Past,Present, Future. Read our Past, Present Future feature startig on page 13 of the 2nd section!
DAIRY ST R
June 25, 2022
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 24, No. 9
Deer Run Dairy wins national sustainability award From cover crops to no till, Kewaunee County farm focused on conservation By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
KEWAUNEE, Wis. – Protecting water quality and improving soil health are priorities at Deer Run Dairy where conservation practices are integrated into the ber of the farm. From cover crops to no-till farming, partners Duane Ducat, Derek Ducat and Dale Bogart put the environment rst as they work in sync with the land which they hope to sustain for generations to come. Focused on land and animal stewardship, Deer Run Dairy nurtures cattle and crops to help both reach their full potential. As a result of their work, Deer Run Dairy is a recipient of the Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. The operation was one of seven farms, businesses and partnerships recognized in 2022 for its socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sound practices and technologies that
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
The partners at Deer Run Dairy – (from le�) Dale Bogart, Derek Ducat and Duane Ducat – milk around 1,600 cows and farm 2,500 acres near Kewaunee, Wisconsin. The farm is a 2022 recipient of the Outstanding Dairy Farm Sustainability award from the Innova�on Center for U.S. Dairy. have a broad and positive impact. “I have always leaned towards the sustainable side of things,” Duane said. “Mother Nature knows what he’s doing, and we want to make sure we’re working with nature to control the things we can rather than working against it.” Duane bought the farm in 1983. The Ducats and Bogart milk around 1,600 cows and farm 2,500 acres near Kewaunee. Starting out with 80 cows,
Duane reached 130 milking in a tiestall barn before joining forces with Dale in 2000. The two farmers combined herds and built a facility at the same location in 2008. In addition to his career as a dairy farmer, Duane also worked full time at a nuclear power plant, recently retiring after 44 years of service. Deer Run Dairy also does custom eldwork for other farms and is a member of conservation-minded groups like
Peninsula Pride Farms, the Wisconsin Demo Farm Network and the Discovery Research program. The partners feel their involvement in these organizations has been a big help to conservation efforts at home, and thus, the farm is seeing tangible results in the soil. Duane’s son, Derek, is seeing the efforts in action. “Our soil structure is denitely changing with the use of cover crops and no till,” Derek said. “One eld soil test showed a half percentage increase in organic matter, which improves the soil’s water holding capacity and inltration. It’s pretty exciting to see results in a short timeframe.” Last fall, Deer Run Dairy achieved its goal of having no bare ground when they seeded 100% of their cropland with cover crops. Cereal rye is the main cover used. They also plant blends of turnip, radish, barley and rye after wheat or fourth crop hay. A big change for the farm in the last six years was bumping down their planting rate for rye, going from 5060 pounds per acre to 25-30 pounds. “A diverse cover crop ties everything together and helps improve the soil,” Duane said. “Cover crops also keep the ground moist and help with crusting issues. We’ve learned that you want to
Turn to DEER RUN| Page 6
Walking down memory lane
Mitchell, Brown testing milk for combined 102 years By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
SPARTA, Wis. – The walk down memory lane is a long one for Ron Mitchell and Richard Brown, who have been testing milk in Monroe County for 54 and 48 years, respectively. The pair has seen a lot of changes in the dairy industry throughout their combined experience of 102 years. “I think it’s a good profession because you get to know so many people,” Mitchell said. “And that’s what the world is, people.” Brown agreed. “Every day is different,”
he said. “It’s not like going to a factory and sitting at the same machine all day long.” When Mitchell took the job as manager for Monroe County Dairy Herd Improvement Association in June 1968, the milk testing process was very different from what farmers experience today. Milk was collected in buckets and weighed with a scale. Mitchell brought the scale, paper and pencil and a rack of test bottles. Each farm had their own barn sheet. Weights were recorded by hand, and samples were brought back to the DHIA Turn to DHIA | Page 7
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Ron Mitchell (le�) and Richard Brown stand outside the DHIA office June 10 near Sparta, Wisconsin. The pair has a collec�ve 102 years of experience tes�ng milk in Monroe County.
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 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.
Dairy Prole brought you by President Biden to signs theyour Ocean President Joe Biden signed the Ocean Shipping Reform Act into law. This law addresses longstanding supply chain and shipping port issues. “We’ve come together to solve real problems, and I’m proud we made it happen,” Biden said. American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall attended the signing ceremony. “It’s a testament to what we can accomplish when Republicans and Democrats put their differences aside,” Duvall said. “Our farmers lost an estimated $25 billion of agricultural exports in the past six months due to ocean shipping problems. Because of congestion restricting imports and exports, many other companies suffered those losses too. Consumers are paying the price.”
US dairy industry applauds shipping reform National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council Executive Vice President of Policy and Strategy Jaime Castaneda said the ocean shipping reform provides a set of new rules for the Federal Maritime Commission. “The FMC will have authority to enforce more of the current resolutions they have, allowing for additional ag products to not be left behind,” Castaneda said. “That’s important because many of the carriers are canceling contracts and making different arrangements.” The U.S. dairy industry lost $1.5 billion this past year due to the shipping challenges. “It’s for two reasons: increased costs and lost opportunities,” Castaneda said. “These containers used to cost $500 per ton per container, and now, it costs $5,000 per ton per container or more.” Supply chain addressed in Senate hearing Associated Milk Producers Incorporated Co-CEO Sheryl Meshke testied before a Senate agriculture subcommittee earlier this month, saying the U.S. government must address supply chain issues. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act was cited. “At the same time, the administration can take steps to resume things like the USDA’s weekly container and availability snapshot,” Meshke said.
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Commodity prices partially offset high input costs The new quarterly report on Ag Insider the farm economy from the Farm Credit Administration states diesel prices have been driven by high crude oil prices and rening issues. Supply chain problems are limiting the availability of farm machinery and parts. The Farm Credit System reports strong loan growth in the rst quarter.
Lower food and fuel costs act passes The House passed a bill deBy Don Wick signed to lower food and fuel Columnist costs. Provisions include yearround sales of 15% ethanol blends, a loan program to promote meatpacking capacity and funding to offset the cost of precision agriculture technology. This bill also calls on the United States Department of Agriculture to establish a supply chain task force and a special investigator to consider meatpacker competition. The bill now moves to the Senate. Legislation introduced to reduce input costs House Agriculture Committee ranking member Glenn “GT” Thompson introduced a bill that calls on the Biden administration to reverse regulatory barriers to farming. “American agriculture, if given the right tools and regulatory certainty, can serve a vital role in alleviating global food instability and costs to consumers,” Thompson said. Thompson held a press
Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 5
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Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 3
Marsheld, WI
Weber’s Farm Store enjoys long history First Section: Page10
Mount Calvary, WI
Being organic helps keep Blatz farm in the family Second Section: Pages 6 - 7
Harvard, IL
Kids Corner: The Olbrichs
Sparta, WI
Mitchell, Brown testing milk for combined 102 years First Section: Pages 1, 7
Clintonville, WI
Viergutz family celebrates sesquicentennial farm Second Section: Pages 19, 20
Janesville, WI
Dairy’s Working Youth: Andrew Treptow
Third Section: Pages 12 - 13
Third Section: Page 11
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE: What are characteristics you admire about your dad as a father? First Section: Pages 15-16
Loganville, WI
Dairyman relocates, switches to conventional practices First Section: Pages 11 - 12
Reedsburg, WI
A day in the life of the Haag family First Section: Pages 23 - 25
Clarks Mills, WI
Women in Dairy: Tiffany Kohlmann
Second Section: Pages 14 - 15, 17
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
Zone 1
Zone 2
Columnists Ag Insider Pages Pa 2, 5 First Fi s Section Fir
Farmer and Columnist Page 35 First Section
Something So to R Ruminate On Page P 37 First Firs Section
Ram Ramblings fro from the Ridge R Page Pa 36 First Section n
This is the front. We have what you need for what comes out the back.
Ju Thinking Just O Out Loud Page 38 F First Section
Dairy Good Life Page 39 First Section
The “Mielke” Market Weekly Pages 8 - 9 Second Section
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ConƟnued from AG INSIDER| Page 2 conference to talk about the new bill with other House Republicans, saying, “You can’t spend your way out of ination.” Feed costs are barriers to growth Record-high feed costs are directly inuencing margins for dairy farmers. In its quarterly dairy industry analysis, Rabobank said the dairy herd worldwide has “contracted or are facing barriers to grow, making it harder for milk output to rebound after the current slump.” Corn and soybean prices remain high. Rabobank said the Russian-Ukrainian conict is also adding pressure to the cost side of the ledger. SCOTUS schedules two ag-related hearings The U.S. Supreme Court will hear at least two agriculture-based cases in October. In the newly-released schedule, the court said it will start its new term by hearing Sackett v. the Environmental Protection Agency. This case includes two Idaho landowners challenging the Clean Water Act. The hearing will be Oct. 3. The following week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments challenging California’s Proposition 12. Ag committee reviews climate research The House Agriculture Committee continued its farm bill review process by discussing the role of climate research in supporting agriculture. California Rep. Jim Costa said it’s important to pursue sustainability in a way that makes sense to farmers and ranchers. “In the next farm bill, we need to look at how to enhance the efforts of this public-private partnership between educational institutions and our regional farming efforts,” Costa said. “I think what’s lacking is an overall plan on how this all ts together with attainable goals for the next ve to 10 years based on good, sound science.” Input sought on dairy board adjustment USDA is reopening the comment period for proposed revisions to the makeup of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. If adopted, Idaho will see representation increase from two to three members. Region 10, which includes numerous states in the Southeast, drops from two members to one. The total members on the board will remain at 36. Public comment will be accepted through July 25.
Extension dairy educator hired Alison Pfau has been selected as a regional dairy extension educator for Dodge, Dane, Jefferson, Rock and Walworth counties. Pfau is originally from Bogota, Columbia. She earned an animal science degree from the National University of Columbia-Bogota, followed by her master’s degree at the University of TenneseeKnoxville. Previously, Pfau worked in the dairy industry in Colorado. WI dairy checkoff board election results The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has certied the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin board of director election results. The dairy farmers who will serve three-year terms are Gary Kohn of Medford, Doug Danielson of Cadott, Jeff Betley of Pulaski, Stephen Pankratz of Marsheld, Sandra Madland of Lyndon Station, Rick Roden of West Bend, Gail Kinckner of Viroqua and Virgil Hagg of Mount Horeb. WI FFA ofcer team installed Casey Denk of Mondovi is the new Wisconsin FFA president. Isaac Hopke of Spooner is secretary, and Heidi Strey of Osseo-Fairchild is vice president. The ofcer team also includes Kendra Goplin of Whitehall as reporter, Jeremiah Ihm of Lancaster as vice president, Rhylie Gough of Albany as vice president and Cole Hicken of Waupun as treasurer. Devani Hinkelmann of Loyal is a vice president. Brooke Casey of New London as vice president. Evan Mennen of Bay Port is parliamentarian, and Mary Schreiber of East Trou is sentinel. Trivia challenge Freemartin is the term for a heifer who is twin to a bull and cannot reproduce. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, how many pounds of dairy products does the average American consume per year? We will have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
CORRECTION:
In the June 11 issue of Dairy Star, Andy Nelson was misquoted. Quotes in the story were from Sherry and Aaron Nelson. Dairy Star regrets the error.
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keep rye in when planting corn to soak up the moisture, but we roll down the rye to ensure the corn gets sunlight.” No tilling has been a way of life at Deer Run Dairy for many years with more and more acres converted each year. “We’re trending over to no till for the most part, and cover crops give us the ability to do that,” Duane said. Derek agreed. “When we’re coming out of hay, we do cover crops instead of terminating and going straight to corn,” he said. “We put cover crops right into hay and nd that the ground mellows out and is more forgiving, making it easier to plant into. It was eye-opening in 2018 when we discovered our equipment carried so much better on no-tilled elds versus conventional-tilled elds.” Derek also likes that no tilling eliminates the need to pick stones. “In the long run, it’s about being more efcient,” he said. “Also, we’re not burning elds through tillage or releasing carbon when working the land.” This year, the Ducats started interseeding into corn – planting turnip, radish, three kinds of clover and buckwheat. They are hoping to get multiple years out of their clover and perhaps not have to terminate the crop each growing season. “We’re trying new things like putting that same blend into V3 to V5 corn so that it doesn’t compete with the corn,” Derek said. “We struggled with interseeding cereal rye. It doesn’t do well.” As a demo farm, Derek said they have the opportunity to try new things and get ideas from other farmers. “We used to plant radishes at 15 pounds per acre when we started, and now we plant at 1 to 2 pounds,” he said. “As a member of this group, farmers don’t have to start from scratch. We can all learn from each other.” The farm does trials and studies to determine how their practices are benetting the land. For example, they are monitoring edge-of-eld runoff to analyze the role of cover crops in reducing runoff. Through Peninsula Pride Farms, Deer Run Dairy is also using a eld to market platform that analyzes the metrics of various approaches and their effects on the soil. The farm is one of 10 using the technology and is on its third year of the three-year trial. “It’s hard when you rst get into these practices,” Derek said. “You wonder what you are going to get out of what you’re doing, but the eld to market tool provides results you can bank on.” The Ducats also credit their methane manure digester as an important component in helping their operation be more environmentally friendly. “Before I built this dairy, I knew I wanted to have a digester,” Duane said. “I didn’t want to use sand for bedding because it’s hard on equipment. Instead, we use separated manure solids produced
from the digester and have had good luck with it.” Installed in 2011, the digester supplied power to nearly 600 homes. In 2020, the farm converted over to renewable natural gas that is injected into the pipeline, which Duane said is a more lucrative option. The digester produces 120,000 cubic feet of pipeline gas per day. Nearly all of the farm’s manure is put on a growing crop, and last year, all manure was applied with a dribble bar. “The dribble bar brings manure down to the ground level which is a big difference versus splashing it on top of the eld,” Derek said. “We’ve been able to increase our rates because of better inltration from our improved soil structure. We were at three to four passes but are now getting down to just two passes.” Duane said reduction in odor is one of the big pluses of the digester, especially when top applying manure. As they look toward the future, Deer Run Dairy hopes to reduce its commercial fertilizer needs. “We’re already reducing it through the use of manure, and we want to keep focusing on that,” Derek said. Duane agreed. “Our goal is to reduce inputs,” he said. “We’re looking at cutting back on chemical uses. We’re not implying that everyone has to do that, but we want to show that it can be done in our area. We also want to put more emphasis on waterways – making sure they’re built right and properly maintained.” Sustainability practices are found not only in the elds but are also diligently practiced in the barns at Deer Run Dairy as they tie their conservation efforts back to the animal and the milk produced. Duane said minimizing antibiotic use is a continual practice on the farm, made easier through a focus on nutritious feed. “We’re striving to get more nutritious feed into the cows,” Derek said. “More nutrients into the crops should carry through to the milk and result in a healthier animal as well.” Deer Run Dairy is also conducting feeding trials to reduce methane gas production in the rumen of the cow by using feed additives that lower emissions. The owners of Deer Run Dairy greet sustainable agriculture with open arms and are on the lookout for opportunities to become even more compatible with the environment. The Ducats are on the cutting edge of conservation and attend the Wisconsin cover crop conference as well as national cover crop and no-till conferences to continually gain more information and new ideas on these topics. “We don’t rule out anything,” Duane said. “We’re open to different ideas and trying new things. Change is constant, and we’re open to change because we have to keep this farm going for future generations.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 7
Con�nued from DHIA | Page 1
HERE FOR YOUR ANIMALS & YOU
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Ron Mitchell shows the old centrifuge that has not been used in ve decades June 10 at the DHIA office near Sparta, Wisconsin. Mitchell has been tes�ng milk for 54 years.
ofce in Sparta. Once at the ofce, Mitchell used a glass pipette to put a portion of each sample into glass test tubes which were then loaded into a centrifuge. Mitchell spun the centrifuge to separate the cream. Each test tube had to have the exact same amount of milk in them so they were perfectly balanced while spinning, or the tubes would break and the process would have to start again. Once the centrifuge was nished, the milk and cream would be separated in the tube. The cream was then measured to calculate the butterfat in the sample. “We recorded everything by hand,” Mitchell said. “We multiplied the butterfat by the production and the pounds of milk by the number of days. I don’t know how we got it all done.” Milk was only tested for production, butterfat and somatic cell count. “When I rst started in 1974, everybody was trying to hit 600 pounds of fat for a rolling herd average,” Brown said. “If you had a rolling herd average of 600 for butterfat, then you had a terric herd. A top herd average for milk was probably 16,000 pounds.” Herd sizes in the 1960s and ‘70s were much smaller than today as well. Brown said most farms had around 30 cows, and if someone was milking 65 cows, then they were considered a large farm. Mitchell and Brown tested two milkings in a row at each farm in the early days of the job. Farmers were not allowed to be given more than 10 hours of notice before milking, and they could not refuse unless they had a very good reason. It was all done to keep accurate records. “We tested every morning and every night and a lot of days I did seven days a week,” Mitchell said. The pair saw growth in the 1970s and ‘80s when farms expanded their herds and added pipelines and silos. The milk testing industry grew with them and switched from the MilkO-Meter scale to the Surge True Test, which was an electric testing unit.
