Sign up for our Newsletter
Dairy St r Milk Break
Visit dairystar.com to sign up!
DAIRY ST R
Volume 24, No. 11
July 23, 2022
“All dairy, all the time”™
Their turn to dairy Three cousins continue the family farm By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
BANGOR, Wis. – When the Manke brothers – Kenneth, David and Paul – were ready to step down from managing their family dairy farm, they approached their niece and two nephews about taking over. The three cousins – Melissa Manke, Matthew Manke and Bryant LeJeune – stepped up to the task and, after a couple years of preparation, took the farm over in 2017. “We sat down and talked a lot when we rst started,” Melissa Manke said. “We all had our certain skill sets that we came with.” The cousins milk 200 cows in an auto-ow parlor on the farm near Bangor. Manke and LeJeune handle most of the milking while Matthew takes care of the heifers and calves. Manke does all
the administrative work for the farm, and LeJeune is in charge of managing crops and ordering breeding supplies. The cousins all work together to harvest hay. Every year, they manage 250 acres of hay ground in addition to 320 acres of corn. “We meet every winter to discuss what eld is going to be what so we have a plan,” Manke said. Prior to the transition, Matthew and Melissa were working full time on the farm, and LeJeune was milking on his own. The farm expanded the freestall barn, slurry system, and feed storage area to accommodate LeJeune’s 60-cow herd. “My wife and I had been trying to purchase our own farm for years but couldn’t seal the deal,” LeJeune said. “We realized that without the help from someone along the way, I couldn’t live out my dream of being a dairy farmer. We are very grateful to the last generation alABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR lowing us to keep their legacy alive.” MaƩ hew Manke (from leŌ ), Bryant LeJeune and Melissa Manke take a break The previous generation helped the June 20 at their farm near Bangor, Wisconsin. The cousins are the fourth generaTurn to MANKES | Page 7 Ɵon to dairy on their family farm.
Wisconsin Brown Swiss sets naƟonal fat, protein records Sue earns titles for 6.8 fat, 3.6 protein By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Ron Keml is pictured with Cuƫng Edge Stratus Sue, owned by Kelm, who recently claimed the breed’s naƟonal fat and protein record Ɵtles. Kelm milks 50 cows near Markesan, Wisconsin, where he breeds registered Brown Swiss.
MARKESAN, Wis. – A cow who milks and looks good doing it is how Ron Kelm describes Cutting Edge Stratus Sue 3E-94/95MS, a cow he calls a dairyman’s dream. Sue claimed the top national fat and protein records for the Brown Swiss breed. Kelm owns Power Line Brown Swiss and milks 50 registered Brown Swiss on his family’s Green Lake County farm near Markesan. Sue completed a 365-day lactation that earned her the two national titles, making 4,097 pounds of butterfat and 2,208 pounds of protein. She was milked twice a day and made 60,546 pounds of milk. She averaged a 6.8% butterfat and 3.6% protein test. The lactation was her sixth and commenced at 9 years and 6
months of age. The previous national fat record was for 3,613 pounds of butterfat, while the previous national protein record was 2,031 pounds of protein. While her latest lactation is in the books, Sue is still milking on that lactation and has garnered a lifetime production of 266,870 pounds of milk, 14,869 pounds of butterfat and 9,938 pounds of protein. “Sue is so smart, so intelligent, and she is so very tough,” Kelm said of his favorite cow. “She has come through some adversity in her life, having two big sets of twins, getting very sick each time.” Kelm purchased Sue at the 2016 National Brown Swiss Convention Sale in Owatonna, Minnesota. She was consigned by her breeders, Ken Main and Peter Vail of Elite Dairy in Copake Falls, New York. She was the second high seller in the sale, with Kelm placing the nal bid of $15,500 to bring Sue Turn to KELM | Page 6