Cow language is universal

LITTLE FALLS, Minn. — A vacation can include anything, but for farmers Sara Jane and Dave Brutscher, adding tours related to agriculture makes their trips more fun. The pair recently ventured  to Italy, planning their travels around a farm show.

“Whenever we go away, we always try to connect with something associated with our farm and learn some things and learn about other cultures,” Dave said.

The Brutschers own DayStar Dairy near Little Falls where they milk 750 cows in a double-12 parallel parlor, managing the operation alongside their two sons, Paul and Jesse. Their vacation last fall lasted three weeks, a time that brought relaxation and curiosity together.

“There’s a purpose in this,” Dave said. “When we’re gone for three weeks, this is good for the farm.”

Dave said their two sons and many great employees know that when he returns, he is more refreshed and ready to help.

“It allows them to learn and gain independence,” he said.

The Brutschers’ travels took them through Tuscany, Cremona, Parma and other regions of Italy, blending history with their passion for dairy.

“The dairy connection was secondary, but we have fun planning these vacations,” Dave said. “It’s like building a dairy. You work on all the pieces; and you get a blueprint of what you want to do. Then you put the pieces together and figure out how you’re going to build it.”

Dave said farmers worldwide share more similarities than differences.

“We don’t speak the same language, but we do when it comes to cows,” Dave said. “Wherever you go, you make connections, you make friends.”

The couple visited two dairy farms — a 350-cow dairy and a 200-cow dairy —in the company of a translator. They had contacted their semen company in the U.S. to provide a contact for an Italian distributor.

“The Italian dairymen are very style conscious,” Dave said. “They’re going to build a good cow. They’re really proud of their cows.”

One of the dairies they visited had well over a 90-pound tank average and high components.

Dave said there were multiple cows the farmers wanted to show them and share about the pedigrees.

The Brutschers learned new things while talking with the farmers about nutrition, breeding and herd management. 

“We talked what their reproduction is like (since) they have some really hot summers in the valley,” Dave said.

Sara Jane said she enjoyed seeing their calf program.

“They had a Milk Taxi, which I’ve seen in a couple of places overseas,” she said.

At the other farm they learned about different feeding practices from a father and son duo which the Brutschers said were ecstatic to welcome American visitors. The major difference they said they noticed was in the processing of corn silage.

“Our nutritionists say we want this longer length stuff,” Dave said. “(There) it’s chopped like sawdust.”

Their trip also included a stop at the Cremona International Livestock Exhibition, a show similar to World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.

“(There were) a lot of people having cheese or yogurt samples (and) almost every booth had charcuterie platters and were passing out wine,” Sara Jane said.

They had calf housing and all kinds of tractors and bedding throwers and anything farmers use in the U.S. Dave said. There was also a dairy exhibition and cattle on premise they could see as well.

While the trip was filled with memories, Dave said what made it most special is that they have been together for many years and still have fun together.

“We both are interested in history,” he said. “We are interested in farming. It’s nice to combine the two and meet dairy farmers in other countries.”