October 2015
Brought to you by Dairy's Professional Development Organization®
Wayside Dairy - Meet fellow PDPW Members

Dan and Jeremy Natzke - Wayside Dairy
Wayside Dairy-a partnership between Dan Natzke, his son Jeremy and Dan's nephew Paul-does more than produce milk for dairy products consumed by today's public. The Greenleaf, Wis., dairy goes the extra mile to educate consumers and build consumer confidence. The dairy has hosted numerous events at their farm over the years, including Schreiber Cheese buyers, PDPW Agriculture Community Engagement tours, the Brown County Dairy Breakfast plus they have given seven Green Bay Packers the opportunity to experience life on a dairy. 

During a PDPW tour of Natzke's Wayside Dairy earlier this year, Dan Natzke quipped, "Donald Driver did three things to make him famous. Most notably he visited our farm. He also played football, and he was on Dancing with the Stars."

Dan's son Jeremy, representing the fifth generation on the farm, says, "In 2002, when we developed the dairy as it is today, we decided to do some public relations work. The heifers in front of the dairy are a part of that."

Wayside Dairy has grown from the original 30 cows that comprised the dairy in 1863 to today's nearly 1,800 cows that are milked three times a day. The business also raises 1,450 heifers and has 2,700 acres of cropland.

Life has taught the dairy to be flexible. After a 2001 barn fire, the family dairy rebuilt, putting in a D-20 herringbone parlor to accommodate their growing herd. They have since added cows and updated and expanded the parlor.  "2009 was another bad year for our farm but, because of it, we're better farmers today," Dan interjects.  In 2014, fire took their commodity shed. Today's shed allows all equipment to be stored under one roof and a place where the mixer truck can easily drive in to add ingredients to the TMR.

"We're constantly learning things - both from experience and from others, and we are always making changes when we can see that it will make things more efficient or will be better for the cows," Dan adds.

Key farm management responsibilities are divided among the three owners according to their interests and strengths. Dan handles the financial part of the farm work and some crops and over-all management. Jeremy works with the herd, and Paul focuses on the field work. Twenty-five full-time employees and three part-time employees complete the Wayside Dairy team.   "We try to develop our business like a family," Dan explains. "We promote opportunities for our employees to grow in their jobs and advance. We reward workers when they hit milestones and all of our workers are treated alike."

Wayside Dairy
Jeremy adds that the dairy personnel take full advantage of PDPW events to network with other farmers and to glean ideas to get the creative juices going.   "PDPW is a tool. It has a lot to offer all sizes of farms with educational opportunities and a chance to learn new things and share ideas," Jeremy states, adding that today's dairy farmers must be creative in how they deal with challenges and PDPW events help their dairy think outside the box.


For your dairy...
 
HANDS-ON CALF CARE CONNECTION: 3 IN WISCONSIN, 1 IN IOWA. Dairies wanting the their calf care team members in the know about the latest research and best calf care practices that can be implemented immediately without significant hassle and investment in capital can find their needs met at four Calf Care Connection workshops being conducted this month. 

One-day Calf Care Connection workshops will be offered in Wisconsin on Tuesday, Oct. 13, Sleep Inn & Suites Conference Center, Eau Claire, Wis.; Wednesday, Oct. 14, Fox Valley Technical College, Chilton, Wis.; and Thursday, Oct. 15, Alliant Energy Center, New Holland Pavilion #1, Madison, Wis.  The Iowa Calf Care Connection workshop will take place at Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa, on Wednesday, Oct. 21. 

All four workshops take the Confucius quote "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." seriously, with participants seeing and doing, not just listening. Participants will return to their dairies with intentional animal care top of mind and armed with the skills and knowledge so death losses and sickness are minimized while calf health is optimized. To learn more about any of these Calf Care Connection workshops or to register, visit our website or call PDPW at 800-947-7379.

A NEW PROGRAM NOW LAYS OUT HOW VETERINARIANS AND PRODUCERS can work together to ensure food safety and appropriate medication use on dairy farms. Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) and the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association (WVMA) have worked hand-in-hand since 2012 to develop the What Matters® initiative. Through educational outreach developed under What Matters, dairy producers have reduced the number of dairy beef drug residue violations. 

