Top Performers: Nolt Family Farm

How many times a day do you milk, and what is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? We installed a Galaxy robot milking system two years ago. It had its bumps in the road, but we enjoy the flexibility it has allowed us to have at certain times of the day. Our rolling herd average is 23,638 pounds of milk, with tests of 4.8% butterfat and 3.7% protein.

Describe your housing and milking facility. We have a guided flow freestall barn with the robot barn sitting off to the side. The cows come to a sort gate to determine if they need to be milked. Six hours is my threshold, and any time before that, they get sorted back to feed, but after six hours, they go to the robot to be milked. Cows have a way of knowing that. For six hours, they hang out by the sort gate and will occasionally step in to see if they can go to the robot, and depending on which way the gate goes, they will step back and wait.

Who is part of your farm team, and what are their roles? We are a family farm, and we work together as a family. My dad, Warren, is still very active in the everyday part of chores. My sons, Deklan and Brenden, have their part on the farm as well, along with my wife, Sharla. My oldest children, Shawn and Maleah, have been active on the dairy in the past but now work full time off the farm. The dairy is a great place to work together as a family team.

What is your herd health program? Our vet visits are not very often. It seems the only time we have the vet out is if we have a cow that is off feed and ends up with a twisted stomach. We vaccinate our heifers with Inforce 3 and follow with Bovi-Shield Gold. We have a program for the cows as well, using a J-5 and a 10-way vaccine.

What does your dry cow and transition program consist of? Our dry cows have loose housing with a pack and have a dry period of 60 days. Their ration consists of silage, straw and grass hay. We also top dress a pellet that is custom made for our farm. We have a camera in the barn so we can keep tabs on them if they start to calve. We will leave the calf with them for a short time and then move the calf into a pen or, if cold, a heating box. From the time of calving till they come in to milk can be a good day. I feel like giving them a little resting time helps them get going in the herd better than pushing them in right away. We will also give calcium boluses to support them in their transition.

How long is your voluntary waiting period? We usually shoot for 75 days on our voluntary waiting period. For heifers, first breeding is at 15-16 months.

What is your average days in milk? We are running around 200 days in milk.

What percentage of your herd is in their first lactation? First lactation cows are 35%.

What is the composition of your ration, and how has that changed in recent years? We have a total mixed ration. We have 65% corn silage and 33%-35% balage, plus snaplage and a grain mix from the co-op. Cows seem to love it and there is something good about a good-smelling feed going in front of cows.

Tell us about the forages you plant and detail your harvest strategies. We had been planting brown mid-rib silage corn for a number of years, and some of that is changing, and so I’m now looking at different hybrids to fix that need.
When we switched to the BMR, we had an 8-pound increase in milk per cow so it paid for itself. Moving forward, there are getting to be better hybrids and better performers, and so we have to embrace change. Getting the corn silage up at the right time for moisture and running through a kernel processor has been key. We have all our corn silage done by a custom guy. He rolls in, and in one day, it’s all done. We put it in a bunker silo and make a pile. All hay is put up in balage.

What is your average somatic cell count, and how does that affect your production? Our SCC has been on the high side this year. It’s been a battle, but I believe we are coming out on the other side. We had our steam jets on the robot fail on us, so that caused a mastitis flare up. Advanced Dairy and Zumbro Ag Solutions LLC have been very good to work with when it came to figuring this all out.

What change has created the biggest improvement in your herd average? We switched to sand bedding a few years back and I feel like that was a big improvement to our herd perfor-mance.

What technology do you use to monitor your herd? We have the smart tags on the ankle, and they allow us to pick up on activity. It is the identification that gets them into the robot as well. We have really liked that for breeding.

What is your breeding program, and what role does genetics play in your production level? Dad has always taken care of the breeding, and that will switch here soon. He never compromised on genetics, and I feel we have a really good herd because of it. We do breed some with Angus. With good prices, it is a win. We have done some sexed semen for heifers, and we use it in the right situation.

List three management strategies that have helped you attain your production and component level. Having a good working relationship with your nutritionist is key. He is the one who micromanages what the girls get to help with milking and components. He is excellent. A second management strategy has been switching to robots. On a personal management level, it freed up labor.

Tell us about your farm and your plans for the dairy in the next year. My children and I are the second and third generation on our dairy farm. There is nothing like being your own boss and getting to work with your family. Looking to next year, I am hoping milk prices pick up and we can stay in the business of farming. We’ve been through some tough times and are thankful for the tough times and being able to face the future. Having faith and a good, strong community and our family are things we are thankful for.