June 8, 2024 Dairy Star - 1st section - Zone 1

Miller Broz. Dairy invites WabashaKellogg fourth graders for a tour

By Amy Kyllo amy.k@star-pub.com

KELLOGG, Minn. —

On a sunshiny May afternoon, Miller Broz. Dairy is buzzing with activity. Kids sit in the wheel well of a parked tractor, a young girl wraps her arms around a big, patient Red and White Holstein cow and other youngsters make friends with the calves.

The children are fourthgrade students at WabashaKellogg School District where Brianna (Miller) Baab is a teacher. Baab brought her students and the rest of the fourth grade on a eld trip to visit her home dairy farm.

Miller Broz. Dairy consists of Baab’s parents, Tom and Kay Miller, as well as her twin brother, Bryton Miller, and his wife, Morgan Miller, who farm alongside but separately from their parents. Together, the Millers milk 240 cows on the same property near Kellogg with four Lely robotic milking units, which they began using in January.

Other members of the family — including Austin Baab, Dalon Miller, Carley Miller, Talia Miller and Terrik Miller — are involved on the

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Gone in 60 seconds

An immersive farm experience Blowing

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

The remains of the dairy barn lies in Jeff Gajewski’s yard May 25, a�er an EF1 tornado destroyed his farmsite located near Edgar, Wisconsin. A�er the May 21 storm, Gajewski worked with family, friends and neighbors through the night to free his herd of dairy cows.

Gajewski’s dairy farm destroyed in tornado

By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

EDGAR, Wis. — Jeff Gajewski spent his life building his dairy farm, but in a matter of seconds, it was all destroyed when a tornado ripped through the Marathon County farm May 21.

“Forty-six years, gone,” Gajewski said. “All the years spent building this place, making it what it was, all gone. At least I have pictures of the place.”

The National Weather Service conrmed that an EF1 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 90 mph traveled 3.57 miles. In its path was the Gajewski dairy farm near Edgar.

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AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR

Wabasha-Kellogg School District fourth-grade students listen to nutri�on consultant Barloe Brisson Kanz share about total mixed ra�ons May 14 at Miller Broz. Dairy near Kellogg, Minnesota. The nutri�on sta�on was one of four stops the students made on their farm tour.

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

John Fuchs chops rst crop alfalfa for his son, Mike, near his dairy by Lake Henry, Minnesota. Mike Fuchs milks 74 cows in Stearns County.

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dairy as well during high labor times such as forage harvest. Tagen Miller has assisted full time in the past but is stepping back now that the farm is adjusting to the robotic milking units.

This was the rst time the Millers hosted a school visit.

“We wanted them to go home and talk to their families about how exciting it was to see the calves and pet the cow,” Kay said. “(We want them to) spread the word and let ... other people enjoy it through them.”

This year, Bryton said their new barn was something different and exciting for the kids to see.

“(We wanted) to get kids out on the farm and show them what it’s all about and where their milk is coming from,” Bryton said.

The Miller farm was the second stop of the day for the school group.

In the morning, they visited Jeremy Holst’s dairy farm near Lake City. Holst milks in a parlor, which gave the students an opportunity to see two different milking systems.

Tom talked about how far removed this generation is from dairy farming.

“When we grew up, everybody grew up on a farm or their grandma and grandpa had a farm,” Tom said. “Most of these (kids) have never been on a farm.”

The kids were split up into four groups to explore four immersive stations.

Wabasha-Kellogg School District fourth-grade students try

14 at Miller Broz. Dairy near Kellogg, Minnesota. The calf area was

calf

of the stops on the tour.

The rst station had a New Holland TG275 tractor where students could take turns sitting in the driver’s seat. The next area held the calves, where students could try bottle feeding. Near the barn, a nutrition consultant, Barloe

Brisson Kanz, showed the students the total mixed ration and talked about other aspects of the diet.

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The fourth location focused on equipment. Students toured the farm ofce to look at data on the computer, watched cows being milked from the robot room, and then had a chance to climb up on the bulk tank and look inside.

Students nished the day with a snack and a glass of milk.

The robotic dairy barn the students toured is a recent addition for the Millers. Their rst day milking cows in the facility was Jan. 2. The transition to the new robotic setup has been quick.

“Never in my wildest imagination did I think it was going to turn out this nice and be running like this at this point,” Tom said.

Bryton agreed.

“We thought it’d take like two to three years to get to where we’re at,” Bryton said.

The update included a new freestall barn with the robotic milking units and a lagoon with a storage capacity of nine months.

The project was not an expansion. The barn has two sides, one for Tom and Kay’s cows and one for Bryton and Morgan’s.

“It’s not about getting bigger; it was just (about) maintaining it as a family dairy,” Kay said.

The family broke ground for the project in June 2023, the day Bryton and Morgan were married.

“It was hard to leave here to go to my wedding, knowing that this project was starting,” Bryton said.

The Millers poured the cement for the barn themselves. This was the rst time the Millers had done a cement project of this magnitude, Tom said. In

all, they poured about 863 yards of cement. They even had to form cement by the headlight of their utility terrain vehicle to get the project done.

The decision to update came because their freestall barns were worn out and it was difcult to nd help to milk in the parlor. With the new facility, the Millers have eliminated outside labor.

“We still work ... just as hard as we did before,” Tom said. “The times are more exible (now), and we’re not as tied down.”

Tom said when they had employees in the past, they dealt with employees only showing up when they felt like it.

During the transition, the Millers said, they appreciated the help of friends and neighbors pushing cows through the robotic milking units.

The cows average 2.9 visits to the robots per day and give 82 pounds of milk. Before switching to the robotic milking units, the Millers milked their cows twice a day. With the additional milking, the Millers increased production by about 8-10 pounds of milk per cow.

The Millers said they have seen a change in the demeanor of their cows, which have become friendlier.

“They sleep when they want, they eat when they want and they get milked when they want,” Tom said.

The Millers are content with the project Kay said.

“(We are) 100% happy,” she said. “There are challenges and there’s still a lot of work involved in it, but it is absolutely the right thing for us.”

Prior to the storm, Gajewski milked 32 cows in the barn he rebuilt after he purchased the farm in the late 1970s.

“I had planned to sell the cows here in a couple of months, but I didn’t want to go this way,” Gajewski said. “My sons had planned to use the buildings for their beef cattle.”

Gajewski’s barn and two silos took a direct hit from the tornado. Gajewski was emotional talking about it.

“The cows were trapped in the barn, the beams were on top of them,” Gajewski said.

Two cows were killed when the barn collapsed and four additional cows were put down that night, due to the severity of their injuries. The remaining cows were sent to Premier Livestock & Auctions LLC the next morning.

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“I yelled, ‘Tornado!’ and we took off for the basement,” he said. “We didn’t even get to the basement door and it was over. It was gone so fast.”

The storm left the house largely untouched. Gajewski made his way back outside, dazed, to survey the damage wreaked upon his farm in sheer seconds, only to see his barn lying in a heap.

“The guys that hauled them said they looked great when they got to Premier,” Gajewski said. “They didn’t limp or stumble or anything getting off the trailers. That is really quite remarkable.”

Fifteen youngstock will remain on the farm until he can sell them as springing heifers, Gajewski said.

Gajewski evaded injury himself, having started chores early due to the forecast for severe weather.

“I started early that day because I didn’t want to chance losing power before I got done milking,” Gajewski said. “If I would have been in the barn like I usually would have at that time, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Gajewski said the weather reports made it sound like the brunt of the storm was going to stay south of Highway 29, leaving his farm out of the path of the worst damage.

“I could hear the cows bellering in fear and pain,” Gajewski said.

In short order family, friends and neighbors descended upon the farm, helping Gajewski begin the task of saving his cows.

“News travels so fast,” Gajewski said. “I don’t know where everyone came from, but I am grateful to each person who showed up to help. We worked until about 1:30 a.m., getting the cows out of the barn.”

Gajewski said that the rst night was a sleepless one for him, after extricating the cows from the barn, and the succeeding days have been long.

“The next day I was so dang tired from picking things up, my back and legs were aching,” Gajewski said. “If you think about it, it can really get to you.”

“I started early that day because I didn’t want to chance losing power before I got done milking. If I would have been

I

JEFF GAJEWSKI,

“It was getting dark out to the west, but there was really no lightning or thunder,” Gajewski said. “I went to the house and changed clothes. I came out of the laundry room, and it had started lightning. I told my son to get out of the shower because of the lightning. I went into the kitchen and all of the sudden everything outside was ying — it was like it dropped right on top of us.”

Through the chaos outside, Gajewski yelled for his son again.

I

As the clean-up process continues, Gajewski has thought about how he will proceed. He said he wants to x up the lean-tos for shelter for the animals during the summer months. The roof on the north side of the barn is laying nice and straight, so they are going to save that to x the leantos so they only have to buy twoby-fours. He said depending on how much everything costs, he would like to build a heated room where the milkhouse was, to keep water running during the winter. He would also like to build housing approximately the width of the barn for the youngstock for winter.

“It just bothers me,” he said. “I had everything xed up so nice, and I was so close to selling the cows on my own terms. After all these years, you become attached to it — the farm, the machinery, the land. It’s just the way life goes. All the years I farmed, I had certain setbacks with things. You just pick yourself up and keep going.”

Jeff Gajewski

Revolutionizing the way dairy

Friendshuh launches FODD 3.0 to market

By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

AMERY, Wis. — Feeding dairy cattle is possibly the most important, and potentially the most expensive, act on a dairy farm, with little room for error.

Greg Friendshuh has developed a system that he believes could revolutionize feeding dairy cattle.

“This machine is going to have an impact on the lives of many people, on many dair-

ies,” he said. “It will have an impact on the feed industry overall. How honored am I (to be ) the one to steward it forward.”

The FODD 3.0 is the newest version of the original prototype that Friendshuh has been developing on his farm for four years.

“This system allows us to separate corn silage into high-starch nes and lowstarch fodder,” Friendshuh said. “That allows us to feed more corn silage, which lowers feed costs and creates

16 at Friendshuh Farms near Amery, Wisconsin. The FODD 3.0 consists of a hopper and a rolling trommel, which can separate 60 tons of silage in ve hours.

more milk, all with less work. The cows don’t have to eat more to make more milk. The FODD helps them be more efcient at making milk.”

Friendshuh milks 1,250 cows near Amery.

The FODD 3.0 has been in use since February. His herd is averaging 107 energycorrected pounds of milk per day, and he is shipping 7.42

pounds of combined fat and protein.

Using the FODD 3.0, the Friendshuhs separate 60 tons of corn silage into nes and fodder daily, a process that takes approximately ve hours.

The nes are used to make the lactating cow ration. Half the fodder produced is fed to the dry cows, and the other

half is fed to the heifers.

“If I had a dairy without youngstock, I would probably sort enough fodder to feed the dry cows and the nes would go to my earlier lactation cows, trying to get their peaks up,” Friendshuh

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Greg Friendshuh shares the story that lead to the crea on of the FODD 3.0 May 16 at Friendshuh Farms near Amery, Wisconsin. The FODD 3.0 separates silage par cles allowing producers to be er u lize the starch in corn silage.

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

A pile of silage lies in front of the FODD 3.0 May

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said. “Once they get past about 150 days, you can put them on a corn silage diet, and they would have the capacity to eat enough.”

By feeding fodder to dry cows, Friendshuh has noticed an increase in dry matter intake of over 2 pounds per cow, pre- and post-fresh. That increase benets the cows through the transition period, with less susceptibility to metabolic issues.

“Corn silage is the most consistent feed on the dairy, but it’s really very inconsistent,” Friendshuh said. “With the FODD, you take that corn silage and run it through a process, and pretty soon, you have homogenized corn silage. Cows love that consistency. Eliminating the variables at the bunk has a big impact. They can’t sort anymore. … Our milk has climbed, and our metabolics are nearly perfect.

