September 24, 2022 Dairy Star - 2nd section

A constructive change

Middendorfs build parlor for the future

By Grace Jeurissen grace.j@star-pub.com

LONG PRAIRIE, Minn. – Allan and Ann Middendorf have accomplished many things in their years of dairy farming. They have raised four children, withstood volatile milk prices and switched to organic farming.

Allan and Ann milk 82 cows and farm 1,000 acres in partnership with Allan’s brother, Donny Middendorf.

A big change on the Middendorf farm came in March when Allan and Ann broke ground on their 70-stall stanchion barn to make way for the future of their farm.

The construction of a swing-10 parlor was done by the Middendorfs with the help of family and friends.

“I watched Larry Tranel, with Iowa State University, YouTube videos for years leading up to construction,” Allan said. “There were really good videos on low-cost parlors, which is where I got most of my ideas from. I kept thinking, ‘I could do that.’”

The Middendorfs also visited a farmer who had a parlor similar to what they planned to build.

The Middendorfs did not want to nance a new building to house a parlor, so they did the majority of the construction themselves to retrot the parlor into their existing barn.

Ann and Allan Middendorf stand in their swing-10 parlor Sept. 13 on their organic dairy near Long Prairie, Minnesota. The Middendorfs have been milking cows together for 30 years and earlier this year started milking in their parlor.

“We knew times were changing and eventually the creamery wouldn’t take our milk if we had a stanchion barn, so something had to give,” Allan said.

Ann agreed.

“Our milkers were getting old, and milking was taking too long,” she said. “We were switching half of the barn.”

Once the idea was in place then came the labor.

“We started digging up the east end of the barn in March and digging the hole for the pit,” Allan said. “I think we MARK KLAPHAKE /DAIRY STAR

maybe dug 6 inches too deep, but for doing it ourselves, I think it turned out really well.”

Because they had to take stabilizing posts out of the barn to make room for the parlor, they put an I-beam along the ceiling to support the structure of the barn. The return lane for the parlor replaced the south manger, and the alley down the middle of the barn is the crowd room.

After the cement was poured, the frame of the parlor was welded by the Middendorfs. Allan said there were times throughout the process that the family conded in professionals for guidance but were determined to nish the job themselves.

“I guess we’ll nd out how good of a welder I am,” Allan said.

By May, the Middendorfs were milking cows in the parlor.

“We milked our herd in those remaining 28 stalls for the two months of construction, which is probably why it took us so long to complete,” Allan said.

The Middendorfs would like to install a palpation rail in the remaining stalls, but for now, they are working on nishing the parlor.

Allan said they will put stairs in the parlor and a butt pan to keep the parlor cleaner. They would like to get a quick release gate in the entrance and exit of the parlor and a crowd gate to help bring cows in.

“You didn’t want to be the

person in the parlor the rst four days; the cows made a mess everywhere,” Ann said.

Allan agreed.

“I’m lucky I was pushing cows into the parlor,” he said.

They both agreed that teaching fresh heifers is not as difcult with the parlor. Their older cows also transitioned into the parlor within the rst week or so.

Now, after adjusting to the parlor, the couple would not think of going back to milking the way they had for so many years.

“I’m not one that likes

change,” Ann said. “But, I adjusted to this very quickly.”

Allan and Ann have been milking together for 30 years and stressed the changes they have seen in their health after switching from stanchions to milking in a parlor.

“I get done milking, and I’m not exhausted,” Ann said.

Allan agreed.

“My knees and back don’t ache like they used to,” he said. “I also like that we can have more cows and not have to switch them in and out of the barn.”

While their health is im-

proved, their milking time has been cut in half. Allan said milking in the stanchion barn took three hours, which meant later nights and a shorter timeframe between milking to accomplish tasks like eldwork. By putting in a parlor, they cut their milking time down to one hour and 20 minutes.

“We are getting extra time

during the day to do things, and the cows aren’t waiting to be milked for three hours,” Allan said. “This has been life changing.”

The Middendorfs are excited about the opportunities their parlor has opened for them and look forward to what it will do for the future of their farm.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The Middendorfs began construc on of their swing-10 parlor in March. The parlor was nished in May. They built the parlor with the help of family and friends.

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

The Middendorfs milk 82 cows in a swing-10 parlor near Long Prairie, Minnesota. The parlor cut their milking me from three hours to one and a half.

Organic is right for them

D O YO U R COWSDO YOUR N E E D A B O O ST ?NEED BOOST?

Salbers left conventional farming methods behind 20 years ago

By Grace Jeurissen grace.j@star-pub.com

BROWERVILLE, Minn. – The Salber family has operated an organic dairy farm for more than 20 years. Converting from conventional farming to organic was an easy decision for the family.

“I never really liked treating cows or using chemicals to begin with,” Mike Salber said. “We already ran cows on pasture which we saw great benets from.”

Mike, his wife, Keri, and their daughter, Anna, milk 79 crossbred cows and farm 600 acres on their farm near Browerville. The Salbers use 60 acres for rotational pasture, and they plant alfalfa, corn, soybean, oat and a variety of cover crops.

In 2000, Mike and Keri found themselves milking more than 70 cows in a 35-stall stanchion barn. The setup was not working for them.

“We were switching half of the barn out which made milking difcult with two people,” Mike said. “With the kids growing up and moving out, we needed something to make milking more efcient.”

In 2003, the Salbers installed a swing-8 parlor and became certied organic. They ship their milk to Organic Valley.

“The parlor makes it faster to milk our herd and doesn’t beat up our bodies as much as the stanchions did,” Mike said.

The milking herd is comprised of crossbred

cows. Mike said the crossbred cattle last longer and perform better. The crossbreds do not produce as much milk compared to a Holstein but are more efcient grazers, Mike said. The herd averages a 4.5% fat and 3.5% protein.

“For us, the Holsteins just don’t perform in a pasture-grazing environment as much as our current herd does; not to mention, once the cows are sent to market, they yield better due to the dual-purpose breeds we use,” Mike said.

Anna is the primary caretaker of the youngstock. Calves are fed with bottles until about 2 weeks of age when they are placed in group pens and fed milk with buckets. Following weaning at 3 months, calves are placed on pasture. The Salbers are in the process of nishing a monoslope barn to house youngstock.

The Salbers do not calve any cows between December and February.

“I denitely appreciate not having little ones to feed during the freezing cold months,” Anna said.

Anna returned to the farm in 2016 after graduating from Ridgewater College in Willmar.

“I always really loved working with the cows,” Anna said. “That’s why I wanted come back and be part of the farm.”

To accommodate Anna’s return to the farm, in 2018, the Salbers purchased a nearby farm. After a three-year process, that farm also became certied organic and is where Anna lives today.

“I really notice the difference when cultivating the eld; the rst few years, there wasn’t much for life in the soil to hold it together,” Anna said. “Now, you can really see the texture changing, and it has more organic matter.”

Keri agreed.

“That has been the biggest difference since be-

Turn to SALBERS | Page 7

GRACE JEURISSEN/DAIRY STAR

Mike (from le ), Anna and Keri Salber operate an organic dairy farm near Browerville, Minnesota. They milk 79 cows and have been cer ed organic since 2003.

ing organic, was watching how the row crop elds’ soil health improved after eliminating the use of the chemicals,” she said.

The Salbers use an irrigation system for their pasture. Mike said throughout the summer of 2021, the irrigation was running almost full time in an attempt to keep up with dry conditions.

Mike said he enjoys being good stewards of the land.

“Pretty much everything has something growing on it at all times,” Mike said. “We’ve used rye as a cover crop and forage before, which helped with weed control.”

Anna agreed.

“You can really tell the difference in soil health too,” she said.

