building for the future 2015

BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION SPECIAL SECTION

January 21, 2015

BUILDINGFUTUREFOR THE

January 21, 2015/The Country Today • Building for the Future

While the sun shines

Photo by Heidi Clausen

Ed Eichten walked out to check his solar panels. Eichten installed 160 panels a coupleyears ago to power his farm and cheese factory.

By Heidi ClausenRegional Editor | [email protected]

CENTER CITY, Minn.— Ed Eichten will beplanting a garden thisspring, but don’t look forany fruits and vegetablesto be picked from it.

Eichten will be har-vesting the sunshine.

Eichten, who ownsEichten’s Hidden Acres,a specialty cheese and bi-son operation near CenterCity, has partnered withInnovative Power Sys-tems to break ground inMay for a community so-lar garden on four acresof his farm just north ofthe Twin Cities.

The 1-megawatt

project will include 3,000solar panels spreadacross an old hayeld onEichten’s almost 200-acre farm. It will produceabout 1.25 gigawatt-hours of renewable en-ergy.

“It will be solid solarpanels,” he said. “Thewhole eld will be pan-els.”

Eichten is no strangerto solar power: Morethan two years ago, heinstalled a 40-kilowattsolar panel system topower his farm, which ishome to a cheese factory,store/restaurant andabout 200 head of bison.

His 160 panels provideabout a third of the

farm’s energy needs. En-ergy demand is highestduring cheese making,which occurs about threetimes a week. Refrigera-tion also requires a lot ofenergy.

“You’re skeptical whenyou do this,” Eichten ad-mits. “But (the panelsare) doing almost exactlywhat they told me theywould do.”

Eichten said they useabout $1,600 worth ofelectricity every month,and solar saves him anaverage of $400 to $500a month.

He said he likes the no-tion of burning some-thing other than coal oroil and making better useof a marginal piece ofland on his property.

“It will make me moremoney leasing it out tothe solar company,” hesaid, adding that he hasentered into a 20-yearlease on the land withIPS that will be re-nego-tiated every severalyears.

“It’s a good feeling forme to know I got that

guaranteed income,” hesaid, “and I’m doinggood for the environ-ment.”

One of the biggest ad-vantages of solar is thesun isn’t going anywhere,he added.

Eichten will lease hisland to St. Paul-basedIPS. IPS will manage the

project and sell solarpanels to subscribing in-dividuals and businesses,who pay about $5,000 upfront and are charged fortheir use of Eichten’sland. Most of the panelsalready are sold.

Energy produced by aparticipant’s share of thesolar garden will be sold

back to the grid, and theirenergy value will auto-matically be credited totheir Xcel Energy ac-count. In return, partici-pants will pay back partof their savings to the so-lar garden in return forreduced up-front costsand customer manage-ment and maintenance.

About 140 homes willbe powered. Communitymembers in ChisagoCounty and borderingcounties are eligible tosubscribe to the Eichtenproject.

According to informa-tion from IPS, solar gar-dens offer people an af-fordable way to go solarwithout putting panels ontheir own property, plussubscribing acts as ahedge against rising util-ity costs.

This is the rst projectof its kind for IPS, whichhas plans for other solargardens in Ramsey,Anoka, Dakota and Hen-nepin counties.

Minnesota farmer ‘planting’ solar garden to produce power for community

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Building for the Future • The Country Today/January 21, 2015

Photos by Heidi Clausen

Eichten’s Bistro and Market along U.S. Highway 8 just west of Taylors Falls, Minn., is apopular stop. The Eichtens make specialty cheese and raise bison.

Ed Eichten’s solar panelssupply about a third of theenergy needs for his farmand cheese factory. Thisspring, he will add 3,000more panels as part of acommunity solar garden.

They also are active inthermal and wind energyinitiatives.

“There is such an inter-est by people who wantto get into solar but don’thave a place to put (thepanels),” Eichten said.

A couple hundred peo-ple attended a recent so-lar open house at theEichten farm, includingmany individuals, busi-nesses, municipalities,nursing homes andchurches who want to usesolar but don’t want toput up panels.

“It makes a lot of sensefor a small city or retire-ment home,” Eichtensaid. “Their electricity(needs) will never go

away. Why not take ad-vantage of it?”

With state and federalgovernment assistance inthe form of tax credits,low-interest loans andgrants, he estimates thepayback on his invest-ment to be 6-7 years.

“Without governmentincentives, it wouldn’tpay for itself,” he said.

More incentives recentlybecame available for Min-nesotans who buy solarpanels from an in-statemanufacturer, he said.

Eichten said the totalcost for his personal pan-els was just shy of$200,000, with Xcel pay-ing half, and federalgrants and Eichten each

picking up a quarter ofthe tab.

While it wasn’t easytalking his banker into itbecause it was so new, hesaid he’s been pleased withhis partnership with IPS,who handles all the paper-work and grant-writing.

“It takes the pressureoff the individual,” hesaid.

Eichten said he’s alsobeen happy with the per-formance of his solarpanels, which are virtu-ally trouble-free.

Sunlight collected bythe panels is changedover to direct current thattravels to a converter tobecome alternating cur-rent before owing into

the power system. Anyelectricity not used bythe farm goes into theXcel grid.

“Either I’m using orI’m selling,” Eichten said.

The panels producepower even on overcastdays.

“It’s the length of theday when the sun is out,”he said. “What I like aboutit is it works every day ofthe year. It doesn’t matterif it’s cloudy or if there’s alittle snow on the panels.If the sun is out, it’sputting out UV rays.”

He also likes solar pan-els because they have nomoving parts.

“Being a rancher orfarmer, I understand mov-ing parts are going to causeyou trouble,” he said.

While last winter’sheavy snow didn’t pose aproblem, freezing rainearlier this winter did,creating a rough surfaceon the panels so snowcouldn’t easily slide off.

“I have had to physi-

cally rake it off,” he said.“Normally, it will slideright off.”

Eichten said other arealandowners have ex-pressed interest in fol-lowing his lead anderecting solar panels onsome of their more mar-ginal land. Among theprerequisites is beingclose enough to the Xcelsubstation in TaylorsFalls, Minn., he said.

If all goes well, hewould consider puttingpanels on more of his landin the future, but “youhave to be careful aroundhere because land is worthso much for development,and you’re tying up yourland quite a while.”

Also, with solar paneltechnology improving allthe time, Eichten said hewonders if his panels willbe obsolete before his20-year lease is up.

“It’s a learning curvefor everyone,” he said.

For more information aboutEichten’s Community Solar

Farm, visit www.eichtenssolar.com orwww.ips-solar.com

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Process revitalizes old structures

Submitted photos

Before and after photos taken on the Gulig farm nearMalone show how a crumbling rock wall was resurfacedusing the gunite process.

See GUNITE, Page 6

By Jim MasseyEditor | [email protected]

BEAVER DAM —When Charles Untz hasneeded the walls of his si-los or old barns shored upto keep them from crum-bling, he has turned toBeaver Gunite in BeaverDam, time and timeagain.

