June is dairy month

SWEET SPRINGS, Mo. – Just under 300 Grade A dairy farms house nearly 54,000 dairy cows in Missouri. For many dairy families, they have been producing a nutritious product on the same farm for generations.

In celebration of June Dairy month, Hemme Brothers of Sweet Springs hosted the Missouri Dairy summer social event, where dairymen and industry supporters gathered to learn more about benefits of on-farm technology.

This progressive farm family recently implemented robotic milking and feeding after establishing value-added milk processing on their farmstead in 2016.

Dairy Month proclamation

Chris Chinn, director of Missouri Department of Agriculture, declared June as Dairy Month at the event, acknowledging the importance of dairy as part of agriculture, the largest contributor to Missouri’s economy.

Dairy celebrates more than 17,000 jobs in production, processing, and distribution. Specifically, fluid milk represents most of the dairy processed in the state, with more than $8 billion in total sales.

Locally, the Hemme brothers place focus on cheese production in their creamery. Cheddar cheese and more recently mozzarella are fan favorites. More generally, cheese represents America’s favorite manufactured dairy product, with an annual intake of nearly 40 pounds per person nationwide.

Technology

The four-family-member team divides and conquer to achieve all the tasks on the farm. Jon, the youngstock manager, enjoys the flexibility of robotic feeders. “When weather permits, I can confidently focus all day on for on cropping while knowing the calves are getting the milk they need to grow,” he explained.

Michael, herdsman for both the beef and dairy herd, appreciates the steady commitment of the robots: the Lely Juno pushes up the total mixed ration 12 times a day and the A5 milks the herd 2.7 times per day. “We’re currently averaging 91 pounds of milk per cow per day on our herd of 80,” he says.

This data helps Nathan, the cheesemaker, plan creamery production days. Additionally, the direct pump line brings the milk to the creamery, avoiding the need to haul milk.

Every advancement in technology met a need for the Hemme family to help enhance productivity by not being tied down to chore time every 12 hours.

Started as a hog farm

Patriarch David Hemme built the dairy hand-in-hand with his wife, Janet, after transitioning from hogs while the boys were younger. “Once we lost our local hog market, we thought we’d give dairy a try,” he said.

 “The investment was big,” Janet recalls with a trembling voice. However, her face shows a smile of pride when she looks over at the boys working together while thinking about how far they’ve come.

As first generation dairymen, they worked closely with MU Extension’s dairy team on everything ranging from budgets to barn plans. “It wasn’t always easy,” David said.

Now, as the boys are older, he primarily helps market the final product. He works closely with Nathan to determine inventory and visits customers at farmers markets to gauge their desires.

To help offset some of the cost of advancement, the farm has become more proficient with grant writing. Periodically, funds to spur economic development become available through both the state and national sources. While only covering a fraction of the infrastructure cost, every bit helps. They recommend having a well-established business plan to help navigate the application process.

Delicious dairy

Dairy remains one of the most healthy, wholesome and protein dense products available.

Whether you’re buying direct from Hemme Brothers or your local grocery, dairy was local before local was cool. Most gallons of milk available on the grocery shelves left a Missouri dairy farm 2-3 days prior.

With a variety of different dairy products there is something for everyone. Continue the dairy celebration with July, which is National Ice Cream Month!

Reagan Bluel is a University of Missouri Extension dairy specialist.