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DAIRY ST R
September 25, 2021
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 23, No. 15
Pasture walk highlights choices of young farmer
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Jack Schouweiler explains his grazing system during a eld day Sept. 9 at his farm in Douglas County near Brandon, Minnesota. Shouweiler milks 70 cows.
SAMANTHA SCHOENBAUER/SDSU THE COLLEGIAN
Ashley Holst stands in the dairy barn at South Dakota State University where she is sophomore studying dairy producƟon and animal science. Holst uses cameras, online records and frequent phone calls to family to keep up with her home 140-cow dairy near Kellogg, Minnesota.
Schouweiler focuses on production, efficiency of land
Farming from ve hours away
By Jennifer Coyne
Holst continues managing home herd while at college
jenn@dairystar.com
BRANDON, Minn. – This year has been anything but normal for farmers across the Upper Midwest. For one young farmer it is all he has ever known, and adapting to the drier conditions is nothing out of the ordinary. “I’m learning, and I learn better trying,” Jack Schouweiler said. “This year has been different but I think it’s going to hold up pretty well.” Schouweiler and his mentor, Ben Wagner, hosted a farmer-led pasture walk for the Sustainable Farming Association and Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship on Sept. 9 at Schouweiler’s farm in Douglas County near Brandon. The 22-year-old farmer milks 70 cows, while he and Wagner together manage the land associated with the organic farm. During the eld day, Schouweiler and Wagner led discussions on pasture management, including intensive grazing strategies and ways to promote soil and plant health. They also talked about the opportunities that were available for the young farmer to establish his dairy herd. “I’m really proud of (Schouweiler) for taking over the operation,” Wagner said. “I started farming organically 20 years ago, and moving forward, (Schouweiler) is going to make things better here.” Schouweiler houses his herd in two groups at farm sites less than one mile from each other. Turn to SCHOUWEILER | Page 7
By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
KELLOGG, Minn. – While Ashley Holst has enjoyed her experience as a student at South Dakota State University, it has come with adjustments.
“Now that I’m in college, I get homesick,” said the 19-year-old sophomore. She misses her family, but almost equally misses the cows on her family’s 140-cow dairy near Kellogg, Minnesota. To remedy this, Holst keeps up with the farm
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Ashley Holst and her dad, Jary, check over their family’s dairy herd on their farm near Kellogg, Minnesota.
as much as she can by texting and calling with her family, watching the barn cameras from her phone, looking at records online and scheduling cow management meetings on weekends when she is home. “I felt bad I was leaving everyone and leaving my cows. I’ve always been there for them,” Holst said. “I just up and left, and didn’t like how it felt for me, so I decided it needed to change. I had to keep doing what I could do from afar.” Holst takes on the role of herdsperson for the herd, which is owned by her parents, Jary and Celene, along with her brother, Jacob. Other family members – Jacob’s wife, Brittany; her brother, Isaac, and his wife, Courtney, along with their two young children; her older sisters, Abie and Natalie; and her younger sister, Beth – all contribute to the dairy in some way. They also have a 150-pair cow-calf beef herd. “The big thing for me is I can’t milk anymore and it drives me craTurn to HOLST | Page 6
Page 2 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
DAIRY ST R www.dairystar.com
ISSN 020355 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave. Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: (320) 352-6303 Fax: (320) 352-5647 Published by Dairy Star LLC General Manager/Editor Mark Klaphake - mark.k@dairystar.com 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) 320-352-0062 (home) Ad Composition Nancy Powell 320-352-6303 nancy.p@dairystar.com Consultant Jerry Jennissen 320-346-2292 Editorial Staff Krista Kuzma - Editor/Wisconsin (507) 259-8159 • krista.k@dairystar.com Jennifer Coyne - Assistant Editor (320) 352-6303 • jenn@dairystar.com Danielle Nauman (608) 487-1101 danielle.n@dairystar.com Stacey Smart - Staff Writer (262) 442-6666 • stacey.s@dairystar.com Abby Wiedmeyer - Staff Writer 608-487-4812 • abby.w@dairystar.com Maria Bichler - Copy Editor 320-352-6303 Advertising Sales Main Ofce: 320-352-6303 Fax: 320-352-5647 Deadline is 5 p.m. of the Friday the week before publication Sales Manager - Joyce Frericks 320-352-6303 • joyce@dairystar.com Bob Leukam (Northern MN, East Central MN) 320-260-1248 (cell) bob.l@star-pub.com Mark Klaphake (Western MN) 320-352-6303 (ofce) 320-248-3196 (cell) Laura Seljan (National Advertising, SE MN) 507-250-2217 fax: 507-634-4413 laura.s@dairystar.com Jerry Nelson (SW MN, NW Iowa, South Dakota) 605-690-6260 jerry.n@dairystar.com Mike Schafer (Central, South Central MN) 320-894-7825 mike.s@dairystar.com Amanda Hoeer (Eastern Iowa) 320-250-2884 • amanda.h@dairystar.com Megan Stuessel (Western Wisconsin) 608-387-1202 • megan.s@dairystar.com Kati Kindschuh (Northeast WI and Upper MI) 920-979-5284 • kati.k@dairystar.com Deadlines The deadline for news and advertising in the Dairy Star is 5 p.m. Friday the week before publication. Subscriptions One year subscription $35.00, outside the U.S. $110.00. Send check along with mailing address to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378. Advertising Our ad takers have no authority to bind this newspaper and only publication of an advertisement shall constitute nal acceptance of the advertiser's order. Letters Letters and articles of opinion are welcomed. Letters must be signed and include address and phone number. We reserve the right to edit lengthy letters. The views and opinions expressed by Dairy Star columnists and writers are not necessarily those of the Dairy Star LLC.
The Dairy Star is published semi-monthly by Dairy Star, LLC, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sauk Centre, MN and additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Dairy Star, 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378-1246.
North America dealers. Funding glitch delays DMC payments
Dairy Prole brought to you by your There has been a delay in Dairy Margin Coverage payments for local dairy farmers. A USDA spokesperson conrmed funds had been exhausted for the program, but have since resumed. The USDA ofcial apologized for the delay and said milk and feed prices continue to be volatile, and are difcult to predict. Lucas Sjostrom, Minnesota Milk Producers Association executive director, said these are some of the biggest DMC payments dairy farmers have received. In Minnesota, 85% of dairy farmers have signed up for the DMC program. Senate committee reviews federal orders reform According to New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, federal milk marketing orders are confusing and an outdated pricing system. Gillibrand chaired a subcommittee hearing that considered the dairy market. Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman voiced concern about the steady decline in the number of dairy farms. Boozman also warned against using the budget reconciliation bill to change tax and policies. Dairy price forecast updated USDA has raised its dairy export forecast for 2021 and 2022. USDA World Agricultural Outlook Board Chairman Mark Jekanowski credits the demand for butter, skim milk powder, cheese and whey. That has inuenced the dairy price outlook. “The all-milk price forecast for 2021 was raised 20 cents per cwt. to $18.15 per cwt. and for 2022, we raised the all-milk forecast by 55 cents per cwt. to $18.40 per cwt. If realized, it leads to a slight increase year-over-year of
about 25 cents per cwt. for 2022 compared to 2021.”
Ag Insider
Port challenges Hurricane Ida and the damage at the Port of New Orleans is the latest hurdle for the shipping business. For this past year, agricultural exporters have faced problems trying to secure shipping container space on ocean vessels. Foreignowned and operated ocean carriers are opting to return empty containers to China rather than allowing By Don Wick time for them to be loaded. More Columnist than 70% of containers leaving the West Coast ports are empty. National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jim Mulhern said, “Ocean carriers are abusing a unique situation created by the pandemic and the lack of sufcient regulatory action to enforce reasonable shipping practices.” NMPF and other ag groups are working together trying to convince the Biden Administration and Congress to address these unfair trading practices. Stepped-up basis not included in budget reconciliation The House Ways and Means Committee has approved the budget reconciliation rules for the Budget Committee. This language does not include changes to stepped-up basis as had been feared by many in agriculture. House Agriculture Committee Chair David Scott released a statement, saying this decision will allow farmers and ranchers to pass on their operation from one Turn to AG INSIDER | Page 5
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 3
It’s all inside... Columnists Ag Insider
Pages 2, 8 First Section
Milbank
Fonders continue tradition of caring for the land
Lake of the Woods
Marshall
Beltrami
Mellette
Todd
Douglas Gregory
Charles Mix
n
n so
Ha
McCook Minnehaha
Hutchinson
Turner
Clay
Un
Bon Yankton Homme
Murray
Rock
Nobles
Lyon
Jackson
Osceola O’Brien
Sioux
n inso Emmet
Dick
Clay
Palo Alto
Woodbury
Ida
Monona
Sac
as
nt
ho
ca
Po
Zone 1
Zone 2
Floyd
Greene
ll
Tama
ha
Story
rs Ma
bo du
Guthrie
Polk
Jasper
nt
mo
Fre
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me tgo
Mills
Mon
Page
Union
Taylor
g ing
old
R
Clarke
Lucas
Decatur Wayne
Benton
Monroe Wapello ose Davis
A
no ppa
e war Dubuque
an
ch
Bu
Dela
Jones
Linn
Iowa
Madison Warren Marion Mahaska Keokuk
Adams
Clayton
an
Jackson Clinton
n Cedar so
hn
Jo
Wa
Adair
Dallas
Fayette
Black Hawk
Second Section: Pages 8 - 9
Houston
Bremer
Wright Franklin Butler
Boone
aw
as
ick
Ch
Grundy un Webster Hamilton Hardin
Au
Pottawattamie Cass
Klein celebrates 30 years as field representative
Mitchell Howard
Hancock Cerro Gordo
ldt
o
mb
Hu
Worth
Winona
Fillimore
Mower
lho
Ca
Crawford Carroll
Harrison Shelby
Norwood Young America
ago
neb
Win
Kossuth
Keller is next generation on family’s dairy
Wabasha
Freeborn
Faribault
Martin
e ke Buena ero Vista Ch
Plymouth
Goodhue
Goodhue
Rice
Cottonwood Watonwan Blue Earth Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted
ln
co
Lin
Nicollet Brown
e
Aurora
Moody
Redwood
Dakota
Scott
Sibley Lyon
iek
Brule
Tripp Bennett
Miner
Lyman
Lake
Carver
ake
Shannon
Sanborn
Hennepin McLeod
Renville
Yellow Medicine
sh
Jackson
Jerauld
Chippewa
ne
Buffalo
Brookings
Wright
Meeker
am
Kingsbury
Da vi so n
Custer
Anoka Kandiyohi
All
Beadle
Isanti
in
Hamlin Hand
Hughes
Haakon
Jones
Deuel
Lincoln
Clark
Pipestone
Hyde
Pennington
Sherburne
Lac Qui Parle
Codington
Spink Sully
Lawrence
Stearns
Pope
Swift
Faulk
Potter Ziebach
Stanley
Benton
Stevens
Big Stone
Day
Pine
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Douglas
Grant
Dewey
Meade
Todd Grant
Muscatine
ton
Edmunds
Crow Wing
ing
Walworth
Carlton
W
Brown
Aitkin
sh
Roberts
Marshall
McPherson
First Section: Pages 10 - 11
Cass
sh iek
Sargent
Tra ver se
Campbell
Corson
Dickey
Leonard creates cheese boards as sixthgeneration farmer
go
The “Mielke” Market Perkins Weekly
Richland McIntosh
Otter Tail
Wilkin
Emmons Sioux
Becker
Clay
Po we
Cass
Ransom
LaMoure
Logan
Grant
Adams
Butte
Bames
n
Hettinger Page 32 First Section
Stutsman
Morton
Norwood Young America
Washington
no
Mah
Itasca
Kanabec
Norman
men
ms ey
Polk
Trail
Steele
Ra
Griggs
Cook Lake
eu r
Foster
Kidder
St. Louis
Red Lake
Su
Wells
Koochiching
Pennington
Grand Forks
Eddy
McLean
Pages 10 - 11 Second Section
Fall River
Roseau
isa Ch
Harding
Kittson
Walsh
Ramsey
Burleigh
Bowman
Pembina
Oliver
JustStark Thinking Out Loud Slope
Cavalier
Towner
Nelson
Billings
Minnesota dairy cooperative reflects on 100 years First Section: Pages 8 - 9
Benson
Sheridan
Litchfield
Harvesting Quality Forages
Le
Rolette
McHenry
Ward
Page 33 FirstDunn Section Mercer
Golden Valley
First Section: Pages 18, 20
Pierce
Dairy Good Life
McKenzie
First Section: Page 36
Hubbard
Page 31 First Section Mountrail
Bottineau
First Section: Pages 1, 11
io
Williams
Second Section: Pages 6 - 7
Renville
Royalton
Women in Dairy: Christy Borth
Wadena
Something to Ruminate Burke On
Divide
Menahga
Pasture walk highlights choices of young farmer
n
Page 30 First Section
Brandon
Clearwater
Dear County Agent Guy
Louisa
on ers Henry Des eff
J
Van Buren
Scott
Kellog
Holst continues managing home herd while at college First Section: Pages 1, 11
Moines
Lee
First Section: Pages 23, 25
Rochester
FROM OUR SIDE OF THE FENCE:
For additional stories from our other zone, log on to www.dairystar.com
When did you start and how far along are you on corn silage harvest? First Section: Pages 15 - 16
A Day in the Life of the Sheehan Family Second Section: Pages 16 - 19
Page 4 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 5
ConƟnued from AG INSIDER | Page 2 generation to another and protect them Ag trade ambassador nominated from signicant tax increases. Elaine Trevino has been nominated to serve as the Biden Administration’s Immigration reform proposal reject- chief agricultural trade negotiator for ed the Ofce of the U.S. Trade RepresenThe Senate parliamentarian has tative. Trevino is now in a leadership ruled against a Democratic plan to in- role with the Almond Alliance of Caliclude its immigration reform proposal fornia. Previously, Trevino worked on into the $3.5 trillion budget reconcili- trade issues at the California Departation bill. The proposal would have ment of Agriculture. provided 8 million green cards and giving immigrants, including agricultural AFBF names new chief economist workers, a path to citizenship. As of Oct. 4, Dr. Roger Cryan will take over as the new chief economist for the China seeks membership in TPP American Farm Bureau Federation. For China has ofcially turned in its ap- the past nine years, Cryan was the diplication to join the Trans-Pacic Part- rector of the economics division for the nership. If realized, China would be the dairy program at USDA. Cryan previlargest country participating in the trade ously served in a similar role at the Nadeal. Canada, Mexico, Australia and Ja- tional Milk Producers Federation. pan are a few of the other members of the TPP. The United States was part of Former EPA ofcial moves to EWG the planning for this trade agreement, John Reeder has joined the Envibut President Trump pulled the United ronmental Working Group as its vice States out of the deal in 2017. president for federal affairs. For the past four years, Reeder taught at AmerFarm income forecast ican University’s School of Public AfThe Food and Agricultural Policy fairs. Before that, he spent more than Research Institute is projecting signi- 30 years at the Environmental Proteccant increases in farm income this year. tion Agency. Reeder is a graduate of the Strong commodity prices and govern- University of Minnesota and its Humment payments will help net farm in- phrey School of Public Affairs. come to reach the highest level since 2013. FAPRI is also forecasting a drop Trivia challenge in farm income in 2022. More than 650 companies will be part of the World Dairy Expo trade Checkoff vote show this year. That answers our last Due to the pandemic, USDA ex- trivia question. For this week’s trivia, tended the beef checkoff referendum who is the CEO of the U.S. Dairy Expetition drive until Sunday, Oct. 3. The port Council? We’ll have the answer in original deadline was in July. The na- the next edition of Dairy Star. Don Wick is owner/broadcaster for the Red tional beef checkoff rate is $1 per head sold. That money is invested in promo- River Farm Network, based in Grand Forks, tion, research and market development. North Dakota. Wick has been recognized as Dairy farmers also pay into the beef the National Farm Broadcaster of the Year and served as president of the National Associacheckoff program. tion of Farm Broadcasting. Don and his wife, Kolleen, have two adult sons, Tony and Sam, and ve grandchildren, Aiden, Piper, Adrienne, Aurora and Sterling.
