Seniors! CELEBRATING OUR
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DAIRY ST R
Volume 24, No. 7
CommiƩee proposes law to limit animal agriculture
“All dairy, all the time”™
May 28, 2022
Hit without warning
Townships adopt CAFO ordinances in Polk, Burnett counties By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
LUCK, Wis. – Five townships in northern Polk County and one township in southern Burnett County are regulating farms operating as concentrated animal feeding operations. Town board representatives from Bone Lake Township in Polk County listened to a presentation of a proposed ordinance and heard from the owners of a dairy farm operating as a CAFO in a neighboring township at a meeting May 19. The proposed ordinance was created by the Large Livestock Partnership Committee which is comprised of six members, one appointed by each of the townships of Bone Lake, Eureka, Laketown, Luck and Sterling in Polk County and the township of Trade Lake in Burnett County. Each township committed up to $3,000 to the committee for developing the ordinance. “All six committee members making these rules basically have no animal agriculture experience and all have a long history of anti-agriculture activism. None earn their living from agriculture,” Brad Olson said. “Their activism is apparent. They look to no other sources of pollution beyond agriculture. When you ask who will feed the world, they have no answers.” Olson milks 40 cows in the Clam Falls Township in Polk County. Olson is a 15year veteran of his town board and is starting his fourth term on the Polk County Board. Wisconsin CAFO regulations dene a CAFO as 1,000 animal units, with an animal unit being 1,000 pounds of live body weight, which is typically thought to encompass 700 dairy cows. In order to learn more about the state’s required permitting process and how a large family dairy farm operates, the town board invited Roger and Brandon Owens, of Owens Farms Inc., a 750-cow dairy farm located in nearby Lorain Township. The Owens family have farmed in Polk County since 1912. Today, the 1,600-acre farm is owned and operated by eight members of the family with several other family members, and six non-family employees, working on the farm. Owens Farms, Inc. obtained their rst
Turn to CAFO | Page 7
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Two silos were knocked to the ground and the old dairy barn and Harvestore sustained signicant damage from the March 5 tornado that hit the Amera farm near Stoughton, Wisconsin. The 60-cow herd has since been relocated to a neighboring dairy farm.
Ameras rebuild after being struck by March tornado By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
STOUGHTON, Wis. – James and Callie Amera lost a lot recently, but they are not giving up. A tornado tore through their farm on the evening of March 5 leaving massive destruction in its wake. Despite its F-1 rating, the tornado was packed with fury and left nearly nothing untouched. A total of 18 structures were damaged – 11 of which were totaled. But with the grit to keep going, the Ameras are putting their farm back together. “We’re lucky we are still able to live here,” James said. “It could’ve been worse. We could’ve lost the house and had to be looking for personal belongings on top of everything else.” The Ameras milk 60 cows and farm 650 acres near Stoughton. They also have 100 beef cow/calf pairs and sell corn, soybeans and wheat. Their farm is split in half by the road, and on the side James and Callie live on, nearly the only thing left intact is their house. The
tornado blew out the back wall on their sunporch and also required the Ameras to get a new roof and siding. A couple windows and porch railings also had to be replaced. The damage was minor compared to what the rest of the farm endured. “We were only under a severe thunderstorm watch,” Callie said. “It happened so fast they couldn’t warn us. This was the rst tornado of the year in Wisconsin.” Just before 10 p.m., the Ameras were in their bedroom with their 2-yearold daughter, Ellie, after the power had gone out. A few minutes later, the tornado arrived. “It was really windy and it kept getting worse,” James said. “The windows were bowing in and out, and the front window busted from the pressure of everything. Bedroom doors started slamming shut, and a board from the barn came ying in through the front door and landed by our bedroom. We hid in a closet for a minute because we didn’t think it was a tornado; we just thought it was a lot of wind. Then we decided to go to the basement.” The farm took a direct hit, and they estimate the tornado was on the ground for about ve minutes. After the storm passed, the Ameras went outside to assess the damage using spotlights to help
them see. The cattle were their biggest concern as they started up the generators. “The tornado took out all of our electrical, and we were without power for ve days,” James said. The next morning, they awoke to the true brunt of the chaos now visible in the daylight. That day, they were also greeted with snow. “It was pretty hard seeing the damage,” Callie said. “It made me sick to my stomach. There were a lot of tears and everything was such a mess. We didn’t know where to start. It was overwhelming.” James agreed. “Everywhere you turned, there was something, and we thought, ‘How are we going to get all this cleaned up?’” he said. “There was a lot to do, but we knew we had to concentrate on the cows. That’s our monthly income, and we have to make sure it keeps going.” The tornado took down two grain bins, two silos, two tobacco sheds, calf hutches, a storage shed and a building for youngstock. The freestall barn, walkway, dairy barn, shop and Harvestore silo were also hit hard but able to be salvaged. The tornado also ripped off
Turn to STORM | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Editorial Staff Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman - Staff Writer (608) 487-1101 • danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Abby Wiedmeyer - Staff Writer 608-487-4812 • abby.w@dairystar.com Kate Rechtzigel - Staff Writer 507-696-9213 • kate.r@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Amanda Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Kati Kindschuh (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-979-5284 • kati.k@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $40.00, outside the U.S. $200.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star / Star Publications LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Star Publications LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. Holding Canada accountable for USMCA obligations
Dairy Prole brought to you by your Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met with his Canadian counterpart during the G-7 meetings in Germany and voiced disappointment in Canada’s response to a dispute panel’s ruling in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. “I had a very frank and specic conversation with her about how disappointed we were in the Canadian response,” Vilsack said. The National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council asked the U.S. government to levy retaliatory tariffs on Canada after Ottawa refused to meet its signed treaty obligations of the USMCA. Vilsack responded to this effort. “I’m hopeful the nature of my conversation with the Canadian minister underscores the signicant level of disappointment,” he said. “I hope Canada is capable of reading between the lines of what’s next.” New Zealand challenges Canadian dairy policy The United States is not the only country challenging Canadian dairy policy. New Zealand is moving forward with a trade dispute against Canada. New Zealand claims Canada is not complying with the Trans-Pacic Partnership by limiting market access. Dairy Risk Management participation varies In 2021, Wisconsin had the most Dairy Revenue Protection policies with 1,466. That was followed by Minnesota with 757 policies. So far this year, both states have had signicant declines. The number of DRP policies in Minnesota is down 143 and Wisconsin is down 45. American Farm Bureau Market Intel said a portion of these declines may be linked to a temporary shutdown of the component pricing option in some regions. Wisconsin
has the highest concentration of farms enrolled in Dairy Margin Coverage with 4,474. Ag Insider Minnesota is next at 1,834. From 2021 to 2022, both states had a drop in DMC participation. Wisconsin declined 293 farms and Minnesota dropped 133. The Upper Midwest dominates participation in the Livestock Gross Margin-Dairy policies. Last year, Wisconsin had 872 policies and Minnesota had 268. USDA names nominee for By Don Wick Under Secretary of Trade Columnist The United States Department of Agriculture’s nominee for the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agriculture is Alexis Taylor, the director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Agriculture groups have been anxious to see the position lled. “We are extremely pleased that the Biden administration has selected such a well-qualied nominee,” said Jim Mulhern, president/ CEO, National Milk Producers Federation. U.S. Dairy Export Council President/CEO Krysta Harden also praised Taylor for her leadership abilities and experience. “The Senate should act quickly to conrm this outstanding nominee,” Harden said. The USDA Under Secretary for Trade is a liaison from the USDA to the Ofce of the U.S. Trade Representative. Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 5
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 3
Neilsville, WI
Greeler presents Quilt of Valor to father-in-law
Avoca, WI
Women in Dairy: Jody Miller First Section: Page 29
First Section: Pages 12 - 13
Cuba City, WI
Plackes diversify with grassfed market, organic practices Second Section: Pages 7, 12
Arena, WI
Viroqua, WI
Vesbach shares passion for dairying with sons Second Section: Page 13
Krebs gives back to community through on-farm baseball eld
Second Section: Pages 24 - 25
Oxheart Farm celebrates one year as micro-dairy Second Section: Page 6
Sun Prairie, WI
Lockman carries on family tradition
Hager City, WI
Third Section: Pages 3 - 5
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE: College graduates: What will you be doing after graduation? First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Cumberland, WI
A day in the life of the Grewe family
Second Section: Pages 14, 16 - 17
Tomah, WI
Kids Corner: The Bailey Family Third Section: Pages 12 - 13
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Zone 1
Zone 2
Columnists Ag Insider Pages Pa 2, 5 First Fi s Section Fir
Farmer and Columnist Page 35 First Section
Ram Ramblings fro from the R Ridge Page Pa 36 First Section
Something So to Ruminate R On Page P 37 First Firs Section
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Ju Thinking Just O Out Loud Page 38 F First Section
The “Mielke” Market Weekly Pages 8 - 9 Second Section
Dairy Good Life Page 39 First Section
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ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 2 Merger moratorium A bill has been introduced in Congress that calls for an immediate moratorium on acquisitions and mergers in the food and agriculture sector. This proposal would also create a government commission to oversee antitrust enforcement. Democratic senators Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Jon Tester and Jeff Merkley are working together on this legislation. Untangling the supply chain The U.S. dairy industry is untangling the supply chain crisis. “Within the last year, because of the imbalance of how people were buying things, companies that shipped products from Asia unload those ships and sent them back empty,” said Chris Galen, senior vice president of member services, National Milk Producers Federation. “That’s been a detriment to ag exporters, including the dairy industry. We’re doing a number of things to deal with the situation including trucking, transportation, shipping and availability of shipping containers.” Galen said the Ocean Shipping Reform Act is an important piece of legislation lawmakers are considering. “There’s a version that’s passed the Senate and another version that passed the House,” Galen said. “Those versions are different and have to be brought together and merged into one version that has to be passed again by both chambers.” Farm families on the brink The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture reviewed USDA’s scal year 2023 budget request last week. USDA is requesting $195.9 billion. During the hearing, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asked lawmakers to not lose sight of farm families that need help nancially. “There are 61,670 farm families on the brink. Those farm families are either delinquent in their loans to USDA, are bankrupt or are pending foreclosure.” Slight decline in WI milk output Wisconsin milk production totaled 2.6 billion pounds in April. That is down 0.1% from one year ago. Nationally, milk production in the 24 major dairy states declined 0.9%. Tractor, combine sales slip Tractor and combine sales declined for the second month in a row. Information from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers said U.S. tractor sales declined more than 22% in April compared to one year ago. Combine sales dropped nearly 6%. AEM spokesman Curt Blades said this comparison is being made to record sales one year ago. UW-Madison selects new CALS dean The University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences has named Glenda Gillaspy as its new dean. Gillaspy is a department head at Virginia Tech. Former dean Kate VandenBosch stepped down at the end of the academic year. Gillaspy begins her new role Aug. 4. A promotion for Rozum John Rozum has been promoted to senior director of agriculture and utility exhibitions and events for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. Rozum has been with AEM for nearly nine years. Previously, Rozum was the sales manager at World Dairy Expo. For the Farmers John Deere and Busch Light launched a ‘For the Farmers’ campaign. Cases of Busch Light sold through July 3 will feature a farm scene. A John Deere tractor is part of the artwork. This partnership will support Farm Rescue. Trivia challenge June Dairy Month was rst launched in 1937. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, what is the scientic term for the brain freeze that happens when eating something very cold, like ice cream? 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 6 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
ConƟnued from STORM | Page 1
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James and Callie Amera and their daughter, Ellie, stand in front of one of the barns that was damaged during a tornado that hit their farm March 5. The Ameras milk 60 cows and farm 650 acres near Stoughton, Wisconsin. half the roof on the barn where their beef cows calve. “It’s crazy what a tornado does,” James said. “The suction was so intense that the wall between our shop and shed shifted 3 feet.” Another grain bin was pulled up off the foundation and set back down and is considered totaled as well. Their combine took a beating too. Trees were mangled, and the lawn was full of branches. “There was mud all over everything and all up around the side of the house,” Callie said. “I’ve heard that’s the true sign of a tornado.” The farmhouse where James’ brother lived is unlivable at the moment. A silo chute came through the front window that night, and most of the windows are now boarded up. Fortunately, no lives were lost, and no people were hurt in the tornado. The Ameras did not lose any cattle either, but some animals were injured. Cuts from ying tin was the source of most injuries. “We lost the rst few cows that calved after the tornado probably because they were traumatized,” Callie said. “One had a prolapsed uterus. The tobacco shed blew through the freestall barn, so I can’t imagine the winds blowing through there.” The Ameras took precautions and put magnets in all of their cattle. “We had to clean up all the feed because it was full of metal,” James said. “And we’ve had a lot of at tires so far doing eldwork this spring.” The devastation to the farm came just a little over a year after installing a robotic milking system. The Ameras had been milking with a used Lely robot since December 2020. The robot was not damaged, and the Ameras continued milking with it for a few days after the tornado, but conditions in the barn were bad and cows had to be moved. On March 12, the cows were moved to a farm 2 miles away that had sold its herd. The destruction from the tornado has caused the Ameras to leave robotics behind and return to parlor milking. Work
is nearly done on a new double-8 parallel parlor. The couple is hopeful cows will be returning home soon. “We’re talking about adding cows to pay for the improvements,” James said. “In order to keep going, we have to milk more cows. Our barn holds 120. We don’t want to sell out. We’re young enough to keep going, so that’s what we’re going to do.” Dating back to 1851, the farm has been in James’ family for over 170 years. James took it over from his grandpa when he started milking cows in 2015 and is the sixth generation. This is not the rst time a tornado hit the property. Thirty years ago, a tornado bulldozed through the part of the farm where James lives before his grandpa purchased it. Like this one, that tornado also came in March and it snowed the next day. As cleanup continues, the Ameras are in the process of rebuilding. Repairs on the freestall barn and holding area are almost complete. The barn needed a new roof on both sides and new curtains. The milking facility has also been placed back on its foundation. “Basically, everything on the freestall barn needed xing except for the frame, and the Amish did a lot of work for us,” James said. “There were so many people here the rst few days after the tornado too. Neighbors, family and friends came to help us, and a lot got done really quick.” Amid the destruction, these young farmers are in good spirits, remaining hopeful about the future as they expect their second child in August. The tornado may have destroyed some of the physical aspects of their farm, but it did not destroy the Ameras’ desire to farm. “This might be a time when some people would choose to get out, but we’re not going anywhere,” James said. “It will take a lot of time, but we’ll eventually be able to update the way we want. For now, I just can’t wait to get the cows home. That’s our No. 1 goal.”
