Seniors! CELEBRATING OUR
Pages 8 - 9 of the Second Section!
DAIRY ST R
May 22, 2021
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 23, No. 7
“We did all of this for healthy calves.” – Jared Capko
A renewed focus on youngstock
Capkos transform calf management with new barn, protocols By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Jared Capko and Renee Hebig stand in the Capkos’ tunnel-venƟlated calf barn May 17 near Swanville, Minnesota. The Capkos built the barn this past year to improve calf health and wellbeing.
SWANVILLE, Minn. – Jared Capko and Renee Hebig can describe their calf-raising facility in three words: Clean, convenient and efcient. “We did all of this for healthy calves,” Capko said. “Our death loss is down, and these calves are healthier when they leave this barn.” In the second half of 2020, Capko and his family built a 128-by-60 tunnel-ventilated calf barn equipped with four group pens fed with two automatic feeders and 20 individual hutches. Capko milks 300 cows with his dad, Jerry, and uncle, Larry, in Morrison County near Swanville. The family put calves in the barn last November. “We’re getting that consistency now,” said Hebig, calf manager. “We’ve created a system that lets everyone be self-sufcient here, and we’re watching calves succeed.”
Turn to CAPKO | Page 6
A chance to dig in neighbors’ fields Self-guided Winona County cover crop tour encourages hands-on approach By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
LEWISTON, Minn. – A drive on Winona County backroads early in the spring will showcase a variety of elds with green growth from the many farmers using cover crops. “It’s denitely catching on,” Lance Klessig said about cover crop use in the county. “There’s been a strong increase in the amount of acres cover cropped, at least in the southeast corner of the state.” Klessig, resource specialist for Winona County Soil and Water Conservation District, created a self-guided spring cover crops tour for the county. “Traditionally, we do eld days in person on the farm, but with some of the guidelines with COVID-19, we wanted to look for a different avenue,” Klessig said. “When you do a eld day, it’s a one-time deal. The benet of this tour is it’s over several months and you can go to it when it works for you so it’s got a lot of exibility.” The tour has nine sites including two dairy farm stops: Daley Farms of Lewiston owned by the Daley family and Clear Crest Farm owned by the Miller family. Both are near Lewiston. About half of the tour participants are in the early years of their cover crop experience while the other half has been doing it for many years. Each stop on the map has a sign to mark the location along Turn to CROP TOUR | Page 5
KRISTA KUZMA/DAIRY STAR
Ben Daley stands in a eld that is now planted with corn aŌer having winter rye as a cover crop over the winter on his family’s dairy near Lewiston, Minnesota. Daley’s farm is part of a ninestop self-guided cover crop tour in Winona County.
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Krista Kuzma - Editor/Wisconsin (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Andrea Borgerding - Associate Editor (320) 352-6303 • andrea.b@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Amanda Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Julie Barnes (SE WI and Northern IL) julie.b@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Kati Kindschuh (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-979-5284 • kati.k@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
A glance at what’s inside
June Dairy Month is quickly approaching
The importance of dairy in the Upper Midwest is undeniable, and as we head into the summer months, the dairy industry’s coveted celebration is almost here. To honor June Dairy Month, dairy farmers and industry partners are preparing to host events that highlight the industry in their communities. In the rst section of this issue, we featured a few of many options for June Dairy Month celebrations in Dairy Star’s coverage area, many of which are on-farm breakfasts and farm tours. Due to the ongoing pandemic, some events are drive-thru only while others are presale meals to pick up at your convenience. There are also lunches, quick ice cream treats and fun children’s activities available to expose people to life on the farm DAIRY STAR FILE PHOTO and the variety of dairy foods produced by The Goodhue County dairy princesses pose with a young atarea farmers. All of these events are open to tendee at last year’s Goodhue County drive-thru breakfast on the public; some are free while others come the farm at the Huneke family’s dairy near Bellechester, Minat a low cost with proceeds going to a local nesota. cause. Many events were cancelled last year, so the excitement to celebrate June Dairy Month with our communities is greater than ever. If you know of an upcoming June Dairy Month event that you would like to see potentially published in the next issue of Dairy Star, please let us know. Submissions can be emailed to Jenn, jenn@dairystar. com. We look forward to celebrating June Dairy Month with you! VT 100 SERIES GII VERTICAL MAXX
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists
Bon Yankton Homme
Clay
O’Brien
Sioux Plymouth
Monona
n inso Emmet
Clay
Palo Alto
e Buena Vista
Ida
Kossuth
n
lh Ca
Crawford Carroll
Merrill
Zone 1
Zone 2
After 20 years in the business, the Feuerhelm family builds second facility
Mills
bo du
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Greene Guthrie
Kanabec Ra
ms ey
Floyd
Boone
Story
Bremer Black Hawk
Tama
Jasper
Fayette
Benton
an
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an
ch
Bu
Clayton
Dela
Jones
Linn
on Cedar
s hn
Iowa
Madison Warren Marion Mahaska Keokuk
Jo
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Adams Taylor
Union ld
Rin
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Clarke
Lucas
Decatur Wayne
Monroe Wapello se
Ap
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Davis
on ers
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Jef
Van Buren
Jackson Clinton
Muscatine
n
Polk
all
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Ma
aw
as
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Ch
Wright Franklin Butler
Dallas
Adair
Page
Mon
Mitchell Howard
Houston
Louisa
Scott
Waterville
Rolinda Dairy showcases new facilities June 5
Second Section: Pages 20 - 21
Henry Des
Moines
Lee
Second Section: Pages 3, 5
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
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ry ome
Worth
Hancock Cerro Gordo
Webster Hamilton Hardin Grundy
Au
Pottawattamie Cass
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mb
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Sac
Harrison Shelby
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Dick
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Woodbury
Washington
Hubbard
Osceola
Fillimore
Mower
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Lyon
Freeborn
Faribault
Martin
iek
ln
co
Lin
Jackson
Second Section: Pages 14, 16 - 17
Winona
ake
Turner
Nobles
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted
sh
Hutchinson
Charles Mix
Rock
A day in the life of the Kappers family
Wabasha
ne
McCook Minnehaha
Murray
Rice
am
Douglas
Gregory
Moody
Nicollet
Brown
All
Tripp
on
ns
Ha
Lake
Redwood
gto
Todd
Miner
Lyon
W in
Aurora
Mellette
Sanborn
Brookings
Goodhue
hin
Brule
Jerauld
Kingsbury
Spring Valley
Dakota
Scott
Sibley
Wa s
Pages 10 - 11 Bennett Second Section
Buffalo Lyman
Beadle
Carver
iek
Jackson
Hamlin
Hand
Hennepin
McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine
sh
Jones
Hughes
Deuel
Anoka
Wright
Meeker
eu r
Stanley
Hyde
Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Clark
Kandiyohi
Chippewa
Isanti
Po we
Fall River
The “Mielke” Market Weekly Shannon
Spink
Sherburne
Swift
Grant
Benton
Stearns
Pope
Pine
Mille Lacs
Su
Sully
Stevens
First Section: Pages 1, 5
Carlton
Morrison
Douglas
Self-guided Winona County cover crop tour encourages hands-on approach
Aitkin
Crow Wing
Todd Grant
Big Stone
Day
Faulk
Potter
Otter Tail
Lewiston
go
Custer
Edmunds
Ziebach
Pennington
Roberts
Marshall
McPherson Brown
Walworth
Haakon
Sargent
Cass
Le
Campbell
Corson
Dickey
Richland
Lake
Itasca
Becker
Clay
Ransom
LaMoure
McIntosh
Sioux
Meade
Lawrence
Cass
Mah
Cook
isa Ch
Page 38 First Section
Bames
Emmons
Dewey
Calf Chronicles
Stutsman
Logan
Grant
Page 33 First Section Perkins
Butte
Kidder
Morton
Adams
en nom
Wilkin
Burleigh
Koochiching St. Louis
Polk
Trail
Steele
Tra ver se
Page 32 First Hettinger Section
Griggs
Norman
Oliver
Dairy Good Life Harding
Foster
Beltrami
Lincoln
Bowman
Sheridan Mercer
First Section: Page 10
Lake of the Woods
Pipestone
Slope
Wells
Roseau
Red Lake
Eddy
McLean
Princess Kay of the Milky Way nalists named
Third Section: Pages 5 - 6
Pennington
Grand Forks
St. Paul
Fleck creates tribute for veterans with ags
Marshall
Benson Nelson
Just Thinking Stark Out Loud
Kittson
Walsh
Ramsey
McHenry
Ward
Pembina
n
Golden Valley
Cavalier
Towner
io
Billings
Rolette
Un
Something to Ruminate On Dunn
Bottineau
Pierce
Mountrail
Page 31 First Section
First Section: Pages 1, 6-7
Da vi so n
McKenzie
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Rice
Capkos transform calf management with new barn, protocols
Wadena
Renville
Burke Page 30 First Section
Williams
Todd
DMI team is invaluable for Schuelers’ farm goals
Dear County Agent Guy
Divide
Willmar
n
Pages 8-9 First Section
Clearwater
Ag Insider
What was one of the best ways college prepared you for your dairy career? First Section: Pages 15 - 16
St. Rosa
Stearns County breakfast returns after year hiatus
First Section: Pages 18, 20, 22
Charlotte
Women in Dairy: Kailey Barlow
First Section: Page 36
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 5
ConƟnued from CROP TOUR | Page 1
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Lance Klessig (leŌ), Winona County Soil and Water ConservaƟon District resource specialist, and Robb Miller, an owner of Clear Crest Farm, kneel in one of the elds in June 2019 at Clear Crest Farm where soybeans were planted aŌer triƟcale was harvested earlier in the spring that year. with the goal of the farm, the name of the farmer and a phone number to call with any questions about the eld. “It’s a new approach to having farmers getting out to other farmers’ elds and learning rst hand,” Klessig said. “Bring a friend and a shovel. Don’t just look at the cover crops from the truck. Get out, see the roots and assess things that way. Interview the tour hosts. Call the landowner to ask questions.” Clear Crest Farm The Millers’ main goal for planting triticale on their dairy is for additional feed for their 700-cow herd. They have been double cropping for about 15 years. About 350 acres are set up for planting soybeans after triticale is harvested in the spring. “Originally, we started planting triticale for erosion reduction and also to suck up any residual nitrogen that was maybe left over. This way it didn’t keep moving and leeching,” said Robb Miller, an owner of Clear Crest Farm. After seeing a neighboring beef farmer chop triticale for feed, the Millers and their nutritionist thought maybe the feed could be used for more
than heifers. They began feeding it to the milking herd, eliminating the majority of straw purchased for the ration. The Millers saved on the cost of buying straw and the trucking costs; they also eliminated certain weeds they saw in their elds from weed seed in the straw. “Most of our straw was coming from Canada or Kansas and Nebraska,” Miller said. “We were starting to get southern weeds that were roundup resistant. That’s when we thought we should signicantly reduce our straw and use triticale instead.” For the past nine years, the Millers have been using triticale in the ration instead of straw. The soybeans after triticale last year yielded 5 bushels less than elds without triticale; however, previous years the soybean yield was only 1 or 2 bushels per acre less than the other elds. “So, if we’re almost getting the same amount of revenue on the bean acres plus taking off 7-8 ton of triticale for feed, those end up being our more protable acres,” Miller said. While the main goal of cover crops Turn to CROP TOUR | Page 6
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ConƟnued from CAPKO | Page 1
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A calf drinks from one of the automated calf feeders at the Capkos’ dairy May 17 near Swanville, Minnesota. Calves are grouped in pens of up to 20. A feed room is in the center of the barn with individual calf hutches in the middle on the north and south sides of the room. To the east and west are two sets of group pens that are fed with Holm and Laue Calf Experts. A set of three calf hutches are set aside and used for sick calves or those that do not adapt to the automated feeders well. The barn also includes sloped ooring throughout with trench drains below each pen to remove excess moisture as well as fans and side curtains to improve ventilation.
Newborn calves are kept in hutches for the rst two weeks and then transferred to the group pens until weaned, with pens designed to house 20 animals each. All youngstock in the barn receive free-choice grain and water. Hebig oversees this group of youngstock on the farm and works closely with three employs to maintain detailed records of each animal. Calves are monitored through the automated feeder’s
Turn to CAPKO | Page 7
ConƟnued from CROP TOUR | Page 5 now is additional feed, the Millers benet by reducing soil erosion. A heavy rainfall several weeks ago reafrmed this benet. “The eld with the cover crops on, there was no erosion, and the elds where we couldn’t put cover crops on because we had to haul manure there is denitely erosion,” Miller said. “Anytime you’re shipping dirt down the ditch that’s equity lost. I’m leaning toward cover cropping as many acres as possible if not all of it if I possibly could.” Daley Farms For the last 40 years, the Daley family has been using cover crops on their 1,500-cow dairy. Now 900 of the farm’s 1,900 corn acres have cover crops each year. The Daleys have used winter rye the last four years but have also used winter wheat, oats, succotash and triticale as cover crops in years prior. For this year’s cover crop tour eld, the Daleys harvested corn silage from last year and then airowed 75 pounds of rye before injecting manure, which helped work in the rye. “Winter rye comes up really good in the fall and comes up early after you plant it and it doesn’t get really tall in the fall,” said Ben Daley, a partner in his family’s dairy. “It overwinters like that so in the springtime you have a few decisions about how you want to terminate it. Last year, we were able
to work it with the eld cultivator and we were ne. This year, we thought it would get away from us and get too tall so we sprayed it. It’s vigorous and does really well over winter.” In the early years of using cover crops, the family used cover crops to prevent soil erosion. “That’s what my dad and uncle did, but now since we’ve learned over the years what cover crops can do, our main objective is to keep that manure we inject in the fall and the nitrogen up closer to the root zone,” Daley said. It has made a difference with soil health, said Daley. “The number of worms we have and the amount of roots we have in the ground is really good,” Daley said. “Our corn crops look really good.” Daley said the biggest learning curve of growing cover crops is needing to have exibility. “What you did in years past might not work this year,” he said. He suggests farmers who want to try cover crops start slowly and have an open mind. “You don’t have to jump in and do 900 acres,” Daley said. “Do 80 acres or 40 acres or a hillside that has some susceptibility to runoff or erosion. Just do that and see and adapt. Sometimes you need different equipment or sometimes you need different management and just go from there.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 7
ConƟnued from CAPKO | Page 6 computer program which Hebig can look up on her phone, and also tracked with vaccinations and health occurrences via an intricate chart Hebig designed in the feed room. “Our protocol is laid out so it is convenient for everyone,” Hebig said. “We found a way to make calf chores consistent for everybody.” Previously, the Capkos were housing the calves in a naturallyventilated dirt-oor barn and feeding with one automated calf feeder. There were 11 individual hutches near the farm’s maternity and sick cow pen for background calves, and an overow of youngstock were housed in hutches in the nearby hay shed. The overstocked pens and poor ventilation made it difcult for calves to thrive, said Capko.
“We were seeing so many lung issues,” he said. “If the calves made it out (of the barn), they had lost a lot of spunk.” In January 2020, the Capkos began plans for a new facility after touring several farms and researching designs. “We talked about cementing this area and use hutches for now, but we really wanted an elaborate oor plan,” Capko said. “For us, ventilation was a big thing, and we wanted everyone in one place. Before, everything was so spread out, and we were running out of room.” By June, Hebig had joined the operation on a more fulltime basis. She was previously a teacher in the Twin Cities area but decided with the inux of the coronavirus pandemic that she could be on the farm more often. MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Renee Hebig describes her organizaƟon system for monitoring calf health at the Capkos’ dairy May 17 near Swanville, Minnesota. The detailed records allow all members of the calf team to be informed of protocols.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Renee Hebig looks at the progress of calves drinking in a mobile app May 17. Hebig uses the technology to catch calves that are sick or slow to use the automated calf feeder.
Calves were then housed in a hoop barn at Capko and Hebig’s farm site, and management of the youngstock shifted from Capko’s relatives to Hebig. “Having Renee come to the farm really took the stress off everybody else,” Capko said. “It was a lot to take care of and it was frustrating because we were either all doing it or missing it. This way, Renee could be the one to focus on the calves.” And, raising the youngstock in the hoop barn was a good transition between old and new
facilities. “It was a good experience to be raising healthy calves,” Hebig said. “We are now getting ready to breed heifer twins that we started in the hoop barn. It’s cool to see them doing well and succeeding.” While the Capkos’ setup has put a renewed focus on calf health and wellbeing, they know their success in raising youngstock would not be possible without the work of the people caring for the animals. “We knew to feed in hutches
is healthier for the calves, but we didn’t know if we could keep our hired help if we went that route,” Capko said. “And, there’s more time put into management that way and that’s hard to do even with the right setup.” In less than a year, the Capko family has transformed their calf management with the use of automation and more detailed protocols. “People think once you put in robots, all the work is
Minnesota 4-H
June 21-22, 2021
Gopher Dairy camp 2021 will be a fun twoday ALL VIRTUAL event for teens who want to improve their dairy cattle knowledge and showing skills. The camp is open to youth grades 6-9. This year's camp will include fun workshops such as a follow-along recipe with Princess Kay of the Milky Way, a fitting and grooming demonstration, a craft project, and more!
