March 27, 2021 Dairy Star - Zone 1 by Dairy Star

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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™

Volume 23, No. 3

March 27, 2021

A dairy’s complementary enterprise Gatewoods diversify with direct meat sales By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com

WILLMAR, Minn. – For four generations, milking cows has been the mainstay of the Gatewood family business. In a three-fold effort to connect consumers to agriculture, provide an additional source of income and capture the returns of raising youngstock, the Gatewoods have looked beyond the tiestall barn and toward another business venture of direct marketing meat. “When we started this, we were just going to give it a try,” Gene Gatewood said. “No one else was doing it, so it was the right time to start. Now, there’s a market and you could be one of 100 farms doing these sales and you still wouldn’t be competing.” Gene and his family – wife, Shelly; son, Jordan; and daughter-in-law, Kristi – operate Grandpa’s Granary on their 66-cow dairy farm in Kandiyohi County near Willmar. At the farm, the Gatewoods raise about 20 Holstein and Turn to GATEWOODS | Page 6

JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR

The Gatewoods – (from leŌ) Shelly, Gene, KrisƟ and Jordan – milk 66 cows on their farm in Kandiyohi County near Willmar, Minnesota. The family also raises about 20 dairy steers for the direct sale of beef cuts.

COVID-19 vaccines available for essential workers Dairy farmers, processors nd opportunity in pandemic By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com

One year into the coronavirus pandemic, the virus remains a hindrance to communities across the globe. Yet, as vaccines become available to essential workers in agriculture, a sense of normalcy is on the horizon. “Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is important because it will offer our team members and their families protection, and, hopefully, some relief from the stress this virus has caused,” said Annie Vannurden, manager at Silverstreak Dairies LLC. Vannurden has coordinated with local health care providers to administer the vaccine to employees at the farm’s central Minnesota dairies March 27. At the beginning of March, agriculture workers became a part of the group of eligible Minnesotans to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, categorized as frontline essential workers. As of March 21, the state health department reported more than 1.4 million citizens having received at least one vaccine dose and another 850,000 who have completed the vaccine series.

The same is similar in Wisconsin. As of March 23, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported nearly 1.5 million Wisconsin residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine; 870,000 have completed the vaccine series. “We have been coordinating with our members and health ofcials to set up on-site vaccination clinics at plants and doing that plant-by-plant assistance for weeks now,” John Umhoefer said. “There are several ways to get people registered through federal and state lists and through pharmacies. We’ve been driving that message to our members.” Umhoefer is the executive director of Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, which represents 650 companies and cooperatives that make and market dairy products and supply the dairy industry. There are three COVID-19 vaccines approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, two with a two-dose series and one with a single dose. The two-dose series are considered plug and play technology, according to Lisa Morici of Tulane University’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology. “This type of vaccine induces an immune response to stop the COVID-19 spike protein from getting to our bodies’ cells,” Morici said. “This particular method is designed to combat a pandemic, where

we’re dealing with an emerging virus that we didn’t know how to grow and make a lot of it. This has been in development for 30 years.” Morici presented, “Dispelling misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine: What agriculture producers need to know,” in a webinar hosted by AgriSafe Network March 11. The single-dose vaccine is modied from the human adenovirus to create the spike protein found in COVID-19. “These vaccines are some of the safest that have ever been developed,” Morici said. “They were incredibly scrutinized.” Regardless of which vaccine is administered, health ofcials are urging all to get vaccinated. “It’s estimated about 20% of the United States are immune to COVID-19. We need about 80% of the population to be immune to get to herd immunity,” Morici said. “Ag businesses are familiar with herd immunity as it affects animals and crops. We need enough to block and limit transmission of the virus to protect those who are not immune.” For Stephanie Krueger and her family, contributing to that immunity through the vaccine was a simple decision. Turn to VACCINES | Page 5

Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com

ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Krista Kuzma - Editor/Wisconsin (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main 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 Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.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) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Julie Barnes (SE WI and Northern IL) julie.b@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Kati Kindschuh (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-979-5284 • kati.k@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.

The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.

A glance at the other side

Dairy Star likes to provide local stories, which is why we have two versions of the paper. Below are a few highlights from stories you will not nd in this paper, but you can nd online in zone 2. Find full editions on our website, www.dairystar.com, and click on the e-edition tab under the Dairy Star header. Two decades of modernization help Baudhuins thrive Galen Baudhuin has been updating and expanding his farm near Brussels, Wisconsin, ever since he and his wife, Lisa, took it over from his parents in 2002. His latest addition is a freestall barn built in 2019. The three-row barn contains 100 stalls for milk cows, two large pens for steers and three commodity bins. The Baudhuins farm with their children, Brooke and Dustin, milking 240 cows and farming 600 acres. Jersey herd inspiration for Little Brown Cow Cheese Started in 2018 by Don Wilterdink and his family, Little Brown Cow Cheese is a cheese with a small-town story. Made from a blend of their Jersey herd’s milk and locally sourced milk, the cheddar cheese comes in aged, medium, and mild varieties. Milk from Wilterdink’s 60-cow herd contains 5.5% butterfat, which produces a soft, creamy cheese that is sold in several Madison, Wisconsin stores as well as in stores local to Wilterdink’s farm near Sheboygan Falls. Kreagers build recipe for success Keith and Juli Kreager milk 80 cows with their sons, Landon and Mavrick, on their farm near Marathon City, Wisconsin. The Kreagers have spent their dairy farming careers building their rst-generation dairy farm from scratch with the hopes of creating a successful farm for their sons to have the opportunity to take over if they wish to. The Kreagers believe that in dairy farming, they must continually make changes to keep moving forward; and with each change they have made, they have worked to implement new technology. Anderson begins dairy career while nishing school Dairy farming was not a career Ben Anderson considered until he realized how much he actually missed milking cows after his dad sold the family’s dairy herd in 2019. Shortly after that, Ben made plans to try dairy farming on for size while he was young, to see if he wanted to make that his career. While nishing up his animal science management degree at Chippewa Valley Technical College, Anderson started his dairy herd with 22 cows on his family’s farm near Spring Valley, Wisconsin.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 3

It’s all inside... Columnists

The “Mielke” Market Weekly

Bon Yankton Homme

Clay

Lyon

Willmar

O’Brien

Sioux

Gatewoods connect consumers to farm with direct sales First Section: Pages 1, 6 - 7

Woodbury

Ida

Monona

e Buena Vista

Kossuth

lh Ca

Pottawattamie Cass ry ome

tg Mon

Page

n Win

Kanabec

Washington

ms ey

Fillimore

Mower

Worth

Mitchell Howard

Hancock Cerro Gordo

old

Floyd

Greene Guthrie

Bremer

Wright Franklin Butler

Boone

Dallas

First Section: Pages 36

Houston

Story

Polk

all

Black Hawk

Tama

rsh

ick

Webster Hamilton Hardin Grundy

Sac

Harrison Shelby

c Po

eba

Palo Alto

Crawford Carroll

Fre

eu r

n inso Emmet

Dick

Clay

Freeborn

Faribault

Martin

ero

Mills

Zone 1

Hubbard

Osceola

Plymouth

Pages 10 - 11 Second Section

Wadena

Wilkin ln

Lin

Jackson

Jasper

Turner

Nobles

Winona

iek

Hutchinson

Rock

Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted

ake

Charles Mix

McCook Minnehaha

Murray

Women in Dairy: Alice Callstrom

Wabasha

Gregory

Moody

Red Wing

Goodhue

Rice

Tripp

Lake

Nicollet

Brown

Todd

Douglas

Redwood

All

Mellette

Miner

Lyon

Fayette an

e war Dubuque

Clayton

Benton

Dela

Jones

Linn

Clinton on Cedar

s hn

Iowa

Jackson

Scott

Rushford

Kid’s Corner: The Dahls Third Section: Pages 10 - 11

Muscatine

Aurora

Brule

Sanborn

Brookings

Dakota

Scott

Sibley

Madison Warren Marion Mahaska Keokuk

Adair

Adams Taylor

Union ld

g Rin

Clarke

Lucas

Decatur Wayne

Monroe Wapello se

noo

pa Ap

Davis

gto

Bennett

Lyman

Jerauld

Kingsbury

Carver

W in

Jackson

Buffalo

Beadle

Hennepin

McLeod

hin

Jones

Hughes

Hamlin

Hand

Anoka

Wright

Meeker

Renville

Yellow Medicine

Isanti

Stanley

Hyde

Deuel

Kandiyohi

Chippewa

Lac Qui Parle

Codington

Clark

Sherburne

Wa s

Shannon

Spink

Benton

Stearns

Pope

Swift

Grant

Ziebach Sully

Stevens

iek

Fall River

Page 38 First Section

Day

Faulk

Potter

Big Stone

Morrison

Douglas

First Section: Pages 10 - 11

Pine

Mille Lacs

Custer

Edmunds

Carlton

Todd Grant

Marschalls honor late wife, mother with Scott County Farm Family of the Year

Aitkin

Crow Wing

Dewey

Pennington

Roberts

Marshall

McPherson Brown

Walworth

Haakon

Sargent

Otter Tail

Tra ver se

Campbell

Corson

Dickey

Richland

Cass

Po we

Calf Chronicles

Ransom

LaMoure

McIntosh

Sioux

Becker

Clay

Shakopee

Lawrence

Cass

Mah

Lake

Itasca

Page Meade 33 First Section

Bames

Cook

isa Ch

Come Full Dairy Circle

Stutsman

Emmons

Perkins

Butte

Kidder

Logan

Grant

Page 32 First Section

Harding

Burleigh

Morton

Just Thinking Out Loud

en nom

Norman

Oliver

Adams

Polk

Trail

Steele

Lincoln

Bowman

Page 31 Hettinger First Section

Griggs

St. Louis

Pipestone

Slope

Foster

Koochiching

Sheridan Mercer

Beltrami

Red Lake

Golden Valley

Wells

First Section: Pages 18, 20, 22

Lake of the Woods

Pennington

Eddy

McLean

Producers share insight on signicant production increase

Third Section: Page 9

Roseau

Grand Forks

Sleepy Eye

Dairy’s Working Youth: Isaac Kulzer

Marshall

Benson Nelson

Billings

Kittson

Walsh

Ramsey

McHenry

Ward

Pembina

Something to Ruminate Stark On

Cavalier

Towner

Dear County Agent Guy Dunn

Rolette Pierce

Mountrail

Page 30 First Section

Second Section: Pages 6 - 7

Da vi so n

McKenzie

Third Section: Pages 3 - 4

Bottineau

Greenwald

Wolbeck becomes more attentive as organic farmer

Renville Page Burke 27 First Section

Williams

Sauk Centre

North Dakotan lands a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list

On the Road with Princess Kay Divide

Carrington

Pages 8-9 First Section

Clearwater

Ag Insider

ers

f Jef

Van Buren

Louisa

Henry Des

Moines

Lee

Zone 2 Fort Atkinson Lanesboro

Hazels say goodbye to their dairying career

For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com

From Our Side of the Fence First Section: Pages 15 - 16

First Section: Pages 23, 25

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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 5

ConƟnued from VACCINES | Page 1 “We didn’t really have any hesitations,” Krueger said. “When it was available for farmers, we jumped at the opportunity to do our part.” Krueger and her family milk 100 cows in Sibley County near Arlington, Minnesota. She and her husband, Scott, were vaccinated March 10. Their 20-year-old daughter was vaccinated two days prior through her part-time

“If either one of us were to get sick, it would be near impossible to keep the farm running.”

STEPHANIE KRUEGER, DAIRY FARMER

work at a local veterinary clinic. “Scott and all four of our kids have an autoimmune disease, so we wanted to do everything we could to protect them from the worst of it,” Krueger said. “We also have a very limited number of employees. If either one of us were to get sick, it would be near impossible to keep the farm running.” Vannurden expressed the same concern of having her farms function as usual if there were a larger COVID-19 outbreak amongst employees. “We trust the science and know vaccinating our team will build up immunity for our farm and add to the immunity for our communities,” Vannurden said. Silverstreak Dairies LLC has one dairy in northern Minnesota. Those em-

ployees will be offered the vaccine in April. Another farm in South Dakota will have the vaccines available later this spring. “Our biggest concern has been availability,” Vannurden said. “We are happy Minnesota is prioritizing agriculture workers for receiving the vaccines. We hope other states will follow suit.” Both dairy farmers’ day-to-day responsibilities have only been slightly affected by the virus. The larger impact of the pandemic on the global dairy industry is their greatest concern. “The pandemic created the milk prices to crash initially, then skyrocket and ebbed again,” Krueger said. “Hopefully now that ag workers are able to be vaccinated, plants will be able to run at 100% capacity.” Vannurden agreed. “We all hate to see milk dumped because plants are shut down or limitations because of supply and demand,” she said. “If the vaccine can keep plants operating, kids in school and people eating their cheese pizza at restaurants, then we will see (dairy) demand pick back up.” From a processing standpoint, businesses continue adhering to strict protocols to ensure the health and safety of those workers in food production. The vaccines are supplemental to those procedures but essential for a return to normalcy, said Umhoefer. “Everyone is curious to see how consumers react to dining in or out, and what restaurants and grocery shopping will look like a year from now,” he said. “We believe the vaccine is the key to the economic recovery.”

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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

ConƟnued from GATEWOODS | Page 1

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Gene and Shelly Gatewood discuss farm responsibiliƟes in their Ɵestall barn near Willmar, Minnesota. The couple and their son and daughter-in-law milk 66 cows. Holstein-Angus steers for cuts of beef, as well as quarters, halves and wholes. “If (Jordan and Kristi) weren’t here, we’re at the point where we’d probably be selling the cows,” Gene said. “I’m at the point that I’m not going to work that hard by myself, and having this with the dairy, there’s no way.” Shelly agreed. “They help us make it go,” she said. While all family members help on the farm, Jordan oversees raising the steers. Calves are given colostrum shortly after birth and then milk replacer until weaned. Both steers and heifers are raised together until about 600 pounds before the steers are separated and fed a corn-based diet until they reach nishing weight. The animals are then processed at a United States Department of Agriculture inspected plant in Grove City, which allows the Gatewoods to offer direct sales of their meat. “I thought dealing with people was going to be a challenge, but it actually comes pretty easy for me,” Jordan said. “It is fun to sell directly to customers. Some people say they won’t go anywhere else.” The Gatewoods offer meat sales at the farm as well as at the farmers market and local spring exposition. During the spring and summer months, popular cuts include steaks and hamburger, while roasts are fall and winter staples. “A lot of our sales come from word of mouth,” Kristi said. Shelly agreed. “And if we get bigger orders in Willmar, we’ll deliver or meet people somewhere,” she said. Before kick-starting this enterprise of the dairy, the Gatewoods built a calf

barn that allowed more room to raise nishing steers. They also spoke with a meat inspector to have a greater understanding of what would be expected of them. The family is now in their fth year of operating Grandpa’s Granary. “We’ve always had livestock and we’ve always milked,” Gene said. “We talked about (selling meat) for a while and nally decided to try it. It hasn’t been a major money maker. … People come, but they don’t come knocking down your door.” Jordan agreed. “We really didn’t know if this was going to take off or not,” he said. “But, it’s always a way to keep the farm going. If milk prices aren’t good, all your investments aren’t in to that. This guarantees we’ll have an income of some sort.” As sales ebb and ow throughout the year, the Gatewoods see a greater purpose to their direct sales. Not only have they created a market for their meat, they have also sparked conversations about farming with those removed from the livelihood. “The neatest thing is meeting the people, and I think it’s going to get to where more people want to know where their food comes from,” Gene said. “We don’t sugarcoat it, although there’s an awful lot of pride in what we do as farmers and we want to share that.” Kristi agreed. “As farmers, we’re sometimes in our own world,” she said. “This is drawing people to the farm and getting our name and business out in the community.” The Gatewoods admitted one of Turn to GATEWOODS | Page 7

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ConƟnued from GATEWOODS | Page 6 their greatest challenges is bringing people to their farm, which is located on a rural road outside of town. Their location and the onset of the pandemic made this past year more problematic than others. Due to the high demand for meat processing last spring, the Gatewoods sold out of the meat supply they had but then could not get another butcher date booked. “At one point, we were going to three different meat lockers,” Shelly said. “There aren’t that many that are USDA

inspected.” To combat those setbacks, the Gatewoods hosted a drive-thru brisket dinner where the public was encouraged to come to the farm, enjoy a meal and learn about farming. About 150 people attended the event this past October. “It not only got people out here to possibly buy, but it was a way to get closer to people and people closer to us,” Gene said. “We want to do a continuation of that next year.” Currently, Grandpa’s Gra-

JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR

KrisƟ Gatewood shows the variety of beef cuts available at the Gatewood family’s on-farm store, Grandpa’s Granary, March 12 near Willmar, Minnesota. The family started selling beef ve years ago.

