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
Turn to OLSONS | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Editorial Staff Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman - Staff Writer (608) 487-1101 • danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Abby Wiedmeyer - Staff Writer 608-487-4812 • abby.w@dairystar.com Kate Rechtzigel - Staff Writer 507-696-9213 • kate.r@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Amanda Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Kati Kindschuh (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-979-5284 • kati.k@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $40.00, outside the U.S. $200.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. 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 / Star Publications LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Star Publications LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. Milk check remains strong
Dairy Prole brought to you by your World Agricultural Outlook Board chairman Mark Jekanowski said the milk price remains strong. “Class III prices are up this month again by $1.20 per hundredweight; what’s happening there is very strong cheese prices are offsetting the slight reduction in pricing,” he said. The all-milk price is forecasted at $25.80 cwt. That is up more than $7 cwt from 2021. April supply demand estimates released The U.S. Department of Agriculture has increased its 2022 milk production forecast, boosted by an increase in cow numbers. Higher cheese prices offset a lower whey price, which was reected in the increase in the Class III milk price forecast of $22.75 cwt. Supply management proposal being advocated The Wisconsin Farm Bureau and Wisconsin Farmers Union are taking input on a Dairy Revitalization Plan. The concept is a national mandatory program to manage growth. The plan is based on an economic modeling study put together by Mark Stephenson and Charles Nicholson from the University of Wisconsin. Dairy groups challenge township regulations The Dairy Business Association and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative have asked the state to review action taken by several townships in northwestern Wisconsin. The dairy groups said outlandish regulations are being imposed on large dairy and livestock farms and the townships have clearly ignored current laws. GHG emissions drop in 2020 Greenhouse gas emissions declined 9% in 2020 due largely to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on travel and economic activity. The EPA reports methane emissions from beef cattle declined slightly. Emissions related to dairy cattle
increased marginally. Emissions from all U.S. livestock represent less than 3% of all greenhouse gas emissions nationwide.
Biden administration unveils Ag Insider plan to improve trucker shortage Supply chain disruptions during the pandemic highlighted the need for more truck drivers in the United States. According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. is short about 80,000 truck drivers. To improve the situation, the Biden administration wants to boost registered apprenticeships, take a closer look at truck leasing By Don Wick rates, explore ways to increase truck driver pay, safety and make Columnist improvements to infrastructure. “These actions will help us recruit more drivers and, just as importantly, retain them to help keep down shipping delays and reign in the price of goods at a time when we’re ghting ination with everything we’ve got,” Buttigieg said. The Biden administration is also trying to make the job appeal to more veterans, women and drivers of color. Senators want ag trade nominees named soon Senate Agriculture Committee leaders Debbie Stabenow and John Boozman, along with Senate Finance Committee ranking member Mike Crapo, sent a letter to President Biden. The leaders asked Biden to quickly nominate a chief agriculture negotiator at the Ofce of the United States Trade Rep-
Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 5
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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 3
Fox Lake, WI
Understanding nancials of farm succession planning First Section: Pages 8 - 9
Sheldon, WI
Elmwood, WI
Farm transition possible with genetics business First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Galena, IL
Women in Dairy: Amanda Nicholson
Berning turns to innovative calving practices
First Section: Page 29
First Section: Pages 23, 25
Egg Harbor, WI
Dairy Prole: Robert and Julie Kiehnau and Andy Kaczmarek First Section: Page 31
Stevens Point, WI
Gonske family revels in trivia contest tradition Second Section: Pages 3 - 4
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE: When do you think you will get into the eld this year? First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Shell Lake, WI
Harvesting Quality Forages First Section: Pages 18, 20
Marathon, WI
Grazing taller key to pasture management First Section: Page 25
Random Lake, WI
A day in the life of the Ramel family
Second Section: Pages 18, 20 - 21
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Zone 1
Zone 2
Columnists Ag Insider Pages Pa 2, 5 First Fi s Section Fir
Farmer and Columnist Page 35 First Section
Ram Ramblings fro from the R Ridge Page Pa 36 First Section
Hull, IA Watertown, SD
Something So to R Ruminate On Page P 37 First Firs Section
Ju Thinking Just O Out Loud Page 38 F First Section
Dairy Good Life Page 39 First Section
The “Mielke” Market Weekly Pages 8 - 9 Second Section
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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 5
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 2
resentative and an undersecretary for trade and foreign ag affairs at USDA. The former Chief Agricultural Negotiator nominee, Elaine Trevino, withdrew her nomination for the position in March. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack told reporters last month it has been difcult to nd a candidate for the undersecretary position. Senate Agriculture Committee hosting rst 2023 farm bill hearing The Senate Agriculture Committee will host their rst 2023 farm bill eld hearing Friday, April 29. Committee chair Debbie Stabenow will host the hearing in Michigan. A eld hearing is being planned in Arkansas with ranking member John Boozman. Tractor, combine sales declined in March According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, tractor and combine sales declined in March. Tractor sales were down 21% while combine sales were off 10%, marking the rst decline in sales since last July. AEM said 100plus horsepower, two-wheel drive tractors were the only segment to show an increase with sales up 7%. Mid-range tractors were down 14%, and four-wheel drive tractor sales were down 2%. The sub-40 horsepower tractors saw the largest decline, down 25.5%.
Zoetis launches online tool Partnering with Holstein Association USA, Zoetis has introduced the Enlight 2.0 online management tool. This tool features additional functionality and is designed to help dairy farmers gain more value from their investment in genetic testing. “Innovation never stops,” said Jason Osterstock, vice president of precision animal health with Zoetis. “It’s all about how do we help provide a comprehensive solution to address our challenges and ultimately create a protable cow.” Dairy industry represented on export advisory council The Wisconsin Agricultural Export Advisory Council has been named to help expand trade. Three representatives of the dairy industry will serve. They are Dairy Farmers of America CEO Chad Vincent, MCT Dairies global sales director Ryan Wucherer and Sartori CEO Jeff Schwager.
Westby Co-op makes signicant investment Westby Cooperative Creamery has invested $1 million to install equipment that will lter out protein, solids and water. This equipment will allow the company to sell the ltered material as an animal feed protein and an ingredient in nutritional supplements. Westby Cooperative Creamery is Wisconsin’s only cottage cheese manufacturer. Expansion for ABS Global ABS Global plans to add 15 acres to its campus in DeForest, Wisconsin. The A.I. company plans to update facilities at its headquarter location. Holstein youth being recognized Twelve seminalists have been named for Holstein Association USA’s Distinguished Junior Member awards, including three from Wisconsin. These seminalists are Elise Bleck of Glenbeulah, Hannah Hockerman of Westeld and Brian McCullough of Juda. The seminalists will be interviewed during the National Holstein Convention in late June, and the six nalists will be announced July 1. WCMA hires Hess Lindsey Hess has joined the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association as its programs and ofce coordinator. Previously, Hess worked for the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association. Hess will assist with WCMA leadership training and webinars. Trivia challenge Baskin-Robbins is the ice cream company known for offering 31 avors. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, what do the letters bST stand for? 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.
Correction
In the April 9 issue of Dairy Star, Monica Kramer McConkey was misidentied in the article, “Creating a lasting legacy.” Dairy Star regrets the error.
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Ephraim I. Martin - Sheridan, MI In January of 2021 I was seeing something that I didn’t like in my cows. The cows were performing well, 80# of milk 4.20% BF 3.20% Pro but I was seeing a fair amount of corn in the manure. My HMC was drier than I like it and a bit too coarse. I had been watching the adverƟsements from RECAL Microbials for someƟme and thought I’d call them. So, I called and talked to Jamie and he didn’t push anything, he just simply told me about their products and oīered me a thirty-day free trial. But Jamie said he wanted to come to my farm and take a look at my diet, not that he wanted to change my diet, just so he knew what kind of diet we are working with, take a look at my forages, cows and manure. So, I said when can you come. A few days later Jamie came to the farm. He did a very thorough evaluaƟon. He noƟced that I was mixing feed for more cows than I was milking. He checked the dry maƩers on my forages and noƟced that they were oī a fair amount and corrected them for me. We were walking the cows and Jamie was poinƟng things out in the manure. He looks at the manure very close. He noƟced that there was some inconsistency from pile to pile, a fair amount of undigested Įber and corn. Jamie then went on to tell me about the RECAL and the diīerence between the three diīerent products and how the free thirty-day trial works. At that point I decided I wanted to try the RECAL PLUS SS, what did I have to lose with the thirty-day free trial???? But Jamie told me that he wouldn’t start me on the RECAL at that Ɵme because of my dry maƩers being oī. What we needed to do was give the cows a week or two and see how they adjusted to the change in dry maƩer and then start the RECAL. Never do two things at once. So, we made the dry maƩer adjustments and waited two weeks to start to RECAL PLUS SS. In those two weeks I gained two pounds of milk, BF dipped a liƩle and I was mixing for the correct number of cows and all we did was adjust the dry maƩers on the forages, but the manure didn’t change. Then we started on the RECAL PLUS SS. Within three days I was seeing a diīerence in the manure, it was more consistent and creamier with less undigested Įber and corn. Within seven days I saw a lot less corn and Įber. Intakes stayed the same but milk was up three pounds while BF & PRO stayed the same but MUNS went to 13 and I pulled some protein out. I was seeing stronger heats too. Milk conƟnued to climb as Ɵme went on and was able to hold 90#-92# with 4.00% BF and 3.00%-3.20% PRO most of 2021. I had been feeding a toxin binder and yeast prior to feeding the RECAL but pulled them out aŌer seeing the results of the RECAL PLUS SS. I also started feeding the RECAL PLUS to my dry cows and I must say that the cows do transiƟon beƩer at freshening. They take oī beƩer, less issues, milk beƩer, peak higher, hold their peak longer and breed back beƩer. I also started feeding the RECAL CALF POWDER to my calves and I just don’t get sick calves anymore and the calves are so much livelier. I told Jamie I wish I would have started feeding the RECAL ten years sooner. Jamie will tell you that not every farm is the same and doesn’t see the same results. But with the deal he oīers what do you have to lose??? I for one am glad I called Jamie to Įnd out more about the RECAL. My family and I milk about 120 cows near Sheridan, MI.
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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
ConƟnued from OLSONS | Page 1
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DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
The Olsons’ cows eat in their recently remodeled barn near Chetek, Wisconsin. The Olsons enlarged the stalls and redid the manger in the barn. a freestall barn, milking in here until we could build a parlor, and that was all cost prohibitive too,” Sam said. “Then milk prices nose dived, and it was a waiting game. I bet I had at least one new drawing made up just about every month of what we could do, should do, might do.” When the time came to actually pursue the project, the Olsons went with the plan that was the most economically feasible. The original portion of the barn was built in 1902 just before Sam’s great-greatgrandfather purchased the farm after moving to Barron County from Decorah, Iowa. “When he bought this farm, the barn was virtually new, and it was one of the rst barns of this style in the territory,” Sam said. “With the exception of about a week and a half when the stalls in this part were being redone, cows have been milked in this barn every day for 120 years.” Sam’s grandfather made an addition to the barn in 1957 to increase the family’s dairy herd to about 50 cows. The two rows of tie stalls face head to head. The old section of the barn contained small stalls, many of which were stanchions the Olsons used for heifers. Brittany’s small herd of Jerseys occupied the remaining smallest stalls. Before the renovation, the stalls were 42 to 48 inches wide and 60 inches long. The Olsons kept some of the stalls in the old section of the barn the same size for their Jersey cows. But, those stalls went from being some of the largest in the barn to being the smallest. Now, the barn boasts 14 stalls that are 54 inches wide and 72 inches long for mature Holstein cows; 26 48-inch by 68-inch stalls for smaller Holsteins and 10 stalls for Jerseys that measure 48 inches wide by 60 inches long. The Olsons kept the number of stalls at 50.
