Archives: Milk Messenger

Pre-dip. Massage for ten seconds. Move to the next cow in the set of four. Hurry back to the beginning to wipe the dip off and attach the milking unit within ninety seconds of starting.  Wait until cows are done milking and remove the unit. Don’t forget to post dip the teats. Repeat.

Following this routine step-by-step takes place every day on many MMPA member farms, as over 5,400 Milker Training School alum put into practice an MMPA recommended milking procedure. Milker Training School, a day-long training program that teaches participants how to milk a cow, demonstrates this procedure with practice on fake, but realistic udders in an infamous PVC pipe parlor.

The milker training school staff, including mastitis management specialist, Christy Dinsmoore, strive to reinforce proper procedures and prevent procedural drift from lowering quality on member farms.

“We focus on practical learning and hands on approaches to help make the information stick,” Dinsmoore said. “Our intent is trying to place the best tools in the milker’s hands to implement and improve.”

The one-day training starts with a classroom style presentation in the morning followed by hands-on learning in the afternoon. The schools have evolved over the years, but the mission has stayed the same. The schools provide training to members and their employees to help improve the marketability of their milk. The trainings are designed for all skill levels, with topics including learning the basics of milking cows, getting a more in-depth look at mastitis—an infection in the udder—and a refresher for more experienced milkers.

“It is important for our employees to attend a milker training school because it is easy to get in the habit of cutting corners in the parlor over time,” Katelyn Packard, MMPA member in Manchester, Michigan, described about maintaining consistency in milking procedure. “The schools also offer good information on what mastitis is and why prevention is so important.”

Milker training school can trace its roots back to 1997, when now retired member representatives, Tom Herremans and Gill Johnson, were challenged by the board of directors to offer a new service to members with a class on how to properly milk cows. Their goals were to teach farmers tools to lower SCC, understand the concepts behind mastitis management and achieve their milk quality goals.

“With high employee turnover, there is always a need for retraining on farms. I loved seeing the willingness to learn and dispelling the misconceptions people had about milking cows,” recalled Herremans.

Some members find the training beneficial to managing employees. “Our farm appreciates the depth of information given throughout the day and touching on other topics such as animal care and what tools are available through the co-op merchandise program,” Packard added.

“It is very helpful, especially for our new employees, to hear what mastitis is and tips on how to prevent and detect it from someone other than their boss. They are able to ask questions as they think of them in the small group setting without the intimidation that may come from large classrooms,” explained producer Jeremy Beebe of Whittmore, Michigan.

“Having a refresher for our long time milkers is vital to reminding everyone the importance of our procedure to make quality milk. Practicing in the PVC parlor with the ceramic udders is a great teaching tool for people who will be tweaking their routine before milking real cows,” Beebe continued.

In addition to the knowledge gained and the practice in the PVC parlor, students go home with a copy of the presentation and a better understanding of what mastitis management services are available through MMPA. Basic standard operating procedures for tasks like using a California Mastitis Test (CMT) and sending a cow milk sample into the lab for SCC and culture results are available to attendees as well.

Many of the handouts and protocols accessible through the training schools are translated into Spanish for convenience. These can be obtained through a farm’s member representative or by attending a school. Also, Spanish translated classes are available upon request.

While having the same objectives, on-farm schools have a different format. The presentation is shorter and more focused toward the farm’s needs. They are geared for larger farms with employees in charge of milking. Milkers practice the routine in the parlor during milking time instead on the practice udders used at the formal schools.

“With this type of training, we can focus more on the individual farm’s milking routine so everyone receives the same message,” said Lyndsay Earl, a member representative and milker training school team member. “The dedication to the follow up and enforcement of farm’s milking routine from the farm manager is key to a successful training process and consistent experience for the cows.”

Farms can meet their quality goals with the knowledge and tools provided at milker training school. Using the MMPA recommended procedure helps make sure the cows have the same experience at every milking. “Timing and consistency can make or break a milking routine,” asserts Dinsmoore.

–Krista Schrock

This article was originally published in the February 2018 issue of the Michigan Milk Messenger. 