Jordan Gatewood feeds milk to a pen of young calves March 12 on his family’s farm near Willmar, Minnesota. The Gatewoods raise both steers and heifers together unƟl the steers reach 600 pounds. nary is connected to the calf in order to host more gather- feels good that what we’re dobarn. Eventually, the fam- ings on the farm. ing is something to help our ily would like to build a small “This is here to stay and community’s agriculture inbuilding specically for the makes farming worthwhile,” dustry.” direct sales. They also hope to Jordan said. “There are fewer construct a small event venue and fewer small farms, and it

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USDA considers a replacement for food box program Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

The United States Department of Agriculture $3.6 billion in funding for USDA food purchases and Agricultural Marketing Service is taking input donations, measures to protect essential workers from on the a new COVID-19-related food purchase COVID-19 and other loans to bolster food industry and distribution program to replace the Farmers resiliency,” said Michael Dykes, president and CEO to Families Food Box Program. Public comment of IDFA. will be taken through the end of this Ag Insider month. An announcement promoting a USDEC challenges Canadian tariff listening session said, “While the food rate quotas box effort served some communities The U.S. Dairy Export Council is well, it faced challenges in others.” urging the Biden administration to take Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said action on the dairy quotas within the U.S.the administrative costs for the program Mexico-Canada Agreement. USDEC during the Trump administration were President and CEO Krysta Harden said too high. The Farmers to Families Food Canada needs to stop manipulating these Box Program has been supportive for tariff rate quotas. “Its actions have not dairy prices. only negatively impacted U.S. dairy farmers and manufacturers, but also NASDA supports food box effort constrained many Canadian companies The National Association of State from being able to make use these new By Don Wick Departments of Agriculture supports the TRQs to expand their supply options. Columnist continuation of the Farmers to Families USMCA lays out clear requirements on Food Box Program. NASDA called for TRQ procedures, and we urge the U.S. more exibility in the items within the food boxes government to ensure full compliance by Canada and is seeking changes to increase participation from with those commitments.” Agriculture Secretary Tom local farmers and vendors. NASDA represents the Vilsack, who previously led USDEC, has emphasized commissioners, secretaries and directors of the state the importance of enforcing trade agreements. departments of agriculture in all 50 states. 2021 milk production forecast declines slightly COVID-19 relief measure signed into law In USDA’s latest supply/demand report, 2021 President Joe Biden has signed the nearly $2 milk production was forecast at 227.3 billion pounds. trillion American Rescue Plan. Democrats passed the That is down 100 million pounds from the February bill in both chambers of Congress without a single report. Cow numbers are expected to increase, but Republican vote. This package includes $4 billion to that will be offset by slower growth in milk output per respond to the disruptions in the food supply chain. cow. The Class III milk price was raised 15 cents from There is another $4 billion to provide debt relief for the previous forecast at $16.75 per hundredweight. In farmers of color with 120% of the outstanding federal 2020, the Class III price averaged $18.16 per cwt. loans forgiven. The COVID-19 bill also expands last year’s 15% increase in SNAP benets through the end Peterson takes on new farm policy role of September. Former House Agriculture Committee Chair Collin Peterson has teamed up with Combest, Sell and American Rescue Plan praised by IDFA Associates. Peterson is not able to lobby until the end The enactment of the new COVID-19 relief of the year but will work in an advisory and consulting package is being applauded by the International basis. Combest Sell clients include the dairy industry. Dairy Foods Association. “The package allocates

Redistricting and rural representation State Sen. Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks, Minnesota, is chairing the Senate Redistricting Committee, which draws the lines for congressional and state legislative districts. As metro areas grow, Johnson said the representation of rural Minnesota suffers. Johnson cites the use of state disaster funds to deal with the civil unrest in the Twin Cities this past summer. “Because of political pressure, the governor reached into that fund and used for the civil unrest issue too,” Johnson said. “That takes money away from emergencies like ooding in East Grand Forks or Roseau for a tornado. That’s the practical impact of losing the strength of rural representation and the political power moving to urban interest.” During the KKCQ Farm Forum, Johnson said Minnesota is in danger of losing a congressional seat with redistricting. Dairy market analyst passes Leukemia claimed the life of Alan Levitt, 59, March 7. Levitt was the vice president of communications and market analysis for the U.S. Dairy Export Council for 12 years. Previously, Levitt ran his own freelance communications rm, served as editor of Cheese Market News and managing editor for Dairy Foods magazine. Dairy researcher dies Dairy researcher Todd Klaenhammer, 69, has died. Klaenhammer was an international expert of lactic acid bacteria used in starter cultures for dairy foods and probiotics. A native of St. Paul, Klaenhammer went to school at the University of Minnesota. He served on the North Carolina State University faculty for 40 years and is the rst food scientist to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Dairy 2025 Over the next four years, all Land O’Lakes dairy farmer/owners will complete an intensive on-farm sustainability assessment. The new Dairy Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9

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ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 2025 Commitment is described as the cooperative’s next step in its focus on sustainability. FBN acquires Prairie Livestock Supply Farmers Business Network is launching an animal health and nutrition platform. This effort includes the acquisition of Prairie Livestock Supply of Worthington, Minnesota. In addition to the sale of animal health products, Prairie Livestock Supply has 40 veterinarians, animal health sales specialists and nutritionists who will join FBN. Checkoff expands consumer reach The Dairy Checkoff is partnering with the National Football League and Discovery Education for a new initiative. NFL players will share their signature smoothie recipes in a series of videos that will be shared on social media and the DMI Dairy Good channels. A Farming to the Future virtual eld trip is being made available to classrooms across the country.

Celebrity chef Carla Hall is included in the virtual classroom effort. The goal with these projects is to promote the dairy industry’s sustainability story, the dairy farmers’ commitment to the planet, and the unique health and wellness benets of dairy products. Trivia challenge Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was a research chemist before going into the world of politics. In that role, Thatcher is often credited with having a role in the development of soft serve ice cream. That answers our last trivia question. For this week, who is the last U.S. president to grow up on a farm milking cows? We will have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.

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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

A tribute to their matriarch

Marschalls honor late wife, mother with Scott County Farm Family of the Year By Krista Kuzma

krista.k@dairystar.com

SHAKOPEE, Minn. – The past year has been difcult for the Marschalls as they mourn the loss of their wife and mother, Michelle. “It’s a big change without Mom,” Travis Marschall said. “She kept the family together. Everyone has their differences, but Mom was the one who listened. … She was the backbone of our family.” After less than a year’s battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known more commonly as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Michelle passed away at the age of 60 March 29, 2020. Three weeks later, the Marschalls were notied they had been named the 2020 Scott County Farm Family of the Year, a recognition they dedicated to Michelle as the late matriarch of the family. “She would have been honored to receive it if she was still alive,” Travis said. The Marschalls milk 155 cows on their dairy near Shakopee where family makes up the labor force of the farm. Until her diagnosis in summer

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The Marschall family – (front, from le�) Emily Miller, Kinley Graber, Katum Graber, Taryn, Trevyn, and Tucker; (back row from le�) Trent, Tanya Graber, Jus�n Graber, Michelle, Rick, Tad holding Taya, Tiﬀ, Kally holding Taten, and Travis holding Taylin – is the 2020 Sco� County Farm Family of the Year. They milk 155 cows near Shakopee, Minnesota. This picture was taken before Michelle passed away from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in March 2020. 2019, Michelle worked full time on the farm alongside her husband, Rick. “She was very dedicated to the farm,” Rick said. “She didn’t like things to be out of place and wanted the place to look clean. And she was a hardworking woman. She wasn’t scared to do

KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR

The Marschall family’s 155-cow herd is housed in a compost barn constructed in 2004.

anything.” years. Now Duane rents the Marschalls Two of their four children are in- his 300 acres and does whatever eldvolved on the farm full time: Travis, work is necessary to help. He and his and his wife, Kally, along with their wife were especially helpful to the famchildren Tucker, 12, Trevyn, 10, Taten, ily when Michelle was battling ALS. 3, Taylin, 18 months, and anTwo nephews, Seth Werother child on the way; and meskirchen and Alex Stade, Trent, who is engaged to Emalso pitch in when needed. ily Miller. Rick and Michelle met in high school. Rick graduated Although their other two in 1975 and started farming children work off the farm, with his parents on their farm, they pitch in on a part-time which is now a developed area basis: Tad, and his wife, Tiff, of Shakopee. When the two and their children Taryn, 11, were married in April 1980, and Taya, 3; and Tanya, and they took over the farm. At the her husband, Justin Graber, Michelle time, the Marschalls milked and their children, Kinley, 9, Marschall with buckets. As a wedding and Katum, 7. “Everyone does a little of some- present, Rick gave Michelle a Step Saver, which would help them with thing around here,” Kally said. While Travis is in charge of the their milking process as they took over herd, Trent focuses on feeding and the responsibilities. Urban encroachment forced them eldwork. Rick milks and is in charge of crops. Kally works with Travis to to look for other farmsites. In 1983, feed calves while Tanya does the farm’s they bought their current dairy, which books. Tad does a little of everything is a few miles down the road where Miwhenever he drops in to help. Rick’s chelle grew up. Over the years, Rick and Michelle brother and two nephews also pitch in grew their farm and raised their chilwhen needed. Rick’s brother, Duane, also known dren alongside them. They faced the to the family as Uncle Farmer, has been challenges of a drought plus high interworking together with Rick and MiTurn to MARSCHALLS | Page 11 chelle on the crop end since the early

Congratulations to the six young ladies crowned Stearns County Dairy Princesses.

Six girls (from left) Samantha Young the daughter of Kevin & Beth Young of Holdingford, Minn., Alex Christen the daughter of Glen & Becky Christen of Sauk Centre, Minn., Kallie Frericks the daughter of Steve & Tammy Frericks of Albany, Minn., Hailey Frericks, the daughter of Steve & Tammy Frericks of Albany, Minn., Savanna Marthaler the daughter of Harold Marthaler & Denise Mikkelson of Sauk Centre, Minn., and Makayla Breth the daughter Jerry & Tammy Breth of St. Anthony, Minn. were crowned Stearns County dairy princesses at the annual banquet which was held March 20 at the Freeport Community Center. Young and Ohmann were also recipients of $500 scholarships from the Stearns County American Dairy Association. Ambassadors are Emily Breth the daughter of Jerry & Tammy Breth of St. Anthony, Brittany Klaphake the daughter of Joel & Jessica Klaphake of Holdingford, Jenna Lawin the daughter of Kyle & Becky Lawin of Holdingford, Jessica Ohmann the daughter of Ron and Ami Ohmann of Albany and Clara Pflueger the daughter of Brian and Jessica Donabauer of St. Anthony.

Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 11

ConƟnued from MARSCHALL | Page 10 est rates during the 1980s. “It was tough, but we hung in there,” Rick said. In their younger years, the Marschall siblings helped with chores on the farm. Travis has always had a love of animals and remembers milking his rst cow at the age of 6 – a fond memory of him and his mom. “It was in our old tiestall barn,” he said. “The cow swung over, and I fell in the gutter. My mom picked me up out of the gutter and put me right back underneath the cow and said, ‘Try again.’” Most of Travis’ school projects also revolved around farm work and animals. Choosing dairy farming as his career path after high school in 2005

was a natural t for him. “Watching animals grow and develop into what they become is something that fascinates me,” Travis said. “You start with a calf, she matures into a cow and then that’s all because of something you did. I (articially inseminated) a cow so I feel like that calf is a part of me that gets to grow up.” Taking care of calves had always been Michelle’s job since she and Rick were married. “She had a low mortality rate in her calves,” Travis said. “Nobody comes close to her. Raising calves was her specialty.” Even more important to her were her grandkids. KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR

Cows at the Marschall family’s dairy eat TMR. The herd consists of Red and White Holsteins, black and white Holsteins, and registered Jerseys.

KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR

Travis Marschall and his daughter, Taylin, feed calves on their dairy, a chore he took over from his mom aŌer her ALS diagnosis.

“When Tucker was born, she turned into Grandma daycare,” Travis said. “She loved that more. She still did everything but had the extra duty of being Grandma. That was her pride and joy. There was no taking away being Grandma.” Other duties Michelle took on were bookkeeping and milking. In the early years, cows were milked in a tiestall barn. Over the years, the family upgraded their facilities. In 2004, the Marschalls built a compost barn, and in 2010, they turned the tiestall barn into a at parlor. Three years

ago, they replaced the at parlor with a double-8 parabone parlor. While going about her duties, Michelle loved to take the grandkids along and give them rides on the family’s side-byside utility vehicle. When her illness made her too weak to do much on her own, her grandkids took her for rides around the yard to give her fresh air. The grandkids continued their special moments with their grandma at her funeral. The grandkids held Michelle’s urn and drove to the cemetery burial site.

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“It was very sad,” Rick said. “The grandkids were giving her her last ride.” Despite the past year being one of mourning, the Marschalls are happy to have their memories of their wife and mother, and the life and farm they built together. “It was a great honor,” Rick said of receiving the farm family award. “I wish Michelle would have known. She would have been very proud of it. We worked hard our whole life together. She was proud, and I’m very proud that we’re still a family farm run all by family.”