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“Our 2-year-old Holsteins are bigger now than our mature cows had been for years,” Sam said. “We wanted to move toward bigger framed Holsteins, so we needed to make the stalls to match.” Getting underway in October 2021, the entire project took about two weeks and was not without its hiccups. In the original part of the barn, the contractors found three different oors, making the work of preparing for new concrete more time consuming. All of the concrete between the gutters was taken out, and the sunken mangers were replaced with at, tiled mangers to make cleaning easier. The changes also allow for more room for feed in front of each cow. The Olsons sourced used tie stalls for a reasonable investment that suited their needs. They also purchased used mats that had a great deal of life remaining for half the barn. New mats were put in the other half of the barn to spread future replacement costs out. Six months after completing the project, the Olsons are pleased with the fruits of their labor, and Brittany said cow comfort has improved. “Bulk tank wise, we are up about 15 pounds per cow, and the cows are showing better heats,” Brittany said. “It is so nice to come into the barn and see everyone laying down, comfortable and relaxed. They are maintaining their body condition better, post-calving. That tells me they are making more milk and less stressed out doing it.” Sam agreed. “The cows have more room, and we have more room to milk them,” he said. “Some of them you could hardly squeeze into the stall with the cows. We wanted to do it once, and do it right. It just allows us to do a better job for the cows.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 7
ConƟnued from KANES | Page 1
tions, so we’ve been in our roles for a long time,” Jena said. Involved on the farm ever since they could walk, the siblings are the third generation to farm at the homestead where their father grew up. Tim and Carla took over the farm in 1988 milking 80 cows. The farm continued to grow in increments, and between 2009 and 2011, when all three kids were out of high school, the dairy made a large leap in growth. “We’ve always grown from within, but I don’t think my parents envisioned going to 800 cows originally,” Rachel said. Within six years, they built ve facilities to better house their cows, heifers and calves, and everything on the farm is built with the intention to grow bigger if the family decides to expand. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the family had plans to expand and proceeded to get barn proposals. “We’re happy we didn’t go through with that,” Pat said. “Right now, we’re focused more on bettering the dairy rather than growing it.” Cows are milked three times a day in a double-12 parallel parlor and housed in a sand-bedded freestall barn. Rachel said cows average 94 pounds of milk per day versus 100 pounds previously as milk production priorities on the dairy have shifted from a focus on volume to placing more emphasis on protein and fat content. “We’re tuning in on what we’re good at and want to keep improving,” Rachel said. From preparing the crop plan, to working with the agronomist, to getting crops planted and harvested, Pat makes all cropping decisions and takes care of tractor maintenance and xing things on the farm. Rachel and Jena are in charge of cattle, with Rachel acting as lead herdsman. Jena is second in charge, and the sisters alternate feeding calves. The two women successfully manage 800 cows,
and one of them can always be found on the farm. “My mom came off of full-time cattle work when I was done with school, and I came into a leadership role in this area,” Rachel said. “I do a lot of organizing and delegating of jobs, but I like to be hands on too.” Rachel trims feet in between the hoof trimmer’s regular scheduled trims and does the majority of the farm’s breeding. She learned how to breed cows in eighth grade and has been breeding for more than 15 years. The Kanes run a 30% pregnancy rate and use an ovsynch to presynch breeding program for milking cows. “We each have our own spot on the farm and want to do the best job we possibly can,” Rachel said. “We like to be progressive. For example, right now we’re doing a three-month trial on an activity monitor for heifers and cows, and we’re always looking to do things better and more efciently on the crop side too.” Kane Dairy is part of the Lower Fox Demonstration Farms Network, and Pat was the one to introduce no till and cover crops to the operation. “Now, we’re on the verge of doing all no till and are cover cropping as much land as possible,” he said. “You grow your own nitrogen when you plant cover crops. You’re keeping soil healthier and, in return, reducing input costs and chemical use, not to mention fuel and manpower. We use multispecies crops to benet soil health, reduce erosion and provide extra forage as we use secondary crops for heifer and dry cow feed.” Pat’s new way of working the land has resulted in labor savings for the farm. Kane Dairy used to require a four- to ve-man crew for spring eldwork and planting. Now, they are down to a twoman crew and have doubled the amount of land they farm. They also employ seasonal part-time help, who happen to be
retired area farmers, for harvesting haylage and corn silage. “When I took over cropping, I started taking over maintenance projects as well, and now there is very little we have to call other people for,” Pat said. “We do all of the preventive maintenance work too. Anything that moves, we take care of ourselves.” The siblings’ system of checks and balances ensures the best decisions are made for their operation. Rachel said they’re not afraid to step on each other’s toes. “We’ll ask, ‘Are you sure that’s going to benet us?,’ she said. “It’s nice to have all three of us kids involved in the farm because I don’t know if I could trust anyone else as much as I trust my brother and sister.” Rachel has a dairy management degree from Lakeshore Technical College, and Pat participates in a winter program offered through Northeast Wisconsin Technical College that focuses on current farming practices. “Knowing what I know now, I wish I would’ve went to school for a business nance degree,” Pat said. “I think that knowledge could have helped a lot with the farm transition, which we’re in the middle of.” The name of the farm was changed from Kane Farms to Kane Dairy LLC, which includes the dairy operation plus 80 acres. The family has also created a trust for the land. Pat and Rachel would like to be farm owners, but Jena is still deciding if farm ownership is right for her. “We’re going to buy shares of the business, and the farm will eventually transition to us as the new owners,” Pat said. “The dairy then pays rent to the land trust and eventually pays it off. When we retire someday, we’ll get the trust. It’s not a buyout. The farm almost has to be gifted, but our parents benet from the land trust.”
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Rachel said the family is taking their time with the transition and being proactive. “Our banker told us, ‘This may seem like a big, scary step, but you’re already
“Sometimes you have to lose money to make money, but it helps in the long run.” JENA KANE, DAIRY FARMER
running the farm,’” Rachel said. “He’s been with us for 20 years, and we have a good team in our banker, lawyer and nancial advisor. The last thing we need to take over are the nances, which we’re encouraging Jena to do because she’s good at it. Finances can be intimidating as that’s a big area to learn.” Pat agreed. “It takes a lot of internal knowledge to do the books,” he said. “You can’t just dive into it. There are so many little things to know.” An example of this would be milk hedging. “Sometimes you have to lose money to make money, but it helps in the long run,” Jena said. “These are some of the things I’m learning from my dad as we tackle this part of the business side by side.” Their plates are full, but this newest generation of Kanes is dedicated to the family farm. With hearts fully invested, Pat, Rachel and Jena drew on past experience and their lifelong passion for farming to reach their present-day success. And, Tim and Carla know the farm is in good hands with their children steering them into the future.
Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
Understanding nancials of farm succession planning Tri-Fecta Farms, Compeer Financial share tips for a smooth transition transitioning those assets. We originally started purchasing land from Mom and Dad and FOX LAKE, Wis. – Kari then realized this is very cost Gribble and her brother, Nick prohibitive. There are a lot of Schultz, started buying back tax implications and capital into their family farm in 2002. gains, and we needed a better Their parents loaned them 10 long-term strategy.” cows, and the siblings paid Gribble and her siblings them off as they sold the milk. milk 500 cows and farm It was important to have some about 2,000 acres at Tri-Fecta skin in the game and abide Farms near Fox Lake. Durby their ing an episode of a “Dairy p a r e n t s ’ Stream” podcast series examrules of ining farm succession plang e t t i n g ning, Gribble shared details an educa- of her family’s experience tion and with farm transition, while w o r k i n g Eric Gullicksrud, vice presifor some- dent of tax and accounting at body else Compeer Financial, offered b e f o r e words of wisdom pertaining Eric Gullicksrud Compeer Financial r e t u r n - to the nancial aspect of traning to the sitions. farm. In 2008, their sister, When asked what the rst Katy Schultz, came back to step is in analyzing the busifarm full time and complete ness nancials of the succesthe trio. sion plan, Gullicksrud said “Succession planning has people need to gure out the always been part of our busi- needs of the retiring party, ness model,” Gribble said. and existing debt has to be “We work under a parallel gured into their cash ow. business model with sepa“Debt servicing becomes rate nancials. This model a large part of the total plan as allowed us to shrink one we need to structure it so the side and grow the other side, business can continue to meet which provided some control all of its cash ow needs,” to the speed at which we were Gullicksrud said. “The last By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The family of Tri-Fecta Farms – (front row from leŌ) Reece Schultz, Rex Schultz, Londyn Schmidt, and Benson Gribble; (back row from leŌ) Nick Schultz, Jodi Schultz, Keven Schultz, Cheryl Schultz, Katy Schultz, Isabel Gribble, Kari Gribble and Eric Gribble – milks 500 cows and runs about 2,000 acres near Fox Lake, Wisconsin. They began transiƟoning the farm to the next generaƟon in 2002.
thing we want is the new generation running into cash ow problems and asking Mom and Dad to take a lower payment.” Tri-Fecta Farms came up with an asset plan four years ago which includes a living trust.
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“This completely changed our business model,” Gribble said. “We no longer had to concentrate on accumulating cash for large down payments. It allowed us to be more strategic with our goals moving forward.” An area that can catch
families off guard is letting the next generation assume their debt. “Several times I’ve seen parents deed the farm over and let the next generation Turn to TRANSITION | Page 9
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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 9
ConƟnued from TRANSITION | Page 8
assume the debt, not realizing the tax problems this can create,” Gullicksrud said. “It’s the same as Mom and Dad getting cash to pay off that debt, and a lot of times in real estate, it’s a very low tax basis.” Gribble said having a comprehensive list of assets and liabilities and due dates is a good rst step in analyzing the business nancials of a farm’s succession plan. “This process is going to be an investment, but spending money upfront to get things titled correctly could save you considerable money in the future,” she said. When it comes to organizing a farm’s cash ow analysis, Gullicksrud likes to see at least three years of past income and expenses. From there, the next generation can build their future cash ows and see what it looks like having to take on the debt of buying out their parents. “Typically, there are some tax consequences and that has to be gured into that cash ow as well,” Gullicksrud said. “That’s where the tax consulting side comes in to try to minimize that the best we can because any dollars leaving the operation is just less for that operation to work with.” Tri-Fecta Farms uses QuickBooks which Gribble said provides good projection opportunities, allowing the user to create budgets and look at actual expenditures over a series of years. “We have a pretty diversied business which means while we have the consistency of milk checks com-
ing in, we also have the ability to tailor some of our cash crops and other forage sales during those peak times of cash needs, giving us a little more exibility,” Gribble said. When considering debt analysis, Gullicksrud recommends taking everything into account – not only the debt requirements but also family living requirements. “Anything that’s going to take cash ow has to be gured in there,” he said. “A capital replacement, for example, is an easy one to forget, but things wear out and you need to gure that in. Try to have as extensive of a plan as you possibly can. It all starts with good sound records. You need that to have condence in the plan you’ve put together.” Gribble agreed. “Sometimes, we lock in interest rate loans with a long-term xed rate so we have a standard monthly amount we can control and be more aggressive in paying that off if we want to,” she said. “As Mom and Dad look to decrease their assets and as their equipment is nearing the end of its useful life, our business model allows us to buy new equipment, providing the opportunity to grow our side and decrease their side.” Because interest rates are lower, Gullicksrud has seen a lot of parents going the land contract route rather than having the next generation go to another lender. When setting up a land contact, Gullicksrud said to make sure payments will be sufcient 10 or 20 years down the road to cover all the costs of retiring parents.
“DHIA is a great tool to help keep our dairy profitable.” What are some of the DHIA tests you use?
Gribble and her siblings used long-term loan programs as well as an operating line of credit to provide a cushion to see them through times of high cash needs as income uctuated throughout the year. To minimize tax burdens and implications, Gribble recommends being proactive and seeking the advice of experts as well as setting up entities or trusts that allow for a smooth transition. “There’s nothing more frustrating than having all this hard-earned money not beneting the next generation because you’re paying it out in taxes,” she said. Gullicksrud agreed. “Working with a good tax professional is very important,” he said. “The tax code has gotten so complicated today that if you just look at total costs for having your return done versus all the things that can be taken for credits, deductions, you usually get what you pay for.” He said depreciation recapture is the large one on the sale of machinery, single purpose buildings and purchased cows. In many cases, when parents are looking at doing some gifting, they will consider gifting these assets. Items to sell would be capital gain assets like bare land and raised dairy cows and beef cows. These assets can be sold in a contract, and taxes would be paid on the principal payments as they are received. Those payments can be spread out. “Capital gains rates are the cheapest around compared to normal rates,” Gullicksrud said. “There are some real opportunities to set these sales up
properly to make sure we’re minimizing tax dollars.” Some of Gullicksrud’s clients do an annual gifting when transitioning the farm. For the last several years, that limit has been $15,000 per individual person but recently increased to $16,000. An in-law could also gift up to $16,000. Another area to keep up with is Social Security. Gullicksrud recommends going on the Social Security website every couple years to request a statement to ensure proper earnings are being given. This helps in knowing what other sources of income a person will have to supplement their farm retirement sale. If a farmer wants to start drawing Social Security before full retirement age, they must be aware of earnings they can have without having to pay some of this money back again. For 2022, this limit is $19,560. “My mom and dad worked side by side, but for a long time, Dad drew a much bigger salary than Mom so what she had set aside in Social Security was much less than him,” Gribble said. “Making sure they have enough to cover living expenses moving forward, we look at what other income sources they have.” Gullicksrud said it is never too early to start planning for a transition. “The sooner you start, the more options you’ll have when the time comes to start transitioning,” he said. “There is no transition boilerplate. Every transition is unique, and you have to tailor it to what works for you.”
Footbath DOSING SYSTEM
We use the BASE DHIA testing as well as the Dairy Elisa checking for pregnancy. Which is your favorite test and why? We don’t have a favorite. All the information that we get from DHIA is utilized to make decisions on our dairy.
How does testing with DHIA beneÀt your dairy operation? We see many beneÀts from the information we get from DHIA testing on our farm. We closely monitor the somatic cell count of individual cows to keep the quality of the milk we sell at its best. Management decisions are also based on the results we get from using DHIA testing. The great amount of data that comes back to us in reports each month guide us in breeding, culling and many other decisions on our dairy. DHIA is a great tool to help keep our dairy proÀtable.
Tell us about your farm. We milk around 100 cows in a double-10 New Zealand style swing parlor. Our cows are housed in hoop barns, with most of the cows being in the barn with sand free stalls. We have four grown children who all helped out as they were growing up. Our youngest son, Ethan, graduated from SDSU last May and is working with Ecolab and also on the farm. He wants to come back and take over the operation. We also have a full-time worker and a parttime worker. We raise all of our youngstock and farm Dean and Elizabeth Johnson 320 acres of corn, soybeans Johnson Dairy and alfalfa. We have recently 100 cows • Heron Lake, Minnesota began using cover crops in Testing DHIA for 41 years our operation.
