July 22, 2023 Dairy Star - 1st section - Zone 2

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Maximizing the benets of sustainability

Dallmanns protect land, bottom line through various practices

By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com

BRILLION, Wis. – Dan Dallmann and his family prefer to grow with the environment rather than against it. As a result, the Dallmanns have implemented practices that are better for the earth as well as their bottom line. They have become ultimate recyclers, repurposing manure for bedding, collecting

runoff water and putting it back on their elds, and capturing energy from the sun to run their digester.

Dan and his wife, Shirley, farm in partnership at Dallmann East River Dairy near Brillion with their son, Nick, and daughter, Lindsay Hansen. Dan’s parents, Terrell and Darlene, started the farm in 1964 with 80 acres of land and 15 cows and remain active on the farm.

“My grandpa comes to the

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

The Dallmanns’ Rain 360 unit sits in a eld June 27 where corn was no-�lled into rye on their dairy near Brillion, Wisconsin. The Dallmanns are using the unit to apply manure and runoff water to growing corn.

farm every day and hauls cattle, etc.,” Lindsay said.

The Dallmanns milk around 2,600 cows in a double-25 parallel parlor and farm 3,300 acres with 5,000 animals on-site.

Nick heads up eldwork and the farm’s digester, while Lindsay manages the books. Both Nick and Lindsay can also be found in the barn working with the cattle. The farm has 37 employ-

ees, including family members. Efciency in the parlor is a priority for the Dallmanns, who have created a unique milking schedule. Cows are milked 2.6

An updated face for the next 100 years

shortages, Volk said.

A portion of the roof of the previous show ring facility, known as the Big Red Barn, had collapsed in 2019, Volk said, rendering the building unsafe. That building was 130 years old.

By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis.

– When trucks and trailers lled with exhibitors and their animals rolled into the 125th edition of the Northern Wisconsin State Fair, they were greeted by the sight of two new cattle buildings and a new show ring facility.

“The old barns these new buildings replaced were all over 100 years old,” said Rusty Volk, executive director of the NWSF.

Exhibitors at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair showcase their animals July 16 in one of the new ca�le buildings in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. The buildings replaced deteriora�ng 100-year-old buildings.

“We did numerous studies and lots of strategic planning and determined that the best course of action was to replace the barns,

which we determined to be beyond repair.”

The coronavirus pandemic delayed the onset of the envi-

sioned building project and increased the eventual cost due to the availability of necessary building materials and labor

“We had been looking at a building project for several years, but that really became the catalyst,” Volk said. “We had to do something at that point. It was sad to let the history go, but we needed to move forward.”

Included in the nearly $7 million dollar building project were two new livestock buildings; a small animal building; a year-round, multipurpose building which can serve as a show ring venue; and a restroom and shower facility that will serve as a safety shelter in the event of severe weather.

At the conclusion of the 2022 NWSF, crews began the

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The Dallmann family – Nick (le�) and his wife, Janessa, and their children, Jackson, Abigail and Kennedi (front); (front, middle) Terrell and Darlene; (back, middle) Dan and Shirley; (right) Lindsay Hansen and her husband, Travis, and their children, Colten (le�) and Colby – milk 2,600 cows and farm 3,300 acres near Brillion, Wisconsin. The Dallmanns are commi�ed to implemen�ng sustainability prac�ces that protect the land while also improving their bo�om line.

125th edition of Northern Wisconsin State Fair features new livestock buildings

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

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In the new U.S. Department of Agriculture supply and demand report, the milk production forecast for 2023 was left unchanged from last month. The outlook for 2024 declined due to lower dairy cow inventories and slower growth in milk per cow. Dairy exports were cut for this year, reecting lower butter, cheese and whey shipments. The weakness in butter exports is expected to carry over into next year. For 2023, prices for cheese, nonfat dry milk and whey are lower than the previous month’s forecast based on large supplies of cheese and competition in the NDM and whey markets. The Class III price forecast is reduced for this year and 2024.

Summertime blues

Even the most efcient dairy farmers are struggling with the current price situation. A quarterly report from the CoBank Knowledge Exchange said USDA’s estimated milk price to feed-cost ratio is at its lowest level since 2012. Protability is expected to bottom out in July and August before improving considerably this fall when Class III prices are forecast to increase about $3 per hundredweight. This downturn in milk prices is due, in part, to poor exports. South Korea is the second largest U.S. cheese customer, and sales are down 20% for the rst four months of the year. Mexico is the No. 1 buyer of U.S. cheese, and they are trying to make up the difference with a 14% increase in export volumes this year.

Farm loan numbers decline from 2022

As interest rates pushed higher, farm lending activity at commercial banks slowed during the rst half of the year. The quarterly report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City said the drop was due to a lower

average loan size and fewer farm loans compared to one year ago. As interest rates moved up rapidly over the past year, variable rates have become more common.

Bill introduced to support dairy businesses

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn have introduced the Dairy Business Innovation Act of 2023. This bipartisan proposal will reauthorize and strengthen the Dairy Business Innovation initiatives that passed as part of 2018 farm bill. “I’ve heard directly from dozens of Wisconsin dairies that have expanded their businesses thanks to the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives, and I’m proud to lead the charge to ensure this program has the resources it needs to help more businesses innovate and grow for the future,” Baldwin said. Since the program was created in 2019, DBI Initiatives have supported over $150 million in awards through regional centers nationwide. The new proposal will increase funding for these initiatives from $20 million to $36 million per year.

Competition, not consolidation

The White House and USDA met with representatives of 16 food and agriculture organizations July 13 to discuss the need for more competition in agricultural markets. According to a White House summary, the administration said consolidation can reduce the options for seed, fertilizer and farm equipment. The groups participating in the listening session included American Farm Bureau Federation and the Campaign for Family Farmers and the Environment.

US-China trade opportunities

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen spent four days in Beijing, meeting with Chinese leaders. During the trip, Yellen said there is “ample room” for the United States and China to enhance their trade relationship. Despite recent tension between the two superpowers, 2022 was a record year for bilateral trade. Yellen’s visit is the second trip to Beijing by a Biden administration cabinet member in less than a month.

Budget signed into law

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has signed the 2023-25 budget. For agriculture, the bill includes support for the Dairy Processor Grant Program and the Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant Program. The budget features $150 million for the new Agricultural Road Improvement Program. A total of $6.5 million is devoted to nonpoint source pollution abatement.

WFU

meets

in Chippewa County

The Wisconsin Farmers Union summer conference was held at Lake Wissota. A new WFU building project in Chippewa Falls was discussed. WFU purchased the building for its ofces. In addition, a restaurant and retail locations are planned.

WDE to remain in Madison Madison, Wisconsin, will continue to host World Dairy Expo through 2028. A new ve-year contract was signed for the massive dairy event. Madison has hosted every World Dairy Expo since its inception since 1967.

Torres Small conrmed as No. 2 at USDA

Xochitl Torres Small has been conrmed by the Senate as the next deputy secretary of agriculture. Torres Small has served as an undersecretary

at USDA since 2021 and was a member of Congress from New Mexico for one term. Torres Small was conrmed by the Senate on a vote of 79-8.

DFW elects ofcer team

Janet Clark, who is a dairy farmer from Rosendale, Wisconsin, was unanimously reelected as president of the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. Gail Klinkner of Viroqua, Wisconsin, was elected vice-chair. The DFW secretary is Sandy Madland of Lyndon Station, Wisconsin, and Mark Crave of Watertown, Wisconsin, is treasurer.

Hero of hope

Bob Nash has been honored as the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Hero of Hope award winner. Nash works at Golden E Dairy Farm at West Bend, Wisconsin. When a re occurred at a nearby dairy farm, Nash relocated the cattle that survived the re and organized the debris cleanup.

Dairy workers on strike

The union for employees at the New Dairy Select Milk at De Pere, Wisconsin, is on strike. The company’s health care plan is the sticking point for the labor dispute. Borden Dairy is the parent company for the De Pere sour cream facility.

‘Top Chef’ coming to Wisconsin

The 21st season of the “Top Chef” television show will take place in Milwaukee and Madison. Evers welcomed the news. “We’re proud to be known here for our rich food culture, talented chefs and exceptional local ingredients,” Evers said. As America’s Dairyland, dairy products will likely garner a lot of attention during the Wisconsinbased broadcast.

Trivia challenge

Dippin’ Dots is the ice cream company that bills itself as “the ice cream of the future.” 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, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.

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work of demolishing the existing agricultural exhibition buildings at the fairgrounds. While some work on the various pieces of the project remains to be nished, all of the buildings with the exception of the severe weather shelter were operational prior to the rst day of this year’s fair, which took place July 12-16.

“It has taken a lot of community support to bring this project together,” Volk said. “The fairgrounds is a private, non-prot facility. We had many donors and were able to apply for and receive a FEMA grant.”

The two new cattle buildings, one which is named the Rooney Grain Building, are naturally ventilated and include side curtains that can be raised for increased airow. Between the two buildings is a concrete wash rack, which drains appropriately into the sewer system, eliminating any concern of runoff affecting nearby waterways.

“We really wanted to make these buildings so that the exhibitors would enjoy coming to our fair,” Volk said. “There is 10 times the electric power available in the new buildings as there was in the old barns.”

The oors of the cattle buildings are cemented, allowing for the buildings to have multipurpose functions outside of housing cattle, similar to the other new facilities. Volk said that during the planning phase, emphasis was placed on allowing for ease of movement of cattle throughout the campus.

The L.E. Phillips building is designed for housing smaller species of livestock, while the Custer Coliseum is a year-round, multipurpose facility which will have both heat and air conditioning systems. That facility will serve as the livestock show ring during the fair.

“We want the Custer Coliseum to be a well-utilized building throughout the year,” Volk said. “We want it to serve the community as an educational venue.”

A unique aspect of the Custer Coliseum, Volk said, is that the interior is nished with pine boards milled from 28 large pine trees that were taken down as part of the demolition of the previous agricultural exhibition campus.

While Volk was sad to see those old

pine trees go, he said that more than twice as many trees were planted to replace those cut down, including 20 larger trees that are already over 5 inches in diameter. For many exhibitors, the NWSF ranks as one of their favorite activities of the summer, and the new facilities enhanced that experience this year.

Stephanie Hughes and her family milk 55 cows on their Pittsville dairy farm. Hughes has been exhibiting at the fair for over 30 years. This year, with her sons Bryce and Gavin, Hughes took ve head to compete this year.

“This is one of our favorite fairs that our family loves to show at,” Hughes said. “We have so many fun memories from the old barns, but we started making more memories in the new barns this year.”

Melissa Boehlke, a dairy farmer from Thorp, milks 50 cows with her family. Boehlke rst came to the NWSF as an exhibitor nine years ago with her daughter and a March calf. This year, her family exhibited three head and was honored by the show staff with the Tom Hinke Recognition Award for her positive and courteous approach towards exhibiting at the fair.

“I loved the nostalgia of the old barns, but the new barns are very nice,” Boehlke said. “It is a good feeling to see the investment in agriculture that the fair has made, especially during a time when ag seems to be an afterthought or left behind all together.”

Hughes agreed.

“There was a bit of a learning curve with the new facilities, but they are so beautiful,” Hughes said. “We appreciate everyone that made them possible.”

Volk said the exhibitors and the wellbeing of their animals, along with a dedication to agriculture, were primary considerations during the planning phase.

“We really wanted to make sure we were looking ahead to the future with this project,” Volk said. “We plan for it to serve our fair for our next 100 years. Our goal was a beautiful facility for our exhibitors to showcase their animals. We think we achieved that goal. Our new campus is one of the nicest in Wisconsin.”

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Exhibitors u lize the new wash racks located between the two new ca le buildings July 16 at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

Con nued from DALLMANS | Page 1 times per day, or every 9 hours and 20 minutes, around the clock.

“This made us more efcient, and we didn’t see a loss in milk production,” Lindsay said. “It works well, and employees still have an eight-hour shift.”

The Dallmanns previously milked three times daily before implementing this new strategy in February 2022.

How they manage the farm’s manure has also changed over the past decade. In 2012, the Dallmanns installed a digester and use all solids for bedding while selling excess bedding to several farms.

“We sell ve to six semi loads of solids per week,” Dan said. “There is good demand for it.”

Prior to bedding with manure solids, the Dallmanns used wheat straw. They had mattresses when switching over to solids but eventually converted to deep beds. The solids proved to be a cost savings for the Dallmanns while also providing a protable side business.

At rst, the digester used a 600-kilowatt engine to produce electricity. In 2020, the digester was converted to produce renewable natural gas that is injected into a pipeline for transportation fuel. The digester produces between 1,500 and 1,800 diesel equivalents per day.

U.S. Gain owns the 1.5-million-gallon digester while the Dallmanns supply the manure and maintain the pumps. Last year, the Dallmanns installed a 3-acre solar eld to power the

The Dallmann family installed this 3-acre solar eld last year to power their 1.5-million-gallon digester, which has helped lower their carbon intensity score. The digester consumes 97% of the solar energy while excess energy feeds the grid.

digester, which has helped lower their carbon intensity score.

