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DAIRY ST R
Volume 24, No. 6
Valley Queen Cheese Factory launches expansion
June 11, 2022
“All dairy, all the time”™
A change for the better Robots help Ruther run a one-man farm
South Dakota cheesemaker breaks ground on $195M project
By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
By Jerry Nelson
jerry.n@dairystar.com
MILBANK, S.D. – Valley Queen Cheese Factory held a groundbreaking ceremony May 19 to commemorate the start of its latest expansion project. The expansion will boost the factory’s processing capacity from its current 5 million pounds of milk per day to 8 million pounds of milk per day. Valley Queen Cheese Factory CEO Doug Wilke gave remarks during the ceremony. “Our customers have told us they want more cheese, and our dairy producers want to make more milk,” Wilke said. “This three-year, $195 million expansion is our answer to those calls. It means 30,000 more cows, 140 new career opportunities, more families in our communities, growing schools and a busier main street. We’re proud to be a part of this growth that will benet so many across South Dakota.” Valley Queen Cheese Factory currently has 250 employees. This latest expansion is the largest in the company’s history. The economic impact from the new addition is estimated to be as much as $1 billion annually within an 80-mile radius of Milbank. The expansion, which is scheduled to be complete by Jan. 1, 2025, will boost Valley Queen Cheese Factory’s yearly cheesemaking capacity by 125 million pounds. “Ninety-three years ago, two Swiss immigrants took a chance on a small town called Milbank, South Dakota,” Wilke said. “We take great pride in being stewards of their legacy as we begin our next phase of growth.” Valley Queen Cheese Factory was founded in 1929 by Alfred Nef and Alfred Gonzenbach. The two men had stopped in Milbank on their way to Montana where they had planned to establish a new cheese factory. Local dairy farmers and businessmen convinced Nef and Gonzenbach to stay in Milbank and start a cheesemaking business that would use the milk being produced by area dairy farmers. Starting with these humble roots, Valley Queen Cheese Factory has grown steadily over the ensuing deTurn to VALLEY QUEEN | Page 8
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Aaron Ruther releases caƩle from headlocks following herd check June 1 at the dairy near Perham, Minnesota. Ruther’s 210-cow herd is housed in a newlybuilt 4-row, guided-ow freestall barn and milked with three robots.
PERHAM, Minn. – Aaron Ruther has had his eyes on robotic milking systems for quite some time. And now, with the investment a part of his farming operation, it is exactly what he needed to make the one-man dairy practical. “I was sold on robots a few years ago,” Ruther said. “Help is hard to nd here with the factories in town. With the robots, life has gotten a lot better.” Ruther milks 210 cows with three DeLaval VMS V300 robots in a 4-row, guided-ow freestall barn. The dairyman began using his new setup Sept. 28, 2021, at his dairy farm in Otter Tail County near Perham. “It’s still a lot of work though, but it’s more manageable,” Ruther said. Ruther is in the barn around 5 a.m. every day to monitor the herd and bring Turn to RUTHER | Page 6
Saving for college Donnays compost manure, sell fertilizer to support schooling By Maggie Molitor Staff Intern
KIMBALL, Minn. – Kidding season makes a busy spring for most dairy goat farmers, but for the Donnays, the beginning of gardening season adds to the springtime frenzy. Along with milking goats, the Donnays have a small enterprise of composting goat manure and selling it as garden fertilizer. The business is completely run by Brad and Leanne Donnay’s children, Michael, 21, Katheryn, 17, and Thomas, 8. “Our dad put the project into our hands,” Michael said. “It is ours. However far we take it, we can take it. But it is up to us, and that is what is cool about it.” The family milks 160 goats near Kimball. They operate an on-farm creamery where they process their milk into cheese and sell it to various restaurants and wholesalers near the Twin Cities. “We use everything our goats produce,” Michael said. “The milk gets made into cheese, and the manure we make MAGGIE MOLITOR/DAIRY STAR into compost.” The Donnay children – (from leŌ) Michael, Katheryn and In an effort to be more sustainable, Brad started the com- Thomas – hold a bag of their goat compost May 23 at their posting business eight years ago as a way to use his goat family’s farm near Kimball, Minnesota. The kids run their own business where they compost goat manure, package it and sell it as a ferƟlizer. Turn to DONNAYS | Page 9
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 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.
Holding Canada accountable
Dairy Prole brought to you by your Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack met with his Canadian counterpart during the G7 meetings in Germany. Vilsack discussed a dispute panel’s enforcement of the dairy provisions in the United States-MexicoCanada 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. “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.” WTO members asked to address food security The World Trade Organization will meet for a ministerial conference in mid-June. Ahead of the event, the WTO’s director general said agriculture needs to address the potential food crisis, but gaps remain between key trading partners. Next farm bill hearing scheduled The Senate Agriculture Committee continues their review of the current farm bill in preparation for 2023. The next farm bill listening session will be Friday, June 17, at Arkansas State University. The event will be livestreamed on the Senate Agriculture Committee website.
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Ukrainian farm delegation Ag Insider visits Minnesota A group of Ukrainian farmers, including Igor Novytskyi, traveled across Minnesota and Iowa last week meeting with Land O’Lakes, Corteva Agriscience, the United States Department of Agriculture and others. Five to six meetings each day covered the many different needs for Ukrainian farmers in the war. By Don Wick “We talked about critical imColumnist ports for our farmers to help with inputs,” Novytskyi said. “We also talked about pickup trucks because all of our farmers gave pickup trucks to the army. We’ve bought lots of them in Europe, but Europe is almost out of those, but the U.S. has good supplies.” Novytskyi farms 17,000 acres of wheat, corn, barley, sunowers and soybeans in central Ukraine and operates the largest milling plant in the country. The United Nations has met with Russia to discuss unblocking ports and restarting grain exports in the Black Sea. Novytskyi does not want the UN to cancel sanctions on Russia to reach the agreement. “Nobody will accept this, because Russia did so much bad to Ukraine,” Novytskyi said. “We hope and pray to God we can win the war and unblock it ourselves.” Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 5
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Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 3
Milbank, SD
South Dakota cheesemaker breaks ground on $195M project
Perham, MN
Caves of Faribault makes variety of blue cheese since 1936
A day in the life of the Kohls family Second Section: Page 15-17
First Section: Pages 1, 9
Albany, MN
Red Wing, MN
Family, farming was important to Malley
O’Reillys to host Goodhue County breakfast June 17
First Section: Pages 12-13
First Section: Pages 10-11
Arlington, MN
Donnays compost manure, sell fertilizer to support schooling
First Section: Pages 1, 6
First Section: Pages 1, 8
Faribault, MN
Kimball, MN
Robots help Ruther run a one-man farm
First Section: Pages 23, 25
Pierz, MN
Holy Cross, IA
Becker reects on rst anniversary of milking cows
Kruse uses crown, sash to advocate
Third Section: Pages 3, 5
Third Section: Pages 6-7
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Midwest Dairy board members: What has been your favorite dairy promotion? First Section: Pages 15 - 16
Zone 1
Zone 2
Columnists Ag Insiderr Pages 2, 5 First F Section on n
From My Perspective Page 34 First Section
Dea County Dear ty Ag Agent Guy y P Page 36 First Firs Section on
Veterinary V Vet y W Wisdom P Pa Page 37 First F s Section Fir n
From the F Zwe Z Zweber Farm P Page 38 Fir Section First
This is the front. We have what you need for what comes out the back.
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Country C Cooking C Page 26 P S Second Section S
The “Mielke” Market Weekly Pages 8 - 9 Second Section
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Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 5
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 2
Real estate loan balances increasing Farm real estate debt at commercial banks grew modestly in the rst quarter while production loans remain steady. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City said real estate loan balances increased at the fastest pace in nearly four years and drove an overall increase in agriculture lending. The Federal Reserve Bank said farm loan performance continued to improve but credit needs may rise as higher input costs weigh on prot margins.
Farm co-ops seen as an option for broadband A new report from CoBank argues agricultural cooperatives are in an ideal position to deliver high-speed broadband to farmers. This move could create a new revenue source for farm supply co-ops and help offset the volatile crop input business. CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange infers the expansion of broadband in rural America will increase adoption of precision agriculture technology. Labeling law The Food and Drug Administration is considering guidance for the labeling of dairy and plant-based drinks. A month ago, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf indicated the agency was moving quickly to address the use of ‘milk’ label on plant-based alternatives. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is now asking the White House not to change the regulations for ‘soymilk’ and other plant-based drinks. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Utah Sen. Mike Lee are leading this effort. Sign up now for container assistance program United States Department of Agriculture is taking applications for its new Commodity Container Assistance Program. This program provides funding for exporters to reduce the cost of sourcing containers at ports in Oakland and Seattle. The Farm Service Agency will make monthly direct payments to agricultural businesses and cooperatives based on the number of containers utilized between March 1 and Dec. 31 of this year. Scoular expansion Scoular has expanded its feed blending facility in Jerome, Idaho.
Scoular will begin producing bypass protein products with its new partner, Papillon Agricultural Company, in June. Papillon currently manufactures bypass protein products in New York, Indiana and Wisconsin and will expand into the Pacic Northwest.
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Name change for MOSES The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, known as MOSES, has announced a name change. The organization is now known as Marbleseed. The group’s tagline is, “Farmer-led, rooted in organic.” Daubenberger to lead MnDOT Gov. Tim Walz appointed Nancy Daubenberger to serve as the commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Daubenberger has worked for MnDOT for 22 years, including stepping in since the departure of former Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher. Resler succeeds Preisler The Minnesota Pork Producers Association announced Jill Resler is the new CEO. Resler has been with the organization since 2009 and served as chief operating ofcer for the last ve years. Resler succeeds David Preisler, who retired after 28 years as CEO.
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Veteran farm broadcaster passes Former farm broadcaster Col. Jon Phillips has died. Phillips, 81, also had a distinguished career trading commodities and as a livestock auctioneer. Trivia challenge Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia is the scientic term for a brain freeze associated with eating something cold, like ice cream. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, what is the term for a heifer who is twin to a bull and cannot reproduce? 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, June 11, 2022
ConƟnued from RUTHER | Page 1
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up fetch cows, if any. The guided-ow system, also called milk-rst, ensures the cattle have an opportunity at the milking robot prior to the feed bunk and back into the pen for laying time. “My biggest request was that I didn’t want to push cows,” Ruther said. “It’s really nice there are not many fetch cows with this setup. Here, my mornings are more relaxed. There’s no rush to get in the barn and start milking, and there’s no stress getting the cows milked.” To move through the barn, cows leave the stalls and enter a permission gate. At that gate, they are either granted access to a commitment pen where they will wait for the milking robot to become available or they will be rejected and not able to be milked. This is based on data the technology collects on each cow while using the robot. Following the use of the robot, cows are then sorted again. Through a gate, they will either be admitted to the feed lane and able to return to the stalls or sorted back to the commitment pen if they registered as an incomplete milking. “With this system, the transition for the cows was nice,” Ruther said. On the morning of the transition, Ruther milked the 160-cow herd in his worn-out double-6 herringbone parlor across the road. After the herd was milked, he trucked them to the new facility and began running the cows through the robots to simply get them used to the technology. By evening, he began using the ro-
bots to milk the cows. “There were a bunch of people who helped me and stayed through the night to make sure the herd was adjusting,” Ruther said. Planning for that moment was nearly two years in the making. Ruther rst began by touring other robotic dairies, mostly those in Stearns County. Construction on the facility began in spring soon after the ground thawed. “It was so windy,” Ruther said. “The barn has one big truss, so we had to pick a day that we could put it up without it breaking.” The total size of the naturallyventilated barn is 298- by 98-feet. It includes automatic alley scrapers, and repurposed stalls and headlocks from the old freestall barn. The facility also includes some space for bedding storage on the north end. “Overall, the building process went really well,” Ruther said. “Using the farm’s stalls and headlocks were always a part of the plan. We purchased them a few years ago, and they’re still good for a while yet.” The dairyman did have to rework his design and plans when he was faced with rising costs and limited availability of supplies. It was an unexpected change of plans. “Supplies kept climbing, and we were buying as fast as we could, the lumber and steel,” Ruther said. “It was a hard time for any company to fulll Turn to RUTHER | Page 7
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A cow completes milking as another walks into the robot June 1 at Aaron Ruther’s dairy farm near Perham, Minnesota. The cows have been milked with the robots since Sept. 28, 2021.
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Aaron Ruther stands outside his freestall barn June 1 near Perham, Minnesota. Ruther reused the stalls and headlocks from his old barn in the new facility.
