home, the reality of it hit me,” Hernandez said. “I told myself, ‘You have to prepare for war.’ Less than a year later, I was over in the gulf.”
On the day Hernandez turned 19, her dad was involved in a farming accident. She took a month of leave to go home and run the farm while he recovered before returning to Virginia.After months of training
Hernandez said every day
Hernandez went on to become the rst woman in her crew to become a tractor driver on board – using tugs to bring aircraft from the hangar bay to the ight deck.
was an adrenaline rush, and the best way to cope was to try not
BRODHEAD, Wis. –
space to the facility which presently occupies a little more than 30,000-square-feet near Brodhead. The dairy broke ground on
Hernandez said a team of Navy SEALS came aboard the ship via an aircraft she landed. She found out years later that
on the ship, Hernandez was deployed in August 2002. The rst few months of deployment were spent delivering Marines to land who were part of joint forces in Kosovo at the time.
Hernandez served during Iraq War
TOMAH, Wis. – Kitt Hernandez served four years in the United States Navy, spending her days on the open water. Today, the fourthgeneration dairy farmer is rooted on land and milks 50 cows in a stanchion barn with the help of her dad, Kurt Westpfahl, and her family –husband, Jose, and their three children, Aidan, James and Jax – near BeforeTomah. Hernandez returned to her family’s farm in 2005, she was stationed in Pensacola, Florida. Hernandez had just nished boot camp when the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks occurred.
Decatur futuremeetexpandsDairytocurrent,growth
Turn to DECATUR | Page 6
Giving its members a stable market
the expansion April 1 with plans to have it complete by Feb. 1, 2023.“We’ve been out of room
The expansion will include dry storage space, cold storage space, a new packaging room, curing room, new loading docks and a shipping ofce. As a result, the addition will open up space in the existing facility and also offer an area to add more processingDecaturcapabilities.Dairy’s72 patrons from Rock, Green and Lafayette counties ship about 550,000 pounds of milk per day to the plant. With the expansion, volume could increase to 700,000 pounds per day.
Ki Hernandez stands on her farm near Tomah, Wisconsin. Hernandez is a Navy veteran and fourth-genera on dairy farmer.
After graduating as an aviation boatswain’s mate handler, Hernandez was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, on the USS Nassau. The ship is an amphibious carrier with an 860-foot ight deck which was used to land and launch helicopters and other aircraft that were usually transporting supplies or people.
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Turn to HERNANDEZ | Page 7
By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
DAIRY ST R September 10, 2022Volume 24, No. 14 “All dairy, all the time”™
“The expansion will create huge efciencies in our business,” said Steve Stettler, owner and operator of Decatur Dairy. “It will give us the opportunity to invest in technology and change some of the ways we do things. We’re trying to serve all the needs of our patrons. They have been with us for a long time, and they understand pro-
She was eventually promoted to tractor king. By the end of her enlistment, she was a landing signalman enlisted, which was another rst for a female on her crew.
From sea to soil
Master cheesemaker and owner Steve Ste ler and his wife, George, stand inside the storefront at Decatur Dairy near Brodhead, Wisconsin. The dairy is undergoing a $6.2 million expansion that will add 24,000-square-feet of space to the facility to be completed by February 2023.
for a long time,” Stettler said. “We’re growing, and our customers are growing. We’re shipping cheese to different warehouses because we don’t have the space. We have to bring everything back under one roof.”
At a time when the Navy was just starting to allow women on board, Hernandez said she became the 32nd female to ever board the ship.
“I think my biggest accomplishment in the Navy was to be the rst female to do these things,” Hernandez said. “I paved the way for other women on the ight deck to do so.”
LOOK INSIDE FOR OUR WORLD DAIRY EXPO PREVIEW EDITION!PREVIEW
duction. They don’t want to roll back.”The $6.2 million expansion will add 24,000-square-feet of
“We are way overproducing for the space we have,” Stettler said. “It is getting harder and harder to meet industry standards with limited room. The expansion is going to help solve that problem by giving us a lot more space.”
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
“When I saw that second plane hit and I couldn’t call
the team of SEALS included Chris Kyle, the inspiration for the movie, “American Sniper.”
Among the rolling hills of Green County, growth at Decatur Dairy has led to an expansion that will nearly double the cheese factory’s physical footprint. A milk processing plant owned partly by the dairy farmers who ship their milk to it, Decatur Dairy is building not only for today but also for all of the tomorrows that lie ahead.
By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com
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to them.” The MNCA has 90 members across seven states: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois and Wisconsin. The group held its rst-ever forum in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
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National farm policy often goes through farm policy centers, like Texas A&M or the Food and Policy Agricultural Research Institute at the University of Missouri. Midwest Council on Agriculture President Howard Olson said a similar effort is being considered for the Midwest and Northern Plains. “If they want to make changes to a commodity title or want to change a farm program, they commonly contact (Texas A&M Regents Fellow) Dr. Joe Outlaw and that’s probably got a bit of a southern tilt to it,” Olson said. The goal is to create a Midwest-based policy center. Land grant colleges were part of a conversation this past week to consider collaboration in this effort. “I thought there’d be some turf wars, but there really wasn’t,” Olson said. “I think everybody is focused on the same thing, and they like the idea.” Former House Agriculture Committee Chair Collin Peterson is behind the creation of the Midwest Council on Agriculture with the hope to inuence farm policy. Centre, MN 56378
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 Dairy Prole brought to you by your North America dealers.Recession, input costs detailed in new Rabobank report
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Real estate debt pushes ag loan balances higher
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Farm real estate loans rose nearly 7% at commercial banks this past year. A report from the Kansas City Federal Reserve said non-real estate farm debt increased modestly after two years of signicant declines. The delinquency rate for real estate and non-real estate farm loans declined for the seventh consecutive quarter. Delinquencies on production loans is close to all-time lows.
By Don Wick
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With two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, the U.S. economy is in a technical recession. The new Rabobank North American Agribusiness Review said the economy is fading, and a recession will be declared ofcially soon. The report said milk and dairy product prices during the rst half of 2022 have contributed to a nearly 15% year-over-year increase in the Consumer Price Index for dairy products. That is weighing on the demand for dairy products. Total cheese production rose nearly 3% year-over-year in June, driven by a 6% increase in mozzarella production. The bump in cheese output has contributed to an increase in stocks. RaboResearch forecasts second-half 2022 average Class III milk prices at $20.90 per hundredweight.
Columnists For additional stories from our other zone, log on www.dairystar.comto Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 3 A banner day for Joline-Red First Section: Pages 25, 28 Madison, WI Dairy Prole: Greg Stewart First Section: Page 33 Brodhead WI Alp and Dell Cheese Store a Green County favorite First Section: Pages 12 - 13 Monroe, WI Breunig broadcasts high school games Second Section: Pages 12 - 13 Sauk City, WI Women in Dairy: Emily Heeg First Section: Page 29 Marsheld, WI Davisons battle cancer while farming First Section: Pages 8 - 9 Hillsboro, WI Bensons work with youth to offer experience, maintain goat herd Second Section: Pages 6 - 7 Colfax, WI Smith manages amateur baseball team between chores First Section: Pages 27, 32 Heartland, WI Zandairy celebrates ve years with robotic milking system First Section: Pages 10 - 11 Barneveld, WI Tell us about your summer internship on someone else’s farm. First Section: Pages 15-16 FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE: Zone 2 Zone 1 Ag Insider Pages 2, 5 First SectionFiFirPas RamblingsfromtheRidge Page 36 First Section RamfroR Pa Farmer Columnistand Page 35 First Section The Market“Mielke”Weekly Pages 8 - 9 Second Section VeterinaryWisdom Page 37 First Section r 5n VetW FFirPas From the Zweber Farm Page 38 First Section gse 6ioon ZZweF FirP Come Full Dairy Circle Page 39 First Section DCoa P FirF www.automatedwastesystems.com (712) 439-2081 Watertown, SD (605) 753-0300 Hull, IA COMPLETE MANURE EXPERTS CookingCountry Page Second30Sectionke”e”eklly t9ion CC PS
Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 FOR MORE INFO - CONTACT ONE OF THESE DEALERS... Advanced Dairy Systems 9 State Rd. 29 • Spring Valley, WI 54767 (715) 772-3201 913 W. Main St. • Mondovi, WI 54755 (715) 926-5777 967 West Ave. N • West Salem, WI 54669 (608) 633-6690 2195 Hwy. 23 • Mora, MN 55051 (715) 772-3201 Anderson Dairy Systems, Inc. 1312 13 1/2 Ave. • Barron, WI 54812 (715) 537-3300 Lang’s Dairy Equipment, Inc. 2337 Millennium Rd. • Decorah, IA 52101 (563) 382-8722 1467 West 5th Street • Winona, MN 55987 (507) 452-5532 Leedstone 222 E Co Rd 173, Melrose, MN 56352 (320) 256-3303 24260 Cty. Rd. 27 • Plainview, MN 55964 (507) 534-3161 Athman Dairy Inc. 238 Main Street North • Pierz, MN 56364 (320) 468-2494 Bob’s Dairy Supply 540 E. County Rd. A • Dorchester, WI 54425 (715) 654-5252 Professional Dairy Systems 1449 Homecrest Ave. • Wadena, MN 56482 (218) 632-5416 Leedstone 1720 Freitag Dr. • Menomonie, WI 54751 (715) 231-8090 Precision Dairy Equipment 24548 IA-13 • Elkader, IA 52043 (563) 245-2560 Redeker Dairy Equipment W12287 Liner Rd. • Brandon, WI 53919 (920) 346-5576 Eastern Iowa Dairy Systems 105 3rd Ave. NW • Epworth, IA 52045 (563) 876-3087 Fuller’s Milker Center, Inc. 423 U.S. 61 • Lancaster, WI 53813 (608) 723-4634 278 W. Court St. • Richland Center, WI 53581 Gorter’s Clay & Dairy Equipment 1400- 7th St. SE • Pipestone, MN 56164 (507) 825-3271 Tri-County Dairy Supply, Inc. 4107 N US HWY 51 • Janesville. WI 53545 608-757-2697 United Dairy Systems 210 N. Industrial Pkwy • West Union, IA 52175 (563) 422-5355 Get your cows’ teat ends in TOP CONDITION! • Dual Germicide: Primary: Chlorine Dioxide promotes a quick kill. 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Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
During World Dairy Expo, Dairy Forage Seminars are planned daily. Speakers include University of Wisconsin Extension dairy specialist Matt Akins and Outagamie County Extension agent Kevin Jarek. Forage experts from Virginia, Utah, Illinois and New York are also on the program.
International Dairy Foods Association President and CEO Michael Dykes expects the recommendations to include an expansion of nutrition incentive programs, especially those connected to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The United States Department of Agriculture will not publish its weekly export sales report until midSeptember at the earliest. The USDA pulled the report in late August after a technical problem caused uncertainty in the markets. USDA plans to revert to its legacy system while it xes the new system.
New money needed for 2023 farm bill
WDE forage seminars planned
Trivia challenge
The National FFA Organization now has all-time record high membership of more than 850,000 members. That’s an increase of 15% from last year.
DATCP appointments announced
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 5 www.midwestlivestock.com ZUMBROTA, 800-233-8937MN RENNER, 605-274-3656SD MENOMONIE, 715-235-5144WI Danielson Dairy, Cadott, WI • Updated a 2x8 parabone to a double 2x10 parallel with Turner rapid exit stalls Celebrating 50 years in business! REMODEL?UPDATE,NEW,ORWecandothat! www.forwardfarmlines.com608-524-9958 Feed & Manure Alley ScrapersAlley RUGGED, RELIABLE, and ECONOMICAL Con nued from AG INSIDER| Page 2
The 2022 Wisconsin State Fair had attendance of 1,003,450, up 19% from 2021. More than 10,000 competitive exhibit and animal entries were judged. The Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Auction raised nearly $46,000.
Export sales report paused
In the 1960s, President John F. Kennedy spoke at a national conference on milk and nutrition. That answers our last trivia question. For this week’s trivia, what is the most popular cheese recipe in the United States? We will have the answer in the next edition of Dairy Star.
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Hunger conference scheduled
Since the 2018 farm bill was enacted, the federal government has spent an additional $60 billion on ad hoc programs, like the Market Facilitation Program, pandemic assistance and disaster relief. Combest, Sell and Associates Managing Partner Tom Sell said none of that is captured in the baseline funding for the farm bill going forward. “I think you have to get some new money into this farm bill to take some of that ad hoc spending that’s been done; I think there’s an opportunity to make some real strong forward-looking investments,” Sell said. The 2014 farm bill was passed during a time of decit reduction and budget sequestration. That was followed by a budget-neutral bill in 2018. Sell believes new investments must be made in the 2023 farm bill. “We shouldn’t negotiate against ourselves; there are needs in rural America reected in the fact that we’ve spent so much in recent years,” Sell said. “Volatility is the new norm, and we’ve got to be prepared to stand by these farmers.”
National FFA membership hits record high
The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health will be held Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C. The Biden administration plans to announce its strategy to address food insecurity, nutrition and health.
State fair attendance up nearly 20%
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Randy Romanski has appointed Assistant Deputy Secretary Aileen Switzer as deputy secretary and Joe Meyer as the administrator of the Division of Food and Recreational Safety. Meyer is now the global microbiology lead for Kerry.
Decatur Dairy manufactures all of the milk into cheese which they then sell to customers nationwide. Four cheesemakers are on staff – including two master cheesemakers, Stettler and Matt Henze, and two licensed cheesemakers. When the Stettlers launched Decatur Dairy, the plant was taking in 35,000 to 40,000 pounds of milk per day and making two
Decatur Swiss Cheese Cooperative started with seven farms in 1942. The farmers were looking for a place to send their milk, so they got together and built a cheese factory. Stettler, a third-generation cheesemaker, started working at the factory in 1973. He and his wife, George, bought into the business in 1982 and created Decatur Dairy to manufacture and sell cheese for the co-op. As members of Decatur Swiss Cheese Co-op, the farmers own the building, while Stettler owns the business, equipment and marketing rights.“This expansion is going to help future young farmers,” said Decatur Dairy patron, Steve Case. “When I retire, and my son takes over, he will have a place to ship his milk. Great things are happening at Decatur Dairy.”
Case milks 155 cows near Janesville and has been shipping his milk to Decatur Dairy since 2004.
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The member farmers and Decatur Dairy formed Decatur Cheese Plant LLC before embarking on the expansion, creating a 50/50 partnership between Decatur Dairy and Decatur Dairy Swiss Cheese Co-op in all property that covers the cheesemaking facility, including the current building. The LLC purchased 5 acres from Decatur Dairy’s neighbor to accommodate the expansion. To help fund the project, Decatur Dairy received grants from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance as well as a small business grant.
Thesaid.dairy makes cheese six days a week with help from 32 employees. Stettler’s daughters, Shaya and Sierra, also work at Decatur Dairy and will be attending cheesemaking classes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall.
Stettler developed new cheeses such as Stettler Swiss – a Swiss Lace product – and colby Swiss. He also introduced Decatur Dairy to making havarti, farmer’s, colby, colby jack, smoked cheddar, fontina, Asiago and Gouda cheeses. Furthermore, the dairy is well known for its award-winning cheese curds. Their Muenster curds won best in class at the 2022 World Champion Cheese contest in March, and Decatur cheese curds also took rst place at this year’s Wisconsin State
Co-op president and Decatur Dairy patron, Steve Carpenter, agreed.