From eldwork to cow comfort, the Salbers have found innovative ways to manage the land and their cows.

The Salbers use a amer to control weed pressure in their elds. Mike said wild radish is especially prolic.

The Salbers also use a Cow Vac to control ies. The vacuum is positioned between the parlor and feed bunks. After the cows exit the pasture and enter the parlor, they walk through the system, which traps ies.

“Every challenge can be combatted somehow,” Mike said. “We just have to test what works.”

Looking back, Mike and Keri agreed the transition to organic was easier than they expected.

“I think this works for us because we believe what we are doing is a good thing,” Mike said. “If I were to advise anyone thinking about switching, I would tell them to make the decision and run with it.”

GRACE JEURISSEN/DAIRY STAR

Mike, Anna and Keri Salber walk pastures Aug. 26 on their farm near Browerville, Minnesota. They rota�onally graze their 79-cow herd.

GRACE JEURISSEN/DAIRY STAR

The Cow-Vac at the Salbers’ farm helps with y control. The vacuum pulls ies off ca�le as they walk through the system.

The “Mielke” Market Weekly

Dairy product demand remains strong

Milk production forecasts for 2022 and 2023 were lowered from last month in the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report.

Milk cow numbers were reduced, reecting the July numbers in the recent milk production report. Slower growth in cow numbers is expected through late 2022 and into 2023, says U.S. Department of Agriculture. Output-per-cow was forecast to increase at a slightly more rapid pace in 2022, but the forecast for 2023 was unchanged.

2022 production and marketings were estimated at 226.5 and 225.4 billion pounds, respectively, down 300 million pounds on both from last month’s estimates. If realized, 2022 production and marketings would only be up 200 million pounds or just 0.1% from 2021.

2023 production and marketings were estimated at 228.8 and 227.7 billion pounds, respectively, down 400 million pounds on both from a month ago. If realized, 2023 production and marketings would be up 2.3 billion pounds, or 1%, from 2022.

Forecasts for 2022 butter prices and nonfat dry milk were raised slightly on current price strength, but cheese and whey was unchanged. Butter was projected to average $2.85 per pound in 2022, up 6.50 cents from a month ago and compares to $1.7325 in 2021. The 2023 average was estimated at $2.3850, up a penny from last month’s estimate.

Cheese was still projected to average $2.0750 per pound in 2022, up from $1.6755 in 2021, and the 2023 average was estimated at $1.97, down 50 cents from last month’s estimate.

Nonfat dry milk will average $1.69 in 2022, up 2.50 cents from last month’s estimate and compares to $1.2693 in 2021. The 2023 average was put at $1.5050, up 5.50 cents from a month ago.

The dry whey average was left at 61 cents per pound, up from 57.44 cents in 2021, and the 2023 average is expected to drop to 48.50 cents per pound, unchanged from what was expected a month ago.

Class III and Class IV milk prices were raised. The 2022 Class III should average $21.65 per hundredweight, up a nickel from last month’s estimate and compares to $17.08 in 2021. The 2023 average was left at $19.70.

The 2022 Class IV will average $24.45, up 50 cents from a month ago and compares to $16.09 in 2021. The 2023 average was raised 50 cents to $20.85.

The WASDE news in feed grains wasn’t encouraging. The corn outlook is for lower supplies, smaller feed and residual use, reduced exports and corn used for ethanol, and tighter ending stocks. Projected beginning stocks were 5 million bushels lower based on essentially offsetting export and corn used for ethanol.

Corn production was forecast at 13.9 billion

bushels, down 415 million, or 3%, from last month’s estimate, and down 8% from 2021, based on reductions to harvested area and yield. The national yield is forecast at 172.5 bushels per acre, down 2.9 bushels from a month ago and down 4.5 bushels from last year. Total planted area, at 88.6 million acres, is down 1% from the previous estimate and down 5% from the previous year. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 80.8 million acres, down 1% from the previous forecast and down 5% from a year ago.

Exports were cut 100 million bushels to 2.3 billion, while corn used for ethanol was lowered 50 million to 5.3 billion. With supply falling more than use, ending stocks are down 169 million bushels to 1.2 billion. The season-average corn price was raised 10 cents to $6.75 per bushel.The soybean story is for higher beginning stocks and lower production, crush, exports and ending stocks. Higher beginning stocks reect a lower export forecast for 2021-22, says the WASDE.

Soybean production was projected at 4.38 billion bushels, down 152 million, or 3%, from a month ago, with lower harvested area and yield. Yields are expected to average 50.5 bushels per acre, down 1.4 bushels from the previous forecast and down 0.9 bushel from 2021. Total planted area, at 87.5 million acres, is down 1% from the previous estimate but up less than 1% from the previous year. Area harvested was forecast at 86.6 million acres, down 1% from the previous forecast, but up less than 1% from 2021.

The season-average soybean price was forecast at $14.35 per bushel, unchanged from last month. Soybean meal and oil prices were also unchanged at $390 per short ton and 69.0 cents per pound, respectively, says the USDA.

The latest crop progress report shows 77% of U.S. corn dented, as of the week ending Sept. 11, 8% behind a year ago and 2% behind the ve-year average. 25% is rated mature, 10% behind a year ago and 5% behind the average. Harvest is at 5%. Condition wise, 53% is rated good to excellent, 5% behind a year ago.

The report also shows 97% of the soybeans setting pods, with 22% dropping leaves, 13% behind a year ago and 6% behind the ve-year average. 56% of the beans are rated good to excellent, 1% behind a year ago.

The Global Dairy Trades fourth pulse auction was held Sept. 13 with 2.1 million pounds of Fonterra whole milk powder sold out of 2.2 million offered. The price averaged $3,565 per metric ton, up $25 from last week’s main GDT and up $150 from Aug. 30. There were 35 participating bidders with nine winning.

Back home, mid-September dairy prices strengthened as the nation was relieved to hear that a national rail strike was averted sparing additional woes to an ination-troubled economy. Even as the industry

awaited Monday’s August milk production report, most attention this week was on butter which soared 7 cents Tuesday to an all-time high $3.24 per pound, with one sale hitting $3.25.

It was short-lived and fell the next day, but bested the previous record by 10.50 cents. It ultimately fell to a Friday close at $3.1325, down 3.75 cents on the week but $1.3425 above a year ago. There was a total of 14 cars sold on the week.

Dairy Market News reports cream availability for butter production has yo-yoed quite a bit the past month, but this week it is tighter. Very few spot loads were offered at prices enticing enough for butter makers to act on.

Butter inventories are tight. and there is growing concern about end-of-year stocks, as retailers prepare for holiday ordering. Butter production is trending toward micro-xing, exclusively, according to DMN, and all of these factors pushed the price to record highs.

Demand for cream is strong in the West, and cream volumes are tight amid high temperatures and declining milk output. Butter production was steady to lower this week, somewhat limited by the cream supply. Demand for butter is unchanged in food service markets and strengthening in retail as grocers prepare for the baking season. Demand for bulk butter is strong, but inventories are tight. Some traders expect high prices to persist in the coming months, warns DMN.

Cheddar block cheese topped $2 per pound Wednesday, rst time since mid-July, and closed the third Friday of the month at $2.06, up 14.25 cents on the week, after gaining 15.25 cents the previous week and 26.75 cents above a year ago.

The barrels nished at $2.09, 15.75 cents higher, 58 cents above a year ago and 3 cents above the blocks. Sales totaled three cars of block and nine of barrel.

A growing number of cheesemakers tell DMN that inventories are tightening in the Midwest. Barrel producers say retailers are starting to plan end-of-year holiday orders and are concerned regarding their production capacity and whether it will meet those needs. Adding to the concern is milk availability. Cheese manufacturers say milk is down by a noticeable amount the past few weeks. Spot milk discounts were not reported the previous week, and mid-week prices this week were at Class or slightly over. CME cheese prices are mirroring the current supply/demand tones, says DMN.