When milk is tested today, the pair brings the bottles to the ofce and stores them in refrigerators until the laboratory company picks them up. Although they are able to test more cows today, the pair agreed testing milk has not gotten any easier since they started. “Before, you would go to a herd and you might spend an hour or two in the barn milking and it wasn’t that stressful,” Brown said. “You took the sample and went in for breakfast. Now, you go to work in a big parlor with up to 20 units, and you could be in there for eight hours. It’s not any easier.” Technology has allowed farms to gain more information from testing milk. One sample can communicate protein content, somatic cell count, milk urea nitrogen content, pregnancy, Johne’s Disease and mastitis cultures. “They can do numerous tests in seconds,” Brown said. Mitchell said the milk test results are like a report card for the farm. In Mitchell’s early career, he said the newsletter created friendly competition among neighbors because everyone’s results were shared. “They were all trying to get their herd average better than their neighbors’,” Brown said. While the career has proven to be a lot of work, both testers said they have enjoyed it. Brown said his favorite time during his career was when there were more small farms. “I liked when you could go down the road and see cows at every farm,” Brown said. “Now, you have to drive for miles just to nd a herd because they’re so far apart.” Mitchell said his favorite part about the job was watching families grow. “We might have started testing with grandma and grandpa, and now we’re down to the kids,” Mitchell said. “I have probably seen four generations come up in my time. When I think back to all the people I have gotten to know, it’s a blessing.”
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
Looks like we got us a convoy
Make Their Hearts Smile fundraiser celebrates 25 years By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
GRANTON, Wis. – For the last 25 years, Punk and Bill Montgomery and their family have been involved in making dreams come true for area children suffering from critical illnesses. “My husband is an over-theroad truck driver, and almost 30 years ago, he took part in a MakeA-Wish truck convoy fundraiser
PHOTO SUBMITTED
In 24 years, the Make Their Hearts Smile Truck Convoy has raised $326,198.22 used to grant 67 wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.
in Lancaster, Pennsylvania,” Punk Montgomery said. “He came home and said he thought we could organize something like this. I was milking cows at the time and had ve kids. It took me two years to agree to it.” The rst Make Their Hearts Smile truck convoy fundraiser took place in 1998. Five trucks raised about $1,200 to donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organization that helps fulll the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses, between the ages of 2.5 and 18. “I wasn’t really much of a people person when I took this on,” Montgomery said. “I liked to stay home with my cows and kids. I really had to come out of my shell and develop a whole new skill set to make this work.” This year’s convoy ride took place June 11 and began at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Neillsville. The convoy traveled a 60-mile circular route to Marsheld before returning to the fairgrounds. Each year, the convoy stops at the same truck stop in Marsheld. At the fairgrounds, activities include a food stand, door prizes and a silent auction. There were 91 vehicles in this year’s convoy, including a mix of semi-trucks and passenger vehicles. The group will continue fundraising throughout the summer.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Five genera�ons of Punk Montgomery’s family – (from le�) Charlo�e Tetzlaff, Punk Montgomery, Tiffanee Tesmer and Kellisa Carlisle holding David Gage – have taken part in the last two Make Their Hearts Smile truck convoys raising money for the Wisconsin Make-A-Wish Founda�on.
A nal tally for the 2022 donation will be made when funds are submitted to the Wisconsin Make-AWish Foundation Sept. 1. Throughout the rst 24 years of running their truck convoy, the Make Their Hearts Smile fundraising group has raised $326,198.22, which has granted the wishes of 67 children. “The only year we didn’t actually have the convoy was in 2020; we only raised donations through letters,” Montgomery said. “That year we still managed to raise
$7,000 through mail-in donations.” Two years ago, the Montgomerys were inducted into the Wisconsin Make-A-Wish Wall of Fame at the organization’s state headquarters in Madison for their dedication to helping brighten the lives of ill children. “We have had truckers from all over the U.S. and Canada come and participate in our convoy,” Montgomery said. “We have even had an Australian trucker who came to Turn to MAKE-A-WISH | Page 9
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 9
ConƟnued from DHIA | Page 8
the U.S. to ride along in our convoy.” Much of the advertisement for the convoy is done by word-of-mouth, posters and social media. They send letters to area organizations and businesses to gather donations. “Fuel prices didn’t seem to factor into people coming to take part the convoy this year,” Montgomery said. “Everyone said that it was a good cause, and they would just do what they had to do to take part.” In the early days, planning the event took a lot of time and effort. But, Montgomery said now she has it down to a science. She begins in January by focusing her efforts on preparing for the event held each June. “I know exactly what needs to be done, when it needs to be done,” Montgomery said. PHOTO SUBMITTED “All of the groundwork is laid. It’s just a matter Semi trucks and passenger vehicles line up June 11 at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Neillsville, Wisconsin of updating everything for each year. Everyone waiƟng for the convoy to get underway. in the family helps me run it now. It has truly become a family event.” One of the most challenging parts of setting pect and plan for.” tributed, but if we know of a child locally, we up the convoy was learning what DOT permits Montgomery’s granddaughter, Kellisa Carl- can request that it is used to grant their wish,” were needed. isle, took part in the rst convoy as a baby and Montgomery said. … “Most of the wishes we “We just have to get the route approved, en- now takes an active role in helping her grand- have granted have been within about two hours sure there is no road construction on the route mother plan and organize the event. Carlisle of us. … One family didn’t use all of the money and make sure we have a police escort lined also continues the family’s tradition of dairy they were given for their wish, so they donated farming, milking 39 Jersey and Ayrshire cows it back to the convoy the next year to go toward “But knowing that we have on the family farm. another child’s wish.” For the past two years, ve generations of variety of wishes they have been able to put a smile in the hearts of 67 the family have participated in the convoy, in- grantThe have included things such as a computer, a Montgomery’s mother, Charlotte Tet- hot tub, a horse trailer, making a house handicap kids and their families, even cluding zlaff, and her daughter, Tiffanee Tesmer; Car- accessible and a trip to Disney. “We have known of a few instances when through their struggles, that lisle and her son, David Gage, make up the fourth and fth generations. the child has passed before the wish is granted is worth every minute of the “I enjoy it, maybe even more so now that I and that is just heartbreaking,” Montgomery take a part in making it happen,” Carlisle said. said. “But knowing that we have put a smile time spent planning.” Montgomery said they are not ofcially told in the hearts of 67 kids and their families, even of the children their work benets, but being through their struggles, that is worth every minPUNK MONTGOMERY from a small community, they often know the ute of the time spent planning.” up,” Montgomery said. “Now they know what families involved. “We send the money to the state to be diswe are doing, and it is just something they ex-
“The more information we know... will only help our chances at being successful.” What are some of the DHIA tests you use? SCC, MLM, fat and protein, pregnancy rate, services per conception and new mastitis infection rate. I am not as concerned about overall production numbers because every ounce of milk that each cow produces in her lifetime is recorded in the computer system for the robots. Which is your favorite and why? My favorite test is also my least favorite test, and that is SCC. I dread seeing which cows are the highest contributors to the bulk tank SCC, but it is so important we can identify these cows to see which cows are the problems and decide what the plan is for each individual case. How does testing with DHIA beneÀt your dairy operation? The more information we know about each cow’s production, milk quality and reproduction, will only help our chances at being successful.
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Tell us about your farm. My wife Vanessa and I farm with my parents, Tom and Tammy Mursu, who are owners of the farm. We currently have 170 Holstein cows and about 240 heifers. We milk our cows with two Lely A4 robots. We try to raise most of our forages; haylage, silage, oats and peas, grass hay and corn on about 500 acres.
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Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
Dairy destination for decades
Weber’s Farm Store enjoys long history By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
MARSHFIELD, Wis. – When a store chock-full of dairy products becomes a destination for both locals and out-oftowners, that is a good thing. When that store is a family owned and operated business with nearly 120 years invested in dairy farming and distributing dairy products to consumers, that is an even better thing. Joellen Heiman, along with her husband, Ken, represent the sixth generation of her family to market dairy products through the Weber’s Farm Store in Marsheld. The couple also helps to run Ken’s family business, Nasonville Dairy. Weber’s Farm Store has been the family’s lifeblood. “There is a long history with this farm and business,” Heiman said . “I grew up here, working on our family dairy farm and in our farm store.” Since 1995, Heiman has been at the helm of the business and has taken pride in growing and developing the business into the version people ock to today. They retail more than 200
food items, all locally grown and produced, including about 150 cheese-related products. “Local is very important to me,” Heiman said. Milk is processed and packaged on-site, and the store markets a variety of milk, including chocolate, strawberry and mint. The milk is sold in plastic pouches, which consist of an inner pouch covered by a protective bag. Heiman’s father began using that packaging method in place of glass bottles in 1973. They also process and sell heavy whipping cream, and during the holiday season, they carry eggnog. One recent addition is ker. The Weber’s Farm Store ker has claimed several gold medals, Heiman said. “In 2013, Weber’s started working on creating our own recipe for ker,” Heiman said. “It took a while, about 11 different batches, to get what I wanted. It is highly digestible and has seven different natural probiotics in it.” What brings customers to the store in droves, though, is the ice cream. They have been selling ice cream for 35 years. Two years ago, the Heimans decided to begin adding more avors to the traditional vanilla, chocolate and twist cones that were available. “We start with a vanilla soft-serve mix and then create our own avors. The number of varieties has grown tremendously over the years,” Heiman said. “People will bring their kids in and remember coming to get ice cream when they were kids themselves.” In addition DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR to the traditional Joellen Heiman has been at the helm of her avors, ice cream family’s Weber’s Farm Store in Marsheld avors include since 1995. Weber’s Farm Store has sold o r a n g e s i c l e , birthday cake and milk in plas�c pouches since 1973. pumpkin.
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Weber’s Farm Store carries more than 200 food items, including 150 different varie�es of cheese, in Marsheld, Wisconsin. In 2009, the Heimans realized they had outgrown the store that had been on the farm and increased the store’s size. “We wanted to build but not have to close or lose customers,” Heiman said. “We basically built the new store around the old store and then tore the old store down inside of the new one in sections. It was quite the project, but both our customers and our inspectors were great to work with.” By 2015, they had underestimated the growth of their business and built on again. One aspect of the Weber’s Farm Store that might not seem so unique any longer is the drivethru service. “My parents started the drive-thru about 1960,” Heiman said. “We had a drive-thru before McDonald’s had one. It was a big hit even back then for parents with small children and for the elderly or disabled.” When Joseph and Bernadine Weber, Heiman’s parents, purchased the family farm in 1951, Joseph’s dream was to expand on his family’s legacy of delivering milk to customers in town since 1904. Instead of the delivery routes, Joseph’s goal was to have an on-farm retail store. The family rst opened Weber’s Farm Store in 1955. “It was a true family
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business,” Heiman said. “We all worked on the farm and in the store.” Heiman’s brother purchased the business from their parents, and Heiman had never envisioned that one day she would be running the family business. She was employed as a surgical technician at Marsheld Clinic. In 1995, the opportunity to purchase the store from her brother presented itself. “Ken asked me if I would want to manage the retail store, if we were to buy the farm and store,” Heiman said. Heiman made the decision to leave her job working as a G.I. Technician at the Marsheld Clinic; and Ken, Kim and Kelvin Heiman and their families purchased Weber’s Farm Store. Heiman took on the task of managing the business, a role she held for 23 years before making the decision to step back from a hands-on on-site management role following a battle with breast cancer in 2013. “The cancer treatments really took a toll on me,” Heiman said. “I needed to get healthy, so we hired a manager to run the dayto-day operations of the store. That has allowed me to focus on marketing and dedicate myself to growing the business.” At the same time, the Heimans realized the milking
herd located at the farm site was outgrowing the land-locked facilities. “We are surrounded by an elementary school, a technical school, a college and a golf course,” Heiman said. “We wanted to keep up our good relationship with the community. If we were going to grow the herd, we needed to do it elsewhere.” The Heimans established Heiman Holsteins, a farm about 8 miles away from Weber’s Farm Store, where they milk 500 cows in a rotary parlor. Cows at Heiman Holsteins carry the A2A2 milk protein gene. “When Ken was serving on the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, he learned about this new thing in the industry called A2A2 protein,” Heiman said. “Milk produced by cows that had the gene would be easier for some people to digest. That interested him, and he began genetic testing and selecting for that.” The Heimans’ dedication to consistently creating products their consumers want has allowed the business to expand beyond what either had envisioned and beyond what Heiman’s father had envisioned in his dreams of operating an on-farm retail store.
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Stephen Kinsinger milks 75 cows in a double-8 parlor and houses them in a freestall barn near Loganville, Wisconsin. Kinsinger relocated from West Virginia when he lost his milk market in 2020.