“The more carbon you create, the less incentives you receive,” Nick said. “The lower this score is, the better off you are.”

The digester consumes 97% of the solar energy. Excess energy charges the battery, and any excess beyond that feeds the grid.

Seven years ago, the Dallmanns nearly eliminated the need to truck manure when they installed 3 miles of underground manure pipeline.

“We have 600 acres on either side of the Manitowoc River,” Dan said. “That’s 1,500 truckloads of manure we don’t have to take over there now.”

There are 10 locations the manure can travel to, and from there, the Dallmanns can hook up a hose and do their applications. Cover crops and no till practices at Dallmann East River Dairy are having a profound

impact on soil health and quality while also saving the farm money.

“We’ve been pretty heavy into cover crops the last three to four years,” Dan said.

The Dallmanns’ corn was 100% no till this year, and 50% of their land is in cover crops.

They typically plant rye which they terminate in the spring and no till corn into. The Dallmanns harvest about half of the rye as feed for heifers, which are housed on-site starting at 5 months old.

The Dallmanns’ crop practices have improved soil structure, retaining more moisture during dry periods and reducing erosion in wet periods.

“No erosion in the elds is a huge benet we have seen by no tilling and planting cover crops,” Dan said.

The crop practices also require fewer passes per eld and less fuel use per acre, Nick said.

“That’s important with the cost of fuel, machinery and la-

bor,” Dan said. “We get 1,300 to 1,400 acres planted quicker.”

In 2014, the Dallmann family took a new approach to managing bunker leachate when they created a separate 8-million-gallon pit devoted to collecting runoff from the bunker as well as runoff from barnyards.

“We used to collect the rst ush, and the rest was runoff,” Nick said. “We pumped it into the manure pit, but dirty manure is not as nutrient-dense, so we wanted to separate it out. Now, we collect 100%. The nutrient value is minimal; therefore, it works well as irrigation when it’s dry.”

The dairy has two center pivots that draw from this holding area to irrigate crops. This year, 1.2 inches of water was applied on growing hay between rst and second crop.

“That’s the biggest benet, and it’s nice to see us properly using this pit how we intended,” Dan said.

The Dallmanns recently began using a Rain 360 unit to apply manure and runoff water to corn in season. Rain 360 is a three-wheeled electric vehicle that uses a small diesel engine and follows paths created by the planter to provide total eld coverage. The automated system applies water at a rate of 250 gallons per minute, requiring lower volumes than traditional pivot systems.

“It caught our eye when we saw a way to get manure on the corn while it’s growing,” Dan said. “It can apply when the corn is 6 to 8 feet tall even.”

Nick said the new technology will cut down on eld applications and allow them to concentrate on putting all nutrients on in season instead of in the fall.

“When corn is knee high and starting to tassel, we can put half manure and half water on it,” Nick said. “When it’s dry, we can add more water and then add more manure when it needs the nutrients. You can dial in based on current weather conditions.”

From land to cattle, creating efciencies and cost savings go hand in hand at Dallmann East River Dairy. The Dallmanns demonstrate an ongoing commitment to sustainability – a commitment that has grown as their farm grows.

“There are so many practices that can benet both a farm’s bottom line and the environment,” Nick said. “We have to be efcient, so we try to implement as many of those kinds of practices as we can.”

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

Dairy uses technology to increase efciency

By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

CASHTON, Wis. – Caring for the 2,500 milk cows at MDS Dairy in Cashton is made easier with the use of technology in many forms.

Participants of the National Jersey Convention were able to tour the farm June 23 and see some of the equipment in action. Even though the farm is home to Holsteins, tour goers were able to receive an education on the benets of progressive tools.

MDS Dairy is owned by Phil Mlsna, who is also the owner of the DeLaval dealership in Cashton. The farm has been managed by Jered Hemmersbach for the last 23 years. Hemmersbach lives on the farm and is in close communication with the team of employees throughout the day.

Driven by data

The mixer holds 26,000 pounds of feed and is equipped with a cab and a conveyor to load the feed. A second person mixes the dry ingredients that are stored in a commodity bay three times a week.

Hemmersbach said the machine saves labor and maintenance costs.

“You don’t have a tractor, TMR and a loader and the wear on all of that,” Hemmersbach said. “Otherwise, you’d have to have three guys, or (the employee) would be walking all the time. In that sense, it saves a huge amount of time.”

Once feed is made available to the cows, it is pushed up every hour by the most recent advancement on the farm: two robotic feed pushers. In just 11 minutes, the robot can push up feed to all 1,200 cows in the freestall barn.

Jered Hemmersbach

Manure is scraped three times a day using a Mensch manure vacuum. The vacuum is also used in the youngstock facilities. The machine handles bedding from all of their facilities, which includes sand in the cows’ free stalls, sawdust in the heifer barn and straw in the calf barn.

The mornings start early at MDS Dairy, with the feeder arriving by 4 a.m. One person mixes feed for all the cows, heifers and dry cows, using a self-feeding total mixed ration.

Cows are milked three times a day in a double-30 parlor. Four employees are on each shift, with three in the parlor and one moving cows and cleaning barns.

In order to achieve healthy and productive cows, calves are raised onsite with a strict protocol. For the rst week of a calf’s life, it stays in the nursery. MDS Dairy averages about eight new calves per day. Fresh colostrum is pasteurized and then stored in a refrigerator and heated up in a colostrum warmer when calves are born. They are tube fed the rst feeding, and their navel is dipped within a half an hour of birth.

Every Monday, the calves that are thrifty and aggressive and at least 1 week old get moved to the calf barn with automatic feeders. In their rst week in the barn, the calves are hand fed three times a day. In their second week, they are hand fed twice a day and pushed to the feeder once a day at noon. In the third week, they are

“Since installing the Westwaard 150-bottle washer and stand alone pasteurizer, we have found a huge benefit in labor savings and consistency. Prior we were only able to pasteurize enough milk for the younger calves and had to hand wash each bottle. The service from Fuller’s has been excellent.”

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

A robot pushes up feed June 23 at MDS Dairy near Cashton, Wisconsin. The barns on the farm are equipped with a robo c feed pusher, which pushes up feed to 1,200 cows in 11 minutes

Feed is mixed June 23 at MDS Dairy near Cashton, Wisconsin. The self-feeding total mixed ra�on has increased efficiency by saving �me and maintenance.

pushed to the feeder twice and hand fed once. Hemmersbach said by that third week, the calves are usually utilizing the automatic feeder on their own.

“We found that they don’t go backward as fast as when we were relying on the machine exclusively,” Hemmersbach said. “By the time they’re 30 days old, you just make sure there’s powder in the machine.”

The calf barn has ve automatic feeders in separate pens. Each pen is all in and all out, meaning the calves move as a group. It is cleaned every week, and calves are weaned at 56 days.

Two weeks after calves are weaned, they move to the heifer barn, which holds about 700 heifers, and stay there until they are pre-breeding

age. The barn has free stalls with sawdust bedding even in the youngest pen.

“They go from the calf barn right here to the free stalls,” Hemmersbach said. “We had no idea how it was going to work, and I’ve been really happy and impressed with it.”

With all of the advances in technology, Hemmersbach appreciates being able to utilize the data that the automation presents.

Future plans are being made to add a manure digester to the farm.

“You can look at what feedback the technology is giving you and decide how to use that data,” Hemmersbach said. “You can make educated decisions and nancial decisions that will better your dairy and your employees.”

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Nostalgia at a 1-ton soda fountain

The Back Room Ice Cream Shoppe caters to memories

By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

EDGAR, Wis. – Tucked away in the rear of her family’s oral shop is a hidden gem operated by Krystle Guerrero-Schmitt, which features an old-fashioned soda fountain and lots of local history.

The Back Room Ice Cream Shoppe, located in Edgar, was originally established in 1995 by Guerrero-Schmitt’s mother, Karen Schmitt.

“I grew up helping in my family’s businesses and have always loved the service industry, and I love making people happy,” Guerrero-Schmitt said. “Ice cream makes people happy. Taking the reins and running with this was a natural t for me.”

Guerrero-Schmitt began working in the ice cream shop when it opened and took over the business in 2005, while she was still in college.

“Mom had so much going on with her other businesses that I took this over to help her out,” GuerreroSchmitt said. “It’s been my baby ever since.”

The space had previously housed a video rental store and was sitting empty, waiting for its new purpose. That purpose came when the Edgar Drug Store closed. The old-fashioned soda fountain that had been operating there was looking for a new home. The two seemed a great t.

While the idea seemed great, it was not without obstacles. Moving a 12-foot long, 1-ton soda fountain was not an easy proposition, Guerrero-Schmitt said.

“It took eight men to move it,” she said. “They got it up onto pipes and rolled it down the main street of town. They kept moving pipes from the front to the back as they went down the street. They got it through the door and parked it there. It sat in that spot for the next 25 years until we took advantage of the pandemic and did some remodeling.”

In addition to the soda fountain, the service counter, stools and malt machine were purchased from the drug store, keeping the aesthetic of the ice cream shop whole. Continuing with that theme, The Back Room Ice Cream Shoppe is lled with nostalgic decor that celebrates the heyday of the traditional soda fountain and ice cream parlor.

Guerrero-Schmitt and her staff, which consists of three or four employees throughout the summer, serve up Cedar Crest ice cream. The store’s ice cream case holds 19 tubs for serving, so Guerrero-Schmitt rotates the avors offered between the tried-and-true customer favorites and the company’s seasonal specialty avors.

On a weekly basis, Guerrero-Schmitt said she orders between 15 and 25 3-gallon tubs of ice cream varieties. Her largest weekly order has been for 30 tubs.

“Some of our best sellers are Superman, Pirate’s Bounty and Caramel Collision,” Guerrero-Schmitt said. “This year, anything with mint in it seems to be selling really well too.”

As far as volume of a avor, Guerrero-Schmitt said she orders more vanilla ice cream than any other avor – typically four tubs per week – because it is the base in so many offerings.

Besides the ice cream, Guerrero-Schmitt offers various avors of a version of old-time phosphate sodas and a variety of other vintage-like ice creambased novelties including banana splits, oats and malts, all made the old-fashioned way.

“Our malts are traditional; they are made in our malt machine,” Guerrero-Schmitt said. “We get so many compliments on the malts, people telling us they are just like they remember from their childhood.”

That link to the past has helped solidify GuerreroSchmitt’s customer base of residents.

“People really like the nostalgia; they like that feeling they get when they come in and things are like they were when they were young,” Guerrero-Schmitt

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Horning heads use gearboxes, not gathering chains. Increase forage harvest speed. Decrease the headaches. Now that’s freedom.

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Krystle Guerrero-Schmi serves up a Cedar Crest ice cream cone July 7 at The Back Room Ice Cream Shoppe in Edgar, Wisconsin. The shop has been run by Guerrero-Schmi ’s family since 1995 and by her since 2005.

This 1-ton soda fountain, which has called The Back Room Ice Cream Shoppe home for 28 years, has been a familiar sight in the community for decades as a part of the Edgar Drug Store in Edgar, Wisconsin.

said. “Many of our customers grew up visiting or working in the Edgar Drug Store’s ice cream parlor.”

As her business has grown, Guerrero-Schmitt has added new items to her menu to help keep pace with the palate of a growing customer base, including other beverages that utilize the sparkling water needed to make the phosphate-type sodas and fruit-based smoothies. Guerrero-Schmitt and her sisters have a coffee roasting business, and she has integrated coffee-based treats into the menu

Guerrero-Schmitt opens The Back Room Ice Cream Shoppe from early May through mid-to-late September, depending on inventory. During the remainder of the year, she focuses on other business ventures.

Business is booming for GuerreroSchmitt throughout those months, she said, and she credits the small-town community atmosphere for that.

“We don’t do a lot of advertising, just in our local paper and shopper,” she

said. “We put signs around town. We just recently entered the world of social media. We rely a lot on word-of-mouth advertising and repeat customers.”

The local schools, day cares, churches and other organizations make The Back Room Ice Cream Shoppe a destination for their groups.

In her social media marketing, Guerrero-Schmitt tries to focus on interactive marketing to draw customers to the ice cream parlor, with giveaways and contests for followers.

For Guerrero-Schmitt, everything goes back to that 1-ton soda fountain that was rolled down the street 28 years ago.

“The fountain, and now The Back Room, have been a part of Edgar’s history for such a long time now,” she said. “It’s been a part of my whole life. I remember going to the drug store as a kid, and now I can provide that same experience for someone else. It’s a cool thing that they are both still here.”

What has been key to your longevity with DHIA? I was born and raised on a dairy farm and this was the rst position I was offered after leaving the farm. I guess you could say it has kept me close to the farming community. I may not be milking cows but am not too far away from the farm with this position. There are also very few dull days.

Every day you seem to learn something new.

