11-year-old Jersey breeder awaits heart transplant
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
CUMBERLAND, Wis.
Imagine that one minute, you are sitting in the stands, cheering on your 11-year-old daughter’s basketball team. The next, you are in a doctor’s ofce hearing the unthinkable — your daughter requires a heart transplant.
That is the nightmare that Jamie and Tamala Anderson and their daughter, Lexi, are living.
Tamala’s parents, Roger and Darice Riebe, operate Meadow-Ridge Jerseys in Cumberland, where they milk
100 registered Jerseys with their sons, Mike and Mark. Although Tamala and Jamie are not directly involved with the day-to-day operations of the farm, they have raised their daughters as a part of the family farm. Lexi has grown up showing Jerseys alongside her sisters and her cousins.
“It started last fall,” Tamala Anderson said. “I honestly thought she didn’t want to play. She would run halfway up the court and stop like she was out of breath. I told her if she didn’t want to play, that was ne — just tell me. She told me that she couldn’t see, which was why she was stopping.”
Thinking that what Lexi was experiencing was perhaps dehydration, the Andersons spoke to her coach and devised a plan for Lexi to leave the game if needed.
Big win in stray voltage case
Vagts Dairy LLC triumphs with Iowa Supreme Court ruling in their favor
By Amy Kyllo amy.k@star-pub.com
WEST UNION, Iowa —
Stacks of thick binders containing myriads of evidence and court documents lay on dairy farmer Mark Vagts’ dining table. Each binder is a visual representation of the Vagts family’s three-year litigation battle. The Vagtses sued Northern Natural Gas after stray voltage affecting their cattle was found on their farm.
On June 21, litigation with Northern Natural Gas came to a close with a ruling in the family’s favor from the Iowa Supreme Court. In the court ruling, Vagts Dairy LLC was awarded $4.75 million in damages.
“We’re lling in a big economic hole,” Mark said.
“We’re not building a mountain. We’re lling in a hole.”
Vagts Dairy is owned by Mark and his son, Andrew. They milk around 500 cows with the assistance of employees.
“It was very emotional, very stressful,” Mark said. “Our life has not been a lot of fun because of that.
The Vagts family said they went into mediation and felt Northern Natural Gas was not interested nor did the family feel they made effort to acknowledge the problem.
“Northern Natural Gas did not take us seriously,” Mark said. “It’s kind of like David versus Goliath or worse, ... we’re throwing stones and they’re fully armored.”
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
Mark (le ) and Andrew Vagts look through court documents July 18 at Mark’s home near West Union, Iowa. The Vagts family was in the li ga on process for over three years.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAIRY AGENDA TODAY
Lexi Anderson smiles while exhibi ng a Jersey heifer Nov. 5, 2023, at the All American Jersey Show in Louisville, Kentucky. Anderson enjoys exhibi ng her family’s dairy ca le
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“During a game last November, she almost passed out,” Anderson said. “We realized something was not right and scheduled an appointment with our primary care physician.”
At that appointment, an electrocardiogram showed what was described as a discrepancy between the top and bottom halves of Lexi’s heart. An appointment was scheduled for Dec. 15, 2023, with a specialist at Marsheld Medical Center. There the Andersons received the unthinkable news.
“After doing blood work and an echo, the doctor came back in and asked to speak to us privately,” Anderson said. “He told us that he didn’t even know how to break it to us that Lexi had restrictive cardiomyopathy.”
The specialist explained to the Andersons that essentially the muscles in her heart were hardening and, eventually, it would become a solid block and stop pumping. Furthermore, he told the couple there are no drugs and no treatments for the disease outside of a heart transplant. The Andersons were referred to the hospital Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
“The specialist told us it is so rare, he has never seen a case in his career or treated it,” Anderson said. “He said less than 2%-5% of cardiomyopathy patients develop restrictive, and they are usually adults.”
Lexi’s cardiomyopathy has a genetic component, but doctors do not know
The Riebe family — Darice Riebe (front, from le ), Kaity Riebe, Lexi Anderson, Tani Riebe, Alleah Anderson, Roger Riebe holding Levi Riebe; (back, from le ) Mike Riebe, Jaime Riebe, Jordyn Anderson, Jamie Anderson, Mark Riebe, Tanya Riebe and Tamala Anderson — takes a break from showing July 19 at the Barron County Fair in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The Riebes milk 100 head of registered Jerseys on their Barron County farm near Cumberland.
how she developed restrictive.
“Normally restrictive comes from something like chemotherapy or having too much iron or protein build-up in the heart,” Anderson said. “Lexi’s tests show the right amount of protein and iron. We literally drew the short straw in the lottery with this.”
The disease has progressed rapidly. Lexi must be within six hours of the Milwaukee hospital at all times, in the event a heart becomes available.
and
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Cumberland,WI
Humbird, WI
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The Andersons have been told to prepare for Lexi to be admitted to the hospital at their next visit Oct. 7, where another heart catheterization will be performed.
“She’s been getting sick at nights; the weather has been hard on her,” Anderson said. “She can’t eat full meals because she gets sick, she has to eat lots of small meals. They are concerned about her weight dropping. That can mean the heart failure is progressing faster.”
Despite the gravity of her situation, the Andersons are trying to gure out how to walk the thin line between protecting their daughter and allowing her to be a kid. Plans are for Lexi to start sixth grade this fall, like normal.
“Not being able to play sports or take part in gym is driving her insane,” Anderson said.
Lexi was able to take part in showing both dairy and sheep at the Barron County Fair last month. Her cousins were on standby to take over in the show ring if the exertion became too much. The Andersons hope Lexi can show in the open show at the Minnesota State Fair and World Dairy Expo, with the same precautions.
When Lexi’s market lamb failed to make the fair’s livestock auction, fellow Barron County 4-H student Holly Hargrave stepped up, donating the proceeds from her lamb to her friend. The lamb sold for more than $27,000. To raise that amount, it was sold four times, rst to J&A Northwest Construction who donated it back, and then to three others who did the same: local dairyman Bob Lentz, Two Rivers Accounting LLC and local veterinarian Dr. Don Peterson.
Friends and family of the Ander-
sons are planning a benet to raise money to help cover the medical bills the family will face in their ght to restore Lexi’s health. The benet will be held Sept. 8 at the Cumberland Middle School and will feature rafes, food and live music. A benet account has been established through Cumberland Federal Bank.
Meanwhile, Lexi is listed as 1B on the transplant list and will move to a 1A status when she is admitted to the hospital.
“She is O-positive, so it has to be an O blood-type heart, and, because of her size, it has to be a heart from a child aged 5-10,” Anderson said. “One day she asked me who would just give her their heart. We had to have the talk about how a heart would become available.”
That talk hit close to home for both Lexi and her mother. Lexi’s older sister, Emma, was killed in an all-terrain vehicle accident Aug. 27, 2020.
“She asked me if Emma’s heart had been donated,” Anderson said. “I told her we had allowed them to take whatever organs could be used to save another child.”
While Anderson has had to be strong in the face of everything Lexi is up against, inside she is struggling, she said. Anderson was emotional as she talked about what she is facing.
“Honestly, I pray to God every day — you already needed to take one of my kids, please don’t take another because I won’t be able to handle that,” Anderson said. “I have to be strong right now, but if something happens ... I have to believe it won’t. They said they are going to nd something for Lexi. They never have not found anything.”