Organized by:
University of Minnesota State Minnesota 4-H Dairy Gopher Dairy Club Committee
Questions? Go to z.umn.edu/gdcamp or contact Registration is FREE! (Due date: June 4th) camp co-chairs Matthias Annexstad (cell: 507-479-3365 Use this link to register: email: annex027@umn.edu) or z.umn.edu/GDCcampregister2021 Mikayla Peper (cell: 715-294-0688 email: peper033@umn.edu)
Dairy seeks U.S. Trade Representative action on Canadian TRQ Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
Nearly 70 dairy companies and associations, in- U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to outline cluding the National Milk Producers Federation and its new trade principles and the environment. IDFA is U.S. Dairy Export Council, are urging the U.S. Trade willing to include environmental sustainability conRepresentative’s Ofce to initiate a dispute settlement siderations when the administration negotiates trade case with Canada over its dairy tariff-rate deals that may impact the dairy industry. Ag Insider quota system. “Canada has always been obstinate on dairy, and at this stage, it is Vilsack responds to USDA COVID-19 increasingly clear that further action is relief lawsuits needed to ensure a fair and transparent At the end of April, two lawsuits enforcement of USMCA,” said Jim Mulwere led focusing on the socially-dishern, president and CEO for NMPF. advantaged farmer proposal included in the Biden administration’s latest round of Supply, demand report offers insight COVID-19 relief. Agriculture Secretary into dairy sector Tom Vilsack has responded to those lawDue to an increase in cow numbers, suits. “I have to take you back 20 to 30 the United States Department of Agriyears when we know for a fact sociallyculture increased its 2021 milk producdisadvantaged producers were discrimition forecast by 200 million pounds. Tonated at by the USDA. We’ve reimbursed By Don Wick tal milk production is now estimated at people in the past for those acts of disColumnist 228 billion pounds. The USDA supply/ crimination, but we’ve never dealt with demand report calls for higher prices for the cumulative effect. The updates in the nonfat dry milk, cheese and whey and lower prices for American Rescue Plan start addressing the cumulabutter. The all-milk price forecast for the year rose 55 tive effect. Secondly, when you look at the COVID-19 cents to $18.95 per hundredweight. relief packages passed and distributed by USDA prior to the American Rescue Plan, it’s clear white farmers Pizza demand remains strong did well because of the way it was structured,” VilMozzarella cheese production enjoyed a 2% in- sack said. Vilsack said the litigation will be what it is. crease from March 2020 to March 2021. That is af- In the meantime, USDA will move forward. ter a production drop in January and February. Even with the pandemic winds down, pizza demand has Bronaugh conrmed been very strong. Domino’s Pizza had rst quarter With a voice vote, the Senate has conrmed Dr. revenues increase from $873 million to nearly $984 Jewel Bronaugh to be the deputy secretary of agrimillion. Papa John’s enjoyed a 25% increase in reve- culture. Bronaugh is the rst woman of color to serve nues, moving from $410 million to $512 million. Yum as the No. 2 person at USDA. Most recently, BroBrands is the parent company of Pizza Hut. In total, naugh was the agriculture commissioner in Virginia. Yum Brands rose 18% in the rst quarter. During the quarter, Pizza Hut added 71 new restaurants. CFAP 2 payments continue A total of $13.6 billion in Coronavirus Food AsSustainability, trade sistance Program 2 payments have been made thus The International Dairy Foods Association has far. That includes over $1.2 billion for dairy farmers. reached out to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and
UMN researchers blame agriculture for air pollution deaths A new study from the University of Minnesota may raise some eyebrows in farm country. This research claims poor air quality due to U.S. farm production results in an estimated 16,000 deaths each year. Of those deaths, 80% are being attributed to animal production. Researchers argue ne particulate matter increases with typical farming practices, like tillage and fertilizer applications. The study said that increases the risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke. This work has been published by the National Academy of Sciences. Improving nancials within robotic milking In a review of the Minnesota dairy sector for this past year, AgCentric executive director Keith Olander said robotic milking is becoming competitive for net returns. “Robotics had been lagging in our data for a while, but if you go back 10 years ago, there was a fair amount of new robotics coming in so the industry was learning,” Olander said. The overhead costs for interest and depreciation remain high for farms with robotic milking. However, this technology does have a role. “It’s about the labor, the exibility and lifestyle,” he said. “Nearly 2,300 dairy farmers were part of the Farm Business Management analysis this past year, which is a 10-year high.” Veterinarian selected for Board of Animal Health Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has appointed Dr. Jessica Koppien-Fox of Marshall to the Board of Animal Health. Koppien-Fox is the director of veterinary services and biosecurity at Ralco. She replaces Dr. Matt Anderson of the Anderson Veterinary Clinic in Zumbrota on the board. Managing drug residue The National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management program has published its latest Milk Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 9
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 9
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 8 and Dairy Beef Drug Residue Prevention Reference Manual. A pocket guide is also available. This tool promotes best management practices for treating dairy cattle. A comprehensive list of approved drugs and the withdrawal times is included. Reviewing rules for organic dairy production USDA is proposing revisions to its organic regulations to outline how conventional dairy cattle are transitioned into organic production. The rule species a farmer can transition cows into organic production only once rather than cycling them in and out of organic production. This is the third time the National Organic Program has been reopened for public comment, but USDA has not implemented any changes. Danone responds to investor pressure The French company, Danone, will sell a 10% stake in the China Mengniu Dairy Company. Danone was facing pressure from investors who are seeking greater returns. At current market values, the sale would be valued at $2.1 billion.
MFU restaurant project moves forward The Minnesota Farmers Union is getting ready to open a restaurant in Minneapolis. This farmer-to-table concept will be the rst and only restaurant owned and operated by Minnesota Farmers Union. The Farmers Kitchen + Bar was scheduled to open last year, but the project was put on hold due to the pandemic.
Bovy: “It saves us time not having to run to check records” What do you use Bovy to look up? We use Bovy for several reasons: sire used, calving dates, last milk and SCC results. How has using Bovy helped you and your dairy? It saves us time not having to run to check records in the ofÀce for the information.
Trivia challenge Most cows chew their cud 50 times per minute. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, what is the world record for lifetime milk production from one cow? We will have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
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The 10 Princess Kay of the Milky Way Finalists – (top from leŌ) Megan Meyer, Emily Leonard, Alaina Johnson, Kelsey Kuball and Anna Euerle; (boƩom, from leŌ) Katrina Thoe, Emeliya Dose, Jessica Ohmann, Isabelle Lindahl and Kelsey Erf – were named May 16 following judging a day before where candidates could parƟcipate in person or through a virtual plaƞorm.
All 10 candidates represent different counties By Krista Kuzma
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ST. PAUL, Minn. – For the rst time since 2002, each of the Princess Kay of the Milky Way nalists represent a different county. The nalists were announced May 16 in an online video after going through judging at the annual May Leadership and Promotion Event the day before. Candidates could choose whether they participated in person or through a virtual platform. “We had a great team effort with a lot of people pulling their weight to make the event possible,” said Jenna Davis, Midwest Dairy farmer relations manager. “If they chose an in-person judging time, we tried to keep them no longer than 2.5 hours to minimize the potential for any exposure to any risk, and we tried to keep the groups small.” The workshops that are typically included in this event were moved to an online platform in the four weeks leading up to the judging. This year’s 10 nalists include Emeliya Dose, 18, of Plainview, representing Wabasha County; Kelsey Erf, 19, of Oakdale, representing Washington County; Anna Euerle, 19, of Litcheld, representing Meeker County; Alaina Johnson, 18, of Dakota, representing Houston County; Kelsey Kuball, 19, of Waterville, representing Rice County; Emily Leonard, 21, of Norwood Young America, representing Carver County; Isabelle Lindahl, 20, of Lindstrom, representing Chisago County; Megan Meyer, 17, of Rollingstone, representing Winona County; Jessica Ohmann, 20, of Albany, representing Stearns County; and Katrina Thoe, 22, of Hayeld, representing Dodge County. “We were all screaming and hugging,” Ohmann said about the moment her name was announced on the video while she watched it with her family. “Once they called my name, I was lled with happiness and excitement because I worked very hard to get to that point. I was overwhelmed, and it came as a bit of a shock because I know there are so many good girls in Minnesota that could represent our whole state.” Although Kuball watched the announcement herself, she had her parents on the phone with her during that time. “I did a lot of screaming, and I could hear my mom on the other end screaming too,” she said. When Johnson was watching the video with her friends, she started crying when she heard her name. “It meant so much to me,” Johnson said. “I remember watching my three aunts who were Princess Kay nalists at the state fair get their heads carved out of butter. I have always said I want to be that someday. Me being named a Princess Kay nalist means I’ve made it.” Although Johnson’s love for dairy started at a
young age, her time in high school sparked her interest in promotion. “I went to a high school that didn’t really know about agriculture and dairy products so I was able to share with them my passion of dairy and why they should add it to their diet,” Johnson said. Kuball has had a similar experience as she attends a private Christian college. “Almost no one has interacted with agriculture, and when I bring up cows, people are so excited,” she said. “I really love to talk about my own experiences and really make the dairy farmer someone who is personal. They are people who are members of your community around you, and they care and are invested in their business and community.” Ohmann looks forward to sharing dairy messages with people this summer as a Princess Kay nalist and Stearns County ambassador. “No matter in our county whether you’re a princess or an ambassador we all have the same events and the same opportunity to share our own personal dairy stories,” Ohmann said. This includes telling people to consume three servings of dairy every day – her favorite dairy message. “I know not everybody is getting those three servings,” Ohmann said. “Maybe you start your day with yogurt. Have cheese incorporated in your lunch and a glass of milk with a meal. I think by adding dairy in little ways, like cheese on your salad, it’s great to get three servings every day.” One of Johnson’s favorite messages to share is how dairy is responsibly produced. “As a dairy farmer, I have a lot of experience working on my farm with the cows and calves both,” Johnson said. “I have a lot of experience knowing they are well cared for and what we do matters. So many consumers don’t know what goes on at a dairy farm and how well we do care for our animals. I would love to be able to share that with them.” All three are excited to have their head carved in a 90-pound block of butter, a tradition that will carry on regardless of any possible cancellations. “The butterhead is the rst thing I thought of, thinking about what are we going to do with that?” Kuball said. “We’ve always talked about doing a sweet corn feed so I am denitely excited to do that.” Most importantly, Kuball, Ohmann and Johnson are excited to share Minnesota’s dairy community with others. “I’m so honored to be able to represent Minnesota’s dairy farmers,” Johnson said. “I hope to do the best job I can and educate consumers on dairy’s great qualities that are responsibly produced and nutrient rich, and be able to share my dairy story with as many people as I can.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 11
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
DMI team is invaluable for Schuelers’ farm goals Ideas vetted through parties creates best decisions for dairy By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
WILLMAR, Minn. – When Chris Schueler thinks about how he and his family have progressed Deerview Dairy, he credits a lot of their work to his Minnesota Dairy Initiative team. “Honestly, I’d hate to be without it,” said Schueler of the program. “The team is a part of how we operate today and our plans to manage the farm for longevity.” Schueler and his parents, Don and Shirley, own Deerview Dairy LLLP – a 500-cow dairy in Kandiyohi County near Willmar. The partnership was formed in 2000 and is designed for Schueler and his wife, Lisa, to retain a greater percentage of ownership with each passing year. Whether the family was developing their transition plan or actively reviewing on-farm management practices and new industry technologies and trends, the Schuelers have relied on their MDI team members to make sound decisions for the betterment of the dairy business. Deerview Dairy’s team includes Schueler and his JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Chris Schueler milks 500 cows at his family’s dairy, Deerview Dairy LLLP, in Kandiyohi County near Willmar, Minnesota. The Schuelers have relied on their Minnesota Dairy IniƟaƟve team to achieve short- and longterm goals.
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Chris Schueler looks over cow data at his dairy near Willmar, Minnesota. Schueler works with his MDI team to make decisions for the development of his herd.
parents, and representatives from MDI and University of Minnesota Extension, their farm business management instructor, nancial lender, nutritionist, veterinarian and milk cooperative eld representative. As Schueler’s wife works off the farm as a registered nurse, she is unable to attend the meetings but reviews the discussions when she is able. The group meets quarterly for a couple hours each time. “Lisa and I and my folks make the nal decisions for the farm, but this group is right at the forefront of those decisions,” Schueler said. “They help us be comfortable and condent in the direction we’re taking. And, if it doesn’t give us the results we hoped for, we’re all accountable.”
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Leah Bischof agreed. “Everyone on the team is dedicated to helping the farm succeed and reach their goals,” she said. “It helps bring different perspectives at once while also yielding strong accountability, on-farm education and protability.” Bischof is the state director for MDI and also the program’s representative on the Schuelers’ team. Schueler has used this sounding board for decisions both big and small. Over the years, the team has discussed grant opportunities through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. In three instances, the Schuelers received funding
Turn to SCHUELER | Page 13
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 13
ConƟnued from SCHUELER | Page 12
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Chris Schueler describes the roadway out of the farm’s manure lagoon that his family installed in 2017 near Willmar, Minnesota. The project was subsidized by a livestock investment grant. for on-farm projects, including a roadway from the manure lagoon in 2017. “As producers, we’re busy and don’t always have the time to know what is out there,” Schueler said. “Leah (Bischof) does a really good job of keeping us informed with grants and other funding opportunities and nancial resources. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t always know to pursue sometimes really simple things.” The team has also been involved in the decision to contract milk and feed commodities. “Knowing when is the right time to lock in feed prices is totally new to us,” Schueler said. “The team was very encouraging to say this was worth it. We got our feet wet and it’s been great to have a more predictable revenue ow and not just work with what the markets give us.” One of the group’s most critical talking points discussed was the option to have all forages custom harvested. “That was a big decision that revolved around consistent feed quality, a lack of labor and time,” Schueler said. “What someone else could do in 2.5 days, it was taking us two weeks to harvest corn silage.” In the end, the family decided to hire it out. “The difference was day and night,” Schueler said. “The money we thought we were losing in paying someone else to do it, we were gaining in forage quality. That decision was hard because we were used to doing it ourselves, but it’s been so worth it.” Most recently, Schuelers and the MDI team decided to pursue a double ovsynch program to improve breeding management. This was implemented on the farm at the end of 2020. Working with the team allowed Deerview Dairy’s veterinarian, nutritionist and others to talk through the advantages and disadvantages of implementing
the program within the herd. “In any instance, our team members can bring experience from what they see on other farms,” Schueler said. “In regards to reproduction, it’s still too early for us to tell if this will be a positive management tool to stick with.” The Schuelers have been active participants of FBM through Ridgewater College for more than three decades, so when the opportunity arose to also participate in MDI several years ago, the value of such a program was readily understood. “We’ve always appreciated the team approach in reaching our farm goals,” Schueler said. “Our team brings a certain mentality to the farm, the opportunity to not be afraid of looking at our options for better management decisions that affect our prots and allow for a smooth farm transition.” Over the years, Schueler and his family have developed the MDI team with individuals and companies that align with their vision. “Chris and his family are not afraid to challenge their team and ask really great questions that help them propel their farm forward,” Bischof said. “A major focus for them is strategic planning, and they use their team to help reach the goals that they have, both short term and long term.” In the ways Schueler has developed his farm and the plans for the future, MDI has played an important role. So much so that he encourages every dairy farmer to work with a team of core leaders to continually nd opportunity for their dairy. “There is no wiser way for the government to spend money and help people individually,” Schueler said. “Having this program says that we (the government) still support family farms, individually, by giving producers each their own opportunity for guidance, and that’s invaluable.”
