May 28, 2022 Dairy Star - 2nd Section

DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™

Second Section

May 28, 2022

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Page 2 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022

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Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 3

A future with automation

Schelling family constructs a new robotic dairy facility

By Jerry Nelson

jerry.n@dairystar.com

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Schelling family recently found themselves facing a dilemma.

“Our dairy facilities were getting tired,” Marv Schelling said. “We wanted to expand and build something new, but we didn’t want to become dependent on hired labor. It’s hard to nd and keep good hired help.”

Marv and his wife, Kathy, have three grown sons – Keith, Josh and Alex. Keith and his wife, Krystle, have three children – Marlena, Hana and Michael.

Gilbert and Wilma Schelling, Marv’s parents, purchased the Schelling farm in the 1950s. Gilbert and Wilma passed away in 2019.

Typical for the time period, Gilbert and Wilma had chickens, hogs and a dozen dairy cows they milked by hand.

“My parents built a milking parlor that held two cows per side,” Marv said. “In 1975, they purchased a used Surge double-4 parlor and expanded from 40 cows to 80 cows.”

Marv and Kathy built a double-9 parallel parlor and freestall barn in 1991 and expanded to 120 head.

“We added a transition barn in 2002 and began to milk between 160 and 180 head,” Keith said. “Our freestall barn was aging and was becoming overcrowded. About seven or eight years ago, we began to talk about building a new facility that would include robotics.”

Marv said updating the old facilities was not an option.

“The poles needed attention, and the free stalls were the wrong size for modern Holsteins,” he said.

The Schelling family set themselves to the task of learning about milking cows with robots. They visited robotic dairy operations in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska.

After consideration, the Schelling family decided to build a barn that is 140 feet wide by 440 feet long.

The new barn can hold up to 300 head and features four Lely A5 robotic milkers. The barn has been designed so it can easily be doubled in size. Plumbing and electrical infrastructure has been preinstalled to facilitate this prospect.

“There were so many different choices to make,” Keith said. “We didn’t know what we wanted to do

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The Schelling family – (from leŌ) Keith holding Michael, Marv and Kathy – milk 300 cows in a new facility near Orange City, Iowa. The Schelling family’s barn includes four milking robots and an autonomous manure collecƟon system. regarding the layout, the bedding and how to handle the manure.”

Space for dry cows was included in the new barn.

“We feel that the dry cows deserve as much consideration as the lactating animals,” Marv said.

Construction commenced in September 2020.

The Schellings milked their rst cows in their new barn March 29, 2021. The Schelling family, with help from friends and cousins, installed all of the gates, mattresses, free stalls and electric conduits in the barn.

They also installed the ductwork that brings fresh air into the rooms that house the milking robots.

“We knew that we would have to build on the hill south of our farmstead to get off the oodplain,” Marv said. “We looked at bedding with sand, but we didn’t have room for a sand lane and an additional lagoon.

We also felt that sand wasn’t worth the extra maintenance. That’s why we decided to go with DCC waterbeds and Lely Collectors.”

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The ve manure collectors in the Schellings’ new barn constantly patrol the alleys. Each one uses a squeegee and vacuum to pick up manure and store it in an onboard tank. The robotic manure machines go to the west end of the barn where they drop their cargo into a shallow trench. Gravity and discarded wash water moves the manure into a small pit. A lift pump then pipes the manure to a nearby lagoon for long-term storage.

The question of how to bed the stalls was a major choice for the Schellings.

“Cow comfort is a top concern for us,” Keith said.

“We felt that waterbeds were the best way to keep the cows comfortable. We put chopped straw on the waterbeds three times per week. The cows really like their beds.”

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Page 4 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022

SCHELLING DAIRY

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Excellent workmanship and support was provided by the following businesses...

Construction Inc.

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Thanks to the Schelling family for the building and concrete work!

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Thank You Schelling Family!

Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 5

ConƟnued from SCHELLING | Page 3 Cow comfort is furthered by a series of stir fans situated throughout the facility. The barn is tunnel ventilated, with a wall of exhaust fans on the east end of the building and an inlet curtain on the west end. The temperature in the barn is automatically adjusted by varying the speed of the exhaust fans and by opening or closing the inlet curtain.

“The cows barely noticed when it got hot last summer,” Marv said.

The barn also features LED lights that simulate the longest day of the year. The sidewalls of the barn are made of translucent polycarbonate, which helps reduce lighting costs.

After more than a year in their new barn, the Schelling family has been able to see how their facility performs under a variety of conditions.

“We have gained 12 to 15 pounds of daily milk production per cow,” Marv said. “Our herd is averaging three milkings per day. Our fresh cows are choosing to be milked up to ve times a day and are giving as much as 160 pounds of milk per day. One cow peaked at 168 pounds a day.”

The Schellings’ cows have an average somatic cell count of 220,000. Their herd, which is 38% rst-calf heifers, has had an average daily production that has reached as high as 92 pounds per head per day.

Over the past several years, the Schellings had used sexed semen to produce the heifers they would need to ll their new barn.

“Our oldest cow is on her 10th lactation, and she is doing well,” Kathy said. “It took her a few weeks to get accustomed

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

The new dairy facility on the Schelling farm features LED longday lighƟng and polycarbonate sidewall panels that let in natural light. The barn’s insulated ceiling helps keep the barn warm in the winter and cuts down on heat gain during the summer.

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

Marv Schelling checks on a cow’s lactaƟon history as she is milked at the farm near Orange City, Iowa. The robots collect a plethora of data on each animal including daily acƟvity, ruminaƟon Ɵmes and body temperature. to the robots, but she eventually caught on.”

Each cow wears an electronic transponder that identies her as she enters the milking robot. The transponder also collects a wealth of other information, including the cow’s activity.

“We don’t watch for heats anymore. We breed based on activity,” Marv said. “The robots provide us with a huge amount of information. All of that data can be hard to digest. But, the boys catch onto it quickly and help me gure it out.”

Kathy said the robots check the milk for color and

conductivity.

“I think that the robots can catch a case of mastitis before we can,” she said.

Labor savings have proven to be a big plus for the Schelling family.

“It takes two people about three hours per day to manage the robot barn,” Marv said.

“That includes fetching cows, breeding and treating.”

Keith enjoys the exibility of their schedule since transitioning to robots.

“If you’re in the middle of chopping silage and you want to keep going, you can. And, if you want to attend a wedding, you can take off,” Keith said.

“The cows won’t care.”

Each member of the Schelling family does different farm chores on a rotating basis.

“Everyone knows how to do everything on the farm,” Marv said. “That makes it a lot easier if you want to get away for a while.”

After being in their new barn for over a year, the Schelling family would change only a few minor details.

“I just wish that Dad had lived long enough to see our new dairy barn,” Marv said.

“I think he would have been amazed.”

Excellent workmanship and support was provided by the following businesses...

109 North C Street PO Box 303 Sheldon, IA 51201

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Page 6 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022

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DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Cella Langer, holding OƟs Fisher-Langer, and EmmeƩ Fisher, holding Hugo Fisher-Langer, operate Oxheart Farm in Hager City, Wisconsin. The farm is a micro-dairy that processes milk.

Couple’s desire to farm leads to on-site processing

By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

HAGER CITY, Wis. – Ten years ago, Cella Langer and Emmet Fisher Oxheart Farm where they grew vegetables with the goal of adding dairy farming and on-farm processing to their repertoire.

One year ago, dairy farming came to fruition for Langer and Fisher as the couple became licensed as a Grade A on-farm processing plant to process the milk produced by their small herd on their farm in Hager City.

They pasteurize and bottle whole milk into returnable glass bottles and make both plain and avored yogurts.

Today, Langer and Fisher milk two Ayrshire cows and will be up to three milking in June. They plan to add a fourth cow to the herd next spring.

The farm’s Community Supported Agriculture customers can add a dairy subscription onto their vegetable CSA subscription, and they also sell the dairy products on the farm as well as provide meat and eggs for their customers. The couple sells their product wholesale to a local food cooperative in nearby River Falls as well.

While their foray into dairy farming is a new endeavor for the couple, it has been a goal of theirs for many years.

“We really love cows, and we love eating dairy,” Langer said. “It took us a long time to get to this point, and now we are able to share that with our customers.”

To begin the process for constructing their microdairy, Langer and Fisher began working with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

“We had to create the oor plan for the dairy and get a pre-approval for that,” Langer said. “Once that met the standards, they said we were able to begin construction.”

Langer and Fisher utilized an existing building by

retrotting it to meet the needs of their creamery. They did a great deal of the work themselves in order to keep their costs low.

“We hired out the pouring of the concrete oor to ensure that the sloping and drainage were correct,” Langer said. “Throughout the entire project, we worked closely with DATCP to ensure that we were on track and getting it right.”

The couple spent most of 2019 in the planning phase, ironing out the details of the project with DATCP. The concrete slab for the creamery was poured in October 2019. The onset of the coronavirus pandemic created challenges for the pair, but they persevered and were licensed to begin production in April 2021.

The creamery has a 30-gallon vat pasteurizer, although Langer said she typically processes about 15 to 25 gallons of milk in a batch. Langer processes the milk produced on the farm two to three times each week.

Milk is typically bottled one day a week, while yogurt is also made once a week.

“I bottle more milk than I make yogurt,” Langer said. “On processing days, I typically spend about ve hours in the creamery.”

All of the yogurt is made as plain yogurt and then avorings, typically raspberry or maple, are added to the packaging prior to the yogurt.

Fisher said they have no plans for expanding their small herd beyond four cows.

“We don’t have the land base or the infrastructure to really have more than four cows,” Fisher said. “Our cows are grass-fed, so we just would not have enough pasture to meet the needs of more.”

Although they are not planning on increasing their herd size, Langer said she has been researching to add more products.

Oxheart Farm is not certied organic, but they closely adhere to organic principles, including raising their animals as grass-fed.