Demand for cheese is strengthening in both retail and food service markets in the West. Sales of mozzarella are increasing to pizza makers. Export demand is

also trending higher, as U.S. prices are below cheese produced in other countries. Inventories of barrels and blocks are tightening. Cheesemakers are running steady schedules, despite seasonally declining milk output. Labor shortages and continued delayed deliveries of supplies continues limit output in some plants.

Grade A nonfat dry milk climbed to $1.5875 per pound Monday, highest since Aug. 3, but nished Friday at $1.57, down 0.50 cents on the week but 22 cents above a year ago, with 25 sales reported on the week.

Whey got to 49.75 cents per pound Tuesday, highest since July 5, but fell to a 46-cent close, up 0.25 cent on the week but 0.75 cent below a year ago on three sales.

Prices need to strengthen more to shore up milk prices. The Sept. 9 Dairy and Food Market Analyst reports farms are calling it quits, particularly in the West where farm-level margins are translating into more sales at the auction block.

A&M Livestock lists three dairy dispersals in California in the next three weeks, says the Analyst, and we are told auction houses are booked out. Farm exits are happening faster than expected. But also, August was the rst month that many California milk producers experienced below cost of production milk prices. Break-evens in the Golden State are now about $24 per cwt, according to the Analyst, nearly $4 more than the announced August Class III milk price.

Dairy culling in the week ending Sept. 3 totaled 55,600 dairy cows, down 4,400 head from the previous week and 3,200 head, or 5.4%, below a year ago.

On a brighter note, dairy product demand was mostly positive in July, according to HighGround Dairy’s Lucas Fuess in the Sept. 19 Dairy Radio Now broadcast. Fuess said there were red ags this summer as to how consumers would react to ination and affect their dairy purchases.

The USDA’s latest data answered that question. Cheese utilization totaled 1.165 billion pounds, down 5.1% from June but 0.5% above July 2021, with yearto-date up 1.9%. Domestic utilization was up 0.4% from a year ago, and exports were up 1.6%, with YTD exports up 14.6%.

Cheese demand was above a year ago for the third consecutive month, but Fuess said the increase came from the other category, as American utilization was down for the fourth consecutive month, hurt by weak domestic demand.

Butter utilization totaled 180.6 million pounds, up 10.3% from June and 4.2% above a year ago, with domestic use up 0.8% from a year ago. Exports were up 78.7%, he said; however, YTD utilization remained below the rst seven months of 2021, hurt especially by weakness in February and March. Butter exports were close to record highs, says HGD, but represent a small share of total utilization.

Nonfat dry milk utilization, at 197.3 million pounds, was down 17.4% from a year ago, down for the second consecutive month and the sixth time this year, as exports struggle, Fuess said. Domestic usage was also down, and that’s been the trend for the past several years. It’s likely that export demand will continue to underperform last year’s impressive sum in the coming months, with weaker shipments negatively impacting utilization into third and fourth quarter.

Dry whey totaled 86 million pounds, up 13.9% from 2021, as commercial utilization posted its third

consecutive monthly gain, climbing to the highest volume of any month since October 2020, says HGD. Exports performed poorly the rst several months, but July saw the second consecutive year-over-year gain.

Demand continues to falter in uid milk. USDA’s latest data shows sales of U.S. packaged uid products totaled 3.3 billion pounds in July, down 5% from July 2021. Conventional product sales totaled 3.1 billion pounds, down 5.4% from a year ago. Organic products, at 228 million pounds, were off 0.3% and represented 6.9% of total sales for the month.

Whole milk sales totaled 1.2 billion pounds, down 1.3% from a year ago, but 0.9% higher YTD and represented 34.1% of total milk sales YTD.

Skim milk sales, at 176 million pounds, were down 12.2% from a year ago and down 8.3% YTD.

Total packaged uid sales for the seven-month period amounted to 24.9 billion pounds, down 2.6% from 2021. Conventional product sales totaled 23.3 billion pounds, down 2.7%. Organic products, at 1.7 billion, were down 2% and represented 6.7% of total milk sales for the period.

The gures represent consumption in Federal Milk Marketing Order areas, which account for approximately 92% of total uid milk sales in the U.S.

Cooperatives Working Together members accept-

ed ve offers of export assistance this week to help capture sales of 3.7 million pounds of American-type cheese and 42,000 pounds of whole milk powder. The product is going to customers in Asia, Middle EastNorth Africa, Oceania and South America through February.

Complete herd dispersal

40 tiestall cows consisting of Jerseys, Guernseys, Shorthorn and one nice blue roan cow. Cows are fed a high forage TMR ration and on pasture every day. Cows have never been pushed for production, currently averaging 50 lb of milk, 4.4F, 3.4P. AI breeding for many years, also using a Hereford bull for cleanup. Some good colored cows in this herd! Coming from Stevens point.

Complete Herd Dispersal #2 22 Jersey & 2 Holstein tiestall cows and several springing heifers. Herd is on pasture and homegrown feed, no protein fed, not pushed for production. Many years of AI breeding. Averaging 32 lbs milk, 4.74F, 3.51P. Some nice young cows with lots of upside potential! From Landis Sauder, Greenwood

Complete Dispersal #3 30 Holstein tiestall cows, all stages lactation.

ADVANCE NOTICE:

Special Dairy and Heifer Sale

Thursday, October 6th

56 cow complete dispersal

48 Holsteins, 4 Red and White Holstein x Milking Shorthorn cross, 2 Jersey x Holstein cross and 2 Swiss x Holstein cross Also several Red and Whites. AI breeding with top sires for over 60 years and a closed herd since 1980! Currently breeding with Select Sires. Approximately 25% of the herd is registered and will have several generations sire info. The Beyers absolutely believe in, and manage for, cow health, longevity, and profit! They never do hoof trimming, (don’t need it) have zero hairy warts, and might have one DA every 2 or 3 years!! Tie stall herd, let out every day, home grown feed, no TMR. 71 lb tank average, 4.0F, 3.2P, 150 scc. Fully vaccinated including bangs. A young herd with 23 first calf. 5 dry cows and 20 cows fresh the last 60 days! High quality, well made cows that should do well for you and have potential to milk a lot more if that’s what you want! Note: this entire herd sells first. Terry & Don Beyer, Elmwood WI (715) 495-0045

JWO NOTES & MARKET REPORT:

Big enough to make a difference, small enough to care!

Labor day was our largest sale yet at Thorp and sold over 1000 head in a week. Grilled 300 burgers and those were all gone too!

Overall quality and prices were lower today. Top $2,200, $2,000 Consignment, Loyal. Many cows $1,250-1,850.

Springing Holstein heifers $1,400-1700. Opens $95-115. Single birth Holstein heifer calves $10-80

Breeding bulls $850-$1,550. Market Bulls $95-118. Cow calf pairs $1,000-1,450. Bred beef cows to $1,300.

Choice and Prime Holstein steers $137-145. Beef cross steers and Heifers up to $145.

Holstein feeder steers $120-151. Beef feeders to $185NT. Holstein bull calves mostly $45-135. Beef cross bull and heifer calves $150-350 20 % of market cows sold $77-91. 50% sold $65-76.50.

Sows $76-83. Butchers $80-94.

3x3x8 Alfalfa grass mix $50-80. Rounds and squares grass $35-60.