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 7
ConƟnued from RUTHER | Page 6
orders.” He built the barn about 20 feet shorter than what was originally intended and saved about $40,000 by doing so. Ruther also installed a security camera system so he can monitor most areas of the barn from his ofce. While the robots have been up and running for nearly nine months, there is more work to complete on the facility. Ruther plans to install a sprinkler system over the feed alley this summer. “It’s really surreal,” Ruther said. “These cows came from an outdated barn, and now we’re seeing them have more laying time and the lighting is better. And now, I’m able to do a better job managing the herd and that’s what I have to do if I want to succeed.” When Ruther purchased the herd from his dad, Mike, eight years ago, he was doing all the breeding, raising the youngstock and managing every aspect of the dairy.
N FL O O
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Soon after, Ruther purchased heifers to reach his current herd size. He also partnered with a close
“These cows came from an outdated barn, and now we’re seeing them have more laying time and the lighting is better.” AARON RUTHER, DAIRY FARMER
friend to raise his heifer calves for the rst 90 days. He also works with an A.I. technician. These management changes have allowed Ruther to focus on other
needed tasks around the farm, such as routine trimming for improved hoof health. And, with the automation, he is able to spend more time with his four children – Madison, Brock, Ellyana and Journey. “Before, it was always a ght to get the kids to help with chores,” Ruther said. “Now, chores take 1.5 hours, and we can do them before or after any of their activities.” In the short time Ruther has been in the facility with the new technology, he has seen his reproduction and production improve and overall herd health in a better state. “This year is a transition year for us,” Ruther said. “We’re seeing these improvements, but we don’t have goals set yet for where we want to be. I’m 40 and that really gives me the time to invest in my dairy and this facility.”
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
Con�nued from VALLEY QUEEN | Page 1 cades. Their last expansion, which was completed in 2018, was a $52 million project that boosted their cheesemaking capacity by 25%. Valley Queen Cheese Factory makes an assortment of American style cheeses that are sold to various private label brands. The companies transform the cheeses into prepackaged slices that are enjoyed by consumers all across the nation. In addition to this latest expansion of their cheese plant in Milbank, Valley Queen Cheese Factory has also made plans to build a distribution center in western Wisconsin. “We’re picking a location that’s exactly between cheese manufacturing in Milbank and some of our customers in Wisconsin and even further south,” Wilke said. Jason Mischel, vice president of procurement at Valley Queen Cheese Factory, said that the exact place for the distribution center has yet to be determined. “We are building the distribution center as a way to become better partners with our customers,” Mischel said. “We want to make the logistics of distribution easier and more exible while reducing our costs. The distribution center will also turn a two-day trip with a truck into a one-day trip. This will enable our truck drivers to get home every night and help reduce their deadhead time.”
PHOTO SUBMITTED
DANR Secretary Hunter Roberts (from le�), Milbank Mayor Pat Rafferty, GEOD Commissioner Steve Westra, Lt. Governor Larry Rhoden, Governor Kris� Noem, Valley Queen Board Chair Ken Karels and Valley Queen CEO Doug Wilke par�cipate in a groundbreaking ceremony at Valley Queen Cheese Factory to commemorate the start of its $195 million expansion project. The steady growth of milk processing capacity in South Dakota has led to a boom for the state’s dairy industry. Over the past few years, South Dakota’s milk production has grown by approximately 35%. “This growth is the culmination of years, even decades, of effort by the South Dakota dairy industry,” said Tom Peterson, executive director of South Dakota Dairy Produc-
ers. “Our processing capacity has expanded, and our farmers were very willing to expand along with that. We have also seen a number of farmers come in from other areas to help ll that capacity.” Mischel agreed. “It makes sense to produce cheese relatively close to where it’s consumed,” he said. “We have seen over time that South Dakota has increas-
ing advantages. These advantages include low feed costs and good sources of water. We also have a solid infrastructure of experts and dairy service providers. The growth in the region’s dairy industry has reached critical mass and has resulted in a ywheel effect.” Valley Queen Cheese Factory sells its byproducts to customers all over the globe.
“Our whey protein can be found in numerous sports drinks,” Mischel said. “Some of our lactose goes to a processor in New Zealand, and our butterfat makes its way into brand name chocolates that are sold both nationally and internationally.” Mischel said Valley Queen Cheese Factory expects a portion of the milk needed to supply its new addition will come from existing dairy farmers expanding their operations. “We also foresee the construction of some new dairy farms in the area that we serve,” he said. Wilke said it is a good time to be in the South Dakota dairy industry. “We’re excited to be positioning ourselves for many more years of product innovation with customers and even stronger relationships with key dairy producers here in the I-29 corridor,” he said. “We see an opportunity to supply more high-quality cheese to a growing industry, and our dairy producers are looking for the opportunity to expand.” Wilke said the team at Valley Queen Cheese Factory has demonstrated their ability to lead change and execute a strategic plan. “Continuous growth and improvement are at the core of our company’s successful history, and we’re proud to continue those traditions with this next phase of growth,” he said.
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ConƟnued from DONNAYS | Page 1 manure. After extensive research of how to compost manure and reaching out to the University of Minnesota Extension, Brad landed on composting the goat’s bedding pack. When the project was established, he passed it onto his kids to make money for their college fund. The kids work together to compost, package and market their product. The process begins by hauling the goats’ bedding pack out of the barn and bringing it to the back clearing where it is composted. The constant heating and turning of the manure piles allow for the manure to break down. Most of the composting takes place during the warm summer months and is done by the fall. “You know it is ready when it looks like dirt, feels like dirt and smells like dirt,”
through a screener to sift out large and balled up particles. Michael is in charge of turning the manure pile, hand shoveling the compost into the screener and screening the end product. After screening, the compost is then dumped into the bag ller ready to get packaged. Katheryn labels, lls and seals bags of compost. She then puts a few holes in each bag to let the air out, places them on a pallet, and the product is ready to be sold. Thomas helps his older siblings wherever he can by lling bags and completing various tasks. “We have learned a lot about communicating between each other,” Katheryn said. “We work to pick up where the last person leaves off.” Working as a team is how the family is able to accomMAGGIE MOLITOR /DAIRY STAR plish all of their work. Katheryn Donnay lls up a bag of compost May 23 at her family’s farm near Kimball, Minnesota. The kids balance their Donnay and her siblings use the funds from the compost business for college. business with work, school, sports and their chores at home Gardens in Minneapolis, helped a lot when paying tu- to ll them. Joe would hand on the dairy. Tim and Tom’s Speedy Market ition,” Michael said. sew the top of the bags shut. It The humble be- Inc. in St. Paul and Ertl HardAfter his recent college would take forever. Now, we ginnings of the side ware Hank in Watkins. graduation, Joe, the eldest son, see our product in the store.” business have grown This past year, the young has since moved on from his From woven white bags to greatly since the be- entrepreneurs made over siblings’ business, and soon plastic sealable bags, the Donginning. They began $5,000 in gross sales that they Charlie, the youngest Donnay nays are proud of how far they MICHAEL DONNAY, DAIRY FARMER selling to local friends split among themselves to go sibling, will get more involved have come and attribute it to and family and now toward their college tuition. in the project. their hard work and dedication. Michael said. sell their product to various The pro t is split according to “It is cool to see how much “Envision it,” Michael The piles get covered for garden shops and nurseries, the workload each of the kids we have grown,” Katheryn said. “Growth might not come the winter, and in the spring, including Woods Farmer Seed put into the project. said. “When we started, we right away, but keep working the piles are spread out to dry. “It allowed us to start sav- had white woven bags, and we hard. With time, you get where When dry, the compost is put and Nursery in Waite Park, Mother Earth ing for college earlier and has would take plastic scoopers you want to go.”
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FARIBAULT, Minn. − The sandstone caves in Rice County were rst hand dug and used for Fleckenstein Brewery from 1854 to 1918. In present day, they are the trademark of the Caves of Faribault’s blue cheese. “They brewed beer and were forced to shut down during prohibition,” said Reuben Nilsson, general manager and head cheesemaker. “In the mid 1930s, there was this Midwest blue cheese effort going on, and the founder of the plant, Felix Frederickson, was driving through looking for sandstone caves to make the cheese.” KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR Caves of Faribault makes 3.5 mil- Rueben Nilsson stands with four wedges of blue cheese by the lion pounds of cheese a year in Farib- Caves of Faribault cheese plant and the sandstone bluff May 23 ault and is owned by Prairie Farms in Faribault, Minnesota. The plant produces 3.5 million pounds of of Edwardsville, Illinois. All the cheese a year and is owned by Prairie Farms of Edwardsville, Ilmilk comes from Dutchland Dairy in linois. Rolfe, Iowa. The plant, started in 1936, was the rst commercial blue cheese plant dardizing it, just recombining the two streams.” in the United States. At the same time, two truckloads of milk come In the early 1900s, researchers at United States from the farm for the next day’s cheesemaking. Department of Agriculture tried to reverse engineer “At its best, cheese is an expression of what’s goFrench Roquefort cheese with American cow milk as ing on at the farm,” Nilsson said. “One of our foundopposed to French sheep milk, said Nilsson. ers, Jeff Jirik, always said good cheese should taste “Commodity cheddar was not bringing in a whole like the milk, as in you should be able to taste the milk lot of income,” Nilsson said. “These researchers fo- when you eat the cheese, whether it’s blue, Swiss, cused on French blue cheese as something that com- cheddar or mozzarella. That’s something we always manded a much higher wholesale price, and if dairy keep in our heads as we’re working. We want to be cooperatives could produce blue cheese domestically, true to the standards of quality that the farmer is setthat would bring in more money for American dairy ting out.” farmers.” After the cream is added back, cheesemaking and Two blue cheesemaking methods were found mold cultures are added. from this research, one being the Minnesota method “This causes the veining in blue cheese and starts which uses sandstone caves. the cheesemaking process,” Nilsson said. “The caves have a very stable environment as the Rennet is then added which sets the milk to a walls are at 50 degrees year-round, and the sandstone custard consistency, and the cheese is cubed with is porous so water is always moving through the bluff wire harps both horizontally and vertically. Then the which makes the caves self-humidifying,” Nilsson cheese is heated to meet target benchmarks, pumped said. out of the vat and into wheel molds. Before the cheese gets to the caves, it starts out “In blue cheese, you want a lot of openings inside in three 20,000-pound vats. This step begins at 6 a.m. because that is where your veins are going to form,” after sanitation which takes place an hour before. Nilsson said. “We allow the wheels to come togeth“As milk is owing to the vat, we separate the er under their own weight, and we ip the stacks of cream, homogenize it and then recombine the cream cheese as they settle so we get a nice even shape with and the skim milk into the cheese vat,” Nilsson said. a at top and bottom and even sides.” “It’s a full fat or whole milk cheese as we are not stanThe cheese then sits in the molds overnight and is demolded and hand salted for the next two days. After the second salting, the wheel is pierced and then moved to the caves. “Blue cheese needs oxygen for the mold to grow so the piercing allows a little bit of oxygen to enter the interior of the wheel,” Nilsson said. The cheese rst goes into one of the ve curing caves which are cool and humid to keep the cheese from drying out. The cheese will sit there for three weeks. “We’ll then seal the cheese into bags and put the mold to sleep by moving those bags into a colder cave,” Nilsson said. The blue cheese then sits in the seven colder caves for two to KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Employees make cheese May 23 at the Faribault Caves in Faribault, Minnesota.
Turn to CAVES OF FARIBAULT | Page 11
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 11
Turn to CAVES OF FARIBAULT | Page 10 four months. “Cheesemaking is skilled manual labor,” Nilsson said. “There is science behind it, but it’s also a very physical, practical thing which allows you to use your head, hands and body to produce something.” Nilsson is one of 65 employees of
“At the end of the day or week, we have 65 people who all came together to produce this award-winning cheese that we ship nationwide.” RUEBEN NILSSON, CAVES OF FARIBAULT
the caves, most of whom come from farms or local communities. They are busiest making cheese four months before Thanksgiving and the Superbowl, said Nilsson. “This was my rst dairy job, and I met the founders of what was then
Faribault Dairy Company. I wanted somewhere I could learn how to make cheese, and they wanted somebody to do some lab work,” Nilsson said. “I wanted to produce something that at the end of the day I could share with friends and family. It’s a very tangible reward for the hard work.” The plant produces four kinds of blue cheese: AmaBlue, AmaGorg, St. Pete’s Select and Felix. Each product is sold nationwide to restaurants and grocery stores as whole wheels, as wedges and crumbles in retail cups, or large bags to food service. “St. Pete’s Select is what we would consider our agship cheese,” Nilsson said. “That gets extra aging. We are tasting it at 60 days and holding back our best vats for additional aging.” Felix recently took a bronze ribbon at the World Championship Cheese Contest in April in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “At the end of the day or week, we have 65 people who all came together to produce this award-winning cheese that we ship nationwide,” Nilsson said. “For the employees and our plant, receiving these awards is a validation of the hard work that we put in to turning milk into cheese.”