Dairyman relocates, switches to conventional practices By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
LOGANVILLE, Wis. – After farming organically in West Virginia all his life, two years ago, Stephen Kinsinger moved to Wisconsin to farm conventionally with a new herd. “I saw a lot of potential here,” Kinsinger said. “We found out about this Amish community that we liked, and they said there were farms for sale here.” Kinsinger milks 75 cows in a double-8 rapid exit parlor with his wife, Malinda, and their ve children – Ada, Jesse, Zacchaeus, Jethro and Christopher – near Loganville. Milk is shipped to Scenic Central Milk Producers, and Kinsinger is part of the Cows First program, which is a partnership with Meister Cheese to ensure the humane and responsible sourcing of milk. The program provides Kinsinger with an additional $1 per hundredweight. Kinsinger milked a herd of 30 organic cows in West Virginia with his father. When his father decided to change careers, Kinsinger wanted to continue farming. “I just wanted to do the farm work so he pretty much turned everything over to me,” Kinsinger said. “I was basically managing the farm since I was 15.” Kinsinger was paid a premium for being a grass-based herd, and there were minimum conventional
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markets in the area. However, with an uncertain future for his current market, he decided to switch to a new organic creamery. “Organic Valley came in and wanted to start a route,” Kinsinger said. “They thought they had enough people to start a route so we signed up, but it seemed like everything went wrong from there.” Before long, Kinsinger was the only dairy farmer left on his route. With his small herd being over 60 miles out of the way, Kinsinger was told he either had to move closer to an existing route or nd another market for his milk. In search for new opportunity, he took the lead on a few farms for sale in Wisconsin. The farm he ended up on was abandoned and had sat empty for almost 10 years. It was clear to Kinsinger that it would take a lot of work to make the farm suitable for cows. “We settled on this farm because I liked that parlor,” Kinsinger said. “I just thought it was a shame nobody had done anything with this farm for so long.” Once moving to the farm in June 2020, Kinsinger discovered electrical problems where mice had chewed through wires and sand-clogged drains. “It was a mess,” Kinsinger said. “It took a lot to clean it up. There is still work to do too.” Kinsinger hired a jet truck to clear some of the drains, but the line from the parlor to the lagoon was beyond repair. He ended up digging a new Turn to KINSINGER | Page 12
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ConƟnued from KINSINGER | Page 11
line next to the old one and plans to build a concrete push-off ramp to avoid the drain system altogether. A corkscrew tool was used to clean out the milkhouse drain which was blocked with garbage and debris. One of the biggest problems for Kinsinger and his family was that the house was not suitable to live in. The family lived in two rooms off the parlor until fall 2021 when they added on to the quarters. What they are living in now will serve as their machine shop once they are able to build a house on the farm. When he rst moved to Wisconsin, Kinsinger worked on cleaning up the farm and worked a construction job to help with cash ow while looking for a herd of cows to buy. He worked out a deal with a farmer close by who was looking to sell his cows, anticipating time to get the farm ready before having to buy the herd. Before the farm was ready for cows, the prospective seller called to say he needed to get rid of his cows sooner than planned. “We weren’t ready,” Kinsinger said. “I had to tell him he should just sell them somewhere else.” Without that herd on an existing milk route, Kinsinger was without a milk market. However, after nding a herd of ProCross
cows near Richland Center, the creamery allowed him to come aboard. “It turned out good because they told us they would take us anyway,” Kinsinger said. “We would have been in trouble because our whole loan was contingent on that.” Another challenge that came with relocating was switching from organic to conventional farming practices. Kinsinger had always farmed organically but was willing to switch to conventional for the sake of nding a market. He had never experienced foot abscesses, had never heard of a displaced abomasum and always waited for cows to show heat before breeding them. With the help of a veterinarian, nutritionist, breeder and hoof trimmer, Kinsinger said he has learned a whole new way to farm. “The difference in operating a dairy farm like this versus an organic dairy farm has been one of the biggest challenges,” Kinsinger said. “If it wouldn’t have been for my nutritionist and my vet, we would have been in big trouble.” Kinsinger now uses an ovsynch program, feeds a total mixed ration and does monthly herd health checks with the veterinarian. He also credits the ProCross breed for improving his chances at
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Cows are housed in a sand-bedded freestall barn on Stephen Kinsinger’s farm near Loganville, Wisconsin. Kinsinger’s cows are a ProCross herd.
success. “You get a very good hybrid vigor out of the ProCrosses,” Kinsinger said. “It’s amazing what you can get out of those calves, and I have a pretty decent butterfat and protein.” Fertility has also been excellent, said Kinsinger. “I had to learn the hard way that you’ve got to get those cows bred and keep them as high producing as possible,” he said. “Now I am having a different problem where they are still milking when I’ve got to dry them off,
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introducing paddocks to allow more grazing, possibly expanding cow numbers as his children grow and building a house. While the transition has presented challenges so far, Kinsinger said he is satised with the decision to relocate so far. “I could make more money working construction, but I like being home all the time,” Kinsinger said. … “If you do what you like, then you never have to work a day in your life.”
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but that’s a good problem to have.” Kinsinger milks cows that are close to dry off once a day. The West Virginia native found success with organic dairy farming, but the learning curve of farming conventionally is paying off, said Kinsinger. “It’s denitely working,” he said. “Plus, there are so many cash croppers around me that I don’t think I could certify this land.” Kinsinger’s plans include building heifer facilities,
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Walking the tightrope Plourd talks nding balance in volatile marketplace By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – Finding balance in the volatile marketplace can be challenging. What does the current market look like, what does the future hold, and how do these markets impact a milk check? “Despite what you may have heard, dairy consumption is in pretty good shape,” Phil Plourd said. “We’ve had a few hiccups over the years, but we’ve been on the comeback trail. And, the reports of dairy demise are not only premature but they are also inaccurate.” Phil Plourd Plourd, President of Blimling president of Blimling and & Associates Associates, provided a view on global markets, consumer behaviors and the demand for dairy products at the Vita Plus Midwest Dairy Conference June 15 in Wisconsin Dells. He also spoke of critical items to watch in the months ahead from a market and risk management perspective. Plourd said that, per capita, cheese consumption has carried the dairy industry in the last few years. Cheese consumption had a little hiccup in 2020 but only because of the coronavirus pandemic. Butter consumption is back from the depths, and yogurt has generally been a good news story for the past 15 years. “Grocery stores seem to love dairy promotions,” Plourd said. “Dairy brings people to the stores. The major grocery stores use dairy to get people to come in.” However, the beverage landscape has changed over the last 50 years. In the 1970s, milk, coffee, juice and soft drinks were staples in consumers’ market. Now, there are hundreds of choices that include sports drinks, teas, fusion drinks and more. “Milk’s best friend got into trouble,” Plourd said. “Cereal sales declined right with uid milk sales.” Plourd believes that general farm nance is in an OK place right now. Farm income from sales should be at record high levels in 2022. There is less government support but probably enough to push overall income to new records. “We do volatility very well,” Plourd said. “When you have less milk, there’s only so much you can do in a hurry.” Plourd said it takes a long time to add milk when demand is high, and it takes a long time to decrease supply when milk is not needed. The reality of today’s market is that milk is still being taken away from the market with last year’s prices being lower, even though there is a higher demand for milk today. Plourd explained some critical factors to where markets are today and where they are going. First and foremost, the nation’s milk production
has been negative for seven out of the past eight months. “My rule of thumb is if milk production is growing at less than 1%, we have good potential for upside,” he said. “Once we get milk production to 1.5% to 2%, we are veering into it too much. Last year at times we had too much.” Farm margins are pretty good, according to Plourd. Class II and IV milk futures average $23-$24 per hundredweight for the next 12 months, and the Dairy Margin Coverage margin for 2022 is projecting to be the second highest level ever as milk futures prices have been outpacing the grain markets. “We are slaughtering less cows, but replacement numbers are down,” Plourd said. “We’ve done a pretty good job of right sizing and maybe even over correcting on heifers.” When looking at the cost of production, Plourd offered a global perspective by pointing out that Ukraine ships upward of 12% of the world’s corn exports. “We were already kind of skating toward the edge on the balance sheets before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but then we put the pedal to the metal in some of these markets,” Plourd said. “Not only are we saying things are tight today, but they are going to be tight tomorrow. … We have tight balance sheets, there’s just no avoiding it.” Weather was a factor when looking at crop markets this year. After a late start to planting season, American farmers planted more than 60% of the corn crop in just three weeks, Plourd said. Grain farmers are expected to have a good year because Plourd does not see their input costs rising too high, but next year may be a different story. The cost to purchase anhydrous ammonia is up 130% versus year prior levels and four times the 2020 lows, said Plourd. “The impact is potentially bigger for 2023 than in 2022,” Plourd said. “I just don’t see the road back to cheap corn and cheap soybeans in the next 12-18 months.” Plourd said this all leads to a fragile economy and consumer environment. “Consumers don’t like going to the store and seeing empty shelves,” Plourd said. “A negative economic environment is not constructive. It does hurt demand on the margins.” Ination is a major concern for everyone right now. Plourd said consumers are dipping into savings and using more credit as opposed to going without certain luxuries. “We are burning through the COVID-19 money, and you’re starting to see credit numbers go up,” Plourd said. “That doesn’t mean we’re giving anything up. We’re kicking the bill down the road, but we can’t do this for 24 months. At some point, we will tap out the credit and drain the savings.” Plourd said labor markets remain tight. The number of job openings are leveling off, but in April, the number of vacancies of 11.4 million exceeded the number of unemployed persons by a wide margin. Employers looking to replace labor needs are looking into robotics instead of hiring more people. Since the pandemic, people started getting used to working from home, and Plourd said that trend is not going away. Ultimately, Plourd said that dairy demand is on the rise. Despite a tight balance sheet, dairy farming should fare well.
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 13
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What is one thing you learned from your dad?
Mike Riebe and Mark Riebe Roger Riebe Cumberland, Wisconsin 100 cows
John M. Roloff Father: John A. Roloff Wonewoc, Wisconsin 70 cows How many years have you been farming with your dad? I have been farming with my dad my whole life but full-time for 22 years. What are characteristics you admire about your dad as a father? My dad has been farming for 51 years, and I admire that he is consistent. He never has a high or a low but remains patient. I have learned to be more like that. What is one thing you learned from your dad that has made you a better farmer? There are so many things, and patience is what he has taught me the most. But, he also taught me that cows are where the money is and everything else is a cost. Focus on taking care of the cows. Since you started farming with your dad, what has been a great accomplishment you have achieved on the farm? The biggest thing is breeding the amount of Excellent cows that we have over the years. We had a national show winner and a grand champion district cow come out of our herd. When you are not farming, what do you and your dad like to do together? Now that my kids are getting a little bit older, we both enjoy watching them play sports. We also enjoy deer hunting. Tell us about your dairy and your plans for the rest of the year. We milk 70 registered cows and crop about 400 acres. Everything is handled between me, my dad and my mom, Marge. My three boys help too, and my wife, Katie, lls in whenever she can besides working full-time off the farm. We plan to keep on keeping on and be able to manage our herd.
How many years have you been farming with your dad? We have been farming with our dad our entire lives. What characteristics do you admire about your dad as a father? Our dad is an extremely hard worker, and he never gives up on anything. He puts in a long day every day and does not quit until the work is done, whether it is eldwork or treating a sick calf. He is always willing to lend a hand when needed, especially with his grandkids. He loves helping them with their show cattle and show lambs. What is one thing you learned from your dad that has made you a better farmer? It is hard to pick just one, because we have learned so much from him. But one thing that makes us better farmers is our knowledge of cows. He taught us how to be the cattlemen we are today; from treating sick cows, feeding and breeding selections, A.I., knowing cow pedigrees and picking out show animals, we learned it all from him. Dad has dedicated his life to not just showing some of the best quality Jerseys but being the man to breed them as well. He learned that from his father, and we couldn’t be more proud to say that we have learned it from him. Since you started farming with your dad, what has been a great accomplishment you’ve achieved on the farm? The greatest accomplishment we have
Lance Houzner Father: Richard Houzner Elroy, Wisconsin 50 cows How many years have you been farming with your dad? I went to the barn for the rst time at 3- monthsold, but I’ve been farming full- time since I graduated in 2018. What are characteristics you admire about your dad as a father? There’s about a million, but he’s probably got the greatest work ethic of anybody that I’ve ever met in my life. I admire his “deal with it and do it” attitude, and he has a lot of patience for a lot of things. He also just has a lot of knowledge. What is one thing you learned from your dad that has made you a better farmer? Everything I know I learned from him, but how to care for cattle, care for land and nancial advice are the main things.
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achieved on the farm would be to be named premier breeder at World Dairy Expo three times and reserve premier breeder at the All-American Jersey Show in Louisville, Kentucky, once. We have also won premier breeder of the heifer show at the All-American three times and premier exhibitor of the heifer show four times. We have also bred and owned several all-American cows and heifers. Being able to breed the animals and show them means everything to us. When you are not farming, what do you and your dad like to do together? When we manage to catch a break, the whole family enjoys going to our private lakefront and grilling out and swimming or shing together. Tell us about your dairy and your plans for the rest of the year. Our farm was established in 1925 by our grandfather, Roy E. Riebe Sr. Dad farmed his entire life with his dad and now farms the same property with us. What started as about a 40-acre dairy farm has now grown to over 1,000 acres. We milk 100 registered Jersey cows in a tiestall barn that was built in 1998. The entire family shows cattle at some small local shows and also at WDE and the All-American. We also have a seed dealership and have been running that together for over 10 years. Our family also raises and sells registered dogs. As for plans for the rest of the year, show season is just getting started, and that pretty much takes us into winter. Since you started farming with your dad, what has been a great accomplishment you’ve achieved on the farm? My senior year, I bought in with some of my own equipment, and then in 2020, I pretty much took over managing the milk cows while he did other things. It was a pretty big undertaking and so far my biggest accomplishment. When you are not farming, what do you and your dad like to do together? Talk about farming. Me and my dad both hunt and attend family events. Every now and then, we’ll go to a concert if it works out, 90% of our time is working together which is fun. Tell us about your dairy and your plans for the rest of the year. We milk 54 cows and run 300 head of dairy cross steers. We raise all of our replacements and the steers. There are no major plans for the rest of the year. We are going to hope for good weather and try to make good feed.
Turn to OUR SIDE | Page 16
Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15 Jenifer Zimmerman Father: Jeff Zimmerman Deereld, Wisconsin 45 cows
Steven Fincutter Father: Tony Fincutter Elkhorn, Wisconsin 80 cows How many years have you been farming with your dad? Thirteen years. What are characteristics you admire about your dad as a father? He is a person who is always willing to help someone out. He is the dairy superintendent for our county fair and enjoys working with the youth. Dad is a good listener and a family man. He is always willing to listen when you need to talk about something. What is one thing you learned from your dad that has made you a better farmer? Pay attention to detail. It is the little things that you do that will make something better, or even a little thing that you may not do that can cause something to not work right. Since you started farming with your dad, what has been a great accomplishment you’ve achieved on the farm? Our stanchion barn was worn out, and with my decision to be part of the family farm, we decided to expand and build a new freestall barn and milking parlor in 2012. When you are not farming, what do you and your dad like to do together? We both enjoy good dairy cows and heifers, so we like to go to shows and sales. We always enjoy watching Brewers and Packers games too. Tell us about your dairy and your plans for the rest of the year. We milk 80 Holstein cows and farm 220 acres. We also have 80 head of youngstock. The farm has been in our family for 52 years, and I am the third generation. We are planning on adding more cows, as our freestall barn holds 120 cows. We will also continue to do what we do to get through these uncertain times with increased input costs.
all the time, and laughter makes the best memories.