CWT’s 2022 sales total 73.8 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 459,000 pounds of butter, 29.8 million pounds of whole milk powder and 7.1 million pounds of cream cheese. The products are going to 18 countries and are the equivalent of 965 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. WI 54446 Spencer, WI Hwy 98 west 5 From Loyal, 5 miles east on 98

Grain Markets

My wife and I were fortunate to spend time on the Harley over the Labor Day weekend. We enjoy riding pretty much anywhere, but our favorite spot is the Black Hills of SD. We typically are ready to come home after about 5 days, but after 9 days on this trip we didn’t want to leave. I think my brain was trying to avoid the challenges waiting for me back at the office with sourcing and hedging clients feed needs for the coming year.

Milk markets have firmed as warm weather is taking its toll on milk production. This has spot milk loads trading at a premium to Class III as plants are seeking additional milk to keep production schedules full. Spot loads have been trading $1 over, to $3 under Class III for most of the summer with a few brief periods of exception.

Spot butter prices continue to set new all-time highs trading over $3.13 as of this writing. Butter stocks remain near 5-year lows as fall holiday availability remains a concern. This trend is allowing Class IV futures to trade at a $3/cwt over Class III in the fall. This price spread softens to under $1/cwt in the first half of 2023.

After peaking in the $1.80’s in February through July, nonfat dry milk sold off into the $1.50’s. Buyers are becoming more active at these values as there are growing

concerns about Europe’s winter energy needs. Will butter/ powder plants have energy to dry milk powders?

Over the past several weeks, block and barrel cheddar prices have rallied 30 cents/lb to over $2. This is being driven by slowing milk production and tightening fresh cheese availability. It seems odd that at a time of record cheese stocks that prices can rally. This is because the CME Group spot session only trades cheese less than one month of age, leaving fresh cheese buyers shorted.

In conversations with clients, it appears that silage quality will come in with high starch content and good digestibility. Tonnages were down in most of the Western region covered by this publication as the corn plant was smaller. If this is a nationwide situation, look for the possibility of milk production to respond positively to new feed piles.

Macroeconomic headlines continue to raise significant questions as to how commodity demand will be impacted over the next year. Elevated commodity prices will create extreme margin trading challenges and risk in 2023.

*Futures and options trading may not be

Area Hay Auction Results

Fort Atkinson Hay

Ft. Atkinson, Iowa • 563-534-7513

Sept. 14, 40 loads

Small Squares

3rd crop $85-195/ton 3 loads

Large Squares

1st crop $145-190/ton 2 loads

2nd crop $125/ton 1 load

3rd crop $145-170/ton 4 loads

Grass $95/ton 1 load

New seeding $90-135/ton 5 loads

Rounds

1st crop $70-115/ton 3 loads

2nd crop $75-150/ton 13 loads

Grass $40-105/ton 6 loads

New seeding $45/ton 1 load

Oats hay $35/ton 1 load

Rock Valley Hay Auction Co.

Rock Valley, Iowa • 712-476-5541

Sept. 15, 128 loads

Large Squares

1st crop $220-240/ton

2nd crop $225-260/ton

3rd crop $225-275/ton

Grass $165-202.50/ton

Mixed $240/ton Straw $160-170/ton

Large Rounds

2nd crop $225-257.50/ton

3rd crop $137.50-287.50/ton

4th crop $205-210/ton

Grass $75-235/ton

Mixed $157.50-167.50/ton

Straw $145-155/ton

Corn stalks $60-85/ton

Choosing simple things in life

Mertens family hosts daughter’s wedding on goat farm

By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

THORP, Wis. – For McKenna Mertens, there is no place like home.

When wedding bells began to ring for her and her ancé Dylan Giencke, there was no question in her mind that she wanted her wedding celebrated on her family’s dairy goat farm near Thorp.

“It’s our family farm; it is home,” McKenna said. “And, I love the goats, and they love me.”

The Mertens family – Jim and Kimberly and their three children, McKenna, Paige and Reed – have called the Clark County farm home since 2005.

The young couple was

married Sept. 10 in front of one of the farm’s two ponds. Reed became an ordained minister to ofciate the ceremony for his sister and new brother-in-law, and Paige served as the maid of honor. For the occasion, the Mertenses welcomed more than 350 guests to their 40-acre farm.

Dairy goats rst came to the farm in 2014, and the Mertenses began milking goats on their farm in 2015.

“When we rst started, we both worked off the farm fulltime,” Kimberly said. “Jim is a master electrician, and I am a dental hygienist. Our kids call it our mid-life crisis, but we just love it.”

Before beginning their edgling goat herd, they spent more than a year researching to

ensure milking goats was the right t for them.

“We looked at a lot of different dairies,” Jim said. “Eventually, we came to the decision it was something we wanted to try doing.”

To start their venture, the Mertenses purchased 150 kids from three popular dairy goat farms. Those kids would be-

come the nucleus of their milking herd.

As the Mertenses were settling into their lives of working full time and milking, life threw them a curve ball that forced them to reevaluate their priorities.

On Jan. 17, 2018, the Mertenses’ home started on re while they were milking.

“We were just so thankful that nobody was in the house when the re started,” Kimberly said. “When you lose everything, you just choose a simpler path.”

The Mertenses embraced that philosophy. They both left their full-time, off-farm em-

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAILEY STENCIL PHOTOGRAPHY Paige Mertens (from le ), Dylan Giencke and McKenna Giencke, Kimberly Mertens, Jim Mertens and Reed Mertens stand together Sept. 10 a er the Giencke wedding which took place on the Mertens’ goat dairy near Thorp, Wisconsin. McKenna is Kimberly and Jim’s daughter.

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Some the Mertens’ 200 dairy goats run and play in their barn between milkings.

A day in the life of the KralsA in the life of the Krals

Family steps in to help Kral with silage Sept. 14

By Mark Klaphake mark.k@dairystar.com

HANSKA, Minn. – Corn silage harvest is a hectic time for Trevor Kral on his dairy near Hanska.

To get him through these days of long hours with unlim-

ited work is his family.

And, it was no different Sept. 14.

Kral, who owns the 85cow dairy, had the hands of his brother Kevin, grandpa Harry and dad Scott as he continued his pursuit of completing his corn chopping for the season.

“It relieves a lot of stress trying to nd people,” Kral

said. “I also know because my dad has done this his whole life and my brother, even though he’s been gone from the farm, is very competent so I don’t have to worry about mistakes. They have a lot of common sense. I would not be anywhere without my mom and dad and brothers.”

Kral’s corn chopping had started a week prior, and he had chopped 1,000 tons. Kral had 200 tons left to fulll his harvest goals. Kral was experimenting with a new corn vari-

Turn to KRALS | Page 16

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Kevin and Trevor Kral stand in one of Trevor’s cornelds Sept. 14 on his dairy near Hanska, Minnesota. Trevor milks 85 cows.

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Aaron Lilleoddon feeds youngstock silage the morning of Sept. 14 near Hanska, Minnesota. Lilleodden works part me for Kral.

ety called Enogen.

“It’s easier to digest and ferments quicker,” Kral said. “It’s been yielding well. I’ve always liked harvest season. It feels like you are a big part of the movement. You are prepping for upcoming year, so it’s exciting because of that. The main reason is if you do a good job, you will reap the benets for the next year.”

The day for Kral commenced when he got up shortly after 6 a.m. and chopped a load of silage for feeding for the day.

By 7 a.m., he was in his double-6 parallel parlor milking while part-time help Aaron Lilleoddon, who grew up just down the road, starting cleaning the barn and mixing feed.

“I’m my own boss,” Kral said. “What I put into farming is what I get out. The better the job I do it benets me. I bought the cows when I was 20 and had worked for (Dad) the previous six years.”

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR Kral preps a during to nish lling his silo and do 1/2 of a 8x200 bag.

Kral then fed calves and geared up to chop silage. Kevin, who works full time at Agropur Cheese, showed up before 11 a.m. to help. Harry also came to run the blower.