Friendshuh said he feeds dualpurpose and hybrid varieties of silage rather than brown mid-rib.

Jim Smith, dairy strategic accounts manager for Pioneer, said the end result of a silage harvest can only be as good as the growing season allows it to be.

“Corn silage is great, but once that pile is there, you’ve got to feed

Silage is separated into nes, le , and fodder, right, May 16 by the FODD 3.0’s rolling trommel at Friendshuh Farms near Amery, Wisconsin. Greg Friendshuh feeds the lower starch fodder to dry cows and heifers, reserving the higher starch nes for his lacta ng cows.

it,” Smith said. “If it’s not good corn silage, you’re going to be ghting it all year, and it’s going to get expensive from a cow health standpoint, milk production, feed costs — every-

thing.”

Smith said FODD 3.0 is a tool that can help dairy farmers manage the variability that arises from environmental conditions affecting their

corn silage each year in a way that was not previously available.

The idea for the system was born during a conversation Friendshuh had with his nutritionist, Keith Sather, in 2019.

“Feeding straw was a pain point,” Friendshuh said. “Straw was expensive, hard to nd and when you did nd it, the quality was poor. We started looking for an alternative. How many times do we have bad bales of straw that get chopped up and we don’t even know about it? This eliminates that factor.”

The idea was to separate the particle sizes of corn silage, eliminating the need for straw in the dry cow and heifer diets.

“The FODD today makes my life easy; everything is consistent now,” Sather said. “We are feeding the dry cows and heifers predominantly with the fodder. That was the focus: to get to the point where we didn’t have to feed straw. We’re there now. We accomplished that goal.”

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Turn

By being able to manipulate the amount of starch available through the nes and the fodder, Sather said the result is a healthier diet for all animals on the farm.

“We have taken corn silage that was 32% starch and we’re feeding the cows with nes that are 37%-38% starch, so we can have more forage and less concentrate going into the diet,” Sather said. “The nes make an awesome lactating feed, and we’re seeing a fast track to peak milk.”

The FODD allows dairy farmers to improve upon their corn silage crop, no matter how good or bad it might be.

“Where I would love to have a FODD machine to work with is a year like last year when we had really tough weather in the area and I am feeding a silage that is 28% starch,” Sather said. “If I had a FODD machine, I could boost the starch content of that corn silage, and it would make feeding those cows much easier.”

Between decreased feed costs and increased production, the FODD 3.0 could help the bottom line of a dairy farm, said Tim Swenson, of Swenson Management Service LLC.

“This could be a real game-changer,” Swenson said. “The average net income per cow in Wisconsin

and Minnesota is about $350 per cow. If we can add another $200 per cow, we’ve changed that prot level substantially.”

Friendshuh estimates feed savings on-farm to be $175 per cow, based on how his ration using the FODD compares to prior rations. On the conservative side, he estimates production to be up over 2 pounds per cow per day. He estimates the payback

DANIELLE

The hopper of the FODD 3.0 is loaded with corn silage May 16 at Friendshuh Farms near Amery, Wisconsin. Greg Friendshuh began working to create a system to be er ulize his corn silage in 2019.

on the installation of a FODD 3.0 to be under two years, depending on herd size.

“I get excited about this system; it has simplied our dairy, streamlined our operations and made it a more robust system,” Friendshuh said. “This has the potential to change our industry by how we feed our cattle. … It is going to have an impact on good and average corn silage, but the greatest impact will be

NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

(Below) A pile of nes collects beneath the rolling trommel of the FODD 3.0 May 16 at Friendshuh Farms near Amery, Wisconsin. The ne par cles provide lacta ng cows with more energy.

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Another dairy farmworker contracts H5N1

H5N1 has been conrmed in a third farmworker. This is the second human case in Michigan and is part of the multistate outbreak in dairy cattle. This individual had minor respiratory issues and was treated with antiviral medication. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises dairy farmworkers to use personal protective equipment as a biosecurity precaution. The virus has been identied in 66 dairy herds in nine states.

Testing identies H5N1 in one meat sample

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service reports H5N1 has been conrmed in meat tissue from one dairy cow. Tests were conducted on 96 dairy cull cows; 95 cows tested negative. USDA emphasized none of the meat from any of these dairy cattle entered the food supply. Consumers are reminded to cook meat to the proper temperature.

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to start to build a bipartisan coalition that can get this bill through the oor of the House. There are a lot of Republicans that are going to vote against this on the oor, so we’re going to need 20, 30 Democrats at least to get this bill passed.”

By Don Wick Columnist Ag Insider

Working out the funding gap

USDA launches pilot program to protect animal ag sector

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has approved an additional $824 million in emergency funding to respond to H5N1 in the U.S. dairy herd. The money will launch a new voluntary pilot program to give dairy farmers more options to monitor the health of their herds. The money will be used to support additional surveillance and testing. Farmers who enroll in this program and demonstrate their herd is free of the virus will be able to ship their cows without testing individual animals. USDA is now identifying states that will be part of this pilot program.

Stockpiling vaccine

The House Committee on Agriculture bill suspends Section 5 of the Commodity Credit Corporation Act, limiting the agriculture secretary’s authority to use CCC funds. Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson plans to use those savings to increase reference prices. The Congressional Budget Ofce has disagreed with the Grand Old Party staff about those budget savings. Minnesota Representative Michelle Fischbach is a member of the Budget Committee, working to ensure the CBO scores are accurate. “There are issues with some of the CBO scores because we need to make sure that we’re paying for everything great that we’ve done in the farm bill, and so we’re working with CBO to make sure that they understand how things need to be scored so we can pay for that bill.”

SD continues to add to its dairy herd

April milk production totaled 19 billion pounds nationwide. That’s down 0.4% from one year ago. In South Dakota, milk production rose 12.3% with the addition of 23,000 cows. Minnesota milk output was down a fraction of 1% with cow numbers dropping 8,000 head.

Increased protability for water quality-certied farms

The U.S. is taking steps to acquire vaccines to protect at-risk poultry and dairy workers. Veterinarians and lab technicians could be eligible for H5N1 vaccines. The move is seen as a way to limit the threat of a pandemic. The CDC said the decision to use vaccines will depend on reports of more cases or the severity or mutations of the virus. Other governments are also considering plans to stockpile vaccines.

House Ag Committee passes farm bill

Farmers in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certication Program have higher prots than non-certied farms. AgCentric Executive Director Keith Olander attributed the protability to their management characteristics. “We have over 100 producers that are agricultural water quality-certied that span the state of Minnesota, and they are also part of farm business development,” he said. “We have developed a ve-year run of the economics of those producers. They are outperforming their peers on a regular basis.”

Certied farms had an average net cash income of nearly $214,000 compared to $163,000 for noncertied farms. Certied farms also had better debtto-asset and operating expense ratios.

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In a marathon hearing that started at 11 a.m. and wrapped up after midnight, the House Agriculture Committee passed the farm bill on a 33-21 vote. All 29 Republican members of the committee and four Democrats voted for the farm bill. There was a fair amount of partisanship during the debate over spending priorities and the nutrition title. House Committee on Agriculture Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson defended his work. “I’ve had no alternative solutions for funding submitted from the Democratic side of the aisle other than the $5 billion on the Senate side, so my door is open and I am more than happy to work,” Thompson said. “The only reason the pay-fors have not been bipartisan is because, quite frankly, the Democratic Party hasn’t been at the table. Please come to the table, or we’re not going to see all these great new innovations.”

“Pay-fors” are items that would be used to offset the cost of other farm priorities. In a statement after the vote, Ranking Member David Scott said the bill may have advanced out of the committee, but it will not have the votes needed when it comes to the House oor.

Collin Peterson, farm bill optimism

Former House Committee on Agriculture Chair Collin Peterson sees a path forward for the farm provisions of the bill. “The way the debate happened did not put anybody into any corners that they couldn’t get out of,” Peterson said. “Most of the divisiveness was over how to pay for this. It was over food stamps. It was over the sideboards on conservation. It was over the Commodity Credit Corporation. Those are things I think can be worked out.”

It will likely be September before this bill advances to the House oor. Peterson, who now leads the Midwest Council on Agriculture, said more work will happen ahead of that vote. “The fact that we got four Democrats that voted for the bill gives us a place

The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources is providing $6.4 million to soil and water conservation districts to support soil health projects. The Soil and Water Conservation Districts can request funding through July 2. The money can be used to help landowners implement conservation practices or for outreach and education projects.

First-in-class methane reducing feed Ingredient gets FDA approval

For the rst time, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a feed ingredient for dairy cattle that will reduce methane emissions. Elanco Animal Health already has approval for Bovaer in Canada and Mexico. This product suppresses the enzyme in the cow’s rumen that forms methane. One tablespoon of Bovaer per lactating dairy cow per day can reduce methane emissions by 30% per year.

Trivia challenge

National Milk Month, which was the precursor for June Dairy Month, began in 1937. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, when is National Ice Cream Day? We will have the answer in our next edition of Dairy Star.

Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network of 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 sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.

Minnesota dairy herds with low SCC

Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner

Thom Petersen released the annual list of top Minnesota dairy herds with low somatic cell counts. Somatic cell count is a key indicator of milk quality – a lower SCC count is better for cheese production and a longer shelf life for bottled milk.

In honor of National Dairy Month, 93 Minnesota dairy farms are being recognized for their superior herd management skills by achieving an average SCC of under 100,000.

“I’m honored to recognize these dairies for their dedication to quality and excellence,” Petersen said. “Minnesota’s dairy farmers provide the state and the world with high quality, wholesome dairy products for us all to enjoy.”

Although somatic cells occur

naturally and are not a food safety concern, dairy farmers monitor them because they can be used as a measure of the health of their cows. Processors also pay a premium for milk with low counts. A farmer whose herd has a very low count can receive a higher price per hundredweight compared to a farmer whose herd average is high.

Minnesota Department of Agriculture and University of Minnesota dairy experts have worked with the state’s dairy farmers for 20 years to lower somatic cell counts. When the initiative began in 2003, the herds honored that year included those with SCC averages as high as 144,000, compared to the current goal of obtaining a SCC under 100,000.

Producer County

Harmony Hills Dairy, LLC

Kent Happke

Dennis and Wayne Wolters

Joe and Kim Engelmeyer

Hendel Farms

Kimm’s Dairy (Brian)

Carver

Benton

Morrison

Stearns

Houston

Ottertail Hoefs’ Dairy LLC

Alan and Jessica Klimek

LeSueur

Douglas Selke Farms

Robert, Terri, & Mike Ketchum

Tim & Julie Bruder

Magedanz-Foreview Dairy LLC

Maynard & Jeremiah Schumacher

Lax-Pietig Dairy LLC

Houdek Dairy LLC

Winona

Winona

Todd

Stearns

Wabasha

Renville

Houston

Producer County

Mark and Marcus Klehr

D & D Dairy LLP

Hammell Dairy Inc.

Pine-Vue Farms

Matt & Tony Berktold

Scott

Winona

Houston

Winona

Wabasha

Dean and Elizabeth Johnson Cottonwood

Edward and Mary Warmkagathje Olmsted

Kevin Hanson

Mark Flicker Morrison

Youngren Dairy Farms Inc.

Colleen Berscheit

Schulte Farms of Caledonia LLC

Eugene and JoAnn Hartung

Scott & Michelle Herber

Kandiyohi

Brown

Houston

Stearns

Winona

Randy H. and Kathleen J. Bauer Rice

Wirtland Holsteins

Producer County

Overdale Dairy Inc.

