Welcoming Leadership, Wishing SuccessIt is with great emotion that I write for my final time

for this newsletter. The next few months will end my transition as Executive Vice President and General Manager to a new leader of NorthStar Cooperative.

March 31 will mark the end of a 38 year career at NorthStar that has been filled with exciting and rewarding experiences. The decision to move on from NorthStar has been the toughest decision of my life to date. Making the decision to leave a great organization filled with wonderful people that I care very deeply for was quite difficult. However; it’s this respect for our NorthStar team members that has been the primary factor to make my next life change.

NorthStar has a deep lineup of talented leaders that are ready and eager to take on new challenges – and now that can happen. Additionally, NorthStar is in the strongest sales, service and financial position we have been in during our 70 year history. All these elements played a role in the succession planning for this leadership change.

My career started with NorthStar in April of 1977 serving as a distributor A.I. Technician. I have been very fortunate and feel grateful to have had the opportunity to learn, grow, and serve producers in the capacity of seven different positions. While I’ve had much success, there were several positions over the years that I pursued but was not selected for. “Sometimes you win, Sometimes you learn,” John Maxwell. I believe everything happens for a reason, and looking back those were great lessons to make me try harder and better prepared me for the next steps in life.

It is hard for me to define which position was most rewarding, but, within each, helping others learn and grow, whether it was producers or team members, has been most fulfilling. My tenure as General Manager has definitely been the most challenging and exciting, and has brought me to the realization of how fortunate I have been. I say that because how many people have had the opportunity to share an accumulation of 38 years of experiences within one organization? During this time I’ve experienced the development of a team of 250 talented employees; built relationships with thousands

of producer-owners (and, yes, some farms are now third generation); had the opportunity to serve under strong leaders in this industry (your board members elect), and finally, execute a successful succession plan.

As I reflect on all of these experiences and contemplate the future, I smile and have tears come to my eyes. I am proud of the accomplishments of this organization. I have grown, and so have others within the organization. I can best describe it as the feeling you get when your son, daughter or a loved one scores their first basket, makes the winning goal, has a perfect serve, delivers a passionate speech, or receives a diploma. I have been fortunate to work side by side with many tremendous team members that have made those types of accomplishments, and I know they have developed to best provide the leadership necessary to carry on the legacy and vision of NorthStar Cooperative.

The NorthStar Cooperative Board has made an excellent selection for the next General Manager. Mark Adam brings sizable strength to this role that will add even more value for the organization. Mark and his team have the leadership that will enable NorthStar to evolve through the next levels of success.

I want to thank you all for the great experiences, relationships, guidance and support, and wish for your success in the future! Rest assured, as I enter into a new work era and explore my other passions like the Charter Fishing industry, I will be watching from the sidelines and smiling as the NorthStar team goes beyond what we could have ever imagined.

Gary Smith,Executive Vice President & General Manager

2 Comprehensive solutions for producer profitability.

Hotsheet, Ken prints it and heads to the barn to pull the top cows for testing and/or treatment. “It’s a very helpful tool,” said Ken.

While Ken does all the data entry into PCDART, his son Jared and herdsman Hector Perez use PocketDairy Android to access the information in the barns. “PocketDairy is very helpful to have when we’re out looking at cows,” said Jared.

“Everything we do, we evaluate the value it provides us,” said Ken. “It (DHI) does come up at our monthly meetings, is there something else we could put that money into that provides more value than DHI? The answer is no. We couldn’t achieve our low cell counts without DHI.”

“We made a decision to lower cell count at one of our meetings,” Ken noted. The dairy’s monthly meetings have been conducted consistently since Jared graduated a year and a half ago from the University of Wisconsin River Falls. The herd’s veterinarian, Paul Meagher with United Veterinary Service, and nutritionist Dave Strebe attend the meetings along with the eight fulltime milkers, longtime employee Kelly Sankey, Hector, Jared and Ken.

“I think our drop in cell count recently is a combination of everything,” Jared added. “From what our herdsman is doing in the parlor, to our monthly meetings, the sand that we’re bedding with, and cow health – it all adds up.”

“We can sit here all day and say ‘those guys need to do this better,’ but what good does that do?” said Ken. “When we get everyone working together as a team, we’re pulling for the same goal. We have to make it their goal as well.”

Udder prep and milking procedures are part of every meeting. An incentive program is in place for meeting SCC goals. Focus on achieving this goal is ever present through

Feltz Family FarmProgressive Dairy Producer of the Year

Ken Feltz made a conscious decision to change his attitude about farming many years ago. “Everyone wants to drive a tractor when you’re young,” he laughed. “But milk pays the bills, so I changed my attitude about it.”