Untz, who runs a 150-cow dairy farm near LakeMills with his son, Jason,has had the foundations ofseveral silos and barnsresurfaced over the past25 years by the BeaverDam company. The gu-nite process has helpedsave his structures fromfalling down and savedhim money over the costof rebuilding new facili-ties, he said.

“I’m more than im-pressed with their abilityto x stuff, I really am,”Untz said. “I would rec-ommend it to anybody ifthey’ve got a problem.”

Gunite is a balancedmixture of cement, sandand water that is appliedto brick, stone or concretesurfaces with pneumaticpressure. Robert Busse-witz, Beaver Gunite’s

project engineer, said thematerial is 3½ timesstronger than poured con-crete when the process iscompleted.

Beaver Gunite has re-lined more than 30,000 si-los since the companywas founded in 1950. Thecrew has worked onprojects throughout Wis-consin and into Michiganand Illinois, Bussewitzsaid.

Projects have includedeverything from uprightsilos to trench silos, ma-nure pits, barn walls,house foundations,bridges, dams and water-treatment facility holdingtanks.

Brian Hoffmann hasbeen the company’s “noz-zle man” since 1983.

“There’s a knack to it —you can’t just pick up anozzle and blow,” Busse-witz said. “In order to begood at it you have tolearn from trial and errorand do it for a long time.”

Bussewitz said the gu-nite process has been usedacross the U.S. since the1930s. The equipment toapply the material comesout of Pennsylvania, hesaid.

The gunite process ismuch stronger and longerlasting than applyingmortar by hand, Busse-witz said.

“The pressure from thegun forces the material allthe way to a stop pointand then it builds backfrom there,” he said. “You

don’t trap pockets of airlike you would if you werehand-plastering.”

Silos tend to deteriorateat the bottom because ofthe pressure from theweight of the feed and theacid in the feed that eatsaway at the structure.

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Price of gunite

Photo by Jim Massey

Charles Untz inspected one of his barn’s walls that wasresurfaced in 2014 by Beaver Gunite of Beaver Dam.

Bussewitz

from Page 4

“Whenyou lose acertainamount ofstrengthover time,if youdon’t dosomethingabout it

you might have the silo tipwhen you ll it,” he said.“A lot of the silos we xyou can see right throughto the inside.”

Untz said the formerowner of his farm had usedsome of his buildings forhogs, and the animals hadrooted material out of thewalls.

“Pretty soon the mortaris falling out and the wallsare crumbling,” Untz said.“After Beaver Guniteresurfaced it, it was like anew wall. It’s pretty amaz-ing.”

Bussewitz earned a de-gree in mechanical engi-neering from MarquetteUniversity before he joinedthe family business in the1980s. His mother, KarenBussewitz, is the com-pany’s owner and man-ager. Her father, NewmanHove, founded the busi-ness.

The company also sellshousehold appliances fromits store in downtownBeaver Dam.

“We’ve had people callwho are having the guniteapplied to a building andsay, ’Have them bringalong a range when they’recoming out, would you?’ ”Karen said.

The company adds “Ap-pliance Sales and Service”to the end of the BeaverGunite name when adver-tising the appliance side of

the business.Karen said Robert has

built a reputation for beingfussy about his work.

“They don’t leave a farmuntil it is spotless,” shesaid.

“The crew knows what Iexpect,” Robert said. “Ifsomething’s not right, theyknow they’re going to hearabout it.”

Robert said the price ofthe gunite work varies de-pending on the job, but isbased on the squarefootage of a project.

“We gure we can resur-face and shore up barnwalls, silos, house base-ments and other surfacesfor about 25 percent ofwhat it would cost to buildit new,” he said. “And oncewe’re done the walls arestronger than they wereoriginally.”

Robert, 49, said his pri-mary job on the projects isshoveling sand into themixer, but over the yearshe has done every part ofthe process.

“We can go through atruckload of sand a day,which is about 32,000pounds,” he said. “It goesinto the mixer, along with

the cement, shovel byshovel.”

Other members of theBeaver Gunite crew, be-sides Bussewitz and Hoff-mann, include CoreyDraeger and Steve Worn-son.

The gunite work is sea-sonal, generally withabout four months ofdown time in the winter.Because water is used inthe mix, freezing temper-atures cause problemswith the process, Robertsaid. The winter monthsare used to schedule jobsfor the busy spring, sum-mer and fall monthsahead.

Robert attends the WPSFarm Show in Oshkosheach year to let peopleknow about his servicesand silo salesman BruceJohnson also steers cus-tomers their way.

“When Bruce sees asilo that can be repairedrather than replaced, hegives them the informa-tion about our company,”Robert said.

For more information,contact Beaver Gunite at920-885-5412 or [email protected].

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What do lenders look for from farmers?By Sara Bredesen

Regional Editor | [email protected]

When the decisioncomes to expand a busi-ness with new facilities, apiece of land or other largeinvestment, most farmersneed a nancial helpinghand.

Paul Dietmann, emerg-ing marketing specialistwith Badgerland Financial,told attendees at a farmmodernization workshopJan. 7 in Fond du Lac whatlenders look for when help-ing farmers nance theirprojects.

The rst thing a lenderwill ask for is a nancialanalysis. It tells the lenderwhether there is enoughcash ow and protabilityto support the additionalburden of loan payments.

“From the lender’s per-spective, the nancialanalysis is the basic thingthat we’re going to baseour decision on,” Diet-mann said. “From anowner’s perspective, do-ing a nancial analysis isa tool utilized in manage-ment of your operation,constantly evaluating howthe nancial performanceof your operation is look-ing and guring out waysyou can improve yourprotability.”

Specically, a lenderwill want to see a balancesheet, which is a snapshotof everything you own andeverything you owe, Diet-mann said. The differencebetween the two is consid-ered the farmer’s equity.

The lender will also wantto see a current tax returnor a prot and loss state-ment. While a prot andloss statement is ideal andhighly recommended, ac-cording to Dietmann, acurrent tax return will alsoshow nancial factors likeinventories, taxes, interestand depreciation that havevalue but don’t show up on

a balance sheet.A lender will want to see

recent capital purchasesand sales, all production in-formation for livestock,and owner withdrawals.

“You should be payingyourself rst,” Dietmannsaid. “You should be gen-erating a reasonable wagefor the work that you’reputting in on a farm, andwe want to be sure thatthere is enough cash owthat you are able to payyourself adequately.”

A lender will project outinformation from those -nancial documents to de-termine future earnings andcash ow as part of deter-mining the ability of afarmer to support addeddebt.

The nal decision isbased on a combination ofwhat lenders call the “5 Csof credit.”

• Character: “It’s basi-cally who are you, whatkind of dairy producer areyou, what have you doneto prepare yourself, what’sthe experience you’ve gotin the dairy business,what’s your repayment his-tory and your reputation inthe community with otherlenders and suppliers?” Di-etmann said.

