Join us on the Grazing Grass Podcast as we explore the world of grass-based livestock production, featuring Ted Miller from Delta Dairy in Louisiana. Ted shares his fascinating journey of transitioning his dairy operation from Pennsylvania to the Mississippi Delta, offering insights into his innovative use of virtual collars for cattle management. Discover how the Halter brand of collars has transformed his grazing strategy, and hear firsthand how Ted manages his forages, including the strategic planting of cool-season annuals. This episode provides valuable perspectives for anyone interested in sustainable grazing practices, from dairy farmers to beef, sheep, and goat producers.
We also compare the differences in dairy farming practices between New Zealand and the southern United States, highlighting how climate and environmental conditions influence farming decisions. Ted recounts his personal experiences with moving his dairy operation to Louisiana, detailing the logistical challenges and the genetic acclimatization of his herd to a warmer climate. Additionally, we discuss the importance of adapting livestock to local conditions, exploring the role of genetics and epigenetics in cattle breeding and management. Learn about the innovative use of solar-powered virtual fencing and its impact on labor management and forage utilization.
Throughout our conversation, we emphasize the need for adaptability and innovation in farming, sharing strategies for forage management and the benefits of rotational grazing. Ted offers his experiences with introducing smart collars to his herd, detailing the process of training cattle to respect virtual boundaries. We also touch on the challenges of maintaining a competitive edge in the commodity milk market and the significance of mentorship and confidence in grass-fed systems. Whether you're a seasoned farmer or new to grass-based production, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for improving farm efficiency and productivity.
Links Mentioned in the Episode:
Delta Dairy
Louisiana Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative
NOTE This file was generated by Descript
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 Welcome to grazing grass podcast, episode 140.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: you will not be successful as a, as a grazer, if
00:00:07 --> 00:00:15 you can't learn to have an appreciation and understanding for the, the nutritional
00:00:15 --> 00:00:20 value of quality grazed forage and what it can do for the performance of
00:00:20 --> 00:00:25 an animal in a relatively economic way you have to develop that confidence.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 Cal: You're listening to the grazing grass, podcast, sharing
00:00:28 --> 00:00:32 information and stories of grass-based livestock production
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 utilizing regenerative practices.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 I'm your host, Cal Hardage.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 You're growing more than grass.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:44 You're growing a healthier ecosystem to help your cattle
00:00:44 --> 00:00:45 thrive in their environment.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:50 You're growing your livelihood by increasing your carrying capacity
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 and reducing your operating costs.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:59 You're growing stronger communities and a legacy to last generations.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 The grazing management decisions you make today.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:08 impact everything from the soil beneath your feet to the community all around you.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:13 That's why the Noble Research Institute created their Essentials
00:01:13 --> 00:01:19 of Regenerative Grazing course to teach ranchers like you easy to follow
00:01:19 --> 00:01:25 techniques to quickly assess your forage production and infrastructure capacity.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 In order to begin grazing more efficiently.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:34 Together, they can help you grow not only a healthier operation,
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 but a legacy that lasts.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 Learn more on their website at noble.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 org slash grazing.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:50 It's n o b l e dot org forward slash grazing.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:51 On today's show.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 We have Ted Miller.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:54 of Delta dairy.
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 It's located in Louisiana.
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 Uh, just a side note on Louisiana.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 My wife and I say it differently.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:06 And now I'm confused about which way is the correct way, because
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 we've talked about it so much.
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 So we're going with Louisiana.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:12 At least I am for now.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:17 Anyway, Ted has a fairly large grass-based dairy.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 In the lower Mississippi Delta.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 Very interesting.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:25 We talk about their move from Pennsylvania to Louisiana.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 We talk about how they're daring managing for ages.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:29 Et cetera.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 It's a really good episode for the overgrazing section.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 We dive into virtual callers.
00:02:35 --> 00:02:39 We've talked a lot about virtual fence callers on past episodes.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 Here's the dairy that's using them.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 They started using them last spring.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 And they're using Halter brand, which is a little bit different.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:52 We've talked about Vence brand and I think No Fence brand.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:59 But Halter is a, another brand, that Ted's using in Louisiana and he talks
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 about how good or how bad it's working.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:02 You'll have to listen and find out.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:07 On the bonus segment for grazing grass insiders, we talk about planting cool
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 season annuals, how he's doing it.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:14 And how's that working for him and why he chose while he's planting.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 Like I said before a good episode, I really enjoyed it.
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 As you all know, I'm a fan of grass-based dairies.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 So I'm always excited to talk to them.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:28 And I think there's something in here for a beef producer, sheep producer,
00:03:28 --> 00:03:32 goat producer and if you're a dairy, obviously you want to stick around.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 So I think you'd need to catch it.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:38 Uh, before we get to Ted though, 10 seconds about my farm.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:43 I think I told you last week or the week before I have a Spanish buck for sale.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 Shockingly, no one has called to buy him.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 Um, just in case you didn't catch those episodes.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:51 I have a Spanish buck for sale.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:53 He's a really good buck.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 I'm really happy with his kids.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 And recently he's learned a new trick.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 He can get out of whatever fence I put him in.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 So if you would like to have like a.
00:04:03 --> 00:04:08 A trick Spanish goat, Spanish buck, get out whatever opinion you want.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 I've got one for him.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:15 Um, I'm holding on to him, uh, just until the next auction.
00:04:16 --> 00:04:17 And I'll take him over there.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:23 I did find me another buck I'm on breed them to a BOR buck
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 this year and see how that goes.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:25 See if I can put a little bit more.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 With a little bit more meat on those kids.
00:04:29 --> 00:04:33 And if you're unfamiliar, I have some Spanish doughs and recently.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 I purchased some fainting goats.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 So we're going to see how those crosses go.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:40 And see if I like them.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 I've wanted fainting goats since I was a kid.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 And I found opportunity, price was right.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 And I purchased just a handful just to try out.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 I am a little surprised by their stature.
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 I knew they were small, but they're pretty small.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:57 Um, really thick though.
00:04:57 --> 00:04:58 So.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:00 We'll see how it goes.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 I, in fact, was looking at a buck to go with them.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 But when I looked at the buck, I was not a fan of him.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:08 So I bought the does.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 And then I was able to find a Boer buck that I really liked.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 So I've got those set up or I've got them out.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:19 Um, I won't be putting the buck with the does till closer to December.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 So I can have those late April kids.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:25 Uh, 10 seconds about the podcast.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:30 If you're not part of the grazing grass community on Facebook, I suggest you
00:05:30 --> 00:05:34 joined and you can just go Facebook, do a search for Grazing Grass Community.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:35 Should pop up.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:41 It's a very positive community, uh, for people wondering about grazing grass.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:42 Different Grazie method.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:44 Tools you use.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 Marketing, et cetera, it's available.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:51 And I have to say it's a really good group of people.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 Very positive.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 One thing I do not see, there is the bickering I see in a lot of other
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 groups and we're going to do our best to keep it that way, because
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 I want this to be a positive place.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:05 For you to ask your questions and get answers from people doing it as well as
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 have other discussions along that line.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 So if you're currently a member of the grazing grass community.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:11 Thank you.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 Thank you for keeping it a positive learning space.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:15 And if you're not there.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:17 I suggest you join.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:19 Uh, great conversation happens there.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:22 Enough of that.
00:06:22 --> 00:06:23 Let's talk to Ted.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Ted, we want to welcome you to the grazing grass podcast.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:27 We're excited.
00:06:27 --> 00:06:28 You're here today.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:29 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Thank you.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:30 Glad to be here.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Ted to get started.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your operation?
00:06:35 --> 00:06:35 I'm
00:06:36 --> 00:06:36 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Sure.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 My name is Ted Miller.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 I'm married to my wife, Melissa.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 We have four basically grown children.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:48 They range in age from 23 down to 18, and we're located in northeast Louisiana,
00:06:49 --> 00:06:55 about 50 miles west of the Mississippi River and about 70 miles south of the
00:06:55 --> 00:07:01 Arkansas border on the right on the center of the lower Mississippi River Delta.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:01 We've been here
00:07:01 --> 00:07:07 for For 15 years moved, moved our dairy down here in 2009.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:14 We're dairying in central Pennsylvania for about 7 years prior to that, and
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 a smaller grass based dairy up there.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: To just get started with that, why get you
00:07:20 --> 00:07:21 interested in a grass based dairy?
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Okay to back up a little bit farther my wife
00:07:25 --> 00:07:32 and I started in, in full time farming in in 2000, we purchased a small farm
00:07:32 --> 00:07:38 in central, central Pennsylvania that was it was actually a, a a
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 bankrupt hog farm is what it was.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 I was in the hog business before that.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 I worked for for an integrator there in Pennsylvania.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 So I was familiar with that industry.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 And we had the opportunity to purchase this farm in 2000.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:56 We didn't didn't have the equity we needed to do that, but through FSA real
00:07:56 --> 00:08:00 estate loans and just an opportunity to kind of convince the lender we might
00:08:00 --> 00:08:04 have an opportunity to help them out with their situation, we were blessed
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 in being able to purchase the farm.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 So we started we renovated the, the hog facilities there and we
00:08:09 --> 00:08:14 started Contract finishing pigs for a, for a local integration company.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 They're in Pennsylvania.
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 They were marketed at Hatfield Quality Meats and
00:08:19 --> 00:08:19 Southeastern PA.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 So that was kind of my background growing up in central Pennsylvania.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:27 I didn't come from a dairy, but I worked in high school for for, for
00:08:27 --> 00:08:31 dairymen in the area and was familiar with the industry as it looked there.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:36 And, and enjoyed that as As the rest of, you know, had a, had a really had a
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 passion for all elements of agriculture, but was aware of the dairy business.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:43 Didn't really see myself probably in that industry at that time but after
00:08:43 --> 00:08:48 we get started there, I continue to work for the integrator and we finished
00:08:48 --> 00:08:55 pigs on the side and we had about 120 acres of pretty, pretty rugged land.
00:08:55 --> 00:09:00 They're not great row crop ground, but good pasture ground and
00:09:00 --> 00:09:04 wondered, you know, how can we utilize this land a little better?
00:09:04 --> 00:09:11 And ironically, in my travels for work, I traveled past a farm in a neighboring
00:09:11 --> 00:09:18 county that was set up by the American Farmland Trust as a demonstration farm
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 for a New Zealand grass based dairy
00:09:21 --> 00:09:22 model.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 Very interesting.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:27 It was, it was odd to me as I drove past this place and their were Holstein cows
00:09:27 --> 00:09:31 out grazing in a very small building with a bulk tank sticking out the end of it.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 So I thought, That looks like dairy, but it doesn't look like dairy.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:39 So I had, you know, I was, I was, my, my curiosity was kind of spiked and
00:09:39 --> 00:09:44 I, I stopped and talked to the got to talk to the, to the tenants there who
00:09:44 --> 00:09:49 actually was some, who was related to some folks I knew from kind of my hometowns.