WVMA has officially launched Food Armor WVMA HACCP for Proper Drug Use, the "how" step of the What Matters initiative. Food Armor is a voluntary, farm-customized HACCP plan that identifies and halts treatment of the incurable while increasing food safety. Food Armor's six-step plan covers veterinarian/client/patient relationship, drug list, protocols, SOPs, records and oversight. 

Producers can become Food Armor certified when they demonstrate full implementation and maintenance of a six-step HACCP plan for proper drug use. Veterinarians must go through classroom training and evaluation to become Food Armor accredited. PDPW, the Professional Dairy Producers Foundation, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Wisconsin Beef Council and Equity Livestock Cooperative have joined the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association in championing the Food Armor program. 

YOUR COWS AREN'T ALONE  if inflammation is occurring during their transition to lactation.   Kansas  State University researchers found numerous studies that show "essentially all cows experience some degree of systemic inflammation several days after parturition." The catch is that, according to the researchers' invited review in the Journal of Dairy Science, October 2015, "the complicated admixture of normal adaptations to lactation, infectious challenges and metabolic disorders have made it difficult to determine which physiological processes are adaptive and which are pathological during this time." 

The researchers note that many questions-including which organs are key initiators of this state and what signaling molecules are responsible for systemic and tissue-specific inflammatory states-remain about postpartum inflammation. They state that continued in vivo work should help clarify the degree to which mild postpartum inflammation is adaptive and whether the targeted use of anti-inflammatory drugs or nutrients can improve the health and productivity of dairy cows. Additional information is available online at the Journal of Dairy Science website here.

COWS IN HERDS WITH HIGHER MILK YIELD DON'T HAVE HIGHER MORTALITY HAZARD. In fact, researchers analyzing 5.9 million DHIA lactation records from 10 Midwest U.S. dairy states from January 2006 to December 2010 found that cows in herds with higher milk yield have lower mortality hazard. The top five reasons for cows leaving a herd were mortality, 19.4%; reproduction failure, 14.6%; injuries and other, 14.0%; low production, 12.3%; and mastitis, 10.5%. 

Risk factor analysis showed that increased hazard for mortality was associated with higher fat-to-protein ratio (>1.6 vs. 1 to 1.6), higher milk fat percent, lower milk protein percent, cows with male calves, cows carrying multiple calves, higher milk urea nitrogen, increasing parity, longer previous calving interval, higher first test-day somatic cell score, increased calving difficulty score and breed (Holstein vs. others). Decreased hazard for mortality was associated with higher first test-day milk yield, higher milk protein and shorter dry period. 

Results of the study indicated that management quality can be an important factor in lowering on-farm mortality, and that first test-day records, especially those indicative of negative energy balance in cows, could be helpful to identify animals at high risk for mortality. You can learn more by reading the abstract in full online at the Journal of Dairy Science website.

CALVES GOTTA HAVE HIGH QUALITY COLOSTRUM. 
Researchers with the College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, stress that a calf's first meal is crucial for survival and health, with the higher quality of colostrum calves ingested, the faster immune defense mechanism and the more healthy intestinal circumstances they established. Assessing the effects of colostrum quality on IgG passive transfer, immune and antioxidant status, and intestinal morphology and histology in neonatal calves, the researchers assigned 24 Holstein neonatal male calves to one of three treatment groups: those that received colostrum, those given transitional milk and calves given bulk tank milk only at birth. 

Calves receiving colostrum gained more body weight than in the traditional milk group while those in bulk tank milk group lost 0.4 kg compared with the birth weight. Serum total protein, IgG, and superoxide dismutase  concentrations were highest in the group receiving colostrum. Calves fed high-quality colostrum also had better villus length and width, crypt depth, villus height/crypt depth (V/C) value, and mucosal thickness in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum, whereas GrT calves had lower villus length and width, crypt depth, and mucosal thickness than those fed colostrum. 

The researchers from China agree with University of Wisconsin's Pam Ruegg, DVM, that colostrum is the best source for calves in IgG absorption, antioxidant activities and serum growth metabolites, and promoting intestinal development. This abstract is available online at the Journal of Dairy Science: here.