What is your current title and some of the jobs you do? Manager of DHIA Laboratories in Sauk Centre. I manage the day to day operations of the lab and repair instruments to keep samples owing through the lab.

What do you like about your role for DHIA? Giving the DHIA members the accurate analysis they deserve. We know many decisions are based off of the different testing options we offer so we must give accurate results to all of the members and nonmembers that use our services.

How has DHIA continued to adapt to help dairy farmers?

We have added additional types of testing. When I started it was just fat, protein and SCC. You now have the option to have MUN, other solids, pregnancy, Johne’s, leukosis or fatty acids tested from the same DHIA sample. We have also added other testing like manure analysis. From test day to members having results in their hands has also drastically improved. We know everyone needs the info in their hands as soon as possible, so the DHIA staff does what can be done to make that happen. It doesn’t take 10 days for this to happen like it used to. DHIA eld techs also continue to adapt to all the different farm types and sizes including robots. DHIA continues to add additional reports for the members.

What message would you like to send to the dairy farmers you work with? Thank you for your continued support of Minnesota DHIA. Without you this organization, lab and eld staff wouldn’t exist. We also hope that milk prices improve for all of you.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I used to enjoy playing sports, but I am now too old for that. I have switched from sports to starting owers and vegetables from seed in the spring, and then plant them and take care of them the rest of the summer. I also like having a nice green lawn. In the fall I like to cut and split wood. Starting in November I start putting up the Christmas light display for the community to enjoy during the Christmas season.

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

“...giving

s hot

I have

hard time keeping my dry matter intake up.”

The pinnacle of summer

A look inside the dairy shows of two Wisconsin county fairs

By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com

WAUKESHA, Wis. – Before there were light bulbs or telephones, there were county fairs in Wisconsin. Held in the city of Waukesha, the rst fair took place in 1842 – six years before Wisconsin became a state. The fair featured reworks and a festive dinner as well as a plowing match between farmers.

Celebrating its 181st anniversary July 19-23, the Waukesha County Fair is Wisconsin’s oldest fair. Although much has changed since that rst fair held in a poplar grove on the Fourth of July, the concept of competition remains the same.

A highlight of the county fair from nearly the beginning was the dairy show. Brittany Renn Gerrits, a member of the Waukesha County Fair’s dairy superintendents’ committee, said the fair started as a dairy summer exposition show and evolved into the county fair.

“For many years, we had lots of dairy cows in our area,” Gerrits said. “During the 1980s, there were over 300 herds in Waukesha County. Now, it’s down to less than 10. Back then, the show barn used to have no tack space; it was full all the way through.”

The show shrunk as time went on, and last year, 40 head of dairy cattle were exhibited. This year, about 50 head were entered.

“We saw some growth from last year, which is great,” Gerrits said. “It’s a smaller

show, and each kid usually has one animal they really focus on. Most of the animals are heifers with just a handful of cows.”

Animals are shown by 30 to 35 4-H youth exhibitors, many of whom come from the city.

“With lots of urbanization and change through the generations, we went from being called Cow County USA down to what is now a pretty unique show,” Gerrits said. “Almost none of the kids showing come from dairy farms.”

When Cozy Nook Farm opened up its dairy project in March, many kids had never stepped foot on a farm before, let alone walked into a pen and put a halter on a calf, Gerrits said. A lot of development takes place in a short time as youth go from timid to condent in working with cattle.

“We’re building a herdsman from the ground up, and there’s a lot of work that goes into that,” Gerrits said. “The parents don’t have experience either, so both are learning at the same time.”

Because these youth do not do the dayto-day work on a dairy farm, Gerrits said the atmosphere is different from a county fair where a kid might have delivered their show animal as a calf and showed her until she was a 5-year-old cow.

“A lot of times, we don’t have that story here,” she said. “When my parents showed, everyone came from a farm.”

Waukesha County offers classes for all seven dairy breeds, but typically the Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein and Milking Shorthorn breeds are shown. Classes range from a spring calf up through a 5-year-old

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cow within each breed. Last year, the show was moved into the dairy barn, and now, half of the barn is devoted to housing animals while the other half is re-served for show space.

“The winter calf classes are pretty big because that animal is the right size and age range for kids to handle comfortably,” Gerrits said. “We’re still in the white shirt and white jeans era, and kids who never had to buy a white pair of jeans before in their life are having to buy them for the show.”

Three showmanship classes are offered – junior, intermediate and senior. Showmanship also recognizes rst-year showmen, who receive a medallion welcoming them to the dairy project. Grand champions of each breed are named along with a junior and senior supreme champion and overall supreme champion.

“There is an open show in the book, but rarely does anyone show in that,” Gerrits said.

The Waukesha County Fair also holds a milk quality contest based on a cow’s DHI test. The exhibitor with the top milk quality cow in each lactation gets to sell a Golden Gallon in the livestock auction. The purchaser of that gallon receives an engraved glass pitcher lled with owers, and the exhibitor is given the proceeds.

Gerrits handles all the awards for the show – from nding sponsors to ordering awards – and said prizes have changed quite a bit in recent years. Historically, each class winner received a plastic trophy, while a bigger trophy was given to the grand champion. But prizes have since transformed into items kids can use, Gerrits said. For example, class winners now receive supplies to use in the barn or in the future, such as folding tables, chairs, coolers and back-packs.

“These are things they can take out into their everyday lives and use as they go for-ward,” Gerrits said. “It’s fun to think outside the box a little bit.”

The fair continues to provide ribbons to each exhibitor as well as trophies for grand champions. They also offer a premier exhibitor award which is based on a point system. The top ve exhibitors receive prots from baskets sold at a silent auction that takes place during the show.

“This provides motivation to come back with a vengeance next year with more animals and do better in showmanship,” Gerrits said.

When it comes to sponsors, Gerrits said a great group of farm families in the county step up every year. Families that have started showing or grandparents of 4-H kids will donate money toward a class or junior champion. Breed associations also donate.

Five volunteers at the Waukesha County Fair specialize in the dairy side of things. They receive help from an overall livestock superintendent, board of directors and fair president.

“Many hands make light work,” Gerrits said. “Whether we’re moving gates or taking down the show ring, we call on a lot of the kids – especially the older ones – to

be leaders and rely on them to help us get things where they need to be.”

Held in Plymouth every Labor Day weekend, the Sheboygan County Fair is not far behind Waukesha County in longevity and will celebrate its 172nd year in 2023.

Dairy superintendent Trevor Mentink is one of three superintendents for the fair’s dairy show. Mentink, who grew up showing at the Sheboygan County Fair, said showmanship records for the show date back to 1948 when an overall champion showman was selected.

“When I was a kid, there were quite a few animals in the show,” he said. “Our barn was always very full, and there was not enough space. We used to have lofts in an old barn where we kept supplies, but it got to the point where there was nothing but animals in there. Now, we have plenty of space for animals, tack and supplies.”

The one dairy barn on the grounds has been a part of the fair since it started and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Last year’s show welcomed 177 dairy animals to the fairgrounds, with 95 entries shown by 43 youth exhibitors in the junior show and 82 entries in the open show. Mentink said those numbers are small compared to past years, but numbers are holding steady for the time being.

“Our dairy show has gotten considerably smaller in the last 25 to 30 years,” he said.

Unlike Waukesha’s fair, youth exhibitors at the Sheboygan fair are a mix of dairy farm kids and kids adjacent to a farm, Mentink said, such as someone who helps on a farm or has grandparents who farm.

The youth show is a day-long event that takes place on Friday starting at 9 a.m. Cows are shown rst followed by heifers in the afternoon. Showmanship classes are held Saturday morning followed by the open show which begins around noon. The futurity is held on Sunday.

“We have a very popular futurity contest with close to 30 entries,” Mentink said. The Sheboygan County Fair is home to the largest Holstein futurity in the state.

According to Mentink, competition in the dairy show is fairly stiff.

“Last year’s Holstein spring calf class contained three animals that were nominated All-American,” Mentink said.

Holsteins are shown alongside Red and Whites in the registered and grade Holstein classes, which make up the majority of the show’s animals. There are also “any other breed” classes in which Jersey, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss and Guernsey cattle can compete in a class together by age group.

“These classes are primarily Jerseys, but we also have some Brown Swiss that show up,” Mentink said.

All exhibitors receive a ribbon, while the rst-place animal in each class is awarded a larger rosette ribbon, Mentink said. The fair also holds four showmanship classes divided according to an exhibitor’s school grade.

PHOTO BY KATIE REINEKING, DUSTY BOOTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Cows are judged during the Holstein Futurity class at the 2021 Sheboygan County Fair in Plymouth, Wisconsin. The Sheboygan County Fair is home to the largest Holstein Futurity in the state.

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“There are special prizes throughout the show as we get further into it,” he said.

Junior and senior champions and overall best of show receive banners and chairs. The champion rst-year showman or highest placed in the youngest showmanship class receives a traveling trophy. Special recognition is also given to an individual selected from the entire dairy project, and an overall champion from all breeds is selected as well.

When showing, exhibitors wear white pants and a solid-colored top.

“When I showed as a kid, we also wore hats,” Mentink said.

Kids have an opportunity to win money in a competition known as the Showcase of Champions. The top two winners from each showmanship and the champions of the junior and senior show are placed into an auction setting with their animals while gift baskets are bid on to generate revenue for the top exhibitors.

“This is a way for the community to help support the dairy project in Sheboygan County,” Mentink said.

In addition, a special class known as Farmer Bud creates such a buzz that it lls stands to capacity. In this class, kids too young for 4-H have the opportunity to show a calf. These future showmen get their moment in the spotlight on Saturday when they bring a small calf and walk it around the ring a couple of times. At the end, they receive free ice cream.

“The stands ll up quite fast because parents and grandparents want to see the little kids showing,” Mentink said. “It’s usually standing room only.”

There is also a herdsmanship compe-

tition in the barn between 4-H clubs and FFA chapters to promote keeping exhibits in good condition.

“This is sort of like an MVP sportsmanship-type award,” Mentink said. “Last year, this award was given to an entire club for their efforts to help support one of their members who is in a wheelchair.”

Mentink said most show sponsors are dairy folks – farmers and industry persons wanting to encourage showing in the next generation. Grocery stores, car dealerships and other businesses also help sponsor the show.

“These sponsors are typically people who had experiences at the fair themselves and want to give kids the opportunity to have similar experiences,” Mentink said.

Volunteer involvement before and during the show are critical to its success. Mentink and his committee collect entries, decide the layout of the barn, create a show schedule and do many other tasks to get the show up and running.

“Keeping the barn clean and tidy and presenting ourselves the best we can to the public is always our goal during the fair,” Mentink said. “My family does a lot of showing throughout the year, and at the county fair, we’re trying to promote dairy and make it an enjoyable time for the kids.”

This is county fair season with many fairs taking place now through Labor Day weekend. Whether large or small, the fair is a longstanding family tradition that provides kids with experiences they will remember for a lifetime.

“It’s important for people to continue to support county fairs,” Gerrits said.

PHOTO BY REBECCA BAUER

Ellie Szczech pauses for a photo with a Guernsey fall calf named Coors from Cozy Nook Farm that she showed at the 2022 Waukesha County Fair in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Forty head of dairy ca le were exhibited at last year’s fair by youth exhibitors, many of whom come from the city.

from our side our side OF THE FENCE THE

How has showing dairy animals helped shape the person you are?

Bradin Bjelland 17 years old

Parents: Matt and Kim Bjelland Gillett, Wisconsin Oconto County

Tell us about your dairy 4-H projects and what you plan to show at the fair this year. My 4-H projects mostly consist of dairy animals. We have had the most success with Jerseys so far, but we do also show Holsteins and Ayrshires. This year, we have our most exciting lineup of heifers, including bred and owned and purchased heifers. I will be focusing on my summer yearling Jersey heifer.

What does your schedule look like leading up to the fair? Our show season begins as soon as it is warm enough to wash the heifers. We have our show heifers separated throughout the year to make sure they have their certain feed. We work closely with Richard Breunig, our nutritionist, to create a balanced diet for our show heifers. We clip our heifers for the rst time in early spring to remove their winter coat. We then continually clip them throughout the summer to maintain a short and healthy coat. For shows, we clip the heifers one or two days before the show. We get the heifers out every day and rinse them down – so that they grow better topline hair – and take them for a walk. Walking and training them is what takes the most time. They will usually go on 20- to 30-minute walks each day. Showmanship is valued to me, so I make sure our heifers are well trained. It takes a long time to gain the trust of these animals to the point where they aren’t scared of anything. As youth showmen, we are subject to many people being curious about our animals and coming up to us when we are with our animals. It is important to have animals that are comfortable with this exposure.

What are three things you must have with you at the fair? My tack box, lawn chairs and a speaker. Our tack box has everything we could possibly need in it, and we make sure to keep it full with the many sprays, creams and tools we use. Chairs and a speaker are essential for a good time at shows. Blasting music and chilling out with your friends and family is what makes these shows so memorable. It's a time when you get to hang out with the people you enjoy spending time with.

