Welcome to The Select Sires Podcast talking Your Success, Our Passion, starting in 3-2-1.
Ethan Haywood
Hello everyone, and welcome to episode one of season two of The Select Sires Podcast. My name is Ethan Haywood, and I am excited to be hosting the podcast for this season. Today, we are coming to you from Southwest Michigan at Lew-Max.
We are so excited to have Aaron Gasper and Malissa Reed with us today to talk cow longevity, cow management and what is going on up here at Lew-Max. Aaron, Malissa, thank you so much for your time today.
Aaron Gasper
Thanks for coming, and welcome to the Lew-Max shop. I know we talked about doing it in the office, but the air compressor and every activity was happening. So, we moved things to the shop today.
Ethan Haywood
Yeah, we may be shooting video today, but there's cows going through the parlor for you. Well, Aaron, can you give us just a little bit of background about where we are up here and what we are doing here today?
Aaron Gasper
Yeah, my name is Aaron Gasper. I am a fifth-generation farmer. We are located just north of Grand Rapids, Michigan in a town called Belding. We’ve been here over a hundred years, and I have two boys that are still a little young,
but they might be interested, we’ll see.
Ethan Haywood
Malissa, can you share a little bit with us about your role and how you work with Lew-Max?
Malissa Reed
So, I have been working for CentralStar now for about 10 years. I have had the pleasure of working here with Lew-Max Dairy for the last two, and it is a great account to work with. Aaron's very progressive and very adaptable to change.
So, it has been awesome to work with this dairy.
Aaron Gasper
One question I always get is: “What does Lew-Max mean?” Well, my grandpa's name is Louie and my grandma's name is Maxine. So, we have just kept the farm the same, that is why it is Lew-Max. That is where that comes from.
Ethan Haywood
I like it, and that is what the prefix is on some of these cows that we see come across lists as well. So, it is a fun place to be. It is a place that I am always looking out for on the DHI list. Always near the top averaging 7.2 pounds
of CFP last year, and we are continuing to push the ceiling on that. You guys are a Repro Star Award winner. The inside walls of the office that we were in earlier is just covered in milk quality awards. Milk quality is a large focus
here, and your milk goes to MMPA. So, you really excel at a lot of different aspects of dairy farming, not just the genetic portion. Tell us a little bit about what is going on in the background to make that happen cow-side.
Aaron Gasper
I appreciate the compliment. Those are just numbers; I am just lucky. I am blessed to have good people around me, like every business that does good. It is the people behind the scenes, between my employees who are just unbelievable, especially
these last couple of years. We just have a solid group of people, - with financial people and like you guys, too. We have bled Select Sires. I mean it has been Select Sires forever. My grandpa always told the story of how, when they
used to have MABC in Lansing, Michigan, they would collect fresh bull semen, and the plane would parachute it down; fly over and float them down. So genetically, we have always been solid, and this combined fat and protein, we are
really striving with those numbers. Eight pounds of solids coming out of here is my new goal, and we are just crouching that all the time.
Ethan Haywood
We love that this is a place where the accelerator is down. You are pushing it, you are pushing cows hard to try and maximize their productivity, maximize their health. While also maximizing the reproductive efficiency. It is crazy to
think about those days when the semen was coming down on a little white parachute from Select Sires. Now we are pushing some production that our grandfathers and great grandfathers only could have imagined that the Holstein cow was
capable of doing.
Aaron Gasper
Where is it going to end? Genetically we keep leaping bounds but just where is it going to end? Just unbelievable.
Ethan Haywood
As we continue to try and increase that production of these individual animals. We are here to talk about cow longevity today, and we want a little more from them on the health and the repro and the production side. Malissa, tell us a
little bit about what traits we focus on here at Lew-Max to try and maximize all of those facets of production.
Malissa Reed
So, we have been selecting for HHP$® for the last couple of years. Like you had said earlier, we have been really focusing on milk quality, which you have seen all the awards in the barn. We have been really pushing the
limits on Net Merit. When we went into a little bit of a problem with mastitis, that was our introduction into HHP$.
Aaron Gasper
And heifer numbers too, right?
Malissa Reed
And heifer numbers correct, yes. Once we got our heifer numbers dialed in with a breeding strategy, which I worked very closely with Dr. Kelly Sporer on to implement that into the matings, we could then really utilize HHP$ and find our
top animals and making sure we get heifers out of those.
Ethan Haywood
So, we are utilizing HHP$ here to dial in and be very purposeful about the genetic progress that we are making. How does that tie in with the actual breeding of animals versus what are we using sexed semen vs. beef semen? We are a NxGEN® herd here, as we have said really investing in top genetics, and how has using sexed NxGEN semen allowed you to be flexible within the system?
Aaron Gasper
It took me a little bit to get on board, but that whole heifer inventory, it is a silent cashflow killer, and as an industry, we keep getting better and better at breeding animals and getting cows pregnant. There was a time where for my
650 cows, we had enough replacements for 1,000 cows here. It put a lot of stress on the whole calf rearing program. It took a little bit for me to be on board because we are breeding good cows to beef, I just had a hard time with that.
