Corn harvest lagging in Wisconsin

A late spring and a wet fall have created a one-two punch that has led to a late Wisconsin corn harvest. In the November 30 Wisconsin Crop Progress, published by the Wisconsin field office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, they report that 67 percent of corn intended for grain has been harvested . . . which means 33 percent still stands in the field. By way of comparison, last year 97 percent was harvested by this time. The five-year harvest average for this week is 95 percent. Just one week ago, only 59 percent of the corn destined for grain was off the field, compared to five-year average of 87 percent.

Wisconsin's wet autumn has led Govenor Jim Doyle to issue an executive order allowing farmers to haul overweight loads on most roads to get their crops to storage or processing. The order will last through the end of December, except for the Christmas holidays, Dec. 24 through 27, and exempts vehicles from weight restrictions if they are carrying corn, potatoes, cranberries, and soybeans to storage or processing. These loads can exceed weight limits by 15 percent. Farmers must meet all other vehicle requirements for size, operation, and driver qualifications and cannot travel on roadways with special weight restrictions or on most interstates.

The cost of being Wisconsin's largest dairy farm

Controversy aside, Rosendale Dairy is a sight to behold. With over 4,000 cows already under one roof, construction has begun on Phase II of the farm plan which would add another 4,000 cows and make Rosendale the single largest dairy operation in Wisconsin. An Elanco program held at the farm allowed us to get an inside look at the new dairy which has been under scrutiny of environmental activists over the last year.

After facing much opposition and being held to the government’s highest design standards, the trio of owners Jim Ostrom, John Vosters, and Todd Willer went above and beyond the law to build a sustainable, low-carbon footprint, large-scale farm. And large it is. The cross-ventilated barn, part of Phase I, is seemingly endless with row after row of cattle.

Maybe the most interesting part of the $70 million farm investment is the cutting-edge technology. An 80-cow DeLaval rotary milking parlor gives each cow a nonstop, seven-minute ride around the huge parlor room three times a day. Ostrom says by the end of the summer they will be using a robotic teat dipper for postdipping to minimize waste and reduce labor.

Other farm features include a drive-in commodity shed where two mixers are being filled at any given time and an on-site manure-processing facility where dried manure solids are produced and sold to local farmers.

Rosendale is expected to provide nearly 70 permanent local jobs and contribute over $40 million in purchases per year from local contractors and vendors. Omro Dairy, Omro, Wis., and Tidy View Dairy, Kaukauna, Wis., are also owned by the partnership.

Online courses aren’t just for college kids — try this free one about Johne’s

For college students these days, it can sound appealing to skip the traditional classroom format of their coursework and head to the internet for online instruction. The new wave of online education has become very popular, and now dairy producers can join in. The University of Wisconsin’s School of Veterinary Medicine has developed a free online course for dairy producers interested in learning and testing their knowledge of Johne’s disease. Plus, it won’t take more than 45 minutes to complete, and you can stay in your barn overalls if you like.

The course was made possible through a grant from the USDA and developed by the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. To access the course, visit this link. You’ll have to create a username and password, and take brief pre and post-tests. Otherwise, all you need to do is sit back and listen as experts Michael Collins and Beth Patton help you learn more about this lurking disease that could be cutting your profits.

Organic and robotic

It’s not a typical combination — organic and robotic, that is. But it is the defining characteristics of Village Edge Farms in Nelson, Wis. where organic is high-tech, too. Located along the Mississippi River in west central Wisconsin, the farm is operated by brothers Greg and Dennis Hetrick. Greg says they became interested in robots because they were “tired of milking cows.”

Just last week, we visited Village Edge Farms as part of a bus tour organized by Lely of farms using robotic milking in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Village Edge installed one robot in January of 2009 and one in April of 2009. Though most farmers at each tour stop conceded that the first few days of the robotic setup were challenging for cow training, and nutrition can be a delicate balance when you are offering a high-energy pellet to entice cows into the unit, “I know my cows better now than before,” Greg Hetrick says. The transition allowed Hetrick to get to know cows not just by their udder through a small view in their old parlor. Hetrick now spends more time working closely with individual cows because of the overwhelming amount of information the robotic units tell you about each cow’s health and performance. Milk weights, each quarter’s conductivity, and even the weight of each cow is recorded every time they are milked. The next challenge for the farm: combining robotic cow flow with summer organic grazing. Greg Hetrick is shown in the photo at right sharing with other producers on the tour about his experiences.

Midwest Manure Summit at Lambeau Field

Capturing and managing the value in your farm’s waste stream was the focus of the Midwest Manure Summit held March 24 and 25, 2009, at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis. Two full days of featured speakers educated producers, consultants, and others interested in manure management. Optional tours of the historic Lambeau Field were also a popular draw of the conference.

Frank Mitloehner of University of California-Davis took several questions after his discussion on odor management. Mitloehner described mitigation strategies for reducing odor on farms, as well as his experiences with projects on UC-Davis’ campus, and a village in Germany that will, and have, reduced odors. Both of these systems generated power through the use of methane digestion, and the German village is now off of the power grid.