A cow stands in a waterer in the Vagts family’s freestall
on their
West Union, Iowa. The Vagts family had three waterers destroyed by cows standing in them to ground themselves.
The Vagtses led suit in March 2021. In January 2023, the jury ruled unanimously in their favor after a nineday trial. After Northern Natural Gas appealed, it was taken before the Iowa Supreme Court in January.
The Vagts family’s farm was affected by DC stray voltage coming from a rectier, anode bed and nearby natural gas pipeline. The DC current created a constant exposure for the family’s cows from the voltage. This caused their immune systems to be in a continually heightened state, putting the cows at risk for secondary issues.
The pipeline causing the issue was put in on the Vagts family’s farm in 1964. Over time, the coating on the pipes can erode, causing oxidation and rust. This natural gas pipeline used a cathodic protection system as required by federal regulations. This protects the pipe from oxidation by having DC current run on the encased pipes. To accomplish this, a rectier converts alternating current power to DC power and sends it through the anode beds which act like a battery to electrify the pipeline.
In 2022, the Vagtses lost 76 cows, 27 of which they had to euthanize. Their herd death loss was over 17% — over three times the expected average of 5%.
Using Dairy Herd Improvement Association records, the Vagtses tracked death losses from over a decade and correlated them to the electrical activity. In 2013, Northern Natural Gas replaced the anode bed and the rectier was turned off. At that time, their death loss dropped to 3%. Later that year, after the new anode bed and rectier had been installed, the Vagtses began to ob-
serve abnormal cow behavior.
The Vagts family’s original freestall barn was built in 2000. Then, in 2017, they built on an addition which brought the end of their barn 200 feet closer to the pipeline. Animals in the Vagts family’s calving pen, which was closest, had the most problems.
The Vagtses had three waterers destroyed because their cows were standing in them during all months of the year to ground themselves while they drank. Building guards did not remedy the issue.
The stray voltage was especially hard on older cows.
“We’ve always pushed for longevity anyway, so that was really hurtful,” Mark said.
Their cows suffered from compromised immune systems, metritis, high somatic cell count, low components and high feed intake.
“It was terrible,” Mark said. “We were still maintaining, but ... we were losing our butts nancially because we just weren’t getting components, which is a major driver of the market price.”
Not knowing what the problem was, the Vagts family looked into every aspect of their farm. They worked with their nutritionist and veterinarian; they investigated their milking equipment and other areas of the farm.
Finally, having exhausted their options, they brought in a stray voltage expert in September 2020, Lawrence Neubauer. Within 10 minutes he had detected stray DC voltage. Neubauer spent three days of testing, verifying and documenting his ndings.
barn
farm near
In less than a year from discovering this, the Vagts family sued Northern Natural Gas. The Vagts family also worked with Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative which supplies power to Northern Natural Gas and to their farm to resolve several other issues outside court.
The Vagtses had a discovery day for their court case where around 27 people from the opposing counsel came to their farm to inspect for issues that could be causing the problem.
The Vagtses said they would advise someone going through a similar case to make sure every aspect of their operation is in order.
“They’re just looking at everything,” Mark said. “They’re just trying to nd something that they can see that we might have done wrong (or to suggest that) we’re poor managers.”
At one point within the litigations process, Andrew was testing for stray voltage approximately every day. With this testing, they took photos with GPS location turned on to prove what was happening.
The Vagts family had to produce building plans, ve years of nancials, DHIA records, hoof trimming receipts, employee time sheets and more.
Andrew said it was frustrating to gather information for 3-4 years for the trial.
After the Vagts family’s
lawsuit, in 2023 the rectier was removed, the anode beds were removed and a third anode bed was discovered at the site and removed. They uncovered and rewrapped the pipeline for nine-tenths of a mile.
Within that distance, the crew found approximately 100 compromised areas to the pipeline
coating.
Even though the issues have been xed, the problem has not fully gone away. The DC power must slowly drain from the farm soil, almost like a battery. This is different from AC stray voltage, which, when xed, gives immediate relief to the cows. The Vagtses were
told by their veterinarian that it may take up to two years. “It takes time for that to deplete the current even though things are xed, things are disconnected and moved out,” Andrew said.
Now that litigation is complete, the Vagtses can once again focus on being dairymen.
Already, Mark said their cows’ health is better.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” Mark said. “We’ve seen some improvements, but it’s not as quickly as what we’d like to see, of course.”
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
Faith (from le ), Charole e, Stephanie, Andrew, Mark, Sydney and Lauren Vagts gather July 18 on their 500-cow dairy farm near West Union, Iowa. On June 21, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in their favor on their direct current stray voltage case against Northern Natural Gas.
Continuing the discussion on Federal Milk Marketing Orders
Price scenarios, timeline examined
By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com
Editor’s Note: This is part two of a twopart series discussing recommendations resulting from the Federal Milk Marketing Order hearing process.
MADISON, Wis. — The conversation around the Federal Milk Marketing Order reform continued July 24 on the Professional Dairy Producers The Dairy Signal webinar. The effects of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommended decision on future milking pricing were shared through several examples.
Dr. Charles Nicholson from the Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences and Agricultural & Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was joined by Mark Stephenson, who retired from UWMadison as director of dairy policy analysis.
Nicholson shared a chart showing the 11 federal orders with an estimate of what the USDA thinks the impact of the recommended decision would be on the blend price (across all the different uses of milk in the order). The USDA projects increases in eight
of the orders with as much as $2 per hundredweight in the Appalachian order. Overall, a $0.32 per cwt increase is expected on average — going from the original price of $20.52 to the recommended price of $20.84, but with signicant regional differences.
“A lot of that is based on how milk gets used in those different milk marketing areas,” Nicholson said.
Other orders do not look to fare as well in the value of the blend price, including the Upper Midwest (down $0.10 per cwt), California (down $0.20 per cwt), and Arizona (down $0.03 per cwt).
Nicholson and Stephenson also did their own calculations to determine what they think will happen to prices. In a scenario calculating the impact on class prices, Nicholson shared what prices would have been for May 2024, reecting the impacts of changes to make allowances and Class I differentials.
In this example, the Class I price would have gone up a little over $2 on average but decreases would have been seen in Class II, Class III and Class IV prices (about 50 cents for Class III and IV and close to 75 cents for Class II).
“This is because we’re increasing the value of milk that goes into Class I, and we’re decreasing the minimum price that has to be paid for milk in those other classes,” Nicholson said. “This is a limited way to think about it though because it assumes everything
TABLE PROVIDED
This table includes the 11 federal milk marke�ng orders with es�mates of how the USDA thinks the recommended decision will impact the blend price (across all the different uses of milk in the order). The USDA projects increases in eight of the orders and decreases in three of the orders, with a $0.32/cwt average increase expected overall.
else is going to be the same in May 2024 and the previous ve-year period even though the USDA is projecting some pretty signicant increases and decreases in some areas for milk prices.”
Nicholson also shared a ve-year analysis of the projected impacts of changes to make allowances and Class I differentials through 2028. This is their estimate of the annual average all-milk price for the U.S., the annual average Class I milk price for all of the U.S., which differs by region, and the annual average Class III milk price, which is the same across the country.