00:09:49 --> 00:09:54 We made some connection there, but ended up being a family that, that was served as
00:09:54 --> 00:09:59 quite a mentor role for me as we kind of journeyed off into this grass-based dairy.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:03 So I, I looked at that farm and thought, you know, we could do
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 that here on a smaller scale.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:09 So maybe we could milk a few cows on a seasonal grass based dairy.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:10 I wouldn't have to work away.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 I could stay on the farm full time, that type of thing.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 So we, we did that in 2003.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:21 We started milking 60 cows, 60 crossbred cows, in a little retrofitted
00:10:21 --> 00:10:25 Swing 12 parlor we put in a building that existed there on the farm.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:31 And we started off into the dairy business along with the, with the hog finishing.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:35 And we quickly saw that the, that the, the grass based dairy seemed to have
00:10:35 --> 00:10:39 a lot more growth potential didn't, you know, didn't have the depreciation
00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 attached to it that the hog finishing did.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:47 You know, so we thought, you know, we can really grow this but we can't do it here.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:53 And the same person I mentioned who served as a mentor for me contacted him about
00:10:54 --> 00:10:58 his thoughts on how I might go about growing or relocating in Pennsylvania.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:03 And he said that really, if you want to get serious about growing, you
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 probably need to move out of state.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:11 And he told me about an individual, Charlie Opitz, who was, was a retired
00:11:11 --> 00:11:16 dairyman who sold out of his portion of his family dairy enterprise and
00:11:16 --> 00:11:22 was looking to put a larger scale model together down here in Louisiana
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 on some land that he had acquired.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:30 Kind of, kind of to model that New Zealand type production
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 model here in the States.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:37 So as my, as my wife looked over my shoulder and read that email that day,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 she said, you can move me anywhere you want to in Pennsylvania, but you're
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 never going to take me to Louisiana.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 And she's been a Louisiana resident for 15 years now.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:53 So interesting how things transpire, but In, in 2007, 8, 9, in that range,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:57 we were we, we considered, you know, we looked at the options of selling our
00:11:57 --> 00:12:01 farm up there and moving down here and, and really it was the, the providential
00:12:01 --> 00:12:06 hand of the Lord allowed those things to happen and we were, we're able to kind
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 of move forward with that, our farm sold.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 Sold easily.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 We did well with that and we're able to,
00:12:12 --> 00:12:17 to, to move down here and, and we started just on cropland here in the
00:12:17 --> 00:12:22 Delta and you had to build a parlor, convert to pasture establish some
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 irrigation, those types of things.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 I mean, there was nothing here, no fencing, no laneways, no nothing.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 So it was quite a journey for several years following that, just
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 putting the infrastructure into.
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 To put a model together here.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:38 But now, to make a long story short, we're here we're milking around 600
00:12:38 --> 00:12:43 head on about 1200 acres fenced, about 700 acres of that's irrigated.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 Opitz and his wife have since sold out of their, their portion of
00:12:46 --> 00:12:50 the partnership we had formed, and it's just my wife and I now and our
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 family that continues to operate.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 Delta dairy.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:53 Sure.
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Now I'm going to ask a real, I don't
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 know about a simple question.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:02 I'm trying to think about my listeners and they may not be familiar
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 with a New Zealand style dairy.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:10 So when you say in Pennsylvania, there's this New Zealand style and
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 then that's what you were trying to do.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 what makes it New Zealand style?
00:13:15 --> 00:13:15 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:20 It's going to be a dairy production model that, that does not resemble real
00:13:20 --> 00:13:24 closely the typical production model here in North America, where you would
00:13:24 --> 00:13:28 have whether it be a freestyle setup or maybe even a dry lot setup in the
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 Southwest high levels of production.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:36 A lot of You know, high levels of feeding cows housed, manure handled, those types
00:13:36 --> 00:13:41 of things which would be the typical dairy production model here in the States.
00:13:41 --> 00:13:43 New Zealand is, is quite the opposite.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:46 Of course, they're a maritime climate over there.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 Beautiful pasture land.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:53 They're able to grow cool season forages pretty much year round.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 So their forage quality is very high.
00:13:56 --> 00:14:00 So they take advantage of that with, with dairy production largely, along
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 with other ruminant production, but they there's a lot of dairies over
00:14:02 --> 00:14:06 there that are grass based and, and that would be a dairy that the cows
00:14:07 --> 00:14:11 derive the majority of their, their forage intake needs from grazed pasture.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:16 In many cases, they they calve seasonally so their whole herd calves at one time
00:14:16 --> 00:14:21 of the year, usually, usually their spring and then they would, their
00:14:21 --> 00:14:26 lactation curve would follow the, the, the growth and quality curve of the, of
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 the cool season forages for the year.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 And then is that.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 becomes less than they would dry off for a couple months and
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 start the whole cycle over again.
00:14:34 --> 00:14:38 We don't have some of the advantages they have in, in climate.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:43 But I would argue that maybe this is one of the areas that's maybe as closely
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 aligned with that as anywhere in the U.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:45 S.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:49 Aside from extreme temperatures, especially on the high side.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 We're a lot hotter than they get over, over there, but.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:56 With the ability here at our latitude, we can grow grass 10 months
00:14:56 --> 00:15:00 of the year, graze at 12 months and then having some, some fairly
00:15:00 --> 00:15:04 shallow water available, plentiful water available here in the Delta.
00:15:05 --> 00:15:08 We can irrigate these pastures, so our, our, our forage production
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 potential is, is pretty high.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:13 Which helps, but then the other side of that is, you know, like I
00:15:13 --> 00:15:16 mentioned, they, they don't have to deal with high temperatures and we
00:15:17 --> 00:15:17 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: for a good portion of the year where you
00:15:19 --> 00:15:25 know, we're over 90 degrees really, you know, conditions that aren't extremely
00:15:25 --> 00:15:30 conducive for, or very well conducive for a, for a lactating dairy cow.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 So, We actually calve in the fall.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:36 We, we're just coming through as we're speaking here in October.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 We're, we're just finishing up our calving season.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:43 So we start, we calve in late September, early October, and
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 then we milk through until until.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:49 Late July, and then we'll dry off for the months of August and early
00:15:49 --> 00:15:53 September, which is the which is the least friendly time of year here because
00:15:53 --> 00:15:57 it's extremely hot and forage quality is very poor and those types of things.
00:15:57 --> 00:16:03 So, so grass based, seasonal production, cows outside, minimal housing.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:08 Minimal feed handling virtually no manure handling much lower production
00:16:08 --> 00:16:13 we're going to get half the production or maybe less than what a, what a
00:16:13 --> 00:16:17 confinement Holstein cow is going to produce here in North America,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:17 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: you know, so, so that, that's, that's kind of a,
00:16:19 --> 00:16:23 a description of the differences of what the New Zealand model would look like
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 compared to, to, the North American model.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:31 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: and you went to September October calving to avoid
00:16:31 --> 00:16:36 that hot humid weather as well as take advantage of cool season forages.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: That's right.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:40 Yeah, really, you know, the thing about the South, we can, we can
00:16:40 --> 00:16:45 produce a lot of forage and a big chunk of that is like dry cow feed.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 You know, we, so we
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 produce a lot of
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 mediocre forage.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:52 It's interesting dynamic especially when you're dealing with something
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 that demands higher quality.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:57 So we really need to target that, you know, and try to get, get those winter
00:16:57 --> 00:17:02 annual forages that we can plant here over our, over our warm season perennials
00:17:02 --> 00:17:05 and take advantage of those cooler temperatures you know, breeding cows
00:17:05 --> 00:17:11 when it's nice and cool in December here, all those things that, that working with
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 mother nature, not against her, that's for
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:21 When you, you moved from PA to Louisiana, that's a, a big change.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:26 Did you go, did you take your cows from Pennsylvania down, or did you sell
00:17:26 --> 00:17:30 everything in Pennsylvania, go down to Louisiana, and then, I guess you,
00:17:31 --> 00:17:34 I may have answered my own question, you didn't move cows down, you didn't
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 have a barn when you moved down there.
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: That's a really good question.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 We, we actually did, did move our cows
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 down.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:43 We, we, we sold, we moved our cows and machinery.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 Okay.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:47 And would have sold our real estate and and of course our fixed assets
00:17:47 --> 00:17:51 up there but everything else did come down and and that's that was a chore.
00:17:51 --> 00:17:55 I'd probably only want to do one time We were very we're very blessed in that.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:59 I forget how many How many loads of cattle ended up being with Youngstalk
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 and we moved about 100 milking down.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 So it was
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yes.
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: 100 milking plus, plus supporting
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 Youngstalk and we're very blessed.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:11 We didn't even have a, a single animal, even carry a leg off a trailer.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:14 So we were very thankful that that went as well as it did.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:18 Don't think I'd want to try it again and, and, and hope for those same results.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 But it was interesting.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:22 We, we moved them down in September, which.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:28 Is an interesting month down here because it can be very late summer, hot
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 type weather.
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 Or less likely, but can be.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:36 Moving into kind of a fall you know, a fall, more seasonal type,
00:18:36 --> 00:18:40 more comfortable weather that particular year in 2009, September
00:18:40 --> 00:18:42 was, it was exceptionally cool here.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 So,
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh,
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: it really worked out nice.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:47 It was kind of very little transition for the cows.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:52 But then, of course, as time went by, I think the genetics have definitely.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:56 You know, as genetics do, they sort themselves out and you know,
00:18:56 --> 00:18:59 the ones that can acclimate to the warmer climate do better.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:03 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: So, so you were able to move those cows down when
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 they were dry before they were in milk.
00:19:05 --> 00:19:08 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Actually, we spring calved that year.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh,
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 oh, okay.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: as you bring this up.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:14 I guess I tried to bury some of the stuff in my mind so I
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 wouldn't have to think of it.
00:19:15 --> 00:19:19 But, but yeah, we, we, we spring calved in 2009.
00:19:19 --> 00:19:21 So we had a, we had a herd of cows.
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 It was about About halfway through lactation or, or more
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 probably try two thirds stale.
00:19:27 --> 00:19:32 So they came down and then prior to that, 2008, we, we purchased
00:19:32 --> 00:19:35 a bunch of open heifers out in New York state, Holstein, Jersey.
00:19:35 --> 00:19:39 They were kind of some by products of some of the, the larger dairies up there
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 were breeding their heifers, Jersey.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 So, so we had a two way cross we had available.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 We could purchase these as open animals, brought them down.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:53 And bred them the winter of 08, 09, and then they were set to calve in that fall.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:53 So
00:19:53 --> 00:19:58 here we are in September of 09 with a half stale herd, heifers calving,
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 facility, you know, never quite ready.
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 You know how that goes.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 And that's a, that's a fall.
00:20:04 --> 00:20:08 We don't need to need to repeat anytime soon, but we're, we're, we're, we made it.
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 We're here to talk about it.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 So we're
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Yeah, well, that's, that's great.
00:20:12 --> 00:20:16 So, we, we dairied with my grandparents.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:22 And then we, or my dad put in his own dairy two miles away from my grandparents.
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 And of course, we were milking year round.
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 So.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:29 We moved those cows down as soon as we finished one morning milking.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:32 We separate them off, hauled them down two miles.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:35 And then we evening milk down here and it was a mess.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:40 So, and we were going two miles, so I can only imagine the logistics
00:20:40 --> 00:20:43 and how it all worked out to move them across the country.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:43 So.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah, it was interesting.
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 Yeah.
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 But, you know, cattle were.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 Cattle are resilient.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:49 It's, it's
00:20:49 --> 00:20:52 amazing how you take a, take a crossbred cow.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 She's a pretty, pretty, hardy girl.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:57 And you know, they, they, they took it well, but it there's definitely
00:20:57 --> 00:21:00 a few wrinkles and it takes a little time to smooth them all
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 out, but they all do eventually.
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Well, you mentioned crossbred there,
00:21:04 --> 00:21:08 and you mentioned you'd purchased some Jersey hosting cows.
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 What kind of breeds are you going for?
00:21:10 --> 00:21:14 What kind of bulls are you using to get cows to excel in your system?
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 It's, it's, it's an interesting story in itself.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:21 When we got started back in 2003 in Pennsylvania, when we first started in
00:21:21 --> 00:21:25 the dairy business, we, we you know, we had those Holstein Jersey type.
00:21:25 --> 00:21:28 Animals that were pretty available when you love crossbreds and
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 you want to keep crossbreeding.
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 But how do you do it?
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 That's the big question.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 How
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 do you do it in a way that makes sense?
