Benton Ag Plus - April 18, 2020 by Star Publications

Serving rural Benton, Morrison, Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties

BENTON AG Plus

PHOTO BY NATASHA BARBER

Covered round bales are painted with words of encouragement at the Vannurden home along 15th Avenue Northeast in Langola Township April 15. The children of Cory and Cindy Vannurden – Kayden, Mason and Raelyn – painted the display in early April.

Sauk Rapids Herald | Saturday, April 18, 2020

Varied showman Boyle prepares breeding heifer, goat, hens for fair time BY ANNA HINKEMEYER | STAFF WRITER

FOLEY – Travis Boyle is a freshman at Foley High School, but when he is not spending time studying, he can be found outside, working with one of his animals. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Boyle finds himself with more free time to spend on animal care. “During these times when you can’t go hang out with your real friends, I spend a lot of time with the animals and make them trustworthy,” Boyle said. “I work with them a lot, taking them on walks and concentrating on what I feed them.” Boyle is preparing a Simmental beef breeding heifer, five Boer junior meat goats and 19 guinea hens to show at the Benton County Fair this summer. It will be his second year showing his heifer and participating in the goat project, but his first time in the poultry project. Partaking in 4-H began seven years ago for Boyle, when he decided the animals to be more than pets. His aunt was the leader of the Green Acres 4-H Club which gave him a good place to start. “When I started with 4-H, I didn’t know what I was doing,”

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PHOTO BY ANNA HINKEMEYER

Travis Boyle stands with a Boer junior meat doe with red dapple coloring April 14 at his family farm in Foley. Boyle shows a beef breeding heifer, goats and guinea hens through the Green Acres 4-H club.

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Page 2B | SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

Dairies cope with loss of business, low prices

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With schools, restaurants and foreign food markets closing due to COVID-19, the American dairy industry, a critical link near the beginning of their supply chains, has been affected. With the disruption in the market, milk price has plummeted; the average dairy farmer needs a price of about $17.50 per hundredweight of milk to break even, but over the past few weeks, the price has declined to $11 cwt. of milk. “Nationwide, we’re a big industry,” said Lucas Sjostrom, executive director of Minnesota Milk Producers Association. “Prices will be sent up or down if the supply is off by 2% over normal. As COVID-19 has closed businesses, especially restaurants, I’ve heard reports of processors in Minnesota and nationwide who are in the food service channel who have lost

about 50%-70% of their business.” Besides the food service industry which makes up about 30% of the dairy market, dairy exports, which make up about 17% of the market, are 90%-95% gone. One factor to the decline is more countries opting to rely on their domestic protein rather than import from a country with COVID-19, even if that makes milk prices higher. Minnesota dairy farmers have been through bad market years before, and to help them through those times and prevent an excessive profit loss, many producers have coverage including Dairy Margin Coverage and Dairy Revenue Protection. Most Minnesota dairy farmers buy DMC on a five-year plan, while DRP is sold by quarters of the year and can be bought up to the third quarter of 2021. However, with the prices falling, there is no chance to lock in a good price. To help dairy

Lucas Sjostrom,

farmers’ financial concerns, Minnesota Milk introduced its Dairy Coronavirus Recovery program April 9, allowing for direct payments to farmers and time for processors to readjust their supply. Minnesota Milk is also contacting the United States Department of Agriculture, asking them to purchase more dairy products. “We’ve got more hungry, unemployed people than we’ve had in a long time, and so it’s better to purchase more retail dairy products,” Sjostrom said. Minnesota Milk also shares information at the local level to let Dairy page 6B

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BENTON AG PHOTOS BY ANNA HINKEMEYER

Travis Boyle holds one of his guinea hens April 14 at his family farm in Foley. Boyle will be showing poultry for the first time this year, and chose guinea hens as they are uncommon in the poultry project.

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2020 | Page 3B

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from front Boyle said. “The people welcomed me, and they have really helped me grow with and be inspired by the animals. I have learned a lot.” Among the biggest lessons Boyle has learned, patience and trust with the animals are high on the list. Boyle also feels he has learned leadership and time management skills as he juggles care of his animals with club meetings and other obligations such as schoolwork. “I want to keep going with 4-H simply because of the things I have learned,” Boyle said. “I have built a lot of character for the real world with my experiences, and I am excited for what’s next.” When he looked into showing poultry, Boyle knew he did not want a common breed to

show. He owns peacocks, but they are not a 4-H qualified breed. After reviewing the qualified birds, he settled on the guinea hens. “I wanted to try something new,” Boyle said. “Now I am waiting for them to get a little older to start working on their feathers and preparing them for show.” The breeding heifer was Boyle’s first project of interest. The heifer was chosen from the family’s herd of 50 cattle and brought into the show ring for the first time last year. Boyle said he chose this heifer for its mellow and friendly demeanor. “She would walk right up to me when I was around the herd,” Boyle said. “I really like her.” Last year, Boyle broke the animal to be led and worked with it enough to show. Now, he is focusing on building muscle and trying to make the animal more competitive. Last year was also Boyle’s first year with

the goat project, and he is already expanding. After acquiring his junior meat doe in June 2019 while being fed on a bottle, Boyle knew he wanted to do more. This year, he purchased four more goats. Boyle plans to start his own flock and sell goats in the future to help other 4-Hers begin projects. “Goats make up such a small percentage of the show barn, but they are just as competitive as sheep and pigs,” Boyle said. “By bringing more goats this year, I hope to raise awareness and gain more interest from 4-Hers.” With his time continuing to be spent with the animals, Boyle is eager for the 2020 Benton County Fair and the potential of his show animals. “I really hope we get to have the fair this year,” Boyle said. “I am going to be really disappointed if we don’t.”