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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

A trial of breeds

Three dairies highlight health, longevity of three-way crossbreds By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com

In a study to determine the value crossbreds add to a dairy herd, three Minnesota farmers can attest to the strategy’s effectiveness in creating a protable, long-lasting animal. “I still like the look of those pretty Holsteins; there’s nothing prettier,” Ken Herbranson said. “But, there’s an economic advantage (to ProCROSS breeding) you will see over time. I’m convinced of that, or we wouldn’t have crossed them all.” Herbranson operates Brookside Dairy in Otter Tail County near Clitherall, where he and his brother, Arlan, milk 525 three-way crossbred cows. The farmer was joined by Lisa Reeck, of Paynesville, and Tim Kieffer, of Hastings, in the webinar, “Combining science and the ProCROSS experience,” March 11, which highlighted on-farm results of a 10-year study on the use of a three-breed rotation incorporating Montbéliarde, Viking Red and Holstein genetics. In 2008, the study enrolled 3,500 pure Holstein heifers and cows from seven Minnesota

dairies. Throughout the next decade, those animals were bred to Montbéliarde and Viking Red bulls, and evaluated on health and production traits, as well as underwent a prot analysis. “When you look at a balance sheet, you have to realize it’s a long-term look,” Herbranson said. “We found crosses get bred sooner, we’re spending less on vet work, our death loss has gone down. … If you can nd a small prot somewhere on the farm, you can double that with a small change.” Since being a part of the lengthy research study, Herbranson has entirely switched his herd from registered Holsteins to ProCROSS animals. “We started with a pretty good herd of cows that were A.I.’d to the better third of bulls in the books for decades before,” Herbranson said. “We were disappointed because the health traits and keeping cows around were real issues when it came to the bottom line and protability of the dairy herd. Our herd improved with crossbreeding, and the results show that.” Brookside Dairy maintains

PHOTO SUBMITTED

A small group of ProCROSS heifers graze at Greenwood Dairy near Paynesville, Minnesota. The crossbreds are the result of a 10-year study on the use of a three-breed rotaƟon incorporaƟng Montbéliarde, Viking Red and Holstein geneƟcs. 80 pounds of milk per cow per day with a somatic cell count of 101,000. The dairy’s pregnancy rate is at 28%, and the calving interval stands at 12.6 months. The results of the study in its entirety showed that the lifetime prot of the threeway crossbred animals was 33% more protable than their purebred Holstein pen mates. In daily prots, this looked like

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ConƟnued from CROSSBREDS | Page 12 Value Honor Roll Herd by Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association. To improve their herds, the three dairy producers selected Montbéliarde and Viking Red bulls for their udders and feet and legs, primarily. The benets of the selections carried far beyond those traits. “That was our main criteria,” Reeck said. “We noticed right away that the crossbreds coming into the herd were stronger than a lot of our Ken Herbranson Holsteins.” Now, Reeck Brookside Dairy and her husband, Justin, breed with an emphasis on milk fat and protein for the 700-cow herd at Greenwood Dairy. They maintain an 88-pound tank average and 41% conception rate. Study participants bred for rst-generation crossbreds with both Viking Red and Holsteins, and Montbéliarde and Holsteins. Subsequent matings then incorporated Tim Kieffer the other breed. River City Dairy Both Reeck and Herbranson noted a preference for the Montbéliarde breed. “We like what the F1 looks like and milks like,” said Herbranson of his Montbéliarde-Holstein crossbred heifers. While Herbranson uses Montbéliarde sexed semen on heifers, Reeck uses all three breeds to follow the traditional three-way cross strategy. “Our individual data showed that the Montbéliarde-Holsteins did better than Viking Red,” she said. “We’re still enjoying and learning what works best in our barn with our management style.” In Kieffer’s experience, the Viking Red crossbreds outperformed all other cattle in the study. As the farmer continues developing his herd, he is breeding Montbéliarde on cows and Viking Red on heifers. One of the greatest advantages of the three-way rotational crossbred is

their longevity in the herd, which the farmers attributed to the animals’ fertility. On average, the crossbreds were bred back sooner than their purebred Holstein penmates. Both Kieffer and Reeck said their voluntary waiting period was the same for all animals in the herds. The ease of breeding crossbreds has led to a natural elimination of Holsteins in Herbranson’s herd. “Reducing days in milk gets a Lisa Reeck larger portion of the Greenwood Dairy herd in heavy milking months and fewer on the tail end of it. That makes it easier to be protable,” he said. “We cull the Holsteins for the same reasons as the crossbreds, and the Holsteins are naturally weeding themselves out over time.” Kieffer agreed. “Fertility is the biggest for us,” he said. “Most of the Holsteins leave because of fertility issues.” The farmers also commended the crossbreds on their feed efciency, being able to get more components on the same or less feed than Holsteins. In the study, none of the farms separated their herds based on breed, but admitted the crossbreds were likely overfed to meet the nutritional needs of the Holsteins. “We DHIA test, and looking at cows, it’s amazing that some cross you’ll see 5%-plus milk fat and 3.5% protein on individual animals,” Reeck said. “Every month, our main feed bill is big. It’s a big expense of a dairy. We’re able to spend the same on feed and get more components than we used to.” While there were risks in being a part of industry research, the benets have not gone unnoticed as these three farmers found ways to maximize protability on their dairy with a three-way breeding strategy. “It’s all about getting a cow in the herd and milking well,” Herbranson said. “(The crossbreds) are invisible animals. We don’t mess with them and don’t spend a lot of money on them. An animal doing well is the most protable lactation there is.”

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Former princesses: Why should young women get involved?

Christine Reitsma Albany, Minnesota Stearns County Stearns County Dairy Princess and the 59th Princess Kay of the Milky Way 2012-13 Why should young women get involved in their dairy princess programs? Dairy princess and ambassador programs provide a unique way to get involved with the industry off the farm. They serve an important role in promotion and education of our product in the community. Additionally, being involved in the programs promotes personal growth in communication skills, industry knowledge and connections that last a lifetime. What were the most unique or thought-provoking questions you were asked as a princess? It was always interesting to answer questions about sustainability and environmental concerns. Having conversations to understand consumers’ concerns allowed for me to understand how the world away from agriculture views farms. It is important for us to continue to share how we are utilizing new technologies and farm practices to limit our carbon footprint and ensuring the future of our farms and the communities surrounding them. Discussions around farm sustainability are happening whether or not we are part of the conversation. I was always happy to answer questions and let our community know we are also concerned for the future of our land and water sources. If you were the coordinator of a dairy princess program now, what event would you incorporate? I would make sure that each county program takes the time to do classroom visits. Healthy habits begin at a young age, and it is important for students to understand how dairy ts into any lifestyle. Hearing stories and learning about dairy farming and foods from industry members can create a lasting impact. With many children being generations removed from a farm, even in agriculture communities, having a voice in the classroom is growing more important. What is the most important message people need to hear about the dairy community or dairy products today? Dairy foods continue to be a safe, wholesome and nutritious product that ts into your family’s lifestyle. With nine essential vitamins and minerals that are delivered in a variety of avorful forms, dairy is unbeatable when it comes to adding budget-friendly nutrition to your diet. How do you continue to promote dairy in your life? I am a member of the local county Farm Bureau and partake in events like breakfast on the farm. This allows for me to continue to advocate for farmers and promote dairy products years after taking off the crown. Tell us about yourself. I work as a real estate appraiser for Compeer in central and northern Minnesota. In my free time, I am involved with our family’s dairy farm, feeding calves and helping with chores as I am able.

Mariah (Schmitt) Busta Fort Atkinson, Iowa Winneshiek County Winneshiek County Dairy Princess and Iowa Dairy Princess 2012-14 Why should young women get involved in their dairy princess programs? Dairy princess programs are such a great way to grow both personally and professionally. Through my experiences, I was able to learn how to effectively promote dairy, sharpen my communication skills, travel and network with dairy leaders across the state. Even if you aren’t looking for a career in agriculture, the dairy community still needs more advocates. I encourage any young girl to get involved in their local princess programs because the opportunities are endless. What were the most unique or thought-provoking questions you were asked as a dairy princess? It’s hard to recall one particular question, but my princess experiences made me realize how important it is to tell our story. With most consumers being at least three generations removed from the farm, people don’t even know the simple things like all cows are females and must have a calf to begin producing milk. Dairy princesses have a great opportunity to help bridge the gap between farmers and consumers. If you were the coordinator of a dairy princess program now, what event would you incorporate? Lucky for me, I actually coordinate the Iowa Dairy Princess Program. One of the ways the pandemic has challenged us was to become more active on social media. Over the past year, the Iowa dairy princesses have found new ways to reach consumers through live Facebook farm tours, story time with the dairy princess and more. Social media is a huge opportunity for young girls to be connected with an audience you might not be able to reach otherwise. What is the most important message people need to hear about the dairy community or dairy products today? One of the hot topics right now is sustainability and dairy’s environmental impact. It’s so important for consumers to know that great strides have been taken to reduce dairy’s carbon footprint. How do you continue to promote dairy in your life? I am fortunate my job allows me to promote dairy every single day. As the Iowa Dairy Center coordinator at the Northeast Iowa Dairy and Agriculture Foundation, I plan and provide fun dairy experiences for our community. In a normal year, we’ll have 10,000 annual visitors to our farm. I enjoy giving tours and planning events like breakfast on the farm. Unfortunately, last summer we had to cancel breakfast on the farm due to COVID-19. Instead, we were able to pivot and hosted a Drive-Thru Santa on the Farm where visitors drove right through our freestall barn to see the cows up close, enjoyed milk and cookies, and were able to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus. It was a huge hit and has encouraged me to nd more ways to inject dairy into fun, unconventional experiences. Tell us about yourself. I graduated from Iowa State University with degrees in dairy science and agriculture and society. While at Iowa State, I was active in the Dairy Science Club, dairy judging, Dairy Challenge and studied abroad visiting France, Italy, Switzerland and New Zealand. Following graduation, I began my position at the Northeast Iowa Dairy and Agriculture Foundation. I now live in Fort Atkinson, Iowa, with my husband, Ryan. We enjoy traveling, golng and spending time with family and friends. We both grew up on farms near Fort Atkinson and would like to be involved as the next generation on our family farms.

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Sarah (Olson) Schmidt New Ulm, Minnesota Brown County McLeod County Dairy Princess 49th Princess Kay of the Milky Way 2001-03 Why should young women get involved in their dairy princess programs? As dairy princesses, young women gain condence in themselves as representatives of their families and the dairy industry. Developing good conversation skills – both speaking and listening – is a lifelong benet gained from the experience. What were the most unique or thought-provoking questions you were asked as a princess? It’s been nearly 20 years so this question tests my memory. One question that comes to mind came from a sweet second grade girl who looked at me with awe and asked, “What’s your castle like?” For about a second, the realistic side of me was ready to correct her. Thankfully, fun prevailed and I shared how we treat our cows like queens and the barns are our spacious, beautiful castles. I may have even mentioned the basketball court in the castle’s hayloft, which got a nice reaction. If you were the coordinator of a dairy princess program now, what event would you incorporate? The dairy princess program – a team of well-spoken, enthusiastic young women – is quite unique when you consider all the different marketing programs and platforms out there. I believe taking this team to suburban and urban schools, connecting with students, teachers and foodservice providers each year, can develop lifelong dairy fans. These interactions are invaluable, and, coupled with social media, can be shared with even larger audiences. While there is no substitute for the real thing, virtual farm tours are an easy way to connect urban and rural life. What is the most important message people need to hear about the dairy community or dairy products today? Food fads will come and go, but dairy products – simple, great-tasting products made by people who care – will never go out of style. We must embrace the fact that dairy can be enjoyed as a key part of a balanced diet and for those times when people are looking to indulge. How do you continue to promote dairy in your life? Fortunately, I found a career where I get to work for dairy farmers and promote dairy every day. Beyond that, I have developed a reputation for serving cheese, milk and cookies for class treats, and giving butter as gifts. Tell us about yourself. My husband, Kelly, and I are raising three daughters on our farm near New Ulm, Minnesota. We enjoy raising and showing beef and dairy cattle, and hogs. I serve as vice president of public affairs for dairy farmer-owned Associated Milk Producers Inc. My responsibilities include sharing AMPI’s story with a variety of audiences, including member-owners, employees, legislators, customers and fans. AMPI launched its Dinner Bell Creamery brand in 2019 to better tell its farmer-owned, co-op crafted story. I have enjoyed being part of the brand from the beginning, and I am excited for what is to come. Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16

Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Mary (Zahurones) Amundson Little Falls, Minnesota Morrison County Morrison County Dairy Princess and 58th Princess Kay of the Milky Way 2011-12 Why should young women get involved in their dairy princess programs? The dairy princess program is a fantastic opportunity for young women to hone a multitude of skills, including effective communication, time management, interviewing, leadership, teamwork, advocacy and many more. The dairy princess program is a unique blend of individual and group events across Minnesota communities that strengthen both local and statewide relationships with the added opportunity to further practice interviewing and community engagement at the yearly May event. In addition, the peer and mentor relationships are invaluable with many women of similar backgrounds joining together to share excitement and passion for the dairy industry as a whole. What were the most unique or thought-provoking questions you were asked as a princess? I enjoyed the spur of the moment, imaginative questions from young children such as, “Do cows ever drink avored water?” to the more in-depth, thought provoking questions from adult interviewers outside of the dairy industry asking about the relationship between childhood obesity and encouraging chocolate milk to refuel after exercise or the environmental impact of dairy farming. The latter questions are examples of how well-versed dairy princesses need to be in order to uently and effectively communicate facts regarding the dairy farm practices and dairy products. It was such a pleasure to present information in ways that interviewers did not expect or had not considered before and that is where we as dairy princesses can encourage others to join our team in dairy advocacy. If you were the coordinator of a dairy princess program now, what event would you incorporate? I would incorporate an elevator speech pitch where each princess practices a two- to three-minute introduction of themselves, their background and their main areas of advocacy for the dairy industry. Time is always of the essence and information is being consumed in shorter time frames, thus creating the need for dairy princess advocates to communicate effectively. My desire for the princess program is to continue to show the smart, talented young women who are much more than the crown and sash they wear. What is the most important message people need to hear about the dairy community or dairy products today? As a pediatric healthcare provider, I feel strongly that children and adults need to hear the benets of milk and dairy products throughout the lifespan. Explaining the vitamins and minerals present in dairy milk compared to other plant-based milks can make a big difference in the nutritional status of a child and can deter parents from unnecessarily creating a dairy-avoidant diet. How do you continue to promote dairy in your life? I promote dairy daily by discussing the nutritional benets of dairy products with children, adolescents and teens during their yearly physicals and well-child appointments. Tell us about yourself. My husband, Brian, and I live in Little Falls with our almost 2-year-old daughter, Avery, and our pup, Gracie. I work as a pediatric nurse at St. Cloud Hospital and am graduating with my doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota this spring to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. I’m looking forward to continuing to raise our family near my roots and to promote the health and wellbeing of Minnesota children and their families.

