester? It takes a great partnership with a great deal of communication.

Seek out a reliable custom harvester well in advance of needing harvesting done. Talk to people who have used custom harvest services. Look over their equipment and ask how it is maintained. Ask about their crews and how they are trained. Ask about the radius they cover and how you will be scheduled with other clients. Share your acreage and crop maturity expectations.

Be prepared to work out a plan for your farm elds, hauling distances and feed storage site. Ask for references and

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

be prepared to provide a letter of credit from your bank. Sign an agreed upon contract; this protects your interests and theirs as well.

As the producer, communicate your needs to the custom operator so they can integrate that information into scheduling. For example, you may be focusing on forage quality while others focus on total tonnage. Share your expected harvest schedule. A custom harvester will typically have larger, high-capacity equipment, giving a producer a better chance of putting up more optimally harvested forages than a producer with small equipment.

Hiring a custom operator is not for everyone. However, it can be a tool to produce higher quality forage to increase milk production, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed about machinery costs, maintenance and where to nd extra labor. A partnership with a custom operator could improve protability and decrease your stress level.

Thank you to David Bau, Extension educator, ag business management and University of Wisconsin-Madison, for contributions to this article inspired by the Farmer to Farmer Dairy Tour hosted in Carver County in the summer of 2022.

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

Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu

320-484-4334

USED TRACTORS

CIH 8910, 2WD, 4,100 hrs .....................$72,000

CIH 8920, FWA, 4,400 hrs. ....................$79,000

CIH 7230, FWA, 5,000 hrs. .................Coming In

CIH 7140, 5,900 hrs., FWA ....................$75,000

CIH 7120, FWA, 2800 hrs. .....................Coming In

IH 1466 restored, new 20.4x38 Firestones$38,000

IH 1456, cab ..............................................$22,000

IH 1086 w/no cab .......................................$18,000

IH 1086, nice..........................................Coming In

IH 806 ....................................................$11,000

TILLAGE

CIH 527B ripper .....................................$13,500

CIH 6750, 4 shank, 3 twist w/lever.........$15,500

CIH 530B................................................$18,000

CIH 870 7-shank ....................................$38,000

CIH Tigermate II, 26’ ..............................$28,000

CIH Tigermate II, 26’ w/rolling basket ....$32,000

CIH Tigermate 200, 30’ ..........................$44,000

CIH Tigermate 200, 28’ ..........................$40,000

DMI 530 Ecolo-Tiger ..............................$12,000

DMI 530 ripper w/leads..........................$14,000

DMI 530B w/lead ...................................$16,500

HAYING & FORAGE EQUIP.

Sitrex QR12, QR10, QRS rakes ....................New

Sitrex MKE 12-wheel rake ......................$11,000

Ogden 12-wheel cart rake .............................$4,500

Many sizes of rakes available

grain cart ....................................$14,500

Unverferth 7250 grain cart .........................$29,500

MISCELLANEOUS

New Red Devil & Agro Trend Snowblowers

Hagedorn 3290 Hydraspread spreader ..$36,000

JD 5820 self-propelled chopper 4800 hrs., nice, comes with Dion F63-120 rotary hd. & 7’ HH ................................................$55,000

USED SNOW BLOWERS

Farm King 8’.............................................$1,500

Schweis 8’................................................$1,000

FARM CENTER FARM

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

Isaac Salfer ijsalfer@umn.edu

320-296-1357

Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu

320-203-6093

Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu

612-624-1205

Melissa Wilson mlw@umn.edu

612-625-4276

Isaac Haagen hagge041@umn.edu

612-624-7455

CIH MX120

II

Various Sizes of Rock Wagons On Hand

Feed refusals: How low can you go?

According to the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management, the average daily feed cost per cow in 2021 was $7 in the Upper Midwest; by my own calculations, it was up to about $7.50 in 2022. These continually rising feed prices have tightened margins for dairy farms. In fact, over the last decade, total feed costs of a dairy herd are a better predictor of protability than milk production. Therefore, reducing wasted feed is critical to farm success.

of factors such as lactation stage, age, body weight and milk production that affect dairy cow intake.

These factors considered, there are opportunities for dairy producers to more precisely target intakes of cows. Here are a few of my recommended strategies for reducing the need for feed refusals. Reduce and account for the variation in TMR dry matter.

