QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF PRACTICAL FARMERS OF IOWA
VOL 11, #4, WINTER 1996/1997
I N T H I S I S S U E
1^ Can You Afford a Crop Rotation?
-- Richard and Sharon Thompson
5^ PFI Annual Meeting Report
5^Laura Freeman on Family Farming
-- Todd Kimm
6^Achievement Award to Keeney
7^Workshop Videos Order Form
8^ Winter Workshops
17^ Limited-Membership Co-op Issues
-- Rick Exner
18^ Shared Visions Year-End Update
Networking Meeting Report
19^ Rollin' the Cob Calving Time
21^ Sustainable Agriculture Internships
-- Rick Exner
21^ Seeking Work on Diversified Farm
22^ Notes and Notices
-- N.C. District Mtg. March 15
-- Agroforestry Broadcast
-- SARE Producer Grants
-- Sinsinawa Organic Meeting
-- International OCIA Meeting
-- Women in Ag. Meeting
-- What Is In a Name?
-- Compost Workshop
-- Two New Resources from MN
25^ Midwest Grazing Mtgs. Reports
25^ New Pasture Poultry Organization
26^ Identity-Preserved is Growing
-- Rick Exner
24^ On-Farm Research Opportunities
-- Mo Ghaffarzadeh
28^ PFI Profile: Paul and Karen Mugge
-- Jenny Kendall
31^ 1996 On-Farm Trials, Part I
-- Rootworms in Strip Intercropping
Michael Ellsbury
-- Wasps for Corn Borer Control
Joe Fitzgerald
-- Improving IPM
Mark & Julie Roose
-- Experience with IPM
Jeff Klinge & Deb Tidwell
-- Beauveria Corn Borer Control
Les Lewis
-- Three Perspectives on Beauveria
Brunk, Alert/Smith, McLaughlin
38^ Footprints of a Grass Farmer
-- Tom Frantzen
39^ From the Kitchen
-- Marj Stonecypher
40^ PFI Board Members and Addresses
41^ PFI Membership Application Form
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1^ CAN YOU AFFORD A CROP ROTATION?
Richard and Sharon Thompson, Boone
Can a farm be sustainable and profitable at the same time?=20
We try to be both, and we have kept records over the years
to tell how different cropping systems are performing on our
300-acre farm. We try to make these results simple to apply
by using standard custom farming costs for the field
operations performed in each system and ISU figures for
year-end commodity prices. This is a teaching model that
can be used to compare systems while giving the farmer some
privacy. If you worked up a similar analysis for your own
farm, you would use your particular equipment and land
costs.
We will focus here on a five-year and a six-year crop
rotation. We also use custom charges and Boone County yield
averages to construct a two-year, corn-soybean rotation for
comparison. This rotational system is constructed using
practices typical for our neighborhood, including use of the
disk, chisel plow, and field cultivator. All systems use
annual Boone County average land prices, and labor is
charged at $7 per hour. A detailed version of this
discussion appears in the Thompson Farm annual on-farm
research report.
Our long-standing five-year rotation is corn-soybeans-corn-
oats/legume-hay. It was used by Dick's father in the 1930s
and '40s, and we re-adopted/adapted it ten years after we
took over the farm. We have used ridge tillage in the row
crop years, which has made the system much more profitable.=20
Hay has been the leading money maker in this rotation. The
return to labor and management (profit after inputs and
land) has averaged $134.11 per acre, while corn following
hay averages $115.57 (Table 1, the graphics file table1.wmf,
available for downloading). The corn following soybeans has
produced $129.43 per acre, the soybeans average $127.65, and
the oats come in last at $74.14.
The six-year rotation has consisted of corn-soybeans-
oats/legume-meadow-meadow-meadow. Four fields near the house
have been used for this rotation, allowing us to graze two
of these fields each year. In 1991, for example, 60 beef
cows and their calves were pastured on 37 acres divided into
6 paddocks for a total of 222 cow-calf-unit-days. Corn
stalks and oat stubble are grazed in this system, which
increases the return for the rotation. We estimate grazing
returns by taking the percentage of the year spent grazing
times overall cattle net profits minus pasture establishment
expenses and land rent. In 1995, the soybeans were dropped
from this rotation so we would have three pastures each year
out of the four fields. The rotation is now
corn-oats/legume and five years of pasture, for a seven-year
cycle.
Table 1 and Fig. 1 (the graphics files table1.wmf and
Figure1.bmp, available for downloading) summarize income and
costs for each crop in the three rotations. The five-year and
six-year rotations are based on the actual yields from the farm,
while the corn-soybean rotation uses county averages. The
cropping systems on our farm utilize ridge tillage in row crop
years and no herbicides. The corn-soybean rotation, representing
practices typical of Boone County, uses mulch tillage, broadcast
herbicide and P and K fertilizer, and sidedressed N. We have not
included government price supports in these systems.
The five- and six-year rotations have higher gross income
than the two-year rotation because of higher corn and
soybean yields and baling crop residue for the livestock
operations. Our systems use more labor to haul manure and
make hay, but at least wages paid stay on the farm. Because
the longer rotations use more labor and less capital,
interest/opportunity cost charges are lower. Ridge tillage
and the oats/hay seeding without cultivation reduce weed
management and tillage costs (for example, by $44 in 1996)
compared to the two-year rotation. We figure in 1996 we
saved $26 per acre by spreading manure rather than
purchasing fertilizers. One of the biggest cost differences
is in corn harvesting and storage. In 1996, ear harvest,
handling, storage, and crib drying of corn saved $31.76 per
acre over combine harvest/handling/elevator drying, and in
1992 it saved much more (see side-bar). All the extra
charges (little foxes) end up to be a large cost (big fox in
the hen house).