We’re Hiring! MINNESOTA DAIRY INITIATIVES SE REGION
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Looking for an energetic person with a strong commitment to agriculture and the dairy industry to coordinate the Minnesota Dairy Initiative Program in Southeast MN. Will he based out of your home while servicing Southeast MN. • Strong communication skills, computer skills, and dairy knowledge required • Understanding of team concept • 50-100/hrs. per month on average, but time is very flexible depending on team schedules • Need to he organized and able to work independently • Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation required • Job description available upon request Send resume, cover letter and references by June 11th To: Ryan Steele P.O. Box 732 St. Charles, MN 55972 ryan.steele@riverland.edu For more information contact: 507-320-2278
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
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How did college prepare you for your dairy career? Eric Metzger Lester, Iowa Lyon County 250 cows
Jason James Mineral Point, Wisconsin Iowa County 175 cows
Jeff Borst Sauk Centre, Minnesota Stearns County 2,000 cows
What college did you attend, what degree did you obtain and when did you graduate? I attended South Dakota State University and graduated in 2017 with a degree in dairy science production.
What college did you attend, degree you obtained and when did you graduate? I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 2005 with an animal science degree with a dairy emphasis.
What college did you attend, what degree did you obtain and when did you graduate? University of Minnesota with a degree in animal science, dairy production.
What was one of the best ways college prepared you for your dairy career? College helped me become more well-rounded and offered a network of people in the dairy industry as well as learning more in-depth knowledge of the cow.
What was one of the best ways college prepared you for your dairy career? By having small class sizes, I had the chance to participate in real world experience and one-on-one interaction with my instructors, which gave me the chance to hone my skills and knowledge. My degree gave me a good base to use post-college as a dairy farmer.
How do you stay connected with former classmates or advisors? Why is that valuable to you as a dairy farmer? One thing of value from the relationships I made with those I went to college with is to try to stay on the cutting edge with what way the dairy industry is heading. How do you continue to expand your farming knowledge while being on the farm? The day-today things I go through, changes in markets and the change of the industry and seeing it rsthand has grown my knowledge since returning to the farm. What part of dairy farming were you not prepared for after graduating? Tighter margins have forced us to focus in on our cost of production. This has been a big part of our business plan as we move forward. Why is dairying still the career for you? I’ve always had a passion to dairy farm, and even through the challenging times, I have the drive each day to continue. My siblings and I are the third generation to own and operate Summit Farm Inc. Being raised on the farm and having the opportunity to carry it on drives me. Now that I’m married and have my own children and nieces and nephews, I hope that if they have the passion and desire to dairy farm, they will have the same opportunity as I did and live the legacy at Summit Farm. Tell us about your farm and plans for your dairy this year. Summit Farm was started in 1963 by my grandpa and uncle. Three other uncles, my dad and a cousin were owners. As my uncles retired, my dad became the sole owner in 2016, which gave my sister, three brothers and myself the opportunity to start buying ownership. We have always had registered Jerseys. We have 250 cows housed in a freestall barn and milk in the original double-8 parlor. All of our heifers are raised onsite. We farm 500-plus acres of corn and soybeans, with a majority of it being harvested for feed. The short-term plan is to milk as many cows as we can in this facility, but we have begun to look closely at building a robot facility within the next few years and increase our herd to 400-600 cows.
How do you stay connected with former classmates or advisors? Why is that valuable to you as a dairy farmer? The connections I gained in college are of the most valuable aspects of getting my degree. Connections gained, with a network of people who have the same goals and objectives, gives me a wonderful network of people I can go back to with questions or advice. Having those people who understand the ins and outs of a working operation is extremely valuable. How do you continue to expand your farming knowledge while being on the farm? Being involved in agricultural organizations as well as attending industry workshops and conferences is important to keep in touch with the latest trends and technologies available. What part of dairy farming were you not prepared for after graduating? The uctuation of the pricing system we receive for our milk. And on that same token, the volatility of inputs such as feed prices. Why is dairying still the career for you? I enjoy the variety each day brings as well as being able to be involved with and work with family. Tell us about your farm and plans for your dairy this year. I, along with my wife, Leah, and daughters, Brenlyn and Annika, run Pine-Valley Farm. The dairy is my home farm, and my parents, Ralph and Mary Jean, are active on the operation. We milk 175 Holstein, Jersey and Milking Shorthorn cows. We raise our replacement heifers. Additionally, we do embryo transfer work and have sold multiple bulls into stud as well as have developed all-Americans. This year, we hope to put up a maternity barn and calving area.
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What was one of the best ways college prepared you for your dairy career? One of the best things I learned from college is that I don’t know it all. But college helped me learn where to look when I don’t have the answer, and I built a lot of relationships I can rely on when I don’t know something. How do you stay connected with former classmates or advisors? Why is that valuable to you as a dairy farmer? Mostly through phone calls. I nd it helpful to use classmates as a sounding board. Sometimes they have already experienced a situation I am struggling with, and they can give advice. Or, they can be valuable to talk through a new idea or a change. How do you continue to expand your farming knowledge while being on the farm? I am continually learning from consultants we bring on our farm or from coworkers and colleagues going to meetings and talking with them about what they learned. I also enjoy reading different publications, like the Dairy Star, to see what other farmers are doing. What part of dairy farming were you not prepared for after graduating? College did not prepare me for managing people. At college, we learned a lot about the cow and what she needs to be successful, but having that knowledge doesn’t help me on a larger farm if I can’t lead a group of people to work toward a goal. Why is dairying still the career for you? Dairying is still the career for me because I enjoy going to work every day. I get to work with great people, and each day brings a new challenge. Tell us about your farm and plans for your dairy this year. Union Dairy LLP is the mother farm of United Dairies LLP. It consists of three areas: a dairy and milking facility, a dry cow facility and a calf growing facility. It is where we freshen all the dry cows for sister dairies (Westland, Alpha and Cottonwood). Our goals include providing optimum care to our calves before they go to the grower and ensuring all fresh animals are healthy and ready to start their lactation. One big plan we have for this summer is to redo some of our free stalls so cows have a more comfortable place to lay. Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16
Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15
Wayne Peters Lake City, Minnesota Wabasha County 150 cows
What college did you attend, what degree did you obtain and when did you graduate? I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course and received a certificate for dairy herd management in 2005. What was one of the best ways college prepared you for your dairy career? It got me off the farm to learn different ways to achieve farm protability. I worked here on my family’s farm my whole life so it gave me a different structure. At the time, ovsynch was pretty new so I was able to talk to and work with advisors about using it, including Dr. Milo Wiltbank, who helped get it off the ground. I also was able to work with the cattle in the herd on campus. It was very hands-on learning. How do you stay connected with former classmates or advisors? Why is that valuable to you as a dairy farmer? There were four of us from the area who attended college there so we were able to travel to and from school on the weekends together. I am still very close with two of them since they are still dairy farming. Right after college, I kept up with Dr. Bob Cropp, Dr. Wiltbank and Paul Fricke to ask questions; however, now I just see them occasionally if they present at a seminar. How do you continue to expand your farming knowledge while being on the farm? Our local nutrition co-op offers dairy seminars in the winter, which I really like attending. The last few years I have found the Central Plains Dairy Expo to be very benecial. I have met farmers there my age and they have great seminars. There is also a lot of new technology to look at in the trade show. I can get to know people there, build a relationship and keep up with them. What part of dairy farming were you not prepared for after graduating? After I returned home, I farmed for my dad for one year before buying in in 2006. Then in 2008 and 2009, we had $9 milk. Nobody saw that coming. It was a struggle, but we got through it. In hindsight, it made me more conservative in my spending. It is also because of those years I started working with Farm Business Management, which has now helped my farm be more successful. Our current FBM instructor, Mark Wehe, is great. Why is dairying still the career for you? I was born and bred to be a dairy farmer. I am the fth generation and it’s always something I’ve wanted to do. I really like the genetics. Plus, with all the new technology in the industry, it’s fun to watch it evolve. We just put in an activity monitoring system one year ago. It’s been great. I like being my own boss. Tell us about your farm and plans for your dairy this year. I farm together with my wife, Josie. We have three kids: John Wayne, 7, Ruth, 5, and Oliver, 3. This year we plan to be moderate or conservative with our spending and try to cut down a little debt. I did make two small upgrades in equipment and we will be putting in a feed tracking system on our mixer to get better data on our feed, dial in our cost of feed per head per day and cut down on our cost of production; however, other than that, we won’t be spending much. There is a lot of ination in everything right now. I think that might crash towards the end of summer or sometime soon. I want to be prepared for what’s coming.
Dave Hinnenkamp Jr. Sauk Centre, Minnesota Todd County 70 cows
Tanner Mashek Calmar, Iowa Winneshiek County 420 cows
What college did you attend, what degree did you obtain and when did you graduate? Ridgewater College. I graduated in 2008 and earned a degree in dairy management.
What college did you attend, what degree did you obtain and when did you graduate? I attended Northeast Iowa Community College and obtained a degree in agricultural business in 2015.
What was one of the best ways college prepared you for your dairy career? The dairy program was good at bringing us to farms and businesses and showed us different ways of farming and practices we could use that maybe we wouldn’t have thought of using at home ourselves. It showed us good and bad ideas we could implement or take away and use at home. I got a lot of ideas of how I like to see things working and what did and didn’t work. They took us on tours so we could see different people in agriculture. I got a lot of ideas from that. It kept me excited. How do you stay connected with former classmates or advisors? Why is that valuable to you as a dairy farmer? Social media. Some of my best friends come from college, and we talk on a regular basis by phone or text messaging. It’s good because I hear about their struggles and good fortune and what works and what doesn’t. We have common interests. It’s fun talking to them. It keeps us excited for what we are doing at home. It’s nice to have the camaraderie with them, knowing what everybody else is doing. We are always bouncing ideas off each other. They are a great resource because they are in the industry. How do you continue to expand your farming knowledge while being on the farm? I try to stay up on resources, like reading the Dairy Star on what people are doing. Social media and YouTube videos. I like watching the Millennial Farmer and Larson Farms. They have the technologies, and it is fun to see how they are doing things. Honestly, I watch a lot of farming YouTube videos and read farm publications. What part of dairy farming were you not prepared for after graduating? I don’t know if it was something they could have talked about more because I don’t know if it was anything anyone saw coming, but the price volatility where we are seeing our highest prices and lowest prices within months of each other. I don’t know if there was a way to prepare for that. That’s the biggest struggle. Mentally wrapping my brain around last year being $2 corn, and now we are putting crops in and it’s $7 corn. That’s a struggle; both ends of the spectrum. I don’t know how you prepare for that besides just living through it. Why is dairying still the career for you? It’s something that must be in my blood. I love farming and animals. I like seeing the crops grow, and I always like seeing animals and calves come in and seeing what they are doing later when they are milking. I still enjoy it. Tell us about your farm and plans for your dairy this year. I farm in a partnership with my dad, David Hinnenkamp Sr. We farm 400 acres and milk 70 cows. We grow alfalfa and corn. I also do a custom baling and wrapping business. We milk in a double-6 parlor, and our cows are housed in a sand-bedded freestall barn. No big expansions. We are going to try to maintain and catch up from the last couple years.
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How do you continue to expand your farming knowledge while being on the farm? Learning from others is the easiest way to keep expanding my farm knowledge. Between working with our herd vet, Kevin Jacobs from Postville Vet Clinic, our nutritionist, Josh Corcoran from Nelson Dairy Consultants, and my dad, Dennis, I’m able to learn things all the time. It’s important to ask questions when needed, and Kevin, Josh and my dad are tremendous teachers for me to do the best job possible with the dairy. The more I ask questions, the more I will keep learning. What part of dairy farming were you not prepared for after graduating? The part of dairy farming I was not prepared for after graduating is being organized. I thought I was organized enough before college, but with being the herdsman of all the animals at Hilltop Acres, managing the whole genomic program, plus all of the other everyday things that have to be done, it gets to be crazy. I try to plan my days out in advance now if I can, so I can keep track of everything going on and try not to forget anything. Why is dairying still the career for you? Dairying is and will always be the career for me. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always had the love for the cows, and I do every day. I’m honestly not sure what I would want to do if I wasn’t able to work with my cows every day. One thing I especially love about dairying is seeing baby calves grow and develop into outstanding cows. At Hilltop Acres, we are aggressively into the genomic game. Most of our calves are genomic tested between 1 and 2 months old, so I get to watch my high offspring develop by the day and see them prove out. Tell us about your farm and plans for your dairy this year. Hilltop Acres Farm is an eighth-generation family farm located in northeast Iowa. Dennis and Barb Mashek own and operate the business along with their sons, Josh and Tanner. The farm is home to 420 registered Brown Swiss which are milked in a double-12 parlor three times a day. We farm 1,000 acres of land which consists of corn and alfalfa. We also haul our milk which goes to Meister Cheese in Muscoda, Wisconsin. Hilltop Acres is a globally known Brown Swiss herd marketing genetics worldwide. We are aggressive in the genomic game with putting around ve-plus bulls in stud each year. We are working with 11 high genomic cow families and are doing in vitro fertilization every two weeks on the selected donors. Our rolling herd average is 27,921 pounds of milk, 4.5% fat and 3.6% protein. There is nothing too exciting in the plan for Hilltop Acres in 2021; the main plan as always is to produce high-quality feed to keep the cows producing as high as possible.
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How do you stay connected with former classmates or advisors? Why is that valuable to you as a dairy farmer? I stay connected with former classmates and advisors through social media, like Facebook or Snapchat. It is valuable to stay connected to others as a learning tool to get new ideas from people I talk to on certain topics if needed. It’s important to stay connected with others as the dairy industry isn’t the easiest career to be in anymore. With all of the stress of dairy farming, it is always good to have people to talk to when needed.
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
Stearns County breakfast returns after year hiatus
Kerfelds to host educational, interactive event June 5 By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
ST. ROSA, Minn. – After the cancellation of the 2020 breakfast on the farm event, the Kerfeld family is ready to revive the Stearns County tradition Saturday, June 5. “We were ready for it last year, and it was a disappointment that we couldn’t have it,” Tim Kerfeld said. “We’re now eager to let people come to our farm and see what we have to offer … to get people out of their homes and out on the farm.” Tim and his family – parents, Art and Rosie, wife, Carrie, and children, Nicholas and his wife, Kristin, Jessica, Nathan, Isaac and Riley – welcome the public to their 290-cow dairy, Kerfeld Hill-View Farms, in Stearns County on the rst Saturday of June Dairy Month. The drive-thru event is slated to begin at 7:30 a.m. and go until 1:30 p.m. Attendees will arrive at the Melrose Area High School and then be escorted to the farm with a pilot vehicle. Once on the farm, people will begin the tour at the calf barn and make their way through various locations, including the dairy’s feed station, heifer lots and the crossventilated freestall barn where cows are milked with four robotic milking systems. “Yes, it’s going to be a drive-thru
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
The Kerfeld family – (front, from leŌ) Riley, KrisƟn holding Carly and Nicholas; (middle, from leŌ) Tim, Carrie, Rosie and Art; (back, from leŌ) Isaac, Nathan, Jessica and her ancé, Michael Lehner – is the host of the Stearns County Breakfast on the Farm June 5. The family milks 290 cows near St. Rosa, Minnesota. event, but it’s more than just that,” Tim said. “Everyone will have the advantage of being on the dairy tour and learning.” The breakfast committee has developed opportunities for visitors to interact with the tour as much as possible from the comfort of their vehicles. Not only will volunteers be stationed throughout the farm to answer questions
from attendees, but a radio station will transmit information about each location and a QR code can be scanned to watch an educational video of each stop on the farm. “There are a lot of advantages to doing it this way,” Carrie said. “The QR codes will be available in the future, so people can go and watch the videos
again.” In keeping with the tradition of a breakfast on the farm as best as possible, attendees will leave the Kerfelds’ dairy with free freshly-made hot breakfast sandwiches and dairy treats. The Kerfelds are no strangers to Turn to KERFELDS | Page 20
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 19
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See video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNChT2olsjg
Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
ConƟnued from KERFELDS | Page 18
welcoming consumers to their farm and sharing their dairy story. In 1998, Art, Rosie, Tim and Carrie hosted Stearns County’s rst consumer-farmer
like to be on a farm, then to be asked to host again and tell our story, that’s important to us,” Tim said. “We have to share what we do today and what has changed in all that goes into getting the food at the grocery store. Education is becoming more and more a part of dairy farming.” Carrie TIM KERFELD, DAIRY FARMER agreed. event, Farm/City Tour. “We never gave (consumer “What we gained out of that education) much thought until and showing people what it is Nicholas went to college,” she
“We have to share what we do today and what has changed in all that goes into getting the food at the grocery store.”
