“All
Blue is for memories
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
Ethan Neumann holds a photo of his parents and him as an infant outside the barn Aug. 15 on his family’s farm near Plainview, Minnesota. Each year, Neumann buys a ribbon at the blue ribbon auc on at the Wabasha County Fair in honor of his dad, Jared, who passed away at the age of 25 when Neumann was a baby.
Neumann buys ribbon in honor of late father at 4-H auction
By Amy Kyllo amy.k@star-pub.com
PLAINVIEW, Minn. — For Ethan Neumann, the Wabasha County 4-H and FFA blue ribbon auction is a place where he honors his late dad, Jared Neumann, with a purchase of a ribbon alongside his grandma, Roxann Neumann.
“It’s just something to do in memory of Dad, since he always liked to give back,” Neumann said.
The 17-year-old will be a senior in high school at Plainview-ElginMillville this fall. Neumann helps on the farm alongside his mom, Amanda Bedtke, and his stepdad, Adam Bedtke. The Bedtkes milk 50-70 cows on their organic dairy farm. They also farm 175 tillable acres plus 75 pasture acres. They grow rye, corn, hay and oats.
Visser crowned 71st Princess Kay
Minnesota dairy industry welcomes new representative
By Amy Kyllo amy.k@star-pub.com
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. —
If newly-crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way Rachel Visser could have just one dairy product for the rest of her life, she would choose butter. Visser will be immersed in churned cream as her likeness is sculpted the rst two days of the Minnesota State Fair into 90 pounds of her favorite dairy product.
“(Being Princess Kay) is super exciting,” Visser said. “It almost doesn’t feel real, but I’m so excited for the next 12 days at the state fair
Connec ng consumers to dairy
The Millers host Family Night on the Farm
By Amy Kyllo amy.k@star-pub.com
LEWISTON, Minn. — Flanked by bunkers and bags of silage, attendees of Family Night on the Farm walked onto the Miller family’s Winona County farm site with the faint, sweet smell of silage in their noses.
Miller’s Clear Crest Farm, located near Lewiston, hosted the community event Aug. 8. The Miller family — Pat, Robb and Kathryn, Luke and Amie, Bradley and Lilly, Ella Miller, Janae Salvetti and Gavin Salvetti — milks 700 cows three times a day in a rotary parlor.
This was the rst time the family had hosted the event.
“At the end of the day, not everybody gets to see a cow get milked,” Luke Miller said.
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
A crown is placed on the head of Rachel Visser as she stands between Ka e Ketchum (le ) and Grace Woitalla (right) Aug. 21 at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Visser was crowned the 71st Princess Kay of the Milky Way.
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“We’re just glad to provide that opportunity and we hope that all the kids, all the family members ... really had a good impression. ... We (want them to) know that (we) are producing a good quality product.”
The event was immersive. Outside the freestall barn, Jo Priem and her family were looking at the cows. Priem grew up on a dairy farm and said she likes her young boys to see how she grew up.
In the maternity area, Daphne Breitlow, a young girl who is usually anxious around animals, is reaching through the gates, touching the cows and even getting a few slobbery licks in return.
By the bulk tanks, a small crowd of people get a tour from Jacob Hornberg of Lang’s Dairy Equipment.
Attendees of the event could purchase a meal that included a hotdog or hamburger, potato chips, baked beans, string cheese, milk and a root beer oat. Activities included barrel train rides for the children, a bounce house, a petting zoo, tours, educational and business booths, wagon rides and more.
Leading up to the event, the Miller family had a busy season. A rainy spring slowed their eldwork and Bradley Miller, the next generation at Miller’s Clear Crest Farm, got married in June. The Winona County Fair in July added to the family’s workload before they
Robb, Luke and Pat Miller share informa on about their farm Aug. 8 at Family Night on the Farm at Miller’s Clear Crest Farm near Lewiston, Minnesota. This was the Miller family’s rst me hos ng the event.
could prepare for the event.
“It was kind of crammed into a couple of weeks, but we got it done,” Miller said.
The Winona Area Chamber of Commerce worked on the logistical details, leaving the family to get the farm prepared.
“It ... actually felt good to just go
do some cleaning that you normally wouldn’t do,” Miller said. “The chamber of commerce really did a good job, all we had to do was concentrate on getting the farm ready.”
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
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Stan Breitlow, a Winona native and chair of the Winona Area Chamber of Commerce, attended with his young family. The Breitlows said the yearly event helps them feel connected.
“It keep(s) it real,” Breitlow said. “You can know where your food comes from, where your meat comes from, where your milk comes from, and the amount of work it takes.”
The family has been attending the event for several years.
“The girls love it,” Breitlow said. “(My daughter has) been asking me a bunch of great questions about cows.”
The Breitlows said they appreciate being able to talk with experts about whatever is on their minds regarding the dairy industry.
Scott Ellinghuysen, a dairy production consultant with Ag Partners who works with the Miller family, was stationed in the feed alley in the maternity area of the free stall answering questions and helping the children interact with the cows.
“They just want to go up and touch a nose,” Ellinghuysen said. “I’ve been trying to help them just put their hand in there and hold it, let them touch you. That’s been working well.”
He said attendees were asking him questions about how long a cow milks and how soon calves are taken away from their mothers. They also
asked questions about how cows are fed and the purpose of the activity collars worn by the cows.
The Miller family’s farm began in 1936 when Luke and Robb’s grandfather, John, purchased the rst 80 acres for his 20 cows. Today the family farms over 1,500 acres of alfalfa, triticale, corn and soybeans.
In 1969, the rst parlor was built on the farm, and in 1972, Luke and Robb’s parents, Jack and Pat, took over the farm. In 1992, they added on to the parlor.
Luke and Robb joined the farm in 2003, and they built the rotary parlor setup in 2018.
“Conservation was in our mind when we built this facility,” Robb Miller said. “We invested in many efciencies.”
The most recent member of the dairy is Robb’s son, Bradley, who represents the fourth generation.
Though Jack has passed, Luke said his father would have enjoyed hosting the event. Luke said the family’s new rotary parlor facilities made it possible for them to have the
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
(Le ) Paul Woltmann carries his daughter, Madison, on his shoulders Aug. 8 at Family Night on the Farm at Miller’s Clear Crest Farm near Lewiston, Minnesota. Her parents said Madison had been talking about tractor rides all day in an cipa on of the event.
(Below) The Breitlow family — Stan (from le ), Molly holding Penelope and Daphne — looks at cows in the maternity area Aug. 8 at Miller’s Clear Crest Farm near Lewiston, Minnesota. The family has been a ending Family Night on the Farm for several years.
event at their farm.
The evening brought approximately 2,500 people to the farm.
“We’re very thankful (for) everybody that came out tonight,” Luke said.
Raths (le )
Neumann’s dad had had a pacemaker since he was an infant and passed away during a procedure to replace the battery at the age of 25 when Ethan was a just baby.
“It was entirely unexpected for things to go that way,” Amanda Bedtke said.
Neumann has been going 50/50 on a ribbon with his grandma since he was old enough to be eligible for 4-H.
“It’s a family tradition,” Neumann said. “Every year, Grandma and I get to hang out with each other for the day and walk around the fair.”
Beforehand, they get together to decide on a budget. The pair tries to buy a ribbon from someone their family has some connection to but does not worry about species.
Neumann’s dad had a custom bailing and wrapping business. As he bids on a ribbon, Ethan said he sometimes imagines what it would be like if he was bidding on behalf of that business instead.
“I think he’d be proud,” Neumann said. “(We’re) doing something in memory of him.”
His mom agreed.
“I think he’d be proud that it’s seless,” Bedtke said. “When you make money in the auction, ... you have a little bit to put in your project, and then you put more into someone else’s future.”
The ribbon is one of the ways that Neumann honors his dad. Each year on his dad’s birthday, as well as the day he passed, Neumann, his grandparents and the rest of the family have a meal in honor of his dad. Growing up, his grandma would bring cinnamon rolls on both dates for his entire class in school. Neumann said his classmates grew to look forward to those days.
When Neumann was 8 years old, he and his mom joined Adam on his farm. Adam had known Jared, so Bedtke said he will share memories of Jared with Neumann.
Neumann has been helping on the farm since he was a child. He started with a smaller workload such as helping with calves. Now he does eldwork, hauls most of the manure, helps with dehorning and vaccinations, and occasionally milks.
“(It’s) something that I enjoy, and
late father, Jared.
I’ve always enjoyed,” Neumann said. “I always love being outside, but I’ve just been around farming my whole life, and it’s something that I’ve kind of gotten used to.”
Besides helping on the dairy, Neumann also owns 15 Simmental beef cows. Neumann was a recipient of a beef heifer through the Minnesota Beef Expo’s Minnesota Youth Beef Experience Program. The program was a yearlong process that required him to apply, do cattle evaluations and research what beef breed he wanted to work with. Once he had the animal, he connected with an assigned mentor to make breeding decisions and work with a nutritionist and veterinarian on a feeding plan and vaccine protocols.
Bedtke said Neumann has been learning animal husbandry skills, like how to deliver a calf and manage the beef herd. This year, Neumann helped one of his beef cows with a breached birth with the coaching of his parents. The calf had expired, so he helped the cow take on a dairy calf.
“He spent that time every day out there, making sure that it was nursing and grafting the calf onto the cow,” Bedtke said. “It’s been fun watching him learn those things.”
After his rst delivery, Neumann was able to deliver a dairy calf when his parents were away from the farm.
“Your dad would be super proud of your ability to do those things,” Bedtke said.
Neumann said his dad was someone who did not put himself in the forefront.
“He was a more behind-thescenes type of guy,” Neumann said. “I’m just following in his footsteps.”
Besides buying ribbons, Neumann is also active in 4-H and FFA showing beef at the Wabasha County Fair, the open class FFA show at the Olmsted County Fair and the Minnesota State Fair.
When it comes to the future, Neumann plans to carry on honoring his dad with ribbons.
“I’ll continue as long as I can, buying something down there every year,” Neumann said. “It’s just fun to give back because other people do it for you. They buy your ribbon. So, it feels good to do it for someone else too.”
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Jonathan
and Ethan Neumann stand during the blue ribbon auc on July 20 at the Wabasha County Fair in Wabasha, Minnesota. Neumann and his grandma, Roxann Neumann, buy a ribbon from someone their family is connected with each year in honor of Neumann’s
and the next year ahead.”
Visser is the daughter of Barry and Shannon Visser, of Hutchinson. The 19-year-old, representing McLeod County, will be a sophomore at the University of Minnesota where she studies agricultural and food business management and agricultural communications and marketing.
“I really got my start in the dairy community through working on the farm,” Visser said. “I really want to share that it’s the people around me who have fueled my passion, and that’s the case for anybody. It’s the people around them who encourage them to do what they love and to share their passion, whether it is the dairy industry or something different.”