Natalie Mauk

13 years old

Parents: Bryan and Brittney Mauk

Plymouth, Wisconsin Sheboygan County

Tell us about your dairy 4-H projects and what you plan to show at the fair this year. I will be showing three Holsteins at the Sheboygan County Fair this year. I plan to show a Red and White winter calf, a spring yearling, and a Red and White 2-year-old cow.

What does your schedule look like leading up to the fair? If we need to halter break our heifers, we start that process about three months before the show, depending on the animal age and their attitude. Once they are halter broke, I tend to walk them every day or every other day roughly a month before the fair. When we get to about two weeks before the fair, I try to walk them twice a day for about 10 minutes each time. Since we show our heifers at other shows throughout the year, they get clipped often. We try to rinse them down on a regular basis to help with hair regrowth as that is very important. Our show animals mainly get fed grain, protein pellets and grass hay. We have a separate barn where we keep our show heifers, which makes it easier to feed them and work with them. My job is to always make sure their pack is clean and that they always have a good pile of hay in front of them.

What are three things you must have with you at the fair? Every year, I like to bring snacks and drinks with me to the fair as you don't know when your 4-H club will get hungry. Another item we always have with us is a water ltration device to help lter the water to encourage our animals to drink. I would say the last thing that we must have at the fair is a clipping chute to get them ready on show day.

What do you enjoy doing at the fair when you are not showing? I enjoy hanging out with other people at the shows. Most youth exhibitors are welcoming and friendly. It’s a positive experience playing music, playing beanbag toss, and enjoying rides and food that the fair has to offer.

Describe a challenge you faced in preparing for the fair or while showing and how you overcame it. The hardest struggle isn’t the time or effort you put into your project but having to experience losing one of your animals. Losing a show animal is one of the worst experiences you can go through as a young kid. You work with that animal for its whole life and watch it grow up from a calf, so losing it is like losing a member of your family. This, however, makes you a stronger person and makes you value life more than you would have.

How has showing dairy animals helped shape the person you are? You become responsible for the life of an animal. You also get to learn the feeling of winning, but more importantly, you get to learn how to lose with dignity. No one ever wins every class they are in or show they are at, which just gives you something to work harder toward.

What is your most memorable moment from the county fair? The most memorable moment from the county fair was winning best of show with my heifer, Spark. This was the rst Jersey heifer we had ever shown and would lead to many more shows and the start of our Jersey herd. She won the entire fair, and then later that night, she gave birth to a healthy calf in the barns at the fairgrounds while crowds of people watched. The barn was completely full with people observing this common occurrence for farmers, but a once-in-a-lifetime event for most individuals.

Tell us about your farm and family. We have a double-16 swing parlor where we milk around 550 cows. Our milk is then shipped to BelGioioso Cheese. Our farm is around 650 acres. We have workers who do most of the milking. Our family consists of me and my brother, Thayne, who takes care of all the show heifers; my sister, Caylee, who enjoys showing pigs as her summer project; and my parents, Matt and Kim. Kim takes care of all our calves on the farm, and Matt does all of our breeding and feeding of our animals. Then, my aunt Erin helps with the treatment of sick cows on the farm. My cousins, Maggie and Delaney, also share an interest in showing dairy animals. My brother and I have really grown because of showing animals. We are both passionate about what we do and are always nding ways to make our show string better. It fuels a friendship between us instead of just being brothers.

What do you enjoy doing at the fair when you are not showing? There are a lot of things I enjoy at the fair when I am not in the show ring, but the most important one is spending time with friends and getting to know more people. We go on rides, eat lots of food, walk the barns and play games.

Describe a challenge you faced in preparing for the fair or while showing and how you overcame it. One challenge that I have been facing this year is that one of my heifers likes to side step and swing in the show ring. This has been a challenge for me and a hard thing to try and correct. I have been working with her on loud sounds and having my siblings walk on her sides and behind her. I also try to walk her in unfamiliar places to hopefully get her used to change.

How has showing dairy animals helped shape the person you are? Showing dairy animals has taught me to be responsible and to work hard. It has also helped me manage my time wisely and to always be patient. It has also provided me with many cool opportunities such as showing at World Dairy Expo, being on a dairy judging team and meeting new people.

What is your most memorable moment from the county fair? My most memorable moment so far was at last year's county fair when I won a clipping chute for winning the premier exhibitor contest.

Tell us about your farm and family. My family consists of my parents, Bryan and Brittney, and my siblings: Braxton, Jayden and twins Rayah and Rori. I am the oldest, and we live right on our dairy farm. My dad and grandpa, Kyle, own and operate the farm together. They do all the work themselves from milking the cows to the crops. We do not have any employees. We milk 60 cows twice a day in a tiestall barn and farm about 400 acres of land. We ship our milk to Henning’s Cheese in Kiel, Wisconsin. I would say that we really are a small family farm.

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Jazmyn Heeg

17 years old

Parents: Jay and Cheryl Heeg

Colby, Wisconsin Marathon County

Tell us about your dairy 4-H projects and what you plan to show at the fair this year. This year, I have about eight dairy 4-H projects. I have never had this many, but I am excited to overcome any challenges that come along the way. Since my county fair and Wisconsin State Fair are the same week, the past couple years, I have decided to attend the state fair instead. The state fair rule is that you only are allowed to take two animals, with the exception being if you take a cow; then you can take three animals. I plan on taking my Red and White summer yearling and my Red and White spring yearling.

What does your schedule look like leading up to the fair? My heifers get fed their usual grain twice a day with unlimited hay. A couple days before the show, we like to give them beet pulp. They will also all get rinsed twice a week. I wash them a day before we clip them so that the hair is easier to work with. During this period, I also walk them to perfect their pace and teach them how to set up. I normally start training the older calves and yearlings during the fall and winter months. As we get into the spring, I start to train the younger calves in June. This whole process before a big show like the Wisconsin State Fair can take weeks, but the overall experience takes months if you want to get it right.

What are three things you must have with you at the fair? Allergy medicine, a good pillow and a pair of comfortable shoes. Allergy medicine is a huge priority for me as I’m severely allergic to the straw, shavings and hay. I would honestly not make it through a show without it. A good pillow is always necessary to get the best sleep you can, whenever and wherever you can. The week gets to be extremely tiring, so sleep is cherished. A pair of comfortable shoes is also a must as the long week and the miles walked take a toll on your feet and body. It is so nice to just wear something comfortable after a long day of constantly moving.

What do you enjoy doing at the fair when you are not showing? I enjoy walking through all of the other barns, looking at other exhibitors’ animals, and talking and connecting with other people in the dairy industry or friends from other counties.

Describe a challenge you faced in preparing for the fair or while showing and how you overcame it. The rst year I ever showed at my county fair was a huge disappointment. As someone who just stepped foot in the show ring, I was already nervous, but what happened to me escalated my emotions very quickly. My calf was not cooperating, and I let go of the halter. She ended up putting her head down, and the halter slipped off. I stood there absolutely shocked while many adults rushed to grab my calf and try to get the situation under control. That was a huge challenge in my show career, and I promised myself it would never happen again.

How has showing dairy animals helped shape the person you are? Showing dairy cattle has shaped me to be the person I am today in so many ways. I have been given so many wonderful opportunities to be able to reach out to other people in the agriculture and dairy industries. It has given me a new appreciation for all the hard work and long hours put in day in and day out that my family does for us all to be able to live our dreams. I never cease to see all the sacrices that are put in by everyone involved, and it truly makes me happy. Showing has also given me a new drive and motivation to always be able to put my all into everything I do and to work hard for all my successes in life. I have been around this industry my entire life, and it has shaped me and made me who I am today. That is something that I am extremely proud of.

What is your most memorable moment from the county fair? A couple years ago, I won junior champion Red and White and reserve supreme heifer. I was so incredibly proud of myself, my animals and especially my family to be able to make my dreams nally come true. It will always be a special moment for me, with a special heifer.

Tell us about your farm and family. My family farm is Heeg Brothers Dairy LLC in Colby, Wisconsin. We are currently milking 1,350 cows with 1,400 youngstock that we raise ourselves. We are farming 3,300 acres. My grandpa, dad, uncles, cousins, myself and employees are all involved in the farm. There are three generations working at the farm together. We milk in a double-14 parallel parlor. We are currently in the process of building a barn with eight robotic milking systems. Our milk is shipped to Mullins Cheese in Knowlton and Marsheld, Wisconsin.

Aidan Hernandez

14 years old

Parent: Kitt Westpfahl

Tomah, Wisconsin Monroe County

Tell us about your dairy 4-H projects and what you plan to show at the fair this year. I am planning to show two dairy heifer calves at the county fair this year. One of the calves is a spring dairy Holstein calf and the other calf is a winter dairy crossbred heifer.

What does your schedule look like leading up to the fair? I started training the calves when they were 1 week old. They have been getting fed fresh hay bales and corn along with fresh grass.

What are three things you must have with you at the fair? The three things I must have with me at the fair are the feed for the heifers, the show halters and the hose to wash off the heifers.

What do you enjoy doing at the fair when you are not showing? At the fair when I'm not having to deal with the heifers, I normally talk to other people, and on the last day of the fair, I pull in the antique/farm tractor pull.

Describe a challenge you faced in preparing for the fair or while showing and how you overcame it. A challenge that I've had with the fair is trying to keep the heifers clean when they're eating the hay bales. The way I have overcome that challenge is feeding them less dry hay so that the hay doesn't get caught in their hair.

How has showing dairy animals helped shape the person you are? It has taught me a good work ethic and responsibility.

What is your most memorable moment from the county fair? The rst year I showed, my mixed breed dairy heifer took rst place and got champion in mixed breed.

Tell us about your farm and family. My mom and grandparents farm on a 200-plus-acre dairy farm, and we milk 50 cows. The milk gets shipped to Grassland Dairy Products. The cows are Milking Shorthorns, Holsteins and Jersey crossbreds.

Cecelia Dittrich

16 years old

Parents: Don and Billie Dittrich Waumandee, Wisconsin Buffalo County

Tell us about your dairy 4-H projects and what you plan to show at the fair this year. I plan to show my Jerseys that I bought with my money from my summer job and from my meat project from the fair. I have a 2-year-old Jersey cow named Minnie and a fall calf named Santenna. I also will be showing a 2-year-old Holstein cow that I have shown since she was a summer yearling. I also have a summer yearling named Bio who is the granddaughter of my rst cow I showed. All my animals are registered.

What does your schedule look like leading up to the fair? I train my animals year-round. I show at two other shows with the rst one being in June. As soon as school is out, I start working with them on halters. They will get clipped at least twice before the fair. I work with them whenever I can between my summer jobs and farm chores. Time depends on the animal. Some train by the third day, and some take all summer. Washing and tying them up daily helps the most, along with walking them to water versus having water in front of them.

What are three things you must have with you at the fair? A good pair of clippers for trimming and tting the animal. Feed and water for the animal, along with beet pulp and a good attitude. An animal can tell if you are moody.

What do you enjoy doing at the fair when you are not showing? I help in the 4-H food stand, and I like to teach younger dairy members about showing. I also enjoy fair food.

Describe a challenge you faced in preparing for the fair or while showing and how you overcame it. I always have to show against my brother or sister every year. I challenge myself to hope to do better than both of them. Showmanship is always my goal. To me, that is the best award a person can win.

How has showing dairy animals helped shape the person you are? It challenges me to work harder on a project.

What is your most memorable moment from the county fair? My rst year winning showmanship – it was my very rst trophy – and my rst year showing in third grade.

Tell us about your farm and family. We live on a 100-cow registered dairy with 200 acres of tillable land. We have 99% Holsteins. I have three Jerseys. My brothers have a Milking Shorthorn and a Brown Swiss as well. My dad does all the milking and breeding. My brother Korlen does our feeding. My brother Jordon helps with hay when needed. I also have two sisters who help milk when needed and two younger brothers who scrape and do heifer and calf chores. My mom works off the farm for Farm Service Agency. We ship our milk to Ellsworth Creamery.

Green chop fullls summer forage needs at Hageman Farms

Describe your farm and facilities. We farm with our dad, Clifford, at Hageman Farms, which has been in our family since 1962. We milk 120 cows twice a day in a stanchion barn. Cows go outside daily and spend time on pasture during the summer. We raise all of our youngstock in bedded pack barns and on pasture.

What forages do you harvest? We harvest haylage and corn silage. We also green chop daily during the growing season and feed this fresh forage to our milk cows.

How many acres of crops do you raise? We raise about 800 acres of crops. This includes 350 acres of corn, 300 acres of soybeans and 150 acres of an alfalfa grass mix.

What quality and quantity do you harvest of each crop? We ll a 20-by70 Harvestore silo with rst-crop haylage and also do 300 big square bales of rst-crop hay. We harvest 150 to 200 bales of second-crop hay and about 100 bales of third-crop hay. We mix fourthcrop hay with corn silage in one of our silos, and we feed that to cows when they are in the barn in the winter. We run two choppers and do every other load corn silage and haylage. We try to

acres.

do the best we can with our forages every time. We usually hit a protein level of 22%. Our nutritionist describes our corn silage as about as good as you can get it.

