SD Farm & Ranch January 2019

All about the horses King sisters operate horse rehabilitation facility

PRESORTED STANDARD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 55 MITCHELL, SD

Local Postal Customer

JANUARY 2019

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PASSION FOR DAIRY BUILDS

NEW CREAMERY 05 January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 1

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE On the cover

All about the horses King sisters operate horse rehabilitation facility

14

Features

Passion for dairy builds new

creamery business

Ethan couple has big dreams for making cheese products

05

Building a business, one weld at a time Dimock cattle rancher sees steady growth in thriving welding business

10

Your local resource for all you ever needed to know about cows

22

Publisher JO N I H A R M S Editor L U K E H AG EN

It’s never too early to start planning for the upcoming season, so stop by the Kick the Tires event going on now. Get great in-store deals and finance options on New Holland hay & forage equipment, including Discbine® Disc Mower-Conditioners, Roll-BeltTM Round Balers, and more. It all ends March 31, 2019, so hurry in today to check out the deals.

Advertising Director LO R I E H A N S EN Layout Design C A S EY H I L L EB R A N D South Dakota Farm & Ranch is a monthly agricultural publication dedicated to informing South Dakota area farmers and ranchers about current topics, news and the future of agriculture. This publication fits the niche of our unique farmers and ranchers of South Dakota, and the diverseness we have in our state. Although the Missouri River divides our state, we are all South Dakotans and thank the land for supporting us each and every day.

You, our readers, may be livestock ranchers, or row crop farmers, and everywhere in between, however, we all have a common goal in mind. We feed and support the growing population and want the next generation to find that same love, dedication and support that agriculture can offer.

To subscribe to this FREE publication, contact South Dakota Farm & Ranch.

Contact Us PO BOX 1288 • MITCHELL , SD 605-996-5514

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January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 3

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Passion for dairy builds new creamery business Ethan couple has big dreams for making cheese products

By Sam Fosness South Dakota Farm and Ranch

Photos by: Sam Fosness / Republic Chad Blase’s family dairy farm January 4 in Ethan. Blase and Klock will use the cows on the Blase family farm when they break ground this spring and build their cheese making operation in Ethan.

ETHAN — Growing up on a Madison. “It came down to where under the umbrella of the United to buy into the Crooks cheese dairy farm, Chad Blase witnessed the day-to-day struggles of life as a dairy producer. The work was hard, the prices were low and the profit margins were tight.

But in the midst of watching those struggles, Blase’s hopes of making it as dairy farmer never died.

“For almost the entire dairy industry, it’s really come to a head in the last few years,” said Blase, who grew up on a dairy farm near

we either quit and get out of dairy farming while there is still equity, or we add value to our product.”

But Blase and his girlfriend Laura Klock have taken the dairy business to a completely new level. They, along with Chad’s parents Gary and Amy, explored opening a creamery on the Blase family farm, when a unique opportunity arose.

Klock was introduced to ValueAdded Ag Services, a program

States Department of Agriculture that aims to help farmers add more value to their operation through introducing grants and other financial solutions to improve farms. That program led to meeting the owners of Valley Side Farm Cheese, an artisan cheese business in Crooks, South Dakota.

Blase and Klock fell in love with the cheese-making process, and jumped on the opportunity

operation about four months ago.

It was then that their Farm Life Creamery business was born.

“We get up at 4 a.m. and do chores on the farm, and then we hit the road before sunrise,” Blase said. “Farming is hard work, and starting this business has added more hard work for us, but we do it because we love it. Farming is more than a job, it’s a way of life.

A risky one at that.”

MORE ON: Page 7

January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 5

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Part science, part passion It was a about a year and a half ago when his girlfriend Laura Klock moved in with Blase on his family’s dairy farm in Ethan.

Previously, his family had a dairy operation near Madison before moving to the Ethan area roughly 25 years ago. Bringing her Wisconsin roots and entrepreneurial spirit, Klock provided the spark that Blase needed to take the first step of starting a creamery using the resources in his backyard.

“We were looking for ways of making the farm more profitable and researched various options for opening a creamery,” Klock said. “Since milk prices have stayed the same and production costs keep rising with inflation, the struggles dairy farmers face right now are mounting.”

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, since 1970, the number of American dairy farms has dropped by more

than 93 percent, from 640,000 to around 40,000 today. As for dairy prices, in 2018, milk prices were 30 percent below the average cost of production, according to a USDA report.