“We have a good relationship with our customers,” Fisher said. “They come here, they see the farm, they see what we do and how we are doing it. Everything is pretty transparent.”

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Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 7

Quality over quantity Couple diversies with grassfed market, organic practices

By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

CUBA CITY, Wis. – When Kelly Placke-Raaum returned to her family farm in 2014, she was returning to an organic, grass-fed dairy farm. She and her husband, Nick Raaum, have spent the last eight years taking the organic practices to the next level and diversifying in unconventional ways.

“We call it farmsteading,” Raaum said. “It’s low input, kind of low output, but high quality. We are just giving ourselves time to diversify and produce our own food and enjoy the country life more.”

The couple milks 38 cows near Cuba City. Their milk is shipped to Organic Valley and marketed as grassmilk. Kelly’s father had joined this niche market in 2013, at the birth of the Grassmilk market.

In order to achieve a 100% grassfed diet in Wisconsin, the couple grazes their animals during the summer and feed dry hay and baleage over the winter. They said some farmers achieve the grass-fed diet by feeding sorghum and sudangrass in silages and even sterile corn.

The goal with the grass-fed diet is to produce high omega-3 and high CLA milk. When cows are fed starch, the

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Nick Raaum and Kelly Placke-Raaum stand among their cows May 16 on their farm near Cuba City, Wisconsin. The couple’s cows are 100% grassfed and organic. fatty prole changes, and the quality of the product changes with it.

The premium paid for the Grassmilk market has allowed the couple to explore other avenues of diversication, like perennial farming.

“When I look at all the inputs going into systems, I think there’s room for ecologically integrated agriculture systems that are lower input,” Raaum said. “I think there’s a need for carbon negative, low inputs, lower ecological footprint and higher quality outputs.”

Prior to running the dairy farm,

Raaum was in the energy industry, and Placke-Raaum was a teacher and also spent time traveling and participating in the World Wide Opportunities in Organic Farming program.

“So much of our money was going to feed ourselves organic food,” PlackeRaaum said. “That’s why I thought we should just do the job. We might not make much money right away but at least we’ll eat well.”

The couple has introduced tree crops to their hedgerows as a way to provide shade and eventually supple-

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ment the cows’ diets. They have planted hazelnut, honey locust, chestnut and plum trees as well as an acre of elderberries. They have also added pasture raised hogs to their repertoire and utilize tree crops in their hog pasture as well.

Raaum thinned out a patch of woods that had been choked out with boxelder trees and planted fruit and nut trees in their place. Hogs are raised in this environment, and the couple are slowly Turn to GRASSFED | Page 12

The “Mielke” Market Weekly

Page 8 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022

By Lee Mielke

Milk production continues to lag from year ago

U.S. milk production continued to lag that of a year ago in April, the sixth month in a row to do so, as cow numbers and output per cow paused. The Agriculture Department’s latest preliminary data shows April output at 19.15 billion pounds, down 1.0% from Apr. 2021, and follows a revised 0.4% drop in March. April output in the top 24 producing states totaled 18.3 billion pounds, down 0.9%. Only ve of the top 24 producing states showed an increase in milk output.

Revisions raised the original 50-State March estimate by 23 million pounds to 19.7 billion, 0.4% below a year ago, instead of the 0.5% originally reported.

Farmers added 13,000 cows to the milking string in February, and 22,000 in March, following a 7,000 head revision, hitting 9.4 million head. The April count was unchanged from March, but was 98,000 below a year ago.

April output per cow averaged 2,037 pounds, unchanged from April 2021.

California output totaled 3.6 billion pounds, down 21 million or 0.6% from a year ago, despite 2,000 additional cows in the string but output per cow was down 15 pounds. Wisconsin, at 2.6 billion pounds, was down 3 million or 0.1%. Cow numbers were down 1,000.

Output per cow was unchanged from a year ago.

Idaho was again unchanged across the board.

Michigan was down 3.4% on 17,000 fewer cows, though output per cow was up 10 pounds. Minnesota was down 1.4% on a 9,000 cow loss, while output per cow was up 10 pounds. New Mexico was down 12.9% on 41,000 fewer cows and a 15 pound loss per cow.

New York was off 0.8% on 6,000 fewer cows. Output per cow was up 5 pounds. Oregon was up 2.7% on a 20 pound gain per cow and 2,000 more cows. Pennsylvania was down 2.2%, on 8,000 fewer cows and a 10 pound drop per cow. South Dakota was up 16.7%, thanks to 25,000 more cows and a 5 pound gain per cow.

Texas remained the nation’s Number 3 producer, putting 4.7% more milk in the tank than a year ago, thanks to 23,000 more cows and a 20 pound gain per cow. Vermont was off 0.9% on a 5 pound drop per cow and 1,000 fewer cows. Washington State was down 5.4% on 12,000 fewer cows and a 20 pound drop per cow.

High milk prices are incentivizing dairy farmers to keep cows in the milking string. Dairy culling dropped in April, according to the USDA’s latest Livestock Slaughter report. An estimated 237,800 head were sent to slaughter under federal inspection, down 59,400 or 20% from March, and 19,700 head or 7.7% below Apr. 2021. Culling in the rst four months of 2022 totaled

1.06 million head, down 39,900 or 3.6% from the same period a year ago.

In the week ending May 7, 56,400 dairy cows were sent to slaughter, up 4,800 head from the previous week, but 400 or 0.7% below a year ago.

Tuesday’s Global Dairy Trade auction saw its fth consecutive decline. The weighted average was down 2.9%, following the 8.5% drop on May 3. Traders brought 53.5 million pounds to the market, down from 55.5 million on May 3, and the average metric ton price was at $4,432 U.S., up from $4,419.

Event 308 was led by whole milk powder dropping 4.9%, following the 6.5% decline on May 3. Skim milk powder was down just 0.6%, after dropping 6.5%. GDT butter was down 1%, after leading the losses last time with a 12.5% plunge. Anhydrous milkfat inched up 0.6% after a 12.1% plunge last time. Cheddar rounded out the losses, down 0.1%, after dropping 8.6% las time.

StoneX says the GDT 80% fat butter price equates to $2.5446 per pound U.S., down 2.5 cents after dropping 36.9 cents in the last event, and compares to CME butter which closed Friday at $2.85. GDT Cheddar, at $2.5559, was down 0.8 cents, after losing 24.2 cents last time, and compares to Friday’s CME block Cheddar at $2.38. GDT skim milk powder averaged $1.8669 per pound, down from $1.8731. Whole milk powder averaged $1.7845 per pound, up from $1.7764. CME Grade A nonfat dry milk closed Friday at $1.80 per pound.

StoneX’s Dustin Winston says volume purchased by the North Asia region, which includes China, was again lower from the last event and last year. Every other region experienced an increase from last year’s volume with only Africa and North America declining from the last event.

HighGround Dairy points out that buyers were taking advantage of China’s pullback while they can as China focuses on its Zero-COVID policy. To no one’s surprise, China’s April imports were down on just about every product except three, one of them ironically being infant formula. I’ll report details next week.

In other trade news; the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) called on the U.S. government this week to levy retaliatory tariffs on Canada after Ottawa made clear that it refuses to meet its signed treaty obligations under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) concerning dairy market access.

A USMCA dispute resolution panel initiated by the U.S. in January found that Canada’s dairy tariffrate quotas (TRQs) system violated terms of USMCA. Canada issued a new proposal in March which included “inconsequential changes,” says NMPF, and “This

week’s announcement shows no indication that Canada intends to comply with its USMCA commitments on dairy TRQs. “Canada made a clear choice to thumb its nose at both the U.S. government and its international treaty obligations,” said NMPF’s Jim Mulhern.

Michael Dykes, president of the International Dairy Foods Association, stated; “Canada’s publication clearly shows they are ignoring their trade commitments agreed to in the USMCA and refusing to administer their dairy TRQs in a manner compliant with the agreement.”

Back home, the June Federal order Class I base milk price set another record high at $25.87 per hundredweight, up 42 cents from May, $7.58 above a year ago, and equates to $2.22 per gallon, up from $1.57 a year ago. The six month Class I average is at $23.32, up from $16.13 a year ago and $15.84 in 2020.

In other milk price news, dairy economist Bill Brooks, of Stoneheart Consulting in Dearborn, Missouri, warns that, after plugging the latest WASDE data into the DMC formula, “2023 will be a tighter margin year for dairy producers. The rst look at 2023 shows the margin over feed costs at $9.33 versus $12.58 for 2022. The 2022 $12.58 from this month’s report is down from April’s $12.85 due to lower milk prices and higher feed costs,” says Brooks.

Production costs are hitting “remarkable levels,” according to the May 13 Dairy and Food Market Analyst, “most notably in California where hay prices have risen to around $440 per ton. For a dairy purchasing 100% spot feed, we estimate breakeven milk prices are around $24.50 per hundredweight,” the Analyst stated.

The latest Margin Watch (MW) from Chicago-based Commodity & Ingredient Hedging, says “With the exception of spot second quarter, dairy margins weakened further over the rst half of May as a combination of lower milk prices and steady to slightly higher feed costs weighed on forward protability. Class III prices have been pressured by falling whey prices as export demand slows.”

The MW detailed March export data, which I previously reported, and pointed to dairy exports to China being down 12% from last year and 9.5% lower for the rst quarter. It stated; “A combination of China’s zero-tolerance Covid-19 policy with aggressive lockdowns and logistical issues have negatively impacted demand.” “Slumping protability in China’s domestic hog sector during rst quarter signicantly pressured whey demand,” the MW stated, and “Each 6-cent decline in the price of whey equates to 30 cents for Class III milk, so the recent drop in whey prices equals almost $2.00 per cwt. loss in value.”

U.S. feed prices remain elevated, according to the MW, and planting is behind year ago levels, with “Signicant delays in both Minnesota and North Dakota.”

The USDA’s latest Crop Progress report showed some progress in the elds as 49% of the U.S. corn crop was in the ground, as of the week ending May 15.