This accounting isn't perfect, but it does make it clear
that profitability doesn't have to go out the car window on
the road to sustainability. In fact, we find that a lot of
low-cost options are also sustainable options in terms of
their effect on the land.=20
Saving on Corn Drying
Corn drying is another area farmers need to save some money.=20
In 1992, our narrow crib safely stored 29% moisture ear
corn. Figuring the yield of both systems as the Boone
County average of 164 bu/acre, we calculated the savings in
drying cost at $59.04 per acre. The additional pencil shrink
would have exceeded true moisture shrink by $10.43 per acre.=20
The elevator's priced-later option cost $8.20 per acre.=20
These savings total $77.67 per acre (see below). Drying
cost alone does not include harvest, handling, delivery or
storage expenses. Taking these into account, on-farm ear
drying and storage saved us $77.36 per acre in 1992.
Elevator vs. Ear Drying Costs
Elevator drying charge =3D $0.024/point
29% - 14% =3D 15% x $0.024 =3D $0.36/bu
164 bu/acre x $0.36/bu =3D $59.04/acre
Elevator "pencil shrink" =3D 1.4%/point
Actual moisture shrink =3D 1.18%/point
Extra shrink charge =3D 0.22%/point
15 points x 0.22%/point =3D 3.35% loss
164 bu/acre x 3.35% =3D 5.49 bu/acre
5.49 bu/acre x $1.90/bu =3D $10.43/acre
Price-later =3D $0.05/bu x 164/bu/acre =3D $8.20/acre
Total elevator drying =3D $77.67/acre
Combine harvest=3D $22.70/acre
Grain delivery=3D $10.82/acre
Storage =3D $16.40/acre
Total combine harvest, delivery, elevator drying and
storage cost in 1992 =3D $127.59/acre
Total crib drying =3D $0.00/acre
Ear harvest =3D $17.10/acre
Grain delivery =3D $18.04/acre
Storage =3D $15.09/acre
Total on-farm ear harvest, delivery, and crib storage cost
in 1992 =3D $50.23/acre
=20
5^ PFI ANNUAL MEETING REPORT
Sustainable Family Farming
keynote presenter: Laura Freeman
recorder: Todd Kimm
Laura Freeman, founder and president of Laura's Lean Beef,
gave the PFI Winter Workshops keynote, entitled Sustainable
Family Farming. Freeman shared her experience of launching
this Kentucky business that today boasts $30 million in
annual sales and works with a network of more than 100 farms
in the Midwest and Southeast. Her line of products has gone
from being offered at a small number of stores in central
Kentucky to being available now in 15 states and over 1,800
stores.
Freeman advised PFI members to do as she did: "learn how to
market to a niche;" her niche being the demand for
"all-natural" lean beef. She defined "all-natural" as beef
raised without antibiotics, growth hormones, fillers and
additives.
Freeman returned to the family farm in 1982, after
graduating from Yale and working as a journalist. The
cattle operation, in the Freeman family for six generations,
was a "mini-factory farm" that was losing $100,000 a year.=20
Freeman combined her concerns about diet and the environment
to come up with her niche idea, but like a lot of
"sustainable types," she didn't know the first thing about
accounting, capital, budgeting or cost control. =20
Freeman did, however, possess the understanding that she
would have to "take control of the product." This led to
direct delivery and intensive marketing.
Soon Freeman was meeting with non-agriculture entrepreneurs.=20
"I tried to pattern the growth of the company on non-farming
businesses," she said. Going outside the ag world for
guidance is a type of "cross breeding" that overcomes tunnel
vision and "really works," she added. Approach people who
"have done what you're doing and have gone a little bit
further." In 1991, Freeman went into partnership with John
Tobe, former CEO with the company whose restaurants include
Long John Silver's Seafood Shoppes. Tobe's marketing savvy
helped Laura's Beef grow twenty-fold.
Other advice Freeman offered included:
Pick your niche carefully. Once you pick a niche you
should stay focused on it and not stray from it very far.
Personalize your product. Freeman's face appears on her
product's label. "Somehow I didn't want my head on a piece
of meat," she joked; but the idea turned out to be a good
one. Another idea is to use the farm where the product is
produced as a way to personalize the product.
The development of good sales representatives is
important. These reps need to be well-trained and
well-paid. Freeman's reps are responsible for educating
store meat department personnel about her product.
You don't need to be fancy when you start out, but you do
need a message. You have to tell your story somehow. Once
this message has been developed it can be spread through
advertising, special promotions, etc.
Use discounting and sampling to introduce customers to
your product.
Provide a link to your customers. Examples included an
800 number, a newsletter and farm field days.
Team up with other organizations for events. Freeman
gave as an example her company's participation in an
American Heart Association heart walk.=20
6^ Keeney Receives Sustainable Agriculture Achievement Award=20
Dennis R. Keeney, director of the Leopold Center for
Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University since the
Center's inception in 1988, received the 1997 Sustainable
Agriculture Achievement Award from the Practical Farmers of
Iowa at their annual meeting in Ames on January 3. The
award is presented each year to an individual who has
advanced the cause of profitable, environmentally sound
agriculture in Iowa.