“We’veFair. grown over the years which is why we’re building a curing room,” Stettler
Con nued from DECATUR
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Decatur Dairy’s expansion is mutually benecial to both farmer and processor, and together, both parties are investing in the future. Having a stake in their milk’s manufacturing and marketing, coop members are working with the cheese plant to ensure a bright future for Decatur Dairy.“Decatur Dairy has always been about taking our milk from farm to market,” Stettler said. “We have good partnerships between the dairy farms here and our business, which has contributed to Decatur Dairy’s growth and success. It’s a team effort between all of us – the dairy and the co-op – to make this thing successful.”
This is the third expansion for the growing dairy, the rst of which occurred in 1999 and the second in 2010.
Decatur Dairy sells cheese direct to the consumer as well as at their onsite store. The dairy’s bustling storefront has been open since the late 1970s selling curds, blocks of cheese and fresh-cut slices. Decatur Dairy is also a popular lunch stop, offering made-to-order grilled cheese
“Being a part of Decatur Dairy and Cheese LLC is important to our patrons,” Stettler said. “Our partnership gives them a voice in the business and was a driving factor in the decision to expand.”
“It’s nice being part owners and being part of selling our end product too,” he said. I don’t know of any other arrangement like this in the state.”
“The expansion offers security in a milk market,” Stettler said. “It takes time, and our patrons are investing out of their checks for the business. We have a really good core base of farms and a lot of longstanding members who have been here through the last two expansions. We also have many younger farmers in the co-op, and they’re all for this expansion.”
“We’resandwiches.running about as hard as we can run in the cheese plant and are looking to increase production a little with this latest expansion,” Stettler said. “We’re not really looking at adding more patrons however, but our current patrons will be able to ship more milk.”
“The main objective of this expansion was to secure a market for our milk,” Carpenter said. “In today’s environment, you’re not guaranteed a market. In doing this expansion and creating an LLC, we have a 20-year commitment with Decatur Dairy to buy and market our milk. This gives us a Carpenterguarantee.”milks600 cows at his Red Rock View Farms near Darlington.
types of cheese – Muenster and brick.
The helicopter was due to land on a spot on the ight deck that was assigned to Hernandez’s friend. Hernandez said she offered to bring in the helicopter for him. Her friend agreed, and Hernandez went out to the deck to land
Con nued from HERNANDEZ | Page 1
“The Navy denitely helped me with just knowing how to get through difcult times,” Hernandez said. “It’s a huge adrenaline rush all the time, and farming is quiet. The Navy has prepared me for that nice, quiet life.”
The ship was stationed in the Persian Gulf, and Hernandez said they were close enough to see cars driving on land along the coast of Kuwait. Every morning, Hernandez woke up to the sight of the USS Mercy, a hospital ship.
their feet. And I thought, ‘Now it’s getting real for us.’”
to think about what was going on at home or what would happen“Justnext.throw yourself into your work,” Hernandez said. “If you think about it, you’re going to go crazy.”
Ki Hernandez signals a Cobra helicopter onto the landing deck of the USS Nassau while serving in the Navy. Hernandez spent four years at sea before returning home in 2005 to her family’s farm near Tomah, Wisconsin.
The USS Nassau was home for Ki Hernandez while she served a deployment of more than nine months at the beginning of the Iraq War.
“That kind of unnerved me,” Hernandez said. “It was veryThereal.” Navy crew was responsible for loading rockets and missiles into aircraft that would then launch them into Baghdad. Hernandez remembers going to the stern of the ship with her friends and watching Baghdad be bombed.
“The captain gave a speech about being the tip of the spear and said we just declared war on Iraq,” Hernandez said. “At that moment, my head dropped. I looked up and everybody’s head on the ight deck dropped. They were looking at
“I looked at my blue shirts, and I said, ‘If this helicopter crashes and there’s any re, you need to start putting out the re because I’m most likely not going to make it,’” Hernandez said. “Their mouths dropped.”There are three lights on the deck that work like stop lights, and the light needs to be green in order to achieve a safe landing. As the helicopter came
closer to the ship, Hernandez prepared to signal them to land but the light was red. She called for a green deck three times, physically waving the war-damaged helicopter off to circle around before she got a greenOncelight. the helicopter landed, the pilot showed Hernandez damage to the main rotor and multiple bullet holes in the craft, one just 3 inches from where the pilot had been sitting.“Captain Thomas was a good pilot, and he brought it in safe,” Hernandez said. “Everybody lived and nobody got hurt.”Hernandez was later awarded an Achievement Medal for her role in landing the helicopter.Hernandez’s deployment ended after more than nine months at sea. After her enlistment was up, Hernandez chose to return to her family’s farm instead of re-enlisting.
silkworm missile was launched at the USS Nassau but fell short and hit a mall in Kuwait City instead. The strike made news in America and is something Hernandez’s father remembers seeing. The ship went farther out to sea after the attempt.The Marines who had been on board were loaded into troop transport aircraft and
One night, the captain called a meeting to inform the crew that war had been declared; their deployment was extended indenitely.
“The horizon would just light up like a thunderstorm coming in,” Hernandez said. “We were just kind of awestruck because it was really beautiful. But then the realization of a city being bombed, and people being in that city, kind of hits you Theafterward.”shipwas also at risk of being attacked, Hernandez said.A
ew into Baghdad. The attack helicopters were loaded with bombs and rockets.
the plane. The two people on the deck with her, referred to as blue shirts, had the job of chaining the helicopter down if it did land properly.
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And, that quiet life is what Hernandez appreciates most.
“I never want to see sand or the ocean again,” Hernandez said. “I want to be on some nice land on the farm where it’s safe.”
When all the helicopters were in Baghdad, the ship got a call saying there was a helicopter coming in because it had been shot and would most likely crash on the ight deck if it did not crash before.
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Davisons battle cancer while farming
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HILLSBORO, Wis. – When her husband was diagnosed with colon cancer in January 2021, Jacqui Davison’s mantra was, “It could be worse; it’s not one of the kids.” A year later, it got worse when Jacqui was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Benet to be held in their honor
Keith and Jacqui
herdsman duties along with her brother, Peter. Her sister, Stacy, is around to help when she is not working as a teacher, and her dad, Jim Mlsna, is on the farm full time. The family also relies on hired help for other chores, calf duties and eldwork.Keithwas diagnosed after symptoms led him to consult a doctor. He underwent chemotherapy and radiation last year before surgery to remove
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Keith and Jacqui Davison take a break Aug. 18 at the dairy near Hillsboro, Wisconsin. The Davisons are both ba ling cancer while farming full me. A benet will be held in their honor Sept. 24.
At the farm, Jacqui is responsible for
A benet is being held for the family from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Rockton Bar in La Farge.“The benet is very overwhelming so I’m just pretending it’s a really big party,” Jacqui said. “That’s easier to digest in my brain right now than the full scope of what’sJacquihappening.”farmswith her family near Hillsboro where they milk 800 cows and farm around 1,200 acres. Jacqui’s husband, Keith, works at a grain farm in the area. The couple has four children: Ira, Dane, Henry and Cora. Jacqui and Keith have remained positive throughout their cancer treatments by focusing on what they are grateful for.
“For as many things as he or I could give you, a list of body aches and complaints, we could probably give you a longer list of things that we’re grateful for,” Jacqui said. “We have really good people in our lives.”
BENEFITDavisonSaturday,September24,202212-6p.m.atRocktonBarS2463RocktonRoad,LaFarge,WI
Turn to DAVISONS | Page 9
By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
Besides keeping up with the herdsman work with the help of her family and hired help, Jacqui has also remained active in the kitchen. She said with all the kids – her sister’s children are on the farm most days –and people to feed, she feels
“I absolutely knew there were good humans in the world, but there seems to be a lot more than I thought,” Jacqui said. “They’re just kind of everywhere and it’s amazing.”Thefamily plans to soldier through whatever comes their way next with the help of the people around them. Jacqui said they would like to get back to doing the things that make them who they“Iare.think that we push cancer to the back of our minds and focus on other things when we can,” Jacqui said. “Cancer is part of our world but not our whole world.”
Jacqui said she believes staying active on the farm has helped her cope with side effects from the cancer treatments which are known to make people forget things and develop a type of brain fog.“My biggest fear was that chemo brain was going
Daniel Kieler, Kieler Farms Inc. - 1,800 cows - Automatic Footbath installed
“Being able to milk cows, being able to feed people and feel like I’m doing something are things that I know make me, me,” Jacqui said. “I hold tight to those things because those things are important to me.”
“We looked at installing an automatic footbath to eliminate employees having to handle and mix the chemicals like they would with a traditional footbath. We are happy with the system, as it has proven to be easy and efficient to use. It has also helped us to save on chemical costs.”
the infected section of colon. Keith’s cancer had metastasized to his lungs and some spots still remain. He has had a break from treatments all summer and continues to follow up with doctors. He will know more about whether the cancer has progressed this fall.
January 2018 FootbathDOSINGSYSTEM Treatment Cost as Low as per$1/CowMonth with an FDS (800) Richland(608)Lancaster,887-4634WI647-4488Center fullersmilkercenter.com Con nued from DAVISONS | Page 8
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 9
The Davison family – (front, from le ) Jim Mlsna, Jacqui and Keith Davison; (back, from le ) Oliver Sosinsky, Ira, Henry, Cora and Dane Davison; and Finley Sosinsky – take a break Aug. 18 at their farm near Hillsboro, Wisconsin. The Sosinskys are Jacqui’s nephews who o en help on the farm.
“I hate that I’m in the situation that I have to be the recipient of the benet,” Keith said. “But, I feel grateful that we can be in that spot, if that makes any sense.”Jacqui’s diagnosis came after a routine mammogram. She has the same type of estrogen receptive breast cancer her mother died of.
After having surgery to remove a breast and multiple lymph nodes, Jacqui underwent chemotherapy treatments every other week all summer. Her last treatment was at the end of August. She continued working at the farm throughout her treatments, even while dealing with side effects.“The chemo makes my legs really tired so I just drive the lawn mower to the barn because then I have enough steam to milk the cows,” Jacqui said. “Upright and moving is what I go for every day.”
Jacqui said her faith in humanity has been restored by the generosity of friends, family and strangers alike. Some people have shown support by bringing meals, sending kind letters in the mail and offering to help before she has to ask.
motivated to keep active in the kitchen and the barn.
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to make me forget my cows,” Jacqui said. “But, I think the fact that I’ve pushed myself to be in the barn has helped me not feel like a zombie. I’m still moving all the time and still trying to pay attention to what’s going on with the cows.”
The Zanders started raising BMR corn in the early 2000s. Since planting BMR corn, they have faced challenges such as tar spot. When tar spot appears, Brad said the crop dries down and has to be harvested in a small window of time.
“Our challenge was we couldn’t nd any workers,” Sidney said. “We overcame that by putting robots in.”
“We don’t have to deal with ooding, and everything is fairly close,” Sidney said. “Our location is really good. It’s something we didn’t have any control of but has worked out really well for us.”Brad
“Whoeveragreed.decided to put this barn way up on this hill, I’m grateful they did,” Brad said.
Zandairy celebrates ve years with robotic milking system
A manure pit was added in 2016 when the bedded pack barn was converted to free stalls.
Future plans for the dairy involve improving dry cow facilities. The couple plans to replace the old barn and utilize the space for dry cows.
“Our old milkhouse was literally falling apart,” Brad said. “The way the robots t into what we had, we knew it was what we had to do.”
Brad agreed.
Calves are housed in hutches and fed pasteurized waste milk. A few years ago, they started pairing the calves, which Brad said has workedSidneywell.works part time as a speech therapist at the school and takes care of the Zanders’ four children, Lily, Noah, and twins Opal and Coen.
“It has helped the cows,” he said. “It doesn’t even compare feed wise to conventional. It’s just a lot harder to raise than conventional corn.”
The farm is set on a hill, and Brad and Sidney both said they are glad to be in a good location.
BARNEVELD, Wis. – It has been ve years since a robotic milking system was installed at Zandairy, and Brad and Sidney Zander are not looking back. The robots were installed as the solution to outdated buildings and lack of labor.
The farm has seen growth since Brad’s grandparents purchased the property in 1968. The freestall barn that houses the cows was built as a bedded pack barn in 2006. The stanchion barn was remodeled into a pit parlor where the family milked for 11 years. The original stanchion barn still stands with remnants of the former setup.
The family was also an early adopter of brown mid-rib corn, which Brad said helps them reach their goal of achieving high milk production while also presenting its own set of challenges.
By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
Patience pays off
When the parlor was worn out and the milkhouse was falling down around everything, the robots were“Everyinstalled.decision we make on this farm revolves around getting more milk out of that barn,” Brad said.Originally, there were three robots installed with availability to put in a fourth. The following year, the fourth was added to accommodate for a naturally expanding herd. Brad said good genetics have kept the herd strong.
The Zander family – Brad holding Opal, Sidney holding Coen, Noah and Lily – stand by their farm sign Aug. 2 on their land near Barneveld, Wisconsin. The family milks 200 cows with a robo c milking system and with the help of Brad’s dad, Jerry, and their employee, Carolyn Karls.
“We haven’t purchased an animal in probably 40 years,” Brad said. “My grandpa was one of the rst guys around here that started using A.I. We were denitely early adopters in that.”
Root worm started to show up as well. They have found that a late fungicide applied at tasseling has “Wehelped.haven’t gured it out 100 percent,” Brad said. “But, faster crop rotation is one of the biggest things to prevent problems.”
ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR
The Zanders milk 200 cows near Barneveld with Brad’s dad, Jerry, and one employee, Carolyn Karls. Brad is the third generation to milk cows on the farm.Daily chores begin with Brad checking on things at 4 a.m. He does the morning chores for the milk cows like washing down the robots, cleaning barns and mixing feed. Jerry arrives around 6:30 a.m. to feed calves while Karls feeds the dry cows and Duringheifers.crop season, the three work together to get eldwork done.
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“I don’t think I’d be sane if I were doing anything else,” Brad said. “The ability to spend time with my family while also working 60 hours a week; I can do both. We don’t truly get away very often, but we have a million-dollar view.”
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ow so many things by taking it one step at a time,” Brad said. “And that’s how you pay off robots quick is you minimize the amount of money you have to borrow.”Thecows have adapted well to the system, and the barn now serves as somewhat of a sanctuary for Sidney.
“Right now, they’re just outside, and in the winter, we bring them in and it’s just a pole shed,” Brad said. “We’re not sure what we want to do yet, but that’s the next big project.”
The Zanders said the changes on the farm so far were achieved by being able“Wepatient.weretocash
“That’s where we go when we need the kids to just get some energy out,” Sidney said. “The kids get on bikes and the twins go in a stroller and we just walk up and down the manger. It’s kind of a nice reset. It’s quiet, and there’s enough air ow in there. It’s perfect.”Brad said his favorite part about their setup now is having exible consistency.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 11 Con nued from ZANDERS | Page 10
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“I know what it is like out there,” he said. “I can relate to the farmer.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum, a bargain bin at the store’s entrance contains products priced at $3.99 a pound.