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Jessica (from leŌ), Carrie and Nathan Kerfeld observe a cow being milked at their 290-cow dairy near St. Rosa, Minnesota. Breakfast aƩendees will have an opportunity to view a video of a cow being milked by using a QR code for their phones.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
The Kerfelds – (from leŌ) Riley, Isaac and Tim – stand in their automated calf barn on their dairy in Stearns County near St. Rosa, Minnesota. The family will showcase their dairy at a drive-thru breakfast on the farm June 5.
said. “He’d come home and say we are learning there is a need to put this on the media, we should be to telling our story. So, we want to show you that the cows are everything to us so we do everything for them.” Kerfeld Hill-View Farms is a partnership and a corporation between Tim and Carrie, and Nicholas and Kristin, with Art and Rosie phasing out. In addition to milking cows, the
family farms 500 acres and runs a custom service business, helping area farmers will tillage, planting and other eldwork. During the breakfast, the Kerfelds hope to highlight the importance of family to their business. All of Tim and Carrie’s children are involved in the farm to an extent, whether that is helping with the milking herd, feeding calves or doing custom work.
“What better place to be and work side by side with your family,” Tim said. “The dynamics of having the grandparents, ourselves, our kids and grandkids on the farm is hard to explain, but that’s the ultimate thing to happen for a dairy farmer.” Art agreed. “When Rosie and I bought Turn to KERFELDS | Page 22
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 21
Financing subject to pre-approval through JD Financial. Some restrictions apply. See dealer for details.
Low-Rate Financing Available
JD 569, 2014, ##179194 17919 1944
JD L330, 2016, #179376
25,900
$
JD W260, 2019, $ #175592
174,900
Hesston 1372, $ 2010, #178648
89,900
Demco RM600, $ 2014 #181336
17,900
NH H7550, 2014, #167351
17,400
$
Hardi Commander $ 1200, 2002, #181150
17,500
19,900
$
Top Air TA1200, $ 2011, #179435
44,900
Equipment and pictures added daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com COMPACT LOADERS 6 JD 324K 2016, Cab w/AC, Coupler; 405/70R20, Ride Control, 2838 Hrs., #178656...........$74,900 16 JD 324K 2017, Cab w/AC, 3 Spool, 2.1 yd Bucket, 405/70R20, Ride Control, 557 Hrs., #165256 .........................................................................................................$92,500 COMPACT TRACK LOADERS 7 Caterpillar 287B 2006, Cab Enclosure, AC, Hand Controls, Hi-Flo, Aux. Hydraulics, Self-Leveling, Wide Rubber Tracks, 76” Bucket, #182684 ...............................................$25,750 6 JD 333E 2016, Cab Enclosure, AC, Foot Controls, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Aux. Hydraulics, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Wide Rubber Tracks, Reversing Fan, 3000 Hrs., #177763 .......................................................................................................$39,500 6 Bobcat T550 2017, Cab w/AC, Cab Enclosure, Foot Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Rubber Tracks, 72” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 401 Hrs., #175530 ........................................................................................................................$44,900 2 JD 317G 2018, Cab Enclosure, AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Joystick, Aux. Hydraulics, Ride Control, Self-Leveling, Narrow Rubber Tracks, 72” Bucket, 95 Hrs., #173640 ..........$49,995 16 JD 333E 2014, Cab Enclosure, AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Aux. Hydraulics, 2 Speed, Wide Track, 84” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 1004 Hrs., #175289.............................$50,400 16 JD 333G 2018, Cab Enclosure, AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Aux. Hydraulics, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Wide Rubber Tracks, General Purpose Bkt, Reversing Fan, 1444 Hrs., #178034 .......................................................................................................$64,500 11 JD 333G 2019, Cab Enclosure, AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Joystick, Aux. Hydraulics, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Wide Rubber Tracks, 84” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 553 Hrs., #181870 .............................................................. $68,900 11 JD 333G 2018, Cab Enclosure, AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Joystick, Aux. Hydraulics, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Wide Rubber Tracks, General Purpose Bkt, Reversing Fan, 800 Hrs., #166120 ............................................... $69,900 7 JD 333G 2019, Cab Enclosure, AC, EH Controls, Hi-Flo, Joystick; Aux Hydraulics, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Wide Rubber Tracks, General Purpose Bkt, Reversing Fan, 514 Hrs., #182551 ..................................................................................$71,000 1 JD 333G 2019, Cab Enclosure, AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Hi-Flo, Joystick, Aux. Hydraulics, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Wide Rubber Tracks, General Purpose Bkt, Reversing Fan, 448 Hrs., #174797 ................................................$71,500 MISCELLANEOUS HAY EQUIPMENT 10 H&S HSM12 Hay Merger, 2008, #182757...................................................................$11,500 14 Kuhn MM 300 Hay Merger, 2020, #182997 ...............................................................$28,900 3 New Idea 5410 Mounted Hay Mower, #181153 ....................................................... $7,250 7 MF DM306P Mounted Hay Mower, 2017, #177617 ................................................... $9,900 2 JD L330 Large Square Baler, 2016, 7000 Bales, #179376..........................................$89,900 8 JD W260 Windrower 2019, Platform Size: 16, Rubber/Urethane Conditioner, 175 Hrs., #175592....................................................................................$174,900 MOWER CONDITIONERS 7 JD 635 2009, #173285 ..................................................................................................$10,883 17 Hesston 1372 2010, #178648..................................................................................... $17,400 10 JD 946 2012, #182272 ..................................................................................................$17,900 8 NH H7550 2014, #167351 ............................................................................................$19,900 10 JD 946 2009, #182840 ................................................................................................. $20,900 10 NH H7230 2015, #176984 ............................................................................................$22,400 6 JD 956 2015, #180948 ..................................................................................................$35,900 DRAWN PLANTERS 3 JD 1720 2003, 22” Row Spacing, Wing Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bu. Hopper, #183017 ..................$14,900 9 JD 1770 1997, 16 Row, 30” Row Spacing, Flex Fold, Vacuum, 3.0 Bu. Hopper, #180078 ........................................................................................................................................ $19,500 4 JD 1770NT CCS 2006, 16 Row, 30” Row Spacing, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill System, #181880 ........................................................................................ $55,900
17 JD 1790 2003, 16/32 Row, 15/30” Row Spacing, Flex Fold, Vacuum, Central Fill System, #181335 .........................................................................................$62,900 5 JD 1775NT 2021, 16 Row, 30” Row Spacing, Flex Fold, Exact Emerge, Central Fill System, Row Command, Elect. Drive, #174940 ..........................................$199,500 16 JD DB66 2017, 36 Row, 22” Row Spacing, Wing Fold, Exact Emerge, Central Fill System, Row Command, Elect. Drive, #175194 ..........................................$349,500 INTEGRAL PLANTERS 5 JD 7300 1989, 12 Row, 30” Row Spacing, Wing Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bu. Hopper, #180958 .$9,000 6 JD 7300 24 Row, 22” Row Spacing, Wing Fold, Vacuum, 1.6 Bu. Hopper, #182009 ......$12,500 6 JD 1720 2006, 16 Row, 30” Row Spacing, Wing Fold, Vacuum, 3.0 Bu. Hopper, #181587.$24,400 PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS 9 Hardi NAV550 2005, #179504 ...................................................................................... $7,041 3 Top Air TA1100 2004, #182369......................................................................................$7,900 17 Top Air TA1200 2005, #180618....................................................................................$12,500 16 Hardi Navigator 4000 #180889 .................................................................................$15,000 5 Hardi Commander Plus 1200 2002, #181150 ...........................................................$17,500 16 Hardi Commander Plus 2005, #182998 .....................................................................$19,900 3 Top Air TA2400 2011, #179435....................................................................................$44,900 ROUND BALERS 10 NH BR770A 2006, Regular Pickup, Twine Only, 540 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 11500 Bales, #182463 .....................................................................................................$8,400 6 JD 566 1998, Regular Pickup, 540 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 14000 Bales, #181621 .................$9,400 6 JD 567 2002, Mega Wide Pickup, Twine Only, 540 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 8312 Bales, #179041 ........................................................................................................................$11,900 4 JD 567 2005, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 17000 Bales, #183214 ............................................................................ $16,400 6 NH Rollbelt 460 2015, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 PTO, 4’ Bale Width, 9000 Bales, #178946 ................................................................$20,900 2 NH BR7060 2011, Mega Wide Pickup, Surface Wrap Only, 540 PTO, 4’ Bale Width, Precut Knives, 7300 Bales, #169262 ........................................................$23,900 6 JD 568 2010, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 12200 Bales, #181866 .............................................................................$25,400 17 JD 569 2014, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 15560 Bales, #179194 .............................................................................$25,900 10 JD 854 Silage Special 2013, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, Precut Knives, 6000 Bales, #181465..............................$27,900 6 JD 569 Silage Special 2013, Mega Wide Pickup, Surface Wrap Only, 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 9540 Bales, #177861...............................................................$29,400 5 JD 569 2013, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 18000 Bales, #172972.............................................................$30,900 10 JD 569 2016, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 9800 Bales, #181002 ...............................................................................$31,400 6 Claas 480RC 2017, Mega Wide Pickup, Surface Wrap Only, 540 PTO, 4’ Bale Width, Precut Knives, 5165 Bales, #179187 ........................................................$31,500 6 JD 459 Silage Special 2017, Mega Wide Pickup, Surface Wrap Only, 4’ Bale Width, 3800 Bales, #177855 ...............................................................................$35,900 2 JD 569 2012, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 3300 Bales, #173254 ...............................................................................$38,400 10 JD 569 Silage Special 2015, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 540 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 3300 Bales, #178210 ................................................................$41,500 10 JD 560M 2018, Mega Wide Pickup, Surface Wrap Only, 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 7600 Bales, #181057 ...............................................................................$41,500 6 JD 560M 2019, Mega Wide Pickup, Surface Wrap Only, 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 7200 Bales, #179188 ...............................................................................$42,400
6 6 2 10 7 11 7 5 5 2 8 15 8 4 4 7
4 11 4 7 4 4 10 6 17 11
JD 569 2016, Mega Wide Pickup, Surface Wrap Only, 1000 PTO, 5’ Bale Width, 5085 Bales, #180947 .....................................................................................................$42,400 Krone Comprima V180XC T 2016, Mega Wide Pickup, Both Twine and Surface Wrap, 1000 PTO, 4’ Bale Width, Precut Knives, 7450 Bales, #182694..............................$43,900 SKID STEER LOADERS Gehl 4635SXT 1996, ROPS, Beefy Baby Tires, 72” Bucket, 1507 Hrs., #183197 .............$14,900 NH L785 1994, ROPS, Foot Controls, 2 Speed, Aux Hydraulics, Flotation Tires, 78” Bucket, 3800 Hrs., #181662 .....................................................................................$16,500 Bobcat S220 2004, Cab w/o AC, Foot Controls, Hi-Flo, Self-Leveling, Aux. Hydraulics, 72” Bucket, 4589 Hrs., #181584 ...........................................................$23,500 JD 320D 2013, Cab w/AC, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, 2 Speed, Aux. Hydraulics, 72” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 3306 Hrs., #182979 .............................................................$24,900 JD 328D 2010, Cab w/AC, Foot Controls, 2 Speed, Aux. Hydraulics, Beefy Baby Tires, 84” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 3771 Hrs., #181337 ..................................$26,900 JD 326D 2011, Cab w/AC, Foot Controls, Air Ride Seat, 2 Speed, Aux. Hydraulics, 78” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 3289 Hrs., #183087....................................$26,900 Gehl R190 2015, Cab Enclosure, Foot Controls, Air Ride Seat, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Weights, General Purpose Bkt 2970 Hrs., #177380 ..........................................$27,500 Gehl R220 2016, Cab w/o AC, EH Controls, 2 Speed, Flotation Tires, 2727 Hrs., #174423 $29,500 JD 318G 2018, Cab w/o AC, Hand Controls, Aux. Hydraulics, Beefy Baby Tires, 72” Bucket, 2191 Hrs., #182499 ..........................................................$30,900 JD 320G 2019, Cab w/AC, EH Controls, Joystick, 2 Speed, Aux. Hydraulics, Less Bucket, 2781 Hrs., #182747....................................................................................$31,900 JD 320G 2019, Cab w/AC, Foot Controls, 2 Speed, Aux. Hydraulics, 72” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 120 Hrs., #182507 ...............................................................$42,900 JD 324G 2018, Cab w/AC, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Aux. Hydraulics, 78” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 410 Hrs., #162065 .$45,900 JD 324G 2019, Cab w/AC, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Joystick, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Aux. Hydraulics, Beefy Baby Tires, 78” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 520 Hrs., #172715 ...............................................................$46,000 JD 324G 2019, Cab w/AC, Cab Enclosure, A/C, EH Controls, Air Ride Seat, Ride Control, 2 Speed, Self-Leveling, Aux. Hydraulics, 78” Bucket, Reversing Fan, 468 Hrs., #172714 ..................................................................................$46,500 UTILITY TRACTORS JD 5075M 2019, Standard, Power Reverser, MFWD, 540/1000 PTO, Mid Tire Width, 145 Hrs., #177178 .................................................................................$42,900 JD 5075M 2019, Standard, Power Reverser, MFWD, 540/1000 PTO, Mid Tire Width, 103 Hrs., #156813 .................................................................................$42,900 JD 5075E 2020, Standard, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, 540 PTO, Mid Tire Width, Loader Ready, 36 Hrs., #165329 ........................................................... $44,900 Kubota M5-111 2018, Standard, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, 540 PTO, Mid Tire Width, Loader, 1740 Hrs., #182142...................................................................$48,900 JD 5075E 2020, Standard, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, 540 PTO, Mid Tire Width, Loader, 61 Hrs., #165325...................................................................... $51,900 JD 5075E 2020, Standard, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, 540 PTO, Mid Tire Width, Loader, 50 Hrs., #163203.......................................................................$51,900 JD 5100E 2019, Standard, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, 540 PTO, Mid Tire Width, 163 Hrs., #182552 .................................................................................$55,000 JD 5075M/Loader 2019, Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, 540/1000 PTO, Mid Tire Width, Loader, 211 Hrs., #156690 .............................................$71,900 JD 6430 Premium 2008, Standard, Cab, Partial Power Shift, MFWD, 540/1000 PTO, Mid Tire Width, Loader, 2786 Hrs., #182967 ...........................................$72,900 JD 6105R 2013, Standard, Cab, Power Reverser, MFWD, 540/1000 PTO, Mid Tire Width, Loader, 1800 Hrs., #182294...................................................................$73,900
Visit one of our 17 locations in Central Minnesota! CALL (7) = ALEXANDRIA (9) = PRINCETON (12) = AITKIN (4) = ST. CLOUD (1) = GLENCOE 4561 Hwy. 212
1035 35th Ave. NE
(2) = HOWARD LAKE (5) = GLENWOOD 5845 Keats Ave. SW
1710 N. Franklin
(3) = STEWART
(6) = SAUK CENTRE
78412 Co. Rd. 20
1140 Centre St.
320-763-4220 5005 Co. Rd. 82 SE
3708 Baptist Church Rd.
(8) = PAYNESVILLE
16069 Hwy. 27 E.
725 Lake Ave. S.
1120 2nd St. NW
(10) = LITTLE FALLS (13) = BAXTER (11) = WADENA 62505 US Hwy. 10
7045 Foley Rd.
TODAY! (320)365-1653 (14) = ELBOW LAKE
(16) = BENSON
(15) = MORRIS
(17) = MADISON
110 2nd St. NE
23604 State Hwy. 9
380 Atlantic Ave. 516 1st St. E
SEE OUR COMPLETE INVENTORY WITH PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS AT: www.mmcjd.com
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
DO YOU HAVE AN UPCOMING AUCTION? Advertise It In The
DAIRY ST R
ConƟnued from KERFELDS | Page 20
Call (320) 352-6303 for more information.
Could a retrofit be the right fit for you? MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Nicholas Kerfeld is a partner in his family’s dairy, Kerfeld Hill-View Farms, in Stearns County. Kerfeld and his family are preparing to host the annual county breakfast the rst Saturday in June.
Retrofitting a dairy barn for the addition of robots has been a popular choice to make upgrades more affordable than they would be when building new.
Find out today! SCAN HERE
Connect with a DeLaval representative today to see if a retrofit is the right fit for you.
the farm, there was no electricity, no running water,” he said. “It’s special now when we see the farm how it is today and Tim and Carrie and their family.” The Kerfelds were prepared to showcase that mentality at last year’s breakfast but with the onset of statewide guidelines for the pandemic, they canceled the 2020 event. With the younger generations of Kerfelds active on the dairy, Tim and Carrie thought hosting this year was achievable. Plus, the breakfast committee made planning for a drive-thru event as seamless as possible. “Even though last year’s was canceled, in the back of our minds we still knew we needed to prepare for another year,” Carrie said. “Our committee is remarkable and has done a lot of the work.” Tim agreed. “We really do have a lot of great people we’re working with to host the breakfast,” he said. “As a family, we’ve done a few tours before so it’s been guring out what the people want to see and what we have to offer.” Just as dairy farming comes second nature to the Kerfelds so has exposing the public to this sector of agriculture. With June Dairy Month on the horizon, the Stearns County family is looking forward to celebrating their way of life with others. “Dairying is something we all enjoy,” Tim said. “It’s something we grew up with and something we embrace.”