Keeney is a professor of Agronomy and Agricultural and
Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University and also
directs the Iowa State Water Resources Institute. He holds
B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from ISU and a M.S. degree from the
University of Wisconsin. His research specialties include
the chemistry of soils, the cycling and efficient use of
nitrogen, land application of wastes, and soil as a source
of nitrous oxide.=20
7^ Workshop Video Order Form
PFI Winter Workshops Video Tape
o Tape 1 ($8.00 purchase) _$_________
Eight-hour tape contains keynote by Laura Freeman plus these
workshops: Marketing and Your Quality of Life (Bill
Burrows); Kansas grass-finished beef co-op; Alternative hog
production systems; Monitoring Sustainable Ag with
Conventional Financial Data (Dick Levins); Monitoring
sustainable ag with conventional financial data (Dick
Levins); Monitoring sustainable ag with conventional
financial data (Dick Levins); 'Fools Rush In' - value-added
farm-based business; and New Co-ops, New Possibilities
(Larry Kallem).
o Tape 2 ($8.00 purchase) _$_________
Eight-hour tape contains keynote by Laura Freeman plus these
workshops: 'Fools Rush In' - value-added farm-based
business; Marketing and Your Quality of Life (Bill Burrows);=20
CSAs and Direct Marketing; Monitoring Sustainable Ag with
Conventional Financial Data (Dick Levins); Systems Research
- What and How?; and What's Ahead for PFI?
.
Name: _______________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________
State, Zip: _________________________________________________
Make checks payable to:
Practical Farmers of Iowa
2035 190th St.
Boone, IA 50036-9632
8^ WINTER WORKSHOPS
If you were not one of the 240 people at the PFI annual
meeting Jan. 3-4, you missed quite a bit: producer posters;
Iowa-grown foods; Laura Freeman's keynote; and workshops
featuring Iowa's best as well as out-of-staters who are
breaking new ground in marketing and on-farm research. See
the form on page 15 if you are interested in videotapes of
the workshops. Notes from our recorders follow:
Monitoring Sustainable Agriculture with Conventional Data
Participants: Dick Levins and Mike Rupprecht of the
Monitoring Team, (Doug Alert and Dave Lubben moderating)
Recorders: Don Davidson, Rick Exner
Mike Rupprecht is one of the farmers participating in the
Biological, Social and Financial Monitoring team, a
farmer-initiated research collaboration centered in
southeast Minnesota. As Mike explained it, "We wanted to
know what happens when you go to a grass-based system."=20
That question has led to a wide range of monitoring
inquiries, including, worm counts, fertilizer comparisons,
bird counts, and tracking changes in the species mix of
pastures.
Dick Levins described his background in economics and farm
management as fairly conventional. His world began to open
up when he saw a video of a farmer who was changing farming
practices for "family reasons." Levins realized that this
kind of reasoning just didn't add up from a strict economics
point of view. "Being profitable," to many economists,
consists of simply "making as much money as you possibly
can." But this is not the focus of many sustainable
farmers. Through the Monitoring Project, Levins learned
farmers wanted tools to help them monitor what they wanted
to do, not what someone else wanted them to do.
Levins came up with four general indicators that a producer
can use - in addition to profit - to track progress toward
sustainability. These are described, along with some
examples, in Monitoring Sustainable Agriculture with
Conventional Data, a $7 booklet available from the Land
Stewardship Project, 2200 Fourth St., White Bear Lake, MN =20
55110 (612-653-0618). Briefly, the four indicators are:
1) What percent of your gross income is coming from the
government? This may not be a "sustainable" source of
revenue, given changes in the political environment.=20
Further, a high degree of dependence may mean you are
"farming the program" instead of basing production on your
farm's resources.
2) What percent of your gross income are your energy and
machinery costs? These are the categories with the
potential to cause "environmental mischief," said Levins.=20
These expenditures also tend to leave the community
directly, without passing from hand to hand the way that,
say, money spent on skilled services would.
3) What percent of your gross income goes to support local
families, including but not limited to your own? Levins
commented that, in reaching the point where modern
agriculture could "feed everyone but employ no one," rural
communities were sacrificed. For there to be a sustainable
agriculture, the fabric of rural life must also be sustained
through jobs.
4) Balance of feed production and use. There needs to be a
balance between feed production and feed use, said Levins.=20
An imbalance toward feed production leads to dependence on
distant markets and distant production inputs. Feed
consumption without production leads to its own
dependencies, and manure becomes a problem rather than a
resource.
These four indicators are merely guides, not hard and fast
rules. Used over time they can show trends and stimulate
your thinking, he said.
In discussion the question was raised, "What if you put
values on the 'hidden costs' of agriculture? Will the
marketplace then cause people to farm more sustainably?"=20
Levins acknowledged that this is one approach economists
take in an attempt to make sustainable agriculture
"rational." However, he said, it does not adequately
explain the motivations of the farmers he has worked with in
the Monitoring Project. Their judgements involve a
"balancing act" of many considerations; this is so much more
complicated than a single-goal system that it defies
quantification by traditional economic methods, said Levins.
CSAs and Direct Marketing
Participants: Virginia Moser, Benton County Farm Fresh CSA;
Angela Tedesco, Des Moines; Shelly Gradwell, who is
responsible for ISU Extension displays and publications
concerning CSAs; Jeff Hall, who is responsible for a grant
enabling statewide support for a network of CSAs to be
called The Iowa Network for Community Agriculture.
Recorder: Jill Hoben
CSAs are much more than members providing weekly fresh
vegetables to shareholders. CSAs involve building a sense
of community, connecting people to land and to each other.=20
CSAs in Iowa have grown from 2 in 1994, to 11 in 1996, to
probably more than 20 in 1997!