Hydraulic Doors

Describe the rations for your livestock. We do not feed a total mixed ration to our milking herd. Instead, we green feed during the summer months or when we can – it could be spring, summer and fall. We bypass the silos and go out and cut it and feed it green.

We’ve been doing this since about 1983, and we bypass a lot of expense this way. There is labor involved in that one guy has to go out and chop it every day. The cows really like this feed. Milk production goes up, but butterfat and protein go down. In the barn, we run two Harvestores at once – one with corn silage and one with haylage – and mix feed that way for our milk cows. We also feed them shelled corn by hand with protein mix. Dry cows run with the milking herd and eat pretty much the same diet. Our breeding-age heifers clean up after the cows and also receive minerals. Younger heifers are fed our lower-quality hay – perhaps something that got rained on – as well as a grain mix.

Describe your harvesting techniques for alfalfa and corn silage. Daryl does most of the harvesting with help from Clayton. We mow our hay, putting two windrows together. We run it through a v-rake 12-foot Haybine, doing 24 feet together, and then run it through a John Deere 5830 chopper. Big squares are made with a Case IH LBX332 baler with inoculant on it. We’ve been using inoculant because we have better results and it’s cheaper to throw away.

Turn to FORAGE | Page 20

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

Daryl (le�) and Clayton Hageman take a break in the shade July 13 on their farm near Fitchburg, Wisconsin. The brothers, along with their dad, Clifford, milk 120 cows and farm about 800

5 to 7 Ton Potential

BMR Dwarf Sorghum Sudan

“We tried other products, and we found out: Udder Comfort™ is the one that really works. It’s the best for fresh cows, and for any type of swelling, any cow with elevated SCC or a hard quarter, mastitis, even an injured quarter,” says Brad Palmer of Pigeon Cove Farms, Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania.

“We got back on the Udder Comfort last year for its effectiveness and ease of use. Spraying fresh udders with Udder Comfort after each milking for 5 days after calving really helps our milk quality,” he adds.

Three generations are involved in the operation: Brad and Linette and their son Logan and daughter Hailey and Brad’s parents Lonnie and Debra.

They milk 440 Holstein and Jersey cows, averaging 94 pounds with SCC 140,000.

“We like using Udder Comfort in the parlor. It delivers better coverage and better results,” adds Hailey. She does herd health and breeding while Logan is mostly involved in crops and feeding. Hailey also shows Ayrshires, a breed she loves that her mom grew up with.

Acid is more expensive, but it keeps better. Inoculant has to be thrown out after two days, but it’s machine friendly and doesn’t cause rusting like acid would. We’ve been pretty impressed with what you can do with inoculant. There are no burnt bales. We cut hay every 28 to 30 days. We try to get four cuttings or whatever Mother Nature will allow. We like to get alfalfa in the early bud stage. This year, we were unhappy with the amount from our rst cutting, so for second crop, we decided to let it grow for an extra week, and we ended up getting an extra half bale per acre. We’re letting it get more mature. With drought conditions, we have to nd a way to feed these animals, or we’ll have to buy expensive hay. We cut corn when it is as close to perfect as we can get it. We run it through a kernel processor on the chopper and throw it in the silo. We like to have 45% moisture for chopping corn.

What techniques do you use to store, manage and feed your forages? We have six Harvestore silos we use for storing haylage, silage and shell corn. Silos are an excellent feed keeper. You are not going to nd feed any better than that. It’s like a big refrigerator, but it’s not refrigerated. The biggest gripe people have about silos is the expense. Daryl does most of the work on

the Harvestores, which saves a lot of money. We only use our best-working unloader in the wintertime to avoid issues. We feed big square bales in the barn using a two-wheeled cart instead of carrying them. This way, cows can’t get to it as much while we’re moving it, which allows us to feed twice as fast. We started with big bales in 2013. For shelled corn, we make sure to stay above 22% moisture or else starch ends up in the air, and you’re breathing that in all the time. Corn is cleaner at 22% and softer for cows’ mouths. The drier it gets, the sharper it gets. This helps with ease of feeding.

Throughout your career, have you changed the forages you plant, and how has that decision helped your operation? Around 1995, we started planting soybeans to loosen the soil and put nitrogen back in the ground. It helps improve the soil itself as well as soil workability. We use soybeans for crop rotation and also as a cash crop. We also changed our corn silage variety for the silos. Cows can do better on different varieties. We might do something more resistant to tar, and we mix it up depending on what’s going on.

Describe a challenge you overcame in reaching your forage quality goals. We found out we really have to watch our

corn silage. You have to be aware of what can happen and stay on top of what’s new with things like blight, mold and bugs. We have also learned to hit the alfalfa as soon as we see it blooming to get the most out of it. Our dad was always looking for growth to get volume, but if it’s dry, it can get woody. You have to nd that perfect balance.

How do quality forages play a part in the production goals for your herd? It’s everything. We try to get as much out of the herd as we can. To do that, we have to get the best feed into them. That helps cut the costs of buying proteins.

What are management or harvesting techniques you have changed that have made a notable difference in forage quality? Kernel processing.

This cracks the kernels and breaks them down so they are ready for cows to eat in the corn silage. As a result, cows digest the corn better. Also, when we rake hay, we rake early when it’s dewy, which helps keep the leaves on – that’s where the protein is. We have gotten better at that over time, but Mother Nature plays a part in our success every day.

STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR

Cows eat freshly cut green chop feed July 13 at Hageman Farms near Fitchburg, Wisconsin. The Hagemans green chop daily during the growing season – a prac ce they have been doing since 1983.

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JD S690 2016, PRWD, Duals, 2544 hrs., 1820 Sep. hrs., #547267............ $219,900

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JD S770 2021, PRWD, Duals, 568 hrs., 486 Sep. hrs., #554050................ $405,000

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When in doubt, keep trying

Blankenberg wins

FFA award with Brown Swiss herd

By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – Alexis Blankenberg fell in love with the Brown Swiss breed when she was young enough to show in the peewee class. At the beginning of her high school years, she used money from her savings to buy seven Brown Swiss heifers and two cows. Four years later, she has over 100 animals in her breeding program.

This accomplishment led Blankenberg to be honored with the Wisconsin FFA Agricultural Prociency in Dairy Production-Entrepreneurship award June 13 at the Wisconsin FFA Convention & Expo in Madison.

Blankenberg said the award was unexpected.

“I was so surprised,” Blankenberg said. “It was an awesome feeling.”

On the family’s farm near Platteville, Blankenberg works alongside her father, Bill Blankenberg. Together, they milk around 53 cows in a tiestall barn. While growing up, Blankenberg had chores to do every day that earned her money for her savings account. When Gary Kruse had a sale from his Brown Swiss herd in 2019, Blankenberg saw it as her chance to expand her passion for the breed. Blankenberg purchased nine animals and consolidated them with her dad’s grade Holsteins.

Blankenberg studied bull books and made all the breeding decisions for her animals. She relied on sexed semen to ensure heifer calves and tried to make animals that would last her a long time.

“I love to see my growth,” Blankenberg said. “That’s my favorite part about all the cattle. It excites me so much.”

On a typical day, Blankenberg starts by feeding calves and then helping her dad nish milking. She is also involved in the daily chores while her dad handles eldwork. As soon as weather allows, Blankenberg gets her fair animals out for a walk and a wash every day at 2 p.m. It is a dedication that took a long time to earn her any recognition since she did not win any awards for the rst several years of showing cattle.

Blankenberg said she learned from her dad the value in not giving up. As a rst-generation farmer, he had to deal with critics when he started farming. They have a sign on their barn that reads “Keep Trying” as a re-

minder to them both every day.

“It has kind of reciprocated with the Swiss too,” Blankenberg said. “I was at the bottom of my showmanship for years and years. There were a lot of times that I went to a show and lost but kept trying.”

There have been people within the industry, Blankenberg said, who have encouraged her and taught her about the Brown Swiss breed and showing in general. Her experience

showing at World Dairy Expo and as a junior member of the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Association has taught her that a positive attitude and helpful demeanor goes a long way.

“The connections that I’ve made within the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Association as the youth secretary last year and just as a member have been so monumental to me,” Blankenberg said. “It’s actually hard to describe each individual who has helped me from where I was to where I am now.”

Blankenberg has channeled that spirit into helping the next generation of showmen by mentoring a 12-yearold friend of hers, Evie Wyse. Blankenberg has brought Wyse to shows and sold her animals to get her started as well. She said Wyse’s enthusiasm is contagious.

“She’s been a light,” Blankenberg said. “She has motivated me more than the competition.”

Blankenberg plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the fall for dairy science with an emphasis on business. She will continue helping her dad on the farm while attending school and eventually use her degree to continue to farm and grow her herd. However, she also has interest in working as a classier in the future and, beyond that, hopes to someday win the World Dairy Expo show.

“Everybody wants to win World Dairy Expo,” Blankenberg said. “That would be so awesome. But, along the way, I’ll just keep building connections.”

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Alexis Blankenberg stands with her show heifer, Mary, June 28 on her farm near Pla eville, Wisconsin. Blankenberg milks 53 cows with her dad Bill and owns over 100 Brown Swiss bred and owned animals.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Rhylie Gough (le ) presents the Wisconsin FFA Agricultural Prociency in Dairy Produc on-Entrepreneurship award to Alexis Blankenberg June 13 at the Wisconsin FFA Conven on & Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. Blankenberg has grown her Brown Swiss herd to over 100 animals over the last four years.

Wisconsin Holstein Association District 4 Show

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Aubrey Behling of Athens, Wisconsin, exhibits her Holstein spring yearling heifer July 6 at the Wisconsin Holstein Associaon District 4 Show in Marsheld, Wisconsin. Behling’s heifer placed third in her class.

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

The exhibitors in the Wisconsin Holstein Associa on pee wee showmanship class – Connor Ledden (from le ) and Tucker Ledden of Auburndale, Wisconsin; and Carrieann Hartwig of Arpin, Wisconsin – smile for the camera a er showing their calves July 5 in Marsheld, Wisconsin. The pee wee class helps build showmanship condence at a young age.

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Abigail Begert of Neillsville, Wisconsin, tugs on her heifer during the junior showmanship contest July 5 at the Wisconsin Holstein Associa on District 4 Show in Marsheld, Wisconsin. Begert placed  h in the contest.

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Logan Ducke of Rudolph, Wisconsin, watches the judge as he shows his Holstein spring calf July 6 at the Wisconsin Holstein Associa on District 4 Show in Marsheld, Wisconsin. Ducke ’s calf won her class and was named the honorable men on junior champion in the junior show.

County fair memories

County fairs have always been a reason to celebrate and showcase local agriculture. My grandmother was in 4-H, my mom was in 4-H, I was in 4-H, and I can’t wait until my children are old enough to join 4-H.

I was in 4-H for 11 years and loved every minute. My last year in 4-H, I had 22 non-livestock projects and six dairy animals. The year prior, when my older brother was still in 4-H as well, our family brought just over 20 dairy cattle to the fair, plus a few pigs and chickens, and my brothers showed beef cattle. We all looked forward to county fair week.

By Tiffany Klaphake Staff Writer

As soon as one class was done, we would go back to our show string and start getting the next one ready. My mom would help us as we all worked together, getting the animals up and show ready and taking pictures of each other in the show ring. Since there were four of us siblings and we each had multiple animals, we had an animal in most of the dairy classes for Holstein, Jersey, Brown Swiss and crossbreds. The only break we got was when it came time for the Guernsey, Ayrshire and Milking Shorthorn classes.

It was hands down the busiest, longest, craziest week of the entire year for our family. While it was an entire week of late nights nishing up projects or washing a load of our show white clothes at midnight, we looked forward to it every year.

My home county fair had a good variety of almost every species of animal. It was common to have six, sometimes seven, different breeds of dairy cattle. I can remember that Friday morning was always the 4-H dairy show, and Saturday morning was the open class dairy show.

We would go home Friday night, help with chores and milk the cows, bring more feed for the show animals at the fair and drive the 22 miles back to the fair. We would feed and water the animals and milk the milking cows one more time and check on everything, oftentimes staying until 10:30 p.m. After watering the animals one more time, we would drive the 22 miles back home –only to wake up bright and early the next day to do it all over again. One would think that cattle surrounded by freshly uffed straw could manage to stay clean for 12 hours, but alas, this was never the case. Each morning we would have to start washing the animals right away to get them clean and dry by show time at 9 a.m. The next day was the open class show, and almost the exact same dance commenced. We were off and running all day long once again.

Our cattle did not have the top-ofthe-line genetics, the fancy show feed or the special hairsprays like some of the other kids, but come time to enter the show ring, we would smile and walk gracefully and proudly next to our animals as we all paraded around the ring.