• Capital: What assets doyou have now and what doyou need to sustain yourbusiness in the future?

• Capacity: Do you haveenough equity and cashow to make your projectwork and support addeddebt?

• Collateral: How muchphysical property can bepledged to secure the loanif you aren’t putting upmuch cash to buy a farm orexpand?

• Conditions of the loan:Will the borrower need tohave loan insurance, acosigner or other addedcondition to make a loanwork?

“Basically, you take

those 5 Cs, and they over-lap,” Dietmann said.“Somewhere in the middlethey meet, and we make alending decision based onthat.”

In general, lenders putheavy emphasis on the bal-ance sheet.

“We take the total assetsminus the total liabilities,and we want your equity

position to be 50 percent ofthe total assets, or more,”Dietmann said.

An exception is begin-ning farmers who have nothad time in business tobuild equity.

“We use sort of a rule ofthumb that your owner’sequity should be equal toyour age,” Dietmann said.“So, if you’re 25 years old,

you should have a 25 per-cent equity position.”

So, what if the numbersdon’t work for a loan?

Dietmann said lendingagencies like BadgerlandFinancial make exceptionsfor unusual circumstances,like Amish farmers whodon’t carry insurance ordon’t have credit ratings, orfor projects that don’t show

a future cash ow, like ma-nure storage facilities.

He said Badgerland willhelp owners improve theirequity position by focusingon debt reduction, increas-ing cash ow and improv-ing efciencies.

The goal is to ne-tunethe operation and “get bet-ter before getting bigger,”Dietmann said.

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WFU workshop to focuson solar energy potential

Have you thought aboutinstalling a solar energy sys-tem at your home, on yourfarm or even on a commu-nity-wide scale, but aren'tsure where to start? Join theWisconsin Farmers Unionfor Moving Solar ForwardJan. 23 at The Plaza Hotel inEau Claire. This informativeworkshop will split into twotracks:

In Track 1, On-farm andResidential Solar Installa-tions, we'll consider the stepsnecessary to assess, design,nance and install a solarsystem at a farm or residence.Presenters will provide casestudies and lead a workshopactivity for each participantto work out a task list, time-line and nancing opportuni-

ties for the project they areconsidering.

In Track 2, Communityand Group Solar Projects, astrategic roundtable will dis-cuss the collaborative pushfor solar in Wisconsin, withspecic cases presented, in-cluding logistics and mecha-nisms for group solar pur-chases and community solarprojects.

Michael Vickerman,RENEW Wisconsin, willdeliver a keynote address,"State of Solar in Wiscon-sin." Vickerman will offerhis view on the progress ofsolar energy ventures inWisconsin. He brings tothe table more than 20years of experience withRENEW Wisconsin, an ad-

vocacy group that has beenleading the transformationto Wisconsin's renewableenergy future through ad-vocacy, education and col-laboration.

The workshop will con-clude with a collaborativegroup discussion with all par-ticipants on how to strategi-cally move solar forward inWisconsin.

The cost of the workshopis $15 for WFU membersand $30 for nonmembers (in-cludes lunch). Register atwww.wisconsinfarmer-sunion.com, call the WFUState Ofce at 715-723-5561or send a check, payable toWisconsin Farmers Union, to117 W. Spring St., ChippewaFalls, WI 54729.

Farm rewiring classes plannedRegistration is in progress

for the 2015 farm wiring/rewiring courses and re-fresher classes offered thiswinter by Alliant Energy,Xcel Energy and WisconsinPublic Service Corporation.

Remaining farm wiring/rewiring certication cour-ses are:

• Alliant Energy — Feb.25, March 4 and 11, South-west Technical College,Fennimore. Information:Lisa Whitish, 608-822-2360.

• WPS — March 3, 5, 10,12 and 17, Brown CountyUW-Extension Ofce,Green Bay; and March 17,19, 24, 26 and 31, Ag Centerof Excellence, Wausau. In-formation: Corey Kuchta,920-433-2913.

• Xcel Energy — Feb. 25,Jake’s Northwoods Restau-rant, Sparta; March 3, OldeTowne, Menomonie; March4, Barron Electric Coopera-tive, Barron; and March 5,Alberta May’s Restaurant,Stanley. Information: 877-224-2691.

Remaining farm rewiring

refresher training classeswill be:

• Alliant Energy — Jan.28, Alliant Energy Opera-tions Building, WisconsinRapids; Jan. 28, Justice Cen-ter/Extension Building,Monroe; Jan. 28, Alliant En-ergy Operations Building,Fond du Lac; and Feb. 3, Al-liant Energy OperationsBuilding, Mineral Point. In-formation: Melissa Bradley,608-742-0821.

• WPS — Feb. 10, Sta-

dium View Bar and Grill,Green Bay; and Feb. 24,Westwood Conference Cen-ter, Wausau. Information:Corey Kuchta, 920-433-2913.

• Xcel Energy — Feb. 25,Jake’s Northwoods Restau-rant, Sparta; March 3, OldeTowne, Menomonie; March4, Barron Electric Coopera-tive, Barron; and March 5,Alberta May’s Restaurant,Stanley. Information: 877-224-2691.

Bankers forecast more loan demandMore bankers are fore-

casting an increase in loandemand over the next sixmonths for all surveyed loancategories, according to thelatest Wisconsin BankersAssociation Bank CEO Eco-nomic Conditions Survey.

Compared to a year ago,more bankers believe therewill be an increase in busi-ness, commercial real es-tate, residential real estateand ag loans in 2015.

“Wisconsin’s bankershave a unique insight onthe state’s economy be-cause of the data and cur-

rent economic conditionsthey see as they help busi-nesses grow and familiesprosper,” said RoseOswald Poels, WBA presi-dent and CEO.

Wisconsin’s economy isexpected to grow in the rstsix months of 2015, accord-ing to 59 percent of respon-dents to the WBA survey.

More than 90 percent ofbankers responding to thesurvey say the current de-mand for business loans isgood or fair, compared tojust 76 percent a year ago.Twenty-eight percent pre-dict an increase in demandover the next six months,compared to 20 percentduring the same timeframe.

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Wieser Concrete honors employeesMAIDEN ROCK —

The management ofWieser Concrete re-cently honored teammembers marking sig-nicant service mile-stones and those withoutstanding safetyrecords at the com-pany’s annual ChristmasParty and RecognitionProgram in Plum City.

Recognized for veyears of service wasAaron Sengbusch, mixeroperator at the Portagelocation.

Brent Hunter, truckingspecialist at Portage,was recognized for 10years of service.

Awards for 15 yearsof service went to SteveTruax and Jason Bengt-son.

Truax works as a sales

design engineer at theMaiden Rock location,and Bengtston is a lead-man at the Maiden Rocklocation.

Dale Stieve, Lori Hut-son and David Wittigwere honored for 20years of service.