PHOTO SUBMITTED
This aerial view shows the damage done caused by an F-1 tornado to James and Callie Amera’s farm on March 5 near Stoughton, Wisconsin. A total of 18 structures were damaged – 11 of which were totaled.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 7
ConƟnued from CAFO | Page 1
CAFO permit in 2007, and completed the fourth renewal of that permit, a task that Brandon Owens said takes time and diligence. “It takes about a year to go through the renewal process,” Owens said. “Then, if there are things that need to be changed, you have to come up with a plan for what needs to be changed, how you are going to change it and a timeline for the change.” During each permitting process, a farm needs to prove that for the duration of the permit all manure and run-off can be handled and disposed of by the farm. “They look at what your elds can handle, based off of soil tests and contents of the nutrients,” Owens said. “If you can’t do it, they are not going to give you a permit. You have to be able to prove it for ve years.” A soil test is required every four years to comply with CAFO regulations, according to Owens. While the state requires a liquid manure sample to be tested each month manure is being spread, Owens said they opt to sample each day they are spreading. “We have a better idea of exactly where we are at,” Owens said. “We use an agitator to stir the pit to get it as consistent as possible. Our samples have gotten more consistent, which makes it easier to manage our nutrients.” Following Owens’ presentation, Large Livestock Partnership Committee chairperson Lisa Doerr, of Laketown Township, presented the ordinance drafted along with the research she said her committee used to reach their conclusions. The ordinance has been presented to each of the other member townships, with the townships of Laketown and Eureka passing the ordinance as drafted, and Trade Lake Township passing a more restrictive version that sets the denition of a CAFO at 500 animal units. Residents of Laketown Township, along with Wisconsin Manufacturing and Commerce, have led a notice of claim against the ordinance. According to Doerr, the six townships cover about 250 square miles in Polk and Burnett counties, with about 6,000 people living in those townships and over $655 million in property values. “The property values are one of the big things people are concerned about,” Doerr said. “We came together to share our expertise and resources in order to protect the public health and these property values, and that has always been the goal throughout this process.” Because the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources CAFO permitting focuses on nutrient management and water quality protection, Doerr said she and other members of the committee felt there was a need to implement increased regulation on
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what they viewed as large-scale livestock agriculture. “The committee doesn’t make any of the decisions for the towns,” Doerr said. “We have developed the technical and legal parameters for the ordinance, but the towns are making all of the decisions.” In the model ordinance proposed to the Bone Lake Town Board, the committee dened a CAFO as 700 animal units. Existing livestock facilities located in the township would not be immediately impacted by the ordinance unless there would be a change in owner, operator, species or an expansion to exceed 1,000 animal units. In addition to complying with the DNR’s requirements for nutrient management plans, the ordinance would require impacted owners to comply with additional water testing requirements and procure manure land application agreements with a minimum ve-year contract. The application process would also require farmers to develop and submit plans pertaining to odor and toxic air pollution prevention; effects on community economics, land use and property value assessment; compliance with testing, sampling and monitoring requirements; and development of a re safety needs analysis. All applicants will be required to ensure that funds are available for potential pollution clean-up, nuisance abatement and for proper closure, with a plan in place for closure, clean-up, decommissioning and site restoration; with the caveat that the township may adjust the required dollar amounts on an annual basis. The application process would cost farmers $1 per animal unit, required to be submitted with the application. “This is not a ban on CAFOs; it is not a permitting or siting ordinance,” Doerr said. “It is an operations ordinance. It is a different body of law that it is developed under and it is actually looking at how a plant is operated. It is setting up requirements that we hope the operation can meet to be a good neighbor that protect the public health, water and air quality, and the property values of the people who have spent their lives working to live here.” Olson disagreed with Doerr. “This ordinance was developed so that no animal agriculture producer can expand over 700 animal units,” Olson said. “The cost of complying with the ordinance makes expansion cost prohibitive. It effectively bans an entire industry from growing.” After hearing the proposed ordinance, the Bone Lake Town Board set a period of public comment that will be open through the board’s July meeting. The board plans to vote on the issue at their August meeting.
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
Couple returns to the industry
Wienens’ farm has milking cows after one-year hiatus By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
GALENA, Ill. – Nick Wienen has always known his niche in life is milking cows. Even when his father sold the herd, a year had hardly passed before Wienen was back to dairy farming. “I just wanted cows,” Wienen said. “I didn’t like the idea of raising calves, and I didn’t want to go back to being a mechanic again; it just didn’t make me happy.” Wienen and his wife, Tatum, milk 80 cows in a parallel parlor near Galena. The couple started with their own herd in September 2021. Wienen’s father, Tim, sold his herd of cows in 2020 when he discovered he had cancer. The cancer treatments left him unable to manage the 150-cow herd. Wienen was working full time on the farm at that point, and although he asked his dad to sell him 80 cows so he could continue farming, his dad opted to take a break from milking. Wienen pursued a job off the farm but was helping his dad care for the remaining youngstock and farm 500 acres. When a heifer calved in, they would keep the calf and sell the fresh cow. Periodically, Wienen asked his dad if they could start milking again. “Finally, it got to a point where I asked myself, ‘What are we doing?’” Wienen said. “I didn’t want to see all those animals go away.” Wienen decided to trudge forward with plans of milking cows again. When it came time for fall harvest in 2021, he
chopped two bags of corn silage. The plan was to start freshening in heifers and ship milk when enough was in the tank. The family previously shipped their milk to Rolling Hills. When Wienen called to see if they could get back on the truck, the company was not encouraging. “They said they weren’t really looking for milk at that point,” Wienen said. “We didn’t know what we would do if they didn’t take us. Finally, they called back a week later and said that since we had shipped there before they would take us back.” With a market for the milk, Wienen’s dad encouraged him to nd a group of cows to buy so the herd’s production was not solely reliant on the fresh heifers. After searching, they found a herd of cows close by to purchase. “The guy we bought cows from was one who really didn’t want to see them go,” Wienen said. “He was glad to see a couple of young kids start milking though and has kept in touch and come to see the cows.” The pipeline also had to be updated before the couple could ship milk again. Protocols changed since the rst inspection many years prior, and certain things were not grandfathered in. Daily chores are handled between the Wienen couple. Wienen’s dad helps as his health allows. Tatum begins milking at 5:30 a.m. while Wienen scrapes the yard. By 7 a.m., Tatum goes home to get their children to school and day care, and Wienen’s father nishes milking. One of the couple’s biggest challenges is farming and raising a young family. Tatum left her full-time job off the farm to care for the family because of a lack of day care options and Wienen’s parents also
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Nick and Tatum Wienen take a break by the pasture May 16 on their farm near Galena, Illinois. The Wienens returned to the dairy industry in 2021. help. “We knew what we were getting into, but we never thought nding help with the kids was going to be as hard as it was,” Wienen said. Wienen and his father handle eldwork as a team. Wienen is grateful for his dad’s help but is careful not to rely too much on him because of his health. “We don’t want my dad to ever do more than what he wants to do,” Wienen said. “We are very grateful for what he does.” Wienen’s father purchased the farm in 1990, in a time when a lot of farms were going out of business. Wienen said his father’s desire to dairy farm proved skeptics wrong.
“He worked (hard),” Wienen said. “He ended up purchasing his home farm that he grew up on which is now a centennial farm.” The couple also credits the few people who were supportive of their ambitions when rst reintroducing cows to their farm. “We had people tell us we were crazy for wanting to milk cows again,” Wienen said. “Our neighbor was one of the only ones who was encouraging and said he thought it was wonderful.” The couple has found managing 80 cows to be a more comfortable workload than the 150 the farm was previously home to. For right now, the future plans are not extreme. They hope to keep the facilities maintained and might update as necessary in the future.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 9
Getting better with age Dutch Dairy celebrates 20 years By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
THORP, Wis. – A lot can change in 20 years. In 2002, the average price for a gallon of gasoline was $1.61, and a loaf of bread was $1.39. The rst season of “American Idol” aired, and 9/11 had happened the year prior. Also in 2002, Sander Penterman began building his dairy farm by buying a vacant Clark County farm and milking 320 cows. “When I started, I would have expected in 20 years that I would still be milking 320 cows,” Sander said. “The growth happened way faster than I could have imagined.” Sander and Amy Penterman’s Dutch Dairy is now home to 850 cows on their farm in Thorp. Sander was born and raised in the Netherlands on his family’s dairy farm, but by the time Sander was ready to join the family farm, it became apparent the farm could not support the growing family. Sander worked at jobs off
the farm before deciding to venture to America in 1999 to work as an intern at Jon-De Farms Inc. in Baldwin. During his time at Jon-De Farms, Sander began thinking of becoming an American dairy farmer. Eventually, the Penterman family sold their cows and quota in the Netherlands and began searching for land in America. The search led Sander to a vacant farm near Thorp. The farm was built to house 320 cows and needed some care and elbow grease that Sander and his brother were willing to put in. “There was a lot of work at the beginning and planning and working through things,” Sander said. “But by 2005, we were ready to start progressing, and we started the process of growing and improving.” Improvements included a 2008 freestall barn expansion to add 500 cows to the farm. They also built a 120-cow dry cow barn at that time. In 2013, Sander and Amy bought out Sander’s brother’s interest in the farm to become sole owners of Dutch Dairy. The manure pit was expanded, and they completed the process to become a concentrated animal feeding operation. In 2015, tunnel ventilation was added to the freestall barn and fresh cow barns and the south side of the freestall barn
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Amy and Sander Penterman own and operate Dutch Dairy near Thorp, Wisconsin. They are celebraƟng 20 years since Sander purchased and established the Clark County Farm. was expanded. A new manure gutter system was installed. Calving pens were added to the dry cow barn. In 2016, a new calf barn was built using automatic feeders, and the feed pad was expanded to include 100% runoff collection. In 2018, a heifer barn was built across the road from the dairy to house heifers from 3 until 8 months of age.
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While the physical growth of the farm is something both Sander and Amy are proud of, what is the most important to the couple is the growth they have experienced to become better farmers, caretakers of cows and stewards of the land. “We are the only CAFO in our area, but we do not see it as making us a target,” Amy said. “Instead, we try to use it as a
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
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Service grows from farm’s milk bottling venture By Sherry Newell Contributing writer
GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa – Sixteen years ago, the Sheeder family in Guthrie Center was 10 years into milking a herd of Holstein and Jersey cows. A couple of the state’s dairy farms were processing their own milk into consumer products, but the Sheeders saw opportunity to add value to their dairy west of Des Moines. Russell and Merici PHOTO SUBMITTED Sheeder took a leap, putting their pasteurized, homog- The Sheeders – (from leŌ) Grant holding Evan and Lauren holding Caleb – enized milk into glass bottles are part of Sheeder Cloverleaf Dairy, of Guthrie Center, Iowa. The family and stocking grocery stores began processing their farm’s milk 16 years ago, and recently transiƟoned across central Iowa. Sheeder to a home delivery business. Cloverleaf Dairy’s milk became a popular product, and the business expanded to include ice cream. While Dairy Farmers of America took a portion into glass bottles along with making yogurt and proof the Sheeders’ milk, there were times when 90% viding milk for various businesses like coffee and of it was processed on the farm and delivered to gro- ice cream shops. cery stores. Sheeder Cloverleaf Dairy began delivering Bur“Glass bottles in central Iowa were unheard bach Countryside milk; the glass bottles were back, of,” said Grant Sheeder, Russell and Merici’s son, although customers could still have Anderson Erickwho handles marketing. “And, social media was not son products delivered as well. even a thing.” “I’m surprised how many people are against But their customers were buying milk for its plastic containers. They’ve gone green,” Grant said. taste and health benets. Grant credited vat pasteurHome delivery routes now run four days each ization and their cows’ ration for the quality of the week, with one van operated by two semi-retired dairy’s milk. drivers. Russell and Merici manage the coolers and When the coronavirus pandemic hit in early organize the loads. It provides an income for the 2020, it became clear that home delivery of their former dairy farmers and allows them to provide products was an opportunity they could not pass up. wholesome dairy products to their region. They began delivering dairy to customers’ homes, “But, they don’t have to be there from 4:30 a.m. along with eggs and bread. to 7 p.m. every day,” said Grant of his parents’ con“Just delivering milk didn’t do it,” said Grant of tinued involvement. the switch to home delivery. Grant also has a new farm-to-market business Over the two years since then, the delivery busi- in the works. A meat locker will open in 2022 in ness has expanded to include beef, honey, baked Guthrie Center, thanks to his realization that it has goods, pasta, pizza and coffee, products grown or been nearly impossible to keep up with the demand made in central Iowa. As he reached out to nd lo- for steaks and roasts. cal products for the route, Grant discovered items of Eventually, the Sheeder family’s remaining which he was previously unaware. dairy animals and 80 stock cows will go through the “Farm to table has been an ever-increasing thing, locker and may be included in home delivery. but COVID really drove it home,” he said. “People Meanwhile, central Iowa consumers can have want to support the local businesses, and the quality their dairy, and other products, delivered. is there. This is the best stuff in the world.” “We like to call it a small farmers’ market on The delivery business with the Sheeders’ milk wheels,” Grant said. and ice cream was a success. But after 16 years, retirement loomed for Russell and Merici. The cows were sold early in 2022, leaving a dilemma: How would dairy remain on the delivery route? For 45 days, the family’s delivery service featured products from Anderson Erickson Dairy, a commercial processor in Des Moines. But those who loved Sheeder Cloverleaf Dairy’s milk were disappointed. “People were really bummed,” Grant said. “We had a really high percentage of fat; we made sure there was full avor. It was a pride thing for us. Premium quality for a premium-priced milk in glass bottles.” Enter Burbach’s CounPHOTO SUBMITTED tryside Dairy of Hartington, Nebraska, northwest of Sioux The home delivery van operated by Sheeder Cloverleaf Dairy makes City. There, dairy farmers Dean runs Monday through Thursday each week. Milk and other fresh prodand Lisa Burbach process milk ucts are available to customers in and around Guthrie Center, Iowa.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 11
ConƟnued from DUTCH DAIRY | Page 9
Keeping Families on the Farm™
PHOTO SUBMITTED
An aerial photo shows Dutch Dairy in 2018. The Pentermans starƟng farming at the locaƟon in 2002. “That has been a big change over the last 20 years. The equipment, especially manure equipment, has gotten so much better,” Sander said. “Now, you don’t have to till up the soil to get the nutrients into the soil, and the nutrients stay with the soil.” Sander has also changed crop rotations in an effort to be more diligent about building and protecting soil health. “We have switched from growing alfalfa to growing a grass mix,” Sander said. “We have added beans and winter wheat to get the rotations.” Their diligent focus on cow comfort and health has continued to pay off for the Pentermans as they have watched their herd become more efcient with each passing year. Sander credits the advent of genomics with giving him the tools to select the animals with the best genetics to build his herd. “Twenty years ago, we were averaging 70 pounds of milk per cow,” Sander said. “Today, we are averaging over 90 pounds. The cows are much more efcient converters of feed. Their good health correlates directly to their production.” Dutch Dairy employs 11 full-time and two part-time workers, and the Pentermans said they are blessed with the best staff they could ask for. “Having good, key employees is essential,” Amy said. “We try to cultivate a good reputation as an employer. We treat our employees with respect and listen to and implement their ideas and suggestions.”