It has been enough time where the numbers are starting to follow through. I had put a lot of trust in the system, and we have adjusted that. We had some cushion where we were in that 130% and we are even lower than that because, that
is the nice thing about the program. Because you can adjust that if you are selling a lot of heifers, or selling replacements or want to grow, that system can be adjusted.
Ethan Haywood
And, the cash that we are getting for beef on dairy calves is pretty awesome for cash flow right now, and that's hard to turn down. But at the same time, you go to bed a little bit anxious when you start breeding, what seems like this
huge volume of beef semen, and where am I going to put myself in three to four years? Am I going to have what I need? Malissa, tell us a little bit about all the input numbers that go into this calculation. We are not just picking
a number of units to use, but you are factoring in a lot of things.
Malissa Reed
Yeah, so we are factoring in your cull rate and your non completion rate and milk production. We are literally putting everything into this calculator to produce the best number to create the ideal number of heifers that this operation
needs in order to be efficient. Pretty much everything that our dairymen are putting into their computer is going into this calculator.
Ethan Haywood
When you get all that data in and we can get this flow right sized to where the dairy needs it, it just really aids in the stress and quality of the whole heifer raising system, doesn't it, Aaron?
Aaron Gasper
Yes, it is just like, before we were cramming the system, right? Now we are, it is just amazing the growths of these animals, we are just not cramming the system anymore.
Ethan Haywood
Part of the strategy here is we are raising fewer young stock, but we are increasing the quality of raising that they are getting. We are also increasing the quality of the genetics by being very particular in who we are making those replacements
from. We like these cows that we are making. We want them to hang around a little bit longer. To you, what does a cow need to be able to do to hang around in the herd as a productive member for a little longer?
Aaron Gasper
So, longevity, right? The quality of milk is, first and foremost, has to be there, and the amount of milk obviously, but it's sort of fun seeing these cows with good udders, good feet and legs and taking care of them and they'll last a
long time. The program has really helped us to do that. It is amazing when we sit down at the end of the year with the vets, nutritionists and the CentralStar team. We look at those genetic figures, and at first, I was a little leery
on that, but look at my top 25% and my lower 25%. It is amazing. There is almost 2,000 pounds of energy corrected milk there. It is amazing genetically how much faster that we are growing here.
Ethan Haywood
Yes, it is an incredible number and when we are talking about today's margins, 2,000 pounds of energy corrected milk per lactation on a two-year-old. I mean, that is enormous.
Aaron Gasper
It is a lot of money.
Ethan Haywood
Then we look at your genetic audits and see that it is not just production in which we are seeing an advantage. One of the numbers from your genetic audit I saw that I found very interesting that top 25% of two-year-olds versus the bottom
25%, according to Herd Health Profit Dollars, it was 1.5 services per pregnancy on the top quarter versus 2.0 on the bottom quarter. That is still a great number, but when we are looking at the cost of goods, the cost of shots, the
cost of labor, and the cost of days open, I mean, that's a huge number. What does a half of service mean to you?
Aaron Gasper
You can roll that down to other health traits. You can just keep moving and following that suit. Between my cull rate on my top and my bottom, there is a big number there. It is worth looking at.
Ethan Haywood
It is a very rewarding thing to sit down and look at these numbers at the end of the year with your team to see all of these little things that you guys are so particular about every day of the year. It makes a difference and allows genetics
to express themselves.
Aaron Gasper
Well, Malissa and the team is what makes that happen. Like I said, we have been involved with Select Sires for a long time and it is one less job that I have to worry about.
Ethan Haywood
We live in such a fast-paced industry, especially the genetics game. You have to have somebody like Malissa on your team to be plugged into that 24/7. Malissa is a great cow person, she is looking at those genomic values on paper, but
she is also looking at families, and she is out walking your group of cows, making sure that what we are doing makes sense for your particular group of cows and the CentralStar team and the other cooperative teams do such a great job
at being plugged in on that. It really is a partnership/relationship to try and get a straw of semen into a cow.
Aaron Gasper
So true.
Ethan Haywood
As we progress forward, what do either of you see as areas you want to focus in on improving, both health wise and production wise, where is the next goal that we are setting for Lew-Max?
Malissa Reed
We are going to keep pushing the envelope on picking out the best, the highest HHP$, sires that we can and really pushing for more Combined Fat and Protein and Daughter Pregnancy Rate to keep us moving up.
Aaron Gasper
It is fun starting to see some of these NxGEN ones come around and starting to milk and how they look, and it is going to be fun, the next move forward.
