7 minute read
Mike Calton is focused on Quality
from OFN June 8, 2020
by Eric Tietze
Enjoying the Dairy Life
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By Julie Turner-Crawford Mike Calton continues his family’s legacy on his Grovespring, Mo., dairy Dairy farming is more than tive grasses. There is a rotational system today. Mike and Gail sell several breed they don’t have a good udder, they aren’t making a living for Mike Calin place, but Mike said it is not meant to heifers to fellow dairy producers. going to be around for long; a few years ton. It’s been his way of life his be an intensive grazing system. “AI has immensely added to the genetand they are done.” entire life. “We can move our cattle around the ics of our cattle,” Mike said. “We’ve been If the quality or health of the cow is low
“I was born and raised on a dairy farm; way we want to,” he said. “Right now we doing it so long now that we can sell our or subpar, so is the quality of the milk, this dairy farm,” Mike said, adding that his have everything off the bottoms because bulls. My neighbor up the road, I’ve been which is why Mike is committed to qualfamily settled the original farm in 1857. we’re going to hay it. Keeping them off selling him bulls for 30 years and all of his ity above all.
Mike and Gail milk 70 Holsteins, the hay ground messes things up a little, cows are out of my bulls. When you drive Last year, Calton Dairy was eighth in the with an additional 70 replacement but those Holsteins eat a lot of hay.” out and look at his herd they are just region for milk quality out of 410 dairies. heifers of various ages. As a forage-based dairy, Mike feels his as nice as ours. We usually sell a group “We are usually in the top 10 for milk
The dairy is pasture-based, meaning cows are productive longer and it’s a of springers or milk cows a year, but we quality,” Mike said. “Our most recent cows only get grain twice a day inside more economic way to operate. haven’t the last couple of years because (somatic) cell count was 118,000. The the milk barn. The 400-acre farm can “I could go for higher (milk) averages, of the price. We have sold a lot of cattop one in the state was right at that.” pasture all of the cows, as well as supply but it costs more to do that,” he said. tle right off the farm; we kind of have a Overall health can also be attributed the majority of the grass hay needed. Mike’s father Wallace Calton began name for that. People can come in, pick to a close relationship with the veteri
“We don’t get record setting production milking in the early 1950s and was the out the cows they want and we have had narians at Marshfield Vet. like some of the TMR (total mixed ration) first farm in the area to incorporate an AI good luck with that. I always tell the lo“They have improved the profitability guys, but we have a lot of pasture and hay program, which Mike continues today. cal dairymen I sell to if they aren’t happy on our farm. It can be expensive when ground, so that works for us,” Mike said. “My dad was a big Holstein man and they can bring her back and get a differyou call them, but it’s worth it,” Mike “We try to keep the labor to a minimum was really the first man to bring top-qualent cow; I guarantee them. I usually try to said. “If (cows) don’t clean after calving, and round bales are about as good as it gets ity Holsteins into the area, and we’ve sell the best I’ve got because they are all I hate to call them out for that, but getfor us. We could do silage and a TMR, but been doing it for 70 years,” Mike said. good. I don’t have any problem parting ting that cow cleaned up, taken care of it’s not something we have ever gone to.” “I’ve stuck with Holsteins because it with any cow.” and on the right track is so important.”
Their herd averages about 50 pounds would be a shame to change that now.” He hasn’t had a single cow returned. The Caltons also utilize the service to daily, and it climbing to 60 or 70 pounds “If you go to the sale barn, “People are happy with the cows preg check cows, as well as for overall in the spring. if you have the big, fancy they have gotten,” Gail added. herd health, including vaccinations.
For a few years, Mike did plant green Holstein springer heifers, Mike has a set pattern he likes They also believe in giving all calves graze and wheat. they bring the most. Mixed to follow with his cattle. a healthy start.
“We used to plow up and disk a lot of little Jersey or crosses will sell “We want a cow with good “We put the calf in a pen right by the land,” Mike said. “It would take quite a well, but the top ones are the udder support, good feet and milk barn, so the calf has its mother’s bit now to plow up a good stand of grass.”
The cows at Calton Dairy graze on fesbig, fancy Holsteins.” The Calton reputation for Grovespring, Mo. legs, and I like mediumsized cows that are good milk for three to five days,” Gail said. “Three years from now, that heifer will cue, orchardgrass, clover and other naquality Holsteins continues grazers,” he explained. “If be milking with her momma.” 18 Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com JUNE 8, 2020
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Mike and Gail have been dairy farmers for their entire marriage.
The couple recently celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary. They have two sons, Kelley and Chad, and three grandchildren, Jarrett, Carly and Jeffrey.
“I didn’t know anything about dairy farming,” Gail, who moved to the Ozarks in 1972 from St. Louis, said.
“Thousands of calves later, she knows a lot about it now,” Mike added with a laugh.
Gail, who retired three years ago after a 25-year career as a teacher in the Lebanon, Mo., school district, admits she hasn’t spent too much time in the milk barn, but she loves the farming way of life.
“I had weekend duty with calves when I was teaching,” Gail said. “Now I’m in charge most of the time.”
With their roots firmly planted in the dairy business, the Caltons did something few producers have done in recent years. They built a new milk barn.
“It’s so efficient,” Mike said. “Plus, it has heat and air. It’s easy to clean and I love it. Stainless steel stalls with automatic feeders, you just flip a switch,” Mike said. “The very first barn was the barn I milked in with my dad. It just a three on-the-side walkthrough with homemade wooden stalls. It was pretty crude. Down the road, where my son, Kelley, lives, we build a three–on-theside bypass. Now I have a herringbone and it’s really a nice barn.”
“He deserves it and if that’s what makes him comfortable, then do it,” Gail said.
The dairy industry is a tough one for many producers, especially smaller producers like the Caltons, and they admit there have been struggles, including times when Mike had to take work offthe-farm at the former Mid-Am facility in nearby Lebanon.
“As long as I can scratch out a living, I’m going to keep doing it, Mike said. “I don’t think anyone has enjoyed milking cows more than I have and it’s a steady check. It might not be much, but it comes every two weeks. We’ll keep milking. Small farms like ours are almost a thing of the past.”
“There’s still a place for small dairies,” Gail added.
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