Nietfeld Family Farms LLC -

Stearns

Ashley & Cory Nietfeld Stearns

Tatge Dairy LLC Rice

Fussy Farm LLC

Morrison

Naatz Dairy Farm Dodge

Michael Menze Ottertail

Jeff Beckman Goodhue

Roger Aldinger Winona

Sandra Erickson Sherburne

Dev-Lin Holsteins LLC

Robin Winscher

Bob & Kaylie Gruber

Schefers Bros. LLC

Winona

Lloyd Blommel Todd

Reuter Farms

Bill Miller Wabasha

Paul and Bonnie Middendorf Todd

Barkeim Farms LLC

Duane Burke

James & Mary Evans

Sunny Side Dairy

Knisley Dairy Inc.

Robert Hinsch

Chad Waltman

Funks Midway Dairy

North Creek Dairy LLC

Cory & Jenna Middendorf

Trailside Holsteins LLC

Kraig and Rachelle Krienke

DNA Farms Inc.

Houston

Morrison

Morrison

Stearns

Ladies First Dairy Stearns

D & L Johnson Dairy Farm LLC

Shawn & Sarah Winscher

Winona

Otter Tail

Pipestone

Hennepin

Stearns

Goodhue

Morrison

Stearns

Olmsted

Stearns

Fillmore

McLeod

Chisago

Darin & Brierly Grimsgard Meeker

Steve and Lori Dockendorf

Winona

Morrison

Dollymount Traverse

Kelly Felling

Scott & Denise Gathje

Walter Bros Dairy Inc

Zweber Farms, LLC

Stearns

Stearns

Red Lake

Scott

Bechtold Brothers LLC Stearns

Francis Rynda LeSueur

Christoper & Jessie Lee

Peter Mark Hendrickson

Meeker

Todd

Riverview LLP - West Dublin Swift

Jeff & Austin Middendorf Stearns

Rolling Ridge Acres Inc.

R and R Farms

Randal and LouAnn Wagner

Sorg Dairy LLC

Stearns

Valley Acres Dairy LLC Winona

Keith & Jennifer Middendorf Todd

Marshall and Melanie Korn

Kandiyohi

Winona

Scott

Rice

Dakota

Barfnecht Farm LLC Carver

Suzanne & Tim Jacobs Otter Tail

Kevin Virchow

New Heights Dairy LLC

Waukon Dairy

D & D Dairy LLP

Freeborn

Morrison

Norman

Winona

Questions answered lead to more questions

Researchers continue to dig for answers to stop spread of HPAI

By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

As the number of dairy farms with conrmed cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Inuenze H5N1 continues to climb, so do the questions about how the disease is the spreading. Vigilant biosecurity continues to be the best answer for its prevention.

As of June 5, there were 82 herds in nine states — Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas — with conrmed positive cases of H5N1. Three dairy farm workers — two in Michigan and one in Texas — have tested positive for the virus following exposure to infected cows. The third individual is the rst human to report more typical symptoms of acute respiratory illness associated with inuenza, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Kammy Johnson, a eld epidemiologist with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, shared in a May 23 webinar hosted by the National Milk Producers Federation.

“We have seen the spread of H5N1 between states that was potentiated by cattle movement and now we have evidence of local spread between dairy farms in some states,” Johnson said. “Spread between dairy farms is likely multi-factorial. There is nothing really conclusive, so biosecurity becomes the key to mitigating the risk of spread between farms.”

As a response to risk mitigation, May 10, the USDA announced funding to help farmers dealing with conrmed cases of H5N1 to increase biosecurity measures, provide personal protective equipment for themselves and workers, properly dispose of discarded milk and help with covering veterinarian and testing costs associated with the virus.

On May 23, the USDA announced expansion of some programs to include all dairy farmers. Unaffected producers may receive up to $1,500 per premise to develop and implement biosecurity plans based on existing secure milk supply plans. This includes enhanced biosecurity protocols for industry workers frequenting multiple dairy farms. A $100 payment will be provided to dairy farmers who purchase and use an inline sampler for their milking system.

Up to $2,000 per premise will be reimbursed for costs associated with collecting samples for testing performed beginning April 29, in accordance with the Federal Order. The cost to ship samples will be reimbursed as well up to $50 per shipment for two shipments per month.

Information will be forthcoming about compensation available to dairy farmers to offset lost milk production due to the virus.

Dr. Tavis Anderson, a member of the virus and prion research unit with the USDA’s National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, shared in the NMPF webinar about how the virus initially infected dairy cattle and how it is spreading among dairy cattle and into other species.

“Inuenza A virus is relatively short, with just eight gene segments,” Anderson said. “It’s an RNA virus and doesn’t have any proofreading when it replicates, so it can accrue mutations in the genome rapidly. Within an individual animal you can get co-infection, and those two viruses can exchange genetic components. What emerges is a Frankenstein virus in a process known as reassortment and we call that antigenic

shift.”

Anderson explained that a surveillance structure exists for monitoring H5 viruses in other species, and that infrastructure was easily deployed as researchers began trying to unravel how H5N1 found its way into dairy cattle. He said their rst question was whether it was a single spillover.

“Did it come from a person, a pig?” Anderson said. “Was it out there in wild bird origins? Once into dairy cattle, was it multiple times? This is the unknown right now. There is a lot of active research trying to understand if dairy cattle are going to be plugged into the general inuenza ecology or remain an unusual host event.”

Anderson said that all data of anything infected with H5 inuenza over the past four years is being compared to over 220 inuenza viruses isolated in dairy cattle from March through the end of April.

“One of the silver linings here is that it was a single spillover rather than multiple wild bird viruses getting into dairy cattle,” Anderson said. “We were able to date when that happened – approximately the end of December, give or take a couple weeks. That means there was essentially relatively limited local transmission, and (it) sort of bubbled away in dairy cattle for a couple of months, to that time and place where it spread relatively rapidly and was able to be noticed by producers and veterinarians in 2024.”

Anderson said he and his fellow researchers wondered whether there was anything unique about this virus that may have facilitated the interspecies transmission.

“All of the mammalian detections of H5 over the last four years have reected what was circulating in wild birds, with viruses spilling over into mammals, then dead-ending,” Anderson said.

He said this process has happened over 100 times in the last four years, across 20 mammalian species. What was unique in this case he said was that there was a rarely detected virus out there in wild birds that had reassorted and accrued two different gene segments.

“That really rare virus is the one that got into dairy cattle,” Anderson said. “It truly was a very rare event, and it was that reassortment just prior to spillover at the end of 2023 that seems to have changed the phenotype of the virus, prior to it getting into dairy cattle.”

Anderson shared how it went from a single, conrmed case to hundreds.

“Animals are moved in modern agriculture, and unfortunately if they are infected with a virus, that virus is moved as well,” Anderson said. “Animals without any overt clinical symptoms were moved from Texas. That initial movement seeded three distinct epidemiological clusters; within those distinct clusters you can see movement across state boundaries and within locations as well.”

Anderson said concern remains that the virus found in dairy cattle may be evolving into something slightly different from that initial spillover from wild birds. More than 10 transmissions from cattle to other species such as poultry, cats, birds and other peridomestic animals such as raccoons have occurred.

“Additional experimentation is required to understand what is driving that transmission, whether it is people, shared water, food or contaminated surfaces,” Anderson said. “The more virus that is out there, the more probable you are to detect these interspecies transmission events.”

Anderson said that while the virus is moving from cattle to other species, there does not appear to be major changes going on in the virus at this time.

“The longer this persists in dairy cattle, the more potential there is for these types of mutations to emerge, and then sweep through that population,” Anderson said.

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Managing Grain Intake in Pre-weaned Calves

- Dave Lindevig , Dairy Nutritionist Vaccines and Antibiotic Usage in Calves

- Dr. Luke Trapp & Dr. John Borzillo

Profitability in Calf Raising

- Jake Rupert

from our side our side OF THE FENCE THE

What dairy products does your family consume?

Amelia (front, from left) and Mallory; (back, from left) Kim, Gavin and Andy Olson

Lewiston, Minnesota

Winona County

150 cows

What dairy products does your family consume within a week? We go through approximately 4-5 gallons of milk per week, along with 2-3 large tubs of yogurt, 4-5 pounds of shredded cheese, and a variety of cheese sticks, Go-Gurts and ice cream.

What is your favorite meal to make that incorporates dairy products? Lasagna with cheesy garlic bread is always a great comfort food, and the kids love anything with cheese!

What is your favorite dairy product to splurge on? Ice Cream — the kids love to make special ice cream sundaes with sprinkles, chocolate and caramel.

What is one way you help promote dairy products? By using dairy in our everyday life. Whenever we have a family or friend gathering, we always bring dishes made with cheese and make sure we always have white and chocolate milk to share at our parties.

What is a memory you have of enjoying dairy products as a family or from your childhood? One of Jeremy’s favorite memories growing up was the promise of ice cream or Dairy Queen after a long day of picking rocks or making hay. It is something we have tried to carry on with our kids as well. The reward is always that much sweeter when you have really worked for it.

If you had to put together a dairy promotion, what would it be and how would you implement it? We would advertise that dairy comes from loving, caring farms just like ours. We care about our farm and our animals, and we take pride in what we produce. Milk from the stores comes from families just like ours, and we are proud to feed the world.

Tell us about your farm. We are partnered with Jeremy’s parents, Paul and Bonnie Middendorf. The farm has been in the family since 1974. Paul and Bonnie started milking there in 1982 and raised their family along with growing the farm. Jeremy and I moved to the farm in the fall of 2016. We are lucky to be farming alongside Paul and Bonnie and learning from their wisdom and experience. It has been a blessing to be able to raise our children the same way that Jeremy grew up. I love that our children will have the memories and experiences growing up on the farm that will stick with them for their whole lives.

What dairy products does your family consume within a week? We drink a lot of milk. How much we drink in a week depends on if we have cookies in the house to dunk in milk. If we do, then we go through a lot more. We also eat quite a bit of cheese. Andy and Gavin like ice cream, Kim and Mallory like sour cream and Amelia likes yogurt and ker.

What is your favorite meal to make that incorporates dairy products? A favorite meal in our house is a taco skillet made with ground beef, cut-up tortillas, tomato soup, salsa, black beans and a layer of melted cheese on the top. It is best served with shredded lettuce and a big dollop of sour cream on top.

What is your favorite dairy product to splurge on? For a treat, we like to go out for ice cream as a family. We also enjoy ordering cheese curds if we go out to eat.

What is one way you help promote dairy products? We try to talk to consumers when we can and have done the “adopt a classroom” program where we talk with kids about the importance of dairy in their diet.

What is a memory you have of enjoying dairy products as a family or from your childhood? When our kids were younger, we would visit a family in Wisconsin every Fourth of July, and we would stop in Nelson, Wisconsin, and get ice cream cones for breakfast.

If you had to put together a dairy promotion, what would it be and how would you implement it? We used to sell milk to a place that would give the dairy farmers coupons for products from the co-op to hand out to others. I loved this idea and would hand them out in the dairy section at the grocery store. This was a way to connect with the consumers and promote our dairy products. The consumer was able to see exactly who they were supporting by buying that product.

Tell us about your farm. We own and operate Prime Pastures Organic Dairy along with Kim’s parents, Dale and Carmene Pangrac, near Lewiston, Minnesota. Our three children help out too. We use two Lely robotic milking units to milk around 150 cows and Lely Grazeway sort gates to rotationally graze them. We ship our milk to Westby Cooperative Creamery in Westby, Wisconsin.

What dairy products does your family consume within a week? We eat cheese, cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, butter and more cheese!

What is your favorite meal to make that incorporates dairy products? We eat dairy products at every meal and on everything. This includes lots of hamburgers, tacos, haystacks and loaded baked potatoes.

What is your favorite dairy product to splurge on? I like ice cream, and Kevin loves blue cheese.

What is one way you help promote dairy products? We run the Lyon County dairy booth at the Lyon County Fair. We also give out cheese to off-the-farm friends and encourage people to enjoy it.