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zy to not be with my cows every day,” Holst said. “But we have barn cameras in our facilities. I kind of use these cameras as an excuse to check up on the farm. But more or less it’s just a way to feel like I’m at home even though I’m ve hours away.” She rst began checking the cameras while in high school. “I would check the dry cows,” she said. “If we had a cow calving, I would text my dad.” Although Holst did chores while growing up on the farm, she took on more responsibility starting March 2020. “When COVID-19 hit, that’s when I took over everything,” Holst said. “We started calving our beef cattle so my dad got really busy. So, he just let me run freely with the milking cows and learn what was going on. That summer, I really took off and started doing a lot more by myself and asking questions instead of asking for directions.” Her duties have included daily milking, vaccinating, reproduction synchronization scheduling, choosing bulls for mating and drying off cows among other tasks. “My thing is the cows,” Holst said. “I love working in the calf barn but the cows are where I nd myself at home. I work a lot with animal health. Everything I do is about the cows’ health and keeping it going through their lactations.” On a regular basis, Holst will check over the farm’s DairyComp 305 online.
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When the nutritionist, A.I. technician or herd mating specialist has a question, they text or call Holst. “They really get it and know I want to stay up to date and help as much as possible,” she said. “I haven’t missed a sire selection or mating process yet. Our (herd mating specialist) always texts me if I’ll be home on the weekends and adjusts her schedule.” At SDSU, Holst is double majoring in dairy production and animal science,
and will apply for veterinary school after graduation. Her plan to become a large animal veterinarian came about the same time she took over herdsperson responsibilities on her family’s farm. For a school project, Holst spent a day job shadowing her family’s vet, Dr. Megan Weisenbeck. “I couldn’t get in with an ag engineer and that’s what I was dead set on doing,” she said. “So, I went to job shadow a vet, and I fell in love with the job that day. There was no turning back.” Her eyes were opened to more of a veterinarian’s typical routine than what she was used to them doing on her farm. “My farm its always surgeries or running through dehorning,” Holst said. “That day, we started with preg checks. My farm doesn’t do preg checks because we use DHIA samples.” Holst also helped Weisenbeck with calf care calls, taking blood samples and making diagnoses from those samples, among other jobs. “I never even knew that was truly part of the vet’s job,” Holst said. “I just fell in love with all of it – the numbers, the science behind all of it.” Since then, Weisenbeck and her colleague, Dr. Portia Seckerson, have become mentors to Holst, providing information and talking through ideas. Holst is excited how her education will help further her skills. After becoming a vet, Holst also wants to continue working with her family’s farm. “I’m going to have the access and the knowledge to know how to do a lot of vet work so we can do it ourselves,” Holst said. “It will be a lot quicker to do the whole process myself from start to nish.” And, she wants to incorporate new management such as ultrasounding. Working on her own dairy while also working with dairy clients through her vet practice will help her bring reallife experience to her job. “I’ll be able to see the issues the farmers are having, and I’ll be able to see those hands on and not have to hear about them,” Holst said. “I might be dealing with that same issue and I can try the same protocols I’m telling my clients.” Plus, she loves working on her family’s dairy. “The dairy has always been a part of me,” Holst said. “That was our family time – being together on the farm.” She hopes by being a vet someday, she can also keep her family’s dairy thriving into the future. “I just hope to improve it,” she said. “I learn about all these opportunities I can bring home to the farm.”
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 7
ConƟnued from SCHOUWEILER | Page 1
Keeping Families on the Farm™
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Mike Salber (leŌ) and Jack Schouweiler discuss parlor designs during a eld day Sept. 9 at Schouweiler’s farm near Brandon, Minnesota. Field day attendees toured the farm site low areas,” Schouweiler said. “I’ll probwhere Schouweiler milks 35 cows in a ably never graze the low ground again, swing-7 New Zealand-style parlor and but they’ve been out there all summer.” grazes 80 acres of pastureland. When Schouweiler opened his pasWhen Schouweiler purchased the tures this spring with the forages about 5 farm site, it was used for heifers and dry inches tall, he implemented a strict grazcows. After remodeling the milking facil- ing rotation to establish the paddocks. ity, he began milking cows May 1. “If you start it off as a horse race and “I milk the cows all by myself,” then go slower, it helps thicken up and Schouweiler said. “Right now, it takes me matures quicker,” he said. “We never almost seven hours morning and night to stopped grazing here. I have enough acres do chores. Once the cows are all here, it here that we could do that.” should take me six or seven hours total to The pastures are established with do all the chores.” grass varieties such as meadow, brome, The remainder of Schouweiler’s herd canary and more, as well as some padis housed in Wagner’s tiestall barn un- docks having oats, sorghum, alfalfa and til their cooperative’s quota is lifted and clover. Schouweiler can combine the milk into “I’ve been able to extend the padone bulk tank. docks for about 45 days,” said SchouweiThe parlor, built in 2019, is construct- ler, who moves the cattle when the grass ed of mostly used equipment and with is about 4 to 6 inches above the ground. space available to expand to a swing-15 While Schouweiler has plenty of pasin the future. ture to work with, he is planning on reno“It’s nothing fancy, but it has worked vating about 10% of his land each year to really well,” Schouweiler said. help rejuvenate the soil. Cows are milked twice a day and “I’m close enough that I can dig up then housed on an outdoor bedded pack. pastures and put corn silage on,” he said. Eventually, Schouweiler wants to build a “There is enough here that we can take it roof over the area, but for the time being out of production and do something else he uses corn stalk bales as a wind break. with it.” The animals then have access to padWithin each paddock is at least one docks that vary from 7 to 15 acres. Cur- water tank connected to a water line. One rently, the pastureland houses 35 cows paddock has access to three water tanks and 35 heifers but is large enough to ac- just given the route of the fence line. commodate the entire milking herd with“I really like that I don’t have to move out any youngstock. them around,” Shouweiler said about the “They’re out here all summer, and we water tanks. use the pastures for feed and supplement Wagner agreed. with TMR,” Schouweiler said. “I used to do that with my heifers all Wagner agreed. the time, moving tanks,” he said. “Now, “We usually graze right up to the I can just open the gate and be done. It frost,” he said. “There’s silage and TMR saves so much time and energy.” year-round. We mix one batch of feed to Between the systems Schouweiler feed both herds.” invested in and the management pracTo maximize the pastures, Schouwei- tices he has adopted for his dairy herd, ler put in fence lines, waterlines and wa- the young farmer is pleased with how his ter tanks, as well as established walkways dairy farming career has begun. Wagner for cows and equipment to use. The total is equally pleased with the transition as cost of these projects was approximately he watches a new generation take on the $73,000, but each improvement was par- responsibilities. tially funded by Environmental Quality “(Schouweiler) loves cows; he has a Incentives Program dollars from the Unit- natural instinct,” Wagner said. “Farming ed States Department of Agriculture’s looks different today than it did when I Natural Resources Conservation Service started, but we’ve come to agreements to and Clean Water Funds from the Minne- ensure the farm’s future.” sota Board of Water and Soil Resources. The fence stretches from one tree line to another and around a swamp. Schouweiler uses back crosswire to move the animals through the paddocks, allowing pastures to rest for more than 30 days. JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR “Fencing Walkways are incorporated in Jack Schouweiler’s pasture for cathas paid for tle and equipment to use at his farm near Brandon, Minnesota. itself this year Schouweiler put in the walkways to help maximize his pasture around the use.
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Page 8 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
Minnesota dairy cooperative reects on 100 years First District celebrates with vision for the future By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
LITCHFIELD, Minn. – From its humble beginnings to worldly vision of future opportunities, First District Association has stood the test of time. This year, the cooperative is commemorating a century of producing high quality dairy products and providing a secure market for its farmer owners – a moment in time, as the cooperative states as, “A tradition worth celebrating.” “For the community of Litcheld and the dairy community, First District has been here for all these years. Its relative, productive and current,” Josh Barka said. “We’re thriving and growing, and for that, we’re doing more than just celebrating 100 years.” Barka is the chairman of the cooperative’s board of directors, which he has been a part of for 14 years. He and others celebrated their cooperative’s 100-year anniversary Sept. 18 at its plant in Litcheld. “This anniversary is bringing everything full circle,” said Barka, who milks 350 cows with his family in Meeker County near Litcheld. “They made a lot of right decisions from the beginning.” First District Association was formed in 1921 following the cooperative movement, with a collection of 11 area creameries banding together as the Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association, Unit No. 1. Local dairy farmer John
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Pictured is First District AssociaƟon’s original buƩermilk plant in Litcheld, Minnesota. The cooperaƟve produced buttermilk and buƩer unƟl 1975 when it transiƟoned to cheese producƟon. Brandt was the voice behind this evolution in the dairy industry. “It would be amazing to witness the conversations and courage of that group of people, John, including other leaders,” CEO Bob Huffman said. “It’s unbelievable to think of the vision and leadership through the century.” For a short time, the cooperative was a part of Land O’Lakes before establishing
independence and becoming the single largest creamery location in the state. Today, more than 700 farmers are patrons of the cooperative, milking cows in all corners of the state and touching state lines both east and west. “In our day-to-day walk and the decisions we make, we’ve always been grassroots and we denitely live by that core value,” said Huffman of the cooperative’s
growth, yet continued focus on its farmer owners. “In my short time, I’ve seen how our core values are truly about integrity, striving for excellence and responsibility, and a lot about the people.” From its beginning until 1975, the cooperative was a leader in producing butter and powder. Then, the plant focused on Turn to FIRST DISTRICT | Page 9
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ConƟnued from FIRST DISTRICT | Page 8 manufacturing cheese and whey products – trademarks of the plant today – in order to serve an array of customers, from infants and toddlers to adults worldwide. That change in production made a statement in the dairy industry, Huffman said. “Producing cheese and whey products really set First District apart in the Upper Midwest, even though it was a risk by completely changing the process and making that invest-
ment,” he said. “But, it said to our farmers that we’re staying at the front end and will continue to invest, be a leader.” Throughout the decades, the cooperative has continued to evolve with the industry, increasing processing capacities and adding state of the art technology in cheese and whey production. The Litcheld site saw major plant improvements, including large scale expansions, in 1984, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018 and most re-
PHOTO SUBMITTED
John Brandt is pictured in a 1951 issue of the Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. Brandt, a dairy farmer from Forest City, Minnesota, was instrumental in the founding of First District AssociaƟon.
cently this year. “From Day 1, it’s been about quality,” Barka said. “Our leaders rst got together and knew if we were going to survive as farmers, we needed quality product to sell. The vision was to work together to make Minnesota dairy prosperous.” Huffman agreed. “There are several steps that took the cooperative to where it is now,” he said. “There are member owners who have been a part of those milestones for decades and generations.” Barka is the second generation to milk cows. His grandparents dairy farmed in the 1930s, and then he rebooted the family farm in 1995. He was rst a member of Atwater Creamery and became a direct farmer owner of First District Association in 1997. “For me, it gives me that backing of security,” Barka said. “I know my milk has a place to go. They’re doing the right thing for the future so that the next generation, or even me still, can dairy farm and know we have a secure market.” The cooperative has also created much stability for the central Minnesota community in creating careers, supporting families and developing a strong agriculture industry. “Most of our employees have an expanded or direct connection to dairy farming, or a past connection to working at First District,” Barka said. Huffman agreed. “We have to express our thanks to our employees, past
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Dairy farmer Leah Kurth serves malts from a malt wagon to visitors during First District AssociaƟon’s 100-year anniversary celebraƟon Sept. 18 in Litcheld, Minnesota. and retired, members, haulers and customers in the Upper Midwest region. We also work closely with other dairy and ag cooperatives,” he said. “It has meant a lot to First District to get where we’re at and where we’re going.” While a lot has changed for the dairy cooperative in the last century, the purpose of progression has remained the same. Each expansion, new technology, new market and further workforce growth has been to provide a secure market for
farmer owners and provide a pathway for current and future farmers to achieve protability with the highest quality dairy products. For Barka, he is condent in the future of his cooperative. “We’ve always been on the forefront,” he said. “Our founders and past leaders worked hard to get us where we are today. We are committed to working harder in making those decisions that will keep us relevant and get us through the next 100 years.”
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By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
NORWOOD YOUNG AMERICA, Minn. – With an array of artisan cheeses and a creative mindset, Christine Leonard has taken a unique approach to being a part of her family’s dairy farm. “I’m telling my story but also telling the story of other farmers and cheesemakers,” Leonard said. “I take a lot of pride in that.” Leonard is the sixth generation on her family’s 45-cow dairy farm in Carver County near Norwood Young America. The daughter of Tim and Amy Leonard founded The Grater Good in 2020 as a way to support her farming endeavors. The cheese board company provides hand-crafted charcuterie platters lled with fresh dairy products from area farmers, including cheeses made from cow, goat and sheep milks, and foods to compliments those strong dairy avors. “My goal is to support farmers and cheesemakers, so the more local the better,” Leonard said. “My general rule is that if they will ship cheese to me individually, then they’re small enough for me to work with.” Leonard receives dairy products as needed, monitoring her website for orders coming in. She also promotes the business online through various social media channels. She then spends her mornings making cheese boards before joining her dad in their tiestall barn for chores. Right now, Leonard is making up to 10 platters every week but that number grows vefold during the holiday season. “We milk on a later schedule, so I don’t have to be in the barn until 7:30 a.m.,” Leonard said. “I’m busy with the cheese boards before going out to the barn about three days a week.” Leonard’s desire to create charcuterie boards and highlight area cheesemakers came from a long-
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
ChrisƟne Leonard is a sixth-generaƟon farmer and founder of The Grater Good based at her family’s dairy farm near Norwood Young America, Minnesota. Leonard and her family milk 45 cows. time wish to milk cows on her family’s farm. The 2016 University of Wisconsin-Stout graduate toyed with returning home after receiving a degree in food science and technology with a communication emphasis. But, given the dairy markets at the time, returning home and milking cows just as her parents were doing was not an option. Instead, she took a job at a central Minnesota farm and creamery, and learned the art of cheesemaking. “Before, I didn’t know anything about artisan cheese. I thought
Kraft singles were all there was,” Leonard said. “I fell in love with the cheesemaking process and being that close to your food and how it’s made. And, I quickly learned that each cheese has a story.” In 2018, Leonard took her knowledge from school and her novice career back home. At the time, she thought the most feasible way to be a part of the family farm was to bottle milk. “I like milk, but I like cheese a lot, a lot more,” Leonard said. “At my job, I made cheese boards, and I loved that. People eat with their eyes, so it was exciting to make something pretty to look at.” For the following year, Leonard made platters for friends and family. Then in 2019, she and her brother and sister-in-law, David and Ashley Leonard, developed the brand. “That year we knew we needed to do something. There was enough interest,” Leonard said. “Then in 2020, we knew we needed to do something and do it properly. I had to get licensed and reach a larger audience.” Leonard spent most of last year certifying her family’s farm for the cheese board business and ofcially became operational at Thanksgiving. While the farm’s well was functioning at the requirements of selling Grade A milk, it did not meet the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Department of Agriculture standards for selling packaged food on site. “At rst, the inspector told me JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR the well would fail, and I’d have to ChrisƟne Leonard slices cheese in her cheese shack Sept. 1 at her fam- put in a commercial well. That was ily’s farm near Norwood Young America, Minnesota. Leonard typically lls orders in the mornings before doing farm chores. Turn to LEONARD | Page 11
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 11
ConƟnued from LEONARD | Page 10
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An assortment of cheeses and pairings comprise one of ChrisƟne Leonard’s cheese boards. Leonard builds a variety of cheese boards for customers. going to put me out at least $17,000,” Leonard said. “I dug into the well situation and found there was a rule that my farm and business fell into where we didn’t need to make major changes.” The Leonards had to replace the well cap and provide data on the system for its approval. “All that resistance I was given at rst … if they would’ve only taken the time to hear me out about it,” Leonard said. At the same time, Leonard was working with her township to allow another building on the farm site. She purchased a cheese shack where she would build her boards. “It was a radio announcer booth at the state fair,” Leonard said. “It’s about 12 years old but wasn’t used much. I thought all I’d have to do was put linoleum oors down and paint the walls.” To ready the shack, Leonard had to dig for new electric and septic systems that would connect to the house. Ceramic oors had to be used in accordance with food safety laws, as well as the windows being replaced and the walls insulated. “It took us six months from purchasing the shack to when we were able to make cheese boards,” Leonard said. “But, I needed to be open for the holidays and we reached that goal.” With nearly a year under her belt, Leonard has found her groove in the cheese board business. She works closely with cheesemak-
ers to have product on hand when orders are requested, and then turns around the boards in a timely manner for customers to pick up at the farm or delivered in close distances. Leonard has also extended her reach by providing cheese pairing classes. “If you’re going to buy a board, I want to give you an experience and want you to know that I made this for you,” Leonard said. “Pairing is like taking music notes and putting them together to get a symphony.” One of Leonard’s favorite parts of the job is interacting with her customers. “I love talking about how cheese is made,” she said. “People have so many questions, and I come back from those events electried. This is another way to tell the story of agriculture.” The young entrepreneur has high hopes for her business, but she is humble in her approach. “My motto has been, ‘Plans are useless but planning is everything,’” Leonard said. “I have a lot of goals and dreams. And what if none of that comes to fruition? It’s the journey and the experiences in reaching those goals.” Ultimately, the cheese platter business has accomplished one very large goal for this Minnesota farmer. “With all my ideas and goals, I have to always go back to my conscience and why I started this,” Leonard said. “I started The Grater Good because I wanted to milk cows.”