LEFT EYE OR RIGHT EYE?  Dairy workers may want to pay attention to which eye a cow tends to use the most when she's interacting with other cows and humans. Research out of Australia indicates subordinate cows are much more likely to use their left eye when interacting with other cows while dominant cows tend to use their right eye more. Since research shows that subordinate cows will forego feed quality to avoid close contact with dominant cows at the feed bunk, Rick Grant with the Miner Institute notes that "it may be fair to say that a view from the left will reflect a more nervous cow with perhaps lower productivity and less efficient digestive efficiency." Additional research findings: 1) There's a positive correlation between a cow's use of her right eye and body condition; 2) Cows favoring their left eye in cow-to-cow and cow-to-human interactions have a more restless disposition and heightened flight-or-fight response; and 3) Familiar clothing worn by a herdsperson leads the cow to view them predominantly with their right eye, without fear. The science behind how a cow's eyes works is revealed in Grant's full article which is online at at this site .
For your business mind...

ADJUST HOW YOU LISTEN AND YOU CAN CHANGE RELATIONSHIPS FOR THE BETTER.
The place to learn how to become a better listener-and more effective leader-is the Nov. 5 Dairy's Visible Voice "Leadership through Active Listening" workshop in Oshkosh, Wis. Training will include classroom instruction, hands-on activities and presentations. During this training, participants will learn effective communication principles, asking vs. telling, the power of a conversation opener, how to uncover real motivations, skills to more effectively handle questions and the value of practice. At the end of the 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. workshop, attendees will be skilled to listen intently so they can respond with direction and answer questions posed by rural and non-rural friends with confidence. To learn more or register for this workshop, please visit our site or call 800-947-7379.

BOOK REVIEW: DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION AT WORK: HOW TO FOCUS AND BE MORE PRODUCTIVE. If you are among the millions of Americans constantly pulled in a thousand directions at one time, plagued with unplanned interruptions and distractions and find it challenging, perhaps even unable, to focus at work, then "Driven to Distraction at Work: How to Focus and Be More Productive" by Dr. Edward M. Hallowell could hold the keys to alleviating this situation. While about 5% of the population has ADD (attention deficit disorder), Hallowell contends that 50 percent to 75 percent of individuals have ADT, attention deficit trait, which is caused by outside events. ADT, he notes, can cause individuals to be frantically busy without being innovative, deep or as productive as they could otherwise be. 

In this book released in January of this year, Hallowell offers practical, time-tested, individualized solutions that are rooted in current scientific research from various disciplines. The first part of the book is devoted to the six most common ways people lose the ability to focus at work: multi-taking, idea hopping, worrying, and playing the hero, dropping the ball and internet/social media addiction. Part 2 of the book delivers advice for "training" one's addition overall so people are less susceptible to surrendering it in any situation.

GIVE YOURSELF AND YOUR WORKERS THE TOOLS NEEDED TO GROW. That's the advice  of Karie Willyerd, a workplace futurist, and Barbara Mistick, president of Wilson College in Pennsylvania. The two offer the following five tips to help keep all minds engaged at the workplace: 1) Adopt a growth mindset, as "true potential is unknowable"; 2) Give feedback to help workers grow and use situations as learning moments; 3) Avoid reaching your sell-by date by seeking out "a conference or industry event that can help you find out what innovations are emerging in the field"; 4) Stay educated, as "learning should never be over"; and 5) Give five to thrive. Mistick says, "Find five people who inspire you and make you a better person. Help facilitate friendships with social outings to encourage loyalty to each other and the company." 

AVOID GETTING SKIMMED AT AN ATM. Amanda Horowitz, CEO of Fight Back! offers three tips that can help ATM users avoid those that have skimmers attached: 
1) Pay attention to how the ATM machine looks. If there is unusual equipment around the ATM keypad, check if it wiggles. While ATM skimmers may look like part of the machine, a skimmer tends to be loose and may even detach when wiggled. 
2) Check the color of the slot that reads your card. The slot should be the same color as the rest of the machine. If the card slot of your ATM machine is a different color than the rest of the ATM, be suspicious and don't use that ATM. 
3) If there are two ATM machines near each other and one has an out-of-service sign on it, find another ATM to use. Criminals sometimes use an out-of-service sign to steer users to a nearby rigged ATM.

