No matter how long you’ve been in the agriculture industry, there’s always an opportunity for growth. For fifth generation dairy farmer Katie Krause, the CultivateGrowth grant provided her the ability to grow her knowledge in calf care - an important topic for her farm.
Katie has grown up watching the calving process and bottle-feeding calves, but she was interested in hearing firsthand from vets on the best ways to care for certain diseases or premature births. After hearing about the CultivateGrowth grant from her GreenStone financial services officer, Katie decided to attend the Calf Care Class at Wagner Farms in WI.
“The best part of the class was hearing directly from the vets. These vets go out to the farm, and they truly care, so it was great being able to ask them questions and work with them hands on,” explained Katie. “We were able to use a stethoscope to check the heartbeat and then check the temperature of the calf.”
Attendees were able to work hands on with a calf on the farm, and learn about respiratory health, airborne bacteria, and calf diagnostics. After growing up on a dairy operation, and now living on her own operation with her husband, Katie knew about most of these topics. However, it was reassuring to hear that she’s been doing all of the right techniques.
“I was surprised to hear that they do everything the same way as I do. It was reaffirming to know that I’ve been doing everything correctly. For example, how they explained feeding the calves is the same as what I’ve always done,” said Katie.
Another major learning point during the class was the barns at Wagner Farms. The barns use natural ventilation instead of fans. Natural ventilation removes odors and gases from the barn while introducing fresh outside air to keep the cows healthy.
“It was extraordinary to see barns designed for natural ventilation, and learn about the benefits of these barns,” Katie said.
After attending the class, Katie took her notes and resources back home to help her on her family dairy farm Krause Dairy Farm. Krause Dairy Farm is a three generational farm where Katie and her husband raise about 125 dairy cows along with their daughter.
Katies’ advice to other farmers is to always ask questions. “Simply listen to other farmers and ask them questions. The possibilities for learning are endless when speaking to other generational farm operators,” and “... remember to take the good with the bad. It’s a very tough industry and you truly have to care about it.”
As farming evolves, continuous education is vital to farmers' success. GreenStone’s CulitvateGrowth Grant strives to help young, beginning, small farmers like Katie learn more about their industries and continue to advance their knowledge in farming techniques. To learn more about the grant program click here.