Tips and topics covered in the discussion: research and
planning ahead; staggered plantings and compatible plantings
to extend the season; Extension publications and networking
with other CSAs. Also: listen to the consumer/customer -
what and how much they want. Definitely include a
newsletter with deliveries of produce. Include recipes and
what's going on at the farm. Economic opportunities are out
there for both small and large CSAs.
Alternative Hog Production Systems
Participants: Colin Wilson, Homer Showman, Jay Harmon (ISU),
Vic Madsen and Jeff Olson moderators
Recorder: Mark Roose
Colin Wilson: Swedish system and pasture system
construction details: 100 ft x 48 ft, 12 ft ceiling, with
four rooms, 4-in concrete walls
11 sows per 24 x 48 ft room, in "boxes" or pens
fronts are removed when pigs venture out for the first
time
sides are removed when all the fronts are gone
pigs weaned at 5 weeks
pigs stay in the building from birth to 9 weeks
water on south side, feed on north side
natural ventilation in summer, power ventilation in cold
weather
fans on the end of the building are attached to ducts in
the attic, so no noise to pigs
Homer Showman: six 30 x 70 ft hoop structures
4-in walls, posts on 6-ft centers
double curtain structure: slightly better feed
consumption in cold weather
hoop structure: fewer deaths, rate of gain better
75 6x5-ft round cornstalk bales per year per shed
100 bales this winter due to wet stalks and high humidity
Jay Harmon (ISU Ag & Biosystems Engineering)
shared data regarding environment in the hoop structure
at the Rhodes Research Facility
Systems Research
Participants: Allen Williams and Michelle Wander (IL), Mike
Rupprecht, Jay Dorsey (MN)
Recorder: Jenny Aquino Kendall
Two examples of applying a systems research model to farming
enterprises were discussed. The focus of systems research
is to bring together the land manager and the public concept
with the scientific concept, so that the information
generated at the university level goes through a
practicality test. Says Michelle Wander, "If I never
deliver the information to the farmer, it can't be used, and
so the research fails." Michelle, a soil scientist at the
University of Illinois, has been working with Allen Williams
on developing soil health indicators. Allen says "I started
doing one-at-a-time testing on my farm, but once I began
working with Michelle, I started focusing on the overall
soil health. My benchmark is the natural state of soils,
and comparing how well my soils stack up."
Michelle wants to help Allen through developing soil health
measurements that will enable Allen's and other farmers'
decision making. This collaboration takes the agricultural
research several steps further than the typical research.=20
Rather than focusing on some soil average, the intent is to
find measurements that will indicate what direction and what
steps the farmer can take to increase overall soil health.=20
Another thing that distinguishes this 'systems approach'
from the typical approach was the participation of Illinois
farmers before the beginning of the project. A process was
established that enables Michelle and other scientists to
maintain continuing communication between farmers and
university researchers.
This up-front calling together to a common meeting ground is
again a distinguishing aspect of the systems research
approach discussed by Mike Rupprecht, a Minnesota farmer,
and Jay Dorsey, a graduate student in soil science at the
University of Minnesota. Mike is implementing a 'whole
systems' approach to stewarding his farm. Says Jay, "Before
beginning, we ask ourselves, 'Are we asking the right
questions?' and we keep asking ourselves this question....
good research always generates more questions." Part of
this systems approach involves the Monitoring Project, which
is farmer-motivated. For example, the Minnesota farmers
began to ask "Why are there so many toads with 6 legs?" The
Monitoring project seeks to increase awareness and improve
people's observational skills, both for the university
researcher and the land steward.
One surprising and welcome outcome of the systems approach
for Mike has been the coming of Bluebirds to the Rupprecht
farm. Bluebirds had never been seen before. Mike noticed
that Bobolinks nested in his extended rest MIG pasture.=20
Through observation, he has seen how the presence of animals
helps to establish grass and seedlings.
What's Ahead for PFI?
Participants: Richard Thompson, Gary Huber
Recorder: Jenny Aquino Kendall
Dick Thompson began the session on the direction of PFI by
showing the numbers of the past and present - the amounts of
grants and monies received and disbursed since the inception
of PFI. He noted how PFI is now at a critical juncture as
far as determining how PFI will function in the future and
pay for its functions as well. "The lesson here is
diversify, diversify, diversify. Our future will include
more partners (than we have had in the past), and if we are
successful, there will be more players."
Gary Huber then unveiled the new PFI logo with its sound
bite of "Farmers helping farmers make decisions." One
comment on the logo was made, that ..."maybe it should say
'good' or 'better' decisions - since not all decisions are
good decisions!" Gary then discussed the key points of the
strategic plan that PFI has been working on with consultant
Duane Sand. In general, PFI needs to take the lead and be
proactive in determining the direction of PFI in order to
make the most of strategic opportunities that arise. For
the strategic plan and hence the structure of PFI to
continue to work, it's going to continue to need good
leadership and management.
One idea that PFI is close to being able to put together is
cooperative alternative marketing for farm products. PFI is
also beginning to explore the partnerships that can help to
make things happen.
Some concern was expressed on the part of the attendees as
to the nature of the proposed partnerships. "Let's be
careful who we partner with," and "we don't want the tail
wagging the dog" were some of the sentiments expressed by
PFI members in attendance. Also raised was "How are these
partnerships going to aid the person in high school who says
'I want to farm'?". Another member mentioned that "...it
has always been PFI intention to open the door rather than
close the door to other organizations." And members also
"...hope that we maintain the uniqueness of the PFI
organization, especially the research and education."