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
Lending comfort with stuffed cows
Family, farming was important to rural Albany man By Carol Moorman Staff writer
ALBANY, Minn. – Missy, Michelle, Kelli and Alex Malley hugged stuffed cows May 17 in the music room at Albany Area Elementary School in Albany. These were not just any stuffed animals. They were made out of clothes worn by their dad, Alphonse “Al” Malley, including his favorite shirts and farm hats. Their mothAl Malley er, Lynn, smiled when she saw the stuffed cows lined up in the room, knowing they would lend comfort to her family because of the fondness her husband of almost 15 years had for the dairy farm. “Al loved his cows, loved his tractors, loved his kids,” Lynn said. “He even had pet cows he loved.” Life was about family and the farm for Al, 47, who passed away Oct. 28, 2021, at their home in Albany Township following a battle with cancer. “When we were dating, he told me
CAROL MOORMAN/DAIRY STAR
Missy (front, from le�), Michelle, Alex and Kelli Malley; and (back, from le�) Diane Noll, Tammy Moe, Lynn Malley and Brianna Theisen hold stuffed cows May 17 at Albany Area Elementary School in Albany. The cows were made by volunteer sewers out of clothes worn by Al Malley, who passed away Oct. 28, 2021, at the age of 47. Not pictured was son, Kyle Malley.
he had to have a reason to farm and that reason was getting married and having kids,” Lynn said. “That was the highlight of his life.” Al lived his entire life on his
family’s century farm, helping with chores and eventually running the farm while he was in high school. He then took the farm over from his par-
ents, Alphonse Sr. and Lucille Malley. “He didn’t have any other opTurn to MALLEY | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 13
Con�nued from MALLEY | Page 12
CELEBRATE June Dairy Month THANK YOU DAIRY FARMERS FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO!
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Alex Malley hugs a stuffed cow May 17 in the music room at Albany Area Elementary School in Albany. The stuffed cows were made out of clothes and caps worn by his dad, Al Malley, a dairy farmer who passed away Oct. 28, 2021.
tions because his dad got sick,” Lynn said. “He never worked outside of the farm and felt like he had to keep the family farm running.” Lynn was raised on a dairy farm in rural New Munich, the daughter of Hugo and Virginia Massmann. She married Al Nov. 18, 2006. “I always said we met in farming, and Al said it was in Lake Henry,” she said. Once married, the two worked together milking 100 cows and farming 200 acres of oats, corn and alfalfa. “Fieldwork, milking cows, mixing feed,” Lynn said. “I even helped him pump the pit out.” They had disagreements when it came to farming, like how to feed calves.
“Al loved his cows, loved his tractors, loved his kids. He even had pet cows he loved.” LYNN MALLEY, DAIRY FARMER
“We got along really well,” Lynn said. “I’d tease the heck out of him.” Al liked milking and doing eldwork, especially tractor driving, Lynn said, but he hated picking rocks. If there was a farm equipment or hay auction, chances are Al was there. He would get up early in the morning to do chores so he would make it to the auction in time. “I swear he went to every auction,” Lynn said. Al also got up early if there was eldwork to do and rain was forecasted. “He told me his dad said if there was one thing that he would quit farming over it was because of the weather,” Lynn said. “You could never justify what the weather was because you can’t control it.” Al treasured time with his family, and he loved spending time with friends and driving around the countryside, Lynn said. He enjoyed dancing to music like The Johnny Holm
Band and playing cards. “It saddened him when he couldn’t go,” Lynn said. His cancer diagnosis blindsided the family, but he fought it with a positive attitude and support from family and friends. In 2017, Al started doctoring for what he initially thought was the u, and he ended up having his appendix removed. That is when a large tumor was found. The cancer had spread to his colon. Surgery and chemotherapy followed. Scans determined his cancer was continuing to spread. They went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester where a surgery was performed. But the cancer continued to spread. After 50 days in the hospital in Rochester, Al returned to the farm. “He could do the eldwork but not at full capacity,” Lynn said. He had a cow crowd gate installed in the barn with a goal of watching it work, but he passed away before the opportunity arose. “He can see it; he’s around here,” Lynn said. Al’s imprint is found all over the Malley family farm, where the elds have been planted this spring and the cows are milked twice a day. Lynn, who also works at the Melrose Post Ofce, does the evening milking with a hired man milking in the morning. Their children also pitch in. Lynn knows Al would be happy the farming tradition continues on the Malley farm. So, what would Al think of the stuffed cows made out of his clothes and hats? “He’d probably say, ‘That’s crazy,’” Lynn said. The idea to make stuffed animals out of Al’s clothes came about because Albany school staff, who teach the Malley children, wanted to do something for the family. Lynn suggested they make stuffed cows out of Al’s clothing. A pattern was developed, and the volunteer sewers, some who knew the Malleys and some who did not, spent a couple of days cutting, sewing and stufng the cows. Now these gifted cows are lending comfort to the Malley family whose husband and dad lived for family and farming.
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From Our Side Of The Fence Dennis Mashek Member of the Midwest Dairy Iowa Division Board Elected January 2022 Calmar, Iowa Why is serving on the board important to you? Dairy farming has been my life. I have always been a strong advocate for the dairy industry. With only around 40,000 dairy farms in the United States, we need every voice we can get to educate the public on the importance of dairy. From your point of view, what has been the most impactful dairy promotion? Fuel Up to Play 60 launched by the National Dairy Council. It is an inschool program that partners with the NFL to improve nutrition and physical activity of our youth. Another new and exciting happening is that Mayo Clinic is entering a ve-year partnership with the Dairy Checkoff Program to explore consumer outreach efforts and conduct research to improve public health and advance consumer knowledge of dairy’s benets. Back in 2000, I was strongly involved in the development of the Dairy Foundation at Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar, Iowa. What is something the organization does that you did not know prior to serving on the board? All dairy promotion groups get together once a year and work together to help promote new ideas and new ventures. How do you plan to keep your district dairy farmers up to speed on what is going on in promotion? I like to use social media and email. Why is it important to have an organization like Midwest Dairy for the industry? More and more generations are being removed from agriculture every year. With fake meat and milk, we need promotion groups to educate how important it is to consume real nutritious foods that are best for your health. What is one goal you have while serving on the board? To continue to educate the consumers who don’t consume dairy. People need to know the facts about agriculture and the value of dairy in their daily lives. Milk is the only food you can survive on wholly. It has nutrients the body needs.
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 15
Midwest Dairy board members:
What has been your favorite dairy promotion?
Shirley Hulinsky Midwest Dairy Minnesota Division Board Member Two years Burtrum, Minnesota Why is serving on the board important to you? I like to know how our money, check off funds, are spent. From your point of view, what has been the most impactful dairy promotion? Locally, one dairy promotion that is making an impact is the dairy trivia we do twice a year on the local radio station. We have them do dairy information on the radio so many people can be listening, and the winners get dairy-themed prizes. Everyone is a winner if they learn or are entertained by the dairy knowledge. Nationally, the Got Milk? campaign has a big impact. It was short and catchy, so much so that other products have imitated it. Kevin Van Winkle Midwest Dairy South Dakota Division board member Elected January 2022 Canistota, South Dakota Why is serving on the board important to you? It is important for all dairy producers to help promote our products so our families have a future in the dairy industry. This is my obligation to help give back to this industry that I work in every day, and if can help in any way by increasing sales by wise choices in how are dollars are spent which increases dairy product sales, then it should benet all dairy producers. From your point of view, what has been the most impactful dairy promotion? I have only been on the board for four months so I am listening and learning at this time.
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What is something the organization does that you did not know prior to serving on the board? As part of the research and promotion, they support some veterinary student programs at the University of Minnesota. How do you plan to keep your district dairy farmers up to speed on what is going on in promotion? Word of mouth would be nice but is unable to cover the whole area. I also try email in addition to the newsletters that Midwest Dairy sends out. Why is it important to have an organization like Midwest Dairy for the industry? Dairy is a worldwide commodity. We need strength in numbers to reach more people, gather more ideas and specialists to let everyone share in the goodness of dairy. What is one goal you have while serving on the board? Get more ideas and programs done locally in Minnesota.
What is something the organization does that you did not know prior to serving on the board? From the work of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, which is funded by check off dollars, they have worked hard to accomplish exporting one load in every six loads of milk produced in the U.S. How do you plan to keep your district dairy farmers up to speed on what is going on in promotion? Personal contact with producers in my area will be most benecial. Why is it important to have an organization like Midwest Dairy for the industry? Without Midwest Dairy, we would see less innovation in dairy products, less exports and lower milk prices. What is one goal you have while serving on the board? To keep the dairy farmers in my area informed of what their checkoff dollars are being used for and how that will benet them and their operations. Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16
Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15
Margaret Johnson Minnesota Dairy Promotion Council chair, Midwest Dairy board member Six years Fountain, Minnesota Why is serving on the board important to you? Serving on this board allows me to create a bridge between local dairy farmers and staff members within the organization. I enjoy hearing about the multiple layers of promotion and nding ways to share the benets of Midwest Dairy with other farmers. From your point of view, what has been the most impactful dairy promotion? There are many ongoing, effective dairy promotions within Midwest Dairy. Some of the greatest promotions we do include partnerships with retailers who have a more diverse audience than what we could reach. Many times, this allows us to utilize both dairy farmer checkoff dollars alongside the retailer’s advertising dollars which creates a larger impact as well as amplies our message. An example of a partnership has been with Pizza Ranch and their promotion of free extra cheese during June Dairy Month. Excitingly, throughout all of their restaurants, they can impact a lot of people with this promotion. Houston County dairy farmers (within my district) successfully mimicked this promotion with a local restaurant, impacting the people in our communities. Dairy farmers across the state are enthusiastic about the importance of milk and other dairy products in our diets. There are many great ideas which is why the Undeniably Dairy grants are
such an important part of what Midwest Dairy does for dairy farmers. These grants allow many great promotions within the local communities. What is something the organization does that you did not know prior to serving on the board? As dairy farmers, we strive to be efcient in all aspects of our business. Through being on the Midwest Dairy board, I have learned there are several structures in place to try and be respectful and efcient with dairy farmer dollars. How do you plan to keep your district dairy farmers up to speed on what is going on in promotion? I enjoy staying in contact with the dairy farmers within my district. I accomplish this by sharing my contact information freely with other dairy farmers, staying in close contact with the local dairy organizations and sharing a promotion-related message at Dairy Herd Improvement Association/American Dairy Association events. Why is it important to have an organization like Midwest Dairy for the industry? Organizations such as Midwest Dairy are important because they help to unify the message that we as dairy farmers share, allowing us to concentrate the message and amplify it to a much broader range of consumers. What is one goal you have while serving on the board? My goal and purpose for being on the board is to be a two-way funnel for information to travel in both directions from Midwest Dairy to dairy farmers but also, importantly, dairy farmers to Midwest Dairy.
A Toast to Our Dairy Producers
Anthony Anderson Midwest Dairy’s Minnesota Dairy Promotion Council board member, Elected January 2022 Henning, Minnesota
How do you plan to keep your district dairy farmers up to speed on what is going on in promotion? I have so much to learn about everything that is Why is serving on the going on within the orboard important to ganization that it will you? I was asked by a honestly take me awhile fellow dairyman and to feel comfortable anfriend if I would accept swering questions, but I the nomination to the know people who have board as he was going to be retiring the answers, so feel free to reach out from the board. I was honored to be to me. asked and was also curious about where my checkoff dollars were go- Why is it important to have an oring. I accepted the nomination and ganization like Midwest Dairy for was elected to the board this year. the industry? The simple answer is that with my 15 cents, I could pay a From your point of view, what bill or two each month. There is no has been the most impactful dairy way I could hire a scientist to work promotion? I have seen the dairy with Taco Bell to increase consumppromotions over the years like Got tion locally. If I saved my 15 cents Milk? and Fuel Up to Play 60, but all year, I could take my family on being new to the board, I have not a nice vacation, but there is no way had much involvement in them. I could inuence dairy sales in other countries. If we pool our resources, What is something the organiza- we have a stronger voice. Last year, tion does that you did not know the U.S. exported $7.75 billion in prior to serving on the board? Be- dairy products. This year it will fore being on the board, I had very probably be higher. little idea of what Midwest Dairy did with my checkoff dollars. Now I un- What is one goal you have while derstand how involved the organiza- serving on the board? My goal tion is in growing sales both in the while serving on the board is to get U.S. and outside our borders. I had as many local schools on the bulk no idea that we have food scientists milk program as possible. If we who work with national companies want to increase consumption withto develop new recipes or change in our borders, we need to start with existing recipes to incorporate more kids and cold, fresh milk, not milk dairy products. from a cardboard box.