Open communication is the cornerstone of the Pentermans’ relationship with their staff. They hold regular team meetings and place emphasis on the initial training new employees receive. “We focus on the why, why doing something a certain way is important to us,” Amy said. The past 20 years have not been without their ups and downs. In 2019, Sander said a 12-foot section of the freestall barn roof collapsed during a snow storm. “We just took that day by day,” Sander said. “We were fortunate not to lose any cows in the collapse and to only have to ship three later due to injury. But, the herd really took a long time to come back from the stress and upheaval.” Besides a 10% loss in milk production, the Pentermans said they saw a regression in reproductive performance after the storm that lasted well past the rst anniversary of the roof collapse. The Pentermans have no immediate plans for growth. Instead, they plan to focus on improving what they can to build a solid future if any of their children decide to join the farm operation. Part of that, Amy said, is building relationships. “We surround ourselves with the best people we can, experts who t well into our operation,” Amy said. “Working with the right nutritionist, agronomist, veterinarian, banker and equipment dealers all plays a factor in success.”
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
Greeler presents Quilt of Valor to father-in-law
Honor, love, respect
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
NEILLSVILLE, Wis. – Some might not think of the intricate and sometimes painstaking detail that goes into quilting as being a form of relaxation, but for Marie Greeler, quilting most denitely is her time to relax. “I took quilting up as a stress reliever about two years ago,” Greeler said. “When I am concentrating on that, I am able to forget about everything else that is going on even if just for a while.” Greeler and her husband, Wayne, milk 60 cows on their Clark County dairy farm near Neillsville. While her husband is the fourth generation of his family to dairy on the farm that has been in his family for 120 years, Greeler herself did not grow up on a farm nor did she grow up sewing and quilting. “I never learned to sew growing up, and I have always hated mending and patching things,” Greeler said. “One day, I came across some nice fabric and decided to give it a try.” Maybe the most notable quilt Greeler has completed so far is a Quilt of Valor for her father-in-law, Erland Greeler, who served from 1952-54 in Korea. According to the organization’s website, a Quilt of Valor is a handmade
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Marie Greeler displays the Quilt of Valor she made for her father-in-law, Erland Greeler, to commemorate his service in the Korean War. Greeler and her husband, Wayne, milk 60 cows in Clark County near Neillsville, Wisconsin. quilt awarded to a veteran of the armed forces who has been touched by war. “There are requirements about how big the quilt should be, and they must be made of cotton,” Greeler said. …
“Each one has to have a label with specic information, and the quilt must be washed prior to the presentation.” At a small family gathering April 30, Greeler presented the quilt to Er-
land, thanking him for his service to the country. Turn to GREELER | Page 13
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SERVICE AFTER THE SALE
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Marie Greeler presents her father-in-law, Erland Greeler, with the Quilt of Valor she made for him while family members – (back, from leŌ) Nikki Greeler, ScoƩ Lindner and Allison Lindner – look on April 30. “He is very proud of being a veteran, and I am very proud of him for his service to our country,” Greeler said. Greeler taught herself to quilt by watching YouTube videos to learn the steps and proper procedures, and said she is fortunate to have some great mentors at a local quilt shop, Christie Country Quilts, who she can turn to with questions. “I don’t always have a lot of time to spend quilting, tting it in around farming and other chores,” Greeler said. “But my husband is supportive of the hobby because he knows I enjoy it. If I’m having a bad day, I can go up and work on a quilt and forget about things for a while. Even if the pattern I am working on frustrates me for a while, it is a different frustration than others I might have.” In her two years of quilting, Greeler has completed seven quilts. For the Quilt of Valor, Greeler chose a fabric that was patriotic, something that was simple but beautiful at the same time. She then chose to use the jagged X pattern by Jordan Fabrics to arrange the more than 550 rectangular-shaped quilt squares she cut, half of
which were colored fabric and half of which were white. “To complete the pattern, I had to crisscross the pieces, trim them and then iron them back. Each quilt block is made up of two pieces,” Greeler said. “The pattern makes the blocks look like pinwheels or stars.” Once the blocks of the quilt were assembled, Greeler added the batting and the back piece of the quilt. She then used her long arm quilting machine to complete the quilting, followed by binding the edges of the quilt. “I machine bind all my quilts now, but I hand-bound the rst few I made,” Greeler said. “I loved hand-binding, but unfortunately, I am not able to anymore due to arthritis.” To nish off the quilt, Greeler used extra fabric from the back of the quilt to create a pillowcase to store the quilt in. “I learned a lot coming to the farm when my husband and I were married, and Erland played a big part in that,” Greeler said. “There is a lot of love and respect that went into that quilt, and I feel like it has the best of me in it for him.”
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
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From Our Side Of The Fence Brenden Wenzel Hilbert, Wisconsin Lakeshore Technical College Associate degree in dairy/agricultural mechanic independent technical studies and technical diploma in dairy herd management
Dairyy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 15
College graduates:
What will you be doing after graduation?
Dr. Nate Ernst Sault Ste. Marie, Chippewa County, Michigan Michigan State University Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, B.S. in animal science
What are your post-graduation plans? My post-graduation plans are to continue working on my family’s farm as the maintenance guy. I also feed cows every other Monday and every other weekend. I plan on continuing to learn more about the day-to- day management operations from my dad so I can be the next generation to run the farm. Why have you chosen this career path? Since I was in kindergarten, I have always wanted to be a farmer like my dad and grandpa. I continued to have that same determination throughout my life. I have also stuck with this plan because I love being progressive and being on the farm setting. I also love the challenge that is new every day and how it is presented, and I’ll always try my best to succeed in working out the issue. What college class or experience do you feel will help you most in your career? I would have to say my site farm class was one of the best experiences I have had. It gets you out to a different farm every Wednesday to learn about different areas in animal care, comfort and nutrition, which are all important at the end of the day. These farms and businesses have been so kind to open their doors to educate us on good examples and bad examples, and it gets your gears turning and makes things click better. How has your career outlook changed since rst enrolling in college? My career path has not changed; however, I did nd out through school that having an education in everything on the farm is important. I wanted to go one year for agricultural power. I then was persuaded by my mom to go for a year for dairy herd management, and I am happy I did. Everything affects the other at the end of the day, and you should understand how each area works. Where do you see yourself in ve years? In ve years, I see myself beginning to help run the farm with my dad and mom and making day-to-day decisions as a team with other employees, like our feeder and herdsman as well as our milking team. It is important to maintain good communication with the main people who affect your daily operations so we can keep working toward future success. Tell us about the farm you grew up on. I grew up on Wenzel Hilltop Dairy in Hilbert, Wisconsin, which started with my grandparents, Neale and Judy Wenzel, and my parents, Kevin and Jessica Wenzel. The herd was started by my great-grandparents, Roy “Sam” and Hellen Wenzel in the 1930s. In 1998, the farm had a major expansion and became known as Wenzel Hilltop Dairy. We went through small expansions in 2005 and 2016 as well as one larger expansion in 2013. We milk 950 cows three times a day in a parallel double-12 vertical lift parlor and run around 1,900 acres. Our heifers are custom raised in Kansas.
What are your post-graduation plans? After graduation, I will be starting work as an associate veterinarian with Marsheld Veterinary Services in Marsheld, Wisconsin. I will be primarily working with dairy cattle and dairy producers while also working to expand veterinary services to other production species. Why have you chosen this career path? I cannot remember a time in my life that I did not want to be a veterinarian. Growing up on a farm in rural northern Michigan, I not only developed a passion for production animals early in life, but I also saw the great need for people who know and understand animal production within the veterinary eld. While working on my animal science degree at Michigan State, I was able to work closely with the veterinarians on several research projects at the university farm who convinced me to apply to vet school to be able help ll that need. What college class or experience do you feel will help you most in your career? Denitely animal feed and nutrition as well as reproduction management. There are so many facets of any production animal operation that can all be related to some aspect of either of these topics. I am a rm believer that anyone looking to work in animal production should at least have a basic understanding of these two topics. Emma Buss Belmont, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin-Platteville Double major in agriculture business and dairy science What are your post-graduation plans? I will be working at Reddy Ag and Ross Soil Service out of the Mineral Point, Wisconsin, location. I will be working in the feed warehouse doing inventory and making deliveries to farmers. Along with my job at Ross Soil, I will also be helping on my family’s dairy farm, Mound-Farm Holsteins, where Dad and I milk 50 registered Holsteins. Why have you chosen this career path? I have chosen this career path because it allows me to continue to network and make connections with local farmers, and I am able to help grow and develop the herd. It is the best of both worlds for myself.
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How has your career outlook changed since rst enrolling in college? Since I rst enrolled in college in 2013, the demand for veterinarians and their job outlook has increased dramatically. The average starting salary has increased by more than 50% with most veterinary students now having multiple job offers, many with six-gure salaries, coming out of school. It is absolutely an in-demand profession and will continue to be for a very long time. Where do you see yourself in ve years? Within the next ve years, I plan to either buy into the partnership at my current practice or work to start a practice with my ancée who is also a veterinarian. Regardless, I will be working to provide the highest quality service I can to every producer I work with so they can be the best they can be. Tell us about the farm you grew up on. Growing up, my family raised Boer meat goats that we primarily sold consumer direct. At the peak, we had more than 100 does that we would kid out between early December and the end of February. On top of that, we put up about 150 acres of hay for our own use and to sell locally. I became interested in dairy mostly through summer and after-school jobs on neighboring farms doing everything from summer tillage to doing reproduction shots, from milking to pouring concrete and just about everything in between. I am thankful to have found a career that allows me to continue to work with my hands, be with the cows and help farmers succeed. What college class or experience do you feel will help you most in your career? In the summer of 2020, I did a nutrition internship for Reddy Ag and Ross Soil. I loved working for the company and all the people I met through that position. As graduation was nearing, I knew I needed to start looking for a place to work during the day as the farm is not a full-time job year-round. How has your career outlook changed since rst enrolling in college? Walking into college as a young freshman, I had always had the hopes of returning back to the family farm and spent my college career trying to nd new things that can be done around the farm to make it more successful. It wasn’t until my junior year that I realized how much I enjoyed working directly in the industry and wanted to try and nd a job that allowed me to chase both dreams. Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16
Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Buss: Where do you see yourself in ve years? In ve years, I would love to continue doing what I am doing now. Buss: Tell us about the farm you grew up on. I grew up on a small farm right outside of Platteville, Wisconsin. A herd of 50 registered Holsteins and two Jerseys call Mound-Farm home. From a young age, it was just Dad and I on the farm doing everything together. This was something very special because he took the time to teach me everything he knew. Along with the cows, we crop about 260 acres, and I love spending time inside the tractor during harvest season. Growing up on a farm is such a blessing and allows for kids to learn hard work and all the rewards that come with it. Brianna Miesen Belmont, Wisconsin University of Platteville-Wisconsin Double major in dairy science and agribusiness What are your post-graduation plans? I will be returning to Kieler Farms Inc., where I will be the calf manager along with being in charge of the maternity and fresh cow care. Besides this, I will continue to grow my small herd of show cattle as well. Why have you chosen this career path? I have chosen this career path as taking care of calves and being able to welcome new life into the world is always something I have been passionate about. Being able to go into work and not only do something that I love but being able to grow and work with my own cattle is just another bonus. What college class or experience do you feel will help you most in your career? Either dairy cattle management or lactation physiology and management. These two classes have taught me the most and have had the most applicable concepts to the career I am pursuing. How has your career outlook changed since rst enrolling in college? It really hasn’t. I knew I wanted to do something with calves, and now, that is what I will be doing going forward. Where do you see yourself in ve years? In ve years, I hope to own a small business of my own while being able to continue to work with newborns and grow my own herd. Tell us about the farm you grew up on. Throughout the years, I have not been on one single farm. Rather, I have moved from one to another while continuing to grow my herd of cattle.
Marcus Schroepfer Birnamwood, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin-Madison Dairy science What are your post-graduation plans? I am working in client services with Boviteq. Why have you chosen this career path? I chose to join Boviteq because I was interested in working with dairy cattle reproduction. Joining Boviteq allowed me to chase that goal and join a great workplace for a starting point for my career. What college class or experience do you feel will help you most in your career? The most inuential classes and experiences that I had during college would probably be taking reproductive management with Dr. Wiltbank as well as interning with Alta Genetics, which allowed me to learn from one of the most inuential people in the dairy industry as well as work with progressive dairy people and industry members. How has your career outlook changed since rst enrolling in college? When I started college, I was interested in being a herdsman or farm manager. Although I was interested in dairy reproduction, it wasn’t until I interned with Alta Genetics that my career plans switched. Where do you see yourself in ve years? In ve years, I hope I can have a leadership role within Boviteq and become a mentor so I can help provide some of the experiences that helped make my college experience so fantastic. Tell us about the farm you grew up on. I grew up on a small hobby farm where we had several show heifers that we showed through 4-H locally and at the state and national level.
Katie Yanke Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin-Platteville Agricultural business with an emphasis in communications and marketing
ganizations, I was not only able to network with other college students in the state, but also with professionals as well as attending a conference where I have continued to learn about agriculture which will be benecial as I start my career.
What are your post-graduation plans? I will be working at the Save Cows network of companies as the sales and marketing specialist in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
How has your career outlook changed since rst enrolling in college? My career outlook has not changed since I rst enrolled in college. I have always wanted to work in agriculture and that is exactly what I am going to do.