Duane Sand mentioned there is incredible pent-up consumer
demand for the activities of PFI, especially as our society
moves toward a market, rather than government driven way of
doing business. "... seven years down the road, all of Iowa
is going to need what PFI already understands."
Marketing and Your Quality of Life Goals
Recorder: Jenny Aquino Kendall
Participants: Bill Burrows, (Dennis Abbas and Tom Frantzen
moderating)
Bill Burrows is an energetic cattleman, teacher, and
'agri-preneur' from California who shared his life values
and marketing successes with a slide show and good
discussions. Bill practices Holistic Resource Management
and credits this systems approach with saving the ranch. He
talks enthusiastically about converting sunlight energy
through his cattle, which in turn are his grass managers.=20
Bill gave several examples of observing and thinking about
how his cattle could do work that normally is handled
through large machinery, such as using cattle to save 'head
cuts' (erosion gullies) in his pastures.
The focus of the talk, however, was on marketing what you
have, and marketing in accordance with your own values,
whatever they are. He cautioned people not to take his
ideas and directly apply them - they wouldn't work, unless
they were completely in line with your values. He began his
marketing strategy by throwing a huge barbecue for his
neighbors, friends, and anyone who would come, and they had
a brainstorm session about what sorts of activities/products
people would pay for. Bill continues to brainstorm with his
clients, and views his clients as his partners.
The Burrows ranch makes the bulk of its income from
conducting supervised 'outdoor experiences.' Bill is
careful to distinguish these outdoor experiences from
hunting expeditions, and in fact will not allow trophy
hunters on his place - "Trophy hunters don't fit in with my
value system, and I only want clients who do fit in with my
value system." So Bill first figures out his values, then
seeks clients with those same values.
One of the outdoor experiences at the ranch is hunting
ground squirrels. Ground squirrels are a huge problem and
damaging pest. People pay to come shoot the ground
squirrels, which Bill then feeds to the wild pigs (also a
huge pest). The pigs, he notes, understand the difference
between rifle types, as well they might, because another
experience he markets is hunting wild pigs. Through these
experiences, Bill is able to provide recreation, steward the
wildlife on his farm, care for his family, and have a great
time doing it.
One of the first questions to arise in the audience was
"This is Iowa, not California, that would never work here,
our customers aren't the same." Bill's response:
"Investigate your own value system first, and market that."=20
He also noted that he didn't market within a 300 mile radius
of his home - he draws his customers from cities farther
away, and mentioned that Des Moines and Chicago were ready
markets for the kinds of experiences that Iowa farm life has
to offer. Bill also treats his customers as more than
customers - they are his guests. "It all goes back to
defining your value system first and having customers who
can be more than customers, can be guests."
Another audience member commented, "The brainstorming
session seems like a real good idea, especially the bringing
in of people from far away to bring in new ideas." Bill
said it works great, but you do need to exercise judgement
and be selective. "Bring in people compatible with your
own value system." He also says, "It's important to relate
the money and funding sources to the ranch mission and
values in order to know if the money/funding idea is a good
fit." He ended with "You folks have something fundamental
that urban people want...think about what you can market
that matches that need to your values."
Fools Rush In: Managing a Farm-Based=20
Business
Participants: Laura Krouse, Laura Freeman, Jane Woodhouse,
Susan Zacharakis-Jutz, Mark Tjelmeland (moderator)
Recorder: Connie Tjelmeland
Laura Krouse - Raises Neals Yellow Dent open pollinated corn
since 1988. Sells it for seed. Small but consistent
market. Also sells hay, straw, corn, soybeans from farm.=20
Began a CSA garden in 1996 - 10 families,
$200/family/season. Limitations - hiring help - don't know
how to do this. For CSA customer - chose people who like to
cook, have big families and people who LIKE her.
Jane Woodhouse - a spinner and weaver, since 1979 has done
production weaving. Also raises dairy goats and wool and
meat-type sheep. Processes wool - cards and dyes - and
sells to hand spinners. Sells spinning wheels and natural
dye extracts. Now contracts out production weaving to other
weavers in Iowa City. Marketing: likes this part very much
- ads, brochures, etc.
Susan Zacharakis-Jutz - Bought an 80-acre farm in 1994 with
a goal to make use of land and buildings and make a living
(a job for herself, husband has full time job with
Extension). Criteria for evaluating ideas:
1. What does our family value doing? What do we love?=20
Susan grew up on a farm. The children love goats.
2. What are our skills? What are we willing to learn?
3. Consider the characteristics of our land - highly
erodible, rolling.
4. Location - 20 minutes from Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.
5. Financial - Where will get the money to do what we want
to do? Banker encouraging, found an alternative loan
program - Linked Investments for Tomorrow. They have been
raising dairy goats for 8-years. Market the milk through an
Amish cooperative. They finish 800 pigs on contract.=20
Market organically fed lambs.
Laura Freeman (President of Laura's Lean Beefr): response to
these three entrepreneurs:
Laura Krouse - She has a wonderful instinct for marketing,
has done good consumer research. There is a market for her
seed business. CSA movement is booming. Fairly low risk.=20
Don't necessarily have to live near rich people.
Jane - Her highly specialized business can be worldwide via
UPS. She can develop niches through the mail. It's good to
be able to contract out production - you can't market and
produce yourself into the ground. Contract out the
simplest, most repetitive jobs first. Hers is a child-
friendly business.
Susan - She is wise to think through her goals carefully and
the budget process at the start. She is doing a good job
matching her production to a niche.