While it wasn’t the original plan to get into cheese production first, business has been booming since they began making and selling cheese curds and cheese wheels, as Klock said they sold over 200 packages of their Farm Life Creamery cheese curds on the first day they put up a sample booth at the County Fair Food Store in Mitchell.

Making the dairy products is far from an easy process. The couple currently rents the cheese making equipment from Valley Side Farm, while Klock and Blase make the 70-mile one-way drive to Crooks twice a week to produce fresh batches Photo by: Sam Fosness / Republic of cheese curds. There, they TOP: Laura Klock petting a dairy cow January 4 on her boyfriend Chad package the curds on site and deliver them to local stores. Blase’s family farm in Ethan.

BOTTOM: Chad Blase, petting one of his family’s 250 dairy cows January 4 on the Blase family farm in Ethan. They plan to use the milk from the Blase MORE ON: Page 9 family cows when they build their operation on the Ethan farm in the spring.

January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 7

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2017 Case IH Maxxum 150 MFD, 1,535 hours, Cab Suspension, 18.4x42 Rear Tires, 14.9x30 Front Tires, 3 Valves, 540/1000 PTO, With Case IH L765 Loader, 8.5 ft. Bucket, Grapple, Joystick, Soft Ride 2013 Case IH Puma 185 MFD, 3,635 hours, Cab Suspension, 18.4x42 Rear Tires, 14.9x30 Front Tires, 3 Valves, 540/1000 PTO, With Case IH L765 Loader, 8.5 ft. Bucket, Grapple, Joystick, Soft Ride 2011 Case IH Puma 185 MFD, 6,700 hours, Cab Suspension, 18.4x42 Rear Tires, 14.9x30 Front Tires, 3 Valves, 540/1000 PTO, With Case IH L770 Loader, Self-Level, 102 in. Bucket, Grapple, Joystick, Soft Ride 2009 Case IH Farmall 95 MFD, 2,710 hours, 18.4x30 Rear Tires, 12.4x24 Front Tires, 2 Valves, 540 PTO, With Case IH L730 Loader, 7 ft. Bucket, Joystick 2007 Case IH Maxxum 125 Pro MFD, 6,620 hours, 18.4x42 Rear

Tires, 14.9x30 Front Tires, 3 Valves, 540/1000 PTO, With KMW 1760 Loader, 8.5 ft. Bucket, Grapple, Joystick 2006 NH TV145 Bidirectional, 4,502 hours, 16.9x38 Tires, Cab End 3 Valves, 540/1000 PTO, Engine End 2 Valves, 540/1000 PTO, 3-pt., With NH 84LB Loader, 8 ft. Bucket, Grapple 2005 Case IH MXM190 MFD, 6,998 hours, 18.4x42 Rear Tires, 14.9x30 Front Tires, 4 Remotes, 540/1000 PTO, With Koyker 645 Loader, 8 ft. Bucket, 4-Tine Grapple, Joystick 1989 Case IH 7120 Magnum MFD, With KMW 1760 Loader – JUST TRADED! 1943 Ford 9N, 23 hp, With Loader, 5 ft. Bucket

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8 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH January 2019

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Photo by: Sam Fosness / Republic Two packages of Farm Life Creamery cheese curds sitting next a silo on Chad Blase’s family farm in Ethan. Blase and his girlfriend Laura Klock, recently launched their company called Farm Life Creamery. The two currently produce cheese curds and wheels together in Crooks, South Dakota, where they then sell the fresh food products in local grocery stores around Mitchell.

(Currently, they sell products at County Fair in Mitchell and the Renner Corner Locker.)

“Making cheese is part art and part science. We really enjoyed learning the art of making cheese for the first time and decided to make a run at this business,” Blase said.

From caramel curds to buffalo wing-flavored cheese, there is plenty of room for creativity and experimentation in Blase and Klock’s cheese making process.

Perhaps one of the most unique

products Farm Life Creamery has unveiled yet was recently put on the shelves with the creation of chocolate cheese, a fudge-like cheese that reads, “It’s fudging delicious” on the label.

The family now has plans to break ground in the spring and bring the equipment from Valley Side to the Ethan farm, where they will build the home of the creamery business. While Blase and Klock are still in the process of constructing the overall layout of the future dairy and cheese production operation, they hope to build a storefront in a field on

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on the process of dairy farming, as Farm Life Creamery plans to host educational demonstrations on how the cheese making process works, along with dairy production. Future plans also include a “farm experience” with tours and even the chance to bottle feed a calf.