“I grew up out here,” Kevin said. “I like to come out and see what’s changed. Since it’s not all the time, it doesn’t feel like a chore. It’s usually fun.”

The goal for the day was to nish lling the 70foot silo and then start on the last 8- by 200-foot bag that needed to be lled. Kral feeds his dairy cows 44 pounds of silage a day.

“The cheapest way to get good milk is to do a good job with your forages,” Kral said.

Kral ran the chopper while Kevin hauled the loads. Before they had nished lling the silo, they sheared a pin on the blower. Kevin ran to pick up the parts, and by early afternoon, the silo was full.

They also put the bag on the bagger before they got back to lling the silo.

Kral has been milking on his own for 12 years. Shortly after nishing milking, Todd Bunger, from Elite Transport Group, came to pick up the milk. Earlier this year, Kral expanded his milk storage to include a 1,000-gallon tank and an 800-gallon tank. He expanded his herd and has had more milk production. KRALS

Immediately after lling the silo, they let the blower on low speed, and Kral and Kevin set up the silo unloader. By mid-afternoon, the silo was ready

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Kevin Kral unloads silage into the bagger while his grandpa, Harry Kral, runs the PTO on the bagger tractor. Several different genera�ons of Krals helped Trevor with chopping.

for use.

They turned their attention to nalize setting up the bagger to ll. By 4 p.m., they had chopped one load when Scott showed up to run the chopper. Kral then switched out the tractor for hauling loads because it had a better clutch.

They had unloaded 10 loads into the bagger but not without some adversity. A tire on one of the boxes blew and had to be xed.

“My brother recognized it right away so we didn’t drive on the rim,” Kral said. “We had a couple minor incidents that changed plans.”

It took Kevin about 15 minutes to change the tire. By 7 p.m., they stopped chopping for the day.

Kral’s full-time help, Jordan Guggisberg, did the milking so Kral could work on a couple other jobs around the farm before nishing around 8:30 p.m.

“Being outside is nice,” Kral said. “You are outside, and it’s farm work. I’ve known this kind of work my whole life.”

Kral has weathered a busy summer on the farm. He is close to nishing a 240-by-175 manure pit. Currently, he hauls manure several times a week.

“It is big enough to hold our manure for a year and will be a big time saver,” Kral said.

The bag was lled to completion the next day, and Kral had completed one of the biggest tasks of the year on his farm.

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Trevor Kral chops a box full of silage during the morning of Sept. 14. Kral needed six loads to top off the silo and then switched over to lling a bag.

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Kevin Kral runs the silo unloader while communicating with Trevor who was in the silo se�ng up the unloader.

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Aaron Lilleoddon sprays off the skidloader a�er morning chores.

Bringing the benets of PEMF

Pitterle introduces therapy to dairy world

By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com

WATERTOWN, Wis. –

Trying unique practices has always intrigued Sam Pitterle.

As Pitterle studies to become a veterinary technician at Madison Area Technical College, she became interested in pulse electromagnetic frequency, or PEMF, and the ways it could benet dairy cows.

“PEMF is something that has been popular for a while in the equine world, and my goal is to bring it to the forefront of therapies available for dairy cattle,” said Pitterle, of Watertown.

About a year ago, Pitterle invested in the equipment necessary to launch her business, Propulse PEMF LLC. Pitterle launched her business while attending classes at MATC and working at Smith-Crest Holsteins in Watertown.

According to Pitterle, the reasons to use PEMF as a treatment for dairy cattle are many.

“PEMF helps to increase blood ow to nerves and tissue,” Pitterle said. “It can help alleviate pain, soreness and inammation. It also can relieve

tension and knots that sometimes happen when animals are placed under stress or when traveling in trailers to shows, which can be very fatiguing for them.”

Pitterle said PEMF can also aid in improving digestion for dairy cows.

“It really gets their bowels moving and detoxies their system,” Pitterle said. “They tend to drink a lot of water after a session, and that helps really ush out those toxins.”

According to Pitterle, PEMF can be particularly helpful for fresh cows, especially those with large amounts of edema present in their udder because of the increase in blood ow. Cows that are experiencing distress, even those that are down, can be helped with a PEMF session as well, Pitterle said.

“I have worked on two cows that have been down and have been able to help get them back up on their feet,” Pitterle said. “One had toxic mastitis, and in three sessions, she had streams of milk coming again from the quarter.”

Pitterle said she believes the therapy to be as benecial to dairy cattle as it is to other species and hopes to build the awareness among dairy farm-

ers that PEMF exists as an option to aid in cow care.

Most of Pitterle’s business thus far has come through word-of-mouth.

“I am nding that mostly

dairy farmers are open-minded,” Pitterle said. “Someone they know shares their experience, and they are willing to

DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR

Sam Pi erle uses a paddle to deliver pulse electromagne c frequency therapy to a Jersey heifer during the Wisconsin State Jersey Show Aug. 23 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Turn

Shedding light on mental health

By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com

LOGANVILLE, Wis. – Randy Roecker and Brenda Statz have experienced and witnessed depression rst hand. Now, the friends are using their personal experiences to help others.

“We want to be there for farmers,” Roecker said. “You have to be there for each other to listen.”

Together, the friends, along with a therapist and members of a local church, organized a luncheon in January 2019 designed for farmers to attend and simply talk with one another. They hoped a few people would attend and were blown away when more than 40 came. They held one meeting a month for three months and people kept returning.

Since those rst meetings, the group’s efforts have grown into the creation of the Farmer Angel Network, a support group whose mission is to make resources for farmers more available and transparent.

The group now includes farmers, agriculture professionals, University of Wisconsin Extension educators and local public health resources, among others.

For Brenda Statz, after years of battling with depression, the effort could not be more personal. Statz is a former dairy farmer who lost her husband, Leon, to suicide in 2018.

Statz is trying to help others become comfortable talking about mental health so they may get the help they need.

“We’re just a group of people who are likeminded and want to make a difference,” Statz said. “We need to bring the visibility (to) resources and what they are so we can access them because I didn’t know where stuff was when we needed it.”

Roecker milks 250 cows near Loganville. When Roecker modernized his dairy operation by building a new facility in 2006, he was optimistic about his future. When the milk price dropped to $9 just months after shipping milk out of his new facility, the optimism dwindled along with his milk check. What followed was a battle with depression that lasted years and almost claimed Roecker’s life.

“I didn’t have anywhere to turn, and I was just a mess,” Roecker said. “I was to the point where I’d get in the truck and I’d drive out to the back 40 and I’d just cry because I didn’t know what to do any more. I was just spiraling out of control.”

Roecker tried to seek medical help and found himself shufed through the system without achieving any real relief. Throughout the course of two years, he tried several medications and had many hospital stays.

“I had no luck with medication at all,” Roecker said. “I nally hit my bottom when I actually visualized my own funeral. They say everybody has to hit a bottom so there’s no way to go but up. That was the bottom for me.”

Roecker ceased all medication and did his best to operate his dairy farm and move on. He realized how fragile a state he was in when Statz lost her husband to suicide. Leon’s death took Roecker right back to the dark mental place he had been trying to avoid for years.

There were similarities in Roecker’s and Leon’s struggle with depression. Leon was hospitalized four times throughout his battle with depression and even received the same type of therapy Roecker did.

It was then that Roecker realized he was not alone in his battle with depression and decided it was time to do something to shed light on the mental health struggles that were affecting his neighbors and friends. He asked Statz and other members of his church to help him take action.

Statz agreed to help.

“We witnessed all this, we went through all this, and I’m sure there are people out there who are struggling just like we did, trying to nd help,” Statz said.