Zgraggen’s store shelves are lined with havarti, Gouda, Butterkase, canela, blue, Swiss and more than 35 types of cheddars from cherry to blueberry to
“Aged cheese comes with a price,” Zgraggen said. “You have to pay for cur-
PEOPLE MOVING PRODUCT
Turn to ALP AND DELL | Page 13
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
cranberry to green olive. Cheddars that are mildly aged to a 14-year-old cheddar that sells for $25 a pound can also be found at Alp and Dell Cheese Store.
By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com
Former dairy farmer and Swiss immigrant, Tony Zgraggen, is the owner of the Alp and Dell Cheese Store in Monroe, Wisconsin. The store carries more than 150 avors of Wisconsin cheeses – from classic cheddars to European speciales like Grand Cru.
Alp and Dell Cheese Store a Green County favorite
MONROE, Wis. – If someone is looking for a certain type of cheese, there is a good chance they will nd it at Alp and Dell Cheese Store. A haven for the cheese connoisseur, Alp and Dell Cheese Store offers more than 150 avors – from classic cheddars to European specialties like Grand Cru.
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Zgraggen purchased the cheese store in 2009 from Emmi Roth – the cheese manufacturer to which the store is attached. Zgraggen redesigned the store and doubled its size and saw sales volumeSpecializingtriple.
Swiss cows.
ing and storing it that long.”
“I search for the best cheese all the time, and as a result, we have an amazing selection here,” said Tony Zgraggen, the store’s Devotedowner.toproviding exceptional products to his customers, Zgraggen believes in quality, affordability, variety and avor and will not rest until he nds what he is looking for. The former dairy farmer and Swiss immigrant focuses on serving his customers well. From 18-pound wheels to 1-pound blocks to cheese curds and string cheese, Alp and Dell Cheese Store carries all types and sizes of Zgraggencheese.grew up on a small dairy farm in Switzerland and came to the U.S. in 1978 as an exchange student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He returned to America full time in the spring of 1981 and began farming near New Glarus, where he milked 70 Brown
A cheese lover’s dream
in Swiss and other European style cheeses, the Roth brand is famous for its Grand Cru avor made in original, reserve and surchoix varieties. Grand Cru was the world champion cheese in 2016 and is a cheese people ask for by name at Alp and Dell Cheese Store.“Winning that was a great thing to happen to a small plant like Roth,” Zgraggen said. “I buy over 50% of my cheese from them. I like to represent Roth and promote their product.”
Zgraggen buys cheese from approximately six cheese companies in Green County and about 15 others throughout Wisconsin.“Milk is the most perfect food on the planet, and the milk around here is especially good,” Zgraggen said. “The soils, rolling hills and clean watersheds all contribute to a great product, and it’s the reason why cheesemakers are able to make such fantastic cheese. We have more cheese factories than towns in Green County. We’re well known for our cheese, and I’m proud of that.”
“I’ve sent cheese for a wedding cake as far as New Mexico,” Zgraggen said. “I have also shipped 200 little bags of cheese curds to Idaho overnight for a wedding. We do a lot of different things here, but our brick-and-mortar store is still the main attraction.”
The store also carries Amish butter, cheese spreads, hand rolled salted butter and local yogurt. Zgraggen sells jams and mustards to pair with the cheese as well as local beers, European wines and locally made sausage. A variety of cheese samples are always out for people to try. Zgraggen runs Alp and Dell Cheese Store with help from about a half-dozen employees as well as his wife, who comes in on weekends. Zgraggen sees his retailer role in the supply chain as integral to the industry.
“I don’t produce anything, but I help keep cheesemakers and farmers in business,” he said. “That is my motive. No matter what you produce, if nobody sells it, you’ll quit doing it fairly soon. Retail runs the country and brings products to the end user… It isn’t always easy to nd that end user when the choice today is tremendous.”Servingthe dairy industry in this way remains Zgraggen’s passion as he continues to ll his store with the best cheese Wisconsin has to offer.
“I have cheese priced for a working family and retired people on a xed budget,” Zgraggen said. “They can come here and eat well.”
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“The boxes are a big thing for us at Christmas, and I’m very happy and proud that I can serve my customers in this way,” Zgraggen said. “It keeps the lights on for a long time here.”
“These cheeses have great taste, but they don’t have the beauty,” he said. “You might nd a $20 per pound product in there created from shavings or trim. Throughout the year, you can nd almost all brands in this bin.”
Closed only four days per year –New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day – Alp and Dell Cheese Store is well known throughout the region, and every year the store welcomes customers from every state.
and they love that,” Zgraggen said. “We get a lot of people on Sunday; it’s one of our top three days for business. People come in and say, ‘Hey, thanks for being open. I want to take some great cheese back to Illinois.’ People know me for the good product I have in store at a good price.”Alp and Dell Cheese Store offers wedding cakes made from cheese, putting a new spin on the word cheesecake. Each level contains a different avor, and the stacks of wheels are decorated with dried owers and other accessories.
The store moves over a million dollars’ worth of cheese each year or 130,000Christmaspounds.gift boxes are a beloved offering of the store, and from late fall through December, Alp and Dell Cheese Store ships a couple hundred packages of cheese per “Christmasday.is a good season for us,” Zgraggen said. “I like to help individuals and businesses with their Christmas shopping. Last year, we made over 1,000 boxes for one client, putting 6,000 pounds of cheese out into the U.S. for a singleThebusiness.”giftboxes are completely customizable and available in all sizes. The box may also include sausages, jams, mustards and chocolates.
Alp and Dell Cheese Store’s most popular cheeses include baby Swiss and Butterkase. Cheddars and grand cru are also top sellers as well as fresh cheese curds. The store sells 400 pounds of cheese curds each week.
“People know we’re always open,
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Tell us about your farm. I did not grow up on a farm, but I have worked for various dairy farms since I was 14 years old. The one farm I worked on for about four years did not do enough for their calves like we do here on Clyde Hill.
What was the greatest challenge you experienced as part of your internship? The greatest challenge was my communication with my coworkers. All my coworkers are Hispanic. I speak little Spanish. So, most of the time, I would use Google Translate to communicate with them. Now that I have been there for almost four months, I can form sentences and communicate with them just a little bit more than I used to.
What was the most valuable part of this internship? The most valuable part of my internship was working with newborn calves. The best thing about farming is watching a new calf being born.
O f T h e F e n c eOf The Fence
Tell us about the farm you interned at. The farm I interned at was Moravits Dairy located in Bloomington, Wisconsin. They milk around 500 cows in a double-24 swing parlor. The calves are individually raised until they are weaned, then they are sent to group housing.
Tell us about your farm. On our farm, we milk around 70 cows in a tiestall barn, and we raise all of our youngstock. We have mostly Holsteins, but I own a few Jersey and Brown Swiss cows. We do all of our own tillage and planting but have our harvesting hired out. We farm around 400 acres, most of which is for feed and the rest is for cash cropping.
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Tell us about your farm. I am fortunate enough to work alongside my uncle, Bill Calvert, and cousin, Payton Calvert, where we partner on three show heifers that live on their hobby farm.
Tell us about the farm you interned at. Winright Holsteins is in Winchester, Ontario, Canada, and milks 110 cows in a tiestall barn.
What was the greatest challenge you experienced as part of your internship? The greatest challenge about my internship was working long hours. I quickly adjusted the longer I was there. I realized that it takes a team of people to work long days to keep a high-tier operation running.
What were your main responsibilities? My responsibilities included milking, feeding calves, feeding heifers, cleaning pens, feeding show heifers and cleaning the show heifer barn.
Tell us about your career goals and how this internship will help you meet them. My career goals are to become a herd manager on a dairy and to be successful in the show cattle business. Through this internship I was able to gain more experience through their herd management style. It will help me become successful in the show cattle business because they are some of the best breeders in the world, and I was able to see what they look for in matings. I was also able to work alongside them with their show cattle to see what it takes at home to get them out to a show.
Abby Daul Senior at Northeast Iowa Community College Dairy Calmar,scienceIowa
Tell us about your career goals and how this internship will help you meet them. When I rst started at the calf ranch, it was not exactly what I wanted to do. I am going to school to breed cows. And this past spring, I obtained my A.I. certicate. But as I got into my schedule and got the hang of the job, I realized that taking care of the outcome of breeding is what I really wanted to do. This internship opened my eyes to how critical it is to make sure these calves are at their top tier health.
What were your main responsibilities? My responsibilities included checking calf health and comfort every morning, administering medications and following our vaccination protocols. At 3 days old, I would label blood sample tubes and draw the blood from the calves and test their IgG levels.
Tell us about your career goals and how this internship will help you meet them. My ultimate goal in the end is to go home to the family farm and partner with my dad so we can double our herd size. I’m also interested in working for an equipment dealership in parts, but no matter what, I will be staying in the agriculture eld. This internship made me realize how much I enjoy all the different aspects of farming, and now, I can take on almost any job in the industry.
Riley Yashinsky Junior at Fox Valley Technical AgribusinessCollege and animal science Kewaunee, Wisconsin
What is one thing you learned during your internship that you want to take back to your farm? One thing I learned during my internship that I want to take back to my home farm is pushing the young show heifers to grow. They push the young show heifers on the high protein pellet so they are big enough to compete in the show ring.
Tell us about the farm you interned at. This summer, I worked at Pagel’s Ponderosa’s Calf Ranch called Clyde Hill in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. At the calf ranch, we house over 3,000 calves and heifers, and at the dairy, we are milking over 5,500 cows. The facility has barns that are labeled A-L and four pen packs. We are currently in the process of putting up four new barns and one new pen pack.
What was the most valuable part of this internship? The connections I made. Moving to the other side of North America for the summer, I was able to meet a lot of cool people in Canada and build lifelong friendships.
What was the greatest challenge you experienced as part of your internship? I would say my greatest challenge was balancing the time. I would always try and make sure I could make time to travel back home and help my dad on his farm, which is 3.5 hours away. At his farm, I am also in charge of tagging, dehorning and vaccinating calves along with the record keeping for vaccinating all the cattle on the farm.
in
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What were your main responsibilities? My main responsibilities included helping with fresh cows, such as taking their temperature and recording that and treating any that needed to be treated. I also helped with running dry cows and springing heifers through the chute to vaccinate them. Additionally, I spent time in the calf barn feeding calves and treating them as needed. My main job was to use the paste to dehorn them. I also assisted with eldwork throughout the spring and summer.
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 15
Alek Krueger Junior at University Benton,inDairyWisconsin-PlattevilleofscienceandminoragribusinessWisconsin
What is one thing you learned during your internship that you want to take back to your farm? The most valuable thing I learned was how important it is to have good vaccination protocols. I would like to do much better at record keeping on vaccinations, which I have already started this year. This will be benecial in preventing future issues if I continue to buy cattle to build my own herd.
What is one thing you learned during your internship that you want to take back to your farm? One thing I learned that I would take away from this experience is keeping up with vaccination protocols. Like humans, our calves need vaccines to make sure that if diseases get onto our farm and into their systems, at least they have some protection to keep them from getting sick to the point where it’s hard to help them get better. These calves are our future herd. If we don’t keep them healthy from a young age, their future production might not be at its highest.
What was the most valuable part of this internship? The most valuable part of this internship was making sure the calves were always healthy. Keeping our calves healthy from the get-go improves overall herd health. This is valuable to me because as someone who has wanted to go into the veterinary eld since I was little, taking care of these babies and ensuring they are healthy each day has made this opportunity that much more memorable, and it is going to be something I carry with me every day.
F r o m O u r S i d eFrom Our Side
Tell us about your career goals and how this internship will help you meet them. My career goal is to become a herdsman and run a farm. This internship gave me a great experience and helped me become a better farmer. I’m eager to learn more about farming and ways to improve the old methods of farming. This summer I’ve learned an exponential amount of information that will further my future in the agriculture industry.
Tell us about the farm you interned at. Over the summer, I interned at Excelerant Genetics in Lena, Wisconsin. In arrangement with Big Time GeneticsLinehan Jerseys, the farm focuses on dairy show animals and genetics. There are about 50 milk cows at the show barn, a mixture of Holsteins, Red and Whites and Jerseys. The cows are housed on a bedded pack, box stalls or individual box stalls; each is bedded with sawdust or shavings and picked about four times a day. The milking setup is a single-sided pit parlor with eight traditional carry-in units, and milking occurs twice daily starting with the individual box stall cows and ending with the large, bedded pack. The calves are fed three times a day and grow in hutches until moved to larger groups after weaning. Next to the milking parlor there is an in vitro fertilization facility that is used to ush monthly, which includes cattle on the farm and is also open for other individuals to bring their animals to ush.
What were your main responsibilities? My main responsibilities were to complete morning milking, pick cow and heifer packs, and to wash the show heifer and show cow strings daily. I also helped feed the show and non-show heifers and was a ll-in feeder for the milk calves. I also did just about any other work that needed to be done.
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Hortonville, Wisconsin
What were your main responsibilities? My responsibilities were setting up the parlor and milkhouse, bringing cows up for milking, scraping pens, milking cows, testing and treating cows for ketosis, catching cows for treatment or breeding, watching for signs of cows freshening and bringing them to the freshening pen, loading the manure spreader, hand scraping, pressure washing the parlor, washing up the parlor and replenishing foot baths.
What was the greatest challenge you experienced as part of your internship? The greatest challenge of my internship was the tenacity required to perform quality work every day. It was a lot of physical labor each day, and it pushed my mental and physical toughness. But, I feel so much stronger for completing such hard work. I am glad I had this opportunity to push myself and to be able to work with such amazing cattle day in and day out. Of course, there were hard days, like on every farm, but it really came down to my love for the cows that kept me pushing forward even when I was tired or having a tough day.
Junior at University of Wisconsin-River Falls Dairy science with a minor in graphic design Shell Lake, Wisconsin
Cassandra Eckstein
What was the greatest challenge you experienced as part of your internship? My greatest challenge was the cards. We never had cards at any of the places I’ve worked at or even my home farm. I had to get used to checking the cows on the cards and noting any of the cows who had dropped in milk or had fevers. I have denitely learned a lot over the summer, and it has also helped me diagnose cows better.
Tell us about your career goals and how this internship will help you meet them. I am unsure of what type of career I am interested in; all I know is I want to be involved with the production side of the dairy industry or the show industry. The most valuable takeaway from my internship would be making connections with great people who may one day open doors I never would have had the opportunity to nd otherwise. Similarly, I will be able to use work ethic and determination that come with working on a farm in any job I encounter in the future.
What is one thing you learned during your internship that you want to take back to your farm? The take-home information that I would use would be the ketosis testing and the cards. I also admire the cleanliness of the facility. All of this would help make a farm be more successful if they are not already practicing these tasks. It’s important that cows stay healthy because they won’t make you money if they are sick and not producing.
Tell us about the farm you interned at. I interned at Auburnvale Farms in Fremont, Wisconsin. They have 250 cows milking and 200 head of youngstock and dry cows. The parlor setup is a double-8 herringbone with milking arms. The milking arms, along with the brisket bar and the entrance and exit gates, are all air operated. The pre-fresh pen has sand stalls. Four to 24 hours prior to freshening, cows get moved to a straw-bedded pen. At Auburnvale Farms, they have what we call cards. Cards contain the animals that need to be checked daily, such as those in heat or those needing shots, etc. I’ve learned what to watch for in cows, like a drop in milk after freshening, which would put her on the list of cows to be looked at.