“It’s amazing how many kids have no idea where their food comes from, even right here in farm country South Dakota,” Blase emphatically said. “By educating more kids on how their food is made, we hope it can help the youth understand the importance of farming.”

The words “pure, fresh and simple,” are printed on Farm Life Creamery’s cheese curds, and are emblematic of the business’ mission.

“We want to give people a local option of pure, fresh cheese and dairy products,” Blase added.

“When we plan to milk our cows for the cheese and other dairy products that we plan to produce, we will be delivering some of the freshest food people can buy in the area.”

Despite the challenges of the dairy industry, they are feeling confident with their dream of building a business unlike any other.

“Like almost every farmer I know, we do it for the love of farming,” Blase said, while gazing Education for youth out at their Holstein calves in the Given Blase and Klock were both backyard. “We are just scratching raised in dairy farming, they stress the surface, and I’m excited for the importance of knowing where what the future holds for us and food comes from. Thus, the family my family’s farm business.” has aspirations to educate youth

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CONTINUED FROM: Page 7

the farm, which is located a halfmile west of Ethan and 10 miles south of Mitchell.

With 250 head of dairy cows, the family plans on using half the number of Blase’s family cows to produce the cheese when they have their operation up and running on their Ethan farm.

Blase said bottling their own Grade A milk would help make Farm Life Creamery unique from other dairy companies, because he said there are no dairy companies that bottle their milk in the state of South Dakota, which would make them the lone pasteurized milk bottling company with operations in the state.

“When we build our facility, we plan to produce butter, ice cream and bottle our own milk,” Klock said. “There is a lot more involved in the cheese-making process than some of the other dairy products we want to produce, so learning it on the equipment we will own is invaluable.”

According to the South Dakota Department of Agriculture’s 2018 dairy report, there are 199 Grade A milk producers in the state, and only four of those Grade A dairy farms are in Davison County. Grade A milk meets the sanitary conditions for beverage consumption, while Grade B milk doesn’t meet fluid standards and is used in cheese and butter.

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January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 9

Building a business, one weld at a time Dimock cattle rancher sees steady growth in thriving welding business

By Sam Fosness South Dakota Farm and Ranch

Photo by: Sam Fosness / Republic Collin Gronseth speaks about his C&W Welding business in Dimock during a recent January day. Gronseth is the owner of the business, and he specializes in making windbreaks and calf sheds.

DIMOCK — “Built by cattlemen, for cattlemen.”

Those are the words by which Collin Gronseth lives, as they’re boldly printed on his company sign, representing the slogan for the rancher’s thriving welding business that he launched in the backyard of his Dimock farm in 2016.

Specializing in welding calf sheds and windbreaks from the ground up, Gronseth has watched his business grow, while helping cattle ranchers protect their livestock with sturdy sheds and panels.

“I actually have a two-month waitlist of orders I’m making right now,” Gronseth said, after he hopping out of his tractor on a cold January morning. “I originally started off with two part-time welders, and then had

to hire two more this past year.”

While business has been booming lately, Gronseth noted he never intended for his C&W Welding business to flourish like it is, crossing state lines, because his cattle sheds and windbreaks have been attracting customers from out-of-state, like Iowa, Nebraska and Montana.

As a lifelong cattle rancher, Gronseth uses that valuable experience to help his creation of innovative calf shelters that are able to withstand the extreme weather elements of South Dakota. Having witnessed a taller calf shed get lifted off the ground on his farm three years ago, he was prompted to build a better shed. That led to his creation of the shelterbelt sheds, a product he feels sets his business apart from competitors.

10 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH January 2019

“If you closely watch a shed when it flips over, the shed will actually lift and get thrown because of the low pressure,” said Gronseth, while demonstrating the design of his calf sheds.

Figuring out the science of how sheds get tipped over and destroyed led to one of Gronseth’s key design features: installing a gap on the top of the sheds which eliminates the low pressure, making it sturdy enough to withstand 60 to 70 mph winds, according to Gronseth.

“The force of strong wind is not what causes sheds to flip over; rather it’s the creation of the low pressure,” Gronseth said.

Another product Gronseth built for protecting livestock that he credits for helping build his brand are his windbreaks,

which he makes by welding a steel frame for large tin panels.