Visser did not grow up on a dairy farm, but became involved in the dairy industry 11 years ago when she showed her rst Jersey calf.
Visser works for Chad and Stacy Bohn, who own Stadview dairy farm located near Litcheld. Visser is involved on the farm and helps care for her leased and owned show animals.
“I fell in love with the hardworking dairy farmers, and I wanted to learn everything about what they did to produce healthy dairy products,” Visser said. “I’m super excited to share the dairy story, not only my story, but from farmers across the state of Minnesota.”
Katie Ketchum, representing Winona County, and Grace Woitalla,
representing Stearns County, were named runners-up.
The trio of Visser, Ketchum and Woitalla also received three $1,000 scholarships given by Midwest Dairy.
Mackenzie Moline, representing Nicollet County, was named Miss Congeniality.
Visser said one of her goals as Princess Kay will be to work with children.
“I love working with kids,” Visser said. “If I can connect with them with my love for dairy, that would be awesome.”
Visser’s parents said they felt honored for Visser to be among the other nalists for Princess Kay. They said a trait that stands out to them about their daughter is her drive.
“When she nds something that she’s passionate about, she will give it 110% whether it’s helping out on the farm, (or) whether it is advocating for the industry,” Shannon said.
Her father agreed.
“Her best day at the fair is when she gets to talk to fair goers and gets to share her passion for the industry and talk about the great work farmers do every day,” he said.
Visser will be spending the rst 12 days of her reign at the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
“I’m really super excited to get to know the fairgoers and share a little bit about my passion for dairy,” Visser said.
One of her rst duties as Princess Kay will be to have her likeness sculpted in butter by Gerry Kulzer. Visser said she likes to put butter on everything and is not concerned with nding uses for her sculpture.
Visser will not be alone at the state fair; her family will also be at the fair all 12 days showing. Her sisters, Hannah and Kayla, said they are proud of their sister.
“She can always bring people together no matter who she’s around or who she’s with,” Hannah said. “She can always bring people together and just create a community.”
Visser is grateful for the dairy farmers she is representing.
“Thank you for the hard work that they do,” Visser said. “I look forward to learning more about what they’re doing on their farms and promoting their story and what they’re doing to produce healthy dairy products.”
EMILY BRETH/DAIRY STAR
Paul Wright (front from le ), Heather Wright, Brenden Biss, Maryln Olho , Aaron Biss, Dean Olho ; (back from le ) Allison Wright, Mareen Biss and Sco Biss sit at the corona on of Princess Kay Aug. 21 at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. The group wore their matching shirts to support McKenna Wright.
PHOTO BY MATT ADDINGTON/MIDWEST DAIRY Rachel Visser proudly wears the crown and sash a er being crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way Aug. 21 at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Visser is from Hutchinson.
USDA releases proposed changes to Federal Milk Marketing Orders
Economic experts weigh in on proposals
By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com
Editor’s Note: This is part one of a two-part series discussing recommendations resulting from the Federal Milk Marketing Order hearing process.
MADISON, Wis. — On July 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued their recommended decision on the Federal Milk Marketing Orders hearing process. From August 2023 to January, the USDA considered 22 proposals during 49 hearing days.
To help dairy producers and other industry professionals understand what was proposed, Professional Dairy Producers invited three economic experts to participate in a Dairy Signal webinar July 10: Dr. Charles Nicholson from the Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences and Agricultural & Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Christopher Wolf, E.V. Baker Professor of Agricultural Economics and Director of Land Grant Affairs at Cornell University; and Mark Ste-
phenson, retired from UW-Madison as Director of Dairy Policy Analysis.
The recommended decision included ve categories of amendments: milk composition factors, barrel cheese price, make allowances, base Class I skim milk price, and Class I and Class II differentials. Participants can comment on the proposed amendments by Sept. 13, and the USDA will consider those comments and possibly make changes before the nal amendment is released.
Wolf said the USDA proposes to update milk composition factors to bump up closer to the average for milk production in the U.S. This would equate to 3.3% for protein and 6% for other solids, totaling 9.3% non-fat solids. Currently, it is at 9% non-fat solids.
Secondly, the USDA proposed removing the 500-pound barrel cheese and using only the 40-pound cheddar block to determine the monthly average cheese price when deciding component values.
“Right now, we have a weighted average split between barrels and blocks and there’s been some volatility in recent years,” Wolf said. “When it was originally proposed, there was the idea the barrels would usually be about 3 cents a pound discount to the blocks. Some of those relationships
have moved around, sometimes in unexpected ways, for people in the last few years.”
An increase in make allowances was also proposed. The make allowance accounts for the manufacturing costs of turning milk into various products. The proposal increases cheese from 20 cents to 25 cents per pound, butter from 17 cents to 22.5 cents, non-fat dry milk from 16.8 cents to 22.7 cents and dry whey from 20 cents to 26.5 cents. The last time make allowances were changed was in 2008.
“The reason farmers care about this is that if everything else stays the same, increasing that manufacturing allowance is going to lower the component price, which is the milk price,” Wolf said. “What specic effect it’sgoing to have depends on where you’re located, the current situation with premiums, what products we’re talking about and the length of run.”
Wolf shared an example of the butterfat price when comparing the proposed make allowance to the old make allowance. If the butter price is $2per pound, and the yield is 1.211, under the old make allowance the butterfat price would be $2.21 per pound. Under the new make allowance, the butterfat price would be $2.15 a pound.
“If we were to multiply that through by your butter yield right now, then we’d be talking about possibly a quarter per hundredweight, but that’s assuming that nothing else is changing in the base part of your price,” Wolf said.
Stephenson said the make allowances are being used to back calculatethe value of milk brought into a plant.
“If you don’t change this make allowance at all over time, you end up not being able to recapture the margins needed to pay for the milk,” Stephenson said.
The industry had reached that point, he said, and that was part of what was seen with much of the depooling that was occurring. A manufacturing plant is not required to be pooled or participate in federal orders. If they cannot recover milk costs with their product prices, then some might choose to opt out of the federal milk marketing order.
“Bringing these make allowances back up takes you in the right direction,” Stephenson said. “They have been updated to probably current average costs but not all the way.
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Over the last decade, we’ve seen premiums erode between processors and farms. That’s an indication we’ve got a problem with our pricing formulas. Hopefully this price increase gives us a little bit more margin where we can begin to see premiums grow again.”
In the base Class I skim milk price category, Wolf said the proposed change is to essentially undo what was changed in the 2018 farm bill that went into effect May 2019.
“They moved away from the ‘higher of’ for the Class I, Class III and Class IV to make an ‘average of’ plus 74 cents,” Wolf said. “The new proposalgoes back to the higher-of and that’s certainly something producers have paid a lot of attention to in the last few years as we’ve seen Class III and Class IV diverge in such that higher-of would have been a higher base Class I skim milk price.”
A lot of discussion during the hearing focused on use of or potential use of risk management by uid processors and the growing extended shelflife marketing Class I, Wolf said. Class I processors want to think about longer-term agreements and want the ability to know what that was going to be further out so they could assign a three month or a six month or longer contract.
“USDA did what I think is a clever solution,” Wolf said. “For extended shelf life, they changed the base Class I milk price to be a 24-month rolling average with a 12-month lag so that extended shelflife processors will have some idea what that price is going to be, and they can think about using that for risk management.”
For Class I and Class II differentials, USDA proposes keeping the $1.60 base differential and adopting modied location-specic Class I differential values.
“They’re proposing for Class I differentials based on location across every county in the U.S.,” Wolf said.
Nicholson believes USDA recognized they are taking money out of the hands of farmers to some extent with the increase in make allowances, however, he said raising the Class I differential side is a way of trying to perhaps put money back into the pools shared among dairy farmers by charging the beverage milk processors more for the farm milk used in their products.
“At the end of the day, this isn’t something USDA just says, ‘OK we’re going ahead and doing this,’” Nicholson said. “This is something producers and co-ops are going to have the opportunity to vote on. But if you don’t agree to these changes, then essentially you end up in a situation where there’s no price regulation for your particular area at all. Ultimately, the decision is in the hands of dairy producers and their co-ops.”
Wolf recommends dairy producers have discussions with their co-op board or processor to gauge their thoughts on the proposed amendments and potential impacts of those amendments. Stephenson said if a person does not like the changes, reverting back to the previous federal orders is not possible.
“Either you accept all these changes, or you don’t have a federal milk marketing order,” he said. “Your vote needs to be thinking about, am I better with this modied order or having no order at all?”
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Vice-presidential pick Walz highlights his connection to agriculture
The presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris introduced her vice-presidential pick at their rst campaign stop. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz referenced his 12 years in Congress in his speech. “I worked across the aisle on veteran’s issues, agriculture and ways to grow rural economies; I learned the value of compromise without compromising my values.” Walz represented Minnesota’s First Congressional District in southern Minnesota and was a member of the House Agriculture Committee. Walz is now in his second term as governor. “Minnesota’s strength comes from our values, our commitment to working together, to see past our differences, always to be willing to lend a helping hand,” Walz said. “Those are the same values I learned on the family farm.”
More farmer engagement urged
To reduce nitrate contamination, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is proposing changes to its feedlot permits. “Farmers are going to be hit with a lot of different regulations and we haven’t seen a lot of farmer engagement, which is pretty surprising because this could be some pretty big changes as far as manure transfer and some of the other things farmers are doing, especially in cold weather temps that could change things drastically in a big swath of the state,” said Joe Smentek, Executive Director, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. The public comment period has been extended to Sept. 3. “Whether they think it is good or think it is bad, let PCA know.”
Minnesota Farmers Union welcomes Walz pick
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507-879-3593 / 800-821-7092
Timing becomes a farm bill hurdle
By Don Wick Columnist Ag Insider
Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish believes the selection of Governor Tim Walz for the Democratic vice-presidential role is good for the state and for agriculture. “When’s the last time we had someone on a national ticket that served on the House Agriculture Committee,” Wertish said. “Governor Walz has done that. As governor, he’s done a good job. He’s been thrown a few curveballs with COVID and the unrest. He’s seen challenging times, but overall has done well.”
Howard Olson, the senior vice president of policy and public affairs at AgCountry Farm Credit Services, met with lawmakers at Farmfest. That follows a trip to Washington D.C. the previous week for the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives meeting. The biggest farm bill hurdle appears to be nding a way to pay for the various priorities. “No one seems to be able to see how we’re going to unlock that and where can we come together on that.” Timing is another problem. Even if the farm bill was passed today, it wouldn’t take effect until the 2025 crop year. “Farmers won’t see the benet of new reference prices until the fall of 2026.” A vote during the lame-duck session or another farm bill extension are both possible.