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Page 12 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
Sustainability is the end game for Rosenow
Cowsmo Compost flourishes for over 20 years By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
WAUMANDEE, Wis. – Farming among the rolling hills and bluffs of western Wisconsin’s Buffalo County can create challenges for farmers striving to reach goals of both environmental and economic sustainability. John and Nettie Rosenow have spent the last 20 years working on doing precisely that. “We wanted to be in the business of milking cows, not crop farming,” said John Rosenow of the cow-centered focus of Rosenholm Dairy. “We have tried to minimize our cropping experience and maximize our cow experience. We try to buy as much of our commodities as we can and then grow our forages on about 800 acres, using 100% no-till farming practices.” The Rosenows milk 600 cows in a double-9 parlor on their dairy farm near Waumandee. In addition to the dairy operation, the Rosenows have created a separate business, Cowsmo Compost, producing and marketing organic compost and potting soil. As the composting business has grown, Rosenow spends most of his time marketing and overseeing that endeavor, while Nettie has taken over the majority of the herd management tasks. The Rosenows
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
John Rosenow explains how the composƟng process works at Rosenholm Dairy and Cowsmo Compost. Rosenow and his wife Neƫe milk 600 cows on their farm near Waumandee, Wisconsin. hosted a Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Leaders of the Land tour Sept. 10. A barn re in 1989 caused the Rosenows to take a serious look at their dairy operation, and determine if and how they might proceed in the dairy industry. Moving forward, the Rosenows built a naturally-ventilated freestall barn in 1990, with a manual ush system, which was the rst curtain
sidewall barn in the Midwest. “We are a CAFO, with about 1,100 animal units, so our 800 acres wouldn’t take the nutrients,” said Rosenow of how Cowsmo Compost came to be. “Our options were to sell the manure or to rent more land. We didn’t want to rent a whole lot of land, so we needed to nd a market for manure.” Rosenow said he started dabbling in composting after building
the new barn, becoming serious about his efforts, building a compost pad and purchasing a compost turner in 1997. In the 24 years since beginning to market compost in earnest, business has slowly grown and ourished to the point where Rosenow is unable to fully meet demand, he said. The product is sold in 20 states and four foreign countries. The Rosenows have
developed a second product, an organic potting soil, which they are selling primarily to organic vegetable growers. To help meet the growing demand, Rosenow has begun working with two other farmers to make compost for the business. “All of the solid manure created here from 1,100 head is sold
Turn to ROSENOW | Page 13
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 13
ConƟnued from ROSENOW | Page 12
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Manure is stored for about three months before it is ready to package under Rosenow’s standards. as compost,” Rosenow said. “It is a yearround business.” The management practices used on Rosenholm Dairy all work symbiotically with each other to meet the end goals of sustainability, both environmental and economic. Both the freestall barns and the parlor are cleaned by use of manual ush systems, which Rosenow said works well down to about 15 degrees Fahrenheit. The parlor is ushed reusing the water used for cooling milk and washing the parlor equipment. Water recycled using a system of three plastic-lined lagoons, which hold about 6 million gallons of water, is used to ush the alleys in their freestall barns. “We keep reusing the water,” said Rosenow of the farm’s water conservation efforts. “The process we use for the lagoon water is important because we are able to separate it. We have to keep the water clean; it can’t become slimy or problematic. If it gets so it won’t go through the screens of our separator, then we have major problems.” Keeping the water clean and reusable is accomplished through the use of an aerobic system. This system also helps eliminate odor from the lagoon water. Rosenow noted that every time the barn is ushed and water passes through the ne-screen separator, air is added to the system, helping to keep the water clean. “We have to have clean water in order to ush and separate,” Rosenow said. “We do everything in our power to do that.” Water from the lagoon system is also used to irrigate their elds, through a system of underground pipes. The freestalls are bedded daily with sawdust, which is primarily obtained as a byproduct from a local furniture factory. The sawdust adds carbon to the compost mixture.
The barn allies are ushed using water from the lagoons, using about 2,200 gallons of water to ush each alley. After the ush, water and debris are collected in a tank with an agitator and pump. From the tank, it is pumped to the separator, which has no moving parts and is made of stainless steel and plastic. Manure comes through the separator at about 70% moisture. Freshly separated manure is blended with a pile of dry manure to obtain a moisture level of approximately 60%, where it sits on what Rosenow calls a weeping pad until it is hauled to the compost pad. “We have learned over the years what moisture level we need to make the best compost we can,” Rosenow said. “The compost is turned typically about three times a week.” According to Rosenow, the composting process is achieved because of the bugs in the manure from the cow’s digestive system. “If they have oxygen, they will consume the carbon,” Rosenow said. “In that process they give off heat and carbon dioxide. Every time we turn the compost, we are releasing the heat and the carbon dioxide into the air and reintroducing oxygen back in; the turner takes in the inside and moves it to the outside. It will only compost about the top 6 to 8 inches, and as you turn it, you will eventually get the whole thing composted.” Rosenow takes an honest approach at marketing Cowsmo Compost, pricing the product to cover his margins and be protable. “I have found that people will buy your product because of performance rather than appearance,” Rosenow said. “I tell people that I am not a very good salesperson, so I had better have a good product to sell. And, I really believe that we do have a very good product.”
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Page 14 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
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From Our Side Of The Fence Bruce Brockshus Ocheyedan, Iowa Osceola County • 650 cows Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We harvested about 500 acres of corn for silage this year. We have our own chopper. Our chopping crew includes neighbors who help out every year. A couple of our grandsons also took time off from their jobs to help with the silage harvest. We planted silage corn varieties from Pioneer, DeKalb and Croplan.
Dairyy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 15
What is the progress on your corn silage harvest?
Describe your storage. We store our silage in a pile on a concrete slab. The pile is 120 feet wide, 360 feet long and about 20 feet high. We cover the pile with a plastic tarp and secure the tarp with tires. We use a silage inoculant that is applied at the chopper. We received 3.5 inches of rain before we were able to cover the pile. I do not know what affect that might have on the silage.
What is a management practice you changed that has improved your corn siWhen did you start and how far along are lage? We started chopping earlier this year to you on corn silage harvest? We started chopping Aug. 23 shoot for better feed quality. The corn looked great when and were able to nish in 10 days. We only had a one-day we were chopping it. All of the stalks were nice and green. rain delay. What is your favorite part about chopping corn siWhat challenges did you encounter during the growing lage? My favorite part is getting done. season or while harvesting? The biggest challenge during the growing season was the hot, dry weather. It seemed Tell us about your farm. I farm with my wife, Susan, like we got July weather in June. During silage harvest, we our son, Travis, and his wife, Katie. Travis and Katie’s found a few areas with rootworm damage, mostly in the daughter, Emma, is 16 and is starting to help out quite a low spots. We also saw a little corn borer damage, but it bit around the farm. One of the biggest challenges for us was minor. I was pleasantly surprised by the yield. I do not these days is nding enough employees to run the milking know where all that corn came from. parlor. We had to stop chopping a couple of times to milk cows. We are glad we are getting rain this fall to help replenish the soil moisture.
Darren Keranen Osage, Minnesota Becker County • 150 cows
Describe your storage. I make two piles. One is 60-by-200 and the other one is 60by-270. I sometimes use a liquid inoculant depending on the moisture of the corn silage. I use a vapor barrier along with plastic to cover them. I put dirt on the sides and tire sidewalls on the top.
Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. I had 140 acres of a silage variety planted, along with 50 acres of a dual-purpose variety, with intentions of putting up high moisture corn with the dual purpose. What is a management practice you But due to the drought, I was short on hay changed that has improved your corn siso I ended up chopping all of it to get more lage? A few years ago we had our processer forage. I am part owner of a chopping comcompletely manufactured to make shredpany. The chopping company consists of lage. four other farms. We work together to chop each other’s corn. We have two John Deere self-propelled choppers What is your favorite part about chopping corn sialong with a blade tractor. lage? My favorite part about chopping is working with other local farmers and feeding off of each other for new When did you start and how far along are you on ideas to improve each other’s dairies. The next best part corn silage harvest? We started Aug. 20 and we nished is nishing. Sept. 17. Tell us about your farm. My wife and I own 232 acres What challenges did you encounter during the grow- and rent another 200 acres. We milk 150 cows along ing season or while harvesting? The drought was on with raising our own replacement heifers. My brother everyone’s mind this year. It was extremely hot and dry and I work closely together, sharing equipment to get the all summer. We did have a few rain days throughout crops in and harvested. chopping. We never dealt with a whole lot of mud. The biggest hang up we had was the transmission in our blade tractor went out. We ended up buying a different one.
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Chris Feltmann Norwood Young America, Minnesota Carver County 250 cows Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We plan to harvest 125-140 acres. We use Pioneer P1272Q BMR, P1185Q and P0688Q. Our family does it with help from neighbors and friends. When did you start and how far along are you on corn silage harvest? We started chopping Sept. 13. As of Sept. 19, we were about three-fourths done. Weather permitting, we should be done in one or two more days. What challenges did you encounter during the growing season or while harvesting? We had inadequate moisture throughout the summer. Describe your storage. We ll three silos; an 18-by-50, 18-by-80 and 20-by-70. We also do two bunkers, and are in our rst year of doing a 1,000- to 1,200-ton pile. We cover those with plastic and tires. Usually when we get done it’s close to 3,000 ton. We use an Inoculant, Pioneer Buchneri 11C33. What is a management practice you changed that has improved your corn silage? The use of fungicide and BMR corn silage has made a big difference. What is your favorite part about chopping corn silage? When it’s done and done right. The right moisture and the way it is put up are important factors. Tell us about your farm. I farm with my two brothers, Chad and Corey, and dad, Dennis. My mom, Lynette, does the bookkeeping. My wife, Heather, helps with chores and other farming when she can. We have two part-time employees who help with chores.
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Page 16 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
ConƟnued from OUR SIDE | Page 15
Jim Duban Montgomery, Minnesota Rice County 160 cows
Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. I used Dairyland seed, which is a highly digestible forage. I got around 20 tons per acre. I hired a custom operator. If I would have done it, it would have taken a month. This makes it a lot easier. When did you start and how far along are you on corn silage harvest? Harvest was done Sept. 13 and 14. What challenges did you encounter during the growing season or while harvesting? In July and August, we lacked rain, but we had started with a lot of subsoil moisture so we got through it. Weed control was also good this year after using a fungicide last year for the rst time. We had no challenges with the harvest. Describe your storage. We used an inoculant and stored it in a bunker that is 36 feet wide and 150 feet long with 8-foot side walls. It went about 5 feet above the wall. We put plastic on the side wall, which helps reduce spoilage. We covered it with an oxygen barrier and then plastic with tires on top. What is a management practice you changed that has improved your corn silage? When we started using a fungicide last year, it helped cut down on mycotoxins. About eight years ago is when we started putting plastic on the side walls, which has helped reduce spoilage. About 12 years ago we stopped doing the chopping ourselves and hired it done. That rst year, it took one week instead of one month. Now it takes three days at most. It helps keep all the silage uniform, which is nice when feeding it. What is your favorite part about chopping corn silage? Watching someone else doing it and the smell. Tell us about your farm. I have about 300 acres of tillable land, raising corn, alfalfa and grass hay. Next year, we will be switching from dairy to beef because my sons do not have any interest in taking over the dairy portion of the farm. It has been a fun career.
Dillan Schumacher Eyota, Minnesota Olmsted County • 200 Cows Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We planted 100 acres of Cropland 4676 107day corn. We chop our corn with a Krone Big X 500 self-propelled chopper my dad, Dale Schumacher, operates. Then, we haul with three tractors hooked up to 20-foot Meyer wagons, which are operated by my sister-inlaw, Tracy Schumacher, my college buddy, Isaac Whiteaker, or my father-in-law, Marty Heins, as well as myself. The packing tractor, a Case IH MX 285 with a blade in the front and a concrete block in the back, is operated by my brother, Jesse Schumacher. Lastly, we could not get all the chopping done in time without my mom, Erin Schumacher, doing all the milking with help from my wife, Michelle Schumacher.
Eric Wedemeier (picture not available) Oakdale, Wisconsin Monroe County • 310 cows
When did you start and how far along are you on corn silage harvest? We started Friday (9/10) evening, and we quit at about 11 Sunday night when it started to sprinkle. There was no chopping Monday. Then Tuesday afternoon, we tried to coordinate schedules. My neighbor wanted to rent my bagger. We went and chopped my neighbor’s with my bagger because they still had about eight loads to put in the silo on this farm. That allowed
us to transport our bagger to our other farm. look at selling some heifers. We nished there Sept. 14 close to midnight. What is a management practice you changed that What challenges did you encounter during has improved your corn silage? I switched some vathe growing season or while harvesting? rieties and we fertilized differently this year. I bought During harvest, the rain delay was the chal- a new corn planter which helped me get a better stand. lenge. During the growing season we kind of wondered if we were going to get enough rain What is your favorite part about chopping corn sior not. We ended up with survivable amounts. lage? It’s exciting to get started but it’s nice to get done. Some people only seven miles from here (the And it’s nice to get to see the custom chopping crew way the crow ies) had probably three times again, too. They’re fun to work with and they let our the amount of rain we got this growing sea- kids tag along. son. Tell us about your farm. We operate as an LLC with Describe your storage. We lled ve 12- by 250-foot my parents. We milk 260 cows twice a day. We run bags, one 10- by 250-foot bag, and three 10- by 200-foot about 700 acres and raise all of our own replacements. bags. At our other farm where we raise heifers, we lled We grow corn, alfalfa, rye and a little bit of wheat. a 14- by 50-foot silo, and a 10- by 200-foot bag. We have been raising way too many heifers for too many years, and we are not ready yet, but we will probably
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use inoculants because they’re too expensive. We asked our nutritionist and the benets he said aren’t worth it. Everything we’ve done without it has been good so there was no benet for us to pay for it.
Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We harvested 180 acres of BMR corn. What is a management practice you changed that has improved your corn silage? Being on top of the moisWhen did you start and how far along are you on corn ture content of the feed going into harvest. Monitoring the silage harvest? We started the morning of Sept. 11 and moisture level of our corn silage a little bit better and getnished Sept. 14. ting everything lined up perfectly instead of saying close enough. We have everything custom done so we have to What challenges did you encounter during the grow- get everything lined up. ing season or while harvesting? It’s still a little wet, but we’re rolling anyway because with the black tar it is drying What is your favorite part about chopping corn silage? super fast. One struggle we had was getting some corn in Being done. the bagger because it was wet. A challenge we had during the growing season was the storm in August. BMR corn Tell us about your farm. It’s a two-man operation. We does not stand well after a storm and that slowed the har- have ve farms, and we are totally self-sufcient except for vest down. We would have been done earlier if it wasn’t buying beans. We used to raise everything, and we didn’t for that. have to buy any feed. We keep labor to a bare minimum and that’s why we survive. Describe your storage. We do 14-foot bags. We do not
Describe corn silage harvest on your farm. We do about 200 acres of corn silage. This year we planted Rob-N-See and Brovont varieties. We have it custom harvested.
OR
Describe your storage. We store all our feed in piles. Our silage pile is put into two piles: one that is 300 by 80 feet and another that is about 100 by 50 feet. That pile is meant to be an extra month worth of silage so that the next year’s crop can have a month of fermentation before we start feeding it to the cattle.
What is a management practice you changed that has improved your corn silage? We have not changed much in the last couple years, but we switched from a pull-type chopper to a self-propelled three years ago. That has helped us get the crop done more efciently, which makes the siWhen did you start and how far along are you on corn lage more consistent for the dairy ration. silage harvest? This year, we started chopping the afternoon of Sept. 10 and nished the morning of Sept. 13. What is your favorite part about chopping corn silage? My favorite part of chopping silage is hauling loads. It is What challenges did you encounter during the growing a pretty easy and laid-back job. Plus, I get to see the progseason or while harvesting? We faced a few challenges ress from both sides, the pile growing and the elds being this year, especially in the spring after we planted. We chopped off. planted silage corn on the April 25 and 26, but ended up getting an inch of rain in about 12 minutes with about 8 Tell us about your farm. Our farm is family owned and acres left. After that, we did not get any rain for about three operated by my dad, brother, Jesse, and myself. All three weeks, so it took our corn 21 days to pop out of the ground. of our wives help when they are not at their off-farm jobs. Plus, we had some much cooler weather in the meantime. A few of our friends and family also help during harvest After the corn was up, the 8 acres planted after the hard time. We milk 200 cows, run about 600 acres and have 32 rain stayed close to our planting population (35,000 plants beef cows.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 17
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Harvesting Quality Forages
Winschers rely on variety of forages to feed cows Shawn Winscher Royalton, Minnesota Morrison County 130 cows Describe your farm and facilities. We have a parlor and house the cows in free stalls and loose housing. What forages do you harvest? We grow an alfalfa/grass mix, Italian ryegrass and red clover, meadow hay, corn including corn silage, earlage and grain. How many acres of crops do you raise? We raise 120 acres of alfalfa/ grass, 20 acres of ryegrass and red clover, 50 acres of meadow hay and 200 acres of corn. I seed down about 60 acres of triticale in the fall and harvest late in spring followed by early day maturity corn, sudangrass or sorghum. Our feed inventory determines which one I pick on a yearly basis. Describe the rations for your livestock. The ration for the milk cows is a 72% forage diet. For the dry cows and heifers, their mix is the same with the exception of mineral. Depending on the forages I have on hand, their diet consists of grass hay and corn silage, or forage sorghum and corn silage, or straw and corn silage. What quality and quantity do you harvest of each crop? Here are a few
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
The Winschers – (from le�) Seth, Shawn and Sarah – milk 130 cows near Royalton, Minnesota. The Winschers plant tri�cale, sorghum sudan and forage sorghum as different forage op�ons for the animals on their farm.
Turn to FORAGE | Page 20
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Page 20 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
ConƟnued from FORAGE | Page 18 examples: Triticale is one cutting which will give me the same amount as three cuttings of hay. It will test 19% protein with a relative feed value of 175. Sorghum sudangrass will yield like corn silage; it will test 14% protein and 130 RFV. Italian ryegrass and red clover is an annual mix, but I will get three cuttings. It yields like hay with 24% protein and 180 RFV. It costs me $18 an acre in seed for our forage sorghum and $11 an acre in sorghum sudan. Describe your harvesting techniques for alfalfa and corn silage. I like the hay-ina-day concept. We use the haybine, tedder, rotary rake and sometimes the merger. We also use a pull-type chopper. Either I chop, or my dad, Mike, does.
My son, Seth, and a few neighbors haul and unload. My hay cutting intervals are 35 days. We do not grow pure alfalfa. When harvesting corn silage, I use a self-propelled chopper. What techniques do you use to store, manage and feed your forages? We have silos and ag bags. This year, I did use preservatives. Describe a challenge you overcame in reaching your forage quality goals. The biggest challenge was making good quality hay. We started doing hay-in-a-day and that was the best decision. How do quality forages play a part in the production goals for your herd? Harvesting good quality feed has made a
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Shawn Winscher looks at the leaves of his forage sorghum while walking through the eld Sept. 20 near Winscher’s farm in Royalton, Minnesota. The Winschers feed their sorghum sudan and forage sorghum to their milking herd. huge impact on animal health and our concentrate bill. On the average, I put 8.5 pounds of dry corn and 6.5 pounds of concentrate per cow into a ration.
What management or harvesting techniques have you changed that have made a notable difference in forage quality? Hay-in-a-day. I start cutting hay at 8 a.m. Seth will start tedding at 10 a.m. and by
1 p.m. we are chopping. The biggest challenge is getting it all chopped before it’s too dry. The hay is laying on the ground for less than six hours.
Target Your Customers! MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Seth Winscher stands in a eld of sorghum sudan Sept. 20 on Winscher Farms near Royalton, Minnesota. The Winchers plan to harvest the crop in early October when it’s 10 to 12 feet tall.
The Dairy Star is sent only to DAIRY FARMERS!
If you would like to advertise in the DAIRY STAR, call 320-352-6303 for more information.
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 21
LOW-RATE FINANCING AVAILABLE
JD S670, 2289 hrs.,1453 $ sep, #176660
199,500
JD 7290R 2013, 4660 hrs., $ #180765
149,900
Financing subject to pre-approval through JD Financial. Some restrictions apply. See dealer for details.
JD 8370R 2019, 275 hrs. $ #184016
JD S690, 2016, 1767 hrs.,1248 $ sep, #176733
JD, S770, 2018, 2203 hrs., 1587 $ sep, #181147
JD 8360RT 2013, 3267 hrs., $ #186425
JD S670, 2016, 2295 hrs., 1453 $ sep hrs., #176660
JD S790, 2018, 1535 hrs., 1058 $ sep hrs., # 179097
349,000
179,000
250,000
199,500
245,000
315,400
Equipment and pictures added daily • Go to www.mmcjd.com
ARTICULATED 4WD TRACTORS
3 17 3 16 8 17
JD 9630, 2011, Power Shift, Duals, 4100 hrs., #187532 ........................... $155,000 JD 9420R, 2019, Power Shift, Duals, 750 hrs., #182465........................... $309,000 JD 9560R, 2013, Power Shift, Duals, 4411 hrs., #187533......................... $195,000 JD 9570R, 2017, Power Shift, Duals, 2582 hrs., #187597 ........................ $279,000 JD 9570R, 2020, Power Shift, Duals, 878 hrs., #184050........................... $425,400 JD 9620R, 2019, Power Shift, Duals, 1130 hrs., #169236 ........................ $374,900
5 10 14 10 9 10 9 16 4 15 1 5 17 1 17 2 8 5 7 7 17 3 16 14
Case IH 2388, 2000, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 4648 hrs., 3265 sep hrs., #187528$32,900 JD 6620, 1987, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3903 hrs., #177388 ............................... $12,500 JD 9500, 1991, Corn/Bean, 2WD; Duals, 6736 hrs., 5000 sep hrs, #18545 $22,400 JD 9600, 1996, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 4718 hrs., 3171 sep hrs., #175562 ..... $24,900 JD 9610, 1998, Corn/Bean; 2WD, 3535 hrs., 2241 sep hrs., #185640 ....... $34,500 JD 9570 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean; 2WD, 984 hrs., 1936 sep hrs., #187628 .. $79,900 JD 9650 STS, 2001, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3455 hrs., 2388 sep hrs., #186401 $49,500 JD 9660 STS, 2004, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 3661 hrs., 2827 sep hrs., #187695$69,900 JD 9670 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2210 hrs., 1263 sep hrs., #185612$110,400 JD 9770 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 3583 hrs., 2613 sep hrs., #187624$86,900 JD 9770 STS, 2009, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2480 hrs., 1900 sep hrs., #187706$109,000 JD 9770 STS, 2010, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 1900 hrs., 1500 sep hrs., #187712$118,000 JD 9870 STS, 2008, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 3773 hrs., 2931 sep hrs., #187630 $78,500 JD 9870 STS, 2008, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 3105 hrs., 2500 sep hrs., #175945$99,900 NH CR8090, 2012, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2405 hrs., 1810 sep hrs., #183218$136,500 JD S670, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2295 hrs.,1453 sep hrs., #176660 .... $199,500 JD S670, 2017, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 790 hrs., 536 sep hrs., #187073........ $323,000 JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2914 hrs., 1904 sep hrs., #161858 ... $129,500 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2967 hrs., 2063 sep hrs.,#182070 ... $144,900 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2068 hrs., 1658 sep hrs., #172017...... $145,900 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, 2WD, 2362 hrs., 1703 sep hrs., #178114...... $147,900 JD S680, 2012, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2365 hrs., 1642 sep hrs.,#176788 ... $149,500 JD S680, 2014, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2651 hrs., 2023 sep hrs., #186952 ... $155,500 JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1992 hrs., 1300 sep hrs., #174756 ... $159,900
COMBINES
1 3 3 3 16 16 5 17 11 1 15 4 16 16 3 14
JD S680, 2013, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2736 hrs., 1800 sep hrs., #176089 ... $169,900 JD S690, 2012, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1983 hrs., 1530 sep hrs., #171923 ... $179,000 JD S690, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD; Duals; Chopper, 2118 hrs., #176735 $219,500 JD S690, 2016, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1772 hrs., 1248 sep hrs., #176733 ... $250,000 JD S770, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 2207 hrs., 1587 sep hrs., #181147 ... $245,000 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1185 hrs., 800 sep hrs., #175318...... $319,500 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1102 hrs., 755 sep hrs., #183533...... $355,000 JD S780, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1031 hrs., 690 sep hrs.,#177549 ...... $364,400 JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 903 hrs., 653 sep hrs., #171103........ $385,000 JD S780, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 498 hrs., 294 sep hrs., #169509........ $409,500 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 528 hrs., 397 sep hrs., #183792 ........ $425,400 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 569 hrs., 373 sep hrs., #181757........ $429,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 747 hrs., 556 sep hrs., #187111........ $435,900 JD S780, 2020, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 394 hrs., 226 sep hrs., #182068........ $509,900 JD S790, 2018, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 1535 hrs., 1058 sep hrs., #179097 ... $315,400 JD S790, 2019, Corn/Bean, PRWD, 970 hrs., 683 sep hrs., #171378........ $389,500
16 8 7 7 2 1 6 2 10 14 11 1 2 7 9
Summers 26F C, 2007, 20 ft, Rigid, #183968 ............................................ $29,900 Summers DC2840, 2013, 41 ft, 3-Section Folding, #187264 ................... $49,500 JD 714, 2003, Mulch Tiller, 16 ft, Rigid, #185613 ........................................ $15,900 JD 510, 1997, #185840 ...................................................................................$9,750 JD 512, 2008, #187681 ................................................................................ $22,900 Case IH 875, 2014, #185837 ....................................................................... $49,900 JD 2700, 2004, #172537 .............................................................................. $13,900 JD 2700, 2007, #187705 .............................................................................. $14,500 JD 2700, 2009, #178024 .............................................................................. $21,500 JD 2730, 2015, #182531 .............................................................................. $74,000 JD 2730, 2019, #168106 .............................................................................. $89,500 JD 2730, 2020, #180777 .............................................................................. $98,900 Kuhn Krause 4855 Dominator, 2016, #181415...................................... $54,900 Wil-Rich Soil-Pro 513, 2013, #187552 ..................................................... $32,750 Wil-Rich V957DDR, #178113 ........................................................................$9,900
TILLAGE
17 3 7 16 13 15 8 15 4 5 11 6 8 15 11 4 8 7 14 10 16 14 6 7 1 16 16 1 1 1 1 5
ROW CROP TRACTORS
JD 4455, 1991, Cab, 2WD, Power Shift, Duals, 9199 hrs., #181329 ........... $45,000 JD 4640, 1978, Cab, 2WD, Power Shift, Duals, 16619 hrs., #185165 ......... $18,000 IH 5088, 1982, Cab, 2WD, 8510 hrs., #186374 ........................................... $18,500 JD 8300, 1996, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, Duals, #187192 ....................$54,500 JD 6145M, 2020, Cab, MFWD, Partial Power Shift, 167 hrs., #168299 .... $124,900 JD 6145M, 2020, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 175 hrs., #183626 ................ $143,400 JD 6175R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift,3 hrs., #185002 ...................... $169,900 JD 6175R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 977 hrs., #185014............................... $182,500 JD 7210R, 2019, Cab, MFWD, e23, 649 hrs., #177177 ............................. $195,000 JD 7290R, 2013, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 4661 hrs., #180765............... $149,900 JD 7R 210, 2020, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 875 hrs., #187032 ............................. $191,000 JD 7R 210, 2020, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 402 hrs., #187031.............................. $202,000 JD 7R 210, 2020, Cab, MFWD, IVT, Display, 810 hrs., #187033 ................ $202,000 JD 8245R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 686 hrs., #183102................. $243,900 JD 8245R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 703 hrs., #183745 ..... $252,500 JD 8270R, 2020, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 827 hrs., #175591................. $239,000 JD 8285R, 2013, Cab, MFWD, IVT, 4800 hrs., #187023 ............................ $139,000 JD 8320R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 814 hrs., #171962 .... $279,900 JD 8345R, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 518 hrs., #176092 ..... $309,900 JD 8360R, 2013, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 2900 hrs., #185431 ... $202,900 JD 8370R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 1121 hrs., #187556 ... $299,000 JD 8370R, 2019, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 275 hrs., #184016 ..... $349,000 JD 8R 250, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 533 hrs., #186300 .... $269,500 JD 8R 310, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 572 hrs., #185992 .... $319,500 JD 8R 340, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 300 hrs., #186617 .... $347,600 JD 8R 370, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 945 hrs., #185281 .... $342,500 JD 8R 370, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 980 hrs., #185280 .... $344,900 JD 8R 370, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 300 hrs., #186623 .... $368,500 JD 8R 370, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 300 hrs., #186626 .... $368,500 JD 8R 370, 2020, Cab; MFWD w/ Suspension, IVT, 300 hrs., #186628 .... $371,800 JD 8R 410, 2020, Cab, MFWD w/ Suspension, e23, 300 hrs., #186633 ... $388,500 Case IH MX200, 1999, Cab, MFWD, Power Shift, 9360 hrs., #186519....... $48,500
Visit one of our 17 locations in Central Minnesota! CALL TODAY! (320)365-1653 (7) = ALEXANDRIA (9) = PRINCETON (12) = AITKIN (14) = ELBOW LAKE (16) = BENSON (4) = ST. CLOUD (1) = GLENCOE
4561 Hwy. 212
1035 35th Ave. NE
(3) = STEWART
78412 Co. Rd. 20
3708 Baptist Church Rd.
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AND DESCRIPTIONS AT: www.mmcjd.com
Page 22 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
Could a retrofit be the right fit for you?