“We started off making 30 panels in a month, but we are making 90 panels a month now,” Gronseth said.

Gronseth said he’s learned to market his business on the fly, using Facebook to reach customers. Collin has also closely watched his father, Wayne (whose name represents the “W” in C&W Welding, sell seed to farmers over the years, providing an up-close perspective on what moves agricultural products.

In order to keep up with the demands of his windbreaks and calf sheds, Gronseth expanded and constructed a 60-by-72 foot facility on his Dimock farm MORE ON: Page 12

Tuesday, February 19, 2019 • 1pm • At the ranch Corsica, SD • Selling 52 Bulls • 10 Heifers

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January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 11

CONTINUED FROM: Page 10

last summer, which is where the majority of the production takes place. He recently added four new welders to keep up with demand.

With 188 head of cattle, Gronseth has a full workload in his backyard every day. However, given the dismal cattle prices, he feels fortunate to have his business supplementing the volatile livestock industry.

“Since I mainly have livestock, the welding is supporting the farming. With the given farm economy, I nearly backed away from starting the welding business,” Gronseth said.

All of the success for Gronseth is a good feeling.

But before the creation of C&W Welding, he had only welded a few times before entering high school.

“The first welding project I ever did was a bale sphere when I was 11 years old, and the one side looked good, but the second not so much,” Gronseth said with a big laugh.

Having no real prior welding experience, Gronseth was able to further his passion of learning how to weld through taking nearly all of the welding courses offered at Mitchell High School, where he graduated in 2010.

Taking advantage of a trade school known for its welding program that is located just 12 miles north of his farm, Gronseth has capitalized on finding part-time Photo by: Sam Fosness / Republic employees through Mitchell Technical Institute.

“I’m excited to see where the business goes,” Collin Gronseth speaks about his C&W Welding business in Dimock during a recent January day.

Gronseth is the owner of the business, and he specializes in making windbreaks and calf sheds.

Gronseth said.

12 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH January 2019

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Mohnen Angus 25770 370th Ave White Lake, SD 57383 mohnen@midstatesd.net www.mohnenangus.com Josh: 605-680-0125 • Steve: 605-680-3063 John: 605-680-2063 Home: 605-249-2719

EPDs as of 1/7/19

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Reg. 19188210 Sire: SAV Renown Dam: SAV Madame Pride 5290 (004) BW 83 • Adj. WW 874 • Adj YW 1495 BW +3.6; WW +71; YW +128; Milk +28

Sire: Ellingson Homegown Dam: Mohnen Coquette Pride 1126 (Resource) BW 70 • Adj. WW 832 • Adj YW 1424 BW +.6; WW +62; YW +123; Milk +36

Auctioneer: Seth Weishaar • 605-210-1124

January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 13

All about the horses

King sisters operate horse rehabilitation facility

By Matt Gade South Dakota Farm and Ranch

Photo by: Matt Gade / Republic Gracie, left, is a 13-year-old hinny that stays with the senior horses and is known for chasing and kicking coyotes that may make into the paddock at Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary in October.

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HUMBOLDT — For Tiffany

the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and and Nina King, it’s all about the Burros (ISPMB), were seized horses.

The sisters from Sioux Falls are by authorities after disturbing the founders and organizers of photos and videos of horses being the Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue allegedly starved or suffering and Sanctuary located 6 miles from major physical injuries at the ranch near the Dewey County north of Humboldt.

The rescue hosts on average town of Lantry were discovered. anywhere from 40 to 45 horses MORE ON: Page 17 at a time, with a capacity of 50, on the 22-acre leased property.

That includes donkeys, miniature donkeys and miniature horses.

While there are three sanctuaries in South Dakota that do not assist in the adoption of horses, Gentle Spirit, which was incorporated in 2010 and got its nonprofit status in 2013, is one of just two rescues in the state that facilitate rehabilitation and rehoming of horses. Happy Tails Haven Horse Rescue and Sanctuary in Piedmont is the second.

The sanctuary consists of several paddocks ranging from 40-by-40 feet to five acres, all with automatic heated waterers and run-in shelters along with a barn and a 60-foot round pen. The rescue also has a satellite location near Forest City, Iowa.

Tiffany said for many people who are new to owning horses, they don’t realize the amount of work that goes into taking care of the animals, which can lead to horses suffering.