NEED A QUICK PICK-ME-UP, ANTI-BACTERIAL OR COUGH SUPPRESSANT? Reach for raw honey. Utilized for its medicinal properties for more than 2,000 years and having just 17 grams of carbohydrates and 64 calories per tablespoon, raw honey is an excellent source of all-natural energy. 

Its natural unprocessed sugar-fructose and glucose-directly enters the bloodstream and can deliver a quick punch of energy. Thanks to its anti-bacterial activity in fighting major species of bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, honey is also a conventional disinfectant treatment for wounds, sores and burns. 

Another use for honey: soothe sore throats. plus honey is an effective cough suppressant. In one study, children age 2 and older with upper respiratory tract infections were given up to two teaspoons of honey at bedtime. The honey seemed to reduce nighttime coughing and improve sleep. In fact, in the study, honey appeared to be as effective as a common cough suppressant ingredient, dextromethorphan, in typical over-the-counter doses.
Opportunities to learn...

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT: EVERY TEAM CAN BE STRONGER. The keys to unlocking this potential and creating powerful teams will be explained during a World Class Webinar "Full Team Ahead-Building Better Teams" presented on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Led by Trevina Broussard with Humetrics, this session will delve into the eight components of a successful team and how to build a sense of ownership in a team. Broussard will also outline barriers to team performance, provide tips on how to deal with non-performing team members and share team assessment and team-building tools. At the end of this 60-minute webinar, participants will know the steps to building a successful team. Deadline for registration for this webinar is Wednesday, Oct. 14. Registration is required whether a dairy participates in the live session or a recorded session. For more information or to register, please visit our website or call PDPW at 800-947-7379.

YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL: HIGH MILK PRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY. It's just a matter of being armed with the "how." Three repro experts-Paul Fricke, PhD; Katy Proudfoot, PhD; and Robert Van Saun, DVM, PhD-will dig into the "how" at two one-day "Take Control of Dairy Reproduction Performance" workshops: Tuesday, Oct. 27, Oshkosh, Wis., and Wednesday, Oct. 28, Fennimore, Wis. Workshop sessions will be the same at both locations: "30:30-Achieving a 30% Pregnancy Rate in a 30,000 lb. Dairy Herd," Dr. Fricke; "Cow Comfort during the Transition Period," Dr. Proudfoot; and "Reducing Stillborn Losses: Remember to Feed Your Vitamins and Minerals," Dr. Van Saun. 

Both workshops will conclude with an "Ask the Experts" session. CEU credits are available from UW-SVM and ARPAS. While walk-ins are welcome, pre-registration is encouraged. To learn more about these workshops or register, please click here or call PDPW at 800-947-7379.

WITH RECENT CASES AND LAWS CHANGING THE INSURANCE LANDSCAPE for dairy farmers, PDPW will be conducting a special edition webinar, "Environmental Insurance: When Pollution Becomes a Liability," on Wednesday, Nov. 4, from noon to 1 p.m. CST. David Dybdahl, who served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Contractor Indemnification Technical Review Panel, and Harrison Scheider, a wholesale environmental insurance broker, will co-lead this important special edition webinar and discuss how these decisions impact dairy farmers, their dairies and their livelihoods. 

This webinar will zero in on common uninsured environmental loss exposures that can be present on a dairy and how to assess if your insurance is covering your liabilities. Individuals who register for the webinar may watch it live or watch a recorded session at their convenience. The cost is just $25. To register or for more information, visit our website or call PDPW at 800-947-7379.
A BIG Thank You...    

TO OUR PDPW SPONSORS who  support continuous improvement for the dairy industr y. T hey believe in producer leadership, and they place a high value on lifelong  education for those involved in the dairy industry. We deeply respect their commitment to us. It is by this partnership that we c ontinu e to build a strong industry filled with capable professionals. Click  here  to see a list of our sponsors. If you interact with any of these companies, please thank them for supporting PDPW!