Retrofitting a dairy barn with a new DeLaval parlor milking system P500 has been a popular choice to make upgrades more affordable compared to building new.
Find out today! SCAN HERE
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www.delaval.com
Contact one of the following dealers to learn more: IOWA Kramer Bros. Monticello, IA 319-465-5931 Prairie Land Ag Supply Inc. Rock Valley, IA 712-476-9290 United Dairy Systems, Inc. West Union, IA 563-422-5355 WISCONSIN Advanced Dairy/Bob’s Dairy Supply Spring Valley, WI 715-772-3201 Ederer Dairy Supply Plain, WI 608-546-3713
DeLaval Dairy Service Kaukauna, WI 866-335-2825 Joe’s Refrigeration Inc. Withee, WI 715-229-2321 Mlsna Dairy Supply Inc. Cashton, WI 608-654-5106 Professional Dairy Services Arlington, WI 608-635-0267 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon, WI 920-346-5579 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater, WI 800 472-2880 Mt Horeb, WI 800-872-3470
MINNESOTA & SOUTH DAKOTA Advanced Dairy of Mora Mora, MN 320-679-1029 Farm Systems Melrose, MN 320-256-3276 Brookings, SD 800-636-5581 S&S Dairy System LLC St. Charles, MN 507-932-4288 Professional Dairy Systems Wadena, MN 218-632-5416
is a registered trademark of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. and “DeLaval” is a registered trade/servicemark of DeLaval Holding AB © 2021 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
My story: farming and writing
I have always wanted to be a writer. I can still remember my rst notebook: a green Five Star spiral with a little pocket in the front. I believe I was around 7 years old, and I wrote whatever nonsense came to mind. Since then, I have always kept journals, but never really took my writing that seriously. I just wrote because it felt good to do so, not necessarily to share it with anyone. After all, aside from older siblings looking to antagonize me, who would really want to read it? The desire to farm By Abby Wiedmeyer Columnist came later. I did not grow up in a farming family, so I did not know a lot about it. However, our family lived outside of town, and there was a dairy farm down the road from us. This farm rented the land behind our house, and I used to watch as they would work all summer long into the night. All I could think about was how dedicated these people were. A huge respect was born from watching our neighbors. I wondered if I would ever be able to consider myself in the same league as these people. Fast forward almost a decade. I had gone to the University of Wisconsin -Madison Farm and Industry Short Course, completed an internship where I learned to milk and got rst-hand experience at living on a farm. And, I was married to a true farmer. We lived in a little house with our two little kids, right down the hill from the 400cow dairy my husband had worked for when we met. At the time, my husband was running a hoof-trimming business, and had decreased his hours at the farm. We were both bored. The desire to farm had never really left me, and all my husband had ever wanted to do was milk cows. We decided to go for it. In 2010 we moved to our rst farm. We moved around a few times in the following ve years, trying to nd the perfect place for us. We went from employees on the rst farm, to prospective partners on a different farm, to renters with our own cows on the next farm, to farm-owners where we are today. We had a couple more kids along the way as well. We spent our rst ve years at this farm “earning our stripes” as my friend calls it. We were in the trenches of farming and parenting, with four kids under 8, 80 cows, a slew of youngstock and original (unreliable) equipment. The amount of time I spent behind a shovel, beside a cow, covered in manure or on the verge of tears was plenty. I won’t deny I questioned my ability and desire to be a farmer more than a few times. Sometimes I would think of my life before cows and wonder what was so bad about it. But then I would see a sunrise come up over the barn and the sight took my breath away. Or I would come out to the barn at the crack of dawn and see a brand-new calf in the maternity pen, licked clean and sleeping. Then my 2 year old would recognize her favorite cow from across the barn, and my oldest would help me milk while we quizzed each other about who knew more Harry Potter trivia. All these moments, plus a million more, carried me through the hard work. Just when life was really getting good – the youngest was heading to school, we were able to remodel enough to make chores go faster and I was writing a column for the local newspaper – milk prices stayed too low for too long. By 2018, all the equity we had worked for was gone. We could not afford to feed our cows anymore, so we sold them. My husband and I both got off-farm jobs, and I quit writing my column. We kept the youngstock back, even though we were not sure if we would ever milk again. We scratched and clawed, and did everything we could to keep the farm and the animals we had left. People kept telling us that there was life after cows. We looked, but we didn’t nd it. I had no idea what I was wishing for when I looked out that window at 12 years old and wished to be a farmer. I didn’t realize how much my soul would change when I earned a place among these hard-working people. I didn’t know that when it truly became my identity, I would be empty without it. We ended up breeding those youngstock, bringing home a handful of animals that had been re-homed instead of sold and started shipping milk again. We are on a much smaller scale, and we both still work off the farm, but at the end of the day, we are farmers again. Starting with this issue, I get to be a writer, too, as Dairy Star’s new western Wisconsin reporter. Now that you know my story, I would love to hear yours. You can email me at abby.w@dairystar.com.
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 23
A farmer’s colleague, friend Klein celebrates 30 years as field representative By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
NORWOOD YOUNG AMERICA, Minn. – Jim Klein’s work with dairy farmers has become second-nature to him, and a career he never could have imagined nearly three decades ago. “Even when I started, I never dreamt I’d be here 30 years later,” Klein said. “Every day I wake up motivated. I love working with and being around people in the industry, my co-workers and dairy farmers.” On Sept. 27, Klein will celebrate 30 years as a eld representative with Bongards Creameries based in Carver County’s Norwood Young America. Klein works with 120 patrons in Hennepin, Meeker, Stearns and Wright counties. His days begin around 7 a.m. when he arrives at the creamery’s headquarters. Before Klein hits the road, he must review paperwork and cheese orders to determine his route for the day. “I almost always start my
route heading up to Stearns County,” said Klein, who visits up to eight farms each day of the work week. While on the farm, Klein acts as a liaison between the farmer members and their cooperative, helping ensure the production of quality milk and communicating industry news between both parties. Klein’s career started in the dairy industry, farming alongside his family near Waconia. When changes in Klein’s personal life forced him to look at careers off the farm to support his three young sons, the cooperative position became available by happenstance. “Our farm’s eldman came by and said he was moving on to be a state inspector,” Klein said. “I was needing a change, too. Bongards called the next day and asked if I’d be interested, and away we went.” When Klein signed on to the company in 1991, it had 1,300 patrons. He represented nearly 300 of those in Carver and Scott counties. His largest workloads were visiting up to 15 farms in a day. By 1999, the cooperative
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Jim Klein is a eld representaƟve with Bongards Creameries based in Carver County’s Norwood Young America, Minnesota. Klein has been in this posiƟon for 30 years and works with 120 patrons in Hennepin, Meeker, Stearns and Wright counƟes. began pursuing milk contracts in Stearns County. “I was asked if I would help procure milk in that area,” Klein said. “I really enjoyed
USED EQUIPMENT FROM A NAME YOU CAN TRUST!
CHECK OUT OUR LARGE SELECTION OF HAY EQUIPMENT AND TRACTORS!
USED TRACTORS
‘54 J-D 40, Restored...................................... $4,900 ‘49 Ferguson T0-20 ....................................... $2,250 ‘71 Ford 3000, Diesel, Side mount sickle mower ......................................................... $6,900 A-C D-17........................................................ $4,400
USED SKIDSTEERS
‘08 5600, glass cab w/A/C, HI Flow Aux, 1885 hrs ...................................................... $22,500 ‘21 T-66, glass cab w/A/C, 2 spd, 50 hrs ....... $55,000 ‘11 T-650, glass cab w/A/C, 2 spd, 5000 hrs . $26,500 ‘12 S-770, glass cab w/A/C, 2 spd, 5500 hrs . $28,500 (2) S-650, glass cab w/A/C, 2 spd, 4100 hrs & up ............................Starting at $28,500 (2) S-550, glass cab w/A/C, 2 spd, 150 hrs & up ..............................Starting at $24,900 ‘19 S-450, Glass Cab w/A/C, 1100 hours....... $27,300 (2) S-185, Glass Cab w/A/C, 1700 hrs & up ................................ Starting at $19,750 ‘18 JCB 270, Glass Cab w/A/C, 825 hours ..... $45,900 ‘04 Gehl 4640, 1400 hours ............................ $18,900 ‘99 NH LS-190, glass cab & heater, 2 spd, 4800 hrs ...................................................... $16,500
USED TILLAGE
‘08 WR QX 60’ Cultivator w/Rolling Basket.. $29,500 ‘15 WR QX2 50’ Cultivator w/Rolling Basket $38,900 ‘12 WR QX2 50’ Cultivator w/5 Bar Spike Harrow ................................ $27,900 ‘10 WR QX2 50’ Cultivator w/Rolling Basket $28,500 Case IH 4800, 28.5’ Cultivator, 3 Bar Harrrow $7,950 ‘98 JD 980, 44.5’, 3 Bar Harrow .................. $12,500 JD 1000, 25.5’ Cultivator, 3 Bar Harrow ........ $1,700
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that. I was meeting so many new people and staying where the dairy was.” Redirecting his work toward central Minnesota was
one of many changes Klein has noticed in the industry. The size of each farm has also Turn to KLEIN | Page 25
MIDWEST PUMPING II LLC
‘12 W-R 513 Soil Pro, 11 Shank, Folding Frame ............................................ $39,500 ‘11 Krause 4850-18 Disk Ripper .................. $24,500 ‘14 Krause 8310, 19’ Disk, 26” Blades, Never Used ................................................ $43,900 JD 910, 5x24 Ripper ...................................... $6,950 Pepin WDT-500, 5 Sectoin Spike Harrow ...... $2,850 Ford/Glencoe 10 Shank Chisel Plow ............. $1,550
USED PLANTERS
‘03 White 8186, 16x30 ................................ $24,500 (2) ‘94 White 6100 12x30, Vertical Fold ..............................Starting at $10,500 ‘17 G-G YP825A, 8x30 Twin Row, 270 Acres Only .......................................... $31,500
USED HAY EQUIPMENT
‘15 NH 316, 15’ Discbine ............................. $22,900 ‘09 NH H-7230, 10’ Discbine ....................... $16,500 NH 492, 9’ Haybine, Very nice shape ............. $6,950 ‘07 NH 617 Disc Mower, 6’ 8” Cut ................. $5,000 NI 5407 6’8” Disc Mower .............................. $3,250 ‘05 NH FP-240, Crop Pro, 3PN Cornhead, 29P Hayhead ............................................. $15,000 NH FP-230, Crop Processor ........................ $10,900 NH 790, 824 Cornhead, Hayhead................... $7,950 ‘00 NH 658 RD Baler, Netwrap & Twine ....... $13,900 ‘96 NH 644 Rd Baler, Twine Only ................... $8,950 ‘19 H&S LW1100, Line Wrapper, 1995 Bales $26,900 ‘16 H&S RTG2 Tedder.................................... $1,950 NH 144 Invertor ............................................. $2,500
Over 20 yrs experience • Looking to expand! • Set up for pumping long distances • Tanks & Hose System Available • No till applicator and John Deere mapping
USED MISC
‘08 Red Ball 1000 Gallon Sprayer, 60’ Boom $7,500 ‘16 N-H 195 Spreader .................................. $14,500 Hinker 1700, 15’ Stalkchopper ...................... $6,100 ‘96 Feterl 10x60 Auger................................... $2,250
Equipment of Norwood LANO A family business since 1946 with the Lanos: Jack, Paul, Bob and Andy 952-467-2181
Call 563-920-1273
Page 24 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
Smart ID Technology
Semi-Automatic Cleaning
Pasteurizing Option
EL-AN Drive
Smart Mix Technology
Remote Control
Contact Your Local Calf Star Dealer For More Information
Wisconsin:
Abts Equipment LLC New Franken (920) 866-2485 Gillett (920) 866-2485 Argall Dairy Systems, Inc. Belleville (608) 424-6110 Platteville (608) 348-3385
Midwest Livestock Systems Menomonie (715) 235-5144 Redeker Dairy Equipment Brandon (920) 960-9260 The Scharine Group Inc. Whitewater (608) 883-2880
Gehring Sales & Service, Inc. Tri-County Dairy Supply Inc. Rubicon (262) 673-4920 Janesville (608) 757-2697 Joe’s Refrigeration, Inc. Iowa: Withee (715) 229-2321 Langs Dairy Equipment Decorah (563) 382-8722 Leedstone, Inc. Menomonie (866) 467-4717 Precision Dairy Equipment Elkader (563) 245-2560
Minnesota:
Gorter’s Clay & Dairy Equipment, Inc. Pipestone (507) 825-3271 Leedstone, Inc. Melrose (888) 267-2697 Glencoe (877) 864-5575 Plainview (800) 548-5240 Midwest Livestock Systems Zumbrota (507) 732-4673
South Dakota:
Midwest Livestock Systems Renner (605) 274-3656
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 25
ConƟnued from KLEIN | Page 23 changed – some getting larger and some remaining smaller. Yet, arguably the most signicant change, and for the better, has been the quality of milk produced on these farms, Klein said. Over the course of 30 years, farmers have placed a greater importance on milk quality. When the eld representative began his endeavor and premiums were awarded for somatic cell counts below 200,000, only a few of the member owners were recognized. Now, more than 40% of member owners are recognized and maintain that standard of milk quality year over year, Klein said. “It’s unbelievable, really insane, how people have made such advancements to improve their milk quality,” Klein said. “The strong premiums have also really helped incomes.” It has also been enjoyable for Klein to watch families grow and incorporate the next generation into the farm business. In many instances, Klein watched these young adults grow up on their dairies. “I’ve really come to know these families, so much so that it’s like I become a part of the families,” Klein said. “Some were 6 or 7 years old when I rst met them and now, they are either a key part of the dairy or owning it.” The number of birthday parties, graduation celebrations, wedding invitations and more have become a blur for Klein, considering all the families he has gotten to know as more than a farmer member for the cooperative. In certain instances, he was asked to provide cheese curds for the events. “A lot of my job has been building farmer relations,” Klein said. “These people are the kind of people I very much enjoy.” However, despite the numerous good memories Klein has created with the farmers on his route, he too has been a part of their darkest times. Klein recalled being asked to testify in divorce court, watched a farm have to rebuild from a devastating tornado and grieve for another who lost their herd in a barn re. “I’ve gone through those hardships just as they have,” Klein said. “There’s nothing more you can do for them than feel for them because you know them on a personal level. They are more than a part of my
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
Jim Klein (right) speaks with the Kerfeld family – (from leŌ) Tim, Nick and Rosie – Sept. 14 at their 290-cow dairy in Stearns County near St. Rosa, Minnesota. Klein spends his days visiƟng with patrons of Bongards Creameries. work.” With each challenge farmers have gone through, Klein has also witnessed the good in the industry. “People come together when their friend, neighbor is down,” he said. “Everyone pitches in.” Klein credits the farmers he has worked with as well as other industry professionals for a career that has continued on for so long. “There are a lot of things I’ve picked up over the years from experts,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot from working with them. And, that’s just part of the dairy
industry. I appreciate all who I’ve worked with and learned from.” As Klein wakes for another day of work Sept. 27, he may reect on the career he has built and the opportunity that awaits in his future. For the time being, he is very pleased to be continuing in his line of work. “Working in the dairy industry is something I’ve always loved all of my life,” Klein said. “I’m truly appreciative of the work that I do and the people I get to work with.”