Blue Hilltop, Inc.
www.delaval.com
Your Mixer, Spreader, Hay Processor Headquarters We carry:
Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United Dairy Systems, Inc. West Union, IA 563-422-5355 WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713 DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825
Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470
MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA D&D Ag Supply Pennock, MN 320-599-4466
www.rotomix.com LLC
Dana Berreau
507-879-3593 / 800-821-7092 Box 116, Lake Wilson, MN 56151
East Central Dairy Supply Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Watertown, SD 605-886-7401 Sioux Falls, SD 800-284-0015 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2021 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. Nothing in this document shall constitute a warranty or guaranty of performance. www.delaval.com
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 23
Going green
Stapels immerse in world of cover crops, no till, interseeding By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
CEDAR GROVE, Wis. – Brody and Jory Stapel made a bold move this spring when they sold their tillage equipment. After no tilling 1,000 acres last year, the brothers were ready to leave tillage behind and commit to a new way of farming the land. For the past ve years, the Stapels have dabbled in cropping techniques. Through the use of cover crops, interseed-
ing and no till, they braved new terrain and came out on the other side with greener land, better cow health, higher components and greater prots. “The goal is to have the ground covered year-round,” Brody Stapel said. “We always want to have something alive in the soil.” The Stapels abandoned tilling in favor of greener elds and healthier soil. They
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Early-season liquid nitrogen is applied March 15 on frozen ground to feed the rye crop to boost forage yield and quality.
removed the temptation to till and invested in no-till planters, including a new corn planter as well as an interseeder. “The ground is softer, and there’s more soil structure when planting into green,” Stapel said. “Green elds also put carbon back into the soil. I cringe when I see dust clouds in spring and fall from people working up the elds. We’re disrupting the biology and microorganisms in the soil when we dig it up. Topsoil leaves the eld when you plow. Instead, we’re trying to build that most
HAY & FORAGE, STALK CHOPPERS
T BES UES VAL
TRACTORS Allis Chalmers 200 Platform, 2wd, Diesel, w/Loader & Bucket Case IH 695, FWA, Diesel Utility Tractor, 4,877 Hours, 2255 Loader & Bucket Case IH 600 Quad Track Tractor, 2013, 1,200 Hours Massey Ferguson 1740m, Cab, Compact Tractor w/Loader, 65 Hrs. McCormick Cx90 Cab Tractor, 2009, FWA, 1,100 Hrs, QL140 Loader, 83” Bucket
COMBINES & HEADS
Gleaner S97 Combine, 2018, 20.8r42 Duals, 1001 Sep, Gleaner S77 Combine, 2012 Duals, 1,670 Sep, 2373 E. Hrs Gleaner R75 Combine, 2004 Duals, 1982 Sep, 2,719 E, Very Nice Combine Gleaner R62 Combine, 2001 With Lateral Tilt. 1,697 Sep, 2,119 E. Hrs. Gleaner R62 Combine, 1996 Singles Gleaner 8200-20 Flex Head Gleaner 8000-20 Flex Head Lateral Tilt, 2005 Gleaner 500-20 Flex Head, R Mounts, Needs Work, Sold As Is Gleaner Hugger 630R Corn Head, 2002 Gleaner 3000 630R Corn Head, 2008 Gleaner 3000 630R Corn Head, 2012 Gleaner 3000 830R Corn Head, 2004 Gleaner 313 w/Renn 5 Belt Pickup Header, Will Fit Newer LTL Combines Harvestec 4308C Cutter Corn Head, 8row 30” Gl Mounts Harvestec 4308C Cutter Corn Head, 8 Row 30” JD Mount Harvestec 4308C Cutter Corn Head, 8 Row 30” NH/Case IH Mount, ‘08
SKIDS, TRACK LOADERS, & EXCAVATORS
Bobcat S750 Skid Steer, 2015, Cab, AC, 2 Speed, H/F Controls Bobcat T595 Track Loader, 2018, Cab, AC, 2-Speed, H/F Controls, 606 Hrs. Bobcat 341 Excavator, 2000 w/3’ Bucket, Cab w/Heat Bobcat V623 Telehandler, 2003 w/Pallet Forks & 90” Bucket, 1,180 Hrs. Deere 320e Skid Steer, Cab, AC, 2-Speed, Power Attach, 4,400 Hrs. Hesston L10 Skid Loader Mustang 2054 Skid Steer, Cab w/Heat, Single Spd., Manual Unv. Attach Mustang 1750RT Track Loader, 2018, Pilot Controls, 2 Spd., 76 Hrs. Mustang 2700v Skid Steer, 2013, Cab, AC, 2 Spd., 3,314 Hrs.
TILLAGE/FIELD CULTIVATORS
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Brody Stapel, and his brother, Jory (not pictured), own and operate a 260-cow farm, Double Dutch Dairy, near Cedar Grove, Wisconsin. The Stapels sold their Ɵllage equipment this spring and invested in no-Ɵll planters for their 1,000 acres.
Wil-Rich 5830 43’ Chisel Plow DMI Ecolo-Tiger 730B 7 Shank, Straight Front Coulters, Closing Disc Sunflower 4511-11 Shank Disc Chisel, 2014, Low Acres
Case 600 Forage Blower, Light Use, Older Unit In Good Shape John Deere 582 Silage Special Round Baler, 4x5, 19,434 Bales New Idea 5212 Mower Conditioner Massey Ferguson 2250 3x3 Square Baler, 2016, Approx 30K Bales New Holland BR7070 Round Baler, 10,000 Bales, Crop Cutter New Holland RB560 2017, Round Baler, 1,176 Bales, Like New New Holland 658 Round Baler Vermeer 504N Round Baler Krone BP4x4XC 4x4 Large Square Baler, 2012, 19,000 Bales Krone Swadro 810 Rotary Rake, 2-Point Mount H&S BF8H 8 Wheel Bi-Fold Hydraulic Fold H&S HC12 High Cap. Wheel Rake w/Center Kicker John Deere 946 Mower Conditioner, 2-Point Mount, 2013 Art’s Way 240c Stalk Chopper, 2015, 20’ Witdth, Low Acres
ROW CROP, DRILLS & SPRAYERS
Hardi Navigator 4000 2012 90’ Boom,120” axle, 5500 rate Controller Hardi Navigator 1000M w/60’ Boom, Foam, Flush N Rinse, Chem. Inductor Great Plains YP1225-24 Twin Row 30” Planter, Finger Pick-Up. 400 Gal LF White 8516 16-Row 30” Planter Central Fill, 600 Gal. Lq Fert.
GRAIN CARTS & WAGONS
Gehl Forage Box BU960 Forage Box H&S 7+4 Twin Auger 16 Forage Box, 612 H&S Gear H&S 16’ Forage Box w/612 Gear, Model XL99 H&S 16’ Forage Box w/612 Gear, Model XL99 H&S 501 16’ Forage Box With 612 Gear Notch 10-Ton Running Gear & 9x16 Wood Flat Rack. 9.5L-15 Tires J&M 750 Grain Cart, Green, 30.5 Diamond Tires, Roll Tarp, 16” Auger Brent 470 Grain Cart Brent 880 Grain Cart w/Diamond Tires, Roll Tarp, Scale Ready
productive layer of dirt here. We want to keep it intact.” The Stapels have gone beyond growing traditional crops like corn and alfalfa and are experimenting with forage types that are proving benecial for the cows and the land. “Corn silage and alfalfa are not the answer for us anymore,” Stapel said. “A monoculture system is not working. We want soil diversity. We’re trying to get as many different forages in the ration as possible. If we can grow more feed on the farm, it reduces our pur-
chase feed costs and improves herd health. Those are our two goals.” Milking 260 cows and farming 1,000 acres near Cedar Grove, the Stapels started Double Dutch Dairy in 2012. They chose the name for two reasons: They live in the town of Holland, and their grandparents immigrated from Holland in 1950. The brothers also rent the farm where they grew up in Howards Grove from their father, Rudy. The Stapels raise Turn to STAPEL | Page 25
CHIPPEWA FALLS FFA/FFA ALUMNI
PANCAKE BREAKFAST & Silent Auction
Sunday, June 6, 2021
• 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Columbus Association Hall (236 Pumphouse Rd. • Chippewa Falls, WI Adults: $8 • Children (5-12): $4 • Children under 5: Free
Menu: Pancakes, eggs, sausage, sweet rolls, milk, coffee and orange juice. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING FFA
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 25
ConƟnued from STAPEL | Page 23 75 beef cattle for private sale, and the home farm now serves as the family’s beef operation. The Stapels also do custom planting, harvesting and baling and raise cash crops. “My dad is retired, but he still helps us a lot,” said Stapel, who is also president of Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative. “This is a team effort, and we have a really good team here.” Stapel and his wife, Carolyn, have ve kids – Clayton, 11, Gavin, 9, Mallory, 8, Megan, 6, and Tierza, 17 months. The desire to raise his family on a farm was a key motivation for buying the dairy. The Stapels are down to growing 50 acres of alfalfa this year after replacing most of their alfalfa crop last year with a cocktail mix that includes BMR sorghum sudan, Italian rye grass, clover mix and vetch. The mix is planted around June 1 after the rye or triticale crop is harvested and provides three cuts – one on July 15, another the third week in August and the last at the end of September. “It’s both a cover crop and a forage and works well in our corn rotation,” Stapel said. “Instead of tying up land for three or four years with alfalfa and then growing corn for three or four years, we ip op crops every other year. Crop rotation is a big thing for us as we’ve focused on soil health the last few years.” Stapel said the beauty of the cocktail mix is its tolerance to manure between cuttings. “We do more applications of manure with fewer gallons so the soil can handle the nutrient load,” he said. “We only put manure on ground that has something living on it, especially in the fall. Rye is 6 inches when we apply manure. Cover crops take up and hold the
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Stapels plant corn May 17 into a cover crop mix of turnips, radish, cereal rye and clovers that was planted aŌer wheat in July 2020. nutrients, preventing manure runoff and leaching.” The Stapels are trying many ideas to see what works best. “We have a lot of experiments going on,” Stapel said. “We’re doing a one-cut sorghum that’s 10 to 12 feet tall, which provides corn silage without the starch. We’re also doing a 10-way mix that we grow alongside our corn silage crop. It’s like growing soup in the eld. We throw everything in the mix, and it helps with the diversity of our ration.” By planting 10 seeds, Stapel said they have a better chance that something will grow. Acting as a perennial
cover crop, the mix is always alive, and they can continue growing crops into it. The mix includes three clovers, vetch and buckwheat, and is planted between corn rows with an interseeder. “As we continue feeding more diverse feeds, our herd health is more spectacular than ever,” Stapel said. “For a Holstein herd, our components are high – higher than many crossbreed herds, according to our nutritionist. We ship to a cheese plant, so we want good components. But we’ve still maintained production.” After harvesting soybeans in the fall of 2019, the Stapels frost-seeded oats, rye, wheat and clover the follow-
ing March. They then planted corn in May when the crop was 6 inches tall. The Stapels are working with an agronomist to gure out how to set cover crops back without killing them. After taking corn silage off last year, the Stapels planted rye and triticale which they are now chopping. They will then put that eld back to corn or a cocktail mix. Stapel said their strategy creates a busy time currently as they make all of their rye and plant corn simultaneously while also trying to spread manure. “A lot of people said the things we’re doing won’t work here,” Stapel said. “I think it works everywhere if you’re willing to modify it to your farm. The words, ‘That won’t work,’ should not be in the vocabulary of a farmer.” Without the need to level elds, the Stapels enjoyed a calmer spring this year. “I think the way we’re doing things now is easier,” Stapel said. “We might give up some yield, but I can afford to. It’s not about yield, it’s about protability. Soil health has to go hand in hand with keeping money in the farmer’s pocket. We’re saving time and fuel, and wear and tear on equipment, which saves us money.” The Stapels are part of the Sheboygan River Progressive Farmers watershed group and will be hosting a Field Day in August to share their ideas with others. “We’re willing and able to take risks,” Stapel said. “In a couple years, we’d like to reduce and possibly eliminate the use of commercial fertilizers and herbicides on our farm. I know that’s a tall order, but it’s being done on farms throughout the nation and is one of our goals. We’re branching away from conventional ag, and it’s a journey that requires patience and persistence.”
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Time to report crops to FSA Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
By Steve Frericks
County Executive Director Stearns County FSA Office
Get ahead of the rush: Schedule an appointment now Farmers have made signicant progress getting this year’s crop in the ground. Now, we need some heat and a few timely rains. If planting is complete, now is the time to schedule an appointment to certify crops. The 2020 production year with all the programs generated is a classic example as to why it is benecial to report acreage. If a producer has acquired land, a copy of the lease or recorded deed should be provided to the Farm Service Agency ofce to update records. This saves signicant time during the reporting process. If maps need to be mailed, contact a local FSA ofce. FSA has started a multi-year process of updating farm operating plans on form FSA-902. Many can accomplish this task when reporting crops.
Below are a few items to assist with the crop reporting process. All producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA ofce for more information on the nal planting date for specic crops. The nal planting dates vary by crop, planting period and county. Contact a local FSA ofce for a list of county-specic planting deadlines. The timely planting of a crop, by the nal planting date, may prevent loss of program benets. If you want to use the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program organic price and selected the organic option on the NAP application, crops must be reported as organic. When certifying organic acres, the buffer zone acreage must be included in the organic acreage. A current organic plan, organic certicate or documentation from a certifying agent indicating an organic plan is in effect must be provided. Documentation must include: name of certied individuals, address, telephone number, effective date of
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certication, certicate number, list of commodities certied, name and address of certifying agent and a map showing the specic location of each eld of certied organic, including the buffer zone acreage. Certication exemptions are available for producers whose annual gross agricultural income from organic sales totals $5,000 or less. Although exempt growers are not required to provide a written certicate, they are required to provide a map showing the specic location of each eld of certied organic, transitional and buffer zone acreage. File a notice of loss for failed, prevented planted acres Report prevented planting and failed acres in order to establish or retain FSA program eligibility for some programs. Report the crop acreage that was intended to plant but, due to natural disaster, was prevented from planting. Prevented planting acreage must be reported on form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, no later than 15 calendar days after the nal planting date as established by FSA and Risk Management Agency. The nal planting date varies by crop and county. If the prevented planting acreage is not able to be reported within the 15 calendar days following the nal planting date, a late-led report can be submitted. Late-led reports will only be accepted if FSA conducts a farm visit to assess the eligible disaster condition that prevented the crop from being planted. A measurement service fee will be charged. For hand-harvested crops and certain perishables, the FSA must be notied of damage or loss through the administrative county ofce within 72 hours of the date of damage or loss rst becomes apparent. This notication can be provided by ling a CCC576, email, fax or phone. For losses on crops covered by the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, a Notice of Loss must be led within 15 days of the occurrence of the disaster or when losses become apparent. A timely Notice of Loss for failed acres on all crops including grasses must be led. Farmers.gov feature helps producers nd farm loans Farmers and ranchers can use the Farm Loan Discovery Tool on farmers.gov to nd information on USDA farm loans that may best t their operations. FSA offers a variety of loan options to help farmers nance their operations. From buying land to nancing the purchase of equipment, FSA loans can help. Farmers who are looking for nancing options to operate a farm or buy land can answer a few simple questions about what they are looking to fund and how much money they need to borrow. After submitting their answers, farmers will receive information on farm loans that best t their specic needs. Farmers can download application quick guides that outline what to expect from preparing an application to receiving a loan decision. There are four guides that cover loans to individuals, entities and youth as well as information on microloans. The guides include eligibility requirements and a list of required forms and documentation for each type of loan. These guides can help farmers prepare before their rst visit with a loan ofcer. Farmers can access the information by visiting www.farmers.gov/fund and clicking the “Start” button. The Farm Loan Discovery Tool is one of many resources on farmers.gov to help connect farmers to information that can help their operations. Earlier this year, USDA launched the My Financial Information feature, which enables farmers to view their loan information, history, payments and alerts by logging into the website. In addition to the interactive farm loan features, the site also offers a Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool. Farmers can visit farmers.gov/recover/disasterassistance-tool#step-1 to nd disaster assistance programs that can help their operation recover from natural disasters. For more information, contact a USDA Service Center or visit farmers.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.