Today, the fourth generation dairy is being recognized for their production improvements over the past five years with the NorthStar DHI Services Progressive Dairy Producer of the Year Award. Established in 1975, this award recognizes the herd that has shown the greatest total increase in dollar value over the past five years.

With a rolling herd average (RHA) on twice a day milking of 34,824 pounds of milk and somatic cell count (SCC) score below 85,000, the dairy focuses on producing a lot of high quality milk from their 550 Holstein cows. According to Ken, top production comes down to three things, “environment, genetics and feed.”

The entire reproduction program at Feltz Family Farm is natural. “When the cows are ready to get pregnant, the bulls are there,” Ken said, adding that they don’t do any synchronization. The herd averages about 200 days in milk (DIM) with a 15 month calving interval, but Ken be¬lieves in keeping the cows as stress-free as possible. “I’m not forcing them to get pregnant, and they milk really well,” said Ken. “We’re not stressing them more when they are peaking.”

With the gains in milk pro¬duction, Ken does feel that the genetics of the herd are improving all the time. Feltz Family Farm sells all of its calves and purchases all replacements. Originally the dairy purchased heifers from a variety of sources, but they proved to be very inconsistent. Recently he connected with a local supplier and he feels the replacements are more consistent genetics.

“We set a goal at one of our monthly meetings to only buy fresh heifers,” he said. “For the last two years, we’ve been buying heifers 30 days fresh, milking 100 pounds, and less than 100,000 cell count. It sounds impossible, but they are out there.”

As with the fresh heifers, the rest of the herd is held to high

standards throughout their lactations. Using NorthStar’s DHI Services since 2008, Ken relies on DHI data and PCDART to help guide management decisions.

“The SCC Hotsheet is the return on investment with DHI,” Ken noted. When he receives the email with the

We couldn't achieve our low cell counts without DHI.

3northstarcooperative.com

ongoing training and English and Spanish milking protocol posters that Jared created that serve as a constant reminder.

Beyond SCC, maintaining healthy cows is a priority for the Feltzs. The herd regularly tests for BVD through milk samples. “Paul has been here since I started,” Ken said. “He’s more than our vet – we are fortunate to have him on our team.”

The dairy currently works with the nutritionist to provide optimal nutrition for each group of cows. “We are fanatical about the feed quality,” said Ken. “Good quality feed is the key to healthy cows.”

Since 2010, Feltz Family Farm has increased milk production by over 4,400 pounds, fat and protein grew by more than 150 pounds each, and dollar value has grown by $801, all while decreasing SCC by 75,000. “We are committed to and passionate about the one thing we do, and that’s milking cows,” Ken said.

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4 Comprehensive solutions for producer profitability.

Managing the Anovulatory CowJulie Ainsworth, Dairy Production Analyst, PAS

Anovulation in dairy cows occurs frequently in early lactation, negatively impeding your reproduction success. Studies prove it occurs as frequently as 23 percent within the first 65 days in milk, therefore it is an important issue to understand

and manage, but is not the sole area to focus on when working to improve your reproduction program.What is Anovulation

In simplest terms, anovulation is the failure of cows to ovulate at or near the time breeding should occur. However, in reality it is much more complicated than that and is categorized into three time periods: follicle growth to emergence, follicle growth to deviation, and follicle growth to ovulatory size or larger. See the bottom of this article for a more complete explanation of each stage of anovulation.Origins of Anovulation

How anovulation begins ranges from heritability to management factors. Understanding the different starting points of anovulation is important to managing it.

Heritability. Heritability for anovulation is .171, so there is a fairly high genetic component. Most reproductive traits are in the range of .03-.07.

Farm Effect. Nutrition, transition cow management, parity within the herd, cow comfort, disease and uterine inflammation are all farm effects that seem to be significant in explaining anovulatory cows. However, many of the reasons why are unknown.

Body Condition Score (BCS). BCS is correlated to small follicle size. Lower BCS can contribute to anovulation, but doesn’t always explain it. While it is not uncommon for anovulatory cows to have a lower BCS, don’t assume cows with normal BCS are not impacted. Additionally, cows that lose one unit or more of BCS during transition tend to have about a 40 percent anovular rate; cows that lose less are 20-25 percent anovular.