That’s up from just 22% the previous week, but still 29% behind a year ago and 18% behind the most recent ve year average. The report shows 14% of the corn emerged, down from 38% a year ago, and 18% behind the ve year average.

Soybean plantings are at 30%, up from 12% the previous week, but 28% behind a year ago, and 9% behind the ve year average. The report adds that 9% have emerged, 10% behind a year ago, and 3% behind the ve year average.

Cotton is 37% planted, 1% ahead of a year ago, and even with ve year average.

CME block Cheddar closed Friday at $2.38 per pound, up 7.25 cents on the week, and 81 cents above Turn to MIELKE | Page 9

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ConƟnued from MIELKE | Page 8 CME block Cheddar closed Friday at $2.38 per pound, up 7.25 cents on the week, and 81 cents above a year ago when they dropped 15.50 cents to $1.57.

The barrels climbed to $2.45 per pound Tuesday, highest since Nov. 5, 2020, but closed Friday at $2.3475, down 4.75 cents on the week, 74 cents above a year ago. There were 6 sales of block on the week at the CME and 21 of barrel.

Concern over milk supply appears to be outweighing concern about any slowdown in demand. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest 90-day forecast of above normal temperatures is not helping.

Storms slammed the Northern Plains with high winds and heavy rain the week of May 9 and the Daily Dairy Report’s Sarina Sharp wrote in the Milk Producers Council newsletter that three cheese plants in South Dakota and Iowa were shuttered by power outages. She said the plants can process more than 12 million pounds of milk per day. Some producers dumped milk and the plants will have to discard the cheese they were in the process of making before the shut down so “There may be a little less cheese for sale in Chicago over the next 30 days, which could briey lift the spot Cheddar market,” according to Sharp..

Meanwhile, cheese demand is mixed according to Midwestern cheesemakers who told Dairy Market News that “The previous weeks’ block market dips may have affected customers’ approaches. This week’s markets buoyed, so some buyers may look to get ahead of potentially bullish markets in the next weeks.”

Cheddar makers are nding milk at levels similar to previous weeks and production is active. Mid-week prices ranged from $2.50 under to 75 cents over Class III, according to DMN, but “May has been a very active month in regards to spot milk making its way into cheese vats.” Cheese availability is balanced to tight, says DMN, “But as notable amounts of milk clear to the vats, with Class I demand ebbing, inventories could continue to increase.”

Domestic demand for cheese is steady to higher in the West. Retail sales were unchanged from the previous week but food service purchasing was trending higher. International demand is strong, though port congestion continues to cause delays. A shortage of truck drivers and available shipping containers also remains troublesome.

Cheese inventories are available and plants are running busy schedules, as milk is available but some continue to run below capacity due to labor shortages and delayed deliveries of production supplies, says DMN. Butter closed at $2.85 per pound, up 14.50 cents on the week, highest since Feb. 5, and 98 cents above a year ago, with 37 cars sold, most since mid-December 2021.

Butter plant managers say spot cream availability has begun to shift from pricey to out of reach for churning, particularly from sources within the region. Butter demand has quieted down the past few weeks. Butter production remains active as plants focus on inventory for the late summer upticks and fall demand season.

Cream inventories are available in the West, with purchasers from other regions looking to buy cream but ice cream makers are running busy schedules and pulling cream. Churns are active, though some plants

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Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 9

are limited by labor shortages. Retail butter demand is steady to lower, while food service is steady.

Grade A nonfat dry milk saw its Friday nish at $1.80 per pound, 7 cents higher on the week, highest since Apr. 18, and 50.25 cents above a year ago on 6 sales StoneX cited a Reuters story entitled “Mexico to Suspend Import Duties on Food Staples to Tackle Ination.” Dairy is included, warned StoneX. “At rst blush this looks to invite competition as Mexico doesn’t have a tarif on U.S. product thanks to NAFTA/ USMCA, but they did have tarifs on product from New Zealand and the EU. It looks like the tarif on powdered and liquid milk are going to zero for all countries for the next year,” according to StoneX. Dry whey fell to 48.50 cents per pound Monday, lowest since Aug. 4, 2021, but closed Friday at 50.75 cents, down 2.50 cents on the week and 13.75 cents below a year ago, on 21 sales, highest total since the week of Jun. 22, 2020.

Demand for dry whey has been lower, largely led by China hitting the brakes, says StoneX, “But production is also likely higher and manufacturers remain looking for a home for this excess dry whey.”

Breeding programs on America’s dairy farms are seeing changes, according to the May 23 Dairy Radio Now program. Hoards Dairyman Managing Editor

Corey Geiger talked about a presentation he made at the recent National Pedigree Livestock Council in Kansas City.

His topic; “The Triple Play on U.S. Dairy Farms” and said it involves genomics, sexed semen, and beef on dairy. “Beef on dairy was almost heresy generations ago,” he said, “But markets have changed and beef units have grown from 2.5 million to 8.7 million in just the last ve years.” Hear the complete discussion at www. dairyradio.com.

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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022

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HELPING GOOD MANAGERS MAKE BETTER TRADING DECISIONS Agricultural markets continue to trade at strong prices based on history. With that said, there are a lot of outside market concerns making commodity bulls nervous. This will start to cause more anxiety in production agriculture as high input costs are increasing profit margin risk to extreme equity burning levels in a worst-case price scenario.

Inflation and higher interest rates have been putting pressure on stocks and forward-looking valuation expectations. Most CEO’s report strong consumer demand but express major concerns with other financial situations coming at them. Strong consumer demand may be all that is holding up the overinflated stock market.

If that disappears stock prices could see a significant pull back and a contraction in consumer spending. So how will this impact agriculture? You might want to go back and study the 2009 housing crisis to answer that question.

U.S. dairy markets have been holding up much better than EU and NZ. Prices out of those regions have been moving lower with more significant declines seen in recent data. Much of this is being caused by loss of price competitiveness. Market forces are likely starting to take

the premium out of noncompetitive dairy product prices.

Price weakness in these regions is likely also signaling expectations of softening demand.

The most disappointing U.S. dairy product category remains whey. Another week of weaker prices has whey trading at an almost unbelievable 50 cents. Whey typically trades at about 33% the price of skim milk. With nonfat dry milk trading near $1.80/lb whey should have a fair value of 60 cents per pound. Is the lost China demand coiling to return later, or is it lost for good?

U.S. butter prices are pushing higher again with recent spot trades pushing into the mid $2.80’s. Strong butter and nonfat dry milk prices have Class IV futures pushing into the $25/cwt range through early fall 2022. This will help improve PPD’s for producers in the Central FMMO. I would like to express my sympathy for all those affected by the recent storms. We have had firsthand experiences with some tough storm situations. We have also heard stories of prayers of safety being answered.

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Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 11

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Con�nued from GRASSFED | Page 7

starting to market them privately.

Right before Placke-Raaum returned to the farm, her dad had installed solar panels. The panels offset any carbon that the farm produces and produce about as much electricity as the farm uses in the barn. Whatever energy is overproduced is sold back to the grid since there is no storage capacity on the farm.

The couple has found bountiful benets to grazing the cows.

“We are letting the animals do as much work as we can get away with,” Raaum said. “They are harvesting their own feed, spreading their own manure.

Running the vacuum pump was really all that we’ve put into them today.”

The cows are so comfortable on

the grass that the Plackes were having a hard time getting them to come in for evening milking. With a new baby on the way, the couple switched to oncea-day milking three years ago to save on labor. Placke-Raaum said the cows adjusted well to the change.

“It did not move our somatic cell count at all,” Placke-Raaum said. “And our components went way up, which is what Organic Valley pays us for.”

Raaum said the cows are producing around 70% of what they were producing on twice-a-day milking, and the quality is better. The couple also agreed the cows’ body condition has improved since changing to once-a-day milking.

Around the same time that they switched to milking once, they also

“We call it farmsteading. It’s low input, kind of low output, but high quality. We are just giving ourselves time to diversify and produce our own food and enjoy the country life more.”

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Nick Raaum and Kelly Placke-Raaum move cows to a different paddock May 16 on their farm near Cuba City, Wisconsin. The couple ships their milk on the grassmilk truck to Organic Valley. started letting the calves run with the cows instead of raising them separately.

Placke-Raaum refers to it as the madre method, and the couple has seen benets to the system.

“Our heifers coming in that were raised this way are amazing,” Raaum said. “Since they don’t get grain to accelerate their growth, getting the better milk nutrition from their mom for so long really helps speed up their growth in our system.”

Placke-Raaum agreed.

“It really teaches them the system too,” she said. “The calves start grazing at 2-3 weeks old, and they learn to respect single strand, polywire fencing.”

The couple relies on their genetics to help make the grazing system work.

They have Holstein-Jersey crosses and Fleckvieh.

“Having cows that are able to keep condition and do better in a foragebased diet is huge,” Raaum said. “It’s so easy to dial it in when you have corn silage and grain in a ration so breeding

plays a big part for us.”

Raaum said their philosophical hunch is that healthy soil creates healthy animals and healthy food.

“It basically goes back to the health of the soil which you can only get in a perennial cropping system,” he said.

“The cows live longer, are healthier, and our cull rate is extremely low.”

The couple believes their methods provide a more forgiving way to dairy.

“Conventional has pushed the envelope on yields, really minimizing labor but it’s so unforgiving when things go awry,” Raaum said. “I realize we are speaking from a place of privilege with this niche market, but a lot of those guys have it so challenging. And, I could never imagine that.”

The couple said their methods are nothing new.

“We are kind of going the opposite direction of progressive dairying,” Placke-Raaum said. “We essentially want to farm the way our grandparents did.”

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Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 13

Continuing the legacy Vesbach shares passion for dairying with sons

By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

VIROQUA, Wis. – When Gerald Vesbach counts his blessings, the opportunity to farm is among them. Vesbach’s father helped him get started farming, and now Vesbach is helping his sons, the fth generation, do the same.