Kansas Ranchers Create Grass-Finished Beef Market
Participants: Earl Wright and Annie Wilson (Tallgrass
Prairie Producers Co-op), Ron Rosmann (moderator)
Recorder: Todd Kimm
Earl Wright, market coordinator for Tallgrass Prairie
Producers Co-op in the Kansas Flint Hills, shared the
challenges and rewards of starting a cooperative that
collectively produces, processes and markets grass fed beef.=20
The co-op formed in 1995 and today sells up to $1,000 in
beef each week to an area hospital, restaurant and direct to
consumers. Nine family ranches are involved. The idea was
to finish cattle on the bluestem grass that has grown wild
on the Flint Hills for thousands of years. In the 1860s and
'70s Texas ranchers sent their cattle by rail to Kansas for
finishing on this grass. The low fat content of grass-fed
beef fit perfectly with the growing market for lean, tender
beef. Genetics and aging provided the remaining ingredients
to ensure tenderness and consistency.
Wright said he wanted to give listeners a "system you can
use. You don't have to sell beef. You can sell wickets if
need be." Wright said that by marketing their product,
farmers can add as much as 20 percent to the return on their
investments. He summed up the philosophy as "forming a
co-op and taking control of what you get for what you
produce." Saying such a task is "not easy, but doable,"=20
Wright added that a group can accomplish anything if it can
work together. If the group can't work together, then it
won't accomplish much.
Insights Wright provided on his co-op's success included:
The members of a co-op must be active, attending
meetings, etc. Tallgrass Prairie Co-op members meet once a
month.
Members should have a great passion for the project.=20
Members without this degree of passion tend to drop out.
Co-op members should have about 20 hours of group
training to define individual skills and develop a method
for decision making.
Two key members are needed to take on the responsibility
for the details of starting the business.
Grant writing support may be needed, especially if a
start-up grant is needed. Tallgrass Co-op got a $35,000
start-up grant.
It is important that an environment is maintained where
the benefit of the co-op is put above the self interest of
its individuals.
Co-op chairperson and rancher Annie Wilson next presented a
slide show demonstrating how to tell consumers the "story"
of a business. Messages brought out through the use of
slides depicting Flint Hills flora and fauna included:
The cattle live a "free and open life" and are not as
susceptible to disease as feedlot cattle.
No fossil fuel is used to harvest feed; the animals
harvest their own.
The co-op is committed to conservation of natural
resources. Wilson said the co-op's story is also told at
Tallgrass Beef Days, where consumers can meet the people who
raise their food.
New Co-ops, New Possibilities
presenter: Larry Kallem (Iowa Institute for Cooperatives),
Paul Mugge (moderator)
recorder: Todd Kimm
Larry Kallem, Executive Director of the Iowa Institute for
Cooperatives, explained how farmers can take advantage of
recent legislation allowing them to form or join value-added
co-ops. The law, which went into effect this summer,
provides for co-ops which are designed to process the
commodities farmers produce into forms closer to their final
use by consumers. Other states have allowed such co-ops for
some time. Examples of successful co-ops include American
Crystal Sugar Company in North Dakota and Minnesota Corn
Processors.=20
Under the law, a certain number of shares are issued, each
with delivery rights for a certain volume of a commodity.=20
More shares may be offered later if a co-op's facility is
expanded. The shares are transferable. They are marketable
and their value may appreciate or depreciate. Shares can be
sold when the original owner no longer needs the delivery
rights. The shares can also be used as collateral. At
least 60 percent of the equity and voting control of these
co-ops must be held by farmers.=20
Kallem said a group of beet farmers bought the American
Crystal Sugar Company 20 years ago. "At first they had a
rough go of it," he said, but after three years things
started to look up. Kallem added that co-op members need to
be committed to delivering their commodity of choice year
after year.
Kallem said there will be times when a farmer is selling to
a co-op for less than he could get on the market. This is a
sacrifice the farmer must make for stability. In the end,
that farmer will average a greater profit.
Radical changes in agriculture are posing two questions,
said Kallem: "who will control it and who will build? Many
believe farmers can be the answer to both, if they will."=20
He called value-added co-ops "the best game in town for Iowa
agriculture."
Kallem next showed a video giving an overview of several
value-added co-ops in Renville, Minnesota Co-ops there deal
in commodities which include pork, poultry and fish.
During the question and answer period, a woman worried that
farmers choosing not to join a co-op or get big won't "have
a chance." Kallem answered "there's no good reason in the
world why they can't compete," but added that these farmers
may need to form joint marketing agreements with other
farmers.=20
17^ LIMITED MEMBERSHIP CO-OPS: ISSUES RAISED
Rick Exner
One of the workshops at the PFI annual meeting was on
limited-membership cooperatives, a business structure
recently authorized by the Iowa Legislature.=20
Limited-membership co-ops have been a fixture in North
Dakota and Minnesota for some time. Iowa Institute of
Cooperatives Executive Director Larry Kallem began the
workshop with a short video of such co-ops in the Renville,
Minnesota area. Prior to the session, Larry said he
realized that if PFI members ever used this kind of co-op,
they would probably be on a different scale from the co-ops
in Renville, but the video provides some examples for
discussion.
The workshop was attended by a PFI member from Minnesota who
contacted us afterwards. Becky Ault, Austin, MN, wrote that
some of these co-ops have made themselves just as unpopular
as many of the industrial-style hog production corporations,
and for similar reasons. "They have split communities,
added anger to an already (long) list of farming stresses,
devalued the land surrounding the co-ops, and there are more
waiting behind the curtain to stretch the limits of what the
community can tolerate."