What is a memory you have of enjoying dairy products as a family or from your childhood? Going out for ice cream whenever possible is an enjoyable memory for the whole family. We all enjoy serving ice cream at the Lyon County Fair.

If you had to put together a dairy promotion, what would it be and how would you implement it? I would like to promote uid milk and the benets thereof. I would go into schools and change cartons to plastic and get whole milk versus fat-free so that everyone can enjoy the great taste and benets of full-fat milk. I would do this along with educating the consumer on the care that American dairy farmers have for their cows.

Tell us about your farm. We milk 150 registered Jersey cows (and a few registered Holsteins) in a 95-cow tiestall barn. We, Kevin and Cari, along with our children, Nathan, 21, who recently graduated as a diesel mechanic from Southeast Technical College, but works as an auto mechanic; Tara, 19, who is studying sonography at Southeast Technical College and works as a transport tech at Avera hospital; Angie, 18, who works as a nanny; along with Erica, 15, and Logan, 13, work on the farm alongside their other professions and are the majority of the workforce. We also have a few part-time employees. We raise all of our replacement heifers and sell our beef crossbred and bull calves at birth. We grow our silage and purchase most of our hay. Our milk goes to Associated Milk Producers Inc.

Ryder (front, from left) and Tate; (back, from left) Hope, Emma, Harper and Jeremy Middendorf Browerville, Minnesota Todd County 70 cows

Kevin and Cari Knapp Larchwood, Iowa Lyon County 150 cows

Jacob (front, from left) and Olivia; (back, from left) Monica, Bradley and Brian Postville, Iowa

Allamakee County

130 cows

What dairy products does your family consume within a week? We consume a lot of dairy products: 8 gallons of milk, 12 1-serving containers of yogurt, 2 pounds of cheese, 8 ounces of sour cream, 48 ounces of cottage cheese, 1 gallon of ice cream and miscellaneous other dairy products.

What is your favorite meal to make that incorporates dairy products? Homemade macaroni and cheese. We basically top all of our meals with cheese. We also love lasagna.

What is your favorite dairy product to splurge on? Ice cream. We love to have ice cream at home, and we like to treat ourselves to ice cream from WW Homestead Dairy in Waukon, Iowa.

What is one way you help promote dairy products? I love sharing our story online. I recently started a Facebook page and have been sharing our farm on there and on my personal page. It is important to share our story with others to show others how we care for the land and the animals. I also share our favorite dairy products and recipes as well as tips and facts about farming. It is my hope to connect others a little better

Anna

Stearns County 70 Cows

What dairy products does your family consume within a week? We consume approximately 10 gallons of milk per week for cooking and drinking, 2-3 pounds of butter for baking and eating, 1 pound of cheese and a 1/2-gallon of ice cream or yogurt.

What is your favorite meal to make that incorporates dairy products? Homemade mufns and milk for breakfast.

What is your favorite dairy product to splurge on? Ice cream.

What is one way you help promote dairy products? We serve milk at every family meal gathering.

What is a memory you have of enjoying dairy products as a family or from your childhood? Going to Hemker Zoo and getting ice cream afterwards at Oak Station in Freeport, Minnesota.

If you had to put together a dairy promotion, what would it be and how would you implement it? A newspaper ad with Holstein, Jersey, Brown Swiss, Guernsey and Ayrshire cows drinking milk.

Tell us about your farm. We’re a third-generation family farm. Everyone is involved in some way or another. We milk 70 cows in a tiestall barn and raise all our replacement heifers. We graze and grow all our feed on 300 acres. Our milk is shipped through Green Acres Organic Coop. We also have a variety of other animals for the kids.

with their food and give people a place to ask questions and learn more about where their food comes from.

What is a memory you have of enjoying dairy products as a family or from your childhood? Monica: I will forever remember the days of promoting the dairy industry as a patron of Wisconsin Dairies. My family and a few others spent many summer parades promoting the dairy industry, handing out cheese sticks. We got to have the rst of the cheese sticks and had a ton of fun doing it. Many times, after parades, we got to enjoy an ice cream treat for our hard work. As a family, we like to support the dairy stands at fairs and the state fair. We like to see what products they are offering and what kind of ice cream they sell.

If you had to put together a dairy promotion, what would it be and how would you implement it? One thing we are working on in our county this year is sharing more about the dairy farmers in our county. On Facebook, you can nd Allamakee County Dairy Royalty and Dairy Promotion. Our princess will be sharing stories from dairy farmers to introduce dairy farmers to others in our area. It is our hope that these stories will not only reach our county but far beyond to show anyone who sees it the hard work dairy farmers are doing to get them a good, quality product.

Tell us about your farm. Enyart Dairy is a fourth-generation farm owned and operated by Brian and Monica Enyart of Postville, Iowa. We have been farming together for the past 18 years and were both raised on dairy farms in Allamakee County. We have three children, Olivia, Bradley and Jacob, who are active and help regularly on the farm. We milk 130 cows and raise all replacement heifers on the farm. We also farm approximately 750 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa, allowing us to raise all our feed. We have a double-8 parallel parlor with a 130-cow freestall barn. We ship our milk to Wapsie Valley Creamery Inc. where it is made into cheese and sold privately to companies.

Krysten (front, from left), Maija, Claire and Lauren; (back, from left) Avery, Jamin, Callie and Gina Aho Frazee, Minnesota Becker County 500 cows

What dairy products does your family consume within a week? We usually drink around 6-7 gallons of milk along with homemade yogurt — a gallon a week if I had it. We also eat lots of cheese and butter.

What is your favorite meal to make that incorporates dairy products? Breakfast. I make a big breakfast every morning that usually includes milk and cheese. We eat cereal with milk or yogurt every morning. I make pancakes or wafes or pannukakku (Finnish pancake) every Saturday morning.

What is your favorite dairy product to splurge on? We love to go out for ice cream.

What is one way you help promote dairy products? I use them to make goodies and food for myself and others. I always recommend Bongards cheese to others in the area.

What is a memory you have of enjoying dairy products as a family or from your childhood? While growing up, we used to go out and get hard ice cream as a family. Good memories.

If you had to put together a dairy promotion, what would it be and how would you implement it? It would include something about how food and people create memories that last a lifetime.

Tell us about your farm. We are in a partnership on a 500-cow dairy. We have around nine employees along with our own children who milk on the farm. We milk twice a day in a double-12 parlor. We sell our milk to Lakes Area Cooperative who then sells it to Bongards to be made into cheese. We also raise our own feed for the cows. We are the fourth generation on this farm.

(front); (middle, from left) Irene, Henry, Marie, John; (back, from left) Irvin, Becky and Josh Wolbeck Sauk Centre, Minnesota

Describe your farm and facilities. We have a double-4 step-up parlor. Our farm is run by me and my wife, Michelle; our three kids, Jacob, Libby and Zander; my parents, Leonard and Rose Hoen; and a hired hand.

What forages do you harvest? We harvest haylage, corn silage and oatlage.

How many acres of crops do you raise? We have about 600 acres of cropland — about 55 acres of alfalfa, 30-35 acres of silage corn, 10 acres of oats, and the rest is planted to soybeans or grain corn.

Describe the rations for your livestock. We have a total mixed ration and do about 50-50 corn silage and haylage. We add a custom blend from the local feed mill and an on-farm blend that includes corn, cottonseed, soybean meal, extruded meal, whole soybeans and fat. We also have oatlage that I will feed as a ller with either third- or fourth-crop haylage. It seems to work well.

FORAGE PROFILE

What quality and quantity do you harvest of each crop? We try to cut our alfalfa at 28 days for each crop. Sometimes it differs, depending on the weather we are having during that time. We watch the elds for buds, and by the time I am cutting, about half the eld is at budding stage. We try to harvest our haylage at 60% moisture since we have a dryer silage. For our silage, we chop it at about 58% moisture. Since it is going in a silo, we don’t want it to be too wet.

Describe your harvesting techniques for alfalfa and corn silage. All of the alfalfa gets cut with a disk mower, and the following day it will get chopped. I start out by laying the rows at 13-feet wide and slowly lay them tighter as I am cutting to help hold some of the moisture in. I try to emphasis the moisture because it helps so much in the TMR mixer and the feed bunk. We harvest our haylage with a New Holland 230 pull-type chopper, and we usually use three chopper boxes. Everything will get cut at a 3/4-inch length. The

silage will also go through a processor that we added about 15 years ago. We were able to nish our rst-crop haylage on May 30.

What techniques do you use to store, manage and feed your forages. All of our haylage and oatlage goes in a bag. We end up lling four 9by 250-foot bags. We lay our bags north and south, which lets us open the bags on the north side during the summer to limit sun exposure. I try to only have one bag open at a time, especially during the summertime, while managing the length of it so that the wind doesn’t get underneath it, and I will have tires with strings on them to hold the seams down to prevent air from getting underneath. Our silage goes into two 18- by 65-foot silos, which can hold around 300 to 320 tons each.

Steve Hoen, Norwood, Minnesota | Carver County | 80 cows

GRACE JEURISSEN/DAIRY STAR

Steve Hoen stands in front of the tractor he uses for chopping forages June 4 near Cologne, Minnesota. Hoen milks 80 cows on his farm

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“We love Udder Comfort™ for fresh cows. We’ve been using it for 15 years. It’s the only one that works to get swelling down fast and make cows comfortable so they do better,” says Jill Wiser, dairy manager and partner in her family’s Pleasant Valley Jerseys, Chambersburg, Pa., a grazing dairy milking 300 reg. Jerseys.

“We spray fresh udders 2x/day for 5 days with Udder Comfort. We don’t do intramammary treatments while in the milking period but dry treat a few. If we get flareups, we use this, and in most cases, they clear within a week,” she explains, noting they “very much enjoyed the convenience, ease and coverage” having the Udder Comfort Battery-Operated Backpack Sprayer to do large groups of fresh cows this spring.

“Fresh group applications went so much quicker. We can have 30 cows done in under 5 minutes! It really shortened the application process for us.”

— Jill Wiser

How does quality forages play in the production goals for your herd? Milk production is probably our biggest goal. Having quality forages is denitely one of our top three goals. We have noticed a difference as we have been making changes to our forages.

What are management or harvesting techniques you have changed that has made a notable difference in forage quality? We added a kernel processor about 15 years ago and switched to a TMR about 18 years ago, which has certainly helped with labor and cow health. We stopped feeding dry hay in our rations and created a tighter cutting window within the last ve years. This has made a difference across the board. It helps in the bunk with more moisture, so they don’t sort it. Milk production has gone up, and feed costs are more manageable. We have also noticed that it mixes faster since we don’t have to process the dry hay and mix it in. We also put on a granular inoculant at the bagger and the blower. I have found it helps to put extension hoses on the applicator so that the wind doesn’t blow the inoculant everywhere.

JEURISSEN/DAIRY STAR

A freshly lled bag rests June 4 at Steve Hoen’s farm near Cologne, Minnesota. Hoen stores his forages in silos and bags.

Describe a challenge you overcame in reaching your forage quality goals. Having a different cutting schedule and not baling any of it. We weren’t getting timely cuts. Now we have put more of an emphasis on it, and we can see the difference it is making.

GRACE JEURISSEN/DAIRY STAR

Steve Hoen holds haylage June 4 near Cologne, Minnesota. Hoen feeds haylage in his dairy’s ra on.

GRACE

EQUIPPED TO DO MORE

Contact one of the following dealers to learn more:

IOWA

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WISCONSIN

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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 608-635-0268

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

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Forging her own path in dairy Corona named nalist for Princess Kay

By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — Selena Corona dreamt about being a dairy princess when she was young, but she did not think she met the qualications because she did not grow up on a dairy farm.

