Illinois Dairy Farms, Then & Now · 2019-12-21 · Illinois Dairy Farms, Then & Now: Innovation,...

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Illinois Dairy Farms, Then & Now: Innovation, Conservation & Dedication I DAiRY $ $ $ 4.50 $ 5.75 Dairy totaled $23.6 billion in economic impact (direct and indirect) in IL, 2018 6 Dairy led to 111,648 jobs (direct and indirect) in IL, 2018 6 family owned and operated 7 95% of dairy farms are Made in communities across the country, dairy foods contribute 3% of the U.S. gross domestic product. 6 Most dairy farm manure is incorporated into fields as natural fertilizer, increasing soil’s water-holding capacity of dairy cows’ diets comes from plant fibers and feedstuffs that they can digest but humans can’t, and would otherwise go to landfills 3 80% by 20% The U.S. dairy industry has decreased its water use over the past decades 4 by 65+% 5 Spent Grains As part of a stewardship pledge to consumers, the dairy industry is pursuing a voluntary goal to cut GHG emissions for milk by 25% from 2007–2008 levels. 2 ‘73 ‘68 ‘78 ‘83 ‘88 ‘93 ‘98 ‘03 ‘08 ‘13 ‘18 IL Dairy Production (Millions of pounds of milk) IL Cow Population (Number of cows) 1960s... to today, From the dairy farmers have become more sustainable, with advances in cow care, nutrition, genetics and technology. Milk production in the U.S. has nearly doubled despite fewer cows. 1

Transcript of Illinois Dairy Farms, Then & Now · 2019-12-21 · Illinois Dairy Farms, Then & Now: Innovation,...

Page 1: Illinois Dairy Farms, Then & Now · 2019-12-21 · Illinois Dairy Farms, Then & Now: Innovation, Conservation & Dedication I Y $ $ $ 4.50 $ 5.75 Dairy totaled $23.6 billion in economic

Illinois Dairy Farms, Then & Now:Innovation, Conservation & Dedication

IDAiRY

$$ $ 4.50

$ 5.75

Dairy totaled

$23.6 billion in economic impact (direct and indirect) in IL, 2018 6

Dairy led to

111,648 jobs (direct and indirect)in IL, 2018 6

family owned and operated 7

95% ofdairy farms are

Made in communities across the country, dairy foods contribute 3% of the U.S. gross domestic product.6

Most dairy farm manure is incorporated into fields as natural fertilizer, increasing soil’s water-holding capacity

of dairy cows’ diets comes from plant fibers and feedstu�s that they can digest but humans can’t, and would otherwise go to landfills 3

80%

by 20%

The U.S. dairy industry has decreased its water use

over the past decades4

by 65+%

5

Spent Grains

As part of a stewardship pledge to consumers, the dairy industry is pursuing a voluntary goal to cut GHG emissions for milk by 25% from 2007–2008 levels.2

‘73‘68 ‘78 ‘83 ‘88 ‘93 ‘98 ‘03 ‘08 ‘13 ‘18

IL DairyProduction(Millions of pounds of milk)

IL Cow Population(Number of cows)

1960s... to today, From the

dairy farmers have become more sustainable, with advances in cow care, nutrition, genetics and technology. Milk production in the U.S. has nearly doubled despite fewer cows.1

Page 2: Illinois Dairy Farms, Then & Now · 2019-12-21 · Illinois Dairy Farms, Then & Now: Innovation, Conservation & Dedication I Y $ $ $ 4.50 $ 5.75 Dairy totaled $23.6 billion in economic

The farmhouses of Amy and Ken Hildebrandt and of Ken’s brother, Don, are located at the northernmost tip of Illinois. A mere football toss over the gravel of State Line Road sits the Wisconsin address house of Ken and Don’s sister’s family. Yet there’s no border battle in this tightknit farm family because, after all, raising and milking dairy cows is a team sport.

Owning one of the few dairies in the county, the Hildebrandts started farming in 1981. As the family grew, so did the herd size, which has incrementally expanded from 150 cows originally to 800 today. The biggest expansion occurred in 2017, when Amy and Ken’s children began to express interest in returning to the farm. Confronted with a decision of whether and how to enlarge, the family took the financial plunge to build a new free-stall barn and a separate milking facility, complete with a 40-stall rotary, enabling dozens of cows to carousel around in a circle together until their milking is complete.

“Our kids started to return home, so we began to determine what we should do,” said Amy. “We spent a lot of time before we determined what was right for us, and there were a lot of advantages and disadvantages to weigh, especially with the parlor.”

As the family’s operations grew, roles were defined. Ken oversees milking and repair work in the shop. Don manages the 2,000 acres of cropland used to feed the cows. Amy does book work and feeds calves. The kids have set roles, too, as do the 14 employees.

The family has also incorporated technology to o�set what’s often an exhausting line of work that precludes them from venturing too far o� the property taking family vacations together. As cows exit the milking rotary, a

robotic arm pinpoints udders with a laser and automatically dips them with iodine, saving what otherwise entails manual labor. Hildebrandt Farms also utilizes activity-tracking collars on its heifers and milk cows, continuously monitoring their exercise levels, dietary habits and more via computer.

Measures are also taken to lessen the farm’s carbon footprint and constantly improve the quality and yield of their milk, which is sold in fluid form throughout the region. A manure separator allows them to bed the cows’ stalls with recycled solid waste. They also minimize tillage, use human food byproducts like canola, cottonseed and soybean meal as part of their cow feed, and they recycle water.

Laughing that the cows are better taken care of than family members, Amy noted, “We work really hard on milk quality and healthy cows. We’re always fine-tuning our bedding choices and milk routine, always looking to do better in having a quality product that tastes good and people want.”

Hildebrandt Farms | South Beloit, Ill.Discover Local Dairy: Always Real, Forever Good

Sources:1. Milk Production. USDA Economics, Statistics and Market Information Systems. https://usda.library.cornell.edu/concern/publications/h989r321c?locale=en. Accessed October 1, 2019. 2. 2018 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Report. Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. http://www.usdairy.com/report. Accessed October 1, 2019. 3. de Ondarza, MB. Let’s end the feed versus food debate. Hoard’s Dairyman. January 18, 2017. https://hoards.com/article-20263-lets-end-the-feed-versus-food-debate.html. Accessed October 1, 2019. 4. Capper JL, Cady RA, Bauman D. The environmental impact of dairy production: 1944 compared with 2007. J Anim Sci. 2009; 87(suppl 6):2160-2167. 5. Dairy and the Environment. University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Research & Extension. https://www.uaex.edu/4h-youth/activities-programs/docs/Dairy%20and%20the%20Environment.pdf. Accessed October 1, 2019. 6. Dairy Delivers: The Economic Impact of Dairy Products. International Dairy Foods Association. https://www.idfa.org/resources/dairy-delivers. Accessed October 1, 2019. 7. Vilsack, D. U.S. Dairy Farmers: Preserving the Planet for Future Generations. USA Today. April 22, 2019. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sponsor-story/innovation-center-for-us-dairy/2019/04/22/earth-day-dairy-farmer-thinking-decades-down-line/3521007002/. Accessed October 1, 2019.