New partnerships bring dairy to life
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 27
As we continually work to build trust with consumers and increase incremental milk sales, we seek strategies that will have the largest return on investment for Midwest dairy farmers. Millennials have recently overtaken the baby boomer generation as the largest consumer demographic, and Generation Z is not far behind. Because of the tremendous possibility to drive sales now and in the future with these two groups of consumers – and as part of our new strategic plan – we’re focusing on creatively reaching them By Jennifer by working with and through Voegele partners who already have builtvice president, in millennial and Gen Z audiencDairy Experience, es. Marketing Millennials, those born beCommunications tween 1981-1996, and Gen Z, those born between 1997-2010, span a wide range of life stages and priorities. A unique opportunity lies with reaching millennial parents, as they also help instill habits and trust in their children, some of whom are members of Gen Z. With the sheer buying power of these two groups now and in the coming years, it is more important than ever to nd the right messages and platforms to reach them, including in ways and places we haven’t engaged with consumers before. Recent research has shown there is a signicant drop-off in dairy consumption in households once kids reach age 13. Our work is targeting parents to ensure dairy remains front and center in the home by showing them how dairy ts into a healthy, environmentally conscious lifestyle. A primary way we’re connecting with these consumers is by highlighting the 2050 environmental stewardship goals, as many in this demographic have concerns about sustainability and the impact their purchase decisions have on animals and the planet. To share dairy’s sustainability story in ways that will resonate, we’re working with new types of partners across our 10-state region to provide information in a fun and engaging way. We use a combination of education and entertainment to pique consumers’ interest and tell our story about reaching net zero by 2050, along with all the sustainable practices Midwest dairy farmers use every day. While we work with a broad spectrum of excellent partners to reach a variety of people, we’re especially excited about the new collaborations we have been working on, such as museums, to help consumers learn about our environmental efforts. These are a completely different type of partnership that we’re launching as part of our strategic plan. When people go to museums, they’re typically in a mindset of discovery and learning. Museums are also a trusted source for credible, fact-based information. By collaborating with these organizations, we’re able to tap into this engaged audience – that often attracts millennial parents and Gen Z ages – and reach them with our dairy sustainability messaging. A win-win. We’re partnering with the Science Museum of Minnesota on a sustainable nutrition exhibit and with Gateway to Science in North Dakota on a technologybased herd health exhibit, as well as a farm to table exhibit at Wonderscope Children’s Museum in Kansas City. All of these bring dairy’s sustainable nutrition story to life by making tangible connections to
the environmentally friendly practices dairy farmers Throughout our efforts to reach the next genuse every day. We’re exploring opportunities to col- eration of dairy consumers, we are building trust by laborate with other institutions in the near future. highlighting hard-working dairy farmers – the people In addition, we’re striv– behind their favorite proding to reach adult Gen Z ucts. We’re helping shopRecent research hh has shown h there h consumers who are in ex- R pers gain an understanding perimental years of their is a significant drop-off in dairy of where their food comes life. Some may be living from, and the care that goes away from home for the rst consumption in households once into the animals and planet time, trying new lifestyles kids reach age each step of the way, reing 13. and eating patterns, and acforcing that there’s always tively seeking information room for dairy at their tato make independent decisions. We aim to show the bles. value of dairy for many lifestyles including vegetarWhile our work reaching today’s and tomorrow’s ian recipes that incorporate dairy, how dairy can help consumers will never be done, we are making strides reduce inammation, boost immunity and even affect to ensure a bright future for dairy by sharing our susbrain health and wellness. tainability story to build trust and drive sales.
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 Dana Adams, adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968 Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Isaac Salfer ijsalfer@umn.edu 320-296-1357 Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205 Melissa Wison mlw@umn.edu 612-625-4276
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Drug residue prevention for dairy, beef producers By Jessica Evans1, Sandy Larson1, Nicole Neeser1 & Joe Armstrong2 1
Minnesota Department of Agriculture Drug Residue Prevention Program 2 University of Minnesota Extension, Cattle Production Systems
What is antibiotic stewardship? We encourage farmers to think of the stewardship concept as taking great care of. Many farms already have great residue prevention and antibiotic stewardship measures in place. However, like any business, there is always room for improvement. Here are some practices we encourage farmers to consider when determining if they have good antibiotic stewardship: – Providing proper bedding, ventilation, nutrition, water and housing so animals remain healthy and antibiotics are not needed. – Using antibiotics only when necessary to address a health issue in an animal. – Paying close attention to withholding times so milk or meat with residues above tolerance levels do not enter the human food supply. By using these practices, farmers are taking great care of their animals, minimizing their use of antibiotics and reducing the potential for drug residues. What types of services do dairy, meat inspectors perform? Dairy inspectors: – Conduct on-farm inspections of dairy operations, including animal health, cleanliness, drug storage and labeling practices, and safe milk handling. – Inspect processing facilities. Meat inspectors: – Inspect slaughter and processing facilities to ensure animals are handled humanely and food is produced in a safe and hygienic manner. – Sample both suspect and random carcasses to test for drug residue violations during slaughter inspections. – Oversee processing activities that have meat as an ingredient. If a producer has a residue violation, what happens next? When a drug residue is identied in milk, specic actions are taken to ensure this adulterated milk is not used to make dairy products for human consumption. Producers receive a notice of violation from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and cannot sell milk until their milk is cleared by testing negative. Producers are required to pay for the cost of the milk that is disposed of. They also must complete a training on drug residue prevention practices and meet with both the MDA dairy inspector and Drug Residue Prevention Program outreach veterinarian on a farm visit. Producers that sell an animal with a detected meat residue will receive a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration, and an on-farm visit to review records and collect information on the cause of a residue. The names of violators with two or more violations in a 12-month period are posted on a United States Department of Agriculture repeat violators list. The repeat violators list is used as a reference for meat processors and livestock markets to determine whether or not future animals from that producer are at higher risk of a residue detection. The FDA may also prohibit producers found to have been neglectful or who fail to adequately prevent residues, from selling animals for meat. To satisfy the requirements of their food safety plan, meat processing facilities may avoid purchasing animals from farmers with multiple published violations. Some processors may also place a violator on probation for a time after the rst violation. During this time, they may require the violator to attest that each animal shipped to the facility is free of medications and include supporting documentation from the violator and/or their veterinarian.
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What is the Drug Residue Prevention Program? The DRPP conducts many outreach visits with livestock producers. Most of these are conducted in conjunction with milk residue violations. During these visits, either Dr. Erik Jopp or Dr. Sandy Larson will attend in partnership with the inspector and serve in the role of outreach veterinarian. Producers can also sign up for an on-farm consultation to proactively prevent residues. During the on-farm visit, the outreach veterinarian will be available to provide subject matter expertise on veterinary drug use on farms, recordkeeping, withdrawal times, testing and other related topics. The outreach veterinarian will also have resources available, such as the MDA’s record-keeping booklet and factsheets, and provide customized recommendations for drug residue prevention practices. After the visit, the outreach veterinarian will often send a letter to recap the discussion that was held during the visit and share any additional answers to questions that might have been raised. MDA’s residue prevention team also conducts outreach at events such as conferences, state and county fairs, and provides instruction to and teaching resources for 4-H and FFA participants, and elementary through graduate level students. Additionally, the program is expanding efforts to develop online trainings and videos. If producers have questions, they can reach out to any of the DRPP team members listed on the MDA website. We remind producers not to use us in place of their farm veterinarians, but we are here to answer questions and provide recommendations that will help strengthen the veterinary-client-patient relationship. Producers can visit the DRPP website for more information on who we are, what our program does and to view our library of resources. Being proactive is the best way to prevent future residues and signing up for an on-farm visit with an outreach veterinarian is a great place to start. Feel free to reach out to any of the team members listed on the website to sign up for a farm visit: www.mda.state.mn.us/residue-prevention. Producers can follow the 5 R’s to prevent drug residues: Relationships: Develop good relationships with people involved in the process. Establish a good veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Review veterinary recommendations with employees and family members who work on the farm. Provide employees and family members with regular training on the prevention of milk residues as well as farm protocols for handling animals that have been treated. Responsible use: Use and handle veterinary drugs responsibly. Minimize use of veterinary drugs to times when they are medically necessary. Store veterinary drugs for lactating and non-lactating animals separately to prevent mix-ups. Store medicated feeds in a way that would prevent accidental use. Properly label and store over the counter, prescription and extra-label drugs, including information with appropriate milk and meat withdrawal times. Develop animal treatment protocols with the help of the farm veterinarian. Recordkeeping: Maintain good records to document treatments. Use a good system to identify individual animals. Maintain a recordkeeping system to document all treatments given. Identify the animal before it is treated. Record the treatment before it is administered. Keep treatment records for at least three years. Respect withdrawal times, usage limitations: Use only veterinary drugs that are approved by the FDA for use in the species and animal class you are treating. Use the drug only as the FDA label species unless your veterinarian prescribes the drug for extra-label drug usage. Follow withdrawal periods set by the drug manufacturers and your veterinarian. Remove doubt: Test milk from treated, fresh and newly purchased cows for drug residues before commingling into the bulk tank. Test bulk tank prior to leaving farm, every day, every time. Review treatment records prior to selling an animal or milk.
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More food for thought on precision dairy technology
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 29
There I go again – talking about dairy technology. It has been a topic of research and outreach for our team in recent years and keeps getting more interesting every day with new technologies and applications in the dairy sector. I am also excited about our Precision Dairy Conference. It is only about a month away, and we are striving to be a neutral space where many technologies come together to be discussed and learned about. Producers, consultants, veterinarians, industry representatives and researchers are all part of the program, which is end-user focused this year. Even though the in-person capacity is limited due to pandemic restrictions, the virtual experience will be unique as you will be able to see the presenters in the room as they present and are recorded live. In addition, there will be 30 minutes of audience discussion during each session, which provides an opportunity for many experiences to be shared. If you cannot attend all the virtual By Marcia Endres live streaming sessions as they are happening, you can come back University of MN later to watch the recording of all presentations and audience discussions. For more details, visit precisiondairy.umn.edu.
Recent analysis on individual cow data collected from robotic milking systems One of the advantages of automation technologies, such as robotic milking systems, is the large amount of data collected about each cow as she enters the milking box. The data can be used by researchers to better understand cows and to potentially provide insight to companies for continuous improvement of algorithms that help producers monitor their herds. We are grateful to dairy producers in Minnesota and Wisconsin who were willing to share their data with us. Both of the studies discussed below are chapters of my graduate student Mateus Peiter’s thesis. He graduated last month and is working for Cargill Digital Solutions. We collaborated with Hannah Phillips for the rumination time study and with Luciano Caixeta for the body weight change study. A brief recap on the relationship between rumination time after calving, milk production We used peak milk yield as a measure of overall lactation production which has a strong positive correlation with 305-day milk production. Lactation peak milk yield normally occurs between 45 and 100 days in milk, with rst lactation cows peaking later than older cows. Cows normally ruminate the least amount of time the day of calving, and rumination time increases slowly until stable levels are reached. We found that it took on average six days to reach stable rumination levels after calving, ranging from ve to 12 days. We investigated how the change in daily rumination time in addition to the average daily rumination time over the rst six DIM were associated with peak milk yield. For this study, we collected milk production and rumination data for 4,662 cows from 33 robotic milking system farms. One of the most interesting ndings was that for each 100 minutes per day increase in daily rumination time from one to six DIM, older cows peaked as much as 10.7 pounds higher. However, the same relationship was not found for rst lactation cows. This latter nding becomes important when developing algorithms to monitor cows in the herd. Figure 1 illustrates this nding nicely with no signicant relationship found for the rst lactation cows.
Figure 2. RelaƟonship between percentage body weight change in the rst seven DIM (graph A) and 21 DIM (graph B) and 90-day milk yield by parity (P1=rst lactaƟon; P2=second lactaƟon; P3=third lactaƟon and greater). Conclusion Older cows that ruminate more in the immediate period after calving and that lose up to approximately 5% of body weight during the transition period will generally produce more milk. It was interesting to nd that rumination time and body weight change in the rst seven DIM were not associated with milk production for rst lactation cows. Again, these ndings might be important to keep in mind when developing algorithms to monitor dairy cow health and potential future performance as they should take into account the cow’s lactation number.
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Figure 1. RelaƟonship between change in ruminaƟon Ɵme (graph A) and average ruminaƟon Ɵme (graph B) during the rst six DIM and peak milk yield by parity (P1=rst lactaƟon; P2=second lactaƟon; P3=third lactaƟon and greater). What about change in body weight in early lactation? Most cows enter a state of negative energy balance in early lactation as they cannot consume enough feed to meet the energy requirements for milk production and have to mobilize their body reserves. This is a normal process, especially for cows genetically selected for high milk production. Cows will come back to positive energy balance about 30 days after calving as long as feed access is adequate and the ration is correctly formulated, mixed and delivered. For this study, we investigated the relationship between total milk production per cow over the rst 90 DIM and body weight percentage change compared to the rst seven DIM and 21 DIM for 3,936 cows. Body weight change variables had a quadratic association with 90-day milk yield. Older cows (P2 and P3+) had the greatest estimated 90-day milk yield when they were able to maintain their body weight over the rst week postpartum and when the BW loss over the 21 days after calving was approximately 4% (see Figure 2). In addition, older cows with exacerbated BW loss or BW gain (approx. ± 5% over seven DIM and ± 10% over 21 DIM) experienced a signicant impairment in their 90-day milk yield. Based on our ndings, it seems that cows with the ability to maintain their BW or lose less than approximately 5% of their BW over the transition period (i.e., 21 DIM) are more productive. We did not nd this relationship for rst lactation cows during the rst seven DIM; however, it followed a similar pattern as that for older cows at 21 DIM. However, rst lactation cows that gained BW during the rst 21 DIM had a considerable reduction in 90-day milk yield.
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Only yesterday Page 30 • Dairy Star • May 22, 2021
It happened again just the other day. The old song dawn. An age when the ambrosial spring breeze whissnuck up on me out of the blue. pers sweet nothings about life’s unlimited potential. It’s strange that after more than four decades, It was into this universe of innite possibilities hearing the opening bars of “Only Yesterday” by The that she came. Carpenters would still have such a profound effect on I was at a friend’s high school graduation party me. It shouldn’t, but it does. when I rst saw her. She I was motoring mindwas chatting with an aclessly down a gravel road Th The fforwardd progress off time i came quaintance, this girl whom in my pickup, thinking of I did not know, and I was nothing in particular, when to a halt and I was instantly swept intrigued by her carefree Karen Carpenter’s sweet, back into the past. laugh, her easy smile. In a melliuous voice welled bold move, I strode up to up from the pickup’s quaher and asked for a dance drophonic speakers. The even though there wasn’t forward progress of time came to a halt and I was in- any music. She grinned mirthfully and, in the spirit of stantly swept back into the past. the moment, stepped into my arms. I’m 17 once again. The time in a guy’s life when We both felt the electricity the instant we touched. his future stretches out before him like a golden new We danced and talked and laughed and danced some
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more. We spent the rest of the evening together, talking about everything and nothing. By the time we went on our second date, we were deeply in love. At the end of each date, I would park my car on her parents’ driveway and we would Dear County Agent Guy sit and simply gaze into each other’s face, both of us reluctant to bid adieu. I adored her halfcrooked smile, became lost in her heavy-lidded eyes. It was during one of these extended goodbyes when The Carpenters song “Only Yesterday” wafted from my car’s By Jerry Nelson radio. As we listened, I Columnist told her that the lyrics held a special meaning for me, that they rang true because it seemed like it was only yesterday when I was so sad and lonely. She whispered that she felt the same way. We fell into each other’s arms and vowed to never let go. Our affair, this love to end all loves, lasted about a month. One evening as we sat in my car, I sensed something was amiss. She seemed distant, so I asked what the matter was. She stared out the car’s window for a long moment. The leaden silence stretched on for an eternity. Still looking out the window, she said she had been thinking a lot about us and what the future might hold. She told me my dream of becoming a farmer was a noble and worthy ambition. It simply wasn’t the type of dream she wanted. Our destinies, she said, lay on different paths. It would be for the best if we made a clean break now. Tonight. She turned and kissed me one nal time, gently, on the cheek. In the pale glow of the streetlamp, I saw a single tear slip from her eye. She got out of the car, and I watched as she slowly walked toward her house. Maybe I could have talked to her. Maybe I could have convinced her we would nd a way to make it work. But, I didn’t. You might say we both made a choice. As I drove home that night, a sudden June thunderstorm exploded in the sultry night air. Lightning ignited the sky, shredding the liquid blackness, raking the heavens until they wept. Egg-sized raindrops thudded against the windshield even as small, salty ones landed silently on my lap. I could see that the tempest would soon be over. I reected on how some storms seem to appear out of nowhere only to swiftly expend themselves in a spectacular reworks display. Even at that tender age, the analogy was not lost on me. When the song ended, I realized my pickup wasn’t moving and my foot was resting on the brake. I eased off the pedal and continued on with my humdrum day. I thought about all the choices I’ve made and all the changes that the passage of time has wrought. I thought about the yoke of worry that I now wear and smiled at how ignorant and carefree I once was. And, I mused about how exceedingly well everything has worked out. I guess even 17-year-olds can sometimes make the right choice. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, South Dakota. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@dairystar.com.