How many years have you been farming with your dad? I grew up on our family’s dairy farm, and I’m 24 now, so basically my whole life. I have very fond memories being around all the animals, helping with chores and riding along in the tractor cab hauling corn to the local co-op when I was younger. What are characteristics you admire about your dad as a father? I admire how kind, hardworking and smart my dad is. He has a strong work ethic and never seems to let things get in his way. His dedication to the farm and his family is like no other. He has taught me that if you want something in life, you must put in the work, and you can’t be afraid to try new things. He is also always willing to lend a helping hand. Whether it be a neighboring farmer in need of help during harvest or simply a family friend looking for help, you can count on him to be there. He is the biggest role model in my life, and I wouldn’t be half the person I am without his guidance. What is one thing you learned from your dad that has made you a better farmer? I’ve learned a lot of life lessons from my dad, but the one thing he’s showed me that has made me a better farmer and individual is that it’s important to have fun. More days than not, farming tests your limits – whether it be a piece of equipment that breaks down and needs repairs or an animal that gets sick unexpectedly and you try every possible solution to help. Having an optimistic outlook goes a long way in life, especially in farming. He’s always one to crack a joke to lighten the mood, and it serves as a reminder that life’s too short to be mad or upset
Since you started farming with your dad, what has been a great accomplishment you’ve achieved on the farm? As I got older, I began to take on more responsibilities around the farm. I am in charge of raising and caring for all our calves right from birth up to replacements or steers for butcher. I am proud of the system I’ve developed and changes I’ve made to the nutrition, housing and vaccination protocols here. I know I’m providing only the best quality care for the calves to grow up to be healthy producing animals. When you are not farming, what do you and your dad like to do together? When we are not farming, my dad, two sisters and I enjoy family card games, puzzles, watching Packers and Brewers games, and having campres. Tell us about your dairy and your plans for the rest of the year. We milk 45 head of cattle in our stanchion barn on our family farm. My dad and I handle the animal side of things, and I have a few uncles who help us with eldwork as well. Along with that, we have roughly 50 head of youngstock that we raise ourselves. In addition to the cows and calves, I also have some goats, ponies and chickens of my own that I raise. We plant and grow crops including corn, soybean, oat, wheat and alfalfa. Throughout the rest of the year, we will continue milking and raising up our replacement heifers to grow into the herd. Fingers crossed, we have some good growing conditions for our crops and are able to have a safe and successful harvest.
Corrin Smith Father: Jeff Smith Antigo, Wisconsin 50 cows
tomorrow is a fresh start. Since you started farming with your dad, what has been a great accomplishment you’ve achieved on the farm? One accomplishment is buying calves to grow the herd in a few years. I invested in calf hutches to be able to raise them outside. When it comes to the cattle, my dad started letting me do all the milking, becoming as self-sufcient as possible.
How many years have you been farming with your dad? I have always been invested in the farm even when I had outside jobs and moved away for a couple of years to grow my knowledge with dairy cows on a 600-cow dairy, working as a herdsman. I always made time to come home and help with crops. What are characteristics you admire about your dad as a father? Something I admire about my father is his ambition, work ethic and dedication. My father has farmed all his life, except for one summer when he was younger. He has had to overcome many hurdles in his farming career and has always made it work and kept ghting for his dream. That is something I look up to most right now, trying to reach my farming dream. What is one thing you learned from your dad that has made you a better farmer? The biggest thing I learned from my dad is that tomorrow is a new day; that although farming can be very stressful, you have to remember that
When you are not farming, what do you and your dad like to do together? Dad and I don’t get away much from the farm, but I have a horse and a donkey I like to spend time with in my free time. Tell us about your dairy and your plans for the rest of the year. My plan is to keep buying calves to get bigger, mostly investing in Fleckvieh cattle and then breeding my few Brown Swiss with A.I. for better genetics. Our cows are pastured in the warm months. We make about 200 acres of hay, 50 acres of corn and put up about 1,000 bales of straw each year. I am hoping to invest in a new chopper this year. My plan is to try to keep learning and try to get the farm bought.
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Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
Harvesting Quality Forages
Orchard grass alfalfa hay mixture aids in transition cow health The Greden family: Larry and Nancy; and Ross and Victoria, along with their children, Josie, Lydia, Megan and Ethan. Greden Farms LLC Altura, Minnesota Winona County 550 cows Describe your farm and facilities. We are a sixthgeneration dairy farm, have been in business since 1866 and have a double-12 parallel parlor which was built in 1995. We also raise our own heifers on three sites. We also work together on a daily basis with three generations of family at all levels, and it is very challenging but also rewarding. The communication has to be magnied in order to achieve this successfully. What forages do you harvest? We harvest alfalfa haylage, corn silage, winter rye (we call it ryelage), dry grass hay, alfalfa hay and oatlage. We plant oat as a companion or nurse crop in the spring with alfalfa, and then on the most erodible elds, we allow it to mature. In early July, we harvest the forage when the oats are headed out, and we chop that for heifer feed. If we have a fourth-year alfalfa eld that is petering out, or the yield is not as good as the rst couple years, we’ll take two cuttings of the alfalfa, and then we will apply or inject manure mid-to-late July into those acres.
From Aug. 1 to 15, depending on the weather, we will direct seed oats only into the alfalfa which was just injected with manure, and then the oats gives us an October forage crop that we can chop in early October. Our winter rye is a cover crop, but we like the benets of it as a forage because it gives us a lot of tonnage early in the year when our forage supplies start dwindling. It’s a nice tool in the toolbox. We also plant an August planting, or summer fallow, of alfalfa which is direct seeded following the harvest of peas. We have a contract with Lakeside in Plainview to plant peas which we plant June 1 and harvest the end of July. We have had very good success with those alfalfa plantings because the soil temperature is much higher and the weed pressure is much lower. How many acres of crops do you raise? We have 70 acres of pasture ground for rotational grazing, 500 acres of corn and 300 acres of alfalfa, and on a selected portion of those same acres, we plant winter rye on our corn silage acres. This year, we planted 120 acres of winter rye which was harvested for forage. After the forage harvest in May, we planted corn, some of which we no tilled directly into the rye stubble, some of which we injected manure and then nished the eld and planted
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Ross (leŌ) and Ethan Greden hold their orchard grass alfalfa hay mixture June 16 at their farm near Altura, Minnesota. Ross’s dad, Larry, submiƩed the mixture which took eighth at 2021 World Forage Superbowl. corn, and then some of it we used a vertical tillage machine which used a light tillage to plant 30-inch corn. Our corn planter allows us the option of 15- or 30-inch spacings, and we’ve had better yield with our 15-inch when it comes to corn silage tonnage. So, we use the 30-inch for high moisture corn and 100% of our 30-inch corn goes to high moisture corn. Describe the rations for your livestock. Two-thirds corn
silage and one-third haylage for forages. We also add in high moisture corn, a protein product we purchase from the local coop, dry corn, whole cottonseed and corn gluten pellets. What quality and quantity do you harvest of each crop? Our goal for the relative feed value on our haylage is 200+, and we monitor the quality. We want a very high-quality forage. We use the HarvXtra alfalfa brand and low lectin varieties to get a
higher quality product. We also use the aerial fungicide which is applied via helicopter in the spring on our better alfalfa elds. We get a little higher RFV because it promotes leaf retention in the lower portion of the stem. It’s been an expensive investment, but an investment that has paid off. We like to harvest 3,000 tons of haylage, 7,000 tons of corn silage and try to harvest our corn silage at 60% moisture.
Turn to FORAGE | Page 20
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
ConƟnued from FORAGE | Page 18
Describe your harvesting techniques for alfalfa and corn silage. For the alfalfa, we try to have the cutting interval of 28 to 30 days and keep that quality very, very high. We are blessed with our own self-propelled chopper, self-propelled Discbine and a merger. Thankfully, all four children participate in the alfalfa harvest. My youngest daughter, Megan, runs the Discbine and cuts the hay. The older two daughters, Josie and Lydia, take turns on the merger and hauling loads. My son, Ethan, operates the chopper or the packing tractor on the pile. My dad, Larry, hauls loads or runs a packing tractor on the pile. I take turns on the chopper or the packing tractor on the pile. The windows of harvest opportunity are very small, we are forced to do four days of work in three days and go all night long to harvest the forage because the rain is coming. It’s been challenging to get the high-
quality forages because you really have to get lucky on good weather. We have to do whatever it takes for that cow to make her as efcient and productive as we can make her, and sometimes we have to sacrice a good night’s sleep to do that. What techniques do you use to store, manage and feed your forages? Everything is in a at storage, bunker or silo of some type. We have side walls on the majority of storage facilities, and we also have at black top pads for our corn silage. We normally use a top dress inoculate product on our haylage piles as well as an oxygen barrier product. We ll the bunker, pack it very well, apply the inoculate product to the top of the pile, apply an oxygen barrier, put a black and white thicker plastic over the top and then tires as the last step. We’re very particular about maintaining a clean face on the bunker pile and try to remove at
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Ethan Greden sprays a top dress inoculate over a haylage pile. The inoculate as well as an oxygen barrier product, black and white plasƟc and Ɵres help to store the haylage.
least 6 inches per day off each face. And, we use the Kostar Moisture Test at least on a weekly basis to monitor changes as we go through the pile. Describe a challenge you overcame in reaching your forage quality goals. Historically, our chopper did not come with the ability to monitor and measure the moisture, so two years ago we added a harvest lab technology to our chopper and can now do a better job of getting a more consistent pile of forage because we know exactly what we are working with as we move across the eld. And, if we get into a eld that’s too wet, we just put a time out on it and move to a different eld and come back when the moisture is right. We also had a challenge with the feed samples showing too high of an ash count and invested in a 32-foot Brillion roller and added it as a step to our alfalfa management. We soil nish the eld, roll the eld to rm it up, and then we direct seed with our alfalfa Brillion direct seeder. There are also times when we go back for a nal rolling over the top to make it as rm as we can get it. The roller helps to eliminate the ridges, make it smooth and reduce the ash content in the forage and has really paid off. How do quality forages play a part in the production goals for your herd? The higher the quality, the better the milk production. Larry also submitted the orchard grass alfalfa hay mixture which got eighth at the
KATE RECHTZIGEL/DAIRY STAR
Ethan Greden examines a porƟon of haylage June 16 at his family’s farm near Altura, Minnesota. Their relaƟve feed value is 200-plus; they strive for a high quality forage. 2021 World Forage Superbowl. We grow the orchard grass alfalfa mixture on 60 acres and use it for our transition group. It has helped us reduce our displaced abomasum’s signicantly and improve butterfat. It’s going on its eighth year and is very long lasting and high quality. We feed it to all of our transition cows from closeup to lactating. What are management or harvesting techniques you have changed that have made a notable difference in forage quality? Variable rate technology application of lime which corresponds with the grid
sampling of storage samples. The grid sampling of data calls for an aggressive amount of lime to raise the pH in one corner of the eld. The balance of the eld requires a lower application rate instead of going and managing per eld. The VRT allows you to apply those little pockets that really need a lot more. It’s more efcient and cost effective. We’ve done that with fertility and pot ash especially. The harvest lab technology on the chopper also gives us more information to make better management decisions to achieve the higher quality feed. And, the roller lowers the ash count.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 21
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DISKS
JD 2680H, 2021, 40 ft, #535842................................................................$144,900 Frontier DH1180, 2015, 6 ft, Rigid, #535890...............................................$2,900 JD 230, 24 ft, 3-Section Folding, Spacing: 9”, #532915 ..................................$2,950 Case IH RMX340, 2009, 35 ft, 3-Section Folding, Spacing: 9”, #181151 .....$29,400 JD 2680H, 2021, 40 ft, 3-Section Folding, #532802 ..................................$147,000 JD 630, 20 ft, 3-Section Folding, Spacing: 9”, #535135 ..................................$5,950 JD 2623, 2012, 40 ft, 5-Section Folding, Spacing: 9”, #523876 ....................$49,900 JD 2625, 2013, 33 ft, 3-Section Folding, Spacing: 11”, #275921 ..................$39,900 JD 637, 2011, 42 ft, 5-Section Folding, Spacing: 9”, #523980 ......................$29,500 JD 235, 26 ft, 3-Section Folding, Spacing: 9”, #532913 ..................................$5,650 Wishek 862nt, 2014, 26 ft, #276355..........................................................$39,900 JD 2680H, 2019, 35 ft, 3-Section Folding, Spacing: 9”, #535875 ...............$122,500 JD 2625, 2014, 40 ft, 5-Section Folding, Spacing: 11”, #532507 ..................$44,000 JD 235, 2000, S23 ft, 3-Section Folding, #533463 .........................................$5,250 Landoll 6230-36, 2013, 35 ft, 3-Section Folding, Spacing: 9”, #532829 .....$32,000 JD 2680H, 2019, 24 ft, 3-Section Folding, #534969 ....................................$82,900 Krause 8200-28W, 2010, 28 ft, 3-Section Folding, Spacing: 9”, #275204...$22,900
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JD 2210, 2008, 45.5 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #189582 .....................$39,900 Wil-Rich Quad X, 49 ft, 5-Section Folding, #533469...................................$29,000 JD 2210, 2009, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #276172 .....................$49,900 Case IH 4900, 30 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #532912 ...........................$3,650 JD 980, 1998, 27 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #533020 ..........................$11,900 JD 2200, 2002, 34 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #185898 ........................$19,000 JD 2210, 2009, 55.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #531369 .....................$44,900 Wil-Rich Excel 42’, 1999, #276243 ............................................................$14,900 JD 2210, 2012, 58 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #533062 ........................$47,900 Wil-Rich QUAD 5, 1998, 42 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191850 .........$19,500 JD 2210, 2009, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #535118 .....................$34,900 JD 2210, 2012, 45 ft, 5-Section Folding, #275591 .......................................$44,900