Why have you chosen this career path? I chose to major in agricultural business at UW-Platteville because I felt it was a versatile degree that would open many job opportunities for me in the agriculture eld. Having a career in agriculture is something I have always wanted to do. What college class or experience do you feel will help you most in your career? Throughout college, I was involved on campus with extracurricular activities including the Pioneer Dairy Club, Sigma Alpha, Collegiate Farm Bureau, National Agri-Marketing Association and Alpha Zeta, a professional agriculture honors fraternity. I also was one of the rst student managers for Pioneer Sweets, a student run ice cream business on campus. Through my involvement in these orAlexis Schank Arcadia, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin-Madison Double major in biology and life sciences communication What are your post-graduation plans? I will be working as a research specialist with the Jackson Grassland Ecology Lab at UWMadison to study the environmental effects of different agricultural land management systems. I will be monitoring soil health, carbon sequestration and other environmental factors. Why have you chosen this career path? I have always had a passion for both agriculture and science, so working on agricultural research allows me to pursue both of these elds. Additionally, I am interested in making the agriculture industry more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. I am excited about this position because my personal values line up with those of the Jackson Lab. What college class or experience do you feel will help you most in your career? My work with the United States Department of Agriculture Dairy Forage Research Center will help me most in my career. This opportunity allowed me to get hands-on experience in the eld that I will be going into, and it helped me grow my network within the agricultural research community. How has your career outlook changed since rst enrolling in college? Upon entering col-
Breanna Fritsch Freedom, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin RiverFalls Dairy science degree with agricultural business minor What are your post-graduation plans? I will be a genetic service technician at Valley Vet in Seymour, Wisconsin. Why have you chosen this career path? I always had a passion for dairy cows and their genetics. I started going to River Falls for dairy genetics and reproduction then switched my major twice and found myself still wanting to do genetics and reproduction. I felt like I would love this job and then when I did a job shadow, and I knew genetics was for me. What college class or experience do you feel will help you most in your career? Most of the
Where do you see yourself in ve years? Five years from now, I hope to be established in my career and continue to enjoy what I am doing. Hopefully, I will have begun purchasing some acreage of my own with a goal of being able to directly market beef products to local consumers. Tell us about the farm you grew up on. I grew up on my family’s farm outside of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, where we milk about 90 cows in addition to running 500 acres of crop land and having a feedlot of 100 steers. Growing up, I was involved in all aspects of the operation, and my responsibilities increased as I aged.
lege, I was not quite sure what I wanted to do. I was interested in science and wanted to remain connected to agriculture, but I wasn’t aware of the possibilities in the eld of agricultural research. I thought I would have to go for a graduate degree before nding a successful career in agricultural science, but I am glad there are plenty of opportunities for those looking to engage in agricultural research upon graduating with a bachelor’s degree. Where do you see yourself in ve years? In ve years, I hope to be continuing research. I am not sure if graduate school is in my future, but it is something I am considering. Additionally, I would like to have more contact with producers, so I could see myself working for an agency such as the National Resources Conservation Service. I am excited to see where my path takes me. Tell us about the farm you grew up on. I grew up on a dairy farm in Arcadia, Wisconsin. Schank’s Riverview Dairy is co-owned by my dad and uncle, who are the fourth generation of dairy farmers in my family. We milk about 550 cows and work about 1,400 acres, growing all of our own feed. We also have a few horses, donkeys, chickens, dogs and cats. Growing up, I helped with everything from feeding the calves to harvesting crops. I am so very thankful to have grown up on my family’s farm, as it taught me many valuable lessons and set me on my current career path.
dairy classes I took that involved genetics and reproduction, and growing up with dairy will help me in my career. How has your career outlook changed since rst enrolling in college? When I rst started I was going for pre-veterinarian but then switched back to genetics after my rst year. I also added on a minor to apply it to my day-to-day life and my career. Where do you see yourself in ve years? In ve years, I hope to be working in genetics and reproduction and hopefully being successful. Tell us about the farm you grew up on. I didn’t live on a farm until I was 17. Now my family owns and operates Two Guernsey Girl Creamery. We have about 12 milking cows, some heifers, steers and calves along with my show animals.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 17
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
Harvesting Quality Forages
Bunker silos, silage bags key for storing Appels’ forages Don and Bill Appel Mapleton, Minnesota Blue Earth County 120 cows Describe your farm and facilities. This is my grandparents’ farm. I grew up by Heron Lake. I’ve milked cows since I was 7 years old. We raise corn, soybean, winter rye and alfalfa. We have cattle on three farms and have about 400 cattle all together. My daughter, Theresa, helps milk when she’s not working in Mankato. My son, Daniel, helps milk when he’s not working with his hogs. The grandchildren also have their 4-H projects here and come when they are not in school. What forages do you harvest? We harvest alfalfa, corn for silage and winter rye. How many acres of crops do you raise? We raise 1,000 acres between all four of us. Describe the rations for your liveKATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Turn to FORAGES | Page 20
Alfalfa bales are stored in bunker silos on the Appels’ farm near Mapleton, Minnesota. They cut alfalfa up to 30-day intervals.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 19
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“We have been using Udder Comfort™ for 10 years. We use the lotion when we show, but we also use the blue spray at the dairy on all fresh animals after each milking for a week after calving,” says Scott Stempfle in an interview after being notified as one of our World Dairy Expo ‘gallon drawing’ winners. Scott and parents Paul and Jody have a 750-cow dairy near Maynard, Iowa. As herd health manager, Scott enjoys seeing the progression from a mating that produced the calf to seeing her develop into the milking herd. Many in this registered Holstein herd go back to Butlerview Roy Glamorous. “Transition at calving is the most important part of a cow’s lactation. Udder Comfort is an important tool to get her through that transition and into her milk faster,” says Scott. “We stick with what works, and we have always had really good results with Udder Comfort. It brings edema down and softens udders to milk faster and easier so cows get a healthier and faster start in their lactations.”
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
ConƟnued from FORAGES | Page 18 stock. Corn silage, haylage and a protein/corn mix for the cows. The youngstock get grass hay.
selves, but we do hire some of it done. We cut up to 30 days depending on the weather for alfalfa.
What quality and quantity do you harvest of each crop? We raise 70 acres of alfalfa, 70 acres of corn silage and 40 acres of winter rye. We farm one farm organically on 160 acres and grow corn, soybean, wheat, vetch and winter rye. It varies with rotation, but vetch and winter rye are the big crops. We can never raise enough organic vetch.
What techniques do you use to store, manage and feed your forages? Bunker silos and one or two bags. On one of the other farms, we have to put up a bag, but on this farm, it’s all bunkers.
Describe your harvesting techniques for alfalfa and corn silage. For corn silage, we try to do most of it our-
Describe a challenge you overcame in reaching your forage quality goals. Getting the alfalfa cut on time. We just learned to cut around the weather. We also buy most of our dry hay. I’ve been getting it from the same farm in South Dakota for seven years.
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Cows on the Appels’ farm eat a total mixed raƟon May 18 at the Appels’ farm near Mapleton, Minnesota. Quality alfalfa helps the Appels reach their producƟon goals.
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Don and Bill Appel milk cows May 18 on their farm near Mapleton, Minnesota. They raise corn, soybeans, winter rye and alfalfa on their farm.
How do quality forages play a part in the production goals for your herd? You can’t beat good alfalfa; good alfalfa is the key to any production. We can tell as soon as we get poorer
quality hay. Quality alfalfa is No. 1. What are management or harvesting techniques you have changed that have made a notable difference in
forage quality? For corn silage, we got a rotary corn head for our chopper. That was one of the biggest improvements we made. It helps get it done on time. I won’t cut silage anymore without a rotary corn head.
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$
Equipment and pictures added daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com
COMBINES JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2006 hrs., 1350 sep hrs., #174756.......$140,000 JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1351 hrs., 750 sep hrs., #191164........$368,000 JD 9670 STS, 2011, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3669 hrs., 2503 sep hrs., #188158 ....$99,900 JD S670, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2430 hrs., 1453 sep hrs., #176660.......$199,500 JD S670, 2013, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2764 hrs., 1916 sep hrs., #191646 .........$139,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 273 hrs., 161 sep hrs., #191038...........$529,000 JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2366 hrs., 1513 sep hrs., #527150 .........$129,000 JD S790, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 807 hrs., 608 sep hrs., #525863...........$429,000 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 562 hrs., 439 sep hrs., #531357...........$488,000 JD 9600, 1992, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4764 hrs., 3192 sep hrs., #524471...........$22,000 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2373 hrs., 1703 sep hrs., #178114 .........$131,500 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2753 hrs., 2048 sep hrs., #524469 .........$165,900 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 995 hrs., 772 sep hrs., #523885...........$379,000 JD S690, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1422 hrs., 1187 sep hrs., #524271.......$295,000 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, 359 hrs., 276 sep hrs., #533168 ......................$535,000 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 440 hrs., 316 sep hrs., #533167...........$529,000 JD S770, 2018, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1411 hrs., 1051 sep hrs., #421313 .........$277,000 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1088 hrs., 690 sep hrs., #177549.........$364,400 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2248 hrs., 1668 sep hrs., #531966.......$195,000 JD S660, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1555 hrs., 1181 sep hrs., #532082.......$189,500 JD 9500, 1993, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4730 hrs., 3072 sep hrs., #531515...........$27,000 JD 9500, 1993, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 5698 hrs., 3476 sep hrs., #531747...........$22,000 JD 9500, 1993, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3986 hrs., 2930 sep hrs., #533533...........$29,500 JD S670, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1372 hrs., 820 sep hrs., #531783.........$259,995 JD 9500, 1991, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 6754 hrs., 5000 sep hrs., #185458...........$22,400 JD 9770 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 4550 hrs., 3172 sep hrs., #190521..$81,000 JD S670, 2014, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2229 hrs., 1622 sep hrs., #531781 .........$155,000 JD 8820, 1986, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 5792 hrs., #533178 ...............................$11,500 JD 9770 STS, 2010, Corn/Bean, 3620 hrs., 2851 sep hrs., #533838 ...........$107,500 JD S670, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1000 hrs., 750 sep hrs., #531784.........$279,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 257 hrs., 189 sep hrs., #191345...........$546,000
JD 9450, 2000, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3850 hrs., 2481 sep hrs., #532894...........$44,900 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1597 hrs., 1130 sep hrs., #276170.......$329,900 JD S680, 2012, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2808 hrs., 1765 sep hrs., #274579.......$134,900 JD S770, 2021, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 290 hrs., 200 sep hrs., #532535 .............$524,900 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2350 hrs., 1713 sep hrs., #276314 .........$219,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 451 hrs., 345 sep hrs., #190866...........$492,000 Case IH 8240, 2017, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1733 hrs., 1318 sep hrs., #191428$212,000 JD S680, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1941 hrs., 1362 sep hrs., #191923.......$271,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 161 hrs., 109 sep hrs., #191479...........$535,900 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 413 hrs., 299 sep hrs., #275515...........$549,900 JD 9670 STS, 2008, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4233 hrs., 2830 sep hrs., #276373 ....$79,900 JD S790, 2018, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1237 hrs., 914 sep hrs., #273973 ...........$334,900 JD S680, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2200 hrs., 1507 sep hrs., #276315.......$247,900 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 147 hrs., 94 sep hrs., #275856.............$554,900 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 516 hrs., 382 sep hrs., #276139...........$524,900 Case IH 1680, 1987, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4125 hrs., #276343 ..........................$8,950 JD S770, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2242 hrs., 1587 sep hrs., #181147.......$245,000 JD 6620, 1979, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1557 hrs., #187694 ...................................$7,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 763 hrs., 539 sep hrs., #188459...........$454,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 791 hrs., 596 sep hrs., #188309...........$454,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 836 hrs., 626 sep hrs., #188458...........$454,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 290 hrs., 217 sep hrs., #191047...........$504,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 216 hrs., 168 sep hrs., #191048...........$507,900 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 114 hrs., 79 sep hrs., #191064.............$518,900 JD 9600, 1997, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 4409 hrs., 3113 sep hrs., #532056...........$24,900 JD S680, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1487 hrs., 1053 sep hrs., #273646.......$254,900 JD S790, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1088 hrs., 684 sep hrs., #274274.........$449,900 JD S680, 2012, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2300 hrs., 1600 sep hrs., #532046 .........$150,000 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 322 hrs., 231 sep hrs., #275632...........$534,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 872 hrs., 633 sep hrs., #531647...........$439,900 JD 9650 STS, 1999, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 5395 hrs., 3467 sep hrs., #276232 ....$34,900
JD X9 1100, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 485 hrs., 321 sep hrs., #276061 .....$699,900 JD S790, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1142 hrs., 864 sep hrs., #275917.........$429,900 JD 9770 STS, 2010, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3666 hrs., 2599 sep hrs., #532697 ....$79,900 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1080 hrs., 700 sep hrs., #531873 ...........$319,900 JD S680, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1659 hrs., 1197 sep hrs., #273603.......$247,900 JD 6620SH, 1982, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3594 hrs., #274596...............................$6,950 JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1268 hrs., 888 sep hrs., #275242.........$369,900 JD 9560 STS, 2005, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 3350 hrs., 2100 sep hrs., #531329..$82,900 Case IH 7088, 2010, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 3175 hrs., 2476 sep hrs., #531665$99,000 JD 9500, 1991, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 5637 hrs., 3750 sep hrs., #531870 ........$23,900 JD 9870 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 5890 hrs., 4072 sep hrs., #532518..$54,500 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 657 hrs., 473 sep hrs., #532549...........$465,000 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 823 hrs., 640 sep hrs., #532517...........$439,000 JD S680, 2012, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2575 hrs., 1817 sep hrs., #524875 .........$132,500 JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 745 hrs., 508 sep hrs., #169507...........$409,500 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 340 hrs., 281 sep hrs., #191053...........$528,000 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 387 hrs., 310 sep hrs., #191065...........$509,900 JD S670, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2590 hrs., 1673 sep hrs., #191790.......$167,000 JD 9770 STS, 2008, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 3245 hrs., 2000 sep hrs., #531918..$92,000 JD S790, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1184 hrs., 810 sep hrs., #171378.........$389,500 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2974 hrs., 2063 sep hrs., #182070.......$128,900 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1985 hrs., 1420 sep hrs., #189953.......$202,000 JD S680, 2015, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2430 hrs., 1762 sep hrs., #190078.......$191,000 JD S790, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 427 hrs., 308 sep hrs., #191075...........$582,500 JD S780, 2021, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 397 hrs., 285 sep hrs., #191076...........$500,000 JD S680, 2016, Corn/Bea, PRWD, 1842 hrs., 1250 sep hrs., #532830.........$249,000 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1379 hrs., 950 sep hrs., #183533.........$355,000 JD 6620, 1983, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3800 hrs., #188350 ...................................$9,500 JD S790, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1390 hrs., 1110 sep hrs., #532032.......$359,000 JD 9760 STS, 2005, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 3984 hrs., 2728 sep hrs., #532686..$64,000
Locations throughout minnesota & western wisconsin! CALL TODAY! (320)365-1653 SEE OUR COMPLETE INVENTORY WITH PICTURES AND DESCRIPTIONS AT: www.mmcjd.com
Summer is in the air
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
DeLaval Parlor P500 milking system
102
”
max ceiling height requirement for DeLaval SynchroArc™
Up to
56
%
reduction in exit cycle time with DeLaval SynchroSweep™
3
cow flow control options
ZERO
obstructions at cow exit
For more than 70 years, the Johnsons have been milking cows at Highland Dairy in Glade Spring, Virginia. Third-generation dairywoman, Rena Johnson, decided to upgrade the dairy so she can milk cows for decades to come. The DeLaval P500 parlor was the key to helping her do just that.