That all changed last year when Corona read that the program now accepted those who worked on a dairy farm even if they did not live on one. This set Corona on a mission at the age of 21 to become a dairy princess and a nalist for Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

“It sparked my interest again, and I thought, ‘Hey, I can do this,’” Corona said. “I decided to reach out to my (high school) FFA advisor to see if he knew anyone who would need help with milking or give me the opportunity to work on their farm.”

Today, Corona is a Stearns County dairy princess and one of the 10 young women named as a nalist in the Princess Kay competition. A graduate of Albany Area High School and resident of St. Joseph, she is the daughter of Kelly Corona and Ross Lemke and Steve Corona.

Corona recently completed her junior year at the University of Minnesota where she is pursuing majors in animal science and agricultural communications and marketing. She is also considering becoming a veterinarian down the road.

“I’m leaning towards going into the marketing side for starting a career,” Corona said. “It’s kind of a bit of a life challenge because (vet school) is a lot of school and a lot of money.”

Corona said her appreciation of cows and the dairy industry came through a variety of ways and grew quickly.

“Many of my extended family had dairy farms, and I was always interested in dairy,” Corona said. “A lot of my friends were involved in dairy judging and showing through 4-H, and that made me even more interested. I didn’t realize that I could have joined 4-H as a teenager in high school, so I did not, but I was involved in helping some of my friends on their farms or just going to their shows, and then I eventually learned how to milk cows on my friends’ farms.”

When Corona entered high school, she joined FFA and soon served as an ofcer for her school’s chapter and later at the

for Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

regional level. She also began shadowing veterinarians, mostly through Lake Country Vet in Albany, to gain experience with large animals. She continued shadowing veterinarians until last year.

“During my vet shadows is

when I really fell in love with (dairy animals),” Corona said.

“Some of the vets let me do things like pregnancy checks on cows, and I got to meet so many farmers and see different operations and how they ran. I enjoyed

being able to interact with farmers and their cows and being able to share with other people how much these farmers really do care for their cows and their operation as well as how much hard work they put in.”

Corona nally was able to show animals herself for the rst time during college.

“We have a livestock show (Minnesota Royal) once a year at the U of M’s St. Paul campus,” Corona said. “I did get to show dairy heifers there three years in a row.”

She also pursued a job as a veterinary technician.

“I work at a vet clinic in the Twin Cities, and I love it,” Corona said. “I work with small animals there, so I’ve had a little bit of experience with everything.”

That experience now includes ofcially working on dairy farms with different setups.

“I worked on a robotic dairy, Groetsch Dairy by Albany, for a few months and gained some experience, and now I work for Randy Schmitt near St. Martin, on his dairy farm with a parlor and about 43 cows,” Corona said. “I love it. It’s really fun.”

With dairy farm employment on her resume, Corona ran for and became a Stearns County dairy princess and entered the competition to become a nalist for Princess Kay. The nalists were announced online May 12.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Selena Corona stands at the halter of her show heifer in April 2023 at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, Minnesota. Corona is one of the 10 nalists

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(from le ) and Selena, Ashley and Kelly Corona gather March 9 during a dairy princess banquet in Freeport, Minnesota. As a nalist for Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Corona will par cipate in events which will culminate with the crowning of Princess Kay at this summer’s Minnesota State Fair.

“We found out on Mother’s Day at about 2 p.m.,” Corona said. “I was overcome with nervousness for the entire day until the announcement because I had put so much work into it and I really care about it.”

Using her phone, Corona mirrored the website to her family’s television so that her parents and boyfriend could watch with her as the nalists’ names were announced.

“They had gotten to the ninth nalist, and I thought, ‘Oh no, I didn’t get it,”’ Corona said. “Then, I was number 10. It was such a relief and so exciting, and I think I shouted a little bit. It’s a dream come true. I never thought I’d be able to be graced with this, and it feels like a lot of hard work has paid off.”

As a nalist, Corona said she is look-

ing forward to the events ahead.

“I am excited about getting close with the other nine individuals who are Princess Kay nalists,” Corona said. “I am also excited to get a butterhead. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to part with that thing because it’s so cool to have a block of butter with your face in it.”

If she were named Princess Kay of the Milky Way at the Minnesota State Fair in August, Corona said she would appreciate the opportunities the role would bring.

“I would be overjoyed to be Princess Kay, and I would want to interact at as many events as I could,” Corona said. “I would stress to people that, even if you didn’t grow up on a farm, you can still be a great advocate for the dairy community. There are options to get into it.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Ross Lemke

Continuing the dairy tradition

Woitalla looks towards future as a Princess Kay contender

By Hailey Hokanson Staff Intern

HOLDINGFORD, Minn. — Growing up as a third-generation dairy farmer, Grace Woitalla is no stranger to the importance of keeping the tradition of farming going.

“Dairy has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” Woitalla said. “From playing with calves with my sister to helping on the farm every day with various things, it’s always been there.”

Woitalla, the daughter of Keith and Patty Woitalla, has represented Stearns County as a dairy princess for three years. But now she said she is ready to take on a new role as a nalist for Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

A graduate of Holdingford High School and a current student at Ridgewater College in Willmar, Woitalla enjoys helping on her family’s farm near Holdingford with tasks such as milking, mixing feed, feeding calves and assisting with eldwork. She said she especially enjoys tidying up the barn.

“My favorite chore would be cleaning barns because I like to do it in a specic way to keep the cows clean and comfortable,” she said. “My family does a great job of it, but I just feel like I do it one step better because of how repetitive it is.”

Her family’s farm is owned by her father and her uncle, Kurt Woitalla. The family milks 125 Holsteins in a tiestall barn that has been in the family for three generations. Woitalla’s strong connection

Grace Woitalla sits with her cows May 29 on her family’s farm near Holdingford, Minnesota. Woitalla is a third-genera on dairy farmer and one of the 10 nalists for Princess Kay of the Milky Way.

to the farm was forged through her family’s support.

“My dad and my grandpa were denitely my biggest supporters,” Woitalla said. “My grandpa taught me a lot of what I know, and even though he is no longer with us, I still like to come and honor what he started so long ago in 1969.”

Woitalla plans to come back to the farm after college.

‘‘I’m double majoring in ag business and precision agriculture and with those two degrees, my goal is to come back to the family farm and continue helping while also doing agronomy, sales and ser-

vice and seed sales on the side,” she said. Woitalla said getting involved in FFA in high school, being secretary of the Professional Agriculture Students Club at college and participating in competitions through both organizations has also helped her prepare for her future career on the farm.

As Woitalla waits to pursue her next steps, she has bigger things to focus on, or rather, a bigger title.

“Last year we had a big watch party with all of my family around and I didn’t get it, so I didn’t want to be disappointed again,” she said. “We were just going to have our little family watch it, but slowly everybody started to follow us.”

With everyone’s eyes on the video, Woitalla said she felt herself getting discouraged, thinking maybe her getting picked just wasn’t meant to be. But nally, she heard a familiar introduction.

“I was sitting in a rocking chair, and all of a sudden, I heard the rst words of my bio from the May event,” Woitalla said. “I jumped up and said ‘Mom that’s mine’ and she told me to wait until my name was called.”

Eventually, the name Grace Woitalla was announced which led to excitement around the room. But for Woitalla, she said it was time to start focusing on her goals as a nalist.

“My biggest goal is to advocate for dairy farms big and small,” she said. “Whether it’s a small one like mine or a larger family farm that has robots or different types of milking systems, farming is different all throughout the state, so I want to be able to recognize that and act on it.”

Woitalla plans to do this by talking with different age groups, from elementary students to nursing homes.

“I like reaching out to younger kids because they’re so interested in everything in life, and they always ask the best questions,” Woitalla said. “If I can get them excited about dairy farming, or including dairy in their food, then maybe they’ll start to think more about how dairy impacts their life.”

Woitalla initially ran for Princess Kay in 2023, but was not chosen as one of the 10 nalists. Woitalla said she took this as a learning opportunity to prepare herself to run again.

“Not getting it last year was disappointing, (but) it was still helpful because I was able to go through the judging process and know what to expect,” Woitalla said. “Last year, just sitting there watching the video waiting for my name, I realized that there are 30 plus girls out there with the same passion as me who are good at what they do. Even if I didn’t get it, someone was going to do an excellent job.”

Just a year later, Woitalla was in the same position, but this time with different results. Woitalla was celebrating Mother’s Day at her grandma’s house when the video aired. While the plan was to watch it with just her mom, dad and sister, the excitement led to the whole family joining.

Woitalla especially likes playing trivia with kids because it leads to them asking more questions which keeps them involved. In addition to educating the younger generation, she said she recognizes the importance of learning from the generations before her.

“I love getting to talk to older people about ways they farmed versus how I farm today,” she said. “It’s cool to nd the differences in our ways.”

As she continues her journey as a Princess Kay nalist, she’s excited to bring her dairy journey together to express the importance of incorporating dairy into everyday life.

“I want to be able to share my dairy story,” she said. “Farming is getting smaller and smaller, so if I’m able to inspire one person to pick up a glass of milk or support a farmer who might be having a hard time, then I know I’ve made a difference.”

HAILEY HOKANSON/DAIRY STAR

HAILEY HOKANSON/DAIRY STAR

Grace Woitalla stands near her family’s farm sign May 29 on her family’s farm near Holdingford, Minnesota. The Woitalla family milks 125 Holsteins in a estall barn.

Dairy Fest continues to grow

annual South Dakota Dairy Fest June 1 on their 1,500-cow dairy.

Record crowds attend event

By Jerry Nelson jerry.n@dairystar.com

VOLGA, S.D. — The 11th annual South Dakota Dairy Fest was held May 30 – June 1 at locations in Brookings and Volga.

The event kicked off the evening of May 30 with the Got Milk Gala at the Dakotah Bank Center in Brookings. Michelle Rook of Farm Journal emceed the program. Michelle Miller, aka “The Farm Babe,” entertained the gathering with her humorous takes on farm life.

Gala goers were treated to a vecourse, gourmet meal that included dairy products in each dish.

An enduring feature of Dairy Fest is the Picowsa art contest. Schoolchildren from across the Midwest submitted paintings that illustrated dairy farming or dairy products.

“We received 34 submissions this year, which is the most we’ve ever had,” said Suzanne Souza, Picowsa art contest coordinator. “The quality of the artwork has really improved. Our young people should be very proud of their work.”

The paintings were sold at a silent auction. Many of the winning bidders will not take possession of their paintings for a few months, which will enable the artists to enter their masterpieces in their local county fairs.

The Dairy Fest’s Day on the Farm was held June 1 at Old Tree Farms located near Volga. Old Tree Farms is operated by Frido and Sonja Verpaalen. The Verpaalens have four children: Francine, Jolein, Luka and Sem.

The Verpaalen family moved from the Netherlands to South Dakota in 2001. By April 2002, they were milking in the new facility that they had constructed on a bare piece of land. The Verpaalens milk about 1,500 head and raise replacement heifers up to 6

months of age. The heifers are then sent to a heifer grower in Nebraska.

Outstanding springtime weather brought throngs of visitors to Old Tree Farms. Among them were Ashley Park and her children, Ayla, Ace and Adyth, who live in rural Brookings. The Park family stopped to watch a cheesemaking demonstration that was being conducted by Cheyenne Edmundson, recruitment coordinator for South Dakota State University’s Department of Dairy and Food Science.

“Ace enjoys watching farm videos, and this is his rst visit to a dairy farm,” Ashley Park said. “He just loves seeing all the cows and the calves in person.”

After playing a key part in the Got Milk Gala the night before, Rook, who grew up on a small South Dakota dairy farm, also attended the Day on the Farm. She said she appreciates the consumer outreach at the event.

“Anytime you can get consumers on a farm it’s a win,” said Rook “This is a great event for the dairy industry.”