JD 2210, 2004, 27 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #531751 ........................$29,900 JD 2230, 2018, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, #532409 ..................................$144,900 JD 2210, 2017, 55 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #531861 ........................$79,900 JD 2210, 2006, 57 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #181942 ........................$32,500 JD 2210, 2005, 60 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #533969 ........................$41,000 JD 2230, 2021, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #190850 ...................$129,000 JD 2210, 2012, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #532028 .....................$46,500 Wil-Rich Quad 5, 47 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #532076....................$11,500 JD 2210, 2014, 65.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #275557 .....................$65,900 JD 980, 1997, 41 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #533970 ............................$8,900 JD 960, 1991, 37 ft, 3-Section Folding, #533457 ...........................................$5,750 JD 2210, 2016, 60.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, #190843 ....................................$74,500 JD 980, 1999, 18 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #535084 ..........................$10,900 JD 985, 1995, 56 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #533106 ..........................$14,500 Case TM 14, 55 ft, 5-Section Folding, #532837 ...........................................$23,000 JD 1010, 30 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #184934....................................$3,900 Wil-Rich QX-2, 2016, 60 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #185704 ..............$78,000 Case IH 4300, 2001, 38 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186653 ...............$11,995 JD 985, 2000, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #535303 .......................$15,500 JD 980, 1998, 36 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #532504 ..........................$11,500 Case IH Tigermate 200, 2011, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #185702 ......................................................................................$46,000 Case IH TM14, 2005, 50.5 ft, 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #187546 ...........$26,900 JD 980, 1994, 32 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #532854 ............................$7,500 JD 2210, 2005, 38 ft, 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191986 ........................$28,000
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
Lessons from my grandfather
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DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470
MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA Advanced Dairy of Mora Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Brookings, SD 800-636-5581 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2022 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. All facts and figures are the result of data collected on test farms and pilot farms. Data compared to DeLaval Champion. Results may vary and are not guaranteed. www.delaval.com
Exactly one year ago this month, my grandfather passed away. It felt like he had been gone a long time before that because with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, he had already forgotten who most of us grandkids were a couple years ago. But somehow, maybe it was all those years spent working side-by-side in the barn milking cows or something else entirely, he remembered my dad. We would come in to visit, and my grandmother would try and get him to remember each of our names. But, he couldn’t. He would look at my dad and start talking about random stories that us grandkids had never heard of. So, with the help of our dad, my brothers and I were left to process them for many days after the fact. But long before he passed, By Kate Rechtzigel my grandfather taught me Staff Writer some good lessons in life. My brothers and I had each spent many days working alongside of him. Now, my brothers may have different memories and lessons they have learned over the years, but these are the ones I learned and will cherish for the rest of my life. One was to always protect your hair and never let a boy, or barber, cut it. It was the end of fth grade, and my grandmother took me in to get my regular bob haircut at the local salon in town. Unfortunately, I told the hairstylist I wanted my hair cut thick instead of thin. So, I got home, and my grandmother did not like how the hair cut turned out. She kept complaining about it until nally my grandfather said he had an idea. He took me in to his local barber, Jim, and told him I would like my hair cut. Jim, having never cut a woman’s hair before, decided he would shave all the hair off. I was left with a man’s haircut all of sixth grade, so much so that my grandfather started introducing me as his fourth grandson. I was embarrassed, and ever since that day, I have grown out my hair and decided I would never let a boy, or barber, cut my hair ever again. So, ladies, always go to a salon and get your hair cut how you want it. My grandfather also taught me to always work hard no matter what. He often doubted I could do some of the barn tasks such as milking the cows, cleaning the pipeline, bedding the barn or putting up small square bales. And me, being the competitive person that I am, decided that I was going to prove him wrong and started to do not one but each and every one of these chores. My grandfather was amazed and eventually landed on giving me the nickname, George, because I was the girl who could work just as hard if not harder than all the boys. This transferred to later in life, because when I was working at the cheese plant, I was one of the hardest working people there. All of my male coworkers were amazed that even though I was a girl, I could work just as hard as them. Lastly, I learned that it’s OK to be the only girl in the group. Growing up, I spent many days in the barn surrounded by my two brothers, dad and grandfather. I learned I liked working with men, so when I went to college, I got a job at the meat lab on campus which once again was male dominated. I thrived in this work space and learned it was one of my favorite jobs. So, a couple weeks ago, when my boyfriend asked me to go on a shing trip with him and his guy friends, I thought long and hard about it and decided I would go because my grandfather would have wanted me to. And believe it or not, I had one of the best times of my life in the middle of nowhere, shing with a bunch of guys, all because my grandfather taught me long ago that it’s OK to be the only girl in a eld dominated by guys. So even though my grandfather is gone now and I never said a proper goodbye or even a thank you before he passed, I am thankful I knew him and feel honored to have learned the lessons I did. Hug your grandparents tight because you never know when it is their time to go, and if you are a girl in agriculture, never be afraid to work just as hard if not harder than all the boys.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 23
Focused on education
Butlers’ mission is to bridge gap between farm, city By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
SHEBOYGAN FALLS, Wis. – Michael and Nicole Butler are big believers in educating the public about agriculture. Actively working to bring people closer to the world of dairy farming and all that agriculture has to offer, these community advocates created Diamond Vu Agricultural Education Center to share the story of agriculture and improve how people view farmers of all kinds. “We need to teach the pub-
lic about agriculture to ensure a deeper understanding of its importance for current and future generations,” Michael said. “If we don’t start doing this, the situation will be even worse than it is now for our grandkids and greatgrandkids.” Located on the property the Butlers call home, 40 head of youngstock from calves to bred heifers, as well as goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits and ducks reside at Diamond Vu Agricultural Education Center. Michael, a passionate breeder of registered Holsteins, also has 45 milk cows that are currently housed at other farms. “The goal is to bring the cows here,” he said. “I’m hoping to bring them home within the
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Guests of Diamond Vu Agricultural EducaƟon Center enjoy the animals at one of the farm’s events near Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. Hands-on staƟons teach the public about various aspects of agriculture.
next year, but I wish they’d been here yesterday already.” In addition, Michael is a herdsman at a 400-cow dairy, and Nicole is a teacher. The Butlers and their son, Austin, enjoy welcoming the public to their place. Since the fall of 2020, they have been hosting educational events that attract thousands of people. The Butlers were inspired to start the center after seeing a growing need to educate individuals about the why and how of agriculture. “As we were looking for a property to buy, we kept that in mind, and location was critical,” Michael said. “We wanted to nd a place that would be accessible to many people.” Located just off Highway 23 near Kohler, the farm they decided on turned out to be exactly what the Butlers had in mind. “We’re in a great location,” Michael said. “People from all over the country come to this area. It’s a tourist spot.” Sundae on the Farm is the Butlers’ primary educational event. Featuring 25 stations manned by experts on everything from nutrition and bees to herbs and composting, the event, Nicole said, also includes experiences with animals of all kinds – from dairy calves and heifers to goats, pigs and more. “People want to interact with the animals, and Diamond Vu Agricultural Education Center is an attraction that allows them to get close to farm animals,” Nicole said. Sundae on the Farm guests can also enjoy free milk and ice cream, courtesy of Kwik Trip and
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Michael and Nicole Butler and their son, AusƟn, run Diamond Vu Agricultural EducaƟon Center at their farm near Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. The Butlers host events throughout the year to educate the public about dairy farming and other aspects of agriculture. Culvers, while listening to live music. Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches are also available for purchase. “This year, Sundae on the Farm will be much bigger,” Nicole said. “We’re trying to hit all different aspects of agriculture and will have some new vendors in attendance.” The Christmas Tree Association is coming as well as the Spudmobile and Antique Tractor and Steam Engine Club. Handson activities for kids include rope making, corn shucking, pumpkin
painting and more. The third annual Sundae on the Farm will take place Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Michael said the event can be eye-opening for people who do not realize what goes into agriculture and all the products the industry produces. “Sometimes it’s things they don’t expect, like beer,” Michael said. “Or they might not realize that eld corn goes into making
Turn to BUTLERS | Page 25
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Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
I Spy
AMPI IT’S CONTEST TIME!
Find the AMPI logo and enter for your chance to WIN 10 pounds of AMPI’s Dinner Bell Creamery cheese and butter. Here’s how it works: 1. Count the AMPI logos throughout this issue (excluding this page).
actual size to look for
2. Complete the entry form. 3. Send entries to: Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378, Attn: Dairy Contest 4. Entries must be received by July 15. 5. Winners will be drawn at random from the correct entry blanks received. Five winners will each receive five pounds of butter and five pounds of cheese.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 25
ConƟnued from BUTLERS | Page 23 chips and corn akes, for example. Not all grain goes into animal consumption.” It is these types of encounters the Butlers like to provide. Nicole is a proponent of hands-on opportunities for the kids. “I believe that’s the best way for them to learn,” Nicole said. In May 2021, the Butlers held their rst brat fry and plant sale during Mother’s Day weekend – an event that raises money for the Harvest Box Program community garden. It is also an opportunity for the public to get close to animals while spending time on the farm. In addition to events, the Butlers are also hoping to do school tours this fall. The Butlers have also partnered with Artists for the Humanities as well as the Center for Veterans Issues which helps homeless veterans in Milwaukee. In addition, they are working with community groups such as the Eagle Scouts, Howards Grove FFA, Campbellsport FFA and Sheboygan/Manitowoc County Big Brothers Big Sisters. Through avid community outreach, the Butlers are committed to sharing agriculture with as many people as possible. The Butlers have a 2-acre garden and 125 raised beds for growing vegetables which they sell at local farmers markets or at a roadside stand. They also grow 6 acres of fresh-cut owers and plan to put up another greenhouse this summer. Nicole worked on a cut ower farm in Hartford during high school and college, which is where her love for owers began. “That’s how I got involved with ag,” she said. “I was a city
kid prior.” The Butlers like to feed the community and also sell beef, pork, chicken and eggs. “It’s important to help people form healthy eating habits, which is another thing we’re trying to do here,” Michael said. The family also takes its show on the road, bringing a cow, heifer and calf to Ducktona – a Fourth of July celebration in Sheboygan Falls. At this event, the Butlers also give away milk and cookies and hand out promotional materials from Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, the pork association and beef council. Nicole said they also participate in various parades and the Mill Street Days festival to promote agriculture. They have sponsored youth in the Dairy Showcase of Champions at the Sheboygan County Fair. “We try to promote different parts of agriculture, and we also like to push local products,” Nicole said. “Our motto is, ‘Know your farmer. Know where your food comes from.’” The Butlers belong to the Sheboygan Falls and Plymouth Chambers of Commerce and won the educational award from the Sheboygan Falls Chamber of Commerce this year. “We were shocked and honored to win,” Nicole said. “We were standing up there in tears.” Diamond Vu Agricultural Education Center is young, but the Butlers have a big vision for its future. Passionately pouring their hearts and souls into this endeavor, the Butlers received three grants this year and are applying for two more this summer. The couple also has approval from
PHOTO SUBMITTED
A liƩle girl pets one of the heifers during an event at Diamond Vu Agricultural EducaƟon Center near Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. The center provides opportuniƟes for close interacƟon with a variety of animals. the mayor of Sheboygan Falls to launch a capital campaign to raise funds for adding onto the center. Blueprints are drawn for a handicapped-accessible addition to the barn that would include a milking parlor equipped with a glass pipeline to allow people to see milk owing into the cooler. A local Boumatic dealer is planning to donate the milking system. The plans also include an educational building featuring classrooms, a store and commercial
kitchen. In the building’s handson learning lab, visitors would learn aspects of horticulture and animal husbandry and could make beef jerky, among other things. With no steps for kids or elderly people, the Butlers are hoping that nearby nursing homes could bring residents to watch the animals graze and look at the owers blooming. “We like to promote local, and people from the community would have the opportunity to
sell products at our shop,” Nicole said. Aspiring to make the center attainable for all to enjoy while providing an unparalleled education in agriculture, the Butlers feel the expansion will allow them to connect even more people to the dairy industry. “Some people think this is a big dream, but how I look at agriculture, to me it’s reality,” Michael said.