Learn more! SCAN HERE
Learn how the P500 parlor helped Highland Dairy reach their parlor efficiency goals.
www.delaval.com
Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United Dairy Systems, Inc. West Union, IA 563-422-5355 WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 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 Advanced Dairy of Mora Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Brookings, SD 800-636-5581 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2022 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. All facts and figures are the result of data collected on test farms and pilot farms. Data compared to DeLaval Champion. Results may vary and are not guaranteed. www.delaval.com
Memorial Day is almost here even though it feels like spring has just gotten started, and with the rst weekend of summer nearly upon us, it always brings back great childhood memories for me. The last days of school with the lilac trees budding and their sweet smell blooming through the countryside. The sight of rst crop hay that’s just about ready and the smell of fresh cut hay is something that just never gets old. For a farm kid, sumBy Kati Kindschuh mer always meant working on the farm. My mom used Staff Writer to joke, “Why do you need summer school when the barn is the best school around.” There might be a bit of truth to that looking back now. Throughout the summer, we’d have a variety of chores: picking rocks, milking cows, taking water out to pastures and, of course, making hay. Inevitably, my dad would pick the hottest days to bale hay. At the time, we made a few big bales, but we made an overwhelmingly large amount of small squares. And, who better to unload and stack bales than farm kids? I guess a perk was being able to get a fair amount of exercise and a bit of a tan while we worked in the heat. Comparable to covering bunkers these days, making small squares of hay taught a kid how to not quit or complain (too much) until the job was done; a good characteristic in today’s workforce if you want to succeed. But in addition to unloading hay and picking rocks, for my siblings and me, summer also meant working with heifers to take to our county fair. Every day, we’d nish morning chores and grab halters and a bucket to wash heifers then walk up and down the driveway. I’m sure the trafc down our country road thought the cattle parade was some sort of child labor law infringement. But, the fresh scent of shampoo mixed with fresh cut hay is a scent I wish Glade would pick up. When we’d walk our heifers, my dad always told us, “Practice just like you’re in the ring at the fair.” My three older siblings and I would walk in a clockwise circle in the driveway, stopping to set up the feet and legs. We would practice when the judge changes sides, pinch her down on top, pull throat, and we practiced pulling into line. My dad told us, “Showmanship is won at home. Put in the work now, become a team with your heifer and glide together through the ring.” Low and behold, us Kindschuh kids always did well in our showmanship classes. Now, as an adult, I don’t get the opportunity every summer to wash and work with show cattle like I did as a kid. But from time to time, I get the call to come help at the farm. Feels kind of like the manager of a baseball team making a call to the bullpen for a relief pitcher. But if I’m being honest, it’s kind of nice to still be on the roster. The phrase, “You’re burning daylight,” is one I heard time and time again from my dad as a kid. Oddly enough, I tell myself this daily. Maybe that’s why farm kids in today’s world succeed more so than their urban counterparts. Our summers were spent working instead of burning daylight playing video games or napping. Our summer school taught the lessons of callused hands and dirty jeans before Picasso or the Pythagorean theorem. Our summer school taught us how to drive a stick shift truck. Our summer school taught us how to tag calves and give medicine. Our summer school taught us how to mow the lawn and pull weeds. Our summer school taught us how to back up a wagon and change tires. Our summer school taught us how to write a check and balance a checkbook. Our summer school taught us how to say goodbye to that fair steer, cry about it and move on. Our summer school taught us some of the basic skills in life without ever stepping into a classroom. Granted, I loved school, but the lessons taught on the farm those summers were some of the greatest lessons I’ll carry with me all my life. If you’re reading this, I hope you get some young people on your farm this summer. Maybe it’s your grandkids, or your nieces and nephews. Maybe it’s the neighbor kid down the road who could use a few extra bucks. You’ll be giving them more than something to do. You’ll give them purpose and work ethic that cannot be taught inside a classroom.
CELEBRATING OUR Calli Storms
David and Beth Storms Muscoda, Wisconsin Riverdale High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? My family dairy is Stormdale Holstein and Cattle Sales in Muscoda, Wisconsin. We milk, on average, 70 cows. I also assist with my uncle’s dairy show string, Red Brae/ Armbruster Brothers Farms. What are your responsibilities on the farm? At our home farm, I assist with daily chores that include milking cows, feeding calves, cleaning pens and managing our dairy show string. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite high school class was accounting. I am better with numbers than words. Accounting challenged me, and I plan to be an agricultural accountant. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Living and working on a dairy farm has prepared me for my future through discipline, responsibilities, leadership and involvement. The agricultural industry has built me into the person I am today and will continue on into my future. I can’t thank the industry enough for the amazing friendships I have made and knowledge I have learned. What is your favorite memory on the farm? My favorite memory on the farm was hosting FFA Food for America. We invited the Riverdale fourth grade class to tour our farm. I was in charge of teaching the students about calves, types of feed, milking cows and how to milk in a parlor. What are your future plans? I plan to attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to major in agricultural business and minor in dairy science. As of now, I plan to work my way up to becoming an agriculture accountant or loan ofcer. I would like to keep my options open if new opportunities arise. With a degree in agriculture business, the job opportunities are endless. I do know I want to assist and work beside farmers due to my love for the agriculture industry.
Kristi Cleven Parents: Roger and Peggy Cleven Kendall, Wisconsin Royall High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work for Cleven’s Farm which is my dad’s farm. We milk about 46 cows yearround. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I am responsible for feeding heifers, helping milk cows, bedding calves and feeding the animals. I also get the cows to breed when they are in heat and help if there are calving problems.
Seniors!
What was your favorite high school class? My favorite high school class probably would be greenhouse. I have learned how to grow plants, and it will help me know which crops to plant where and why. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? I feel living on the farm has 100% prepared me for my next stage in life. The farm has shown me how hard work and dedication can get you to reach your goals. What is your favorite memory on the farm? When I was able to get one of every seven dairy breeds. What are your future plans? My future plans are to take over my family farm and improve the farm.
Emily Stumpf
Parents: John and Karla Stumpf Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton North High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I grew up helping on my family’s seventh-generation dairy farm, Valley-Drive Holsteins in Lomira, Wisconsin. Since 2019, I have started to grow my own herd of registered Holsteins, with the help of my parents, which now consists of about 10 heifers and 15 cows. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I help with feeding calves, halter breaking and clipping. Sometimes I help with dehorning and other animal care when I am able to get to the farm. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite high school class was probably my high school Spanish courses. Although they were always a little challenging for me, I always enjoyed the idea of learning another language. But, I also enjoyed a lot of my senior year classes. Not just one class sticks out to me. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Having a farming background has helped prepare me for the next stage of my life by teaching me valuable life lessons. It taught me the circle of life and how to care for animals that are healthy and ill. It has even allowed me to bring my strong agricultural background to my friends and urban schools back in Appleton, where I can share what I have all learned over the last 18 years. What is your favorite memory on the farm? When I was 8 years old, I had this favorite show cow, Sizzle. She was a speckled black and white thing that turned pink when you would wash or clip her. But once she got out into the head locks and was a yearling, I liked to bring her weeds with alfalfa mixed in. She wouldn’t come to the front of the head locks, and my mom told me that the animals were always more afraid of me (not Sizzle, though). So, I walked in and gave her the weeds as my mom walked up and told me I was crazy for going in there by myself at 8 years old and probably one-third of their height. Good thing my dad didn’t know I did this until I was much older. What are your future plans? Next year, I am attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison and planning to double major in Spanish and agricultural business management.
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 23
Honoring the next generation of the dairy industry
Ava Booth
Parents: Chris and Courtney Booth Plymouth, Wisconsin Plymouth Comprehensive High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I live on a small hobby farm, Booth-Haven Holsteins, in Plymouth, Wisconsin, where we raise registered Red and White Holstein show heifers and crossbred show pigs. We don’t milk any of our cows on our own farm; however, through a great partnership with Mauk-E-Way Farm, the Bryan and Brittney Mauk family, who live a half mile up the road, we are able to keep a few key breeding cows to develop our Booth-Haven genetics. What are your responsibilities on the farm? My responsibilities include feeding and caring for both the show heifers and pigs. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite class was welding. I enjoyed this class because I was able to go out of my comfort zone and learn a new hobby that I hope to enjoy in the future. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Living and working on a farm has taught me many things that I am excited to apply in the near future. I have learned the value of working hard. I learned this value working alongside my siblings as we studied, evaluated, prepared and practiced with our animal projects daily. What is your favorite memory on the farm? One of my favorite memories was at the 2016 World Dairy Expo. My family and I won double junior champions of the International Red and White Show at the 50th World Dairy Expo with our home-bred heifer Booth-Haven Lady in Red and managerial heifer Lyn-Vale Cherry Wine-Red, bred by my mentors William Schultz and Yvonne Preder. Along with these successful memories, my favorite part of showing and being on a farm is working with my three siblings, Cole, Campbell and Royce. What are your future plans? This fall, I will be attending Concordia University Wisconsin where I will major in rehabilitation sciences in the pre-occupational therapy program. My goal is to be able to help others in their development and recovery and help them improve in their daily life and work.
Turn to SENIORS | Page 25
GOOD LUCK IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS PIERZ, MN LLITTLE ROCK, MN 320-584-5147 320-468-2168 LASTRUP, MN BUCKMAN, MN 320-468-2543 320-468-6433 FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK!
Congratulations to the Class of 2022! A Fourth Generation Family Owned Company
300 10th St., S N.E. • Independence, IA • (319) 334-7193
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
DAIRY SCIENCE PROGRAM UW-Platteville’s School of Agriculture offers...
• Courses that focus on Farm to Fork concepts for a better producer, consultant, and consumer • Opportunities for competition with other dairy schools through Pioneer Dairy Challenge Team & Pioneer Dairy Judging Team • A wide variety of industry support and resources available to Dairy Science majors through internships and other networking opportunities • Agriculture-focused Faculty-Led Education Abroad with Service Learning Components • COMING SOON - Dairy Pilot Plant at Pioneer Farm! This new facility will allow for dairy food production as well as research and education in sustainable on-farm dairy systems and food production • Pioneer Farm - campus farm giving students opportunities for hands-on work experience
Close to 75 members, learning about the dairy industry and giving back through a wide variety of philanthropic and service learning opportunities.
Dairy Science major
40+ students and growing! MINORS
Agribusiness • Ag Engineering Technology Spanish • Soil and Crop Science
Annual Consignment Sale
- student run, opportunities for networking tthrough Midwest ADSA and the PDPW Mentor program
Become a Part of the NEW Student Run Business Pioneer Sweets! HANDS ON LEARNING IN CLASS
CAMPUS DAIRY FARM
NEW LELY ROBOTIC MILKERS
Plus 17 other clubs/ organizations and 6 other competitive teams in the School of Agriculture!
The Dairy Innovation Hub is bringing almost $2 million per year to UW-Platteville
Schedule a visit today! www.uwplatt.edu/department/school-agriculture
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 25
ConƟnued from SENIORS | Page 23
Clarissa Ulness
Parents: Mark and Angie Ulness Valders, Wisconsin Valders High School W h a t dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I live and work on my family’s registered dairy farm, Ragnar Holsteins, where together we milk and care for our herd of 80 registered Holstein cows and 100 youngstock. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I milk the cows morning and night with our eight automatic takeoffs and monitor milk temperature and daily production on our cows. I also track rumination and activity with collars. I also assist with feeding the calves, administering vaccines and doing any other chores around the farm. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite class in high school was U.S. History 11 that I took my junior year. Not only was I learning about my favorite subject in school, but I was also being
Sam Mess
Parents: Austin and Debbie Mess Rosendale, Wisconsin Laconia High School
W h a t dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work on my family’s dairy, Just-R-Mess Dairy, where we milk 115 cows three times a day. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I milk cows, haul manure, mix feed for the cows, assist with record keeping and mating decisions, clean heifer pens, and help with repairs and maintenance. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite class in high school was physics. Math was always easy for me, and
Stephanie Love
Parents: Mark and Cheri Love De Pere, Wisconsin De Pere High School
What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? Vanden Wymelenberg Dairy, 120 cows. What are your responsibilities on the farm? Milking cows, feeding calves and everyday chores. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite high school class was
Deagen Sandelier Parents: Dan Sandelier and Stacy Sandelier Loyal, Wisconsin Loyal High School W h a t dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I do not live on a farm but help at my grandparents’ farm where they raise my show heifers, and I help at my aunt’s farm where she houses my show cows. I also drive tractor for a local farmer and custom operator.
taught by my favorite teacher. Mr. Brice is someone who pushes me to be an even better student and serves as a positive role model in my life. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Living on a farm has instilled in me many morals, values and traits that have shown to have made me a better student, friend, daughter, worker, leader and person. I have learned hard work, determination, problem solving, attention to detail, teamwork and respect. What is your favorite memory on the farm? My favorite memory is being taped and lmed as the video star for the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center promotional video in 2018. I was able to tell a little bit about my story and give insight into what I do on a daily basis. One of my favorite show heifers was also showcased in the video. What are your future plans? I will be attending the University of WisconsinMadison in the fall to double major in dairy science and life sciences communication and obtain a certicate in art. I would love to be able to travel throughout my career and serve as a leader in my county as a way to give back and utilize my knowledge. I like hands-on learning. It was fun building a catapult in this class. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Living and working on the farm has taught me the importance of working hard and being responsible. Farming is not always easy, but it is important to not give up. What is your favorite memory on the farm? I look forward to showing cattle at the county fair and state fair each summer. In 2020, when most county fairs were canceled, Fond du Lac County still had a fair. That year, my aged cow, Licorice, won supreme champion female. It was an exciting day. What are your future plans? After studying in the agribusiness science and technology-animal science program at Fox Valley Technical College, I plan to return to my family’s farm. I would like to help manage the dairy and eventually gain ownership. biology. We got to do a ton of hands-on labs. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? It has helped me to develop my work ethic and learn effective time management, responsibility and sharpen my problem-solving skills. What is your favorite memory on the farm? My favorite memory on the farm is when we used to milk in the tie stalls. I love the parlor now, but I always liked getting to watch the sun rise and set through the big windows in the barn while milking. What are your future plans? I will be attending the University of WisconsinGreen Bay for business administration with an emphasis on marketing and communications. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I am responsible for cleaning, washing and tting my show cattle as well as helping my younger sister and cousins with their show cattle. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite subject is gym because I enjoy being active and having fun with my classmates. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? It has helped me by learning to deal with all kinds of people and being able to work with them. What is your favorite memory on the farm? Developing my own homebred herd with my family. What are your future plans? I plan to work this rst year out of school and possibly further my education the following year.
Turn to SENIORS | Page 26
BENEFITS OF USING DIRECTIONAL DRILLING INSTALLATION INCLUDE:
Ŷ Continuation of Normal Operation Ŷ Avoidance of identi¿ed Infrastructure Installation Ŷ Maintain Integrity of Driveway, Roadways, Buildings, and Natural Features Ŷ Little to No Disturbance to Wetlands or Other Sensitives Areas Ŷ Many Unique Installation Capabilities Vs. Open Cutting/Digging (Entering underBuildings or Tanks) Ŷ Minimal Site Restoration
PRODUCT INSTALLATION
Ŷ Water Lines/Water Mains Ŷ Drainage/ Tile Lines Ŷ Forced/ On Grade Sewer Ŷ Manure Transfer Lines
Ŷ Gas Lines Ŷ Power Wire/ Lines Ŷ Communication/ Fiber Optic
Land Improvements
Drain Tile Design/ Installation • Ditch Cleaning & Grading • Fenceline Clearing
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
ConƟnued from SENIORS | Page 25
Derek Morrill
Parents: Mark Decker and Kim Morrill; and Chris and Rikki VanDyke West Stockholm, New York Potsdam Senior High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work on Decker’s Family Farm in Winthrop, New York, where we are currently milking around 120 cows. I also work at West Croix Holsteins and Jerseys in New Richmond, Wisconsin, a 72-cow tiestall herd. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I am responsible for cleaning and bedding pens, milking cows and running in cow feed. What was your favorite high school class? I have a few favorite classes, all run by the same teacher. They are shop classes: metal working, civil engineering and principals of engineering. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Living and working on the farm has prepared me to continue with everything I have worked for. I know what hard work is and what it means. What is your favorite memory on the farm? I don’t have a single favorite memory. I have a few. I love working with and showing my animals. I also enjoy teaching cats to run up legs and perch on shoulders as well as teaching all the cows to give kisses when you’re trying to milk them. My parents love me for these things. What are your future plans? I am going active duty United States Army this summer as a 13M, or a HIMARS crew member (Surface to Surface Artillery).
