JOSH STUDNISKI Cory Salzl and KriSten heitKe

T
he new year marked the addition of two new
members to the AMPI family. Within three days
and 70 miles of each other, Josh Studniski of
Fort Ripley, Minn., and Kristen Heitke and Cory
Salzl of Litchfield, Minn., started milking their own cows.
Milk from both farms is picked up and delivered to AMPI’s
cheese manufacturing plant in Paynesville, Minn.
Each of these operations traveled a different path to get
started. Heitke and Salzl grew up on dairy farms, attended
college, and continue to work off the farm. Studniski had
less dairy background, started younger, and farms full time.
Starting a dairy farm takes a lot of work, cash and support, but each case offers a different roadmap for those who
dream of dairying. All along that journey the new AMPI
members received guidance and support from many,
including fellow cooperative members.
Family ties
“I didn’t grow up on a dairy farm, but
loved it since my first visit to the family
farm of my sister Emily’s husband, Dan
Caughey,” 19-year-old Studniski says.
He recently purchased 50 Jerseys
from Minnesota and Iowa, which
were delivered to the farm on Jan.
5. Studniski worked for other dairy
farmers for three years before taking
the plunge on his own.
He first worked alongside AMPI
member Kent Happke near Pierz, Minn.
In June 2015, he joined AMPI members
Jerry and Sandy Foust, also of Pierz, who
decided to sell their cows and retire Jan. 1.
Today, Studniski rents Fousts’ milking barn
and machinery and purchases feed from him.
It took Heitke and Salzl longer to begin living
their dream at the 30-acre Corstar Farm, purchased in
2014. “We have been working toward this goal for more than
10 years,” Heitke says. “Cory bought his first cow in 2002.”
The decision to become AMPI members was natural for
the couple. “My family sold their milk to AMPI,” Salzl says.
“When we made the decision to get started, AMPI was the
most responsive to our questions and ready to help.”
Josh
Studniski
8
Cory Salzl and
Kristen heitke
Starting from scratch at 19 Studniski grew up on a beef cattle operation. At age
12, he visited B&C Dairy near Fort Ripley, Minn. Longtime
AMPI members, the Caughey family operation includes Dan
and Emily, along with Dan’s parents, Bruce and Roseane,
and his siblings.
“I continue to call Jerry and the Caugheys for advice,”
Cory Salzl, Litchfield, Minn., feeds hay in a new barn built
together with his fiancée Kristen Heitke. The couple worked
in the dairy industry for more than 10 years, visiting farms
across the country before designing their own.
Studniski says. “For example, Dan recommended switching
to brighter light bulbs in front of the cows. I immediately
noticed increased feed consumption once I made the switch.
Their support made this opportunity possible for me.”
Studniski rents 15 acres of cropland to grow feed for
the dry cows and heifers he keeps on his home farm. Next,
he plans to further improve lighting and ventilation in the
Foust barn and install new pulsators for the milking system.
Studniski’s goal for year one: increase cow comfort and produce 55 pounds of milk per cow each day.
He defends his choice to begin dairying at a young age,
saying he has less to lose now than if he waits. His five-year
plan includes paying off the herd and improving upon their
genetics. After that, equity in the herd will help with the next
financial investment.
Studniski owns a few animals with his sister Hannah, 17,
“
If you love it, you have to do
it. The way things fell into
place, I know this is what
I’m supposed to do.”
Josh Studniski, Fort Ripley, Minn.
January - February 2016
9
who helps with milking and chores. His parents have also
been supportive of his dairy dream, providing space and
equipment at the home farm. As Studniski says, “If you love
it, you have to do it. The way things fell into place, I know
this is what I’m supposed to do.”
Keeping their day jobs
Heitke showed cows in 4-H, FFA and through college.
Both she and Salzl earned bachelor degrees in animal science. Each has worked in the industry for 10 years.
Regular exhibitors at cattle shows, Heitke and Salzl
have earned first-place trophies at World Dairy Expo each
of the past five years with their Milking Shorthorns and
Guernseys. After building their herd to 21, they moved the
animals to the new barn on Jan. 8.
“We plan to buy some Jerseys to take advantage of their
high milk components and grazing ability,” Heitke says,
adding they can handle up to 30 cows. “We’ll rotationally
graze our cattle through the summer on 20 acres.”
The couple lived with Salzl’s parents for a few months
while they remodeled the home on Corstar Farm, named for
Salzl and one of his first cows. Much of the work on the house
was done themselves, and they built a heifer barn.