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Olivia Siglin Rapid City, South Dakota Pennington County South Dakota Dairy Princess 2012 Why should young women get involved in their dairy princess programs? The dairy princess program helped me develop skills that I use in my current job as an attorney. I did public speaking in front of a wide variety of audiences. Some days it was an elementary school class; other days it was being part of breakfast or lunch on the farm events. Some days I met with the general public at a fair or festival. I became well-trained in understanding important information, key talking points and advocating for the dairy industry. I use those advocacy skills in the courtroom now, advocating for justice on behalf of crime victims. Aside from all the skills and experiences gained, it was a lot of fun. I met wonderful people, traveled and advocated for family farms like the one I grew up on. What were the most unique or thought-provoking questions you were asked as a princess? There isn’t any one particular question that sticks out to me, but it amazed me how often I would expect complex questions about nutrition, the industry as a whole, policy, etc., and spend time studying up on those, when in reality, many of the people I met were more interested in my story and what it’s like to be a dairy farmer. Sharing my story was one of the most powerful ways to connect with others during my dairy princess year. If you were the coordinator of a dairy princess program now, what event would you incorporate? Perhaps this is an unsurprising answer given my law background and time working as a legislative intern in college, but I would incorporate a dairy day at the state legislature to advocate for the industry, as well as other government-related advocacy events. What is the most important message people need to hear about the dairy community or dairy products today? Dairy and meat products are safe, organic products are not necessarily any better for your health or the planet (and denitely not for your wallet), and dairy farming today is more efcient and sustainable than at any point in time in our history despite the media’s portrayal of our industry. I believe there was a study out of the University of CaliforniaDavis that compared dairy farming in 1964 and 2014 that found a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases to produce the same quantity and quality of milk. That’s amazing. How do you continue to promote dairy in your life? I am cheering on my brother, Jacob Siglin, as he is the fourth generation in our family to dairy farm. I continue to support dairy businesses, advocate for dairy as part of a healthy diet and support American agriculture in general. Tell us about yourself. My path has diverted a bit from my farming roots, but where I come from is an important part of my identity. I graduated from South Dakota State University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture, studying ag leadership, animal science and ag business. On a whim, I decided to go to law school and graduated from University of South Dakota School of Law in 2019. After that, I had the honor of spending a year working in Brookings as a judicial law clerk for the judges of South Dakota’s Third Circuit. I learned so much from them and got to work on a variety of interesting legal issues, many relating to agriculture, land and natural resources. Last fall, I moved to Rapid City to work at the Pennington County State Attorney’s Ofce. I am exploring all that there is to do in the Black Hills with my boyfriend, Tanner, and my dog and cat.

Julie (Sauber) Antonutti Esko, Minnesota Carlton County Dakota County Dairy Princess, Region 8 Dairy Princess and 41st Princess Kay of the Milky Way 1994-95 Why should young women get involved in their dairy princess programs? Becoming a dairy princess was a childhood goal. My grandma Gert Sauber was an inuence for me though her pride of the dairy industry and her encouragement to follow that dream. I did not get off the farm much as a kid, and the dairy princess program provided opportunities for me to gain many life skills while also allowing me a chance to give back to the industry that raised me. Looking back, it remains one of my favorite moments. Young women have so many opportunities and things they are exposed to, but the princess program continues be a rich Minnesota dairy tradition. It is a win-win for those who choose to participate, and in some cases, it might even be life changing by opening doors to more avenues and adventures in agriculture. What were the most unique or thought-provoking questions you were asked as a princess? I remember at the time, there were 12,500 dairy farms in Minnesota, and I was often asked what challenges the dairy industry faces. Animal care was a big topic, so it was important to express the importance and value of taking good care of our cows through nutrition, adequate housing, regular veterinary care, etc., in order for the herd to be as productive as possible while ensuring longevity. If you were coordinator of the dairy princess program, what event would you incorporate? Back in 1994, most of the appearances I attended were dairy industry related. While it is important for dairy producers to see the dairy princesses in action and the impact they have, I am also glad to see the role of a dairy princess has evolved and broadened in order to emphasize the importance of consumer education. Most kids grow up never having exposure to a dairy farm so it continues to be an important audience to reach. Now as a mom of three teenagers who are involved in sports, it might be neat to form a relationship with the state high school league and create an appearance for Princess Kay to distribute milk to student athletes at the state tournament. It would emphasize the nutritional importance of incorporating dairy products in a daily diet for peak performance, bone health, etc. What is the most important message people need to hear about the dairy community or dairy products today? The messages of simplistic wholesomeness are timeless. It doesn’t matter if it is 1951 or 2021, milk and the nutrients it contains continue to be essential for good health. While the types of dairy products have evolved, the key ingredient remains the same – milk. It really does do a body good. As far as the dairy community, the people that it is comprised of are the very best types of people. They are hardworking, loyal, honest, dedicated and determined. Again, despite the fact that the world and things around them are constantly changing, the core of the dairy community remains the same. It is an industry I will always be proud of and thankful for the chance to have grown up in. How do you continue to promote dairy in your life? The dairy industry is woven into the ber of my being and will always hold a special place in my heart. I try to instill in my children the importance of their dairy heritage. My parents and two out of my three brothers dairy farm in Lakeville, and we try to stay connected with hands-on farm experience as much as we can. My middle child is a farmer at heart and would live there if he could. Most days, my children not only require the basic three meals but also preand post-workout snacks, which almost always include a dairy product or two. We typically go through at least a gallon of milk a day and countless pounds of cheese in a week. Not to mention the yogurt and ice cream we consume. Tell us about yourself. We live in Esko which ironically at one time (circa 1910) had the highest concentration of dairy farms and cattle in the state. I very much consider myself to be a country girl. I’m in my eighth year as a real estate agent. My husband, Scott, is a high school social studies teacher and coach. Our kids, Rachel, 17, Joey, 15, and Josh, 12, keep us busy with their sports activities – football, soccer, hockey, basketball, baseball and track. In the summer time, our favorite place to be is at the lake with our two dogs, Remi and Kole.

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Producers share insight on signicant production increase

The Dairy Star staff visited with ve dairy farms that test with DHIA in Minnesota. These producers had substantial herd average increases from 2017 to 2020.

Rich Lambrecht Belle Plaine, Minnesota ScoƩ County 100 cows

Ryan Knisley (pictured with son, Riley) Richmond, Minnesota Stearns County 54 cows

What was your herd average three years ago? What is it now? Lambrecht: Three years ago, our rolling herd average was 28,300 pounds. It dropped to 23,500 pounds by the end of 2019. Now, in 2021 it has returned to 26,200 pounds. Knisley: It was 18,857 pounds three years ago. Now it is 24,293 pounds. Seifert: Our current rolling herd average is 27,542 pounds of milk with a 3.9% fat and 3.1% protein. Three years ago it was 25,112 pounds. Burfeind: In December 2017, our rolling herd average was 26,684 pounds of milk with 1,020 pounds of fat and 893 pounds of protein. In December 2020, it increased to 30,245 pounds of milk with 1,303 pounds of fat and 1,017 pounds of protein. What type of facilities do you have for your cows? Lambrecht: Our barn is a 3-row drive-by freestall with mattresses. We use sawdust for bedding. The cows are milked two times a day in a double-6 step up parlor. Knisley: I have a 53-stall tiestall barn. I use wood shavings for bedding. Seifert: The majority of my milking herd is housed in a 4-row, tail-to-tail, sandbedded freestall barn. Dry and post-fresh cows are housed in a corn-straw pack

BIG BENEFITS IN A SMALL PACKAGE

Jonathan Seifert Sleepy Eye, Minnesota Brown County 200 cows

Peter Burfeind Goodhue, Minnesota Goodhue County 340 cows

barn that was formerly a compost barn. The herd is milked three times a day in a double-12 parabone parlor. Burfeind: In 2014, we built a new 4-row tail-to-tail sand bedded freestall barn with a double-10 parallel parlor. What have been the three most important factors in your herd average increase? Lambrecht: Our herd peaked at about 28,300 pounds in 2017 when we were forced to stop using rBST. We were short on hay and went to a higher corn silage diet. It worked ne until that fall when our corn got too dry in the eld and didn’t end up making good silage. We also struggled with having enough labor to help with day-to-day work that needed to be done around the farm. These four situations caused the herd’s milk average to drop dramatically. It bottomed out at about 23,500 pounds at the end of 2019. In the spring of 2019, my son, Michael, joined the farm full time. My daughter, Makayla, and her husband, Tylor, also started to Turn to PRODUCTION | Page 20

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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 19

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Joe Gill • Farm Director

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LUCK-E HOLSTEINS, The Engel Family, HAMPSHIRE, IL Milking 185 Holsteins, Bred over 400 EX, RHA 25,464M 4.5F 1151 3.3P 829, SCC 160,000 2020 State Show Premier Breeder and Exhibitor, including winners in the group of recently fresh 2-year-old King Doc daughters (above). Two are VG88 full sisters to Luck-E Dr Antidote RC EX90 54H902 “Udder Comfort™ does an awesome job softening udders and is gentle to skin. Results set it apart from everything else. For silky udders that are ready fast, we use Udder Comfort on every fresh cow 2x/day for a week after calving. We also apply it prefresh for first-calf heifers, and get it between the leg and the udder to prevent irritation,” says Joe Engel, Luck-E Holsteins, Hampshire, Ill. The Engels have bred over 400 EX cows, including impact cows Asia, Atlanta, Kandie-Red, and a string of impact sires, including Red and Polled. Joe and Matt and parents Dennis and Beth milk 185 Holsteins. They focus on balanced cows from consistent families, wide from muzzle to pins, efficient and long-lasting in a freestall setup where good udders and high components rule.

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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 LIMIT 1 FREE AD PER FARM PER ISSUE

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ConƟnued from PRODUCTION | Page 18 help out on a part-time basis, which resolved many of the labor issues. We also have other part-time workers’ help whenever it is needed. In 2020, the growing season improved, and we were able to put up more quality haylage. We also have enough fermented corn silage which will carry us to the end of December. This will allow our 2021 corn silage crop to ferment for a few months before we start feeding it. Knisley: Management is No. 1. I do all the milking and chores, and I keep it all on a regular schedule. If you want production out of your cows and catching those details, it has to be about doing things by yourself. Quality feed is No. 2. You have to have good feed for them. You want good silage and good quality alfalfa. Good genetics is No. 3. You have to use good bulls and work with an A.I. service to mate your cows. I go for production, but you also have to have feet and legs. Daughter pregnancy rate is something I’m starting to look into. You can have good cows, but if they don’t breed back, that kind of bites you. Seifert: Quality forage. For a number of years, we had difculty producing an adequate quantity of quality silages due to the weather. This shortage inevitably led to having to feed inferior quality and alternative feed stuffs to lactating cows for extended periods of time during the year. This had a detrimental effect on intakes, production and components. We made great strides in getting back on track and hitting our forage quality targets. Foot health. In the past three years, we’ve been getting aggressive on getting my herd on track from a hoof maintenance standpoint. Running foot bath more often and scheduling every cow to be trimmed at certain times in her lactation regardless of condition has allowed us to be more proactive rather than reactive with our foot health program. Reproduction. The greatest aid I had was having someone here who was dedicated to tail chalking/painting cows and checking multiple times a day. Another thing we began doing was verifying cows found pregnant at two more points during their lactation. We had been having a seemingly large number of cows who would lose their pregnancies at some point post-pregnancy check. They would then slip through the system resulting in either late lactation rebreeds or sales. This has aided that issue substantially. Burfeind: The rst is genetics. Five years ago, half the herd was crossbred. We went back to using Holstein breeding and now most of the herd is back to Holstein with breeding focused on components. The crossbreds had a good percentage for fat and protein, but the total fat and protein from the Holsteins is higher. The second important factor is heifer raising. About three years ago, we changed our focus for raising our replacements. We used to calve them in at 21 to 22 months old, but they were not big enough or mature enough. We pushed breeding back so they would calve in at 24 months. They are now also housed in outdoor feed lots. The third most important factor is nutrition. Three years ago, we switched to brown midrib corn silage along with adding a highly digestible rye grass to the diet. Working with our nutrition company, Big Gain, has been very benecial. If I could add a fourth important factor, it would be transition cow management. Three years ago, we did a lot of testing on the cows after calving to determine where we can do better. We dialed in calcium salts and switched some of the nutrition for those cows. Now our transition cows are doing a lot better. Turn to PRODUCTION | Page 22

Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 21

Financing subject to pre-approval through JD Financial. Some restrictions apply. See dealer for details.

0.75% Ànancing for up to 60 months on 2010 or newer pre-owned round balers

JD 569, 2014, ##179194 17791994

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Equipment and pictures added daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com AIR DRILLS AND SEEDERS 6 Case IH SDX 40/adx2230, 2007, Width: 40, 7.5”, Shoot: Double Shoot, #180891 ........$53,900 DISKS 6 JD 235, 30 ft, 3-Section Folding, 9”, #181115 ................................................................... $6,900 3 Wishek 862-NT, 2009, 33 ft, 3-Section Folding, #163465..............................................$21,900 4 Case IH RMX340, 2009, 35 ft, 3-Section Folding, 9”, #181151 .......................................$29,400 10 JD 2620, 2016, 26 ft, 3-Section Folding, 9”, #175512 .....................................................$34,500 7 JD 637, 2011, 45 ft, 5-Section Folding, 9”, #166177........................................................$34,900 FIELD CULTIVATORS 5 JD 980, 1994, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #181108....................................... $5,000 9 JD 960, 1989, 38 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #180045.............................. $5,500 14 JD 960, 1989, 42 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #165959.............................. $6,900 17 Case IH 4300, 30 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #181148............................. $8,500 4 JD 980, 1996, 44 ft, 5-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #169542 .......................$13,900 14 Elmers 6400, 1991, 41 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: S-Tine, #178092 .....................$14,900 10 Sunflower 5035, 2016, 24 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #177191..........$28,900 2 JD 2210, 2012, 32 ft, 3-Section Folding, Standards: C-Shank, #173629..........................$35,900 MOWER CONDITIONERS 7 New Idea 5212, 1992, #177618 ...................................................................................... $5,650 7 JD 635, 2009, #173285...................................................................................................$16,500 17 Hesston 1372, 2010, #178648 ......................................................................................$17,400 6 JD 946, 2010, #179286...................................................................................................$18,500 8 NH H7550, 2014, #167351.............................................................................................$19,900 10 NH H7230, 2015, #176984.............................................................................................$22,400 10 JD 635, 2017, #166698...................................................................................................$22,900 10 JD 956, 2010, #172718...................................................................................................$24,900 6 JD 956, 2015, #180948...................................................................................................$35,900 MULCH FINISHERS 6 Sunflower 6331, 25 ft, 3-Section Folding, #174316........................................................ $5,900 2 JD 724, 1990, 20 ft, 3-Section Folding, #174088 .............................................................. $8,500 15 Kuhn Krause 6200-45, 2014, 45 ft, 9”, #180001...........................................................$45,900 4 JD 2310, 2014, 33 ft, 3-Section Folding, #181152 ..........................................................$46,400 PLANTERS: DRAWN 6 White 6100, 1995, 6 Row 30 in, Frame: Rigid, , #181144 ................................................ $7,900 6 JD 7200, 1988, 8 Row 36 in, Frame: Wing Fold, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, #180622.................. $8,400 10 JD 1750, 1996, 6 Row 30 in, Frame: Rigid, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, #179650 .......................$13,000 4 JD 1750, 1997, 6 Row 30 in, Frame: Rigid, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, #176829 .......................$13,900 9 JD 1770, 1997, 16 Row 30 in, Frame: Flex Fold, Hopper: 3.0 Bushel, #180078................$19,500 9 JD 1760NT, 2014, 8 Row 30 in, Frame: Wing Fold, Hopper: 3.0 Bushel, #181228 ...........$37,500 14 Wil-Rich PT2200, 2005, 24 Row 22 in, Frame: Wing Fold, Hopper: 3.0 Bushel, #177551$39,900 2 JD 1775NT, 2019, 16 Row 30 in, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Plate, Hopper: Central Fill System Row Command, Electric Drive, #174754 ........................$149,500 5 JD DB44, 2013, 24 Row 22 in, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: Central Fill System Row Command, #179347 ...................................................$159,900 5 JD 1775NT, 2021, 16 Row 30 in, Frame: Flex Fold, Metering System: Exact Emerge, Hopper: Central Fill System Row Command, Electric Drive, #174940 .............................$199,500