Justyne Frisle
Dean and Leslie Frisle Prairie Farm, Wisconsin Prairie Farm School District What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work on my family’s dairy farm, Frisle-Vue Holsteins. Currently, we are milking about 65 cows. What are your responsibilities on the farm? My main responsibilities on the farm include milking and feeding the cows. I am also involved in taking care of the calves and any show heifers we have. During the summer and fall, I also assist in planting and harvesting and the repairing of any farm equipment. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite class in high school has been any science class. Chemistry has been interesting, and I like to do a lot of labs and other projects. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? By living on a farm, I have learned how to be optimistic. Dairy and grain prices are always rising and falling but remembering what we have gained from the experiences is always worth it. This will help me as I continue on to college and the rest of my life. What is your favorite memory on the farm? My favorite days on the farm have always been classifying days. Seeing the animals we take care of and raise being scored Excellent is always exciting. I have had a couple animals I own score Excellent multiple times. What are your future plans? I plan to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall. I will be majoring in dairy science with a minor in agricultural business.
Lila Sloan
Parents: Tim and Angi Litow Davis, Illinois Dakota High School and Highland Community College What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work on my family’s farm, Cleareld, where we are milking three cows. What are your responsibilities on the farm? My responsibilities include milking, feeding, working with boarded sale heifers, eldwork and managing the show string. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite high school class was carpentry as I enjoyed making the projects and getting to be hands-on for a whole class. I even made myself a new show box. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Many of my friends were unsure what type of work they wanted to pursue. I wanted to nd a way to stay in the dairy industry. Working on our farm has also instilled a work ethic in me that I can carry through every stage of my life. What is your favorite memory on the farm? I had a favorite cow named Alley who my grandpa hated. We practiced leading her before taking her to the county fair as a cow, and she was not handling well for my grandpa. I convinced him to let me try, and she popped her head up and glided perfectly. What are your future plans? I will be transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the fall to major in agribusiness and minor in dairy science. I then plan to pursue a career in marketing or sales for a public relations dairy company. I want to nd a way to continue to develop my small herd.
Faith Beining
Parent: Samantha Beining Auburndale, Wisconsin Marsheld High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I currently work for Harmony Ho Holsteins in Stratford. They milk around 500 cows at the moment. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I work mainly in the specialty care area of the operation, working with the freshening cows, administering medication and assisting with sick animals. I also help head up the calf and heifer barns. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite class can’t be narrowed down to one singular class. I loved all my agriculture classes. It felt like home. I will always have memories of Mr. Heeg and Mr. Zee telling their endless stories. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Growing up and working on a farm teaches you responsibility and management upon other important skills. These qualities helped form me into a better person and better set me up for my future, especially in agriculture. What is your favorite memory on the farm? The early mornings and late nights are where all my favorite memories were made. Whether it was back at my family’s original home farm or in the barns at a cattle show, at the time you’re tired and want to go to sleep, but at the end they turn into cherished memories. What are your future plans? I plan on attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in the fall where I will major in dairy science with a management emphasis. After I graduate from River Falls, I wish to come back to central Wisconsin and become a herdsman for a local dairy or a nutritionist.
Aaron Dukelow
Parents: Chris and Monica Dukelow Abbotsford, Wisconsin Abbotsford High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work for Dukestead Acres, our family farm. We milk 450 cows. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I do a little bit of everything on the farm. I do heifer and steer barn chores, help with milking and calf chores, assist with machinery maintenance and help with cropping and eldwork. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite class was school to work/youth apprenticeship because I got to come home from school early every day so I could work on our farm while earning high school credit. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? I feel that living on, and working on, our family farm has given me the opportunity to do what I enjoy. It taught me many practical things and gave me hands-on experience. Although it could be challenging at times, it was rewarding. What is your favorite memory on the farm? My favorite memory on the farm has been nding tractors in rough shape and restoring them. I get to work with my dad on the tractors to pass time during the winter. Recently, we nished up restoring an A-C 200 to take to shows. What are your future plans? I will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course while continuing to work on our farm.
Ainsley Noble
Parents: Troy and Jaime Noble Lancaster, Wisconsin Platteville High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I live on my family’s dairy farm, Nobland Farms, where we milk 420 registered Holsteins. What are your responsibilities on the farm? My main responsibilities on our farm include calf chores in the morning and evening when available, managing our show heifer barn with my younger sister and miscellaneous other chores as needed. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite high school class was entrepreneurship. In this class, I got to make my own business plan, including startup costs, licensing, hours of operation, services and so much more for a dairy show animal boarding facility. This class has prepared me for my future in the dairy industry. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Living on my family’s farm has taught me the importance of hard work, responsibility and leadership since early in my life. It has taught me that nothing in life worth having will come easy but rather with a lot of hard work and dedication to your passions. In the next steps in my life, I am prepared because the industry has taught me the many important life lessons I will need forever. What is your favorite memory on the farm? I do not have a specic favorite memory on our farm. However, my most memorable moments come from time spent with my family on our farm. Every day is a new day and brings new memories, especially working with show heifers with my siblings. What are your future plans? I will be attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls to major in agricultural education. I aspire to teach high school agriculture and advise FFA in southwest Wisconsin. I also plan to return to my family’s dairy farm to continue working closely with our calves and show animals.
Turn to SENIORS | Page 27
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 27
ConƟnued from SENIORS | Page 26
Mary Lewandowski
Parents: Bill and Sandy Lewandowski Bevent, Wisconsin Wi t t e n b e rg Birnamwood High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work on my family’s farm, Lakeland Dairy, and we milk 50 Holsteins. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I assist with the feeding and milking of the cattle to ensure their well-being, maintain cleanliness of the barn to keep a healthy environment for the livestock, oversee the calf care on our farm, and help with the eldwork and harvesting of crops. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite high school classes were band and choir. I have developed many memories that will forever hold a special place in my heart. Band has provided me the opportunity to be in the Wisconsin State
Courtney Glenna
Parents: Randy and Char Glenna Amery, Wisconsin Amery High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work on my family’s farm, Glenna Dairy. We milk 120 Holstein cows. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I’m grateful my parents have let me have a large role on the farm. I get to do a variety of tasks including milking, operating equipment, mixing and delivering feed, reproductive management, sire selection, administering medication and record keeping. What was your favorite high school class? I took a variety of agriculture classes throughout high school. I appreciated those classes as they broadened my horizons on different agricultural areas, like horticul-
Ty Harbaugh
Parents: John and Jeri Harbaugh Coon Valley, Wisconsin Westby Area High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work at Heritage Hill Farm where they milk 40 cows. What are your responsibilities on the farm? My main responsibilities are feeding
Evan Jauquet
Parents: Jay and Heather Jauquet Pulaski, Wisconsin Pulaski High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work on my family’s farm, Synergy Family Dairy. We milk 600 cows. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I do a lot of things around the farm, but my main jobs are feeding calves, watching the maternity pen, caring for the show string and clipping show animals.
FFA Honors Band and the National FFA Band with my trumpet. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? After graduation, I see myself as an agricultural advocate and I want to work to preserve the legacy of my family’s dairy farm. I plan to raise the sixth generation on the farm and instill the valuable morals I received as a kid. I want to continue to make a difference in the agriculture industry. What is your favorite memory on the farm? As a science fair project, I did an experiment with a group of calves. I would ring a bell, and they were rewarded with a sugar cube. The calves were trained to come to me by the sound of my bell, knowing they would get a treat from me. What are your future plans? I plan to attend Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, Wisconsin, for dairy science and agri-business and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for organizational leadership to become a Wisconsin dairy organization program manager. I also plan to be an active member of St. Ladislaus Church, Wittenberg-Birnamwood FFA Alumni and local dairy organizations. ture or vet science. A lot of these tie into the dairy industry but allow me to connect with others in agriculture as well. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Living and working on our farm has taught me many lessons, especially hard work and teamwork. It takes a team to make the farm run efciently and plenty of hours to make sure the cows are comfortable and happy. These lessons will translate to my college and professional career. What is your favorite memory on the farm? My favorite time that has led to the creation of many memories was in 2018 when my family expanded and purchased registered cows. They allowed them to be transferred to my name, and those cows have provided me with countless dreams, goals, memories and a passion for dairy. What are your future plans? I will be attending University of Wisconsin-River Falls this fall to major in dairy science and minor in agricultural business. I also intend to run for a Wisconsin state FFA ofce and complete internships throughout college. Following college, dairy genetics and reproduction interest me. cows and calves and milking. What was your favorite high school class? Shop class was my favorite class because I like xing and working on things. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Working on a farm has taught me work ethic and responsibility which will help me succeed later on in life. What is your favorite memory on the farm? My favorite memory is working with my show animals. What are your future plans? I plan to attend Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in the fall for agricultural mechanics. Then after school, I plan to open my own shop and farm on the side. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite class would be youth apprenticeship/work release. I like this program as it gives kids the opportunity to get work experience for credit in high school. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? It has taught me a good work ethic and how to roll with the punches of life’s ups and downs. What is your favorite memory on the farm? Showing my Jersey cow at World Dairy Expo and earning senior champion of the junior show in 2021. What are your future plans? I plan to attend the University of Wisconsin-River Falls for agribusiness management and intern at different farms over the summers then come to my home farm to take it over someday.
Turn to SENIORS | Page 30
Congratulations to the class of 2022. We are proud to be your community's college and we are here for you. www.ntc.edu
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 29
Women In Dairy Jody Miller Avoca, Wisconsin Iowa County 250 cows Family: My husband, Dan, and I own the farm. Scott, Dan’s brother, and Derek, Dan’s son, work here full time. We have other family who work here as well, and my daughter, Cassie, owns eight cows here. Tell us about your farm. We run 600 acres and milk three times a day. We are all dairy, and we raise our replacements. Dan is the third generation on this farm. On my side, I am also the third generation to farm. What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? There is no typical day. We start milking at 4:30 a.m. After that, we breed, sort, herd check or hoof trim. Now eldwork is starting, which I love. I always help with chopping. I also watch my granddaughter, Breklyn, a few days a week. I do a lot of the herd health work as well. What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? We have recently installed the SCR ear tags. We were having trouble getting cows bred because we were not catching them in heat. We installed the ear tags in February, and we are updating our parlor to connect with the tags. They track rumination, heat and activity, and general health. We did this as an effort to be more efcient. Our last herd health was awesome. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. When we hosted the dairy breakfast in 2018. We were able to talk with so many people. Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin brought their magazine people from New York which was very cool. We love what we do so much, and it was so nice to let people see that. I also love getting to work with our kids. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the industry? I am enjoying being here and doing it. We are lucky to be dairying. I enjoy working with my husband every day and having our kids and grandkids involved. We have had such a crazy spring, and it has been so awesome to see everyone pull together. I am so proud of all of my family in agriculture. I watched my mother balance it all and have had her as an example.
What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? We have shirts made every year with a different saying on them. We hosted the dairy breakfast in the past. We are active on social media as well. My daughter and I started an FFA Alumni, and I have two daughters who are FFA leaders. All of us get together to participate in parades, and in the past, we have used a blow-up cow suit for fun. What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Roll with the punches. You cannot be too hard on yourself because you can’t do everything. Take a step back when things get rough. For me, eldwork is like therapy because I can be out in nature and have time to think. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I like to garden with owers. I have a pond behind the house with sh in it that I built. I also like to attend farm sales with my husband.
What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? We expanded in 2015 and went from a tiestall barn to a freestall and parlor setup. It was a dream come true.
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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
ConƟnued from SENIORS | Page 27
Cameron Johnson
Parents: The late Brent Johnson and Angie Johnson Osceola, Wisconsin Osceola High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work for Horse Creek Holsteins just out of the great little town of Horse Creek, Wisconsin, and we are currently milking about 300 cows. What are your responsibilities on the farm? I am just the normal farm hand, helping with a little bit of everything including feeding, eldwork, equipment maintenance, milking and animal care. What was your favorite high school class? Auto shop class was probably my favorite because it was hands-on, and it helped me learn more about engines and tractors and how to x complex things. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Working for Horse Creek Holsteins has not just been a job to me, it has been a lifestyle that I don’t ever want to get out of. I hope to keep working for them for the years to come. What is your favorite memory on the farm? Every day on the farm is a new memory and always exciting, but the best feeling I’ve had on the farm is when it’s summer. All of the help that comes around and countless hours of chopping hay for us and other farmers in the area is truly amazing. What are your future plans? After high school, I plan on going on a harvest run out west with Neumiller Harvesting, and once I’m back in the fall, I will return to work for Horse Creek Holsteins along with obtaining my CDL and possibly going to Northwood Technical College for agricultural mechanics.
Cammie Leer
Parents: Chris and Christine Leer Readstown, Wisconsin Laurel High School, Viroqua Area School District What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work for my family’s dairy, Leer Dairy Farms. We milk 400 dairy cows. What are your responsibilities on the farm? Like any other farm kid, our responsibilities vary on a day-to-day basis.
Whatever we are doing at the time is where I may be asked to help. Whether it is picking rocks, mowing pastures, covering chores, or it can simply be preparing meals or running after and taking everyone meals during planting and harvest season. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite high school class would have to be Western Civilization. I’m intrigued with history, especially ancient history, so having this class during my sophomore year really planted the seed of my interest in history. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Living on a farm has taught me to work for what you earn. Especially during hard times, it’s normal to want to quit and say, “I give up.” But, that isn’t possible on a farm. You have so many responsibilities that you can’t afford to just give up. It’s made me stubborn to the point of never giving up on what I want to accomplish. What is your favorite memory on the farm? One of my favorite memories on the farm is riding along with my father when he would go cutting hay or planting corn. We would have amazing conversations, and I would learn so much from him about cows and crops or anything that I had a question on. His knowledge of agriculture is quite extensive, so there was always something new to learn. What are your future plans? I plan to attend Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, for a double major in history and general music. I then plan to go on to law school and become a prosecuting attorney for women.
Emma Bangart
Parents: Rick and Peggy Bangart Stratford, Wisconsin Marsheld High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work on my family’s dairy, Bangart Farms LLC, where we milk 130 cows. What are your responsibilities on the farm? My responsibilities include feeding calves, scraping heifer pens and helping with vaccinations. I run the cows that have not milked in more than 12 hours into our two DeLaval robots. I also complete the registration papers and care for my own small herd of Red and White Holsteins. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite class in high school was anatomy and physiology because we got to do hands-on learning by completing multiple dissection labs.
