Dairy farmers Ashton Bauman and Carmen Kreager have a story to tell visitors during their open house for the Northern Indiana Dairy Trail.
As the new standard-bearers for Metzger Dairy, the college-educated sisters are looking forward to providing a true picture of animal care for the non-farming public.
"The most important thing (to communicate to visitors) is how we treat our animals," said Ashton. "I think there is a huge misconception with the care of our animals. In fact, our mission statement says, 'Caring for our cows plus caring for the environment equals caring for ourselves.'"
People who come to the bicentennial-themed dairy tour will have the opportunity to learn about cow and calf care from two sisters who are taking over the management of the 1,500-cow dairy located near Wolf Lake.
Ashton holds an accounting degree from Manchester University and serves as the farm's assistant treasurer. She also handles the paperwork to make sure the farm is in compliance with state environmental rules. Her husband, John, works part-time at the farm.
Carmen graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in microbiology. During college, she did genetic research on swine and dairy cattle. She also represented the industry as Indiana Dairy Princess in 2013. As the farm's genomic "guru," Carmen aims to grow the genetic potential of the herd. Her goal is to help the cows elevate their production to 100 pounds of milk per cow on a daily basis. Carmen and her husband, Kyle, are also expecting a baby in the near future.
Ashton and Carmen know that happy, healthy cows really do produce more milk. Therefore, to achieve Carmen's production goal, the sisters and other workers provide an extra measure of comfort for the Holsteins. For example, the family uses fans and sprinklers to provide relief from summer heat and also curtains to take the bite out of harsh winter winds. The barn floors are also scraped three times a day, removing manure from the cows' living area.
The Metzger Dairy provides sand bedding for the cows and a diet that is "way better" than most humans', according to Ashton.
Carmen and Ashton see themselves and the cows living in a connected universe. What's good for the cows and the environment is also good for people, they say.
"If we don't take care of the environment around us, we're not going to be able to grow crops and things like that to feed our cows," Carmen said.
In practice, they treat manure as an organic nutrient, not a waste product. The manure from the cows is applied as crop fertilizer on their 2,500 acres. The crops produce feed for the cows, and the cows produce manure for the crops. It's a big circle involving the cows and the earth and the people serving as stewards.
Their father, John, points out that the fields are covered with vegetation year-round. Examples include wheat, triticale (which is fed to heifers) and cover crops.
"A lot of this ground is covered," John said, adding that these crops have economic benefits as well as environmental benefits. "The triticale and wheat we've been doing for years. The cover crops we just got into a year ago."
The farm has been honored as a River Friendly Farmer by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
Another issue that often comes up during farm tours is the use of antibiotics. Ashton and Carmen say they use the medicine only when necessary, and those cows are removed from production for a mandatory withholding time. The milk from those cows is given to young calves, but even then Ashton says the milk is pasteurized before it's given to them as feed.
For safety, all milk is tested before it leaves the farm and also once it arrives at the processing plant. A 2012 survey by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the U.S. milk supply contained antibiotics. That means over 99 percent of the milk supply was free of it.
Under Ashton and Carmen's leadership, the farm is writing a new chapter—and they hope it is a good one. During the past decade, the farm suffered a devastating fire in 2007 followed by low milk prices in 2009. Those two setbacks were difficult to overcome, but John said he is confident that the next generation has the knowledge and determination to succeed.
"Dad's proud that they're doing this," he said.
The sisters say they are happy to be serving as one of 12 hosts for the bicentennial-themed dairy project. Their event on June 18 from noon to 5 p.m. will include tours of the farm and milking parlor as well as free dairy products for visitors. The farm is located at 4837 West 100 South, Kimmell.
The Northern Indiana Dairy Trail is an educational project for the state dairy industry. It is organized by a committee of industry representatives that includes the American Dairy Assn. of Indiana, Indiana Dairy Producers, Purdue University Extension, Farm Bureau and others.