Stieve is the Foreman/Production Manager atthe Portage location,Hutson is the ofcemanager/dispatcher atthe Portage location andWittig works at theMaiden Rock locationas a welder.

Receiving an awardfor 40 years of servicewas Mike Harmon,Transportation Managerat the Maiden Rock lo-cation.

Wanda Hopwood andTodd Hopwood were rec-

ognized for service of ex-cellence upon retirement.

Honored for Outstand-ing Safety Service ofone to four years wereJohn Bree, WilliamBechel, Jerry Boesel,Rick Buxton, ShawnEnberg, Matt Fink,Shawn Hove, LarryBammert, Russell Bur-ley, Jason Deden, TravisFord, Frank Goodwin,James Hague, EricKlein, Adam Knegen-dorf, Damien Komro,Ken Lien, MatthewMcRoberts, David Ol-son, Craig Passe, Wil-liam Sessions and MattSiegel.

Ron Bechel, Rick Har-riman, Tracy Miller,Darrell Swanson, RichAnderson, Steve Beck,Mike Longsdorf, Chris-

tian Nelson and TimPrissel were givenawards for outstandingsafety service of ve tonine years.

Honored for outstand-ing safety service of 10to 14 Years were ShawnGibson, John Stoetzel,Jason Bengtson, JasonHendricks, ScottMessier and David Wit-tig.

Brent Havlerson, RobTraynor, Al White,Wayne Hageness, CoryHumphrey and DanMcKinney were honoredfor outstanding safetyservice of 15 to 19years. Dan Kaempf, TimNiedfeldt and RodKomro received awardsfor Outstanding SafetyService of 20 to 24years.

Wisconsin ContractorCoalition launched

MADISON — Morethan 300 private businessesand private-sector skilledtrade representatives fromacross Wisconsin havejoined forces to support thenewly formed WisconsinContractor Coalition andoppose right-to-work legis-lation.

WCC will be a leadingbipartisan advocate of leg-islative, regulatory and pub-lic policies affecting theconstruction industry in theupcoming legislative ses-sion. More information canbe found at www.wiscon-sincontractorcoalition.com.

Steve Lyons, who has al-most 20 years of experiencein government affairs, com-munications and public rela-tions, will serve as WCCspokesperson. Lyons worksin the Madison law ofce ofWhyte Hirschboeck Dudek.

WCC’s immediate focus

is aggressive opposition tothe proposed right-to-worklegislation.

“Wisconsin constructioncompanies have a strongpartnership with private-sector trade groups to buildinfrastructure that helps oureconomy grow. WCC be-lieves so-called right-to-work legislation would seri-ously diminish what is verybenecial for all parties in-volved,” Lyons said.

Wisconsin has a skillsshortage, not a jobs short-age, Lyons said, adding,“So-called right-to-workputs Wisconsin’s historicbusiness model at risk. Con-struction trade workerscome to work ‘job-ready’with all the necessary train-ing; training paid with pri-vate money. It’s a winningformula for private-sectorconstruction companies thatshould be maintained.”

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Robotic milking system designs evolving

Kammel

By Jim MasseyEditor | [email protected]

MONROE — The owof cattle through roboticmilking systems and thebuildings attached to themcontinues to change asmore farmers install thesystems and experts learnwhat is and isn’t working.

Speaking Jan. 8 at theGreen County Dairy Man-agement Seminar, UW-Madison agricultural engi-neer David Kammel saidthings are “moving fast”when it comes to changesin robotic system layoutand cow trafc ow.

“Things have changedover the last ve years,”Kammel said. “We’ve g-ured out how to managethese better.”

A decade or so ago, mostexperts were designingsystems with lanes thatgave cows access to ro-botic milkers from one di-rection only, Kammel said.The latest systems providemore open space and relyon “cow psychology” thatconvinces the cows theywant to be there.

In any system, cow com-fort is critical, Kammel said.

“If you have a lot oflameness, cows can’t get to

the robot,andthey’re notgoing toproducemilk,” hesaid.

At thesame time,farmerswho end

up with fetch cows in a ro-botic system might getvaluable information whenthey have to encourage acow to go to the robot.

“Why is it a fetch cow?The likely reasons are it iseither lame, sick or inheat,” Kammel said. “Onceyou see that, you have justidentied a lame or sickcow or a cow that needs tobe bred and you can dosomething about it.”

Kammel said the pri-mary companies selling ro-botic systems — includingLely, DeLaval, GEA, AMSand BouMatic — all havedifferent options farmerscan consider.

Some promote free-owcow trafc while others

suggest directed trafc, hesaid, and some call for thecows to be fed beforethey’re milked and otherswould have cows milkedbefore they are fed.

In many instances, cowsare motivated by the“candy” — or highly palat-able feed — that they geteither before or after theyare milked by the robot.

“If you’re feeding ahigh-energy feed at the ro-bot you will want to feed alower-energy diet at thefeed bunk,” Kammel said.

Farmers will nd theywill have more fetch cowswith a free-ow system be-cause the cows have achoice where to go, hesaid. Systems that don’tgive cows a choice canprovide less “candy” at therobot, he said.

Farmers might want toconsider limiting the num-ber of cows in a commit-ment pen, Kammel said,because otherwise low-ranking cows might be-come overly stressed.

“If a heifer gets pushed

out of the way by a bosscow over and over, you’vejust trained the heifer to be-come a fetch cow,” he said.

Kammel said sometimes itmakes sense to have a sys-tem where cows could be di-rected to a second robot inthe case of a breakdown.

“If the robot is down atmidnight, nobody getsmilked,” he said. “That’sthe advantage of havingtwo robots.”

When experts rst begandesigning barns to connectto a robotic milking sys-tem, they were incorporat-ing four or ve rows, tohelp farmers cut down oncosts. But that thinking haschanged.

“When you spend a lotof money on a robot, youstart thinking about whereyou can cut your budget,”he said. “Farmers oftenlook at how cheap they cango with their cow barn.”

Some of the four- orve-row barns don’t givethe cows enough bunkspace, Kammel said, whichcan be problematic.

“That can limit dry mat-ter intake and in turn limitproduction,” he said.

Kammel said eachfarmer’s management styleis slightly different than thenext farmer’s, so those vari-

ables have to be consideredwhen a system is designed.

“If you’re thinking abouta robot, your managementplan will change,” Kammelsaid. “If I visit your farm, Ihave to understand whatyou want to do and whatkind of management planyou want to put in place.”

Kammel consults withdairy farmers when theyare considering changes totheir farm facilities.

“It is always good to getanother set of eyes on thefarmstead,” Green CountyAgriculture Agent MarkMayer said.

Iowa State UniversityDairy Specialist LarryTranel said many farmersthink their facilities couldnever be adapted to a ro-botic milking system whenindeed they could be.

Tranel said he helped aGreen County dairy farmerdesign a robotic system inwhich a lean-to was addedon the side of the barn whenthe robot was installed.