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Parents: Mike and Amy Korth New London, Wisconsin New London High School What dairy do you work for? How many cows do they milk? I work for my family’s farm, Golden Hill Vue Farm Inc., and we milk about 275 head. What are your responsibilities on the farm? My responsibilities on the farm are anything and everything that needs to be done. I spend most of my time dealing with the cows which means feeding, milking, vaccinating and watching for general health concerns of animals at all ages. I also spend a lot of hours in a tractor doing eldwork. What was your favorite high school class? My favorite class in high school is animal science. It is my favorite because I can learn more about the industry I love while learning more about other animals. How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Working on the family farm has prepared me for the future by teaching me lifelong skills. On the farm, I have learned time management, responsibility and respect. These are all skills I will use in my career and throughout college. What is your favorite memory on the farm? My favorite memory on the farm is getting my rst heifer. This heifer allowed me to be further involved in the farm and help me get started on the right foot. What are your future plans? My future plan is to attend the University of Wisconsin-River Falls for a degree in dairy science management and minor in crop and soil science. After nishing college, I hope to take over the family farm.
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How do you feel working or living on a farm has prepared you for the next stage in your life? Working on my family’s dairy has taught me compassion and determination. I have seen the struggles and rewards of farming and am more persistent because of it. Being surrounded by hard-working individuals has shown me that I must be willing to put in the effort to achieve my goals. What is your favorite memory on the farm? My favorite memory on the farm was assisting in a difcult calving. I remember how hard the calf was to pull and the rush of excitement I had after the calf was born alive. From that moment on, I realized I wanted to have a career with animals. What are your future plans? I plan on attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls to major in dairy science with an emphasis in pre-veterinary medicine. I aspire to one day become a large animal veterinarian.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 31
Nate Melin Atlas, Wisconsin Polk County 60 cows How did you get into farming? I was born into it. I am the fourth generation to farm here, and I am raising the fth. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? As always, the rising cost of inputs concerns me as well as the uctuating prices of income and battling Mother Nature. What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? We are in the process of updating some stalls in the barn, and within the last few years, we purchased the farm’s rst ever four-wheel drive tractor, which was long overdue and much needed on our heavy ground. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I am laid back and go with the ow. Patience is also helpful. What is the best decision you have made on your farm? My best decision was to marry my wife. All joking aside, the decision to simply continue to dairy and push through has been the best one made.
The Melin family – (front, from leŌ) Rudy, Luella, Axel and Pearl; (back, from leŌ) Kelsey holding Gus, Dave and Nate – milk 60 cows in Polk County near Atlas, Wisconsin.
What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? Mountain Dew, a handy side kick (a kid or my wife) to be a runner and a helper and my headphones with music.
tested at times, but it’s important to keep business and family separate. Don’t let feelings get hurt. Don’t let them stay hurt. Communication is important, and you need to laugh a lot.
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? Next year, get the crops in and out in time. Put up good feed. In ve years, put up a calf barn and gain more land.
What strategies do you use to withstand the volatile milk prices? It’s important to always plan for a low because history tells us there is always one coming again. Don’t go buck wild buying when prices are up.
What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I’m my own boss. And, I like being able to do it with my family.
How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? Seems like the time not doing chores or something related to the farm is slim. We took a family camping trip last year, and my wife hopes to make it annual. We enjoy bonres in the yard, grilling out and playing catch.
How do you maintain family relationships while also working together? Family relationships can get
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Keep on keeping on.
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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
Dining with dairy goats
Friendly Franseen Acres to host Boone County Breakfast on the Farm By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
POPLAR GROVE, Ill. – Goats, rather than cows, will be the featured animal at the 23rd annual Boone County Breakfast on the Farm June 11. From goat milking demonstrations to interacting with baby goats, visitors to Friendly Franseen Acres will have much to see and do while also enjoying an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast. “This is not your typical dairy farm, and I think that’s what makes this breakfast unique,” said Jeremy Franseen, who farms with his father, Rick, and his daughter, Morgan. “You may know dairy, but dairy goats are completely different.” The Franseens milk 200 goats on their farm near Poplar Grove. Goats replaced cows at this dairy in 1997 – the same year Jeremy graduated from college. It was a decision that, in Jeremy’s mind, saved the farm for future generations. “I can safely say there wouldn’t be cows here now if we decided to stay in cows because there are so many ups and downs in the indus-
try,” Jeremy said. “We have a more stable milk price with goats. The price is set from the start of each year, making it easier to budget. If we wanted livestock, this was the direction we needed to go, and we’re glad we did.” The Franseens were milking about 55 cows and were considering putting in a parlor and building a freestall barn to enable Jeremy to return home to farm with his dad. After crunching the numbers, expansion did not make sense for this family. “It was the best decision we never made,” Rick said. Instead, Rick and Jeremy invested in a different species of dairy animal. Jeremy’s grandpa was against the idea of milking goats at rst, but he came around and ended up being a big help to his son and grandson. “Grandpa eventually fell in love with goats and did a lot to help us get going, including helping build the parlor,” Jeremy said. For the rst three weeks, cows and goats inhabited the farm together until the cows left. The family ripped out the tie stalls and put in a parlor on one end and made other modications and ad-
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
The Franseens – (from leŌ) Jeremy, Morgan and Rick – milk 200 goats on their farm, Friendly Franseen Acres, near Poplar Grove, Illinois. The family is hosƟng the Boone County Breakfast on the Farm June 11.
ditions to comfortably house their new herd. They also took down the north part of the barn and built a barn for the goats with a feed manger on one side. In 2013, they put up a new building to house youngstock. Starting with 60 milking goats, the Franseens’ herd soon grew to around 125 head up until 2017 when they increased to 200 milking. Jeremy’s grandfather purchased the farm in 1949, and 12-year-old Morgan is the fourth generation at Friendly Franseen Acres.
The Franseens buy all of their feed, and Jeremy’s brother, Josh, cash crops the farm’s 240 acres. His mom, Pam, does the bookwork. This is the Franseens’ third time hosting breakfast on the farm which will be held from 6:30-11 a.m. They welcomed the public to their farm in both 2014 and 2015, each time drawing about 1,500 people. After back-toback cancellations in 2020 and 2021, Jeremy and his family are looking forward to hosting the long-awaited event once again.
“We like showing off the goats,” Rick said. Jeremy agreed. “It’s fun to see the excitement on the kids’ faces, especially those who’ve never been on a farm before or seen goats in person,” Jeremy said. “There’s a lot of anticipation leading up to the event. A lot of people show up, including many family members and friends we haven’t seen in a long time.” From 6-8 a.m., breakfast on the farm guests can Turn to FRANSEEN | Page 33
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Goats are milked in a double-12 parlor and milking demonstraƟons will be one of the acƟviƟes at breakfast on the farm June 11 near Poplar Grove, Illinois. The Franseen family replaced their herd of cows with a herd of goats in 1997.
watch the goats being milked as a new group enters the double-12 parlor every 15 minutes. The Franseens spread out their kidding season from September to June, and after welcoming nearly 70 baby goats in the month leading up to the breakfast, the farm’s little ones are sure to be another highlight of the morning. “There are a lot of four-legged kids around here for two-legged kids to play with,” Jeremy said. Featuring music by local musicians, the event will also include a petting zoo, children’s activities, horse-drawn wagon rides, an antique tractor and implement display, exhibitor booths, a rafe and more. In
ing an exceptional herd was the goal from the beginning, and the Franseens feel they have accomplished what they set out to do. Goats at the dairy average 9.6 pounds of milk per goat per day, or 3,025 pounds per year. Milk is shipped to Saputo in Belmont. “We milk year-round and get the winter milk price, which is higher,” Jeremy said. “We try to ship as much winter milk as we can.” With a somatic cell count of 282,000, the Alpine herd has earned the highest level in milk quality awards for the past ve years. The Franseens also care about type, and in 2018 had the national champion goat – a 5-year-old that was “There are very few dairy also reserve national champion in 2017. farms in Boone County, “Our somatic cell may sound high to someone who and we have a community milks cows, but that’s a regood number for goats,” responsibility to do our ally Jeremy said. “We do the best we can in all areas of the farm part.” and always strive to be better. We like to break averages and JEREMY FRANSEEN, DAIRY FARMER break records.” Money raised at the breakaddition to pancakes, breakfast will also feature sausage, applesauce, ice fast will go to the Winnebago-Boone Farm Bureau Foundation to provide cream, milk and coffee. “Boone County has always done agricultural scholarships to high the wagon rides,” Jeremy said. “Ev- school students and the Winnebagoeryone enjoys it. They provide trans- Boone Ag in the Classroom program. “There are very few dairy farms portation from the parking lot or in Boone County, and we have a people can just ride for fun.” This year’s breakfast coincides community responsibility to do our with the Franseen family’s 25th an- part,” Jeremy said. “This event is for niversary of milking goats. Develop- a good cause.”
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The average farmer gets about 40 opportunities to plant a crop. Any seasoned farmer will tell you that no two years are ever the same. With that mindset, it is important to be as prepared as possible. This includes the potential need for United States Department of Agriculture programs. If the growing season of 2021 taught us anything, it is to be prepared. Ad hoc disaster programs along with some COVID-19 programs helped the bottom line of area producers during stressful times in 2021. If you received a crop insurance indemnity in 2021, watch your mailbox for the Emergency Response Program. Timely crop certication is critical should the crop year of 2022 present any challenges. Do not delay reporting your crops upon completion of planting. Please make it your priority. Prevent planting is on the mind of everyone right now. Review the details below. Reporting timelines are critical. Stay safe out there. The hours will be long, but the benets will be great. Be proud of what you are doing. We certainly are proud of you all. File a notice of loss for failed, prevented planted acres USDA Farm Service Agency reminds you to report prevented planted and failed acres in order to establish or retain FSA program eligibility for some programs. You should report crop acreage you intended to plant but, due to natural disaster, were 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. If you’re unable to report the prevented planting acreage 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 $46 measurement service fee will be charged per farm. Additionally, if you have failed acres, you should also use form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, to report failed acres. Contact your local USDA Service Center or visit www.fsa.usda.gov. Additional information can be found at farmers.gov. Hay, graze and chop cover crops Agricultural producers with crop insurance can hay, graze or chop cover crops for silage, haylage or baleage at any time and receive 100% of the prevented planting payment. Previously, cover crops could only be hayed, grazed or chopped after Nov. 1; otherwise, the prevented planting payment was reduced by 65%. The RMA added this exibility as part of a broader effort to encourage producers to use cover crops, an important conservation and good farming practice. Cover crops are especially important on elds prevented from planting as they help reduce soil erosion and boost soil health. RMA recognizes that cover crops are not planted as an agricultural commodity but rather with the primary purpose for conservation benets. For the 2021 crop year and beyond, RMA will not consider a cover crop planted following a prevented planting claim to be a second crop. But, RMA will continue to consider a cover crop harvested for grain or seed to be a second crop, and it remains subject to a reduction in the prevented planting indemnity in accordance with the policy. This decision to allow exibility for the 2021 crop year, and to make the change permanent for future years, builds on the advanced research and identied benets cover crops have supporting healthy soils and cropland sustainability efforts. To learn more about this policy change, visit RMA’s prevented planting webpage. The webpage also has the latest cover crop termination guidelines, which USDA updated in 2019 as a result of greater exibilities provided in the 2018 farm bill. Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA agent locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa. usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
Alice in Dairyland Once in a while, we get to be a part of something that is inspiring and has promotional components that awe and amaze me. This past week, we were the Dane County dairy farm that was used to showcase Wisconsin dairy and agritourism to the Alice in Dairyland candidates. Our farm was chosen because we are conducting dairy farm tours and our innovations with Lely robotic milking technology. We received an initial phone call and request for the candidates to visit our farm in February. Were we interested in hosting a visit in May? Oh, yes. We have had several women who were Alice in Dairyland at our farm for events. Having Alice in Dairyland as an By Tina Hinchley ambassador at our farm Farmer & Columnist was icing on the cake for these events. This would be such an honor for us to host these young ladies as one stop of many in Dane County. We had continual communications with the planners to ensure all of the stops were organized. The candidates’ days would be full of opportunities to learn about many of the agricultural businesses that are throughout Dane County. The contestants were going to be groomed, trained and polished. As the weeks went by and we started to hear about the candidates, the excitement grew. As the tour grew close, I was noticing more and more personal information about each candidate on social media. All six women – Amber Cafferty, Amelia Hayden, Courtney Moser, Taylor Schaefer, Samantha Schuessler and Charitee Seebecker – are professionals starting their lives after college. Everyone is passionate about Wisconsin and the diversity throughout agriculture that touches every one of us through food, employment, ber and fuel. Just as the current Alice in Dairyland, Julia Nunes, is a powerhouse of an ambassador, each one of these gals are equally strong
I think hi k iit was the h llove we have in our lives enriched by agriculture, and the passion was loud and clear in all of these candidates. and full of the skills it takes to lead the Alice program. Throughout the morning of the tour, Anna and I were trying to notice little details, as there was a steady sprinkling of rain. We did a few last-minute things and got comfortable knowing the arrival was approaching fast. The huge black luxury coach pulled in right on time. As each one of the ladies and the organizers got out, everyone was smiling and full of energy and excitement. I gave an introduction about our farm and explained how we started hosting tours. Then, I concluded with information about our addition of Lely robots. Questions were asked, and I could feel that they were sincerely interested in what I said. Anna came, and they all sort of bonded. Was it their age? Was it that we are all women? Was it that agriculture runs through all of our veins? I think it was the
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love we have in our lives enriched by agriculture, and the passion was loud and clear in all of these candidates. Our farm was the last of their tour stops that were conducted throughout Dane County, and afterward, the young ladies would be preparing for questions and making presentations for the following evening at the Monona Terrace when the nale would be the crowning of the 75th Alice and Dairyland. As I sat reading the nale program at the Monona Terrace, surrounded by supporters, families, news media and past Alice’s, my eyes were opened to what a spectacular program the Alice in Dairyland is. From the very beginnings, following World War II, the program has transitioned into today’s age of instant communication with social media along with the traditional media with television interviews and written articles. The evening rolled smoothly with introductions, awards, presentations and prepared speaking. There was laughter, applause and heart felt tears as the evening highlighted the two years Julia was the 73rd and
74th Alice of Dairyland because of the coronavirus pandemic. She was able to shine through all of the challenges that surrounded us. She has created a new high standard for the future Alice’s with her use of social media and creativity to promote everything Wisconsin. As the tissues were used to dry tears of love and thankfulness, it was time to announce the winner. The audience all waited patiently in anticipation for the crowning of the 75th Alice in Dairyland. The announcement would be the start of a new life for Taylor Schaefer. She had her sash pinned on by Julia and was crowned. The other ve candidates have experienced a grand adventure also. Each one of these well-versed, professional women will have all of the ambassador skills that will impact their lives forever. Tina Hinchley, and her husband, Duane, daughter Anna, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. The Hinchley’s have been hosting farm tour for over 25 years.