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A few reminders to combat heat stress
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 31
With seasonal temperatures nally upon us, it is a great time to make sure heat abatement strategies in your farm are up to par. The effects of heat stress are well documented and costly to the dairy farm as they a variety of perSomething to Ruminate On impact formance parameters, including milk yield, growth, lameness, compromised immune systems and reproduction. Temperature humidity index is a metric that combines temperature and relative humidity and is commonly used to evaluate risk of heat stress. High-producing By Barry Visser cows can become heat Nutritionist stressed at a THI of only 68.
Drinking water is essential Providing access to clean, fresh water is critical during summer months. Lactating dairy cows require between 25 and 35 gallons per day. Water intakes may double during periods of heat stress. Provide 3 to 4 inches of linear water space per cow along with a minimum of two water locations per group. Check water ow rates during times of high demand and clean waterers regularly. Availability of clean water to cows leaving the parlor is benecial for increasing water intake during heat stress. It has been documented that cows will drink up to 35% of their daily water needs when returning from the parlor if available. This can be accomplished with temporary, low-cost water options. Return lane waterers should provide 2 feet of linear space for each cow exiting the parlor at one time. For example, a double-16 parlor with one side exiting at a time should have 32 feet of linear water space. Fans, sprinklers It is imperative you rst provide a well-managed heat abatement program with fans and sprinklers that allows the cows to feel comfortable enough that they want to go to the bunk to eat. Four key components of cow cooling are shade, air velocity, water and time. If you haven’t already done so, make sure fans and sprinklers are clean and in good working order. Dust on fan louvers or the shields of basket fans can reduce air output up to 40%. The holding pen is a top priority for heat abatement on most farms. Use soaking systems that provide short, frequent soaking with large droplets. These larger droplets penetrate the hair coat to reach the skin for more effective heat transfer. Combined with air velocity of at least 4 to 6 mph, evaporative cooling will effectively be achieved. Don’t forget the dry cows. Researchers at the University of Florida concluded that minimizing heat
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stress in dry cows is a valuable management tool to improve performance in the next lactation. Results from three consecutive years concluded that cows heat stressed during the dry period will produce, on average, 13 pounds less milk than cows cooled during the dry period. In addition, these studies showed lower immune status and lower calf birthweights from cows exposed to heat stress during the dry period.
Feedbunk, nutritional strategies Certain dietary strategies can be benecial during heat stress, but the biggest impact will come from focusing on forage quality along with forage and feed bunk management. Minimize the amount of time feed is defaced from bunkers or piles. Deliver most of the ration during cooler periods of the day to promote dry matter intake. Intensity of feed push-up and frequency of feeding can encourage more frequent meals and reduce slug feeding that naturally occurs during heat
stress. If feed stability is an issue, consider adding dry propionic acid to the TMR on the hot, humid days. From a nutrition standpoint, no silver bullet perfectly combats heat stress. Benets can be seen by increasing certain minerals, such as potassium, sodium and magnesium; all contribute to an increase in dietary cation-anion difference levels in lactating dairy cows. Research-proven additives to consider during periods of heat stress include additional buffers or salt, yeast, bypass fat, niacin, chromium, Rumensin® and Aspergillus oryzae. Reducing heat stress requires careful consideration of management and nutritional practices. Provide a well-managed cooling system in dairy barns rst and work with a nutrition advisor to look at what feeding strategies and nutritional additives may provide the most economic benets. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
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Traditions, continuing the story
Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
I can’t believe how quickly and smoothly plant- just to germinate the seed and jump start the hayelds. ing season went this spring. Our only concern has Irrigation pipes are already connected and ready to been the temperatures. Freezing temps deliver water to the pivot points to start at night and highs only in the 40s Just Thinking Out Loud watering the elds. We’re waiting to ip doesn’t make for a warm seed bed, but the switch though. Forecasters are prethe calendar says May and we needed to dicting a change in the weather pattern get rolling. Despite the cool conditions, by the end of the week. Southerly winds Mark took to the elds. By the end of are expected to bring moisture up from the week, all the corn and soybean seeds the Gulf Coast. I hope it has enough were in the ground ready to start growsteam to reach us. We will need to start ing. Now if it will just rain. leaving our bedding straw outside by the While rains have watered many barn door as an incentive for it to rain. parts of the state this month, our sandy My garden can’t wait for the weather ground in central Minnesota is parched. pattern to change. Last night after milkWe have yet to receive more than a half ing, Mark and I strung together a couple By Natalie Schmitt inch of rain in May. This is great for of long hoses from the barn to the garColumnist planting the low spots in the elds but den. We started watering the potatoes, not for germination. This may be our onions and sweet corn we had planted second spring of having to water in May last week to give them a boost out of the
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ground. Of course, starting a new routine takes some time to remember all the steps. This morning as we went out to start milking, I remembered I hadn’t shut off the sprinkler before we went to bed. Water puddles lled the trenches between the rows. Everything was well watered. Now to move the sprinkler to the asparagus patch, rhubarb and grape vines. Despite the lack of moisture, things are starting to bloom and grow around the yard. Apple and wild plum trees look like bridal bouquets. The soft, sweet scent of owering crab trees and the songs of orioles ll the air. The grass is velvety soft beneath my feet. There are no mosquitoes buzzing past my ears. I want to close my eyes and treasure this moment in time. While all these events, sights and sounds personify spring, if I had to pick one that sums up May, it would be peonies. The peonies in my garden have been handed down through the generations along with the traditions and stories of my family. It all started just before the Civil War. My great-great-great grandfather was a pretty good businessman in Philadelphia. The story goes that he recognized the rumblings of war on the horizon, so he sent his son Joseph west to settle land he had purchased in western Illinois. Now I don’t know if Joseph or his wife, Catherine Wallace, brought the peony plants with them at this time but somehow the plants would eventually be grown on their farm. The Civil War came, and even though my family did not ght, they fed the troops through their work on the land. The war ended April 1865, and soldiers returned home to resume their lives. On May 30, 1866, the rst Decoration Day was held to honor the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. Businesses closed their shops and community members decorated the graves with owers and ags. After World War I, Decoration Day evolved to recognize and remember the fallen soldiers of all wars. In 1971, the last Monday in May was declared Memorial Day. Parades, picnics and other celebrations were added to the tradition of decorating the graves as a way of honoring those who sacriced their lives for our freedoms. Even though we had few military men or women in our family, we went to Walnut Grove and Stronghurst cemeteries to decorate the graves of our ancestors. Many of these family members were only known to the younger generations by their gravestones, marking the time of their existence. As a little girl, I remember wrapping empty cans with tin foil to make ower vases. Mom would collect irises, lilacs, peonies and other May owers from her garden in a large bucket of water, then haul all of us to the cemeteries to put together vases of owers to decorate the graves. She would tell us stories about some of our family members. Mom tells the story of holding her breath while Great-Great-Aunt Maude, a 90-year-old maid, held me as a baby, hoping she wouldn’t drop me. I don’t remember Aunt Maude but her story is a part of my story. Every May when my peonies bloom, I am reminded of my family’s traditions and stories through the generations. It makes me stop and think. How will we be remembered? What will we be remembered by? Will the stuff and things we have been collecting over the years be cherished or pitched? Things may come and go, but memories and stories will continue to live and grow throughout the generations. I’m sure my family ancestors didn’t imagine peonies would be the catalyst for their remembrance all these generations later. 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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The month of mayhem
May: the fth month of the year. Mayhem: violent or damaging disorder; chaos. For me, the month of May is one of emotional chaos, characterized by a lot of excess emotions which often materialize in the form of tears. There are tears at reasonable, expected times. For example, at Daphne’s First Communion last Sunday, tears of pride and joy threatened to send my mascara streaming down my cheeks. And there were a lots of tears the week before when the newborn calf I was trying to bottle-feed stepped on my broken toe. Dairy Good Life But there are tears at seemingly unreasonable, unexpected times, too. Like when I went through the pictures from Daphne’s First Communion and found that not a single picture of our family turned out nice. In every photo, somebody either blinked, wasn’t looking at the camera, or wasn’t smiling. And, the most unreasonable of all: last Friday, Tractor Day at school made me cry. The hardest part of having all these excess emotions at unexpected times is understanding where they’re coming from. Why on earth would Tractor Day make me cry? And this is hardly the rst time. I remember dropping Dan off at pre-school, seeing all of the tractors driving into the school parking lot, and then sobbing the whole By Sadie Frericks drive home. I think the intense emotions stem from the Columnist gratitude I feel about living in and raising my kids in a community where agriculture is celebrated, but I hardly believe Tractor Day should completely wreck me. I’ve decided there’s just something about May. As I look back at the years, which is challenging because they seem to y by so fast, I remember past Mays also being lled with excess emotions – not just on Tractor Day. Maybe it’s the sunshine and beautiful weather, the fresh air perfumed by blossoming lilacs and apple trees. These are the days when working outside is the best. The perfect temperatures and longer daylight lure us into thinking that we’ll be able to get so much done that day. And then we don’t, because we overestimated the number of hours in the day. Or our plans got derailed by this, that, and every other thing that came up unexpectedly. One of my favorite denitions of contentment is that it is the sum of our reality minus our expectations. [Reality – Expectations = Contentment]. So when our expectations exceed our reality, we tend to experience the opposite of contentment: dissatisfaction, unrest, and other negative thoughts and feelings. I constantly remind myself to keep my expectations realistic, but those reminders are blunted by the trademark farmers’ hope that surges highest in the month of May. It certainly doesn’t help that the list of things to do in May seems disproportionately larger than other months. Pastures to ready. Crops to plant. Heifers to move. Yards to tidy. Gardens to tend. On top of the extra cows calving and the building project we have underway. Plus, we are lucky to live in a community that offers our kids a wealth of activities to experience – a bunch of which happen in May. But, expectations and to-do lists aside, I’ve felt for the past couple years that there’s something else going that makes May so emotional. Something I can’t put my nger on. This year, I decided to do what I usually do when befuddled: turn to research. For me, understanding why something is happening makes it easier to accept and then nd solutions. In this case, my research led to remarkable insight. Here’s what I found: It’s highly likely that my excess emotions are linked to my seasonal allergies. According to the studies I read, seasonal allergies lead to increased systemic inammation, and inammation leads to sleep disturbances and mood disorders. This makes so much sense, I can hardly believe I am only discovering the connection now. Since at least middle school, I have been aficted by seasonal allergies each spring. It never occurred to me that what was happening in my sinuses was having an impact on my mood. The studies on seasonal allergies and mood disorders also linked the pollen-heavy spring season to increased rates of suicide and suicide attempts. Seasonal allergies, the study said, are not the only cause of suicidal behavior, but they should be considered a signicant contributor. Which is quite possibly why May is Mental Health Awareness Month. So let me remind you: Everyone should be aware of their own mental health and the mental health of those around them. Do you – or someone you love – seem to have a lot of intense emotions right now? It’s essential to ask why. Our mental health often has biological causes that we can address. One nal thought: Whenever I would ask my physical therapist if my increased shoulder pain was from X, Y, or Z, she would always say, “It’s probably a combination of all of those things.” I’ve decided that “a combination of all of those things” is likely the appropriate explanation for my increased emotions this month, as well. As easy and freeing as it feels to blame my emotional intensity on my allergies, it would be unrealistic to ignore the mental and emotional impact of May’s mile-long list of things to do and my unrealistic expectations about getting it all done. So, going forward, I am going to be more accepting of May’s emotional mayhem. And I am denitely going to do some additional research on managing my allergies. But I am also going to continue looking for ways to keep my expectations realistic and my workload manageable. There’s hope for happier Mays. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children – Dan, 13, Monika, 11, and Daphne, 7. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 33
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
MN PDCA announces 2021 Distinguished Breeder Awards
The Minnesota Purebred Dairy Cattle Association announced the 2021 recipients of the Minnesota PDCA Distinguished Breeder Award. They are Clover Glen Farms, of Claremont, Minnesota; Kimm’s Dairy, of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota; Wayne and Kris Houdek, of Caledonia, Minnesota; and Shir-Man Registered Holsteins, of Fountain, Minnesota. These honorees will be recognized at the 2022 Minnesota All-Breeds Convention because of the cancelation of this year’s convention due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The MN PDCA is an association of the Registered Dairy Cattle Breed Association in the state of Minnesota with the mission to foster purebred dairy cattle and the dairy industry. The distinguished breeder award is selected by the MN PDCA Board of Directors from nominations submitted by the respective breed association members. Clover Glen Farms Clover Glen Farms is owned by Glen Johnson and Deb McDermottJohnson. Clover Glen Farms began as an all-Guernsey herd then transitioned to adding Holsteins followed by Brown Swiss in 2011. Together Glen and Deb manage the milking herd of 70 head, raise their own replacements and farm 220 acres. “It’s an honor to receive this award,” Johnson said. “We were just doing our thing over the years, and weren’t paying attention to getting this award. We’ve hit show rings across the
area over the years and we try to keep improving our herd with registered stock.” Off the farm, Deb is employed as director of community education for the Owatonna Public School District. A project unique to Clover Glen is the Cow Camp they have hosted on their farm since 2007.“It was Deb’s brainstorm and it has really taken off,” Johnson said. “It’s really escalated in the school system. It’s one of the
“It’s an honor to receive this award. We were just doing our thing over the years, and weren’t paying attention to getting this award.” GLEN JOHNSON, DAIRY FARMER
programs that lls up the fastest. We’ve been known to ll up in less than 5 minutes after it goes online.” Cow Camp is a hands-on experience for young people to learn about life on a dairy farm. Many of these campers go on to participate in 4-H and exhibit at the Steele County Fair, with some winning state fair 4-H dairy trips and other achievements. “I think for the most part it educates the kids and parents about agriculture
in general – about where their food comes from, how animals are taken care of, a basic idea of what it involves to produce the milk they’re drinking. A lot of people are totally amazed at what we have to do to get that gallon of milk,” Johnson said. “I encourage anyone to promote with young people in their community about their product and how to produce it.” The couple has opened their farm to community events such as the county breakfast on the farm along with serving as a site for education eld trips for the local high school and area colleges. Deb has served as the Minnesota Brown Swiss Secretary with Glen volunteering at the Minnesota Brown Swiss State Junior Show. Clover Glen Farm has also consigned to numerous state Brown Swiss Sales. In 2019, Glen and Deb were honored as Steele County Farm Family of the Year presented by the University of Minnesota. Kimm’s Dairy Kimm’s Dairy is a third-generation farm operated by Brian and Barbara Kimm and their son, Daniel. They run 540 acres and have a milking herd of 85 Brown Swiss and crossbred cows. Originally, the herd started with registered Guernseys, but added Holsteins and Brown Swiss while crossbreeding. “We found out Brown Swiss was the best t for our herd so we’ve been expanding with them,” Brian Kimm said. “We like their longevity and disposition. They’re durable, have good
feet and legs, and have less problems to stay in the herd longer.” Their herd has been on the Brown Swiss Association Protein Genetic Honor Herd list along with being a BSA Genetic Honor Herd for over 10 years. The Kimms have also had the BSA No. 1 Progressive Ranking Cow. Within the dairy industry, they have actively shown animals at county and state fairs and participated in the Minnesota Brown Swiss State Junior Show along with consigning to the Minnesota Brown Swiss State Sale. Brian and Barbara have also volunteered with the Clay County 4-H and the Clay County Fair Dairy Show, leasing many animals to 4-H members. “It’s rewarding to see the kids learning all these different skills,” Kimm said. “Many don’t have experience with livestock. I think it really helps to give them a broader base of knowledge as they start looking for jobs. It’s more opportunities for them.” They have also been named Clay County Farm Family of the Year and Clay County 4-H Volunteer of the year. The Kimms have also served as president of the Clay County American Dairy Association board. Wake-Up Holsteins Wayne and Kris Houdek own Wake-Up Holsteins where they milk 400 Holsteins, farm 1,200 acres and have 70 Registered Red Angus. Wayne and Kris farm together with their sons, Turn to BREEDER AWARDS | Page 35
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 35
ConƟnued from BREEDER AWARDS | Page 34 Andy and Aaron, who are on the farm handling day-to-day management, while Eric and Jacob, who are employed full-time off the farm, help on weekends, during harvest and give input on daily conference calls. “It’s not just Mom and Dad, or us boys to make this farm work,” Aaron said. “It’s everyone working together. It’s a team effort.” The Houdeks mainly focus on breeding high-index protable cattle that t their operation. Embryo transfer and invitro fertilization is used to increase both the genomic lines and the show type families. “When the milk price would go down, people would grab the young sires to breed cattle, but I never did that,” Wayne said. “You might as well use the good bulls, spend a little more money and get good cattle.” Kris agreed. “The heifers are your future,” she said. Wayne and Kris started farming after they were married in 1992 with the purchase of a herd of 50 grade Holsteins. For their genomic program, the top-end net merit and Total Performance Index parent average heifers are genomic tested with the best entering their ET and IVF program. They emphasize NM$, Genomic Total Performance Index, plus components, health and tness traits. Over time, they grew their genetics and herd numbers. “We’re more focusing on ushing our high-end cows to conventional semen and our mediocre animals are ushed to sexed semen – trying to get better heifers,” Aaron said. “We gure it doesn’t really pay to always have bulls running around to take up space.” From this program, the Houdeks have sold embryos worldwide and put
multiple bulls into stud. This focus on genetics has given the Houdeks the Holstein USA Progressive Genetics Award for the past ve years along with a rolling herd average of 29,297 pounds of milk with 4.0% fat at 1,159 pounds, 3.2% protein at 907 pounds and a somatic cell count of 60,000. Since registering the herd in 2005, they have bred nine Excellent and 181 Very Good cows. Shir-Man Registered Holsteins Shir-Man Registered Holsteins is owned and operated by Todd and Stacy Leiding, and Stacy’s mom, Shirley Fingerson. Todd and Stacey also have two daughters – Kayla Sexton and Haely – who have full-time jobs off the farm, but help when they are able. The herd consists of 65 registered Holsteins and 350 acres. The herd began when Stacy’s father, Tillman Fingerson, purchased the cows from his father. Stacy and Todd joined the operation in 1995 and purchased the herd in 2008. “It’s a wonderful honor to receive this award in the fact that our herd is homebred,” Stacy Leiding said. “To carry on the tradition my father started gives me a lot of pride.” Shir-Man Holsteins pride themselves on producing high quality milk, which is reected by having received the Fillmore County DHIA award for the lowest somatic cell count and the Milk Quality Award from their co-op, AMPI, since 2008. “I used to pick bulls to be all show and type, but my ideas have changed a little bit. I want to have a good milk herd, too,” Leiding said. “Health traits are also important. We run a really low somatic cell count so we try to nd
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
Women In Dairy
where people make more money, worry less, get more sleep, etc. But there is no job that is as rewarding as what I get to do every day and that leaves me with the biggest smile.