Our enjoyment of 4-H and county fairs rubbed off on our extended family as well.

I have three cousins who grew up in the Twin Cities area, but my uncle would bring them to our farm almost every other weekend from the time they were 2 years old until they graduated from high school. By that time, they were driving to our farm themselves. They still come to our farm to visit and to help with chores now and then, even though they have jobs of their own.

For several years, my cousins joined our 4-H club, leased cattle from us and showed our animals. They too would practice every time they would come to our farm and would look forward to county fair week. They even went to the state fair a couple of times. They would share stories with their friends at school about showing cows, and their friends would be amazed that one could wash, clip and lead a cow around like it was in a beauty pageant. My cousins would sometimes have to show pictures as proof that this was indeed a real thing.

My brothers and I would continue to help show in the open class show. We all showed until the youngest cousin graduated from 4-H in 2021. By then, we had showed for more than 20 years at our county fair. A couple of us had gotten married by this point and were raising kids of our own.

While we take a couple of years off from washing and clipping cattle to raise our families, we look back fondly at those busy, long, crazy few days during the county fair.

So, to all of you 4-H’ers, FFA’ers and parents, good luck at your county fair and remember to have fun.

Tell us about your farm and family. I farm with my husband, Tim, and our children, Andrew and Kimberly. We also farm with my brother-inlaw, Mark, and his wife, Kareen, who works as a registered nurse. Together we make up Kellercrest Registered Holsteins Inc. We have 330 registered milking Holstein cows and 300 youngstock. We farm 650 acres of owned and rented land. My children are the sixth generation on this farm, and along with family, we also have ve employees who help with the day-to-day operation. Cows are housed in a freestall barn, and we milk three times a day in a double-12 parallel parlor. Our rolling herd average is 33,001 pounds of milk, 1,460 pounds of butterfat and 1,087 pounds of protein. Both production and type are important to us, and we are in the top 15 for BAA in the country for our herd size.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? My day begins with feeding calves at 6 a.m. In addition to working on our dairy, I work at New Glarus High School in food service (child nutrition) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. I feed calves again in the evening and also do the farm’s bookwork.

What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? In the spring of 2021, we had a new ventilation system put in our freestall barn. The fans we previously had did not provide enough airow, so we switched to a tunnel ventilated system that features 14 large fans. We also added new curtains on the side of the barn. All of these updates play a role in improving cow comfort by offering better airow. Also, last year we put in a stationary generator which helps ease the mind concerning electrical issues. The previous generators we had were not enough. This new generator kicks in as soon as we have a power interruption.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. Watching our kids grow up on the farm and learning a good work ethic that has helped them to be successful today is my most memorable experience. Our son helps on our dairy full time, and our daughter is a personal trainer/Pilates instructor in St. Paul, Minnesota.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? Growing up as a city girl from Madison, Wisconsin, it was a big change for me learning to help manage and run a dairy operation, but I have loved every minute of it. Also, I have enjoyed meeting many international people who have come to our dairy as well as hosting interns from Germany and Belgium.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? In 1987, when we were married one year, we won the state show with our 5-year-old, UW Fleta, that my husband purchased as a yearling at the rst Badger Invitational Sale. Another one of our special cows was Kellercrest Shottle Loni. She was recognized as a top performing cow in 2014. Loni’s best record was made as a 6-year-old when she produced 57,130 pounds of milk, 3,030 pounds of butterfat and 1,633 pounds of protein in 365 days. Loni, and her daughter, Lynch, and Lynch’s daughter, Lotus, were all national elite performers. Loni had a dozen sons in A.I., and her embryos were exported worldwide.

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? We host PDPW events, World Dairy Expo tours, fourth grade school tours and Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin events. We have welcomed many people to our farm and enjoy sharing what we do with others.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Work hard to make things work, no matter how hard it is. Stay positive. Do not give up. You can always nd a way to make it work no matter what.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I like to garden, read, bake and travel. My husband and I have been to Europe three times in the last six years. I enjoy reading non-ction, including farm publications as well as historical books.

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SWOT: Now what?

A SWOT analysis tool is an effective business and decision-making tool that businesses should conduct periodically. A SWOT analysis stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Heinz Weihrich, University of San Francisco, improved the SWOT analysis by developing a process that businesses can use to develop an action matrix. The information is the same, but he changed the acronym and coined it a TOWS analysis.

A SWOT analysis typically starts with an internal analysis, and the TOWS matrix starts with an external analysis of the threats and opportunities followed by the strengths and weaknesses, but the real power is using the tool to create actionable items.

might include local and national regulations, a local housing development or decreasing processing capacity in your area.

– Opportunities: External to your business. What positive trends can open new opportunities for your business? Is there an opportunity to capitalize on the increased interest in local foods and how food is produced? Is your processor positioned to expand export opportunities or pay premiums based on new products? Opportunities arise from outside of your farm, such as industry changes or important changes in competitors’ environment.

By Jim Salfer University of Minnesota

Both tools can help identify the internal and external factors affecting a business. It is a great tool to assess the current position and future viability of a current business, help identify new opportunities and strategies, and identify potential future threats early.

You begin by conducting the TOWS analysis. It is best to get input from all business partners, along with trusted advisors, to get an outside opinion of the business. Below is the process, along with how to use the matrix.

– Threats: External to your business. Identify threats to your business that can potentially have a negative impact or even keep you from operating. Some examples

– Weaknesses: Internal to your business. What do your competitors do better than you? Do they have a lower cost of production? Are you lacking the land base to produce your own forage? How does your debt level compare to your competitors?

– Strengths: Internal to your business. These are your strengths compared to other farmers. What is your human or natural resource competitive advantage? Are you skilled at producing high pounds of solids per cow? Are you more labor efcient than your competitors? What is it that you do particularly well that others do not? Strengths represent areas of a clear advantage for your farm. After nishing your list, create a matrix that can be used to leverage the strengths and opportunities to improve your business in the future.

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Consider all strengths and opportunities listed in the TOWS analysis. Can you use any of your internal strengths to capitalize on external opportunities? In the example, would any of the children want to start a value enterprise to take advantage of their location and show off their excellent herd?

Continually monitor any external threats. Determine if it is possible for the internal strengths to minimize the risk of these threats. This farm’s high-quality milk and excellent cow care is providing product consumers are demanding. They could showcase their farm to regulators and others, showing off their excellent animal and environmental compliance.

Evaluate weaknesses listed in the TOWS analysis with the opportunities to

determine if weaknesses can be improved or minimized with external opportunities. This farm could use their good reputation with neighbors to foster long-term land or building leases. Building leases could leverage the limited capital to expand the cow herd. They could explore higher margin, lower capital enterprises such as tourism to take advantage of their location.

Consider all weaknesses and threats to determine if they can be eliminated or managed. This example farm might focus on building capital reserves that will allow them to adapt the business to potential threats.

Using proven business tools like a TOWS analysis can help farms develop strategies that will improve the long-term sustainability of their business.

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A big, hairy deal

Clipping business earns Harbaugh top FFA recognition

By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

MARION, Wis. – Growing up showing dairy cattle, clipping quickly became a part of life for Jacob Harbaugh of Marion. When he picked up his rst set of clippers, Harbaugh did not expect the activity would eventually become a business that would earn him state-wide recognition.

Harbaugh, a member of the Clintonville FFA Chapter, was named the Wisconsin Star in Agribusiness June 14 at the Wisconsin FFA Convention & Expo in Madison. The award stems from the culmination of his Supervised Agricultural Experience based on his edgling dairy cattle tting business.

“I already had a dairy production SAE that I was working on,” Harbaugh said. “I spent a lot of time clipping, and at rst, I thought that clipping could be a revenue source for that. But, then I got to thinking that I was providing a service for dairy farmers and that I might as well ll out the ag services SAE.”

That is how Harbaugh’s business, Harbaugh Hair Care, was born.

Harbaugh said he began

clipping around the age of 12, working to keep the animals on his family’s farm groomed. From there, he branched out to help close friends and relatives and then moved on to working for others as a tter around the age of 16.

“I started my SAE with three clients, and when I lled out my prociency application this year, my SAE had grown to over 25 clients,” Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh said his clientele has continued to grow since submitting the application earlier this year.

The majority of Harbaugh’s clients are located within Wisconsin, but this summer, Harbaugh said he will travel across the Upper Midwest, working for farms that are exhibiting cattle at various shows and fairs.

Harbaugh said he has enjoyed improving his tting abilities, and he nds satisfaction in a job well done. Developing his talent at tting is not the only skill that Harbaugh has gained through his SAE.

“I have learned the value of communicating well with others, being able to let them know when I am and am not available,” Harbaugh said.

“Time management is another big skill I have developed, be-

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Holstein heifer July 5 at the District 4 Holstein Show

Jacob Harbaugh of Marion, Wisconsin, works at

Marsheld, Wisconsin. Harbaugh used his business, Harbaugh Hair Care, for a Supervised Agricultural Experience project that earned him top honors as the Wisconsin Star in Agribusiness at the Wisconsin FFA Conven on & Expo in June.

ing able to build my schedule, making sure I am not double booking. Budgeting and keeping track of expenses as well as invoicing clients are other skills I have learned.”

Harbaugh said he has learned life as a tter can be grueling.

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“The days get long, and you don’t get a lot of sleep at the shows,” Harbaugh said. “The biggest challenge is trying to t everything in. There just aren’t that many tters out there for the amount of work that is available. I have to turn down a lot of people because

my schedule is already booked pretty full.”

A recent graduate of Clintonville High School, Harbaugh has been an active member of FFA since his freshman year.

Turn to HARBAUGH | Page 32

A family business since 1946 with the Lanos: Jack, Paul, Bob and Andy

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“I went to national FFA convention and really made the decision to get involved from there,” Harbaugh said.

Besides his SAE work, Harbaugh was involved in his chapter’s dairy judging team and served as a chapter ofcer.

Harbaugh’s dairy production SAE is based on the herd of registered show cattle his family owns. The Harbaughs raise heifers on their farm near Marion and have milking females housed at other farms. Besides being active in FFA, Harbaugh has been an active member of 4-H and several junior breed associations and has been showing his family’s cattle from an early age.

After spending the summer tting dairy cattle at a variety of shows, Harbaugh will attend the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in the fall, majoring in dairy science and food and ag-

riculture business management.

Harbaugh plans to continue his tting business, on a part-time basis, while he attends college.

“Having an extra income source is always nice, so if I have a weekend free, I might as well clip if I can,” Harbaugh said.

His involvement in FFA, Harbaugh said, laid a great foundation for his future in agriculture.

“I would encourage any young person, whether or not they have a background in agriculture, to take advantage of everything FFA has to offer,” Harbaugh said. “All of it – the life skills, the leadership experiences, the communication skills, the business development – are all such important pieces of the puzzle when it comes to future successes.”

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PHOTO SUBMITTED

The Harbaugh family – Logan (from le ), Lynn, Jacob, Sara and Madison – celebrate Jacob’s recogni on as the Wisconsin Star in Agribusiness at the Wisconsin FFA Conven on & Expo June 14 in Madison, Wisconsin. The Harbaugh family owns registered show ca le near Marion, Wisconsin.

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How did you get into farming? We have always milked cows here, and I took over from my dad after high school. He now works off the farm. My grandpa started this farm, so I am the third generation in my family to milk cows here.

What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? The milk price is always a concern, but I am more concerned about trucking in the next year. We were just informed that our hauling company had to change because there were not enough drivers.

What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? We have changed our breeding program for our heifers recently. We used to run the bull with the heifers full time, but now we are more intentional about when the heifers get bred. We now allow 10 to get bred in the fall and 10 to get bred in December. We did this to avoid having fresh heifers in the winter because they seem to have a hard time with that.

Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. I am here by myself every day, so I have become pretty versatile. Being tall also comes in handy because I can reach most things.

What is the best decision you have made on your farm? Simply deciding to farm has been a good decision for me because I have always enjoyed milking cows.

What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? My skid loader because it is handy and beats pitching by hand, my motorized

DAIRY PROFILE

feed cart that I use to feed in the barn in winter because it makes chores a lot easier, and the cement cow yard that we put in a few years ago because now cows don’t have to wallow in mud and they are not as dirty.

What strategies do you use to withstand the volatile milk prices? We stay pretty consistent with management, so we know what to expect on our end. We also grow our own crops, which keeps us from having to purchase feed.

How do you maintain family relationships while also working together? My dad mostly helps with eldwork, and my sister comes and feeds calves on days when she has off of work. We mostly just get along, and if we don’t, we get over it pretty quickly.

What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? I like being my own boss and getting to do whatever I want every day.

What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Keep doing what you’re doing if you like it.

What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? In the next year, I want to keep the cows here. Eventually, I would like to expand a little bit to maybe 100 cows, but that will take longer than ve years. We farm about 100 acres, so it is not enough right now to expand on.

How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? I am pretty much always on the farm, so I do little things around here in between chores.