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
Blue, gold shine in Madison
Wisconsin dairy youth collect FFA honors
dustry and a desire to pursue a career in dairy farming. He will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course. Other Star in Agricultural Placement nalists included Brandon Jakobi of Loyal in second; Hannah By Danielle Nauman Dahl of Columbus in third; Dillan danielle.n@dairystar.com Schwochert of Montello in fourth and Claire Duch of New London in MADISON, Wis. – The tradi- fth. tional sea of blue and gold jackets State prociency winners are dedescended on the Alliant Energy termined in a variety of project areas Center for the Wisconsin State FFA based on the youth’s Supervised AgConvention June 13-16 in Madison. ricultural Experience. The 2022-23 state FFA ofcer Winning the dairy production team was selected with Casey Denk placement prociency was Randall of Mondovi being elected as presi- Winch of Fennimore. Winch has dent. Joining Denk will be Isaac grown up on his family’s 240-cow Hopke of Spooner, Heidi Strey of robotic dairy farm. Winch, who comOsseo-Fairchild, Kendra Goplin of pleted his freshman year at South Whitehall, Jeremiah Ihm of Lan- Dakota State University, was also caster, Rhylie Gough of Albany, named the Wisconsin Star Farmer at Cole Hicken of Waupun, Devani the 2021 convention. Hinkelmann of Loyal, Brooke Casey Other nalists in the dairy proof New London, Evan Mennen of duction placement prociency inBay Port and Mary Schrieber of East cluded Courtney Glenna of Amery in Troy. second; Bethany Magdanz of WeyDairy youth from around the auwega-Fremont in third; Eli Nett of state garnered awards and recogni- Weyauwega-Fremont in fourth and tion for their work in their dairy-re- Dillan Schwochert of Montello in lated project areas. fth. Luke Sprecher of Sauk Prairie Rainna Simone, of Marsheld, was named Wisconsin’s Star in Ag- was the winner of the dairy producricultural Placement for his work at tion entrepreneurship prociency. Kevin Enge Farms. Sprecher began Simone grew up helping on her milking cows and feeding calves. grandparents’ dairy farm until their Throughout his employment, he has herd was sold. She built her SAE gained knowledge of the dairy in- with a few show heifers she was giv-
en. She now has four milking cows and a calf. Placing second in the dairy production entrepreneurship prociency was Emma Bangart of Marsheld; third place went to Rebecca Tank of New London; fourth to Justyne Frisle of Prairie Farm and fth to Tanna Luchterhand of Loyal. Austin Fahey, of Edgar, took home top honors in the organic agriculture prociency followed by Lindsey Montgomery of Waupaca. Fahey works on his family’s 38-cow organic registered Holstein farm, Ji-mmy Dairy. On the farm, he assists with milking and all other farm chores. Cody Hall, of Tomah, won the forage production prociency. Beginning in sixth grade, Hall began to help with harvesting and hauling forage wagons on his family’s 200-cow dairy farm. He is now involved with all aspects of making forage from 140 acres of alfalfa that goes to feed his family’s herd of dairy cows. Other nalists in the forage production prociency included Lora Korth of New London, Rhett Nelson of Waupaca, Levi Wehrle of River Ridge and Jackie Nusbaum of Juda. Brandon Jakobi, of Loyal, was the diversied agricultural production prociency winner. Jakobi is involved in the cropping duties on his family’s dairy farm. He helps with equipment operating and chopping and hauling corn silage. He also
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helps with pushing up feed, scraping the freestall barn and overseeing calf care. Placing second in the diversied agricultural production prociency was Carter Schmitt of CochraneFountain City. Luke Sprecher and Logan Sprecher, both of Sauk Prairie, placed third and fourth, respectively. Lane Branville of New Auburn placed fth. In the Career Development Events held earlier this year, Brady Bleck from the Plymouth FFA Chapter took top individual honors in the dairy cattle evaluation and management event. The event’s top-placing team came from the Marsheld FFA Chapter and included team members Emma Bangart, Wyatt Dorshorst, Faith Beining and Sara Dorshorst. Participants in the contest placed six classes of dairy cattle and presented oral reasons on their placings. They were tested on pedigree evaluation, sire selection and linear evaluation. Amery FFA Chapter member Courtney Glenna was named the top dairy cattle handler while presenting animals for the dairy cattle evaluation contest. Prociency contest winners will learn later this summer if they have been selected as nalists at the national level. The dairy cattle evaluation winners will compete at the National FFA Convention in October in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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Managing weeds in pastures How to make the most of available forage By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
MADISON, Wis. – Grazing season is in full swing, and where pastures are blooming, weeds may also be growing in their midst. What is the best way to manage these pesky plants? During a recent Badger Crop Connect webinar put on by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, Mark Renz, professor and extension weed specialist, talked about various weeds Mark Renz and how to manage University of them in pastures for Wisconsin-Madison best results. “Pastures are Extension important in Wisconsin,” Renz said. “They are a signicant part of the landscape and provide food for animals. However, pastures also contain weeds that can negatively impact animal health and/or performance as well as pasture performance.” From reducing desirable forage quantity and quality to losing forage palatability and utilization, results are specic to the weed species that are present, weed density and grazing methods. Of primary concern are poisonous or toxic plants. These plants include weeds that change or alter the product, for example, producing bitter milk or changing the avor of the meat. There are also plants that injure animals, such as yellow foxtail which can increase the prevalence of pink eye. UW Extension created a poisonous plants guide to help identify dangerous weeds. The guide can be downloaded for free from the extension’s website and includes pictures of the plants and the levels that need to be ingested to cause a toxic response. But, not all weeds are problematic. For example, dandelions are a positive for pastures. “I would not call dandelions a weed in our pasture systems,” Renz said. “Dandelions do not reduce yield. We’ve done a lot of research and found that whether or not we remove them, we get the same amount of forage quantity and quality. Dandelions have high forage quality and palatability and are heavily utilized by
animals.” However, brush or woody plants are a different story. Brush reduces available forage and has negative impacts, according to Renz. Small amounts of cover from woody plants, even 10%-20%, can cause a large reduction in biomass. A 50% reduction in forage is common with no management and a 25% reduction with minimal management. Renz recommends keeping woody shrubs below 5% cover. “A good rule of thumb is to take 100 steps through your pasture, and if for ve of those steps, you’re standing on or next to a shrub, it’s probably a good estimate you’re right at that 5%,” he said. Through their research, Renz and his colleagues found that weed impact is highest in continuously grazed pastures. Large populations of wild carrot, also known as Queen Anne’s lace, were found in those pastures, and animals did not want to enter when the weed matured. In rotational systems, there is some impact, but it is mitigated to a large degree. Mob grazing or high-density stocking has even less weed impact. The pastures were fully utilized, and weeds were not found. Animals can eat weeds and utilize them as forage, but forage quality is species and stage specic. Annual grasses have lower forage quality, offering less protein and more ber. Annual broadleaf weeds can have moderate to high forage quality. Quality is highest during the vegetative state, and quality declines rapidly as they mature and ower. Common perennial broadleaf weeds like dandelion, plantain, white cockle and Canada thistle have high forage quality equivalent to alfalfa. “As long as these weeds are being utilized, you should consider them a desirable forage,” Renz said. “Utilization is really the challenge we have.” Lower quality weeds should make up less than 15% of feed to avoid potential issues and should be eaten or harvested before becoming reproductive. Weed management can help improve forage palatability and utilization. Certain weed species, such as those that are spiny, prickly or have a bad taste, can cause greater than 70% reduction in utilization. “Even though it has high forage value, Canada thistle is enemy No. 1 in many of our pastures because it has a tendency to take over the pasture,” Renz said. “However, research data shows that in a continuously grazed system, it’s essentially non-ingested. There is almost no
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 27
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
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Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 29
Women In Dairy Tiffany Kohlmann Clarks Mills, Wisconsin Manitowoc County 250 cows Family: My family includes my parents, Tony and Bonnie, my brother, Jarod and me. Tell us about your farm. Misty Moon Dairy is a family owned and operated farm between my parents, Jarod and I. All the daily chores are divided up between the four owners – from feeding the cows, to feeding the calves, to scraping and everything in between to care for the animals. In 2019, we put in our rst two Lely robots and completed the project in April 2020 with the last two robots. Crops are brought in with all family hands on deck. Extra help is provided from my boyfriend, Brady, my sister and brother-in-law, Nicole and Carl, and also my uncle, Chuck – all after their full-time jobs. Even my nephews get in on the help, and soon my niece will be out there too. What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? I get to the farm around 7 a.m. I collect my data on the cows, fetch the cows that need to be milked and scrape stalls. I feed the background calves before they are on the feeder and make sure all calves on feeders drank. After lunch, I’m able to do odds and ends jobs like vaccinations, herd health or gardening before doing night chores of fetching cows and feeding calves. What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? Putting in automatic calf feeders. We completed the project over the winter
and started calves on them Jan. 5. All non-salable milk gets pushed directly from the robots to the pasteurizer. From the pasteurizer, it gets pumped to the calf feeder. By using whole milk, we are hoping to see better rate of gains and overall healthier calves while decreasing the labor of individually feeding them. Building a heifer barn this summer will also help bring all the heifers home under one roof for more control over their growing conditions. That will also free up room to raise wholesale beef to connect the consumer directly to the grower. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. The afternoon of July 13, 2004, started normally. I looked north and saw a funnel cloud split into two tornados. We knew it was bad when afterward my dad went upstairs and said the silos are gone. Over the next few days, we had to make a life-altering decision to rebuild or sell. My brother, a seventh grader, and I, a freshman, wanted to farm. That fall, we built a freestall barn and doubled our 60-cow herd. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I have enjoyed watching and teaching my nephews about the agriculture industry, including the importance of responsibility and work ethic in general on the farm. If you work hard for something in life, you will get to play harder after. The other day, my 4-year-old nephew watched us assist in a tough calving. We had to resuscitate a white calf. He proudly told his mom, “They had to help the baby breathe, but it will be OK. When will it grow into its black spots?” We were able to teach him that unlike Dal-
matians, this calf will always be all white. What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Getting to where we are today by doing most of the building, electrical and plumbing ourselves. Technology has come a long way on our farm too. In 1996, we had a double-6 herringbone parlor. In 2010, we had a double-10 swing parallel parlor before switching to robots in 2019 and installing calf feeders in 2022. What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? I like to talk to people one on one any chance I get to tell our story. I then invite them to take a personal tour of the farm to see for themselves how things are done on our dairy. I am also active on the Manitowoc County Farm Bureau board and help with
events like hosting Manitowoc County Breakfast on the Farm in 2009. Social media presence is a big factor in reaching the next generation. What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? A quote I nd tting for me is, “In a world that tells you women are more valuable when they are less – skinnier, quieter, delicate, complacent … be more. Be bold. Be strong. Be opinionated. Ask for what you want. Show up authentically,” Dr. Hake. When someone tells you, “You can’t,” accept that challenge and tell them, “I will.” When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I enjoy a good beer with family and friends around a table or at Hodag. In the winter months, I like to play volleyball.
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Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
ConƟnued from WEEDS | Page 27
utilization unless animals are trained to do so.” In rotational grazing systems, however, ingestion of Canadian thistle is between 30% and 88% depending on the time of the year. Cattle like to eat the tips of it in spring, but in fall, utilization is much higher when the weed is not owering. Increasing stocking density causes utilization to rise dramatically. If weeds are present in a pasture, the rst step is to identify the species. One-page fact sheets on the extension website are a useful tool in identifying weeds. Secondly, monitor the weeds. Are they being grazed? Are they expanding? Or, are they in check? If weeds are problematic, prioritize and manage them accordingly. However, if the weed is being utilized and is not toxic or causing other issues, nothing may need to be done. Farmers have lots of choices for weed management, including changing grazing practices, fertilizing, renovating pastures, mowing and using herbicides. “Toxic plants are top priority,” Renz said. “You want to get those out of the system so they don’t harm animal health.”
Next, Renz said to focus on plants that reduce pasture productivity, such as woody plants as these weeds are not eaten, and plants that have low forage quality, like annual grasses. Invasive or aggressive weeds that may impact nearby farms but not pasture should also be addressed. For example, water-hemp should be managed to avoid spreading in adjacent elds to prevent problems in the community. Continuously grazed systems need more weed management than rotationally grazed systems. In continuously grazed systems, animals rarely feed on weeds which allows them to become large and not palatable resulting in competition with desirable forages. In rotationally grazed systems, less weed management is necessary. If proper grazing methods are used, pastures can be grazed when young and vegetative, and most herbaceous weeds become a part of the forage. Focus grazing when weeds are digestible prior to producing viable seed. Repeat grazing as needed to prevent seed production. “If you can repeat that process for multiple years, you’re going to see reductions in annuals, biennials and potentially some of the simple perennials,” Renz said. STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
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“However, creeping perennials may still be problematic.” Renovation is another option for improving weeds in pastures. What forages are in the pasture? Forage grasses cause competitive advantage. Adding some more competitive grasses in the mix may be an option. Mowing is another way to reduce weeds. “A lot of times, the reason these weeds have an advantage is because fertility is all screwed up,” Renz said. “Take some soil cores and consider fertilizing your pasture.” Renz said avoid overgrazing to minimize the amount of bare ground present. Overgrazing reduces the competitive advantages of established forage species and allows established weeds to thrive while promoting the germination of seeds. “A 4-inch residual height is what we should be going for, if not more,” Renz said. “If we can keep it 6 inches or above, particularly in the fall, we can get less weed emergence the following spring – up to 75%-80% reductions in emergence.” Spraying with herbicides can also eliminate weeds. But unlike annual row crop systems, there are multiple species present in pastures. There could be about a half dozen species that are desirable and additional species on top of that. “While we can remove those weeds with an herbicide, there could also be a substantial amount of legumes or clovers as well,” Renz said. “Broadcasting with an herbicide removes not only the weeds, but also the clovers, which, depending on clover population, can greatly impact forage availability and quality.” Herbicides are effective on a wide range of species, inexpensive at $15 to $25 per acre, and are easy to apply. But, herbicides kill clovers and can carry restrictions related to grazing and manure spreading. “Think before you spray,” Renz said. “What happens to clovers when we control broadleaf weeds? What if you eliminate all of your legumes? What is your pasture going to look like? Spraying can do more damage than benet, and you could be left with hardly any forage.” Spot treatment can minimize impact and be quite effective, but it can also be expensive. “We’ve done multiple studies over ve different locations, and on average, spot treatment costs around $40 per acre,” Renz said. “The majority of that cost is an individual’s time spent walking around doing the treatment, not the herbicide itself. In dense infestations, there are probably better options.”
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Leroy Baldwin Norwalk, Wisconsin Monroe County 80 cows How did you get into farming? I grew up in a house with no running water. I started working for Ron Clark until I bought his cows in 1990. I rented a farm until I was able to purchase my own farm in 1992. We were $12,000 per cow in debt. From 1992-2020, I have been able to purchase ve farms. When we bought our rst farm, we just about starved, but our last one was bought easily. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? I am concerned about trying to hold the price of milk. If people would cut back 1 or 2 pounds per cow per day it would help hold the price. Farmers spend 99% of their time producing and 1% of their time marketing, and that’s why things never hold. What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? I am not making any changes because I am 57-years-old and trying to slide out the other side. It’s working so I’m not changing anything.
How do you maintain family relationships while also working together? We do not have employees; it is just my wife and I. We milk in two separate barns which helps maintain a good relationship. But really, we have gotten along great ever since I gured out who the boss was (her). What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I like that it is a forced savings plan. If you get up and work every day and pay attention, you will end up with a net worth. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? If something can be xed with money then don’t worry about it. It’s not a real problem then. A real problem is something you can’t x with money like health issues.
Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I have studied the business side of farming a lot, and I farm within my checkbook. It has also made a big difference to have a good banker. I am very appreciative of that. What is the best decision you have made on your farm? Marrying my wife Stephanie. It was also a good decision to put
a manure pit in, and I decided a long time ago not to monkey with junk. That has helped me be successful too. What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? My total mixed ration because it feeds the cows. My loader tractor because it makes everything a lot easier. My wheel barrow because it only cost me $39, and it lasts for
years. It also makes for a good tness program because I feed all my cows with it. I can feed three cows per minute with the wheelbarrow. What strategies do you use to withstand the volatile milk prices? I put money away when the price is good. Self-discipline is so important.
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? I plan to retire and live off the rent in the next ve years. I’m not investing any more in machinery or anything like that. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We never do anything but farm. Now our kids do things besides farm because they are grown.
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www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Update on latest transition cow research By Jim Salfer
University of Minnesota
We recently held the Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference (organized by extension specialists from Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin) in Dubuque, Iowa. This conference is geared toward nutritionists’ interests, but some veterinarians and farmers also attend. Several presentations focused on the latest research in nutrition and management of transition cows. If you are interested in seeing the presentations and papers, visit www. fourstatedairy.org and look under the proceedings tab. Here are some highlights and take-home messages from the transition cow related presentations. Tom Overton, Cornell University, discussed feeding the fresh cow and transition cow, and management strategies and outcomes in Northeast dairy herds. Tom shared that the ideal fresh cow feeding strategies are evolving and are not just tweaks to the high cow diet. A limited number of studies comparing high starch or low starch diets in fresh cows have shown inconsistent results. Higher starch diets worked best when the total diet contained higher levels of physically effective ber that stimulated cud chewing. However, feeding these higher ber diets can limit feed intake and milk production if cows are on this diet for too many days. His suggestion is that healthy fresh cows that are eating and milking well be moved to the high lactation diet from 10 to 14 days after calving. Non-feed factors are as important as the diet for health and performance. Their on-farm research discovered that adequate bunk space, lower stocking density, feeding more than one time per day and cows that were kept in the calving pen less than eight hours all were associated with improved health outcomes and higher milk production.