Klobuchar: farm policy has seen much a larger divide
The current farm bill expires at the end of September. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar said common sense must prevail so Congress can nalize the farm bill. “We must get it done,” Klobuchar said. “We’ve already seen the effect on prices with corn prices alone down 33% since last summer. Right now, we’ve got different versions, but the policies aren’t that different. We’ve had much wider divides in the past when it comes to ag policy.”
H5N1 testing to expand
USDA ofcials are emphasizing beef and dairy products are safe, but testing for avian inuenza is being expanded. Beginning in mid-September, USDA will test culled dairy cattle. Meat coming from dairy cattle will not enter the food supply until test results are known. Nearly 200 dairy herds in 13 states have been conrmed to have H5N1 since March.
National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council challenge Colombia trade allegations
According to the NMPF and USDEC, Colombia’s decision to initiate countervailing duties on U.S. milk powder exports is not warranted. A preliminary decision on this trade challenge is expected this fall. Meanwhile, the dairy groups are asking the U.S. government to “leverage all available tools” to prevent this allegation from setting a precedent.
Loan volume totals for young, beginning and small farmers
At its monthly meeting, the Farm Credit Administration board reviewed its work with young, beginning and small farmers. Twenty-three percent of the Farm Credit System’s total loan volume went to this category in 2023. By loan count, this group represents 53% of all Farm Credit System loans.
Class III milk price projections updated
In its August supply and demand report, USDA lowered its milk production forecast for 2024 and 2025 from last month. The prices forecast for 2024 cheese, nonfat dry milk and whey were raised from July while the butter price was lowered. For 2024, the projected Class III milk price is now at $18.40 per hundredweight. It is $18.65 per cwt for 2025.
Spot milk supplies: tight to nonexistent
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dairy Market News, cheesemakers in the Upper Midwest are saying spot milk supplies are tight to nonexistent. Dairy processors are reportedly contacting nearby dairy plants and seeking out extra milk, but there is none to offer. The report said some farmers in the region are voicing concerns about forage availability and quality. Hay supplies are tight in some portions of the Midwest, but sufcient elsewhere.
Brown is on the job with Minnesota FFA
The Minnesota FFA Association has named Dr. Thomas Brown Jr. as its new executive director. Brown has nearly 20 years of experience in agricultural education and is an agribusiness instructor and former department chair at South Central College in North Mankato.
A promotion for Dauer
The Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation has promoted Loren Dauer to public policy director. Dauer has been a public policy specialist since February. Before that, Dauer was a district outreach representative for Minnesota Representative Brad Finstad
Trivia challenge
McDonald’s sells more cheeseburgers than any other fast-food restaurant. Wendy’s is ranked second. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, what is the most popular milkshake avor in the U.S.? We’ll have the answer in our next edition of Dairy Star.
Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
Celebrating faith, family, farming
Life Celebra�on at Nathan and Samantha Middendorf’s farm near Long Prairie, Minnesota. The Wolbecks milk cows near Sauk Centre.
Middendorfs host rural life mass
By Tiffany Klaphake tiffany.k@dairystar.com
LONG PRAIRIE, Minn. — Samantha Middendorf and her husband, Nathan, both grew up on dairy farms
Turn to MIDDENDORFS | Page 12 in central Minnesota. Now they are raising their own family on a farm instilling the same values they were raised with.
“(Faith) is something that has always been important to us,” Middendorf said. “Our parents raised us with a strong faith and passed that mentality onto us and now we are passing it onto our children.”
We like the milk pregnancy test because it has accurate results, it’s safer and less stressful on the cow, it’s safer for us, and we have less vet bills. How long have you been using the DHIA pregnancy test? Since it came out, maybe around 2013. We switched 100 percent to it and haven’t looked back.
Why did you choose to use it? We chose to use it because we didn’t like separating cows every month for pregnancy checks. What are some other tests you use through DHIA? We do the normal monthly testing, and manure sampling yearly.
Why is testing with DHIA valuable to your dairy?
The value we get out of it is seeing the performance on a cow level, making culling decisions based on SCC, fat, protein etc. Also, the record keeping of cow and heifer events has helped better our management.
Tell us about your farm. I farm with my dad, Lyle, and mom, Shannon, on about 800 acres. We like trying new rotations of crops and utilize no-till practices. I have a sister in Buffalo, New York and a brother in Idaho dairy farming. We milk in a double-9 parallel parlor, with sandbedded free stalls. We raise our own replacements, utilize Cowmanager on all animals, and sell our milk to First District Association.
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MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Bishop Patrick Neary hands his pastoral staff to the Wolbeck family — Josh (from le�) holding Irvin, Becky, John, Marie and Irene — Aug. 18 as part of the Rural
Nathan and Samantha hosted the Rural Life Celebration mass Aug. 18 for the Diocese of St. Cloud. The mass was presided over by Bishop Patrick Neary and several other local priests.
“It’s a good thing to have in the area,” Middendorf said. “We have the space for it so we decided to go for it.”
The Middendorfs milk 63 Holstein and Brown Swiss cows and farm 260 acres west of Long Prairie. The couple also has two young children, Noah and Logan, and a baby due in November.
On top of helping her husband with the day-to-day operations of their dairy farm, Middendorf is a full-time teacher at Christ the King Catholic School in Browerville. Middendorf’s commitment to teaching about agriculture in her classroom earned her recognition as the Todd County Soil and Water Conservation District Teacher of the Year for 2023. She went on to win the same title for Minnesota.
The Middendorfs utilize cover crops, manure management and annual soil sampling. They also have modied their equipment to incorporate notill practices so they can maintain and improve soil health. Nathan works with the local SWCD each time he makes upgrades to the farm.
The events of the Rural Life Mass took place in the al-
falfa eld close to their farm site. There was one large tent set up for the mass and two smaller tents for the meal that followed the mass. The large tent that was used for mass had 250 small square straw bales arranged inside for seating. Attendees were encouraged to bring their own chair
to ensure seating for everyone. It was estimated that 650 people attended the event.
“We planned it out with the hay cuttings so the eld would be available to use for the day,” Middendorf said. “During clean up, even the bishop helped stack straw bales into the truck. It really
was a team effort; it wasn’t just us.”
Middendorf said planning for the event started back in January.
“Fr. Mitch and Fr. Omar actually approached my mother-in-law, Denise, about hosting it rst,” Middendorf said.
“But their yard is a lot more
condensed, so we decided to host.”
Much of the planning for the event was done by a committee consisting of members of the area catholic community that the Middendorfs belong to and from the Diocese of St. Cloud.
“A diocesan planning committee came out and checked out our farm and agreed that it will work to have it out here,” Middendorf said. “We have a good committee from our (Anglican Catholic Church) that took care of different aspects of the day.”
Along with the catholic mass that took place, Catholic Century Farm and Catholic Rural Business awards were presented. Clasemann Dairy LLC was recognized as a Catholic Century Farm and Mid-American Auction Co. was presented with the Catholic Rural Business award.
“It was a good celebration of people we know and those we don’t but have that same connection of rural life and faith,” Middendorf said.
For the Middendorfs, faith and farming go hand in hand.
“(Faith) is something that farmers often rely on when out in the eld or in the barn,” Middendorf said. “Sometimes you just got to stop and say a little prayer and God is always listening.”
Turn to MIDDENDORFS | Page 13
Combining the robustness and adaptability of Fleckvieh with the excellent milk production and solid conformation of Dutch Red and White Holstein creates a powerhouse of genetic benefits. This blend enhances overall herd performance and longevity, ensuring healthier cows and higher yields. Delve into this crossbreeding strategy for a superior, well-rounded dairy herd.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR Nathan, (from le ) holding Logan, Bishop Patrick Neary and Samantha Middendorf holding Noah stand together Aug. 18 at the Rural Life Celebra on that took place at their farm near Long Prairie, Minnesota. The Middendorfs milk 63 Holstein and Brown Swiss cows at their rstgenera on farm.
A endees sit on straw bales Aug. 18 during the Rural Life Celebra on mass held on the Middendorf farm near Long Prairie, Minnesota. The event had about 650 people a end.
Middendorfs received many comments throughout the day about their farm and family.
“It wasn’t just our family that did this,” Middendorf said. “Just like how our faith brings us together and closer to God, this event brought a lot of people together to celebrate Him.”
One of the families that attended the Rural Life Celebration was Josh and Becky Wolbeck of Sauk Centre. The Wolbecks milk 65 organic Jersey cows at their family farm.
“We wanted to attend the event to support the Middendorf family,” Becky Wolbeck said. “It is a lot of
work putting something like this on.”
Just before the mass started, Neary let the Wolbeck family view the handcarved pastoral staff he uses for the mass.
“(The bishop) let Josh and our son, John hold his pastoral staff,” Wolbeck said. “Bishop Neary told us it took 165 hours for someone to hand carve it.”
The Wolbecks said there were many highlights from the day.
“The fellowship was great because we got to meet people outside our own parish that share the same appreciation for faith, family and farming,” Wolbeck said.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
from our side our side OF THE FENCE THE
What is your favorite agricultural-related activity or booth at the fair?
Lincoln Langerock
Marion, South Dakota
Turner County
180 cows
Which fairs do you attend each summer? The Turner County Fair in Parker, South Dakota.
What are your favorite attractions at the fair? I have three favorite attractions at the Turner County Fair. They are the pork sandwich stand, the beef sandwich stand and the homemade ice cream stand. Besides enjoying the food, I usually go to the enduro races and watch some friends run their cars and my hometown re department keep the event running smoothly.
Are you involved in the fair? No.
What is your favorite agricultural-related activity or booth at the fair? My favorite ag-related exhibit is the Rivers Edge Bank Ag Education Center. They have lots of different farm animals in there, and I think it’s a great way for lots of kids to get an up-close look at things you would see on the farm. This year, they also had a fake Holstein with an udder that they could pretend to milk.
What could be incorporated into the fair that is dairy or agriculture related? I think our fair does an amazing job of promoting and educating people about agriculture. There are many different ag organizations that run booths and set up exhibits. There’s farm equipment there to look at and 4-H events going on all the time.
What is your favorite fair food and best memory of a previous fair? Some of my best memories at TCF probably came from wristband day as a kid. You’d get a wristband for unlimited rides for ve hours and just spin in circles and eat ice cream until you were sick.
Tell us about your farm. My brother, Landon, and I have been dairy farming since 2017. Our cows are in a freestall barn and get milked in a double-8 parabone parlor. Our milk goes to Associated Milk Producers Inc. in Freeman, South Dakota.
Allamakee County 65 cows
Which fairs do you attend each summer? I attend the Allamakee County Fair every summer. I’ve been going to the fair since I was a child.
What are your favorite attractions at the fair? I enjoy going to the tractor pull at the Allamakee County Fair.
Are you involved in the fair? I am not at this time. Our kids were active in the fair and we have helped in the dairy booth in the past scooping ice cream and making cheese curds and malts.