Amber Anderson
What was the most valuable part of this internship? Learning how to check for ketosis by drawing blood. This was one thing we learned in the classroom, but I never thought I would be using it in the eld. My favorite part about testing this way is that you can see how severe the ketosis is, and you are able to treat it accordingly. If the cow tests 1.5 or above, she needs glycol, but if she
tests 2.5 or above, she needs dextrose. With the urine test, it’s harder to treat the animal when you don’t know how severe the ketosis is, and the goal is to catch it early on.
What was the most valuable part of this internship? The connections I made in the time I spent there were the most valuable part of my internship. Everyone at the farm and everyone who I was introduced to at shows, or even off the farm, were so kind and welcoming that it wasn’t hard to feel like I was part of the family. I was able to have incredible experiences with so many people, and I know so many more people in the show industry than I did before.
Tell us about your farm. I am a third-generation farmer from northwestern Wisconsin. Our farm is home to MEGA Milking Shorthorns that I co-own with my cousin, as well as a small herd of beef and a variety of cash crops. Our show heifers stay on the home farm until close to calving and then are sent to other dairies to be milked. There have been a couple of different milking herds in our barn in the past, and I hope to be able to establish another herd in the future.
Sophomore at Fox Valley Technical College Agribusiness and animal science
Tell us about your farm. I grew up on a 60-head dairy with a tiestall barn. We raised our own youngstock, and we also had a bull for breeding. We sold our cows in 2013 when we came to the conclusion that it was either time for a parlor and growth or time to sell out and cash crop. Currently, we cash crop 400 acres, and when I’m not milking cows, I’m helping on the family farm.
What is one thing you learned during your internship that you want to take back to your farm? We raise our show heifers at our farm, so I will be able to take knowledge that I learned from the daily work of my internship to help improve our routines and feed ration. After graduation, I would love to be able to do more with our show cattle at home and create a small setup where our show cows would be able to stay with us. I will use things I learned working with Excelerant and Big Time Genetics if I ever get the chance to keep our show herd home, such as rations, daily care and mating decisions, because I spent the summer with a great group of wise cow people.
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What are certain traits you try to avoid? We try to avoid sires with a low DPR. If we nd a sire that we really like but has a low DPR, we will mate him to cows that have a high DPR. We also avoid any sires that carry the Jersey neuropathy with splayed forelimbs trait.
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Kevin Souza Victory Farms
Page 18 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022
What is your current pregnancy rate? Our pregnancy rate is 34%.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Turn to BREEDING | Page 20
Victory Farms uses technology to speed genetic advancement
our herd. We harvest 60-80 embryos per week from our top animals. This usually involves about 15 head each week. We get the majority of our embryos from our heifers.
with a combination of high fat and protein production traits.
What guidelines do you follow to reach the goals for your breeding program?
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The Souza family – (from le ) Ryan Anderson, Jayce Anderson, Hayley Anderson, Kevin Souza, Suzanne Souza, Kylyn Anderson, Audrey and Brandon Peschong – operate a 5,000-cow Jersey dairy farm in Revillo, South Dakota.
Revillo, South Dakota
What is your reproduction program? We use SCR activity monitors to determine when our animals are in heat. If a cow isn’t pregnant by 82 days in milk, we will give her a CIDR insert.
What are the top traits you look for in breeding your dairy herd, and how has this changed since you started farming? We look for high daughter pregnancy rate, high percentages of fat and protein, high pounds of fat and protein, low somatic cell count, superior wellness traits and sound udders. What has changed is the amount of genetic information that’s now available. Polled genetics have been getting a lot more attention lately. We also look at the genetics for mastitis resistance and susceptibility to scours.
Breeding Pro le MN
Describe your facilities. We have a cross-ventilated freestall barn that we bed with manure solids. We milk in two double-35 parallel milking parlors. There are currently two manure digesters under construction on our farm, and we’ve been told they could start producing puried natural gas as soon as November. We have an in-house employee who makes all of our mating choices.
5,000 cows
Describe your breeding philosophy. Our chief goal is to produce healthy, productive cows. We choose our sires based on the Dairy Wellness Prot Index along
We have made use of in vitro fertilization to accelerate the genetic advancement of
Quality Udders Make Quality Milk “We got more regimented in our use of Udder Comfort and saw SCC drop to 120,000.”
“Talking to veterinarian Doug Evans and the team at the Udder Comfort™ booth, we got more regimented in our use of Udder Comfort and saw SCC drop from 200,000 to 120,000. We started making sure we sprayed every fresh udder after each milking for the full 3 to 4 days after calving and watched our somatic cell counts respond. We saw SCC on our fresh cows drop right down collectively by 10 to 12 days in milk,” says Kyle Hirt, Mithva Farms, New Woodstock, New York.
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 19
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“By getting more regimented on the full routine of Udder Comfort for every fresh animal, we saw even better results. It works,” he reports.
“We were already using Udder Comfort for 4 years on swelling in fresh cows and mastitis. We knew it reduced edema faster and better than anything else,” Kyle adds.
Kevin Souza uses computer so ware to monitor cow ac vity. The transponders also provide health-related informa on such as rumina on mes and whether or not a par cular animal is breathing heavily.
Con nued from BREEDING | Page 18
What role do genetics have in reaching the goals of your farm? We are using the highest genomic bulls for our IVF program. We do genomic testing on all of our animals and breed our top females to top bulls.
PHOTO BY JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR
PHOTO BY JERRY NELSON/DAIRY STAR
What percentage of your herd is bred to sexed, conventional and beef semen? About 50% of our milk herd is bred with nonsexed beef semen, and 35% of our milk herd receives embryos. The top 15% of our milk herd is bred with sexed Jersey semen. All of our heifers are serviced for the rst two heats with sexed Jersey semen.
How does your heifer inventory affect your breeding program? Select Sires runs a quarterly report that details our dairy herd’s cull numbers and death loss. This report helps us calculate how many replacements we will need to produce. After we started with this program, we were able to reduce our heifer inventory by 1,000 head. This has enabled us to be more selective regarding
What is your conception rate? How does this differ with different types of
you pay for. We use all of the information that’s available to individually mate each of our animals.
which animals will be bred to Jersey sires and which will be bred to beef bulls.
What is the age of your heifers at rst service? We breed our heifers at 11 months of age.
semen? The conception rate with beef sires is 50% and is 45% with sexed Jersey semen. The conception rate with embryos is 43%. We had been using SimAngus beef sires but are switching to Charolais bulls next month. We use the TD Beef program from Select Sires to help us choose beef bulls.
What is the greatest lesson you have learned through your breeding program? You have to spend money on semen to get better genetics. In other words, you get what
Mark Mikkelson cleans up the area around the palpa on rail at Victory Farms. Mikkelson is an independent contractor who implants embryos and does all of the pregnancy checks for Victory Farms.
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Describe the ideal cow for your herd. She is mediumsized and healthy, and produces a lot of pounds of fat and protein that gets bred back right away.
Tell us about your farm. This farm is owned by three families, and we are the managing partners. My family and I moved here from California 24 years ago. I loved growing up in California but am glad we moved here. My wife, Suzanne, and I think that this is a great place to raise kids. Our daughter, Hayley, and her husband, Ryan Anderson, both work on our farm and live just a couple of miles away. Our daughter, Audrey, is a veterinarian and lives in Miller, South Dakota, with her husband, Brandon Peschong.
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3-Section Folding, 11” Spacing, #275921 ................................. $39,900 JD 2625 2014, 40 ft., 5-Section Folding, 11” Spacing, #532507 ................................. $44,000 JD 2623 2012, 40 ft., 5-Section Folding, 9” Spacing, #523876 ................................... $49,900 JD 2680H 2019, 24 ft., 3-Section Folding, #534969 .................................................. $82,900 Landoll 7833-40 2017, 40’ ft., #539210 ................................................................... $95,500 Degelman Pro TIll 33 2018, 33 ft., 3-Section Folding, #542310 .............................. $95,900 JD 2680H 2019, 35 ft., 3-Section Folding, 9” Spacing, #535875 .............................. $122,500 FIELD CULTIVATORS Flexi-Coil 820, 35 ft., 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #543945 ...................................... $8,000 JD 980 1999, 18 ft., 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #535084 ........................................ $10,900 JD 980 1998, 36 ft., 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #532504 ........................................ $11,500 Wil-Rich Quad 5 , 47 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #532076................................ $11,500 Case IH 4300 2001, 38 ft., 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #186653 ............................. $11,995 JD 980 1997, 36 ft., 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #544067 ........................................ $13,750 Wil-Rich Excel 42 ft. 1999, 42 ft., #276243 ............................................................. $14,900 JD 980 1996, 42 ft., 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #541939 ........................................ $15,500 JD 985 2000, 50.5 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #535303 ..................................... $15,500 JD 980 2000, 44 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #545689 ........................................ $16,500 Wil-Rich QUAD 5 1998, 42 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #191850 ....................... $19,500 DMI Tigermate II, 55.5 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #544515 ........................... $19,900 Case TM 14, 55 ft., 5-Section Folding, #532837 ........................................................ $23,000 Case IH TM14 2005, 50.5 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #187546 ......................... $26,900 JD 2210 2004, 27 ft., 3-Section Folding, C-Shank, #531751 ...................................... $29,900 JD 2210 2004, 50.5 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #190858 ................................... $33,000 JD 2210 2009, 50.5 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #535118 ................................... $34,900 JD 2210 2006, 45.5 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #542850 ................................... $34,900 JD 2210 2007, 50.5 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #190855 ................................... $39,900 Wil-Rich QX2-52 2013, 52 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #189663........................ $39,900 JD 2210 2010, 57 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #542886 ...................................... $42,900 JD 2210 2012, 45 ft., 5-Section Folding, #275591 ..................................................... $44,900 JD 2210 2013, 55.5 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #545214 ................................... $47,500 JD 2210 2009, 50.5 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #276172 ................................... $49,900 JD 2210 2012, 58 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #533062 ...................................... $57,500 JD 2210 2014, 65.5 ft., 5-Section Folding, C-Shank, #275557 ................................... $67,500 JD 2210 2014, 60.5 ft., 5-Section Folding, #190844 .................................................. $70,500 MULCH FINISHERS/TILLERS Kuhn Krause 6200-45 2013, 45 ft., 5-Section Folding, #275588 ............................. $59,900 JD 2310 2013, 45 ft., 5-Section Folding, #535073 ..................................................... $64,900 JD 714 1996, 11 ft., Rigid, #538548 ........................................................................... $10,500 PULL-TYPE SPRAYERS Redball 680 2000, #187162 ....................................................................................... $8,500 Top Air TA112 2009, #531227 .................................................................................. $13,900 Hardi np-1100 2006, #541189................................................................................. $13,900 Hardi NV4000 2009, #541360 .................................................................................. $16,500 Hardi Commander Plus 1200 2002, #181150 ........................................................ $17,500 Hardi Commander Plus 2005, #533447 ................................................................. $22,900 Top Air TA1200 2016, #532394 ................................................................................ $22,900 Top Air 2005, #542975 ............................................................................................. $24,000 Hardi Commander 6600 2009, #543951 ................................................................ $25,500 Top Air TA1600 2013, #543660 ................................................................................ $51,500 Top Air TA2400 2014, #544397 ................................................................................ $51,900 Unverferth TA2400 2014, #545215......................................................................... $68,000 RIPPERS DMI 530, #542846 ...................................................................................................... $8,250 DMI ET5, #534414 ...................................................................................................... $8,500 JD 512 2002, #545669 ............................................................................................... $11,500 Wil-Rich v957 2006, #545457 .................................................................................. $13,000 JD 2700 2004, #543878 ............................................................................................ $13,500 JD 512 2004, #190077 ............................................................................................... $13,900 DMI Ecolo tiger 730B, #523880 .............................................................................. $14,500 Case IH 2500 2014, #531612 .................................................................................... $15,500 JD 2700 2012, #542309 ............................................................................................ $16,000 JD 2700 2009, #533731 ............................................................................................ $19,500 JD 512 2011, #545919 ............................................................................................... $23,000 Kuhn Krause 4850-15 2012, #540899 .................................................................... $31,500 JD 2720 2014, #531621 ............................................................................................ $35,900 Case 730 2009, #532798........................................................................................... $37,500 JD 2720 2013, #190974 ............................................................................................ $42,900 Case IH 875 2015, #275117 ...................................................................................... $52,900 JD 2730 2016, #544918 ............................................................................................ $58,500 JD 2730 2014, #190066 ............................................................................................ $59,900 JD 2730 2019, #544451 ............................................................................................ $99,500 JD 2730 2019, #189743 ..........................................................................................$113,500 SELF-PROPELLED SPRAYERS RoGator 1074 2006, 100 ft. boom, 20” Nozzle Spacing, 4574 hrs., #533461 ............ $45,900 JD 4920 2006, 120 ft. boom, 20” Nozzle Spacing, 3688 hrs., #187626 ....................... $71,000 JD 4720 2005, 90 ft. boom, 20” Nozzle Spacing, 3125 hrs., #543749 .......................$104,900 JD 4630 2013, 80 ft. boom, 20” Nozzle Spacing, 1030 hrs., #275374 .......................$159,900 Hagie STS12 2012, 90 ft. boom, 15” Nozzle Spacing, 4150 hrs., #276184 ...............$159,900 JD R4038 2017, 200 cu. ft. Dry Box Boom, 2929 hrs., #275251 ...............................$189,900 JD R4038 2016, 90 ft. boom, 20” Nozzle Spacing, 2400 hrs., #274783 ....................$194,900 JD R4038 2016, 90 ft. boom, 20” Nozzle Spacing, 2399 hrs., #275266 ....................$219,900 JD R4038 2017, 90 ft. boom, 20” Nozzle Spacing, 2190 hrs., #275254 ....................$219,900 JD R4038 2016, 20” Nozzle Spacing, 1305 hrs., #539398 ........................................$249,000 Hagie STS14 2015, 90 ft. boom, 15” Nozzle Spacing, 1961 hrs., #545931 ...............$269,900 Hagie STS12 2017, 120 ft. boom, 15” Nozzle Spacing, 1525 hrs., #545672 .............$294,900 JD R4038 2021, 120 ft. boom, 20” Nozzle Spacing, 574 hrs., #534409 ....................$394,500 JD R4045 2020, 120 ft. boom, 20” Nozzle Spacing, 1479 hrs., #275782 ..................$399,900 JD R4045 2019, 80 ft. carbon fiber Boom, 20” Nozzle Spacing, 1780 hrs., #421298 $406,500 VERTICAL TILLAGE JD 2623VT 2012, #535121 .......................................................................$35,900 Summers 2011, #544761 ........................................................................$39,900 Summers VRT3530 2015, #189645...........................................................$42,900 JD 2660 2019, #543656 .........................................................................$149,000 JD 2660VT 2021, #537331 .....................................................................$181,000 $52,900 Summers#5447612011 2008 John Deere 2410 #531872 Brent#532876CPC 2014 John Deere 2625 #532507 2013 John Deere 2720 #190974 2014 John Deere 2730 #190066
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MINNESOTA & SOUTH
United Dairy Systems, Inc. West Union, IA 563-422-5355
S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288
AdvancedWISCONSINDairy/Bob’s Dairy
I have listened to fathers burst with pride as they tell me about their children taking over the farm. I have listened to parents accept the fact that the farm will end with them. Some have brought cows back to the farm after renting for a while and some are starting from scratch. What an interesting industry. We are all so different, and yet, we are all making the same thing – milk.Attending various conferences and events as a representative of the paper has taken me well out of my comfort zone at times, but they have yet to disappoint. I have learned so much more about regenerative agriculture. I’ve heard some big names speak about our government and pricing system. And, there are so many things I’m still learning about.
DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825
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is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2022 DeLaval Inc. DeLaval, 11100 North Congress Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64153-1296. Nothing in this document shall constitute a warranty or guaranty of performance. www.delaval.com www.delaval.com
One thing that is always driven home at conferences is the need for farmers to speak up and tell their stories because people who are making decisions do not farm; they don’t know what they don’t know.
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Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022
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By Abby Wiedmeyer Staff Writer
Contact one of the following dealers to learn more:
One year and counting
Sept. 7 marked my one-year anniversary as a writer with Dairy Star. This is a job I dreamed about for a few years before the timing was right for me and the paper to make it happen. I thought that talking with farmers and then writing about it sounded like an ideal gig. I gured I would learn a lot about different ways to farm, meet saltof-the-earth type folks and see some countryside while I was at it. I was right about all those things, but there are a few things I have learned so far that I just did not seeOnecoming.thing I cannot ignore is how many small family farms there are in western Wisconsin. About a month ago, I had the pleasure of visiting with a sixth-generation dairyman whose cows were in a renovated tiestall barn. The buildings sat on a perfectly manicured lawn and his dad was there to farm with him. The scene was right out of a picture book. I am so glad these places still exist and that I have the honor of visiting them and helping to share their stories. I hear a lot of people say the family farm is dying. I am making it a personal mission to prove them wrong and record the story of every small family farm milking cows. If I haven’t talked to you yet, call me.
On the ip side of that coin, I can happily admit how amazing the large progressive dairies are. While my family and I are a small farm by anyone’s comparison these days, I can truly appreciate the drive behind these big farms. When I walk into a freestall barn with rows and rows of cows lying down, happily chewing their cud, it is easy to see why some people choose to expand. There are more resources and people to spread the workload and usually people get a day off. I can’t argue withThethat.salt-of-the-earth people who welcome me into their homes and barns wind up forever in my heart. Usually when I talk to people, I am trying to keep the conversation going, make sure my recorder is working and try to remember the questions I want to ask to achieve a thorough interview. Then, when I listen back to the recording, I am struck by how amazing these folks are. Some of you have overcome quite a lot and yet you soldier on. It’s truly a phenomenon that, if studied closer, might reveal the secret of life.
Every time I talk with an organic farmer, I almost convert, and every time I visit a robot dairy, I’m tempted to buy a lottery ticket to fund the project for my own farm.I’m so grateful for the opportunity to visit the farms, attend the conferences and hear your stories. I have made so many friends since my beginnings at Dairy Star, and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.
Turn your cow-flow up to maximum with the new DeLaval Rotary E500, it’s the rotary other rotaries want to be when they grow up. Dairy Farming At Another LevelLearn more
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Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579
800-597-2394 or 605-338-6351
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Turbo gets things red up
Oak-Ridge-K Gchip Turbo is named the senior and grand champion of the Wisconsin Championship Holstein Show Aug. 26 in Madison, Wisconsin. Pictured with Turbo, from le , are owners Jared and Peter Dueppengiesser, John Vosters and Jim Ostrom.
Judge Joel Phoenix (le ) gives Mandi Bue a high-ve as he names Ms Thunderstorm Eternity-ET as the junior champion of the Wisconsin Championship Holstein Show Aug. 26 in Madison, Wisconsin.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAIRY AGENDA TODAY
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Summer Championship Holstein Show was held Aug. 26 in Madison. Judge Joel Phoenix of Cannington, Ontario, Canada, placed 248 Holsteins, with the winners of each class receiving the designation of PhoenixAll-Wisconsin.namedthewinning 4-yearold, Oak-Ridge-K Gchip Turbo, as his senior and grand champion. Turbo, also named best udder of the show, is owned by the partnership of Milksource Genetics and Ransom-Rail Farm of Kaukauna.Forreserve grand champion, Phoenix tapped his intermediate champion, the winning junior 3-year-old Duckett Doorman Sadie-TW. Exhibited by Mike and Julie Duckett of Rudolph, Sadie was also named the best bred and owned cow of the show. The honorable mention grand champion was Duckett Doorman Ona-ET, the reserve intermediate champion and second place junior 3-year-old, owned by Budjon Farms, Cranehill Genetics and Peter Vail of Lomira.The second place 4-year-old, Opportunity Gold Phoenix-ET exhibited by the Ducketts, was chosen as the reserve senior champion. Antia Absolute Joline-Red, the winning aged cow, was named the honorable mention senior champion for Milksource Genetics and Laurie Fischer of Kaukauna.
Nehls-Valley Arch Angel, the winning junior-owned 5-year-old exhibited by the Wendorf and Van de Pol families of Ixonia, was named the honorable mention senior champion behind Jordan and Kricket. The champion bred and owned cow of the youth show was Bella-Ridge Lets Get Tattos, exhibited by Jacob, Logan and Madison Harbaugh and Adella and Ainsley Loehr of Marion.Winright Doorman Eshanti-ET, the winning fall calf exhibited by Noah
Phoenix champion4-year-oldselectsasHolstein
Bilz, Brynley Dejong and Brooke Hammann of Dorchester, was selected as the youth show junior champion. Reserve junior champion honors went to the second place junior-owned fall calf, Ryan-Vu Doc Jaz, exhibited by Dylan and Cameron Ryan of Fond du Lac. Receiving the nod for honorable mention junior show junior champion was the top-placing junior-owned summer yearling, Riverdown Tatoo Diablo-ET, exhibited by Kylie Nickels of Lomira.
In the junior show, Apple-Pts AnisaRed-ET, the top junior-owned junior 3-year-old, was selected to be the intermediate and grand champion among the youth exhibitors. The top placing juniorowned 4-year-old, Scenic Edge JordanRed, was named the senior and reserve grand champion. Both Anisa and Jordan are owned by Jacey and Hadley Ross of Mesa, Arizona. Reserve senior and honorable mention grand champion honors went to Luck-E Jordy Kricket-Red-ET, the second placed junior-owned 4-yearold cow owned by Caleb, Josiah, Helena, Adrian and Ella Olson of Lena.
Duckett Holsteins, of Rudolph, was named the premier breeder and premier exhibitor of the show.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAIRY AGENDA TODAY
Following Anisa as the reserve intermediate champion of the youth show was Duckett Denver Olivia-ET, the top junior-owned senior 3-year-old exhibited by Tessa and Stella Schmocker of Whitewater. She was followed by RyanVu Hancock Simple who was named the honorable mention intermediate champion of the junior show for the Gaedke and Kroll families of Luxemburg.
Following Sadie and Ona as the honorable mention intermediate champion was Greenpine Rejoice Bedazzled, the winning junior 2-year-old exhibited by the Ducketts and Milksource Genetics.
In the heifer show, Phoenix tapped his winning winter yearling as his junior champion. Ms Thunderstorm Eternity-ET was exhibited by La Femme Fatale Syndicate of Kaukauna. Following her as reserve junior champion was the winning summer yearling, Milksource Tstruck Actress, exhibited by Milksource Genetics. The second place summer yearling, D2 Summerfest Eyes On You, was named the honorable men-
tion junior champion for Budjon Farms and Heartland Dairy of Lomira.
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 25 Call (920) 830-0277 Today! AppletonSteel.com Ask us how to get professional hoof trimmers involved with your on farm trimming program!ProudPartner of the Midwestern Hoof Trimming School
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAIRY AGENDA TODAY
by Matthew and Elizabeth Gunst and Evan Hathaway of Barneveld.Milksource Awesome Time-Red also received recognition as the best bred and owned cow of the youth show for WhenOstrom.itcame to naming the youth show junior champions, Krohlow went with his top winter yearling, Betley Lionlike-Red-ET exhibited by Claire Betley of Pulaski. The top-placing youth-owned spring calf, Ms Analyst She Got It-Red, exhibited by Taylor Haeft of Delavan, followed. The top junior-owned summer yearling, Erbacres Abriella-Red-ET, was named the honorable mention youth show junior champion for Ashlyn and Cole Sarbacker of Edgerton.
EQUIPMENT!UPGRADEYOURON-FARM
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
In the heifer show, a pair of heifers that call Betley Farm of Pulaski home were tapped as the junior and reserve junior champion by Krohlow. Junior champion honors went to the winning fall calf, Schluter Altud Amber-Red-ET, while Betley Lionlike-Red-ET, the winning winter yearling, was named reserve junior champion. Hilrose Redlite Aria-Red-ET, the winning spring yearling exhibited by Joseph Brantmeier of Hilbert, received the nod for honorable mention.
A banner day for Joline-Red
Lifetime production cow named Wisconsin Red and White champion
Premier breeder of the show was awarded to Hilrose Holsteins of Hilbert. Jacey and Hadley Ross of Arizona Dairy in Mesa, Arizona, were named premier exhibitor.
Following Sequel as the reserve intermediate champion, and best bred and owned of the youth show, was Milksource Awesome Time-Red, the top-placing juniorowned junior 2-year-old exhibited by Tristen Ostrom of Kaukauna. Honorable mention youth show intermediate champion honors went to the top-placing junior-owned senior 2-year-old, Schluter Atlanta-Red-ET, exhibited
Champions are named at the Wisconsin Championship Red and White Show Aug. 25 in Madison, Wisconsin. Pictured (from le ) are Na onal Red and White Queen Hannah Hensel, honorable men on grand champion Scenic-Edge Jordan-Red, reserve grand champion Milksource Tantrum-Red, grand champion Ana Absolute Joline-Red and judge Ryan Krohlow.
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Summer Championship Red and White Show was held Aug. 25 in Madison. Judge Ryan Krohlow, of Poynette, was charged with placing 175 head. The winners of each class were namedTheAll-Wisconsin.winninglifetime production cow, Antia Absolute Joline-Red, was selected as the senior and grand champion. Joline-Red also received the best udder award for owners Milksource Genetics and Laurie Fischer of Kaukauna. Reserve grand champion honors went to the intermediate champion, Milksource Tantrum-Red-ET, the winning senior 3-year-old also owned by Milksource Genetics. Tantrum was the best bred and owned cow of the show.Scenic-Edge Jordan-Red was named the reserve senior and honorable mention grand champion after winning the 4-year-old class for owners Jacey and Hadley Ross of Mesa, Arizona. The second-place 4-year-old, Arb-Flo-Spr Honeybun-Red-ET, also owned by the Rosses, was named the honorable mention senior champion.When the young cow classes were completed, Krohlow followed his intermediate champion with Duckett TH Boomer-Rang-Red, the winning senior 2-year-old exhibited by Heatherstone Enterprises of Baraboo. Synergy Spikes Sequel-Red, the winning junior 3-year-old exhibited by Evan Jauquet and Evan and Alexa Brey of Pulaski, was named the honorable mention intermediate champion.
In the youth show, Jordan and Honeybun were named the senior and grand champions followed by Synergy Spikes Sequel-Red as the intermediate and honorable mention grand champion.
Highview Balin Journey, the winning 4-year-old cow owned by the partnership of Milksource Genetics and Legendholm, was named the reserve senior and reserve grand champion.
Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 507-879-3593 – 800-821-7092 Box 116, Lake Wilson, MN 56151 – www.bluehilltop.comBox 116, Lake Wilson, MN 56151 – www.bluehilltop.com Blue Hilltop, Inc. The 414-14B Commercial Series is a horizontal rotary feed mixer with a mixing capacity of 410 cu. ft. and it can hold a maximum load with a heavy ration up to 11,500 lbs. It comes standard with the patented Roto-Mix® Mixing System. An optional Staggered Rotor and Hay Shear Bar is available. This size of feed mixer works well with mediumsized dairy, cow/calf and feeder operations. Trailer models are mounted on heavy-duty tubular steel trailer frames, complete with built-in scale mountings. Heavy-duty eight- or ten-bolt hubs and spindles with a selection of tires for eight- and ten-hole wheels. The single pole trailer tongue is constructed of heavy wall tubing for a shorter turning radius. A sturdy rear bumper and an adjustable, replaceable trailer hitch clevis are also standard equipment.
Rolling Spring Premier LucilleET took home the reserve senior and reserve grand champion awards for Evan Jauquet of Pulaski. The honorable mention grand champion was the intermediate champion, Nu-Horizons Fizz Mistletoe, who was also named the best bred and owned animal of the
414-14B Commercial Series Feed Mixer
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAIRY AGENDA TODAY
youth show for owner Chloe Kinnard of Casco. The honorable mention senior champion was Milksource Highways Honor, the second-place junior-owned 4-year-old exhibited by Tristen Ostrom of Kaukauna.Following the junior show intermediate champion Nu-Horizons Fizz Mistletoe as the reserve intermediate champion was Brenbe Colton Lyric, who was the second-place junior-owned senior 2-year-old, owned by Ava Hebgen of DeForest. Honorable mention intermediate champion honors went to the topplacing junior-owned junior 2-year-old, Caliber J Mini Dreams exhibited by Matthew and Elizabeth Gunst of Hartford.The junior champion of the youth show was Annettes VIP Annie-ET, the winning fall calf, exhibited by Caroline Powers and Emma Paulson of Columbus. The reserve junior champion of the junior show was the top-placing juniorowned winter calf, BGKK Ferdinand Vintage-ET, owned by Emma Paulson, Mandy Sell and Scott Stanford. Honorable mention junior show junior champion honors went to Miss Smokin Hot Blind Ambition, the top-placing junior-owned spring yearling exhibited by Grace Krahn, Rodney Bollenbacher, Matt and Molly Sloan, and Scott Stanford.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAIRY AGENDA TODAY
Judge Terri Packard (right) shakes Jim Ostrom’s hand as she names Woodmohr Forever Faithful as the grand champion of the Wisconsin Championship Jersey Show Aug. 25 in Madison, Wisconsin.
By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
Lost-Elm Topeka Trisha, exhibited by Jason Luttropp and Jim Janes of Berlin, was named the best bred and owned cow of the show after winning
the production cow class.
Lost-Elm Jerseys of Berlin was named the premier breeder of the show, while Linehan Jerseys of Lena was named the premier exhibitor.
Woodmohr Forever Faithful is named the senior and grand champion of the Wisconsin Championship Jersey Show Aug. 25 in Madison, Wisconsin. Pictured (from le ) are Keri Vosters, Anne e Ostrom, Jim Ostrom holding grand champion Woodmohr Forever Faithful, John Vosters holding reserve grand champion Highview Balin Journey, Chad Ryan holding honorable men on grand champion Heaths Grandious Winnie and judge Terri Packard.
In the youth show, Homeridge T Annette took home the senior and grand champion honors for the partnership of Budjon, Vail, Cunningham, Powers and Nickels after being the top-placing junior in the 4-year-old class.