“I grew up on a farm,” Vesbach said. “I’ve always wanted to farm and here I am. I’ve been right here on this farm for 46 years.”

Vesbach milks 70 cows in a tiestall barn with his son, Trent, near Viroqua.

The pair also own approximately 400 acres and rent another 300 acres of hay and diversify by selling organic hay as a cash crop, which Vesbach began doing about 18 years ago.

“I wanted to be more diversied than just a milk check,” Vesbach said.

“I could plainly see that it wasn’t going to happen to just milk cows and make a go of it. Something had to change.”

Vesbach further diversied by raising beef cows over 20 years ago, beginning with 20 cows and growing from within. Today, there are 80 cowcalf pairs on the farm.

Vesbach and Trent work together every day. Trent graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course in 2014 and has been involved full time ever since. Trent has taken over milking while Vesbach checks on the beef cows and springing heifers. The pair work together to accomplish eldwork and other daily tasks.

While he works with Trent every day, he also helped his other son, Phillip, get into farming as well. When a farm that he had rented for a long time came up for sale, Vesbach purchased it and moved his switch cows to that barn where Phillip and his wife now farm.

“I grew up on a farm.

I’ve always wanted to farm and here I am.”

GERALD VESBACH, DAIRY FARMER

Farming roots run deep in the Vesbach family. In 1911, Vesbach’s grandfather bought the family’s original farm site in Muskego, where Vesbach’s father grew up. Once Vesbach’s father had a family of his own, he branched out and bought the farm in Viroqua when Vesbach was 17 years old.

At rst, the family divided and conquered to farm both residences.

Vesbach stayed at the Muskego farm from spring through fall while his father moved to Viroqua to get the new farm ready. This included installing a bulk tank and, later on, a barn cleaner chain.

When Vesbach joined his father in Viroqua in the fall of 1976, they brought 14 Jersey cows with them.

The barn held 31 cows, so the family purchased enough to ll the barn. Between Vesbach, his three brothers and their father, they milked the 31 cows by hand for the whole rst year.

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Trent and Gerald Vesbach discuss plans for the day May 11 at their farm near Viroqua, Wisconsin. The pair milk 70 cows.

“My dad believed that if you kept your hands and minds busy on the farm then you didn’t have time for foolishness,” Vesbach said. “Plus, the 14 cows we moved here had never been milked with a machine.”

The family continued to make improvements to the Viroqua facilities by putting in a barn cleaner chain, adding on to the bull pen and installing fans.

In the meantime, Vesbach worked at another farm to learn how to milk with machines. He brought the knowledge home to use on his family’s farm.

By the time Vesbach graduated high school in 1977, the farm was up and running. Once Vesbach turned 18, his dad moved out, and Vesbach stayed to farm. His dad bought another farm to get Vesbach’s brother started in dairying. Once that farm was up and running, he bought a third farm near Richland Center for his youngest son to get started on.

“That was my dad’s theory,” Vesbach said. “He helped his boys and thought it was the girls’ husbands’ obligation to nance and get something from their family to make their deal happen.”

Vesbach said the worst he ever had to work through were the high interest rates in the 1980s.

“That was a struggle,” Vesbach said. “I just kept working hard.”

Vesbach said he did a little bit of everything to help work through the hard times. He did a lot of custom farming which included lling silos, picking ear corn, moldboard plowing and planting corn all while running his own farm. He also rented extra ground to make small square hay bales to sell for additional income.

While Vesbach is a dairy farmer through and through, his other passion lies in Minneapolis Moline tractors.

His uncle was a Minneapolis Moline dealer so that is what the family farmed with growing up. Vesbach owns two tractors from his childhood which he has since restored and uses every day.

Vesbach said he is happy being his own boss and credits his parents for helping him get started.

“I guess the long and the short of it is that I’m living the dream,” Vesbach said. “My parents were very good teachers.”

Like his father, Vesbach has passed the dream on to his sons. And so, the circle continues.

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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022

A day in the life of the Grewes Many hands help as family prepares for sale

By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

CUMBERLAND, Wis. – The month of May is lled with busy days on any Wisconsin dairy farm. This year, for the Grewe family of Valley Gem Farms, the month has been even more busy than normal as the family hosted the Generations of Gems sale

celebrating their family’s successes in breeding registered dairy cattle.

Valley Gem Farms is home to a 170-cow herd of Guernseys, Jerseys and Holsteins and is operated by Roy and Gina Grewe and their son and daughter-in-law, Brandon and Kim, near Cumberland.

They also farm 500 acres.

The morning of May 19 dawned cool, but the bustling

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

The Grewe family – (from leŌ) Roy, Gina, Brandon and Kim holding daughter Brynn – welcomes the crowd to their GeneraƟons of Gems sale May 21. The Grewe family operates Valley Gem Farm near Cumberland, Wisconsin where they milk 170 cows.

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Ethan Witscher pushes up feed before evening milking May 19 at Valley Gem Farm near Cumberland, Wisconsin.

activity in every corner of the farm warmed everyone up quickly.

On the main farm, the barn lights were turned on around 5 a.m., as Roy set about starting chores for the day. On the adjacent heifer farm where Brandon and Kim live, a full crew

set about caring for the nearly 90 additional animals housed at the farm for the week ahead of the sale set for May 21.

The Valley Gem herd has become a well-known breeding establishment in the last couple of years following the successes of Valley-Gem At-

las Malt EX-96, who is a twotime World Dairy Expo grand champion Guernsey.

“Last spring, we set a date and decided to go ahead and do it,” said Brandon of the sale as he waited for the skid Turn to GREWE | Page 16

Complete Auction Results at SteffesGroup.com

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Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 15

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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 N FL O O

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Con�nued from GREWE | Page 14

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OBERHOLTZER AUCTIONS Special Dairy & Heifer Sale

THURSDAY, June 2nd

Hay sale 10 am • Dairy cows 11 am

Complete Herd Dispersal

37 Holstein tie stall cows, 6 springing heifers, 8 short bred and ready to breed heifers. 100% ai breeding, individual DHIA records, regular herd health, used to headlocks and vaccinated. Herd is averaging 65 lbs, 180 scc. Several nice Red & Whites! From Curvin Weaver, Osage, IA

Other early consignments

16 Holstein tiestall cows in various stages of lactation, milking 70-112 lbs! 6 Holstein and crossbred springing heifers. 20 Holstein open heifers 450-700 lbs.

EXPECTING OUR USUAL RUN OF 400-500 HEAD 10:30 a.m. start time

Special Dairy Sale FRIDAY, JUNE 3RD Complete Dispersal

10:30 a.m. start time

250 Holstein Cows and approximately 40 heifers. (More details later on heifers) Parallel parlor, sand bedded free stalls. Many years AI breeding with Genex. Top 1/3 of cows, and all heifers, are bred sexed semen with the balance of cows bred beef. Moderate and large frame cows with capacity to milk! Currently averaging 65-70 lbs with 200 scc. Not on test but individuals clearly well over 100 lbs!! Many good young cows milking well and bred back. There are 30 some dry cows. Dry treated with Spectramast. Herd is on regular herd health, vaccination and hoof trimming schedule. This herd had a 30,000 lb rolling herd average in the past. Currently they are not being fed for that production level but the genetics and frames certainly could still support that production level.EXCELLENT BUYING OPPORTUNITY!! Coming from Seehafers, Hwy 97 Marshfield ADVANCE NOTICE

Special Feeder Cattle, Beef Cow & Breeding Bull Sale THURSDAY, June 9th

High quality compl complete ete herd dispersal!

75 Holstein dairy cows, many years AI breeding. Freestall housed, milked in flatbarn parlor. Herd is averaging 75 lbs, 150 scc, 4.0F, 3.2P fed high forage TMR and on pasture. Majority of cows are first, second and third lactation. Many extreme fancy young cows including several red and whites!! Entire Herd tested negative for Mycoplasma and Staph. Excellent opportunity to buy good young cows! From Randy Yorkson, Waupaca

Other Early Consignments

16 Purebred Black Angus bulls. 14-16 months old, big enough for cows, will be semen tested. Nichols Genetics, EXCELLENT QUALITY!!

Red & White Lineback bull, Larix son, proven, big enough for cows THESE COWS SELL:

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Kirs�e Langrehr (le�), of West Salem, Wisconsin, and David Petersheim, of Viroqua, Wisconsin, clip sale animals on May 19 at the Grewes’ farm near Cumberland, Wisconsin. loader to drive by with a load of fresh shavings for the pack. “We have a lot of positive things going on with our own genetics. We have been very successful at shows the last couple of years, especially with Malt’s successes. And our friends and peers in the industry were great, giving us their very best for consignments.”

After helping get the youngest calves cared for, Kim headed off to drop their daughter, Brynn, at daycare and then purchased a booster to improve internet at the sale location.

“We took videos of some of the lots yesterday, and we weren’t able to get anything to load, so now that all has to be done today,” Kim said. “Plus, we have Cowbuyer providing live bidding during the sale, so our internet has to be top-notch.”

After milking was completed and all the feed was delivered, Roy ran to town to pick up new hy-

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Dr. Veronica Schommer (le�) and Kim Grewe verify health papers for the sale consignments May 19 near Cumberland, Wisconsin.

“We have a lot of positive things going on with our own genetics. And our friends and peers in the industry were great, giving us their very best for consignments.”

BRANDON GREWE, VALLEY GEM FARMS

ADVANCE NOTICE

MACHINERY AUCTION TUESDAY, JULY 26TH

Live on-site and online bidding with Equipmentfacts Consign early to take advantage of our nationwide advertising!

Our March sale was quite successful and we expect more of the same!!

SALEs SCHEDULE

draulic hoses for the chisel plow. Then, he got ready for the custom planter that was due to come later in the day.

“When Brandon and Kim set the date for May 21, we had gured we’d have the corn in, but that hasn’t been the case this year. So, we’ll just have to work that in with everything else,” Roy said.