“Don’t say your facilitieswon’t work (until you havesomeone check them out),”Tranel said. “Sometimes Isay you’re the worse con-sultant on your own farm.”

David Kammel can bereached at 608-262-9776or [email protected].

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Little houseplant pests can cause big issuesBy Beth Berlin

University of Minnesota Extension

ST. CLOUD, Minn. —It’s a great time of year totake a few moments tothoroughly inspect house-plants. Numerous pests caninfest houseplants, fromaphids to spider mites, andthese tiny pests can causemajor issues.

Many of these peststhrive in dry, warm condi-tions, which is why theybecome so prevalent in thewinter months when homesare being heated and mois-ture levels drop. Inspecthouseplants closely for

signs of pests; inspect boththe top and bottom side ofthe leaves. Symptoms ofsome pests include theleaves becoming speckledor mottled. Aphids andscale insects will secrete ashiny, sticky honeydew.Spider mites will create ane web material oftenconcentrated in areas.Some pests y, such aswhiteies and thrips, andwill be noticeable when theplant is shaken or brushedover.

One non-chemical treat-ment is to wash plants.Wash smooth-leavedplants regularly to help re-

move dirt and grime thatblocks light from penetrat-ing the leaf surface andprevents photosynthesis. Inaddition, a dirty surface at-tracts and harbors pests.Simply use a moist, softcloth to wipe the leaves ofthe plant. Tiny leaves canbe sprayed with slightlylukewarm water. Anotheroption is to wrap the soiland pot and then quicklytip the top of the plant in atub. A few drops of mildliquid dish soap thatdoesn’t contain degreasercan be added to the bucketor tub of water.

It is not recommended to

use a feather duster toclean houseplants becausethey may transfer un-wanted pests from oneplant to the next.

Sticky traps are availableon the market that can as-sist with any infestation ofhouseplants but will notwork stand alone. They arevery useful to catch someof the pests in order toidentify and then determinewhat method of control touse. Common pests thatwill be caught on stickytraps include fungus gnats,whiteies, winged aphidsand thrips.

Chemical insecticides

are also available at nurs-eries, garden centers oreet or hardware stores.Select the correct productfor the pest and the plant,treating a plant that is notlisted on the label maycause signicant damageto the plant.

Insecticidal soaps can beeffective on soft-bodiedpests such as aphids,mealybugs, immaturescales, thrips, whiteiesand spider mites. Insectici-dal soaps are a contact in-secticide and only effectivewhen insects come in di-rect contact with the prod-uct while still wet. Several

applications may need tobe done to eliminate thepest population.

Always read pesticide la-bels carefully before buy-ing and again before usingthese products. This is es-pecially important as theavailability and recom-mended use of specicpesticides may changefrom year to year. The la-bel is the nal authority onhow to legally use any pes-ticide.

The rst line of defenseis prevention; inspect andisolate any new plants orthose with potential issuesbefore pests spread.

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International biomass event set this spring in Twin CitiesBy Heidi Clausen


The biggest biomassindustry exhibition inNorth America is headedto the Twin Cities thisspring.

In its eighth year, theInternational BiomassConference and Expowill be held April 20-22at the Minneapolis Con-vention Center.

The Heating the Mid-west regional conference,which focuses onbiomass-derived thermalenergy, will be co-lo-cated with this year’sconference, creating theworld’s largest gatheringof biomass professionals.

Established in 2011,Heating the Midwest rep-resents more than 200 in-dustry, government, non-prot, university andtribal organizationsworking to increaseawareness, education andoutreach for heating withbiomass in the Midwest.They promote thermalbiomass to governmentpolicy-makers and enti-ties, institutions, munici-palities, businesses andconsumers.

Heating the Midwest’sconference, set April 20,will convene leaders inthe woody and agricul-tural biomass industry in-terested in supportingand expanding the use ofbiomass for heat andcombined heat and powerin the Midwest.

“I think co-locatingHeating the Midwestwith the InternationalBiomass Conference andExpo will allow atten-dees to extend theirlearning into newbiomass applications,”said Brian Brashaw,chairman of the Heatingthe Midwest steeringcommittee.

“This will be a great

way to kick-start thisevent,” said Tim Portz,Vice President of Con-tent for BBI Interna-tional, which organizesthe main conference.“We’ve been fans and at-tendees of Heating theMidwest since it startedand are really lookingforward to having it takeplace alongside the Inter-national Biomass Confer-ence and Expo.”

Heating the Midwestattendees can visit thetrade-show oor Mondaynight at the InternationalBiomass Conference andExpo opening reception.

Producers well-represented

More than 1,200 peoplefrom 41 countries atten-deed the InternationalBiomass Conference andExpo last year in Orlando,Fla., and about 1,400 at-tendees are expected toturn out this year.

“Pellet producers are anaudience that has reallycome on at this confer-ence in recent years,”Portz said.

Producers representedthe largest contingent atlast year’s event, with 33percent of attendees iden-tifying themselves as ex-isting or future biomassfuel producers, he said.Free producer passes areoffered throughout the in-dustry.

The InternationalBiomass Conference andExpo brings together cur-rent and future producersof biomass-derived powerand thermal energy, pel-lets, biogas and biofuelswith waste generators, en-ergy crop growers, mu-nicipal leaders, utility ex-ecutives, technologyproviders, equipmentmanufacturers, project de-velopers, investors andpolicy-makers.

It’s considered to be the

world’s premier educa-tional and networkingjunction for all biomassindustries.

Educational tracks willfocus on pellets and den-sied biomass, biomasspower and thermal, bio-gas and landll gas andadvanced biofuels andbiobased chemicals.

Portz said the pellet anddensied biomass indus-try has seen “explosivegrowth” and is set to dou-ble by 2020. Topics willinclude feedstock pro-curement.

“This continues to be asector that is very busyfor us,” he said.

Topics along thebiomass power and ther-mal track will range fromdeployment of small com-mercial or residential pel-let alliances to large dis-trict heating operationsand coring at stand-alone, formerly coal-redpower plants.

Biogas and landll gastopics will include di-gester design, and tours ofTwin Cities area biogasoperations will be offered.

Minnesota and Iowa are“on the tip of the spear”in the U.S. with regard toadvanced biofuels and

bio-based chemicals,Portz said.

Industry tours duringthe conference will in-clude Koda Energy inShakopee, Minn., andPOET/DSM Project Lib-erty in Emmetsburg,Iowa, which is a 3-hourdrive from the conferencesite.

“The quality of the tourwill attract an audience,”Portz said. “You will seehistory. It’s an importantfacility in our industryand worth seeing.”

Koda Energy willshowcase biomassresidues produced byRahr — the world’s

largest malting facility —and some urban woodwaste streams.

Both tours will offer“up close and personal”looks at biomass energyproduction, Portz said.

More tours will be an-nounced later.

The event agenda alsoincludes an InnovationStage for showcasing newproducts, an EquipmentExpo featuring companiessuch as AGCO and NewHolland, a giveaway stage,entertainment and ampletime for networking.