Disease. The greater the severity and incidence of disease, the more likely anovulation will occur. Clinical conditions in the early postpartum period such as retained fetal membranes, hypocalcemia, mastitis, endometritis and metritis can all have an effect. A high level of mycotoxins can also interrupt endocrine patterns.

Progesterone. Progesterone has a dramatic effect on follicular development and ovulation. Low or intermediate

levels of progesterone will inhibit follicular turnover, block the LH surge and prevent ovulation.

Cysts. Behavioral signs of cows with ovarian cysts will vary from frequent, irregular, prolonged or continuous estrus to anestrus, usually reflective of the hormonal influence.

Milk production. A common myth is that there is a tie between high production and anovular conditions. Research has shown there are slightly more anovular cows in the top quarter for milk production, but there are even more in the bottom quarter. So, in reality, there is no relationship between milk production and anovular conditions.Hormonal Treatments

Anovular cows have more pregnancy losses and fewer pregnancies often due to low progesterone. Experience has shown us there are several treatment options that can help in managing anovular cows.

Double Ovsynch is the best treatment for anovulation. With this protocol 93-95 percent of cows will have a CL at the prostaglandin shot. An additional prostaglandin shot 12-24 hours after the last prostaglandin shot can really help regress the day 7 CL in anovular cows. Double Ovsynch may be a good first service protocol for you if you have a high incidence of anovulatory cows.

GGPG – 56 can also be effective, but less so than Double Ovsynch. With this protocol you can expect a 10 percent lower conception rate than Double Ovsynch on anovulatory cows.

Presynch-Ovsynch will generally have 20 percent lower conception rates than Double Ovsynch. The problem stems from having no CL, or a very poor CL. Adding CIDR’s can increase pregnancies around 6 percent due to the additional progesterone.

7 Days 7 Days 2 days 12-24 hrs

GnRH GnRH GnRHPGF2α A.I.PGF2α

3 Days

GnRH

7 Days

7 Days 7 Days 56 hours 16 hours

GnRH GnRH PGF2α GnRH A.I.

5northstarcooperative.com

Which protocol you choose depends on how close you are to the following goals:

• First service: 40 percent conception rate and all cows serviced before 100 days in milk.

• Second and greater services: short interval (42 days or less) between breedings and 35 percent conception or higher.

Double Ovsynch is the best choice if you are far from these goals. If you are close to meeting these goals GGPG-56 may be the right protocol. If you are using Presynch-Ovsynch and meeting these goals, stick with that program. Before making any changes talk with your veterinarian and reproduction specialist.In Summary

Along with good nutrition management and delayed time to first breeding, hormonal treatments can be used to improve the reproduction performance of anovular cows. Experience tells us that on average you can fix about 20 percent of your anovular cows and increase your conception rates by 3 percent with these treatments.

Understanding and managing anovulation can be complex, but we are here to help. If you have questions please don’t hesitate to contact a NorthStar team member or email me at ainsworthj@northstarcooperative.com for help.

Categories of AnovulationFollicle growth to emergence is very rare. It may result as a

genetic problem with chromosomal abnormalities or in severely malnourished animals. It is also associated with freemartinism. Complete underdevelopment or incomplete development may result. The failure of follicular growth beyond emergence may be due to a deficiency of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Follicles generally don’t grow larger than 9-15 mm.

Follicle growth to deviation but not ovulatory size is a common occurrence, especially in pre-pubertal animals and in the postpartum period. The characteristic signs of this condition are small ovaries caused by the absence of a CL or ovulatory size follicles, however, there still seems to be the presence of follicular waves. These cows lack an estrogen peak which inhibits hypothalamic GnRH secretion and LH pulses are decreased.

Follicle growth to ovulatory size or larger results in follicular cysts that persist for a minimum of 10 days, have a diameter greater than 2.5 cm and are characterized by either continuous estrous or anestrous. Luteal cysts are anovulatory follicles over 2.5 cm in diameter that are partially luteinized and persist for a prolonged period, and are usually characterized by anestrous. The occurrence is higher in 2nd and greater lactation cows, and in the winter months.

6 Comprehensive solutions for producer profitability.

Back in 2012, AntelBio and NorthStar DHI launched testing services for mastitis using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Applying proven technology, like PCR, in new ways always has its challenges, but we were convinced it could provide value to producers, particularly when the convenience of DHI sample collection is considered. Two years into the effort, we’ve experienced a lot and seen the benefit of these tests in a variety of scenarios.

Whether using the Contagious 3 or the Complete 16 panels, it wasn’t long before we learned that either offers valuable results. Let’s recap some highlights of how the technology has been used to provide solutions.