In addition to providing a place to talk and con-

nect, the group also coordinates fun events for farm families to attend as a way to take a break from the farm. he group also coordinates fun events for farm families to attend as a way to take a break from the farm.

“We don’t want everything to be doom and gloom,” Statz said. “When you lose your joy in what you do, it’s really hard to get it back.”

The group has hosted ice cream socials, movie nights and, most recently, a pizza night where families gathered at a farm in Loganville and everyone brought frozen pizzas to cook. It was a chance to connect with other local farmers and get off their own farms for a change of scenery and camaraderie.

Most of all, Statz wants to stop the stigma associated with mental health struggles.

“When Leon was struggling, I always said if you broke your arm, you’d have a story to tell about how it happened,” Statz said. “But if you’re struggling mentally, nobody wants to talk about it.”

Roecker agreed.

“That’s what we’re doing now is encouraging people just to talk about it,” Roecker said. “There was just a stigma associated with mental health and depression and suicide. But, it’s something that has to be talked about to bring it out of the darkness.”

ABBY WIEDMEYER/DAIRY STAR

Randy Roecker and Brenda Statz visit Sept. 14 at the Roecker farm near Loganville, Wisconsin. The friends help run an outreach program called Farmer Angel Network in an effort to end the s�gma behind mental health.

give it a try. That has been a great validation, when someone sees it work and then shares that experience others.”

Depending on the goals of the session and what the animal is presenting with, Pitterle caters each session to each animal, using a variety of paddles and ropes to apply the PEMF. Like people, animals have different levels of sensitivity and tolerance to PEMF, so Pitterle evaluates and adjusts the intensity based on the reaction of the animal.

“Most of the time I nd them to be very relaxed while I am working on them,” Pitterle said. “They will chew their cud and doze a bit. I have had horses fall completely asleep.”

Each session lasts around 45 minutes, and Pitterle applies massage therapy in conjunction with the PEMF to help work knots and tension out of certain areas.

To become trained in PEMF, Pitterle completed an online certication course offered through MagnaWave, the Kentucky-based company that makes the PEMF machine Pitterle uses.

“I was able to complete the course online at my own pace, but I nished it in about a month,” Pitterle said. “The more I learned, the more excited I was to get started helping animals.”

While she trained and since she has started her business, Pitterle has worked closely with Dr. Janelle Remington-Schmitt, a Watertown-based chiropractor who specializes in animal chiropractic care. Pitterle plans to improve her services and has plans of taking a class that will instruct her in specialized massage techniques for animals.

While she has been growing her business, Pitterle attends many cattle shows and fairs. She said she can share more about the benets of PEMF with those who might become potential clients.

“I have been getting very busy this summer before shows and fairs,” Pitterle said. “More people are learning about what I am doing and are curious to see how it might benet their own animals.”

Pitterle hopes those experiences will lead to dairy farmers bringing her to their farms to bring those benets to cows that might be facing challenges to their health. She has been traveling throughout Wisconsin and into Minnesota and Illinois to bring PEMF therapy to farms.

“Cows are such large and complex animals; their skeletal systems are so expansive, and they carry so much weight,” Pitterle said. “Like us, sometimes they require some additional maintenance to keep everything running as it should, and I am so happy to be able to provide that extra help for them.”

Isaacson Inc.

Ross Equipment Co., Inc. Lonsdale, MN 800-645-7677 507-744-2525

Hartung Sales & Service, Inc. Freeport, MN 320-836-2697

Brynsaas Sales & Service, Inc. Decorah, IA www.brynsaas.com 563-382-4484

RT Equipment Baltic. SD 605-359-0228

Charles Krause Krause

MENOMINEE, Ill. – Sharing their passion for dairy farming through tourism events at their farm came naturally for Matt and Natalie Berning. The couple, along with their ve children, have been hosting educational, on-farm events for adults and children for the past two years.

“Everybody wants an inside look or a behind the scenes look at how things are run or how things are made,” Natalie said. “That’s what we’re giving them when they come on a tour.”

Matt said adding the tourism events came easily to the family.

“We started out doing school tours a few years ago,” Matt said. “We felt like we had a good system for that, and it kind of led to this.”

Matt and Natalie milk 400 cows near Menomonie with the help of six employees and Matt’s parents, John and Ellen Berning. Cows are housed in a freestall barn and milked three times a day in a double-10 parallel parlor.

The tourism events include a summer camp for kids between the ages of 7 and 12, farm tours for adults and kids, and nights on the farm for adults. Each event is designed toward the anticipated age group and offers information about housing, feeding, nutrition and veterinary care on the farm.

Participants are rst shown how the feed is mixed. They learn about the different ingredients that go into a total mixed ration and how Matt works with a nutritionist on a regular basis to make sure the cows are

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The Berning family – (front) Celia, (middle, from le ) Aloysius, Natalie, Ma holding Rhe , (back) Willa and Louis – host farm tours and camps at their 400-cow dairy near Menominee, Illinois.

fed a balanced diet.

Then, they visit the calf barn, where the young calves are housed individually for the rst two weeks. Then, calves are moved to group pens with two automatic calf feeders. People are allowed to feed a calf a bottle, which Natalie said lends itself to a lot of photo opportunities.

Next, they visit the freestall barn. People are always intrigued by the various ways cows are kept comfortable, Natalie said.

“We compare it to a bed and breakfast where they have food for the cows and clean water always available to them,” Natalie said. “People are so intrigued and just take it all in.”

The farm is also home to goats, pigs, chickens and sheep.

The two-day summer camps are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kids pack a lunch and spend the morning learning about how a modern dairy farm operates. As a mother of kids in the same age range of the kids attending camp, Natalie is comfortable with the logistics of the camp. She also drew on her decade-long experience as a former school teacher to make it a good experience for the participants.

“It’s been fun to blend teaching and parenting,” Natalie said. “I think what we’re doing is so relevant and it’s so important.”

Tours are led mainly by the farm’s calf manager, Taylor, while Natalie and her kids help as their schedules allow. Having a farm that is well taken care of and good employees has been key to the success of the tours so far, Natalie said.

“We are very fortunate to have wonderful help,” Natalie said. “I have heard so many times that Taylor gives a really nice tour, and you can tell she really likes her job. And, that’s amazing.”

The nights on the farm for adults were introduced by popular demand. Natalie had so many requests for the event from the parents who were sending their kids to day camp. There are two themes: cows, beer and cheese curds; and cows, wine and charcuterie.

“The nights on the farm have been the perfect blend of fun because we add in the food and the drinks,” Natalie said. “But, there’s so much information so it’s a stimulating night too for the brain and the mind.”

Matt was surprised to learn people had milking a cow on their bucket list.

“It kind of fuels the re because people come and they’re excited and interested,” Matt said. “It kind of gives the person leading the tour energy.”

Matt and Natalie said it is important to educate people about a modern dairy farm. During tours, they discuss how technology has evolved on farms and the impact dairy farming has on the local economy.

“We try to point out the economics of decisions we make on our farm,” Matt said. “But, we are not just in it for the protability.”

Natalie said she believes things have gone smoothly because they started with a scale they were comfortable with and have slowly grown to what they know they can handle.

“A farm lends itself to endless possibilities,” Natalie said. “But, it has to be something you’re passionate about. We like to entertain so it’s a lot of work, but it’s something that we naturally enjoy doing.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Natalie and Ma� Berning take a break Sept. 7 at their farm near Menominee, Illinois. The Bernings offer agritourism events on their farm.

Melrose, MN (Stearns County)

DAVE THEILER

40 cows, 340 acres

We plan to start chopping on Thursday (Sept. 22). We have a guy with a 6-row selfpropelled chopper and boxes come in to do it. It’s getting dry. A lot of guys have started chopping, some are done, some are just starting. We plan to chop 40-45 acres. The soybeans are starting to lose leaves. I saw one guy taking snaplage on their farm. We’ve been making some meadow hay bales, now we are done baling. The manure pumpers in the area are starting to go.