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
Breeding Prole
Components take the lead at Baier Creek Farms Trevor Baier Baier Creek Farms Elmwood, Wisconsin 600 cows Describe your facilities and list your breeding management team. We milk in a double-12 parlor. Our cows are housed in a sand-bedded, tunnel-ventilated, 4-row freestall barn. We work with Tom Knegendorf of Full Throttle Genetics, and we use ABS bulls. What is your current pregnancy rate? Right now, it is 33%. This is down from our usual 37%. What is your reproduction program? Do you use a synchronization program? How do you get animals pregnant? We use a double ovsynch program. The biggest advantage that we get from doing a double ovsynch is that we are now checking for the corpus luteum to be released every week before giving Lutalyse. We do a double Lutalyse shot as well. Describe your breeding philosophy. We lean more toward components and calving ease when selecting bulls. I don’t believe pretty cows make any more money. We decide what the herd needs and breed to improve the herd. It is up to the breeder to implement the program.
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Charlie and Trevor Baier look over breeding records in the barn office May 27 at their farm near Elmwood, Wisconsin. The Baiers have a current pregnancy rate of 33%.
Turn to BREEDING PROFILE | Page 20
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
ConƟnued from BREEDING PROFILE| Page 18 What guidelines do you follow to reach the goals for your breeding program? We pushed back our withhold to 75 days, because we were drying cows up too early. We were on Posilac and bull bred until 2010. We had 100 pound of milk per cow per day, but we were not getting anything pregnant. What are the top traits you look for in breeding your dairy herd, and how has this changed since you started farming? Feet and legs are important because cows have to have a good set of wheels on them to be able to last six or seven lactations. We have improved on that front, and our cows have been around for three more lactations than in the past. We are only breeding for 90% replacements because of the cost of raising heifers. If I end up with gaps in my herd, I will purchase cattle. There are enough reputable farms locally to do that. What are certain traits you try to avoid? I do not like big cows. Smaller stature cows survive better. Jersey cross cows are nice because they are half the size but give just as much milk. Our breeding pens are grouped by size instead of age.
so far for the year is 51%. In April, it was 58%. What is the greatest lesson you have learned through your breeding program? Originally, we were afraid to spend money on extra shots, but the double ovsynch and double Lutalyse program pays for itself with its results. Animals that produce more milk show less heats so the synchronization program guarantees a heat in the time frame. What is the age of your heifers at rst service? We recently put this back to 420 days minimum.
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Trevor Baier, Tom Knegendorf and Charlie Baier walk the barn May 27 at Baier Creek Farms near Elmwood, Wisconsin. The Baiers and Knegendorf work together to manage the farm’s breeding program. Describe the ideal cow for your herd. We used to look at pounds in the tank. We have since realized that higher components are better than quantity. I like a cow with high components. Slow walking with a tame demeanor. They are less likely to injure themselves. What role does genetics have in reaching the goals of your
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what to breed, and Tom picks from there. The top 30% of cows and top mature cows get sexed semen. All heifers get sexed semen. The rest of the herd gets beef. We do not use any conventional semen.
What percentage of your herd is bred to sexed, conventional and beef semen? ABS gives suggestions on
What is your conception rate? How does this differ with different types of semen? Our conception rate
How does your heifer inventory affect your breeding program? Our heifer inventory is our entire breeding program. We take the mating program and decide how many heifers we need per month. We take that number and calculate a percentage of beef and breed the top 30% to sexed to get 25 heifers a month. It is too expensive to raise extra heifers. Tell us about your farm. Our farm is run by myself and my dad, Charlie, and my cousin, Steve, and his dad, Rod. Our farm was homesteaded in 1857, and Steve and I are the sixth generation of dairymen in our family.
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Disarming the Pied Piper Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
Over the past two months, there is a story I have been following that has shaken me to my very core. It is one that should shake every single person involved in animal agriculture as well. I was slow to recognize this story as I saw bits and pieces oat across my social media feed while waiting for water tanks to ll. Once the light bulb came on, I started digging a little. I had no idea the things I would learn and
hear, or the people I would meet, in the weeks to come during my trips to northwestern Wisconsin. Every conversation leads me to the next person with a story to tell regarding how they will be impacted by what is happening in their community. In 2019, an Iowa company began the process of bringing a large CAFO hog farm to southern Burnett County. Some local residents rallied behind a group of area activ-
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ists with many past connections to anti-animal agriculture groups and activities. What began under the guise of stopping that particular hog farm from being built now appears to be an attempt to eventually shut down animal agriculture at least in Polk and Burnett counties. Committees were By Danielle Nauman formed under the guise of Staff Writer research and fact-nding. Local farmers were even appointed to some of the earliest committees. What soon became apparent to those farmers was the true intention of those spearheading this movement. Eventually people from six townships joined together, with township approval and funding, to create the Large Livestock Partnership Committee. Each of the member townships – Bone Lake, Eureka, Laketown, Luck and Sterling in Polk County and Trade Lake in Burnett County – appointed a representative and committed up to $3,000 of taxpayer money to fund the committee. This committee completed a report and drafted a proposed ordinance. The ordinance, which the committee said is operational, denes a concentrated animal feeding operation as being 700 animal units as opposed to the 1,000 animal units standard set by the state. The regulatory burden of complying with these ordinances will place undue pressure on dairy farmers, a nancial burden most will be unlikely to bear. The ordinance has been presented to all six townships. Laketown and Eureka have adopted the ordinance at 700 animal units, while Trade Lake adopted a more restrictive version at 500 animal units. Bone Lake and Luck have heard the presentation and are considering the ordinance, but have not yet voted. Sterling has yet to have the ordinance presented. The reports and proposed ordinance are worth reading, even if you may be seeing red by the end. This is no longer something we read about in another state, something we can shake our head at. This is here in our backyard. These people are our neighbors living among us. It can happen anywhere. For animal agriculture, the rhetoric spread by the groups ghting what they consider to be factory farms is a virus much worse than any pandemic we have faced. But, there has been a silver lining to the strife. Farmers – large, small and medium – have united in the ght to protect their livelihoods from the reaches of the proposed and enacted ordinances and the fear-mongering misinformation being doled out by activists. Fighting the anti-animal agriculture rhetoric has become the focal point. There is no longer room for the argument of big dairy versus small dairy or conventional production versus organic production. This is not about size, scale or means, it is simply about whether or not you are involved in animal agriculture. The people driving these ordinances and propagating the gross distribution of untruths that they attempt to call facts are consummate community organizers. They know how to appeal to the emotions of people who lack the connection with and background knowledge of modern-day farming and food production. They appeal to their senses and play on their naivete and, like the Pied Piper, lure them with the false information they spread about animal agriculture. I started out referring to this as being an anti-CAFO ordinance. I was wrong. It is so much more and goes so much deeper than a public misconception about largescale animal agriculture. This is indeed war on animal agriculture, and one that will trickle town and eventually affect agriculture as a whole. This is a battle being waged against not only our livelihoods but our very way of life. As an industry, we all need to become more aware and more involved in government at our local levels. Township and county boards are typically the drivers of ordinances that most affect our daily lives and the daily operations of our farms. Do you know when and where your township and county boards meet? Do you know who is representing you on those boards? Do those individuals represent your ideas and ethics? Do they understand what operating your business requires? If you cannot answer yes to those questions, you probably need to get to know your township and county board representatives. Make your opinions heard. Go to the meetings and support candidates who support agriculture. If that voice does not represent you, you might need to become that voice. My dad always used to say, “Evil will prevail when good men do nothing, so I must do something.” It is time we all start doing something.
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 23
A rst-hand farm experience O’Reillys to host Goodhue County breakfast June 17 By Kate Rechtzigel kate.r@dairystar.com
RED WING, Minn. − The O’Reilly family is hosting this year’s Goodhue County Breakfast on the Farm as a way to educate consumers and give them a rst-hand farm experience. “We want consumers to see the farm for themselves and know what actually happens on a dairy farm, rather than just go by what they hear,” Kim O’Reilly said. Her husband, Casey O’Reilly, agreed. “Kim also likes hosting people,” he said. Kim, Casey and their three boys – Carsyn, Cayden and Jack – milk 100 cows in a double-8 parlor and farm 320 acres of corn, alfalfa and oat on their farm near Red Wing. Both Casey and Kim come from multigenerational farming families and look forward to hosting the Goodhue County breakfast which will be taking place from 7-11 a.m. June 17. The family started their
organic dairy in 2009 shortly after bringing Casey’s 76 cows across the eld from his family’s farm, Shamrock Farms. “We did a three-way split from the main family farm,” Casey said. “Since we started on our own, we have grown the cows, equipment and the buildings a little bit each year.” Kim agreed. “The last couple of buildings we put up last summer,” she said. “The mineral shed and the dry cow barn the boys decided we should build them ourselves, so we did.” They also installed fans in the freestall barn last summer. “We build and update as we need to,” Kim said. Today, all ve family members are involved on the farm along with Casey’s father, Dave, and brother, Luke, who help when they KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR are needed. The O’Reilly family – (from leŌ) Cayden, Kim, Jack, Casey and Carsyn – milk 100 cows on their Turn to O’REILLYS | Page 25
organic farm near Red Wing, Minnesota. They are hosƟng the Goodhue County Breakfast on the Farm Friday, June 17.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022• Page 25
ConƟnued from O’REILLYS | Page 23
“Everybody does a little bit of everything,” Casey said. “The boys take turns milking.” Kim agreed. “We share the chores and gure out what works for everybody’s schedule,” she said. In order to prepare and plan for the event, the family has worked with the Goodhue County American Dairy Association and their creamery, Organic Valley. “The ADA tells us what we need to do to prepare and works with us to determine the best layout for the event, Kim said. “We take great pride in our farm and try to keep it well maintained and looking nice.” They have also received donations and funding from local businesses to make this event happen and be successful. During the breakfast, attendees will see how a dairy operation works in all aspects from the calves to the cows and to the pasture through guided farm tours. They will also be able to ask questions and have breakfast. “Breakfast on the farm is a fun yet educational event to explain how milk is produced,” Kim said. “It’s
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also a time to educate the consumers and community on the positive impacts the dairy industry has in Goodhue County and to the overall economy.” Kids and their families will be able to participate in a name-a-calf contest; milk Annabelle, the cow; go on barrel train rides; use the tractor driver simulator, Ag Cab Lab; walk through the tractor and equipment display; visit the petting zoo; play O’Reilly family bingo; meet the county dairy princesses and Princess Kay of the Milky Way; and listen to the live radio broadcast. “The kids seem to really enjoy it,” Kim said. “The fun part is they are able to get outside, and there’s no highways or freeways nearby so they can run around and have fun.” At the event, they will be serving ice cream, Ellsworth Creamery’s deep fried cheese curds and Organic Valley milk and cheese. “I like promoting the dairy,” Casey said. Kim agreed. “It also gives us a chance to thank the local businesses and the community for supporting dairy farmers,” she said. The family hosted the
really hard to know an exact number for this year because it all depends on the weather.” The family is excited to host the event and give the public a chance to see their operation, the care they take of their cattle and land, and to have the opportunity for the boys to show their excitement along with Casey and Kim’s for what they do
each day. “I hope people leave knowing we take cow comfort, cow health and the care for our land very seriously,” Kim said. “We take good care of our cows, their pasture and try to preserve our land for many generations to come. Dairy farmers have a lot of pride in what they do and work to provide high quality products.”
