SAUK R RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2019 | Page 1B
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Sauk Rapids Herald
SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2019
Trailblazing the beef industry Giess recognized for contributions as cattleman BY NATASHA BARBER STAFF WRITER
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PIERZ – Dar Giess has created a legacy in the beef industry by following one motto: Do not follow where the path leads; rather, go where there is no path and leave a trail. “We could have been Angus breeders, Red Angus breeders or Charolais breeders, but we chose this path,” Giess said. “We could have taken the mainstream path, but we chose to take an unrecognized breed of cattle and make them successful, and people have benefitted from what we have left behind.” Giess has built his ranch and name on South Devon cattle – a lesser known English beef breed with a gentle disposition and noted longevity and efficiency. Giess was named to the Minnesota Livestock Breeders’ Association 2019 Hall of Fame March 14 in St. Paul. The MLBA Hall of Fame began in 1934, honoring individuals who have elevated the livestock industry in Minnesota. Giess’s reaction was of surprise and modesty. “Not a lot of cattle guys get in there,” he said. “I was shocked because the beef people who have been inducted are those I totally admire – Leonard Wulf, Frank Schiefelbein, Jack Delaney, Mark Frederickson, John Reed. Those are people
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
Dar Giess, who owns DLCC Ranch with his wife Lynn, stands inside his home July 2 in rural Pierz. Giess was inducted into the Minnesota Livestock Breeders’ Association Hall of Fame March 14 for his contributions to the state’s livestock industry.
who I really respect and who have made significant contributions to the cattle industry.” Yet, Giess has left his own imprint on the industry. Giess and his wife, Lynn, own DLCC Ranch – a 700-acre operation in rural Pierz with a South Devon and South Devon composite herd of 500 head.
They grow 60 acres of corn for silage and the remainder of the land is used for hay and pasture. They also rent land to sustain their herd. The couple operates the ranch with their daughter, Leah, and their son, Lane, and soonto-be daughter-in-law Kate, of Manhattan, Kan. “We do everything,”
said Giess, president of the North American South Devon Association. “We clip the bulls ourselves. We advertise the bulls ourselves. We have a couple of friends who help us here or there, but we really don’t go outside of family for anything.” Lane, who has a bachelor’s degree in animal science and master’s in genetics, is in
charge of producing the annual sale catalog and the operation’s website. Giess converses regularly with his son about herd improvements. Kate and Leah both have ag communications degrees and help market the animals. Lynn is responsible for the accounting and record
Giess page 2B
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Page 2B | SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2019 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD
BENTON AG
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keeping, and the couple together manages the daily operations of the herd. Because of the breed’s docile nature, handling of the herd has been an agreeable task for the couple. “Lynn and I can lead up 120 pairs and put them in the corral,” Giess said. “… When I first moved here I was young, slim and trim, and a cowboy to boot. I could ride any horse and jump off hills in Colorado – I could cowboy. What I’ve always said about South Devon cows is they have made me a lazy cowboy because I just don’t need to cowboy anymore. They are easy. … If you want to have cows that handle well, work well in the chute and you can move or sort them on foot, these cattle are extremely amenable to work with.” Giess, an Arnold, Kan., native, met Sauk Rapids-born Lynn at the Charolais Junior National Show in 1981; he was a judge at the showmanship competition where Lynn was showing cattle from her family’s farm. After marrying and living in Colorado for a time, the two moved to Minnesota and worked full time for her parents, Hollis and Lauretta Helgeson. Giess was purchasing feeder cattle for the Helgeson’s operation Oct. 1, 1986, when he bought his first South Devon from 101 Ranch in Little Falls. “It looked like a good opportunity to buy some pretty good cows for a good price,” said Giess, who knew of a Colorado producer who used the breed at the time. “It just kind of clicked. … They were nice shaped cows, good footed and quiet cows. They weighed 1,285 pounds, and I paid $585 a piece for them.” The following year, he bought more South Devons for the Helgeson operation, and Lynn and himself also began building their own herd. They moved to Pierz in
PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER
A red South Devon bull stands in a pasture July 2 at DLCC Ranch in rural Pierz. The 2,300 pound bull is used as a clean-up bull for the predominantly artificial insemination operation.
