Wussows Top Field of 'Outstanding Young Farmer' Candidates Agri-View: Capitol News

It pays to have goals. Ron and Nicolle Wussow, Wisconsin's newly chosen "outstanding young farmers," are proof of that.

When they decided to farm, they set for themselves two goals. One was to build a herd of high-producing cows. The other one was to run a profitable dairy operation by having a herd average of 25,000 pounds per cow.

They've achieved both goals. Fact is, they've surpassed them.

The Wussows, who farm near the northeastern Shawano County community of Cecil, were announced last weekend as the winners of the 55th Wisconsin Jaycees Outstanding Young Farmer Contest. Their herd's rolling herd average shows that the Wussows have zoomed past their initial goal of 25,000 pounds of milk per cow.

It stands at 31,590 pounds. That's 21 percent higher than the couple originally dreamed about. What's more, the Wussows have tallied that production from a herd that's 20 percent Jerseys and 80 percent Holsteins.

Knowledge and experience are two factors in helping the Wussows reach their herd average goal. Before they purchased their 434-acre farm, Ron worked two years as a DHIA technician. After that, he was a herdsman on a dairy farm in northwest Wisconsin that had registered cattle. After that, he went back to the Shawano area of northeast Wisconsin and was employed by a local co-op.

Nicolle also garnered valuable on-the-job experience. She worked on several farms and was a dairy nutritionist for five years.

The Wussows say they wanted to farm on their own for at least three reasons. First, they enjoy working with cattle. Second, they like the cropping aspect of farming, too. And third, they wanted to work independently of an employer.

Nicolle and Ron know that cow comfort is a key to boosting milk production. So in 2001 they remodeled the barn with comfort in mind.

The Wussows made the stalls larger, giving the cows more room to relax, and more room to stand and lie without bumping into obstructions. As another comfort move they installed mattresses in the stalls.

A third remodeling touch was the addition of long-day lighting, which has been shown to boost milk production. Those improvements paid off in the bulk tank, with their herd hitting a 30,000-pound average.

Three years later the Wussows went to three-time-a-day milking. Within two weeks the herd had reached the Wussows' goal of 90 pounds of milk per cow per day. In fact, that goal was surpassed, too - by seven pounds.

Ron and Nicolle have another goal for their cows. They especially want to improve the Jerseys, so they have Jersey embryos implanted in some of their Holsteins.

Wussow Jerseys are no strangers to the show-ring. At events such as World Dairy Expo and the All-American Jersey Show, they've been selected for several awards, such as premier performance cow, reserve junior all-American, and reserve all-American best three females.

Meanwhile, the Wussows Holsteins have earned their share of attention. DHIA has given the Holsteins awards for top milk production and high protein.

As noted earlier, the Wussows also enjoy growing crops. Besides corn and corn for silage, the Wussows tried their hands at growing soybeans and winter wheat during 2007.

Ron likes working with crops so much that he has a custom harvesting business. He has invested in top-of-the-line machinery to help him harvest other farmers' crops quickly and efficiently.

The Wussows' equipment line includes a bagger, self-propelled chopper and double windrow merging machine.

Their custom harvesting business is still growing. During 2008 Ron expects to harvest 2,000 acres of hay and 2,400 acres of corn.

This year's top outstanding young farmers care about the environment. They operate their farm according to a manure management plan that is updated each year.

Having such a plan is important even though much of the Wussow farm is quite level, with just a 3 percent slope. But the soil tends toward the sandy side, making it quite permeable to any runoff.

That's one reason the Wussows have a cement-lined manure storage facility. It lets them stay off their fields until the ground is ready for manure applications.

In addition, the Wussows have invested in technology that helps them make sure nutrients are not applied excessively. They use global positioning system (GPS) equipment that tells them precisely how much manure is going onto a particular area.

To prevent erosion, the Wussows plant a cover crop of winter wheat on corn and soybean fields. They also have buffer strips and cleaned the farm's drainage ditches three years ago.

Judges who select the Wisconsin Jaycees Outstanding Young Farmers also take into account contestants' community involvement. For the Wussows, that means being active in their Lutheran Church. The couple's children, Kayla and Colin, attend that congregation's Lutheran school. Ron and Nicolle are also active in the school's parent/teacher league and help coach the basketball team.

Ron and Nicolle believe in encouraging young people and helping them explore the dairy industry. Both are 4-H leaders who worked together to get the dairy judging and dairy quiz bowl teams going again in Shawano County. Nicolle has been honored at the county level for her 4-H efforts.

Runners-up

The awards weekend, hosted by an organization called the Shawano County Outstanding Young Farmer and Friends of Agriculture, also selected four runners-up. Chosen as first runner-up was Chad Neeser, who operates a 761- dairy and cash crop farm near Rice Lake.

The second runners-up are Mark and Rachel Parker. They have a 365-acre dairy operation near Viola.

Keith and Fay Niemann, Edgar, are the third runners-up. Their farm has a custom feedlot enterprise and a beef cow-calf operation.

Wade and Diane Shaw are the fourth runners-up. They manage a 2,110-acre cash grain and crossbred hog farm near Baraboo.