Ethan Haywood
Yeah, absolutely, and it really is a fun farm to sit down and look at what some of these cows are doing on paper. I mean, from some of these young two-year-olds that take off like rockets, as well as some of the Gold Medal Dams that are
still out there in the barn, working very hard and just to walk cows physically here. I mean, just a herd with immense width, strength and power and capacity, and cows that are built to do the job that they are being asked to do is pretty cool. So, we really applaud the selection and the breeding of the cows that
you guys have in the barn. As we continue to move forward, we continue as a company to focus more on health traits and this data continues to get better and better. We continue to learn more. How are you coupling any health trait selection
with your management? What technologies are you using to help manage health on the farm side?
Aaron Gasper
It has been a goal. We are getting closer and closer, but it has been a goal to get under a 100,000 somatic cell. I think genetic plays a role in that. I remember the days where we were over 250, over 300 so it has taken a while we are
cleaning things up. That is one of the goals, I would love to get under 100,000. We will get some popping through every so often, but we average about 130 to 140, so we are close, but it just seems like the carrots right there.
Ethan Haywood
That is one of the things that makes us so excited about these young two-year-olds coming in that were selected off Herd Health Profit Dollars, the mastitis resistance and somatic cell score portion of that formula. We are excited to really
see that pop off and kick that down here.
Aaron Gasper
Well, that is the neat part. It is like, where is it going to end, right? There is already some information on displaced abomasum and some other health traits that are coming down the pipe. So, it is just going to keep getting better.
Ethan Haywood
Yes, and as labor becomes more expensive, antibiotics and drugs become more expensive, and cattle become more expensive, our production and raising costs are increasing. The healthier we can make these cows, the healthier we can make our
budget on the farm side. We really want to push them genetically so that the management practices that we are putting in all the work on have a good cow to work with. It is cool to watch you here do a really good job with cow side
health and individual attention to cows. What do you tell your team to get them to buy in on that focus of when you take care of individual cows?
Aaron Gasper
Yes, it pushes us forward. It gets us better from not only a financial standpoint but just being a good dairyman, right? It is all part of the circle of “take care of those animals, they'll take care of you.” I say it is simple,
but it is a lot of work that goes in to make that happen. My guys just do it. We are a detailed farm, and the details matter here. That is what sets us apart and my guys make it happen. They know!
Ethan Haywood
I think the detail-oriented team here makes a huge difference. With a lot of other things, you are already doing right to raise you up to the cream of the crop. Malissa, what other things do you see Lew-Max focusing on here, either genetically
or management wise that you think really helps set them apart from some other herds?
Malissa Reed
Well, something that I noticed with Aaron when I started working here is that he treats every person that walks onto the farm like a friend or a family member and, so it makes you feel like your job is important. That is why everyone here
really is so dead set on getting those details dialed in. I think from a management standpoint, that’s what Aaron is doing different that sets him apart from a lot of my other dairymen is just really making everyone feel important.
Aaron Gasper
Thank you, I do enjoy doing that. When I introduce someone to the hoof trimmer I say, “this is the best hoof trimmer in the United States.” I just go full blown out on the hoof trimmer, or whoever. I say, “No one mates
cows better than Malissa.” I just really get everyone all there. Then they go home like, “oh my gosh, is that really the best hoof trimmer in the United States?” So that is fun. We have a good time around here and,
this makes my job easier to be honest with you.
Ethan Haywood
It is a good place to come when you need to feel motivated about getting excited about dairy farming for the day. I feel that whether I come up here to look at cows, because I want to see some cows that really rev my engine or to talk
to people that are excited to be here doing it. It is a wonderful place to come, and it is cool that we can couple that atmosphere with the crazy production/reproduction quality that we are achieving here at Lew-Max. So, is there anything
else that you would like to leave our listeners with? We are coming out with the start of season two of this podcast. There is going to be a variety of topics, but we want to center on the cow and the people that are with the cow.
Are there any final thoughts you would like to leave as people go about the rest of their day to do with dairy farming?
Aaron Gasper
This is easy because we love what we do. We enjoy it and we get along. So that makes our conversation easy, and that is what as a whole team of what we have around Lew-Max, you are part of that. It makes it happen along with everyone else.
That is what makes my job easy because of what we have going on here.
Malissa Reed
I just really appreciate being able to come here and share some of my passion and, this is one of the best herds I work with. They really push the envelope in every way, and I encourage other listeners to start doing the same.
Ethan Haywood
Aaron, Malissa, thank you both so much for the time that you have given us today. This is a blast, and we always love coming up here talking cows and talking dairy farming. For our listeners out there, be ready to tune in every other week
coming up for new episodes of the Select Sires podcast. We are so excited to share more producer stories with you, get our boots on the ground throughout the United States and the world to share some of the stories of the people that
are chasing the same goals genetically and production wise as you. We will have a variety of topics that range from beef on dairy and genetics to farm safety. Some cool stuff coming up around Expo and whatever other ideas come to us.
Please feel free to follow us on our socials and to follow the podcast. You can get notified when there's new episodes and feel free to shoot us a message on socials. If you have a topic or a producer that you think we should visit
with let us know! Thank you so much. This has been a great episode of The Select Sires Podcast, and we will see you next time.