What is your favorite agricultural-related activity or booth at the fair? I enjoy going to the dairy show on Saturday and watching the calves and cows be shown.
What could be incorporated into the fair that is dairy or agriculture related? Our fair does a great job at all they do. They have a peewee dairy show. They have ag olympics. There is a dairy auction selling milk from the grand champion cow: the money goes to grand champion winner, the dairy kids and a small amount goes to the fair to keep up with improvements. I would roughly guess we generate $20,000 or more at the auction. The auction has been going on for probably 15-20 years. I donate $100 every year.
What is your favorite fair food and best memory of a previous fair? WW Homestead Dairy deepfried cheese curds. My best memories of the fair were when my children were showing cattle.
Tell us about your farm. Our farm is Kandy-Bahr Holsteins. In our 50 years of farming, we have gone from a grade Holstein herd to all registered. My wife, Rhonda, and I do all the milking, chores and etc. The cows are milked in a tiestall barn and housed in a freestall barn. Our milk is sold to Foremost Farms USA.
Rick Balzer Owatonna, Minnesota
Steele County 140 cows
Which fairs do you attend each summer? I attend the Steele County Fair.
What are your favorite attractions at the fair? I like to look at the grains and grass exhibits that local farmers and my son, Scott, bring in to see how we place against others.
Are you involved in the fair? I am a board member of the Steele County American Dairy Association and take care of the milking contest that features Bella, the stationary fake cow. We have about 20 participants this year. Last year, I had a pastor's theme. I thought, “Wow, I am going to have a Holy Cow.”
What is your favorite agricultural-related activity or booth at the fair? Bella the fake milking cow.
What could be incorporated into the fair that is dairy or agriculture related? Maybe butter making and past and future farming practices.
What is your favorite fair food and best memory of a previous fair? The footlong corndog is my favorite food. My best memories at the fair were several fairs that had kid pedal tractor pulling contests. We took our four boys to them and met a lot of good people.
Tell us about your farm. Our farm is Balzer Family Dairy. I do heifer, calf, tractor driving and general eld chores. Cathy, my wife, does calf, bookwork, household chores and whatever chores are needed. Scott, our son, does all the chores in the two robot barns and takes care of the steers and lots of maintenance all around the farm. Kayle, Scott’s wife, keeps track of their 2-1/2-year-old and also works from home. They have another little one on the way. Our milk is sold through First District Association.
David Bahr Waukon, Iowa
Page 16
August 24, 2024
Con nued from OUR SIDE | Page 15
Nick Stadick
New Ulm, Minnesota
Brown County 160 cows
Which fairs do you attend each summer? The Brown County Free Fair in New Ulm is in early August. I attend it multiple days and nights each year.
What are your favorite attractions at the fair? My favorite attraction at the Brown County Fair is the Demolition Derby. Also, the nightly live music and beer garden are some of my favorite things at the fair.
Are you involved in the fair? My parents, along with my aunt and uncle, Rich and Jackie Griebel, volunteer each year at the American Dairy Association’s milk shake stand. My brother and I help when needed.
What is your favorite agricultural-related activity or booth at the fair? My favorite agricultural-related activity at the fair is looking at all the animals and 4-H projects in the barns.
What could be incorporated into the fair that is dairy or agriculture related? Brown County does a good job incorporating dairy and agriculture into the fair as it is a rural county. Agriculture is a big part of the surrounding community. Many events and booths are sponsored by ag businesses and organizations.
What is your favorite fair food and best memory of a previous fair? I have cheese curds and a milkshake every time I go to the fair. One of my favorite memories is the combine demo they held in the grandstands when I was young.
Tell us about your farm. My parents, Mike and Tammy, along with my brother, Jake, and I are all full time on the farm. We also have one high school employee who helps as her schedule permits. We milk 160 cows on a farm just south of New Ulm. We milk twice a day in a 12-cow swing parlor and the cows are housed in a 4-row sand-bedded freestall barn that we built in 2012. We raise our own replacement heifers and cross-bred calves up to 500 pounds. Jake does all our breeding and herd health. Our milk is shipped to Bongards. Rain has been plentiful in our area this summer. We hope to chop corn silage the rst or second week of September.
Amy Roller
Hewitt, Minnesota
Otter Tail County 90 cows
Which fairs do you attend each summer? We always attend our home fair, Wadena County, and the Clearwater County Fair and the Minnesota State Fair when we can.
What are your favorite attractions at the fair? I just love being right in the dairy barn but enjoy the moo booth at the State Fair a lot, too.
Are you involved in the fair? I'm just a regular 4-H mom at the fair now.
What is your favorite agricultural-related activity or booth at the fair? My favorite activity is the dairy show. I've shown dairy at the county fair every year of my life, except one year of college. Now I get to enjoy helping and
watching my kids learn and do the same things. I have the best memories with some of my favorite animals and people at the dairy show.
What could be incorporated into the fair that is dairy or agriculture related? I think it's a great time to help educate the public. Using tools like informational signs around the barns or having the radio stations cover things going on in the barns might be helpful.
What is your favorite fair food and best memory of a previous fair? My favorite food is milkshakes. My family frequently visits the shake stand. One of my best memories was our oldest daughter showing her rst calf during the fair in Bagley. The junior calf class partici-pants each got great ribbons and a medal and she walked out of the ring and down the barn with her head held so high. She was so proud of herself and her calf. I just loved that.
Tell us about your farm. We milk 90 cows in a swing-10 parlor that we built in 2016. We sell our milk to Lakes Community Cooperative in Perham. My husband, Ryan, and I took over the dairy in January 2023. His parents, Gene and Brenda, still help with chores and his dad crop farms on the side. Our kids, Macy, Charlie and Caleb, help with calves. We also fatten steers and we grow 450 acres of crops, including corn, sorghum sudan grass, alfalfa and oats.
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Describe your farm and facilities. We have a lot of family members that help on the farm. Our daughter, Leann, and her husband, Chad, help a lot. They do a milking a day and help with hay and silage harvest. Their children, Blake, Luke and Brooke, are here all the time during the summer and on the weekends during the school year. Our son, Allen, and his wife, Heather, help with eldwork as well. Our granddaughter, Avery, milks weekday mornings during the summer. Reed and Veda help when available. The grandkids all like being on the farm. We milk in a double-5 herringbone parlor. Cows are housed in a sand-bedded freestall barn with an open lot. We have drive-by feeding.
What forages do you harvest? We harvest Northrup King corn silage, Croplan alfalfa haylage and grass haylage for the dairy cows and heifers.
How many acres of crops do you raise? We grow 200 acres of corn, 100 acres of alfalfa and 70 acres of grass.
FORAGE PROFILE
Describe the rations for your livestock. All animals are fed a total mixed ration. All the dairy cows get the same ration. They get alfalfa
haylage, corn silage and a grain mix. Dry cows get corn silage and grass haylage with a dry cow protein in their ration. Heifers get corn silage,
some alfalfa and a grass haylage along with heifer protein.
What quality and quantity do you harvest of each crop? For corn silage, we like to chop between 65%70% moisture and this usually yields 1,600 tons. We like to chop alfalfa at 60%-65%. Our goal for alfalfa haylage is above 170 relative forage quality. Most of the time it is between 180-200 RFQ. We have had as high as 265. We put up about 1,200 tons.
Describe your harvesting techniques for alfalfa and corn silage. All our forage is stored in ag bags. We bought our rst bagger 40 years ago and have been very happy with the feed quality. Corn silage is chopped with a pull-type chopper with a kernel processor. Alfalfa is harvested every 30 days starting the last week of May. It is put in wind rows when cut and chopped when ready. We never turn the hay or double the wind rows so that we don’t lose any leaves. This also to limits compaction on the eld as much as possible to prolong the life of the stand. Our stands usually last 4-5 years.
Turn to FORAGE | Page 20
Calvin and Tammy Beumer Hillman, Minnesota | Morrison County | 90 Holsteins
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Chad (from le ), Leann, Blake, Luke and Brooke Pietrzak and Tammy and Calvin Beumer stand by their farm sign Aug. 15 near Hillman, Minnesota. The families milk 90 cows together.
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“We’ve used Udder Comfort™ since we got samples at the 2009 World Dairy Expo. We learned to use the spray when they bag up to calve because we don’t have to touch the udder. I love how awesome it works without massage. For prefresh, I use Udder Comfort spray, switching to lotion after calving,” says Angela Fuller, Heineman Farms, Attica, New York. She and her husband are partners with her parents, milking 65 Holsteins and Ayrshires.
Angela has loved showing Ayrshires since 7. At World Dairy Expo 2023, she had two homebred champions. Grand and senior was 4-yr-old Heineman Reagan Roz EX93, dam of their AI bull (Rage at ST Genetics). Reserve Intermediate was 3-yr-old Heineman Kingsire Cold Brew EX90. Niece Esther’s junior-3 was grand champion of the 2024 National Summer Spectacular.
“I love raising the babies, watching them develop and seeing cow families develop. It’s very rewarding. I love this product for fresh cows, hard quarters, and when we show,” says Angela. “It soothes any discomfort or inflammation.”
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What techniques do you use to store, manage and feed your forages? We store the feed in bags. That way we can use each bag individually for whichever animals it works best for based on quality. We have one eld of grass hay that we don’t apply any manure to. That way phosphorus levels stay low. This haylage is kept separate for the dry cows.
How do quality forages play in the production goals for your herd? Having top-quality forages allows us to feed less grain and expensive proteins. Every forage is tested, and our nutritionist provides us with a ration. If we are feeding a very high-quality alfalfa, we will then add some high-quality grass haylage to the TMR. Any time I change a forage I get a new ration.
What management or harvesting techniques have changed that have made a notable difference in forage quality? As stated earlier, buying our rst bagger 40 years ago really helped us harvest and store top-quality feed. We have also been using roundup-ready alfalfa since it became available. This has really helped provide highquality haylage. Before we
had a bagger, we made small square bales.
Describe a challenge you overcame in reaching your forage quality goals. Bagging our forages and tiling elds has probably been the most benecial to harvesting forages that allow our cows to milk well and stay healthy.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Calvin and Tammy Beumer stand next to their bagger Aug. 15 on their dairy near Hillman, Minnesota. The Beumers bought their rst bagger 40 years ago and have been happy with their feed quality since.
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Calvin Beumer kneels in a eld of alfalfa Aug. 15 on his dairy near Hillman, Minnesota. Beumer said most of his haylage has a 180-200 RFQ and the average age of his stand is 4-5 years.
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Convenience of upright storage
Janke gets rst Greenline Silo
By Sarah Middendorf sarah.m@star-pub.com
HUMBIRD, Wis. — Zach Janke wanted a new silo with the convenience of bottom unloading and the ability to make drier feed have a longer shelflife.
“I love all my silos,” Janke said. “I am a silo guy and like being in the feed room, out of the elements.”