00:21:33 --> 00:21:37 You know, so we really didn't know what we were doing.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:42 So we, we actually for probably, well, every year we were up there, we would
00:21:42 --> 00:21:46 take and we set up all of our March calvers, which would be like our first
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 30 day calvers in our calving season.
00:21:48 --> 00:21:51 And we set them up like a precinct off sync.
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 And did a
00:21:52 --> 00:21:56 timed AI, and then we just put some cleanup bulls in a few days later.
00:21:56 --> 00:22:01 So we're able to utilize some AI without it extending, you know, real
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 far into June and stuff like that.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:05 So as far as genetics, we didn't know what we wanted to do.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:09 So we just, we just start, we just picked a breed and we just bred
00:22:09 --> 00:22:10 with a different breed every year.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:13 Like we, we use New Zealand Frisian, we use.
00:22:13 --> 00:22:19 Swedish Red, Montbeliard Brown Swiss New Zealand Jersey, really noth everything
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 we could find that wasn't North American
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 is, is kind of what we, what we did.
00:22:23 --> 00:22:30 So, then we come down here and we switch to a fall seasonal calving schedule, so
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 we'll be breeding everything in December.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:34 Well, this is an area where there's no dairy.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 So there's no AI support work or anything like,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:40 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: and it's December and there's more
00:22:40 --> 00:22:43 important things to do, like go deer hunting and all that kind of stuff.
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 So you can't find any help to breed cows.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 So we're like, what are we going to do?
00:22:47 --> 00:22:51 Well, we just, we figured we would we got our hands on some crossbred bulls and we
00:22:51 --> 00:22:53 just bull breed till we figure this out.
00:22:54 --> 00:22:57 Well, that was 15 years ago and we're still.
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 Just bull breed and everything.
00:22:59 --> 00:23:03 So we, we actually been, we've been completely closed for about 10 years.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:07 So we've took it, take all that genetic diversity that we kind of put together
00:23:07 --> 00:23:10 hodgepodge, and that was our herd.
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 And then we've just selected bulls.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:15 out of there from cow lines that we like.
00:23:15 --> 00:23:18 Try to be as diverse as we can with those lines.
00:23:18 --> 00:23:22 And we've just we've just used a composite, internally
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 produced, crossbred bull.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:28 They do a great job getting cows bred quickly and we like what we're,
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 We like what we're working with.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:34 So, these are all things that the, that the industry kind of shuns, but, you
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 know, it's just, it's just what we do.
00:23:36 --> 00:23:40 You know, and I'm, and I'm not saying it's right or wrong not here to, to, you know,
00:23:40 --> 00:23:45 to make kind of some kind of statement, but it, it has worked well for us.
00:23:45 --> 00:23:48 And we're real pleased with what we're, what we're seeing.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:50 So it's, it's pretty simple breeding.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 Pretty simple.
00:23:50 --> 00:23:52 We just put the bulls in Montbeliard.
00:23:52 --> 00:23:55 Yeah.
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: doesn't mean it may work for someone else.
00:23:57 --> 00:24:03 It may not work, but it's working for you, which so as you, you closed
00:24:03 --> 00:24:08 your herd about 10 years ago, and you look at your herd, can you see some
00:24:08 --> 00:24:12 of those different breed influences carrying out that may be more prevalent,
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 prevalent now that's worked better?
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 Or is it?
00:24:16 --> 00:24:20 Meshed and merged into its own type more, and you couldn't really
00:24:20 --> 00:24:23 say, Oh, that's from the Swedish red we add, or the Montbell,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:26 Montbellaire, I'm not saying that.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 Yes,
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 Yeah, it's interesting.
00:24:30 --> 00:24:33 You know, you'd, you'd, you'd love to think that, you know, we're going to have
00:24:33 --> 00:24:37 this perfectly aligned composite cross that's, you know, evenly distributed
00:24:37 --> 00:24:39 across all these great breeds.
00:24:39 --> 00:24:41 And we, we both know that that doesn't work
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 that way.
00:24:42 --> 00:24:44 But it, it, it does kind of to a point.
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 But it is interesting.
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 Yeah.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 Some of the.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:52 For example our larger cattle seem to leave a little quicker.
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 our
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yes.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:58 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: our brown Swiss Montbeliard, those that were heavily
00:24:58 --> 00:25:01 influenced that way for whatever reason.
00:25:01 --> 00:25:04 It wasn't something that we manipulated or anything like that.
00:25:05 --> 00:25:09 It does seem like we've, we've kind of, settled into a little
00:25:09 --> 00:25:13 shorter, stouter, thicker type.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:18 Animal maybe a little bit more Friesian type animal maybe that
00:25:18 --> 00:25:23 stature and a little thicker like that you know, that seems to, and I'm
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 guessing that's climate that probably
00:25:24 --> 00:25:30 drives what stays you know, so our, our, our typical cows now gonna be
00:25:30 --> 00:25:36 probably a thousand pounds when she calves and maybe Maybe 1150, you
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 know, that, that dry off something
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 like that.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:42 So it's kind of a medium sized cow, but there is some, there, there's plenty
00:25:42 --> 00:25:47 of diversity and, and unpredictability, I guess you'd say that goes with, you
00:25:47 --> 00:25:50 know, that many breeds represented, you do, you do, you'll have a calf that's
00:25:50 --> 00:25:52 like, that looks like a purebred Jersey.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 Where'd that come from?
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 We
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yes
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: know, for years, but you know, so
00:25:56 --> 00:25:59 it's, I guess it's kinda, we, we're taking the genetic approach of
00:25:59 --> 00:26:01 really just kind of letting stuff.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:06 Do what it's going to do and what's going to thrive here thrive.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:10 And hopefully that's a, that's an animal that you know, that's,
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 that's acceptable for us.
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 And so far that seems to be the case.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:16 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: I this terms not gonna be correct or anything, but I
00:26:16 --> 00:26:20 like to think of as you're doubling down on your cows I know people talk about
00:26:21 --> 00:26:25 you know, you can take three generation of bulls and just completely change your
00:26:25 --> 00:26:29 cow herd Well, what if your cow herd, and this is more towards beef people,
00:26:29 --> 00:26:32 what if your cow herd is what you like?
00:26:32 --> 00:26:37 Double down on your cows, keep your own bulls, and then you're, you're expanding
00:26:37 --> 00:26:42 the influence of genetics of your best cows in your herd, and keeping that in.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:46 Because you may not want to change your herd in three generations.
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Oh yeah.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:49 That, yeah, that's such an accurate statement.
00:26:49 --> 00:26:51 That's absolutely a lot of our philosophy.
00:26:51 --> 00:26:55 You know, we, we want to see, you know, we want to take those traits.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:58 of the cows that are at the middle of that bell shaped curve.
00:26:58 --> 00:27:01 We don't want, you know, we're not breeding for milk.
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 We're not, you know,
00:27:02 --> 00:27:05 we have a minimum that we, we would, we would tolerate as far as production.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 We're not breeding for the top end of milk.
00:27:07 --> 00:27:10 We're not, we're not really breeding for the top end of anything.
00:27:10 --> 00:27:13 We want those ones that are thriving the best here,
00:27:13 --> 00:27:17 you know, and then that even brings into the discussion
00:27:17 --> 00:27:19 you know, like epigenetics and
00:27:19 --> 00:27:24 what effect the climate has on genetic expression, which I've found to be.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:26 Absolutely intriguing.
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 The same, the same genetics up north.
00:27:30 --> 00:27:35 mature and behave differently down here than what they did up there.
00:27:35 --> 00:27:37 Which just blew my mind.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:40 A couple of examples of that would be you know, we would always de bud our
00:27:40 --> 00:27:43 calves up there at about eight weeks old.
00:27:43 --> 00:27:48 And, and we came down here and started calving and in these conditions especially
00:27:48 --> 00:27:50 the last trimester of gestation, it's.
00:27:50 --> 00:27:52 You know, 95 degrees every
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 day.
00:27:53 --> 00:27:57 Whether that's the impact, whether that's the, the, the, the, the factor
00:27:57 --> 00:27:59 that's affecting or not, I don't know.
00:27:59 --> 00:28:04 But these calves now we have to, we have to be out there around 12
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 weeks before we can even feel a bud
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yes.
00:28:08 --> 00:28:10 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Just really yeah, I found it to be
00:28:10 --> 00:28:15 incredibly interesting and then the other end of that is on our replacement
00:28:15 --> 00:28:20 heifers You know, we would always breed it, you know 15 months or something
00:28:20 --> 00:28:25 like that up there and you know, Kevin it around two years and here these
00:28:25 --> 00:28:27 animals They they hold good flesh.
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 They look fine.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:33 They just look so immature Way too immature to breed at that age.
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yes.
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: we actually had, it took us a few years to
00:28:37 --> 00:28:42 kind of come on board with this, but we actually have switched to a, we breed at
00:28:42 --> 00:28:44 two years old and cab at three years old.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:47 Again, just something the industry would not tolerate at all.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:54 But it's just, What happens to work here and again, is that, is that some, some
00:28:54 --> 00:28:58 sort of epigenetic expression based on, you know, what the climate does, you
00:28:58 --> 00:29:00 know, impact, how it impacts the cow?
00:29:00 --> 00:29:06 I don't know, but we're just trying to observe these things and take
00:29:06 --> 00:29:10 note of them and, and, and follow them rather than try to bend them to
00:29:10 --> 00:29:12 conform what we want to do, you know.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:15 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh yes, and I would assume you're growing
00:29:15 --> 00:29:19 your heifers out on forage only, so that's going to reduce that
00:29:19 --> 00:29:21 growth rate somewhat, depending on
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Basically.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 Yeah.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 A
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 lot of grazing.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:27 You know, one thing about the Southern forage model is there's some real
00:29:27 --> 00:29:31 flat spots in forage quality for anything like a young heifer or a
00:29:31 --> 00:29:36 lactating cow and fall is a, is a real tough time as far as forage quality.
00:29:36 --> 00:29:40 So we will keep our, our calves will be on free choice grain.
00:29:40 --> 00:29:42 The first, Winter, then they'll go
00:29:42 --> 00:29:45 on all forage at about six months old.
00:29:45 --> 00:29:50 And then we actually bring those yearlings we actually put them back
00:29:50 --> 00:29:55 on cell feeders for a few months that first fall when they're, when
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 they're one year old, because it
00:29:56 --> 00:29:58 seems to be a very susceptible time.
00:29:59 --> 00:30:02 For them as far as holding condition on very low quality forage.
00:30:02 --> 00:30:06 In fact, one thing that's really interesting is we run our
00:30:06 --> 00:30:09 yearlings with our two year olds.
00:30:09 --> 00:30:13 Both are open groups so we will graze them together through the summer.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:17 And then as you're moving into late summer and fall and forage quality
00:30:17 --> 00:30:22 really falls apart, those two year olds just stay butterball slick and the
00:30:22 --> 00:30:24 yearlings really start going backwards.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Yeah.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 Oh,
00:30:26 --> 00:30:29 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: maybe I'm, I'm guessing just maybe rumen size,
00:30:30 --> 00:30:34 you know, the, the bigger heifer could, can, can take more low quality forage in
00:30:34 --> 00:30:39 and, and, and, and metabolize that in the, in the younger heifer can, I'm guessing
00:30:39 --> 00:30:43 but again, we don't, we, we can't answer exactly why, but we sure have observed it.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:46 And we're going to try to react to it appropriately
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: yes.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: negative effect.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 You know,
00:30:50 --> 00:30:53 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: I'd love to talk more about the cows, but
00:30:53 --> 00:30:56 let's transition just a little bit and talk about your forages.
00:30:56 --> 00:31:00 What you're grazing, I know you moved down there in 09.