By Isaac Salfer U of M

One of the greatest opportunities to reduce lost feed is by limiting refusals at the feed bunk. Dairy producers can learn about this from the beef feedlot industry who have developed approaches to feed cattle to their exact requirements with practically no refusals. It is important to note the differences in management and physiology of dairy cows that prevent implementing the “slick bunk” strategy used on feedlots. For example, milk, and particularly milk fat production, are much less resilient to short term periods of underfeeding, so we necessarily have to be more risk averse when feeding to an expected feed intake. This is especially important because even shortterm periods of limited milk production, especially in early lactation, can lead to reduced lifetime milk production potential. It is more difcult for dairy producers to predict intake on a group of cows than it is for feedlot operators because of the large number

Variations in dry matter of forages and subsequently the total mixed ration are easily the largest factors contributing to differences between expected feed intake and actual feed intake. Corn silage can vary by over 10% from one day to the next, which if not accounted for, results in overfeeding or underfeeding the diet of cows by over 5% assuming corn silage makes up approximately half of ration dry matter. To account for these variations, dry matter of silages should be taken as often as possible and used to adjust the ration. At a minimum, DM should be determined once per week and after weather events such as a heavy rainfall. Ensure the feeding time is consistent. Cows are creatures of habit and become accustomed to eating at the same times each day. Research has demonstrated that altering feeding time of cows outside of their normal feeding time leads to slug feeding which reduces daily feed intake. Keep in mind that 15 minutes of time equates 1% of the day, so even small delays in feeding time can have large impacts on refusals due to reduced time available for cows to eat.

Consider grouping cows based on expected intake and nutrient requirements.

When you or your nutritionist are

Versatility and power to help you reach another level of performance.

• Larger hoop capabilities for wrapping 6’ round bales.

• New faster than ever pusher allowing you to wrap more bales per minute.

• Increased speed and performance for high quality feed and to protect nutrient value of your silage bales.

formulating a ration for a group of cows, you are generally trying to meet the requirements of the average cow within that group. Therefore, the larger the variation you have in the nutrient requirements within a pen, the greater the number of cows in that pen that will end up being overfed or underfed.

I recognize the view that “creating a low-producing cow pen creates lowproducing cows,” and I do agree to a certain extent. However, even if you are not dramatically lowering the energy content for the low cow group, creating a separate group of lower production/ later lactation cows allows you to better predict the DM intake of this group. It is also valuable to have a separate fresh group which is fed to a higher refusal rate (4% to 5%) to prevent limiting feed intake of these cows. Intake of fresh cows will generally be less predictable as they begin to approach peak milk production.

Ensure ingredient loading accuracy.

It is easy for small errors in feed loading to add up and impact the accuracy of feed offered to cows. Ensure

that TMR mixer scales are calibrated regularly. Batching can also help reduce the variation in dry feed ingredients at low quantities within a TMR. Using feed management software can also more easily allow adjustment of a diet based on the number of cows in a pen and the dry matter of feeds as well as helping track the variability in load weights.

Increase frequency of feeding and feed push-ups. Research suggests that increasing feeding frequency from one time per day to two times per day reduces sorting and increases dry matter intake, milk production and milk fat. Delivery of fresh feed stimulates cows to visit the feed bunk and it limits the amount of time for cows to sort feed from each feeding. Furthermore, frequent feed push-ups reduce the amount of time cows do not have access to feed, and research has suggested that pushing up feed more often reduces the variability in feed refusals.

Table 1: Approximate cost of feed lost per year at 10%, 5%, 2% or 1% refusals assuming a feed cost of $7.50 per cow per day.

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

INTRODUCING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PREMIUM DIESEL FUELS

Custom t to your new or existing building

Motorized or Manual Options

Highest UV inhibitor and lock stitch style sewing for longer curtain life

minutes

THEIR LIKENESS IN BUTTER

Jacob

Manternach (pictured with Tucker and Remlie) Hopkinton, Iowa Delaware County 180 cows

How did you get into farming? I am the second generation on my family’s farm. I was fortunate to join my parents’ farm in July 2013.

What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? My short-term concerns are the dwindling milk price with steady to increasing input costs along with the rising interest rates.

What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? Activity monitoring system for the cows. With a growing family, I could not spend the amount of time with the cows that I used to be able to. It has improved timeliness of breeding along with monitoring rumen functions for early detection of health issues before they become visible to the eye.

Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. Basic herd health skills, A.I. breeding, being able to vein cows when needed and basic hoof trimming abilities.

What is the best decision you have made on your farm? Harvesting as much hay wet as possible, as either haylage or baleage, and manure storage has greatly improved crop yields while saving labor.

What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? Skid loader: It by far gets the most hours of any piece of equipment – mixing feed, bedding livestock, scraping manure, handling manure and feed, and pushing snow. Smart phone: Having internet at my ngertips, allowing for quick look up for repair manuals, part numbers, phone numbers, emailed feed sheets and a basic calculator at all times is priceless. Milking parlor: It’s by far the most important piece of equipment twice a day every day.

What strategies do you use to withstand the volatile milk prices? Keeping as many inputs in house as possible, such as feed, labor and crop inputs.

How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? Patience is essential with good employees. They didn’t grow up working on the farm like me, so one cannot expect them to instantly gure out how to accomplish a task the way I would do it. To maintain good family working relationships, leave problems that happen in the barn, in the barn, at the end of the day.

What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? The changing tasks and challenges associated with the changing of seasons. No two days, two weeks or two years are ever the same.

What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Always look forward. Don’t get bogged down with mistakes in the past; just keep improving while moving forward. Don’t be afraid to ask the previous generation for advice.

What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? In the short term, I want to keep improving overall production on the farm, and overhauling the heifer rearing program is at top of the list currently. In the long term, I want to improve efciency with labor-saving technology while improving cow comfort with a new freestall barn.

How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We visit extended family as much as possible. We also like to take the kiddos to water parks and parades. With a young family, many activities revolve around the kids.

Tube-Line NITRO 375 Spreaders

• Ideal for keeping yards clean while

• Consistent metering in a versatile, reliable spreader

•Ensures smaller operations get the same metering in a format tailored to them

• Removable beater assembly converts the NITRO into a rear discharge trailer

• Scale ready

Evaluate nutrition strategies to maximize

cash

Simple design. Highest Output. Outstanding reliability.

McHale Fusion 4 Pro Integrated Baler Wrapper

•Patented bale transfer

•Vertical wrapping ring

Repossi Double Wheel RA-Rake - Larger outer wheel contacts the ground and turns a smaller inner wheel to windrow crop and leave the ash behind.

•Increased speed

•Lower ash contamination

•High quality forage

•Easy to maintain

•Uses less energy

Feed expenditures are the single largest operating expense in a dairy business. Given the current and projected economic environment, it is critical to evaluate on-farm nutritional strategies to determine if any potential changes can improve the dairy’s cash

ow. Milk production is the income generator for a dairy business, so saving 10 cents in feed costs but losing 20 cents in productivity is not a good economic decision. Consider several key nutritional and management strategies to help maximize income over feed costs.

Forage quality

Something to Ruminate On

By Barry Visser Nutritionist

High-quality forage reduces supplemental feed costs. Current forage inventory is established, but the value of harvesting high-quality forages this next season may be greater than ever. Harvesting forages at the correct moisture and maturity is a critical component. Hybrid selection can be part of the solution to improve forage quality, but it needs to be balanced with input costs.

Reduce feed wastage

With current prices, going from 15% to 5% feed shrink accounts for feed savings of greater than 50 cents per head daily. Feed shrink can be dened as any ingredient that enters the dairy but is not consumed by the cow. Some forage shrink is inevitable, but with proper packing and storage practices, these losses can be minimized.

Evaluate ingredient handling and storage as well. Byproducts can be a great buy but may lend themselves to double-digit shrink values under certain conditions. Birds, rodents and wildlife control can also help reduce feed loss, especially with the large volume of snow experienced this winter across much of the Midwest.

Bunk management and refusals

Maximize dry matter intake to maximize milk production. One pound of additional DM can lead to a 2-pound increase in milk production. In some cases, there may be an opportunity to reduce percentage leftovers below 5%. Feed distribution, push-up frequency and overall bunk management need to be excellent to make this happen. Pre-fresh and fresh cow pens are usually exceptions to this approach of lower refusals. Evaluate feed efciency

Feed efciency is an important economic measure used to evaluate the amount of milk produced per unit of feed. Utilizing energy corrected milk will give credit to the milk component contribution. Several factors will impact feed efciency:

– Multiple groups of milk cows versus one group to allow better targeting of nutrients and additives designed to improve feed efciency.