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
Minnesota dairy herds with low SCC
Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen earlier this week released the annual list of top Minnesota dairy herds with low somatic cell counts (SCC). Each year the Minnesota Department of Agriculture recognizes the top Minnesota dairy herds with low somatic cell counts. Since 2003, MDA and University of Minnesota dairy experts have worked with the state’s dairy farmer to lower SCC. SCC is a key indicator of milk quality. “I’m honored to recognize these 114 dairies for their high level of excellence,” said Commissioner Petersen. “Minnesota’s dairy farmers help feed the state and the world with high quality, wholesome dairy products.” The dairy producers on this list have achieved the goal of having an average SCC of 100,000 or lower in the previous year. The names appear in the order of lowest to highest average SCC. Producer Name Hendel Farms Kent Happke Dennis and Wayne Wolters Kevin Braulick Selke Farms Ketchum Farms Partnership LLC Brandon and Jill Marshik Keith Middendorf Jeff Middendorf Hoefs’ Dairy LLC Chad Waltman Harmony Hills Dairy, LLC Tony and Matt Berktold D and D Dairy Nosbush Dairy Houdek Dairy LLC Randy H. and Kathleen J. Bauer Valley Acres Dairy Farm 1 Quarry Hill Dairy LLC - Valley Acres Mark Klehr Overdale Dairy Barkeim Farms LLC Joe and Kim Engelmeyer Merdan Dairy Inc.
County Houston Morrison Morrison Brown Winona Winona Benton Todd Stearns LeSueur Morrison Carver Wabasha Winona Renville Houston Rice Winona Winona Scott Stearns Winona Stearns Stearns
Colleen Berscheit Calvin and Tammi Beumer Kevin Hanson North Creek Dairy Inc. Alan and Jessica Klimek Edward Kauffman Randal and LouAnn Wagner Steve and Estelle Martin Marshall and Melanie Korn Bill Miller Duckwitz Farm Partnership Wolf Creek Dairy Dean and Elizabeth Johnson Duane and Karen Timm Maren Holst Schroeder Brothers LLC Scott and Michelle Herber Michael Sellner Dominic Primus Riverview LLP - West Dublin Kraig Krienke Del and Cindy Euerle Stan and Bev Meyer Edward and Mary Warmkagathje Dev-Lin Holsteins LLC Kieand Holsteins LLC Harlan and Jenny Poppler Quarry Hill Dairy, LLC Paul and Bonnie Middendorf Evergreen Acres Dairy LLC #7 Glen and Rebecca Christen Schefers Bros. LLC Maynard and Jeremiah Schumacher Mundt Dairy Wirtland Holstein Kevin Virchow Naatz Dairy Cows Tim Bruder Zweber Farms LLC Greden Farms, LLC Robert Hinsch Tatge Dairy LLC D & L Johnson Dairy Farm LLC Enchanted Dairy LLC Rolling Ridge Acres Inc.
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Opportunities for double cropping in dairy forage systems By Matt Akins
University of Wisconsin-Madison
This article was originally published in Midwest Forage Association’s Forage Focus. The use of annual crops within a dairy forage system provides exible options and opportunities for two crops in a growing season. Management of each crop can impact the subsequent crop depending on timing of planting and harvest, fertility, and other factors. Consider these potential double-crop options as well as tips for successful management. 1st crop: winter cereal grain forage, mid-late May/2nd crop: corn silage, late May-early June. This combination is likely the most popular option for double-cropping forages in the Midwest. The choice of species (e.g., rye, triticale) depends on timing and experience, with rye often maturing sooner than triticale. However, there are signicant differences among varieties, so be sure to check with your seed company about variety maturity timing. Farmers should be aware of herbicide restrictions from the previous crop, as some herbicides have longer rotation intervals, and the use of certain cereals as forage may be restricted. A main key to a high-yielding winter cereal forage crop is an early planting date to allow for greater tillering prior to winter. Based on Wisconsin research (fyi.extension.wisc. edu/forage/planting-winter-rye-after-cornsilage-managing-for-forage), planting in September allows more time for root and tiller development, and thus greater winter cover and spring forage yields. Later plantings provide less forage and soil protection. – Manure can provide needed nutrients for the crop. If time allows, manure can be applied prior to planting. But if timing is late (i.e., late September), the cereal can be planted rst with manure applied after emergence. Use of liquid manure (5,0007,000 gals/ac) is suggested if applying after emergence; semi-solid manure may smother the crop. The cereal forage crop can have high nutrient removal rates with estimates of 52 lbs N, 18 lbs P2O5, and 80 lbs K20 per ton forage dry matter based on the previously mentioned Wisconsin research. – Cereal forages have harvest exibility depending upon desired quality and yield (i.e., harvest at boot stage for lactating cows, milk to soft-dough stage for dairy heifers or beef cattle). Harvesting later will increase yield, but an earlier cereal forage harvest at boot or owering in mid-late May is suggested to improve success of the corn silage crop. Later harvests may require using shorter-
maturity corn hybrids to allow the crop to reach maturity before a frost, especially if you intend to plant another winter cereal or forage cover crop after corn silage harvest. – Corn silage management should be adjusted slightly with increased risk for armyworm from the previous cereal crop and potential limited N availability due to the cereal crop taking up much of the soilavailable N. Corn yields can be reduced when double cropped with cereal forages, so keep this in mind when estimating crop production and inventory needs. However, the total yield of the cereal forage and corn silage crop typically meet or exceed the corn silage crop. 1st crop: winter cereal grain forage, late-May to early June/2nd crop: warmseason annual or cocktail forage mix, early June. Similar management would apply to the cereal grain forage as discussed previously, however, a later potential harvest could be taken as the warmseason annual (e.g., sorghum, sorghumsudangrass, sudangrass, millets, teff) needs to be planted into a warmer seedbed (ideal minimum 65°F) in late May or early June depending on location. – Keys to success with summer annuals include proper location/soil conditions (avoid poorly drained soils), seeding depth to ensure a fast emergence (depends on each species), and adequate fertility with 45-60 lbs N/ac needed per cutting in a multi-cut system or 120-150 lbs N/ac for a single harvest system. – Harvest management of the warmseason annual or cocktail mix depends on the quality and yield needs of the operation. Forage sorghum is suggested to use a single harvest system, similar to corn silage, as it has limited regrowth potential. Harvest at soft-dough stage and 65-70% moisture is suggested, as the sorghum berries are difcult to process and have poor digestibility at hard-dough stage. – Sorghum-sudangrass is exible since it can be harvested using a single or multi-harvest system. If looking for highquality forage with higher protein and ber digestion, use a multi-cut system with 2 cuts, most likely at 30-36" high (40-45 days post planting and 30-35 days after). Leaving a 6" residue will help with a quick regrowth. If needing forage for pregnant heifers or dry cows, consider using a single harvest system either by cutting/wilting in mid-late September or direct harvesting once the crop is mature or 7-10 days after a killing frost. Be aware of potential nitrate and prussic acid toxicity with frost-killed sorghum crops and manage appropriately. – Other summer annuals (e.g., sudangrass, millets, teff) are best suited for a multi-cut system. If a cocktail
Turn to FORAGE | Page 30
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Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 29
Women In Dairy Eliza Ruzic Greenwood, Wisconsin Clark County 65 cows Family: My husband, Phillip, Lucas, 11, Jane, 8, and Lucy, 6. Tell us about your farm. Our farm includes 60 milking dairy cows, 375 acres of corn, soybean, alfalfa and a few fair project animals including two pigs and two steers. What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? There is no typical day for me, because I work full time off the farm, which includes some travel. When I’m home, I milk with my husband in the morning, get the kids ready for school and then either work from my home ofce or support nutritionists and farms throughout the state as an account manager for Zinpro Corporation. I also breed cows on our farm, assist with treatment and vaccinations as well as hoof trimming as needed. What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? We made the decision to sell our heifers and calves this past February. We were able to keep our springers and have an agreement with a neighboring farm to source replacements going forward. It has eliminated a substantial amount of work and coordination with feed inventory and managing a second location of animals. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. My most memorable experience working on the farm would have to be working with, and showing fair animals, throughout the years. I loved showing dairy and swine as a kid, and it has been gratifying watching my kids take pride in their fair projects as well. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? The thing I have enjoyed most is meeting people throughout the county, state and country. I have met some of my best friends in the dairy industry, and I love how we all have a common bond of love for dairy even if farming practices may not be the same from one farm to the other. What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? My biggest accomplishment in my dairy career has been raising my kids on a farm while working full time off the farm. I often get asked how and why I do both, but I wouldn’t have it any other way to raise my kids. I hope I am teaching them by example that if you have the drive to do something, nothing can stand in your way if you are willing to work for it. What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? Some things we have done to promote our farm and the dairy industry are hosting the Greenwood dairy breakfast in 2015 as well as serving on the committee for dairy breakfasts since then. I also have written a blog called Meal Making Mommy and share things on social media including Facebook and Instagram. I also volunteer for Food for America and try to answer questions on a one-on-one basis.
What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Keep doing the best you can with what you have where you are. I try not to let the little things get to me, and don’t ever underestimate yourself. You can do anything you want to if you are willing to make the decisions to get there. When you get a spare moment, what do you do? In my spare time, I like to watch my kids and husband play sports, run, direct our church choir, relax at our pond, and bake and decorate cookies and cakes.
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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
ConƟnued from FORAGE | Page 27 mix with warm- and cool-season annuals (e.g., Italian ryegrass, clovers) is used, then an additional fall harvest is possible and the cool-season annual will provide better winter cover than a summer-annual monoculture. If using summer-annual forage for lactating cows, a BMR type is suggested to improve ber digestion and intake. 1st crop: cereal grain harvest, mid-late July/2nd crop: fall-grown oats or spring barley, mid-July to early August. Many dairies still grow wheat or other small grains to sell the grain and harvest straw for bedding or feeding. With cereal grain harvest often in mid-late July, this opens a window for a late-summer/early fall crop of oats or spring cereal grain (often barley). This would also be a good time to apply manure in mid-summer to reduce applications in fall. – Based on Wisconsin data, the optimal time to plant oats or spring barley is no later than the rst week of August to maximize forage yields (fyi.extension.wisc.edu/ forage/fall-grown-oat-forages-cultivars-planting-datesand-expected-yields). The selection of an oat cultivar will depend on the planting date, with a later-maturing forage type having higher yields for earlier planting dates (midJuly to rst week of August). Earlier maturing grain types
have higher yields for later plantings after the rst week of August. Ideally, the crop should be planted by August 10. – Soil moisture at planting is important for early growth, so be sure the seed is planted at the correct depth to reach moisture. If in a drought, wait for adequate moisture. – Harvesting of fall-grown oats or spring barley usually occurs in early October to mid-November. Grain-type oat cultivars planted in mid-late July will often become reproductive and reach a suitable moisture (<70%) for a direct silage harvest by mid-late October. However, if planted in early-mid August, the likelihood is much lower for a direct silage harvest. A later-maturing forage type oat likely won’t reach adequate silage moisture until November. Grazing is a great option with tight stripgrazing needed to minimize trampling of accumulated forage. Harvest or grazing should occur prior to heavy snow, as the crop will lodge. Oat forage quality can be excellent with high ber digestibility from cool growing conditions and high sugar content due to the plant’s hardening process before winter.
Tire pressure matters when harvesting alfalfa By Brian Luck
University of Wisconsin-Madison
This article was originally published in Midwest Forage Association’s Forage Focus. With alfalfa harvest season quickly approaching, consider equipment status before heading to the eld. An often overlooked aspect of machinery maintenance is tire pressure. Tires are often underinated coming out of storage. Generally you inate tires enough to move the machine without damaging the tires; when near sufcient air supply, inate to the proper pressure for operation. Slight under or overination can have a large impact on pressure applied to the ground caused by machinery and tires. Current University of Wisconsin-Madison research is investigating tire pressure effect on soil compaction and alfalfa regrowth. Early results indicated tire pressure inuences regrowth. In this study, tire pressures on typical lugged agricultural tires varied between 9 and 25 psi. Alfalfa plots are driven on at these different pressures covering the entire plot with wheel trafc. Wheel trafc was applied during mowing, silage, and hay harvest. Previous research shows substantially more damage is caused to plants by allowing regrowth after cutting and then applying wheel trafc. In the current study, we hope to nd differences in regrowth, yield, and soil compaction associated with both the timing of applied wheel trafc as well as the various tire pressures being assessed. A University of Wisconsin Division of Extension Learning Store publication (A4181) assessed weight and tire size of various machines involved in alfalfa harvest. Machines with tires designed for agricultural use had applied ground pressures <250 psi. Machines equipped with tires meant for paved roads had ground pressures from 500-820 psi. Utilizing semi-tractor trailers or truck-mounted forage boxes can apply unnecessary stress to regrowing alfalfa. When on-road vehicles are moving hay bales off a eld, the impact could be even greater, as the alfalfa has been allowed to regrow more than in a silage harvest situation. If your equipment requires new tires and you use these trucks for in-eld purposes, consider installing otation-type tires rated for onand off-road use. They are designed to run at lower pressures, allowing machine weight to be distributed over a larger area, causing less compaction and less plant damage. Ination pressure variations have a large impact on the force applied to the ground from agricultural machines. In the A4181 publication, a range of ination pressures were considered for a typical set of tractor tires. Calculations showed an increase in 1 psi of ination pressure equated to a 7-psi increase in applied ground pressure. Across the range of pressures the specic tire was rated for, a change of 150 psi in ground pressure was calculated. Ensuring tire pressure is correct on your machines will minimize ground pressure applied and make sure proper traction is achieved. Proper ination maintains normal tire wear, getting the most life out of your tires. Utilizing agricultural tires both on- and off-road when hauling forage with a tractor-towed cart causes problems; tires work better on-road with higher ination pressures, but these pressures can cause damage in the eld. A solution is nding an ination pressure that does not cause excessive wear on the road while minimizing applied ground pressures in the eld. On-board tire pressure management systems are available to change tire pressure onthe-go. These systems do not have the capacity to rell an agricultural tractor tire from 5 psi to 25 psi in a short amount of time but may allow operators to change ination pressures by small amounts between eld and road use. Tire pressure can have an impact on alfalfa regrowth and soil compaction in elds. Be sure to check and maintain proper tire pressures throughout the season and account for changes in tire temperature as the weather changes or during operation.