Janke and his wife, Abby, milk 88 cows in a tiestall barn and farm 400 acres of land. The Jankes built their rst two silos in 2014.
They recently built a Greenline Silo, a poured concrete silo, that is 24 feet-by-124 feet with 111 feet of feed storage space. There is a 15-inch oor and a 6-inch poured concrete at roof. It also has an 8-foot walk-in basement. Janke said they are still working on a capacity chart but are estimating the silo to hold 11,00015,000 tons of feed.
When picking out a silo, Janke had a conversation with Marvin Reiff, creator of the Greenline Silo, about building a silo on his farm.
“I told him I want it so there is a great big hole in the oor and I want an auger to bring the feed out from the cutter chain,” Janke said. “I told him (Reiff) I want to do it differently.”
After that conversation, Janke said that Reiff took his suggestions and made them better to create the Greenline Silo.
During the process of building and operating the silo, Janke said there were challenges that they faced and had to overcome since this was the prototype.
“(Problems) that we have had are xable the next time or just a simple x that we can do on our own,” Janke said. “It was a lot of trial and error.”
At the open house Janke
hosted Aug. 7-8, they aimed to test how much feed the silo could unload in one minute.
Based on the number of times the conveyor circled and the weight of each load dropped, they estimated that around 1,600 pounds per minute of corn silage could be unloaded. The speed for haylage is half as fast, so delivery would be around 800 pounds per minute,
said Janke.
The Jankes like to have haylage at about 45% moisture or less and silage at 55% or less. Dry feed is less acidic for the cows and is a sweeter, better-smelling feed. If the haylage gets dry enough it will not lose as much of the sugars in the fermentation process. Janke is working toward having a drier haylage for his cows with the help of the silo.
“You can see a huge difference in the wear in the chain life and the unloader life on wet feed versus dry feed,” Janke said.
Janke opted for the poured concrete silo because the sun can penetrate less. There is more insulation and it is harder for the sun to get through 6 inches of concrete than a different type of silo wall.
The unloading system runs off one 30-horsepower electric motor. Janke said it is pretty efcient. The unloading system is all automatic.
“One thing that I love is if something happens it’s not like we are completely out of business,” Janke said. “We can completely unplug the automatic programming and use manual levers.”
Turn to JANKE | Page 25
The Janke family — Zach (from le ), Sarah, Elly and Abby — stand on top of thier new silo at their farm near Humbird, Wisconsin. The Jankes milk 88 cows in a estall barn.
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While having the same cutter chain as a Harvestore silo, the Greenline Silo does not have a conveyor chain. Rather the feed is collected by a four-foot turn table with an extension arm and is then dropped through a central hole and conveyed out.
“Anything the cutter chain brings to the center of the silo drops away from it and is out of the way,” Janke said. “That’s what gives it its capacity.”
The cutter arm sits on a turn table and has the ability to slide in and out. At its shortest length, it is 30 inches away from the wall and at its longest, it is 1 inch away from the wall. It can move back and forth to any length in between.
At shutdown it goes into its shortest length making it easier to start because it is retracted. Once it gets fully started and the pounds per square inch is low enough it starts extending and going into longarm mode.
Within the silo there is an inventory monitor called SmartBob. A cable with a weight on the end of it, connected to a timer, drops into the silo until it hits the feedline then lifts up. The monitor calculates distance as it is pulling the cable back up. This measures the feet of feed in the silo. Janke has it set to measure once a day.
Janke currently has rst, second and third crops in the silo.
ULLOM/DAIRY STAR
Visitors peer into the silo unloader during the open house Aug. 8 at Jankes’ Never Rest Farms near Humbird, Wisconsin. The Jankes were able to unload about 1,600 pounds per minute of corn silage from the silo.
“I do like it better than the other two (silos),” Janke said. “You can be lling it and feeding out of it at the exact same moment.”
Janke’s other silos are a Harvestore and a top unload silo.
“That’s one benet you don’t have to climb or pull the unloader up (in a top unload),” Janke said.
Compared to a Harvestore, Janke said the accessibility to the unloader is a lot better. He can get right at the unloader in the Greenline silo to look at something or work on it.
“You can visually see what the cutter chain is doing instead of in a Harvestore, (where) it’s kind of guesswork since you obviously can’t see through (the wall),” Janke said.
Janke said he really likes the silo compared to a forage pile or bags since he does not have to worry about the outside elements.
“There’s no mud, plastic to deal with or feed waste,” Janke said.
HANNAH
HANNAH ULLOM/DAIRY STAR
The Greenline Silo sits Aug. 8 at Jankes’ Never Rest Farms near Humbird, Wisconsin. The silo is the prototype for this system.
Outstanding in her eld
Udermann named Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year
By Tiffany Klaphake
SARTELL, Minn. — Being awarded for the work Kirsten Udermann does on a daily basis is not something she expected to happen.
Udermann was recognized Aug. 8 at Farmfest located in Morgan as the Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year.
“I was denitely surprised and happy,” Kirsten said. “It is still settling in. All of the women sounded impressive, they all could have won.”
According to Farmfest, the Woman Farmer of the Year award honors the hard-working female farmers across Minnesota who devote their time to raising crops, livestock and their families. Five nalists were up for the annual award.
Kirsten, her husband, Alex, and his brother, Jake, and their parents, John and Mary Lou Udermann, operate Meadowbrook Dairy near Sartell. The family milks 80 cows in a tiestall barn along with raising replacements, 300 steers and 1,000 acres of
crops. They also do custom manure hauling and custom no-till planting.
Kirsten’s main duties on the farm are feeding the calves, milking cows and overseeing the vaccination and breeding program.
“Pretty much anything that has two or four legs around here Kirsten takes care of,” Alex said.
Kirsten and Alex have three children, Kallie, Zoey and Aubrey, and baby number four is due in October.
Kirsten said she was nominated by Danielle Isaacson from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture in May. Kirsten then had to ll out an application about her involvement on the farm and in her community. In June it was announced that Kirsten was named one of the top ve nalists.
“They liked that we are water-quality certied and have all ve endorsements,” Kirsten said.
Kirsten received a $1,000 prize for being selected as the winner.
The Udermanns are also involved with the young cooperative board with their milk
cooperative, volunteer with their county fair, donate meat to their church festival and host eld days on their farm,
where they focus on regenerative practices.
“It’s hard to get away with the kids and the cows but we
do what we can,” Kirsten said.
Alex agreed.
“I’m a big believer in doing the right thing and helping when we can,” he said. “It doesn’t cost anything to be a nice person and volunteer and to put a smile on someone’s face.”
The young couple agrees that there are a lot of women in agriculture that deserve this award.
“Nowadays, everywhere you go in agriculture, there are women that are behind the scenes or on the front lines working in agriculture,” Alex said. “There are a lot of women in ag that don’t get the recognition they should.”
It takes a strong woman to raise a family and a farm, Alex said.
“I really appreciate the fact that Kirsten is the best mom for our kids and calves,” Alex said. “The level of patience and desire to raise good healthy children and calves is something that is beyond my words to describe.”
Kirsten said she is proud of her success as well as the farm’s success.
“(To be Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year) is a great accomplishment,” Kirsten said. “It’s fun to be part of the backbone of agriculture and to keep things running smooth in the home and at the farm.”
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Kirsten Udermann sits near a tractor at Meadowbrook Dairy near Sartell, Minnesota. Udermann was named the 2024 Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year.
IN DAIRY women
Tell us about your family and farm. My husband and I have been married for nine years. We have a 6-yearold son, Bo. My husband and I were not raised on a dairy farm. Josh was raised on a hog and steer farm and I was raised on a hog and beef farm. Josh’s heart was set on milking cows, so he started milking them all on his own. A year later he met me. When I came to the dairy he rented, I saw a Jersey cow named Rose but I called her Dolly. I fell in love with the dairy lifestyle. Bo helps us do chores. He pushes up feed for the milking cows and feeds grain to the heifers. We bought our dairy close to four years ago. We own 160 acres and rent more land.
What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? My husband and I milk the cows together in the morning. After that, I take care of the baby calves and the weaned heifers. Then I do my household chores while I am making dinner. Then I help Josh with anything if he needs help. Otherwise, there are plenty of other things to do. At night, I feed the heifers, get the milk house ready and scrape behind the cows. Then I normally start night milking while Josh is mixing feed. When he comes in, he helps with the rest of the milking. We bed and lime the cows after they are milked. Then I feed the baby calves milk, clean up in the milkhouse and go to the house and make supper.
What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? Fixing the farm. We are slowly improving the farm. Things needed to be updated.
Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. There are so many, but one of them
Kristine Heinrichs Browerville, Minnesota Todd County 75 cows
is the time Josh proposed to me in the barn on one knee during morning milking. He used my favorite cow, Dolly. He bought a red neck strap and put “will you marry me” on it. Another one centers around Bo, who has been coming with us to the barn since he was 1. It has been so rewarding watching his love for the cows grow into wanting to have cattle of his own one day. He has this hope already. Another is seeing Bo and his best buddy, Oakley (his pup), playing and doing chores together. That is cute. It is also enjoyable to witness the birth of a calf. All the things in between we do together on the farm as a family are neat.
What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? The lifestyle denitely. I get the privilege of being a homemaker, caring for my family and farm and making food from scratch. I enjoy working as a family together and being our own boss.
What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Explain. Finally being able to buy our own dairy. My husband and I rented for nine years. We moved three times to rent different barns. We drove back and forth every day twice a day. Our little Bo came with us to the barn every day. Bo spent a lot of time there with us and made many memories. Then the day after he turned 3 years old, we bought our farm.
What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? I am on the Todd County American Dairy Association board.
What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry?
That it is a commitment and a lifestyle that is sometimes demanding but also very rewarding in many ways. Always stay focused on the good and positive things. There are going to be hard days, but don’t let it get to you. Tomorrow will be better and always put your trust in God for he will take care of you.
What is a challenge in the dairy industry you have faced and how did you overcome it? Getting over stray voltage. We moved out of that barn and into another one. Our cows recovered wonderfully, and pounds of milk went up.
When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I do something relaxing.
Know your cow zones
Working and moving cattle can be a stressful task for both the cow and person. However, it does not need to be. By understanding what cows want from you and guring out their comfort zones, you can become procient and move your cattle in a safe, effective and efcient manner.
Cows want to be able to see you, go around you, be with and go with other cows, and like to go back to where they came from. If a cow can hear you but cannot see you, she is going to get scared or nervous and will either kick at or try to get away from you as fast as she can. Cows want to be able to move freely and be with their peers. Cows are a herd animal and need friends for social health. Lastly, cows are routinecraving creatures. They like to be in places that they know and are comfortable with. Change can be very hard for some.
of the heifers may stop and look at you while others pay no attention. For the ones looking at you and that continue looking at you but remain standing there, you are in their pressure zone. They know where you are at all times and are keeping tabs on you.