Waubun,MN (Mahnomen County)

TRAVIS BLY

300 cows, 430 acres

We finished second crop sorghum sedan 10 days ago. We plan to start corn silage Monday (Sept. 25) or Tuesday. We’ve been getting the equipment ready. I plan to send a sample to the lab today to see what the moisture is. A dairy near us has started. We seeded a field a field of rye after we sprayed an alfalfa field. The rye came up really fast. The soybeans are turning and neighbors are starting with edible beans. A couple farms with higher ground started taking out soybeans near Waubun.

Lake Wilson, MN (Murray County)

CHUCK HILL

250 cows, 320 acres

We started corn silage last Wednesday (Sept. 14) and finished by Friday. We hire the chopping done. The tonnage was around 24-25 tons per acre and we chopped 185 acres. We did a pile and one bag. The corn moisture was at 66-67%. We covered the pile and tied it down on Sunday. Most in the area are done with corn silage and have switched over to high moisture corn. We will do that next. We shoot for 28% on high moisture corn and right now it is 31.5%. The leaves are dropping on the soybeans.

Green Isle, MN (Sibley County)

BRENT ZIEGLER

300 cows, 650 acres

Currently chopping corn silage, hoping to finish Thursday Sept 22. Yield is noticeably down, takes 15% more fill the bag. Planted a new seeding of alfalfa 2 weeks ago and it hasn’t germinated yet, because of how little rain we’ve gotten. Next week we will plant winter wheat and this weekend we will empty manure pit. Beans are turning, but it will be at least 2 weeks before we harvest.

Altura, MN (Winona County)

ROSS NELSON

100 cows, 540 acres

It’s been warm and dry. We finished corn silage last week Friday. We also planted winter wheat and emptied our manure pit. We are getting ready to do high moisture corn next after we help the neighbors get their corn silage in. A lot of chopping going on. Tar spot has hit this area and a lot of corn is dying prematurely. Beans are turning, but need a little time before we harvest those. We fenced off some hay fields that we did not takes 4th crop from and put the cows out there to graze.

Milbank, SD (Grant County)

RICHARD SCHWEER

41 cows, 205 acres

We are waiting for the custom chopper to chop our corn silage and are hoping that he will come later this week. It’s been reported that that area corn yields range from 140 – 200 bushels per acre with 15 – 18 tons per acre of silage. The soybeans in our area are still green; nobody has harvested any beans yet. It’s been a nice fall. The cows can go out morning and night, our dry lots are in good shape, and milk prices are rebounding. We are simply thankful that we have feed.

RICK MILLER

130 cows, 269 acres

We have most of the chopping done. We’ve done six 9x200 bags and we do 10. The corn we have left to chop was planted on a rye field. The corn was running 233 to 268 bushels an acre. We hire the corn chopping done and they did it in 2 ½ days. There has been some corn combined that was down to 2123% moisture, but that was a 97day variety. My son-in-law started soybeans yesterday. The leaves are off the soybeans and other people around here are going as well. Some farmers around here are working on a little more hay.

Reedsburg, WI (Sauk County)

JAMIE HAAG

220 cows, 520 acres

First part of 4th crop is done. We got 100 more bales out of 75 acres. We found out we had Fall Panicum in the fourth crop. It added tonnage and hopefully the cows like it because there’s nothing I can do about it. Guys are chopping corn around us and said it’s running pretty good. Ears are hanging down. Some of our corn is dented and some is not. We are trying to get some liquid manure hauled to get ahead of the rush. The acres in the area that had double cropped look really good.

Larchwood, IA (Lyon County)

KEVIN KNAPP

140 cows, 160 acres

We just started chopping our corn and it’s still pretty wet at 71% moisture.

The yields are disappointing. We planted the same BMR hybrid last year and got 35 tons per acre; this year, it’s yielding about 23 tons per acre. There’s lots of variability throughout the field, with excellent corn in the lowlands and poor corn on the sandy spots. We have a neighbor who is going to start on his beans tomorrow and another one who is going to start on his high moisture corn this week. Despite everything, we still feel blessed.

Wausaukee, WI (Marinette County)

HENRY BAUER

240 Cows, 750 acres

We have had 1.7 inches of rain in the last two weeks. The beans are starting to turn color and you can see the pods. We took some of our silage corn to get tested yesterday (Sept. 20) but haven’t heard results yet. The guy estimated around 74%. We are thinking we will be into the first week of October before we start. A week ago the silage corn hadn’t started to dent, but this week was fully dented. Our grain corn is fully dented now as well.

CLAYTON & KURT cows, Almena, WI (Barron County)

RAINFALL TOTALS

Last Weeks

We have only and about a half inch of rain in the past two weeks. We got that last night (Sept. 19). Otherwise, we have only had a couple of drops here and there, nothing measurable. We have not started our corn silage yet, but some people around us that use bunkers started Monday (Sept. 19). We use bags, so we need to wait for it to dry down a bit more. The soybeans around here are starting to drop leaves. We are just waiting to start corn silage, but are thinking it looks like it will be a pretty good crop if nothing happens to it.

Brodhead, WI (Green County)

ZACH WENGER

400 cows, 1,675 acres

We’ve been chopping a lot of corn. We started our first bunker Sept. 8 and got that done the 10th. That weekend we got 6 inches of rain, so we were out of the field for a few days. We started again late in the day Sept. 14 doing more custom work. We’re planning to have our other bunker done by the 24th and then corn silage will be finished. We have 110 acres done so far and about 90 acres left. We got about 28 tons/acre, and moisture was around 68-70%. Nobody in the area is doing any beans yet – maybe next week.

RAINFALL TOTALS

NATHAN KLING

530 cows, 1,700 acres

No rain since last time. Weather has been cloudy and dry. Pastures are still looking decent. New seeding has greened up. We took a second cutting off the new seeding two weeks ago. Now we are done with hay for the year. We will start on corn silage either later this week or next week. We are going to the local mill for a test day today to find out the moisture of the corn. No one else in the area has really started corn silage yet either. A couple fields have been opened up but that’s it. It just seems like it’s later than normal this year. WI

Kewaunee, WI (Kewaunee County)

DUANE DUCAT

1,600 cows, 2,500 acres

2.13 inches rain. We started harvesting corn silage Sept. 19 and did 175 acres, but we’re almost on the verge of being too wet at 68% moisture. Corn is running about 25 tons/acre. We started planting cover crops into the corn we chopped and are also going to start planting winter wheat soon. The drill will be busy the next couple of weeks. The cover crops we planted into alfalfa in early September are looking good.

The grounding power of

Barns

By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com

WATERVILLE, Minn. – Two years ago, Kuball Dairy near Waterville became a haven for ower lovers who wanted to share in the kind of beauty that only a rural setting can provide.

That was when Shannon Kuball, who farms with her husband, Nate, decided the world needed a little uplifting.

“I have always enjoyed gardening,” Shannon Kuball. “So, I thought, ‘Why not make my gardens bigger so that other people can come in and enjoy them too?’ I realized that I could create a space of peace, joy and beauty that I could share.”

With that goal in mind, Barns & Blooms Flower Farm was born.

Kuball handles the nances for her family’s dairy farm on which they milk 240 Holsteins in a step-up parlor that was converted from a tiestall barn. They also crop over 1,100 acres of corn, soybean and alfalfa.

The Kuballs’ children – Kelsey, Emma and Keegan – help with the dairy and with the ower farm by watering plants and setting up for events. The girls help during events as well. Nate helps too.