Dairy Fest visitors were treated to free grilled cheese sandwiches and South Dakota State University ice cream. Cheese sticks and mini Babybel cheese wheels were also available.

Heidi Zwinger, a member of the Dairy Fest board of directors, was stationed near a pen of calves where she talked about calf care.

“This is the only way for people to get a real sense of a dairy farm,” Zwinger said. “They get to experience the sights and the smells and the textures of a dairy. For many kids, this is the rst time that they get to touch a calf.”

Denver Stage, production supervisor at the Bel Brands USA Inc. cheese plant in Brookings, has been involved with Dairy Fest since he was a dairy manufacturing student at SDSU. He explained to visitors how the milking parlor at Old Tree Farms works.

“This is an awesome event,” Stage said. “It’s a great opportunity for consumers to see where their milk comes from.”

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

Sonja and Frido Verpaalen stand June 1 near the farm sign on Old Tree Farms near Volga, South Dakota. The Verpaalens hosted the 11th

Darrel Rennich is chairman of the Dairy Fest board of directors.

“This is the busiest Dairy Fest I have ever seen,” Rennich said. “The event just continues to grow. More and more consumers want to see where their food comes from. Old Tree Farms has been a great host and a great example of a good dairy farm. We are excited for the opportunity for people to visit an active dairy farm where they get to see the cows lying on their comfy beds and the baby calves in their hutches.”

Rennich estimated about 1,500 people attended the 2024 Dairy Fest.

“I chatted with several people who drove up from Sioux Falls,” Rennich said. “I even talked to someone who

drove here from three hours away. We ran short of grilled cheese sandwiches and ice cream and had to get more. It was great to see all the young families with kids in strollers.”

This is the second time that Old Tree Farms has hosted Dairy Fest.

“We are trying to keep the gap between the consumers and the farmers as small as possible,” Sonja Verpaalen said. “Make it a fun day and give people free food and they will show up.”

Frido Verpaalen agreed.

“We received lots of positive comments,” Frido said. “There were a lot of kids who wanted to see the baby calves. We hope that they went home with good memories of their visit to our farm.”

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

Heidi Zwinger describes the ingredients of calf starter to a group of children June 1 at Dairy Fest hosted by Old Tree Farms near Volga, South Dakota. The event welcomed 1,500 visitors.

JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR

Denver Stage, explains milking parlor opera ons at Old Tree Farms June 1 during Dairy Fest hosted by Old Tree Farms near Volga, South Dakota. Stage has been involved with Dairy Fest since he was a student at South Dakota State University.

Earned sick, safe time

As of Jan. 1, there was a new law in effect in Minnesota for those with employees. The law is earned sick and safe time, which is essentially mandatory paid time-off offered to employees. Small businesses are not exempt from this legislation. Farms with employees need to abide by these rules. The rationale for this law is to provide employees with time off for their own mental or physical illness, caring for a family member or absence due to at-home safety concerns such as domestic abuse.

By Nathan J. Hulinsky University of Minnesota

Employees who work at least 80 hours per year need to be provided with PTO for sick and safe time. This can be used for the employees to take care of themselves or family members or other requests. Eighty hours of work per year is not a lot of hours. Almost all of a farm’s full- or

part-time employees would qualify for this and, as a result, need ESST. Independent contractors do not qualify. An employer can require employees to provide up to seven days of advanced notice. When possible, the employer can also require the employees to provide documentation for their reason of use if it is more than three consecutive days. Keep in mind that it can be complicated to ask an employee why they want to take time off or to ask them for proof that they were sick.

Hiring employees can be challenging on the farm, especially with a low unemployment rate. The Minnesota unemployment rate was 2.7% in March. Your farm’s current PTO leave policy may already fully or partially meet these requirements. Per ESST, employees must accrue one hour of ESST for every 30 hours

worked. Having more PTO for employees may be a nice benet to help recruit employees, and this can increase your farm’s competitiveness in the job market.

Make sure your farm complies with these laws. I know they may be burdensome, but it is the law. More PTO options may be a benet that your employees appreciate, and it may cause them to stay with you longer.

From the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry:

— Sick and safe time is paid leave employers must provide to employees in Minnesota that can be used for certain reasons, including when an employee is sick, to care for a sick family member or to seek assistance if an employee or their family member has experienced domestic abuse.

— Employers must provide each employee in Minnesota with at least one hour of paid sick and safe time

for every 30 hours worked, up to at least 48 hours of accrued ESST a year.

— A year means any consecutive 12-month period as determined by an employer and clearly communicated to the employee. Calendar year, tax year or scal year, based on the employee’s start date will all work.

— ESST can be used for an employee’s mental or physical illness or the treatment or preventive care.

— ESST can be used for mental or physical illness or the treatment or preventive care of an employee’s family member.

There are a few options for employers on employees accruing the hours of ESST. Employers may choose whether hours will accrue each pay period or be frontloaded at the start of each year. Employers can also frontload the ESST by giving the employee either 48 or 80 hours at the start of the year.

Dana Adams adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968

Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610

Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130

Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184

Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391

Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277

Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711

Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104

Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334

Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863

Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109

Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435

Isaac Salfer ijsalfer@umn.edu 320-296-1357

Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093

Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205

Melissa Wilson mlw@umn.edu 612-625-4276

Isaac Haagen hagge041@umn.edu 612-624-7455

Michael Boland boland@umn.edu 612-625-3013

Sabrina Florentino slpore@umn.edu 507-441-1765

Heat stress depends on more than THI

By Erin Cortus and Kevin Janni University of Minnesota

The temperature-humidity index is a common environmental indicator used to assess how much heat stress lactating cows are experiencing. THI depends on air dry-bulb temperature and relative humidity, or dew-point temperature. One heat stress threshold, based on THI, recommends cow cooling be used whenever the daily minimum THI is 65 regularly or the average THI value is 68 or higher for 17 hours or more per day. At this stress threshold level, cows producing 77 pounds per day begin to have milk yield losses of 4.8 pounds per day. Respiration rates can also be used to indicate heat stress levels for individual cows. Respiration rates above 60 breaths per minute correspond to the heat stress threshold when cooling is recommended.

The greatest heat stress can occur when multiple factors contribute to the overall heat stress. For example, total heat stress is greater for a highproducing cow in the sun on a hot and humid day. Since THI does not include all important factors that impact the heat stress cows experience, a spreadsheet model was developed at the University of Minnesota. The model describes how lactating cows lose heat to their surroundings by respiration, sweating, radiant heat exchange and convection. The model also describes the solar heat gain that cows experience when in the sun. The model can be used to evaluate combinations of conditions that are hard to capture with eld measurements.

Consider three 1,300-pound cows with 50:50

black and white coats. “LOWla” has a daily milk yield of 66 pounds per day, “MEDina” has a daily milk yield of 88 pounds per day, and “HIGHdi” has a daily milk yield of 105 pounds per day. The spreadsheet model helps explore the onset of heat stress conditions for these three cows under solar loads and air speed conditions.

The solar load, or amount of incident radiation that cows absorb, depends on location (e.g., latitude), time of day, time of year, hair coat color (e.g., black versus white) and sky cloudiness. At 46°N latitude, just north of St. Cloud, Minnesota, on June 21, at solar noon, the incident solar radiation on a horizontal surface on a clear day is around 292 Btu/ hr – ft2. The incident solar radiation at 46°N latitude exceeds 200 Btu/hr – ft2 more than six hours a day from May through July.

If MEDina is exposed to a solar load of 292 Btu/hr-ft2 and an air speed of 2 mph, she begins to have respiration rates greater than 60 bpm and crosses the heat stress threshold when the air temperature is greater than 51 degrees and the THI value is 51 or greater. If the sky is cloudy or it is early morning and the solar load is half the peak value, 146 Btu/hr-ft2, MEDina’s threshold stress level is crossed at temperatures above 65 degrees and THI values greater than 62. In a barn with no solar load, MEDina’s threshold stress level is not achieved until temperatures are above 80 degrees and the THI is 72 or higher. Sunshine adds tremendously to heat stress.

Numerous studies have documented that wellfed, highly productive cows generate more metabolic heat and are more susceptible to heat stress

than low-producing cows. Picture all three cows in a barn where the air speed at cow level is 2 mph. HIGHdi will pass the heat stress threshold with a respiration rate greater than 60 bpm when the air temperature is 71 degrees and the THI is 68 or higher. MEDina’s heat stress threshold is crossed when the air temperature is above 80 degrees and the THI value is 72. LOWla does not cross the heat stress threshold until the air temperature is 88 degrees or higher and the THI is 78 or higher. High-producing cows experience heat stress at much lower temperatures. LOWla, MEDina and HIGHdi coexist in a barn, so conditions that meet the needs of MEDina will not be enough for HIGHdi.

Mixing fans are commonly used to increase the air speed past cows to help reduce heat stress. Recall that HIGHdi crosses the heat stress threshold at 71 degrees and a THI of 68 or higher when the air speed is 2 mph. If the air speed at cow level is increased to 4 mph, the heat stress threshold is crossed at 77 degrees and a THI of 70 or higher. At an air speed of 6 mph, the heat stress threshold is crossed at 80 degrees and THI of 72 or higher. There are diminishing returns for higher air speeds, so judicious use and placement of mixing fans is recommended over simply opting for higher-speed fans.

THI is a useful indicator of heat stress. However, cows without shade and high-producing cows will begin to experience heat stress at much lower temperatures and THI values. Increasing air speed at cow level helps cows deal with heat stress, but the impact decreases at higher air speeds.

DrumUpSomeBusiness-ADVERTISE!

Walking sustains retired dairy farmer

Ritter t at 91

By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com

AVON, Minn. — When asked what his favorite chore has been throughout 91 years of living on his family’s dairy farm near Avon, Alfred Ritter chose an unlikely one.

“My favorite chore was picking rocks because then I could be all alone and nobody would bother me,” Alfred said. “I always think (picking rocks) can keep you in shape with the bending down and picking up.”

Alfred picked rocks until he was 85 years old.

“I think if somebody else drove the tractor, and I would be out in the eld, I could still pick,” he said.

However, Alfred no longer needs to pick rocks to stay t. His passion for walking takes care of that. The shortest walk he takes each day is half a mile, from the house he shares with his wife, Adeline, to the tiestall barn on the farm. There he helps his sons, Glen and Mike, who operate the 385-acre farm as the fourth generation. They milk a herd of 80 cows and grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa. Alfred helps his sons every morning.

“I scrape the aisles, help straw the calf pens and all kinds of stuff,” Alfred said.

For most 91-year-olds, such work each day would be a feat unto itself, but for nearly 20 years, Alfred has participated in several 5K races each year, choosing to walk instead of run. Most

of those races have taken place during festivals in area towns, but Alfred has completed seven 5K races at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth. “I already signed up for this year,” Alfred said.

When he was 85, Alfred completed all 13 miles of Grandma’s half mara-

thon. Alfred keeps in shape for races by going on long walks every day.

“I walked this morning already,” Alfred said. “I walked three miles.”

Three miles is a short walk for Alfred. He often walks for several hours such as during excursions on foot from his farm to the towns of St. Anna,13 miles away, St. Martin, 16 miles, and Cold Spring, 18 miles. Often, his daughter accompanies him on longer walks and 5K races.

Turn to RITTER | Page 33

pinecountrybank.com

TIFFANY KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Mike (from le ), Adeline, Alfred and Glen Ri er gather May 29 at their family farm near Avon, Minnesota. At 91 years of age, Alfred comes to the farm every day to help his sons with various chores.

Adeline, his wife of 67 years, said Alfred began taking long walks when his sons took over the farm.

“When he quit milking at 65, he started walking around the elds,” Adeline said. “He didn’t walk on the roads then.”

Alfred agreed.

“I got rid of the (farming) troubles,” he said. “I think that’s why I went walking. I was so glad everything was over — and walking was fun.”