Brenda Miller University of Minnesota
The ight zone is when you have entered an animal’s personal space, beyond her pressure zone, and they feel the need to ee. This is her bubble. We, as humans, usually have a boundary and when someone is standing a little too close, we too, feel the need to take a step away to feel comfortable again. So, if you are in that pen of heifers and start walking towards them, you may notice some will start walking (or running) away. They feel threatened, are not comfortable with your presence, and thus, leave until they feel comfortable again.
The pressure zone is the edge of a cow’s comfort zone. It is when a cow or animal is paying attention to you but has not yet moved away. She may be looking in your direction with her ears perked but is still standing where she is. For example, let’s say you are walking around in a pen or pasture of heifers. The moment you step into the pen a few
It is important to note that, like humans, every cow is an individual and has a different-sized pressure/ight zone. Some animals have little or no ight or pressure zones. Some of these may include show animals (they are usually so docile that they can be kind of a pain when you want to move them) and cows that may have experienced a major trauma. This group may have
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been through a signicant event: trailer accident, tornado, barn re, etc. They may have a level of post-traumatic stress disorder and have an extra hard time processing new things or changes to their environment.
The largest blind spot is located directly behind a cow. When visually observing a cow, you will notice that her eyes are located on the side of her head, not in the front. This results in a vision of about 350. However, if something or someone is directly behind her, she must turn her whole head to see it. If you approach a cow from behind without letting her know you are there, it is probably not going to go well. Always approach a cow from the side or front so she knows you are there. No one likes getting a hoof to the leg or chest.
The next time you are in a barn, pen, or pasture, pay attention to the animals who are looking at you, walking away, or those who
Dana Adams adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968
Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610
Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130
Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184
Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391
are not caring at all that you are present. Remember, each cow or animal is an individual and has a different-sized personal comfort zone bubble. Be respectful of each individual and work to their level of comfort. By doing this, you will create a positive, efcient and safe work environment for both the cows and you as the handler.
Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277
Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711
Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104
Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334
Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863
Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109
Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435
Isaac Salfer ijsalfer@umn.edu 320-296-1357
Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093
Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205
Melissa Wilson mlw@umn.edu 612-625-4276
Isaac Haagen hagge041@umn.edu 612-624-7455
Michael Boland boland@umn.edu 612-625-3013
Sabrina Florentino slpore@umn.edu 507-441-1765
Two
Twin
Can cows, solar panels coexist?
Solar farms are anticipated to cover 5.7 million acres to meet the rising demand for renewable energy. Land available for solar farm development is limiting this expansion. Efforts to increase public acceptance of solar farm development include coupling conservation and agriculture practices. Despite growing interest, there is limited science-based data summarizing the impacts of solar panels on plant and livestock growth and development in the Upper Midwest.
Farmers are increasingly interested in combining agriculture with solar energy production, a practice known as agrivoltaics. This approach allows farmers to use the same land for both farming and generating electricity, which can help make solar farms more acceptable to local communities by providing additional benets, such as agricultural products or wildlife habitats.
For dairy farmers, agrivoltaics offers an exciting opportunity. Traditionally, dairy farming relies heavily on fossil fuels for various tasks, from cooling milk to running tractors. But by installing solar panels on their land, farmers can generate their own electricity, potentially reducing their reliance on fossil fuels and cutting down on energy costs. This could help make dairy operations more sustainable and cost-effective.
There was no research on the use of a ground-mounted solar system to provide shade for dairy cows and to determine the effects on them. Therefore, our team wanted to investigate the effects of shade from solar photovoltaic panels on the production, health and behavior of pastured dairy cows. During the summer of 2024, a 500-kilowatt ground mount solar array was added to the existing pasture for shade for grazing dairy cattle (Figure 1). The Morris dairy operation milks 275 cows twice daily and is representative of a midsized Minnesota dairy farm.
Twenty-four crossbred cows were assigned to one of two treatments: shade from solar photovoltaic or no shade. The no-shade cows did not have access to any shade on pasture. A SmaXtec bolus was placed in the reticulum of the cow and recorded internal body temperature as well as activity and drinking bouts of cows. Daytime ambient elevated temperatures during the study ranged from 27-34 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, seven forage species and three mixes of grass and legume species were planted underneath two different solar sites and one control site without shade. Forage crops included alfalfa, eld peas, meadow fescue, orchard grass, red clover, brown midrib sorghum-sudan grass, white clover and three meadow fescue, orchard grass and legume mixes with
either alfalfa, red clover or white clover. The objective was to evaluate forage biomass and nutritive value of crops, grasses and legumes grown under different agrivoltaic conditions.
Respiration rates for shade and no-shade cows were similar during the morning hours, but during the afternoon, shade cows had lower respiration rates (66 breaths per minute) than no-shade cows (78 breaths per minute). Milk, fat, and protein production were not different for cows whether they had shade or no shade. Hourly body temperature results show that no-shade cows had greater internal body temperatures (+0.6 C) than shade cows from 1 p.m. to midnight. Between milking times (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.), the shade cows had lower internal body temperatures than no-shade cows. All cows had similar body temperatures during the nighttime hours.
Forages grown under solar panels produced less biomass at the 30 kW (564 kg/ha) and 50 kW (446 kg/ha) solar sites compared to a control site (1,100 kg/ha). Forage biomass and nutrient values varied based on the solar array design and amount of sun exposure. Although less biomass was produced in the agrivoltaic sites compared to the control, forages were of high quality based on similar or higher crude protein, ber content and digestibility, and mineral levels of the forages in the 30 kW and 50 kW sites.
Based on the results of this study, cows may have sacriced grazing time to stand in the protection of the shade. Future research with our solar panels will investigate the reproductive performance of the cows and long-term effects on milk, fat, and protein production, body weight, body condition, and animal health and well-being. Our study indicates that agrivoltaics may provide an acceptable method of heat abatement to pastured dairy cows, as well as generating electrical energy for farmers, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the dairy operation. Agrivoltaics in the form of forage production grown underneath ground-mounted photovoltaic systems can provide a suitable feed source for organic livestock production, a renewable energy source for farms and economic opportunity for farmers. Economic impacts of the agrivoltaic system and land productivity from solar farms will drive the adoption of solar photovoltaic systems on farms. The project, funded by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, will involve evaluating these new strategies to assess results and make recommendations to farmers. Overall, agrivoltaics has the potential to make dairy farming more sustainable, efcient and protable, offering farmers new ways to improve their operations.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The 500-kilowa solar photovoltaic ground-mounted system for solar shading at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, Minnesota. The center milks 275 cows at their facility.
Brad Heins and Sabrina Portner University of Minnesota
Life after cows
Aldinger reects on dairy career
By Hailey Hokanson Staff Intern
WINONA, Minn. — On his nal day milking cows, Roger Aldinger made sure there were 35 cows left that needed to be milked as a reminder of how he started.
“I wanted to keep that number for my last day because it was the number I had started milking with when I was just starting out as a kid,” Aldinger said. “(I) thought I better start and nish at 35.”
Since the buyer could only take so many cows at a time due to longdistance travel, Aldinger thought that specic number would be a nice sendoff to the family’s dairy history.
On July 20, after 105 years and ve generations of dairy farmers, Aldinger sold his nal cows, ending a legacy that tied the Aldinger family to dairy.
Beginning in 1919 with Aldinger’s great-grandparents, the farm spanned 150 acres and started with 10 cows in a stanchion barn. Throughout the years, the herd grew, with the nal count before the sale being 119 Holsteins housed in a freestall barn. They also grew corn and alfalfa to feed the cows.
A dairy farmer since childhood, Aldinger took over the farm from his father in the mid-1980s, adding his wife, Teresa, to the operation after their marriage in 1991.
The couple has two daughters, Adrianna and Hannah, who helped on the farm when they were growing up. Adrianna and her husband, Josh, helped with the dairy before the sale despite having jobs off the farm.
The decision was 10 months in the making.
“The kids wanted to do other things, which is great, but there was nobody else in our family who wanted to continue on (with the farm),” Aldinger said. “Last fall we made the decision that it was time to move on and have a little more of a relaxed lifestyle.”
The 10 months gave Aldinger the time to process what had to be done and spread out his emotions. When the day came, he was ready.
“It wasn’t quite as emotional as I thought it would be,” he said. “It was hard to see all of them loaded up and moved away, but I was happy with the place they were going to so that helped.”
The bird u added a sliver of stress to the operation because the cows needed to be tested before their departure.
“The test had to be done within seven days of the cows leaving, and even though I felt they would probably all pass, there was always that fear that one cow wouldn’t,” he said. “Had a cow tested positive, they all would’ve had to be quarantined for 30 days. But at this point, we had run our
feed supply down to almost nothing, so it would’ve been a bad situation.”
Fortunately, all of the cows tested negative, leaving the sale on schedule.
For all of Aldinger’s life, there have been chores to be done and cows to milk.
He started his days at 3:30 a.m. by heading to the barn to prepare for milking. Shortly after 4 a.m., he and one of his two hired helpers began to milk, nishing up a little before 7
a.m., when breakfast was served. After that, he would head out and work on whatever needed attention before starting the cycle over at 3:30 in the afternoon.
This schedule continued for years. After the sale, Aldinger’s mental alarm clock hadn’t been made aware of the change.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Hannah (from le ), Teresa and Roger Aldinger and Lincoln and Adriana Herricks stand with their Minnesota Farm Family of the Year plaque July 10 at the Winona County Fair in St. Charles, Minnesota. The Aldinger family won the Winona County Farm Family of the Year award shortly before selling their cows.
“It’s different because your mind is set to wake up at the same time all the time,” he said. “Weekdays I get up at 5 a.m. to watch my grandson. But on the weekends, I stay in bed until as late as 7 a.m., which is strange because I’ve never had the opportunity to get up when I wanted before.”
Aldinger has been keeping busy with various projects and remodeling tasks, but the quietness on the farm is hard to ignore.
“There’s not as much trafc now since we don’t have the suppliers and trucks and deliveries coming in,” Aldinger said. “Your support people aren’t stopping all the time now. In some ways, that’s been the most difcult part. I’m a social person, and I miss not having these people come to the farm to converse with (me) on a regular basis.”
One of the things he said he misses the most is being able to educate community members about the importance of farming and the dairy industry.
“I loved showing people the farm and milking process, and just educating people about dairy,” he said. “Over the years, we’ve had school groups visit, our girls’ friends over during milking time and county family night on the farm. I’ll probably miss all of that more than anything else.”
July 20
After saying goodbye to the cows, Aldinger and his wife spent the weekend away, allowing themselves to adjust accordingly to the new changes they were about to face. But, through it all, Aldinger has seen that life without dairy will be just ne.
“Everyone I’ve talked to that has exited the dairy industry has told me the same thing — there is life after cows,” he said. “They are correct.”