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
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MILLERVILLE, Minn. – Not much draws attention to a rural town quite like butter does to Millerville. For 93 years, the Millerville Cooperative Creamery has made 1-pound blocks of butter for customers near and far to enjoy. “People come from all over for our butter, some from Alaska and Montana,” Deidre Hubbard said. “It really speaks for itself.” Hubbard is the creamery’s general manager. While not an operating creamery in the normal sense of the word, Millerville Cooperative Creamery continues on a tradition the business was founded on in the 1900s. Every two weeks, Hubbard’s husband, Eric, embarks on the three-day process of making butter. The creamery purchases cream from Land O’Lakes in Melrose, which is then hauled to the Millerville location as the start of the rst day of production. Cream is placed in a batch pasteurizer where it is brought to a high temperature and held for 30 minutes, then allowed to cool overnight. “That long process gives the cream a sweeter taste,” Hubbard said. “It’s what makes Millerville butter Millerville butter.” Hubbard explained how most butter is produced with a high-temperature short-time pasteurization and continuous churn system where upwards of 20,000 pounds of butter can be produced in an hour. In Hubbard’s facility, the process reconvenes on day two, when the pasteurized cream is pumped into a churn. At that moment, the liquid is churned until it has the consistency of popcorn. On average, that part of the process takes about an hour, depending on the fat content of the cream, Hubbard said. Then, the buttermilk is drained and salt is added, and the churning continues until the butter becomes creamy. From there, the butter is taken out of the churn by hand and placed into 90-pound stainless steel frames to set overnight. The next day, the butter is removed from the frames, cut into 1-pound blocks, and wrapped and boxed for retail. “We’re fortunate that one person can do it all,” Hubbard said. “Once we get to the cutting and wrapping, though, we do have two or three additional people helping.” Each batch generates about 1,100 pounds of butter to be sold in the creamery’s storefront and 45 additional locations across the state and Fargo, North Dakota. During the creamery’s busy season, they ramp up
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
Eric Hubbard makes buƩer using 90-pound stainless steel frames at Millerville CooperaƟve Creamery in Millerville, Minnesota. The buƩer-making process takes three days.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Deidre Hubbard shows the 1-pound blocks of butter made at Millerville CooperaƟve Creamery April 8 in Millerville, Minnesota. The creamery has made batch-made buƩer for 93 years. production and make butter almost weekly. “What we do here brings us a lot of pride and it’s something we absolutely love,” Hubbard said. “We know it’s a great product, and with word of mouth, it’s crazy to hear how many others think so too.” Butter production increases a bit to accommodate a busy season during the summer months and typically goes until the end of the year. “Then, the area lls with vacationers and it’s the season of grilling and corn on the cob,” Hubbard said. “These families have grown up on Millerville butter.” In 2018, when Hubbard began in her position, the creamery made about 13,000 pounds of butter during the course of the year. The growth has been unprecedented with upward of 32,000 pounds of butter produced by the end of last year with consumer demand nearly tripling. “People are calling about our butter,” Hubbard said. “It’s our cooperative’s biggest area of growth and an area we plan to expand on.” In its early years, the creamery was producing butter in masses with at least two batches made each day. At the time, the butter was made from milk supplied by the creamery’s farmer owners. Unfortunately, the creamery’s separator broke down 25 years ago which gave way to purchasing cream. In 2017, the creamery completely stopped taking in milk from patrons. “Our hope is to build a butter plant in the future,” Hubbard said. “Then, we could bring in milk to make butter from our farmer owners.” The creamery is comprised of a diverse group of member owners, with only about 3.5% being active dairy farmers. In 2020, the cooperative became certied to allow anyone to become an owner, farmer or otherwise. With the limited dairy farming community in the area, the creamery has also specialized in automobile mechanics and agronomy. It most recently became a True Value hardware store. “We’ve always been a dairy cooperative, but as we lose dairy farms and are not replacing them, we had to get creative to bring more back into our community,” Hubbard said. As Hubbard and her team think about the future of Millerville Cooperative Creamery, she knows one thing is for certain. Despite the changing demographics of their rural western Minnesota community, butter will remain a staple and tell a story of dairy farmers. “We value all of our farmers,” Hubbard said. “They are the reason for our existence and without them we wouldn’t be here, and Millerville butter wouldn’t be what it is today.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 11
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
Full throttle ahead
Farm transition possible with genetics business By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
ELMWOOD, Wis. – When Tom Knegendorf learned how to breed cows as a high school student, he did not intend to make it a full-time career. Years later, he is balancing a full breeding route with taking over his father’s farm. “Full Throttle Genetics encompasses the dairy and the A.I. business,” Knegendorf said. “That’s probably the only reason we’re still here.” Knegendorf and his father, Albert, milk 50 cows in a tiestall barn in Pierce County near Elmwood. They have been working through a transition for six years. With a fresh dairy science degree to his name, Knegendorf and his wife, Katie, originally planned to rent a barn and milk on their own in 2008. When he saw the district manager of a reproductive company at an event, Knegendorf mentioned he was able to breed cows. “I said I was kind of looking for relief work,” Knegendorf said. “I thought I could milk cows and breed on the side to kind of help fund things.” The manager pointed said there was not a representative in his area and suggested Knegendorf could have his own territory. Knegendorf consulted with his dad who offered him an opportunity to come home to milk cows. “Dad said I could come back and do half the milking and breed cows,” Knegendorf said. “I thought that sound-
ed more protable than milking on my own.” Thus, the transition began. In the beginning, Knegendorf milked mornings and every other weekend, and Knegendorf began the process of building up a breeding business. Albert milked evenings and every other weekend. “The territory had zero cows,” Knegendorf said. “We had nothing to start the business with, but I had a great manager. And, we started doing cold calls and beating on doors.” His local reputation allowed him to get into a few barns, and the business felt its rst growth when another representative let some of his territory go to Knegendorf. “I started working for ABS in June 2008,” Knegendorf said. “We bred our rst cow in July of 2008. We picked up a little more business, and it just kind of kept growing.” Knegendorf continued to milk in the mornings before going on the breeding route and had part-time help for milking in the evenings and on weekends. It was all working toward ownership of the dairy. “As we got closer to buying the cows, we realized that the cash ow part of the A.I. business just made things easier,” Knegendorf said. “When the price of milk is $14, we are still pounding the road breeding cows. BeABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR cause we put both businesses under the Tom Knegendorf stands among his cows April 12 at his farm near Elmwood, same LLC, they work together.” When the time came to buy the Wisconsin. Knegendorf has been running a breeding route and transiƟoning to ownership of his father’s herd for the past six year. They milk 50 cows. Turn to KNEGENDORF | Page 13
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ConƟnued from KNEGENDORF | Page 12
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The Knegendorf family – (from leŌ) Tom, Olivia, Ivan, Evelyn and KaƟe – milk 50 cows near Elmwood, Wisconsin. Tom also runs a full service breeding route. cows, Knegendorf went into it with around 35 head of his own and bought the rest of his dad’s milking cows. In order to ease Albert out of getting a milk check, Knegendorf bought the springing heifers as they calved. At the same time, Knegendorf purchased the vacuum pump, milk tank, mixer wagon and feed cart. “I bought the things I needed to feed the cows but none of the machinery because I didn’t own any of the land,” Knegendorf said. “With that, I buy all my feed from my dad.” Albert owns all the equipment and the land, and also raises 50 steers every year. “All the feed gets weighed through the (mixer) so you know how much you’re buying,” Knegendorf said. “I paid for my forage by the ton from him, and I bought my corn by the ton from him. I paid for my protein because that was an off-farm product.” A couple years into the transition, someone approached Knegendorf about renting 50 acres close by. Knegendorf took on that expense and has since planted corn on corn, accounting for most of the shell corn he needs for the year. Once Albert was no longer receiving a milk check over the course of a couple years, they devised a system to work for everyone. Albert works for
the farm as an employee and records his hours. He does most of the feeding, general chores and has full management of the calves. Albert also provides feed to Knegendorf. “I don’t know that it was a tough decision to do it that way, but it keeps everything black and white,” Knegendorf said. “He gets his hours, plus income from feed and still raises his steers. It sure eliminates a lot of conict for working together.” They do have a part-time employee who feeds on the weekends, allowing Albert time off. There is also a herdsman to milk at night while Knegendorf is breeding cows. Knegendorf’s breeding route consists of ve big stops with 400 to 1,400 cows. He has 16 active clients and in January had a record day of breeding 169 cows. On an average day, Knegendorf breeds around 20 cows and on a busy day will breed about 85 cows. Knegendorf said he enjoys working as an independent A.I. representative. They provide support, technical services and access to relief breeders which allows Knegendorf to take off one day a week and one weekend a month. “We always said when we buy the cows then we’re not going to breed cows anymore,” Knegendorf said. “But that didn’t happen. When the milk price is lean, the A.I. business is consistent.”
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Dairyy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 15
Dairy farmers:
When do you think you will get in the fields?
Shaun Decker Medford, Wisconsin Taylor County 55 cows What kind of equipment maintenance and preparations do you do before spring eldwork starts? We try to put everything away in the fall washed and cleaned, if weather allows. If it doesn’t get done in the fall, we get everything out in the spring and wash it off good. We inspect everything and take care of whatever preventative maintenance we can do. We change the oil on everything and get them ready every spring. We have a lot of tractors for our size of operation, and they all get about the same amount of use. I have a friend who is a John Deere mechanic and another guy who is good with electrical issue and they help me in return for using my shop for their own projects.
Bill Hansen Cashton, Wisconsin Monroe County 50 cows What kind of equipment maintenance and preparations do you do before spring eldwork starts? We change the oil in everything, grease equipment, check uid levels and do basic inspection. What do you enjoy about spring eldwork? I like driving tractors in the elds. It gets me away from the everyday chores, and I enjoy the fresh air.
What do you enjoy about spring eldwork? I enjoy getting everything done and not having to worry about a pit that is getting too full and knowing that next year’s crop is coming. You cross your ngers that everything goes well. This is the third year I’ve had enough land to grow everything and not have to look for and buy feed. It’s a really good feeling to know the crop is out there right by the farm.
Steve Miller Sun Prairie, Wisconsin Dane County 400 cows
What are you planting this year? I am planting 25 acres of oats and 55 acres of corn.
What kind of equipment maintenance and preparations do you do before spring eldwork starts? We make sure everything is ready to go. We grease bearings on the rake and whatever else needs greasing, look at changing shovels and do other maintenance on equipment.
Do you have any predictions for this year’s growing season? Right now, it looks like we will have good moisture but that could all change. Tell us about your farm. This farm has been in my family for 155 years, and I have been here all my life. My son, Paul, farms full time with me and will eventually take over. My wife, Lori, works off the farm three days a week and babysits our grandchildren when she can. We milk 50 cows and farm 200 acres. We raise most of our youngstock as well.
What are you planting this year? We are seeding down 30 acres and planting 40 acres of corn. And, we have 80 acres of good, nice clover, and then we run about 40 acres of grass hay that we make little square bales out of. What is the latest and earliest date you have started in the eld? I don’t know an actual date, but I would say early May, maybe May 8 sticks out; and, we have never planted anything in June. Do you have any predictions for this year’s growing season? I am going to predict we’re going to have a good year. I am hoping for good crops again. The last couple of years have been great for us. There have been no problems getting corn off the ground. I am hoping for a good, average year.
Tell us about your farm. I milk 55 cows in a 47-cow tiestall barn and have just about as many heifers. I keep all the heifWhen do you think you will get into the eld this year? ers and raise everything on the farm. I farm on my own but Whenever it dries out; I don’t do much grain cropping. Every- am blessed to have a hired hand in the morning and help from thing is for the cows. Sometimes we’ll combine a little extra several retired farmers. corn and sell it if we have it. I know some guys are starting
When do you think you will get into the eld this year? I had hoped to be in the elds this week, but it probably won’t be for another couple weeks.
What is the latest and earliest date you have started in the eld? The latest I have ever started in the elds was the end of April, and the earliest I have ever plowed was in March.
to get worked up already, but I gure it doesn’t make any difference. We’ll be able to get started when we can. It’s not the end of May yet. If it were, then I might be getting antsy. This is my rst year trying silage corn, so I’m a little concerned but not too much yet.
What is the latest and earliest date you have started in the eld? The earliest was 10 years ago in 2012 when we started March 7. It was a drought year, and we had May weather in March, March weather in April, and April weather in May. Our hay was past the ankle by the middle of March, but then it didn’t do anything for six weeks. The latest we ever got in the eld was May 10. Do you have any predictions for this year’s growing season? We’re getting our moisture back, so it’s going to be a good growing season.
What do you enjoy about spring eldwork? The anticipation of getting back into the eld. But you have to be careful not to go out too early, or you could be doing more damage than good, such as Tell us about your farm. We are an organic family farm, compacting the ground and making clumps out of wet soil. and the farm has been in our family for 150 years. I am the third generation, and I farm with two of my cousins – Gary When do you think you will get into the eld this year? and Ron Miller. We’ve been organic since 1994 and certiI’m not sure. It could be the third week in April, or it might ed since 1997. We have 1,700 acres of crops, and a lot be near the end of April. of it is used for grazing. Being organic, we have to graze at least six months of the year. We breed all of our cows What are you planting this year? We are planting 300 polled and A2A2, and milk 30 cows at a time in a rotary acres of corn, 300 acres of soybeans, 50 acres of oats, 60 parlor. acres of triticale and 30 acres of spelt. Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16
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ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Harry Meintz Stephenson, Michigan Menominee County 675 cows What kind of equipment maintenance and preparations do you do before spring eldwork starts? My son takes care of all of that because he’s pretty handy. He gets everything greased, checks bearings, checks for any parts that need to be replaced and makes sure everything is working right.