“We are projecting that in the rst three years of these changes for the U.S. as a whole, there will be a negative impact on all-milk prices,” Nicholson said. “In the nal two years (2027 and 2028), there would be some higher-than-expected prices — higher than would have been the case if we kept the current system. We see a bigger positive impact on Class I in those later years, and we see a smaller impact — a negative impact — on Class III as we project that out.”
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Nicholson said that whatever decision gets made and whenever it is implemented, it will take some time to play out as all the different players — producers, processors and consumers — respond to these changes.
“We’re saying we see a trajectory going forward, but it’s likely the impacts are not going to be the same from the get-go and stay that way,” he said.
Stephenson reiterated that these prices are the regulated minimum prices and not the prices producers receive.
Another graph showed the different impacts seen in different orders, examining the value of milk in Order 6 (Florida) and Order 30 (Upper Midwest).
“They have very different uses of milk,” Nicholson said. “The Florida order is a lot about beverage milk, while Order 30 is heavy into cheese manufacturing and has a lot of Class III milk.”
When adding up all the values for milk in these different classes, there is a net gain in Order 6 of $1.82 per cwt. In Order 30, there is a reduction of $0.81 per cwt.
“In both Florida and Wisconsin, the value of milk that gets used in Class I goes up at about the same rate even though those orders are very different in terms of total milk being pooled,” Nicholson said. “Where the big difference comes in is in the value of Class III milk, which is quite negatively affected in the Upper Midwest.”
Changing the make allowances, which are a key component of the recommended decision, has the impact of lowering the minimum pay price for Class II, Class III and Class IV, Nicholson said.
“That’s sort of taking money out of the system that otherwise would have been paid to dairy producers,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a balancing of then putting some money back into the pool of dollars available to producers, but that’s happening because of an increase in the price that would be paid for Class I milk. Here in the Upper Midwest, we’re mostly seeing the impact of those make allowance changes that have lowered the Class III price.”
A nal decision is expected by Nov. 12, after the ling of comments and exceptions. Producers and their cooperatives will have the opportunity to vote on the decision either later this year or early next year, Nicholson said.
The nal decision will be followed by a producer referendum in which either all changes are accepted, or the order is voted out. The schedule for this will be determined by the USDA at the time of the nal decision.
Stephenson said producers who can vote are those who have sold milk into a regulated market in the FMMO over a period of time.
“Many producers may be represented by their cooperatives in a bloc vote,” he said. “Some cooperatives will also allow individual producers to make their own votes. Independent producers will be able to cast their own votes if they are not a member of a cooperative.”
Stephenson estimates that if the new orders are voted in, they will be implemented around the rst of next year. However, since the nal decision would be issued Nov. 12, shortly after the election process, he said there are likely to be a lot of distractions in Washington that could affect its timing.
When the nal decision is made, but before a producer referendum, Stephenson said the secretary of agriculture will be interested in seeing it, and it will likely be sent through the Senate and House agriculture committees as well.
“This is one of the places where the process can get hung up,” he said. “Sometimes, that will sit on desks outside of USDA, and the ag marketing service can’t do anything to hustle this along. Also, there are things that could change in the farm bill that might impact federal orders. All of that can disrupt the timeline.”
As far as when milk checks would reect any kind of change, Stephenson said he guesses it would be in the January milk check.
“Once they get the votes back, they want to move pretty quickly to actually implement the changes,” Nicholson said. “There’s not a lot of lag time between counting the votes and making stuff happen.”
Welding & Repair
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.
Class III milk price projections updated
Big changes for farmers
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.
By Don Wick Columnist Ag Insider
The Farm Service Agency is making changes to its farm loan program effective Sept. 25, 2024. “Protable producers are better for everybody in the food value chain in America,” said Zach Ducheneaux, an administrator with FSA. The four key objectives of these new rules are to provide nancial freedom, expand opportunities, increase resilience and provide equitable access for producers. Ducheneaux said USDA will not take the primary residence as collateral unless it is needed to get to a one-to-one security position. Ducheneaux said putting homestead protection at the front end of borrowing instead of later in the process will be benecial for many. These enhancements were called the most signicant changes to federal loan programs since 2007.
Access to Credit for our Rural Economy Act could help
farmers during
tough times
Blue Hilltop, Inc.
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.
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.”
Timing becomes a farm bill hurdle
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.
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.
With rising input costs and low commodity prices, farmers are staring down a tough nish to 2024. The ACRE Act is seen as a way to help soften stressful times. American Bankers Association Senior Vice President of Agricultural and Rural Banking Policy Ed Elfmann feels this is the perfect time for the introduction of the ACRE Act. “We have the farm economy starting to not look as strong as it’s been, we have a rising interest rate environment, and you get that perfect storm. It makes all the sense in the world to look at legislation that provides a solution to lowering interest costs for farmers, ranchers and rural homeowners.”
A farm state of mind
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s “Farm State of Mind” campaign is designed to increase awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health challenges for farmers. AFBF Managing Director of Member Engagement Jessica Cabrera says farmers face many unique stressors. “Unfortunately, suicide rates are 2-5 times higher than the average rate,” Cabrera said. “The farm community needs to believe and understand that reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength and having a healthy farm is nothing if there’s not a healthy you.”
Record state fair attendance
The Wisconsin State Fair enjoyed record attendance this year with 1.1 million people going through the gates. The previous record was set in 2019. The Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Auction raised a record $65,080. The Governor’s Blue Ribbon Livestock Auction totaled $426,750.
One-million-plus members in FFA
The National FFA membership has reached a new milestone. “We’re very excited to announce that we’ve reached over a million members,” said Kristy Meyer, Communications Manager, National FFA. “We’re reaching so many more students now and knowing that agriculture is strong and this industry is strong. We’re reaching out to more members and having that opportunity for them to participate in FFA and agricultural education.”
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.
“Accurate
results, it’s safer and less stressful on the cow.”
do you like about the DHIA Pregnancy Tests?
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.
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.”
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.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Janke family — Zach (from le ), Sarah, Elly and Abby — stand on top of their new silo at their farm near Humbird, Wisconsin. The Jankes milk 88 cows in a estall barn.
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.
Visitors peer into the silo unloader during the open house Aug. 8 at Jankes’ Never Rest Farms near Humbird, Wisconsin. They were able to unload about 1,600 pounds per minute of corn silage from the silo. and a top unload silo.
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 long-arm 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.
“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
STAR
The Greenline Silo sits Aug. 8 at Jankes’ Never Rest Farms near Humbird, Wisconsin. The silo is the prototype for this system.
“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 ULLOM/DAIRY STAR
HANNAH ULLOM /DAIRY
from our side our side OF THE FENCE THE
What is your favorite agricultural-related activity or booth at the fair?
Bahr Waukon, Iowa
Allamakee County
65 cows
Which fairs do you attend each summer? I attend the Northern Wisconsin State Fair in Chippewa Falls, the Clark County Fair in Neillsville and the Athens Fair in Athens.
What are your favorite attractions at the fair? At the Northern Wisconsin State Fair, I enjoy the grandstand shows. At the Clark County Fair, I enjoy the little kid's rodeo and the little britches calf show. At the Athens Fair, I enjoy the draft horse pull and the draft show. At every fair I enjoy just visiting with other exhibitors and fairgoers, looking at all the animals and viewing all the different projects.