Another speaker, Keri Cantrell of the USDA-ARS in South Carolina, outlined research on emerging technologies that turn waste into energy and are not yet commercially available. Instead of methane digestion, Cantrell described a potential for thermo-chemical conversions such as pyrolysis. Pyrolysis could greatly reduce hauling involved with typical manure management and produce a product known as bio-char which could be used as a soil amendment. If implemented, these technologies have the potential to allow farms to expand animal units without adding land needed for nutrient management planning.

Proceedings of the entire conference are expected to be available online shortly on the Midwest Manure Summit website.

Before there was online dating, there was Hoard’s

Popular dating websites claim to cater to today’s fast-paced world and the fast-paced working professional. The sites draw those without the time or dedication to find love the old-fashioned way — whatever that may be. This challenge is nothing new to many in the dairy industry; it takes a special person to understand the dedication of those in the industry.

Just a few months ago, in a West Bend, Wis., paper, we read about a couple that had just celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary. Jim and Kathy Weber, the couple featured in the article, shared their unique story of how they met. It was an accident actually; Kathy’s mother placed an ad in the Hoard’s Dairyman classified section about her single daughters, without notifying her daughters (see the original classified ad in the picture.) Shortly after the ad was placed, Kathy’s mailbox was full of letters from possible suitors. One persistent individual stood out though, and after writing back and forth for a few months, a meeting was arranged. A first date to a local fish fry wasn’t exactly perfect, but through time and much correspondence and visits the couple decided to get married in a double wedding ⎯ a double wedding that included Kathy’s sister and her fiancé and themselves. Kathy’s sister met her now husband the same way.

Over 23 years later, the couple is thankful for the match that was found in the pages of Hoard’s. Their story has been printed in our magazine, National Enquirer, Woman’s Day, and even broadcast on European radio. We often wonder if there are similar stories out there. Have you heard of any?

Hoard Farm featured on Wisconsin Dairy News

Junior breed groups inspire youth

Our average reader now milks 161 cows, up nearly 25 percent from a decade ago. Despite growing herd sizes, it takes the same time-tested recipe to inspire a young person to get excited and pursue a career in the dairy industry. Just like generations before, the recipe includes an encouraging spark to ignite a young person's curiosity . . . be it a project calf, dairy bowl contest, a trip, or other contest. Providing the spark for all these events is the dedicated dairy leader. Those dedicated leaders were out in full force encouraging the next dairy generation at the annual Wisconsin Junior Holstein Convention held in Middleton, Wis.

From January 2 to 4, 340 juniors and 153 adults converged for a weekend packed with dairy skill competitions. In all, 29 Junior and 25 Senior four-person dairy bowl teams representing 216 juniors tested their dairy knowledge as some 50 volunteers partnered to put on the competitions. Youngsters had a variety of reasons to compete, ranging from spending time with like-minded dairy friends, bolstering their dairy IQ, and ultimately competing for the right to represent their state at the upcoming National Holstein Convention. In addition to the dairy bowl competition, 62 youth competed in the Dairy Jeopardy contest modeled after the popular TV version. Others competed in speaking, photography, advertising, and a variety of record-book contests. Juniors also were able to attend cattle photography (shown above) and advertising workshops (shown below) lead by personnel from Agri-Graphics and the Cattle Connection.

The capstone for the weekend activities took place Saturday night as some 32 Green County hosts led by Lisa Behnke and Trish Hoesley put the finishing touches on the banquet for over 425 Holstein enthusiasts. The evening celebrated all that was good about our industry. Young people were honored for outstanding project work. There was $10,000 in scholarships awarded to support future studies. And adult leaders drew internal satisfaction as they witnessed the countless smiles from young people who are blossoming into future dairy leaders.

To all those who inspire our next generation, thank you; keep up the great work.

Wisconsin Governor champions dairy

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle announced to those attending the ninth annual Dairy Business Association (DBA) meeting in Madison, Wis., that the state's agriculture exports stood at $1.5 billion for the first nine months of 2008. That's a 7 percent jump. Of that total, dairy exports grew by 39 percent, up from $126 million in the first nine months of 2007 to $176 million in the first nine months of 2008. Exports were driven by a healthy demand for cheese and butter. Cheese exports set a record value of $75 million for the first nine months of 2008, a robust 47 percent gain. Governor Doyle also noted that 34 dairy plants have opened in the state since 2004, and 54 existing plants have undergone expansion during the same time.

"Dairy is one of the fastest-growing parts of our state's economy," reported Govenor Doyle. He reported to producer members of DBA who have been responsible for the state's expanded milk production. The state will no doubt count on the thriving dairy industry for growth as the state begins tackling the projected $5.4-billion budget deficit.

Doyle, a Democrat, was one of the first governors to support President-elect Obama. Some have speculated that Doyle may be heading to Washington. He ended that speculation when he told DBA members, "I am going to be here," when asked if they could book him for next year's meeting.