00:31:01 --> 00:31:05 Yes, and 09 what did it look like for forage base that you were starting from?
00:31:07 --> 00:31:09 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: as far as the forage base, we were, we
00:31:09 --> 00:31:12 were starting from there was nothing here because it was row crop land.
00:31:12 --> 00:31:16 And we were converting row crop land to, to pasture.
00:31:18 --> 00:31:22 That was a journey in itself because we thought that you know, if you're familiar
00:31:22 --> 00:31:26 with the South, warm season perennials are kind of king, Bermuda grass,
00:31:26 --> 00:31:29 Bahia grass, those types of things.
00:31:29 --> 00:31:33 And typically you're going to overseed with, with rye grass or, or
00:31:33 --> 00:31:38 a small grain for a window of higher quality forage in the wintertime.
00:31:39 --> 00:31:42 But, you know, we thought here in North Louisiana, surely.
00:31:42 --> 00:31:47 We can get fescue to grow because if we can get a cool season
00:31:47 --> 00:31:52 perennial to grow this far south That's the holy grail right now You
00:31:52 --> 00:31:58 have you have that quality and you have a perennial form and we we tried
00:31:58 --> 00:32:03 that for Ten years, but eight years anyway, probably trying to get fescue.
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 How are we gonna keep fescue here?
00:32:04 --> 00:32:10 You plant it that looks great for like two years and then it it just Falls apart.
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 It
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yes.
00:32:11 --> 00:32:15 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: can't seem to handle the length of time of, of
00:32:15 --> 00:32:18 hot, humid weather, hot, humid nights.
00:32:18 --> 00:32:20 The summer is just too long and hard on it.
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 But boy, we tried.
00:32:22 --> 00:32:26 We spent a lot of money, a lot of time, but we, we gave up on that when we
00:32:26 --> 00:32:28 realized that we couldn't make it work.
00:32:28 --> 00:32:33 So we went to, to an improved hybrid Bermuda as our warm season
00:32:33 --> 00:32:35 perennial base across the whole farm.
00:32:35 --> 00:32:37 Russell Bermuda is actually what we're using.
00:32:37 --> 00:32:43 And And then we, we we overseed with broadcast ryegrass and drilled oats
00:32:44 --> 00:32:49 on about about two thirds of the acreage for, for winter grazing, winter
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yes.
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: bring the quality in.
00:32:53 --> 00:32:55 We can grow clover here.
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 Clover is a big component.
00:32:56 --> 00:33:00 Really you know, especially as you, as you, as your window of high quality
00:33:00 --> 00:33:04 forage goes away at either end, you have that clover quality or that clover
00:33:04 --> 00:33:08 component in there and you can carry that quality out several more weeks.
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 Especially in the late spring.
00:33:10 --> 00:33:14 So we're, we welcome that and we try to enhance that as much as we can
00:33:14 --> 00:33:16 through seed setting and, and things.
00:33:16 --> 00:33:19 In fact, we got several years ago, we actually got in the, in
00:33:19 --> 00:33:21 the honeybee business as well.
00:33:21 --> 00:33:23 We could just to try to pollinate our clover better.
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 So we have and.
00:33:25 --> 00:33:29 Like, like dairy farmers do if, if milking 20 cows is fun, you
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 know, 200 is going to be a blast.
00:33:30 --> 00:33:32 So, you know, we can't have two beehives.
00:33:32 --> 00:33:34 We have, we have a couple hundred now
00:33:34 --> 00:33:36 and they're off the farm and stuff.
00:33:36 --> 00:33:41 But they are, I think our objective, original objective was to, to see
00:33:41 --> 00:33:43 more honeybees in the pastures.
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 We've definitely accomplished that.
00:33:44 --> 00:33:47 And I think it's had a huge positive impact on our, on our
00:33:47 --> 00:33:49 clover seed setting capability.
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 So.
00:33:51 --> 00:33:53 that that's something we're really happy with.
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 It doesn't cost
00:33:54 --> 00:33:59 money, you know, to want to, you want to try to you know, Initiate that
00:33:59 --> 00:34:02 as much as you can as far as that self seeding of the, of the legume.
00:34:02 --> 00:34:05 So we're not, we're not actually buying any clover seed right now to overseed.
00:34:05 --> 00:34:09 We're, we're just relying on on on the self seeding of the plants
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 that are out there and then the
00:34:10 --> 00:34:15 cows, they do a great job of moving those, those hard seeds around when
00:34:15 --> 00:34:18 you, you know, with, with aggressive rotational grazing and things like that.
00:34:18 --> 00:34:23 So, yeah, that's, that's pretty much the, The basics of what
00:34:23 --> 00:34:25 our forage program looks like.
00:34:25 --> 00:34:29 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: and then Well, first off before we move off the forage.
00:34:29 --> 00:34:33 Are you planting any warm season annuals in there?
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah, it's interesting you ask that question.
00:34:35 --> 00:34:37 We're, we're not, and it, it
00:34:37 --> 00:34:40 is, it is a climate that you know, sort of Sudan would be, does
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 great here.
00:34:41 --> 00:34:43 Crabgrass, those types of things.
00:34:43 --> 00:34:48 It's, it's interesting in the South, at least this far South, where you have
00:34:48 --> 00:34:51 water anywhere you're irrigating, those.
00:34:52 --> 00:34:56 The warm season is long enough that the, that the crabgrass and
00:34:56 --> 00:35:00 some millets and even Johnson grass tends to really come on its own.
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 So
00:35:01 --> 00:35:04 we've, we're, we're really really try to leverage that
00:35:04 --> 00:35:07 volunteer summer annual grasses
00:35:07 --> 00:35:11 you know, that, that are, you know, largely considered weeds in
00:35:11 --> 00:35:16 some circles, but is, is, is very digestible forage, especially.
00:35:16 --> 00:35:18 In the warm season.
00:35:18 --> 00:35:20 So we try to leverage that as much as we can.
00:35:20 --> 00:35:24 We, we we, we definitely want to see those forages coming and the
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 water, the water helps bring them.
00:35:26 --> 00:35:28 So we try to promote that as much as we can.
00:35:28 --> 00:35:32 And, and that's definitely in June and early July, as we're getting
00:35:32 --> 00:35:36 toward the end of lactation, those are, those are definitely you can make
00:35:36 --> 00:35:39 more milk on summer annuals than we can Bermuda grass that time of year.
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 More digestible.
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 No
00:35:41 --> 00:35:41 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah
00:35:42 --> 00:35:45 with your your forages and your grazing.
00:35:45 --> 00:35:50 How are you managing your cows and Where they're grazing?
00:35:52 --> 00:35:52 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah.
00:35:52 --> 00:35:58 Without having a map up to show you which would make it a little bit easier, but to
00:35:58 --> 00:36:04 kind of describe our main dairy platform, we would have our milking center is right
00:36:04 --> 00:36:07 in the middle of Of about 1000 acre block.
00:36:07 --> 00:36:08 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, okay.
00:36:08 --> 00:36:11 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: and then on either side of of the milk milking
00:36:11 --> 00:36:15 center that milking parlor we have we have 2 of our larger pivot center pivots.
00:36:15 --> 00:36:18 1 is a 300 acre pivot on the east side.
00:36:18 --> 00:36:21 And a 200 acre pivot on the West side.
00:36:21 --> 00:36:22 So 2 big circles.
00:36:22 --> 00:36:26 With the milk parlor right in the center and then we would move out and
00:36:26 --> 00:36:30 we could, you know, we have those have those fields pretty much divided up
00:36:30 --> 00:36:32 kind of pie shape type configuration
00:36:32 --> 00:36:33 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:36:33 --> 00:36:36 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: we could, we had a, our cow lane went around.
00:36:36 --> 00:36:40 There was a circle on under each pivot and off of that circle lane, we could.
00:36:41 --> 00:36:45 We could hit whatever paddocks we wanted to and works, works pretty well.
00:36:45 --> 00:36:49 We, we typically have have not done a lot of polywire subdivision.
00:36:49 --> 00:36:55 We kind of set the paddock sizes to what our milking herd was going to be.
00:36:55 --> 00:36:59 And then we, we basically managed residuals with leader
00:36:59 --> 00:37:01 follower groups or, or heifer
00:37:01 --> 00:37:03 groups bull group, those types of things.
00:37:03 --> 00:37:05 And it worked pretty well.
00:37:05 --> 00:37:09 It wasn't, Wasn't optimal with grass utilization, but it was it, it, it got
00:37:09 --> 00:37:12 the job done as far as basically getting the residuals we were looking for.
00:37:13 --> 00:37:17 Now I say all that in the last, in the last year, last spring, to be
00:37:17 --> 00:37:22 exact, we, we we put virtual fence collars on our cows, which has
00:37:22 --> 00:37:24 really been a game changer for us.
00:37:24 --> 00:37:29 We we took out a lot of our cross fences and have much bigger paddocks now that
00:37:29 --> 00:37:33 we just You know, we can break those cows virtually you know, into whatever
00:37:33 --> 00:37:35 paddock sizes we, we want them to be.
00:37:35 --> 00:37:40 So that, that's kind of how we're we're managing the cows now, but we are, we're
00:37:40 --> 00:37:45 able to rotate more aggressively take residuals down to the, to the levels we
00:37:45 --> 00:37:47 want to, more so than we could before.
00:37:47 --> 00:37:51 But but yeah, to, to, to answer your question simply would be we want
00:37:51 --> 00:37:55 to, we want to rotate, you know, we're, we're rotationally grazing.
00:37:56 --> 00:38:00 You know, as aggressively as we can moving cattle as often as we can.
00:38:01 --> 00:38:01 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:38:02 --> 00:38:04 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: You know, to, to try to try to get that
00:38:04 --> 00:38:08 fastest regrowth that we can get and again, without, without going in and
00:38:08 --> 00:38:12 taking that second bite, you know, in that grass before it's able to, to, to
00:38:12 --> 00:38:16 regrow, you know, basically basically, we're trying to mimic the Buffalo herd.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:18 We want to keep the cows moving.
00:38:18 --> 00:38:22 We want to have maximum pressure for the shortest duration period
00:38:22 --> 00:38:25 of time, and then the longest rest possible before we come back.
00:38:26 --> 00:38:31 Seems to be not only the, the best from a, from a forage utilization standpoint
00:38:31 --> 00:38:35 for, for cow performance, but also, you know, from a soil health standpoint too.
00:38:37 --> 00:38:39 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: One thing we didn't talk about earlier.
00:38:40 --> 00:38:41 How many times a day are you milking?
00:38:42 --> 00:38:43 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: We are milking twice.
00:38:44 --> 00:38:49 Yeah, we, we we, we, we start out with twice a day when we calve and
00:38:49 --> 00:38:52 then we actually do the last 60 days.
00:38:53 --> 00:38:57 60 to 80 days, the lactation, we, we have been the past several years
00:38:57 --> 00:39:01 moving to a to a modified like a three and two type schedule where we'll
00:39:01 --> 00:39:04 milk once, once one day, twice the next day.
00:39:04 --> 00:39:07 And it's, that's worked really well because we don't seem
00:39:07 --> 00:39:10 to lose much production from what we would have been at.
00:39:10 --> 00:39:14 You know, somatic cell still stays in line more so than it seems like
00:39:14 --> 00:39:18 it did when we tried just going cold turkey to like once a day.
00:39:18 --> 00:39:18 Okay.
00:39:18 --> 00:39:22 You know, and it, and allows us to manage manage our labor a little bit more
00:39:22 --> 00:39:23 efficiently and those types of things.
00:39:23 --> 00:39:26 So we've really enjoyed that, that modified schedule
00:39:26 --> 00:39:28 the last quarter of lactation.