Travis Boyle trains his breeding heifer on a lead April 14 in Foley. Boyle showed his heifer for the first time last year and is working on developing muscle and training to make her more competitive.

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BENTON AG

Page 6B | SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2020 | SAUK RAPIDS HERALD

Dairy farmers like connecting in person, but virtual workshops offer growth Partnerships allow opportunity in COVID-19 crisis

futures dropped 20% to 30% in most months. Many farmers were very concerned about Submitted by the in Minnesota, Iowa, the markets. University of Minnesota North Dakota, South As chairs of the Extension Dakota and Nebraska – I-29 committee, Salfer has traditionally led the and Fred Hall, his dairy expo on the Tuesday of education counterpart at ST. PAUL – As expo week. Iowa State University, the late Kenny Rogers “We decided to re- discussed having a once sang, “Every open registration and webinar discussing the hand’s a winner and re-promote the program outlook for dairy prices. every hand’s a loser.” nationally,” Salfer said. Salfer contacted Marin For now, Jim “After canceling the Bozic, a University of Salfer, University of in-person program, Minnesota professor Minnesota Extension we only had four who focuses on dairy educator based in participants request a dairy markets. He St. Cloud, must focus refund. We ended up also contacted the on the wins. having almost 50 more Minnesota Milk The Central Plains join us online. We have Producers Association, Dairy Expo scheduled participants from 24 which stays abreast of for March 24-26 was states.” the ongoing state and canceled due to the Milk prices during federal legislation. COVID-19 disease COVID-19 a concern Both Minnesota caused by the novel 2020 was expected Milk and I-29 put out coronavirus. The to be a profitable year the word and 427 people I-29 dairy-beef short for dairy farmers. ended up viewing live course – named for However, in early online March 25. the Interstate 29 that March, because of “The webinar was connects collaborators COVID-19, 2020 milk only one hour, but the

PHOTO SUBMITTED

Dairy farmer Craig Roerick (left) talks with Jim Salfer, University of Minnesota Extension Educator, in 2019 at Roerick’s farm in rural Swanville. Salfer and other educators have been connecting with farmers through online interactions rather than in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

question and answer portion went on for another 45 minutes,” Salfer said.

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Jenna Davis said the group appreciates the collaboration. “By working together, we are able tog provide these timely to p opportunities to more opp farmers and industry far members,” she said. me In-person extension Ineducation will return ed While online workshops are not w new, the current n situation is forcing more in-person events online and e also creating new a topics and needs. to “As with our regular events, we give reg them homework and the are available to them as they implement what wh they’ve learned,” Salfer said. “Extension has never been a model of giving people a steak dinner and a $10,000 speaker and then everything goes back to life as usual. Our strength is in tailoring our program to their needs.” Dairy farmers and the extension educators who often bring them together know this quarantine situation will not last forever. “After people are cooped up like this, I’m guessing we will have very good attendance when we can meet again,” Salfer said. “We may restart with small groups, maybe five to eight nearby farmers or farm couples and families at a time. And we will make plenty of time to interact.”

BENTON AG

SAUK RAPIDS HERALD | SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2020 | Page 7B

Cow comfort: It is for tie stalls too Loan maturity for

Plans underway for 2020 Alfalfa Harvest Alert Project University of Minnesota Extension is working with the Central Minnesota Forage Council, agribusinesses and farmers on the Alfalfa Harvest Alert Project again this year. Cooperator sites have been arranged in Stearns, Benton, Morrison and Wright counties. Information will also be shared from McLeod and Sibley counties, similar to what has been done in the past. The goal of this project is to encourage farmers to stay in tune with their fields related to their feed needs and past experiences. This project kicks off when alfalfa reaches between 14-16 inches tall. Project cooperators will sample fields Monday and Thursday mornings. Generally,

Dairy

from pg. 2B businesses, especially grocers, know there is not too little milk to be had. “If you’re going to put up signs that limit milk production, you may be hurting your grocery store’s profitability in the long run,” Sjostrom said. “Overall, dairy takes up about 3% of the shelf space but is about 10% of the revenue and about 20% of the profit at a grocery store, so relationships with Midwest Dairy and Minnesota Milk are really important. If

when alfalfa gets around 24 inches tall, we can expect to start seeing buds. With alfalfa, the bud stage is usually when forage quality is in the range for better quality dairy hay and harvest takes place provided weather cooperates. Normally the last 10 days of May is when harvest occurs, but this varies based on the weather and winter injury. Last year, alfalfa sample collection started May 14 and ended June 6. Clipped samples are tested to determine relative feed value, neutral detergent fiber and other alfalfa quality factors related to harvest decisions. Quality and maturity will also be estimated through an equation called the Predictive Equation for Alfalfa Quality. This they’re hearing from their suppliers that they’re short on milk, we can tell them they might not be short on milk in the future.” For its part, one of Midwest Dairy’s programs has been to send cooler bags to Minnesota schools so they can keep their milk cold as well as informing schools and food banks about their options when it comes to purchasing dairy; for example, the Minnesota Department of Health now allows 2% milk in food programs instead of skim or 1%. While keeping dairy farms afloat is a primary concern of organizations such as Minnesota Milk