What is the latest and earliest date you have started in the eld? The latest would be around May 10, and the earliest would be mid-April. Some farmers have gotten oats and barley in during March, but I’ve never done that. When we do barley, we also do alfalfa seeding, and I don’t want to take the chance of those little seedlings coming up and then losing them.
Do you have any predictions for this year’s growing season? I’m like every other farmer and hoping it’s going to be What do you enjoy about spring elda good one. Farmers are the eternal optiwork? For one thing, I enjoy that winter is over. I basically mists. You might as well hope for the best, and if you don’t do all of the planting, and I always enjoy when that happens. quite make it, then you don’t quite make it. There’s no point It’s nice to start over again. in being pessimistic.
Vaughn Wicks Cavour, South Dakota Beadle County 40 cows What kind of equipment maintenance and preparations do you do before spring eldwork starts? I lube everything, change the oil and the lters on the tractors, check all the tires and hydraulic hoses, and repair anything that needs attention. We also go to the elds to scout for rocks to help us avoid future repairs. What do you enjoy about spring eldwork? It’s a new beginning and a new year, and a welcome change from the long winter months. In your mind’s eye, you can already see the crops growing. Tilling the elds stirs things up, and the gulls and the hawks arrive to feast on the worms and the mice. It feels good to be back in nature. When do you think you will get into the eld this year? We hope to get into the eld by May 1. It could be a week or so earlier if it remains dry.
When do you think you will get into the eld this year? That’s a little bit up in the air because it’s been so cold and wet, but we’re hoping we can start planting barley by the last week in April. Our pit is almost full of liquid manure, so we’re going to have to start applying that soon one way or another. We try to apply manure on our corn elds as we have enough acres that can utilize it. That’s always been a godsend in that it reduces fertilizer bills, but this year, that’s more important than ever with the high input costs. We use semi-trucks so we’re able to get to the further elds as well. It’s important to get to all of them if possible. Hopefully we can start applying manure the third week in April.
Tell us about your farm. My grandfather started the farm in 1917, so it’s more than a century old. We’re hoping we can keep it going. I moved back to the farm when my dad retired, and now I farm with my son, Charlie. He is progressive and initiated the building of our new milking parlor in 2002 and our freestall expansion a few years after that. My grandson, Dartagnon, is the fth generation and has been working on the farm since he graduated from high school a year ago. My youngest granddaughter also does some milking on the weekends, and my other grandson and his girlfriend milk cows together on Saturday nights. We milk twice a day in a double-12 parallel parlor. A family who has been with us for more than 15 years does most of the milkWhat are you planting this year? We are planting 100 acres ing, and we’d be lost without them. It’s kind of nice to have of barley with new alfalfa seeding, 1,100 acres of corn, 650 100 years under our belt at Pleasant View Dairy Farm and acres of alfalfa and 100 acres of grassier hay for dry cows know that we’re still going. and heifers.
What are you planting this year? We are going to plant all of our 235 acres of cropland to soybeans this year. What is the latest and earliest date you have started in the eld? One year, we weren’t able to get into our last 25 acres until June 23. We planted the eld to corn and harvested it for silage. The earliest we have gotten into the eld has been the last week of April. Do you have any predictions for this year’s growing season? I’m afraid that it will be dry and windy. I like to stay positive and hope our current weather pattern doesn’t persist. These dry and windy conditions make me think of the extended drought our ancestors endured during the 1930s. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my wife, Valerie, our son, Elliott, our daughter, Allison, and her husband, Loren Fisk. Allison and Loren have two sons, Elias, 5, and Isaac, 2. During the next year, my family and I plan to construct a new freestall barn that will have a drive-thru feed alley. We all feel that the main thing in life is to keep moving forward.
Loren Weisensel New Ulm, Minnesota Nicollet County 140 cows
What are you planting this year? This year, we are planting 400 acres of corn and 60 acres of soybeans. We have 100 acres of alfalfa, 20 of which is new seeding.
What kind of equipment maintenance and What is the latest and earliest date you have preparations do you do before spring eldstarted in the eld? I’ve begun planting as work starts? To prepare for spring, we make early as the beginning of April and as late as sure the equipment is in running order. We try the end of May. to x what was broke from last fall and have it ready. Once we begin, we want to make sure Do you have any predictions for this year’s everything is running smoothly. Sometimes growing season? The elds look good. We we don’t have a very big window to till and get the crop could use more rain. planted. We also have to allow for time to milk cows and feed and take care of the livestock. Tell us about your farm. We are a family farm. My wife, Dawn, and I have seven children, Rylee, Sophia, Derek, What do you enjoy about spring eldwork? My son, Der- Mara, Claudia, Aiden and Masen. They have all helped ek, and I enjoy getting out in the eld. He does the tillage, with chores and eldwork. Our oldest son now takes care of and I do the planting. Winters are long, so we look forward feeding the cattle. Our younger kids help my wife raise the to be able to work the ground and do something different. calves. I milk the cows, and the kids take turns helping me milk. We also have about 300 steers we feed out. When do you think you will get into the eld this year? We hope to be planting soon, but it looks like it’s going to be the beginning of May, at least.
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Harvesting Quality Forages
Quality feed essential at Legacy Farms Reuben Schloneger Legacy Farms Shell Lake, Wisconsin Washburn County 1,475 cows Describe your farm and facilities. We have sand-bedded free stalls and milk in a double-16 parlor twice a day with an average of 85 pounds, 4.45% fat, 3.45% protein and a somatic cell count of 110,000. We have gone to almost no dry treatment for three years now and generally only have one cow withheld for mastitis. Cow comfort and quality feed allow for healthy cows. Switching to twice-a-day milking 22 months ago has allowed us to focus on prot per cow versus high production. We have drastically cut purchased feeds including almost all fat. We are feeding 10% more forage and added 250 cows last year, and total purchased feeds actually went down. On threetimes-per-day milking, we were at 92 pounds, 4.20% fat and 3.30% protein, but other costs have also decreased besides purchased feeds. We have 90 cows scored Excellent now including seven scored 93 or higher. Turn to FORAGES | Page 20
DANIELLE NAUMAN /DAIRY STAR
Ruben Schloneger milks 1,475 cows near Shell Lake, Wisconsin. Cow comfort and quality feed has allowed for the farm to maintain a healthy herd.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 19
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
ConƟnued from FORAGES | Page 18
What forages do you harvest? We harvest corn silage, alfalfa, Italian ryegrass, corn, rye and oat.
of our crops ourselves. We have seen an improvement in silage by getting enough weight on it for packing.
How many acres of crops do you raise? We have 1,150 acres of corn for silage, King Fisher and Jung varieties; 650 acres of alfalfa, 180 relative forage quality; 150 acres of Italian ryegrass/rye silage, 220 relative feed quality 950 acres of corn; 200 acres of rye grain and straw and 80 acres of oat.
What techniques do you use to store, manage and feed your forages? Silage is stored in bunkers, and dry corn is stored in bins before it gets ground.
Describe the rations for your livestock. We feed one milk cow diet that is 57% forage with no brown midrib as we like to put up cheap forage. We try to harvest and grow crops to maximize digestible forage. We have been DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR practicing lower population Cows are fed a TMR at Legacy Farms near Shell Lake, Wisconsin. Ruben Schloneger considers planting for corn silage, inharvesƟng quality forage as an important part of his overall herd management system, saying creasing stalk diameter and that high quality feed is essenƟal for cow health. plant health. Planting a lower population allows for more water and nutrient availability per plant without sacricing yields and gets close to BMR digestibility.
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Describe your harvesting techniques for alfalfa and corn silage. We harvest all
Describe a challenge you overcame in reaching your forage quality goals. With the new Kuhn merger, we have been able to reduce ash by 2%-3%. How do quality forages play a part in the production goals for your herd? Highquality feed is essential for cow health allowing for controlled culling. Other benets include a 33% pregnancy rate, lower death rate and better hoof health. What are management or harvesting techniques you have changed that have made a notable difference in forage quality? We have seen an improvement in forage quality as we have improved our soil and reduced compaction.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 21
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Equipment and pictures added daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com DISKS Summers DIAMOND DISK, 1996, 28’, 3-Section Folding, #532112 ..........................$13,000 JD 637, 2006, 29’, 3-Section Folding, #532550 ..........................................................$15,500 JD 650, 1997, 32’, 3-Section Folding, #185256 ..........................................................$18,000 Krause 8200-28W, 2010, 28 ft, 3-Section Folding, #275204....................................$22,900 JD 637, 2004, 23’, 3-Section Folding, #532542 .........................................................$23,500 JD 637, 2010, 37’, 3-Section Folding, #191801 .........................................................$25,900 JD 637, 2011, 35’, 3-Section Folding, #532530 ..........................................................$26,000 Case IH RMX340, 2009, 35’, 3-Section Folding, #181151..........................................$29,400 JD 637, 2011, 42’ 5-Section Folding, #523980 ..........................................................$29,500 Landoll 6230-26, 2012, 26’, 3-Section Folding, #532374 .........................................$32,500 JD 2680H, 2021, 10’, Rigid, #532352 .........................................................................$39,900 JD 2625, 2013, 33’, 3-Section Folding, #275921 ........................................................$39,900 Wishek 862nt, 2014, 26’, #276355 ...........................................................................$39,900 JD 2625, 2014, 40’, 5-Section Folding, #532507 ........................................................$44,000 JD 2623, 2012, 4’, 5-Section Folding, #523876 ..........................................................$49,900 Degelman PRO-TILL 40, 2016, #191161 .................................................................$95,995 FIELD CULTIVATORS JD 980, 1998, 36’, 3-Section Folding, #532504 ..........................................................$11,500 Wil-Rich Quad 5, 47’, 5-Section Folding, #532076....................................................$11,500 Case IH 4300, 2001, 38’, 3-Section Folding, #186653 ...............................................$11,995 Wil-Rich Excel 42’, 1999, 42’, #276243 .....................................................................$14,900 JD 2200, 2002, 34’, 3-Section Folding, #185898 ........................................................$19,000 Case IH TIGERMATE II, 2003, 50.5’, 5-Section Folding, #186586 ..............................$19,000 Case IH TIGERMATE II, 60’, 5-Section Folding, #532083...........................................$21,900 Case IH TM14, 2005, 50.5’, 5-Section Folding, #187546 ...........................................$26,900 Wil-Rich QUAD 5, 2012, 36’, 3-Section Folding, #531719 .........................................$33,900 JD 2210, 2004, 35’, 3-Section Folding, #532437 ........................................................$34,900 JD 2210, 2008, 42’, 5-Section Folding, #531703 ........................................................$39,900 JD 2210, 2014, 38’, 3-Section Folding, #532138 ........................................................$43,900 JD 2230, 2018, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, #532409 ................................................$144,900 HAY MERGERS Kuhn 1300, 2021, #524031 ....................................................................................$135,000 MOWER CONDITIONERS KUHN FC4000RG, 2012, #273847............................................................................$12,900 NH 1432, 2007, #531654 ..........................................................................................$14,000 JD 535, 2006, #531226 .............................................................................................$14,900 JD 946, 2001, #531949 .............................................................................................$17,500 CASE IH DCX131, 2008, #275006.............................................................................$17,900 NH 512, 2012, #272184 ............................................................................................$17,900 NH H7230, 2015, #176984......................................................................................$22,400 JD 946, 2016, #532531 .............................................................................................$24,999 JD 956, 2016, #177925 .............................................................................................$28,900 JD 956, 2015, #180948 .............................................................................................$35,900 JD C400, 2021, #531334 ...........................................................................................$41,500
LARGE SQUARE BALERS KRONE BP890, 2008, 38000 Bales, #185784 ...........................................................$41,900 NH BB940PT, 45000 Bales, #189397......................................................................$39,000 NH 330, 2013, 18741 Bales, #524006......................................................................$64,900 ROUND BALERS KRONE BP890, 2008, 38000 Bales., #185784 ..........................................................$41,900 JD 566, 1998, Reg. PU, 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 14000 Bales, #181621..................................$9,400 JD 567, 2001, Mega Tooth PU, Twine Wr., 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 15000 Bales, #191170 ......$9,500 JD 435, 1991, Reg. PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale, #532055 ....................$9,950 JD 466, 1997, Reg. PU, Twine Wr., 540 PTO, 4’ Bale, 20000 Bales, #531378..................$9,950 JD 567, 2002, Mega Tooth PU, Twine Wr., 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 8486 Bales, #189795 ......$10,250 JD 568, 2009, Mega Tooth PU, Surface Wr., 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 21016 Bales, #276166..$10,900 NH BR780, 2003, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 5979 Bales, #189190 ..................................................................................................$13,500 JD 566, 2000, Mega Tooth PU, Twine& Surface Wr. 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 9000 Bales, #185847 ..................................................................................................$14,900 NH BR7060, 2012, Mega Wide PU, Twine Wr., 540 PTO, 4’ Bale, #191972..................$15,500 JD 468, 2007, Mega Wide PU, Twine Wr., 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale, 14630 Bales, #532080 ...$16,900 NH BR7090, 2008, Reg. PU, Twine Wr., 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 4500 Bales, #187234 .........$17,500 JD 568, 2010, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 22500 Bales, #185782 ................................................................................................$19,950 JD 568, 2010, Mega Wide PU, Twin & Surface Wr., 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 17000 Bales, #191921 ................................................................................................$20,500 JD 459, 2015, Mega Wide PU, Twine Wr., 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale, 12000 Bales, #185719 ...$20,900 JD 568, 2011, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 17869 Bales, #273365 ................................................................................................$20,900 JD 568, 2012, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 16000 Bales, #190535 $21,500 NH Rollbelt 460, 2016, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale, 12800 Bales, #185645 ....................................................................................$23,900 JD 568, 2011, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 12814 Bales, #532159 ................................................................................................$24,500 JD 569 Silage Special, 2016, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 13738 Bales, #189642 .....................................................................$24,500 JD 568, 2012, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 11000 Bales, #532300 ................................................................................................$25,500 JD 569, 2014, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 15560 Bales, #179194 ................................................................................................$25,900 JD 569, 2014, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 16639 Bales, #275377 $25,900 JD 568, 2011, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 6804 Bales, #531240 ..$27,900 JD 450E, 2021, Reg. PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 540 PTO, 4’ Bale, 1600 Bales, #190086$27,900 JD 568, 2008, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 11500 Bales, #274734 ................................................................................................$27,900 JD 854 Silage Special, 2011, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale, Precut Knives, 10500 Bales, #191935 .............................................................$28,000
