How many times a day do you milk, and what is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? We milk twice a day and our current herd average is 26,329 pounds milk, 1,132 pounds fat (4.4%) and 887 pounds protein (3.4%).
Describe your housing and milking facility. Our cows are housed in a freestall barn that was built in 1972. We added on to the building around 20 years ago. Most of the stalls, 57, have waterbeds; the rest are bedded with sand. We milk our cows in a double-4 herringbone parlor. We also have a sprinkler system that kicks in when the temperature is 68-70 degrees. We don’t see a decline in milk production when it gets hot.
Who is part of your farm team, and what are their roles? I, Kevin, am the herdsman on the farm and Pete is in charge of the crops and machinery. We have one full-time person along with three part-time helpers. They take care of most of the milkings.
What is your herd health program? We do a herd check monthly and the cows get vaccinated twice a year with Triangle 10. The calves get Nasalgen 3-PMH at birth and four weeks later. The older heifers get Bovi-Shield 10-way.
What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? The cows are dried off at 60 days and moved to a calving pen three weeks before calving. Their ration consists of corn silage, grass hay and minerals. They receive a pre-fresh protein mix in the calving pen. They are housed in a 3-sided shed that is bedded with corn stalks.
What is the composition of your ration, and how has that changed in recent years? Our ration consists of alfalfa haylage, corn silage, high-moisture corn, dry hay and a protein mix. We really haven’t changed much in the last several years.
Tell us about the forages you plant and detail your harvest strategies. We raise alfalfa and corn silage and try to harvest them at the highest quality. We usually harvest our alfalfa at the bud stage and try for four crops. The intervals are usually 28-33 days. We shoot for 65% moisture on our corn silage. Our forages are stored in bags or silos. We fill four 10-by-200 bags and two stave silos. One is 20-by-60 and the other is 18-by-55.
What is your average somatic cell count and how does that affect your production? Our somatic cell count is 91,000. We have been in the top 100 for SCC in Minnesota for several years.
What change has created the biggest improvement in your herd average? Genetics. I do some embryo work on the better animals. We are not afraid to spend money on good bulls. I focus on production, components, good feet and legs and udders, 1.5 or better. I usually select higher genomic sires.
What technology do you use to monitor your herd? We test through Minnesota Dairy Herd Improvement Association and we are 95% registered through Holstein Association USA. We genomic test all our heifers in the first three months.
What is your breeding program, and what role does genetics play in your production level? All our females are on a mating program from Select Sires. Genetics are very important to us. We spend the money on better bulls. My ag instructor once told me you only get 20 crops of females if you milk for 40 years.
List three management strategies that have helped you attain your production and component level. Genetics, making high-quality feed and putting a rubber mat over the slatted floors in the free-stall barn, which has added more comfort for the cows.
Tell us about your farm and your plans for the dairy in the next year. We are a third-generation farm that was started in 1944 by our grandpa, Bart. My dad, Adrian, took over in 1965 and Pete and I took over the farm in 1994. We farm 500 acres.
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