Once Roy got the new hoses on, he headed to the elds for several hours before needing to stop again for afternoon chores.

Dairy & Hay sale EVERY Thursday starting with hay @ 10:00 followed by Dairy Cows @ 11:00 sharp, then bred heifers, open heifers and feeders followed by calves, market bulls, fat cattle and cull cows. Special feeder sale 2nd & 4th Thursday.

WATCH OUR SALE ONLINE AT WWW.CATTLEUSA.COM

DANIELLE NAUMAN /DAIRY STAR

Fred Williams, of Mable, Minnesota, cooks lunch on the grill for the sale staff on May 19.

JWO NOTES & MARKET REPORT:

A man was telling me the benefits of self medicating with Ivermectin. In his mind it’s a cure for cancer, covid, Lyme disease and who knows what else. Maybe even worms. He’s drinking the injectable product several times a day. I thought, I bet if he’d administer it according to label he’d declare himself cured a lot quicker! Dairy cows sold higher today. Top organic Fleckvieh cows $3,600, $3,200 Lowell Volkert, New Richmond. Conventional Holsteins $2,400 Jacob Troyer, Cashton. $2,300 Michael Martin, Colby. $2,300, $2,200 Rick Demmer, Ellendale, MN. Many good cows sold $1,4002,100. Sringing Holstein heifers $1,250-1,800. Opens $75-110. Single birth Holstein heifer calves $45-60. 8 Fleckvieh heifer calves $400-700. Breeding Bulls $600-1,500. Market Bulls $90-102.

Choice and Prime Holstein steers and Heifers $122-130. Select $108-114. Holstein feeder steers $90-115. Cross breds up to $140. Holstein bull calves much lower, mostly $15-75. Beef cross bull and heifer calves $150-295 NT. 22% of Market cows sold $80-86.50. Top Holstein 1770 lbs @ $89. 50% sold $70-79.50. Sold 30 organic market cows. Mostly $101-116. 3x4x8 Alfalfa $210. 3x3x8 Alfalfa $95-110. Rounds and squares grass $45-70. Oatlage $15-25. Baleage $30-37.50. 3x4x8 wheat straw $85. Thanks for your continued business! If you are thinking of buying or selling cattle, please call us for a free consultation on current market values.

Back over at the heifer farm, six tters worked together to clip animals in two grooming chutes. Several other members kept the animals clean and eating hay. Brandon elded a bevy of calls about the animals selling. Kim’s sister,

Sale Location: W1461 State Hwy 98, Loyal, WI 54446 From Spencer, WI take Hwy 98 west 5 miles. From Loyal, 5 miles east on 98

SALE CONDUCTED BY:

Oberholtzer Dairy Cattle & Auction Co. Auctioneer: Mark Oberholtzer, WI license #2882-052 John Oberholtzer 715-216-1897 • Mark Oberholtzer 715-773-2240 John Ivan Oberholtzer 715-219-2781 • Office 715-255-9600 www.oberholtzerauctions.com

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Roy Grewe shuts gates a�er bedding the pack barn at Valley Gem Farm May 19 near Cumberland, Wisconsin.

Turn to GREWE | Page 17

Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 17

ConƟnued from GREWE | Page 16 Shannon Kleiboeker, and the couple’s friend, Katie Schmitt, took videos of consignments to post on social media.

While sale-week preparations were going smoothly for the Grewe family, the early days of sale planning had been fraught with second thoughts that had left them wondering if they should proceed following Brynn’s bout with a serious urinary tract infection that led to sepsis and the eventual amputation of portions of her

legs, feet and hands.

“We didn’t really know what to do about the sale,” Kim said. “We talked about it as a family a lot last summer while Brynn was in the hospital, and we decided that if there was any way to move forward with it, that was the right choice.”

Around lunchtime, Roy encountered his second snafu in less than 24 hours, having issues with an alternator repair that had recently been made

on the tractor.

Not one to let grass grow under his feet, Roy moved onto the next project at hand, making his parts run dualpurpose. He picked up the pig that would be roasted in the pre-sale hospitality event May 20.

“At least I have enough ground ready to keep the custom planter busy for a while until I can get up and running again,” Roy said.

Once he returned with

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Kelli Lehman feeds calves at Valley Gem Farm the aŌernoon of May 19 near Cumberland, Wisconsin.

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Roy Grewe xes hydraulic hoses on the chisel plow before heading to the elds May 19 at his farm near Cumberland, Wisconsin.

the pig, Roy got out the bedding chopper and added bedding to the pack barn where many of the herd’s top cows live and then spent time walking through the barns to check cows.

As evening chores approached, two of the farm’s employees arrived to begin the tasks associated with evening chores. Kelli Lehman lled calf bottles. High school student employee Ethan Witscher stopped at the heifer farm on his way to work to look over the consignments then he headed to the pasture to start bringing cows back to the barn for the evening milking before

pushing up feed.

After the pre-milking chores were completed, Lehman and Witscher began milking while Roy worked on getting the tractor up and running again. Up the road, the sale crew set about the task of leading the heifers to water, xing the bedding packs and feeding more hay.

As the sun began to sink into the evening sky, the Grewe family and their crew gathered to enjoy another home-cooked meal and fellowship while enjoying the rewarding feeling that comes from accomplishing much from a long day of work.

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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022

Other duties as assigned

Internship takes me rock picking

By Maggie Molitor Staff Writer

Only two weeks into my summer internship, and I found myself shing out boulders in the middle of a eld in Todd County, Minnesota. My internship was supposed to get me off the farm, but little did I know that when I signed my contract to work at Dairy Star, “and other duties” would include rock picking.

Every year, Dairy Star hosts a Rock Pickers for a Day contest. Dairy farmers enter to win four hours of free rock picking compliments of the newspaper and Magni Financial. This year, Donnie and Carolyn Middendorf of Long Prairie, Minnesota, won. As the summer intern, I had the honor of partaking in the annual tradition by being on the rock-picking crew.

Growing up on a dairy farm myself, I am no stranger to everyone’s favorite spring tradition. So, I traded in my dress pants, laced up my sneakers and was ready to get picking with a smile on my face.

Rock picking was one of the rst things since starting my internship that I was asked to do and knew exactly how to do it. In the two weeks since I have started, I have learned more than I could have imagined which is wonderful; however, being asked to do a mundane task like rock picking felt comfortable and gave

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Rock pickers from Magni Financial and Dairy Star – (from le�) Evan Welle, Marcus Berscheid, Tony Roggenbuck, Kevin Uphoff, Jennifer Coyne, Maggie Molitor, Grace Jeurissen, Dale Job, Brad Herkenhoff – stand near a load of rocks they picked for dairy farmers Rachel and Donnie Middendorf May 20 at the Middendorfs’ farm near Long Prairie, Minnesota.

The crew picked 10 loads of rocks in four hours. Not pictured is Mark Klaphake. me condence.

That condence quickly departed as soon as I stepped foot onto the rockiest eld I had ever seen. No matter the task I do at Dairy Star, I get to experience something new. I was crazy to think my day would be anything less than exciting.

We had two wagons running parallel with each other that had ve people picking on each. Donnie drove one of the tractors while his daughter Rachel drove the other.

The night before it rained 3/10 an inch, which was just enough to make it

challenging to sh the rocks from the soil. Those who had pitchforks remained popular among the group because they could defy the grips of the dirt and pry

Turn to ROCK PICKING | Page 19

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Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 19

Con�nued from ROCK PICKING | Page 18

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the rocks to the surface. hauled 10 loads of rocks from one of the Despite the tremendous amounts of Middendorfs’ elds. rocks that glittered the eld, we could After the long day of picking, Caronot have asked for a more beautiful day lyn grilled us delicious hamburgers and to accomplish the rigorous task. It was hotdogs along with providing various re60 degrees and sunny with a perfect mid- freshments. It is amazing how the dirt unmorning breeze. der my ngernails becomes a nonexistent Additionally, we got to spend the issue when the smell of barbecue wafts morning picking rocks next to some very through the air after a long day of work. lovely ladies grazing on rye. It is hard not When I returned home that evening, to stare at the brilliant bovines munching my dad was curious to hear about what away and sunbathing, but the loud thun- lled my day at Dairy Star that could der of the rocks piling up in the wagon possibly make my jeans caked with dirt. was quick to snap me back into reality.

I proudly told him about my day’s advenWe made it barely a quarter mile into ture in the eld. the eld before we had two heaping loads My dad grinned and replied to me, of rocks ready to be carried out. I found “Perfect, you are all practiced up and myself seriously questioning whether ready to pick rocks for me next weekthey purposefully grow rocks in Todd end.”

County.

At home, picking rocks is an entirely different experience. We have fewer rocks, much sandier soil, and my sisters and I make up our rock-picking team.

While the banter is always one of the best parts of picking rocks together, it can often be joined with petty squabbles. Like most families, the ghting stops as soon as someone gets bored of being upset or a big enough rock comes along that we need to work together to hoist it into the wagon.

At the Middendorfs’ farm, the 10-person rock-picking crew was much different than the all-female crew I grew up MAGGIE MOLITOR/DAIRY STAR with. I quickly became accus- Tony Roggenbuck hoists rocks into the wagon tomed to the benets of rock with his pitchfork May 20 at the Middendorfs’ picking alongside strong men. farm near Long Prairie, Minnesota.

We made a fantastic team and

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Magni Financial employees – (from le�) Brad Herkenhoff, Tony Roggenbuck and Kevin Uphoff – use their pitchforks to pick up rocks and toss them into the wagon May 20 at the Middendorfs’ farm near Long Prairie, Minnesota.

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Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 21

Desc.

