The 2001 District Meetings of Minnesota DHIA have been scheduled. Meetings are open to all members, and all members attending carry their own vote. You may attend any meeting, but may vote for delegates or directors only in your district All meetings start with lunch at noon. All districts will elect delegates to the Minnesota DHIA Annual Meeting in St. Cloud on Tuesday February 27, 2001. Please call Minnesota DHIA with any questions. The phone numbers of each location are listed in case you need to be contacted while attending.
South Central District - Dodge, Goodhue, Mower, Rice, Steele, Wabasha Counties
on Monday January 29 at Digger's in Kasson (highway 14 near AmericInn).
507.634.7400
West Central District - Big Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui
Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Swift, Stevens, Todd, Traverse, Yellow Medicine
on Tuesday January 30 at Minnewaska House west of Glenwood on MN 28.
320.634.4566
Metro District - Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, McLeod, Scott, Washington,
Wright Counties on Thursday February 1 at Island View Golf Course near Waconia.
952.442.2956
Southeast District - Fillmore, Houston, Olmsted, Winona Counties on Friday Feb 2
at the Holiday House near Dover on 14.
507.932.0213
Northeast District - Anoka, Aitkin, Benton, Cass, Carlton, Crow Wing, Isanti,
Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Ramsey, Sherburne,
and St Louis Counties on Monday February 5 at Embers in Milaca (highway 169 x
23).
320.983.6288
Southwest District - Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Jackson,
Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood,
Rock, Sibley, Waseca, and Watonwan Counties on Tuesday February 6 at Holiday
Inn in New Ulm (highway 14 east).
507.359.2941
ELECTION for DIRECTOR
Stearns District - Stearns County Lab in Sauk Centre on Thursday February 8.
800.369.2697
Northwest District - Becker, Beltrami, Clay, Clearwater, Hubbard, Kittson, Lake
of The Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake,
Ottertail, Roseau, Wadena, and Wilkin Counties on Friday February 9 at
Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen.
218.935.2701
ELECTION for DIRECTOR
Manure testing for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (N, P, K) is a rapidly growing part of the Stearns DHIA laboratory business. Livestock producers of all types are using this service because of the competitive price and the quick 3-day turn around time on results. More and more custom waste haulers are also using this service as it now appears it may be mandatory for them by next year. Many recommend taking four samples the first time you test to know how well your pit is being agitated. Samples would be taken when the pit is 25%, 50%, 75% and 95% empty. If you have questions or would like a postage paid kit to use when sending samples in for analysis, call the lab at 1-800-369-2697.
Year End for the 2000 testing recognition and awards will remain the traditional December 31st. Herds will need to be processed by midnight on the 31st in order for that test to be included in the Annual Summary. Herds must also have a test after September 30 to be included.
The Windows version of Scout and Dairy Comp 305 are now available from Minnesota DHIA. These programs offer all the same great features of the previous DOS version PLUS quick and easy-to-use menus and tabs. Just point and click!
If you want to increase profitability, have fast access to lab results, improve the accuracy of herd production and health records, produce current vet lists and reduce paperwork, you may want to check out these premiere dairy management software programs. Both offer you individual cow and herd information, easy-to- read graphs and reports.
Due to the tremendous response to our SCOUT Hunting Special, we have extended this offer through December 31, 2000. Now through the end of the year, you pay whatever the per hunderweight milk price is for SCOUT installation and training. For more information, ask your field rep or call 1-800-827-3442 today!
Members who have Dairy Comp 305 can now download the new November Sire Proofs from the LOOP. The files are named dcupdate.zip and jones.bat. To install them, type "exec\bjones" on the command line and hit "enter". This command will unzip the file very quickly so you may not see it happening.
Lester "the Tester" Pershbacher started testing for the Minnesota DHIA in 1956. For the last 44 years, he has been testing dairy herds in Freeborn County, and in all that time, he has rarely been seen without a smile or a positive, can-do attitude. He enjoys visiting his herds because "something different happens every day." And over the years, he has seen a lot of different things.
Lester grew up on a dairy farm located just outside of Alden. At the tender age of 14 he took his first job off the farm as a hired farm hand. In the fall of 1956, his employer offered to send him to Milk Testing School in the Twin Cities. An instructor there knew that Freeborn County was looking for a Tester. He asked Lester if he was interested, and Lester said yes. That was the first, and only time Lester signed an employment contract.
He started testing just a few days later with a unit of 23 herds. During his first week, one of the herdowner's children merrily dubbed him "Lester the Tester." The nickname stuck.
There have been a lot of changes since 1956. In those days there were no bulk tanks or personal computers or certified labs. The milk tester had to do all data entry by hand and analyze milk samples himself.
Lester remembers the early days very well. In a short period of time he wore out 6 adding machines and 3 typewriters. He used to spend countless hours testing milk in his house after being at a herdowner's farm all day. He will never forget when the Zumbrota lab opened up in 1976 and began testing for him. It was a welcome change and he says he's "been on vacation ever since."
Although many herds have come and gone over the years, Lester still tests 7 of his original 23. The herdowners have become his second family, and they often celebrate birthdays, weddings and other special events together.
Lester shares a very special relationship with his wife Cathy. Over the years, she has put with some very strange hours but she rarely complains. Their children have grown and moved out, and Lester and Cathy now enjoy gardening in their backyard during their "spare" time. Lester's specialty is roses and he currently cares for 62 of the shrub variety.
Lester just recently broke one of his own records. In 1962, he tested 99 herds with a total of 3,434 cows. While that was a lot of cattle, Lester is now testing 37 herds with a total of 3,559 cows.
Even after all this time, Lester is still excited about going to work each day. As Bruce Dokkebakken, General Manager of Minnesota DHIA, says, "Lester knows how to work, and how to make things work. He has that great attitude that is key to providing great service." We at Minnesota DHIA would like to thank you, Lester. We are truly blessed to have fine people like you to work with.
Ted & Therese Salonek of Wright County are selling their entire herd of 282 Holstein cattle. Most have AI breeding. Please call them at 612-658-4287.
Michael Hommerding of Todd County is selling his herd of 36 grade Holsteins. For more information, please call him at 218-756-3759.
Robert Wessel of Winona County would like to sell 8 bred Holstein heifers. They are due to calve in December. For more information, please him at 507-454-1388.
Cows For Sale is a service of Minnesota DHIA. Members can advertise for just $2.50 per animal with a maximum of $50 per herd (good for 60 days). For more information, talk to your Field Rep on sample day or call us at 800-827-3442.
One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be. They spent a few days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On the return from their stay, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.
"Oh Yeah" said the son.
"So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four."
"We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek
that has no end."
"We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night."
"Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon."
"We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond
our sight."
"We have servants who serve us, but they serve others."
"We buy our food, but they grow theirs."
"We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect
them."
With this the boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are."
Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don't have. What is one's person's worthless object is another's prize possession. It's all based on one's perspective. Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for the bounty we have been provided, instead of worrying about wanting more. Take joy in all we have been given and have a HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!