1996. Giess was attracted to the outcross from other cattle he had raised. “I’ve always thought in this industry it takes different breeding and directions to get these cattle focused,” Giess said. “Even 30-40 years ago, they were telling us to crossbreed cattle. My mind set is a lot of the cattle in the country are getting too straight bred.” The family’s red and black South Devon herd has grown in size over more than 30 years of ranching, but maintaining good genetics has been at the forefront of the operation all along. A r t i f i c i a l insemination is used to provide consistent breeding. The family produces homozygous black and homozygous red cattle, and the herd is nearly 100% polled. The family keeps meticulous records of birth, weaning and yearling weights, and completes body condition scores on each animal. DLCC Ranch has also been collecting ultrasounds of ribeye, marbling and back fat for 17 years. “We know what direction we are going for that final feedlot carcass quality,” Giess said. Crossbreeding is important to Giess. He said it can improve carcass merit, as well as temperament, longevity and the overall health of cattle by bringing out superior genetics found in the parental animals. “You add so much more fertility, performance and health,” Giess said.
“Once you establish a three-way cross in a cow herd, the benefits and the money are available both to the guy who is raising the calf as well as the guy feeding. Plus, then you start to improve your carcasses for the final product for the consumer. You might lose a little ground in quality grade, but you’re going to gain in carcass weight – and those guys are still getting paid by weight, so the bigger the carcass, the bigger the check.” Giess is adamant about shying away from straight-breeding and often recommends those who have been purchasing his bulls switch to composite bulls when breeding back the youngstock. So far, his philosophy has worked. DLCC Ranch has captured more than 30 champion and reserve champion titles and 40 champion bull awards across the country, and they have sold to cattlemen in over 30 states, four Canadian provinces, and Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Paraguay. “We have bulls now that are grazing all the way to the Pacific Ocean, and we have bulls within 40 miles of the Atlantic Ocean and a lot of bulls in between, which is kind of a wild thing to think about,” Giess said. Giess said in 1986 he saw an opportunity at the sales barn in Pierz, and given the South Devon’s unrecognized place in the beef industry, yet gentle nature, he believes others can answer the knock at the door, as well – a nod to his modesty as a cattleman and his belief in those ranchers to come. “As far as opportunity goes, there is a lot of opportunity in this breed,” Giess said. “I think you can go out and buy 20 cows and be smart and do the right things early on. Anybody can get in this business and sell.” According to Giess, all they have to do is Red South Devon cow calf pairs graze in a pasture at choose their own path. DLCC Ranch in rural Pierz July 2. In the summer breeding season, the Giess family separates their red and black cattle for homozygous breeding.
SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2019 | Page 3B
BENTON AG
Farming for thefuture Burggraffs named 2019 Benton County Outstanding Conservation Cooperators BY DANNA SABOLIK STAFF WRITER
ROYALTON – The Burggraffs’ farm has been in their family for four generations. Since 1898, the farm has accommodated a variety of lifestyles, livestock and crops. While the values of the family farm have remained, changes have taken place. Ryan and Jennifer Burggraff, are being recognized for their efforts to continually improve the land they steward in rural Royalton. The Burggraffs have been named the 2019 Benton County Outstanding C o n s e r v a t i o n Cooperators by the Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District. Ryan purchased the farm on the banks of the Mississippi River in 2005 from his grandfather, Raymond Burggraff. In 2006, he began working with the county to establish sound conservation practices regarding soil and water to benefit both his farm and the land and water around it. Today, the farm consists of 169 acres with a mixture of wooded pasture land, meadow and crops, including
and calves getting stuck in the mud in the spring, so we re-worked the slope of that and added a stack slab there, too, at the same time.” By 2017, two functioning chicken barns, an animal mortality compost facility, two manure stack slabs with scrap lanes, a re-worked slope in the feedlot and a vegetative filter strip were complete. Additionally, rain gutters were installed on a pole barn in their feedlot, and berms were built to help separate clean water from dirty water, diverting the dirty water through the filter strip. In addition to their livestock efforts, the Burggraffs have invested in their crop production through cover crops and organic certification. “We sold our first organic crop in 2017, and our land will be fully certified this year,” Jennifer said. “All crops PHOTO BY DANNA SABOLIK Ryan and Jennifer Burggraff operate a corn, hay, kidney bean and beef cattle farm near Royalton. The couple was raised on this farm will be able to be sold certified named the 2019 Benton County Outstanding Conservation Cooperators. organic.” Making the switch to considered it for a couple and around the same time corn, hay and edible programs to prevent kidney bean, and 27 cow- potential water quality years but decided to do we had some issues with calf pairs of beef cattle. and conservation issues it for the chicken barns, drainage in our cow yard Burggraffs page 6B Ryan and Jennifer and mitigate existing were married in 2009 ones. With the increase and put up the first of in animal units on their two chicken barns in farm – and being on 2012. Chickens began sandy soils which are occupying the space in more susceptible to 5 units to rent. January 2013. leeching nutrients – We also have ag bags Operations were manure storage and the and bunker covers going well, so the couple possibility of runoff were IN STOCK decided to add another at the forefront of their barn in 2016, with concerns. production beginning in “(The county) asked 2017. At the same time, us if we were interested Burggraffs worked with in putting in a stack the county and incentive slab,” Ryan said. “We
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Page 4B | SATURDAY, JULY 20 , 2019 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD
SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2019 | Page 5B
BENTON AG
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Page 6B | SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2019 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD
BENTON AG
PHOTO BY DANNA SABOLIK
Ryan and Jennifer Burggraff ’s cattle eat hay in the feedlot July 12 on their farm in Royalton. The lot was re-sloped in 2017 to allow for drainage and a stack slab was installed, seen in the background.