“The show is looking tobe one of our strongest inyears, and booths salesshow that as we are goingto be expanding the showfor the third time,” saidMarty Steen, accountmanager with BBI Inter-national.

Surveys have shown 98percent of exhibitorswould return to the event,according to John Nelson,Sales and MarketingDirector for BBI Interna-tional.

Conference attendees

can connect during theevent and download con-ference presentations viasocial media on theircomputers and mobilephones through “BiomassConnect.”

If you go

What: 8th Interna-tional Biomass Confer-ence and Expo.

When: April 20-22.Where: Minneapolis

Convention Center.Registration: Early-

bird registration is dueMarch 11.

Information: www.biomassconference.com, 866-746-8385 [email protected]

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Manure system mustt needs, experts say

By Sara BredesenRegional Editor | [email protected]

As a livestock farmgrows, so does its supplyof manure. At some point,a manure storage facilityis likely to be in the cards.

Manure storage is basi-cally some kind of im-poundment made by con-structing an embankment,excavating a pit or fabri-cating a structure with thegoal of holding manure,explained Drew Zelle, anengineering specialistwith the WisconsinDepartment of Agricul-ture, Trade and ConsumerProtection.

Zelle and Ryan Rice,engineering specialist

with the Fond du LacCounty Land and WaterConservation District,presented informationabout pros and cons ofdifferent types of manurestorage facilities at a dairymodernization workshopJan. 7 in Fond du Lac.

“There is no one bestoption. They’re allgood,” said Zelle, “butthey have to t your op-eration. That’s your keything.”

In general, the storagevessel will either be somekind of a pit with a liner,or it will be an above-ground structure with ver-tical walls, Zelle said. Thedesign has to take intoconsideration manure

management practices,the type of bedding used,the required capacity asreferenced in the farm’snutrient managementplan, and any site limita-tions, Zelle said.

And some systems canbe a series of vessels thatmake up a multi-stagesystem, he said.

The least expensivetype of pit, and one foundmost often in eastern Wis-consin where clay soil ispredominant is the in-place clay pit. It is essen-tially a hole dug in a claydeposit and is cost effec-tive because it requiresvery little soil manipula-tion as long as there is aplace nearby to unload theexcavated clay.

Its shortcoming is that itis not good with sandbedding.

“Sand adds a factor intomanure storage. It’s anabrasive type of materialand is going to affect theliner,” Zelle said. “Wewant to be able to physi-cally go in there and re-move that sand bedding.You can’t do that in an in-place clay (pit).”

Where sand bedding isused, a clay pit is usuallybuilt in conjunction with aconcrete-lined settlingpond or other sand-sepa-ration system, which addsto cost.

Another cost-effectivesystem is a clay linedpit. It is popular whereclay is available, butperhaps not enough to doan in-place clay pit. Thesubsoil is excavated andsmoothed and thenspread with a thick,compacted layer of clay.Again, it needs somekind of pre-separationtreatment to keep sandbedding out of the pit.

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The additional soilpreparation adds to thecost, and Zelle recom-mended having suf-cient soil analysis doneahead of time to preventsurprises during con-struction.

“Once we start con-struction, anytime youmake a change or wend something like asand (deposit), cha-ching, it’s more moneyout of your pocket,” hesaid. “It pays to do in-vestigations up front.”

Rice noted that inboth the in-place clayand clay-lined systems,the pit has to be pro-tected where agitationpumps will be runningso they don’t erode thelining.

Manure pits can alsobe lined with geo-mem-brane, which is a 60millimeter-thick highdensity plastic sheetthat lies in an excavatedpit.

About 12 inches ofsoil is added to protectthe liner, but it sill doesnot get along well withsand bedding, Zellesaid.

Geo-membranes re-quire venting to keep in-ground gases from push-ing the lining up, andthe membrane can beeasily damaged byequipment and agita-tion.

“Probably the biggestcost you’re going to seeon this type of project isyour excavation, be-

cause they’re very, verypicky about the sub-base. They don’t likestones over four to sixinches,” Zelle said.

Positive features arethat installation is fast,and it is an easy systemto expand over time.Cost is about $1.25 asquare foot.

Another system is thegeo-synthetic clay linedpit. It is compacted ben-tonite sewn betweenlayers of lter fabriclaid in a prepared exca-vation. Again, there isextra cost in preparingthe base, and repairs canbe very costly. It is eas-ily removed, replacedand added to when it’stime to expand, but theliner has to stay dry un-til the pit is ready to belled.

“You’ll ght theweather on this productmore than any otherproduct,” Zelle said.

It handles sand fairlywell.

Concrete lined pits arethe most popular ma-nure storage in Wiscon-sin.

They work well withsand bedding, can han-dle the abuse of agita-tors and equipment driv-ing in them, and can bepart of a multi-stagesystem to deal with sandsettling. One type is liq-uid-tight and tted withwater-tight expansionjoints.

Another is built over aclay sub-surface to pre-

vent leakage throughcracks.

Concrete is pricey atabout $3 a square foot.The liquid-tight jointswill add another $20-$25 a linear foot, Zellesaid.

The other popular ma-nure storage system isvertical wall structures,particularly in westernWisconsin’s uneven ter-rain and sites wherespace is limited.

Walls can be made ofreinforced poured con-crete, precast concreteor composite panels asin a Slurrystore vessel.

“In places where Idon’t have a lot ofspace, I can go deeperinto the ground or upabove ground to get thecapacity that you want,”Zelle said.

The concrete tankscan be designed for dif-ferent shapes and loadsand will cost roughly$140-$160 a linear footfor an eight-foot wall.

They are very difcultto expand, Zelle said, somake sure they areplanned big enough forthe next ve or 10 yearsof use.

And don’t wait. Ma-nure storage systemstake time to plan, Zellesaid.

“Usually when I walkon a farm and I’m talk-ing with a guy for therst time, it may be twoyears later I’m puttingsomething in theground,” he said.

Village, DNR working toredevelop historic creamery

CROSS PLAINS —The Village of CrossPlains is in the nalstages of realizing adecade-long effort to re-develop the site of thehistoric Zanders Cream-ery, a facility that datesback to the early 1900s,into new apartments.

Located on Main Street,and adjacent to the BlackEarth Creek, the cream-ery's redevelopment be-gan in 2004 after the but-ter production facility be-came contaminated withlisteria bacteria and wasforced to close its doors.The redevelopment is partof a larger downtown re-vitalization project.

The village worked withthe Department of NaturalResources to identify a

new use for the downtownparcel. The DNR awardedthe village two SiteAssessment Grants total-ing around $80,000,which helped clear theway to redevelopment bydetermining the extent ofpetroleum-related envi-ronmental contamination.

Without the assess-ments, the property wouldhave likely continued tosit idle, since potential de-velopers are wary ofbuying industrial proper-ties due to the risk of con-ducting a potentiallycostly environmentalcleanup.