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Tyler Stanek of Elroy, Wisconsin | Vernon County | 30 cows

Drought-stressed alfalfa

For some across the Midwest, recent rain has brought much-needed moisture. For others, the drought continues, combined with periods of aboveaverage heat. Key environmental factors like temperature and soil moisture status greatly impact alfalfa quality and yields. Thus, this year’s conditions have led to difcult harvesting decisions and generated conversations with forage advisory teams on several farms.

Because of its high stem density and dense canopy, alfalfa has a high rate of water use. University of Minnesota agronomy experts share that alfalfa uses 0.1 to 0.3 inches of water per day with a range of 4 to

7 inches per ton of forage, depending on the environment.

Daily water use is inuenced by plant growth stage and environmental factors like air temperature and wind speed. For example, on a windy, 90-degree day, alfalfa will likely use 0.3 inches of water. Water use is greatest when alfalfa has a full vegetative canopy before harvest and is greater during summer months when solar energy and air temperatures are greatest. Conversely, water use declines following harvests and in the spring and fall. If irrigating elds, these growth dynamics can be valuable when determining water application to minimize yield-reducing

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.

stress while optimizing economic yields.

Alfalfa has an extensive root system that enables it to extract water from deep in the soil. Alfalfa roots are mostly concentrated in the top 4 feet of the soil, but it is not uncommon for roots to reach depths of 15 feet in older stands. Alfalfa increases its root mass and length in response to soil moisture decits. Alfalfa survives severe drought by going dormant. In the Midwest, alfalfa plants can survive several months in dormancy. In some climates, dormant alfalfa can survive for years. During the onset of drought, alfalfa plants increase carbohydrates stored in the crown to allow the plant to survive dormancy. When water becomes available, alfalfa regrows rapidly from buds on the crown.

By Barry Visser Nutritionist

Drought stress will impact alfalfa plant growth in a variety of ways. Many changes are due to a dramatic reduction in photosynthesis. Plant cell enlargement is inhibited. The number of basal buds and number of stems are reduced when drought stress occurs in the rst two weeks after harvest. In addition, the stem internode length is condensed, resulting in owering at reduced plant height. Leaf size and growth is also reduced, although to a lesser degree than stem growth. Therefore, the leaf-to-stem ratio is higher under drought conditions.

From a nutrient standpoint, protein levels can see a slight reduction due to reduced biological nitrogen xation by the alfalfa plant largely through drought’s negative impacts on photosynthesis. Neutral detergent ber is generally decreased, though the effect varies with severity and timing of moisture stress.

The timing of the drought can be critical to yield reduction. Alfalfa root systems require good soil moisture in the early spring to regrow. Most of the Midwest experienced adequate snow melt and enough early moisture to allow a strong root system to develop this spring. As alfalfa plants broke dormancy, plant health was good, and growth was steady. Though not recordsetting, the result was respectable rst-cutting yields in many areas.

Dry conditions in June and July have resulted in reduced growth. Severe drought in some areas has affected entire elds while milder drought stress has created inconsistency across elds, impacted greatly by the water-holding capacity of the subsoils. Normal cutting windows are being evaluated and, in some cases, adjusted. Dr. Dan Undersander from the University of Wisconsin recommends harvesting as normal if a stand is over 10 inches tall and owering. There is no advantage to raising cutting height; alfalfa can regrow from axillary buds on the stubble, but these shoots are smaller and produce lower yield than stems growing from the crown buds. Plants will maintain quality better under drought conditions, so it may be valuable to go longer between cuttings and let stressed elds approach owering so the plant can build nonstructural carbohydrate reserves.

New-seeding alfalfa may have poorer stands if a dry period follows seeding. Upon emergence, drought-stressed plants may not develop as extensive of a root system as those in elds seeded under ideal moisture. This can impact current yields as well as future performance. Special caution should be taken in the fall to ensure these new-seeding elds have at least 8 to 10 inches of regrowth before the frost. Dry conditions going into the winter enhance alfalfa survival since dry soils insulate the crown better and result in less disease in alfalfa roots.

Drought-stressed alfalfa elds are often lower yielding but have higher forage quality. Keep in mind, this is not the same for grass elds. It is more important than ever to work with your agronomy team to ensure fertility and insect control are enhanced during periods of drought stress. Strategize with your advisors to optimize forage tonnage and quality in this challenging growing season.

Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.

Finding help in an unexpected place

I am new to the position on the board of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Prior to the rst meeting, I was sent an agenda of what would be discussed. I opened up the documents and tried to read through to be prepared for the presentations. I noticed when the meeting was scheduled to begin and how long the meeting would last so I could calculate when I needed to leave to get through trafc in Madison.

By Tina Hinchley

This meeting was July 13 and was to start at 9 a.m. Even though it is usually only a 20-minute drive, I left an hour early because there was road construction. I walked in just as the meeting was being called to order, and I felt good that my timing was right on.

After the approval of the May minutes, we listened to Adam Payne, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and witnessed the presentations of DATCP employees of the year.

I was moved by the supervisors who described these employees, using words such as motivated, caring, leaders, problem solvers and liked by their coworkers. Positive attitude was consistently mentioned as they were being complimented on their values and dedication to their positions. These employees of the year will have their names on a plaque in the entry hallway.

I could see the pride and self-satisfaction that radiated from these people as they received their recognition. These people really like their jobs, and it shows with their smiling faces and their posture. Good people, working hard, loving their lives.

As the agenda continued, we listened to the results of Wisconsin’s agriculture statistics survey. It started with the 2023 crop planting and June acreage. This part of the survey revealed that corn acres are up, soybean acres are down, dry hay acres are up, potatoes are up and winter wheat also.

I am interested in hearing about all of these crops because, as a farmer, this will have an effect on our family’s income. Milk production will also have a big impact on our farm and many others throughout the state.

May milk production totaled 2.79 billion pounds. This is up 1% from the previous May. Average monthly production per cow is 2,195 pounds in May. This volume of milk, which goes to make so many of the delicious and nutritious dairy products Wisconsin is famous for, is almost unimaginable. I am very thankful I live where I do in the United States.

The next item on the survey was the number of cow herds as of July 1. We are down to 5,905 family dairy farms. This is down 430 since the previous year. The milk price for May was $17.90 per hundredweight, down $9.50 from May 2022.

Hearing this, my heart sank, and my mind wandered off. I know many families that have had to sell their cows this past year, and I know many of them are struggling with the choice they had to make. Families are facing extremely low milk prices, high input costs and high labor costs with the cost of living per household going up, but farm families’ money available to pay bills is going down. Families are enduring emotional stress, depression, and feelings of frustra-

tion and anger about working so hard. Bills are piling up, but there is no end in sight for a solution to x the problems other than to sell the cows.

As the survey presentation was nishing, I was able to come back into focus. Another presentation started about the Wisconsin Farm Center, which provides free services to farmers. I mistakenly thought these services were only for beginning farmers, but I was wrong. This is for all farmers and includes nancial and business consultation; succession and transition planning; conict, legal and nancial mediation; herd-based diagnostics; veteran farmer assistance; and a farmer wellness program.

This presentation is exactly what I needed to hear: There is support and help for farmers. I left the meeting feeling informed and also capable of referring other farmers to these services. As farmers, we are independent, and often, this leads to isolation. We don’t have anyone cheering us on, using words to describe us as motivated, caring, leaders, problem solvers and

liked by their co-workers.

Life as a dairy farmer is hard, and having a positive attitude can be challenging. We could all use some praise to keep going and a big hug when we feel down. We are all good people, working hard but not always loving our lives. Sometimes we could use a little help, and the Wisconsin Farm Center is there for us.

Tina Hinchley, her husband Duane and daughter Anna milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2,300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. The Hinchleys have been hosting farm tours for over 25 years.

Access the Wisconsin Farmer Wellness Helpline at 1-888-901-2558 for around-the-clock support for farmers struggling with suicidal thoughts, depression or anxiety.

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Pizza party on the farm

This past Friday evening, we opened our farm to the community. Between the pandemic and cancer, our annual Ocooch Farm Party had been on a fouryear hiatus. Prior to that, we had been on a streak of over 20 years of summer parties. In the beginning, it was a neighborly potluck affair with invitations sent out, barbecue as the main course, and rudimentary tables set up with plywood and bales of hay. We grew to invite more people and began to borrow the tables from an unused nearby church, then at last purchasing our own.

The past decade or so, we have utilized social media, the local newspaper and that old standby – word of mouth – to invite the entire community to our party. In this time period, we began doing a make-your-ownpizza meal instead of a beef main course. This has been successful in many ways. People in town will ask us when we plan to have it so they can sneak their grandkids out for a night on the farm. It has become a wonderful family event where people can sit and chat while the children run rampant back and forth from the wash bay.

The wash bay houses the kids activities. Ordinarily, we build a hay-bale-bordered, bunker-plastic-lined corn box that provides hours of entertainment. This tends to send children home looking like all-sized versions of Casper the Friendly Ghost. This year, Ira and Peter were clever and decided to utilize one of our new mix ingredients – cottonseed. Instead of looking like ghosts, the children left with pockets full of cottonseed, clothing covered in mini cotton balls and, most importantly, tired smiles. A friend painted farmthemed cornhole boards, and we washed up the picture boards we have had stored in the shop for years. Children can put their heads in the cutouts to create new farm scenes with their glowing faces. We even have a wooden cow with a full calf-bottle udder for little ones to try their hands at milking.

Our guests included some rst timers bringing out their little ones, past employees, longtime friends and dedicated visitors who have been here most every year since the party’s debut. Conversation hummed in the shop, putting the notion of having music playing in the background on the back burner. Guests signed

our guestbook, signed their names to their pizza circle and followed the directions of our seasoned helpers to build their supper. We use mozzarella cheese made from milk produced on our farm and other Grande farmers – always a neat point of interest to hearty eaters. People raved about the avors – from the crust to the cheese, no complaints. Our incredible team of pizza people kept the crowd happy and pizzas owing for just over four hours, making upwards of 140 pizzas.

Some guests brought salads or fruit to share, or dessert treats of cupcakes or brownies. All these were devoured while people patiently waited for their pizzas to bake. An assortment of beverages lled a wheelbarrow of ice. From milk to adult beverages to big thermoses of water and lemonade, all had their thirst quenched.

By Jacqui Davison

Stella and I set off to do chores because four hands are better than two when you want to party a bit. We saved our dear Danae in the hospital parlor so our resident tour guides, Brynn and Kendyll, could give a demonstration on how to milk a cow. As the “girls in green” (as they were known all night due to their similar attire, chosen so they could be easily identied) steered their crew of interested listeners to the calf barn, Stella and I moved a cow in to pull her calf. Brynn popped her head back in on the way by and asked if it was OK for people to come back in to watch. I have been demoted to tail holder when Stella is around, so I assumed the position and offered coaching. Brynn and Stella gave the verbal play by play to their growing crowd of eager learners as they got the chains on. Cora, Stella, Brynn and a bit of muscle from Jose helped the beautiful heifer calf slide into the world. The girls worked like pros as they immediately stuck straw in its nose, then (without any hesitation, I may add) checked the cow for twins. Cora and Kendyll got her calcium water ready, and the crowd was buzzing with amazement at these girls, the miracle of life and the wonder that is all over a farm.

Stella, Brynn, Kendyll and my dad gave tours of the farm in between sneaking bites of pizza and gulps of chocolate milk to keep up their energy. The adults who were part of the girls’ groups were so impressed with their speaking skills and knowledge. Walking our farm and talking that much takes at least 45 minutes, so they were whipped by 8:30 p.m. As the party closed down for the evening, the FFA kids stuck around to help wash things up and get it all put away until the next time we need to run seven pizza ovens.

An event like this takes a lot of cleaning, organization, energy and work. It may seem to some to not be worth it. Seeing some of the fourth graders who had been out here for their class eld trip give tours to their parents, hearing the girls explain what the “weaners” are in calves’ noses, having people exclaim how great of an experience this is – for me, these examples make all the work worth it. A special thank you goes to all of our incredible employees and fantastic friends who showed up to help this run smoothly; it would not be possible without you.

Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and farm 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira, Dane, Henry and Cora, help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos, and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.

Columnist

Ramblings from the Ridge

Drought relief

By Steve Frericks Stearns County FSA executive director

For livestock producers, it is getting extremely dry in many areas. Concerns are surfacing regarding pasture program eligibility due to recent drought conditions. Contact your local service center for eligibility details about the programs Farm Service Agency offers and keep an eye on the U.S. Drought Monitor to see the impact of the drought in your area.

Dairy markets are tough right now. The Dairy Margin Coverage program is a risk-management tool used to assist producers during times like these. The June DMC margin will be announced around Aug. 1, and FSA staff will act upon any potential payment as soon as they become available.

The Livestock Forage Disaster Program provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who have suffered grazing losses for covered livestock and who are also producers of grazed forage crop acreage of native and improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or acreage planted specically for grazing.