– Overcrowding to the point where performance is negatively affected.

– Cow comfort and heat abatement for milk cows and dry cows.

– Culling strategies to remove low-end producers, especially with current cull cow prices.

– Aggressive reproduction strategies to have more cows in peak lactation.

– Proper particle size and moisture in the TMR and adequate water access.

Assess non-productive assets

Two common non-productive assets related to nutrition expenditures are forage inventory and heifer replacements. If a farm is sitting on eight to 12 months of carryover on a given forage, managers may consider harvesting fewer acres to remove some crop input expenses. With heifer replacements, take a hard look at the number needed versus inventory. In addition, recognize the feed costs associated with calving heifers less than 24 months of age on most farms.

Work with a nutrition consultant to review and netune the feeding program. Any feeding changes that potentially jeopardize milk production or future cow health need to be carefully evaluated; do not sacrice long-term gains for short-term savings. Develop a list of potential changes, evaluate the positives and negatives of each potential change, and prioritize which nutrition changes will have the largest effects on cash ow. In some cases, no changes will be made. In other cases, signicant changes can be made, resulting in greater income over feed costs.

Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.

As fast as a wheel rake. As clean as a rotary rake.

Raise awareness, educate on dairy’s behalf

vitamin B12.

Status: The public comment period closes April 24.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children

Potential implications: The proposed rule would reduce the amount of milk for WIC participants by 2-6 quarts, depending on the food package and age of the participant but, on the ip side, add more yogurt options.

By Julie Mattson Ostrow

Midwest Dairy vice president, dairy experience-wellness

Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration have issued proposed rules and guidance with potential implications for dairy. The dairy community has an opportunity to raise awareness and educate stakeholders about these proposals and potential resulting implications. National Dairy Council and industry partners will be submitting science-based comments highlighting the critical importance of dairy to USDA and FDA as part of the public processes and will continue to serve as a resource for evidence-based educational support. Midwest Dairy will be submitting science-based comments on the proposed national school meals programs as well. Below are summaries, potential implications and the status of these proposals.

National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program

Nearly 30 million children rely on school meals daily, providing a rich source of dairy in children’s diets. USDA has issued a proposed rule to revise meal patterns for school meals to be consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Proposed changes:

– Flavored milk: Potentially limiting grade levels that would offer avored milk options and, additionally, requiring new limits on added sugars across all avored milk products.

– Yogurt: Requiring limits on added sugars.

– Sodium: Incrementally reducing weekly sodium limits in breakfast and lunch (which may impact the frequency of offering cheese and avored milk).

– Added sugar: In addition to product limits for milks and yogurts, the rule also proposes a menuwide limit on added sugars.

Potential implications: Averages for avored milk and yogurt products that are currently in schools effectively meet the proposed limits. However, these are averaged, and there are some avored milks and yogurts that would require reformulation to comply. Schools could also choose to achieve added sugar and sodium reduction by cutting back on items that are less nutrient-dense than dairy foods.

Status: The public comment period closes April 10.

FDA guidance on labeling plant-based alternatives

In February, the FDA released a draft guidance relating to the labeling of plant-based milk alternatives and voluntary nutrient statements. The draft guidance notes that FDA will allow the use of the term “milk” on plant-based dairy alternatives. However, if the term “milk” is used and its nutrient levels are lower than the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service uid milk substitution criteria, the agency encourages manufacturers to include a voluntary nutrient statement that conveys how the product compares to dairy milk.

Potential implications: If nalized, FDA is recommending that plant-based milk alternative products that use the “milk” nomenclature, but do not contain the same nutrient prole as cow’s milk, include an additional nutrient statement on the product label describing how it is nutritionally different specically across nine of the recognized nutrients contained in dairy milk: calcium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, riboavin and

The WIC program serves more than 6 million people monthly, including 43% of the country’s infants. Dairy foods are a central component of WIC and are redeemed by participants at higher rates than most other WIC foods. WIC serves as a critical resource for families in low-income households and promotes consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe and affordable food for pregnant and postpartum individuals, babies and young children. In November 2022, USDA announced proposed changes to the foods available to participants in WIC program.

Status: The 60-day comment period closed Feb. 21, and the National Dairy Council submitted comments.

Editorial disclaimer: Dairy checkoff may not engage in advocacy. The information shared is educational and based on science. No advocacy positions or views are expressed or intended with respect to the information above. They do not support or oppose a particular government policy or action and do not disparage another agricultural product.