Only minimal soil andgroundwater contamina-tion was discovered in thevicinity of the facility'sformer loading bay area;

the contamination is beingaddressed in conjunctionwith the upcoming con-struction.

The buildings thatformed Zanders Creamerywere demolished in 2014to make way for ZanderPlace Apartments, a 45-unit apartment commu-nity; construction will be-gin this year.

In the last decade, theDNR has awarded mil-lions of dollars in grantsor loans to communitiesacross the state to helpclean up contaminatedproperties known asbrownelds.

The Wisconsin DNR'sbrownelds program is anaward-winning, nationalleader in these cleanup andredevelopment efforts.

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four of them - 96 units, all under one roof at the Maddox Dairy near Riverside, CA in the Summer of 1981. been milking 3,000 cows 3X ever since, for 33 years, around the clock. This is what it looks like today, not exactly ‘Like New’, but not too shabby after 120,000,000 milkings, or all of the cows in America - 12 times over! That’s 1,240,000 cows for each unit - and counting! As you may know, here at TechForAg we buy back our own Germania parlors, no matter the age or condition. Can’t wait to get my hands on this one! Some day Steve Maddox will replace it - and it’ll be party-time in Rhinelander.

765336 • 1-21-15


Design cattle handling area safe for animals, peopleBy Karyn Eckert


A well-designed cattlehandling facility can savetime and reduce injuries forboth the people and animalsinvolved. If you have cattle,you will need to handlethem at some point, whetherit is for health treatments, re-productive services, sortingor loading trailers.

According to the Univer-sity of Minnesota, there aresix basic sections for aworking facility: holdingpens; alley from pens toworking area; crowding pen/tub; working alley; restrain-ing area/squeeze chute; andloading area.

Holding pens: Plan forenough pens to meet yourneeds and sized so animalscan get past you. Commonaws in holding pens arepens that are too large (aneasy retrot is to split thepen into two) and inade-quate number of pens forsorting. Smaller pens can ac-commodate sick cattle orquarantine new animals.

University of Minnesotarecommends 18 square feetper calf in a holding pen. Forexample, a 30-foot by 40-foot pen will hold about 67calves.

Alley: Gates from theholding pen to the alleyshould be equal to or greaterthan the alley width. Alleysshould be 10-12 feet wide andcan double as pens. Alleysnarrower than 10 feet couldcause cattle to run throughyou, instead of around, if theytry to escape.

Crowding pen or tub:This area funnels cattle into theworking alley and chute. Smallgroups of no more than 8-10cattle should be handled in thepen. A solid-sided gate willhelp direct animals into theworking alley from the pen.

Working alley/chute:Alleys should be at least 20feet long, as shorter alleyscan cause delays. The alley

should hold at least threeanimals for efcient labor,but may be longer. Spring-loaded back-stop gatesmay help keep cattle from

backing up.the width of the alley de-

pends on the size of the ani-mal. University of Minnesotarecommends an alley width

of 22-26 inches for small tomedium-framed cows and18-inches for calves.

The alley should havesolid sides. Solid, curved

chutes keep animals fromseeing the working areauntil they are a few feetaway.

Avoid sharp bends,

which can look like a deadend to cattle. If your work-ing area is on a slope, posi-tion it so cattle moveuphill.

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Organic Valley helps fundrenewable energy projects

Submitted photo

An 11 kilowatt solar project at Snowy Ridge Christmas Tree Farm just outside ofWestby was supported by the LEG Up loan program.

A community loan pro-gram known as LEG Uphas funded four local solarprojects and has more in the

pipeline for spring.The projects, which total

over $49,000, include sys-tems for a local tree farm, aViroqua residence and 16panels at the Vernon Elec-tric community solarproject. And now OrganicValley has demonstrated itssupport with a $25,000 de-posit at Westby Co-opCredit Union.

The LEG Up Loan Pro-gram — started by thestarted by the Local EnergyGeneration communitygroup — offers low interestloans to property ownersand businesses who want toreduce or offset energy us-age, cut costs in the long runand practice environmentalstewardship. Loans may beobtained for solar, wind orgeothermal installations aswell as energy conservationupgrades. Project timing iscrucial now, with the 30percent federal tax creditdue to expire at the end of2016.

Jen Rhudy and her hus-band Dan received a LEGUp loan to buy solar panelsthrough Vernon Electric’scommunity solar project.

“We had not budgeted forsolar panels before this op-portunity arose and knewwe’d need to borrow themoney,” Jen said. “Had theinterest rate been high, wemay not have gone forwardwith the purchase.”

The loans are supportedby deposits in zero interest

savings accounts at WCCU.The deposits remain the as-set of the individual or busi-ness making the deposit andare not collateral for the ac-tual loans.

That’s where OrganicValley’s deposit is so im-portant to the program. WithOrganic Valley’s supportthere is a reserve built inpreparation for springprojects.

The LEG Up loans areavailable to anyone wholives or works in WCCU’stwelve county area of Ver-non, Richland, Crawford,Sauk, Juneau, Monroe,Grant, Iowa, La Crosse,Adams, Columbia and Mar-quette counties.

“WCCU is proud to part-ner with the Leg Up organiz-ers, and we hope the low in-terest nancing option servesas an incentive for people toseriously consider the bene-ts of converting to a renew-able energy source,” saidRobert Bland, vice presidentof nance for WCCU.

The Local Energy Gener-ation community group thatinitiated the loan programalso collaborates with EthosRenewable Energy. Two ofthe funded projects resultedfrom this collaboration.

If you are interested in aLEG Up loan for yourproject, or would like tomake a supporting deposit,call Samantha Laskowski at608-320-1173 or BobGoonin at 608-606-6031.

Restraining area/squeeze chute: A head gateat the end of the workingchute is the simplest way tocreate a way to restrain ananimal. Squeeze chutes costmore than a head gate, butthey give you more controlover the animal. Build anentrace gate behind thesqueeze chute or at the rearof the animal to avoid climb-ing over the fence.

More tips for workingcattle

Cattle handling expertTemple Grandin offers thefollowing suggestions whenhandling cattle:

• Get rid of electric prods.Use plastic paddles or stickswith ags or plastic streamersattached to drive cattle. Cattle

can see these very easily andcan be effective to turn ani-mals to “work through theiright zone.” The ight zoneis the distance an animal willlet the handler approach be-fore turning to ee.

• Move only a small bunchof cattle.

• Fill the crowding penonly half full. This gives cat-tle enough room to movearound and actually see theentrance to the chute. Avoidusing the crowd gate.

• Eliminate visual distrac-tions and lighting problemsin handling facilities. Shad-ows, water puddles, shiny re-ections or objects hangingfrom a fence or chute willfrighten the cattle.

• Never drive cattle directlyinto the sun or a blinding

light. Air blowing in the cat-tle’s face may also hindermovement. To detect prob-lems that might limit cattlemovement, walk through thefacilities in a crouched posi-tion to get the animal’s per-spective.

