Purchasing a couple of Jersey cows from a local sale barn in 1984 for their children, my in-laws Jim and Wanda Bohnert helped start a small 4-H project for their two sons, my husband, Scott, and his brother, Brian.
Registration papers on those two Jerseys were able to be retained, and over the three decades that followed, the small herd of registered Jerseys has grown to a thriving dairy operation — one that has been nationally recognized for production and genetics.
Combining efficient and progressive tools for our dairy management, our family business quickly shifted gears from a hobby to a business in East Moline, Ill. By 1989, the brothers began shipping milk and were their cooperative’s (Swiss Valley Farms) youngest members at the time to receive a milk check. The young boys were committed to the project at hand and milked 10 head of Jerseys before and after school. A year later, a pipeline was added, and the guys constructed a 40-cow freestall barn; a facility they thought they would never outgrow.
In 1993, the decision was made to build a six-stall milking parlor, and in 1997, they added 60 freestalls to the barn. After graduating with agriculture production degrees from Black Hawk College in Kewanee, Ill., the brothers, who both knew they would return to the family dairy farm, left East Moline to learn more about milking Jerseys and landed internships on the west coast. Scott interned for Sunset Canyon Jerseys, which at the time was in Turlock, Calif., in 1996, and three years later Brian did a internship in Dayton, Ore., with Forrest Glen Jerseys.
Both Scott and Brian came back to the Midwest fueled and inspired, and by the end of the 20th century, they were milking 100 cows. Four years later, a retrofit double-12 parallel parlor was installed, and in 2006 a 250-cow freestall barn and a concrete manure-storage facility was added. Intending to buy and sell in truckloads, the brothers had their eyes set on milking 500 cows, which led to another 250-cow freestall barn built in 2013. “That was the plan, to get to 500 head milking,” Scott says. “We are still waiting to update the parlor.”
CHALLENGES AHEAD
In 2009, when the milk price tanked and dairies were quickly exiting the industry, Bohnert Jerseys was able to hum along. Scott attributes it to low debt and milking the “right kind” of cow. However, when history repeated itself in 2015, the brothers pocketbooks felt the squeeze as milk prices nosedived. “$25 milk price allows you to rock and roll and think long-term a bit easier,” Scott says. “It’s hard to look long-term with razor-tight profit margins.”
Nonetheless, the brothers continued to trudge forward, focusing on what they do right to keep putting one foot in front of the other. With their focus on maximizing the milk check, the emphasis has always been on producing nutrient-dense milk. Today, our current bulk tank average hovers around 67 lb. per cow with 5.3% butterfat and 3.7% protein. Scott and Brian recognize this as a combination of factors that contribute to the solid production level, crediting it to genetics, cow comfort, feed quality and management consistencies.
OVERNIGHT BARN FIRE
Going “too long” for another construction project, the brothers knew the next project for the dairy was to update the milking facility, and they began touring dairies to figure out if they would build a conventional or robotic parlor.
However, those blueprints quickly became dusty because of an overnight fire in July 2019 that completely engulfed the heifer barn, commodity barn, two skid loaders and all our hay, straw, cottonseed and bedding. It took six fire departments nearly 11 hours to put the fire out, but thankfully the guys were able to go towards the flames to free the 200 heifers inside the barn. “A week later the pile was still smoldering,” Brian remarks.
While the cause of the fire is unknown, it is believed to have started from some moldy hay. The day prior, we had finished combining wheat and baling straw and added 1,500 straw bales to the barn, which caused a “perfect storm” scenario. Thankfully, the winds did not shift that July morning and take the parlor, or our family would have been out of business altogether. Heifers got relocated to four neighbor farms, making the already long chore list even longer. “Our community really pitched in and helped us out,” Brian adds. “Several people offered homes for our heifers and helped us locate feed.”
Feed, bedding and skidloaders were delivered overnight, but the parlor plans got delayed, as the need for a heifer barn became the number-one priority. The commodity barn was added just a few months later in October 2019. The guys toured heifer facilities to see what barn-style would work best, which prolonged heifers to return home and the barn being built.
“The new barn was designed to house heifers from weaning up to 12 months of age,” Scott says. “While this doesn’t house all of our youngstock, it does provide us more space than our previous onsite heifer housing had before the fire.”
COVID-19 delayed the approval process of permits, which postponed bringing heifers back home. Then riots on our state’s capital last summer delayed final approval to move heifers in, but 15 months after the fire, we were finally able to move heifers back home. “The new heifer barn is so much nicer than our previously ‘Cargill-style’ heifer lots we had,” Scott says.
NEXT CHAPTER
Looking ahead, our family understands the parlor is on borrowed time, and trying to figure out the next chapter is easier said than done. The milk check doesn’t go too far, particularly when we strive to pay down debt. Scott and Brian naturally like a conventional parlor concept but are also skeptical about future labor availability, which has them also looking at robots. “It’s hard to know what way to go,” Scott explains. “I really want to wait to see what my kids’ interest is, and how they’d like to milk cows, but also know that our current parlor is on its last life and decisions need to be made sooner rather than later.”
More than thirty years have passed since those first Jersey cows came home from the local sale barn. The young boys are now grown men and Scott and I have three children: Tyler, 17; Cassie, 15; and Jacob, 11, who all are actively involved on the dairy.
While the path to success has not been straight or easy, the brothers have worked hard, even when milk price tanked and roadblocks occurred. Together they have built a 550-cow milking herd that began as that small 4-H starter project.
The future of dairy is uncertain, and Bohnert Jerseys is no exception. However, the brothers remain hopeful as they look out on the herd of registered Jersey cows and watch three generations work side-by-side on the family dairy farm.