JD 568, 2012, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 9000 Bales, #275245 ..................................................................................................$29,900 JD 459 Silage Special, 2014, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale, 5775 Bales, #531345 .....................................................................$30,500 JD 569 Premium, 2016, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 11000 Bales, #531225 ....................................................................................$30,900 Claas 480RC, 2017, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wra, 540 PTO, 4’ Bale, Precut Knives, 5165 Bales, #179187 ...........................................................................$31,500 JD 569, 2014, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 540 PTO, 5’ Bale, 10866 Bales, #185783 ................................................................................................$31,900 JD 569, 2014, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 12950 Bales, #274282 ................................................................................................$31,900 JD 459 Silage Special, 2017, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 540 PTO, 4’ Bale, 5355 Bales, #532355 ......................................................................................$34,500 JD 569, 2015, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 8000 Bales, #275564 ..$34,775 JD 459 Silage Special, 2016, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 540 PTO, 4’ Bale, 4700 Bales, #531823 ......................................................................................$35,500 JD 460M, 2018, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale, 9694 Bales, #185644 ..................................................................................................$35,900 JD 569, 2017, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 7400 Bales, #531256 ..$36,500 JD 560M, 2019, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 12500 Bales, #191873 ................................................................................................$36,900 JD 569, 2014, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 7500 Bales, #275820 ..$37,900 JD 569, 2015, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 5720 Bales, #531335 ..................................................................................................$40,000 JD 460M, 2018, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale, 7000 Bales, #187682$40,000 JD 560M, 2018, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 7600 Bales, #181057$41,500 Krone Comprima V180XC T, 2016, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale, Precut Knives, 7450 Bales, #182694...............................................$41,900 JD 560M, 2018, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 4000 Bales, #531241$45,900 NH Rollbelt 460, 2020, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale, 173 Bales, #531262 ....................................................................................................$46,000 JD 560M, 2019, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 3576 Bales, #531213 ..................................................................................................$46,900 JD 450M, 2018, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale, Precut Knives, 5200 Bales, #191843 ...........................................................................$47,000 JD 560M, 2019, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 5430 Bales, #276358 ..................................................................................................$47,900 JD 450M, 2019, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 540 PTO, 4’ Bale, Precut Knives, 1000 Bales, #531693 ..................................................................................................$48,500 JD 560M, 2021, Mega Wide PU, Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 5900 Bales, #531233$49,500 JD 560M, 2019, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, 4174 Bales, #275819 ..................................................................................................$49,900 JD460M, 2020, Mega Wide PU, Twine & Surface Wr., 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale, Precut Knives, 3277 Bales, #275937 ...........................................................................$59,900
Locations throughout minnesota & western wisconsin! CALL TODAY! (320)365-1653 SEE OUR COMPLETE INVENTORY WITH PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS AT: www.mmcjd.com
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
Could a retrofit be the right fit for you?
Retrofitting a dairy barn with a new DeLaval parlor milking system P500 has been a popular choice to make upgrades more affordable compared to building new.
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Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United Dairy Systems, Inc. West Union, IA 563-422-5355 WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201
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
Advanced Dairy of Mora Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Brookings, SD 800-636-5581 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2022 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. Nothing in this document shall constitute a warranty or guaranty of performance. www.delaval.com
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Breakfast on the farm season will soon be upon us. It is a fun time of year. For me, it means connection – the connection between hard-working farmers and people who probably don’t have a tie to a farm and want to know and see what a current dairy looks like. More than likely, it’s quite different than what they imagine. I have been a huge adOn the Mark vocate of breakfast on the farm since Stearns County in Minnesota started the event in 2008. Each time I go I am amazed at the volume of people who attend and the sheer amount of work the farmers did in preparation for hosting an event of this magnitude. With ve brothers who dairy farm, I know the vast amount of chores farmers tackle daily. I also know By Mark Klaphake and admire the immense Editor talents of dairy farmers. Many take on tasks that dabble in areas covered by veterinarians, nutritionists, agronomists, mechanics and electricians, among many skills. But because the number of farmers continues to recede, another job farmers take on is being an educator and communicator of their farm and lifestyle. To me, the best way to do this is by opening the barn doors to host a breakfast on the farm. The number of people a farm can connect with in a six-hour span of an on-farm event is remarkable. From visiting with and interviewing farmers who have hosted these events in the past, I have learned many of these events draw 1,000 or more people who want to see and learn the basics of a modern-day dairy farm. Many attend because their kids have never seen a dairy animal besides in a book or on a screen. Others go because they used to have ties to the farm but do not anymore. Others want to learn and have a better understanding of where the delicious dairy products of cheese, yogurt and milk, that their family thoroughly enjoys, come from. The breakfasts I have attended have been quite thorough in displaying the farm in an educational and fun manner. There are tours of the farm that walk attendees through or in front of buildings on the site. Also included are informational booths, farm equipment, petting areas and of course a big breakfast. One of the biggest perks of the event is the people who come to the farm. Farmers have the opportunity to show the fruits of their hard work and continued development of their farm without having to bring visuals or printouts. The people come to the farm to learn from the farmers’ vast knowledge and experience and can visually see the layout of the farm and the care provided for all animals. The best part about this opportunity is the host farmer doesn’t have to do it alone. Most breakfast on the farms have a committee or volunteers who help with the endeavor. They do an incredible job separating the duties and helping the farmer so the task doesn’t seem so daunting. They help plan the event down to the smallest detail. The tallest task for many hosts might be cleaning up the tractors for display and working on getting the yard as tidy as possible. I know many counties host breakfast on the farms already, and I encourage people who live in a county that doesn’t host one to give it some serious consideration. If not this year, perhaps attend a couple events in your area and do the breakfast next year. To have an opportunity to communicate and share the true story of dairy farmers is yet another current duty of dairy farmers, and it could be a way of sharing your story.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 23
Farming through the seasons Berning turns to innovative calving practices By Abby Wiedmeyer Staff Writer
GALENA, Ill. – Calves are hitting the ground and milk is starting to ow after another dry winter at the Bernings’ farm. Milking cows has been a seasonal task for Tim Berning as he found a Tim Berning creative way to deal with the harsh winters in Jo Daviess County, Illinois. “About ve years ago, we had a really bad winter that just seemed to go on forever,” Berning said. “I thought, ‘We need to make some improvements to do something better for the cows, or we need to get rid of the winters.’” Berning chose the latter and began seasonal calving. He dries his 30 cows up at the end of the year, and the cows freshen in March. Cows are kept in a loose housing facility over the winter,
and the stanchion barn sits empty until spring. When spring arrives, the cows are milked in the stanchion barn and sent to pasture. “This has kept me going without spending a lot of money to upgrade the system,” Berning said. The rst phone call Berning made when planning the management change was to the dairy’s eld representative to make sure his milk would continue to be picked up if he took a break. He was told that his Grade A permit would stay in effect for one year whether he was milking or not. “We start calving in March, and our normal inspection date is always in April anyway,” Berning said. “The quality is there so as soon as we have enough milk in the tank that they’re satised to pick up, then we call them and they start picking us up again.” Berning’s bulk tank is small enough that he only needs about three cows milking to be able to market the farm’s milk. “The rule is one milking has to reach the agitator, and with our small tank, the agitator is only about 5 inches off the bottom of the tank,” Berning said. “Once it hits, we start shipping. We started shipping the other day here, and we had 500 pounds.” All of the cows have a two- to three-month dry period which is achieved through timed breeding. For the rst couple years, Berning had to sell some cows at the end of the year that were bred too late. He then replaced them with purchased heifers in the spring.
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Tim Berning milks in a stanchion barn at his farm near Galena, Illinois. Berning seasonal calves his herd to avoid the harsh winters of Daviess County, Illinois.
“We’ve been fortunate to sell to another dairy,” Berning said. “For the rst year or two, we bought heifers from a guy to get milk in the tank and get rolling again.” During the winter, cows are bedded with straw outside. Berning believes he has healthier cows and calves now that they are not kept inside all winter. “Our cows are denitely in better condition coming into the spring,” Berning said. “Being an older barn, the ventilation wasn’t bad, but it was hard to keep every-
thing dry.” Calves are housed in converted hog barns in groups of up to four. They are fed whole milk for the rst three or four days then switched to milk replacer. Berning keeps a few hutches in a building for smaller calves or severe weather. He also raises extra bull calves which are purchased from a neighboring farm. Those are raised as feeder steers and sold when they reach about 500 pounds. One of the rst things Berning did when switching to seasonal calving was eliminate the drink-
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Turn to BERNING | Page 25
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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 25
Grazing taller key to pasture management Pasture can suffer long-term from overgrazing By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
MARATHON, Wis. – When discussing grazing taller, one might make the analogy of leaving some food on the plate. Grazing taller is a good management strategy for rotational grazing and can be a key to successful pasture management. Geoff Brink, a former lead research agronomist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, spoke at the Heart of Wisconsin Winter Grazing Conference March 30 in Marathon. He spoke about the importance of managing pastures and the role that grazing taller plays in that management. When properly implemented rotational grazing can provide many benets including improved seasonal distribution of production, greater control of forage quality and utilization, greater persistence of desired species more uniform distribution of waste nutrient and less feeding of conserved forages. “You’ve heard of the four
horsemen of the apocalypse? I’m going to introduce you to the three horsemen of poorly managed pastures,” Brink said. “The problems I have often seen are related to pastures being grazed too short, too often or at the wrong times. The benets of rotational grazing will suffer as a result of that poor management.” Brink said graziers have to remember that when they turn their livestock into a pasture, livestock will not stop grazing until there is nothing left if not removed from the pasture in a timely fashion. Plant regrowth is fueled by the process of photosynthesis, and the plant relies on the leaves remaining to complete the process to achieve that growth. If pastures are grazed too short, with little or no residue left, the plant is unable to grow using photosynthesis and must pull stored energy from its root mass in order to fuel regrowth. “Temperate grasses in this region do not have that level of storage capacity to withstand repeated defoliation,” Brink said. He recommends leaving 6 inches of residue for maximum plant health. Brink said during a drought, more than 6 inches of residue should be left, and
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Geoff Brink, a former lead research agronomist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, speaks about the importance of properly managing pastures at the Heart of Wisconsin Winter Grazing Conference March 30 in Marathon, Wisconsin. pasture management needs to adapt to drought conditions. “The real impact of grazing during a drought comes after the drought, after the recovery, after the rain starts again,” Brink said. “You have imposed a penalty on that plant by grazing it during the drought that we have lost 600 pounds of dry matter for the season. What that translates to is that we have lost the entire grazing event.”
Brink said data suggests that in the event of drought, graziers should take their livestock off of pasture and begin feeding dry hay to limit the amount of stress imposed on the plants. “If the pasture is your primary feed source, take care of it,” Brink said. “Grazing during a drought can set you way back, long after drought might end.”
Con�nued from BERNING | Page 23 freeze through it and will start it up a couple times throughout the winter to keep it in working order. The milkhouse remains heated to avoid any damage from cold weather. Once the cows freshen, they are turned out to pasture between milkings. Berning manages his pasture by spreading around 100 pounds of nitrogen every spring and using a harrow to spread the manure. He also clips the pasture throughout the summer, keeping it less than 5 inches tall. Berning said it makes better grass which the cows seem to like better. Clipping the pasture also eliminated the thistle population. “We have a really nice looking pasture, and it’s all those little simple things that we can do that don’t cost anything,” Berning said. Berning is the second generation to milk cows at his farm, with 50 years of milking experience to his name. His wife, Lynn, works off the farm and his sons, Chad and Dusty, have always helped him farm. Dusty is able to help in the summer and fall, and Chad has started to take over the crop management. Seasonal calving has kept the farm going for the last ve years along with the small setup. “We just basically stuck with the milking,” Berning said. “We’ve got a small system, and we just always seemed to have made it through.”