Are you involved in the fair? I was involved in the fair as a 4-H leader when my children were in 4-H. I do help with our school’s FFA string since there is a junior who shows some of my cattle at the junior fair.
What is your favorite agricultural-related activity or booth at the fair? At the Clark County Fair, they have a corn pit for the kids to play in. I think that is really neat. Who doesn't like playing in corn?
What could be incorporated into the fair that is dairy or agriculture related? I feel there should be more agricultural booths at fairs. Society needs more information regarding dairy and agriculture.
What is your favorite fair food and best memory of a previous fair? I have so many best memories of fairs that I really don't think I could pinpoint one in particular — everything from meeting exhibitors, talking about cattle, friendships made, and winning a ribbon is always a plus. Getting ice cream is always good, too.
Tell us about your farm. My husband, Dave, and I, along with my stepson, Dan, milk 65 cows in a stanchion barn. We also raise all our heifers as replacements and around 12 Tend-R-Leen steers. We ship our milk to Mullins Cheese in Knowlton. We crop 275 acres, planting corn, beans and hay.
Which fairs do you attend each summer? The Vernon County Fair in Viroqua and the Central Wisconsin State Fair in Marsheld.
What are your favorite attractions at the fair? At the Central Wisconsin State Fair, one of my favorite things to go see is the draft horse show. At the Vernon County Fair, I always like to check out the projects sections and see what is different for that year.
Are you involved in the fair? Currently, I'm just an exhibitor.
What is your favorite agricultural-related activity or booth at the fair? I always look for the 4-H and FFA food stands and try to support those organizations as much as I can as they did so much for me when I was younger.
What could be incorporated into the fair that is dairy or agriculture related? I believe both fairs do a good job of dairy promotion and agricultural promotion. They are extremely good at promoting all the exhibits and making education a key factor. Vernon County even hosts a collegiate dairy judging contest.
What is your favorite fair food and best memory of a previous fair? My favorite fair food is denitely ice cream sundaes or milkshakes. My best memory from the fair is spending time with friends and family. Both of these shows are something we try to go to every year and they are always lled with lots of laughs.
Tell us about your farm. We are a 40-cow, rstgeneration dairy farm with registered Holsteins and Brown Swiss. Currently, it is just Bronson and I on the farm, but we are grateful to have friends and family who help out during the busy times. We couldn't do it without them. We have a tiestall barn with access to free stalls and pasture graze most of the summer. We have been shipping to Grassland Dairy since our start in 2014.
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 deep-fried 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.
Melissa Boehlke Thorp, Wisconsin Clark County 65 cows
Madeline Schmidt Tomah, Wisconsin Monroe County 40 cows
David
Michelle Schmidt
Adell, Wisconsin
Sheboygan County 80 cows
Which fairs do you attend each summer? Each summer is different. My husband is a dairy judge, and I enjoy tagging along and getting the opportunity to see what other county fairs have to offer. I always attend the Fond du Lac County and Sheboygan County fairs.
What are your favorite attractions at the fair? My favorite attractions are the dairy and hog barns, dairy futurity shows and the entertainment. I especially enjoy watching the Glam Band. This year, I enjoyed the Fond du Lac County Futurity and will be attending the Sheboygan County Futurity. I got the opportunity to visit the dairy and hog barns and watch the Glam Band at the Outagamie County Fair this year as well.
Are you involved in the fair? I am very involved in the Sheboygan County Fair, which is held Labor Day weekend. I am a superintendent of the dairy barn. My involvement with the fair isn’t just during the fair week; it starts months before. I am extremely busy the week of the fair — from the time cattle are checked in on Thursday to the dairy show for the junior and open classes. I am also on the Sheboygan County Holstein Association board where I hold the position of chairperson of the Sheboygan County Holstein Futurity, which also takes place during the fair on Sunday.
Jade Kruschke
New Richmond, Wisconsin
St. Croix County 55 cows
Which fairs do you attend each summer? We attend the Wisconsin Holstein Association's District 1 Show, the St. Croix County Fair and the Midwest Fall National Holstein Show, which is held at the Minnesota State Fair.
What are your favorite attractions at the fair? We attend the shows to exhibit in the dairy show. We don’t really ever leave the barn.
Are you involved in the fair? I am actively involved in the District 1 Show as the district chair. I work directly with the county chair to help organize the event. I am the treasurer of the St. Croix County 4-H Dairy Committee. This committee helps direct the 4-H dairy group for the county. Many of the duties we are involved in revolve around our county dairy judging teams, county fair, kids headed to the state fair and several different awards and scholarships that are given out. My main involvement in the county
What is your favorite agricultural-related activity or booth at the fair? My favorite agricultural-related activity at the fair might have to be the auctions that take place. The Sheboygan County Fair has three auctions: meat animal sale, blue ribbon animal auction and showcase of champions (which is a dairy auction). I enjoy seeing the interaction and support of local businesses, family and friends with the youth. The money the kids raise through these auctions is used to better their future — whether it is tucked away for their education or used to purchase another project animal for next year.
What could be incorporated into the fair that is dairy or agriculture related? I believe the Sheboygan County Fair incorporates dairy education for the public well. Each species of animal has an educational display for fairgoers to learn about the animals. Attached to the milk house is an educational center for the public to learn how the milk gets transported from the farm to the consumer. There are also trivia games and Addy the cow for youth to milk.
What is your favorite fair food and best memory of a previous fair? There have been so many memories, but if I had to narrow it down, it would be the year that we won the Sheboygan County Futurity. My husband and I were not married yet. The cow that won was very special not only to our family but also because she was part of a cow family of a late family friend. There were a lot of emotions that day. My favorite fair food is deep-fried Oreos.
Tell us about your farm. I married into a four-generation dairy farm, Elmlo Registered Holsteins. We have a 73-stall tiestall barn and currently milk 80 head twice per day with seven milking units. The milk gets picked up daily and is shipped to Cedar Valley Cheese Inc. Youngstock are housed on the farm. Elmlo is a family dairy operation. My husband, Austen, works with his dad, Jim, on the farm feeding cows and heifers, milking, and doing eld work and other daily chores. My mother-in-law, Dina, helps with feeding calves and always makes sure there is food for everyone. I help with the milking, calf feeding and tractor driving. Elmlo is extremely lucky to have Keith, Ricky and Jonathan offer their help when needed. Austen and I also enjoy representing Elmlo Registered Holsteins at local, state and national dairy shows.
fair is with the Riverside 4-H group that shows our animals at the fair. I work with them for about a month before the show breaking animals to lead, washing, showing and etc. At the Midwest Fall National Holstein Show, we are just exhibitors.
What is your favorite agricultural-related activity or booth at the fair? Like I said before, we don’t leave the barns much (if at all). We enjoy the camaraderie with the exhibitors.
What could be incorporated into the fair that is dairy or agriculture related? Promoting agriculture to the public is always important, so things that help connect with the consumer are great.
What is your favorite fair food and best memory of a previous fair? Our best memories are the friends we’ve made along the way.