Lance Baumgard, Iowa State University, talked about transition cow myths and how these myths affect herd management. He challenged the group that some of our long-held beliefs about fresh cow health might be incorrect. Research shows that most high producing protable cows have elevated levels of ketones and reduced blood calcium. If these cows are eating well and milking well, with no other health events such as mastitis or metritis, these changes should just be considered normal metabolic uctuations associated with starting a lactation. Lance argued that much of the changes we see are normal effects of calving. An increase in immune system activation is normal as cows go through calving. However, cows that have higher than normal and more prolonged levels of inammation and immune activation is what causes sickness and the cascade of transition cow disease. This high and prolonged inammation can be caused by infectious diseases such as metritis, mastitis, acidosis and lameness. Additional stressors such as overcrowding and lack of bunk space in the close-up and fresh cow pens contribute to these poorer outcomes. It’s a little like a chicken and egg scenario. Does high inammation cause disease or does disease cause high inammation? Jim Drackley, University of Illinois, discussed the new nutrient requirements for transition cows. Recently the eighth edition of “Nutrient Requirements for Dairy Cattle” was released. The last update was in 2001. There were some slight changes in protein, energy and vitamin requirements for transition cows. These are likely already incorporated into most software ration balancing programs. Heather White, University of Wisconsin, discussed her research results of supplementing rumen protected choline to transition cows. She found that choline in-
creased energy-corrected milk yield in early lactation. Another interesting result was that choline improved calf growth, immune function and metabolic health. Take home messages from these presentations and discussion: – All transition cows go through tremendous hormon-
Turn to TRANSITION COW | Page 33 Dana Adams, Brad Heins Erin Royster adam1744@umn.edu hein0106@umn.edu royster@umn.edu 320-204-2968 320-589-1711 Isaac Salfer Joe Armstrong Nathan Hulinsky ijsalfer@umn.edu armst225@umn.edu huli0013@umn.edu 320-296-1357 612.624.3610 320-203-6104 Jim Salfer Luciano Caixeta Kevin Janni salfe001@umn.edu lcaixeta@umn.edu kjanni@umn.edu 320-203-6093 612-625-3130 612-625-3108 Mike Schutz Gerard Cramer Karen Johnson mschutz@umn.edu gcramer@umn.edu ande9495@umn.edu 612-624-1205 612-625-8184 320-484-4334 Emma Severns Marcia Endres Emily Krekelberg sever575@umn.edu miendres@umn.edu krek0033@umn.edu 507-934-7828 612-624-5391 507-280-2863 Melissa Wison Joleen Hadrich Claire LaCanne mlw@umn.edu jhadrich@umn.edu lacanne@umn.edu 612-625-4276 612-626-5620 507-332-6109 Les Hansen Brenda Miller hanse009@umn.edu nels4220@umn.edu 612-624-2277 320-732-4435
July 12–14, 2022
Employee management By Nathan J. Hulinsky University of Minnesota
Having employees in your business may be a necessity, as they can help accomplish goals, expand your business, and get more done than you could by yourself. However, properly managing and retaining employees can be challenging in any business, but especially in the current tight labor market. In March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate in Minnesota was 2.5%. This low unemployment rate has led to an increase in wages nationwide and the opportunity for employees to be more selective in their job search. To combat this, employers need to stay competitive with the market and be clear in their communication and expectations of employees. Employees have two main questions about their role as an employee. What performance is expected of them (what is the employee supposed to be doing) and are they meeting those expectations (does the boss approve of their job). To answer these questions, it is important all employees have a job description and timely and high-quality feedback from the employer. Most employees want to do a good job. Job descriptions are crucial for identifying the roles of the employee. Most often the job description is only viewed during the hiring process, and while that is an important use of the job description, business owners should continually review and adjust the job description and expectations as necessary. Job descriptions should be limited to one page with two or three major responsibilities and should be reviewed annually, as an employee’s role in the business can change over time. Is it written down somewhere to see who oversees feeding, planting or milking the herd? As well as having a job description for the employees in the business, there should be a job description for owners and family members, and yes that means you. What are the owner’s roles in the business? What should the employees expect of you? The other question that employees have requires timely and high-quality feedback. What does this all entail? More than an annual review. Employees should be getting regular feedback on what they are doing well and things they can improve on. If an employee is doing a task improperly, you do not want to wait until it becomes a bad habit. The same should apply to when they do something right. Let them know they did a good job and that you value them as an employee. Saying thank you is not overrated. Employees also want to know they
are completing their assigned tasks timely and thoroughly. What is the recommended time to nish a project (how long to milk the herd)? If there is a problem with employees skipping over certain steps for a task, then some ways to x it is to explain the why behind the task. Why, when checking on the youngstock, is it important to clean out the waterers? Explaining why the youngstock need adequate clean water access for growth is important. Allowing the employee the opportunity to ask questions and provide input is important as well. Having a standard operating procedure for the different tasks is a great idea; this should enable the employees to answer their own questions via the employee handbook and not always direct them to the owner or boss. Business owners need to stay competitive in their wages and benets to maintain good employees. Employees expect benets, such as paid time off, healthcare and retirement, as part of their wage for working. We are currently experiencing low unemployment rates in our economy, which is leading to an increase in wages paid nationwide. With the low unemployment rates, employees can be more selective in their career choice. Business owners need to stay competitive and know who their competing industries are. Do you know what your competition for employees is? Is there a warehouse in the nearby town that starts hourly pay at $18 per hour with paid time off or a local convenience store that has starting pay at $16 with a 401(k) package? Employees expect benets as part of their wage for working. How much paid time off a year does your business offer its employees? Do they get it all at the start of the year or accrue one or two days per month over the course of the year? In data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of March 2021, 61% of employees after one year of service were getting at least 10 days of paid time off per year. That number jumps to 85% for employees after ve years of service. What about retirement or health care benets? Business owners need to stay competitive in their wages and benets to maintain good employees. To be competitive in today’s labor market to obtain and maintain good employees at your farm, an employer needs to provide more than just good wages. Businesses need to be clear on employee expectations and feedback and provide benets that are competitive with the competition. A well written and continuously updated job description for everyone is important and so is timely and high-quality feedback. Pay and benets cannot be overlooked. Paid time off is an often forgotten benet that farm businesses need to consider to be competitive in today’s labor market.
ConƟnued from TRANSITION COW | Page 32 al and metabolic changes around calving. This causes some degree of inammation and immune activation. Anything that causes stress and over activates the immune system contributes to the cascade of transition cow diseases and poor performance. – Fresh cows have special dietary needs that are slightly different from high producing cows. If possible, have a separate fresh cow group. – Fresh cows will benet from feed nutrients and feed additives that support healthy rumen function, metabolism, health and performance. – Rations free from mycotoxins, soil and manure contamination are important to minimize the risk of inammation and increased immune activation. – Well bedded, clean calving pens will reduce the risk of metritis and mastitis resulting in better performance. – Cooling fresh cows in the summer will increase performance and minimize the risk of transition cow diseases. – Low stocking of pre-fresh and fresh cows is often overlooked but is important to minimize fresh cow disease. – Adequate bunk space (30-36 inches) in both the close-up and post-fresh group will decrease the incidence of transition cow disorders. – For cows that are healthy, eating well and milking well, limit their stay in the postfresh group to 10-14 days. – Manage cows so they do not become over conditioned. – Although not always practical, separate fresh heifers and cows if possible. If you can’t separate cows by lactation, adequate bunk space and low stocking density are even more important. – Keep pen moves of pre-fresh and post fresh cows to a minimum (less than three). – Pay attention to appetite, rumen ll, rumination and milk yield to evaluate fresh cow health.
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 33
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Complete acreage reports by July 15 Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
By Steve Frericks
Farm Service Agency Executive Director
Farm Service Agency ofces are busy certifying crops and processing Emergency Relief Program phase one applications for payment. There are many questions related to this program. Producers are reminded that phase one of this program is related to crop insurance indemnities. This means your crop insurance agent is your go-to resource for the basis of eligibility for the phase one program applications. FSA is processing these applications, but your crop insurance agent is your resource for how payments are derived or why a payment is or is not generated. Agricultural producers who have not yet completed their crop acreage reports after spring planting should make an appointment with the FSA before the reporting deadline of July 15. An acreage report documents a crop grown on a farm or ranch and its intended use. Filing an accurate and timely acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and prevented planted acreage, can prevent the loss of benets. To le a crop acreage report, you will need to provide crop and crop type or variety; intended use of the crop;
number of acres of the crop; map with approximate boundaries for the crop; planting date; planting pattern, when applicable; producer shares; irrigation practices; acreage prevented from planting, when applicable; and other information as required. Producers should also report crop acreage they intended to plant but due to natural disaster were unable to plant. Prevented planting acreage must be reported no later than 15 calendar days after the nal planting date as established by FSA and the United States Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency. Due to the late spring planting conditions, the FSA appointment schedule for most all counties is heavily booked. It is advisable to call the local ofce to schedule an appointment to allow the ofce to prepare for you. Our goal is exceptional customer service. You can help with this by scheduling that appointment. Producers can hay, graze and chop cover crops and receive full prevented planting payment Agricultural producers with crop insurance can hay, graze or chop cover crops for silage, haylage or baleage at any time and still receive 100% of the prevented planting payment. Previously, cover crops could only be hayed, grazed or chopped after Nov. 1; otherwise, the prevented
July 12–14, 2022
planting payment was reduced by 65%. The RMA added this exibility as part of a broader effort to encourage producers to use cover crops, an important conservation and good farming practice. Cover crops are especially important on elds prevented from planting as they help reduce soil erosion and boost soil health. RMA recognizes that cover crops are not planted as an agricultural commodity but rather with the primary purpose for conservation benets. For the 2021 crop year and beyond, RMA will not consider a cover crop planted following a prevented planting claim to be a second crop. But, RMA will continue to consider a cover crop harvested for grain or seed to be a second crop, and it remains subject to a reduction in the prevented planting indemnity in accordance with the policy. This decision to allow exibility for the 2021 crop year and to make the change permanent for future years builds on the advanced research and identied benets cover crops have supporting healthy soils and cropland sustainability efforts. To learn more about this policy change, visit RMA’s prevented planting webpage. The webpage also has the latest cover crop termination guidelines, which USDA updated in 2019 as a result of greater exibilities provided in the 2018 farm bill. Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA agent locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov. Low interest emergency physical loss loans available for producers Agricultural producers in several Minnesota counties who lost property due to recent natural disasters are eligible for physical loss loans from the USDA. FSA offers these loans for losses caused by a tornado, high winds, ooding, ash ooding, excessive rain, hail and lightning that occurred between April 5 and May 13. FSA is offering these low-interest emergency loans to producers with a qualifying loss. Approval is limited to applicants who suffered severe physical losses only, including the loss of buildings and livestock. The deadline for producers in designated primary and contiguous counties to apply for loans for physical losses is Jan. 24, 2023. Physical loss loans can help producers repair or replace damaged or destroyed physical property essential to the success of the agricultural operation, including livestock losses. Examples of property commonly affected include essential farm buildings, xtures to real estate, equipment, livestock, perennial crops, fruit and nut bearing trees, and harvested or stored crops and hay. Contact your local FSA for more information on loan eligibility and the application process. FSA ofce information is available at http:// ofces.usda.gov. Additional FSA disaster assistance program information is available at disaster.fsa.usda.gov. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
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Good ol’ Olivers
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 35
I received an email request for a dairy farm tour in the middle of May for a family that was visiting from Bavaria, Germany. During the correspondence, I learned this was going to be their last day in the United States before they were heading home. They would need to be in Chicago to y out at 6 p.m., so I arranged for their tour to start at 11 a.m. and end at 1 p.m., plenty of time to make it to return their car and check in. When they arrived, I introduced myself, and they shared their names with me too. Martin and Tanja were the parents, and Justus was their son. Martin said he and his wife were from different sides of Germany growing up. Martin grew up in the western side of Germany, and Tanja grew up on the eastern side. Tanja had learned Russian while growing up, and Martin learned English. Justus spoke perfect English. Justus said he began learning the English language very early in school, so both of them would be interpreting throughout the tour for Tanja. I asked about their trip to the United States. Were they visiting family, vacationing, or was Justus By Tina Hinchley looking to go to college? Justus had attended a trade Farmer & Columnist school in Germany and had graduated with a farm mechanics degree and was working at a company called BayWa, where they sold AGCO tractors. This trip to the United States was his graduation gift to see some manufacturing places where tractors were made. Their rst stop was at the John Deere Historic Site in Dixon, Illinois. The next day they visited John Deere Pavilion in Moline, Illinois. After crossing the Mississippi River to Davenport, Iowa, they stopped at the German American Heritage Center and Museum. From there, they reached the third John Deere site on their trip, the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. Due to restrictions, they were not able to attend a factory tour at John Deere. This was unfortunate, and Justus was looking forward to other places to see more farm equipment and witness rst-hand farming. From there, it was not far to their next stay at New Day Dairy GuestBarn in Clarksville, Iowa. This is a barn with living quarters that looks out into the barn at the cows. The hosts of the farm, Lynn and Dan, showed them around their farm, and Justus had the opportunity to get rst-hand information about farm life in the United States. They headed for Jackson, Minnesota, to see AGCO Jackson Operations. They had an appointment for a factory tour at the Intivity Center and were lucky enough to see where and how AGCO builds their high-power tractors of various brands and row crop applicators. This was of great interest for Justus. As a farm equipment mechanic, he was enthusiastic to see where it all starts. On Memorial Day weekend, they stayed in St. Paul, Minnesota, for some sightseeing but moreover to meet Mark and the members of S.G. Edelweiss St. Paul who are dedicated to Bavarian folk dance. Because Justus is also a member of a Bavarian folk dance association, he enjoyed practicing with them. They also took Justus to see a race at Spring Creek Motocross Park in Millville, Minnesota. Like many young men his age, he is also interested in motocross. Our farm was the last of their adventure. When they arrived and walked over from their car, Justus was smiling at the Oliver 550 tractor that was hooked up to the tour wagon. He knew all about the history of AGCO, starting with Oliver tractors (We have six.), then it was sold White (We have two of those.), and then to AGCO which is also Massey Ferguson (We have two of those too.). I shared the story of my father-in-law, Keith Hinchley. He farmed with Oliver tractors all his life, and in the 1990s, he began collecting Oliver tractors. The rst in his collection was an Oliver 70 on tip-toe steel wheels. When
Keith died in April 2009, his shed had more than 70 restored tractors squeezed in it. He was an amazing farmer and wonderful person who also loved Oliver tractors too. Martin, Tanja and Justus’ visit concluding at our farm was the perfect send off. He enjoyed seeing the tractors that he works with and also the old tractors that were the beginning of the AGCO line. They toured the farm and saw the cows, but that wasn’t the attraction that it usually is. This time the tractors stole the show, and his appreciation of what we had made me feel proud. I am thankful to have had a great father-in-law and to be a little knowledgeable about the Oliver tractors. The next day, I received an email from them. “One of our highlights was, of course, the Hinchley dairy farm. … Seeing and experiencing where farm machinery is produced and used in the American Midwest and meeting lovely people with dedication for what they are doing was worth every mile of the journey and encourages us to come back soon to the United States.” Tina Hinchley, and her husband, Duane, daughter Anna, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. The Hinchley’s have been hosting farm tour for over 25 years. Editorial disclaimer: The views expressed by our columnists are the opinions and thoughts of the author and do not reect the opinions and views of Dairy Star staff and ownership.
