2022 NATIONAL HOLSTEIN CONVENTION Find out more about the convention starting on page 13 of the second section!
DAIRY ST R
April 23, 2022
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 24, No. 5
Transitioning to the future Next generation of Kanes running farm By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
DENMARK, Wis. – Tim and Carla Kane’s three children knew exactly what they wanted to do after high school – be full-time dairy farmers. After graduation, they each entered into the role they would later take over from their parents and were so successful, it did not take long for management responsibilities to become theirs. Today, siblings Pat Kane, Rachel Kittell and Jena Healy operate Kane Dairy near Denmark where they milk 800 cows and farm 3,000 acres. The trio ofcially assumed daily operations in 2015, but the farm is owned by their parents. Tim and Carla have handed over the reins and are letting their children run the day-to-day show. “It’s nice knowing over the last 10 years how much faith our parents have placed in us,” Rachel said. “We’re thank-
ful they gave us this opportunity and set us up in a good position to take over.” Pat agreed. “They had the ability to let go and gave us the chance to learn from our mistakes and grow,” he said. “They are very open to new ideas and trying new things.” With Pat managing crops and Rachel and Jena managing cattle, the siblings work in sync to keep the farm thriving and self-sufcient. Rachel’s husband, Matt, also works full-time on the farm feeding cows and has been with Kane Dairy since he was 14. In addition to family members, the farm has 13 fulltime employees. Tim does the bookkeeping, and Carla helps where she can while also watching Rachel’s two children – Kolton, 4, and Kash, 2 – when Rachel is working on the farm. The Kanes have a home in Arizona and feel comfortable leaving their kids in charge for two to three months every winter while they get away. “As we entered our teenage years, we were molded into our current posi-
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
The Kane siblings – (from leŌ) Rachel KiƩell, Pat Kane and Jena Healy – milk 800 Turn to KANES | Page 7 cows and farm 3,000 acres at Kane Dairy near Denmark, Wisconsin. The trio took over management responsibiliƟes from their parents in 2015.
One piece at a time
Olsons make improvements to cow comfort By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Sam and BriƩany Olson recently completed a barn renovaƟon to improve cow comfort. They milk 50 cows near Chetek, Wisconsin.
CHETEK, Wis. – Dairy farmers work step by step to make desired changes to the facilities where they build their dreams to prioritize projects that will make their dairy farms better homes for their herds. Sam and Brittany Olson of Chetek are no different. Sam returned to his family’s farm after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in 2014 and is the fth generation of his family to operate the Barron County farm. Brittany joined Sam following their engagement in 2015 and their marriage in 2016. “You just decide what your weakest point is and x that rst,” Sam said. “Brittany started with the calf hutches right after we got married, and we got all our calves out of the old calf barn. That made a huge difference there, and now
the top end is gured out with the milking barn done. Now, we just need to take care of everything in between.” The Olsons milk nearly 50 Holsteins and Jerseys and utilize rotational grazing throughout the warmer months of the year. After taking over the day-to-day management of the herd, the Olsons went through a period of aggressive culling to begin clearing the way for placing their stamp on the face of the herd. “We developed a lower tolerance for mean cows and families that had high (somatic) cell counts,” Sam said. “We just got rid of a lot of problems.” Breeding cows that are profitable and work well under their management style is a priority for the Olsons, and they pay close attention to selecting for strength and body capacity priority traits in their mating decisions. Sam had been exploring ideas for upgrading the stalls in the barn to t the kind of cows he wants to breed. “We kicked around the idea of a new tiestall barn and then
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