I visited with Mark Schultz, Policy and Organizing Director
for the Minnesota-based Land Stewardship Project (LSP).=20
Schultz said traditionally cooperatives have been for
service, not for profit. When a co-op becomes a corporation
that is itself involved in production agriculture, it
becomes farmers' competitor, and a formidable one at that,
he said. Size gives such co-ops advantages in access to
credit and prices, and size also leads to environmental
problems such as waste disposal and odor.
Schultz offered as example the Renville co-op ValAdCo (for
"value-added corn"), which was begun by some wealthy corn
and sugar beet farmers. Unlike many local hog production
networks, ValAdCo retains ownership of hogs and contracts
the finishing. They originally produced hogs under a
"breeding stock" exemption to Minnesota corporate farming
laws until it was shown that most hogs were going to market.=20
Schultz reported the co-op fought regulation to require 75%
of stockholders be livestock producers and 51% of
stockholders be farmers.
While LSP has no fundamental criticism of limited-membership
cooperatives devoted to activities like processing (say, a
pasta plant started by wheat growers), "raising pigs is a
farming activity, not processing," observed Schultz. "These
co-ops may be a Midwestern way to become (like) Murphy
Farms," he said.=20
19^ ROLLIN' THE COB
Editors' note: Our cob rollers were thinking ahead to
calving season when they got together for this column at the
end of January. Here are some of their tips for getting
through that time successfully. They also had one eye on
the cattle market.
Tom Frantzen
1. I prefer to use a low birthweight angus bull with an
angus-Limousine cross stock cow as a basic ease-of-calving
strategy. I have successfully adopted a calf to a different
cow by tying a large piece of the dead calf's hide on the
foster calf.
2. To estimate the acres needed to support a cow herd, I
multiply the cow numbers by 1.75. This includes winter hay.=20
We look at the entire farming system when evaluating the
economics of a cow herd. A diverse, long term rotation with
a cow herd and organic grain production looks to be the most
profitable. The only safe time to expand any business is
during depressed circumstances, low prices, excess
production, etc.
Ron Rosmann
Here are some of the strategies and experiences that we have
had dealing with the broad topic of calving management.=20
Nearly all of these lessons have been based on experiences
in raising cattle over the years. Some of these experiences
have been learned the hard way. That seems to be the teacher
that you remember the most. First a little background
information about our herd. We have 81 cows to calve this
spring. Twenty-four of them are first-calf heifers. The
predominant mother cow is Simmental-Red Angus. Our bulls
are predominantly Red Angus. Our heifers are bred to an
easy-calving purebred Red Angus who still has good growth
potential. We do use pelvic measurements when selecting our
heifers for breeding. I also use ADG's for selecting them.=20
We used to calve in February and March until about 10 years
ago. We were pulling too many calves, the calves got
scours, etc. Since learning about rotational grazing, many
other things changed as well. Now our main herd starts to
calve around April 15. The calves are born out in one of
the paddocks if at all possible, depending on the weather.=20
We have about a 70-day calving period. First-calf heifers
are calved starting around March 15. The bulk of these will
be born in the barn and then moved out as soon as possible. =20
We feed our cows differently than we used to. First of all,
they stay out in the fields all winter. Supplemental feed
is hauled to them on a field that will be plowed the
following spring and planted to corn. That way the feed is
spread out over the entire field in small piles, and so is
the manure too! The ration consists of one-third corn
stalks, one-third good hay, one-third oats-stubble hay. All
bales are tub-ground and mixed together. I should add that
supplemental feed is used only if necessary.=20
Here are some specific things that may help during the
actual calving time: First of all be patient, especially
with first calf heifers. Don't think you have to pull just
because you see the front legs sticking out for some time.=20
If you think there is a problem, put the cow in a stanchion
or a head gate. I quit the rope about 7 years ago. It was
a smart move. We now have a head gate with two swinging
gates so that the cow and calf-puller both have plenty of
room to swing. I should say that with 70 cows calving last
spring, about 4 had to be pulled. Three of these were
first-calf heifers.
If you do have a hard pull, or if the calf is big and has
had a hard delivery, get some colostrum into the calf while
the mother is in the headgate. Big calves may be suffering
from some oxygen deprivation which may contribute to not
learning to suck right away, thus the term "big dummy" seems
especially fitting. I use a stomach tube to get the
colostrum into the calf. I'll worry about the calf learning
to suck the next morning. If you can't get a calf to learn
how to suck no matter what you seem to do, try letting it
get good and hungry. You will probably win in the end as
the calf figures out food isn't such an impossible task
after all. The best place for a calf to learn how to suck
is with its mother out in the corner of the paddock on a
bright spring day. Sometimes, calves have a difficult time
sucking on teets that are too big or on milk-bags that are
too close to the ground. Consider getting rid of that cow!=20
One of the critical things that we continue to learn is that
the cow is supposed to work for you, not you work for the
cow. Use that as your guiding philosophy. =20
Sometimes you may have an orphan calf or a twin calf that
you want another cow to adopt. If you have a dead calf to
work with, the best thing to do is to skin the dead calf and
tie the skin on the calf you want the cow to adopt. This
usually works quickly. If we have trouble getting a cow to
accept another calf, she is put in the headgate with one leg
tied back so that you can work with the calf. A "working"
chute with side rails works even better as the leg does not
have to be tied up so she won't kick you. I usually hold
the calf up with my left leg. If this gets too tiring, I
prop the calf up on a bale of straw. Sometimes it may take
4-5 days for a cow to accept another calf, but we've always
won the battle so far.