Burggraffs from pg. 3B organic crops was not a difficult decision for the Burggraffs, and much of their management remained the same. “We hadn’t sprayed in 25 years,” Ryan said. “When Grandpa found out he had to go to town to get a license, he just didn’t bother.” They use chicken litter from the chicken barns as a natural fertilizer.
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The Burggraff family – (front, from left) Katherine, 3, Isaac, 5, and Vanessa, 9; (back, from left) Jennifer, Bridget, 7, and Ryan holding Hannah, 1 – stand in a field. The Burggraffs grow corn, hay and kidney beans, and raise beef cattle and chickens in Royalton.
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rotation and figuring out optimal cultivation.” The couple is proud to represent good stewardship in their county. “I look at it as an honor,” Ryan said. “We definitely weren’t expecting it. We’re just small farmers trying to do the right thing with what we have and what’s accessible to us.” Jennifer agreed. “It’s cool to be recognized for the efforts we’ve been working on, and there’s a lot of other people doing good, too, so it’s neat they noticed us and the efforts we’ve invested in the farm,” she said. “We set out to improve our small part but it’s making a difference in a much bigger picture.”
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“(The county) asked us to register because we were already doing a lot of the stuff to qualify, and the organic practices helped, too,” he said. “Everything went hand in hand.” The Burggraffs have a lot on their plates, managing the farm and conservation, both working off the farm in agriculture-related jobs, and raising their five children – Vanessa, 9, Bridget, 7, Isaac, 5, Kathryn, 3, and Hannah, 18 months. “In the future, I think we want to streamline what we’ve been working on the past few years,” Jennifer said. “This is the first year we’re fully certified, so work on streamlining our crop
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“(Going organic) was a good fit for our farm and a good fit for us,” Jennifer said. Their location on the Mississippi River is another reason to be mindful of the runoff and water conservation. “We pump water from the river to irrigate our crops,” Ryan said. “Last year was the first year we did that, but it worked out nicely.” In regards to soil conservation, the Burggraffs focused on cover crops. “Cover crops are huge in organic,” Jennifer said. “They play a huge role in weed control by keeping weeds down between crops. When we till them under they add green matter to the soil. (Cover crops are) one of those things where you don’t ease into; you jump into it.” Two years ago, the Burggraffs were recognized for their efforts to maintain clean water by being named a Minnesota Water Quality Certified Farm through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, similar to their conservation efforts now. “We didn’t set out with this in mind, but we knew they weren’t hard practices to implement and it made sense to do them,” Jennifer said. “It was really nice to be recognized.” Ryan agreed.
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Considerations for calf barn ventilation The future of farming
It seems many dairy farms are Calves in a barn cannot choose their interested in moving from individual environment, so it is important to ensure hutches to keeping all young calves under ventilation is consistent throughout the one roof. Although this has many benefits barn. This is a crucial detail for barns with from a labor standpoint, there can be some four or more rows of pens as conditions challenges when it comes to ventilation. can vary greatly between inside and With undeveloped immune systems, young outside rows. calves can fall victim to many environmental The person responsible for taking pathogens. Maintaining consistent airflow care of calves should be aware of the through their environment can help reduce variability in naturally ventilated barns the risk. Poor or improper ventilation can and manage for it daily. Research indicates lead to many problems, including respiratory BY EMILY WILMES curtains on naturally ventilated barns may disease, reduced feed intake and long-term need adjustment as often as seven to 10 University of effects such as reduced heat tolerance as a times per day. Maintaining consistency MN Extension cow. in ventilation will ensure calves have Some important features to keep calf barns well- a healthy environment to grow in and help avoid ventilated and keep the calves healthy are to ensure problems as they age. the air is clean, fresh and draft-free, build the barn Keeping baby calves in one barn has been a on the windward side of the farmstead, and maintain successful update for many dairy farms, and with the separation from mature animal housing units. right ventilation and facility design, it could be for your farm, too.