“He has been a great supporter,” Kuball said. “When I have to burn holes in fabric, he’s out there with me after his already long days.”

Kuball also works part time off the farm. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist who has

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Shannon Kuball stands in one of seven ower gardens that make up Barns & Blooms Flower Farm, a business she started last year on Kuball Dairy near Waterville, Minnesota. Kuball’s mission is to provide guests with a relaxing place to pick owers and enjoy a rural atmosphere.

worked in private practice and moved into hospice work over ve years ago as a grief counselor. She saw suffering up close, especially when the coronavirus pandemic began.

“I saw that there was a lot of hard stuff, a lot of sadness, especially through 2020,” she said. “I began to think, ‘How can I get people connected to something that’s grounding and brings joy and peace?’”

During that time, Kubåall went on a tour of a lavender farm in Door County; she thought she might be able to create something similar on her farm. However, Kuball realized Minnesota does not have the best growing zone for lavender, so she needed to modify her plans.

Now in its second year, Kuball’s business is succeeding in its mission to bring people to the farm to enjoy picking beautiful owers in a rural setting and getting away from the stresses that life can bring.

There are seven garden plots on the farm, one by a eld and the rest by the freestall barn.

Kuball grows all her plants from seed.

“We start everything inside under grow lights in February or March, depending on when they need to be started,” Kuball said. “As soon as it warms up a little, maybe closer to the end of April, I start moving things out to a small greenhouse and continue to start other stuff inside that doesn’t need as many weeks before being planted in the ground.”

When the ground temperatures

are warm enough, she direct seeds, places bulbs or puts her starter plants into the ground.

“For all of my plots, I use a landscape fabric that I burn holes in with a torch that helps with weed pressure and controlling the gardens a little more,” Kuball said.

Kuball does some succession planting so that she has fresh plants coming for later on in the season. Once plants are in the ground, Kuball’s main work is watering and managing insect and weed pressure. She does not use any chemicals but does use a natural neem oil, which helps with certain types of fungus and insects.

Once the owers are ready, Kuball offers events that are open to the public for picking owers. Customers can also schedule appointments.

The prices for bunches of owers are based on the number of stems customers pick.

“I have jars here that have my logo on them (for purchase),” Kuball said. “Otherwise, people can bring their own vase, or they can take them wrapped in a wet cloth in a bag.”

Customer preferences vary as to their favorite owers. Kuball said snapdragon, zinnia and dahlia are popular, and she likes to try new varieties. This year, her personal favorites are the aster varieties.

“They started early and are hanging on still, and they have unique col-

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Nate and Shannon Kuball (front) and their children (back, from le ) Emma, Keegan and Kelsey Kuball run Kuball Dairy near Waterville, Minnesota. Shannon also has a you-pick ower business on the farm.

ors and textures,” Kuball said.

Besides enjoying the fun of choosing and picking owers, customers have found other ways to enjoy Kuball’s business.

“I’ve had people do graduation photos or else come with their 1-year-old or 2-year-old for photos,” Kuball said. “People are welcome to do that as long as they let me know in advance.”

Also, some customers have Kuball put arrangements together for them. Others have asked her to bring a bunch of owers to birthday gatherings or other group events so those at the party can make ower arrangements as an activity.

Kuball also noticed the joy customers gain by visiting a dairy farm. This has become part of Barns & Blooms Flower Farm in the form of farm tours, often provided by her mother-in-law, Debbie Kuball.

“Nate’s mom loves to do the tours,” Kuball said. “She’ll bring her little (side-by-side) over. Then, she’ll take people on a farm tour to see the dairy.”

Like with the ower gardens, people can relax and decompress by taking in the farm environment.

“I think the dairy industry itself – with the animals, smell of the feed and all of it – is just so

grounding,” Kuball said. “If I can nd ways to give people access to that, emotionally and mentally, it’s a benet.”

When contemplating how Barns & Blooms Flower Farm adds to the legacy of the family’s dairy, Kuball becomes emotional. She and Nate are the fth generation to farm there.

“Nate’s grandpa (Laverne Kuball) loved to garden,” Kuball said. “Then, we lost Nate’s dad (Bob) in 2016. When I was adding more and more gardens to the farm, he was one of the rst people who got to see what I was doing and took an interest in it. He was really supportive.

To carry on the beauty that they have created here, … it matters to our family, but it’s something that I think is special enough so that we want to share it.”

Kuball’s business has given back to her as well.

“It brings me the same things that it brings my customers,” Kuball said. “It brings me grounding. I love watching things grow. There’s something about putting a seed in the ground and then having a harvest. You tend to it, and you get to be part of the whole process. … There’s something rewarding in that for me.”

Your

This year, GEA ProManure welcomed a NEW addition to the 10-inch lagoon pump family, the Lagoon Agi-Pompe.

The 10-inch Lagoon Agi-Pompe features a field-proven heavy-duty propeller capable of displacing tens of thousands of gallons of manure every minute. No matter the quantity or consistency of manure you have to deal with, GEA ProManure has a five-star pump made for you!

Your Local GEA Manure Equipment Dealers:

Gorters Clay & Dairy Equipment Pipestone, MN • 507-825-3271

Field’s Mt Horeb, WI • 608-437-5561

Brynsaas Sales & Services Decorah, IA • 563-382-4484

Courtland Waste Handling Courtland, MN • 507-359-4230

Hartung Sales & Service, Inc. Freeport MN • 320-836-2697

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Customers pick owers at Barns & Blooms Flower Farm on Kuball Dairy near Waterville, Minnesota. Shannon Kuball started the business two years ago to give people a chance to relax among beau ful owers and enjoy the environment of a dairy farm.

681 Large Round 10.94 19.33 128.5 3 22.58 $140.00

692 Large Round 15.66 8.1 79.51 6.72 $50.00

699

Large Round 12.87 13.02 93.03 14 $75.00

682 Large Squares 12.25 11.26 104.63 1 24.98 $150.00

673 Large Squares 15 21.55 125.33 2 21.77 $130.00

697

Large Squares 13.93 15.44 91.79 2 9.02 $95.00

698 Large Squares 11.78 22.04 169.42 3 27.29 $175.00

671 Medium Round no test 3 11.87 $220.00

672 Medium Round no test 3 11.61 $215.00

665

Medium Square 19.68 19.68 157.35 1 25.29 $185.00

670 Medium Square 13.64 19.98 138.26 1 27.24 $160.00

675 Medium Square 13.3 20.05 156.3 1 25.03 $165.00

680 Medium Square 13.69 19.49 119.3 1 24.18 $155.00

694

Medium Square 9.68 17.13 114.73 26.13 $170.00

674 Medium Square 10.94 17.93 105.41 23.82 $140.00

685 Medium Square 13.74 26.22 166.41 27.09 $260.00

687 Medium Square 11.33 15.29 108.34 21.19 $200.00

677 Medium Square 11.54 22.77 193.81 25.07 $230.00

678 Medium Square 12.81 15.94 96.57 24 $170.00

664

Grandma’s caramel brownies

1 package German chocolate mix cup butter, melted cup evaporated milk

1 package caramels cup evaporated milk ounces milk chocolate chips

Melt caramels and 1/2 cup evaporated milk, stirring constantly. Set aside. Mix cake mix, butter, 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Press half of mixture in bottom of 9-by-13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for six minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Pour caramel over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining cake mixture evenly over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Cool. Refrigerate to set.

Brown beef. Add soup and seasoning. Layer in 9-by-13 pan, sprayed with cooking spray or butter, starting with crushed Doritos followed by meat mixture. Cover with cheese and top with more Doritos. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with lettuce and tomatoes, or other toppings. of

Press cream into bottom of a pie pan. Layer most of caramel topping some to drizzle on whipped topping. Drizzle with caramel on