Tell us about your farm. We recently reduced our cow numbers down to 55 in a tiestall barn with about 100 head of replacements remaining. Milk is shipped to Burnett Dairy Cooperative with our milk going into the Cady Cheese plant in Spring Valley. Jake, my husband, is the main operator on the farm. He does the milking, managing and daily duties. His father, Chuck, and uncle, Dave Kruschke, do all the feed mixing, entertainment of our 4.5-year-old son, Brantley, and anything else that can be done by skid loader or four-wheeler. I work off the farm full time for Compeer Financial but help daily with getting cows in from the sandlot at night, feeding calves, washing and rinsing show animals and whatever oddball jobs may need to be done.
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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HEINEMAN FARMS, Attica, N.Y., 65 Holsteins, 26,037M and Ayrshires 19,480M SCC 137,000, 3rd gen. Gordon and Sue Heineman, 4th gen. Angela and Dave Fuller WDE 2023 Grand, Senior, and Reserve Intermediate Champion Ayrshires (Photos: WDE 2023 Grand; Angela with nieces Esther and Eva; Esther with Nat’l Spectacular Grand)
“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.”
EH 2809, 2909 in Exhibition Hall at WDE 2024
— Angela Fuller
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.
St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
Glitz and glamour in the show ring
Clark County 4-H students shine in formal event
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
NEILLSVILLE, Wis.
Spectators strolling through the dairy barn at the Clark County Fair the evening of Aug. 8, might have questioned their vision, seeing youth in prom dresses and ties tending their animals.
The evening featured the rst-ever Clark County Dairy Kids Formal event, which featured 29 junior fair exhibitors participating, each taking home $130 and a feed scoop in the color of their choice, thanks to support from several local businesses.
Pam Selz-Pralle is a local dairywoman who helped coordinate the inaugural event.
“The dairy youth don’t have the opportunity to sell animals in the livestock sale or sell cheese baskets or anything like that,” Selz-Pralle said. “This was a fun activity that gave them the chance to take home a little jingle in their pocket.”
The idea sprouted after Selz-Pralle’s daughter, Jessica, judged the Winnebago
County Fair’s junior dairy show in eastern Wisconsin last summer. After some initial discussion throughout the year, planning took place in earnest, with youth committee members Aspen Hagen, Madison Stieglitz, Jaron Begert, Ryan Magnuson and Ella Raatz joining Selz-Pralle in the planning.
The contest was open to junior members who exhibit at the Clark County Fair or attend the Wisconsin State Fair Junior shows with Clark County. Each entrant paid a $5 entry fee and prepared a heifer to exhibit the night before the junior dairy show. Youth entering the contest were encouraged to dress in formal attire, although the committee required them to wear close-toed shoes while leading their animals.
Entries were divided into two classes based on the age of the animal being exhibited. The exhibitor of the winning heifer in each class received an additional $100 prize, while the best-dressed male and female exhibitor in each group received a $50 prize.
The contest was judged
by Joe Ortner and Marie Martens, who joined the exhibitors in donning formal attire. Selz-Pralle served as the emcee.
Hagen said they were hoping to get at least 20 kids to participate this year.
“When the fair started, we only had 10 entries submit-
ted,” Hagen said. “We were able to get a bunch of kids to sign up by talking about it at the fair. We were excited to have so many decide to participate.”
The rst class featured 14 exhibitors, showing calves that would show in the winter and spring calf classes. The
top animal in that class was exhibited by Magnuson — a winter calf named Banowetz Tstruck Fame. The bestdressed male in that class was Ethan Penterman and the best-dressed female was Jane Ruzic.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DEVANI HINKELMANN
The winners of the older heifer group — Aspen Hagen (from le ), Mitchell Tieman and Andrya Wilke — celebrate their selec ons as top entries in the rst Clark County Dairy Kids Formal Aug. 8 at the Clark County Fair in Neillsville, Wisconsin. Twenty-nine youth par cipated in two classes at the event.
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Con nued from CLARK COUNTY | Page 23
Nine-year-old Penterman said the contest made his rst year showing in 4-H something he will remember for a long time.
“I liked being able to dress up to show my calf; that was different and fun,” Penterman said. “Even when my calf wouldn’t lead, the guy told me to let go a little and just do short tugs.”
The second class, with 15 exhibitors, had heifers ranging from fall calves through fall yearlings. Hagen exhibited the top heifer in the group
— a winter yearling named Hornland Jagger Kady that she leases from Ken Horn. Mitchell Tieman was selected as the best-dressed male and Andrya Wilke was chosen as the best-dressed female.
“It was a neat and different way to exhibit your project,” Hagen said. “People really enjoyed it — the kids in the barns, parents and fair spectators.”
Wilke enjoyed the pageantry of the evening.
“It’s not too often you get a chance to do that —
Isaak
get all dressed up and then show your animals,” Wilke said. “It was a good way to get some more use out of my prom dress, too — something you only get to wear once or twice.”
The added income the contest brought to her projects was appreciated, Wilke said.
“The money will be nice to use towards feed bills and other costs for my projects,” she said. “Showing animals isn’t cheap. I’m denitely
looking forward to doing the contest again next year. And I would encourage all the exhibitors at the fair to take part. It was so exciting to be involved in.”
The atmosphere in the dairy barns the night of the formal and even the following day was exciting, SelzPralle said.
“People were still talking about the contest the next day,” she said. “There was so much excitement surrounding the event. It really added a
new dimension to the fair and gave the dairy kids a special way to really shine.” Hagen agreed, and said she is looking forward to helping to plan the second edition of the contest at next year’s county fair.
“I think it will be exciting to see how we can grow it, adding classes to get more kids to participate,” Hagen said. “We have a lot of good ideas from the feedback we got. It was denitely a hit with everyone.”
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Judges Joe Ortner (le ) and Marie Martens pause with the top winners in the younger calf class — Ryan Magnuson (middle), Jane Ruzic and Ethan Penterman — Aug. 8 at the Clark County Fair in Neillsville, Wisconsin. The event was created to give dairy kids the opportunity to showcase their projects outside the county fair show day.
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Penterman leads his Red & White winter calf during the Clark County Dairy Kids Formal Aug. 8 at the Clark County Fair in Neillsville, Wisconsin. Penterman’s family milks 900 cows at Dutch Dairy LLC near Thorp.
July climate summary
Southern Wisconsin receives ooding
By Bridgette Mason, Steve Vavrus and Ed Hopkins
Editor’s Note: The following climate summary was provided by the Wisconsin State Climatology Ofce. The SCO is a combined effort between the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Nelson Institute, Division of Extension, and Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences to help Wisconsinites use weather and climate data effectively.
July in Wisconsin was normal, with temperature and precipitation close to their long-term averages. Rainfall in southern Wisconsin caused damage and ooding while northern Wisconsin and the Lake Michigan coast returned to dry conditions.
Thanks to a persistent heat dome over the western U.S. that brought northwesterly ow over the region, July was comfortable for the most part. In fact, July marked Wisconsin’s rst cooler-than-normal month (relative to the 1991 to 2020 average) since last July. Minimum temperatures averaged 55-60 degrees for the northern half of Wisconsin and 60-65 for the southern half. The coolest temperature was 38 degrees in Glidden, which is located in Iron County on July 1.
However, not all of July was so refreshing as maximum temperatures averaged 75-80 degrees to the north and 80-85 to the south. The state’s hottest temperature reached 94 degrees in La Crosse, Richeld and Boscobel July 16 and 31.
With the variety of temperatures, Wisconsin averaged 68.7 degrees, which was half a degree below normal. This marked Wisconsin’s second month in a row of near-normal temperatures, as June averaged only half a degree above normal.