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Page 26 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
ELAP funding available for drought-impacted farmers By Steve Frericks
County Executive Director Stearns County FSA Office
The sights and smells of fall are upon us. My favorite time of the year. In most cases, harvest is the reward for all your dedicated hard work from the growing season. Many area producers were affected by recent storm activity. Our hearts go out to those affected. This adds to an already stressful year. FSA is reporting these events and working with emergency ofcials to identify if the county can qualify for any additional emergency assistance. The month of September at FSA means we are preparing for the fall payment cycle. We will begin pushing out eligible program payments in early October. With this in mind, if you have changed banks or have new accounts, please notify FSA so we can get the correct routing information for your direct deposit. If you have purchased land, FSA needs to know this. Often landowners believe that FSA is notied of land transactions at the local county courthouse, This is not the case. FSA will need a copy of the recorded deed to make updates for current ownership. Please stay safe as you harvest what is left of this crop and proud of what you have accomplished. USDA expands assistance to cover feed transportation costs for drought-impacted ranchers in Minnesota In response to the severe drought conditions in the West and Great Plains, the United States Department of Agriculture announced its plans to help cover the cost of transporting feed for livestock that rely on grazing. USDA is updating the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program to immediately cover feed transportation costs for drought impacted ranchers. USDA’s Farm Service Agency will provide more details and tools to help Minnesota ranchers get ready to apply at their local USDA Service Center at fsa.usda.gov/ elap. ELAP provides nancial assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised sh for losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events or loss conditions as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. ELAP already covers the cost of hauling water during drought, and this change will expand the program beginning in 2021 to cover feed transportation costs where grazing and hay resources have been depleted. This includes places where: Drought intensity is D2 for eight consecutive weeks as indicated by the U.S. Drought Monitor; Drought intensity is D3 or greater; or USDA has determined a shortage of local or regional feed availability. Cost share assistance will also be made available to cover eligible cost of treating hay or feed to prevent the spread of invasive pests like re ants. Under the revised policy for feed transportation cost assistance, eligible ranchers will be reimbursed 60% of feed transportation costs above what would have been incurred in a normal year. Producers qualifying as underserved will be reimbursed for 90% of the feed transportation cost above what would have been incurred in a normal year. A national cost formula, as established by USDA, will be used to determine reimbursement costs which will not include the rst 25 miles and distances exceeding 1,000 transportation miles. The calculation will also exclude the normal cost to transport hay or feed if the producer normally purchases some feed. For 2021, the initial cost formula of $6.60 per mile will be used (before the percentage is applied), but may be adjusted on a state or regional basis. To be eligible for ELAP assistance, livestock must be intended for grazing and producers must have incurred feed transportation costs on or after Jan. 1, 2021. Although producers will self-certify losses and expenses to FSA, producers are encouraged to maintain good records and retain receipts and related documentation in the event these documents are requested for review by the local FSA County Committee. The deadline to le an application for payment for the 2021 program year is Jan. 31, 2022. More information on this expansion to ELAP is forthcoming. In the meantime, more information is available at fsa.usda.gov/elap or by contacting a local USDA Service Center. Farm Service Agency is an Equal Opportunity Lender. Complaints about discrimination should be sent to: Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250. Visit the Farm Service Agency Web site at: www.fsa.usda.gov/ for necessary application forms and updates on USDA programs.
Feeding kids, driving dairy demand in school
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 27
When we think about the key inuences future dairy consumers have when it comes to making daily food choices, schools stand out as one of the most important places for the dairy industry to connect with students and school nutrition professionals in meaningful ways. Schools serve as far and away the largest “restaurant” in their local communities – millions of students rely on school meals as their main source of nutrition. And food plays a critical role for students in this environment – nourishing minds, fueling bodies and providing the enjoyment kids rely on to succeed in By Julie Mattson the classroom and in life. Midwest Dairy VP of Dairy Experience – Wellness For this age group and in this setting, we have an amazing opportunity to connect the next generation of consumers with dairy foods they can love and enjoy for years to come. As we head into a new school year, Midwest Dairy is strategically working with schools to ensure dairy is accessible for students at a variety of creative touch points throughout the day – to provide nutrients, build trust with these future consumers and drive dairy demand. Knowing the role food and nutrition play for students in fueling a successful school day, Midwest Dairy is working with school partners throughout the Midwest to develop creative solutions for how they make dairy foods available, especially for students who may have left home on an empty stomach. More specically, Midwest Dairy is focused on making sure nutritious and delicious dairy products are readily available throughout the day – whether it’s secondchance breakfast, grab-and-go breakfast carts, breakfast in the classroom, lunch or after-school snack options. One key to our success is tapping into trends young consumers enjoy. An option that’s growing in popularity is smoothies, for their convenience and ability to help kids get their daily servings of dairy, packing a one-two punch with milk and yogurt. Thanks to their health prole, smoothies are now considered a reimbursable school meal when paired with another food such as a whole grain, making them an even smarter options for school districts, and a trendy choice for schools to offer. Midwest Dairy is helping schools throughout its 10-state region implement smoothie programs, by funding equipment needed to make smoothies in addition to providing resources and recipes to launch or expand smoothie programs in districts. Another creative way we’re working with schools is offering students access to dairy through hot chocolate milk programs that encourage more dairy consumption throughout the day while providing students with a novel treat, similar to what they could nd in a
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trendy coffee shop. Midwest Dairy is helping schools to implement these programs by providing equipment and resources to maximize their efforts and help get more dairy into kids’ hands – and we’re hearing teachers are excited about these offerings, too. These school programs have a real impact on dairy sales, not to mention the demand they fuel into the future. Outside of supporting these programs, educating schools and students about the dairy industry’s commitment to environmental stewardship is also fundamental to our work. Younger generations have an appetite for learning more about food – what it can do for them as well as how food selections help them be responsible consumers that show care for the earth and animals, too. Programs such as Fuel Up to Play 60 help teach students about healthy living, including
how dairy is responsibly and sustainably produced. Dairy has such a positive story to tell when it comes to the nutritional benets it offers students and faculty. Knowing our audience and what they want from their food, we take the opportunity to highlight dairy’s role in everything from immune function to digestive benets, calming effects and more. With schools back in session, Midwest Dairy’s focus will continue to be integrating positive dairy experiences that provide important nutrition to youth in need, instill a love of dairy with future consumers and drive dairy demand now. It’s the right thing to do to provide for children who need access to nutritious food, and it’s a perfect opportunity to connect with tomorrow’s shoppers. The future success of our kids – and dairy – depend on it.
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Page 28 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 Dana Adams, adam1744@umn.edu 320-204-2968 Joe Armstrong armst225@umn.edu 612.624.3610 Luciano Caixeta lcaixeta@umn.edu 612-625-3130 Gerard Cramer gcramer@umn.edu 612-625-8184 Marcia Endres miendres@umn.edu 612-624-5391 Joleen Hadrich jhadrich@umn.edu 612-626-5620 Les Hansen hanse009@umn.edu 612-624-2277 Brad Heins hein0106@umn.edu 320-589-1711 Nathan Hulinsky huli0013@umn.edu 320-203-6104 Kevin Janni kjanni@umn.edu 612-625-3108 Karen Johnson ande9495@umn.edu 320-484-4334 Emily Krekelberg krek0033@umn.edu 507-280-2863 Claire LaCanne lacanne@umn.edu 507-332-6109 Brenda Miller nels4220@umn.edu 320-732-4435 Erin Royster royster@umn.edu Isaac Salfer ijsalfer@umn.edu 320-296-1357 Jim Salfer salfe001@umn.edu 320-203-6093 Mike Schutz mschutz@umn.edu 612-624-1205 Emma Severns sever575@umn.edu 507-934-7828 Melissa Wison mlw@umn.edu 612-625-4276
www.extension.umn.edu/dairy
Late season alfalfa considerations By Claire LaCanne
University of Minnesota
There is a good chance you are already done with silage harvest for the year due to early maturation in much of the state. Now you might be turning your mind to the rest of harvest. It is also a good time of year to think about your alfalfa and setting yourself up for success next season. You will want to consider whether or not you should take a cutting, and you will want to think about fertility, too. This year’s drought conditions in much of Minnesota have resulted in decreased forage yields for many farmers. Taking a fall alfalfa harvest may be an opportunity to increase both the quality and quantity of your forage inventory. But as we come up on the end of our typical alfalfa cutting window, you will want to think about whether harvesting fall alfalfa is the best option for your operation. Late season alfalfa management decisions often come down to balancing a need for forage versus optimizing stand health and winter survival. If you are wanting to harvest, when should you take your last cutting of the year to ensure good winter survival and yield potential for the following year? The timing of harvest, especially in the fall, can maintain or deplete root reserves critical for winter survival. In Minnesota, cutting is not recommended between Sept. 1 and Oct. 15 because this critical harvest period is needed for carbohydrate accumulation. These calendar dates are not necessarily the hard and fast deadline, because the growing season is lengthening in general, with killing freezes coming later. Critical harvest period dates will also vary depending on how far north you are located, but regardless, it is crucial that nal harvest occurs four to six weeks before the average date of the rst killing frost/freeze. Cutting during the critical harvest period interferes with the accumulation of carbohydrate reserves because energy is expended for new growth at the expense of building winter reserves. It is also recommended to maintain a minimum of 6 inches of standing growth or stubble to serve as a snow catchment for insulation to protect against winter injury. Also keep in mind that stands under three years of age are more tolerant of fall cuttings than older stands where root and crown diseases are setting in. While not a controllable factor, droughty fall conditions also reduce the storage of root reserves, so you will want to keep that in mind while thinking through these
decisions, especially this year. If your forage stores can afford for you not to cut, your alfalfa’s winter hardiness should be maximized with hearty growth next spring. Having biomass out there will hold snow for extra moisture and insulation, as well as provide more reliable erosion control. Root heaving should be minimized and ice damage may be reduced. One risk of leaving your stand over the winter is that having a larger amount of vegetative matter out there could encourage alfalfa weevils the following spring. Minimizing the amount of alfalfa stubble in the fall has been shown to reduce injury from alfalfa weevils. It is important to stay on top of fertility because stressed plants are weaker and don’t efciently synthesize carbohydrates for winter storage. As far as fertility goes, alfalfa growers in Minnesota often apply potassium fertilizer twice each year: once during the growing season and once in the fall to promote overwintering. However, research by the University of Minnesota indicates that a second, fall potassium application has no effect on alfalfa’s winter hardiness. This research shows no difference between spring alfalfa stands that received a fall potassium application and those that did not. Two likely reasons are that 1) modern alfalfa varieties have been bred for greater winter hardiness, so they don’t need as much potassium for overwintering as past varieties and 2) previous research showing a benet from fall potassium application was likely done on soils with much lower potassium levels than we have today. University of Minnesota researchers recommend testing your soil and applying potash once during the growing season at recommended rates. The university also provides an alfalfa calculator to help farmers pick optimal phosphorus and potassium application rates, which you can nd at: https://z.umn. edu/AlfalfaCalculator. Looking ahead to next spring, it is recommended to closely assess stand health in the spring, regardless of how you decide to manage your alfalfa this fall and regardless of winter conditions. Remember that winter injury may not be immediately obvious. You might be able to tell if there is slow or uneven spring growth, or it could go undetected until after the rst cut. In the spring, you will want to perform stem counts and monitor regrowth to assess overall stand health and production potential. For more information on assessing your forages, visit: https:// extension.umn.edu/forages/growing-forages.
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 29
How much can I overstock? By Jim Salfer
University of Minnesota
A common saying in the dairy industry is, “When milk prices are high, I want to milk more cows. When milk prices are low, I need to milk more cows.” This often means overcrowding the pens. Some farms achieve high milk production and have healthy cows with pens containing 40% more cows than stalls. Other farms have challenges if cows are overcrowded more than 10%. Cows have certain biological needs that must be met for them to be productive and stay healthy, so it is important to provide good animal welfare conditions. Here are some questions to ponder when evaluating increasing stocking density. Are transition cows never overcrowded? A fresh cow pen allows cows to recover and not have to compete with the more aggressive cows for stalls or bunk space. Cows that had greater lying and ruminating activity during the week before calving had greater feed intake and milk yield during the rst two weeks after calving. Providing 30 to 36 inches of bunk space and 80% to 100% freestall capacity for transition cows will help them get off to a good start.
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Are cows allowed to achieve their desired time budget? Table 1 shows the time budget of high producing cows. Several research studies show that cows desire 12-14 hours of lying time and will give up eating time to achieve lying time. Cows ate faster to achieve the longer lying times which could affect components and increase the risk of acidosis. Rest and rumination are important for cow welfare. Ninety percent of rumination should happen when cows are lying down. Rick Grant proposed that each additional one hour of resting time translates into two to three more pounds of milk per cow daily.
MILKING—ASTRONAUTS
The Dieball Family (Dieball Dairy) near Green Isle, MN, started milking with Astronauts in N November of 2018 (A4 milking robots, Jun Juno feed pusher, Luna cow brushes). "W "We've achieved everything we were ho hoping for, plus a lot more! And the co cows love them. If the robots leave th the farm, the cows will be leaving right be behind them."
Are all stalls comfortable? To achieve the desired lying time, all cows need access to high quality beds. Cows require well designed stalls with a soft lying surface. The percent of hock lesions, swollen legs, injuries and the number of broken freestalls can help determine if your beds are adequate. Are all stalls high quality and desirable to use? West side stalls in North to South directional barns often don’t get used on summer afternoons. If stalls are too small, a cow lying in a stall may occupy part of a neighboring stall with her legs, head or back, which would prevent another cow from lying down in the vacant stall.
FEEDING—VECTOR SYSTEM
Are rst lactation cows separated from older cows? Heifers are smaller than the mature lactating cows and everything about the milking experience is new. This makes it difcult for them to compete for bunk and bed space with mature cows. Research showed a 10% to 15% improvement in milk yield and a nearly 20% increase in resting activity when rst-calf heifers were grouped separately from older cows.
The Rolf Family (Golden Sunrise Dairy, Inc.) near Mcintosh, MN, started Vector feeding in late 2019 (A4 milking robots, Vector feeding system, Collector cleaners, Luna cow brushes).
Is adequate high-quality bunk space available? Recommendations are that lactating cows have access to 24 inches of bunk space. This is seldom achieved with overstocking. Less bunk space can be partially compensated for with excellent feed management. Three-row pens have less bunk space per stall than two-row pens. Some barns have areas of the barn with man passes, crossovers and other areas where bunk space is unusable.
“With heifers and milk cows under one roof, the Vector allows us to feed an unlimited number of rations with an unlimited number of ingredients. It also gives the cows a consistent mix, and we all know cows love consistency!”
Is feed management excellent? This can partially compensate for less bunk space. Here are some musts with overstocking at the feed bunk. Feed must be delivered to each pen within the same 15-minute window each day, especially if feeding for low refusals. Feed must be kept pushed up and be available for 24 hours. Rations must be consistently mixed and not easily sorted. Cows may eat faster with fewer but larger meals if they are overcrowded. This increases the risk of subclinical acidosis that can have a detrimental effect on milk components. Feed should also be uniformly delivered along the entire length of the bunk and feed must be available along the entire bunk for the entire day. No part of the bunk should ever be out of feed.
CLEANING—DISCOVERY COLLECTOR
The Kerfeld Family (Kerfeld Dairy) near Melrose, MN, started cleaning their barn with the Collector in January of 2020 (Collector cleaners, Luna cow brushes).