Dairy prole
Jeremy Nennig Ogdensburg, Wisconsin Waupaca County 42 cows
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 31
What strategies do you use to withstand the volatile milk prices? Being organic has stabilized the milk price. Our co-op has a quota system, and the supply management has helped stabilize and maintain a consistent price. Though I wish it were higher.
How did you get into farming? I began part-time farm jobs in high school at age 15. In 2010, I applied to manage a farm as an employee with the intentions of purchasing. During my employment, we transitioned the farm to organic, and I purchased the farm in 2014.
How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? I get part-time help with crop planting and harvesting. It’s pretty easy to maintain relationships because they aren’t here every day, and the people who do help enjoy it.
What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? The consolidation of processors, equipment dealers and even co-ops is a big concern. Keeping our food processors small and local makes more sense from a food quality and supply standpoint. As equipment dealers consolidate, competition becomes nonexistent. What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? Last fall, I decided not to harvest any corn silage. The cows are fed legume grass haylage, dry hay and dry ground corn. It allowed me to remove organic soybean meal from the ration while maintaining my modest production goals and actually increasing as we have learned to feed without corn silage. Organic soy is at record-high prices, so to not purchase that was huge. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. Problem solving and critical thinking are skills every farmer needs to possess. Problem solving comes up on
What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? The change of pace every day. No two days are ever the same. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Considering there are many different ways to farm, embrace what works for you and your operation and enjoy it. PHOTO SUBMITTED
Elizabeth and Jeremy Nennig and their children – (from leŌ) Emma, Maci and Josie – milk 42 cows on their organic farm near Ogdensburg, Wisconsin. a daily basis. We all know that things almost never go to plan, and we have to improvise in many ways to complete whatever task is at hand. Also, critical thinking ties into the problem solving, as we have to be planning for tomorrow, next week and even six to 12 months ahead in many situations. What is the best decision you have made on your farm? Using the Natural
Resources Conservation Service to set up grazing lanes and get proper fencing has been huge. It has made grazing so much more enjoyable, efcient and easier to manage. What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? God, family and good weather. These are the three things that make life better for me.
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? I don’t have a lot of big plans at this point. Loose housing would be something I’d like in the future. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? Unfortunately, at this point in our journey, we don’t do a lot off the farm. Spending a random 1520 minutes playing with the kids is enjoyable. Otherwise, holidays and scheduled events are about the extent of our off-farm fun.
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Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
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Considering use of manure in alfalfa By Melissa Wilson and Josh Gamble
University of Minnesota & United States Department of Agriculture
Growing perennials, like alfalfa, can have water quality benets while still producing a crop for cattle feed. Using manure during the alfalfa rotation is often avoided, leaving a smaller land-base for manure to be applied. New liquid manure application equipment plus the use of trafc-tolerant alfalfa varieties may reduce some of the negative aspects of manure application on a living crop like alfalfa. What we did Our goal was two-fold: evaluate a trafc tolerant variety of alfalfa for manure application and determine if the use of dairy manure, fertilizer or a combination of both throughout the three-year alfalfa growth cycle could be used to maximize growth and quality. We established two varieties of Roundup Ready alfalfa in the spring of 2021 at the University of Minnesota’s Rosemount Research and Outreach Center: Pioneer 54VR10-RR (high yielding, FD-4) and Ameristand 455TQRR (trafc tolerant, FD-4). Prior to establishment, we applied phosphorus and potassium sulfate fertilizer according to soil test needs or injected dairy manure slurry at about 3,000 gallons per acre to supply full P needs for the rst year (about 27 pounds of P2O5 per acre). Each set of treatments was replicated in large strips four times. We harvested the alfalfa twice in the rst year and sent samples for forage quality analysis. We also evaluated crown health of plants in each plot, took soil samples to evaluate nutrient uptake and carbon cycling, and monitored nitrate leaching at 4-foot depth below the alfalfa crop. What did we nd? We experienced a drought in the 2021 growing season in Rosemount, Minnesota, so yields were lower than expected. The conventional alfalfa (Pioneer 54VR10-RR) yielded 1.8 tons of dry matter per acre, which was higher than the 1.5 tons of dry matter per acre for the trafc tolerant variety (Ameristand 455TQ-RR). Across both varieties, manure applied preestablishment increased yield by about 8% over the plots where only P and K sulfate fertilizer were applied. Samples for forage quality have not been analyzed yet. As far as plant health, plants were dug by hand in early November prior to a killing frost and scored on a scale of 1 to 4. A rating of 1 meant the plant was healthy; it had a robust crown and large root. And, 4 meant the plant looked questionable for survival; there were few crown buds, and the plant had a small root. The percentage of healthy plants scoring a 1 or 2 was calculated for each treatment. Generally, the trafc-tolerant variety of alfalfa had a higher percentage of healthy plants (53%) than the conventional variety (46%). For the trafc tolerant variety, pre-establishment manure increased the percentage of healthy plants (57%) compared to fertilizer only (47%).
The manure treatment had no effect on the percentage of healthy plants for the conventional variety. This was a bit surprising and will be interesting to see if that plays a role in stand longevity and yield in upcoming years of the study. What is next? This past fall, we further divided the research strips into smaller sections to evaluate nutrient management practices. After the second cutting in late August, we applied dairy manure or left some plots for spring-applied P and K sulfate fertilizer. The intent was to supply enough P and K for the second-year alfalfa crop. The dairy manure was applied in several different ways to see which methods worked the best for stand longevity. These included broadcast, banded on the surface (15 inches apart) or shallow injection (about 4 inches deep and 30 inches apart). About 6,000 gallons per acre were applied with each method to supply about 76 pounds of P2O5 per acre. We’ll continue to monitor the alfalfa during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons, applying nutrients the same way as this past fall in fall 2023. We’ll also continue monitoring soil nutrient and carbon cycling and nitrate leaching. Keep your eyes out for future updates. This work is supported by the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service through cooperative research agreement number 58-5062-1-008 and the National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance.
Dana Adams, adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968
Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711
Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610
Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104
Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130
Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108
Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184
Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334
Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391
Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863
Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620
Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109
Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277
Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435
Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Isaac Salfer ijsalfer@umn.edu 320-296-1357 Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205 Emma Severns sever575@umn.edu 507-934-7828 Melissa Wison mlw@umn.edu 612-625-4276
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Research roundup: Dairy cattle behavior, welfare By Marcia Endres
University of Minnesota
The North-American International Society for Applied Ethology conference was held recently at the University of California-Davis. It was three years in the planning as the in-person event had been delayed because of the pandemic. Three of our graduate students traveled with me to the event and presented abstracts about their projects, all focusing on dairy calves. Stay tuned for those in future articles by our team. Today, I will include three of the dairy cattle research summaries presented at the conference from other universities in the United States. Can housing system and detection method affect heat detection in Holstein dairy heifers? University of Kentucky and Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brazil. Researchers evaluated the performance of three heat detection methods (visual detection, estrus detection patch and behavior monitoring ear tag) in dairy heifers across three housing systems (bedded pack, free stalls and pasture). Their estrus was synchronized using a seven-day protocol. Visual estrus observations were conducted twice daily for 60 minutes, 12 hours apart. Uterine ultrasound was performed on days -7, +2 and +7. For visual observation, researchers had to observe standing heat. For the estrus detection patch, heat detection was true if more than 50% of the patch was activated. For the behavior monitoring tag, heat detection was based on getting an automatic estrus detection alert. Researchers calculated sensitivity (proportion of heifers in heat detected), specicity (proportion of heifers not in heat undetected) and accuracy (proportion of heifers that were correctly identied as in heat or not) for each of the estrus detection methods. The ovulation rate was 82.4%. True heat detection was not affected by housing method. However, true heat detection was affected by the heat detection method used. Sensitivity, specicity and accuracy were: 52.4%, 100% and 61% for visual; 87.7%, 91.7% and 87% for the patch; and 90.8%, 91.7% and 90.7% for the behavior monitoring ear tag. Changes in the standing behavior of Jersey and Holstein dairy cows during the period around calving. California Polytechnic State University. Previous research with Holstein cows has shown that changes in standing behavior around calving may serve as an early indicator of disease. However, there is limited research with Jersey cows. This study compared changes in standing behavior before and after calving between healthy Jersey and Holstein dairy cows. Cows were observed from 15 days before to 15 days after calving, and standing behaviors were measured using automated data loggers attached to their legs. Cows on third lactation or higher spent less time standing than rst or second lactation cows (767 minutes per day versus 834 minutes per day, respectively). Standing time was higher after calving compared to before calving (715 minutes versus 851 minutes, respectively). Differences in standing time between breeds only occurred during the calving period (the day before through day No. 1 after calving). Jersey cows stood on average 2.25 hours per day more than Holstein cows during this period. The study also found an effect of period on the average number of standing bouts. Standing bouts were highest during the calving period (10.7 bouts per day) compared to the two periods before and after calving (average of the two periods being 9.3 and 8.9 bouts per day, respectively). Jersey cows tended to have longer average standing bout durations compared to Holstein cows. Authors concluded that changes in standing behavior differed between Jersey and Holstein cows which may indicate that the relationship between standing behavior and disease in Jersey cows may also be different and deserves further investigation. Effects of airspeed from fans located above free stalls on heat stress responses. University of Wisconsin-Madison. The objective of this study was to evaluate how airspeed from variablespeed fans above the resting area affect heat stress responses in Holstein cows. The three treatments were: control (fans off, 0.4 m/s); 60% fan power (1.7 m/s) and 100% fan power (2.4 m/s), 24 hours per day. Vaginal temperature and lying time were recorded with data loggers. Lying time differed among fan treatments (100% versus 60% fan power versus control: 14.3 hours, 14 hours and 13.3 hours per day, respectively). For every 10-unit temperature-humidity index increase, LT in the control decreased 0.4 hours per day, whereas both fan treatments showed the opposite pattern (increased 0.3 and 0.7 hours per day in the 60% and 100% fan power treatments, respectively). Maximum daily VT was lower in the two fan treatments compared to the control. For every 10-unit THI increase, VT increased 0.3 degrees Celsius in the control but was stable in both fan treatments. Milk production was higher in the two fan treatments (94.2 and. 95.5 pounds per day in the 60% versus 100% fan power treatments, respectively) compared to the control (91.3 pounds per day). For every 10-unit THI increase, milk production in the control decreased 2.4 pounds, whereas both fan treatments showed the opposite pattern (increased 2.4 and 4.2 pounds in the 60% versus 100% fan power treatments, respectively). Authors concluded that “high-speed air from fans over the free stalls directed at cow resting height was effective not only for maintaining vaginal temperature but also for improving lying time and milk production in heat stress conditions.”