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As the NCAA Men’s Basketball season begins with courts across the country filled with athletes who have been awarded thousands of dollars in scholarship money to play basketball, dairy industry minded students are gearing up to compete for scholarships offered by one of the largest scholarship programs in the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Michigan Dairy Memorial and Scholarship Foundation (MDMSF) was founded by a group of visionaries who wanted to provide scholarship funds to students interested in dairy science. Now marking its 60th anniversary, the program continues to award deserving students who are planning on pursuing a career in the dairy industry after graduation.

Dr. Miriam Weber Nielson, MSU Department of Animal Science and Secretary of MDMSF Board of Directors, explained that the Foundation has awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships to young people aspiring to careers in the dairy industry. She commented, “With more than 1,000 donors, the foundation has provided a visible way for individuals and organizations to recognize with monetary gifts the work of their colleagues and friends in the industry, while strengthening the future of the industry.”

“Gifts to the MDMSF are used to grow the endowment fund with interest from the principal used to create scholarships and support learning experiences for our students in dairy science,” Nielson commented.

When donations are made to the foundation they are recognized in one of two ways: Foundation honorees and named scholarships. Foundation honorees are named when $1,000 or more is given to recognize a dairy leader, that individual will become a MDMSF Honoree and is recognized by a plaque with the Honoree’s picture permanently installed in the MSU Livestock Pavilion and the Honoree’s name permanently inscribed on a plaque in Anthony Hall.

Named scholarships may be named for an individual or organization with a minimum gift of $50,000. A named scholarship is awarded as part of the MDMSF program and carries the name of the individual or organization that provides the funds.

Nielson feels it’s the best of both worlds, “What a great way to recognize deserving individuals in the industry, and at the same time support and encourage the young people who are the future of the industry!”

Sheila Burkhardt, MMPA Sr. Director of Member and Government Relations, was a young agriculture communications student at MSU when she was awarded a MDMSF scholarship.

“I greatly appreciated receiving the scholarship when I was a student at MSU,” she said. “The scholarship meant a lot to me not only financially but knowing the Foundation made the commitment to me and my education influenced my decision to be involved in the dairy industry after college.”

Burkhardt continued, “It is pretty amazing the number of students who have benefited from the MDMSF scholarships over the years and the many different career paths those students have pursued.”

Growing up on a dairy farm, Brian Troyer found his way to MSU and found a vast array of career choices when he chose dairy science as his area of interest. As the President of the MDMSF Board of Directors and recipient of the scholarship in the early 1980s, Troyer knows the value of these scholarships, “That scholarship helped me pay the bills while I was in college. I was able to reap the full benefit of what college had to offer as an undergrad at MSU and today I feel it’s vitally important to invest in the youth of our industry if we are going to thrive.”

The MDMSF is more than just a vehicle for funds for students at MSU, Nielson commented, “The Foundation, and the people and organizations who contribute to it, have encouraged and supported the education of several generations of members of our Michigan dairy industry.”

She continued, “Through generous contributions, donors have recognized the accomplishments of over 200 individuals, outstanding in various professions in the dairy industry, as Foundation Honorees. The Foundation is a great way to celebrate the accomplishments of people from all segments of our industry, something that we usually don’t do often enough! There are so many great stories to tell right here in Michigan.”

The future of the dairy industry is under constant scrutiny and youth are a vital resource for future success. According to Nielson, MSU students interested in dairy are exceptional, “They stand out as being passionate, hard-working and willing to put in extra effort when needed to help others. More so than our average student in the Animal Science department, they seem resilient, focused and determined to find their niche.”

Nielson is proud of the outstanding team work and generous support of time and money from the industry that has fueled the growth in the dairy program at MSU. She concluded, “In addition to the Foundation’s scholarships, the industry support of our programs, even in very difficult times, distinguishes MSU from many other universities in what we can offer our students. With that type of leadership, teamwork and can-do attitude in our industry as well as our young people, I’m confident that the future of our Michigan dairy industry is bright and full of new opportunities.”

–Melissa Hart

This article originally appeared in the December issue of the Michigan Milk Messenger. 

As a combat engineer in Iraq, Mike O’Farrell spent his days scanning the roads looking for Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) serving the United States military to keep his fellow soldiers safe. Today, instead of hearing bombs explode, O’Farrell listens to noisy calves at feeding time and monitors calm cows meandering through the barn to be milked by robots.

MMPA members, O’Farrell and his wife Abbie, manage their family farm in West Branch, Michigan, where they milk 115 cows with two robotic milking units. O’Farrell also serves as the Vice President of the Michigan Chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC), a national organization whose mission is to mobilize military veterans to feed America.