Is hoof care excellent? An excellent hoof health program is even more important if your barn is overstocked. Is heat abatement excellent? Increased animal density means increased heat production. Heat abatement in the holding area and throughout the freestall barn will increase cow comfort. It will also help keep cows from bunching in the barn. Is time away from the pen and in headlocks kept at three hours or less per day? With more cows in the pen, access to the bunk and beds for as many hours as possible is important so cows can meet their time budget needs. Submissive cows will suffer if time away from the pen is too long. The answer to how much overcrowding is optimal depends on facility design and management. The more the above criteria that are met, the more likely overstocking will not affect productivity and animal welfare. Table 1. Time budget for lactation dairy cows
Activity Lying/resting Eating Social interactions Ruminating Drinking Milking (outside pen)
Time needed, hours per day 12 to14 3 to 5 (9-14 meals/day) 2 to 3 7 to10 0.5 2.5 to 3.5
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Melon belly
Page 30 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
Someone recently sent me a yellowed photograph of a farm couple standing out on their lawn. They are both bent forward at the waist, and both are holding half-moon shaped objects to their mouths. They are eating watermelon, of course, and are doing it the right way: outside and standing up. With this method, you can spit the seeds wherever you please and no one makes fun of the river of melon juice that’s tumbling down your chin. Nothing says summertime like a cold, sweet watermelon. When you think about it, watermelon is a mysterious and sensuous fruit. It’s mysterious in that it somehow manages to store vast amounts of water even as it roasts in the hot summer sun. And no one can deny the shape of a watermelon is somewhat sensuous, with its voluptuous curves and its smooth, glistening skin. There’s also the rumor that I heard, as
schoolkid, about a lady who became with child after accidentally consuming a watermelon seed. More watermelons are grown in Forestburg, South Dakota, than any other place in the state. It’s the region’s melon mecca. I don’t why this is. Perhaps some pioneering wayfarer paused at the place that is now Forestburg to eat a melon and the seeds he spat out took root and an industry was born. Late one summer when I was in my early teens, my uncle, Coke, motored out to Forestburg and returned with a pickup truck loaded with assorted melons. He then drove around our neighborhood to peddle his fresh fruit. Coke’s pickup was still about three-quarters full when he came to our farm. Dad contemplated what appeared to be a metric ton of bargain-priced cucurbits as his eight salivating offspring peered wolshly
into pickup’s bed. Dad told Coke he would take the whole shebang. Our family suddenly acquired a melon-centric diet. We could have cantaloupe for breakfast, honeydew for dinner and watermelon for sup- Dear County Agent Guy per – which many of us did. Even so, as autumn approached it became apparent we wouldn’t be able to eat our way through the entire trove of melons. Dad suggested we stash some of the melons in the granary’s oats bin. He reasoned that they would thus be protected By Jerry Nelson from the frosty temperatures, and we could draw Columnist upon our watermelon stockpile well into the winter. We buried several watermelons deep in the oats and there they remained, undisturbed, until one snowy early-winter day. It was a weekend, and I was bored. Out of the blue, I was struck by an inspiration. I whispered to my brother, Kevin, who is a year younger than me, that we should sneak out to the granary and bring forks. We slipped into the granary and dug through the oats until we found a watermelon. It was an uncommonly large specimen; it appeared to be roughly the size of a zeppelin. We took the watermelon a safe distance from the oats bin and cut it in two. I handed half to Kevin, and we wordlessly began to stuff our faces with the rubyred, delicious, ice-cold melon esh. It wasn’t long before I began to feel quite full. I could see Kevin was slowing down too, but neither of us wanted to be the rst to admit it. We were locked in a silent melon-munching battle. I would make a show of eating a large forkful and Kevin would retaliate by downing an even bigger one. My stomach felt as if it were about to burst, spraying masticated melon all over the granary. Just when I thought Kevin was ready to call for a truce, he made an outlandish move: he lifted his bowlshaped half of the watermelon to his lips and he drank the juice. Kevin had thrown down the gauntlet. Had there been a soundtrack in the granary that day, the theme from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” would have been playing. I had no choice but to respond by drinking my juice. We spent the afternoon clashing like titans, trading blow for blow as we ate the whole watermelon in one sitting – that is, except for the short breaks we had to take to let out some watermelon juice. Our tussle ended in a tie. We staggered from the granary feeling somewhat dazed, walking gingerly as our bellies sloshed from side to side. I suddenly felt a great deal of empathy for extremely pregnant ladies. Many hours would pass before I could again breathe normally. That watermelon was certainly good. Eating the whole thing in one sitting was bad. And what it did to our digestive systems was downright ugly. Jerry is a recovering dairy farmer from Volga, South Dakota. He and his wife, Julie, have two grown sons and live on the farm where Jerry’s great-grandfather homesteaded over 110 years ago. Jerry currently works full time for the Dairy Star as a staff writer/ad salesman. Feel free to E-mail him at: jerry.n@dairystar.com.
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Maximizing starch digestibility in HMSC
Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 31
Many producers have completed corn silage harvest and some may be near to or already harvesting high moisture shell corn. If you plan to incorporate HMSC into your feeding strategy, the following three factors can help you Something to Ruminate On get the most from this high-value feed.
Processing, particle size Like corn grain, processing HMSC increases surface area so that microbial digestion can take place. The ideal particle size for HMSC is interdependent on moisBy Barry Visser ture and storage time, Nutritionist which we’ll discuss next. A mean particle size of 1,200 to 1,500 microns is recommended for HMSC at 30% moisture. The drier the HMSC, the ner the grind needs to be. The two most common HMSC processing methods available are hammer mills and roller mills. In a hammer mill, particle size is determined mostly by screen hole size. The screen prevents the ground feed from leaving the grinding chamber until it reaches a given size. In a roller mill, feed passes between rolls, and is sheared and compressed to reduce the particle size. Both systems will do a great job of processing HMSC if they are set up properly and receive regular maintenance. Roller mills can handle high moisture levels a little better; a hammer mill is more effective at reducing particle size if moisture levels are lower than ideal. Our 2021 growing season has generated signicant variation in kernel size and moisture in areas impacted by the drought. More frequent adjustments may be needed to achieve desired HMSC particle size.
For example, HMSC ensiled at 24% moisture will have less proteolytic lactic-acid bacteria (LAB). Thus, it will take longer for prolamin proteins to degrade and degradation will occur to a lesser extent. If it is also coarsely processed (greater than 2,000 microns), starch digestion will be very slow and the potential for excessive fecal starch will be high. In contrast, HMSC ensiled at 35% moisture may ferment very rapidly with a robust growth of LAB and, if nely processed (less than 1,000 microns), may result in excessively fast ruminal starch digestion. This may lead to rumen acidosis or decreased milk component production.
Moisture The University of Wisconsin recommends targeting 28% to 32% moisture for HMSC. Storage structures may dictate your target value. For optimum starch digestibility, a little too wet is better than too dry. If you will start feeding HMSC immediately after harvest, you may want to consider segregating twoor three-months’ worth of HMSC with slightly higher moisture. This will provide a more immediate source of highly digestibly starch. Success at low moisture values is often dependent on the degree of processing and the integrity of the storage unit. In a perfectly maintained, oxygen-limiting unit with a bottom unloader, 20% to 25% moisture may be acceptable, but is still a little on the dry side.
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Storage time Allowing adequate storage time for wet corn is the greatest supporter of starch availability. Prolaminzein proteins encapsulate corn starch and act as a barrier to digestion. Over time, protease enzymes (produced by proteolytic bacteria) break down this protein matrix, making starch more available. The wetter the corn source, the quicker this process occurs and the sooner the feed will reach its full starch digestibility potential.
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The most important thing to remember is there is no such thing as a universal HMSC. The digestion of HMSC is dynamic, dependent on processing, and especially dependent on the intensity of LAB growth and length of storage. HMSC may feed poorly in the fall, feed well in the spring and become excessively digestible in the rumen the following summer. Because the digestibility of HMSC is a moving target, having enough carryover in your inventory will help you reduce this variation. Harvesting at the desired moisture and reducing particle size will also help you maximize starch digestibility of your feeds. Barry Visser is a nutritionist for Vita Plus.
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On the run
Page 32 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
The skies have nally opened, and rains have started to revive dry lawns and restore moisture to alfalfa plants after a fourth cutting. What a welcomed sight. However, it does come at a cost. It seems August weather can be like a drunken giant trying to quietly tip-toe across the landscape while trying to avoid tripping over lakes and rivers. He is neither quiet nor delicate, while he leaves a trail of destruction behind. Low pressure systems sweeping up from the south and high pressure systems hurling down from the north collide in our region creating quite a stir. On the last Saturday morning in August, we watched as ominous clouds churned in the west-southwest sky moving in our direction. As the clouds brewed a darker color the closer they came, I could see light behind the storm and thought “Is that all there is to this storm? What a wimp.” The dark clouds passed over and little did I realize the light behind the storm was actually a wall of water and wind. This was not going to be a wimpy storm. Watching from my kitchen window, I could see a dark animal running around by the domes. It looked like our dog Bailey. As I opened the front door to call the dog to the house, the skies opened. Rain and hail pelted the ground. Surely the dog will nd a
dry place in one of the open sheds. Once again Mark found himself stranded in the machine shed as the fury of the storm echoed throughout the metal building. He kept watching, studying the sky for a sign of danger. He knew the safest place during the heart of the storm was going to be under one of the big tractors, and he was ready to move. As quickly as the storm hit, it dissipated and we emerged to start looking for damage. The buildings and vehicles looked OK. I called for Bailey, and she met us by the calf domes. Then we started to recognize the potential damage. One of the calf domes ew 30 feet across the yard. We found two calves wandering in the area and put them back in their own domes. Then I started to do a head count. We were still short one calf. I realized what I thought was the dog running around by the domes was actually a week-old black calf. As the winds and rains hit, it pushed this little girl eastward toward the corn eld next to the barn. Once she found shelter from the storm in the corn rows, she started walking. We found her little toe tracks in the mud heading south. Or was it a fawn track? There are so many deer in the area. We couldn’t tell what we were looking at but it was the only clue
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we had as to where this calf could possibly have gone. Mark tracked her all the way to the well and then back north again. She somehow crossed our driveway heading north but didn’t want to come in the open yard. She apparently liked hiding in the tangled corn stalks. All afternoon we walked Just Thinking Out Loud and searched. I purposely withheld the evening milk from the remaining calves. I hoped their bawling would call her home. As the sun was setting, I relented and fed the calves, worried about our missing little one being all alone and lost in the eld. Another round of rain was forecasted for the evening. This poor little one was goBy Natalie Schmitt ing to get stranded out in another storm. We all went to Columnist bed with heavy hearts. As we started milking the next morning, Brenda called and said the missing calf was in her yard. Sure enough, it was our missing girl. We got her home. I put extra straw in her dome and gave her a warm bottle of milk. What a relief. We don’t know how she made it a mile north of the farm, across a busy tar road while avoiding a fall in a swollen water way in the middle of a dark and stormy night. We did know she was going to need a special name. Eleven years earlier in August we had an even bigger storm go through our farm yard knocking down large elm trees. We didn’t lose any calves in the corn eld that time but a couple of domes did land in the eld like the Wizard of Oz house. We were in the middle of calving in ET calves from Goldwyn Carly at that time. Two were even born during the storm. We named them Cyclone, Chaos, Confusion, Commotion, Church and Chapel. So this little black calf was going to have to have a special name to mark her event. Katie started throwing out song titles as name suggestions. Born to Run. Runaway. Fly Away. All were good ideas but not quite the right one. Then she found it. The right name/song. Since this calf traces back to our Chickadee cow family, it needed to have a bird connection. She pleaded to name her Freebird, a classic country rock song by Lynryd Skynyrd. Perfect. During our search we discovered the extent of the storm damage to the elds. Mark surveyed the damage of twisted corn stalks and shredded leaves. He took mental notes of which varieties he was going to avoid on his next seed order. The damage meant harvest plans had to be switched and accelerated before too much moisture was lost in the feed value. Fields of silage corn seem to have withstood the winds but grain corn elds struggled to stay upright. Harvest elds were going to have to be ip-opped. Since we’re not back up to full capacity, we don’t need to chop as much silage as we grow. We are fortunate enough to have a large dairy neighbor who is always looking for feed closer to home. Brent came in with a chopping crew and semi dump trucks. They cleaned out 50 acres of downed corn in ve hours. Mark spent 40 hours over the next week chopping silage to ll two bags and two silos from 30 acres. We will have more than enough feed supplies for the number of cattle we have on hand for the coming year. Now we wait to see how the silage corn matures and dries down for grain harvest. It won’t be a record-breaking year, but it should still have strong yields. One of the best things about the early induced corn silage season is we can Take It On the Run to Expo! As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.
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Help in time of need
One of the characteristics you hear over and over about rural Americans – and especially members of the dairy community – is our inclination to help each other in times of need. Sometimes our needs are small; sometimes our needs are large. Sometimes help comes from those we know and love; sometimes help comes from complete strangers. During the 4-H livestock encampment of the Minnesota State Fair, Monika found herself in need Dairy Good Life of help. I was there as one of our county’s chaperones and doing my best to help her, but even I was at a loss for solutions. On Friday evening, the night before the show, Monika took her heifer, Debut, out for a walk, to get Debut’s wiggles out after being cooped up for several days at the fair. Dozens of other 4-Hers had the same idea and the area between the cattle barn and the coliseum looked like a mini-show. Unfortunately for Monika, Debut wanted nothing more than to go back to the straw pack in the barn. Debut has never loved being on the halter, but I’ve By Sadie Frericks never seen a heifer so downright ornery. And I’ve Columnist never seen Monika’s condence dissolve so quickly. She knew Debut needed to walk well during the show to keep from breaking in the loin; she also had high hopes for showmanship, her favorite class. At that moment, it looked like neither of those was going to go well – and I didn’t know what else to do to help Monika. In the next moment, help arrived in the form of an angel named Ashley. Monika didn’t know Ashley; I only knew who Ashley was because she and her family show at the same youth show our kids do. “Here, let me help,” Ashley said. I held Ashley’s heifer while she helped Monika and Debut around the makeshift ring. After a couple minutes, Ashley told Monika that she’d be right back. Ashley put her heifer away, came back, and helped Monika with Debut for over an hour. With awe, I watched this unlikely pair: This was Ashley’s last year of showing in 4-H at the state fair; it was Monika’s rst. Ashley comes from one of the larger farms in Minnesota; Monika comes from one of the smaller. Ashley had a registered Red and White heifer; Monika had a crossbred. But, as they worked together, their differences were irrelevant. Ashley’s calm encouragement slowly helped Monika’s condence return. At the show the next morning, Ashley was there again for Monika. I’m not sure how she knew it was time for Monika’s class, but I guess angels just know when we need them. “You’ve got this,” Ashley reminded Monika. Monika and Debut made it through Debut’s class. Debut was no less ornery than the night before, but Monika’s condence held up. They nished better than Monika’s goal of getting a blue ribbon. Following her class, Monika asked, for the rst time ever, if she absolutely had to go back out for showmanship. I told her that showmanship likely wouldn’t go very well, but she needed to go out anyway. Indeed, showmanship did not go well at all. As much as I think Monika knew in her head that it wouldn’t go well, in her heart she had held onto the hope that somehow it would go better than she expected. As Monika walked out of the ring, she looked crushed. But, again, Ashley was there. She wrapped her arm around Monika and walked with her all the way back to her stall. I’m not sure what Ashley said, if anything – or maybe it was just her presence – but Monika looked like she had been lifted up. I thanked Ashley for all of her help, and I hope that my words adequately conveyed the magnitude of my gratitude. What a gift that I was there to witness Ashley’s selessness. Monika thanked Ashley in her own way. After Monika was notied she had earned a spot in the Rising Stars of the Minnesota 4-H Dairy Showcase, I asked her which two guests she was going to bring to the showcase brunch. “Me and Dan?” I suggested. “No, not Dan. I’m going to ask Ashley,” she replied without hesitation. Ashley accepted Monika’s invitation and joined us for brunch. As Monika and Ashley sat there together, all dressed up, smiling and chatting, I couldn’t help but marvel again at the unlikeliness of their new friendship. Sometimes help shows up in the ways we least expect. P.S. Little did we know at the time, our family would end up needing a lot more help before the state fair was over. To be continued… Sadie and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children – Dan, 13, Monika, 11, and Daphne, 7. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.