Kailey Barlow Charlotte, Iowa Clinton County 380 cows
How do you stay connected with others in the industry? In today’s world, it’s a rather easy task to stay up to date. I try to stay informed on the latest between social media as well as mingling with others at various events between shows, webinars, etc.
Family: I grew up in southern Kentucky, raising a few Ayrshire show cattle which is how my ancé, Levi Banowetz, and I met. In 2013, at World Dairy Expo, Levi’s and my paths crossed as we were both exhibiting there. That year at Expo was the rst blue medal I ever won in Madison. Dairy farming is sort of in my blood. My grandparents did it, my parents did it, and now I’m doing it. After attending the University of Kentucky and graduating with my Bachelor of Science in career and technical education, I moved to Charlotte, Iowa, where Levi and I reside. It’s kind of crazy to think how our paths crossed several years ago and to think about where we are now. We both have a love for taking care of cows; that’s what we’re passionate about, and we really couldn’t imagine living our lives any other way. Tell us about your farm. We are milking about 350 Holsteins three times a day. We farm 600 crop acres of hay, corn and soybeans. It truly is a family run operation. Levi and I are the herdsmen. What is the busiest time of day for you? Our mornings are denitely the busiest (although you never know when you’re going to be busy). Both Levi and I stick to a pretty normal daily routine. It’s best for both us and the cows. Three or four mornings a week, we do the milking shift. Besides that, we breed and tend to sick cows in the mornings. Each morning holds something different: vet checks, drying off cows, trimming hooves. To sum it up, mornings ll up fastest for us and then other things nd their way into our schedules later in the day. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? In my spare time, I enjoy playing with our goldendoodle, Sunny, and working with our show heifers. Lately, my extra time has been spent on wedding planning too. Most of our time off the farm is spent at cow shows either for ourselves or helping our friends, or spending time in Kentucky with my family. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. I don’t know that there is one particular moment that stands out to me. However, a collaboration of moments has been memorable. It is so cool to look back and see how far this farm has come in the few years I have been here and how much I have grown as a person. Sometimes I can’t believe that this is what I do every day, but I am so grateful that it is. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? No doubt the best part of my job is the full circle. Sure, there are more jobs
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 37
ConƟnued from BREEDER AWARDS | Page 35 bulls with positive health traits.” Shir-man Holsteins has also seen success in the showring from winning the 1989 senior 2-year-old class at World Dairy Expo and several awards at Minnesota State Fair and State Holstein Shows to breeding Shir-man Astre Heart Ex-94 who went on to be nominated All-American in 1997, 1998 and 1999 with a 2000 All-American win all for her owner Jeff Stookey. The Leidings have been involved in the industry off the farm through Fillmore County DHIA, Fillmore County American Dairy Association and the Rochester Area Holstein Club. Stacy has volunteered as the Fillmore County 4-H dairy judging coach for the past 20 years. Many of
her teams have won the state contest and competed at national contests. “It’s all about the kids,” Leiding said. “But I think it’s important they develop friendships with their peers and have that camaraderie … and hopefully their love for agriculture will carry on in the future.” Stacy also works with the Southeast Minnesota Youth Dairy Show and the Fillmore County Open Class Dairy Show. Todd has served as an elected ofcial for AMPI for 16 years, serving as division director for the past ve years. Krista Kuzma contributed to this article.
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Don’t stress over heat stress Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
There is nothing like farming on a searchers also note that cows experienccrisp summer morning when the sun has ing heat stress have a decreased ability to just peaked out, the sky is clear, and you kill and ght off infection. can smell the green grass and fresh air as Heat stress also can cause cows to you walk to do chores. But as you walk calve 10 to 14 days before their anticiaround enjoying the 70-degree temps, pated due date. This leads to calves with your cows are already starting to experi- lower birth weights, which can impact ence heat stress. their weight at weaning Calf Chronicles Heat stress can negaand breeding age. Calves tively impact all the aniborn from these heatmals on your farm, which stressed cows weigh on is why it is so important average 17 pounds less. to practice heat abateAdditionally, because the ment (the lessening of heat cow calved in early, her stress). The optimal envicolostrum is not at peak ronmental temperature for antibody level if you used a lactating cow is 40 to a dam vaccine. The suc60 degrees, but heat stress cess of a dam vaccine is also considers the humiddependent on when a cow ity. The Temperature Huis going to calve. Calving midity Index threshold a whole two weeks early By Ellen Cushing for reproduction is 65, will result in lower colosColumnist whereas the threshold for trum antibody levels. milk production is 68. This Calves can tolerate heat means you can start seeing negative im- slightly better than cows but become pacts on reproduction before you start heat stressed at temperatures reaching to see them in the bulk tank. In addition above 80 degrees. Calves must use their to causing poor reproduction and lower own energy to keep cool, which means production in your milking herd, heat they take away energy from their imstress can cause milk fat depression, a mune system and growth. This decreases weakened immune system, mastitis and a calf’s average daily gain and lengthens more. the time it takes them to get bred. You Heat stress can also impact embryo can tell if your calves are heat stressed development. Body temperature greater by watching them for signs of increased that 102.2 degrees can affect the devel- breathing, panting, decreased feed intake oping embryo from day one to day six or increased water intake. and leave it without a heat-tolerant proThere are negative impacts of heat tein. This time frame is when the embryo stress, so how can we help negate these? is most vulnerable to heat stress and inThere are four main cooling methcreased body temperature. According ods: shade, water, air and time. Concento University of Florida research, cows trating on all four of these is the most efthat experience heat stress during the dry fective way to keep animals cool. period produce an average of 14 pounds To start, provide shade over travel less milk in the rst 30 weeks post fresh- lanes or any place a roof is not available. ening compared with cooled cows. Re- Shade intercepts the sun’s radiation,
lowering skin temperatures and reducing heat loads. Then, make sure there are fans and sprinklers in the holding pen and the maternity pens. These are the most important locations to keep cows cool. Also put fans and sprinklers above the pre-fresh cow pen. Since your pre-fresh dry cows are carrying the future of your herd, you should concentrate on this area to optimize your calving outcomes. Other places you can add fans are over the free stalls, bedded packs and processing areas, and add sprinklers over the feed lanes. If you are not able to install both sprinklers and fans, experts recommend sprinklers over the feed lane and fans over the stalls. Water without fans can increase humidity and negate the benet of having sprinklers in the rst place. Sprinklers, ideally, should wet the back of the animal and then stop to allow the water to evaporate and cool the cow prior to another cycle beginning. Even with fans and water soaking, it will take 30 to 45 minutes to start to reduce a cow’s body temperature, so it is important to stay ahead of heat stress as much as possible. To make sure your fans are blowing in the right direction and over the backs of your cows, use a fogger to mist them, allowing you to check for dead space and visualize how the fans are working. In calf barns, use fans to your advantage. As mentioned before, fogging is a great way to tell if the air ow in the calf barn is optimal or if calves are in a stagnate location. Because calves tend to nestle into their bedding, it can be a bit trickier to make sure they get sufcient ventilation. If calves are in hutches and fans are not an option, it is a good idea to vent the hutches by elevating them with a
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cinder block under the back and opening the vents on the side. If you can, move the hutches to a shady area to help with cooling. Changing bedding in warmer months is another potential way to keep calves cool and comfortable. While straw is great during the winter, in the summer months switching to sand or sawdust can help keep calves from overheating. Both cows and calves should have access to plenty of cool drinking water in times of heat stress, and make sure to keep water buckets clean. Bacteria thrive in wet, warm environments and a water bucket on a summer day is an ideal hangout. Use light-colored water buckets (white or yellow) to help you easily see when a bucket is getting dirty. Try to extend the amount of time water is offered to calves, even adding another round or two and regularly checking to see if buckets need to be dumped and relled. Mealtime matters too. When it is warm during the day, encourage calves to eat at night when they are cooler and have more of an appetite. You can also add a supplemental electrolyte feeding to help calves rehydrate more efciently. After some grueling winter days in the Midwest, it can be exciting when the sun is warmer, but it is important to keep in mind that what we think of as perfect days can already be too warm for our cows and calves. Ellen is the First Defense regional sales and marketing manager for Wisconsin and Minnesota. She is’s a problem solver who loves walking calf hutches and diagnosing protocol drift. A great day is a day spent helping dairy and beef farmers keep their baby calves healthy. Cushing can be reached at ecushing@ immucell.com.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021 • Page 39
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Levi Ulrich Ogema, Wisconsin Price County 24 cows
ic it. Every situation is different for every farmer. Don’t be afraid to ask other farmers questions. They might have an idea that would t the situation. Don’t look at the bad from the past. Keep the good in mind and keep pushing forward.
How did you get into farming? I got into farming at a young age. I grew up helping on my grandparents’ dairy goat farm. We raised Jersey steers, and I was always fond of the breed. After they retired milking goats, I got the bug to start milking cows. I started with one heifer in middle school in 2011. From then on, the passion for dairy farming, especially the Jersey cow, took off. I still have that rst cow, now scored EX-94. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? My thoughts and concerns are the same as since I started. Figuring out what does and does not work in order to continue farming. A person has to change and evolve more and more rather than have the mindset of “It’s worked this way for the last 30 years, so we don’t need to change anything.” Agriculture doesn’t seem to be in a small farmers’ best interest these days. It seems to be the get bigger or get out mentality of the industry. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? I haven’t implemented much for technology. I tend to like things that are simpler. I’m not a huge fan of everything being electronic, because it always seems to bring more issues. One piece of technology I could say I have implemented is the REAP program being a Jersey Cattle Association lifetime member. There’s a ton of benets from it, and I can better man-
What has been the best purchase you have ever made on your farm? The best purchase is investing into some superb cow families. I invested into the Godiva family from Woodmohr Jerseys, and I’m excited for the future of where I can take it. Woodmohr First Belmont who max scored at EX-93 is one of my foundation cows going forward. She’s backed by an EX-93 Request, then an EX-95 Jade then EX-95 Duncan Chief being Godiva. age my cattle. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has beneted you? Instead of having large groups of cows freshen in a few times a year, I spaced the herd out to have a fairly even amount each month come fresh. It doesn’t make things so hectic with all the calves at once and nding space for everyone. What cost-saving steps have you implemented during the low milk price? Working closely with my nutritionist to see where we can cut corners without having a negative effect on the cows’ health, components and production. How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? I’m the only employee.
Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. Learning to breed my own cows when I was in college. Not only does it save me a ton of money, I’m able to use whatever bull I want from around the world if I choose to. I’m able to breed a cow any time of the day or night however many times I might need to. What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? It’s so rewarding to have a cow, decide on a mating, have that baby heifer born and then watch her grow up and develop then go on to score good. My favorite thing is to freshen in heifers. There’s a lot of built up anticipation over the two-year wait, so it’s always fun when they’re fresh and then watching their udder develop. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Don’t dwell on what the neighbors are doing and try to mim-
What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? My biggest accomplishment is being in the game. There were times when I questioned why, but I’ve stuck with it and wouldn’t change it for the world. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? In the next year, I’m hoping to be in a bigger facility to double the herd size. Over the next ve years, I hope to be farming and showcase the genetics I’ve been building up on a bigger stage, such as World Dairy Expo. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? I enjoy time with friends and family going to dairy shows, kayaking and sitting by a re. The less hustle and bustle the better. I’m perfectly ne with peace and quiet without a crowd of people.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 22, 2021
In Memory Gerard Wedig
February 14, 1956 - May 10, 2021 Gerard E. Wedig, 65, of Belmont, Wisconsin, passed away suddenly from a heart attack on Monday, May 10, 2021. Mass of Christian Burial was Saturday, May 15, 2021 at St. Philomena Catholic Church, Belmont with Father Michael Tarigopula ofÀciating. Burial was at Resurrection Cemetery, Belmont. Memorials may be made to the Gerard Wedig Memorial Fund. Online condolences may be made at www.melbyfh.com. Gerard was born on February 14, 1956, in Cuba City, Wisconsin, the son of Wallace and Sylvia (Kieler) Wedig. He was united in marriage to Beverly Kowalski on June 10, 1978. He graduated from Belmont High School in 1974 and Southwest Tech, with an ag mechanic degree, in 1976. He worked as a mechanic until 1979, as a farmer until 1999, and spent the last 21 years as a mechanic for Steinhart’s Farm Service. In his free time he enjoyed playing cards, Àshing, reading westerns,
working on small engines, but most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his grand kids. Gerard is survived by his wife, Bev, and their four children, Brenda (Matthew) Peterson, Trisha Wedig, John (Shirley Clifford) Wedig, Kayla (James) Wheeler; and eight grandchildren, Kenzingtyn, Emersyn, Breckyn & Holden Peterson, Greyden Wedig & Dawsyn Graser, and Hayden & Ainsley Wheeler. He is also survived by his brothers and sisters, Pat (Mary) Wedig, Mary Therese (Ron) Muller, Paul (Jane) Wedig, Jane (Jim) Pickel, Sue (Dan) Baert; sisters-in-law, Karen (Steve) Loeschen, Donna (Al) Junk, Joyce (Mark) Anderson; brother-in-law Ron (Cheryl) Kowalski; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; in-laws, Victor and Doris Kowalski; brother, John Wedig; brother-in-law, Jack Knebel; niece, Carla Knebel; and nephew, Daniel Baert.
Steinhart’s Farm Service, Inc. was honored to have Gerard employed with us for the past 21 years. He will be deeply missed by everyone here.
Our condolences to the Wedig family.
4116 Hwy. 80 S., Platteville, WI
Office: (608) 348-9401 or Toll Free: 1(888) BUY-Patz www.steinhartsfarmservice.com