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
Farm and Industry Short Course changes path Declining enrollment spurs revamp to 136-year-old program By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
MADISON, Wis. – The Farm and Industry Short Course program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is taking on a new look come fall. The traditional for-credit, on-campus residential experience lasting 16 weeks is being revamped due to declining enrollment and will be returning to a non-credit format. “Enrollment is the driving function for this decision,” said Doug Reinemann, associate dean for extension and outreach at UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. “The short course program used
to average 120 students per year. In 2010, enrollment started dropping, and we’ve seen a straight-line decline in applications and enrollment for the last 10 years.” According to Reinemann, technical colleges are seeing a similar trend. “Agriculture is changing, and it’s changing really fast,” he said. “In the last 10 years, agriculture has transformed drastically in terms of farm numbers, employment and technology. It’s a whole different world than it was 20 years ago. We need to come up with an education program that meets the needs of modern agriculture. With 32 students enrolled this year, it’s quite clear we weren’t doing that.” Reinemann said only 20 students were projected to enroll in the program this fall. And less than ve students in this year’s class expressed interest in coming back for a second year. In the last six years, 10% of students returned for their second year of short course.
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“Many left without getting their certicate which is why the University redesigned the program so a student could receive their certicate in one year,” Reinemann said. Established in 1886, the Farm and Industry Short Course program is beloved by many farmers and has been the choice of secondary education for thousands of students. Reinemann said the program’s highest enrollment occurred following the years of WWI and WWII , but the program’s heyday took place during the 1950s when 200 students lled each session. By the 1980s and Doug Reinemann ‘90s enrollment began to decline to UW-Madison 150 students or less. “Our target is 100 students,” Reinemann said. “This is based on two factors – economics and education. We need enough tuition revenue to cover the cost of the program, which means having an adequate number of students in each course. Some courses only had two or three students. We can’t offer a range of courses to make a full program if numbers drop below 100. We have to get numbers up to support a healthy program.” Previously, the course offered two eight-week sessions – one in the fall and one in spring – but the university was hearing from students that eight weeks is too long to be away from the farm. “We are exploring offering shorter periods of time where students can still come on campus as we think that might be more appealing,” Reinemann said. “Our intention is to put together a program similar to the old program in that we will still use a cohort model, meaning students will move through courses as a group and have the opportunity to network and meet other people in agriculture.” Another trend the college is seeing is the shrink of a geographical area from which the students hail. Reinemann said students used to come from all over Wisconsin, but in recent years, the majority of those attending the short course are primarily from Dane County and surrounding counties. “Students are not coming from a distance like they used to,” he said. “They are much more local, and I think what that means is they need to stay close to the farm. These kids typically come from family farms, and it requires signicant labor to run those farms.” The college is testing ideas and receiving feedback from agriculture business professionals to determine industry needs for creating a new program. They recently held a listening session with the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and Professional Dairy Producers and are holding planning sessions with technical colleges as well. “We’re hoping this input gives us a better idea of how we can structure the short course program so more people will attend,” Reinemann said. “We’re anxious to get feedback from employers, including farm managers, and the larger scope of agribusinesses that serve those farms. We want to know which skills they value in their workforce. We also want to hear from young people. What program format would make it attractive for you to attend these courses?” A mixture of in-person and online courses are expected to be offered. “We are not doing away with all classroom instrucTurn to PROGRAM | Page 27
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tion,” Reinemann said. “For certain types of courses, hands-on experience is absolutely critical. Some courses lend themselves well to online, and some work well as a mixed model. We’re trying to accommodate our short course audience because we’re hearing they have real scheduling challenges. Offering more exibility will be a benet to the students and hopefully allow more to participate.” The college is exploring options with technical colleges and hoping to work together to offer a better program. Expanding beyond the traditional audience of farm kids to include agriculture in a broader sense is also a goal. In addition, the program’s new structure might allow for some courses to take place during the growing season, enabling students to benet from in-the-eld instruction. “It adds value to be able to see what’s actually happening in the eld, and there are crops and soils courses that might benet from this,” Reinemann said. “For example, when we plant cover crops, people want to see what it looks like, or perhaps they could see a new harvesting technique in the fall.” The college does not have a housing solution yet for students who will attend on-campus classes. The two dormitories previously used exclusively for short course students have been taken over by University campus housing to use as freshmen dorms. Lowell Hall, where short course students were housed this past year, has also met the same fate. “It’s a real problem we’re working on,” Reinemann said. “There will be a housing option at Madison, but it might be higher priced.” The switch to a non-credit format will open up the program to more course possibilities with the ability to develop courses quicker as they will not need to undergo the University’s rigorous curriculum review and approval process. “This is a slow-moving process, and it’s placed a lot of constraints on what we can do,” Reinemann said. “Prior to 2010, we had a two-week winter session which offered a lot of exibility for shorter, targeted courses. We lost this when we went to a for-credit program. The structure of short course does not t well into the structure of an undergraduate course which typically requires a whole semester to receive college credit.” Short course students will receive a certicate for completing this certied educational experience. The program will
Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 27
lend itself to a digital badge which Reinemann said offers value in the marketplace because it gives employers verication that a potential employee has a certied set of skills. “A non-credit format gives us more exibility to meet the needs of our audience, which is rapidly changing in a hightech world,” Reinemann said. “We need to be able to develop courses fast.” Reinemann said the coronavirus pandemic did not have a direct inuence on the decision to modify the program. “We deferred the decision during that time because we wanted to make sure the decline in numbers was not related to COVID,” he said. “We held on as long as we possibly could and we’re really hoping that post-COVID, we could turn the corner and numbers would start coming back up. But there was no sign we were going to pull out of that 10-year decline.” Reinemann and others at the University recognize the change to short course does not sit well with everyone in the industry. “There is a large sense of loss around the traditional experience, and I understand that,” Reinemann said. “People who’ve done short course over the years found it to be a fantastic experience. They valued the cohort model and chance to be part of a group. People are afraid that’s going to go away and are afraid that short course will also go away. We’re trying to maintain those parts of the program that people valued. But the structure of it has to change.” Reinemann invites feedback on the program. “We particularly want to hear from young people,” he said. “If you had to stay in a hotel, would you come? If a dorm experience is the only way people will attend, we need to understand that. Some other campuses do have dorms, and we are looking into that option.” Although there is heartbreak surrounding the announcement to modify the traditional Farm and Industry Short Course program, the college is hopeful it can enhance the program to better t the needs of future generations. “This revamped program will prepare a young person for a job in 21st century agriculture,” Reinemann said. “This is a pivot point for us. We’ve done the same thing for the last 100 years. Now, we’re trying to design something for the next hundred years.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 29
Women In Dairy Amanda Nicholson (pictured with her husband, Aaron) Sheldon, Wisconsin Rusk County 80 cows Family: My husband, Aaron, and I bought our farm in 2001. We have two children. Our daughter, Ashley, 20, is attending a local technical college to pursue a welding certication. Our son, Alex, 21, attended technical college for agronomy and has since joined us on the farm. Tell us about your farm. We milk about 80 Holstein cows three times a day. We milk in a tiestall barn, and the cows are housed in a rotation of tie stalls and free stalls. We have two excellent employees who help part time and a supportive extended family who often pitch in. We raise dairy steers as well as replacement heifers. We own about 240 acres and rent additional crop land. We primarily grow corn and hay for use on our dairy as well as occasionally some small grains. What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? Our milking schedule is normally 5 a.m., 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. In between milkings, manure is scraped and hauled, feed is mixed and fed, cropping is accomplished, and the many other tasks required to maintain the farm and care for the livestock are t in. I typically handle the bookwork and recordkeeping in the evenings after chores are completed. In addition to working alongside our farm team, I also work as an emergency medical technician for the Rusk County Ambulance Service. The past two years have been challenging in the world of healthcare, and we have done a lot of juggling to balance the increased demands of my job with the needs of the farm. I typically hold between 500 to 600 hours of call time a month for our local ambulance and respond to EMS calls from the farm when paged. As the calls are unpredictable, I have often left in the middle of milking, feeding or even left a tractor in the middle of a eld when a page comes in. Fortunately, our whole team is acclimated to this scenario and typically jumps in and takes over for me when needed. What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? We built a heated shop on the farm which has made maintenance and repairs easier and less expensive to accomplish. It has also made operating manure and feeding equipment much easier in the winter months as we can avoid dealing with frozen equipment every day. Additionally, we constructed additional youngstock housing for weaned calves to reduce overcrowding and post-weaning lag in growth. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. Every day on the farm is memorable. Farm life creates memories of successes and failures and of joy and grief. Farm life is unique in that it requires dedication, perseverance and presence on a daily basis to be successful and meet all of the challenges. It makes getting away difcult. What I nd most memorable is how supportive our families and community have been of us. Over the years, our families and friends have accommodated our farm life by having holiday and birthday celebrations on the farm so that we could participate in, and enjoy special moments, instead of stressing out about how to get away. As our children were growing up, so many neighbors, friends and community members helped us with getting the kids to sports practices and club events on time. Often, they pitched in to help us get done in time to attend events or took over so we could get away when needed. While the events were enjoyable, the comfort and security of knowing we had the gift of that support is what I nd most memorable. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? The most enjoyable thing about dairy farming has been the relationships and friendships I have made along the way. Farming hasn’t been a singular experience but rather a culmination of a great team. We work closely with so many people to make this all come together and work. Getting to work with, and become friends with our employees, milk haulers, vets, nutritionists, agronomists, inspectors, sales representatives and so many others who are passionate and dedicated to our industry has kept me inspired and motivated.
understand and operate equipment safely and prociently was something that I had to work at for a long time. I wanted to be able to step into any role on the farm if needed and be able to perform well. Equipment operation was my big hurdle to overcome. I am denitely not as procient as a lot of people, but I am much more competent, comfortable, and if need be, I can get the job done. I’m proud of that. What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? I often share the story of our farm life on my personal Facebook page and on our farm page. I have participated in advisory committees for our local technical college. I also chair the Farm Service Agency county committee. Most importantly, I engage with people who are curious or concerned about the dairy industry. Allowing people to have a personal connection to what happens on a farm and within the industry is the best way to garner support and give an understanding about what we do. It’s rewarding and fun. What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Build a team of people you can support and who will support you. At some point you will need the help. Along the way, you will succeed, and you will fail. Carry your successes like badges of honor, be proud of your accomplishments and learn from your failures. Be humble, grateful and thankful. Others will appreciate it, and you will too. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I don’t think there are spare moments per say; rather, every moment matters and has a purpose. I usually have a pretty full schedule, but to relax, I like trying new hobbies and experiences. I have done some cake decorating as well as designing and creating greeting cards. I also enjoy reading when time allows.
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What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Managing, handling and caring for animals has always been intuitive to me. I am not naturally mechanical, and operating equipment is something that I found intimidating and a little scary. Learning to
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Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 31
Julie and Robert Kiehnau (from left) and Andy Kaczmarek (pictured with grandkids – (from left) Kellyn, Sam and Connor) Maple Tree Dairy LLC Egg Harbor, Wisconsin Door County 75-80 milking and dry cows
positives all contribute to success. We also focus on making high-quality feed to maximize milk and components. How do you maintain family relationships while also working together? Being able to communicate and value each other’s opinions and strengths helps to keep things running smoothly. We all work together well and have the same goals, so decision making is easier.
How did you get into farming? We all grew up on family farms (Julie and Andy on their parents’ farm in Fish Creek, and Rob on his family’s farm in Egg Harbor). Rob, Julie and their two children, Kirsten and Jared, worked with Rob’s parents for several years. In 1993, they took over his family farm from his parents. Andy worked with them side by side for many years, and together they formed Maple Tree Dairy LLC in 2014. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? Things are volatile and unprecedented in our world. Looking at costs for fuel, fertilizer, feed and maintenance parts for equipment and facility maintenance will certainly make things challenging. At the same time, milk, beef and grain prices are up. Hopefully, margins between the two will offer sustainable profits to keep small farms operating. What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? In 2014, we remodeled our existing tiestall barn and installed a Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking system. This allowed us to continue dairy farming without hiring outside help and granted us more exibility with our schedule. During cropping season especially, it is nice not to be chained to the twice-a-day starting time for milking. It also allowed us to add a few more cows, and with the increased third milking average, it helped to increase income. Plus, the cows are happy; each able to milk, eat or rest as they want. We also began transitioning to no till a few years ago, and this year will mark our second year of 100% no-till planting along with an appreciable amount of cover crops. This saves us a lot of time in the spring along with it being a much smarter move to preserve our precious topsoil. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. Being able to be jacks-of-all-trades and do many of our own repairs on equipment and build-
What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? The rural environment and the support of other farmers and good neighbors. Also, no two days are alike. There is a variety of work whether working on crops, equipment or with cows. It creates a good balance so you aren’t always in the barn or always in the tractor. Our farmland base and cow numbers are a nice, workable size for our family. ings helps us to be more successful. The less you have to pick up the phone and call for help, the better off you are. What is the best decision you have made on your farm? There have been many seemingly little things over the years that cumulatively have created good change on our farm. Buying a round baler years back instead of making small square bales is one example. Also, adding more feed storage with silos allowed us to make better quality feed easier than dry hay. But, installing the robotic milker was the best decision we have made overall with benets nancially and personally. The basic footprint of our farm stayed the same because we could utilize the existing barn. Feed and manure storage didn’t have to change because we did not add but a few animals, and we increased the amount of milk sold without adding employees. What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? The robotic milking system, the mixer and well-maintained, updated machinery. The robot allows us time exibility, is easier on our bodies physically and allows us to nancially optimize our herd without changing our farm size. The mixer made feeding animals so much easier and complete. And, keeping our tools and machinery updated and maintained saves us time and money. What strategies do you use to withstand the volatile milk prices? We continue to work diligently to be as efcient as possible in all areas of the farm. Numerous little
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What advice would you give other dairy farmers? People will always give suggestions, but you have to put the time in and persevere to see what is actually going to work best for your farm. Have patience and faith through the rough days, and always look for ways to improve your methods. We are all reading and learning constantly about ways we can improve. Change isn’t always easy, but you need to be open to it in areas that need improvement. Pay attention for better ideas. Also, you don’t have to be the rst to try new technology; just don’t be the last. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? We don’t have any major plan for changes for the next year. Certainly, we have no expansion plans for our herd but mainly to update a couple pieces of older equipment. In the next ve years, our goal is to maintain quality milk production and to keep our facilities and equipment operating as efciently as possible. We will upgrade some equipment, and we hope to explore building a bigger shop at some point to be able to work on equipment more easily during winter months. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We are blessed to be surrounded by nature and water in Door County. When we aren’t working on the farm, we enjoy spending time with our family hiking, biking, kayaking, swimming or snowmobiling. Andy enjoys sports as well as hunting and time in the woods.
Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
Protecting the people
Schossow talks asset management at summit By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
CASHTON, Wis. – Farming presents risk for injury but is a job that still needs to be done. Megan Schossow, outreach director for the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center, helps farmers identify top hazards and how to farm safely. “I like to talk about asset management on the farm and how that also includes people,” Schossow said. “I typically say the most important assets on the farm are the people.” Megan Schossow Schossow shared tools UMASH for keeping people safe on the farm as part of a summit given by AgrAbility April 7 at Organic Valley in Cashton. Schossow said safety begins with being able to identify a hazard. Getting to the root cause of injury, illness or fatality when it does happen can help prevent hazards in the future. “One of the root causes of farm injury is the failure to recognize or identify hazards which then leads to that increased risk,” Schossow said. Schossow introduced what she called the hierarchy of controls which she nds to be a helpful tool for thinking through risks. “It can be really overwhelming to walk on a farm and point out all the hazards,” Schossow said. “Breaking it down into a framework can help keep it simple no matter who you are working with.” There are ve categories in the hierarchy of
controls of how to manage the risks presented on a farm. Elimination is the act of physically removing the risk. A good example of this is how a lot of dairies have moved from having a bull on the farm to using articial insemination. “Elimination is the most effective,” Schossow said. “It also tends to be the hardest to do and the most expensive.” Substitution is similar; sometimes people can simply use a different product. There are medications that pose less health risks in the case of a needle stick. There can also be cases where updating equipment can be a substitute and inherently pose less risk. Schossow said engineering controls are one of the biggest areas that are expensive, even though they work well. “Covers for PTOs and keeping shields on augers and in good condition is huge and is something that can really catch up on folks,” Schossow said. “That’s always a really good place to look.” Other engineering suggestions include cages around ladders, the use of harnesses when entering facilities from above and the use of rollover protection systems. “Tractors are the No. 1 cause of death on a farm,” Schossow said. “The use of rollover protection systems and seatbelts are 99% effective at preventing death.” There are programs that will either cost share or pay for engineering older equipment to be retrotted to include safety systems. Schossow points to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which has a resource on its website for people to view options on how to go about retrotting older equipment. Administrative controls come from the people who work in the ofces of an organization, implementing and enforcing systems such as a lock out tag out procedure. “Especially when there are multiple people, someone doesn’t power something on while someone else is working on it,” Schossow said. Administrative controls can also look like having safety data sheets around. A simple ac-
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tion is a quick meeting to lay out a plan with the people working on the farm so everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency. Personal protective equipment is the last and least effective hierarchy control to manage risk. “The ones that I think about a ton are respiratory equipment,” Schossow said. “Wearing an N95 (mask) around grain dust, in particular, can do a lot for you.” UMASH developed checklists for farmers with ideas on how to implement the hierarchy of controls in different situations. “This can be an overwhelming topic, and we would rather have people do something rather than nothing,” Schossow said. There are ways to make farming safer, and the checklists highlight the key areas for any given topic. Schossow encourages farmers to make a plan. Sit down with the team and answer the three questions of: Why do we want a safe and healthy farm? What will we do to be a safe and healthy farm? How will we make sure everyone who comes to our farm is safe and healthy? From there, people can identify risks and
“... the most important assets on the farm are the people.” MEGAN SCHOSSOW, UMASH
have a plan to manage them. A list of actions or safety behaviors can help guide the discussion. Schossow said all data aside, people should always stop, think and act. When in a busy situation at the farm, she encourages people to stop long enough to think about what they are about to do. Think about how they are going to do it, and ask themselves if it is the safest way to do the task. And then, act in the safest way possible. “What we hear a lot is that someone says, ‘Oh, I wasn’t thinking,’ or, ‘I was moving too fast,’” Schossow said. “You don’t always have to slow down to really think about what it is that you’re doing.”
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Rising costs create margin tightrope PDPW conference provides tips for managing inputs By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – Rising Input costs are front and center in the minds of many farmers as they work to gure out how to walk the tightrope to try to protect their prot margins from shrinking. That was the focus of a presentation entitled, “Crop Input Costs on the Rise,” at the Professional Dairy Producers annual business conference March 17 in Wisconsin Dells. Eric Birschbach of Ag Site Crop Consulting LLC, James Bailey of ProAGtive Dairy Nutrition and Matt Lange, a dairy business consultant with Compeer Financial, shared their insight on navigating through these difcult situations. Birschbach spoke about the challenges of the cost and availability of fertilizer many are experiencing. He said farmers should utilize soil test results. By evaluating the pH, organic matter and the levels of potassium and phosphorous in the soil, farmers can determine their fertilizer needs. Birschbach said manure should be evaluated to determine if it ts the needs of a farm’s crop management, which can reduce the need for large purchases of commercial fertilizer. He said that while corn cannot grow without nitrogen, liquid manure contains roughly 10 pounds of nitrogen per gallon. “If you have what you need in the soil, manure can help you avoid some costs,” Birschbach said. “Test your manure or use the book value to determine what you actually have.” Bailey said corn silage is one of the biggest crop production costs on most dairy farms. Corn silage that yields even 1% more starch can equate to needing to feed 0.6 pounds less corn per cow per day. Feeding a high forage diet, rather than a diet high in purchased commodities, can result in a great cost savings, Bailey said. He said research has shown that in a 1,000-cow herd, there can be a savings of as much as $0.69 per cow per day, which is $251,850 per year. Lange said the best way to strategize through the rising input costs is
to bring the entire farm team together to discuss strategies. “Get your agronomist and your nutritionist together to help you make these decisions,” Lange said. Maximizing productivity is an all-in venture, Lange said. Working to optimize income over feed cost, Lange recommended setting a target of $8.75; he said most dairy farmers are shipping in a fat and protein market, so he recommends setting a production target of at least 6.5 pounds of combined fat and protein per cow per day. Focusing on forage quality can help achieve increased IOFC. Balancing yield with quality to create forages with high energy and consistent neutral detergent ber values is key, and Lange said to achieve 55% of milk production from quality forages. In order to increase production levels, Lange said dairy farmers need to ensure all cows have access to feed at all times of the day. He also said dairy farmers should consider grouping their cows by production levels as well as potentially grouping smaller second-lactation cows with the rstlactation group to allow them to better compete for feed access. Limiting the percentage of the herd with milk that is unsaleable at any given time is another way dairy farmers can help protect their IOFC. “It’s not about the amount of milk produced per cow,” Lange said. “What is important is the amount of
“If you have what you need in the soil, manure can help you avoid costs.”
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
Prepare for planting season By Steve Frericks Farm Service Agency Executive Director
Mother Nature continues to show us who is the boss. This extended cool, wet weather pattern has slowed down the plans of many. Make sure to add the Farm Service Agency to the list of things to accomplish. Our doors are open to in-person business. We would love to update anything that needs attention. Many farming operations have changed over the past two years. If the last two years have taught us anything, it is that United States Department of Agriculture programs are a moving target. There have been many COVID-19-related programs and disaster-related programs administered because of the 2021 drought. Producers indicate it has been difcult to keep up with all these changes. Producers who are buying, selling or renting different land must notify the county FSA ofce as soon as possible after the transaction. Please provide a copy of the recorded deed for any purchased land. FSA is not notied by the county courthouse of these sales. Also, if you will be renting new land, we will need a copy of the lease before we can add you to the farm and/or give you information about the farm such as maps, base acres, yields, etc. Updating records now will save you time during crop certication. If you have changed your bank or bank account, provide FSA with the updated account as to not miss payments in the future. The FSA is committed to providing our farm loan borrowers the tools necessary to be successful. FSA staff will provide guidance and counsel from the loan application process through the borrower’s graduation to commercial credit. While it is FSA’s commitment to advise borrowers as they identify goals and evaluate progress, it is crucial for borrowers to communicate with their farm loan staff when changes occur. It is the borrower’s responsibility to alert FSA to any of the following: – Any proposed or signicant changes in the farming operation. – Any signicant changes to family income or expenses. – The development of problem situations. – Any losses or proposed signicant changes in security If a farm loan borrower can’t make payments to suppliers, other creditors or FSA on time, contact your farm loan staff immediately to discuss loan servicing options. For more information on FSA farm loan programs, contact your local county USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda. gov. Agricultural producers with crop insurance can hay, graze or chop cover crops for silage, haylage or baleage at any time and still receive 100% of the prevented planting payment. Previously, cover crops could only be hayed, grazed or chopped after Nov. 1, otherwise the prevented planting payment was reduced by 65%. USDA’s Risk Management Agency added this exibility as part of a broader effort to encourage producers to use cover crops, an important conservation practice and a good farming practice. Cover crops are especially important on elds prevented from planting as they help reduce soil erosion and boost soil health. RMA recognizes that cover crops are not planted as an agricultural commodity but rather with the primary purpose for conservation benets. For the 2021 crop year and beyond, RMA will not consider a cover crop planted following a prevented planting claim to be a second crop. But, RMA will continue to consider a cover crop harvested for grain or seed to be a second crop, and it remains subject to a reduction in the prevented planting indemnity in accordance with the policy. This decision to allow exibility for the 2021 crop year, and to make the change permanent for future years, builds on the advanced research and identied benets cover crops have supporting healthy soils and cropland sustainability efforts. To learn more about this policy change, visit RMA’s prevented planting webpage. The webpage also has the latest cover crop termination guidelines, which USDA updated in 2019 as a result of greater exibilities provided in the 2018 farm bill. Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA agent locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov. 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.
The Lely visit Our lives changed dramatically Dec. 4, 2018. This was the day of our startup with our Lely robotic milking system. We took the collars off all of our cows and let them walk or run into our new barn. Most of them were bucking and stomping their feet just like when they go into the pasture the rst time every spring. They sniffed, licked and tried the new waterbed mattresses. Later that afternoon, the cows learned about the robots. One at a time in each of the four robots, we pushed and shoved the cows to get in. Some of our girls were By Tina Hinchley Farmer & Columnist hesitant, many were curious, and a few kicked at the robot arm. The startup with robots involved long hours, helping cows adjust to being able to come to the robots themselves. With all of this new technology on our farm, I would love to say it is all great all the time. Well, it isn’t great every day. We are spoiled with the technology, the cameras and the alarms that let us know when something isn’t right. I have gotten better at guring out how to solve the problems, when to call for service and also when to say, “I need help.” Let’s just say we have a good relationship with our Lely dealer. The company that we purchased our robotic milking system through is Argall Dairy System out of Belleville. Scott Argall, the owner, was at our startup. Scott helped us push cows into the robots and program them into the computers as they came in for the rst milking. This hands-on approach by the owner showed a commitment from Scott to our family. Last month, Scott sent me an email wondering if Lely representatives from Holland could visit our farm. Of course, I said yes. When they pulled up to the barn, I had been watching for them while I was feeding a calf. Scott was their escort: Geert Frank, global head of marketing and communications from Lely; Steve Kraft, North America aftermarket eld support manager; and Xavier Drake, North America strategic marketing manager. Scott had shared our farm’s story on the ride over, and Geert was excited to learn about the agritourism part of our farm but also was here to ask how Lely was doing for us. He wanted to hear about the good, the bad and the ugly part of our Lely relationship. I could feel his excitement as I talked about the tours with school children, families and people from all over who are amazed when they see the different products that we have. He mentioned several times that he was glad I was a spokesperson for Lely when the families toured. Steve and Xavier wanted to know what made us decide to purchase Lely products. I shared our reasons and also that it had a lot to do with who our sales representative was. Kelsey Hendrickson drove us to farms, introduced us to farmers that have used the Lely robots and started the ball rolling to build our barn around the
Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 35
Lely robot technology. Having the right person selling a product makes a huge difference, especially when your whole life’s dream of dairy farming is going to change. Geert questioned how things worked in the United States but particularly in Wisconsin. Holland has regulations that limit what farmers are allowed to do with their cows. They cannot dehorn any longer. The Holland farm sizes are limited with manure management and other strict rules have pushed many farms out of business. Because so many farms have closed, there isn’t enough milk to supply Holland’s demand. I shared that Wisconsin is losing one dairy farm per day but mostly from the economics of low milk prices and high inputs. Many farms do not have a future, because they don’t have family members to take over the farms. That seems to be a common problem throughout the whole world. The conversation was wonderful and fast moving. Geert was eager to share some of the new projects Lely is working on in Holland. As we walked around
our barn, we talked and shared ideas. He spoke of the new innovations at Lely. They have projects that are helping farmers in Holland process their own milk to sell directly to grocery stores. They also have a product to deal with manure. We nished up with Geert taking photos in the combine. The visit went so fast, and they needed to head off to another farm. At the moment we met, Geert insisted I should be wearing Lely gear. He took off his Lely sweatshirt and gave it to me because I was wearing a Carhartt sweatshirt. However, it was so cold he needed to wear it until they were ready to leave. He handed me the sweatshirt as we all said goodbye. That evening, I was feeling satised with the visit when I put on Geert’s Lely gear. Tina Hinchley, and her husband, Duane, daughter Anna, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. The Hinchley’s have been hosting farm tour for over 25 years.