In the heifer show, Packard chose her winning summer yearling to be her junior champion. Kash-In Joel Knockin Boots-ET was exhibited by the partnership of Rodney Bollenbacher, Scott Stanford, Mandy Sell and Travis Freson of ReserveWatertown.junior champion honors went to the winning fall calf, Annettes VIP Annie-ET, exhibited by Caroline Powers and Emma Paulson of Columbus. The honorable mention junior champion was the top-placing winter calf, MM Ferdinand Fireball-ET exhibited by Declan Patten, Callum Moscript and Frank and Diane Borba.
Packard chose Woodmohr Forever Faithful, the winning aged cow, as her senior and grand champion cow.
Lomira, exhibited the reserve intermediate champion and the honorable mention intermediate champion, with SSF Casino Brie, the winning junior 2-yearold, and Big Guns Andreas Velvet-ET, the winning junior 3-year-old.
The winning milking yearling, Heaths Grandious Winnie, exhibited by Frank and Carol Borba and Frank and Diane Borba of Escalon, California, was named the honorable mention grand champion of the show after winning the intermediate championship.
MADISON, Wis. – Jersey enthusiasts gathered to participate in the Wisconsin Summer Championship Jersey Show Aug. 25 in Madison. Terri Packard of Boonsboro, Maryland, was on hand to place 116 head; the winners received the designation of All-Wisconsin.When the dust settled at the end of the day, Milksource Genetics of Kaukauna took home both the grand and reserve grand champion banners.
Homeridge T Annette, the second place 4-year-old exhibited by Budjon, Vail, Cunningham, Powers and Nickels, was named the honorable mention seniorBudjonchampion.Farms and Peter Vail, of
Little brown cows on parade
All-Wisconsin Jerseys named championshipat show
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state runner up, and the players on that team made up the majority of the roster the rst year Smith coached the Monches. Today, Andy is the only player left from the original ’06 team.
“He was the best player of us three,” Smith said.
“Playing in the night league gives everyone a chance to play,” Smith said. “I can put in
Amateur baseball is a Smith family tradition, with three generations having played in the Land O’Lakes League, and Smith’s dad, Pat, is in the league’s hall of fame.
love the game to play here, and you usually have to know someone to get on an amateur team.”
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Smith choresteamamateurcoachesbaseballbetween
“This is competitive baseball comparable to the college level,” Smith said. “It’s not a softball beer league. You have to
By Stacey Smart stacey.s@dairystar.com
Smith milks 35 cows and farms 150 acres near Hartland. He takes pride in developing quality cattle at Franview Farm, which is home to an all-registered herd. Smith’s son, Andy, helps with eldwork, and some of his other players lend a hand as well.“They know how much time and effort I put into the team, and they help me on the farm so I don’t fall behind,” Smith said. “They unload hay and straw and sometimes help with evening chores after games. We can be
Dairyman on the diamond
Named after the unincorporated town of Monches, the Monches Irish is one of the original teams in the Land O’Lakes League, which was formed in 1922.“Everyone seems to like our league,” Smith said. “It’s probably one of the best in the state for competition. It’s appealing to players and recruiters.”
Thetoo.”Land O’Lakes League contains 22 teams and four divisions. Smith’s team plays in the Lake Country division which is made up of six teams. They play 18 regular-season games as well as six games in a night league.
to SMITH | Page 32
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 27
Players in amateur baseball can range in age from high school graduates to men in their 40s. Most of Smith’s players
Smith also has a daughter, Courtney, and coached his kids in basketball and baseball when they were growing up. Smith has other interests off the farm as well, including playing cards and dart ball. But, his passion for the game of baseball tops the list.
“Myrecently.favorite thing about coaching is the guys,” he said. “I have a good group playing for me, and we have a great fan base too. I love the camaraderie, the locker room talk and just hanging out together. Each player has a nickname also.”
Seeing the likes of past Major League baseball players – whether in the stands or in the eld – is not all that uncommon at an amateur baseball game. For example, one of Smith’s teammates was former Milwaukee Brewer, Don August. And currently, Jim Gantner comes to watch Monches Irish games. Guys released from the minor leagues who are trying to get back in can also be found on some amateur teams.
are out of college and in their mid-20s. His oldest player is 36. There are 18 guys on the roster, and Smith has an established team and has not had to recruit players
HARTLAND, Wis. – From the crack of the bat hitting a game-winning run to the roar of the crowd cheering on their home team, Patrick Smith loves all things baseball. This dairy farmer spends a large chunk of his summer coaching an amateur baseball team – a favorite pastime of his for the last 17 years.“Whether it’s farming or coaching sports, I do what I do because I love it and have fun doing it,” Smith said. “Baseball is a big-time commitment, and if you don’t love it, you aren’t going to do it – just like farming.”
Patrick Smith milks 35 cows and farms 150 acres near Hartland, Wisconsin. He is also the manager of an amateur baseball team called the Monches Irish.
“They all still love the game of baseball and want to play in a competitive league,” Smith said. “A lot of college kids play in the league
Turn
In his youth, Smith was a three-sport athlete, playing basketball, football and baseball. He is also a former amateur baseball player, spending 17 years with North Lake – another amateur team in the Land O’ Lakes League. With many games under his belt as both coach and player, Smith is a veteran on the eld.
gone up to eight hours on a Saturday playing ball, and they’ll help me get the work done when we getSmithback.”has been the manager for the Monches Irish amateur baseball team since 2006 – the same year Andy graduated from Arrowhead High School. Andy’s high school baseball team was a
“These bulls exemplify the ideals of our program, creating a breeder-to-breeder market for genetics,” says Timothy Ziemba, Holstein Marketplace Sires Manager. “The goal of our program is to help Registered Holstein breeders market their genetics to fellow breeders and create a group of deep pedigreed bulls that ll everyone’s needs. Our new bulls offer the highest levels of genetics from contract-free high GTPI and NM$ bulls to the highest available Red PTAT bull from a world-renowned family.”
712HO01018
Fabio is a well-rounded bull with extreme production traits at +1388 Milk, +93 Fat (+0.13%) and +58 Protein. His GTPI sits at an notable +2874, NM$ of +832, DWP$ of 924 and he is also Beta CaseinA2/A2. Fabio boasts a PTAT of +1.59 and UDC at +1.35. His linear prole indicates he will sire daughters who are strong, deep and open cows, with slight slope to the rump and some set to the legs.
GOLDEN-OAKS TANGO-RED-ET
Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022
712HO01015 SUGAR-C CAPTIVATING FABIO FABIO is bred and owned by Sugar Creek Dairy in Elkhorn, WI. He is sired by Larcrest Captivating-ET out of a GP-81 (at 2-02) Challenger. The next dam is a VG-88 Granite with records over 30,000 pounds of milk and 4.7%F. Fabio’s third dam is a Denver daughter scored EX-91 2E with records over 40,000 pounds of milk and over 1,200 pounds of fat and prtein. The fourth dam is an Excellent Mccutchen with over 212,000 pounds lifetime milk. All four of these cows are currently in the herd at Sugar Creek Dairy, with his dam just fresh this summer on her second lactation.
Holstein Marketplace Sires provides a unique avenue for Holstein breeders to market their genetics. The bull owners retain ownership of the bulls, and the Holstein Marketplace Sires coordinates the marketing and sales. Launched in January of 2019, this program provides a new choice of bulls offered by breeders for breeders.
Sired by Peak Rayshen-ET, Navigator is from a GP-82 Rome daughter and then backed by 12 generations of VG or EX dams straight from the Wesswood-HC Rudy Missy family. Navigator’s pedigree includes seven cows in his maternal line with records exceeding 35,000 pounds of milk and 12 dams with over 1,000 pounds of fat. Navigator has a balanced proof with high components at 102 pounds of Fat and +0.27% Fat, Calving Ease at 2.1% and an Udder Composite at +1.16. To top it off, Navigator is also Beta Casein A2/A2!
NAVIGATOR is bred and owned by Blumenfeld Holsteins LLC in Hawley MN. Navigator ranks amongst the most elite available bulls in the breed at +2973 GTPI®, +1209 DWP$®, +1070 NM$ and +1092 CM$. Navigator is a health trait superstar with a Productive Live at +6.8, DPR at +1.0 and SCS at 2.61. Conventional and sexed semen are currently“Navigatoravailable.exemplies what we breed for every day –huge components, extreme Productive Life, positive fertility, and great udders, besides one of the most important traits for today’s industry – moderate frames,” said Brian Waldner of Blumenfeld Holsteins.
“The productive life of Fabio’s family is tremendous. It really doesn’t miss, and they’re high performing. They’re consistent and easy on the eyes. His pedigree is unique, and it ts my breeding strategy,” says Fabio’s breeder, Rick Adams. Fabio is a great representation of what the Adams breed for at Sugar Creek Dairy.
TANGO-RED is bred and owned by Golden Oaks Farm in Wauconda, IL. Tango-Red holds the title as the number 1 red and white Holstein bull in the U.S. for genomic PTA Type at a stunning +4.25 with an impressive Udder Composite at +3.08. Tango boasts linear traits of +5.15 for Rear Udder Height, +4.41 for Rear Udder Width and +4.12 for Fore Udder Tango-Red’sAttachment.genomic numbers are not surprising when looking at his pedigree. He is an Altitude from a VG-86 Jordy daughter of the renowned Miss Pottsdale DFI Tang EX-94. Tang was Reserve All-American Red & White Senior 2-Year-Old in 2016 and All-American Red & White Senior 3-Year-Old in 2017. Behind Tang are four cows scored EX-92 3E, EX-91 2E, EX-93 3E and VG-87 followed by the household names of Ernest-Anthony SD TobiET EX-96 3E DOM and C Alanvale Inspiration Tina EX-95 2E GMD DOM. We are thrilled to give Red and White Holstein enthusiasts an opportunity to add a bull like Tango-Red to their breeding programs!
“Tango is true to our breeding program with his breedleading type numbers, combined with his style and physical makeup,” says Lucas Moser of Golden Oaks Farm. “We feel Tango can add a lot to the type side of a herd and has great potential to make future show heifers and cows.”
712HO01017 BLUMENFELD NAVIGATOR-ET
Three new bulls have recently been launched through the Holstein Marketplace Sires program, managed by Holstein Services, Inc.
Holstein Marketplace Sires Releases Trio of Exciting New Bulls
What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Going to the Mid-State Technical College farm operations program and graduating with cords has been a huge accomplishment for me. I always struggled in school, but college was easy. When you go to school for something you love and have a passion for, school can be fun and enjoyable. When I attended school, I continued working at a farm store and on my parents’ farm. I’m proud of myself for continuing to work while in school.
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
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Women In Dairy
Emily Heeg Marsheld, Wisconsin Wood County 60 cows
What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I love being able to work with family. I grew up on a dairy farm and occasionally milk cows and drive tractor for my parents. I love being able to work with my father and grandfather. Family means everything to me. Now, I farm with my husband and his family. I’m thankful my son gets to grow up working with family.
When you get a spare moment, what do you do? In my spare time, I love to take my son to different
Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. My most memorable experience on the farm is when non-farm family members stop with their children. I love watching how excited the kids get when they see the tractors or animals. I love when the kids ask questions. We try to teach them where their food comes from.
What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? My advice for a fellow woman in agriculture is to nd someone who
events such as craft shows and dairy breakfasts. I also take him for tons of walks. He loves being outside. I also enjoy spending time hanging out with my girlfriends. I enjoy doing day trips with them. We like to go for hikes and go to different concerts.
Emily Heeg, holding her son, Oliver, and her husband, Eric (not pictured), milk 60 cows on their farm near Marsheld, Wisconsin.
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 29
Tell us about your farm. My husband is the fourth-generation farmer in the family and second generation at this farm. We have a 60-cow tiestall herd, which is family owned and operated, with no employees. We run 350 acres of corn, soybean, oat and alfalfa.
What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? A typical day for us isn’t like most farms. We milk at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Summers are busy most days from eldwork to maintaining equipment. In the summer, I unload small square bales at both our farm and my parents’ farm. During the daytime, I care for our son. I never realized raising kids really is a full-time job. I’m blessed to be able to work from home and spend all day with our son. I help with chores at night. While my husband gets cows from the pasture, I prep the milkhouse for chores. My husband and I milk together; it usually takes us about an hour and a half. After milking, I feed calves while my husband runs out feed and cleans the milkhouse. Then, when we both are nished, we let the cows back out and clean the barn.
What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? My favorite way to promote the dairy industry is going to tons of dairy breakfasts in the month of June. It helps promote the local FFA programs as well. I also try to share a lot of positive things about agriculture on social media.
What decision have you made in the last year that has beneted your farm? Purchasing the rest of cattle with my husband and renting the barn from his parents has been a decision that has beneted us. It is a great feeling knowing we own something and can be our own boss, making our own decisions. In the past, I have worked off the farm part time. Now that we own the cattle, I work only on our farm and occasionally help my dad on his farm.
Family: My husband, Eric, and our 8-month-old son, Oliver.
shares the same passion and goals in life. Doing something you’re passionate about doesn’t mean you only need to milk cows. There are many other opportunities in the dairy industry that are rewarding.
Pain management in cattle has long been a complex issue to address. The most signicant reason there are not more options in a farmer’s toolbox for pain management is that developing validated measures of pain in animals is incredibly difcult. It’s difcult to judge whether a medication is working and alleviating pain in an animal compared to others that didn’t receive pain management medications.
Those in the industry typically lean on performance and production measures to show the difference between animals. Several studies have shown anti-inammatory and analgesic (pain alleviating) medications given before, and at the time of dehorning, result in calves with a greater average daily gain than those not receiving anti-inammatory or analgesic medications. Using production data to justify pain alleviation is not a large leap. If a calf is in less pain, it will likely eat more and gain more, but as we have seen with discussions surrounding some of our feed-added antibiotics, giving a medication with the justication of improved performance has become a sensitive subject. It’s also difcult to know if improved performance directly results from pain management attempts.
be strictly followed, and great care should be taken when using the medication in lactating animals, especially fresh animals, due to metabolism considerations. The medication requires a prescription from a veterinarian of record but works exceptionally well, especially for Prevention,calves.asaform of pain management, is always be better than treatment. Proper management will reduce the prevalence of conditions causing pain in dairy animals. Additionally, polled genetics provide the opportunity to avoid the pain of dehorning altogether. While polled genetics may be inferior to other bulls, consider the performance improvement with increased average daily gain in early life. While there’s no denitive answer, polled animals may achieve a higher proportion of their genetic potential because they never had the stress of dehorning early in life and therefore may, or may not, have equal or better performance than their dehorned counterparts.