The outdoor show

Spring is in the air. This brings about some unusual behavior, including those peculiar phenomena known as the outdoor shows. I say they are peculiar due to the fact that these so-called “outdoor” shows are invariably held indoors.

I hadn’t been to an outdoor show for many years, so I recently decided to take one in. The last outdoor show I attended was held so long ago that it had featured the latest cutting-edge developments in birchbark canoe construction and bamboo shing pole technology.

I quickly discovered that much had changed since then. In fact, things had transformed so radically that the show’s name had mutated from simply “Outdoor Show” to “Sportsmen’s Boat, Camping and Vacation Show.” This is a title that can cover an awful lot of stuff – which it most certainly did.

One thing that hadn’t changed, though, was the

way the show strove to attract the guy segment of our species. Among the biggest lures of that outdoor show I attended all those moons ago was the chance to shake hands with and procure an autograph of a former supermodel who had been featured in a famous men’s magazine.

The new incarnation of the outdoor show featured numerous family-friendly enticements such as a rubber ducky race and the opportunity to look at real, live tiger cubs. But the outdoor show was still denitely canted toward guys because everything at the show was about bigger, bigger and bigger. You couldn’t escape the message that size really does matter.

There were booths that featured equipment to help you catch bigger sh and displays that promoted hunts wherein a guy could bag an elk the size of a house. Gawking at the photos of successful elk hunts – the ecstatic hunters beaming from behind trophy

A better cow for a better future.

Herd Health Profit DollarsTM (HHP$TM) is a new tool to help producerscreate healthy, longer-living cattle in their herds. Emphasis on components, mastitis resistance, udder depth, teat size and placement are a few traits that are included to help boost your herd's profitability!

YOUNG

7HO16276 SHEEPSTER* 1,29912480

14HO15926 VAN GOGH* 1,23113179 14HO16069 MADURO* 1,21510280

250HO16257 DENALI* 1,19611680

7HO16396 FELIX* 1,19510879

7HO16148 BAMBAM 1,19311579

14HO16036 BART 1,19210580

7HO15913 KAHN* 1,18812079

7HO16176 WAR GEAR* 1,18711679

bulls that had horns the size of mature oak trees –caused me to feel a tinge of antler envy.

The latest shing technology included a device called the automatic ice sherman. This doohickey supposedly allows ice shermen to ice sh while leaving the shing rod totally unattended. And here I’d thought that ice shing couldn’t get any more exciting.

Another shingrelated advance was an underwater viewing system. This thingamabob can enable a guy to not only see the sh but to also note the water’s temperature, depth and direction in which the camera is pointing.

This device would be a “must have” for every sherman. A guy could link the doodad to his smartphone and produce underwater videos that would document his angling exploits. Add in the data collected by the doohickey and the sherman would have indisputable proof of the nuclear submarine-sized sh he could have caught had he been so inclined. This should satisfy any skeptic (mainly his wife) who thinks the sherman is spinning yet another farfetched “the big one that got away” yarn.

Watercraft have made tremendous advances. These days, sport shing boats are made of superstrong, super-exotic materials – I wouldn’t be surprised if unobtanium were involved – and are driven by engines that have enough horsepower to loft the boat into low Earth orbit.

In case there was any doubt this was a guy-oriented show, there was a booth that promoted smokeless tobaccos, one of which was called Kodiak. Smokeless tobacco is important to some outdoorsmen as it gives them a manly reason to spit. I suppose the polite term for this would be “expectorate.”

It probably wasn’t a coincidence that an actual 1,500-pound Kodiak bear named Brody was being kept in an enclosure near the tobacco booth. Brody was napping when I peeked in on him. He looked like a humungous wadded-up, coffee-colored fur comforter, albeit one that reeked mightily of bear funk. Bears might do many things in the woods but apparently taking a bath isn’t one of them.

I didn’t stick around to catch Brody’s show although there were snapshots on display that depicted his previous performances. The most startling photo was the one where Brody had his trainer’s face almost fully engulfed in his (the bear’s) yawning, slobbery, razor-toothed, bear-funk mouth. That is either the ultimate in macho male grossness or the most extreme form of French kissing I’ve ever seen. I didn’t bother to ask anyone which it might be.