They recently completed construction of a barn with 16 tie
stalls, and five box stalls for their elite show cows, all designed
for cow comfort and the couple’s convenience. They purchase
their feed, with corn silage coming from the nearby AMPI member farm of Duane and Louise Holker. The Holkers also housed
some of the couple’s cows until the new barn was complete.
After interning as artificial insemination technicians in
college, both can handle their own breeding. Salzl was executive secretary of the American Milking Shorthorn Society
before taking his current job as feedlot manager for the
Meeker County Soil and Water Conservation District. Heitke
worked as a dairy nutritionist and is now employed as the
genetics coordinator at a 1,600-cow dairy farm.
While they had known each other for years, their relationship didn’t develop until 2009 when Salzl asked Heitke to clip
and fit his cows for World Dairy Expo. They plan to marry this
spring and host a reception at Corstar this summer.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Heitke says. “We’re excited
to go outside to do chores and work with the cows. We want
to develop an elite herd known around the world and host
consumer groups to share dairy’s positive story.” DD
{ Contributing writer
Nancy Jorgensen }
Guidance for getting started
1. Start small. Heitke and Salzl looked at a 50- to 60-cow
facility but couldn’t obtain financing, so started smaller.
Studniski knew he could manage a small herd and still
take time to enjoy life.
2. Count on family and friends. Heitke and Salzl appreciate the neighbors who housed their cows for years,
allowing them to build their herd over time.
3. Build up cash. Because the couple grew their herd
slowly, they didn’t need to finance the cows. Studniski
put aside earnings from his off-farm jobs to build equity.
4. Work hard. By investing sweat equity, Heitke and Salzl
10
Dairymen’s Digest
5.
6.
7.
8.
increased their home’s value, helping them to qualify for
a loan to build a barn.
Get help with financing. Both took advantage of Farm
Service Administration loans for beginning farmers.
Don’t cut corners. Studniski finds that cheap purchases often lead to poor outcomes.
Get an education. Studniski opted for on-the-job training, while Heitke and Salzl earned agricultural degrees.
Don’t quit your day job. The couple figures at least one
of them will continue in an off-farm job to access health
insurance.
hit 100
Ace your next milk inspection
1. Develop a cleaning routine
“Twice a day we complete a normal routine
of washing the parlor and robots, along with
cleaning the milk house,” says Brad Putz, AMPI
member from New Vienna, Iowa. Together
with his brother, Jeremy, the pair milks 80 cows
alongside the 140-cow herd of their parents,
Ed and Janet. The Putzes recently scored 100
following a federal Interstate Milk Shippers
(IMS) inspection.
2. Keep equipment well maintained
AMPI member Alex Wilwert credits regular
equipment maintenance for helping his farm
achieve a perfect inspection score. Wilwert
farms with his brother, Andy, and uncles Pat
and Duane Cook, milking 140 cows on their
Holy Cross, Iowa, farm.
3. Make it a team effort
“We have multiple sets of good eyes focused on
keeping things clean and operating properly
every day,” Wilwert says. “Each of us taking a
little time every day makes a big difference.”
AMPI member Alex
Wilwert, second from right,
credits a team with good
eyes for the perfect score
on a recent milk inspection
survey. “We all work together to keep things clean and
stay on top of equipment
maintenance,” says Wilwert
who farms near Holy Cross,
Iowa, with his uncles, from
left, Pat and Duane Cook,
and brother, Andy Wilwert,
far right.
Photo courtesy of AMPI member Christine Murphy
Josh Studniski, Fort Ripley, Minn., began farming Jan. 5
in the rented barn of former AMPI members Jerry and
Sandy Foust. A recent high school graduate, Studniski
dove into dairy farming on his own at the age of 19.
4. Learn from last time
“Examine and complete the debits on the
inspection sheet before the inspector’s
next visit,” says David Brown, chief of the
Dairy Products Control Bureau for the Iowa
Department of Agriculture. “In our inspections
we focus heavily on the milk house. It’s important the farmer takes the time to maintain that
area and keep it clean.”
5. Check labels and water connections
Brown points to proper drug labeling and
storage, along with secure water supply connections, as other “high point” items farmers
should check. “These things are an important
part of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, which
was enacted nearly a century ago to verify the
safety of milk and aid in the prevention of milkborne diseases,” he says.
6. Ask for help
“Communicate with your field representative
on the debits found on your inspection sheet,”
Brown says. “If you have a question, they are
there to help or can call the inspector to discuss
a solution.”
11