The 5K races came a few years later.

“It took quite a while before I had the courage to go,” Alfred said.

When the Ritters handed over the reins of the farm to their sons Glen and Mike, after having farming together from the time they married in 1957 and also raising seven children, Alfred and Adeline found themselves with more time for other things . Besides Alfred’s walking, the couple nally took their rst vacations, one to Alaska to visit a daughter and the other to California to visit Alfred’s brother.

Alfred and Adeline have also found more time to reminisce about their farm — homesteaded by Alfred’s grandfather in 1879 —and how much farming has changed over the years. Alfred’s family was using horses to farm when he was rst old enough to help, and prices for farms and equipment were signicantly lower.

“My brother-in-law bought a farm near Avon, and it was $8,000 for the cattle and everything,” Alfred said. “My broth-

er’s farm was also $8,000. A bigger farm around there went for $14,000, and my other brother’s farm was $16,000. I spent more to build my barn than it cost for all those farms together.”

The barn he built in 1978 cost about $100,000.

Adeline remembered a time when the old barn they once had needed a new roof and was temporarily covered in plastic.

“It rained hard and leaked through and lled the gutters,

so we had to take 5-gallon pails, bail out the gutters and dump it out of the east windows,”

Adeline said. “I remember a salesman came by and said, ‘If I had to bail in there, those cows would be in St. Paul (at the stockyard).’ I said, ‘We just got them paid for, so they are going to stay here.’”

It was a time when farmers did not make upgrades or purchases unless they had most, if not all, of the cash in hand.

“We had the old (Interna-

Thank you Dairy Farmers!

During Dairy Month, we’d like to thank the men and women of our dairy industry for their hard work and commitment to

and

We appreciate all that you bring to the table!

Glen said.

The Ritters said they appreciate keeping the old tractors running and in the family.

“We still have the old Farmall that my father bought,” Alfred said. “I think that was $1,200.”

The tractor, an International Harvester Farmall M, was purchased brand new by Alfred’s father in 1951 and was restored by Glen’s son, Cole, around ve years ago. Today, it is mostly used to run the feed grinder.

“We didn’t have everything that they have nowadays, but we had enough,” Alfred said. “We never worried about money. We’ve had a good life.”

Like the old tractors on his family’s farm, Alfred keeps on going. He said he does not see his walking exploits or helping on the farm at his advanced age as being anything remarkable.

“What else am I going to do?” he said. “It’s something to do. It gets me off the couch and gets me to work.”

tional Harvesters and Massey Fergusons), not the big tractors we have now,” Adeline said.

“Years ago, it was different with buying stuff because there wasn’t the credit they have out there now. We never really bought anything until we knew we could pay for it.”

The rst big tractor Alfred and Adeline bought cost $39,000 in the late 1980s. Glen said they still use it on the farm.

“It now has 17,000 hours on it, but it is in good shape,”

Plus, physical activity ts into his dad’s motto for living, Glen said.

“(Dad) would always say, ‘As long as you can work and eat, you’ll be good,’” he said.

Alfred also credited his mother for giving him that philosophy.

“My mother always said, ‘Hard work would never kill you,’” Alfred said. “’It’s that other stuff that will get you.’”

Tiffany Klaphake contributed to this article.

TIFFANY KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Alfred Ri er stands by an Interna onal Harvester Farmall M May 29 at the Ri er family farm near Avon, Minnesota. The tractor was purchased brand new by Ri er’s father in 1951 and was restored by Ri er’s grandson.

Celebrate JUNE DAIRY MONTH

with events across Minnesota & Iowa

June 15

Redhead Creamery LLC Sixth Annual Curd Fest: Jer-Lindy Farms is hosting Curd Fest from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attendees will be able to take a walk, see robotic milkers and listen to live music. Food and drink vendors will be on the premises. There will also be a hand milking competition, food shelf drive, farm scavenger hunt, distillery tours and cheese sampling in their shop. This event is located at 31535 463 Ave., Brooten, Minnesota.

June 22

Minnesota Olmsted County Breakfast on the Farm: North Creek Dairy is hosting this year’s breakfast on the farm from 6:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The menu includes pancakes, sausage, cheese, milk, juice, coffee and ice cream. Attendees will be able to talk to the Hoffman family, dairy nutritionists and veterinarians. Olmsted County Dairy Princesses will also be in attendance. Participants can look at machinery, play in a bouncy house, enjoy face painting and more. This event is located at 9500 Highway 30 SE, Chateld, Minnesota.

Perfect Swath Density!

Northeast Iowa Dairy & Agriculture Foundation 13th Annual Breakfast: Iowa’s Dairy Center will be serving breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon. The menu for this event will be Dad’s Belgian Wafes, sausage, milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream. All the dairy products are locally produced and processed. There will also be many activities including guided tram tours around the farm, hand milking a cow, petting zoo, story time with the dairy princess, cow inatables, corn pools and educational exhibits. The location of this event is 1527 Highway 150, Calmar, Iowa.

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The month of May was a busy one

We were always told that April showers bring May owers. Well, in my opinion, something must have gotten lost in translation because it seems like a lot of showers this May did not bring many owers. From what I have seen on my travels this month, it seems like this is true all over Minnesota.

By Emma Kuball

May has been a busy month but also a very fun month. I have ofcially moved back from college onto the farm for the summer. This is not only good for me to be able to spend some quality time working on the farm with my family, but it also gives me the opportunity to really focus on my Princess Kay opportunities. I am excited to share with you all that I was able to do the month of May as Princess Kay. I started out the month at Cub Foods in Rochester for their grand opening. At this event I had a great time talking with people at the store, and I was able to help hand out samples of the new blue Star Wars milk. I was even able to try some of it! I was a bit skeptical when it was offered, but it was vanilla avored and tasty. I think that it is a great way to encourage kids to include dairy in their diet.

The next day I had the opportunity to attend the St. Paul Saints baseball game where I had a radio interview and also threw out the rst pitch. I was joined at this event by two Midwest Dairy ambassadors and many of my family members. It was a great way to enjoy a Friday evening this spring.

The next week I presented at Urban Ag Day. At this event I met hundreds of third-grade students from elementary schools in the Twin Cities area. I had a great time at this event. We talked about different dairy foods and why they are good for us. We also identied some tools that we use on our dairy farms to care for our cows. Some of the things that we looked at were a calf bottle, a dip cup and an ear tag. After that, I visited the other stations at Urban Ag Day. It was fun to see how many high school students and different organizations in agriculture were there to make this event possible.

The same week, I attended Forest Lake Ag Day. At this event I helped hand out dairy samples and was able to speak with many of the high school students about dairy. I had a great time getting to know the students and seeing all that the Forest Lake agriculture program had to offer.

After this event I was off to Minneapolis for the Dairy Princess May Leadership Event. I was joined by nearly 40 dairy princesses and ambassadors from all over Minnesota, as well as the Iowa dairy princess. We listened to presenters on a variety of topics who helped us learn how to share our dairy stories with consumers. But I think the best part of the whole weekend was getting to meet so many young women who are also passionate about dairy!

The last couple of weeks have been busy as well with eight events in the last two weeks alone. These events included a visit to Immanuel Lutheran School in Lewiston, the Coborn’s Grocery June Dairy month lming in Sauk Rapids, a visit to Valley View Elementary in Bloomington, a Standing Rock Ranch kindergarten tour in Mora, Bridgewater Elementary Ag Day in Northeld, lming the 4-H Ag Learning Lab with former Princess Kay nalist Kelsey Erf, and the State Fair Milk Run held on the grounds of the Minnesota State Fair.

Although this month has been busy, I stay motivated knowing that when days are long, the dairy

farmer’s day is longer. So, thank you for your hard work and for all that you have done to support me as Princess Kay this year.

I am not the only one who would like to thank you all this month. From Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Elementary, Blair said, “Thank you dairy farmers. The milk that you give us is good. We have to thank you because you make us healthy because of the milk you give us, so thank you.”

Another student said, “Thank you for the milk and yogurt food. I really appreciate that you farm.”

The nal thank you is from Maci. She said, “Dear Dairy Farmers: Thank you for the milk that me and my healthy family drinks. Thank you very much.”

Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Emma Kuball, serves as the Minnesota dairy community’s goodwill ambassador. Kuball grew up in Waterville, Minnesota, working on her family’s sixth-generation dairy farm. She attends the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, studying agriculture education, and looks forward to becoming an FFA advisor. She enjoys reading, crocheting and baking. Her parents are Nate and Shannon Kuball.

Princess Kay is active doing school visits, representing dairy farmers and sharing the importance of dairy farming and dairy foods at appearances across Minnesota.

Editorial disclaimer: The views expressed by our columnists are the opinions and thoughts of the author and do not reect the opinions and views of Dairy Star staff and ownership.

“ NxGEN allows us to have the first bite of the apple on early release bulls. Seeing the NxGEN calves when they hit the ground makes me feel like we have hit the lottery. Using these early release bulls and seeing their daughters develop, get pregnant with ease and enter the milking string – it is quite impressive.”

Justin Stewart Arizona Dairy Co., Mesa, AZ

“ We joined the NxGEN program because we wanted better genetics faster, and to use the absolute best genetics to move our herd forward.”

Jarrod Kollwelter JC-Kow Farms, LLC, Whitewater, WI

“ NxGEN has been a very beneficial tool for our genetic program. The early access to the most elite genetics in the industry has allowed us to improve our herd’s genetic base.”

Ryan Matheron Hilmar Holsteins, Hilmar, CA

Daughters of previous NxGEN sire 14HO15223 CONWAY, Summit Farms, LLC, Plymouth, WI

70th Princess Kay of the Milky Way

the Road with Princess Kay

Field of daydreams

The June cloudburst sweeps across the eld, pounding the young corn plants as I scramble for shelter beneath the belly of the John Deere A tractor.

This is tricky, as that area is occupied by a forest of unforgiving steel cultivator shanks. Once settled in, I note that one of my legs is being bathed by a comforting blast of warm air from the A’s fan while the other is becoming soaked. I also discover that sitting in the wrong spot can result in being assaulted by drips of scalding crankcase oil.

I’m 14 years old and, like most teenagers, have a keen sense of how extraordinarily unfair my life is. Being forced to endure this downpour while sitting under an old tractor only adds to my highly developed perception of afiction. As the rainstorm rages, I review the parade of slings and arrows that fortune has hurled at me.

Casting a glance at the mid distance, I see the foremost annoyance of my sojourn in this vale of tears: our family’s dairy farm. Even the phrase “family dairy farm” seems vexing.

Take the rst of those three words: family. Why had cruel fate cast me into the midst of such a rabble? I have to put up with seven, count them, seven siblings. How can an aspiring Chris Hemsworth or an undiscovered George Clooney hope to reach even the lowest rung of the cool ladder when yoked to such an expansive gaggle of siblings?

Then, there is the dairy part of the equation. For some unfathomable reason, we have to milk our cows twice a day, every day. We don’t skip a milking for anything, not even to celebrate the most excellent holiday of all: my birthday.

But, that’s only the tip of the iceberg of botheration inicted by our cows. We live by the rules of

their lactation cycles; our fortunes rise and fall with the numbers the milk truck driver perceives when he squints at the dipstick he has hauled up from the stainless-steel belly of our milk tank.

This leads to the farm part. In order to produce milk at acceptable levels, dairy cows must be provided with high-quality foodstuffs. This includes mass quantities of hay, silage and various grains.

My parents, being of the obstinate ilk, insist upon growing and harvesting these crops themselves. What’s more, they also require that my siblings and I assist with the growing and harvesting, and then hand feeding the fodder to our herd of bovine cud-chewers.

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By Jerry Nelson

Does any of that contain a scrap of logic? Why couldn’t my parents simply, I don’t know, be rich? Why do they stubbornly insist upon earning their money and forcing us — most importantly, me — to help?