As I drove home that day, I wondered: What if Brody’s trainer had a chaw of Kodiak smokeless tobacco in his mouth when he performed his face-inthe-bear’s-maw act? Could it then be said that you saw a Kodiak mouthing a mouth that was mouthing some Kodiak?

In any case, I hoped Brody’s trainer didn’t choose that particular moment to expectorate.

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

Stay informed of FSA programs

By Steve Frericks Stearns County FSA executive director

Seasoned farmers will always tell you that no two years are ever the same. The pending spring of 2023 reminds us just how true this is. Have you completed all your Farm Service Agency documents? Are you interested in a Farm Storage Facility Loan? Have you picked up new ground and need to know if there are any wetland impacts on this cropland? Have you addressed all operating loan funding needs? Now is the time to visit FSA before you hit the elds.

Applying for youth loans: The Farm Service Agency makes loans to youth to establish and operate agricultural income-producing projects in connection with 4-H clubs, FFA and other agricultural groups. Projects must be planned and operated with the help of the organization advisor, produce sufcient income to repay the loan, and provide the youth with practical business and educational experience. The maximum loan amount is $5,000.

Youth loan eligibility requirements are: be a citizen of the United States (which includes Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) or a legal resident alien; be 10 years to 20 years of age; comply with FSA’s general eligibility requirements; be unable to get a loan from other sources; conduct a modest income-producing project in a supervised program of work as outlined above; and demonstrate capability of planning, managing and operating the project under guidance and assistance from a project advisor. The project supervisor must recommend the youth loan applicant, along with providing adequate supervision.

Emergency Relief Program phase 2: This is a tax year-based certication program that provides assistance for producers who suffered a loss in revenue due to necessary expenses associated with losses of eligible crops (excluding crops intended for grazing) due in whole or in part to a qualifying disaster event that occurred in the 2020 or 2021 calendar year.

Qualifying natural disaster events include wildres, hurricanes, oods, derechos, excessive heat, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), smoke exposure, excessive moisture, qualifying drought and related conditions. In general, ERP phase two payments are to be based on the difference in certain farm revenue between a typical year of revenue (2018 or 2019) and the disaster year. Signup began Jan. 23 and goes until June 2.

Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing critical support to producers impacted by the effects of the coronavirus outbreak through the Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program. PARP provides direct nancial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who suffered at least a 15% loss in gross revenue in calendar year 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Payments to eligible producers will be based upon a comparison of the producer’s gross revenue from 2020 compared to either 2018 or 2019, as elected by the producer. FSA is accepting applications for PARP until June 2.

Wool loan deciency payments: With shearing season here or right around the corner, please remember to contact FSA staff to make sure you have page 1 of the CCC-633EZ form submitted before you lose interest in the wool. For wool, these forms are tied to the calendar year, so if you plan on shearing after the rst of the year, make sure you have submitted a 2023 version of the form to avoid losing out on potential wool LDPs.

Timely report ownership and operator changes: Producers who buy or sell agricultural land need to notify FSA as soon as possible following the transaction to ensure timely updating of FSA farm records. Ownership changes require a copy of the recorded deed be submitted to FSA. If you are renting new land, FSA needs a copy of the cash lease before you can be added to the farm and/or be given any information about the farm, such as maps, base acres, yields and program elections. If an operator is dropping rented land, FSA appreciates notica-

tion of this change for keeping records up to date at the FSA ofce. Producers who have transferred their land into a trust also need to timely report this ownership change to the FSA ofce. When an ownership changes to a trust, the trust, grantors or trustee(s) need to provide a copy of the recorded deed to FSA. Ownership changes involving land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program need to be reported to the FSA ofce once the deed is recorded at the county recorder’s ofce. Failure to timely report an ownership change (including land being transferred from an individual to a trust, etc.) for land enrolled in CRP could result in termination of the CRP contract and require a refund of all payments received under the applicable contract. Timely reporting of ownership changes is appreciated. FSA is not notied by the county recorder’s ofce of any land sales and/or ownership changes.

Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 20250. Visit www.fsa.usda.gov for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs

JD 9800 2020, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1287 hrs., 833 CH hrs., #536344 ................ $497,000

JD 8700 2018, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 2327 hrs., 1849 CH hrs., #552442 .............. $284,000

JD 8700 2016, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1840 hrs., 1103 CH hrs., #525709 .............. $324,000

JD 8700 2018, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1701 hrs., 1069 CH hrs., #541389 .............. $348,500

Claas 970 2018, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 2257 hrs., 1639 CH hrs., #533174 ........... $299,000

JD 9700 2020, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1155 hrs., 653 CH hrs., #543646 ................ $503,000

JD 8600 2018, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1651 hrs., 778 CH hrs., #188792 ................ $342,000

JD 7450 2008, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 5410 hrs., 3720 CH hrs., #547277 .............. $110,500

JD 8800 2016, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 2602 hrs., 1679 CH hrs., #175182 .............. $268,100

JD 8500 2016, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 2231 hrs., 1180 CH hrs., #555984 .............. $259,000

JD 8300 2022, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 30 hrs., #537501 ....................................... $459,000

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

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

JD 9800 2019, Kernel Processor, PRWD,

Marking time

This has been a long and snowy season with little hope of winter loosening its grip any time soon. It reminds me of the good, old snowstorms when our kids were little. I don’t remember the exact year, but I remember the fun the kids had. They dug snow forts and tunnels in the walls of sliced snowdrifts lining the driveway. The drifts were as tall as the tractor cab when Mark was nally able to make it home to blow us out. The drifts at the farm were up to the roof of the milking barn. Michael decided he would make the barn roof a giant slide, landing in the drifts below. I don’t know how many hours they played King of the Hill, staging attacks on snow piles in the yard.

We don’t have as much snow this year, but there are still signs to remind us it has been a good winter. There are snow piles in every open corner of

the farm. The north side of our house has drifts up to the windows. It looks like the house is snuggled down for a long, slow winter thaw. As Mark and I drove to Arlington the other day, the snow fences running parallel with the road were completely buried. In some places, as I looked out my window, I could only see a wall of snow. At least the roads were clear and dry to travel.

Despite the threat of more snow for the boy’s state basketball tournament, there are some signs of spring pushing back against winter. There is very little exposed ground, and it is a bit too cold for robins to be hopping around, but Mark did see a pontoon boat heading south for warm open waters before the road restriction signs go up this week.

The best sign of spring is the strength of the warming sun as it cuts through the morning fogs,

creating slushy trails between the domes by the afternoon feeding. This is when I discover another end to winter. My damp socks expose the cracks at the wear points in my winter rubber boots as I slosh through the water puddles covering slick icy patches. If I’m not careful, my socks won’t be the only thing wet.

March calves aren’t the only babies on our farm this spring. We had our rst batch of kittens born in the barn. Five new little ones snuggle with their mother and two other cats in a milking towel box lled with straw. We are surprised the kittens can breathe with all of the cats on top of them. Just as they were getting big enough to move around, their mother decided it was time to move them somewhere else a bit more secluded. So much for taming that batch of kittens. Of course, we have discovered that taming cats tends to shorten their life span. They think they should hang out with us in the barn and sleep in a stall. Our cows don’t like to share their stalls very well. We’ve had our share of fuzzy Flat Stanleys.

By Natalie Schmitt Columnist

When we took a break from milking one winter, the cats pretty much had the run of the barn. Every stall was theirs to claim. Now that the barn is full of milking cows, the cats need to nd different places to snuggle.

Mark received a picture on his phone last week. He was confused as to why a picture of a solitary cow standing in our barn would show up on his phone. I took one look and realized it was a reminder of an important moment in his life. It was the day we started milking again.

When we sold the milking herd and springing heifers in October 2020, Mark wasn’t quite ready to hang up the milking units for good. When he glanced around the heifer lot, he saw the promise of a lifetime of breeding decisions walking around. He just had to bring them on line to see how they would turn out. We started milking in March 2021 when Diamond calved. She was the rst heifer to ll a stall in our empty barn. I took a picture to mark the moment. One by one, we lled every stall by the end of that year.

Time seems to be marked by the events in our life, be it weddings, funerals, pregnancies, school years, sales or even long, snowy winters. The memories serve as a point of reference in our timeline of life. Sometimes, we are surprised at how much time has actually passed since a marked moment of time in our lives. Other times, we can be amazed at how much life has been lived between marked moments. It is as if life is strung together by events through history, marking the times of our lives. All it takes is a quick reminder, a photo, of an important moment to reset our clock.

As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.

Thoughts of days gone by

I help coach our county’s 4-H Dairy Project Bowl Team. If you’re not familiar, project bowl is very similar to knowledge bowl, but instead of general knowledge, 4-Hers are quizzed on their knowledge of all things dairy.