16 JD DB66, 2017, 36 Row 22 in, Frame: Wing Fold, Metering System: Exact Emerge, Hopper: Central Fill System Row Command, Electric Drive, #175194 .............................$349,500 PLANTERS: INTEGRAL 5 JD 7300, 1989, 12 Row 30 in, Frame: Wing Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, #180958 ............................................................................................ $9,000 3 JD 7300, 1992, 12 Row 30 in, Frame: Wing Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 1.6 Bushel, #175563 ..........................................................................................$11,900 15 JD 1710, 24 Row 22 in, Frame: Wing Fold, Metering System: Vacuum, Hopper: 3.0 Bushel, #168140 ..........................................................................................$19,900 PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS 4 Hardi NP1100, 2003, #180960 ........................................................................................ $8,500 1 Hardi NAV550, 2005, #179504 ......................................................................................$10,400 17 Top Air TA1200, 2005, #180618 ....................................................................................$12,500 14 Redball 132’ walking tandems, #176938 ..................................................................$14,900 10 Hardi NAVIGATOR 1000, 2007, #169543 ......................................................................$15,000 16 Hardi Navigator 4000, #180889 ..................................................................................$15,000 5 Hardi Commander Plus 1200, 2002, #181150 ............................................................$17,500 7 Fast 9508, 2008, #169075 .............................................................................................$23,900 3 Hardi Navigator 4000, 2013, #179001 ........................................................................$24,000 15 Top Air TA1600, 2015, #177863 ....................................................................................$38,400 3 Top Air TA2400, 2011, #179435 ....................................................................................$44,900 ROUND BALERS 2 NH 664, 1998, Pickup: Regular, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet #171161 ............................................................................................................................ $4,950 11 NH BR780, 2003, Pickup: Regular, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, Bale Count, #169873 ......................................................................................................... $9,900 6 JD 567, 2002, Pickup: Mega Wide, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 8312 Bale Count, #179041...............................................................................................$13,400 11 JD 468 Silage Special, 2011, Pickup: Mega Wide, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet,15000 Bale Count, #180946 ...........................................................$16,900 4 NH Rollbelt 450, 2011, Pickup: Regular, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet,1200 Bale Count, #173712 .............................................................$17,000 6 NH Rollbelt 460, 2015, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 9000 Bale Count, #178946............................................................$20,900 10 JD 569, 2013, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 19368 Bale Count, #177245 ..........................................................$21,500 2 NH BR7060, 2011, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, Precut Knives, 7300 Bale Count, #169262 .....................................$23,900 12 JD 469, 2015, Pickup: Mega Wide, Twine Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 8060 Bale Count, #175511...............................................................................................$23,900 5 JD 568, 2008, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet,13500 Bale Count, #176786 ...........................................................$23,900 17 JD 569, 2014, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet,15560 Bale Count, #179194...........................................................$25,900 4 JD 459, 2014, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 3600 Bale Count, #177752 ............................................................$29,400

6 JD 569 Silage Special, 2013, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 9,540 Bale Count, #177861...........................................................$29,400 5 JD 569, 2013, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet,18000 Bale Count, #172972 ...........................................................$30,900 10 JD 569, 2016, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 9,800 Bale Count, #181002 ...........................................................$31,400 6 Claas 480RC, 2017, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, Precut Knives, 5165 Bale Count, #179187 .....................................$31,500 6 JD 459 Silage Special, 2017, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, 3800 Bale Count, #177855 ............................................................$35,900 2 JD 569, 2012, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 3,300 Bale Count, #173254 ...........................................................$38,400 10 JD 569 Silage Special, 2015, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 540, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 3300 Bale Count, #178210.............................................$41,500 10 JD 560M, 2018, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 7600 Bale Count, #181057 ............................................................$41,500 6 JD 560M, 2019, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet,7200 Bale Count, #179188 .............................................................$42,400 6 JD 569, 2016, Pickup: Mega Wide, Surface Wrap Only, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 5085 Bale Count, #180947 ............................................................$42,400 6 JD 460M, 2018, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 4 Feet, Precut Knives, 6400 Bale Count, #164359 .....................................$43,900 4 JD 560M, 2019, Pickup: Mega Wide, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, PTO: 1000, Width of Bale: 5 Feet, 2100 Bale Count, #179000 ............................................................$45,500 UTILITY TRACTORS 4 JD 5045E, 2019, Configuration: Standard, Syncro, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540, Tire Width: Wide, 75 hrs., #177181 ..................................................................................$23,900 4 JD 5075M, 2019, Configuration: Standard, Power Reverser, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Mid, 100 hrs., #177178 .................................................$42,900 11 JD 5075M, 2019, Configuration: Standard, Power Reverser, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, Tire Width: Mid, 103 hrs., #156813 .................................................$42,900 9 Case IH Farmall 75C, 2019, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Syncro, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, 415 hrs., #179865...........................................................................$45,900 4 JD 5090E, 2019, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540, 291 hrs., #155536 ....................................................................................$52,900 12 JD 5090E, 2019, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540, 60 hrs., #155533 ......................................................................................$59,500 12 JD 5075M/Loader, 2019, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 1000, 540/1000, 147 hrs.,#156690......................................................$71,900 16 JD 5090M, 2019, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, 227 hrs., #156691...........................................................................$73,900 15 JD 6120E, 2019, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, 200 hrs., #160857...........................................................................$74,900 4 JD 6120E, 2019, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, 283 hrs., #160865...........................................................................$78,900 4 JD 6105E, 2020, Configuration: Standard, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, Rear PTO: 540/1000, 114 hrs., #165343...........................................................................$78,900

Visit one of our 17 locations in Central Minnesota! CALL (7) = ALEXANDRIA (9) = PRINCETON (12) = AITKIN (4) = ST. CLOUD (1) = GLENCOE 4561 Hwy. 212

1035 35th Ave. NE

(2) = HOWARD LAKE (5) = GLENWOOD 5845 Keats Ave. SW

1710 N. Franklin

(3) = STEWART

(6) = SAUK CENTRE

78412 Co. Rd. 20

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320-763-4220 5005 Co. Rd. 82 SE

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(8) = PAYNESVILLE

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725 Lake Ave. S.

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(10) = LITTLE FALLS (13) = BAXTER (11) = WADENA 62505 US Hwy. 10

7045 Foley Rd.

TODAY! (320)365-1653 (14) = ELBOW LAKE

(16) = BENSON

(15) = MORRIS

(17) = MADISON

110 2nd St. NE

23604 State Hwy. 9

380 Atlantic Ave. 516 1st St. E

SEE OUR COMPLETE INVENTORY WITH PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS AT: www.mmcjd.com

Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

ConƟnued from PRODUCTION | Page 20 What is your ration and have you made recent changes that have helped with production? Lambrecht: The ration is made up of corn silage, haylage, high moisture corn and is balanced out with a custom protein mix. Knisley: I feed baleage, corn silage, a protein and dry corn. Having a good nutritionist is a lot of it. You have to have someone to work with. If you have any changes in feed, they help get it tested and adjust the ration accordingly. Seifert: The forage portion is typically comprised of roughly 75% corn silage and 25% haylage, but those numbers can be inverted based on inventory we have on hand. Currently, we are running a 55% forage ration; however, we have ran as high as 68% forage in the past. We typically are able to make ve cuttings of alfalfa per year, with a target RFV of 185 at 60-65% moisture cut at 1 inch theoretical chop length. Corn silage we aim for 68-70% moisture also 7/8 to 1 inch tcl. All of this is stored via drive over pile on a dirt base. We had a hard time hitting these targets throughout the entirety of the forage making season. The weather, being drier this year, helped us regain control of our harvest timing. Burfeind: The ration consists of BMR corn silage, Roundup Ready alfalfa, Italian rye grass, soybean meal and mineral. The change to BMR corn silage and adding Italian rye grass have been the most recent changes. When we added Italian rye grass three years ago, we wanted to grow more of our forage. We added BMR corn silage to try to get more milk from the cows. Since we only have to grow corn for our milking herd, it was easy to switch our corn.

Start planning for tomorrow, today. 0

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DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470

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What is the best advice you have been given that has helped you manage your herd? Lambrecht: I would say the best advice has two points: Make sure we have enough high-quality fermented forage on hand; and staff enough people to ll all the labor needs on the farm. This ultimately attributes to good quality and increased milk production. Knisley: Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about management and the importance of being on time, doing the same things every time and doing it yourself. Just because you have cows in the barn doesn’t make you a dairyman. You have to spend time with them. Seifert: Get an education in dairy rst. Without the mentorship of instructors like Brandt Groen, I couldn’t have made it even half as far as I have. As I’ve told other young people, you have to know the rules, so to speak, so you know when you are breaking them and what to go back to when you’re not getting away with breaking them. Having your learning curve shortened and rened prior to having a major nancial stake in things can be huge in today’s dairy market environment. Burfeind: Lactation starts at dry off. That is a something that has stuck with me. Even when the cows are not milking, they need to be well taken care of. Tell us about your farm and your goals for your dairy this year. Lambrecht: We are the fth generation of Lambrechts on this farm. My wife, Karen, and I have three grown children and two granddaughters: our daughter, Becca, and her husband, Cody Pelowski, along with their daughter, Amelia; our daughter, Makayla, and her husband, Tylor Morlock, along with their daughter, Hayden; and our son, Michael, and his special friend, Jen Wolf. We farm 850 acres and milk 100 Holstein cows and raise about 120 replacement heifers. Our bull calves are sold shortly after they are born. Knisley: I rent the farm site. I milk 54 cows in 53-stall tiestall barn. I buy all of my feed from the farm I rent. My goal for the next year is to maintain and hope things get better, and to take the good with the bad. I want to keep the cows rolling and do what I can within my control. Seifert: I farm in loose partnership with my dad, which is essentially two separate herds in one facility. I have a little over 200 milking. My dad, Steve, has around 100 milking. This year’s main goal is to keep the ball rolling on all of those improved fronts. I know there is plenty of upside potential if we do. Burfeind: My wife, Sheila, and I farm together with my parents, Dave and Janet, on my family’s dairy. Our herdsman, Bo Dankers, has helped us make these changes over the last few years to increase production. We milk twice a day and our heifers are raised off-site starting at 6 months old. Goals for the farm for the year include maintaining production, working on better reproduction and continuing to produce quality forages.

Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 23

It is time

Hazels say goodbye to their dairying career By Krista Kuzma

krista.k@dairystar.com

LANESBORO, Minn. – After 42 years in the industry, Brian and Judy Hazel are hanging up the milkers. “We’re both 69 years old, so it’s time,” Brian said. “We want to slow down.” On March 30, the Hazels will sell their 280-cow herd. The couple farms together with

their son, Adam, near Lanesboro. Dairy cows are what drew Brian back to his family’s farm in the late 1970s. “I like working with cattle,” Brian said. “They are amazing animals. What they eat can turn into something really good since they’re ruminants. It’s amazing.” After graduating from the University of Minnesota and working as an agricultural loan KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR

Judy and Brian Hazel are selling their 280-cow dairy herd March 30 aŌer 42 years in the dairying business. The couple farms together with their son, Adam, near Lanesboro, Minnesota.

KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR

Haz-Broy Farms is owned by Brian and Judy Hazel, who farm together with their son, Adam, near Lanesboro, Minnesota.

ofcer for three years, Brian joined his parents in 1978 and started his full-time farming career. “My job as a loan ofcer launched me nancially with extra money so I could get a start (in farming), get a foot hold and go. It is also where I picked up Judy,” he said with a laugh and a smile. The two met in Blooming Prairie – Brian in lending and Judy as a teacher at the local school. When he and Judy were

married in 1979, they bought their current farmsite and planned to start their own dairying venture. In 1981, they built a new 60-stall tiestall barn on the farm and walked their 45 cows 1 mile through neighbors’ eld to get them to their new home. While Judy worked for the local school district, she also did chores. In fact, the whole family helped take care of responsibilities with animals and crops. The Hazels enjoyed raising their three kids – Amy,

Amber and Adam – on their farm. That grew into their involvement with 4-H and FFA. “We loved the county and state fairs – working alongside the kids and their projects,” Judy said. “It helped the kids grow and develop personally. And to watch our three kids go into agriculture for their careers has been a highlight for us.” About every 10 years, the Hazels said they made upTurn to HAZELS | Page 25

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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 25

ConƟnued from HAZELS | Page 23

grades to their farm. In the early 1990s, they added 20 more stalls onto the tiestall barn. In 2002, they turned that barn into a double-8 parlor with a freestall barn. In 2013, they added another freestall. “That was an adjustment learning how to read cows in the freestall barn,” Brian said. “If a cow didn’t eat (in the tiestall barn), you knew she was sick. But out in the freestall barn, you couldn’t see if she ate or not.” Along with the change to a freestall barn and a growing herd, the Hazels had to increase their labor force. “Learning to work with people and managing them has been a challenge,” Judy said. “We have gone to workshops about employee relationships and communication.” The Hazels were also early adapters of no-till eld practices and cover crops. The rolling hills of their land make conservation a top priority. “The Lord puts us here, and we’re able to use resources and what we have,” Brian said. “We feel a need to take care of it. The natural regeneration of soil takes decades. I think the techniques in no till and cover crops have accelerated the regeneration of soils. When you lose that top soil, it’s hard to replace.” For the past 10 years, the Hazels have rotationally grazed their heifers other than the breeding group. Not only does it give them enjoyment to check those animals every day, it puts pastureland to use that would not be usable for crops. “What we can’t graze we put into CRP,” Brian said. This interest in the land led to Brian being a part of the county’s soil and water conservation district board. “It’s fun to hear people talk about seeing this technique or that one,” Brian said. “You have a chance to explain what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.” To help other farms learn or explain to consumers how they farm, the Hazels have hosted several events on their farm, including learning seminars for farmers and a breakfast on the farm for the community. Overcoming challenges and changes is what has kept Brian’s interest in dairy farming. “It’s part of the business,” he said. “I like the challenge. It’s a transitioning and changing industry. When you’ve been at it over 40 years, there are a lot

Let’s build a great team

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Brian Hazel checks over the cows in his herd, which the family is selling March 30. of changes in that amount of time, and the changes are coming faster and faster.” Technology has changed the industry, Brian said. “I think the modern dairyman has to grasp onto technology to be able to compete,” he said. “That’s probably where we have fallen short. We should have had activity monitors and other things.” However, the Hazels feel they have had the right people on their farm where additional technology has not been a necessity. “We have a really good herdsperson,” Brian said. “She can spot a cow that’s off. That substitutes for the technology, especially since we’re a small herd.” Overall, the Hazels are happy with their dairy farming career. While there will be parts they miss, they are looking forward to taking more time to rest their weary bodies, travel a little and spend time with their family. They will continue to farm the land with their son, Adam, and are going to look into raising heifers or housing dry cows in their facilities. “The work has been hard, but it was a great place to raise a family,” Brian said. “It will be a nice change to do something different.” Whatever something different they do, they will continue using the same philosophy they have used since starting over 42 years ago. “You start your day with quiet time and then you go out and enjoy whatever the Lord has given you,” Brian said.