Remember that calving problems should be the exception, not
the rule. But there will always be a few difficulties and
challenges. That goes with the business. We look forward
to calving each year with anticipation and excitement. It
truly is a joy to discover three or four new calves on a
bright spring morning when you go out to the pasture paddock
to check the cows. Have a great calving season!
Margaret Smith - Calving Management/Calf Care
We will begin calving this year on April 10 and have 14
heifers to calve. After two calving seasons, we know that
our RX3 composites (=BD Red Angus, =BC Hereford, and =BC Red
Holstein) have a shorter gestation period (278 days) than
average, so we can plan accordingly and not be surprised as
we were two years ago! We are learning to be patient with
heifers. I know that old-timers can sense when delivery of
a calf has gone too slowly and they need to lend a hand, but
I probably get as anxious as any of the young 'girls' if she
seems slow to deliver. I have found 'How to Handle Calving
Difficulties' (GPE-3653 in the Iowa Extension Beef Handbook)
a help in understanding the time frame and stages of a
normal delivery.
Stage I: The cow's contractions are evident every 4 to 5
minutes at the beginning of stage 1 and are about =BD to 3
minutes apart at the end of this stage. Toward the end of
stage I, the water bag begins to protrude through the
cervix, which is about _ dilated. This stage lasts 2 to 3
hours in a cow, but 4 to 5 hours in a heifer.
Stage II: During this period, the cow or heifer becomes less
aware of her surroundings and concentrates on her
contractions. The intervals between contractions still
varies from 1=BD to 3=BD minutes, but the animal's straining
becomes stronger. Once the water bag appears outside the
vagina (about =BD hour into stage II - longer for a heifer
with a big calf), the feet should not be far behind. This
is the time for caution. There is a temptation, if these
early stages have been slow, to hitch up to that calf and
pull. But when those hooves first appear, the cervix is not
yet fully dilated. Pulling too early can result in tearing
or rupture and a heifer that won't breed back. After the
feet appear, expect 30 or 40 strains (15 seconds to 1=BD
minutes apart) until the tongue appears. Another 20 strains
and the nose should appear (again, slower, with bigger
calves).=20
Another 50 strains will usually bring the head to light,
then 6 to 10 strains to full delivery.=20
Stage III: The final labor stage is passing the afterbirth.=20
This usually happens within 1 to 2 hours, but occasionally
may be several hours.=20
What an amazing process! It seems fraught with potential
problems, but usually follows Mother Nature's rules and
happens like clockwork. The calving publication also has
good diagrams of abnormal fetal presentations and
descriptions of how to manipulate the calf into proper
position. Based on the permutations that can occur (though
rare), my directions should probably read: 1-800-Call-Rich=20
(our veterinarian). The only time we should have acted
faster was with a large calf that was in a posterior
presentation with the back feet first. That situation does
call for a rush job.=20
For me, calving is the best and happiest time on the farm.=20
I can't wait for warmer weather and those little critters.
Time to expand the cow herd? All indications of our
position in the cattle price cycle tell me that it's a very
good time to be building our cow herd by retaining heifers.=20
We have been in that mode since starting with different
genetics in 1994 and would like to continue. We are
constrained, though, by availability of grazing land in our
neighborhood. We have seeded 60 acres for hay and grazing
that will cycle through a 5-year grain and forage rotation,
but need some permanent pasture as well to fill our needs.=20
Permanent pasture should hold up better under cow hoof
traffic during wet conditions and would allow us to graze
younger stock on the rotational pasture. Until then, we
will concentrate on tightening our breeding season and
improving grazing management for our 30-cow herd.
Roger Schlitter - managing the cycles
These thoughts apply to the cow-calf business in general. I
started out by thinking about managing calving, but I
decided you cannot manage calving without managing the cow
herd. The cow herd must have an adequate feed source that
provides the proper nutrition throughout the year. This
means a program that covers the entire year, because the
entire year is part of the calving process. Getting cows
bred in a timely fashion, having the right amount of
condition on the cows, and providing the right nutrition for
the unborn calf and, ultimately, the newborn calf - this is
a nonstop cycle. Nutrition is what makes all these items
fit together. Take a look at what the pork industry has
done in recent years to improve productivity, and you will
see that a closely managed nutrition program is a big part
of this improvement.
The cow-calf producer must have good quality breeding stock
to get the best results. Start with good seedstock and buy
good quality bulls or use AI to improve the herd. Long term
results will be best when you have a good herd to build on.
Finally, strive in all ways to be a least-cost producer.=20
This includes types of feed used, methods of harvesting,
storing and using the feed, and management of the pasture
program for optimum results. It also includes expenditures
for facilities and equipment, fencing, and land.
I find that there are always alternative ways of doing
things, and I am amazed at the resourcefulness of individual
producers in finding better ways of running their business.=20
It is helpful to keep an open mind to what other producers
are doing. But run alternatives through your own thought
process to see if something new or different can help you.=20
Those are keys to finding the things that will make you a
low-cost producer.
A few thoughts about expanding or rebuilding the cow herd.=20
A quick look at the past shows us that the cattle business
really does cycle on a regular basis. We have been at lower
price levels in recent years, and it is likely that we will
turn the corner and see better prices in the future. You
will want a young and possibly larger herd when that happens
in order to get maximum benefit from the better market. I
do not see this as a "guess when the business will be good"
management plan, but a steady, managed process of culling,
adding additional breeding stock when prices are lower,
and/or retaining additional heifers to add to the breeding
herd for the up part of the cattle cycle. This means you
just keep your long-term goals in mind at all times. Do not
make long-term decisions based on short-term circumstances.=20