00:39:29 --> 00:39:32 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Well, let's go ahead and jump back to your fencing
00:39:32 --> 00:39:36 just a little bit I want to get that in there about milking Schedule
00:39:36 --> 00:39:40 because I just wasn't sure about it I'd assume twice a day, but I see
00:39:41 --> 00:39:44 I follow a guy on YouTube that does once a day milking, which I think is
00:39:45 --> 00:39:45 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah.
00:39:46 --> 00:39:46 Yeah.
00:39:47 --> 00:39:48 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Go ahead.
00:39:48 --> 00:39:50 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Now I was just going to say it is, it's very
00:39:50 --> 00:39:54 you know, and we've, we're drawn to, to more of the less frequent milking.
00:39:54 --> 00:39:58 It seems like, you know, You know, certain times of the year, as we
00:39:58 --> 00:40:01 start to warm up, you know, somatic cell can be more of a challenge.
00:40:01 --> 00:40:04 So we're trying to, you know, manage against that, making
00:40:04 --> 00:40:05 sure that stays in line.
00:40:06 --> 00:40:09 But, but yeah, that's, that kind of goes with the, with the grazing mindset.
00:40:09 --> 00:40:14 We can, we can, we can utilize grass more be able to be more labor efficient
00:40:14 --> 00:40:17 you know, and still get a level of milk production that's acceptable.
00:40:18 --> 00:40:20 I think our margin in this type of models.
00:40:20 --> 00:40:23 Better with, in some cases, less frequent milking.
00:40:23 --> 00:40:27 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah, well, let's transition to the
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00:41:26 --> 00:41:26 com
00:41:27 --> 00:41:30 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: And we we just talked a little bit about it was
00:41:30 --> 00:41:37 your virtual fence collars So I think you said you started that Last spring.
00:41:38 --> 00:41:38 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: That's correct.
00:41:38 --> 00:41:39 Yeah.
00:41:39 --> 00:41:44 This past April of 2024 is when we what, when we call it our first cows
00:41:44 --> 00:41:48 and a little bit of, a little bit of background on that whole journey.
00:41:48 --> 00:41:54 About two years ago, I reached out to a New Zealand company by the name of Halter.
00:41:55 --> 00:41:58 They were, they were a young virtual fence company at that time, just
00:41:58 --> 00:42:00 been in business for a few years.
00:42:00 --> 00:42:02 Kind of, that's where kind of everybody's been in that space.
00:42:02 --> 00:42:05 You know, it's been pretty new that since that's come out.
00:42:05 --> 00:42:08 And I read about them in the New Zealand dairy exporter and,
00:42:08 --> 00:42:11 and thought, I'll reach out and see if I can talk to somebody.
00:42:11 --> 00:42:14 I'm sure it's not available in the States, but it'd be cool to talk to them.
00:42:15 --> 00:42:19 So, Started, started talking with an individual from there.
00:42:19 --> 00:42:22 And as it turned out, they aspired to come to the States.
00:42:22 --> 00:42:25 They weren't here yet, but they, they aspired to bring their collars over
00:42:25 --> 00:42:27 here at some point in the future.
00:42:27 --> 00:42:31 So, you know, we started talking about what that would look like
00:42:31 --> 00:42:33 here and all those types of things.
00:42:33 --> 00:42:37 So again, to make a long story short, it was two years of that really year
00:42:37 --> 00:42:41 and a half of them kind of getting to a point where they could launch
00:42:41 --> 00:42:43 over here that worked out good.
00:42:43 --> 00:42:45 It kind of gave us an opportunity to really.
00:42:45 --> 00:42:50 Digest that whole thing and say, okay, what's this maybe going to look like here?
00:42:50 --> 00:42:52 Is this something that's going to fit for us?
00:42:52 --> 00:42:55 You know, it was nice to be able to kind of take that slow and methodical.
00:42:56 --> 00:42:58 Still being an unknown, you don't know, but you at least you can
00:42:58 --> 00:43:02 think about a little longer, you know, so as, as they, when they were
00:43:02 --> 00:43:04 ready this spring, we were ready.
00:43:04 --> 00:43:07 So, so they, we, we set up the infrastructure here, which is
00:43:07 --> 00:43:11 just 2, 2 towers on the farm to communicate with the callers, their
00:43:11 --> 00:43:13 solar power that both the callers.
00:43:14 --> 00:43:18 And the towers are solar powered and and the towers make their own
00:43:18 --> 00:43:23 wifi as far as their communication with the, with the caller.
00:43:23 --> 00:43:29 So it's, it's pretty independent of, you know, you don't need wifi across the farm
00:43:29 --> 00:43:30 or something like anything like that.
00:43:31 --> 00:43:32 They do rely on us.
00:43:32 --> 00:43:34 I think it's a cell signal maybe
00:43:34 --> 00:43:36 that, that lets them do that.
00:43:36 --> 00:43:40 But But yeah, these are, these are solar powered collar that allow you to
00:43:40 --> 00:43:45 virtually break and control the cattle as far as anywhere you could, could
00:43:45 --> 00:43:50 polywire cattle, you can, you know, with your phone, you can just draw the breaks
00:43:50 --> 00:43:52 and, and hold the cattle virtually.
00:43:53 --> 00:43:58 They also will virtually shift the cattle from paddock to the
00:43:58 --> 00:44:01 milking parlor or from paddock to paddock, which is a great feature.
00:44:02 --> 00:44:02 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yes.
00:44:02 --> 00:44:05 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: the, and it's a, it's a, watching the
00:44:05 --> 00:44:09 cows adapt to this has been really, Really just an amazing experience.
00:44:09 --> 00:44:14 And I, I guess I need to give the cows credit for being a lot smarter now
00:44:14 --> 00:44:15 than what I always thought they were.
00:44:16 --> 00:44:19 But but they actually, there's a, there's a series of prompts
00:44:19 --> 00:44:21 that they get through tone.
00:44:21 --> 00:44:27 Vibration, pulsing vibration and, and in, in an extreme situation of shock
00:44:28 --> 00:44:34 that, that initiate the cattle to, to move a certain direction and you'll take
00:44:34 --> 00:44:37 them out a certain gate and it'll take them to the milking parlor, which is,
00:44:37 --> 00:44:40 which is pretty cool because, you know, you can set up what time you want to
00:44:40 --> 00:44:45 start milking and then you would, you would schedule your shift accordingly
00:44:45 --> 00:44:49 so that those cattle would shift and be at the parlor waiting for you.
00:44:49 --> 00:44:53 When it's time to milk, which is a, which is a nice feature for sure.
00:44:53 --> 00:44:54 A labor saver.
00:44:54 --> 00:44:56 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Right, because always when we dairied, you
00:44:56 --> 00:45:00 know, someone came down a half hour to an hour, if it's summer, before
00:45:00 --> 00:45:02 milking time to get the cows in.
00:45:02 --> 00:45:03 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: that's right.
00:45:03 --> 00:45:03 That's right.
00:45:03 --> 00:45:04 Yep.
00:45:05 --> 00:45:05 Yeah.
00:45:05 --> 00:45:09 So either, you know, that guy's getting less sleep than everybody else is.
00:45:10 --> 00:45:15 Or in our cases, sometimes our guys are and we're thankful for it.
00:45:15 --> 00:45:18 They're, they're pretty aggressive and want to be here.
00:45:18 --> 00:45:22 So I try to explain to them that I'm going to go over earlier, get the cows.
00:45:22 --> 00:45:24 You guys come over certain time.
00:45:24 --> 00:45:26 Well, I go over, then they go over.
00:45:26 --> 00:45:28 So then, you know, you know what that is.
00:45:28 --> 00:45:28 That's.
00:45:29 --> 00:45:31 A couple guys waiting around at the parlor that you're
00:45:31 --> 00:45:32 paying to do nothing for a while.
00:45:32 --> 00:45:32 So,
00:45:33 --> 00:45:37 so it, it has really made that, that whole thing more efficient.
00:45:37 --> 00:45:40 And then alongside that, they are they're a full activity collar.
00:45:40 --> 00:45:44 They're, they're monitoring rumination, grazing time, resting
00:45:44 --> 00:45:47 heat detection, those types of things.
00:45:47 --> 00:45:48 That's a really cool thing.
00:45:48 --> 00:45:50 We, we've never used activity collars before.
00:45:50 --> 00:45:52 So it's the data that we can get from that.
00:45:53 --> 00:45:55 It is very helpful.
00:45:56 --> 00:45:59 And then, you know, with, with, with coming out of New Zealand,
00:45:59 --> 00:46:04 you know, they're so, they're so in tune with grass utilization.
00:46:04 --> 00:46:05 They're so good at it over
00:46:05 --> 00:46:06 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:46:06 --> 00:46:07 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: their, land is so high price.
00:46:08 --> 00:46:12 It's limited resource that they are really good at, at, at residuals and,
00:46:12 --> 00:46:14 and, and utilizing every resource.
00:46:15 --> 00:46:20 Every kilogram for, for the, for their, in their situation, every kg of dry
00:46:20 --> 00:46:22 matter, they can, they can get over there.
00:46:22 --> 00:46:27 So this thing is a whole grass management tool to like, when you, when you would
00:46:27 --> 00:46:31 set up, when you would draw a break for the cattle, it would, it'll, it'll tell
00:46:31 --> 00:46:34 you exactly how much area each cow has.
00:46:35 --> 00:46:39 And now over there, they're actually using satellite imagery to give
00:46:39 --> 00:46:42 them pre grazing cover estimates.
00:46:43 --> 00:46:43 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:46:43 --> 00:46:47 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: You, you would, the app has a feature where you
00:46:47 --> 00:46:53 would take pictures of the residual when you leave the field and it calculates how
00:46:53 --> 00:46:57 much residual you have and then how much you utilize, how much you fed each cow.
00:46:58 --> 00:47:01 So as far as it's, it's taken our management.
00:47:01 --> 00:47:07 You know, it's cranked it up from where we used to be as far as understanding,
00:47:07 --> 00:47:09 you know, grass utilization.
00:47:09 --> 00:47:10 So that's kind of cool.
00:47:10 --> 00:47:12 And I'm not even using all that stuff.
00:47:12 --> 00:47:16 It's not geared quite right for here yet.
00:47:16 --> 00:47:17 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:47:17 --> 00:47:18 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: trying to load a lot of residual pictures and.
00:47:19 --> 00:47:23 You know, through the algorithms and stuff, get those, get those a little more
00:47:23 --> 00:47:24 accurate than what they are right now.
00:47:24 --> 00:47:27 But but it is definitely more, I guess I say all that to say, it's definitely
00:47:27 --> 00:47:30 more than just a virtual boundary tool,
00:47:31 --> 00:47:31 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:47:32 --> 00:47:35 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: a, it's a whole forage utilization tool which
00:47:35 --> 00:47:37 it's I've found to be pretty powerful.
00:47:38 --> 00:47:40 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Well, I hadn't even thought about that to be honest
00:47:40 --> 00:47:46 Ted You know, I was thinking of it as sure you do some activity monitoring
00:47:46 --> 00:47:52 maybe catch a cow and heat or If a cow's starting to feel bad, you noticed that
00:47:52 --> 00:47:54 earlier, but mainly just as a boundary.
00:47:55 --> 00:47:59 I hadn't even thought about, with that defined boundary, you can do all kinds
00:47:59 --> 00:48:04 of calculations on that because you know exactly where they were, how long they
00:48:04 --> 00:48:08 were, and if you're, you're using that for all that, that, that gives you a lot
00:48:08 --> 00:48:11 of potential data at your fingertips.
00:48:12 --> 00:48:13 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: It really does.
00:48:13 --> 00:48:13 Yeah.
00:48:13 --> 00:48:18 And it has and continues to educate me and, and, and grow.