Large Rounds Large Rounds Large Rounds Large Rounds Large Rounds Large Rounds Large Rounds Large Rounds Large Rounds Large Squares Large Squares Large Squares Large Squares Large Squares Large Squares Large Squares Large Squares Large Squares Large Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Small Rounds

moisture protein RFV 12.17 6.48 57.64 14.58 15.67 99.08 13.1 15.03 92.02 16.69 18.48 124.26 30.98 7.25 66.79 NO TEST 15.4 22.58 161.5 15.89 24.46 160.64 15.66 21.72 150.7 12.06 17.83 148.66 11.92 19.69 163.04 10.15 21.94 173.37 10.49 19.89 147.95 12.06 17.83 148.66 11.03 16.04 111.51 12.93 19.14 165.88 14.37 17.81 142.87 12.52 21.83 177.01 15.52 22.26 195.77 14.83 17.84 112.28 12.92 18.74 148.99 13.91 20.29 166.69 13.19 16.72 140.05 14.77 21.26 152.94 14.7 18.32 110.77 12.46 14.3 100.31 12.25 14.65 107.23 11.01 13.93 102.34 11.35 18.63 147.08 NO TEST 16.38 13.99 106.75 12.48 20.61 175.13 15.8 15.83 110.8 15.56 17.52 104.42

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Ld. size 21.59 26.25 26.26 10.57 8.66 23.56 16.4 16.4 9.39 9.81 25.76 25.89 25.67 21.97 23.34 26.79 21.79 25.64 27.49 23.92 24.44 24.8 21.12 26.07 9.06 23.95 22.42 21.39 27.59 24.2 17.65 25.45 9.37 10.52

3

price $170.00 $200.00 $200.00 $225.00 $150.00 $235.00 $225.00 $220.00 $235.00 $240.00 $260.00 $260.00 $235.00 $250.00 $225.00 $225.00 $240.00 $270.00 $235.00 $210.00 $225.00 $235.00 $225.00 $235.00 $225.00 $210.00 $225.00 $230.00 $260.00 $230.00 $215.00 $250.00 $225.00 $225.00

Lot no.

339 300 342 305 306 308 317 337 333 335 340

Desc.

moisture protein

Small Rounds

19.72

Large Rounds Large Squares Large Squares Large Squares Large Squares Large Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares Medium Squares

cut.

Ld. size

3

18.92 9.86 7.2 25.38 25.06 25.05 23.44 24.01 28 72 80

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June 2, 2022 July 7, 2022

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Lot no.

302 316 318 323 332 298 315 331 338 303 310 313 314 319 341 304 322 307 330 311 312 321 327 334 320 325 326 329 336 299 301 309 324 328

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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022

REPORTS

Crop and Weather

Lake Wilson, MN (Murray County)

CHUCK HILL

ROSS NELSON

250 cows, 320 acres

0.05” 4”

2.8” 2.1”

2.6”

1.4” 2.2”

3.75”

0.75”

0.8”

1.3”

0.75” 1.1”

0.1”

Melrose, MN (Stearns County)

DAVE THEILER

Waubun,MN

(Mahnomen County) TRAVIS BLY

40 cows, 340 acres

We are almost done planting. After today (May 24) we will just have 40 acres of corn to put in. We started RAINFALL May 15-16. I have two TOTALS loads of manure to Last 2 Weeks haul today, then I will work that field and plant. A lot of people 4” are done with corn but there are soybeans to plant yet. The fields Since April 1 are in good shape 7.45” except for some low spots that we will plant around.

The alfalfa looks good, except for some low spots. I think we will see some hay cutting this weekend.

100 cows, 540 acres

The planting season is winding down really fast around here. The corn is almost done and the soybeans RAINFALL are 70%-80% done. TOTALS A lot of seed went Last 2 Weeks in early this week.

The planting is a little slower north of me. Some guys did 2.1” soybeans before corn because the fields Since April 1 weren’t ready. The 4.8” alfalfa looks good except for an older stand and we might interseed some grass into that. Yesterday (May 23) and today, the water trucks were running pretty heavy.

Around here, most farmers have their crops in, or at least corn with soybeans to go in. We got our corn in and have sorghum-sudan RAINFALL grass to plant yet, we TOTALS hope to plant that the Last 2 Weeks next time it dries up. It’s been washing because of the hard rain we got a couple weeks ago and has been cool and wet, but the forecast is supposed to warm Since April 1 up to 80 degrees. The 6.55” ground is also kind of hard now, so we are hoping this rain today softens things up. Other farmers are also talking about cutting hay next week so we’ll see what the rain chances are and if we can get our sorghum-sudan grass planted first.

Green Isle, MN

Milbank, SD

(Sibley County)

BRENT ZIEGLER

300 cows, 430 acres

3.75”

(Grant County)

RICHARD SCHWEER

300 cows, 650 acres

We finished manure three or four days ago. We had pit and pack manure to haul.

Then, we started RAINFALL working the fields. TOTALS We haven’t done Last 2 Weeks any small grains yet.

The field conditions are pretty good. The standing water has 0.05” disappeared. We are hoping to plant corn Since April 1 today. If everything 6.35” goes well, we should be done with corn in three to four days. The hay is coming along pretty good and is probably 10 days out.

Altura, MN

(Winona County)

41 cows, 205 acres

We finished hauling manure May 11. The ground was wet so we worked it, let it air out for two days and worked it again. We’ve RAINFALL been planting hard. We TOTALS started planting May Last 2 Weeks 16-17, then we got rained out and started again May 22. We plan to dig one field of 2.2” alfalfa after we pump our manure one more Since April 1 time. We have to plant 5.5” corn on that ground.

The triticale looks really good and is responding to the fertilizer we put on.

We have soybeans that we will put on the triticale ground. The alfalfa is coming really fast.

There has been some corn planted in our area, but it’s generally been too wet to get much of anything RAINFALL done. We’ll get a day TOTALS or two of nice weather Last 2 Weeks and then it will rain just enough to shut us down. There has been a lot of alfalfa 2.8” winterkill in our area.

One dairy farmer lost Since April 1 1,700 acres of his 6.3” 2,000 acres of alfalfa.

We hope to start cutting hay this week if the weather cooperates.

We lost some shingles and part of a pole shed in the May 12 derecho.

Turn to CROP REPORTS | Page 23

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Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 23

ConƟnued from CROP REPORTS | Page 22

Independence, IA (Buchanan County)

RICK MILLER

Larchwood, IA (Lyon County)

KEVIN KNAPP

130 cows, 269 acres

140 cows, 160 acres

We are busier than heck. My son-inlaw who has 3,500 acres is done with his corn. We started RAINFALL planting May 21 and TOTALS should finish today Last 2 Weeks (May 24). Most people around here are done with corn 0.1” and soybeans and are putting on liquid nitrogen. You can Since April 1 3.8” row a lot of corn and soybean fields. The rye looks good. We plan to round bale and wrap it on Friday. The hay looks good. I saw one guy mowing some down May 21. We could use a little rain.

I would guess that 90% of the corn and soybeans are planted in my area. Emergence in the corn looks RAINFALL good, although some TOTALS rotary hoes have Last 2 Weeks been brought out of retirement due to crusting. Some of the early planted 1.3” soybeans had spotty emergence and a few of our neighbors are Since April 1 3.9” replanting. The May 12 derecho caused substantial damage in our area.

Thankfully, we only had a few downed branches on our farm. We finished planting our silage corn last week and plan to put in our field corn during the next few days.

Reedsburg, WI

Wausaukee, WI

(Sauk County)

(Marinette County)

HENRY BAUER

JAMIE HAAG

We are dry. All the storms have been dancing around us.

The little rain we have had was just enough RAINFALL to settle the dust. We TOTALS have our corn fields Last 2 Weeks ready, and are hoping to finish planting this week. We are about 60% done with corn 0.75” planting. To get our corn ground ready, we spread compost Since April 1 mixed with calcium 5.75” on our corn fields and then a gypsum 50/50 blend. Some neighbors have harvested rye. No hay fields have been cut around us yet, but the alfalfa is tall and everyone is itching to get that done.

(Jackson County)

(Barron County) CLAYTON & KURT WOHLK

NATHAN KLING

530 cows, 1,700 acres

60 cows, 330 acres

We have had about 1.4 RAINFALL inches of rain here in the TOTALS last two weeks, but you Last 2 Weeks don’t have to travel far to find some very differing totals. There were some bad storms just south of us Thursday (May 19), with some large hail and wind damage. Since April 1 It is raining again this 4.55” morning (May 25). We have all of our corn and beans in and they are emerging. Depending on how much rain we get today, we are hoping to start cutting rye and some early grass either Thursday or Friday.

We aren’t going to plan on alfalfa until after we get the rye harvested. We still need to get our pumpkins planted too.

1.4”

The sun is shining which is always good.

We are working on planting corn. We have about 80 acres in so RAINFALL far and hope to get 100 TOTALS acres in today, May 24. Last 2 Weeks Our goal is to finish planting corn by the end of the week. In my area, conventional corn 0.8” planting seems to be wrapping up. We hope to start first crop of hay Since April 1 3.8” next week. There are 40 acres that are in poor standing. We will take the first crop off and then put it into corn this year.

It has been on the cold side here with a light frost Monday morning. Our cows went out on grass on Sunday for the first time this year.

Brodhead, WI

Kewaunee, WI

(Green County)

(Kewaunee County)

ZACH WENGER

240 Cows, 750 acres

220 cows, 520 acres

Taylor, WI

Almena, WI

DUANE DUCAT

400 cows, 1,675 acres

We have had 2.6 inches of rain in the last two weeks, but just south of us they have had over 5 inches. This RAINFALL morning (May 25), we TOTALS are still dry but the rain Last 2 Weeks is coming. We finished our corn yesterday and we have all of our manure hauled. 2.6” We are getting ready to start cutting hay Since April 1 5.55” maybe on Memorial Day. There have been some Marinette County tests that are running about 225 Relative Feed Value. The hay looks really nice and in some places is over knee high.