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Still on the roller coaster Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
The roller coaster ride that is my life Will not let me off just yet. I have searched for an opportunity On that you can bet. Husband feeling like himself; Strange description, but it ts. Cancer shrinking, he’s on break; Forever positive, quick with his wits. This wife went in For a squash and a squeeze. Yes, I had put it off. No lectures, if you please. Hindsight is great Because we know more. Worthless to me now
As I stare at future’s door. One simple appointment Spawned another and another. Squeezes, pokes, prods and pictures Then the diagnosis with words that smother. Now it is me getting the verdict. Words spoken had been heard before. There is an enemy in my body; And we must wage war. The plan of attack was drawn. The surgery scheduled and planned. I said farewell to that which grew my babies. No milking cows for now; I am banned. Children are well aware
Of all that has happened and what is to come. Honesty, humor and strength of family Help to deal with this unnecessary glum. This is a hard left From my plans for the year. I would be lying to you If I claimed no fear. Some days I can’t process it. Some days I struggle to cope. But, one foot in front of the other. There really isn’t much time to sit and mope.
Ramblings from the Ridge
By Jacqui Davison Columnist
I lean on those Who have fought and won. I stand tall and strong for those Who have races yet to run.
LIKE NATURE ONLY BETTER
I remind myself daily This truly could be so much worse. The voice that speaks screams To be louder than the frequent curse. We have some incredible humans Both near and far away, Showering love, owers, food, prayers. Their care lightens the load each day. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira (14), Dane (12), Henry (7) and Cora (4), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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Controlling ies on dairy farms
Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 37
Now is the time to make y control plans for your operation. Flies are a nuisance to farm workers and animals, transmit disease and cause signicant economic loss. Flies cause livestock to expend extra energy fending them off instead of resting, feeding and milking. Fly control is critically important to all dairy operations to reduce the spread of disease and improve animal comfort, resulting in decreased stress and greater efciency of growth or production. In the past, management of ies in dairy and livestock barns often relied solely on insecticide use. But this single-tactic approach can aggravate y populations’ resistance to insecticides and inadvertently destroy natural enemies of ies. Today, farms are successfully combining careful use of pesticides with other integrated pest management practices. Fly identication, biology Identifying the type of ies on your dairy and understanding their lifecycle is key to developing an effective IPM plan. Common ies found on dairies include house ies, horn ies, stable ies and face ies.
M d t to Moderate t iintense t fl fly pressure can be stressful to dairy cattle in many ways and result in decreased profit. House ies are the most abundant around livestock operations but cause the least irritation. Horn and stable ies are both bloodsucking insects and can be very painful to their hosts. Although house and face ies don’t suck blood, they do spread disease. According to Purdue University research, a y can complete an entire generation – from egg to adult – within as few as 10 days. All ies pass through four life stages: egg, larva (maggot), pupa and adult. Dur-
ing its lifecycle, which is about 30 days, a house y female can lay up to 1,000 eggs. These eggs are deposited on moist manure or any type of moist, rotten or decaying organic matter. The eggs hatch in 10 to 12 hours, and the maggots move into the wet manure. Fly maggots mature in four to ve days under warm, moist conditions. Pupation occurs in the drier parts of manure, with the adult ies emerging in three to ve days. Although capable of movement up to several miles, house ies normally stay within one-half to three-quarter miles of their breeding sites.
cycle by inhibiting the synthesis of the bug’s body wall (exoskeleton), resulting in death before Something to Ruminate On the larvae can become adult ies. Begin feeding diubenzuron 30 days prior to ies appearing and continue until cold weather restricts y activity in the fall.
Sanitation The largest economic return for y control is effective cleanliness and sanitation. Approximately 90% of a dairy’s ies will develop in less than 10% of its physical area. Flies reproduce in undisturbed, damp organic matter. Removal and disposal of wasted feed, spilled milk or manure will go a long way in reducing y populations. Eliminating tall weeds around facilities can reduce attractiveness to ies, especially stable ies. In some cases, alternative bedding sources (such as sand in calf hutches) can be considered during the summer months.
Additional y control strategies Residual premise By Barry Visser spray is often benecial Nutritionist throughout the summer to kill ies or deter other ies from coming into the dairy. Baiting or trapping ies is benecial in certain locations. Large surface area y control tape may aid in reducing the number of ies in conned spaces. Parasitic wasps have also been used effectively to help control the pest y population. Lastly, don’t forget about pour-on y control. This is perhaps the best option for controlling ies in a pasture situation. Resistance to chemicals is a concern; however, new products continue to come on the market. Moderate to intense y pressure can be stressful to dairy cattle in many ways and result in decreased prot. Flies are attracted to dairies due to the large amounts of feeding and breeding sites that exist on any operation. Cleanliness in these high-risk areas is a great place to start controlling ies, but this alone is not enough. Complementary y control programs, such as spraying, baiting and trapping, and larvicide feeding, will go a long way to reducing y populations and positively impacting productivity. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
Feed an insect growth regulator The key to any y management strategy is to start early in the season before y populations become a problem. An insect growth regulator is a feed additive that can be added to calf and heifer feeds as well as any adult cows in housing situations that allow manure to accumulate over time. This generally starts in mid-April to early May in most of the Midwest. Insect growth regulators will not get rid of current ies but can go a long way in preventing future ies. Your nutritionist can assist with specic larvicide recommendations. The larvicide diubenzuron is the most common IGR used in dairy cattle and effectively prevents the four most-irritating ies from developing and emerging in the manure. Diuebenzuron breaks the y life-
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Hinge moments Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
I was listening to Minnesota Public Radio in the parking lot the other day. The host was talking with a science ction writer about the imaginative use of time travel in her story and how this theme of a specic time in history affected her career path. She called it a hinge moment. She pointed to a specic moment in time where your past and future hinged, a point where your current life hinges on a moment in your past that put you in this spot today. Hinge moments seem to be her family theme. Her grandmother was dating two guys at the same time. They decided she needed to pick one of them, so they came up with a plan. One said he was going this way, the other a different direction. Who she followed was her hinge mo-
So, it appears my jobs on the farm may be waning, but my next adventure is just a left turn or a right turn at the end of our driveway. ment. If she had followed the other guy, the life she lived wouldn’t have existed and neither would the author. I can still see my hinge moment. It was a rainy April day when my mom, sister and grandmother drove all the way across Illinois to the eastern border to help me start my move to a new job in Minnesota. As the move became more certain, I became less certain of my decision. I didn’t know anyone up there. I would be 10 hours from home and not ve. I started to drag my feet, and my attitude was surly. Then, Grandma snapped me out of it and pushed me out the door.
You have to understand, this is a woman who is like a mother hen protecting all her chicks beneath her wings. She loved having all her family (siblings, children, nieces, nephews and grandchildren) close to home. Now here she was pushing me out of the nest, yet somehow, she knew I needed to try this adventure. Thirty-seven years later, I’m still on the path she pushed me toward. If I hadn’t moved, I wouldn’t have met Mark, and we wouldn’t have our kids or grandkids. Life would have been completely different. I bring this up because I attended a women in agriculture conference recently. The morning panelists talked about moments in their careers where they had these hinge moments. Corey Scott works for Land O’Lakes now, but one summer when she was younger, she worked at a landll that was on re. She called it a crappy job, but she also learned a valuable lesson. Never underestimate the positive power of a crappy project or job. How you act and handle the situation becomes your brand and how people will see you. I was amazed at the advice. I could see all my jobs ash before my eyes and how I had to show up every time, like it or not and do my best job. As I gazed around the banquet room, I saw so many young women. Would I have heard this message when I was their age? Could I truly have understood what was being said? Or, would the words become a seed planted for later growth and maturity? I may have looked out of place, but I felt just as young and excited as these ladies about the potential for new adventures in future careers in agriculture. I may appear to be at the end of my career, but I’m just at the right spot. Austin keeps asking me what I want to do. What do I want to do if I didn’t have to work on the farm? So, it appears my jobs on the farm may be waning, but my next adventure is just a left turn or a right turn at the end of our
driveway. I wonder which turn I will take to lead me on my new adventure. I know there is a job available just down the road. The local potato farmers are starting to cut potatoes for Just Thinking Out Loud planting. This is as sure of a sign of spring just like the fat robins hopping across my yard pecking at fallen berries and seeds scattered across the ground. The recent high winds have pretty much swept my yard clean but left behind branches as exclamation points. I guess it is time to nd my garden seeds and start my growing season in the house. It may By Natalie Schmitt be a few weeks before I can Columnist actually put seeds in the ground, but it will be here before we know it. There are so many questions at the start of the growing season but this year even more so with extremely high input prices and limited supplies. Fortunately, Austin is a numbers guy and has been trying to look at options for our elds. His college education and work experiences are really starting to pay off. By looking at the numbers, we are trying to not get caught up in the emotion and uncertainty of the situation. It is a learning curve, but we’re hitting it at the right angle and speed to keep moving forward. Who knows, it might lead to another hinge moment in our lives. 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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Beefers
Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022 • Page 39
Admittedly, we were a little late to the beef-on-dairy party, but we’re here now. According to the most recent data I’ve seen, more than 80% of dairy farmers in the Midwest are using beef semen in their herds, and the uptick in use began back in 2017. We tried incorporating beef semen into our breeding plan about that time but didn’t continue due to very poor conception rates. But, as with many ideas that failed initially, Dairy Good Life we tried again, because we seriously needed to do something to right the size of our heifer herd. Even with drastically reducing our use of sexed semen, we still had way too many heifers for our replacement needs. This time around, we had success and now have over a year of experience with little black beefers. We started using Limousin semen but switched to Angus due to better calving ease. My rst conclusion regarding beefers is that, without a doubt, they are born to suckle. From the very rst bottle of colostrum, feeding these little guys is a treat. Both the beef-on-Holstein and beefBy Sadie Frericks on-Jersey calves drink better. I noticed, too, that Columnist the insides of their mouths are considerably softer than those of dairy calves. Comparing beef-ondairy and dairy calves makes for an interesting illustration of the power of selective breeding. Dairy breeds could denitely benet from selection for newborn vigor. We also found out – the hard way – that beefers are born to run. They literally hit the ground ready to run. We usually collect dairy calves born on pasture several times a day. We now collect pasture-born beefers immediately after birth, unless we feel like running too. A secondary benet of beef-on-dairy breeding was the corresponding switch we made to weekly bull calf pickup. We used to feed our dairy bull calves for two to three weeks before selling to add value. We now have a buyer who picks up beefers and dairy bull calves twice each week. There is the axiom, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” Well, I didn’t realize how much extra work we made for ourselves by feeding bull calves. But, we could also never stomach a $25 check for a healthy calf. Now we don’t have to choose between extra work and reasonable compensation. Beef-on-dairy semen use also allowed us to return to year-round calving. Many years ago – 12, I think – we adopted a no-new-calves policy for the coldest and hottest months of the year. That meant no calves born between Dec. 15 and Feb. 15 and again during July and August. This practice helped us avoid the newborn calf challenges that came with outdoor winter calving and the fresh cow challenges that came with summer heat. With those benets, though, came a new set of challenges: quarterly calfalanches. Before and after each breeding ban, we doubled our efforts to settle cows, which resulted in literal overruns of calves nine months later. We also encountered several seasons of unseasonable weather – like the hottest September on record and the coldest, snowiest November – which convinced us that trying to out-plan Mother Nature is next to impossible. Long story short, this past winter was the rst in over a decade that we calved straight through. We learned last spring that beefers can handle a cold Many years ago – 12, I think – we weather birth better than adopted a no-new-calves policy dairy calves. So nearly all of the cows who calved for the coldest and hottest this winter were bred to months of the year. beef semen. It’s interesting to think we’ve come full circle now with our calving schedule. But, it’s important to recognize that trying a new approach – sometimes more than once – is necessary for solving problems. We can and should continue to adapt our practices to meet our needs. One nal thought. I drafted this column prior to the Holy Week blizzard that dropped literal feet of wet, heavy snow on beef ranches in North Dakota and Montana and then whipped that snow around with gale-force winds. Even the heartiest of beef calves – newborn or not – were challenged. My heart goes out to the ranchers who worked in those unholy conditions to protect their cows, calves and livelihoods. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children – Dan, 15, Monika, 12, and Daphne, 9. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, April 23, 2022
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