Editorial disclaimer: The views expressed by our columnists are the opinions and thoughts of the author and do not reect the opinions and views of Dairy Star staff and ownership.
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Reliable old rhubarb Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
I love rhubarb. Plain and simple. I will use it in the majority of all baked goods for the next month or so. It is such a tasty sign of spring’s arrival. I shake my head when I drive past rhubarb patches waving their seed heads, giving evidence of a patch long neglected. I chuckle when I come across adults who are anti-rhubarb, especially when I think of all the children who pass through this kitchen and become rhubarb fans. After devouring a half pan of rhubarb dream bars in the span of 30 minutes, they declared the bars are one of their favorite desserts. I’m convinced adults who don’t like rhubarb haven’t had enough of it to become a lover of the tart avor. These kids at the farm have been reared on it. I made the following recipe this weekend for a breakfast treat. My notes in the margin call it
fabulous and so easy, and it does not disappoint. Though upon rst glance it seems to have many components, it truly does not. This breakfast or dessert is certain to impress your taste buds and any meal guest. I found it in a cookbook that my mom gave to me ages ago, “Cooking from Quilt Country: Hearty Recipes from Amish and Mennonite Kitchens.” If you make apple dumplings in the fall, you will want to try this one out in the spring to highlight rhubarb. When you tuck this recipe away and want to remind yourself of spring in the depths of winter, frozen rhubarb can be used, but do not thaw it rst. Rhubarb dumplings Sauce: 1 1/2 cups sugar
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1 tablespoon our 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups water 1/3 cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla ex- Ramblings from the Ridge tract Red food coloring, optional Dough 2 cups our 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 tablespoons cold butter By Jacqui Davison 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk Columnist Filling: 2 tablespoons butter, softened 2 cups nely chopped rhubarb 1/2 cup sugar Cinnamon Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare sauce rst. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, our, cinnamon and salt. Gradually mix in the water, then add the butter. Bring to a boil, on high, and keep there for 1 minute. Add the vanilla. If desired, add the food coloring. Let cool. Prepare the dough. In a medium mixing bowl, work the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the milk and mix quickly; do not overmix. Gather dough into a ball and roll out on a oured board or cloth into a 12-by-10 inch rectangle. Spread the dough with the softened butter, and arrange rhubarb on top. Sprinkle sugar over all, and dust liberally with cinnamon. Roll up from the long side and place seam side down. With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 slices. Arrange cut side up in a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Poor cooled sauce over top of the dumplings. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the dumplings are puffy and golden brown. Serve warm with heavy cream. I hope you are enjoying not only the avors of spring, but the smells, sights and sounds that seem to be on high after such a long, cold time. Happy spring, readers. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira (14), Dane (12), Henry (7) and Cora (4), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 37
Every growing season is different, and this spring is no exception. Excluding a few bursts of summer-like temperatures, cooler weather has blanketed much of the Midwest. As a result, we are signicantly behind on growing degree days for alfalfa maturity. Surprisingly, alfalfa has continued to progress. By the time this reaches print, some of our southern readers will have already taken a rst cutting of hay. For some farms, inventories are tight and newcrop haylage cannot be harvested soon enough. Strong milk prices kept barns full the past several months, and many areas reported lower-than-average yields in 2021 as a result of drought conditions. The option to purchase historically highpriced hay or brous byproducts is not feasible for many. Most alfalfa stands have been evaluated for winter survival at this point. Reports of mild to severe winterkill are present across the Midwest. In most cases, interseeding or other corrective ac-
F some ffarms, iinventories For i are tight and new-crop haylage cannot be harvested soon enough. tions have already occurred. If you are in the unfortunate position of dealing with a high percentage of winterkill, work with your agronomist and nutritionist to devise an alternative cropping plan. Environmental impact on quality The environment in which plants develop plays an important role in what the actual forage
quality will be at a specic stage of maturity. Temperature is the driving force behind most physiological processes that occur in a plant, including photosynthesis, respiration and cell wall formation. Alfalfa grown during cooler conditions has a tendency for slower rate of maturity, larger stem diameter, increased plant height and less lignication, resulting in higher ber digestibility. Soil moisture also has a signicant impact on alfalfa growth and forage quality. Wetter conditions tend to accelerate plant maturity, increase plant height, decrease the proportion of leaves to stems and generally increase ber percentages. Cooler temperatures have resulted in fewer growing degree days this spring, but moisture has been plentiful in most areas. As these two environmental interactions offset, the potential exists for high-quality haylage. First-cut quality can decrease rapidly Plant maturity is the most important factor affecting quality. With maturity comes more cell wall constituents, including lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. Proportionally, we see a drop in the digestible cellular contents such as soluble proteins, sugar, starch, fats and pectins. Not only does neutral detergent ber increase and forage energy content drop with maturity, but also the accumulating NDF becomes less digestible. Although rst-cutting alfalfa offers the opportunity for harvesting the highest amount of digestible ber in the growing season, forage quality declines at a faster rate for rst cutting compared to subsequent cuttings. It can change even faster if grass is present in the stand. Timely rst cut is essential if high forage quality is the objective.
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When should you start rst cutting? No simple guidelines apply to every year or every farm. Generally, you can wait longer during periods of cooler temperatures and Something to Ruminate On wetter conditions like most areas have experienced this spring. Several farms are dealing with an added challenge of managing unplanted corn or soybean acres at about the same time rst cut is ready. With a few rare exceptions, the best decision is to By Barry Visser put up the haylage. Nutritionist Scissor cutting is a tool that has been around for many years to determine the ideal time to cut. A second tool, the Predicted Equation for Alfalfa Quality, helps make your own eld estimates. Both measurements evaluate the standing crop and do not account for the change in quality due to wilting, harvesting and storage. A good rule of thumb as hay nears cutting is an average decline in relative feed value of four units per day under average weather conditions. Although maturity and quality of alfalfa silage at harvest is one of many factors affecting the bottom line of your dairy, high-quality homegrown forages can save you in purchased feed costs. That’s why putting up top-quality alfalfa silage should be a priority of your forage team. It’s in the best interest of your cows and your pocketbook. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
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Weathering storms Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022
Across the Midwest, we have been ravaged with extreme weather in the last six weeks from blinding blizzards, drenching downpours, softball-size hail and gale force winds. Many will be feeling the effects of these traumatic storms for years as lives have been uprooted and views outside kitchen windows have been changed forever. On Sunday, as we were rushing through the morning routine to make it to church on time, my mind started wandering. Another weather system was racing across the horizon to our area, I wondered how we could make it down to the basement from the choir loft if a tornado hit the church. We were heading to the country church in North Prairie, no sirens to alert us of impending danger. I pushed the thought aside and nished bedding the cows. As Mark drove to church, our Edge was struggling to stay between the lines. I assumed Mark was “farming the ditches” as he surveyed the progression of eldwork. Once we got to the parking lot, I started to realize my premonition may not have been too far off base. Several of us were hunched over, ghting the wind whipping across the church parking lot as we raced in slow motion to the front doors.
Once inside the church, there was silence. The century old church was built to safely harbor all who were within her walls. For the next hour, the only howling sounds were from a little one who took a tumble from the church pew. As we left the church, chatting with friends, we started to realize what had happened. Large broken branches missed cars in the parking lot. Across the street, a stately mature pine tree was uprooted and gently placed between the house and shed. Gale force winds had pushed through the countryside while we were in church. When we got home, we didn’t see a single branch in the yard. Apparently, the winds had missed us. It wasn’t until we went out for evening chores when we discovered domes were moved. Luckily, the calves were still inside, confused but safe. We had a major storm barrel through our farm yard in August 2010. The trauma of that weather event is still seen today. The view outside my kitchen window has lost the comforting peaceful shade beneath the mammoth elm trees. The remaining oak trees stand like wounded soldiers. I can envision how the domes were tossed deep into the corn eld. Calves were dazed and stunned as much as we were
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once the winds subsided. I think the calves would eventually suffer from post-traumatic storm disease. Apparently, it is an inherited trait. Just before, during and after the storm, we had six Supersire ET sisters born. We named them Chaos, Cyclone, Commotion, Confusions, Chapel and Church. They Just Thinking Out Loud were always a skittish bunch of calves, ready to bolt at the drop of a hat. We calved in all of the sisters but only two would stay in the herd. Commotion and Confusion stayed in our barn for several lactations but with a caveat. Since they lived up to their names and possibly suffered from PTSD, we were never able to chase them between barns. Since they were such good By Natalie Schmitt milk cows, we accommoColumnist dated their disposition. Once they calved or when they were dried off, we would trailer them 160-feet between the barns. They were just too nuts to chase, and we weren’t track stars. They had their permanent stalls in the back of the milking barn. We have had fun coming up with names for this cow family and their disorder. Austin could care less what we name the calves. He is all about numbers. For Mark and myself, naming calves is a creative outlet in developing family legacies. We have several descendents from Confusion in the barn today. So, Confusion had Turmoil, who had Turbulence, who had Turbo, who had Turbine. This line has been easy to handle and a joy to milk. Turbo is probably one of my favorite 2-year-olds in the barn right now. She is so gentle, despite her name. Turmoil had a second daughter named Ralma Rapid Terror. She appears to be living up to her name and the legacy of her grandmother. Terror calved in the afternoon just before milking time. Perfect. We could get her milked and the calf fed before we started milking the whole herd. No late night calving duties. We were even able to chase her across the yard straight into the barn and in a stall. It seemed so simple. Actually, she was still brain numb from the delivery and just ran blindly in a straight line to the milking barn. When we chased her back to the other barn, she missed the door but went around on the north side where there was a gate to the pen. We gave her and ourselves a break from a potentially long chase scene. The next morning, the PTSD kicked in. In the dark (thanks to daylight saving time), Austin and Mark tried to chase her across with two other switch heifers before they started milking. They got two out of three across with no problems. Terror, on the other hand, made a break for it and ran through the mud and a hot wire fence to get back with the others. Once the cows in the barn were milked, it was time to coral Terror and get her milked. Just like her grandmother, we hooked up the stock trailer to haul her across the farm yard. Once Austin convinced her to step off the trailer, it was a race to the back of the barn to the very last stall, Confusion’s old stall. Mark thinks she is living up to her name and legacy. I wonder if her heifer calf will continue the family tradition? I named her Ralma Lambda Tremor. She is a pretty excitable calf. We all have storms in our own lives, seen and unseen. Through these times, I always remind myself that God won’t give me more than I can handle. Sometimes I wish he didn’t have so much condence in me and what we can do together. My friend Bernie gave me a prayer card with a very gentle yet empowering reminder. “Lord, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that you and I can’t handle.” When storm clouds bear down on us, remember we’re not in this alone. We will weather the storms. 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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Is she ID’d?
Dairy Star • Saturday, May 28, 2022 • Page 39
4-H families, at least in Minnesota, wrapped up one of the most important requirements of the 4-H dairy project: animal identication. For those unfamiliar with the 4-H dairy project, here’s an explanation. Each year, every cow, heifer or calf that a 4-H student plans to show at the county fair must be identied with the county 4-H ofce by May 15. This is a strict deadline, and there are strict requirements that go along with the identication process. Failure to properly identify an animal by the deadline leaves that animal ineligible for exhibition at the state fair and for receipt of any ribbons Dairy Good Life higher than blue at county fair. Thankfully, the identication process has come a long way since the advent of digital registration. My kids will never know the fun my generation of 4-H kids had while painstakingly lling out the yellow paper identication forms with our best penmanship. Or, the fun of drawing each animal’s markings on the bovine outlines. The digital process now involves entering every animal’s identifying information in an online portal, doublechecking that all of the information is correct, and submitting. Cows and heifers who are already enrolled from previous years only need to be renewed in the system. By Sadie Frericks The only gripe I have is that there is no simple way to Columnist move a heifer from one sibling to another. In our family, the youngest showperson halters the youngest animals – usually winter calves and spring calves – but then an older sibling might show them as a yearling or cow. This year, we renewed the cows and heifers who will be returning to the show ring and added the calves and heifers who will be making their debut. Then, we decided to do something we’ve contemplated for several years: to ID everyone else. By everyone else I mean every other eligible animal. Cows cannot be ID’d after they’ve calved, so this list included all of the calves and heifers not yet fresh. Here’s why: – Back up plan for bad luck. We’ve always ID’d extra animals – calves and heifers with show ring potential but not rst choices – just in case something happens to the kids’ rst choices. Ideally, a 4-H student would grow a dairy project over time – show an animal as a heifer, then as a cow, and for years after that. In reality, it takes an incredible amount of luck and good fortune to show the same bovine from calf to aged cow. Monika had a really good run with her Jersey cow, Sunlight. She showed her as a spring calf, yearling, 2-year-old, 3-year-old, and 4-year-old. Unfortunately, a mid-gestation pregnancy loss means Sunlight will be dry during the fair this year. We’ve had far more bad luck with show cows and heifers. We’ve had favorite fair heifers who don’t calve in with fair-quality udders, show cows whose udders don’t recover well from a case of mastitis, and others who end up being dry during the fair. Dan has had more than his fair share of heartbreak with fair heifers not becoming fair cows. Fingers crossed, it looks like this year a couple of his heifers nally turned into nice cows. Now, when a rst choice doesn’t pan out, our kids will have an abundance of back up options. – No more ugly-duckling regrets. The most correct, stylish cows in our herd will never enter the show ring because they weren’t ID’d before they calved. We call them ugly ducklings: plain-looking heifers who turn into beautiful, swan-like cows. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the question, “Is she ID’d?” Usually it comes right after a new heifer calves in with a really nice udder. Now, the answer will always be, “Yes.” – Our entire herd is their 4-H project. Again, the bias in 4-H is that 4-H kids should develop specic animals into long-term projects. In reality, every cow, heifer, and calf on our farm is part of our kids’ 4-H dairy project experience. They practice dairy judging on all of our cattle. They connect the dots between what they’ve studied in project bowl and what they observe and experience while doing their chores and taking care of all of our animals. Now, they’ll have the option to show all of our cattle. We also decided to keep every cow ID’d until she leaves the herd. 4-H requires cows to remain continuously ID’d in order to be eligible to show. Several times now, we’ve removed a cow from the roster because she was on a calving schedule that left her in late lactation or dry during the fair. But then a cow has an extended lactation, calves in the winter, and still looks good come summer. That happened last year with Gloria, one of our old Milking Shorthorns. More than once, Dan looked her over and shook his head that she couldn’t be shown. She had been ID’d as a heifer, but we didn’t keep her ID’d. Looking back, we all wish we had made these decisions years ago. We thought it would be extra work to do the IDs and renewals. What we discovered, though, was that it was actually faster to ID every animal in the herdbook than it was to decide which calves and heifers should be identied and which shouldn’t. Now, they have to decide who they’re actually going to show, because they can’t take everyone to the fair. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children – Dan, 15, Monika, 12, and Daphne, 9. Sadie also writes a blog at www. dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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