As of May 24, we had 20 acres of beans left that we were hoping to get done in the next day or two and 100 RAINFALL acres of corn to do. TOTALS We made 120 acres Last 2 Weeks of alfalfa so far. We chopped that May 23, including the piece 1.1” we plan to put corn on. We took triticale off May 19, which we Since April 1 6.8” chopped. As of May 24, we had 300 acres of first-crop hay left that we were hoping to start cutting by the end of the week. Some neighbors have started cutting hay also.

1,600 cows, 2,500 acres

We started planting corn May 12. We planted 800 acres and have 500 to go that we’re hoping to get done by Memorial RAINFALL Day weekend. We no TOTALS tilled most of our corn Last 2 Weeks into a green cover crop and also planted some corn into conventionally tilled ground. There 0.75” is a lot of corn in the area just spiking out Since April 1 3.75” of the ground that was no tilled and a lot of conventionally tilled corn that’s come up pretty quick. We’ll probably be starting to harvest hay later in the week of May 29.

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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022

Dairy woman farms the old-fashioned way Next Feeder Special June 15th

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ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Jim Wilkinson and Janice Lockman visit a favorite cow, Fauna, May 18. Lockman milks 38 cows near Arena, Wisconsin.

Lockman carries on family tradition

By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

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ARENA, Wis. – Janice Lockman has been managing her farm from a very young age. At 12-years-old, her father suffered a second stroke which left him without the use of his left arm. As the only child left at home at the time, Lockman took it upon herself to help her father.

“I couldn’t put it all on my mother’s shoulders,” Lockman said. “I followed (my dad) around like a puppy dog and learned to do things. And, I just stayed at it.”

Lockman milks 38 cows in a stanchion barn near Arena. Cows are milked with Surge buckets and a Step-Saver, and the milk is shipped to the cheese factory nearby. She considers herself a frugal, low maintenance person and said it has worked well for her for more than 40 years.

“We do everything the old-fash-

ioned way,” Lockman said. “I don’t have to make payments on all these new things.”

Lockman’s husband of 10 years, Jim Wilkinson, helps with chores but insists Lockman is the boss.

“My husband has been an excellent partner,” Lockman said.

Cows are fed small square bales of hay, corn silage and grain. When the small square bales run short, Lockman has more than 100 round bales which she feeds by pulling them apart with a pitch fork and hauling them into the barn. The cows are also let out to graze when weather allows.

Lockman’s cows are all bred by A.I. and calve year-round. Fresh cows are given a shot of oxytocin to prevent uterine prolapses and a calcium supplement as well. Fresh cows are milked right away, and colostrum is fed to the new calf. Calves are raised in pens in the barn.

A typical day for Lockman includes chores, eldwork and machinery maintenance. A lot of skills she learned at a young age are serving her well. She will cut, rake and bale hay and chop corn to

Turn to LOCKMAN | Page 25

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Tues., June 7

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with hay/straw, baby calves, feeder cattle, replacement cattle, goats, sheep, hogs, fat and slaughter cattle

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tfn

Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 25

ConƟnued from LOCKMAN | Page 24                                                             

                                                       

                                                               

                                              

2100 and 3100 series action Rakes

FORWARD

• 8, 10, and 12-wheel models • Patented KWIK PIKTM system for immediate clearance of windrows when raised Gold Level Award 2021 Dealer’s Choice

(DFK UDNH ZKHHO ÁRDWV independently

8200 series Wide Body Forage boxes

• Adjustable hitch

ȧ ȧ DOXPLQL]HG PRGHOV DQG ȧ ȧ ÀEHUJODVV UHLQIRUFHG plywood models 1(: GXDO JDWH GHOD\ RQ DOO WIDE BODY models

0D[LPL]H EDOHDJH \LHOG ZLWK less time and effort

•Patented Center Drive System

•Wrap round or square bales $XWRPDWLF RSHUDWLQJ PRGH DOORZV 1-person operation ,QGHSHQGHQW +RQGD L*; JDV SRZHUHG HQJLQH ZLWK HOHFWULF VWDUW

LW1100 Linewrap bale wrapper

FIND A DEALER hsmfgco.com/dealer

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEALER TODAY! • Marks Tractor & Implement

Osage & Dumont, IA

• Roeder Implement, Inc. Dubuque, IA

• Birkey’s Farm Store

• Midwest Machinery Co.

• East Side Farm

• D&D Equipment

Polo, IL

Equipment Monroe, WI

Wadena & Little Falls, MN Chilton, WI

• Caledonia Implement

• Helle Farm

• Del-Clay Farm

Dyersville, IA

Edgewood, IA

• Northland Farm

• Ironhide Equipment

Owatonna, MN

Equipment, Inc. • Scott Implement Platteville, WI

Equipment

Bemidji, MN

Caledonia, MN

Systems

• Hammell Equipment

Chat¿eld, Eitzen, Harmony, & Rushford, MN

• Kalmes Implement

• Melrose Implement Melrose, MN

• Lake Henry

Implement

Altura, MN

Paynesville, MN

• Marzolf Implement

• Schlauderaff

Spring Valley, MN

• Lano Equipment

of Norwood Norwood, MN

Implement

Litch¿eld, MN

• Value Implement

Arcadia, Baldwin, Menomonie & Osseo, WI

Page 26 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022

BE A CAL F fee din g

EXPERT! LIKE ME!!!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CALF EXPERT AUTOMATIC CALF FEEDER CONTACT YOUR LOCAL CALF STAR DEALER TODAY! Wisconsin:

Midwest Livestock Systems Abts Equipment LLC New Franken (920) 866-2485 Menomonie (715) 235-5144 Gillett (920) 866-2485 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon (920) 960-9260 Argall Dairy Systems, Inc. Belleville (608) 424-6110 The Scharine Group Inc. Platteville (608) 348-3385 Whitewater (608) 883-2880 Gehring Sales & Service, Inc. Tri-County Dairy Supply Inc. Rubicon (262) 673-4920 Janesville (608) 757-2697 Joe’s Refrigeration, Inc. Iowa: Withee (715) 229-2321 Langs Dairy Equipment Decorah (563) 382-8722 Leedstone, Inc. Menomonie (866) 467-4717 Precision Dairy Equipment Elkader (563) 245-2560

Minnesota:

Gorter’s Clay & Dairy Equipment, Inc. Pipestone (507) 825-3271 Leedstone, Inc. Melrose (888) 267-2697 Glencoe (877) 864-5575 Plainview (800) 548-5240 Midwest Livestock Systems Zumbrota (507) 732-4673

South Dakota: Midwest Livestock Systems Renner (605) 274-3656

Dairy Recipes

Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 27

Peterson Manufacturing Corp.

QUALITY CATTLE FEEDERS AND BALE CARRIERS SINCE 1959.

From the kitchen of Mary Adamson, Milton, Wisconsin

Rhubarb dream 1 cup flour 1/2 cup butter 5 tablespoons powdered sugar 2 eggs beaten

1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups diced rhubarb

Mix flour, butter and powdered sugar until crumbly and pat into a 9-by-13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until set. Then mix together remaining ingredients. Pour over the crust and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve when completely cooled.

2-Stall A.I. Trailer

715-823-6483 www.petersonbuilt.com

Egg Strata 6 pieces of bread buttered on one side.

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese 1 pound bacon or sausage browned and crumbled 3 eggs

2 cups milk 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoon dry mustard Diced green pepper and onion, diced

Place the bread buttered side down in a 9-by-13 cake pan. And cover it with the cheese and bacon or sausage. Mix together the remaining ingredients.

Pour over the bread mixture and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Premier Livestock & Auctions LLC

Office: 715-229-2500 Ken Stauffer 715-559-8232 Rocky Olsen 715-721-0079 Travis Parr 715-828-2454

N13438 STATE HWY 73 • WITHEE, WI 54498 SELLING MARKET CATTLE AND CALVES 4 DAYS A ONLINE BIDDERS AND BUYERS REGISTER AT CATTLEUSA.COM WEEK, MON.-THURS!

+ + + + MEMORIAL DAY HOURS + + + +

OfÀce closed on Monday May 30, 2021 ~~~ Barn open to receive cattle and machinery~~~

HAY & STRAW AUCTIONS Wednesdays at 9:30!

Hay & Straw sold by the bale!

FEEDER CATTLE AUCTION Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at 11 am EXPECTING 200 HEAD!

NEXT SPECIAL FEEDER CATTLE, BRED BEEF COW AND BEEF BREEDING BULL AUCTION Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at 11 am

EXPECTING 500-600 HEAD! ALL BRED BEEF COWS AND BRED BEEF HEIFERS need to be in by 9:30am morning of the sale for preg checks!

No feed charge for cattle dropped off the night before!

Light caramels 2 cups white sugar 3/4 cup white corn syrup 1/4 cup butter

DAIRY CATTLE AUCTION Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at 11:00am

2 cups whipping cream 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a 4-quart heavy saucepan, heat the butter, sugar, corn syrup and one of the pints of whipping cream on medium heat and bring to a rolling boil. Then, add the second pint of whipping cream and the vanilla. Bring this to 248 degrees exactly on a candy thermometer.

Pour into a well-greased 8-by-8 pan and cool. Once cooled, loosen the sides and put upside down on a wooden cutting board. Wipe off the excess grease and start cutting into bite size pieces. Wrap the pieces in wax paper and enjoy.

We BUY, SELL, TRADE used dairy equipment and milk tanks WE SPECIALIZE IN USED DAIRY EQUIPMENT.

Milking machine equipment, bulk milk tanks and cooling equipment. Give us a call, we will be glad to help you with any of your milking machine or bulk tank needs.

We also BUY your used equipment and milk tanks.

SALVAGE HOUSE

424 Third Street, Fullerton, NE 68638 • 800-844-5427

Prevent costly falls before they occur We offer grooving & scarifying!

BEST FOOTING CONCRETE GROOVING

Strum, WI

715-579-0531

www.bestfootingconcretegrooving.com

COMPLETE RETIREMENT HERD DISPERSAL#1 70 Holstein Dairy Cows, tiestall, outside daily! Cows sell on test, avg 77# with top cows milking 90-125# 150scc. Over 50 years of TOP Genex sires used. Extensive vaccination program.