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
there are differing opinions, one medication stands above the rest for anti-inammatory and pain management in cattle, Meloxicam. Meloxicam is efcacious and cost-effective, and the duration of action is approximately 24 hours. The medication is given orally in pill form, making it also Beef Quality Assurance friendly. Hands down, the research shows Meloxicam is the undisputed NSAID choice for dehorning and castration. The medication also proves effective for inammation and pain associated with respiratory disease, mastitis, foot rot and many other conditions. Meloxicam is not approved for use in cattle in the United States, making it extra-label drug use. Meat and milk withdrawals must
using production metrics in their analysis of pain reduction. Cattle with foot rot stood on a pressuresensitive plate to measure the weight they placed on each foot. After treatment with Banamine Transdermal, the same cattle stood on the plate again. A statistically signicant difference was measured, showing treated cattle placed more weight on the affected foot after treatment compared to untreated cattle. The label is for foot rot because the company could measure that pain directly. In short, a genius solution.Ofcourse, we are all aware there are many other situations where cattle are in pain. But, without resorting to a production or performance metric it’s difcult to meaure the pain associated with pneumonia, dehorning, castration or mastitis. Possible solutions are serum cortisol levels, heart rate, respiratory rate and other measures of stress.
The most recently approved pain medication for cattle in the United States is Banamine Transdermal. The product is labeled for topical use in beef and dairy cattle but is not for use in female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older. The most intriguing piece of the label is that the product is labeled for “pain associated with foot rot in steers, beef heifers, beef cows, beef bulls intended for slaughter and replacement dairy heifers under 20 months of age.” This is intriguing because it is specically labeled for pain. The label on the injectable version of Banamine does not mention pain at all; instead, it is indicated for “control of pyrexia (fever) associated with bovine respiratory disease, endotoxemia and acute bovine mastitis, and control of inammation in endotoxemia.”Banamine
Transdermal obtained a label indication for pain associated with foot rot because Merck developed a specic measure for pain instead of
Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022
By Joe Armstrong, DVM
Just because there are not many labeled products in the pain management toolbox does not mean there’s nothing available. In addition to Banamine Transdermal, injectable Banamine, when given correctly via IV, can alleviate pain because it reduces inammation and can be given to lactating animals (36-hour milk withdrawal). The more signicant issue is the duration of action. Usually, injectable Banamine lasts about 4-6 hours. This simply is not long enough to alleviate pain for many of the conditions and management procedures associated with cattle and would need repeated dosing to be most effective.Though
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Brad Heins, is working to give farmers more information.Aspart of his research at the University of Minnesota dairy in Morris, Minnesota, Heins will have several cohorts of cattle with similar genetics dehorned with various medications given, as well as a group of horned cattle that will not be dehorned at all. He will study the impacts and work to provide a better picture of the impact of animal practices.
Dana 612-625-3108kjanni@umn.eduKevin320-203-6104huli0013@umn.eduNathan320-589-1711hein0106@umn.eduBrad612-624-2277hanse009@umn.eduLes612-626-5620jhadrich@umn.eduJoleen612-624-5391miendres@umn.eduMarcia612-625-8184gcramer@umn.eduGerard612-625-3130lcaixeta@umn.eduLuciano612.624.3610armst225@umn.eduJoe320-204-2968adam1744@umn.eduAdams,ArmstrongCaixetaCramerEndresHadrichHansenHeinsHulinskyJanni
Karen 612-625-4276mlw@umn.eduMelissa507-934-7828sever575@umn.eduEmma612-624-1205mschutz@umn.eduMike320-203-6093salfe001@umn.eduJim320-296-1357ijsalfer@umn.eduIsaacroyster@umn.eduErin320-732-4435nels4220@umn.eduBrenda507-332-6109lacanne@umn.eduClaire507-280-2863krek0033@umn.eduEmily320-484-4334ande9495@umn.eduJohnsonKrekelbergLaCanneMillerRoysterSalferSalferSchutzSevernsWison
Pain management medications toolbox: Why so few?
The answer to these quandries are essential, but the number of variables makes the answer unclear.
tal stress can make people feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained and unable to keep up with life’s demands. Burnout is more than just stress; it is the result of too much stress.
Self-care swaps for harvest season
– Drop off food with a note sharing appreciation for them.
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– Organize a get-together such as morning coffee or lunch.
– Offer to help by doing a supply run with Everyone’sthem.
– Instead of staying up late looking at the weather radar, try being screen-free in the house after a long day and get some extra sleep.
Challenge time: Pick a week and every day that week commit to 10 minutes of self-care. Make it clear to others that this time should not be interrupted.During this magical 10-minute timeframe, do something for yourself. Take a walk, read the newspaper, sip some coffee, stare out the window or work on a puzzle. This time should be spent doing something enjoyable, not on work, chores or errands. Do something joyful, something that brings contentment, serenity or another positive emotion. After 10 minutes, get back to all the other stuff, it will still be there waiting.
do much of their work alone. Long hours in solitude, and usually shortened time with family and friends, can take a toll. A lack of emotional support and a general outlet for energy can leave people feeling fatigued and stressed. What’s worse, when people are under stress, they tend to isolate to protect others which only further exacerbates the issue.
In addition, focus on being intentional with swlf-care and healing. Mindfulness provides a big boost to mental, emotional and physical health.
– Instead of bringing pop and a candy bar along for a snack, try water or chocolate milk and a protein bar.
Isolation has long been considered a stressor in agriculture. While being isolated may not seem to be a high-pressure stress factor like getting crops harvested, it can be a huge contributor to chronic stress. It’s common for people who work in agriculture to
For any type of stress, it’s also important to seek support. Being able to talk about experiences and having others acknowledge them, not as a fault but as a challenge can do a lot for mental health. Strong support systems promote emotional health and can help people nd themsevles.
family member to join you for a few hours.
– Take three deep breaths when something goes wrong and try to remain calm.
– Instead of sitting during a break, try going for a quick walk.
Too often, people are the biggest barrier to themselves. People often think they don’t have time to do the things they enjoy and that might be true, but these 600 seconds can bring a sense of peace.
The ve key symptoms of burnout are increased anxiety, general fatigue, lack of creativity and purpose, emotional numbness (depression) and a cynical outlook. Burnout requires attention and care even if it means taking some time away from work or readjusting a schedule. Every job is replaceable, people are not. People need to treat themselves like the highvalue assets because they are.
Be sure to discuss work-related stressors with someone. Think about schedule or expectation changes that may help take some pressure off. This isn’t a sign of weakness but a sign of wisdom and foresight that a workload is not currently sustainable.
An anthology on wellness
Even though people may not be able to see each other during busy times of year, staying connected to social networks is important. The following are some ways to check onneighbors during times of high stress.
threshold for stress is different. Respect that although people may have similar circumstances, people experience it in a different way. Be patient, be kind and be helpful.
– Call and ask how they are doing.
Fall can be a stressful time on the farm, mentally, emotionally and physically. Wellness can be addressed in so many different ways and here are some ideas to help during harvest:
The isolation factor
What will you do with your 10 minutes?
Busting burnout
– Instead of spending the entire day alone, try inviting a friend or
Self-care is the active choice to engage in the activities that are required to gain or maintain an optimal level of overall health. Self-care includes activities like eating, sleeping, socializing, hobbies and being active. People often say, “I don’t have time for that kind of stuff.” But, self-care is one of the most important things a person can do to stay mentally, physically and emotionally strong.
The word burnout conjures up a number of mental images. Burnout exists in every context of work, and the work of agriculture is not immune. Burnout is a form of exhaustion caused by constantly feeling swamped. Excessive emotional, physical and men-
By Emily Krekelberg
These are ve quick swaps to integrate self-care easily into a busy harvest schedule:
some of the guys who don’t get to play on a regular basis.”
The Monches Irish are planning to make another run for the championship next“We’reyear. in the window to win it,” Smith said. “We’re close.”
to the championship,” Smith said. “You can’t write that story. It was almost like destiny.”The Monches Irish had a great season under Smith’s management, making it to the grand championship Aug. 20. However, they lost to Waterford, another No. 1 seed, 3-1 in the seminals. Waterford then went on to win it all after beating Racine.“That’s the farthest we’ve gone yet,” Smith said. “I tell the guys to play hard and have fun. Some days are good, and some aren’t good enough.”
Con nued from SMITH | Page 27
The team also plays several preseason games, and when they make it to the playoffs, they may play close to 30 games total in a season which starts the rst week of May and can last until late August.The Monches Irish’s record this year was 21-6. They were the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs and won both games in the regional championship in extra innings in walk-off fashion. The rst game was won by a walk-off double, and in the second game, a two-run homerun walkoff won the game for the Irish. The game had gone into extra innings when the Irish hit a homerun to tie.
The Monches Irish amateur baseball team celebrates a victory against Hartland July 24 at the Monches park. The team’s manager, dairy farmer Patrick Smith, is pictured third from le
Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 BENEFITS OF USING DIRECTIONAL DRILLING INSTALLATION INCLUDE: Continuation of Normal Operation Avoidance of identi ed Infrastructure Installation Maintain Integrity of Driveway, Roadways, Buildings, and Natural Features Little to No Disturbance to Wetlands or Other Sensitives Areas Many Unique Installation Capabilities Vs. Open Cutting/Digging (Entering underBuildings or Tanks) Minimal Site Restoration PRODUCT INSTALLATION Gas PowerLinesWire/ Communication/LinesFiber Optic Water Lines/Water Mains Drainage/ Tile Lines Forced/ On Grade Sewer Manure Transfer Lines Land Improvements Drain Tile Design/ Installation • Ditch Cleaning & Grading • Fenceline Clearing Changing weather and higher inputs got you down? Using Drain Tile to manage excess moisture in the soil pro le is the foundation for increasing pro tability per acre. - Less compaction - Better soil Structure - Allows more days per year for eld operations - More Yields with same or less inputs Contact us m line!today to see how we can improve your botto MIKE HAESE MECHANDISER 920-372-8549 ext: 1595 We can Supply your Bulk Feed and Bedding! Animal Feed Products: • Canola Meal • Corn Gluten Pellets • Dry Distillers Grain • Feed Quality Wheat Straw • Hominy • Oat Hulls • Soy Hull Pellets • Soybean Meal • Western Dry baled hay & Local dry baled hay • Wet Corn Gluten Feed • Wet Distillers Grain • Whole Fuzzy Cottonseed Animal Bedding Products: • Bedding Straw • Green Cut Sawdust • Kiln Dried Sawdust • Screened Freestall Sand We understand that running out of product has a negative impact on your margins. We have developed a network of storage facilities to draw from in case of a supplier shortage or breakdown, with a large trucking base to ensure timely delivery. www.SevenOaksTeam.com Call Us to Discuss Your Project Now! Chad Van Asten www.SevenOaksTeam.com920-450-2844 LITTLE ROCK, 320-584-5147MN PIERZ, 320-468-2168MN LASTRUP, 320-468-2543MN BUCKMAN, 320-468-6433MN FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK! Save up to $5 Per Bag! on Amplifier Max Milk Replacer Competitive Pricing on Grain Hauling & Bulk Feed starting at Ag bags, twine, net wrap, bunker covers and forage inoculant IN STOCK! 8, 9 & 10 ft AG BAGGER RENTALS ATTACHMENTS GRAVELY JSV 3400 & 6400 at $19,999
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“It was very exciting, and it got us
What is a recent change you made on your farm and the reason for it? I put in an animal path across the waterway last month to keep the cows from tearing up the soil. Taking care of the environment is important to me, and this prevents soil erosion issues. The pathway is 280 feet long and starts at the heifer shed and goes all the way out to the pasture. All of my animals are pastured, from heifers to milk cows to dry cows. I have three groups on pasture. In 1993, I won the Outstanding Young Farmer for switching to rotational grazing on 19 paddocks.
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keep doing genomic testing. We breed our lower-end animals to beef, so it is helpful to have the data. I would like to have animal monitoring collars so that is something I might consider in the future.
What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? Stability in the market. The prices of inputs are shooting up high. We have our daily expenses that we can control, but we have no control over things like feed inputs. I certainly would not want to contract corn at the current price. The times are too unstable, and it concerns me.
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 33
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR Kenny (from le ), Greg and Phil Stewart, milk 88 cows near Brodhead, Wisconsin.
Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. My love for animals and my love of ensuring animal comfort. I despise not seeing comfortable animals. It drives me nuts if I see a calf shivering because it doesn’t have enough bedding. I go out of my way to ensure cow comfort, which makes my animals more successful.
How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? Visit with family. I like to know what’s going on in everyone’s lives, spend time at my sister’s new house, play volleyball and go dancing. Basically, I like doing anything physical.
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How did you get into farming? I grew up here. My dad and grandpa both farmed this operation, making me the third generation in my family to farm at this location. I graduated from high school in 1981. Then, in 1982, I became partners with my mom and dad. Today, I own the farm 50/50 with my mom, Elaine. My brothers, Phil and Kenny, help me quite a bit, and my brother, Jim, also helps when he can.
Greg Stewart Brodhead, Wisconsin Green County 88 cows
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How do you retain a good working relationship with your employees? I listen to them and try not to criticize. I always give employees two job choices when something needs to get done and tell them to choose one of the jobs, and then I do the other. For example, do you want to change the silo door or haul manure? I work with my employees and family members, not against them. Every time I hand an employee their paycheck, I ask them, ‘What can I do here to make life better for you?’ I also highlight something they’ve done well recently; I pay them a compliment. Your attitude, approach and response to your employees should be complementary not detrimental.
What strategies do you use to withstand the volatile milk prices? I try to control my expenses. For example, I will cut back on feed expenses when milk prices aren’t good. I may cut soybean meal and minerals by 5%-10% when the milk price is marginal. I’ll also feed two rations to the milk cows, feeding the lower-end cows a lower mix of feed. I then top dress the higher milking cows that are making a higher return. I cheat on the ration, which means I might lose a little on milk, but I save on my feed bill. I’ll also start selling cull cows off when money is tight. Fixing my own machinery saves costs too. I put in more work when prices are bad to help cut costs.
What are three things on the farm that you cannot live without? Support from family and hired help. I couldn’t run this farm by myself, and their reliability means so much. Also, my skid loader saves time and energy. And, Facebook helps me keep up with what’s going on with other farms in the area and potential opportunities. For example, I can nd auctions to go to or equipment for sale, or I can even sell my own machinery.
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What is the best decision you have made on your farm? In working toward improving animal comfort, we have made improvements to housing that have been benecial. Cows were originally housed in a stanchion barn, and they kept banging up their legs. I took out the stanchions and put in a rail to create a poor boy’s tiestall barn. From there, I put free stalls in the dairy barn before nally building a freestall barn. The new building was excellent, giving the cows lots of fresh air through the use of curtain sidewalls. It improved cow comfort even more as the airow made a big difference. In 2012, we started bedding stalls with washed agricultural lime, which is softer than sand and has been great for the cows. I’ve also greatly improved the quality of feed by paying attention to trace elements in the soil like boron, magnesium, zinc and sulfur. I take regular soil samples.
What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? My comfort zone is milking cows. Watching them chew their cud while content and relaxed in the stall – that’s my euphoria. I also like driving open platform tractors in the eld. I don’t like being in a cab. You’re blinded in a cab tractor. Being with God is what it feels like when I’m riding on a tractor open to the sky.
What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Focus on animal comfort. Don’t rush, get mad at, yell at or hit your cows. They do much better in a calm environment. If you have a parlor made for eight cows, and only four get in there, then milk four. Work with your cows.
What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? I plan to keep milking the same number of cows and don’t have any plans to expand. I like the genomic side of things and will
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022
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children not in school? One major reason is violence in the world’s ongoing conict areas, including Syria, Yemen, Sudan and Nigeria. Half of all out-of-school children live in conict-affected countries.
leave school early or never enter school in the rst place.