FVC strives to cultivate a new generation of farmers and food leaders and developing viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of farming and military communities. They believe that veterans possess the unique skills and character needed to strengthen rural communities and create sustainable food systems. The FVC also believes that agriculture offers purpose, opportunity and physical and psychological benefits to the veterans as well.

“As a veteran, I’ve learned that farming gives you your space and gives you the chance to be out in the open and it’s a slower lifestyle but it also keeps you busy, there is always something to do,” O’Farrell commented.

One of the ways he processed his experiences in Iraq was facing the challenges of a dairy farm and being able to stay busy, not dwelling on the past. “Being on the farm has helped me to move on. I believe in hitting challenges head on,” he revealed.

O’Farrell joined the FVC after being asked to serve on the board of directors and commented that the Michigan chapter is a fairly new organization and they are now developing educational programs to help the farmer/veterans get started in their businesses. “It’s quite a diverse group of farmers, they aren’t just dairy farmers, but we have sheep farmers and vegetable growers. It’s a huge array of people involved,” O’Farrell said.

In November 2006, William O’Hare and Bill Bishop of the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey Institute published a report showing that “rural families are paying a disproportionately high price for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” A study confirmed for the first time what many already knew—ever increasing numbers of those enlisted in the US military had their roots in rural America.

The FVC was formed in 2007 when a California farmer, Michael O’Gorman, organized a meeting for farmers in California’s Central Coast to talk about creating jobs on their farms for returning veterans. The idea of opening up their farms to veterans appealed to those in attendance and the Farmer Veteran Coalition was born.

According to the Farmer Veteran Coalition’s website, over the next year, the small group of volunteers searched the country for other organizations with similar missions. Of 40,000 groups organized to help veterans nationwide, they could not find one with the mission of introducing veterans to agriculture and none that addressed the new dynamic that the military would be returning, in large numbers, to small towns across the country, far from the services available to veterans in more populous areas, and just as far, sometimes, from the type of career and lifestyle the veterans they worked with were wanting to pursue.

FVC provides educational programming and fellowship funding for veterans in the beginning years of farming or ranching.

Another program offered is the Homegrown By Heroes (HBH) program. HBH is the official farmer veteran branding program of America. The HBH logo serves to inform consumers that products donning the logo were produced by military veterans. The program is available to farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and value-added producers of all branches and eras of military service.

“One of the things we would like to see with FVC is partnering retired farmers with younger veterans who want to get into farming. I believe this kind of mentoring would be very valuable,” O’Farrell explained.

“I stumbled upon farming to help me cope and work through basic challenges and I believe if we teach people about this organization, we can help a lot of people who can benefit from being in agriculture,” O’Farrell concluded.

–Melissa Hart

Membership to the FVC is open to everyone, not just veterans. To find out more about the Farmer Veteran Coalition and their annual meeting in December please visit www.farmvetco.org. Details can be found at facebook.com/farmvetcoMI/ or by emailing Michigan@nullfarmvetco.org.

This article originally appeared in the November issue of the Michigan Milk Messenger. 

Nate and Jenny Elzinga are committed. That may seem like an obvious statement to describe a married couple, but this pair is committed not just to each other but to working together to power their 240-cow dairy farm forward with technology. Through their partnership, the husband-and-wife team is best caring for their farm, which involves day-in and day-out hard work, and tracking data to make the best decisions for the cows on Daybreak Dairy.

This year, the Elzingas are taking it a step forward—and a step or two off their farm—to lend their skills to the dairy industry. Nate and Jenny were named the 2017 Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperators, becoming the 57th participant of a select group of MMPA members designated to represent their co-op on a nationwide scale.

But before co-op recognition, before leading a progressive dairy and before rearing five children, 16-year-olds Nate and Jenny first crossed paths at the Berlin fair. She was showing a beef steer that day and he was roaming the fair grounds. “I got my toe crushed by my steer and so I was sitting there, trying not to cry and he walked by,” Jenny recalls. An awkward hello led to the day spent together at the fair with their friends—who did more talking than they did—and an eventual date spent fishing in the dark.