University of MN Extension

by Nathan Drewitz

process uses the stage of maturity and height of the tallest stems to estimate RFV and NDF. The RFV numbers correspond to what you could expect from a fresh cut sample lab test. Due to forage and harvest losses, there could be a 15 to 25 point drop from what the fresh cut sample test or PEAQ chart indicates. So, if your goal was 175 RFV, you might start harvesting and Midwest Dairy, the differences between each farm and how well they are protected against collapse are so varied that it makes it difficult to make a one-size-fits-all program. “This is a huge disruption, and some farms and companies have protected themselves from huge disruptions better than others,” Sjostrom said. “Our job is to solve the immediate crisis – that farmers are short on cash – without screwing up the long-term market demands so we don’t create more problems than we started with six to 12 months from now.”

when the fresh cut test of PEAQ chart indicates 200 RFV. Consider your own nutrition goals and past experience when deciding on the proper time to harvest alfalfa. The Alfalfa Harvest Alert Project information will be shared with KASM 1150 AM and KTLF 960 AM radio in the Stearns, Benton and Morrison county areas. Internet users can search for Minnesota Crop News for information. You can also call me at 608-515-4414 to get the latest updated results from the project. Other counties will be working with radio stations and information access points. Questions about this project can be referred to Nathan Drewitz at the phone number listed. We appreciate the hard work by all of the farm and agribusiness cooperators and sponsors for this project.

Marketing Assistance Loans extended to 12 months

Provides producers with marketing flexibilities amid COVID-19 uncertainties

WASHINGTON – Agricultural producers now have more time to repay Marketing Assistance Loans as part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act of 2020. The loans now mature at 12 months rather than nine, and this flexibility is available for most commodities. “Spring is the season when most producers have the biggest need for capital, and many may have or are considering putting commodities under loan,” said Sonny Perdue, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. “Extending the commodity loan maturity affords farmers more time to market their commodity and repay their loan at a later time. We are extremely pleased the USDA can offer these marketing flexibilities at this critical time for the agriculture industry and the nation.” Effective immediately, producers of eligible commodities now have up to 12 months to repay their commodity loans. The maturity extension applies to nonrecourse loans for crop years 2018, 2019 and 2020. Eligible open loans must be in good standing with a maturity date of March 31 or later or new crop year (2019 or 2020) loans requested by Sept. 30. All new loans requested by Sept. 30 will have a maturity date 12 months following the date of approval. The maturity extension for current, active loans will be automatically extended an additional three months. Loans that matured March 31 have already been automatically extended by USDA Farm Service Agency. Producers who prefer a nine-month loan will need to contact their FSA county office. Loans requested after Sept. 30 will have a term of nine months. Eligible commodities include barley, chickpea (small and large), corn, cotton (upland and extralong staple), dry pea, grain sorghum, honey, lentil, mohair, oat, peanut, rice (long and medium grain), soybean, unshorn pelt, wheat, wool (graded and nongraded); and other oilseeds, including canola, crambe, flaxseed, mustard seed, rapeseed, safflower, sunflower seed and sesame seed. Seed cotton and sugar are not eligible.

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When we hear the phrase cow comfort, wet knees, that means your cows are an image of free stalls is usually what getting more than wet knees. One final pops into our heads. Perhaps a bedded consideration for bedding is how it works pack. But, are we remembering tie stalls? for manure removal in the gutter system. Should not all cows be comfortable, no You want a bedding that will not clog the matter how they are housed? Here are system and can be removed easily. some things to consider for cow comfort Another important aspect of cow in tie stalls. comfort in any type of barn is ventilation. As always, adequate and proper Tiestall barns offer some ventilation bedding is a must. Some tie stall managers challenges, especially with their lower UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA like to use mattresses or waterbeds. ceilings. Low ceilings can create stagnant EXTENSION These are great options for the concrete air which is troublesome in the summer surface but should still use some bedding EMILY KREKELBERG months. Fans are a great way to keep for maximum comfort. Most farmers opt air flowing and provide your cows with to use straw, sawdust or sand for their bedding. Each proper ventilation. Now is a great time to look at the has its advantages and disadvantages. current ventilation in your tiestall barn and make The important thing is that whatever is used is any necessary additions or changes before summer properly managed. This includes using the right comes. amount and adding more or changing the bedding Dairy cows can thrive in any environment as long when necessary. as they are properly managed. A major part of that Use the kneel test to see if the bedding is wet. management is good cow comfort. Kneel down into the bedding. If you stand up with

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