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Updating records, program signup information Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

By Steve Frericks

County Executive Director Stearns County FSA Oﬃce

Producers are gearing up and preparing for spring planting just a few weeks away. The Farm Service Agency is gearing up for the spring season with the many programs we administer. You can help us by ensuring your paperwork is current and up to date. Farm records updates Many producers make the mistake of thinking land records at the county courthouse are provided to FSA for your farming operations. This is not the case. FSA is cleaning up our producer record database and needs your help. Please report any changes of address, zip code, phone number, email address or an incorrect name or business name on le to our ofce. You should also report changes in your farm operation, like the addition of a farm by lease or purchase. You should also report any changes

to your operation in which you reorganize to form a trust, LLC or other legal entity. FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service program participants are required to promptly report changes in their farming operation to the county committee in writing and to update their Farm Operating Plan on form CCC-902. To update your records, contact your county United States Department of Agriculture Service Center. USDA extends general signup for Conservation Reserve Program The USDA is extending the Conservation Reserve Program general signup period, which had previously been announced as ending Feb. 12. USDA will continue to accept offers as it takes this opportunity for the incoming administration to evaluate ways to increase enrollment. Under the previous administration, incentives and rental payment rates were reduced resulting in an enrollment shortfall of over 4 million acres. The program, administered by FSA, provides annual rental payments for

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10 to 15 years for land devoted to conservation purposes, as well as other types of payments. Before the general signup period ends, producers will have the opportunity to adjust or resubmit their offers to take advantage of planned improvements to the program. This signup for CRP gives producers an opportunity to enroll land for the rst time or re-enroll land under existing contracts that will be expiring Sept. 30. All interested producers, including those on Indian reservations and with trust lands, are encouraged to contact a Service Center for more information.

Applying for a Farm Storage Facility Loan The FSA Farm Storage Facility Loan program provides low-interest nancing to help you build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage and handling trucks. Farm Storage Facility Loan program interest rates: – Three year 0.25% – Five year 0.50% – Seven year 0.875% – Ten year 1.125% – Twelve year 1.375% Eligible commodities include corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybean, oat, peanut, wheat, barley, minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentil, chickpea and dry pea), hay, honey, renewable biomass, fruits, nuts and vegetables for cold storage facilities, oriculture, hop, maple sap, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry (unprocessed), egg and aquaculture (excluding systems that maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water). Qualied facilities include grain bins, hay barns and cold storage facilities for eligible commodities. Loans up to $50,000 can be secured by a promissory note/security agreement. Loans between $50,000 and $100,000 may require additional security, and loans exceeding $100,000 require additional security. You do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of farming operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products and underserved producers. For more information, contact a Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/ pricesupport. USDA offers targeted farm loan funding for underserved groups, beginning farmers FSA offers targeted farm ownership and farm operating loans to assist underserved applicants and beginning farmers and ranchers. USDA denes underserved applicants as a group whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of the group without regard to their individual qualities. For farm loan program purposes, targeted underserved groups are women, African Americans, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Hispanics and Asians and Pacic Islanders. Underserved or beginning farmers and ranchers who cannot obtain commercial credit from a bank can apply for either FSA direct loans or guaranteed loans. Direct loans are made to applicants by FSA. Guaranteed loans are made by lending institutions who arrange for FSA to guarantee the loan. FSA can guarantee up to 95% of the loss of principal and interest on a loan. The FSA guarantee allows lenders to make agricultural credit available to producers who do not meet the lender’s normal underwriting criteria. The direct and guaranteed loan program provides for two types of loans: farm ownership loans and farm operating loans. In addition to customary farm operating and ownership loans, FSA offers microloans through the direct loan program. Microloans focus on the nancing needs of small, beginning farmers, niche and nontraditional farm operations. Microloans are available for both ownership and operating nance needs. To learn more about microloans, visit fsa.usda.gov/microloans. To qualify as a beginning producer, the individual or entity must meet the eligibility requirements outlined for direct or guaranteed loans. Individuals and all entity members must have operated a farm for less than 10 years. Applicants must materially or substantially participate in the operation. For more information on FSA’s farm loan programs and targeted underserved and beginning farmer guidelines, contact a Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov/farmloans. The staff at FSA wishes you a safe and productive spring planting season. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.

Sharing our dairy story one day at a time

Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 27

As dairy farmers, we have been practicing environmental stewardship for generations simply because it is the right thing to do and the best way to do business. However, practicing these values is just step one. We also need to share what we are doing because research indicates that dairy farmers are one of the most trusted sources with consumers, and more than 70% of consumers would like more information about where dairy products come from. As we prepare to celebrate Earth Day this April, dairy farmers are uniquely positioned to share how our farm stewardship efforts align with consumer values to showcase the longstanding commitment of dairy farmers to care for our land, By John Maxwell animals and communities. Dairy farmer The truth is, when it comes to farming practices and where food comes from, a story is going to be told. If we do not tell it, someone else will, and it may not be someone who has all the facts. As farmers, we have a responsibility to share stories about our businesses that impact consumers and our communities. If you ask anyone whether they care about sustainability, almost everyone will say yes. But sustainability is a big word that embodies many different interpretations. At Cinnamon Ridge, we often tell sustainability stories without ever saying the word

Partnerships are also a great way to gure out what works for you. We love doing tours, but we know that is not for everyone. So, we partner with other farm families in the community who would rather support by stafng an event, knowing it is making a difference for their operation too. Perhaps you would be more interested in advocating on a local school board, hosting a virtual farm tour or participating in an Ag in the Classroom program. Find your lane and do what feels natural to you. For those who are just getting started telling their story, it can seem overwhelming. Many get stalled looking at the magnitude of the opportunity – or as the saying goes, the size of the elephant. But just like you eat a metaphorical elephant one bite at a time, every step toward connecting with consumers is a step in the right direction. One conversation with a neighbor.

One simple partnership. One farm tour at a time. It all makes a difference if we move in the same direction. If even a few more farmers say, “I can do my part in this small way,” it will make participating easier for everyone. This ongoing conversation is critical to a more sustainable future. Consumers hold the power of the purse when it comes to deciding which products they will put in their grocery carts, but farmers have the means to production. As we continue to keep the lines of conversation open and share with each other – consumers expressing their values and preferences, and farmers sharing their practices – we can continue to raise awareness about how dairy farming is a sustainable practice. Like any worthwhile message, it is worth sharing again and again in different and new ways every day.

P Partnerships hi make k all ll the h difference when it comes to sharing our story. itself. We talk about the earth and what a cover crop does for soil. We educate about water quality, how we use, recycle and reuse our resources. We share the full circle sustainability story of how our cows eat what we grow in our elds, and how we use the manure as fertilizer to grow more crops. Consumers are curious, and we should not forget to have conversations about what might seem like everyday practices. Partnerships make all the difference when it comes to sharing our story. For starters, Midwest Dairy has been a resource for us as we tap into available free promotional materials through the Midwest Dairy Promo Center and Undeniably Dairy grants that help fund our ideas for on-farm activities. We have also developed strong relationships with the local re department and FFA to support each other’s efforts. For example, we hosted an event to raise money for the local re department. The event was cost-neutral to us, the proceeds went to a great cause, the media took interest, and we were able to share information about dairy with consumers who took time to visit our farm.

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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 Dana Adams, adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968 Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391 Sandra Godden godde002@umn.edu 612-625-8177 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205

www.extension.umn.edu/dairy

Improving milk production with natural circadian rhythms

Without even knowing it, our behavior and internal biology are controlled by circadian rhythms. They dictate the time when we fall asleep, when we wake up, when we are hungry and even when we are more productive at work. These rhythms are driven by an intricate mechanism within every cell of our bodies, which allows us to know the time even if we aren’t exposed to sunlight or other external signals. As a society, we are becoming more aware of how disruptions in our natural circadian rhythms lead to metabolic diseases such as obesity and heart disease. We recently experienced the shift to daylight savings time, which has been estimated to cost the American economy over $400 million annually due By Isaac J. Salfer to reduced productivity caused by disruption University of MN of workers’ circadian rhythms. Just like us, dairy cows have circadian rhythms that affect their productivity, behavior and health. You may notice some of the effects of cow’s circadian rhythms on your farm – most likely by noticing changes at the feed bunk. Naturally, dairy cows have a very distinct pattern of feed intake, eating most of their feed during two large bouts in the early morning (610 a.m.) and afternoon (3-6 p.m.), and consuming almost none of their feed overnight (11 p.m. to 5 a.m.). Likely, wild cattle developed this feeding pattern as a mechanism to avoid predators during the night and to consume forages with maximal nutritional value. This feeding pattern is modied slightly in conventional TMR-fed dairy herds, because feeding time and returning from the parlor after milking act as stimuli for feed intake, but the underlying natural pattern persists. Rumination also follows a circadian rhythm that is opposite of feed intake. This rhythm is considered when information from rumination collars is translated into attention counts. One important consideration regarding the daily pattern of feed intake is that if cows have limited fresh feed availability during the two high intake periods of the day, they go into starvation-mode, leading to rapid mobilization of body fat and slug feeding immediately after fresh feed is delivered. Some dairy farmers switch to feeding their TMR in the late evening or at night during heatstressed periods in the summer as a method to have fresh feed available to cows during the coolest part of the day. I highly discourage this because it means cows will have older feed (or worse, no feed) during the afternoon when cows have a strong biological drive to eat. This leads to slug feeding in the evening right after fresh TMR is delivered, which can exacerbate the problem with heat stress. As an alternative, during heat stress, move feeding earlier to the cooler part of the morning, or if possible, add an additional feeding in the mid-afternoon. Milk production also follows a daily rhythm with cows pro-

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This graphic illustrates a cow’s circadian cycle of producƟon and physiology across the day. ducing a higher milk volume in the morning, and a higher fat and protein percentage in the evening. DHIA is aware of this, and uses a.m.-p.m. adjustment factors to account for this difference. It is important to note that the daily pattern of milk yield and components is altered by the time cows are fed, so herds that feed in the evening may have a different relationship between morning and evening milk tests. Understanding the circadian rhythms of feed intake and milk production may provide novel opportunities to improve feed utilization of cows. If you consider that the mammary gland has certain times of day where it has more potential to produce milk and milk components, it would stand to reason that delivering nutrients to the udder at the time when it is most prepared to use them would increase efciency. Research that I began during my Ph.D. at Penn State University with Dr. Kevin Harvatine and am continuing in my lab at the University of Minnesota focuses on determining if production can be increased by feeding different concentrations of nutrients at different times of day. Thus far, we have seen promising results that changing concentrations of fat or protein fed in the morning versus afternoon may have benecial effects on production. We are continuing research to try to create recommendations for time-based feeding strategies that can be applied on-farm. While the idea of feeding multiple diets across the day may have seemed impractical just a few short years ago, I believe that the implementation of automated feeding systems makes this possibility more feasible. Other opportunities could be to feed specically formulated morning and evening robot pellets within automated milking systems or even top-dress a pellet onto a single group TMR.

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Cow visit characteristics, milk production on robotic farms

The number of dairy farms using robotic milking systems in the United States is growing relatively rapidly. These systems can automatically complete all necessary milking-related tasks performed by human labor in conventional milking systems, including cow preparation, milking machine attachment and post-milk teat disinfection, in a consistent manner. One advantage of RMS is the information collected on each cow by the robot software each time a cow enters the robot box or stall. My Ph.D. student Mateus Peiter and I, in collaboration with Jim Salfer, conducted an investigation on the relationship between cow robot visit variables and milk production in RMS herds located in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The RMS pen is usually designed for one of two cow trafc ow systems: free ow, where the cows have unrestricted By Marcia Endres access to all areas of the pen, including the RMS; or guided University of MN ow, in which the cows need to go through pre-selection gates to access different areas of the pen. There are two main types of a guided ow system, referred to as milk-rst and feed-rst. In the milk-rst system, which is now the preferred option in the U.S., cows leaving the resting area must pass through a pre-selection gate that determines if they are eligible for milking. If a cow meets the requirement to be milked, she is guided to a commitment pen that contains the robot box. The commitment pen is a gated area next to the box that cows eligible for milking cannot leave until they are milked. If the cow is not eligible for milking, she is allowed to enter the feed bunk area and can only re-enter the resting area through a one-way gate. Pre-selection gates can also be installed in crossovers away from the robot box and open only for cows not eligible for milking. The choice of trafc ow type is generally driven by management preferences of the producer. Data per cow per visit (successful milkings and failures only) included the following variables: cow identication, days in milk, date and time of visit, milking interval, box time, average milking speed, milking time, pre-treatment time, connection time, dead milk time and post-treatment time. Daily data per cow included: total milk production, average milk fat percentage, average milk protein percentage, total successful milkings, total refusals, total failures, total concentrate allowed, total concentrate intake and total residual concentrate. Milking interval was the time between visits with milking permission – successful milking or failure. Box time was the total time spent in the robot box per visit. A failure was recorded when the cow had an incomplete milking, i.e., the milking units failed to attach or the milking was not carried to completion. Reasons for failures included: automatic robot stop, connection attempts, connection time, dead milk time, teats not found and stopped by user. Cows were refused by the robot when they had not reached the minimum milking interval time established by the milking permission settings for each cow. Refusals were not used for guided ow farms as cows are pre-selected for milking by the selection gate. We found a positive association between concentrate intake in the RMS box and milk production which was consistent with previous studies. An estimate of 0.88 pounds greater fat-protein-corrected milk yield for each pound of additional concentrate intake was observed on free ow Lely farms. Concentrate intake had the greatest association with daily milk production on farms with the DeLaval system, which was 16.8 pounds greater milk yield for each extra pound of concentrate intake. However, farms with a guided ow system usually do not provide much concentrate in the RMS box because cows are guided by the selection gate. Milking speed had a positive association with milk production for both brands, which again has been shown previously. On farms with the Lely system, each extra pound milked per minute was associated with 10.2 pounds greater daily milk yield, whereas on farms with the DeLaval system, this estimate was 10.6 pounds. We suggest that cows with a high milking speed at their optimum milking interval (based on milking permissions) would be preferred We ffound W d a positive i i association i i when trying to select for efciency on RMS farms. Other between average pre-treatment variables that showed a relatime and milk yield. tionship with milk production were milking time, milking interval and refusals. Now, some ndings on variables not commonly investigated. We found a positive association between average pre-treatment time and milk yield. Longer pre-treatment time could contribute to improved udder health and increased stimulation time, which might explain the relationship we found. The average time the RMS takes to attach the milking units is called connection time, where longer times could mean that the technology is having difculties identifying the teats to make the cluster attachment. In our study, connection time had a negative relationship with daily milk yield. Dead milk time is the time between milking unit attachment and the start of milk ow while the vacuum is on. Each additional second spent with dead milk was associated with a decrease of 0.24 pounds in daily milk yield. Lely’s recommendation is for dead milk time to be under 12 seconds per milking; long periods with vacuum on without milk ow may damage the teats. The last procedure performed by the RMS before releasing the cow is the post-treatment, which would correspond to post-dipping on conventional milking systems. Similar to the results found for pre-treatment time, each second increase in post-treatment time was associated with a 0.33 pounds greater milk yield. It is possible that farms with greater post-treatment times had cows with improved udder health, leading to increased milk production. We suggest additional research is needed to better understand the relationships between milking preparation procedures and milk production on farms using RMS.

Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 29

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The Swiss connection Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

Hull is a quiet little farming community nestled in the fertile farmland of northwestern Iowa. Some of Hull’s leading businesses include a rm that specializes in manure equipment sales and a company that makes cattle chutes. Beneath this pastoral facade lurks an astonishing fact: Hull is home to a major purveyor of moodaltering substances. The community makes no bones about it. In fact, a billboard on the outskirts of town proudly trumpets the business that peddles these nefarious substances. I don’t know why such a thing is tolerated. Perhaps it’s because many who live in the area are descended from a certain western European country that is home to the city of Amsterdam. I, like many Baby Boomers, experimented with mood-altering substances during my wasted youth – especially the particular substance the establishment

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Belgium and of course, Switzerland. A person needn’t say another word when you mention the Swiss.” “Of course not,” I mumbled, feeling somewhat befuddled. The lady seemed to sense my bewilderment and graciously offered a free sample. She had me at Dear County Agent Guy free. I did as she instructed. I put the small sample of the substance on my tongue and let it slowly dissolve. My reaction was similar to that of a dog who is receiving a tummy rub. My eyes rolled back, my body went limp, and a moan of pleasure welled up from deep within me. By Jerry Nelson I don’t recall, but it’s Columnist quite possible one of my back legs twitched involuntarily. Good chocolate can have that kind of effect on me. But this wasn’t just your ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill milk chocolate. This stuff was silky, exquisitely avorful and extremely potent. Brown gold. Swiss bliss. My taste buds whispered that the milk that went into this chocolate was produced by plump, auburnhued cows who had grazed on sun-drenched mountain meadows under the doting gaze of tall, blonde Swiss milkmaids. The fetching maidens had serenaded the cows with their pure, sweet voices as the bovines leisurely noshed on the emerald grass and kept time to the music with their tails. The cocoa had come from a tree that had been lovingly tended by wizened old man who was a direct descendant of an Aztec king. The man had lived a monk-like life, devoting his entire existence to the care and feeding of that one particular cocoa tree. I knew a good thing when I tasted it. Using all the cash I had on me – one doesn’t want to leave a paper trail when conducting such transactions – I bought as much chocolate as I could from the Foreign Candy Company. I took the stuff home and squirreled it away for future use. Why did I need so much chocolate? Because I’m a guy, and I am married. Here’s a universal truth about guys: Inside the brains of each of us is a clueless junior high school boy who’s frantically pulling the control levers and randomly spinning the tuning knobs. If you want to understand the behavior of a guy at 40, look at how he acted as a boy of 14. Within every guy is a zit-faced, insecure, gawky goofball whose favorite form of entertainment is making armpit noises. When – not if – a guy commits a serious marital misstep, it’s not actually his fault but that of his dummkopf inner teenager. Because domestic blunders are all but inevitable, the wise husband always has an ample supply of chocolate that can be deployed at a moment’s notice. I have learned that few things are more effective at altering a wife’s mood than a chunk of rich, creamy, high-octane chocolate. And the best part is, you and your wife can enjoy it together. Just make sure you don’t accidentally kick her in the shins with an involuntary leg twitch. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, South Dakota. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@ dairystar.com.

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Ration balancing has changed Dairy cow ration balancing has become much more precise in the last 15 years with advances in nutrition research, ration formulation models and feed analysis methodologies. Once common terminology like crude protein and net energy of lactation are giving way to acids, ruminal Something to Ruminate On amino neutral detergent ber, starch digestibility and specic fatty acids.

it is often a key nutrient to maximize production. Some nutrition models now rely on the rate of starch digestibility (starch kd) or seven-hour in vitro starch degradability measured by commercial labs to predict the rate and extent of starch digestion. Physical and chemical factors that affect starch digestibility include type of endosperm, particle size, kernel processing, storage method, moisture content and length of fermentation.

Essential amino acids Dairy cows do not have CP requirements; they have amino acid requirements. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Research and eld experience have By Barry Visser con rmed that when Nutritionist cows absorb essential AA in a prole that closely resembles the prole their bodies require, total essential AA requirements are reduced and protein utilization efciency is maximized. Therefore, balancing rations for AA has allowed nutritionists to signicantly reduce the amount of CP fed. Increased efciency of protein utilization and lower CP in rations results in less waste nitrogen to the environment. The rst goal of balancing a ration for AA is to provide enough rumen-degradable protein to maximize the efciency of microbial protein synthesis in the rumen. The second goal is to balance rumenundegradable protein, including bypass methionine and lysine sources, to optimize metabolizable protein, which is the true protein absorbed in the intestine. Microbial protein synthesized in the rumen, together with rumen-undegradable protein, comprise the majority of the metabolizable protein passage to the intestine. Concentrations of lysine and methionine in metabolizable protein have a great impact on protein content of milk and milk yield.

Specic fatty acids Fat is another important energy source for dairy cows. As with CP, we have seen a move away from relying exclusively on the total fat content of the ration. Instead, the focus has shifted to feeding dairy cows specic FA. The composition of the fat, especially its unsaturated FA content, can have profound effects on rumen fermentation and production responses. Under certain dietary conditions, unsaturated FA can form unique intermediates in the rumen that are potent

Fiber digestibility Dry matter intake has a huge impact on diet digestibility and, therefore, on the energy concentration of the diet. Digestible NDF and starch are the major contributors to dietary energy for lactating cows. Research in the past few years has shown that uNDF (the highly indigestible fraction of NDF) is a more robust predictor of feed digestibility than lignin. uNDF has also become a useful tool to benchmark forages in terms of potential rumen ll and DMI constraints. The difference between total NDF and the uNDF content of a ration is the amount of ber that has the potential to be fermented in the rumen and turned into energy available to the cow. The extent of ruminal NDF degradation will be determined by the rates of digestion and passage. Starch digestibility Dairy cows are fed signicant quantities of starch because it is highly digestible and energy-dense. Although cows do not have a requirement for starch,

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inhibitors of milkfat synthesis. Rumen unsaturated FA load is one tool currently used in ration formulation to help determine how much fat can be fed to lactating cows. In addition, ratios and blends of specic FA are now being evaluated.

Listen to the cows No doubt, feeding high-producing cows has become more precise and sophisticated with today’s tools. It has been said three rations can be delivered to dairy cows: the ration the nutritionist balances, the ration the feeder mixes for the cows, and the ration the cow may sort through and decide to eat. Work with your nutritionist and feed team to read the cows, make sure the right feed is delivered to the right group of cows in a timely and consistent manner, and strive to achieve a goodquality forage program as well as promote excellent cow comfort and management. Ultimately, the cows let us know if the ration is optimal, not the computer. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.

Here we go again

Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

Well, it is that time again. As the rst light of the You forget all the little things that have to be in working day crests the eastern horizon, the robins welcome the order before you can start milking. The waterlines have morning with a sweet serenade. It is spring time. A time to be opened and the cups lled. Fingers crossed we will of new beginnings. A fresh start on a continuous journey. not ood the barn from stuck valves. Greasing up the feed cart, mixer and conveyors. Restocking the milking A perfect time to start milking cows again. supplies of cleaners, towels and lters. After hitting the pause button on our milking operation in October, Mark and I Just Thinking Out Loud Opening up silos and lling concentrate bins. Then, the big hurdle: passing have hit the play button in time for a spring inspection. launch. Mark was not quite ready to walk On Monday morning, our yard was out of the barn for good last fall. Not yet. alive once again with all the people He enjoys working with good cows and who help us keep the farm running. developing strong family lines. So, we The feed truck pulled up to the bin to held back some of our bred heifers and unload a fresh batch of concentrate. youngstock for a spring reboot. The dairy supply truck backed up to the Starting back up in production is kind milkhouse to restock milking supplies. of like starting over with a new baby. Our The A.I. technician made a service call. rst three children were only 18 and 17 months apart, a very tight calving interval. The cooperative eldsman popped in to We were in the throes of caring for one baby make sure everything was in shape for By Natalie Schmitt when the next one arrived. We never really the inspector. Columnist got out of the baby routine. Then we took a The nice thing about taking time off break between Katie and Austin. It was only from milking was that we could nally 22 months, but for me, it felt like I was starting all over make repairs and improvements in our milkhouse again, pulling out all the baby stuff again and adjusting to to appease the milk inspector. Once the cold snap in a new routine. That is what this feels like as we start back February broke, Mark was able to put a fresh coat of up in milk production. paint on the ceiling and doors. Because the milkhouse Our rst heifer calved in mid-March with a heifer was ofine, the oor was staying dry. A perfect time to calf. We are off to a great start. I named our new addition repair some rough spots where cleaners and acid had Ralma Lambda Delta Dawn, as the dawn of a new deteriorated the cement ooring. Once we were done adventure. It was exciting to be back in the barn. The scrubbing down the walls and the stainless-steel bulk only thing living in the barn these past three months have tank, we stepped back to marvel. The milkhouse never been the cats. It looks like we only lost Mark’s favorite looked so good. The milk inspector agreed. We passed cat Misty this winter. Otherwise, the cats have patiently with ying colors and can start shipping milk once again. been waiting for the return of fresh milk in their dish. As we planned for our sale in October, we realized we They will now have to give up the straw cart as we start would need more than just a few fresh heifers to produce the routine of bedding cattle in the barn. Within a week, enough milk to reach the paddles in the bulk tank in the we had four fresh heifers milking. We are running 75% spring. Austin worked out a plan with a college buddy bull calves, so some things have not changed much. from Wisconsin to house and milk 10 of our cows while Starting back up in the barn has been interesting. we were ofine. As trafc was starting to ow into our

farm yard Monday morning, Mark pulled out with the truck and trailer to bring our cows home. After our short break, it feels good to start back up in a familiar routine but with a chance to start new habits. “Just because we have always done it this way,” won’t y anymore. We know we can do things differently now. The cycle has been broken. We can now try new ideas and incorporate new procedures. We just have to keep two things in mind. – Never be afraid to try something new. Remember amateurs built the ark and professionals built the Titanic. – Life is too short to milk ugly cows. Here is the ultimate question. “Is there life after cows?” We have been to the other side and have come back to say … not yet. Yes, there is a life after milking cows, but we’re not quite ready to journey down that path. For the last three months, we have found time to catch up on fun projects we never seemed to have the time for. But those projects are coming to a close, and we need something else to do, so why not milk cows again? Mark’s passion is working with cows. I enjoy it too, and I am with him every step of the way. There was a line in our marriage vows about through thick and thin, or was it through mud and muck and green pastures? We may need to push each other forward some days. On other days, we wait for one of us to catch up but at least we are heading down the path together. We do not know where we are heading. Right now, this adventure is not about the destination but the journey we share. I know not having a plan will drive some business experts crazy, but we are fortunate at this time in our lives we can take the scenic route on our life journey. Here’s to a bulk tank of fresh milk. As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.

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Treats for Scruffy

I haven’t visited a dairy farm yet that isn’t also home to another species: cats. When we bought our dairy farm, it came with a couple of barn cats. It wasn’t long before several more moved in. Then, as you can imagine, those barn cats led to barn kittens. When our kids were little, barn cats had the important job of keeping kids occupied and entertained. Feeding the barn cats and taming new kittens were two of the kids’ rst jobs. Those jobs created close connecDairy Good Life tions with our clowder of cats. Each kid has his or her own cat family, with kittens born from each family belonging to said child. Our barn cats have also contributed to the greatest lesson farm kids learn: life and death. When you think about it, barn cats live free, but perilous lives. As much as we would like to keep them constantly safe, the dangers of heavy equipment, the nearby road, and aerial predators are ever present. Peril seems to befall our fall-born kittens, especially. For some crazy reason, a couple of our queens are prone to delivering kittens in the fall instead of the spring. Come winter, when our barn turns downBy Sadie Frericks right chilly, fall kittens warm themselves by snugColumnist gling with the calves in our group pens. The sight is adorable. But, sadly, this leads to quite a few squished kittens. One of last fall’s kittens, named Ginny at birth by Monika (after her favorite Harry Potter character), however, deed all the odds. Ginny, who was nicknamed Scruffy over the winter, kept herself away from calves and, instead, gravitated towards humans. She quickly became what I call a shoulder cat: those cats who climb up your leg or a nearby gate to sit on your shoulder and purr in your ear. We’ve had shoulder cats before, but none like Scruffy. Past shoulder cats usually just climbed up to sit on our shoulders while we stood holding bottles for newborn calves. As soon as we started to walk away, though, the cats would leap down. Not Scruffy. She’d climb up and then hang on until we set her down. Given the choice, I think she would have ridden on a shoulder all day long. We often told her to go play with the other cats instead of following us around. But she seemed to prefer human company. And her favorite human was Glen. She often perched on Glen’s shoulder while he was driving the feed cart. And his shoulder was the rst she sought during milking. “I don’t even like cats,” Glen would often say as Scruffy purred in his ear and he scratched the spot under her chin. Glen would let her ride on his shoulder for the rst couple cows, then take her to the milkhouse to spend the rest of milking in safety. Scruffy didn’t care much for her solitary connement in the milkhouse, so we tried to make it more enjoyable by giving her a personal milk dish and an old hat to curl up on. One day, Glen found Scruffy covered in milk, presumably from falling into her milk dish. After that, she really looked like her name. Shortly after, Glen gave her a bath. He was washing milkers when she climbed up onto his shoulder. He took advantage of the pail of warm, soapy water and dunked her in a few times, which she actually seemed to enjoy. He rinsed her off in the sink, which she clearly did not enjoy, and then set her to dry in front of the compressor. Scruffy was a bit upset with Glen, but got over it rather quickly. One afternoon while I was in town picking up supplies, I got a text message from Glen that read: Treats for Scruffy. I wasn’t sure if he was kidding. So I thought, what the heck, I can pick up a $2 dollar bag of kitten treats. The treats were an instant hit. The treats made solitary connement in the milkhouse even more enjoyable for Scruffy. Everyone who passed through the milkhouse – Glen, me, the kids – loved stopping to give Scruffy treats. It reached the point where we had to start checking in with each other to keep Scruffy’s treat consumption within her daily allocation. On Tuesday morning, I had just nished pushing up feed when that “something’s not right” feeling struck me. It took me a second to realize what was missing: Scruffy. I looked in the calf pens. I looked in the barn ofce. I went back into the milkhouse to look there. There was no sign of Scruffy and I started to fear the worst. I soon learned the awful truth: Scruffy had an unfortunate encounter with the feed cart on Monday night. We are heartbroken. For the rst time ever, the loss of a cat is even affecting Glen. Lots of tears have been shed around here for our departed feline friends, but the tears for Scruffy stung a bit more. I hope she’s found a shoulder to ride on in kitty heaven. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children – Dan, 13, Monika, 11, and Daphne, 7. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 33

Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

Princess Kay program continues despite pandemic Finalist judging will be in-person, educational seminars will be online By Krista Kuzma

krista.k@dairystar.com

Although the Princess Kay of the Milky Way program has had to adjust in the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the passion, enthusiasm and goal of the ambassador program has stayed the same. For the second year in a row, the May Leadership and Promotion Event put on by Midwest Dairy for Minnesota county dairy princesses will have a different format. This event is where judging to choose the 10 Princess Kay of the Milky nalists takes place and provides training for county dairy princesses from across the state. “Although it looks different and not what people are used to, I think there have been some good things and some pieces of it we’ll continue to do even as we see in-person events coming back into play,” said Theresa Reps, agricultural affairs manager for Midwest Dairy. The leadership education sessions will be done on a virtual platform while the judging will be a one-day in-person event May 15 at a hotel in the Twin Cities. There is also an option for virtual judging. In the four weeks leading up to May 15, a one-hour webinar on a leadership or promotion topic will be presented each week. The webinars can be viewed live or watched as a recording

DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO

Minnesota county dairy princesses at a past May Leadership and PromoƟon Event engage during one of the weekend’s educaƟonal workshops. This year, the educaƟonal aspect will be done through a virtual plaƞorm leading up to May 15, the day judging to determine the 10 Princess Kay anlists takes place. later. It will be available to county coordinators and anyone involved with the county princess programs. “I think that’s a big advantage because we haven’t had that option before,” Reps said. “It’s a limiting factor when you have to travel, so not all the county coordinators have attended or could attend in the past. This way they can tune in and watch. Even if they don’t have a girl competing or coming to the May leadership event, they can still watch the sessions if they would like and use for future years.” Another advantage is the broad range of topics available for the presentations. “In the past, we’ve been careful about certain topics that could give people an advantage if they see it prior

to judging compared to if someone saw it after,” Reps said. “This way, all the sessions will be done prior to judging so everyone has a chance to watch.” On May 15, judging to decide the 10 Princess Kay nalists is the only event taking place. “It’s a come in, go out format,” Reps said. “If their judging is done, they can leave.” All state regulations due to the pandemic will be followed during the inperson event. “There will be an option to be judged virtually for those that don’t feel comfortable or don’t have the ability to be there in person,” Reps said. “We are trying to be mindful of those who are in a situation where maybe they have had exposure but aren’t sick themselves.”

