Thoreson looks back at special programming opportunities
By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 03/01/2010 2:14 PM
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Among the successes Dale Thoreson remembers from his 36-year career with Iowa State University Extension is the Model Farms Project that he worked on with Kay Connelly, an Extension crops specialist.
Tom Smidt was hired to manage the pilot project in Butler County, and it transitioned into a crop scouting business that Smidt still runs.
Thoreson originated dairy days in Butler and Bremer counties, and today similar events are held throughout the state. He created Dairy for the Long Run in the 1990s. It was held at three locations for five weeks in a row.
"A farmer recently told me the series opened his eyes to what needed to get done in dairy," Thoreson said.
His work with milk quality probably had the most impact on individual dairy farms, Thoreson said.
"I worked individually with farmers showing them where the problems were," he said. "Some saw fantastic improvements once they took action to change."
Since he wasn't selling equipment, farmers believed him when he told them their vacuum pumps were shot or that they needed to improve procedures.
"Farmers not only saw higher milk prices, but their cows milked better once they got somatic cell counts down," Thoreson said.
In the beef area, he was pleased with the sorted feeder calf sale that was held in Decorah about five years ago.
"We brought smaller producers together to combine calves in larger groups," Thoreson said. "We've shown with research that if you have close to a semi-load of feeder calves in a lot, it will bring higher prices."
Pasture walks for beef and dairy producers and dairy parlor tours were real awakenings for farmers. Many offered to host tours and share financial information on what it cost to build their parlors.
"That showed farmers milking in stanchion barns that they could take pressure off their knees and backs and milk two to three times as fast," Thoreson said. "I think we kept some dairy farmers in business because of it."
Thoreson feels good about the New Farms Project.
"We were trying to expand the dairy industry in Iowa by bringing in farmers from overseas," he said. "Not all of the operations have been successful. With severely low milk prices things didn't work for two of the farms. But the other operations have been successful and it has helped to stabilize milk supply."
There were side benefits he didn't anticipate.
"I've talked to young people who have been encouraged by watching the New Farms Project dairies build and expand, and now they have decided to remodel and expand or build new," Thoreson said.
The project did receive criticism.
"But you have to look from a wider perspective to see if something is good for the overall dairy community," Thoreson said. "I felt growing the dairy industry would be positive."
Helping to create the Northeast Iowa Community-Based Dairy Foundation and the Dairy Center at Calmar was a milestone.
"Our idea was to develop a center that would be a focal point for adult learning, helping students learn and doing applied research," Thoreson said. "We've been very successful in some ways and modestly successful in others. That unit is not any more insulated from the economy than any other dairy farm, and the past year has been difficult. On the other hand, they've reached over 70 students in related dairy science programs thanks to Dave Lawstuen and Dr. Chris Harvey. We've accomplished quite a lot in research, and the center has become a focal point for farmer meetings."