Wisconsin saw a statewide average of 4.27 inches of precipitation this July, which was 0.23 inches above normal. This placed July as Wisconsin’s closest-to-normal month, in terms of precipitation, since January. Despite the ordinary statewide precipitation accumulation, where it rained, it often poured. The southern two-thirds of Wisconsin saw widespread 5-7.5 inches of accumulated precipitation and even a few patches of 7.5-10 inches, which ended up being 100%-200% of normal July rainfall. Some areas in south-central Wisconsin have received so much precipitation that they are nearing their normal annual precipitation totals.
Several rounds of intense rainfall and thunderstorms struck the state.
Within the rst ve days of the month, repeated thunderstorms brought over three inches of rainfall and ash ooding to parts of Wisconsin as well as an EF0 tornado to Medford in Taylor County. The Manawa dam breached along the Little Wolf River in Waupaca County after around 5.7 inches of rain fell over the city of Manawa between 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. July 5. Following the signicant rainfall and associated ooding, damage and evacuation, Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency in Waupaca, Outagamie, Calumet and Winnebago Counties July 12.
Not long after the state of emergency was declared, multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms impacted southern Wisconsin from the afternoon of July 13 through the evening of July 15. Seventy-ve mph winds uprooted large trees and ripped off a roof on a supper club in Kieler, and hail one inch and greater struck Argyle, Belleville and surrounding areas.
A new record daily rainfall amount of 3.3 inches was set at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison July 14, most of which (2.23 inches) fell in a single hour between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. This was Madison’s heaviest one-hour accumulation on record (since 1948). The Madison Fire Department assisted several stranded drivers following the torrential rainfall, and high lake levels overwhelmed Madison’s infrastructure, leading to ooded streets and homes.
To round out Wisconsin’s share of severe weather, an EF0 and EF1 tornado hit Evansville and Kieler, respectively, July 15, bringing Wisconsin’s tornado count to 42 this year through the end of July.
The northern third of the state and the Lake Michigan coast did not see as much precipitation and ended the month with from 1-5 inches, or just 25%-100% of normal. For northern Wisconsin, abnormally dry conditions returned as a result of the dry July.
Rounding out the summer and entering fall, Wisconsin’s chances of seeing warmer-than-normal temperatures are slightly greater than near or belownormal conditions. However, there is no strong indication of whether or how precipitation will differ from near-normal conditions.
On a global scale, it is expected that the neutral phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation will continue for the rest of the summer, with the typically cooler phase, La Niña, favored to emerge between September and November (66% chance) and persist through the Northern Hemisphere winter (74% chance). At this time, it is uncertain just how strong the La Niña phase will be; however, Wisconsin and the rest of North America feel the strongest impacts of ENSO during winter.
While many areas of the nation have been sweltering for most of this summer with record-high temperatures and elevated humidity, Wisconsin has had a relatively pleasant summer compared to other states and previous years.
Over the last 132 years of daily maximum temperature record-keeping between observers and automated weather stations, Wisconsin’s highest temperature recorded was 114 degrees July 13, 1936, in Wisconsin Dells. Nearly 74% of the state’s weather stations have recorded temperatures of at least 100 degrees at some point, but in recent years, fewer stations have reached this mark, particularly since 2000. As of early August, the highest temperature this year was 97 degrees at Kenosha Regional Airport June 17.
High humidity levels, which contribute to the heat index, have also been signicant. The highest recorded heat index in Wisconsin was 124 degrees at the Kenosha Regional Airport in July 1999. This summer, Wisconsin has had relatively mild conditions, with the highest heat index recorded at 108 degrees in Kenosha June 25.
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
The last ‘rst day of school’
On August 16, I sent my youngest off to school for the rst day of his senior year. It doesn’t matter that he is 17. I still gave him a hug and a kiss and told him that I loved him. That was followed by rst-day-ofschool pictures on our front porch and a video. Then came his dad and I waving goodbye as he drove away, watching him drive down the street until we could no longer see his taillights. The rst day of school is a big deal.
This was Elijah’s last rst day of school and our last rst day of school as a family. After 17 years of rst days between my two kids, it is hard to believe this is it. This marked the last time I would send a child off for the rst day of school.
what you would expect for a kid his age. It’s bright blue with shark ns sticking out of the sides and shark teeth decorating the front. It also features a shark zipper pull. This is something fun the seniors at his school do — they buy little kids’ backpacks for hauling their stuff around with a bit of whimsy. I still haven’t gured out how he is going to safely transport his laptop back and forth to school each day in it.
By Stacey Smart Staff Writer
I clearly remember Elijah’s rst rst day of school. He was 4 years old and starting K4. From that very rst day and all the rst days in between, how did we get to this last rst day so quickly?
Every year as we inched toward the start of a new school year, I would always nd myself wondering where the summer went. Did we do everything we wanted to? A sadness would drift over me as I realized the more carefree days of summer had come to an end. The rst day of school makes me a little sad, too. I felt a little bluer this year than other rst days, given that it was our last.
As my kids have gotten older, the back-to-school to-do list has gotten shorter. There is less paperwork to ll out and fewer school supplies to buy. Long gone are the days of heading to the store with a long list of mandatory supplies requested by the school. But it was kind of fun picking out a new backpack, fresh sets of markers and crayons, notebooks and folders of every color, among other things back in the day.
Elijah actually did pick out a new backpack this year, and it was not
My kids have always gotten to pick what we have for dinner on the rst day of school. It has ranged from going out for pizza to staying in and making homemade spaghetti and meatballs. This year, Elijah picked hamburgers on the grill and mac n’ cheese. I always enjoy hearing how that rst day went — from details about their different classes to which friends are in their classes to what their teachers are like.
A year from now, Elijah will have another rst day of school, but I won’t be there for that. It will be his rst day of college, however, it won’t be celebrated with pictures and videos and waving goodbye in the driveway.
Instead of thinking about that right now though, I’m going to savor each moment of his senior year and all the ‘lasts’ this year holds — the last football games, the last homecoming dance, his last season of lacrosse, his last prom. I’m sure we will make many unforgettable memories. Big decisions will be made this year too, in particular, where he will choose to attend college.
If you have kids to send to school in the coming weeks, relish what you have left of summer, and relish the school preparations that are part of this time of year as well — even if it can seem like a lot of work and makes your heart a little heavy. And last but not least, enjoy every rst day of school because those years go by so fast.
A sea of color
Nigons offer owers, pumpkins
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
GREENWOOD, Wis. —
Driving by the Nigon family’s Clark County farmstead, a sea of color greets your eyes at the u-pick ower patch at NigonView Farms, operated by Luke and Amy Nigon. Here visitors are invited to stop in and gather a bouquet of blooms.
The dairy on Nigon-View Farms, which is located near Greenwood, is operated by Luke’s parents, Marty and Kathy. The Nigons milk 70 cows. Luke, who works fulltime off the farm, helps out on the farm with cropping and assists Amy with managing and operating the pumpkins and owers.
“I’d worked in a building for a long time, in several positions, and the last position I held came with a lot of stress,” Amy said. “After the pandemic my priorities shifted. I got more serious about taking care of myself and our family.”