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 33
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Agriculture is anything but stagnant Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
It was July 1, 1981, when I began my teaching career at Plainview High School. I was single and living in a small upstairs apartment in a nearby town. I was excited to begin a new venture but really had no idea of what the future held for me. To put things into perspective, the high school had two Texas Instrument computers, both found in the back of the math room. One day, I went to the mall in Rochester, and while walking through JCPenney, I saw an alumnus who introduced me to this thing called a microwave. told me what an amazing machine it was and how it could heat food in a very short time without getting the plate hot. “Yeah right,” I said. Well, I bought this medium suitcase sized machine and tried it out. It was amazing. I did not know how to cook and still do not. My wife said I can’t boil water, which is nearly true. However, back in the fall of 1981, before the
years of my amazing wife, I shared with my parents what a great device this microwave thing was. Of course, they didn’t believe me, so I took it home to their place over Christmas break. I never got it back. I had to buy a new one. It lasted for them for more than a decade. The big, bad thing called the internet arrived in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. It was for sure going to cause the end of the world, and no way could kids have access to such a monster as dial-up internet in the school system. When I joined the Riverland farm management group in December 1997, I had only two farms with a computer. Twenty-four years later and we can not imagine our lives without a microwave, internet, computers and cell phones. How times have changed in less than a quarter of a century. Data circles the globe in seconds, and information is doubled and tripled in a short period of time. Google anything, and I am sure it will have an answer for you.
New technologies mean new jobs, new skill sets and opportunities but also a whole new set of responsibilities. Even the freedom and rights that come with democracy can’t come without limits and responsibility. We have a right to drive a car, but the laws limit us From My Perspective to certain speeds. We have rights to express our opinions but are limited so not to defame others in the process. Technology is much the same. It provides all sorts of advancements, processing of information, access to knowledge and ability to make faster informed decisions, but we must By Tom Anderson Columnist not lose the moral compass and ethic value that makes farming or a democracy work just because we adapt technology. I have noticed a lot of soil erosion this spring. The absence of waterways and contour planting seems to have given way to the technology of larger equipment. It is sad to see the ditches so full of soils, perhaps because a 12- or 24-row planter is easier to operate in long straight rows. Metrolina Greenhouses in North Carolina, now celebrating 50 years of business, has a motto – “Innovation, automation or stagnation.” Today’s agriculture is anything but stagnant. We have surely seen innovation and automation in GPS cropping systems, robotic milking, ultrasound pregnancy testing and auto-steer tractors. I saw the ability to now light treat weed seeds as they exit the rear of a combine to make them incapable of future germination. Yet with this technology advancement comes responsibilities and obligations to the community and the environment. How do we adapt to this rapidly changing technology and yet maintain our value system? How do we transition our farm businesses from a generation of not knowing what a computer is to one where cars and tractors will all but drive themselves, and the answers to many questions can be sought by asking your cell phone? May I suggest that the answer may lie in human relations. A legacy of a business or a farm will not be created solely by technology but instead by creating an environment in our homes and workplace that instills and cultures a value system. Family members and employees know their input matters. Family members are told and know they are loved. I see families struggle with the balance of business, technology adaptation, prots versus value systems and family life. Can we separate the day-to-day business discussions with the value of getting together for a regularly scheduled family meal or event? A family business treads a ne line: family versus business. The next generation is a quick adaptor of technology but at the end of the day desires even more the value of having input acceptance, guidance and love from the older generation. Have you asked the next generation what they want for the future of the farm business? Have you discussed a value system for your operation? When asked, they usually are not afraid to share. Tom Anderson is a Farm Business Management faculty member at Riverland Community College.
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It’s National Dairy Month The month we have been waiting for all year is nally here. It is National Dairy Month. I’m so excited to kick off my June activities and appearances. This past month has been a busy one though, and I have lots of information to share all about it. I started the month off in Ogilvie at On the Road with Agriculture Day. We had Princess Kay students in kindergarten through 12th grade who saw different animals and farm implements, planted a small garden, made ice cream and more. I spent the day at the ice cream making station visiting with students while they made their very own ice cream in a bag. By Anna Euerle I then traveled 68th Princess Kay of the to Minneapolis for Milky Way the Leadership and Promotion Event, where there were 60 young women in attendance. We had a series of workshops on advocacy, etiquette, nutrition and even made a trivia wheel that could be taken home and used on the county level. As you learned last month, we also named the 10 nalists for the 69th Princess Kay of the Milky Way. I was honored to lead the announcement of the nalists on Facebook. I was also able to visit the kindergarten students at Lake Mills Elementary School in New York Mills. They toured a nearby dairy farm the week prior to my visit and were excited to share with me what they had learned. After, I shared one of my favorite dairy-related books with them. We talked about different ways we keep cows comfortable on the farm. From sand bedding, fans and using mist to cool the cows, these students were on top of their game when it came to remembering all the ways that cows are kept comfortable. Then, I headed back to the Twin Cities into Eagan at TCO Stadium for the Minnesota Vikings Field Day. These three days were packed with fun memories for all 2,400 students in attendance. There were activities around the eld for students to participate in, like relay races, bean bag toss and puzzles. The students were from the metro area and had a lot of questions about dairy farms and how we care for our cows. We came prepared with all the necessities that are used daily on farms, like teat dip cups, calf bottles, ear tags and a milking claw. I used these items to show them rsthand how they are used, and that as dairy farmers, we pride ourselves on providing the very best care for our cows. Though I was tired at the end of these busy three days at TCO Stadium, the experience was incredibly rewarding, and I was honored to share so many things about dairy farms with the students and teachers at the eld day. I rounded out the month in Mora at Kindergarten Day on the Farm. Though it was a cold, rainy day, we made the best of it with the students who braved the weather. Students could see sheep, llamas, goats, pigs, horses, poultry and two of the sweetest calves named Lonestar and Sylvia. I spent the day with the calves talking about how calves are cared for on the farm, how much and what they eat, and
lots of other fun facts. In the end, it turned out to be a great day on the farm. As we look at June, I encourage you to attend your local breakfast on the farm or equivalent. You may even nd me there. I will be out and about at lots of different events over the course of the month promoting the wonderful dairy products we produce on our farms each day. I’m excited to embark on all of my dairy-lled adventures this coming month, and I hope to see some of you along the way. It’s truly an honor to be able to represent you all this month and every month. Princess Kay of the Milky Way Anna Euerle
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 35
serves as the Minnesota dairy community’s goodwill ambassador. Princess Kay is very active doing school visits, representing dairy farmers at the Fuel Up To Play 60 activities in conjunction with the Minnesota Vikings, and sharing the importance of dairy farming and dairy foods at appearances across Minnesota. Euerle grew up in Litcheld, Minnesota, working on her family’s dairy farm. She will soon graduate from Ridgewater College in Agribusiness with a dairy emphasis. In her free time she enjoys cooking, baking and being outdoors.
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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The trail ride Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
THE
Family vacations have always been a labor of love for me. When your vacations are few and far between, you work hard to pack in as much fun as possible. I know that we achieved this goal when our family of four visited the Black Hills some years ago because my wife had to take time off from her job to recover from our vacation. As that long-ago summer family holiday wound down, I yearned for a way to slow time and experience the true spirit of the Black Hills. We were driving past Deer Mountain Ski Resort when I espied a roadside placard advertising trail rides. “That’s a sign,” I exclaimed, pointing at the billboard. “It’s showing us how we can experience the real Black Hills.” My wife regarded me incredulously.
“A trail ride? You must be kidding! The only horse you’ve ever ridden was the kind that took dimes and was parked on the sidewalk outside the Woolworth’s.” Compromise is crucial for a successful family vacation. We compromised by deciding that our then 15-year-old son, Chris, and I would seek the true spirit of the Black Hills via a trail ride while my wife and our older son experienced the Black Hills by visiting nearby tourist sites. Chris and I sauntered, cowboy-like, to the corral to wait for the trail boss. I imagined that the trail boss would be a sinewy, leather-skinned, no-nonsense, tobacco-chewing hombre. I was expecting Clint Eastwood. We were approached by a young lady, a tiny slip of a gal who couldn’t have been more than 18. She asked if we were interested in a trail ride. I said we
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indeed were. Could she direct us to the trail boss? “The trail boss?” she replied. “That would be me.” Yikes. Bad enough that we were about to ride large, half-witted herbivores across rugged mountain terrain, but to be guided by this callow cowgirl? But, I knew there was no way out of it after I had made such a big deal of it with my Dear County Agent Guy wife. I was trapped. We were soon mounted on our assigned steeds. Chris was perched atop a humungous dun gelding named Goliath, and I climbed aboard a buckskin palfrey named Lady. Lonnie, the trail boss, took the lead on a wiry Paint called Orion. By Jerry Nelson Lady was true to Columnist her name. She was so ladylike that she didn’t want to leave the corral, obviously as concerned as I was about our trail boss. I eventually got her to go by using a tactic I had learned while dealing with those large, half-witted herbivores called Holsteins: I tapped her on the rump. Lonnie chattered cheerfully as she led us deeper and deeper into the primeval conifer forest. She seemed totally oblivious regarding the suicidally steep inclines, the treacherous footing and the low-hanging branches. There’s nothing like being smacked in the mouth by a sappy pine bough to freshen one’s breath. We had gone a considerable distance when Lonnie reined up. “What’ll it be?” she asked. “The easy way or the hard way?” I glanced around. There was no sign of a trail, so I shrugged noncommittally. A mistake. “OK, it’s the hard way then,” declared Lonnie as she spurred Orion over what appeared to be a sheer precipice. I watched in horror as Orion half slipped, half stiff-legged it down the near-vertical slope. I was searching desperately for an easier route when Lady dutifully began to follow Orion. Adrenaline ooding my brain, I tried in vain to rein in the dumb beast. It nally dawned on me that between the two of us, Lady was the only one who actually knew what she was doing. Once I accepted this and elected to simply hang on and let Lady do her thing, we got along just ne. After traversing leagues of terrifyingly steep and heavily forested mountain terrain, I assumed we were hopelessly lost. But, then we abruptly broke into a clearing. “Here it is,” Lonnie announced. “This is the summit. Isn’t it pretty?” Pretty didn’t begin to describe the utterly breathtaking vista. The slopes of Deer Mountain robed in their verdant summer nery reclined beneath our hooves. The rounded peaks of the Black Hills stretched off into the distant haze. A cottony cumulous cloud slowly dragged its shadow across a lush mountain meadow. I was so enthralled by the beauty of it all that I could scarcely contain myself. “This is awesome,” I exclaimed. “Thanks for taking us here. I could kiss you.” “Fine with me,” Lonnie replied. “But, I have to warn you, it’s been quite a while since Lady brushed her teeth.” Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, South Dakota. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@ dairystar.com.
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Fertility program or service program?
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 37
In a recent review in the Journal of Dairy Science (Volume 105, No. 5, 2022), Fricke and Wiltbank discuss the history and purposes of timed articial insemination programs. The development of the ovsynch protocol radically changed reproductive management Veterinary Wisdom by providing a tool to increase the A.I. service rate. Cows normally ovulate every 21-24 days, but ovsynch allowed farmers to control ovulation by injection of GnRH and prostaglandin. Ovsynch can thus be thought of as a service or submission protocol. Later, modied protocols By Jim Bennett such as double ovsynch Columnist were developed. Double ovsynch, when used for 100% timed A.I. for at least the rst breeding, increases the service rate to 100%, but also increases the number of pregnancies per insemination. Thus, programs such as double ovsynch can be thought of as fertility programs. Ovsynch alone, by itself, does not increase pregnancies per A.I. or fertility. One can say the same about activity systems. Activity systems increase the service rate by doing a better job of detecting heat, but they do not increase fertility, so they are best dened as service programs. Presysnch-ovsynch, in combination with cherry picking of heats prior to nishing the protocol, is a service program as well, because pregnancies per A.I. are not improved versus normal, standing heats. The reason this happens is because the cows that come in heat early are inseminated, and the conception rate at that insemination will be less than if they were bred on 100% timed A.I. by nishing the protocol, thus negating the effect of
presynchronization. Double ovsynch typically gives more pregnancies per A.I. than standing heat or even a presynch-ovsynch program with 100% timed A.I. This is because double ovsynch can resolve the anovular condition in many cows and tightly synchronizes follicular growth so that the ovsynch protocol is initiated on day 6 or 7 of the cycle in a high proportion of cows. In most published trials, double ovsynch increases pregnancies per A.I., or fertility, by about 10 percentage points, e.g. from 44% to 55%, or about a 25% increase in fertility than A.I. following detected estrus. The proposed mechanism of this increase is because of better follicular size (smaller) and better oocyte quality in double ovsynch because double ovsynch increases the level of progesterone during follicular development, which prevents prolonged follicular development. Furthermore, using two prostaglandin injections two days apart helps create better luteal regression and thus lower levels of progesterone at breeding, which has been shown to increase fertility as well. Two other benets of fertility programs are reduced twinning and decreased embryonic death and abortions. Twining is reduced due to reduced double ovulation from better quality oocytes. Embryonic loss and abortions are reduced because of better embryo quality. Average days open in U.S. dairy herds decreased about 35 days from 2000 to 2020, and conception rates increased from about 34% in 2005 to more than 47% in 2020, according to the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding. Data from our own practice show the same trends. This is a remarkable improvement in reproductive performance. Most of this improvement is due to adoption of fertility programs rather than service programs; though other improvements in management of the dry and lactating cow should be given some credit as well. Perhaps you are considering changing your
Thank you
reproductive protocols because someone has told you a different protocol is better. For example, purchasing an activity system might be a good idea because it can increase service rates. It will not increase the service rate at any given days in milk for rst breeding compared to a 100% timed A.I. program, however, because you cannot beat 100%. It can increase the service rates for subsequent breedings though, and that might make it valuable to your dairy. It will very likely decrease rst service conception rates compared to a double ovsynch protocol, because it is not a fertility program. You should understand that before you make the decision to purchase. Thus whether you are considering
The program you choose needs to be tailored to what you are trying to accomplish ... switching from presynch-ovsynch to double ovsynch, or from double ovsynch to activity, think about what you are trying to accomplish. Better rst service conception rate? Lower drug and labor costs? Greater service rate? Better pregnancy rate? The program you choose needs to be tailored to what you are trying to accomplish, because service protocols and fertility protocols are designed to meet different goals. They are not the same. Your veterinarian can explain the difference in more detail if you want more information. Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in Plainview, Minnesota. He also consults on dairy farms in other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@ gmail.com with comments or questions.