For some horses, their health conditions become so bad that they’re taken away from their owners and a rescue such as Gentle Spirit is where they may end up.

“The attitude towards animals and animal welfare is kind of hard.

So we focus solely on welfare, we let law enforcement worry about the legal part,” Tiffany said. “If we come in, it’s solely to come in and help the horses.”

“When we come, we try really hard to get them to sign (the horses) over, so they’re not stuck in the legal system,” she added.

Some of the horses they’ve rescued, including those from

Photos by: Matt Gade / Republic TOP: Horses wander in the paddocks at Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary.

MIDDLE: William, who was adopted in December as a Pasture Pal placement, wanders one of the paddocks for the horses at Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary.

LOWER MIDDLE: Princess Di, a 24-year-old Setland Pony that was surrendered due to lack of hoof care, feeds in one of the paddocks just outside of the barn.

King said Princess Di couldn’t even walk when they received her.

BOTTOM: Horses feed in one of the paddocks at Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary.

January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 15

16 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH January 2019

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Care for the animals not only includes food and shelter, but checkups with a veterinarian, along with regular visits with a farrier. The rescue runs primarily through volunteer work and donations, with a group of 20 regular volunteers.

Tiffany and Nina, who both work full-time jobs in Sioux Falls, utilize the sanctuary’s Facebook page to organize the volunteers to help with feedings and care for the horses throughout the week. The rescue constantly does fundraisers and looks for opportunities to help fund the resources needed for the horses, which includes a sponsor for the individual horses.

Only horses with medical conditions are stalled in the barn, while the rest are kept in the paddocks. Five of the horses are blind, and horses are positioned in the barn to prioritize the animals with the most special needs.

While the horses come in to the rescue, it’s Tiffany and Nina’s hope to get the horses back with someone who can properly

provide for the horses. They said not every person looking for a horse at the sanctuary will necessarily get one and it has to be the “right fit,” according to Tiffany.

“Any horse who can be rehabbed, retrained and rehomed,” Tiffany said they will try and find a home for them.

MORE ON: Page 19

Photos by: Matt Gade / Republic TOP: Luna, a 4 year old adoptable mustang saved from the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros (ISPMB), waits to be seen by the Farrier in the barn back in October.

LEFT: Farrier Amanda Marohl works on the foot of one of the horses at Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary back in October. Unless they need it for medical reasons, the horses aren’t shoed at the rescue.

BOTTOM LEFT: The horses with medical needs or attention are kept in the barn otherwise they traditionally are left in the paddocks with the other horses at Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary.

MIDDLE: Farrier Amanda Marohl works on the foot of one of the horses at Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary back in October. Unless they need it for medical reasons, the horses aren’t shoed at the rescue.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Farrier Amanda Marohl, left, fights to pull Hamilton over to work on his hoof as Volunteer Karenna Schraeder, middle, and Tiffany King wait to help keep Hamilton pre-occupied while Marohl works on his foot back in October. Hamilton is a two-year-old Gelding that was born missing most of the coffin bones in his hind feet and requires special shoes because of it.

January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 17

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Not all horses can be adopted out and some have to stay in the sanctuary, typically for medical reasons. Part of the rescue’s mission is not only taking care of the horses but educating people about the animals.

As part of that, Nina runs the Bug Club, which is a club for children ages 3 to 13 that runs the third Sunday of each month. The club works to teach

responsible horsemanship and hands-on education to the children.

In the future, Nina and Tiffany said they are hoping to find a permanent residence outside of Sioux Falls of about 20 to 25 acres that’ll work within their budget.

“It’s about the horses. Not people and riding,” Tiffany said.

MORE ON: Page 20

Photos by: Matt Gade / Republic TOP: Five-year-old Lydia Ebsen high-fives Nina King while riding Kennedy, a seized horse from Alcester, during the Bug Club meeting in December.

MIDDLE: Nina King teaches the kid to make bran mush treat for the horses during The Bug Club meeting in December.

LEFT: Five-year-old Lydia Ebsen pets Lauren while at Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary for the December Bug Club meeting.

BELOW: Six-year-old Elysia Mittan, left, and Haily Chitwood, 8, react as a horse sneezes on them while they were brushing its hair during the Bug Club meeting in December.

January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 19

CONTINUED FROM: Page 19

LEFT: The horses with medical needs or attention are kept in the barn otherwise they traditionally are left in the paddocks with the other horses at Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary.