While Nate grew up on this farm, his father had purchased it in 1976, Jenny wasn’t as familiar with the dairy life. Her grandparents had owned a dairy farm, but long sold the cows, and when a few years later the young couple got engaged, Jenny’s grandmother asked the soon-to-be farm wife: “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” One look at Jenny and it’s clear—despite that tongue-in-cheek question—she is well suited for the role.

Today, the couple work in tandem with each other and Nate’s family on their farm. A graduate of the Michigan State University dairy management program, Nate manages employees, nutrition, breeding and overall animal care. Jenny oversees raising the farm’s calves in a calf barn that features an automatic calf feeding machine. Yet Jenny admits their roles can be interchangeable with one stepping in for the other’s responsibilities when needed.

“We work well together,” Jenny, who completed a veterinary technology program at Baker College, describes. “We just click with each other, so it seems to work well. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty.”

“We support each other very well. It’s easy for one of us to have a bad day, so we need to support each other and go back and forth,” Nate adds.

When discussing the operations of his farm, Nate frequently shifts to uncover data on his computer, looking up information from both a high level and close look at every aspect of the farm and the progress of each cow. One monitor has a live feed of video from various locations on the farm, yet the other two show a more encompassing view of the farm through an integrated software system.

The system links various area of the operation and displays information on his computer. Data is collected in the dairy’s double eight herringbone parlor during milkings and related to other metrics from around the farm, such as the activity-monitoring pedometers fitted to each cow. The Elzingas use these technologies to best manage herd health, nutrition, breeding and milk production.

“Everything is connected on a dairy farm. I like the cows and I like the technology. I’m able to match those two things up,” Nate explains.

Technology – love or hate it, as some producers do – can advance a dairy’s production, efficiency and management. While adoption of new software programs and monitoring systems can be costly to producers, Nate sees the advantage on his farm.

“Technology helps you manage to a higher level. If you use as intended, it helps you do more with fewer people. I’m still busier than ever, just getting more work done,” he says.

As an example of this modernization, Jenny points to a change in their practices for managing and detecting ketosis, a metabolic disease that sometimes affects early lactation cows. In the parlor, daily components are tested with each milking and if the butterfat and protein ratio is above a certain threshold, the system generates a list of cows with a high possibility of having ketosis. This eliminates the need to take a urine sample on each cow and thereby saves time.

Ketosis monitoring is just one useful maneuver the Elzingas trust. When it comes to monitoring production and performance, they have the data to back everything up. The software system tracks milk out times and can identify any disruptions in regular performance as soon as it happens. “If there is a deviation, it sticks out like a sore thumb,” Nate describes.

Nate manages the farm’s five full time and three part time employees by maintaining positive relationships with his staff. To improve employee morale and decrease turnover, they increased wages, added paid vacation and a housing allowance. The farm clearly outlines policies and expectations for employees in a handbook, while both staff and family have attended MMPA training programs for calf care and milking procedure.

Overall, the Elzingas goal is to, “bring our modern dairy to the next level through animal comfort, nutrition, genetics and by following the best cropping and manure practices.” Through their hard work, Daybreak Dairy has been recognized for quality heifer care by Hoard’s Dairyman, while earning production awards from DHI and the Holstein Association, and quality awards from MMPA. They have built a solid reputation in the community. “We’ve made a name for our cows,” Jenny says.

Growth and continuous improvement is a goal too. “I want to make things better for our employees and for us, the only way to do that and not reduce what we’re doing here is to scale up,” Nate explains. “I want to move genetics forward and move production forward.”

Beyond the farm, the Elzingas are involved with their local community and agriculture industry. In addition to involvement at their church, they host farm tours, are active on social media and Jenny is an MMPA Dairy Communicator. In 2011, Daybreak Dairy hosted a Breakfast on the Farm. Nate lends his experience to the Muskegon Technology Center as a member of their advisory committee and by encouraging careers in dairy.

“Being involved and making connections provides opportunities, even if you don’t always know what those are at the time,” Nate acknowledges. “Eventually it turns into something.”

The Elzinga’s role as OYDC may be a new endeavor for the couple, but it’s one they’re nevertheless ready to take on—together.

–Allison Stuby Miller

This article originally appeared in the October issue of the Michigan Milk Messenger. 

Selection for the 2018 Outstanding Young Dairy Cooperator program begins this winter during local meetings. If you are interested in participating in the program, contact your local. 

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