At times like this, I daydream that my life is part of a humungous ruse. I fantasize that my real parents will show up someday soon.

One glorious morning, a luxury jet will land on our gravel road and taxi to a stop by our mailbox. A man dressed in an impeccable tuxedo and wearing white gloves — Thomas, the butler — will open the jet’s door and an elegant couple will oat down the stairs.

The woman, who is wearing a mink stole and is a world-famous movie star, will place her uncalloused hands on my cheeks and beam at me with her million-watt smile. The man, a billionaire venture capitalist, will shake my hand and say, “Ready to go to your home in Bel Air, old sport?”

As they escort me, dumbfounded, onto the waiting jet, they explain how they had seen so many offspring of the rich and famous become insufferable brats. Shortly after I was born, they decided to place me on a humble South Dakota dairy farm to ensure I would grow up grounded and well-rounded.

The deluge ends as abruptly as it began. A shy afternoon sun peeks through the clouds and a rainbow materializes from the ether. One end of it lands on our farm. I realize that I’m the only person on the planet to enjoy this particular vista.

I climb back onto the A and point it toward our farmstead. It’s almost time to milk, and Mom said that she was going to make her mouthwatering Swedish meatballs for supper. Afterward, we kids will play softball on the lawn while Mom and Dad watch from the porch.

My real parents may show up someday. But, I doubt if they could ever give me such a priceless memory as an after-milking softball game with my family on a warm June evening.

June is National Dairy Month. Have a catch with your favorite dairy farmer.

Jerry Nelson is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, South Dakota. He and his wife, Julie, have two sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry works for Dairy Star as a staff writer and ad salesman. Feel free to email him at jerry.n@dairystar.com.

Columnist

Burning money

The other day, a few of our doctors were discussing heifer pregnancy rates. A top-notch client had recently posted a 57% pregnancy rate. This is an annual pregnancy rate, not a conception rate, and it represents the highest replacement heifer pregnancy rate we have seen in the history of our practice. This farm’s high pregnancy rate is achieved through a conception rate of 70% and a service rate of 81%. This is a big deal, but why?

By Jim Bennett

There are two obvious reasons: cost and performance. Cost because feeding, housing and caring for replacement animals is expensive. Indeed, for many farms, net herd replacement cost is their second-largest expense.

There are no advantages to feeding, housing and caring for heifers for even one day more than whatever age at rst calving is optimal for your dairy. If the total cost is $3 per day, for example, extending the age at rst calving for 30 days costs $90 per head. If you calve 500 heifers per year, that is an unnecessary loss of $45,000 annually.

Increasing the pregnancy rate means more animals calve at or near the optimum age. A pregnancy rate of 57% means that about 57% of your heifers will calve in a range of age of just 21 days, and 82% will freshen within a range of 42 days, or two cycles. Herds in our veterinary practice have an average annual heifer pregnancy rate of 29%. This means, on average, 29% of heifers will calve within a 21-day age range, and 50% will calve within two cycles.

The cost of this inefciency to our practice’s farms varies. For example, farms that use a predominantly timed A.I. system for rst breeding will have

very few animals calving in too young, with nearly all the animals that do not calve within an optimal window being too old. Most of the excess cost to those farms comes from feeding, housing and caring for them for extra days.

For farms that rely on heat detection for the rst insemination, the losses may add up differently. Farms typically adjust the voluntary waiting period based on the average age at calving. Herds that use mostly heat detection will have more equal amounts of heifers that get pregnant too young and too old in contrast to the timed A.I. herds where the outliers are almost always too old.

So, while heat detection herds do incur the cost of excess days, they also suffer decreased performance on roughly the same number of animals because they calve too young. Calving too young means less milk production. There is at least some evidence that milk production never recovers for these animals, meaning they will produce below their potential for every lactation. Thus, the herd will produce below its potential as well. These herds suffer from excess costs and decreased performance.

The herds in our practice achieve an average heifer pregnancy rate of 29% by having a conception rate of 53% and a service rate of 55%. These same herds average an adult cow pregnancy rate of 31%, and they do this with a conception rate of 47% and a service rate of 67%. Even though the average herd uses much more sexed semen in heifers than cows, they achieve a higher conception rate in heifers versus cows but a lower pregnancy rate because of poor service rates. There is no acceptable reason why heifers should have a service rate less than adult cows, especially 12 percentage points lower.

This is a good news-bad news situation. Yes, the bad news is that heifer pregnancy rates are lower because of poor service rates. The good news is that poor service rates are simple to x.

For example, heifers typically respond well to prostaglandin injections, and expecting more than

75% to be bred following one injection is not at all unreasonable. Plus, prostaglandin is cheap; the cost of one injection is usually about the cost of one-half extra day of raising. Veterinarians can design effective breeding protocols using prostaglandins or other drugs. Activity systems also work well on heifers and can be a great aid to increasing service rates.

So, why do so many herds tolerate low heifer service rates?

First, some just do not see the urgency. Heifers may not get moved to the breeding pen on time, and/ or farmers may wait for a certain number of days beyond the voluntary waiting period before administering any injections.

Second, some send their animals to custom raisers, and they may be unwilling to demand better reproductive performance.

Third, a few probably feel there is an advantage to waiting for a natural heat. There is no science available to suggest that a non-induced heat leads to better fertility than an induced heat, and there is plenty of scientic evidence that some induced heats lead to better fertility. Thus, waiting for a natural heat is just burning money.

Fourth, a few herds may have poor heifer growth rates and may have many animals that simply are not big enough to breed when they reach the voluntary waiting period.

What can we do?

Increase heifer service rates. If our clients achieved the same service rate for heifers as cows, their average heifer pregnancy rate would be around 36%, which is not bad. However, if they matched our top herd’s rate of 81%, the pregnancy rate would be closer to 45%, which is great. This should not be difcult to accomplish.

Jim Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in Plainview, Minnesota. He consults on dairy farms in other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@gmail.com.

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Columnist

Errands with friends

I heard a story on a radio station about running errands with friends as a way to connect when life is so busy. I think it was related to new mothers, but it reminded me of one of my favorite parts of being a teenager and young adult. This was that my friends and I often accompanied each other while running errands. Tasks like running to the lumberyard are much more fun with someone to chat with while driving, and it’s great to talk through the best way to improvise when what you needed to buy isn’t available for some reason. It doesn’t hurt to have an additional person with you when you need to load a bunch of heavy posts in the back of the truck, either.

My friend, Jon, asked me a couple months ago if I could haul a steer to the butcher shop for them since he doesn’t have a cattle trailer. Being ower farmers, it wouldn’t make much sense for them to

have a cattle trailer. It wasn’t a problem to get the bottle calf to their farm when it was 100 pounds. But at 1,400 pounds a couple years later, no matter how well halter trained, I don’t think it’d be a good idea for Jon to try to get it to the butcher shop in the back of his half-ton truck.

I try to help people whenever I can, especially friends, so I told Jon we’d get his Brown Swiss steer there, no problem. I’m hauling cattle and pigs most weeks, so chances were pretty good I’d already have the trailer hooked up on his butcher date if not already hauling some cattle in for our farm that day.

Usually, this would be the point in a story where I’d reveal how wrong I was in those assumptions, but thankfully this isn’t one of those stories. I have one of those from a couple of days ago that involves shing round bales out of a creek with the

skid loader at 2 a.m., but I will stay on topic here and possibly write about that next month.

The morning I had to get my friend’s steer to the butcher shop, the truck was, in fact, hooked to the trailer and no tires were unexpectedly at. My son, Jonnie, even came down to the barn and nished milking so that I could get going earlier. It turned out I didn’t have any cattle booked that day, so it would be a trip with a single steer in the trailer. This isn’t very efcient fuel-wise, but Jon was happy to cover the fuel anyway as $30 in fuel is much less than $3,000 to buy a trailer. So, no big deal.

By

It was a pleasant sunny morning, and their steer behaved quite well, letting us put a halter on him and jumping right up into the trailer with no hesitation. I wish every animal I hauled was that well behaved. A week ago, Dad, Emily and I had to use the manure spreader, a gate and the skid loader to load a couple of heifers into the trailer to take them to the pasture we rent in New Prague. They really did not want to go into the barn to load for some reason.

Jon joined me to haul his steer in, and we had a great time chatting on the way there, with the windows down, enjoying the weather. After dropping the steer off and sorting out the cutting instructions, we headed to Kwik Trip to rell our coffee cups and get some donuts for the drive home. We stopped off at my rented pastures which were on the way and moved the cattle to their next paddocks. The heifers who were such a pain to get into the trailer a couple of days earlier seemed to be very happy with all the grass they could eat and the attention from Willy the bull.

It’s not as easy to nd a friend to join me on errands as it was when none of them were married or had kids, but it’s worth checking what people are up to. A sunny early summer morning talking crops, kids and neighborhood news is good for mental health. Until next time, keep living the dream, and if you’ve got a friend you haven’t seen in a while, check to see if there’s an errand they could join you on or one you could help them with. Both of you will be happy you did.

Tim Zweber farms with his wife, Emily, their three children and his parents, Jon and Lisa, near Elko, Minnesota.

Tim Zweber Farmer & Columnist

From the Zweber Farm

A crazy busy summer

Happy June Dairy month. June is my favorite month of the year for many reasons.

It is exciting to see a lot of local businesses giving shout-outs to dairy farmers and hosting customer appreciation events. Dairy farmers are especially busy this time of year, tackling the rst crop of hay and nishing planting. By mid to late June, these tasks are usually done, and farmers get their rst “break” by dairy farming standards.

June is also a beautiful time of year. The weather is perfect, everything is lush and green and owers are blooming. The smell of fresh-cut grass and freshcut hay are two of my favorite scents. Seeing cows out grazing in pastures among the plethora of farms in the area lifts my spirits, showing the vibrant and full-of-life countryside of central Minnesota.

car.

While this was a minor issue that was quickly resolved, it still goes to show why dairy farmers are so hesitant to get away from the farm. However, it is important to get away even if it is just for an afternoon. There will always be chores and other tasks to be done, but taking time off to relax and spend time with family and friends does wonders for our mental well-being.

However, June is also a busy time of year for graduations and weddings. We have some of each of those this month to attend. Both of these types of events are fun family events but quite often occur during chore time.

My husband always says it feels like he has to work twice as hard if we need to take a day or evening off from the farm, quite often adding more stress to his already busy day. Yet, he looks forward to when we do take an afternoon off, especially if it is to spend time with family and friends. No one should have to feel like life is all work and no play. There needs to be a balance of work and free time.

By Tiffany Klaphake Staff Writer

Graduation parties are easier because we can do the afternoon chores early, then nd time to attend and still make it home in time for milking.

Last weekend we went to a couple of graduation parties in the area. We had gotten the rst crop of hay put up, so we were able to relax and take our time visiting with friends and family. Before we knew it, the time had come to round up the kids and head home for chores. As we were pulling up to our farm, we noticed there was a group of heifers frolicking around the yard, thoroughly enjoying their freedom. Thankfully, cattle are herd animals, and they quickly turned around and ran back up our driveway and back into their pen as we drove up honking the horn of the

Farming of any sort is a stressful occupation, and yet every farmer I have met is full of passion for and pride in what they do — and rightfully so. We may all love our job, but there is more to life than our careers. Anyone can be replaced at a job, but nobody can replace a loved one at home once they are gone.

We have three young children, and while they might not remember all the graduation parties, birthday parties and weddings we have attended this summer, we parents will. Children are only young for so long, and before we know it, we will be hosting graduation parties for our little ones.

Young people only graduate from high school once, a family member will only get married once and trips with family or friends may not happen every year. So it is important to take time to enjoy these moments with those who care about you. Cows may come and go, but the memories on and off the farm will last a lifetime.

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