RIGHT: Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary is almost entirely run on volunteer work that consists of chores, cleaning and attending to the horses.

MORE ON: Page 21

Be sure to watch Tuesday’s & Thursday’s Daily Republic Classifieds & Wednesday’s ADvisor Classifieds for upcoming listings of auctions!

See these Auctioneers for all of your Real Estate, Farm, Household, Consignments, Business Liquidation or other needs.

Livestock www.livestockauctionpages.com

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Lori Dean 605.999.4217 Kelbi Dean 605.999.8812

Email: sdauctions@santel.net Owned/Operated by: Dakota Web Design, Inc. 40942 234th Street • Artesian, SD 57314

20 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH January 2019

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Photo by: Matt Gade / Republic New horse Lucy, reacts, as she’s introduced to the other members of Gentle Spirit Horses Rescue and Sanctuary in December.

SDSUand Sons Jerry Knippling

Extension

62nd Annual Sale SELLING 50 BULLS

Online Auction Bidding Opens Jan. 18, 2019 & Closes Jan. 27, 2019

VE TE! A SDSU S DA Extension E TH

2019 Mitchell Soil Health Event

February 14, 2019

Racehorse style on www.TheLivestockLink.com

9:30 AM -4 PM CST.

See websites for instructions.

The Highland Conference Center, 2000 Conference Way, Mitchell, SD

2019 Mitchell2019 Soil Health Mitchell Event Soil Health Event

Cost: The event is free. Lunch included. CCA credits will be available.

Lot

13

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Pre-registration is requested February 8th, 2019 Featured Speakers Include: Featured by Speakers Include: February 14, 2019 February 14, 2019 ext.

Lot 34 • • email Heidi.rients@sd.usda.gov Call 605-996-1564 3 or KR 8Z NORTH Conference STAR 767E The Highland

Cover Crops as a Management Tool,

Cover Crops as a Management Tool,

Lee Briese, Crop Consultant, Edgely, ND

Lee Briese, Crop Consultant, Edgely, ND

• Regenerating • Regenerating Soils with Soil Biology, Soils withCenter, Soil Biology, Center, The Highland Conference Featured Include: Reg. # 43824802 - DOB: 3/23/17 Dr Kris Nichols, Speakers Soils Microbiologist, Dr Kris Nichols, Soils Microbiologist, 2000CED: Conference 2000SD Conference Way, Mitchell, SD Tool, Lee -1.1 BW: 5.4Way, WW: 61Mitchell, • CoverPennsylvania Crops as a Management Briese, Crop Consultant, Edgely, ND Pennsylvania YW: 105 M: 33 MG: 64

•

•

A Farm Panel will follow the speakers

A Farm Panel will follow the speakers

Cover Crop Nutrient Cycling in SD, Cover Crop Nutrient Cycling in SD, • Regenerating Soils with Soil Biology, Dr.Anthony Kris Nichols, Soils Microbiologist, Pennsylvania Anthony Bly, SDSU Extension Soils Field Bly, SDSU Extension Soils Field

9:30 AM -4 PM CST.9:30 AMCrop -4 Nutrient PM CST. Specialist • CoverSpecialist Cycling in SD, Anthony Bly, SDSU Extension Soils Field Specialist

Panel will follow the speakers Person's special accommodations should Person's needing special accommodations should Cost: The event is free. Lunch included.

Cost: TheA Farm event isneeding free.

Lunch included. contact Heidi Rients at 605-996-1564 x3 or contact Heidi Rients at 605-996-1564 x3 or Person’s needing special accommodations should contact Heidi Rients x3 or Heidi.rients@ CCA credits will be available.

CCA credits will be available.

Heidi.rients@sd.usda.gov at least one week in Heidi.rients@sd.usda.gov at leastat one605-996-1564 week in FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

advance ofattheleast eventone For more pleaseof theadvance the event more information, please go to www.sd.nrcs.usda. sd.usda.gov weekinformation, in advance event.of For moreForinformation, please

to www.sd.nrcs.usda.gov or call 8th, (605) 352-1200. go to www.sd.nrcs.usda.gov or call (605) 352-1200.

RANDY KNIPPLING Pre-registration is requested by FebruaryPre-registration 8th, 2019. isgorequested

by February 2019. is(605) an Equal352-1200.

OpportunityUSDA Provideris&an Employer.

USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider & Employer. govCaorUSDA Equal Opportunity Provider & Employer.