That shift led Amy to begin to look for a way to incorporate herself into the family farm. Raised in Michigan, with no farming background, she began thinking about the family’s long-standing pumpkin business and ways to take that to the next level.
“For years, we’d placed the same order for pumpkin seeds every year,” Amy said. “Even before I left my job, I decided to add color and try new varieties. Now we’ve become known for that variety.”
The Nigons now grow over 200 varieties of pumpkins, gourds and squash on 4.5 acres.
While the Nigon family has become well-known in the area for the pumpkins they grow each year, over the past three years, their u-pick ower patch has become known as well.
“It is a great experience for people — they can come pick owers, enjoy nature, see the animals on the farm,” Amy said. “We’re very thankful Luke’s parents are on board with the idea having people come to the farm.”
The Nigons now plant about a quarter-acre of owers. The patch features 125 different varieties including customer favorites like zinnias and sunowers.
“I have done research on what varieties are good for cutting and we have tweaked things based on what people like and what I like,” Amy said. “I think we’ve hit a pretty good point right now, with enough variety.”
The Nigons have custom-
ers who drive a couple of hours to come pick owers and get pumpkins. In addition to cut owers, the Nigons offer a variety of mums as well.
“People would come get pumpkins and ask where they could get mums,” Luke said. “It was a natural extension, and (our customers appreciate that) we’re open seven days a week.”
The idea of growing ow-
ers was a uid one at the beginning, and the Nigons let their customers set the course.
“I think when she rst started, Amy didn’t know exactly what direction she wanted to go,” Luke said. “She started by growing the owers and putting together bouquets, selling those. Then the u-pick idea came up, so we tried it and have been surprised by the response for that.”
Growing owers en masse and opening the farm has been a learning experience.
“We’re still learning every year,” Luke said. “There’s a lot to learn — with pest control, identifying diseases and guring out how to deal with that. It takes a lot of infrastructure and extra work to keep it looking good and accessible to everyone.”
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Amy (le ) and Luke Nigon take a moment in their u-pick ower patch Aug. 14 on their family’s dairy farm near Greenwood, Wisconsin. This year is the third year the Nigons have been raising and selling owers.
Con nued from NIGONS | Page 32
Plant health is a priority for Amy.
“Between the wet year and the insect pressure, this year has been a bit of a struggle,” Amy said.
Keeping the ower patch healthy helps elongate the season.
“We are usually ready to open near the end of July and keeping everything healthy, we can go to the rst killing frost,” Luke said.
The owers bring the added benet of attracting pollinators, which are helpful to the pumpkin patch.
The rst year, the Nigons planted two different patches but decided to condense to one.
“At rst I wanted an entire patch of zinnias,” Amy said. “It was visually stunning, but not practical.”
Now the owers are planted inone patch in 44, 60-foot rows with 30-inch-wide hills. Planting is aided by a hilling machine purchased for the pumpkin patches.
“The machine makes the hills, lays plastic and allows us to run drip tape under the rows so we are able to water and fertilize,” Luke said. “We haven’t had to irrigate much this year, but we do use the drip tape to run fertilizer through. Last year the irrigation was really helpful.”
All the owers are started indoors, except the zinnias and sunowers, which are direct-sown. Mums are grown from plugs, which are potted around Memorial Day.
“We start plants in our house, (using) half of our kids’ playroom,” Amy said. “It (has) lots of shelves, lights, fans and timers. We’re borderline needing to do something different, but right now we’re just doing what it takes to get it done.”
Planning seed orders typically begins in November, with orders placed by New Year’s. Seeds are started beginning in February. The Nigons usually begin preparing the elds in May, with hopes of having all their planting completed by early June.
“We’ve always tried to sell everything here,” Luke said. “We try to only grow what we can market. I think we’re at a pretty good point right now.”
The couples’ primary goal is growing the very best product they can market to their customers.
“I’m a bit of a perfectionist — we always try to do a really good job with whatever we do,” Luke said. “I’ve found if we want to grow a quality product, we have to put more into it.”
BLAST BLAST FRESH AIR TO THE HERD Blast
Panel
Circulation Fans
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Zinnias bask in the sunshine Aug. 14 at Nigon-View Farms near Greenwood, Wisconsin. Luke and Amy Nigon grow 125 varie es of owers in their u-pick
ower patch.
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
The heifer barn at Nigon-View Farms overlooks Luke and Amy Nigon’s u-pick ower patch Aug. 14 near Greenwood, Wisconsin. The Nigons said their customers can enjoy experiencing the farm while selec ng their owers.
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.
Days gone by
Since I was a child, I have seen dairy farms slowly disappear. I did not grow up on a dairy farm but knew many friends who lived on farms and also had neighbors who milked cows. If I was riding my bike past the farm when it was calf feeding time, I would ride in by the calf hutches to watch Mrs. Baumeister putting in pails of milk and grain. I was mesmerized and would ask questions. Why are they mooing so much? How old is this calf? Why is it so aggressive when it is drinking from the bottle? How do you know which calf is which?
By Tina Hinchley Farmer & Columnist
She was very patient with my questions and answered them matter of factly. She would have me hold a bottle while she was busy putting in fresh straw and top off their grain pails. As I got older, I went to a bigger school, with more farm kids. I was able to help out at my friend’s farms. I knew enough from Mrs. Baumeister, that I didn’t have to ask questions that would seem silly or feel dumb with my friends. Having that knowledge gave me condence when hanging with the farm kids, even though I was not truly a farm kid. Those experiences as a child and teenager have made me into the person I am today.
That was in the 1970s when there were around 648,000 dairy farms throughout the United States. As time has ticked by, more and more dairy farms have left milking cows, and the latest number I have found was that in 2022, there were only 24,094 dairy farms with even fewer today. The number of farms lost, means less and less people know and understand what it takes to make a living dairy farming. Generations have grown up without a connection to calves, milking cows, growing corn for silage, making hay and straw. Life changing are the days in July, putting up hay and straw in the mow. Those experiences are lost. Some of my visitors are often two or three generations off the farms, or city people who have never had any family farming. It is either some knowledge or not at all, so I help them learn as much as possible in a couple of hours. I will be discussing what some of the families refer to as old times on the farm or days gone by.
Retired farmers, adults who grew up on a farm, are many of the people who reach out to share our farm with their families. Teachers want their students to understand where milk comes from and what delicious dairy products can come from the milk from cows. Others just want to learn and see where their food comes from and make a special day trip to the country to spend a few hours with dairy cows, calves and a bunch of other animals. Once in a while, I will have requests that come from groups that need to know more about agriculture. This farm tour will make their work easier and give them valuable knowledge to use when talking to others who have a farming background.
While on the farm they are learning about the difference between a heifer and a cow, a bull calf and a steer or a bull. I explain about rumination, feed quality and quantity that a cow will eat every day. I love to use the great saying, “What goes in must come out.” Poop is talked about and giggled about, but it is a very valuable conversation. Nutrients, and managing them, plus all of the other practices that are used for the conservation of resources is a valuable topic. Knowledge of these terms makes our visitors comfortable to ask questions. From little kids to older adults, the questions answered are gratifying and keep them looking forward to more amazing facts about cows and farming.