00:48:18 --> 00:48:21 You know, my ability as a, as a grazer or grass manager.
00:48:21 --> 00:48:22 So that's exciting.
00:48:23 --> 00:48:25 You know, that it can do those types of things.
00:48:25 --> 00:48:28 And the other, the other thing is, you know, like, you know, we all know,
00:48:28 --> 00:48:31 you know, especially if we're dairy grazers, we tend to, you know, we know
00:48:31 --> 00:48:33 those, those frequent moves for cattle.
00:48:34 --> 00:48:37 You can increase your forage utilization, intake, and
00:48:37 --> 00:48:40 those types of things, but, but, then there's the, you know, there's the
00:48:40 --> 00:48:43 point where, you know, where does it become impractical to move a poly wire,
00:48:44 --> 00:48:48 you know, three, four times a day, whatever, or more whereas if the
00:48:48 --> 00:48:54 poly wire or the breaking requires no labor now, you know, the sky's the
00:48:54 --> 00:48:56 limit on that, you know, so we can, we
00:48:56 --> 00:49:00 can set, you know, we can set those cattle to shift, you know, To new grass,
00:49:00 --> 00:49:05 you know, as many times as we'd want, as we want to across the course of a
00:49:05 --> 00:49:09 graze during the day or at night or whatever, and then still shift them to
00:49:09 --> 00:49:11 the parlor then when it's time to milk.
00:49:11 --> 00:49:15 So it's, it's that that's been, that that's been a big deal for us
00:49:15 --> 00:49:18 to be, just to be able to, cause we weren't big polywire users, just.
00:49:19 --> 00:49:22 For whatever reason, this wasn't really part of our model.
00:49:22 --> 00:49:26 But, but now we're really embracing, you know, the, the multiple, you
00:49:26 --> 00:49:29 know, shifts through the course of the graze, which is just exciting.
00:49:30 --> 00:49:32 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: and I know you're, you're working with a
00:49:32 --> 00:49:38 large number of cows, so it gives you some flexibility there on size.
00:49:38 --> 00:49:43 How small of an area can those fence, those virtual fence callers get cows
00:49:43 --> 00:49:45 down to without it being a problem?
00:49:46 --> 00:49:48 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah, that's, that's a good question.
00:49:48 --> 00:49:52 It, it allows you like on our, you know, on the app, on my phone, I
00:49:52 --> 00:49:55 can, I can draw that real small.
00:49:55 --> 00:49:57 And I think the.
00:49:57 --> 00:49:58 the.
00:49:58 --> 00:50:01 the buffering might be like, if, if you, you know, wherever the
00:50:01 --> 00:50:07 virtual line on the app is there may be a meteor or two on either side
00:50:07 --> 00:50:11 or, you know, that, that that, that there's a little fluctuation of
00:50:11 --> 00:50:15 where those, those cows actually stop grazing, but it is pretty interesting,
00:50:15 --> 00:50:18 you know, when you're, when you, when you're grazing through some pretty
00:50:18 --> 00:50:21 tall grass or some, you know, more cover there, you draw that line.
00:50:21 --> 00:50:23 It's a pretty well defined line out through the
00:50:23 --> 00:50:27 grass where they, where they stop at but yeah, I mean, you could, you could take
00:50:27 --> 00:50:32 that down to, you know, I'm trying to think we put some small groups of cattle
00:50:32 --> 00:50:35 on just a, just a real tiny little area.
00:50:35 --> 00:50:35 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:50:36 --> 00:50:38 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: You know, or if you, if you want to, if you want to
00:50:38 --> 00:50:43 fence out a little like a, like a ditch or a sinkhole or something, you don't
00:50:43 --> 00:50:48 want the cattle to be near, you know, a tree, you could draw around a tree
00:50:48 --> 00:50:49 that they, you know, anything like that.
00:50:50 --> 00:50:51 It's, it's, it's, it's pretty detailed.
00:50:51 --> 00:50:52 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:50:52 --> 00:50:53 That's interesting.
00:50:54 --> 00:51:00 How did you get your cows used to the collars and get that going?
00:51:00 --> 00:51:04 Was it a lot of transition to get them there or did the cows
00:51:04 --> 00:51:05 take to it pretty naturally?
00:51:06 --> 00:51:06 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah.
00:51:06 --> 00:51:09 It was, it was actually a pretty, pretty easy process.
00:51:09 --> 00:51:11 It was There were, there were two farms in the U.
00:51:11 --> 00:51:12 S.
00:51:12 --> 00:51:14 that were launching when we launched us and one other and they were
00:51:14 --> 00:51:17 putting them on some stockers up in Oregon at the same time.
00:51:17 --> 00:51:22 So, fortunately, which is not normally the case when a, when a herd would
00:51:22 --> 00:51:27 start up, but we had we had a, a person from Halter who was here on the ground.
00:51:27 --> 00:51:28 So he actually helped us collar,
00:51:29 --> 00:51:33 and then he was here to help walk us through the, the training, which
00:51:33 --> 00:51:36 was, you know, which was great to see his perspective and kind of
00:51:36 --> 00:51:38 have him take your hand on that.
00:51:38 --> 00:51:44 But but yeah, really, as far as the virtual boundary, they
00:51:44 --> 00:51:51 start respecting, or they're respecting that in 48 to 96 hours.
00:51:51 --> 00:51:51 I mean,
00:51:51 --> 00:51:52 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yes.
00:51:52 --> 00:51:53 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: much.
00:51:53 --> 00:51:56 I mean, what we would do is we went out the first evening.
00:51:56 --> 00:52:00 In fact, we collared cows, took us a day and a half to collar the milk
00:52:00 --> 00:52:01 and herd, and we were exhausted.
00:52:02 --> 00:52:04 And Peter, he said, Oh, we're going to be done in time.
00:52:04 --> 00:52:06 We can train cows this evening.
00:52:06 --> 00:52:08 Oh, the last thing I want to do is train cows this evening.
00:52:09 --> 00:52:11 So we, we go out and And it's pretty simple.
00:52:11 --> 00:52:17 We just, we took a paddock, we took a poly wire, split the paddock in half, and
00:52:17 --> 00:52:22 then we drew the virtual boundary about 10 meters in front of the poly wire.
00:52:22 --> 00:52:28 So, so the cow had the opportunity to, to visually approach the poly
00:52:28 --> 00:52:31 wire and then experience the collar.
00:52:32 --> 00:52:36 As, as she hit that virtual boundary before she got to it.
00:52:36 --> 00:52:38 So there was kind of a connection made there.
00:52:38 --> 00:52:40 And it was, you know, it was amazing.
00:52:40 --> 00:52:44 The next morning we went out and you could see, it was a little more jagged,
00:52:44 --> 00:52:49 but you could see a line 10 meters ahead of the polywire that like, well, these
00:52:49 --> 00:52:54 girls are, you know, they're, they're experiencing the collar before they're
00:52:54 --> 00:52:59 grazing up to the fence you know, so we, we did that for, for three or four days.
00:52:59 --> 00:53:05 And then we, then we removed the poly wire and, and you know, and watched
00:53:05 --> 00:53:08 them and you can, you can, the other thing that's pretty cool was, you
00:53:08 --> 00:53:12 know, they, the cows show up on your phone as little color coded dots,
00:53:12 --> 00:53:15 depending on which, what mob they're in.
00:53:15 --> 00:53:17 So you can see everything happening in real time, you know, and you can
00:53:17 --> 00:53:21 see if they're in the break or out of the break and, and yeah, within a
00:53:21 --> 00:53:23 couple of days that, that was down.
00:53:23 --> 00:53:29 And then the, the the virtual shifting takes them a little bit longer You
00:53:29 --> 00:53:31 know, the virtual boundary is the cows.
00:53:31 --> 00:53:33 Okay, I do something negative.
00:53:33 --> 00:53:38 I, I break the rules, so to speak, and I experienced negative things, you know, I
00:53:38 --> 00:53:46 crossed the line and I, whereas virtual shifting is, okay, I'm prompted to do
00:53:46 --> 00:53:49 this positive thing, you know, an example, walking toward the milking parlor.
00:53:49 --> 00:53:52 And when I don't do that.
00:53:52 --> 00:53:55 I'm experiencing negative prompts.
00:53:55 --> 00:53:59 And then when I step into that and, and do what I'm supposed to, they go away.
00:54:00 --> 00:54:04 So it's, it's almost like, you know, it's the, the training's kind of reversed
00:54:04 --> 00:54:06 for the cow from the virtual boundary.
00:54:06 --> 00:54:10 So that took a little longer that took probably 10 days, maybe.
00:54:10 --> 00:54:13 But it wasn't, wasn't bad.
00:54:13 --> 00:54:17 You know, what we would do is we would just we would initiate the shift on the
00:54:17 --> 00:54:22 app to shift the cows to par and at the same time, we would go out with a four
00:54:22 --> 00:54:25 wheeler and do what we normally would do.
00:54:25 --> 00:54:30 So the cows are experiencing this prompt and seeing what they're used to.
00:54:30 --> 00:54:33 You know, we open the gate and we do the thing, you know, and, and they would
00:54:33 --> 00:54:37 then, then they tie the two together and then Then we would delay how long it
00:54:37 --> 00:54:41 would take for us to get, you know, we would we would start the shift And then
00:54:41 --> 00:54:43 we'd maybe show up five minutes later
00:54:44 --> 00:54:44 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh,
00:54:44 --> 00:54:46 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: if they weren't starting to, you know, starting
00:54:46 --> 00:54:50 to come in and just kept backing that off to what, till they didn't need
00:54:51 --> 00:54:56 the prompting of what they saw in us to know that the shift was happening
00:54:56 --> 00:55:01 and and, and, and now they, you know, it's almost now, well, they react more
00:55:01 --> 00:55:05 now to that than they do the, the four wheeler used to be, you know, you drive
00:55:05 --> 00:55:05 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:55:05 --> 00:55:08 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: you know, And it's not shifting time.
00:55:08 --> 00:55:10 And they think it is just because of the four wheeler showed
00:55:10 --> 00:55:10 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, right.
00:55:10 --> 00:55:13 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: you know, now they don't act that way anymore.
00:55:13 --> 00:55:17 Cause they have associated, you know, the collar and the tones with the,
00:55:18 --> 00:55:20 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: which, which is nice because I can remember going
00:55:20 --> 00:55:24 out early to do something and I have a couple of cows show up at the barn.
00:55:24 --> 00:55:25 I'm like, you'll go back out.
00:55:25 --> 00:55:26 It's not time
00:55:26 --> 00:55:27 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: right, right.
00:55:27 --> 00:55:28 You're like, you didn't read the script.
00:55:28 --> 00:55:29 This isn't right.
00:55:29 --> 00:55:29 You know,
00:55:29 --> 00:55:30 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Right?
00:55:30 --> 00:55:30 Yeah.
00:55:30 --> 00:55:30 Yeah.
00:55:30 --> 00:55:32 I was out there doing something else.
00:55:32 --> 00:55:33 Couldn't you tell?
00:55:33 --> 00:55:34 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: that's exactly right.
00:55:34 --> 00:55:35 Yep.
00:55:36 --> 00:55:39 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Now, are you only using the collars on your milking herd?
00:55:40 --> 00:55:42 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: We we're using them on the milking herd and we
00:55:42 --> 00:55:50 also Collard are our breeding age heifer group because they would be grazing the,
00:55:50 --> 00:55:53 the, the main dairy grazing platform.
00:55:53 --> 00:55:58 Our, our goal was to everything that was going to spend time on the main
00:55:58 --> 00:56:00 platform, I figured would need to be.
00:56:01 --> 00:56:04 Collard so that, you know, so we could remove fences like we wanted
00:56:04 --> 00:56:08 to, and really, you know, allow all the groups to do that now.