Tina Hinchley, her husband, Duane, and their daughter, Anna, milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2,300 acres of crops near Cambridge, Wisconsin. The Hinchleys have been hosting farm tours for over 25 years.
This is also when I get my reminder to continue to support my six students in Liberia through the Girl Power Africa organization. I have been donating money for several years so these children can go to school, eat a lunch, and have shoes, a uniform and a slate to write on. They also receive medicine for deworming. These are children who live in extreme poverty, and many have lost one or both parents due to war, lack of healthcare or death because of living conditions.
Congratulations WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU ! Rachel Rynda69th Princess Kay of the Milky www.bongards.comWay 416 Mathews St. Mankato, MN 56001 | 800-795-1277 | 507-387-7971 Congratulations ws St MaMnkato MN 56 Rachel! Congratulations RachelCongratulations RachelA N D A L L P R I N C E S S K A Y C O N T E S T A N T S !A N Y T Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 35 The last week of August is usually the start of school in our area of Wisconsin. Many kids attend just three days before the Labor Day weekend. These few days are a good practice for the kids to get prepared for the early mornings to get dressed and eat before heading out to the bus, walking or getting dropped off at school.
In the worst cases, poverty requires children to work, and this means they
I sent my sponsorship check a few weeks back and have been watching the Girl Power Africa website to see how many students are waiting for sponsors. Messaging directly to the organizer, she said they are making exceptions to take donations that come in the next few days. They have 139 children waiting to see if they will be able to go to school this year.
I know how important a good education is, and without it, we lose children’s ability to become people who could change the world. I was curious about how many children in the world are not able to go to school; searching the internet, I came across this information.
The other large barrier, often closely intertwined with conict, is poverty. In low-income countries, public nances for education are very low. An example would be that the annual spending in a high-income country like Austria is more than 200 times higher per student than in a low-income country like the Democratic Republic of Congo.
To make progress on education, we need to continue the developments that reduce conict and poverty. One policy with a well-established track record is to provide free meals in school. School meals achieve two goals at the same time: They are offering children a better diet, and they provide an incentive for parents to send their children to school. Research studies have shown that the school meals increase school attendance and have a long-lasting impact over the child’s Widespreadlifetime.access to even the most basic education is a recent achievement. As is so often the case with global problems, the state of the world today is terrible yet also much better than it was in the past. Twenty years ago, 16% of children were not in school.
By Tina Hinchley Farmer & Columnist
Just two decades ago, one person in 10 could read or write globally. Today, it has increased to 9 of 10. That is a great accomplishment. Of the world’s 787 million children of primary school age, 8% do not go to school. That is 58.4 million
Whychildren.aresomany
Back to school
People expect you to respond Say, “I’m ne, I’m grand.”
Too many times We pass each other by In a rush, we say, “Oh, how are you?” “Well, hello there,” we quickly reply
By Jacqui Davison
Sometimes it is the shock An unexpected human showing kindness That you suddenly turn into A blubbering, tear-dropping mess
Editorial disclaimer: The views expressed by our columnists are the opinions and thoughts of theauthor and do not reect the opinions and views of Dairy Star staff and ownership.
To be heard
Those that hear your words You can see the care in their eyes Could be an acquaintance you barely know Yet, with caring there is no disguise
Slow down to listen Slow down to be heard Pay attention to others’ eyes They often say more than their words
All of us could afford To slow down and listen more Learn about those around us It should not be a chore
This may be the person That catches you vulnerable, real And for some reason your heart opens More honest words come out, you reveal
The thing of it is Our feet don’t stop moving We just keep go, go, going This, we need to work on improving
RamblingsColumnistfromthe
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Throw a wrench in their expectation Reply honestly: “I’m hanging by a strand.”
This heartfelt exchange Leaves you both feeling lighter A case of right place, right time The world just became brighter
Some will slow their stride Others smile and continue with their day Choosing to think you joke It’s easier for them that way
This may give them pause They were not quite prepared For an answer that begs conversation You spoke truth, you dared
Ridge E-EDITION Read the Dairy Stariry Star FREEonlineonline at www.dairystar.com
Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and run 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira (14), Dane (12), Henry (7) and Cora (4), help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm.
VeterinaryColumnistWisdom
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022 • Page 37
The most common question I answered was, “When is she going to have her baby?” To which I answered, “I really don’t know.” Sometimes I said, “Today, or so I am told.” Or, “Well, she was examined this morning and found to be partially dilated, so we think today or tonight.”
“Dairy farmers take the calves away from their mothers at birth, right?”
When I climbed out of the pen, I was immediately asked, “What is the spray for?” Being a cow person, I was surprised by this question, because everyone would, of course, know that it was y spray. But, then I remembered these people are not cow people. I answered that same question several times in the next few minutes. Sometimes education needs to be basic.
Volunteers at the MOBC are there to take care of animals and to educate the public about animal agriculture. In the pre-shift brieng this year, I learned that the cow that was induced for labor today calved early, right around midnight; all of the sows had farrowed; a goat had kidded yesterday and an ewe a couple of hours ago. I also was told the cow in the calving pen was examined in the morning, and based of that exam, she was predicted to calve today. We will see, I thought, because even with tools like pharmaceutical induction of labor, birth comes when birth comes, and it is a miracle anyone is actually around to see it. I put on a clean volunteer shirt and headed out into the throng of fairgoers.Ifyou have never been to the Minnesota State Fair MOBC, you just need to know one fact: It is the most popular exhibit at the fair. The Minnesota State Fair is one of the largest communal events in the United States so there are almost always a lot of people in the building. I did the math one year and calculated that one person enters the building, on average, every eight seconds, for the entire duration of the fair. This is actually great, because it means there is always someone to talk to about all these critters that we rely on for our livelihoods and our existence. As I squeezed through the masses toward the bovine end of the barn, I was sure I could do a
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I was ready for two questions because they come up every year.
“Why do those pigs have to be kept in those awful crates?”
Sometimes someone will directly challenge me about these topics. I have even been told that the whole idea of a birth center was too stressful for the animals and was a form of animal abuse. The best approach to these sorts of difcult questions or challenges is to listen, ask questions, engage but not argue in an attempt to change minds.
I arrived for my 1 p.m. shift at the Minnesota State Fair Miracle of Birth Center at 12:30 p.m. this year on a beautiful, sunny, late summer day. I have been volunteering there for a long time. I do this because it is a great cause, and even though I have seen what seems like a million calvings in my time, birth is still a miracle to me.
The miracle of birth
lot of educating today.
By Jim Bennett
The black cow in the calving pen was small for a Holstein, but the black coloration on parts of her udder made me think there were some other genes in her too. Like all the cows the MOBC gets from this farm, she was a nice-looking cow. She did not appear to be in labor, but it really is hard to know when a cow is actually in labor. She did, however, appear to be bothered by ies. She was kicking straw on her belly and was swatting her ears to stave off some hungry stable ies. So, I immediately turned around, went back to the volunteer room and asked for some y spray to give the poor beast some relief. A nice young FFA student showed up shortly and proceeded to attempt to spray the cow. Unfortunately, the cow was having none of it and ran around the pen to keep from getting sprayed. The student did her best, but I think most of the spray went into the air.
Bennett is one of four dairy veterinarians at Northern Valley Dairy Production Medicine Center in Plainview, Minnesota. He also consults on dairy farms in other states. He and his wife, Pam, have four children. Jim can be reached at bennettnvac@ gmail.com with comments or questions.
Even though we might want to educate, one cannot educate without connecting rst. In fact, the most important thing the MOBC does is just that: connecting producers with consumers. That connection might come during a birth of a calf, but it could just as easily come when spraying a cow with y spray or petting a baby pig. However it comes, the connection is what is important. Plus, establishing that connection becomes more important every year since fewer and fewer consumers have any connection with animal agriculture.
Sometimes I would give a longer explanation about how cows here were induced into labor, but that the cow that was induced for today gave birth last night. This cow seemed to be starting on her own, and that normally we do not induce cows on dairy farms routinely; no, induction in dairy cows does not work like oxytocin does in humans. In fact, oxytocin does not work for induction at all, and that some species like sheep and goats are even harder to induce, and so forth.
Here is a big thank you to CHS, FFA, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association, all of the great volunteers for all the work they do to operate this great exhibit every year and to the farmers who graciously lend their animals every year. And, I was right. I really did not know when the black cow would calve. After my shift, I walked around the fair a bit, but I checked on her before exiting to the parking lot. Still no calf. Miracles happen when miracles happen.
I was also ready when asked, “Is it stressful for the animals to be here around all these people?”
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Tim Zweber farms with his wife, Emily, their three children and his parents, Jon and Lisa, by Elko, Minnesota.
she could. She even hatched an egg in our incubator and expanded her ock. As soon as she had her chick, one of her hens mysteriously died. She learned one of the hard lessons of owning livestock. They sometimes die no matter how pampered and looked after they are. She has all sorts of plans for next year to expand her ock to include even more interesting breeds of chickens. Who knows, maybe someday she’ll take over management of our poultry enterprise.
Fair season ended for our family a couple days ago when Emily took the kids back up to the state fair one last time for their non-livestock project judging. It’s been a lot of fun seeing them take the projects they worked hard on all year and show them off. The last month has been a lot of trips back and forth to the county fair and then to the state fair with kids, animals and projects. As fun as it has been to see our kids learn and grow through doing, it will be nice to settle into the school year and something of a routine, or at least as much of a routine as we ever have around our farm.
Our daughter, Hannah, bought her rst animals this spring. A ock of bantam Rhode Island Red hens with a rooster she named Tommy. She has spent a lot of time caring for those silly little chickens all summer, and they did well at the fair. Unfortunately, she wasn’t old enough to take them to the state fair like she wished
We don’t chop corn anymore since we converted our herd to being grassfed, but I see some people are starting to chop. I might have to stop in at the neighbors for a smell of fresh chopped corn silage. I love that smell. It’s also fun seeing all those corn stalks disappear into the chopper and come out as tons upon tons of cow chow. Hopefully everyone has a good and bountiful harvest in the next couple months. We’re really dry here but caught a little over an inch of rain a couple of weeks ago to keep the pastures going just a bit longer. We’ll need another rain to come through, or we’ll be sliding into the winter feeding season sooner than I’d prefer. Thankfully this drought is pretty local, so there seems to be plenty of feed available to ll in what we’re not getting off our land. Might only be a three-hay-crop year for us. That hasn’t happened in quite a few years.
eld trips that don’t end at a hayeld but some historic or natural site that is. The boys have put in their fair share of learning in hayelds this year. They did almost all of the wagon unloading and management of the forage bagger this summer. That’s not an easy job, and the consequences if it’s not done right are high. I’m proud of them for doing such a great job with a task I don’t even trust some adults to do without me supervising. It freed me up to keep ahead of the chopper with the mower and get bales wrapped. I’d usually have to be running between unloading haylage and unloading and wrapping bales purchased from other farms.
From the Zweber Farm
Until next month, keep living the dream, and send those kids off to school with some great stories of what they did on the farm this summer.
Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022
By Tim Zweber Farmer & Columnist
It’s a bit early to be saying the year is winding down from the busy season of seemingly constant haying and moving cattle around the pastures, but the start of school season for the kids is the rst sign, like the rst leaves falling from the trees not too long from now. We homeschool our kids, and Emily has been busy getting needed books and planning out eld trips…the kind of
The season
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Watching the Minnesota State Fair 4-H show in person is a priority for Rolf and me. We loved seeing our kids show there through their 4-H careers.
I am wired to enjoy stories about great cows and people. As a former writer of breeder stories, I like following along with the herds that have been shown over the years, which cow families and show bulls do well, and I am especially amazed at all of the support staff needed to make showing a success.
W hi h Mi
This year, it didn’t work out to get away from our farm that day. Two fall calves from our farm were being shown, and we wanted to go and support the 4-H’ers who leased them.
PENDINGPATENT
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Recently, I purchased fences with rounded corners. These have been very sturdy and the ends cannot pop out of place. Both types of fences are very and safe for my horses.”
Another fun show item was the thank you notes from 4-H’ers receiving awards that our farm sponsors. One 4-H’er wrote, “I’ve been showing in the dairy project for 11 years and have brought the Milking Shorthorn breed up to the state fair twice. With your donation, other 4-H’ers like me get the opportunity to grow in our passions and continue to learn.”
Come Full Dairy Circle
Just like the work that happens on a dairy farm every day, there are so many tasks that have to happen for a show string to do well. Someone has to haul the cattle there, get the bedding and display in place, wash the cattle and care for their needs. The tters clip, trim and blow up toplines. People run the pitchforks and empty the manure wheelbarrows. A crew watches over the string all night long and another crew helps to run the show.Congratulations to all of the folks who put the work into the shows so people like me can enjoy being a spectator of beautiful bovines. I applaud your efforts.
Watching the shows takes me back to some fun years of my youth when I went to county and state fair shows with my own cattle, helped others with their registered Ayrshire cattle at the Minnesota State Fair and attended many shows in the Warner Coliseum, handing out ribbons and clerking shows as a summer employee of the livestock entry department.
John
My hobby during this season is cow shows. I love to be present at the shows or watch the live streams from the shows when they are available.
Show cow sheen is seen
It was exciting to see one of our heifers called back into the total net merit class and watch her be named the champion grade total net merit heifer of the show. Since we focus our breeding program on genetics based on cheese yield production, wellness and functional type traits, this award is meaningful for our farm’s goals.
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even when it most certainly is not.
- Bengfort, Bluff Country Equine Winona, MN
effortless,itTheyanimals.withthearoundglidepeopleshowcertainandontoplinesshapedexquisitelytheheifershowringtheirmakelook
Luckily, all three of our children were helping with the 4-H show in some capacity, and they either stopped by to give the girls encouragement, checked them in for their class or assisted in the Meanwhilering.in my kitchen, the livestock show live stream from the state fair was on, and I was able to watch the classes while I worked on cooking and garden produce tasks.
By Jean Annexstad Columnist
I marvel at the glistening, perfectly balanced udders of the cows, the shining hides and uffed up tails,
I also love to soak in the open class dairy shows at the state fair via the live stream. I get to see friends, neighbors and some of our kids’ friends who are now showing in various breed shows. I analyze the classes as they enter the ring, make my placings and cheer out loud in my kitchen when those I know place well. It is so much fun to see.
My favorite class is the 150,000-pound lifetime production class. I love seeing the grand older cows with gorgeous frames and udders, who have achieved this level of production and are still shining their hearts out in the show ring.
cattle to the fair for several days, like the early mornings and the late nights of helping.Watching the Minnesota State Fair 4-H show in person is a priority for Rolf and me. We loved seeing our kids show there through their 4-H careers. In the past few years, we have attended to watch the leased heifers being shown from our farm. We enjoy a day away, seeing friends in the cattle barn, sipping a Gopher Dairy Club shake and visiting with many people who are helping with the show or are there to watch.
“I theypurchasedhavefencesfromTJ’stwice.Myoriginalfenceswerepurchased20yearsagoandhaveheldupwell.Ienjoynothavingtopaintthem.
Through the years, I get nostalgic for those days when I remember probably the most fun parts, and perhaps not all of the hard work and effort that goes into bringing show
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 10, 2022
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