H: 605/293-3493 - C: 605/680-3185 Ca 11 605-996-1564 ext. 3 11 call 605-996-1564 ext. 3 or email Heidi.rients@sd.usda.gov. or email Heidi.rients@sd.usda.gov.

SDSU Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer in GARIN HAAK US DA United US DA States States accordance with the United nondiscrimination policies of South Dakota State H: 605/293-3289 - C: 605/680-4637 Department of of of Regents and the United States University, the SouthDepartment Dakota Board � �

www.KnipplingCattle.com

Ruth Beck I SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist Ruth Beck I SDSU Extension Agronomy Field Specialist Agriculture 605-773-8122 I ruth.beck@sdstate.edu

605-773-8122 I ruth.beck@sdstate.edu Natural Resources Conservation Service

- Agriculture

Department of Agriculture.

Natural Resources Conservation Service Learn more at iGrow.org

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SDSU Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer in accordance with theisnondiscrimination policies of South Dakota State University, with the South SDSU Extension an equal opportunity provider and employer in accordance the nondiscrimination policies of South Dakota State University, the South Dakota Board of Regents and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Dakota Board of Regents and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Learn more at iGrow.org

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MC-00230

MC-00230

January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 21

Your local resource for all you ever needed to know about cows

By AMY KIRK for South Dakota Farm & Ranch

P

eople who are inexperienced or uneducated about cows and ranching but want to learn, just need to ask the bartender at the local beer joint or server at the town’s coffee shop where all the ranchers hang out. All they talk about are cows and anyone who has a good set of ears can hear and educate themselves about cows just by listening.

The bartender at the Hitchrail Bar and Grill in Pringle is not from the area originally. She didn’t grow up knowing anything about cows or ranching, but over her years living and working in Pringle, she has listened to ranchers yammer on and on about cows. Every time ranching neighbors come in, whether for afternoon coffee or a beer in the evening she overhears their conversations and it’s always about cows. She hears everyone’s opinion, theory and explanation on all things cowrelated.

These men may start out talking about other things

but the conversation always bends towards cattle talk.

A conversation about the current events with politics will eventually find its way into a conversation regarding cows.

It does not matter what other news is worthy of discussion, the topic of cows always gets covered at some point and cows or cow-affiliated topics dominate the time spent visiting.

If there’s a rancher, there’s a way they can turn any subject into a conversation about cows.

In these coffee shop or local bar chats, you have your rancher conversations about the animals themselves: healthy cows, sick cows, cull cows, the current market for selling cows, and what the neighbors’ cows are up to. There is shop talk about cow-related events coming up, cow stories past and present, and chats about other people’s cows; how they ranch and manage their cows. There are discussions about what the cattle market is doing and what other people’s cows brought

22 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH January 2019

that was noted in the weekly agriculture paper’s sale barn results. There are cow related discussions that are seasonal depending on what is done with cows, calves, or bulls at certain times of the year. Happenings such as branding baby calves, working cows, moving cows, shipping cows or calves, weaning calves, selling calves, buying cows, buying bulls.

If discussing cows gets old, which it never does, then ranchers always have something to fallback on, which are cowrelated stories. These can be funny, shocking, tragic, disgusting, hard-to-believe, heard from someone else, or about someone else’s cows.

For the cowman, weather is an important topic of discussion.

Oftentimes it is the warmup small talk for talking about cows. It’s important to discuss but priority wise, it’s a runner up topic to cows. Then you have the discussions about the weather that leads to dealing with cows in that weather. This is because the

weather affects all dealings with cows. Discussing the weather will lead to weather related conversations about cows: cows in wintery cold conditions, heat and summer conditions, or rainy and muddy conditions.

If weather conditions affect anything that is related to cows it is going to be talked about, like putting up hay that is made for cows to eat when it’s winter. especially if it’s wintery weather.

These conversations have to take place somewhere. If it isn’t at someone’s ranch then it’s usually someplace local ranchers can sit around and talk for hours about their cows. All you need are a handful of ranchers, a place where they can convene for a few to several hours and a good server who can keep the beverages coming to grease their jaws.

Kirk is a freelance columnist who lives near Pringle, South Dakota, and writes about agriculture, the outdoors and finding humor on the farm. She can be reached at amy@ ranchwifesslant.com.

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January 2019 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH 23

24 SOUTH DAKOTA FARM & RANCH January 2019