A Wisconsin dairy herd searching to identify the origin of their Staph aureus infections elected to run the Contagious 3 assay on their high SCC DHI samples. Not only did they find that their heifers were freshening with Staph aureus infections, but, upon closer examination of the results, they were able to isolate the problem to one heifer source in particular.

In another instance, use of the Complete 16 panel found klebsiella and E.coli in the majority of high SCC samples tested, quickly isolating the problem to newly sourced bedding. Remarkably, traditional culture was tried in these cases but did not provide resolution. With culture prone to returning an abundance of “no growth” results, pieces of the puzzle critical to helping identify the root cause can be missing. PCR can fill in those pieces of information.

An additional lesson learned since launching mastitis PCR is that these tests provide information, sometimes a lot! Rarely do results from the Complete 16 panel come up completely negative. While some less familiar with PCR are quick to assume the variety of results from one test may be due to contaminated samples, experience tells us there’s value there, but that interpretation is the key.

When recently challenged by comparison to traditional culture, PCR results were not only consistent with culture, but proved to be more helpful in assessing infection status and the true extent of the problem. A Wisconsin dairy struggling with ongoing mastitis issues sought insight from PCR, and were surprised to detect Staph aureus in nearly 80 percent of 37 high SCC DHI samples. It might have been logical to assume contamination with so many samples testing positive, but when culture detected 22 positive results on hand-stripped samples from the same cows, the producer stopped doubting PCR because of contamination and started prioritizing control of Staph aureus.

Experience has also shown us that not all mastitis PCR submissions result in an overwhelming identification of potential pathogens in DHI samples as described above. In fact, there are results from submissions that show no significant problem whatsoever. With improved sensitivity, the PCR tests make a great tool for surveillance programs. Ongoing bulk tank or grouped samples are powerful and cost effective ways to monitor infection status of a variety of mastitis organisms.

Over the past two years, we’ve also learned that, whether during collection or analysis, sample contamination is NOT a significant problem. For example, when a 1,000+ cow herd suspected an outbreak of Staph aureus but only found four of their high SCC DHI samples positive for the organism, they were confident contamination wasn’t a concern. Likewise, the PCR testing history at a dairy showed steady progress in eliminating new mycoplasma infections, and after a string of negative mycoplasma results, they discontinued testing. Clearly sample contamination did not interfere with progress in this herd.

On occasion, producers elect to test a bulk tank for surveillance or sick cows that have been treated with antibiotic, but, as you might have guessed, the majority of submissions are for analysis of high SCC DHI samples. High SCC is the first indication that cows are battling infection, so what better way to determine the responsible

pathogens than by running PCR on those samples. Waiting a few days after DHI test to hand-strip another sample introduces a confounding variable, time, which can change the course of infection.

Even though infections could be effectively cleared in a few days, knowing what pathogens are causing the majority of high SCC cases on DHI test day gives veterinarians and producers valuable insight for mastitis management. Furthermore, taking advantage of existing DHI samples to diagnose Johne’s, leukosis, BVD, pregnancy, as well as mastitis, leverages the investment in DHI, freeing up time and resources to devote to other areas of the dairy.

Learning curves are associated with every new technology and mastitis PCR is no different, but the value and effectiveness has been proven time and again. Mastitis PCR can be used in ways traditional culture can’t, it yields more information for more informed decisions, and has been used successfully to resolve lingering problems in mastitis management.

To learn more, talk to your NorthStar team members or call 800.631.3510.

Experience, the Best Teacher with Mastitis PCR TestingTodd Byrem, Ph.D., Director, AntelBio

The value and effectiveness of the Mastitis PCR testing has been proven time and again.

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northstarcooperative.comReturn Service Requested

NorthStar Cooperative, its agents or employees cannot and do not guarantee the conception rate, gender, quality or productivity to be obtained in connection with the use of its products, recommended techniques or services. WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WHICH EXTEND BEYOND THE DESCRIPTION OF ITS PRODUCTS OR SERVICES AND HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. In the unlikely event that any of our products or services shall be proven to be defective, damages resulting from their use shall exclude consequential damages and be limited to their purchase price.

The NorthStar Cooperative annual stockowner meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel at 11177 E Michigan Ave, Battle Creek, Michigan. Business will be conducted between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., only by common stockowners of record as of December 31, 2014.

The meeting’s purpose is to discuss, defer or act upon any and all matters pertaining to the business and affairs of NorthStar Cooperative, Inc., which are properly brought before the stockowners in the course of the meeting.

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