Approximately (13) nice young springing cows. Coming from James Schweers, Greenwood, WI COMPLETE RETIREMENT HERD DISPERSAL #2 30 Holstein Dairy Cows, milked in stanchions, not pushed avg.

58# 4.1BF 3.3P scc 175, many years AI but currently bred to Holstein Bulls. Coming from Monroe County MORE CONSIGNED DAIRY COWS 14 Holstein Dairy Cows, recent fresh, all fresh 2 year olds, parlor/ freestall, milking 75- 110# full vaccination program, reputation consignor! Coming from Udderful Dairy, Olsen Farms SPRINGING HEIFERS 11 FANCY Springing Heifers! Freestall/headlock adapted. Out of a 5th generation 117 year family farm! Dairy herd averaged 90# on 2x!!! AI many many years through Select Sires with 20 years on a full mapped mating program. Herd was #6 on ofÀcial test in Trempealeau County. Owners previously sold their tremendous herd of dairy cows at Premier and now selling heifers as they get close. NICE set of heifers! Spreestra Dairy, Whitehall, WI DAIRY BULLS Purebred Ayrshire Bull, 18 months old, proven, sired by Rockstar, dam EX90 Burdette Gypsy NICE! Coming from Brueggen Farms We are expecting our usual run of reputation consignments of fresh dairy cows, springing heifers and dairy bulls!

MACHINERY AUCTION

Friday, June 17, 2022 Selling in 2 FULL LINES OF EQUIPMENT CONSIGNED! 3 rings!

Consign your machinery early!

ADVERTISING DEADLINE - Tuesday, May 31st CONSIGNMENT DEADLINE - Monday, June 6th Onsite auction with online bidding through equipmentfacts.com.

We have Nationwide Buyers!

Used farm machinery selling at record highs, tremendous demand! ***NO onsite buyers premium*** MUCH MORE INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE!!!

Visit our website or scan the code for a direct link to our website! www.premierlivestockandauctions.com

Page 28 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 28, 2022

HARDWORKING. JOB-TESTED. COMMITTED.

HARVEST FASTER>>>

The LW1100 In-LineBale Wrapper features a new EFI engine for fuel savings, and an updated hydraulic system

RT Track Loaders feature pilot joystick controls with the exclusive IdealTrax™ automatic track tensioning system and the IdealAccess™ fold-up door.

For more info visit:

for faster wrapping!

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USED SKIDSTEERS

TRACTORS ‘19 Kubota B2650, 3 Spd Hydro, 26HP Dsl, Soft Cab, Ldr, Frt Mount Snowblower, Excel Cond, 83 hrs.$27,000

MANURE HANDLING Kuhn Knight 8141, 28 X 26 Tires, 4100 Gal ................................$35,900 ‘17 Gehl R220, H-Ctrl, Dsl, 2500 Lift Cap,C&H, 2 Spd, 2660 Hrs. - $33,500 Kuhn Knight 8132, 3200 Gal, 600 Bu, Lid, hinges on the left ..... $19,800 ‘12 Kuhn Knight 8132, 425 Tires, 3200 gal ................................. $24,900 ‘16 Kuhn Knight SLC141, 4100 gal, 700 bu, Hyd LH Lid ................$48,700 NH 185, 540 PTO....................... $7,300 ‘21 NH 195, upper beater, Hyd Dr $23,500 ‘09 Meyer 8865, 1 3/4 1000 PTO, 28x 26 Tires ........................... $23,900 ‘20 Mustang 1900R, H/F Ctrls, Dsl, H&S 560, 560 Cu Ft, Upper Beater, 2200 Lift Cap, C&H, 2 Spd, 2,800 hrs - $33,500 Hyd Drive, Endgate, Twin Apron T-Bar Chain .............................. $14,800 (3) Gehl R220, many options ..........................Start at $11,850 ‘05 H&S 370, 370 Bu, Top Beater .............................. $10,800 Gehl 4640E, T-Bar Ctrls, Oil Cooled Dsl, Single Spd, 1,900 hrs ........ $17,500 ‘16 Mustang 2100RT, ISO JS Ctrls, Dsl, 17” Tracks, Lift Cap 2100 At 35% Tipping Or 3000 At 50% Tipping, C/H.A, 2 Spd, 1440 hrs. .................................. $45,250 ‘16 Mustang 1900R, Dual H Ctrls, D, 2000 Lift Cap, C&H, 2 spd, 2380 hrs . $34,900 ‘21 Mustang 1500R, H/F Ctrls, Dsl,1600 ‘17 Meyers 3465, 465 Bu, Lift Cap, C & H, 2,540 hrs, New Rims, upper beater, hyd dr - $21,500 Tires And Bucket, Warranty Expires At 3000 Hours Or 2/1/2023 ........... $32,500 ‘18 Mustang 1500R H/F Ctrls, D, C&H, 3205 hrs .......................... $26,800 ‘19 Mustang 1500R, H/FCtrls, D, 1600 Lift w/ Weight Kit, C&H, 2850 hrs ................................... $26,800 NH L225, pilot/H pattern ctrls, Balzer 3350, 1 year old pump, Hi-Flow hyd, 2 Spd, 2,360 hrs .. $27,800 injectors, tank has been replaced ‘97 Mustang 2050, T-Bar Ctrls, D, $11,900 1550 Lift Cap, 5,080 hrs ........... $12,900

MANURE HANDLING

H&S 310, 540 PTO, 295/75-22.5 Tires ..........................$9,600

USED TMRS/MIXERS ‘13 Penta 7520SD, 750 Cu. Ft., 8” Rubber Ext, Frt Sliding Flat Conv., Dual Direction Unload ........... $25,500 ‘12 Penta 6720HD, 670 Cu Ft, 2’ LH Stainless Steel Flip-Up Conveyor, Rear Lts, 9” rubber ext, 2 Spd drive............................ $25,900 ‘15 Penta 4130, 450 Cubic Feet, 3’ Right Hand Conveyor ............ $22,900 AUTOMATIC ATG1200B, 1200 bu/ hr, 24” Rolls, 54” Blower, Hyd U Trough Swing Auger, Ear Corn Cob Crusher ................................... $8,500 ‘16 Penta 4130, Dual Truck Tires, 430 CuFt, 4’ RH Conveyor ..... $20,900 ‘14 Penta 5020SD, 500 CuFt, 4’ RH Discharge, Tall Rubber Ext .... $24,900 ‘15 SAC 6160 Turbo Max, 600 CuFt, Turbo Paddle Reel, 4 Auger Power Discharge ............................... $36,800

HAY & FORAGE

HAY & FORAGE

Miller Pro 5100, 16’ Box ........... $8,750 ‘12 Kuhn VB2190, 4x6 Bales, 16000 bales ........................... $26,900 ‘16 Kuhn VB2290, 4x6 bales, net wrap, 9488 bales.............. $34,900 ‘14 Kuhn VB2160, 4’ x 5’ Bales, 12,000 Bales, Net Wrap, Knives .$19,900 NH Roll-Belt 560, 2800 bales .. $44,500 ‘18 Krone Comprima V180XC, 4’x5’ 11” Round Bale, 8500 Bales .. $35,000 NH 144, ground driven, 5’ PU, 7’ rear belt w/windrow turner option, good belts .................... $3,200 ‘14 Kuhn GMD600GIIHD, 7’ 10, 6 Disc ............................ $6,800 Tonutti T10, 3PT, 10 Whl Rake... $1,100 Gehl 1065, 3038 corn head, hay head, tandem, metal stop.......$5,750 Highline CFR650 ...................$18,500 Bale King 5100 1 3/8 1000 CV PTO, 16.5 x 16.1 tires ....................... $19,500 New Idea 705, 768 W/N Corn Head, 767 Chopper, GM Dsl .............$4,500 21 Teagle Tomahawk 8500, 5’ Bales, Loading Arms, Demoed For 20 Bales ...............................$32,500 11 Teagle Tomahawk 808, 4’ Wide Bales ...............Only $12,500

‘17 Penta DB40 Forage Box, 1400 Cu Ft - $55,000 New H&S Line Wrappers . Call for price Gehl BU980, 16 ft forage box, Gehl 12 T Ton Tandem Running Gear ......... $4,800

‘04 Haybuster H1100 TILT II, 1 3/4 1000 PTO, With Multiple Screens, Grain Hopper - $29,500

HAY & FORAGE

H&S LW1100 Linewrap, Wraps Bales From 4’-6’ Diameter And Large Square Bales Up To 6’6” Lengthwise Or 5’ Long Crosswise On Riser, Automatic/Manual/ Remote Operation Call For Price And Details

MISCELLANEOUS

Woods 208-2, 96 in Cut, 3PT Mt w/Twin Tail Wheels, Extra Blades Included, Extra Torsion Bar ....... $4,250 Extreme 69” Brush Cutter, 11-20GMP ................................ $3,250 Edge HB3 Breaker, skid loader mnts, Hyd breaker, 1pt .............. $4,500 Virnig Pallet Forks ........................ $650 4 in 1 Bucket, 84” ....................... $2,300 ‘18 Grouser Tracks, 18 Pads, Fits JD 320G or Loader with a 44.2” Whl base, All new bushings and pins$2,300 Bale Spear..................................... $650 Pallet Forks, 60 inch .................. $1,000 Allied Snowblower 8520, 85” Dual Stage Blower, Hyd Spout Rotation, Low Usage ................................ $3,500 JD MX8 Rotary Mower, 8’ wide .. $7,500 Snowpush, 10ft, $1,800 Grouser 13” Tracks, Fits Cat 246B $1,200 Tree Puller .................................. $1,550 Tracks, Fits 2054, 10x16.5 Tires, Has Rubber Pads ..................... $ 1,000