Dairy Good Life

By Sadie Frericks Columnist

At practice last week, we were reviewing the history of the dairy industry. We studied developments such as the invention of the cream separator by Dr. Gustaf de Laval in 1878 and the passage of the Capper-Volstead Act in 1922, which exempts agricultural cooperatives from anti-trust laws. Another invention in 1922, that of the Surge Bucket Milker, by Herbert McCornack, prompted me to offer a personal connection.

I explained that when I was very young, we milked cows with those same Surge buckets. First the strap was draped over the cow’s loin and adjusted for her height and the depth of her udder; then, the bucket was hung and the milker attached. Once the cow was milked out, the bucket was carried to the bulk tank. Or, if you were lucky, your farm might have a step saver to pour the milk into.

The kids on the team commented that milking with buckets seemed like it would be really hard. But, in perspective, we explained, buckets were way easier than milking by hand.

This Surge Bucket moment is just one of a greater collection of moments I’ve been having recently. Moments when thoughts of days gone by are examined in comparison to today. And how, through our insatiable quest for efciency and convenience, there are experiences our kids will likely never have and skills they might never need. Such as:

1. How to water livestock with hoses in the winter. My kids have never known the joy of frozen hoses. Growing up, and during our rst couple years on this farm, there was always at least one group of heifers that didn’t have an automatic, all-weather waterer. Which meant that someone had to both water the heifers and then carefully drain the hose afterwards. Grandpa always drained the hoses twice; it didn’t take me long to follow his example. One improperly drained section, no matter how small, meant the hose had to be coiled and hauled into the milk house to thaw out.

2. How to open a sack of feed the hard way. When I was little, feed still came in gunny sacks. Woven polypropylene bags soon replaced them, then paper. But the stitching used to close the bags stayed the same for a long time. And that stitching required very deft undoing on the correct end of the stitch in order to open the bag. One miscalculated pull on that ne string meant a horrible knot instead of a quickly opened bag. Today’s feed bags all have easy pull strips that take the guesswork out of opening.

3. How to grate cheese.

The whisked eggs were already in the pan for the rst before-school omelet before I realized that there was no shredded co-jack cheese in the cheese drawer. But there was a block of co-jack, so I grabbed the grater and the omelets were saved. So, thankfully, my kids do know how to grate cheese, but I wonder if their future kitchens will be equipped with a grater.

4. How to open a tin can.

We were checking out at the grocery store and one of the girls was helping me place the items on the belt. She saw the cans of tuna I was purchasing and asked, “How are we going to open those cans? They don’t have tabs.”

The clerk, a lady with a little more life experience than I have, chuckled quietly. I told my daughter that we’d used a can opener to open the cans. And when we got home, I proceeded to show her the can opener and how it worked.

We certainly eat – and cook with – fewer canned goods than we did 30 years ago. Will can openers remain relevant?

5. Howto spell.

One of our kids asked me to review their Chapter FFA Ofcer application, which was typed up in a document on their Chromebook. I was offering sug-

gestions and they were typing when I noticed a misspelled word. I started to offer the correct spelling for the word, but my assistance was unneeded. All they had to do was hover over the incorrect word, which was already underlined with a red squiggle, and the word processing app offered the correct spelling.

6. How to write.

I have yet to try it out – and I don’t think my kids have either – but between radio and news coverage, I’ve heard plenty about ChatGPT, the new digital tool that uses articial intelligence to generate written content. The tool can do everything from write an essay to compose an email reply. As a writer and editor and general lover of words, this one breaks my heart.

7. How to nd a hymn.

In church last weekend, I found myself pondering transformations in our weekly services. There are

no longer little placards bearing the numbers of this week’s hymns. The hymnals themselves are gone, too. Which meant no gentle rustling of pages while congregants ipped to the proper hymn. The hymns, the creeds, and the responses are instead shared on the screens in the front of the church.

My parents and grandparents have similar lists that make this one pale in comparison. I was lucky enough to hear many stories of their days gone by while milking with Dad or sitting with Grandpa. I appreciate those stories now, more than ever. And I believe we tell them not out of disdain for today but out of nostalgia. And as a reminder to appreciate the conveniences our forefathers and foremothers labored for us to attain.

Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children – Dan, Monika, and Daphne. Sadie also writes a blog at www. dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@ gmail.com