Benton County Dairy, Forage Field Day Aug. 12
ST. CLOUD — New n Heights Dairy will host the . University of Minnesota t Extension Benton County t Dairy and Forage Field oDay. h The event takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30
e
p.m. Aug. 12 at New Heights Dairy, 3145 155th St. N.W., Rice, which is owned and operated by Brent Czech. The field day will include short course stations covering nutrition
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and feed management, forage harvest equipment, risk management, genetic programs, sand lanes, parlor management, ventilation and barn design, and HarvXtra low lignin alfalfa hay production. Each station will be led by industry experts as well as members of the New Heights Dairy team. This approach will allow attendees to focus on the topics they are most interested in. New Heights Dairy began in 2006, and has since grown in size and completed a number of projects including building a sand lane in 2007 and the addition of a cross ventilated freestall barn in 2016. New Heights Dairy has multiple sites. Cows at the Rice location are milked three times a day in a double-30 parallel parlor. The dairy uses a combination of growing their own forage as well as working with neighboring farms and utilizes technologies such as HarvXtra and shredlage in its forage production. An emphasis on forward momentum, productive cross breeding strategies and a marginbased approach to risk management helps New Heights Dairy
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remain productive and competitive. Speakers for the day include Russ Fisher of Dairy Vision, Mitch Rosenfeld of New Heights Dairy, Nathan Drewitz and Joleen Hadrich of University of Minnesota Extension, Mark Rothschild and Brendan Dorais of Commodity and Ingredient Hedging, Shane Boettcher and Chris Sigurdson of Select Sires, Ryan Stuckmayer of New Heights Dairy, Gary Von Wahlde of Dairy Direct Sales and Service, Marcia Endres of University of Minnesota, Myron Czech of Pike Hills Dairy, Paul Anez of Anez Consulting, and Isaac Popp of Centra Sota Cooperative. The field day includes lunch and is offered free of charge. Registration is not required, but an RSVP is requested to help with the meal count. Questions and RSVPs can be directed to Emily Wilmes at krek0033@umn.edu or 320-255-6169, Ext. 3.
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BY ROGER STROM The Business of Farming
farms in several states and on four continents, including locations in Saudi Arabia and China with plans to have 25 farms within five years. But as great as it sounds, this method of farming is not without some serious drawbacks. Aeroponics requires a huge amount of energy to light, heat and repair the facilities, creating a large carbon footprint. Developers say the big challenge is to develop more energy-efficient solutions for heating and lighting, as well as ensuring the electricity comes from renewable sources. Plus, it takes plant scientists, microbiologists, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers and a research and development center to run the operation. AeroFarms employs 120 people in their facility, and one of the biggest issues they have to deal with is finding people who are qualified, especially growers who know aeroponics. Stack farming may not work for growing corn, soybean and other field crops, but it works great for veggies and gives us another tool as we try to figure out how our farmers are going to feed 9 billion people by the year 2050. … just sayin’.
Tedders Modern Farm Equipment offers an extensive range of highquality and dependable KRONE rotary tedders. These machines stand out for high-quality work and plenty of innovations such as the maintenance-free OctoLink finger clutches and liquid grease rotor drives.
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New Heights Dairy hosts event
In an old warehouse in Newark, N.J., there are thousands of trays stacked several stories high that are growing plants without sunlight or soil, producing up to 2 million pounds of food each year. The farm is owned by AeroFarms, a vertical farming company using an aeroponic growing system to grow carrots, cucumbers, potatoes and high-end baby greens in what is about to become the largest indoor vertical farm in the world. The aeroponics process allows plants to grow with no soil, no sun, no fertilizer or pesticides while using a minimal amount of water. Soil is replaced by spraying the roots with a nutrient rich mist, and the light is provided by an array of LEDs to mimic sunlight. The process uses 95% less water, 40% less fertilizer and no pesticides compared to a traditional farm. Every input and output is precisely recorded from sensors that monitor temperature, light, carbon dioxide, humidity, airflow and nutrients. The data is fed into artificial intelligence software that learns what is best for the plants and adjusts lighting, water and nutrient levels to meet the plants’ needs. The plants get exactly the right nutrients in the right dose and at the right time, making the plants grow twice as fast as normal, reducing growing cycles from 30-45 days in the field to 12-16 days indoors. From a crop-yield perspective, AeroFarms claims their method is 130 times more productive per square foot annually than a field farm. And because they are indoors, they can grow 365 days a year. AeroFarms has nine
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SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2019 | Page 7B
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BENTON AG
Your Leader in Forage Protection
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Sauk Centre, MN
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