Roger Aldinger’s grandson, Lincoln Herricks, spends me with the cows shortly before they were loaded up July 20 at the Aldinger farm near Winona, Minnesota. Aldinger and his wife, Teresa, have two daughters, Adriana and Hannah, who helped on the farm throughout their lives.
BLAST BLAST FRESH AIR TO THE HERD
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Roger Aldinger milks for one of the last mes
on his farm near Winona, Minnesota. The Aldingers sold their cows a er 105 years in the dairy industry.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
BUNKER SILOS
Corn silage preharvest considerations
It’s been an interesting growing season. Concerns of low snowfall and a potential summer drought quickly turned to saturated soil this spring. For some, the corn looks great. For others, widespread variation across elds has been a common theme most of the season. As the days get shorter and nights cool down, we know that corn silage harvest is just around the corner. A few strategies can help you be prepared for and have an efcient harvest.
Safety should be the top goal. Corn silage harvest brings an increase in machinery trafc and long hours. Plan and communicate for safe operation in the elds, on the road, at the pile and everywhere in between. High-visibility clothing is recommended as standard practice for anyone near or around the harvest process. Make safety a key focus in your preharvest planning and meetings.
By Barry Visser Nutritionist
Forage inventory is something that should be monitored on a regular basis. This is a great time to estimate the current inventory and determine how much silage needs to be chopped in the weeks ahead. Estimating the tonnage of standing corn may be more difcult with variation across elds. Historic yield information can be helpful during this process. Keep in mind, the ear of the plant generally represents more than 50% of the whole plant’s dry matter, so grain yield will be impactful.
Have a contingency plan for supplemental storage if yields surpass expectations. This plan may also include a shift in harvest strategies such as leaving surplus acres for either high moisture corn or dry corn. Silage cutting height may also be part of your preharvest discussion as you evaluate potential yields versus quality.
Take time to prepare your corn silage storage site. Remove old feed, dirt and mud that may have accumulated in the past several months. Examine forage pads and sidewalls for holes that may need to be repaired. It is common practice for farms to move from one end of a corn silage pile to the opposite end as new silage is delivered. Give yourself adequate time to make this feed transition to avoid an abrupt change to the rumen microbes.
Make sure you have plenty of tires or sidewalls to achieve maximum coverage of your pile or bunker. More tires may have been used to cover the increased yields of haylage and other forages harvested throughout the summer. Replace any tires that have exposed steel cords so they don’t damage plastic or cause injuries. Stage tires in an area where they can be moved quickly to a pile or bunker.
Make sure you have enough regular plastic and oxygen barrier plastic on hand so that when the pile covering crew shows up, they can complete the task. Account for a 4- to 10-foot overlap at seams and an extra 3-4 feet at pile edges.
Silage inoculants provide an opportunity to speed up fermentation and improve DM recovery. Be sure to allow plenty of time for delivery of inoculants and see that they are properly stored upon arrival to preserve bacterial integrity. Ensure that your inoculant applicator is clean and in good working order.
When it comes to silage density, the goal is at least 15 pounds per cubic foot of DM. Review your harvest plan and make sure you have adequate weight and time for packing equipment on the storage structure to achieve this goal. Calculate the rate of delivery to the structure in tons per hour and multiply by 800 — that’s how many pounds of packing equipment need to be on the bunker or pile.
Kernel processing is critical, especially as DM and milk line progress. Preharvest is a good time to check the processor roll condition and gap setting. Roll gap clearances are generally measured in millimeters with a normal opening of 1-4 millimeters. This setting is dependent on kernel maturity, hardness and size. Settings ideal for harvest in previous years may be signicantly different for the current crop and should be monitored as harvest commences.
Fields should be monitored closely as kernel development ensues in the weeks ahead to achieve optimum whole plant DM for your storage structure. Work with your corn silage advisory team to determine when to start chopping. Most importantly, have a safe harvest. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
Oh, the places agriculture goes
“Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” as said by Dr. Seuss, is a constant reminder for me that wherever I go, the agricultural industry follows.
Something that very few people know about me is that I shared a birthday with renowned children’s author Dr. Seuss, and coincidentally, my favorite book as a child was “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” Now, you may be thinking, “How does this relate to your experience in the agricultural industry?” But it applies more than you would think.
By Hannah Everhart Midwest Dairy Corporate Communications Intern
Growing up in a small, rural community in Indiana, raising beef cattle, I had a minimal idea of what my future would hold for me, but oh, how my world would change as I showed up at Iowa State University to receive a bachelor’s degree. When I was young, I thought that to be part of animal agriculture I had to be a veterinarian, but through countless conversations with mentors and changing my major about three times, I soon found that there are several ways to be involved. Through those trials and tribulations, however, one constant remained: the sense of community I nd within agriculture.
At my elementary, middle school and high school graduations, the book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” was read to me by school administrators, and each time I seemed to get something different out of it. In elementary school, I thought it meant that I’d take fun vacations. In middle school, I thought it meant I needed to prepare myself for high school. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I thought it could mean more. I pondered the possibilities that I would have upon arriving at Iowa State University and soon found out that because of the agricultural community that has been built on campus, they would be endless.
majors within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences or grew up directly involved in the agriculture industry. I’ve also had the opportunity to nd a community within various internships, including my time with Midwest Dairy as a corporate communications intern. All have been linked to agriculture in some way.
Now, there’s no doubt that agriculture has been an integral part of my life, but without a sense of community, I would not have been able to get to
the place I am now. Change within this industry is inevitable so I’ve learned to embrace it. But the one thing that I’ve held as a constant is community, and I encourage you to do the same. So go and explore, as said in Dr. Suess’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” “You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so… get on your way!”
Don’t forget your community along the way, and if you do, we’ll nd our way back to you.
Now, there is no doubt that on campus, there are several communities you can be part of, and the agricultural communities alone can be difcult to navigate. In my rst year of college, I was encouraged by my family members to go through recruitment for Sigma Alpha, a professional agricultural sorority, and eventually found a home there. Another unexpected place where I found a sense of community was in student government. Most people would not assume that there would be a place for agriculture there. However, a signicant number of fellow student senators have
Eight is enough
People watching is my favorite hobby. It’s much more interesting than bird watching, although the use of binoculars is frowned upon when one studies the sapiens species.
An increasingly rare sighting these days is a “Haggard Mom with a Large Brood in Tow.”
This shouldn’t warrant any extra attention, yet it does. Maybe it’s because I read some years ago that the average family had 2.3 children. I’ve heard of a child being called “a half pint.” Would that .3 of a kid get the nickname “third pint?”
The average family now has 1.94 kids. Back when I was young, it was not uncommon to see families with six children. My Nelson great-grandparents began a baker’s dozen of offspring.
Were this math extrapolated into the past, one might reach the conclusion that families of yore produced kids by the score. And they accomplished this feat the old-fashioned way, without help from
the technology that gave rise to Octomom.
Having been part of a family that contained eight kids, I have nothing against large families. But I do have some insights about growing up in one.
For instance, it’s challenging to live in a household that has 10 people and only one bathroom. And by “challenging” I mean “often uncomfortable.”
This was especially true when my older sisters entered high school. For some reason, they began to spend inordinate amounts of time in the bathroom, primping and preening and gussying up. You would think it was against the law to go to school smelling like a dairy barn. I may have been teased for that particular offense but was never arrested.
It sometimes got to the point where I thought my kidneys might explode. I would urgently convey this information to the bathroom’s occupant by shouting at the door and might receive a reply along
the lines of “Go outside and water a tree!”
This is why the trees nearest our farmhouse did so well. But there were situations when watering a tree wouldn’t have solved my pressing problem.
At such times I might have been informed by the bathroom’s tenant that our ancient privy was likely unoccupied. The trouble was that the old outhouse was cold and drafty in the wintertime and just plain yucky otherwise. Plus, its wood-based technology meant that the user faced the possibility of getting a splinter in a highly embarrassing place.
Another issue with growing up in a large family had to do with the dearth of entertainment. Disneyworld wasn’t an option, mainly because it was still just a gment of Walt’s imagination.
We had a television. But Dad was the sort of guy who believed that watching TV was an abomination, a nasty habit that put one on the slippery slope to mental enfeeblement.
So, we played indoors until the noise reached the level of a space shuttle launch. Our parents would then vociferously impress upon us that we should go outside and play.
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• Serves fresh, properly mixed rations.
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We were thus forced to play outside. Not only that, but we also had to invent our own games. These days, the child welfare folks might be called if kids don’t have prearranged “play dates” and are simply left to romp in an unstructured manner.
But some of the best fun we had involved structures. An example of such a thing was building a maze of bale tunnels in the haymow.
Our bale tunnels became extremely elaborate with dead ends, chimneys, and sudden drop-offs. It was possible to lose a kid in our bale labyrinth, so a head count was required at the end of each day. Our family believed in hand-me-downs when it came to clothing. As the oldest boy, the stuff I got was generally new — although I wondered about a shirt I wore in sixth grade that contained a suspicious amount of lace and buttoned the wrong way.
We also handed down our bicycles. We had two bikes for the entire family, the Big Bike and the Little Bike.
Kids learned to ride on the Little Bike. This was before training wheels had been invented, so the novice rider was simply placed on the bike, steadied, then gently launched down an incline.
This resulted in numerous spills, but no serious damage ever resulted. The bike was well protected by the legs of the learner.
I could go on, but you get the picture. And while we were underprivileged by today’s standards — kids nowadays think they’re desperately deprived if they don’t have a smartphone in their hands at all times — one thing is certain: growing up in a household of 10 people and one bathroom helped me hone a certain ability.
Just call me the Super Tree Soaker.
Jerry Nelson is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, South Dakota. He and his wife, Julie, have two sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Feel free to email him at jerry.n@dairystar.com.
By Jerry Nelson Columnist
Dear County Agent Guy
Photo taken at Emslander Farms
Harvest time means deadlines
By Steve Frericks Stearns County FSA executive director
It’s hard to believe that the Minnesota State Fair is starting already. This is a true sign that summer is ending, and the anticipation of fall harvest is underway. Farmers in the ofce this year cannot stop talking about the tonnage from this year’s forage. It is truly impressive how much they are getting from each acre of land. Before we know it, people will be talking about silage. Silage burn-down testing is happening. Let’s hope for good fall eld conditions to ensure your safety.
Dairy Margin Coverage dairy premiums are due Sept. 1, 2024. All affected producers should have received a letter explaining how much premium is due. Some producers elected to have eligible payments for program benets applied toward their premium. January and February 2024 DMC triggered for payment. This reduced the premium due but did not account for the full repayment. If this affects you and you would like a breakdown of the payments applied, please contact the ofce with questions or concerns. The absence of DMC payments after February 2024 indicates the national milk price received relative to the average feed cost of corn, high-grade alfalfa and soybean meal did not fall below the producer-elected program price. For most producers, this was the $9.50 coverage level. If you are a participating dairy, your premium is due Sept. 1, 2024.