00:56:09 --> 00:56:12 And, and we, we, we call it our heifers as well.
00:56:12 --> 00:56:13 The only group.
00:56:13 --> 00:56:15 We've not collared yet is our bulls.
00:56:16 --> 00:56:20 They've had, they've done limited work with that over there because
00:56:20 --> 00:56:23 there's a lot more AI and a lot less.
00:56:24 --> 00:56:24 Bull
00:56:24 --> 00:56:27 herds, like you'd say, I mean, we, we, we run a, you know, we have a
00:56:27 --> 00:56:30 hundred bulls from our most mature down through to our smallest one.
00:56:30 --> 00:56:32 So, I mean, they don't do that over there.
00:56:32 --> 00:56:34 So it really wasn't applicable.
00:56:34 --> 00:56:37 But that was one of my hangups when we were talking, you know, initially I
00:56:37 --> 00:56:40 said, I'm going to need to call these bulls and they said, I don't, I don't
00:56:40 --> 00:56:44 know if you can, and I said, well, I mean, we, we might need to try, so
00:56:44 --> 00:56:48 we're actually going to do some, some trial work with that this fall, we're
00:56:48 --> 00:56:50 going to, we're going to call it.
00:56:50 --> 00:56:51 And I think maybe.
00:56:52 --> 00:56:56 We might have to put collars on a little bit more snugly you
00:56:56 --> 00:56:59 know, a little tighter and, and it may mean more frequent adjusting.
00:56:59 --> 00:57:05 So we may have to modify our, our handling facilities to do that.
00:57:05 --> 00:57:09 If we, in fact, need to do that, you know, I'm not sure at this point.
00:57:09 --> 00:57:11 That's, that's all a big blank slate.
00:57:11 --> 00:57:12 We're
00:57:12 --> 00:57:13 not sure how that's going to go.
00:57:13 --> 00:57:17 It'd be great to collar them if and if they'll hold collars It'd
00:57:17 --> 00:57:22 be just because of the group is so much nicer to manage as a as a
00:57:22 --> 00:57:23 collared group You know, you can do things with them.
00:57:23 --> 00:57:26 You can't do otherwise, but there's some question marks there.
00:57:26 --> 00:57:29 So we're going to kind of work through that this here
00:57:29 --> 00:57:30 a little another month or so.
00:57:30 --> 00:57:33 We're going to start experimenting You With that and see how it goes.
00:57:33 --> 00:57:38 But yeah, all the, all the female groups from, you know, from from say
00:57:38 --> 00:57:40 two years and up or, or definitely call.
00:57:41 --> 00:57:41 Yep.
00:57:41 --> 00:57:42 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:57:42 --> 00:57:46 Do you, are you having to adjust those collars very often?
00:57:47 --> 00:57:49 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: You know, we, we don't you know, it was interesting.
00:57:49 --> 00:57:52 We, you know, the youngest ones we call her were our heifers
00:57:52 --> 00:57:53 when we first got started
00:57:53 --> 00:57:55 and I was, was asking them about that.
00:57:55 --> 00:57:59 And they found that over there, you know, if you're, if you're
00:57:59 --> 00:58:01 calling them at like breeding age.
00:58:01 --> 00:58:01 Yeah.
00:58:01 --> 00:58:07 It's, it's, I, it's amazing, I guess, how much the, the, the neck does not grow
00:58:07 --> 00:58:09 substantially in proportion to the body,
00:58:10 --> 00:58:10 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yes.
00:58:11 --> 00:58:12 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: from what they said, and I said,
00:58:12 --> 00:58:14 well, you know, well, makes sense.
00:58:14 --> 00:58:20 So, but has, has been the case we, we, when we call her the cows.
00:58:20 --> 00:58:24 We, you know, they have, they have settings on the, on the, on the
00:58:24 --> 00:58:27 buckles, you know, so it's easy to kind of tell where you're at when
00:58:27 --> 00:58:28 you're, when you're fastening it.
00:58:29 --> 00:58:32 They, they gave a recommended size that they use over there and we
00:58:32 --> 00:58:34 started putting them on with that.
00:58:34 --> 00:58:37 That's going to be a little too loose or a little too tight, I'm afraid.
00:58:37 --> 00:58:40 So we're gonna, we kind of erred to the bigger side.
00:58:40 --> 00:58:42 Well, we had a few collars come off
00:58:42 --> 00:58:43 probably not many, maybe a half dozen.
00:58:44 --> 00:58:48 And it did seem like, I think, We went back to kind of their recommendation on
00:58:48 --> 00:58:50 those, you know, on their cows over there.
00:58:50 --> 00:58:52 And that's pretty close to, I think, where we are.
00:58:52 --> 00:58:57 So when we collared our heifers, we were, we aired a little more that way.
00:58:58 --> 00:59:03 Kind of a, a little, not a, not a tight fit, but a little more snugly fit.
00:59:03 --> 00:59:06 And we haven't had any of them come off and, and we haven't had to.
00:59:06 --> 00:59:08 We haven't had to adjust them yet either.
00:59:08 --> 00:59:12 So, you know, we're monitoring that you know, but at this point,
00:59:12 --> 00:59:13 we've not had to do any adjusting.
00:59:14 --> 00:59:14 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
00:59:15 --> 00:59:15 Interesting.
00:59:16 --> 00:59:20 Well, I find the, the virtual fencing Virtual fence.
00:59:20 --> 00:59:22 Very interesting.
00:59:22 --> 00:59:24 I'd love for it to get to a price point.
00:59:24 --> 00:59:27 I could afford it, but I, I do find it very interesting.
00:59:27 --> 00:59:33 I think it's being such a young industry, it's going to mature or grow so rapidly.
00:59:33 --> 00:59:34 It's going to be really interesting.
00:59:34 --> 00:59:37 See where it goes and where the price ends up and stuff.
00:59:38 --> 00:59:39 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah, you're absolutely right.
00:59:39 --> 00:59:42 I think it's you know, the little bit that we've handled it, I feel pretty
00:59:42 --> 00:59:48 safe to say it's, it's definitely one of the most powerful tools
00:59:48 --> 00:59:50 we've had hit the grazing industry.
00:59:50 --> 00:59:52 In my career for sure.
00:59:52 --> 00:59:55 You know, and I, and I think all the, those things that you, that
00:59:55 --> 00:59:59 you just said there, I think, yeah, it's, I think there's, that, that
00:59:59 --> 01:00:02 maturing process is probably gonna happen pretty rapidly, I think.
01:00:02 --> 01:00:03 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh yeah.
01:00:04 --> 01:00:07 Let's, let's shift gears just a little bit.
01:00:07 --> 01:00:10 We've talked about what you're doing, what's happened in the past.
01:00:10 --> 01:00:12 Where do you see the future going for you all?
01:00:14 --> 01:00:16 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah, that's a, yeah, that's,
01:00:16 --> 01:00:17 that's a good question too.
01:00:17 --> 01:00:19 We, you know, we, and this is something that, that we, that we
01:00:19 --> 01:00:23 think about and talk about is, you know, especially in this.
01:00:24 --> 01:00:28 In this area, we find ourselves in, in the area of grazing, grazing dairy.
01:00:29 --> 01:00:32 First of all, you know, grazing and dairying seems to be pretty common.
01:00:32 --> 01:00:34 Uncoupling a little more than what they used to be.
01:00:35 --> 01:00:37 I, I, I don't like that fact, but it seems
01:00:37 --> 01:00:38 like it's true to a certain degree.
01:00:39 --> 01:00:45 It's, it's hard to, to take a 600 cow grazing herd and make it a
01:00:45 --> 01:00:49 3000 cow grazing herd, which is what the, the industry is doing,
01:00:49 --> 01:00:52 you know, the, the consolidation and the herd size increases.
01:00:52 --> 01:00:55 And it's, that's an impossibility with this model.
01:00:55 --> 01:00:58 You know, we're, you know, We're limited at where we are.
01:00:58 --> 01:01:00 You know, we're tied to the land base.
01:01:00 --> 01:01:02 That's going to dictate,
01:01:02 --> 01:01:03 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh yeah.
01:01:03 --> 01:01:05 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: you know, our herd size, and we're not
01:01:05 --> 01:01:10 going to change our model just to bring in more cows and work harder
01:01:10 --> 01:01:11 and all those types of things.
01:01:12 --> 01:01:17 So, you know, that's all great, but you look at the economics of where
01:01:17 --> 01:01:22 dairy's gone, you know, a lot of dairy's economic model is expansion.
01:01:22 --> 01:01:23 That's, you know,
01:01:23 --> 01:01:23 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah, it
01:01:23 --> 01:01:27 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: So, so how do we, you know, how do we maintain
01:01:27 --> 01:01:33 a competitive cost of production with an ever, ever increasingly consolidating
01:01:33 --> 01:01:37 industry where, you know, those fixed costs continue to be driven lower and
01:01:37 --> 01:01:42 lower and we've, you know, purposely handicapped ourselves from that.
01:01:43 --> 01:01:44 How do we stay competitive?
01:01:44 --> 01:01:46 Cause we want to, we want to stay competitive.
01:01:46 --> 01:01:48 We want to, we want to continue to operate this level.
01:01:48 --> 01:01:50 We like the family structure.
01:01:51 --> 01:01:55 We, we do, we do we do three to four outside employees as well, but we
01:01:55 --> 01:01:57 still like that, that structure.
01:01:57 --> 01:02:01 So I don't know, we're, we're, you know, we've looked at, you
01:02:01 --> 01:02:02 know, different types of markets.
01:02:02 --> 01:02:05 We're just, we're just on the commodity market.
01:02:05 --> 01:02:08 We're competing with, you know, All the milk out of Texas and all that
01:02:09 --> 01:02:09 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
01:02:10 --> 01:02:11 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: we're, there's nothing special about our
01:02:11 --> 01:02:13 product from a marketing standpoint.
01:02:14 --> 01:02:17 Even though maybe there should be you know, we've looked at, you know, they're
01:02:17 --> 01:02:20 a two's getting bigger over here.
01:02:20 --> 01:02:20 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Yeah, it
01:02:20 --> 01:02:21 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: is.
01:02:21 --> 01:02:24 that you know, we, it wouldn't be a big jump for us.
01:02:24 --> 01:02:28 To, I think if we started started testing all of our replacement bulls
01:02:28 --> 01:02:31 we're keeping, I think in a few years, it wouldn't take too long to
01:02:31 --> 01:02:34 be a two that could be a potential.
01:02:34 --> 01:02:37 We've looked at we've looked at value adding here.
01:02:37 --> 01:02:42 You know, we don't have immediate plans to do that, but we sure have explored it.
01:02:42 --> 01:02:42 There's
01:02:42 --> 01:02:47 no, there's, there's less than 50 dairies left in the state.
01:02:47 --> 01:02:52 There's, there's no dairies within 120 miles of our place and either any
01:02:52 --> 01:02:53 direction.
01:02:53 --> 01:02:57 So everybody, there's a lot of interest and we know where the consumer is today.
01:02:57 --> 01:02:57 Right.
01:02:57 --> 01:03:00 I mean, they're really interested in where their food comes from.
01:03:00 --> 01:03:04 And, you know, so we say, well, are we missing something here?
01:03:04 --> 01:03:08 You know, I mean, what would it take for us to, you know, market a
01:03:08 --> 01:03:13 pasteurized milk product, ice cream, you know, tour people on the farm.
01:03:13 --> 01:03:15 You know, all those types of things.
01:03:15 --> 01:03:15 We're.
01:03:16 --> 01:03:17 We're open to that.
01:03:17 --> 01:03:20 We want to, you know, I think before any of those steps would be taken,
01:03:20 --> 01:03:23 I think you know, it has to be done in a, in a business, you know, very
01:03:23 --> 01:03:25 business savvy, well researched.