• Poorly lighted workingfacilities can make handlingcattle difcult. When cattlemove from the “light” to adark area, will cause them tobalk and become frightened.

• Let the cattle walk from adark area to a natural lightedarea will make movementmuch easier.

• Provide secure footingfor the cattle. Slipping cre-ates fear and struggling.

• Consider the handlingprocess from the animal’sstandpoint.

765348 • 1-21-15

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Industry expert: make airquality a priority in barns

By Karyn EckertRegional Editor | [email protected]

EAU CLAIRE —Proper ventilation is akey factor in the healthand comfort of animals ina barn, but it's also some-times overlooked in theearly stages of planning anew structure.

For the best possibleventilation, air qualityneeds to be a priorityfrom the start, said TerryLyons, vice president ofsales, marketing and en-gineering at J&D Manu-facturing in Eau Claire.In the past 20 years, ven-tilation systems for dairyswine and poultry, aswell as greenhouses andindustrial applications,has become a large partof the company's busi-ness.

“We like to see fore-thought where ventilationis involved in the begin-ning stages,” Lyons said.

Retrotting ventilationequipment into an exist-ing building, whether it isone already in use or newconstruction partiallybuilt, has many chal-lenges.

When ventilation de-sign begins with the blueprints, the result is a sys-tem that is more efcientand economical.

Lyons said ventilationsystems need to work inall four seasons in Wis-consin, but the transitiontimes in spring and fall,with cool nights andwarm days, can be themost challenging.

“It's hard to over-venti-late a cow in the sum-mer,” Lyons said.

When designing abuilding, decisions likethe direction the buildingfaces, pitch of the roof

and internal layout canall change how air movesin the barn.

Options for ventilationabound. Natural ventila-tion with mechanical fanswas the norm in the1980s, then longitudinal,or tunnel, ventilation be-came a go-to system inthe 1990s.

Tunnel ventilation cre-ates air velocity over thecows for cooling andmovement.

Lyons said about 10years ago, cross-tunnelventilation gained popu-larity in dairy housing.This system moves theair from head-to-tail ortail-to-head of the cow,allowing air to ow overand under her.

The system chosen foreach barn depends on theindividual building.Lyons said there are veryfew “cookie cutter” barnsin Wisconsin. Each isunique in location, sizeand features, so ventila-tion also needs a customapproach.

“If the building is de-signed right, installedright and operated right,the cow will be comfort-able,” Lyons said.

Many of the advancesin ventilation involvedhigh-tech controllerswhich allow ne tuningof ventilation systems.

The controllers cantake humidity, tempera-ture and wind directioninto account to keepcows comfortable year-round.

Today's controllers arevery user friendly, easyto program and adjust.Some controllers are nowcoming with their ownapps so managers canmonitor air quality fromtheir smartphones.

Lyons said when shop-ping for fans and ventila-tion equipment, farmersshould pay attention to iffans are certied by anindependent laboratory.Fans marked “AMCA”are certied by the AirMovement and ControlAssociation Interna-tional, a not-for-prot or-ganization.

BESS Laboratory cer-tied labs are tested bythe Bioenvironmentaland Structural SystemLaboratory at theUniversity of Illinios.

BESS Lab specializesin unbiased engineeringdata for aid in the selec-tion and design of agri-cultural buildings.

The lab also assistsequipment manufactur-ers in developing betterproducts. Performancedata from several manu-facturers can be viewedat bess.illinois.edu.

call Sue Bauer at(800) 236-4004, ext. 3276or e-mail [email protected] “The newspaper that cares about rural life.”

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Clarks Mills couple modernizes generational dairy

Associated Press photo

Marsh Edge Dairy owner's Steve and Mary Leitner walked through the calf barn Dec. 4at their farm in Reedsville . The Leitners also use a computerized cart-feeding systemthat moves around the barn on a track, stopping at each cow and giving the appropriateamount of feed to each animal.

CLARKS MILLS (AP)— Farming has been good toSteve Leitner.

Not only has it allowed therural Clarks Mills man —whose Marsh Edge Dairy islocated near the CollinsMarsh — to work in an in-dustry he enjoys, it also indi-rectly introduced him to hiswife, Mary, to whom he'sbeen married for the last 32years.

“I met her in the barn,”Steve said, recalling their rstmeeting when Mary, whowas working as a large-ani-mal veterinarian, made a callto his farm.

The couple eventually gotmarried and had two children— Anthony, who's 21, and adaughter, Supriya, who's 17.

Today, the couple workstogether on the farm andshares a love of the farminglifestyle.

“It's doing what we like todo,” Mary said.

Mary now works as thefarm's veterinarian and takescare of the herd's healthneeds, including pregnancychecks and other reproduc-tive issues, as well as assur-ing the overall health of their100 or so Holstein cows andheifers.

The Leitner's children helpout on the farm when theycan. They also have one full-time employee and somehigh-school students whohelp on the weekends withthe farm's twice-a-day milk-ing duties.

Mary, who grew up on adairy farm in western Wis-consin, also pitches in whereneeded beyond her veterinar-ian duties. Steve has been liv-ing on the farm since 1974when, as a senior in highschool, his family moved tothe farm he now owns.

“We had a farm before thatin the School Hill area,”Steve said.

Eventually, Steve tookover the farm from his dad.

And while the familyraises black-and-white Hol-steins, their farm featuressome Holsteins of a differentcolor. When Steve boughtthe farm from his dad, he ac-quired a group of calves inthe deal that included a red-and-white Holstein.

“That's how I started withred-and-white Holsteins,”Steve said. “I liked theircolor, and I thought, ‘Whatwould make mine any differ-ent than all the black-and-white Holsteins?’ And thered and white one we had re-ally milked good.”

And while the color of hisherd might be different,Steve noted that there reallywasn't any milk quality dif-ference between the black-and-white Holsteins and thered-and-white Holsteins.

While Mary and Stevehave continued to keep somered-and-white Holsteins, they

have made many otherchanges.

“I put up a silo and a pieceon the barn a year before Ibought the farm in 1980. In1981 I bought the farm andin 1988 we put up a heiferbarn and in 1990 we put in amanure pit. In 1992 and 1997we put up silos,” Steve said.

In addition, in 1995 theybuilt a new house on theproperty, and in 2002 anotherbarn was added.

“We're good where we'reat right now,” Steve said.

Modern technology hasalso been introduced.

“We have automatic take-offs now for milking, and apipeline. When I was grow-ing up we had buckets andcarried the milk. I suppose it'schanged a lot in a way,”Steve said.

The Leitners also use acomputerized cart-feedingsystem that moves aroundthe barn on a track, stoppingat each cow and giving theappropriate amount of feed toeach animal. The family hasbeen using this system intheir tie-stall barn since 1992.

“This is the only one in thecounty that I know of thatcomes to the cow,” Stevesaid, noting that it has savedthem on time and feed cost,while milk production hasgone up.

“It kind of customizes thefeeding to the cow,” he added.

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