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Page 34 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
Improving water quality at core of Peninsula Pride Farms
Kewaunee, Door County farmers collaborate to help community, environment By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
CASCO, Wis. – In 2016, a group of farmers on the DoorKewaunee Peninsula did something not commonly done. They recognized they played a central role in the prevention of con-
taminated groundwater in the area and took ownership of the problem. Committed to doing the right thing for their community, they began implementing practices to improve water quality and soil health. Within four years, this group of farmers, known as Peninsula Pride Farms,
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Jamie PaƩon, senior outreach specialist for UW-Extension Nutrient and Pest Management Program, stands in the soil pit demonstraƟng the soil structure as she talks about soil prole performance, biological acƟviƟes and organic maƩer during a eld day Aug. 17 at Double Dutch Dairy near Cedar Grove, Wisconsin.
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Don Niles, president and co-founder of Peninsula Pride Farms, stands next to a eld of corn planted on a wheat cover crop in a shallow bedrock eld where no manure applicaƟons are permiƩed. Niles milks 3,000 cows at Dairy Dreams near Casco, Wisconsin.
quadrupled the number of acres in cover crops and no-till farming. “We’re working extremely hard to come up with creative and effective groundwater protection practices,” said Don Niles, president of PPF and one of the group’s founders. “We knew we had to do something about the water quality issues we
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cows in the area. The smallest farm has 40 cows and the largest has 8,000 cows. Niles, a former veterinarian, milks 3,000 cows near Casco at Dairy Dreams – a farm formed in partnership in 2001 between Niles and the late John Pagel. “(PPF) contains the full spectrum of farms from large to small and also includes some crop farmers and an orchard or two,” Niles said. The group has come a long way in a short time. In 2016, 3,864 acres were no tilled. As of last year, that number rose to 12,284 acres. The use of cover crops also spiked, jumping from 4,189 acres in 2016 to 18,653 in 2020. There was a 50% increase in reported conservation practices implemented by PPF last year compared to when they rst started. Many farmers integrate multiple conservation practices, resulting in even greater soil and water quality outcomes. “Our coordinated use of these practices to improve soil health and ground water quality in an entire watershed, with an aim of directly affecting ground water, is unique,” Niles said. With more than one cow per acre, Kewaunee has the most cows per square mile of any county in the state. The region
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 35
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Barry Bubolz, USDA-NRCS area Great Lakes RestoraƟon IniƟaƟve coordinator, uses a rainfall simulator to demonstrate how the ow of water travels through the soil of no-Ɵll management samples during a eld day Aug. 17 at Double Dutch Dairy near Cedar Grove, Wisconsin. also contains sensitive areas of shallow bedrock, meaning anything people do on the surface has an impact because there is not a lot of barrier between soil and groundwater. Since its creation, PPF has more than doubled the amount of manure that goes through a methane digester in areas with shallow soils (2 to 5 feet). “This is a big deal because digesters provide tremendous pathogen reduction to manure before it is applied to elds,” Niles said. “Digesters reduce coliforms by 1,000 times, which allows that manure to be safely spread on shallow or sensitive ground. Therefore, a 3,000-cow farm with a digester is spreading the same amount of coliforms as a farm with three cows and no digester.” State regulations in the area have become stricter in recent years, and as a result, no manure can be applied on elds with less than 2 feet of soil. Furthermore, restrictive spreading measurements are in place for areas with 2 to 5 feet of soil. The organization is exible, providing a menu of cost-share options to its members and letting each farmer decide what practice is of the greatest value to him or her. Cost sharing is provided for cover crops, harvestable buffers, split nitrogen applications, low-disturbance manure applications and testing depth to bedrock – a good tool for determining the most sensitive areas. “Every farmer, eld and situation is different, so you have to pick what works for you,” Niles said. “Paperwork is minimal. The farmer just tells us which practice(s) they’re doing on how many acres. It’s as simple as that. We’re working synergistically with our county departments, and they are thrilled about these programs.” The adoption of cover crops has been met with positive feedback from the community. “Cover crops create healthier soil and help reduce runoff which in turn benets groundwater,” Niles said. “After harvesting corn, we quickly establish a cover crop. Then in winter, the eld is green. In spring, when the snow melts, you see a green eld instead of a brown one. It’s a conscious practice change – people are seeing it, and they like it.” Sinkholes are another problem the counties’ residents struggle with. “Surface cracks in bedrock are direct conduits to groundwater, and there’s a number of sinkholes in this region,” Niles said. To alleviate this problem, PPF members put in harvestable buffer strips around sinkholes, which offer about 100 feet for growing wheat or alfalfa. The grassy waterway acts as a buffer or barrier to soak
up nutrients from potential runoff. Members get together once a month to share their experiences during events known as Conservation Conversations. Meeting at various farms allows them to see rsthand what others are trying. “We’re working collaboratively, sharing openly and focusing on continuous improvement,” Niles said. “Those are our key goals. We work together so each farmer doesn’t have to make the same mistakes.” At Dairy Dreams, Niles is planting green, doing split applications of nitrogen, planting cover crops, no tilling and performing sink hole mitigation. Conservation Conversations and other meetings held by Peninsula Pride Farms are open to the public. “The people in our county have shown great interest in what we’re doing and how things are looking different,” Niles said. “Some of our most vocal critics are now saying, ‘This is good stuff you’re doing.’” Ensuring their neighbors have clean, healthy water to drink is important. This year, the group is helping fund testing of 600 private wells in Kewaunee County. The two-part project began in July with 300 wells, and 300 more will be tested in November to look for nutrient levels at different times of the year. Wells were tested for nitrates and coliforms, among other contaminants. Niles said the results of July’s tests showed that Kewaunee County’s coliform levels match the state average. “No farmer wants to cause even one person to become ill, and we go to great lengths to keep that from happening,” Niles said. “There were more issues with well water prior to the formation of Peninsula Pride Farms.” Data of gastrointestinal illness is collected annually by the county, which then traces where the illness is coming from. According to Cindy Kinnard, public health director for Kewaunee County, very few, if any, of those cases are related to water. “We do a full investigation on these illnesses, and well water consumption has not been proven to be the cause of infection,” Kinnard said. Proactive about nding and implementing solutions for improving both ground and surface water quality in an area dealing with decades of water quality issues, PPF has made great advances and is committed to continuous improvement. “We believe our two counties can have clean, healthy water and a thriving agricultural community at the same time,” Niles said. “That’s our vision. We never sit still and are enthusiastically doing our part to improve water quality in our area.”
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Page 36 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
Women In Dairy
Christy Borth Menahga, Minnesota Becker County 110 cows Family: My husband, Daran, is a full time K-9 deputy and farms when he has time. Our older son, Derek, farms with us along with his wife, Layla, and our two grandaughters, Brooke, 2.5 years old, and Maryn, 8 months. Our younger son, Dustin, works in Florida for a large solar company. Tell us about your farm. We farm 450 acres and grow corn, alfalfa, wheat and soybeans. We started our farm in 2002 with 10 cows. We now have a 150-cow freestall barn and milk in a double-4 herringbone parlor. We also raise all our youngstock. Derek is in the process of eventually owning the farm. What’s the busiest time of day for you? Mornings are probably the busiest time. It really depends on what we have going on for the day. When you get a spare moment what do you do? I enjoy my time with my granddaughters and also building on our future lake house. I also like to waste time searching Zillow, LakePlace and other real estate sites to take virtual tours of homes and properties I will never own. Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. A few years after we started milking, my
husband happened to be milking with me one morning. Out of nowhere, a cow kicked me in the head and I fell down unconscious in the parlor. A good friend who also milks cows came and brought me to the ER so my husband could nish milking. I ended up with stitches under my eye and having surgery as I fractured my orbital oor. What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I love that I can make my own schedule. It is always great to have the nieces, nephews and the neighbor kids come to the farm to work and play, especially when they were little. Now, it’s great having the grandkids around the farm to play and learn. I also enjoy cutting hay and taking care of the cows when they calve. How do you stay connected with others in the industry? The Internet, social media, neighbors and Dairy Star. Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? My previous employer, Dale and Marcy Janson of Meadowlark Dairy. I started my milking career with them in 1992; I never milked a cow until then. I ended up working there for about 11 years. They taught me everything about farming, milking cows and cow health, and Marcy was the best calf raiser to learn from. They sold me my rst 10 milk cows and let me milk them at their farm until we had our barn and parlor ready to start our own farm.
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If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be and why? Ree Drummond. She probably wouldn’t be scared to get her hands dirty, and I would hope she would cook some fabulous meals for us. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken? I love the outdoors. I have been to Mackinac Island three times, and I hope to make more trips there. The smell of all the owers and lilacs on the
island is wonderful, the water is calming and there are no vehicles on the island, only bicycles and horses. Everyone is happy and not in a rush, just relaxed. The food and fudge are great as well. What are some words you like to live by? Nothing in life is fair and everything happens for a reason. Some days I have to remind myself several times of this.
DAIRY ST★R is published the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. Advertising and news deadline is 5 p.m. the Friday before publication. 522 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN 56378
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 37
Take actions for safe, healthy harvest Skjolaas, Wege outline tips for on-farm safety By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
In light of National Farm Safety and Health Week Sept. 20-25, the Professional Dairy Producers featured a Dairy Signal webinar called “Farm Safety and Maintenance Tune-Up.” Cheryl Skjolaas, senior outreach specialist with the University of Wisconsin Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, talked mostly about harvest and road safety. Justin Wege, ag mechanics instructor/tractor safety program lead, department chair for ag mechanics, outdoor power equipment, and farm business production management with Fox Valley Technical College, focused on preventative maintenance. “Take actions to make sure it is a safe and healthy harvest season,” Skjolaas said. When it comes to harvest safety, Skjolaas said to rst look at the operator’s manual of the equipment used. “While you may have been working in this industry and operating equipment for a long time … for every piece of equipment you need to know where the controls are and what switches do,” Skjolaas said. If a person does not have a lot of time to read the manual from cover to cover, Skjolaas said to focus on the
safety section of the book. “The operator’s manual is going to have some really important key messages for you to review,” she said. “Keep the manuals on hand and make sure everyone knows where they are.” Another key point is to train operators and review the hazards of the equipment. “You may be bringing in a lot of people to run equipment – family members, neighbors or hiring people on a temporary basis,” Skjolaas said. “They may not understand what the hazards are. Go through them together and what you can do to prevent them.” Skjolaas suggested having a check list for equipment. Another important point about harvest safety is to not take shortcuts. “We’re really creative sometimes about how we can get things done … but it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing or the good thing to do,” Skjolaas said. For road safety, Skjolaas said the rst thing to do is check the lighting and marking: make sure the slow moving vehicle emblem is clean and bright; have amber retroreective strips in the front and red ones in the back; make sure headlights and all other white lamps are only forward facing; and make sure to have a turn signal. “It’s not just about added cost, but it’s an added prevention to help you to increase your visibility to your neighbors and the people you care for,” Skjolaas said. Other road safety points Skjolaas said are important is knowing the vehicle, weight and road rules. “There are differences between im-
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“It starts with a daily walk around,” he said. “Fires and accidents around harvest time – some of that is related to not performing that preventative maintenance inspection on a daily basis. We’re in a hurry … Sometimes that 5-minute walk around can save us major breakdowns at this important time of the year.” When performing a quick check, Wege said to look at the uids. “They are a vital part of our equipment running,” he said. Also check general wear of the equipment such as tire condition, if pieces are missing or had been taken off for repair and not replaced. Chains and belts should be tight. “So they don’t start a re or something that can create a re,” Wege said. The overall condition of the cab is also important to look at. Are the windows clear enough to see out of? Are the SMV signs visible? Are ashers and other lights working? Keeping a record of what type of maintenance has been done is a good way to keep it done on a schedule. It does not have to be formal. Wege suggested a white board in a shop, writing it in the operator’s manual or in a notebook. Daily upkeep could be the difference between keeping the harvest on schedule or delaying it. “Sometimes spending money and time upfront is the key to not being broke down at this time of year,” he said. “This time of year, dealerships are very short on personnel. If you can prevent something major from happening on your own, let’s try to do that.”
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plements of husbandry and the trucks we’re using, and different road authorities and regulations for weights,” Skjolaas said. “Just be sure you know those and go out there in a legal vehicle.” Skjolaas also reminded people that it is illegal for anyone to block the road besides law enforcement. “Follow the rules of the road and share the road,” Skjolaas said. “You have the responsibility to warn the motorist if you’re going to turn. Use signal lights or hand signals. Even with older equipment, there are a lot of new lighting and marking materials. There are lights that can be connected with magnets or temporarily secured to be switched between equipment.” Also, if debris, such as mud or manure, is left on the road from the elds, farmers need to take care of it. “As a farmer you have the responsibility to clean up the road,” Skjolaas said. Mental health is also important. “When things seem to be going wrong, take that break,” Skjolaas said. And the No. 1 safety tip Skjolaas likes to remind people is to make sure power is off before xing or doing maintenance on equipment. “Lock it out, take the key out,” she said. “Use those features that lock that equipment up. If it’s something that is tied to electrical, make sure the power or any stored energy is out of that system before you work on it. There are a lot of different gears, chains and mechanisms. We don’t have the reaction time.” Wege talked about preventative maintenance.
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Page 38 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
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Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021 • Page 39
Don and Dave Hall Tomah, Wisconsin Monroe County 200 cows How did you get into farming? Our dad farmed, and we just kind of took over. Dad set us up so we could have a nice operation to work with. He didn’t really give us anything, but he did give us a good opportunity. Not everybody gets that. Now Don’s two sons are involved and we have one employee. What are your thoughts and concerns about the dairy industry for the next year? We worry about how prices have gone for everything, and that is if you can get it. Supplies are hard to get, and equipment is almost impossible to get. We bought a chopper last December, and we still have not received it. We bought a feed mixer recently, and we are not supposed to get it until next August. What is the latest technology you implemented on your farm and the purpose for it? A robotic feed pusher. It gets the feed pushed in at night when we are not here. We have it set for every hour at night. We can denitely tell when it doesn’t work because there is a lot of feed left over.
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The crew at Dave and Don Hall’s dairy farm includes (from leŌ) Don Hall, Dave Hall, Cody Hall, Connor VonHaden and Jacob Hall. Dave and Don milk 200 cows in Monroe County near Tomah, Wisconsin. What is a management practice you changed in the past year that has benetted you? We hired another person to have as an extra hand. He does what we do – a little bit of everything. What cost-saving steps do you implement during low milk prices? We try to keep up on equipment purchases every year, but when milk prices are low, we don’t purchase equipment. We make it last another year.
How do you retain a good working relationship with your employee(s)? We are good to work for. We communicate with them and try to be exible. Tell us about a skill you possess that makes dairy farming easier for you. We are used to long working hours. We all do our thing: Dave is the breeder, and Don does the feeding. We all do a little bit of everything.
What do you enjoy most about dairy farming? Being our own boss and harvesting crops. What advice would you give other dairy farmers? Don’t get in debt too far. We were always told if you can’t pay for it, don’t buy it. The only time we ever had to borrow money was when we built the parlor. And then we had it paid back fairly soon. The farm has been in the family over 150 years and that helps a lot. We just took our turn and will hopefully get it to the next generation to let them take their turn.
What has been the best purchase you’ve ever made on your farm? The parlor. If we were not milking in this parlor today, we probably would not be milking at all. We had a stanchion barn before, and we were milking 90 cows down there. At the time it was a big step. We thought maybe we would put a parlor inside the old barn and build a freestall barn behind it, but dad said, “If you’re going to do something, do it right.” So, we moved everything up here and that was the best thing we ever did. What has been your biggest accomplishment while dairy farming? Being able to remain protable all these years. We think it is an accomplishment to get a sixth generation involved. What are your plans for your dairy in the next year and ve years? In the next year, we will maintain what we are doing. In the next ve years, we do not see expansion. We will continue to involve the next generation. If we did not have them, it would change our decisions. How do you or your family like to spend time when you are not doing chores? We have season tickets for the Packers, so we go to one game a year.
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Page 40 • Dairy Star • Saturday, September 25, 2021
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