Grazing losses must occur on land physically located in a county experiencing a qualifying drought during the normal grazing period for the county. LFP also provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who have covered livestock and who are also producers of grazed forage crop acreage on rangeland managed by a federal agency if the eligible livestock producer is prohibited by the federal agency from grazing the normal permitted livestock on the manage rangeland due to a qualifying re.

The qualifying drought and qualifying grazing losses and/or notication of prohibition to graze federal land due to re must have occurred in the grazing period and crop year. For grazing losses on rangeland managed by a federal agency, an eligible livestock producer may elect to receive assistance for losses

due to drought conditions or re conditions, if applicable, but not both.

An eligible livestock producer who, as a grazed forage crop producer, owns or leases grazing land or pastureland physically located in a county rated by the U.S. Drought Monitor as having a: D2 (severe drought) intensity in any area of the county for at least eight consecutive weeks during the normal grazing period is eligible to receive assistance in an amount equal to one monthly payment; D3 (extreme drought) intensity in any area of the county at any time during the normal grazing period is eligible to receive assistance in an amount equal to three monthly payments; D3 (extreme drought) intensity in any area of the county for at least four weeks during the normal grazing period or is rated a D4 (exceptional drought) intensity at any time during the normal grazing period is eligible to receive assistance in an amount equal to four monthly payments; or D4 (exceptional drought) in a county for four weeks (not necessarily four consecutive weeks) during the normal grazing period is eligible to receive assistance in an amount equal to ve monthly payments.

Eligible livestock are grazing animals that satisfy the majority of net energy requirement of nutrition via grazing of forage grasses or legumes and include such species as alpacas, beef cattle, buffalo/bison, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, ostrich, reindeer or sheep. Within those species, animals that are eligible include those that are or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland during the normal grazing period for the specic type of grazing land or pastureland for the county or when the federal agency prohibited the livestock producer from having livestock graze the normally permitted livestock on the managed rangeland due to re.

FSA will calculate LFP payments for an eligible livestock producer for grazing losses because of a qualifying drought equal to payment factors of one, three, four or ve times the LFP monthly payment

rate (see table for payment rates). The LFP monthly payment rate for drought is equal to 60% of the lesser of the monthly feed cost for all covered livestock owned or leased by the eligible livestock producer or calculated by using the normal carrying capacity of the eligible grazing land of the eligible livestock producer.

Total LFP payments to an eligible livestock producer in a calendar year for grazing losses will not exceed ve monthly payments for the same kind, type and weight range of livestock. In the case of an eligible livestock producer who sold or otherwise disposed of livestock because of drought conditions in one or both of the two previous production years immediately preceding the current production year, the payment rate will equal 80% of the monthly payment rate. FSA will calculate LFP payments for eligible livestock producers for losses suffered because of a qualifying re on federally managed rangeland for which the producer is prohibited from grazing the normally permitted livestock. The payment begins on the rst day the permitted livestock are prohibited from grazing the eligible rangeland and ends on the earlier of the last day of the federal lease of the eligible livestock producer or the day that would make the period a 180-calendar-day period. The payment rate is 50% of the monthly feed cost for the number of days the livestock producer is prohibited from having livestock graze the managed rangeland because of a qualifying re, not to exceed 180 calendar days.

To nd more information about FSA disaster assistance programs, visit farmers.gov or contact your local FSA ofce. To nd your local FSA ofce, visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.

Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 20250. Visit www.fsa.usda.gov for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs

hrs., 778 CH hrs., #188792 ......... $342,000

JD 8600 2016, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1607 hrs., 509 CH hrs., #555841 ......... $289,000

JD 8700 2018, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 2349 hrs., 1849 CH hrs., #552442 ....... $284,000

JD 8700 2017, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 2545 hrs., 1835 CH hrs., #546919 ....... $308,000

JD 8700 2016, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1470 hrs., 1065 CH hrs., #532572 ....... $339,000

JD 8700 2016, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1840 hrs., 1103 CH hrs., #525709 ....... $324,000

JD 8800 2017, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1559 hrs., 862 CH hrs., #524820 ......... $355,000

JD 8800 2017, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1728 hrs., 870 CH hrs., #544616 ......... $339,900

JD 8800 2016, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 2604 hrs., 1707 CH hrs., #175182 ....... $268,100

JD 9800 2021, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 573 hrs., 369 CH hrs., #552624 ........... $553,000

JD 9800 2020, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1291 hrs., 833 CH hrs., #536344 ......... $497,000

JD 9800 2020, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1470 hrs., 942 CH hrs., #554135 ......... $459,900

JD 9800 2019, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 899 hrs., 660 CH hrs., #550175 ........... $503,000

JD 9800 2019, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1893 hrs., 1368 CH hrs., #543355 ....... $390,000

JD 9900 2022, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 517 hrs., 330 CH hrs., #565395 ........... $595,000

JD 9900 2021, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 608 hrs., 401 CH hrs., #565397 ........... $574,000

JD 9900 2020, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 784 hrs., 455 CH hrs., #561177 ........$523,000

JD 9900 2020, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 849 hrs., 661 CH hrs., #553436 ........... $508,000

JD 9900 2019, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1224 hrs., 884 CH hrs., #550177 ......... $493,000

Claas 940 2020, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 650 hrs., 480 CH hrs., #532728 ........ $399,900

hrs., #550106 ........... $518,000

Claas 970 2018, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 2257 hrs., 1639 CH hrs., #533174 .... $299,000

The gift of rain

Every week we have watched the statewide drought report. The parameters have grown and shrunk over the months as rains moved across the state, but Benton County has consistently been in the center as one of the driest areas in the state. It is a year reminiscent of our rst year of farming during the drought of 1988. We survived that one, and we will survive this one as well because we know we can.

I don’t know if I can entirely blame climate change, greenhouse gas emissions or El Niño as the cause for our dry conditions. I can put a little bit of the blame on the German and Polish immigrants who settled in central Minnesota. They built these big, beautiful churches on the highest peak in the area. Then they nished off the buildings with the tallest steeples to “tickle God’s toes” so he wouldn’t forget them down on earth. Sometimes I blame those tall steeples for splitting apart the rain clouds heading our way, sending rains to the north and south of us.

We had only received .9 inch of rain since the rst seeds went in the ground in May. Seventy days later, we were able to double our total rainfall amount. I was feeding calves as I watched the clouds dip down and touch the Bowlus, Minnesota, area with much-needed rain. It appeared the church steeples were going to split the clouds again, but I realized I was starting to get wet. The clouds had slipped past the steeples, and the rains were starting to reach our farm.

I never had so much fun feeding calves as the soft gentle rain rolled off the calf domes. I didn’t even realize how wet I was getting because it just felt so fresh and clean as the rain cleared the smoky air. As I started back to the barn with a wagon full of empty bottles, the winds started to pick up. Suddenly the clouds opened up, and the rains came down in sheets with pea-sized hail. It was coming down so hard I couldn’t even see across the yard to the far end of the heifer shed. And as quickly as the winds came, they

stopped, and the rains were done. In 30 minutes, we doubled our rain total for the year.

Just Thinking Out Loud

I was wet from the tip of my ball cap to the bottom of my tennis shoes and everywhere in between, but I didn’t care. I splashed and giggled through every puddle on my way to the house. Mark just laughed and said the grandkids were missing out. The rains seemed to bring a sense of restoration and relief to our souls. We realized it could still rain. We just needed to be patient.

By Natalie Schmitt

Soon after, our crop insurance agent called to see if we had any damage. We were good. The crops were stretching out, trying to capture every last drop of moisture. The hail was too small to cause much damage. He was driving behind the storm on his way home, surveying damage left in the wake of the high winds and baseball-sized hail in the Albany area. Good thing the strawberry season had wrapped up at my favorite strawberry patch. The storm which brought us joy and comfort also brought destruction and dismay to many others.

Mark said the cornelds would be completely tasseled out after the rain. Even though we have been irrigating our crops since late May, they much prefer the fresh rain water. Sure enough, by Monday, all the elds were tasseled out. My yard is even starting to green up again. I may actually have to get the mower out for the third time this year.

Of course, the wildest thing about the timing of this storm has to do with a special heifer. Two years ago, we had a heifer calf get spooked out of her dome during a wild and wicked storm. She was only a few days old and ended up wandering lost in the corneld surrounding our yard. We nally found her the next day a mile north and on the opposite side of the road in Al’s yard. We named her Freebird.

I should have known it was going to storm because Freebird calved the morning of the rain with her own heifer calf. Luckily, this one hasn’t had the wandering gene like her mother and is content in her dome, even during a storm.

Mark has been through several dry years on the sands of central Minnesota in his lifetime. Before irrigation was installed, his family had to completely rely on their faith for the gift of rain. His mother taught him the rain prayer, and Mark has taught it to his children. Austin and Mark have been reciting this prayer several times a day as they travel between irrigation pivots providing water to the crops.

“Almighty God, we are in need of rain. We realize now, looking up into the clear, blue sky above, what a marvel even the least drop of rain really is. To think that so much water can fall out of the sky, which now is empty and clear. We place our trust in you. We are sure that you know our needs, but you want us to ask you anyway, to show you that we know we are dependent on you. Look on our dry hills and elds, dear God, and bless them with the living blessing of soft rain. Then the land will rejoice and the rivers will sing your praises and hearts of men will be glad. Amen.”

A gentle reminder that even though we pride ourselves on being independent and self-sufcient, we need to trust in God’s perfect timing for the gift of rain.

As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.

Columnist

Casa Verde de La Feria

Our little green sh house – which we affectionately refer to as Casa Verde

has a new purpose in life.

Last summer, Casa Verde became our county fair headquarters. With three full-edged 4-Hers and three shows during the fair, we decided we needed a space of our own on the fairgrounds. We reserved one of the camping lots close to the dairy barn, and Casa Verde became Casa Verde de La Feria.

By the end of our county fair, we found ourselves questioning why we hadn’t made the decision years earlier. (Isn’t that how all good decisions go?) Here’s why:

1. We had all of our stuff in one place. Showing dairy cattle requires so much gear. Some of it we keep in tack boxes by our cattle, but a good bit of it we don’t – white clothes, show halters, tting equipment and supplies, etc. In the past, our minivan was the backup storage space, which became problematic if I forgot to shufe gear around before leaving the fair. Having the kids’ gear in a stationary spot saved us a number of headaches.

2. We had our own changing room. On show days, there’s usually a line for the bathrooms because everyone is changing into their show whites. When our kids were little, they just changed in the back of the van. They’ve long since outgrown that option. Casa Verde was the perfect solution.

3. We had a kitchen (of sorts) away from home. Since we had more space at the fair, we lled a large cooler and a large tote with groceries for the week. We all enjoyed having non-fair fare available. I enjoyed not having to remember sandwiches and snacks every morning of the fair. And I’m pretty sure the money we saved by packing our own food more than paid for the camping fee.

4. We had a place to rest. I think every fair parent can agree that fair week is one of the longest weeks of the year. Days lled with non-stop activity, usually coupled with heat and humidity, make for exhausted kids – and parents! In the past, our only place to nap was at home, and nobody ever wanted to leave the excitement of the fair long enough to drive home for a nap. Last year, Casa Verde was used regularly for naps, and everyone nished the fair a little less exhausted.

I should add that we’re lucky to live close enough to our fairgrounds to drive home every night, which made for cool and comfortable sleeping, since Casa Verde is not air conditioned.

Two additional benets of designating Casa Verde for fair use that we didn’t anticipate were post-fair transport and off-season fair storage.

Like re-packing your suitcase at the end of a trip, it always seems there’s more gear to t into the vehicles and trailers at the end of the fair than there was going to the fair. Casa Verde doubled as an extra trailer for everything from tack boxes to feed pans.

Once we were home, we ended up using Casa Verde as a storage space for some of the smaller totes of fair gear and our stall decorations.

Our larger gear – feed tubs, drinking cups, footboards, etc. – goes in the Show House. Like Casa Verde, the Show House was repurposed last year to accommodate our kids’ show stuff. The Show House used to be their playhouse; then it became a catch-all storage shed. After several years of hunting for show gear the week before the fair, I decided all of the show stuff needed a place of its own. Now, instead of the tack box going in the garage and the wheelbarrow going in the granary and the tubs going in the playhouse, everything is in one place. Again, a change we should have made years ago.

Casa Verde will return to the fair again this year – but even better following some off-season improvements. We picked up a used cabinet for one wall that will serve as snack storage. The cabinet’s countertop will provide a much-needed surface for preparing food. We extended the tiny sleeping bench to accommodate a full-sized mattress. There’s enough room under the bed for each kid to store a clothesbasket with all of their fair clothes. And Glen’s mom made us new curtains, complete with Holstein-cow-print edging.

Knowing that we’ll literally have all of our stuff together makes me feel a little more together as we roll into county fair week.

Good luck to all of you entering exhibits in your own county fairs. May your smiles be many!

Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children – Dan, Monika, and Daphne. Sadie also writes a blog at www. dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.