01:03:26 --> 01:03:30 methodical way, but you know, our, our family is to a point where our kids are,
01:03:31 --> 01:03:36 are out of the house you know, are kind of in that college phase and getting out and
01:03:36 --> 01:03:42 maybe wanting to, you know, to be part of the business here, but that's obviously
01:03:42 --> 01:03:43 that's not going to be milking more cows.
01:03:43 --> 01:03:43 So.
01:03:44 --> 01:03:44 You know,
01:03:45 --> 01:03:47 are all those things a possibility?
01:03:47 --> 01:03:48 They sure are.
01:03:49 --> 01:03:53 If none of them come to fruition, can we continue to, excuse me, ship, you
01:03:53 --> 01:03:58 know, commodity milk at this scale, long term and stay competitive?
01:03:59 --> 01:03:59 Maybe.
01:03:59 --> 01:04:01 I mean, I'm not saying we can't.
01:04:01 --> 01:04:04 I, I, I hate to, I would hate to write that off and say, ah, well,
01:04:04 --> 01:04:07 you know, you just have to get bigger or you, you gotta get, I
01:04:07 --> 01:04:09 don't think that's necessarily true.
01:04:10 --> 01:04:11 You know, so.
01:04:12 --> 01:04:15 I said all that to not answer your question probably very well at
01:04:15 --> 01:04:20 all, But I will say it's something that we think about all the time.
01:04:20 --> 01:04:20 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yeah.
01:04:21 --> 01:04:21 Yeah.
01:04:22 --> 01:04:23 Oh, yeah.
01:04:23 --> 01:04:26 I just know when I look at the commodity market on milk.
01:04:26 --> 01:04:29 I'm just shocked by how little it's changed from when we were
01:04:29 --> 01:04:31 shipping milk 30 years ago.
01:04:32 --> 01:04:34 So yeah, figuring that out.
01:04:35 --> 01:04:40 Ted, it's time we moved to our famous four questions sponsored by Kencove Farm Fence.
01:04:40 --> 01:04:44 Cal: Kencove Farm Fence is a proud supporter of the Grazing Grass
01:04:44 --> 01:04:46 podcast and graziers everywhere.
01:04:46 --> 01:04:50 At Kencove Farm Fence, they believe there's true value within the community
01:04:50 --> 01:04:52 of graziers and land stewards.
01:04:52 --> 01:04:55 The results that follow proper management and monitoring can
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01:05:49 --> 01:05:51 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: There's same four questions we ask of all of our guests.
01:05:51 --> 01:05:55 And our first question, what is your favorite grazing grass
01:05:55 --> 01:05:57 related book or resource?
01:05:59 --> 01:06:02 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: That's a that's a that's a pretty easy question.
01:06:02 --> 01:06:08 I wish it was I wish I could say I read books all the time I really wish
01:06:08 --> 01:06:12 I read a lot more books than I do and I know there's some great Books
01:06:12 --> 01:06:16 on this topic that I know I could benefit from, but I will have to
01:06:16 --> 01:06:20 say because you've added publication to that list and not just books.
01:06:20 --> 01:06:22 Graze magazine was
01:06:22 --> 01:06:25 probably been the most most influential for me.
01:06:25 --> 01:06:31 I subscribed to that before we, probably before we bought our first cow and
01:06:31 --> 01:06:32 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, yes.
01:06:33 --> 01:06:36 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Over the years, you know, reading what producers
01:06:37 --> 01:06:42 talk about, what's worked, what hasn't really have a lot of respect for Joel
01:06:42 --> 01:06:47 McNair and his philosophy and, and you know, what, you know, what his vision
01:06:47 --> 01:06:51 for, for grazing, even specifically grazing dairy has been over the years.
01:06:51 --> 01:06:54 And just can't, can't say enough about that publication.
01:06:54 --> 01:06:58 Of course, it's changed hands now, and I think it's in very good hands now as
01:06:58 --> 01:06:58 well.
01:06:59 --> 01:07:02 But that's one that, that's when I recommend anybody who's who's
01:07:02 --> 01:07:06 looking to get into the business or, or isn't currently subscribed to.
01:07:07 --> 01:07:07 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Yeah.
01:07:07 --> 01:07:09 Graze is an excellent resource there.
01:07:09 --> 01:07:10 Yes.
01:07:10 --> 01:07:13 Our second question, what's your favorite tool for the farm?
01:07:15 --> 01:07:18 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Well, that's probably changed over the years.
01:07:18 --> 01:07:22 You know, as we've, Been able to grow some and, and get a little
01:07:22 --> 01:07:26 more efficient on some of our, and I hate to say machinery because we
01:07:26 --> 01:07:28 try to run away from machinery, even
01:07:28 --> 01:07:29 though we have machinery.
01:07:29 --> 01:07:34 But as, as we've grown over the years, we're several years ago, we got a
01:07:34 --> 01:07:38 swather for cutting our hay, which has really streamlined that process.
01:07:38 --> 01:07:43 But that's, that maybe was my favorite tool before we started collaring cows.
01:07:44 --> 01:07:46 And I got to say the collars are just.
01:07:48 --> 01:07:51 That's going to be a, that'd be a tough one to live without.
01:07:51 --> 01:07:53 So they'd be our favorite tool at this point.
01:07:53 --> 01:07:53 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Oh, Yeah.
01:07:54 --> 01:07:54 Yeah.
01:07:54 --> 01:07:58 So, so very exciting times because that's a recent introduction.
01:07:58 --> 01:07:58 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Yeah,
01:07:59 --> 01:07:59 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Yeah.
01:08:00 --> 01:08:03 Thirdly, what would you tell someone just getting started?
01:08:06 --> 01:08:07 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: I'd probably tell them a couple of things.
01:08:07 --> 01:08:10 And, and when you, when you think of someone in that context,
01:08:10 --> 01:08:11 you're just getting started.
01:08:11 --> 01:08:14 I know what that, I remember that really well, because this is not, this
01:08:14 --> 01:08:16 is not an environment I grew up in.
01:08:16 --> 01:08:21 And I, I remember stepping out into this and what that felt like.
01:08:21 --> 01:08:25 And I would, I would take as I would get time away from my day job, I'd,
01:08:26 --> 01:08:31 I'd run off to pasture walks or, or Grazing workshops and things like that.
01:08:31 --> 01:08:38 And I remember one time I was at a grazing workshop and the guy that stood up and
01:08:38 --> 01:08:42 talked, I don't remember what the topic was, but there was like a dry erase board
01:08:42 --> 01:08:46 or something there and he stood up, didn't say anything, he just wrote the words.
01:08:46 --> 01:08:50 Confidence in grass and underlined it.
01:08:50 --> 01:08:51 And I thought that's kind of odd.
01:08:52 --> 01:08:55 And then he talked from there and he said, you will not be successful as
01:08:55 --> 01:09:02 a, as a grazer, if you can't learn to have an appreciation and understanding
01:09:02 --> 01:09:09 for the, the nutritional value of quality grazed forage and what it
01:09:09 --> 01:09:13 can do for the performance of an animal in a relatively economic way
01:09:13 --> 01:09:15 you have to develop that confidence.
01:09:15 --> 01:09:16 It's not just.
01:09:16 --> 01:09:22 You know, let the cows out before they come back in for the rest of their feed.
01:09:22 --> 01:09:22 You know, it's,
01:09:23 --> 01:09:25 they're, you know, they're out there for a purpose.
01:09:25 --> 01:09:29 So you have to, you have to really develop a faith, maybe along with, maybe that's a
01:09:29 --> 01:09:32 better way of, you know, of putting it in.
01:09:32 --> 01:09:35 So that would be something I would just because it stuck in my mind,
01:09:36 --> 01:09:40 I would, I would, would be some advice for, for a young person.
01:09:40 --> 01:09:43 And the other thing I would say is mentorship is probably
01:09:43 --> 01:09:46 the best thing you can do.
01:09:46 --> 01:09:51 I have been, I've spent a lot of time with guys that are.
01:09:52 --> 01:09:54 Way older than enough to be my dad.
01:09:55 --> 01:09:58 And I have learned a lot from those guys, guys,
01:09:58 --> 01:10:00 that have, have experienced.
01:10:01 --> 01:10:04 ups and downs in the business before I was born.
01:10:04 --> 01:10:08 And those, those, those types of folks have they have some real value.
01:10:08 --> 01:10:13 And I think that anyone who would be venturing off into this would
01:10:13 --> 01:10:17 do well to, to to identify and hook up with a good, good mentor.
01:10:19 --> 01:10:22 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Yeah, two excellent pieces of advice
01:10:22 --> 01:10:23 there for someone getting started.
01:10:25 --> 01:10:28 And lastly, Ted, where can others find out more about you?
01:10:29 --> 01:10:31 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: Well, I'm actually myself
01:10:31 --> 01:10:33 not on social media at all.
01:10:33 --> 01:10:36 Or dairy is you can, you can look up Delta Dairy on Facebook.
01:10:37 --> 01:10:39 We don't have a website at this point.
01:10:39 --> 01:10:41 Like I said, we're not, you know, we would, we're talking about doing that
01:10:41 --> 01:10:46 type of thing possibly, you know, if we're going to become more of a direct marketer
01:10:46 --> 01:10:48 type thing, but you can find us there.
01:10:48 --> 01:10:53 And I have an email, I guess I could give you that to put in the, in the notes.
01:10:53 --> 01:10:57 Any kind of personal contact information, phone number, email, and be glad to
01:10:58 --> 01:11:00 respond to anyone who'd like to reach out.
01:11:00 --> 01:11:02 But I'm a little bit old school in some of that stuff.
01:11:02 --> 01:11:04 My wife's on social media, but I'm not.
01:11:05 --> 01:11:08 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: I know when I was I had a listener reach
01:11:08 --> 01:11:10 out and say, hey contact Ted.
01:11:10 --> 01:11:12 He'd be a great guest on the podcast.
01:11:12 --> 01:11:16 So I went to try and find out more information about you.
01:11:16 --> 01:11:19 And I found there's not a whole lot out there,
01:11:20 --> 01:11:22 but I did find on the.
01:11:22 --> 01:11:25 Louisiana Grazing Land Coalition.
01:11:26 --> 01:11:29 They have a video about your dairy that was made a few years ago,
01:11:30 --> 01:11:33 which I thought was really good and gave me more information.
01:11:33 --> 01:11:36 So there's a place for more information as well.
01:11:36 --> 01:11:37 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: I'm glad you brought that up.
01:11:37 --> 01:11:38 I forgot about that.
01:11:38 --> 01:11:39 Yeah, that would be a.
01:11:39 --> 01:11:42 That would be a great place for sure.
01:11:42 --> 01:11:42 You could check that out.
01:11:42 --> 01:11:43 It's on
01:11:43 --> 01:11:43 YouTube.
01:11:45 --> 01:11:46 cal_1_10-17-2024_100444: Well, Ted, we appreciate you
01:11:46 --> 01:11:48 coming on and sharing today.
01:11:48 --> 01:11:50 Really enjoyed the conversation.
01:11:50 --> 01:11:51 Wonderful.
01:11:51 --> 01:11:52 ted-miller_1_10-17-2024_100453: for having me on.
01:11:52 --> 01:11:54 I really enjoyed the conversation.
01:11:54 --> 01:11:56 Always like to talk about this kind of stuff and had a great time.
01:11:56 --> 01:11:57 Thanks for the invite.
01:11:59 --> 01:12:02 Cal: I really hope you enjoyed today's conversation.
01:12:03 --> 01:12:04 I know I did.
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01:13:18 --> 01:13:20 And until next time, keep on grazing grass.
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