The announcement of the 10 nalists will be made the next day on the Princess Kay Facebook page. This is a step closer to normalcy after last year’s May Leadership and Promotion Event seminars were canceled and the nalist judging done virtually. The year followed with a crowning of Princess Kay; however, the cancellation of the Minnesota State Fair made the event very different. “We’re hoping the crowning of Princess Kay will be a little more normal this year in comparison to last year, but we can’t make that decision until we get closer and know more about what the state fair is planning,” Reps said. “We’ve had a year where we didn’t have the state fair and we still managed to crown Princess Kay so we’re moving forward with crowning a Princess Kay this year too.” The majority of the events and appearances made by Princess Kay this year have been online. “We’ve certainly missed the inperson events, but there are a lot of things we can do virtually so it’s put us in a position to explore a lot of those options faster than we would have,” Reps said. “I think even as we see more things open up, we’ll always have that virtual option available. I think it’s going to become a critical portion of how we advocate for dairy. It has given Princess Kay the chance to go to counties that maybe wouldn’t have been as easily accessible with a six-hour drive. Now, we can visit or have the option to virtually visit these places because everyone’s getting more and more comfortable with a virtual platform.”

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With milk prices remaining at and soybean meal approaching $500/ton, many farmers are exploring ways to reduce ration costs without sacricing milk production. One approach can be to replace a portion of the corn silage in rations with more high-quality alfalfa, allowing farmers to reduce the amount of soybean meal they need to purchase. A few years ago, alfalfa accounted for about half of a cow’s ration. But, herds expanding in size faster than their land base have shifted to more corn silage, accounting for up to 7080% of their forage rations, says Purina Technical Support Dairy Nutritionist Stuart Rymph. A reason for the shift – corn silage is easy to grow and requires a single harvest, making it desirable to manage. “Corn silage yields well and has an exceptional Net Energy Lactation of 0.72-0.74, but it is lower in crude protein, requiring more soybean meal or urea to be added to meet protein requirements,” Rymph notes. “Most often, it is more cost effective to grow necessary feed requirements on farm rather than purchasing them – alfalfa produces the most protein content per acre of any forage crop.” U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center research has shown dairy diets produce the most milk when 25% of the forage is alfalfa and 25% is corn silage, with the remaining 50% a high-quality forage available on farm. So, when it makes sense economically, farmers can increase alfalfa in their forage ration

by a fairly signicant amount without impacting milk output. Minerals may need to be adjusted based on the increase or decrease of the forage source. Rymph says utilizing alfalfa haylage with a net Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) of 180 provides the protein and energy a herd needs to excel, while depending less on soybean meal. Crude protein in alfalfa breaks down easily, but neutral detergent ber (NDF) breaks down more slowly than corn. High RFQ alfalfa has higher NDF digestibility, allowing it to digest and clear the rumen fast enough to allow for the high intakes needed to support high milk production. “In addition to its high protein content, one of the biggest benets of alfalfa hay and haylage is it forms a thicker, more robust mat in the rumen, allowing for more efcient digestion and better production,” Rymph explains. “This mat keeps the smaller feed particles around longer (grain), so they can be fully broken down. Corn silage particles may not interlock as extensively in the mat – allowing ner particles to fall through and wash out of the rumen quicker.” HarvXtra® Alfalfa Makes Higher Quality and Higher Yield Potential a Reality. A challenge with alfalfa is there has often been a consistency issue from eld-to-eld and cutting to cutting. Good weed control, cutting at the right stage, and raking and bailing at the right time are important factors when harvesting for quality; each can be impacted by workloads and untimely rains.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 35

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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

Women In Dairy Alice Callstrom Red Wing, Minnesota Goodhue County 30 cows

Family: My husband, Richard, and I have three adult children. Heidi and her husband, Greg Otto, have four kids: Tyler, Trent, Nathan and Heather; Adam and his wife, Shannon, have three kids: Lexy, Jake and Ciara; and Carl and his wife, Kate, have four kids: Torin, Walter, Milton and Lois. Tell us about your farm. Richard and I farm together with our sons, Adam and Carl. Along with our dairy herd, we have a herd of beef cows and run 1,000 acres of owned and rented land. Adam also does part-time trucking. Our grandkids are the fourth generation to be on this farm. They have started helping us a lot more with chores and eldwork. Adam and Carl returned to the farm in the early 2000s. I am starting to slow down a bit and only do calf chores in the evening. I also take care of the chickens we raise for eggs, run a lot of errands and drive people from place to place during eldwork. What’s the busiest time of day for you? Between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. is the busiest time for me, especially in the spring and summer when we are in the eld. That is when I do calf chores and run people around to different elds. Also, I drive the grandkids to and from extracurricular activities if their parents need help. When you get a spare moment what do you do? I started crocheting many years ago and have been able to do a bit more in the last few years as I slow down from the farm work. It is something to do instead of watching TV. I have been able to nish about three blankets in a year. I have started making a blanket for each of my grandkids for gifts when they graduate from high school. I like to read, and I also volunteer every Monday morning and Saturday at Wise Penny. It is a second-hand store for our church. We take in donations and sell them. The money is used for Christian education in our churches and schools. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. There have been so many I can’t pick just one. In general, driving the tractor to do tillage work has been memorable. I did a lot of tractor driving over the years. I really enjoyed working the land, being out on the land and getting it ready for the crop. I started doing a lot more chores, especially tractor driving and taking care of calves, in the late 1980s after Richard’s dad passed away. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I have really like taking care of the calves. I have found out over the years there needs to be a constant person doing calf chores in order to keep them healthy and on track. Richard feeds the calves in the morning while I feed them in the evening now so we are constantly talking to each other about what we did during chores and if any of the calves seemed off or if they were sick. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? Since I have pulled back from the farm chores a bit, I do not keep up with industry things as much I used to.

I read about it or Richard keeps me informed. We also talk to our veterinarian and other vendors we work with. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? Why? My husband, Richard. He has a great work ethic. He has always been there to help, and we have always worked together on the farm. There have been times of disagreement, but in the grand scheme of things, it always worked out. If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be and why? Vice President Kamala Harris. I would want her to see the nitty gritty of the day-to-day chores we do as farmers. But it should not just be prominent women who should get a farm tour. There are people right here in Red Wing who do not know where their food comes from and would benet by seeing how we take care of our animals. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? Explain. Richard and I met up in Hawaii in 1969 when he was on R&R for two weeks while serving in the Army in Vietnam. We were able to take in the sights on the island of Oahu. We were married in May 1967 and one month later, Richard enrolled in the service since he was probably going to be drafted. We moved out to the East Coast in August 1967 for nine months before he was sent to Vietnam in June the next year. Richard spent one year there. When he came back, we moved to Arizona in July 1969. When he was done in the Army, we moved back to Minnesota and started farming. We are glad we got to see some other places before then, but there’s no place like home. What are some words you like to live by? Pray often, count your blessings every day, appreciate what is around you and observe that God is in control.

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Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 37

ConƟnued from ALFALFA | Page 35 Fortunately, there is an opportunity to reduce inconsistency issues by planting high-quality reduced-lignin alfalfa, providing an expanded harvest window. The reduced-lignin alfalfa trait alters the amount of stem lignin, allowing for a higher starting forage quality. As the plant matures, quality decreases, but starting at a higher percent provides a longer harvest window to obtain the desired forage quality. Changing how alfalfa plants produce lignin (indigestible ber binding other cell wall components) can lead to higher forage digestibility. Dr. Dan Undersander, University of Wisconsin Forage Professor Emeritus, says in addition to choosing a reducedlignin alfalfa variety, select one with excellent stand persistence, strong winter hardiness, and high disease resistance. Utilizing Roundup Ready® alfalfa provides excellent weed control, helping limit plant stress and providing high forage quality potential. “The ability to retain standing forage quality longer provides more harvest exibility,” Undersander explains. “Harvest can be delayed, obtaining similar quality as conventional alfalfa harvested on a 28-day schedule, but with enhanced yield potential of harvesting at 35-day intervals. Many farmers prefer these higher yields per harvest with the goal of reducing cuttings per season. If you focus on achieving even higher RFQ, you can still cut it at the same time you’d typically harvest conventional alfalfa.” “Another way to help ensure good forage quality throughout the life of your Roundup Ready® alfalfa stand is to make a glyphosate application in the fall of your stand’s second year to

eliminate winter annuals,” adds Randy Welch, National Alfalfa Agronomist and Wisconsin Forage Specialist with CROPLAN by WinField United. “This will prevent weeds from reducing forage yield and quality the following season.” When managing reduced-lignin alfalfa for higher yield potential, an added benet of making fewer cuttings is it results in better stand health. When alfalfa is harvested at >30-day intervals, it allows the plant to retain higher carbohydrate and nutrient levels. This results in a stronger root system, stronger crown buds, and better overall plant health for following cuttings. Improved stand health can lead to a more productive stand and higher stand persistence. Since lodging can be an issue with any variety, especially if rst cutting is delayed, Undersander suggests harvesting reduced-lignin alfalfa at the same time as a conventional stand for rst cutting (~28”), usually around May 25-30 in the Midwest. Timely Final Harvest Improves Stand Persistence. In order to give alfalfa time to build proper nutrient levels to aid in carbohydrate storage needed for winter hardiness, Undersander encourages scheduling last cutting so stands receive ≥500 growing degree days before experiencing a killing frost of ≤25°F. This usually falls around September 1 for the Midwest. “This allows alfalfa to rebuild its carbohydrate reserves to survive the winter with minimal stress,” Undersander says. “The closer you cut to the rst frost, the less chance you give the plant to build those reserves.” First published in Midwest Forage Association’s Forage Focus Magazine.

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Close the highway to the calf Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021

Have you ever been on California choice. It is a strong antibacterial with State Route 1? It runs along the Pacic desiccant properties so it will do a good Ocean for more than 600 miles. Imagine job of disinfecting and drying up the driving down this highway, top down, umbilicus. sun shining and the ocean at your side. Having the best disinfectant is You are heading north, out of crowded step one of dipping navels. Step two Los Angeles trafc, to a nicer, calmer is using a clean disinfectant cup. I environment where have seen farmers use Calf Chronicles you can thrive. Sounds throwaway cups or plastic amazing, doesn’t it? locking bags full of iodine Pathogens, just like to decrease the chance of humans, look for an spreading pathogens from environment to thrive in. one calf to the next. But So when a new calf hits if your farm’s protocol the ground, pathogens includes something more seek the roadway reusable, make sure it presented to them into is also sanitized. After a the calf’s blood stream while, iodine dippers that where they can prosper. sit out and are not regularly A calf’s navel acts as a cleaned develop a crusty highway between the edge to them, and the very By Ellen Cushing outside world and her last thing we want is to Columnist bloodstream. When introduce pathogens to the that highway is open, calf instead of disinfecting pathogens can easily overtake a calf, the umbilicus. and it is up to us to help that calf close Step three is making sure the the highway. disinfectant fully covers the umbilicus. Calves are born with an The best way to make this happen is to underdeveloped immune system. This dip, not spray, the navel. As previously means calves have a slow and weak mentioned, the navel is an open response to pathogens during their highway from the outside world into rst weeks of life. They are vulnerable the calf’s bloodstream, so it is critical and in extra need of protocols that to block off the entire highway. Think help them prevent pathogens from of it as a six-lane road. When you spray, overloading their immune system. you might cover lanes 2-5, but trafc One protocol is dipping navels to help can get through on lanes one and six. repel and neutralize the bacteria that is On the other hand, when you dip the already on the umbilicus. It also helps navel, you cut off the entire roadway. to dry this fresh tissue that is no longer Best practice is to dip and jiggle the cup needed because the calf is breathing a little, sloshing iodine on the sides of and functioning on its own and no the navel. Then dip again and again to longer needs the vessels that fed it from make sure you get full coverage on that its mother. When it comes to dipping calf’s umbilicus. You should see a little navels, 7% iodine is the disinfectant of iodine dripping off the end.

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Additionally, timing is important when it comes to navel-dipping protocols. Just like we want to get colostrum into the calf as soon as possible, we also want to get a calf’s navel dipped as soon as possible. The goal is to close the blood vessels, kill any present bacteria and then dry out the umbilical cord, basically decreasing any chance that pathogens will enter the navel highway. The calving area also plays a large role in the number of pathogens introduced to a calf. Keeping this pen clean, dry and free of excess manure will help keep the navel area that way too. It’s important to pay attention to maternity area bedding, especially in times of high calving. Rather than cleaning the pen out every so many days, it is good practice to clean it out after a specic number of calvings. This could mean you clean it out every other day, or it could mean you clean it every four days, depending

on the calving load. Pathogens look for an environment they can live and thrive in, but we do not want to make it easy for them. If we view the umbilicus as a highway from the outside world into the calf, we do not want to shut down just one lane, we want to stop trafc completely. The best way to accomplish this is to dip the navel in 7% iodine as soon as possible. If we can reach this goal and keep the maternity pen clean and dry, calves should be ready to thrive in a healthier environment. Ellen is the First Defense regional sales and marketing manager for Wisconsin and Minnesota. She’s a problem solver who loves walking calf hutches and diagnosing protocol drift. A great day is a day spent helping dairy and beef farmers keep their baby calves healthy! Ellen can be reached at ecushing@immucell.com.

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Used Outlaw Pump Trailer

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$199,000

Call for Pricing

$69,085

$69,000

$67,500

529.9 hours

www.komrosales.com

4,178.8 Hours, 400 HP, Murphy Shut Down

Dairy prole

Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021 • Page 39