The October payment cycle for any Farm Service Agency program that triggers is just around the corner. This includes Conservation Reserve Program annual rental payments. Now is the time to notify FSA if you have changed any direct deposit routing or switched
banks. Attending to this now provides for smooth and timely payment processing. Contact the ofce if this affects you.
Marketing Assistance Loans and Loan Deciency Payments provide nancing and marketing assistance for wheat, feed grains, soybeans, other oilseeds, pulse crops, rice, peanuts, cotton, wool and honey. MALs provide you with interim nancing after harvest to help you meet cash ow needs without having to sell your commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. FSA is now accepting requests for 2024 MALs for small grains after harvest.
Marketing Loan Gains are no longer subject to payment limitations, actively engaged in farming and cash-rent tenant rules. Contact your local county ofce for additional details and rates for your county.
Applying for farm storage facility loans
Do you need chopper boxes, forage blowers, ag baggers, semi tractors or live bottom trailers for this upcoming harvest? The FSA’s Farm Storage Facility Loan program provides low-interest nancing to help you build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage, and handling trucks.
Eligible commodities include corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley, hay, honey, fruits, nuts and vegetables for cold storage facilities, oriculture, hops, maple sap, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry (unprocessed), and eggs, Qualied facilities include grain bins, hay barns and cold storage facilities for eligible commodities.
Loans up to $50,000 can be secured by a promissory note/security agreement, loans between $50,000- $100,000 may require additional security, and loans exceeding $100,000 require additional se-
curity.
You do not need to demonstrate the lack of commercial credit availability to apply. The loans are designed to assist a diverse range of farming operations, including small and mid-sized businesses, new farmers, operations supplying local food and farmers markets, non-traditional farm products, and underserved producers.
Actively engaged provisions for nonfamily joint operations or entities
Many FSA programs require all program participants, either individuals or legal entities, to be “actively engaged in farming.” This means participants provide a signicant contribution to the farming operation, whether it is capital, land, equipment, active personal labor and/or management. For entities, each partner, stockholder or member with an ownership interest, must contribute active personal labor and/or management to the operation on a regular basis that is identiable and documentable as well as separate and distinct from contributions of any other member. Members of joint operations must have a share of the profits or losses from the farming operation commensurate with the member’s contributions to the operation and must make contributions to the farming operation that are at risk for a loss, with the level of risk being commensurate with the member’s claimed share on the farming operation.
Joint operations comprised of nonfamily members or partners, stockholders or persons with an ownership in the farming operation must meet additional payment eligibility provisions. Joint operations comprised of family members are exempt from these additional requirements. For 2016 and subsequent crop years, non-family joint operations can have one member that may use a signi-
cant contribution of active personal management exclusively to meet the requirements to be determined “actively engaged in farming.” The person or member will be dened as the farm manager for the purposes of administering these management provisions.
The records and supporting business documentation must be maintained and timely made available for review by the appropriate FSA reviewing authority if requested.
If the farm manager fails to meet these requirements, their contribution of active personal management to the farming operation for payment eligibility purposes will be disregarded and their payment eligibility status will be re-determined for the applicable program year. Maintaining Agriculture Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage acreage
If you’re enrolled in the ARC or PLC programs, you must protect all cropland and noncropland acres on the farm from wind and water erosion and noxious weeds. By signing ARC county or individual contracts and PLC contracts, you agree to effectively control noxious weeds on the farm according to sound agricultural practices. If you fail to take necessary actions to correct a maintenance problem on your farm that is enrolled in ARC or PLC, the county committee may elect to terminate your contract for the program year.
The FSA staff wishes you a safe, productive and protable harvest with minimal breakdowns.
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 application forms and updates on USDA programs
9600 2022, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 665 hrs., 507 CH hrs., #576032 ...........
9600 2020, Kernel Processor, PRWD, 1312 hrs., 775 CH hrs., #565393 .........
Cleaning up
I don’t know which is worse — cleaning up little kids or cleaning up big cows? It doesn’t seem to matter how hard you work to get them both clean, they always seem to nd a way to get dirty again before company arrives. Either by splashing in a big mud puddle or slopping their tails in the gutter, you just can’t keep everyone clean all the time.
Ask the hosts of any June Dairy Month breakfast on the farm. They will tell you that it is impossible to keep everything spotless and clean. But I think we are more critical of our own place. We were at Mark and Shelly Czech’s for Benton County’s Breakfast on the Farm. Even with all the rain and mud, it still looked spotless. They did such a great job of presenting a positive image to the general public. They were planning to let people walk around and explore the farm, but with all the rain, they changed plans. They threw some straw bales on a couple of at racks and gave tractor tours around the yard with a personal
guide on every round to tell the story of how they make milk.
I’m trying to keep in mind the most important thing about hosting a farm tour is not how spotless everything is, but the new people that you meet. We are one of three farm tours in central Minnesota for delegates to the 2010 National Holstein Convention this weekend. Our tour is for those people who just love to see cows every day.
We still want things to look nice around the farm. Katie, Becca and Janine spent yesterday painting the chipped spots in the barn where the feed cart “bangs” into the door jamb as you swing around the corners or “bumps” up against the wall as you maneuver over the piles of feed in the manger. It looked great last night to see solid white walls before milking time.
By the end of the evening, it was a different story. Since cows can’t cover their mouths when they
cough, everything ies forward until it hits the wall. (I think this is how a familiar phrase was started.) I was trying to brush off the dried remnants of feed as I threw dry hay to the cows when I realized that the visitors won’t be studying how clean the walls are. I’ll just sweep them down on Saturday morning. I’m trying to maintain my sanity.
By Natalie Schmitt
Now the windows on the other hand are a different story. There are ve windows per window opening and 15 window openings. That means I’m washing windows all day. At least we’ll be able to enjoy sunrises and sunsets more clearly after the tour or until a cow coughs. I think that I wash windows in the barn more than I wash windows in the house. Of course, we spend more time in the barn than in the house during daylight hours. At night, you can’t “see” dirty windows.
While we’re getting ready for the tour with all the extra jobs, daily life continues to march forward. The neighbors already have their second cutting alfalfa up. We’re hoping the skies dry out before the Fourth of July to get our hay up. Jonathon was down at the University of Minnesota registering for classes this week. I guess this means he really did graduate last month. He is ready to start now and I’m sure that by the end of summer, I’ll be ready to send him off too. The rhythm of the house will surely be different. The rhythm around our house is adding a few new beats this summer. We added a new daughter to our family. Katie and I picked up Janine from the airport this week. She is an 18-year-old dairy farmer’s daughter from Germany. She will be staying with us for the summer learning about life on a family dairy farm in the United States before she heads off to her university this fall. Her English is very good, and my German is only as good as “Hogan’s Heroes.” We are still able to communicate, and she is jumping right in to help with getting things ready for the rest of the company coming this weekend. You have to love farm kids in any language. They all know how to get things done.
Right now, it seems like we were crazy to say yes to hosting this tour the same month we celebrated Jonathon’s graduation, Dairy Day Show and the state Holstein show, but it will all work out. I am marveling at all the odd little jobs that nally moved to the top of the to-do list. Maybe we should have done a tour a couple of years earlier.
As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark Schmitt started an adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.
Columnist
State fair vs sports
The Great Minnesota Get-Together is once again underway and, once again, I have the privilege of serving as a chaperone for our county’s 4-H livestock exhibitors. I truly am lucky to have opportunities to give back to a program that has so signicantly shaped my life.
The Minnesota State Fair livestock encampment packs more life lessons into ve days than most other youth development opportunities combined. I’ve witnessed up close, how the state fair transforms kids — both my own kids and all the kids from Stearns County who I’ve come to know through chaperoning. The state fair transformed my own life; I can honestly say that I don’t believe I’d be where I am today had I not been a 4-H livestock exhibitor.
before Labor Day. I missed school, cross country practice, cheerleading practice, and pep band practice – and neither my teachers nor my coaches asked any questions.
And, yes, you read that right. In the fall, I ran cross country. On Friday nights, I also suited up as a football cheerleader – and spent at least part of the pregame in the stands with the pep band playing my trombone.
By Sadie Frericks Columnist Dairy Good
The state fair livestock encampment helps kids practice responsibility, learn more about the agricultural community, and make lifelong, likeminded friends. For my kids, spending ve days at the state fair is the pinnacle of their year. I don’t think they’d miss it for the world.
I was chatting with a few other dairy judging coaches at the Steele County Dairy Judging Contest last week. The topic of 4-H students needing to choose between school sports and the state fair came up. Another coach mentioned a 4-H student who ended up going to football practice instead of the state fair because his football coach told him that if he missed three days of practice, he would be benched for the rst six games of the season. For those of you who don’t follow high school football, that could be over half of the season.
The next day, my sister called and said my nephew had to choose between football and the state fair as well. If he took the state fair trip that he earned with his market turkeys, he would miss three days of practice and an important scrimmage that the coaches were using to determine who makes the varsity team. He’s just a freshman, but in his small town, it’s not unusual for freshmen to suit up for the varsity team. He ended up choosing football.
My state-fair-loving, chaperone’s heart broke a little.
When I was a student at that same school, albeit many years ago, the state fair and sports were both options for kids.
The year I accepted my rst state fair trip with my dairy heifer happened to be one of the years my school started classes two weeks
When I say it now, it sounds like I’m boasting — or maybe crazy — but that’s not my intent. That’s just what my high school experience was like — and the experience of many of my classmates. There were boys who played football most of the week and ran with the cross country team on meet days. There were kids who both ran track and swung bats on the softball and baseball teams. There were very few one-sport athletes or oneactivity participants.
We weren’t ultra-involved because our parents expected us to be. We were involved because we loved our sports and activities and because our school allowed it. You might even say they encouraged it. In our smalltown school, there weren’t enough active students to ll all the rosters without allowing at least some of the students to double-participate in same-season activities.
Looking back now, perhaps our coaches and advisors also understood what I understand now about coaching kids: Our job as coaches isn’t to win state championships. Our job is to help young people pursue their interests and develop into well-rounded adults. Our job is also to support their participation in all of their activities — not demand their loyalty to our program only.
Of course, this trend extends far beyond the state fair vs. sports. More and more each year, athletic programs are designed to keep kids to practicing and competing year-round. The message is clear: If you want to be successful, you need to commit to one sport. It makes me sad.
Don’t get me wrong. I fully believe that life is all about making choices. And, as parents and coaches, we also have a role in helping our kids learn to make choices that better their lives. But kids have all of adulthood to make either-or decisions. We should be structuring youth programs in ways that allow kids to explore all of their interests while they’re young. If kids want to do both sports and the state fair, then let them do both.