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Whole cow approach
From my middle school years on, and perhaps earlier, I have had a pretty close relationship with our cows. It started with knowing all their names and the stalls they belonged in and moved on to knowing family trees. Dad and I would play a game we titled the cow guessing game as we milked, trying to one-up each other Ramblings from the Ridge on who knew the cows better by giving out clues. A certain level of personal satisfaction comes with knowing a cow’s mother or sister, or remembering something unique about her life story. I have always been invested in the cows that way. Nowadays, knowing these little quirks about a cow helps me make better decisions on her behalf. We have a couple heifers, Sheldon and Penelope, having what we lovingly refer to as crazy eyes. Their range of vision isn’t 100%, and they are nervous as a result. If you catch them in their large By Jacqui Davison blind spot area, they go berserk. Sheldon was slated to move to a pen with bigger heifers, more of Columnist her stature. As soon as she got near the dark of the breezeway, she ipped her lid. Rather than push her and make her more skittish, I moved her to a different pen. Moving cows for different life changes is something I put quite a bit of thought into. Size and age dictate where they move to upon their graduation from the post-fresh pen. Small cows and heifers go into pen No. 2. Older gals and anyone that struggles a bit on their feet, or perhaps had a hard start to their lactation, move into the affectionately labeled senior living center. This pen is closest to the parlor, thus making the walking distance far less for the ladies. Large rst calf heifers and medium second lactation cows head down the breezeway into pen No. 5. The big girls with sound feet, and preferably in third lactation and up, move into pen No. 6. As cheesy as this may sound, I also take into account their friendships. I will try to move pairs of friends at the same time, because they always do better that way. When we move cows into a new group, you will see them moving around the pen together – inspecting their home, eating, sleeping and, in general, staying together against all their new penmates. Jose and Dopey are two tall and gorgeous girls that have been great pals since they were rst calf heifers. They are now entering their fourth lactations. In their rst year as cows, they calved on the same day, bred back at the same time, dried off together, calved again within 24 hours of each other and continued to move together yearly. This lactation they managed to be conrmed pregnant within weeks of each other, so I moved them into the low group together so they could stay close. This next story may have you thinking I’m losing my marbles and maybe should get out of the barn a bit more. But, I like a good story, so hang in there. Gemma and Tassia were two heifers that were born on the same day and named after a friend’s daughters down the road. These two were the funniest sight as they freshened on the same day, and after their post-fresh period, moved into pen No. 5 together. Heifers are still ... llooking ki at h her as an growing in that rst year of milking, and boy, did they individual animal and not only grow. Tassia grew taller, using the numbers makes me and Gemma grew wider. They looked a bit like Da- feel like I am doing her justice. vid and Goliath. These two would be spotted together heading into the parlor, sleeping in stalls next to each other and often eating together. Lo and behold, they were due to go dry on the same day, so they stayed together once again as they headed to the dry pen and then into transition as their due dates neared. Gemma calved almost two weeks early with a healthy set of heifer twins. Three days later, Tassia was in the calving pen. I pulled a small heifer calf from her and sent her out to join Gemma. Gemma caught a slippery spot the next morning and earned herself a free ticket into the oat tank followed by a week on the bedding pack. I held Tassia back in the fresh pen because I swear she would stand with her head on the gate and bellow at Gemma. It was as if she was encouraging her to keep trying to get up. The same day Gemma took a turn for the worse, Tassia dropped on rumination as well. Could be just cow coincidence, but perhaps they were just that good of friends. I think of this as more of a whole-cow approach. She’s not just a milking machine. Every cow has her own personality, little things that make her memorable, even in a herd of over 800. Friendships, struggles, things that happened to her that we can’t t in eight characters on a DairyComp prompt. When making decisions about her treatment, her movements and her place in our herd, looking at her as an individual animal and not only using the numbers makes me feel like I am doing her justice. Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira (14), Dane (12), Henry (7) and Cora (4), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones, or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos – and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
Circadian rhythm of dairy cows
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 37
Dr. Kevin Harvatine, Penn State University, and Dr. Isaac Salfer, University of Minnesota, have focused research and emphasis the past few years on dening circadian rhythms of dairy cattle. Salfer shared a presentation at the Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference. Harvatine shared the same at a roundtable discussion with several nutritionists a couple weeks ago. The goal of this article is to bring the research to a practical level.
Dening circadian rhythms A circadian rhythm is a biological process that occurs in a 24-hour period and alternates between awaken and sleeping phases. The primary role of circadian rhythms is to maximize survival of animals and their offspring by allowing them to predict and prepare for regularly occurring environmental changes. Cows’ daily circadian cycles control several physiological functions, including feed intake, nutrient metabolism and milk synthesis. Maximum feed intake occurs in the morning and afternoon. Maximum milk yield typically occurs in the morning while maximum milk components occur in the evening. Daily rhythms and feeding Dairy cows typically spend three to ve hours per day eating and consume most their feed in eight to 14 meals throughout the day. Naturally, the feeding pattern of cows on pasture occurs primarily near the time of sunrise and sunset with minimal feed intake overnight. It is likely this pattern of intake evolved to help protect wild cattle against nocturnal predators, such as wolves and coyotes, and to potentially help them select for higher energy forage. In connement systems where cows are fed a total mixed ration, the daily pattern of feed intake
is altered by management decisions. For example, the delivery of fresh feed and returning to the parlor after milking both stimulate feed intake. However, the underlying daily pattern of feed intake persists even in TMR-fed cattle. While working toward his Ph.D. at Penn State a few years ago, Salfer and his advisor, Harventine, did controlled feeding experiments proving this point. In theory, a TMR is fed so that cows have steady feed intake. However, the daily pattern of feed intake and feed sorting leads to variations in the amount of nutrients entering the rumen throughout the day. This reality stands in contrast with many nutrition models, which assume steady-state rumen condition. For example, rumen pH follows a daily pattern that typically peaks immediately before feeding time and reaching a minimum 10 to 12 hours later. One strategy farms use to battle summer heat stress is to feed cows at night to encourage intakes. However, both Salfer and Harvatine caution that the strategy misses the opportunity to have fresh feed during the mid-afternoon when cows have a natural tendency to eat. This can lead to slug-feeding after evening feed delivery, causing an excessive drop in rumen pH, and exacerbate heat stress. Their recommendation is to feed twice daily or feed in the heat of the afternoon to stimulate additional meals. Daily rhythms and milk composition Milk production follows a daily rhythm with total milk volume typically peaking in the morning, and milk fat and protein percentage peaking in the evening on most dairy farms. This adaptation likely developed in wild ruminants to provide nursing offspring with nutrient-dense milk at night when activity of the dam and the calf is reduced. Farms that see the opposite effects on milk production and components are likely impact-
ed by feeding times and frequencies. Salfer and Harvatine successfully manipulated these results through feeding experiments as well.
Seasonal rhythms In addition to dai- Something to Ruminate On ly rhythms, seasonal rhythms are part of the dairy cow’s biology. While regulated by the same molecular system as circadian rhythms, these patterns are mostly driven by the actual day length and the change in day length. By Barry Visser A common example Nutritionist of this is the seasonality farms see in milk fat and protein percentages. While daily changes in dairy cow production and behavior have long been appreciated by dairy farmers, experts are only beginning to understand the impact that circadian rhythms have in regulating dairy cow metabolism. Recent work has characterized biological rhythms of feed intake, milk production and systemic metabolism in cattle. The daily pattern of feed intake results in differences in absorbed nutrients across the day. Furthermore, the mammary gland has a daily pattern that may or may not be synchronized with the daily pattern of intake. Improving the synchrony between absorbed nutrients and mammary gland rhythms provides opportunities to improve the efciency of milk production. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
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A June love affair Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
When I moved to Minnesota several decades ago, I had never heard of June Dairy Month. For me, June was a month for fragrant peonies, beautiful brides and wedding bells. I have since learned it also means breakfast on the farm, dairy day shows and registered cows. Back in 1937, a grocers association started June Dairy Month as a way to promote and sell extra milk during the warm summer months. By 1939, June ofcially became known as Dairy Month. Over the years dairy farmers, with the help of check-off dollars, have created unique ways of promoting the industry and the nutritional products it produces. Probably one of the most successful programs is breakfast or dinner on the farm. Farmers will welcome hundreds of people to wander around and take a peek at what is behind the barn doors. Dairy princesses scoop gallons of ice cream or manage a teaching station about how we care for our calves. Many may
come for the meal, but all will leave with a slightly better understanding of what we do down on the farm. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on this program. It has become harder to open the barn doors of our farms, but some people are thinking outside the box. They are creating clever ways to connect with our neighbors and consumers. Some farmers have created virtual tours of their farms to share on social media. The Houston County American Dairy Association teamed up with the cattlemen’s association to host a cheeseburger and shake drive-thru to spread the news about the benets of eating real food. Too bad they are just a little bit out of range to make a trip as a former beef queen and a dairy princess mom. I love the idea. Thinking outside the box is exactly how dairy producers created one of the most memorable dairy promotions. I met Conrad Kvamme during my rst June
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Dairy Month celebration. He told the tale of Memory’s March for Milk with such zeal and enthusiasm. In 1978, Conrad, a crew of helpers and a big black crow named Memory traveled from Canada to Mexico and back to Minneapolis during June. They covered 7,700 miles and stopped in 18 states, all to promote milk and a Just Thinking Out Loud new product coming out, yogurt. This promotional sensation was straight out of P.T. Barnum’s playbook. Conrad has never stopped promoting and educating people with passion and enthusiasm. Another passion of Conrad’s is registered Holsteins. He was instrumental in helping Mark By Natalie Schmitt achieve his goal of breeding registered Holsteins. Columnist Mark started showing in the grade cattle ring in 4-H and dairy day shows. He and Lighting made a great team walking the show ring, but he wanted to compete in the registered ring. They had a purebred family line in the herd, but they were not registered in the association herd book. In the mid ‘70s, the Holstein Association opened the herd book to capture these types of purebred animals. Conrad came over to help the Schmitt family identify their “lost” animals. He sat around the kitchen table pouring over breeding receipts and Dairy Herd Improvement Association records to gather the information needed to register these animals. The rst purebred animal Mark’s dad, Ralph, had bred was still milking in the herd at 13 years old. Conrad was excited as this made his job easier; however, there was a problem. Mark and his family had always called the cow Dud because Grandpa Preusser thought she wasn’t going to be much of a milk cow. She went on to have daughters who would be the top milk producing cows in the country. In true dazzling style, he registered her with the name Dudacious. Sometimes I think Conrad and P.T. Barnum shared DNA. The Schmitts continued to call her Dud. Mark competed in the youth shows for as long as he was eligible and then put away his show whites to help run the family farm. A couple years later, he noticed a yearling with show potential. The District 8 Holstein Show was going to be at the local fairgrounds that June. He gured he could t the show in between milkings. Here was his chance to compete in the registered ring. Now he had to hope he could t into his show whites. So, how does all this have to with a June love affair? Everything. I always knew I would meet my husband in the show ring. I didn’t realize it would be part of June Dairy Month celebrations. I was broadcasting our noon farm show live from the district show. My boss, Sherry Newell, was announcing the show. She told me about a dairy farmer she wanted to introduce to me. He had won June Dairy Month tickets from our station to go to Dairy Night at the Dome to watch the Twins play baseball. While Sherry was scouring the fairgrounds to make the introduction, we both happened to sit down to talk to mutual friends, Don and Sharon Beehler. Mark recognized my voice from the radio, and we introduced ourselves. Our rst date was a couple days later with a busload of dairy people attending Dairy Night at the Dome. Now, I celebrate the month of June with love and dairy in a June love affair. As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.
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Ozzy: one awesome dog “Having a dog will bless you with many of the happiest days of your life, and one of the worst.” – Unknown Ozzy, our beloved Australian Shepherd, passed away May 31 at the age of 16 years. We sat with him while he slipped away, telling him it was OK to go and thanking him for all of the wonderful years we had together. As hard as it was to let him go, we knew the day was coming. Over the past several years, Ozzy gradually slowed down, his congestive heart failure stealing a little more of his energy. But his death was still a Dairy Good Life surprise. In the days prior, he had kept his routine of accompanying us to the barn by day and barking at coyotes by night. As we said good-bye, we admitted that if Ozzy could have picked a time to go, this would have been it. Summer was Ozzy’s least favorite season. He would have been miserable during these past couple days of 100-degree heat. As much as he disliked summer, he loved winter. I’ve never seen a dog more excited for falling snow. He would zoom around in the snowakes and seal dive into piles of freshly fallen snow. Ozzy By Sadie Frericks had a major health hiccup last fall and I thought we Columnist might lose him then, but he recovered. Which meant he got to enjoy one more Minnesota winter. Ozzy became part of our family in 2013, after his rst family decided he needed a different home. We picked him up on my birthday. It didn’t take long for me to decide that adopting Ozzy was one of the best birthday gifts ever. As I wrote in a blog post about his adoption: “I almost felt like Ozzy was too good to be true. “We picked him up on Saturday and, so far, everything his previous family said about him is true. “Ozzy has been through both obedience and agility training. (He actually sits and stays when asked. I can’t even get my kids to sit and stay when asked.) He has house and vehicle and kennel manners. (I won’t say anything about my kids’ house and vehicle and kennel manners.) And, at 6-years-old, he’s mellowed out, o which will save us lots of training time and, hopefully, t I never iimagined i d that h O Ozzy lots of boots and chickens.” He really was almost too would be with us for nine good. He was good with the whole years. I’ve never had a kids, good with the chickens, and good with the barn cats. dog live such a long life. He went from being scared of o cows to loving time in the barn. He never took to herding, but he was quick to let us know if there was a cow out. He also enjoyed farm dog cuisine – placenta and other such delicacies – which contributed to his 75-pound size. Although he was initially miffed, Ozzy became an even more awesome dog when we adopted a second Aussie in 2017. Although – or, perhaps, because – Murky is a Mini-Aussie, Ozzy and Murky became great friends. Ozzy started playing more, zooming around the yard with Murky. He seemed to relish teaching Murky the dos and don’ts of farm life. And Ozzy started barking. For real, Ozzy never barked once until after we got Murky. We think he might have been trained to not bark and didn’t realize it was permitted (encouraged, even) until he saw that Murky was allowed to bark. I never imagined that Ozzy would be with us for nine whole years. I’ve never had a dog live such a long life. Daphne was 3-months-old when we got Ozzy; she has never known life without him. In fact, Daphne was really the reason we adopted Ozzy. We had decided that a baby and a puppy at the same time would be too much to handle, so we sought out an adult dog. Monika doesn’t remember life without him, either. We miss Ozzy terribly. He was part of our family and our farm for so long, it feels like there’s a piece missing without him here. Murky seems to miss Ozzy, too. He’s just been moping around. We’ve been trying to play with Murky more, but zoomies with people just aren’t the same. We recently started searching for another Australian Shepherd or MiniAustralian Shepherd. In the years before we adopted Murky, I thought one dog was enough. But after having two dogs and witnessing their companionship, I believe now that some dogs live life more fully with a fellow canine. Ozzy was one of them. Murky still is. So, if you happen to hear of an adult Aussie or Mini-Aussie who needs a new home and a buddy, we would love to be his or her second family. Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children – Dan, 15, Monika, 12, and Daphne, 9. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail. com
Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022 • Page 39
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, June 25, 2022
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