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Hay brings rain Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
It’s time to make some hay. I love cutting and putting up hay, especially the rst crop. After a long winter, this year seeming especially long, it’s nice to start putting away feed for the cows instead of feeding it to them. Wondering if I have enough feed to make it to that unpredictable date when the pastures are in enough that I can stop feeding stored feed for the summer gets old pretty quick. This year getting the cattle on pasture was a couple weeks later than I prefer, and the grass didn’t come through winter in as good of shape as I wish it had. But, thanks to a decent hay year and a lot of purchased bales, we had plenty on hand to not be worrying about the extra days of feeding stored feed. I’m always happily surprised by how much time is freed up when the cows go out to pasture. We rotationally graze. After decades of building fences and lanes a bit at a time and buying miles of poly wire and many, many posts, we have it set up so that in a few hours I can ready a little under a week’s worth of grazing for the cows. Once break fences and water tanks are in place for a
few days of grazing, it’s just a matter of locking them out there after milking and bringing them back to the barn when it’s time to milk again. Cows harvesting their own food and hauling their own manure is a beautiful thing because all that time we don’t spend on those tasks seems to go into putting up feed for the long winters we have. Makes me wonder what farmers do with all their time in areas where they can graze most of the year. We didn’t plow anything up last fall even though there was at least 36 acres that needed to be cycled out of hay for a year to plant back down to a better mix of legumes to grass. I couldn’t have picked a better year to put off plowing too long then having the ground freeze before getting the job done. This spring has not been a good one for working heavier clay soils with many wet spots like we have here. The current plan is to haul the heifer shed and some stored manure on one of the elds and plant it down after we take the rst crop off. Whether the weather will allow that is yet to be determined, but that’s the plan anyhow.
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I didn’t get around to writing this column outside my head before it was time to start hay and gured it was no big deal, because usually as soon as I get some hay down, the clouds will build up to the west, and I’ll have a day or two where no hay is getting done leaving plenty of time to write my Dairy Star column. Surprisingly, we had ve good days before that happened, and thus, my column is a day late. The rain didn’t disappoint though. It showed up as From the Zweber Farm soon as I got to the eld with the Discbine this afternoon and proceeded to sprinkle on me while I nished cutting 25 acres I did the outside rounds on last night. Kind of annoying as we had eight acres that would have nished lling a bag laying ready to chop in another hour or so. By Tim Zweber Such is life as they say. Farmer & Columnist On the plus side, I got to reward my kids’ hard work helping put up hay and milk cows this week with a trip to the rock-climbing gym I had promised we’d take when we eventually got rained out. They also helped prepare all the equipment before we started by greasing and airing up tires while I did repairs on things we found might fail if we didn’t take care of them before getting going. They denitely deserved a night off to go have some fun doing something active that didn’t include tractor step climbing and PTO swinging. Hopefully your hay crop is coming along well and the rain waits until you want a day off rather than soaking your nearly dry hay. Until next time, keep living the dream, and watch that forecast before dropping more hay than you can afford to watch sit in the eld waiting for it to dry. Tim Zweber farms with his wife Emily, their three children and his parents Jon and Lisa by Elko, Minnesota.
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Endings lead to beginnings
Farms, perhaps even more than other business pursuits, have plenty of examples of beginnings and endings. The life cycle of the crops we grow every year is continuous from planting to harvest. Calves are born, grow, mature into cows, many give birth several times, lactate and eventually leave the herd. Some cows we miss. Others not so much. Adored farm dogs and cats are part of farm life as our companions to daily routines. Even when they have been gone for years, these pets are remembered fondly. Come Full Dairy Circle Windbreaks that surround the farm offer their protection and are wildlife havens. We take them for granted, until one day we nd those trees have died or blown down, needing to be sawed up and hauled away. Their absence leaves a blank space on the horizon that seems unsettling and out of place. On the people-side of things, there are starts and nishes as well. Our family and farm have experienced the retirement of many trusted dairy advisors and expert helpers in the past few months By Jean Annexstad and years. I guess we are approaching a certain Columnist age when our peers are reaching this segment of their lives. We do already miss or we will soon miss our veterinarian, bank lending specialist, agronomist, nutritionist, genetic advisors, milking equipment technicians and many people who market the products we use. A lot of these people, who have become our friends, have recently nished with their lifelong careers or will be moving on to what’s next in life very soon. They have certainly earned time for relaxation and pursuit of other interests after all of their years of dedication to their work. Though it is sad to see them go and we will miss their humorous banter and their unique knowledge of our farm’s goals, struggles and preferences because they have worked with us for so many years, there will be newcomers. These people will bring their own talents and insights as they step up to the plate to advise us in various ways. The dairy industry changes at a more rapid pace than when we started 35 or so years ago. We now need an even higher level of knowledge and expertise of people who have spent the past few years learning cutting-edge technology, data analysis as well as a collaborative approach to identifying, tackling and solving the daily problems we face on our dairy. When our offspring who have recently obtained their college degrees (or will within a few more months) come home to our farm for a few days to help us, it seems we accomplish more in those 24, 36 or 48 hours than we do during the rest of the days of the week. Besides all they can accomplish with their younger muscles and youthful energy, their presence leads to some good discussions into management ideas and computer help plus insight into how we could streamline our efforts and save labor in the future. They also bring a positive attitude that rubs off on everyone. We appreciate what they have learned and what they offer to help our farm improve and move forward. We are glad they are pursuing the start of their careers away from home for a time. They will learn so much from other bosses, co-workers and managers. They can bring all of the skills, ideas and know-how they have soaked up with them if they choose to dairy farm someday. Besides our own kids, we can reap benets from working with those stepping into roles of people we’ve worked with in the past few decades. We look forward to this even as we miss the well-honed expertise of those moving on. It will of course take some time to establish relationships with new people, and not everything will go perfectly as they learn their new roles and apply what they’ve been studying and practicing to real-time situations. Their learning curve will likely be steep. It will pay off to be patient as all of us learn to work together. It is said that time does not stand still. We will need to begin a plan to transition our dairy to a new generation at some point in the future. The foundation is solid, but there are always improvements to make. It is good to have youthful enthusiasm to spark this process while we keep on with all of the day-to-day tasks. What can we do now to expand on the positive aspects of our farm? Which changes will keep improving the business aspects that keep our farm protable and enjoyable to operate in the future? Hopefully the younger people in our own family and advisors we will work with can help us to research and pursue potential answers to these questions. We have condence in them. Jean dairy farms with her husband, Rolf, and brother-in-law, Mike, and children Emily, Matthias and Leif. They farm near St. Peter, Minnesota, in Norseland, where she is still trying to t in with the Norwegians and Swedes. They milk 200 cows and farm 650 acres. She can be reached at jeanannexstad@gmail.com.
Don’t be shocked.
Every dairy/livestock farm will benefit from our thorough evaluation! Brant Groen 320-220-1342 CALL Jim Urman 320-339-1154
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022 • Page 39
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
Changing weather and higher inputs got you down?
Using Drain Tile to manage excess moisture in the soil pro¿le is the foundation for increasing pro¿tability per acre. - Less compaction - Better soil Structure - Allows more days per year for ¿eld operations - More Yields with same or less inputs
Call Us to Discuss Your Project Now! Chad Van Asten
920-450-2844
www.SevenOaksTeam.com
We can Supply your Bulk Feed and Bedding! Animal Feed Products:
• Canola Meal • Corn Gluten Pellets • Dry Distillers Grain • Feed Quality Wheat Straw • Hominy • Oat Hulls • Soy Hull Pellets • Soybean Meal • Western Dry baled hay & Local dry baled hay • Wet Corn Gluten Feed • Wet Distillers Grain • Whole Fuzzy Cottonseed
Co
us to n ta c t
day to see h
Animal Bedding Products: • Bedding Straw • Green Cut Sawdust • Kiln Dried Sawdust • Screened Freestall Sand
We understand that running out of product has a negative impact on your margins. We have developed a network of storage facilities to draw from in case of a supplier shortage or breakdown, with a large trucking base to ensure timely delivery.
ow we can improve your
bottom
li n e !
TODAY!
Call 320-352-6303 to place your classied or mail to: Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378.
MIKE HAESE
MECHANDISER
920-372-8549 ext: 1595
www.SevenOaksTeam.com
Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 11, 2022
LED light improves teat visibility
Effective, proprietary chlorine dioxide solution
Antimicrobial brushes inhibit bacterial growth
A brush with greatness FutureCow® Prep System: the most consistent cow prep for any herd size. The future of your herd’s milk quality starts with consistency. Prep each cow the same way at every milking session with the FutureCow® Prep System from GEA. With the lightest brush on the market, FutureCow® provides optimal teat cleaning, stimulation and mastitis prevention. Whether it’s the first hour of milking or the very last, ensure greatness in one easy step with the FutureCow® Prep System.
Your Local GEA Milking Equipment Dealers Advanced Dairy Solutions Centre Dairy Equipment Richland Center, and Supply Inc. WI 608-647-4488 Sauk Centre, MN• 800-772-4770 320-352-5762 • 800-342-2697 Central Ag Supply, Inc. Baraboo, WI • 608-356-8384 Fuller’s Milker Center, LLC Juneau, WI Lancaster, WI••920-386-2611 800-887-4634
Monroe Leedstone,Fuller’s Inc. Milker Center, Inc. Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. WestfaliaSurge J Gile Dairy Equipment Lancaster, WI • 800-887-4634 Monroe, WI •Cuba 608-325-2772 Melrose, MN Rock Valley, IA City, WI • (608) 744-2661 320-256-3303 • 800-996-3303 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 Leedstone, Inc. Sioux Dairy Equipment, Inc. Equipment Glencoe, MN Colton, SD Service 800-944-1217 Kozlovsky Dairy Melrose, MN Rock Valley, IA 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575 Edgerton, MN Chemical Sales Kaukauna, WI •920-759-9223 320-256-3303 • 800-996-3303 712-476-5608 • 800-962-4346 Plainview, MN • 800-548-5240 507-920-8626 Weston, WI • 715-298-6256 Glencoe, MN Menomonie, WI • 715.231.8090 Colton, SD 320-864-5575 • 877-864-5575 Richland Center,Equipment WI • 608-647-4488 Central Ag Supply Inc.Service 800-944-1217 Stanley Schmitz, Inc. Centre Dairy and Supply Inc. Monroe WestfaliaSurge Juneau, WI • 920-386-2611 Chilton, WI • 920-849-4209 Sauk Centre, MN Midwest Livestock Systems, Inc. Edgerton, MN Midwest Livestock Systems, LLC Monroe, WI • 608-325-2772 Baraboo, WI • 608-356-8384 320-352-5762 • 800-342-2697 Menomonie, WI • 715-235-5144 Chemical Sales 507-920-8626 Zumbrota, MN • 800-233-8937 Tri-County Dairy Supply Owen, WI • 715-229-4740 Menomonie, WI • 715-235-5144 Preston Dairy Equipment Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems Janesville, WI • (608) 757-2697 Island, MN • 800-233-8937 Renner, SD • 800-705-1447 Sparta, WI Pine • (608) 269-3830 Epworth, IA • (563) 876-3087 Sioux Falls, MN • 800-705-1447 Beatrice, NE • 800-742-5748