I have a group of adults who are insurance agents who come to visit our farm every two or three months. Every visit different agents are new to the insurance company. The supervisor has set up this visit to help the agents get comfortable with the terms that farmers use about their cattle and their barns and feed storage in bunkers, upright silos and grain bins. These agents will be meeting with farmers to help them insure their farms, barns, shops and equipment. Knowing what to call the animals will make a difference to the farmer, and will help the agents discuss the plans that will work best for each farm situation.
On our farm we have many different buildings that are great examples for the new agents to see and understand how
to make measurements to calculate the size of a building, bunker, silo or bin. These are real examples of a pole frame, post and beam, ring and bolt, and metal frame construction. The things for them to look for are concrete oor, dirt oor, insulated and heated building. Opening the door to see what is stored in the building matters whether it is hay, straw, machinery, old cars and tractors, fancy signs or live animals. Is it animal housing that is a free stall, loang shed, tie stall, parlor, rotary or robotic? The agents will be learning with real examples to help them be more professional.
On the last visit with the insurance agents, I shared with them a story that I heard a while ago. I think about this story every single time I am feeding calves or simply using a hose. It was about a friend of a friend who is in the business of owning a boarding stable. He and his wife had many horses that were boarded in their barn and they worked very hard to keep everything looking nice. One afternoon the man was in the barn grinding a bolt that could have injured a horse, and while he proceeded to grind it off a spark caught some dust, shavings, or hay and started a re. He ran to get the hose and after returning with the hose, there was no water. He pulled
and pulled but the hose was kinked. He had to decide as the re was getting bigger, to go nd the kink or get the horses out. He chose to get the horses out, and he lost his barn to the re. They didn’t have a re extinguisher in the barn.
We talked about it and how valuable a non-kink hose is, but also the importance of having a re extinguisher in every building. That was another thing that was mentioned early in the tour while looking around in all of our barns. Are there re extinguishers? Are they full? It is near a door and easily reachable in an emergency?
After all the walking, talking and discussing, the conclusion was that re extinguishers make great gifts for farmers and should be items that are donated to rafes for prizes. Every one of those gifts would be put in a good place in a barn, ofce, shed or even on a tractor.
Tina Hinchley, her husband Duane and daughter Anna milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2,300 acres near Cambridge, Wisconsin. The Hinchleys have been hosting farm tours for over 25 years.
The summer of the giant pan
A few years ago, a friend gifted me two sheet pans — one with ‘cake pan sides’ and one with ‘bar’ sides. Both came with lids. I never in my life thought I would use these to the extent that I do, and now I cannot imagine my life without them. In the years since I have purchased four more and can honestly say they are well worth the investment. A ‘normal’ farm lunch this summer consists of at the very least 10 hungry people, though most days we have a few extras and are known to count 14 for lunch. Needless to say, a standard 9-by-13 pan doesn’t cover the mouths I need to feed.
People always say that teenage boys eat a lot. This summer I have learned that lesson quite well. Ira eats the equivalent of three people most days and following close behind is his friend Nicklaus who also works for us. Dane is a two-helping kind of kid, and if Henry likes it, he can eat as much as Ira. Then you have Hunter — I haven’t found
anything he doesn’t like. Peter, Marion, Cora, Dad and I eat the least on most days. I guess we are not growing quite as much as those boys are.
I would say cooking for the farm crew is a full-time job, but as any farm mom knows, cooking is relegated to a part-time job, squeezed in with making sure all the cows are healthy, giving vaccinations, drying off cows, and moving cows. The list goes on and on. I am a huge fan of the programmable oven feature. It allows me to put my lunch together the afternoon before and throw it in the oven the following morning. A few button pushes, the proper number of beeps, and ta-dah, lunch will be hot and ready when we all meet at the house around 1 p.m. The guys know that the rst one to the house is in charge of counting heads and setting the table. Peter and I have made it a priority this summer to eat together around the table. The kids always have hilarious tales to tell, and going around the an-
Editorial disclaimer: The views expressed by our columnists are the opinions and thoughts of the author and do not reect the opinions and views of Dairy Star staff and ownership.
cient farmhouse table and sharing “thankfuls” for the day is something even guests must take part in. It is an important thing that we stop working for a meal together. That hour or so of time refuels everyone.
I thoroughly enjoy feeding a house full of hungry humans. I admit, it is a challenge sometimes to come up with a meal idea, but I have a treasure trove of old cookbooks and delight in nding a gem within the pages. I even have started using the ‘giant’ pans for dessert making. This buys me an extra day that a dessert isn’t needed — most of the time. Ira and Nic usually sneak back in the house around 4 p.m. for a sweet snack, and a pan empties faster than I anticipated.
One of our favorite sheet pan meals is affectionately known as “Grandpa Ike’s Meal.” Grandpa Ike would request this almost every Sunday for months on end. I would put it together and program his oven to bake it for him for lunch after we had our breakfast date together. It is simple to build, and so lovely and tender when baked slowly. The smell is wafting out the farmhouse windows by the time we hit the porch door. The dessert that has us sneaking the crumbs from the corners comes from dear Arlene Obert years ago. My personal “Betty Crocker” of cooking help when I am in a pickle. Mind you, these amounts are specic to a giant pan — so if you are feeding small appetites, make sure to halve the amounts.
Grandpa Ike’s Meal
8 bone-in pork chops, thawed
LELY VECTOR AUTOMATIC FEEDING SYSTEM SEE IT IN ACTION!
Scan the QR code with your smartphone to see the Emslander Vector at work!
Congratulations to the Emslander family of Foley, MN. They recently installed their second Lely Vector automatic feeding system! Their first Vector was installed about three years ago at a nearby location.
The Lely Vector system has a “feed to need” feature that measures feed height & mixes a new batch of feed when the minimum feed amount is met. Each batch is fresh, consistent, & properly mixed, which promotes higher feed intake & a healthier rumen.The system can deliver fresh feed from 2 to 10 times a day!
• Serves fresh, properly mixed rations.
• Feeds multiple times a day.
• Mixes unique recipes for different pens/groups.
• Saves labor in mixing & feeding.
• Minimizes tractor run times & fuel consumption.
3-4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks 4-6 baking apples, washed and cut into quarters
1 red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 cup brown sugar
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease your sheet pan. Arrange pork chops. Distribute sweet potatoes and apples over the chops. Place the onion slices over the top. Crumble brown sugar over the entire pan (I dump it into my hand for ease). Sprinkle salt and pepper over all. Drizzle the whole works with a couple of passes of olive oil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil (they do make foil wide enough for big pans). Place in the oven. Bake for at least 2 hours, but it is quite forgiving if chores run long, and it cooks longer. It takes two of these to feed a hungry houseful.
Cherry Chocolate Cake
2 boxes fudge or devil’s food cake mixes
2 cans of cherry pie lling
4 beaten eggs
2 teaspoons almond extract
Mix by hand until well blended, but still lumpy. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until a center-toothpick test indicates it is done.
Frosting
2 cups sugar
10 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup milk
Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in two cups of chocolate chips quickly. Pour over cooled cake and add some sprinkles if you are feeling fancy. This is ridiculously easy and so divine. Peter and I have zero self-control when it comes to this cake.
Jacqui Davison and her family milk 800 cows and farm 1,200 acres in northeastern Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira, Dane, Henry and Cora, help on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos, and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
Photo taken at Emslander Farms
By Jacqui Davison Columnist
Ramblings from the Ridge
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.
