FARM BACKGROUND
HISTORY
Long Lane
Farm located in Brownstown, Indiana has been in the Nierman name for 142
years and four generations. The land was acquired from the Federal
Government as a land grant by Henry Vosbrink in 1841. It was sold
to Henry Stockamp in 1855, and was later sold to
John Henry Nierman in 1859. The farm was then transferred to John's
son, Philip Nierman in 1905. Henry Nierman took over the farm in
1937, and started the dairy operation. Roger then took over the operations
in 1974.
The first
Brown Swiss cattle were grade cows purchased in the late 1930s. The
first registered Swiss were two 4-H project calves obtained from Hill &
Eades of Edinburg, Indiana in 1947. They were registered in the name
of Henry Nierman & Sons. At the same time a three old cow, Aurora
Bell 3rd No. 136231, was purchased at the Indiana State Sale. This
cow was bred to Judd's Bridge August No. 61563. She calved in July
1948 with a bull, Pride's August Czar No. 94543, which was used in the
Nierman herd for several years.
He was
the sire of Roseanna Marie's Annette No. 268294, who was a daughter of
one of the original 4-H heifers. Roseanna Marie's Annette was one
of the foundation cows of the Nierman herd. She died in 1969 at the
age of 17. Some of her blood lines are still in the herd today.
Production
testing was started in 1958 by D.H.I.A. Shortly afterward D.H.I.R.
was also used. Classification of the herd was started in 1961.
It was at this time that Roger took an active interest in the herd.
In 1966
and 1967, quite extensive improvements were made in the dairy operation.
A 40'x120' free stall barn was completed with 80 stalls. The next
year a double four herringbone with eight units for milking was built along
with Harvestores and feeding equipment for high moisture corn and haylage.
In 1972,
the herd was enrolled in Production Testing, Production Registry(P.T.P.R.).
In January 1974 the farm together with the entire herd was sold by Henry
Nierman to his son, Roger, who is the current owner. In 1990, a partial
dispersal was held because of health reasons and labor shortage.
Eighty head of cattle sold, all under the age of five years of age.
The animals sold to fifteen different states and two countries.
As of
the year 1997, the farm is operated by Roger and JoElla Nierman.
Their son, Brian, and his wife, Amy, are also actively involved in the
dairy operation. Roger and JoElla's other two children, Jason and
Jill, are also involved in its operation.
Roger
owns 335 acres of farmland and farms an additional 400 acres. Corn,
soybeans, 
and
alfalfa are the the major crops that are grown. Eighty acres of alfalfa
are grown with a management program to obtain five cuttings per year.
One half of the alfalfa is harvested as haylage and is stored in sealed
silos, and the balance is baled into square or round bales for hay.
Production
has increased from the herd average in 1958 of just over 10,000 lbs. to
17,750 lbs. of milk, 730 lbs.of fat, and 646 lbs. of protein on 100 cows.
ACHIEVEMENTS
One of
the favorite cow families in the Nierman herd is the "Luv" family.
Niermans Stretch Luv won the the J.P. Eves national production award in
1982 for the highest 305 ME milk record. Her daughter, Niermans Stylish
Laverne "E", received the National Protein Award in 1988 for the highest
305 ME protein record of the breed. Another favorite is Niermans
Stretch Melanie "4E". She was shown at state and national shows
for thirteen consecutive years, and was Grand Champion at the Kentucky
State Fair three times in the 80s. She also won the Total Performance
Award at the Southeastern National twice. Her lifetime milk production
is 247,202 pounds, which ranks among the highest ever in the Brown Swiss
breed.
Dozens
of Honor Roll records, including class leaders, have been accomplished
over the 
years
which recognizes the top 5 records for each age group in protein, fat,
and milk production. The herd has also won the National Group III
Ira Inman P.T.P.R. Award twice for having the top producing Brown Swiss
herd for their herd size. Several 30,000 pound milk records have
been made since the late 70s. An animal that the Niermans sold recently
produced over 40,000 pounds in one lactation.
The Niermans
have also had great success in the show ring. They have been named
Premier Exhibitor and Premier Breeder at the Southeastern National, Kentucky
State Fair, and Indiana State Fair several times. They have also
exhibited the Grand Champion Cow at the Indiana and Kentucky State Fairs
several times. The family has recently exhibited cattle at the World
Dairy Expo with several top five winnings. The herd has received several
All American nominations over the years, and currently owns the 1997 Honorable
Mention All American Bull Calf. The current classification average
is 86.9 for over 100 head, which is among the highest for its herd size.
The Niermans
were recently selected the 1997 Indiana Dairy Family of the Year awarded
by the Indiana State Dairy
Association. The picture below of Brian feeding calves was featured
on the front cover of the Hoard's Dairyman,
the National Dairy Farm Magazine. The herd was also featured in the
1996 Hoard's Dairyman Judging Contest with Niermans
Eventides Nifty being selected the Supreme Champion of all breeds.
SALE
AND DEVELOPMENT OF BREEDING STOCK
The sale
of breeding stock is very important to the Nierman herd. The majority
of the herd is bred by artificial insemination with about one fourth being
bred to young sires. A home bred clean up bull is usually used to
bred selected heifers and cows. The cow's classification scores and
breakdowns are used for mating for future improvement. A few of the
top cows are flushed each year for embryo transfer to concentrate on their
superior genetics.
Breeding
stock from the Nierman herd has been sold world wide with animal or embryos
being sold throughout South and Central America, Europe, Japan, Canada,
and the United States. A large number of bulls are raised each year
for the purpose of selling as breeding stock. Also several animals
are selected each year to sell through breed consignment sales as well
as private sells.
MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES
A priority
of management is placed on production. The herd is fed a TMR(Total
Mixed Ration) three times a day consisting mainly of corn silage, haylage,
high moisture corn, distiller grain, and soybean meal. Alfalfa dried
hay is also fed to the milk cows twice a day. A corn concentrate
mix is fed to cows in the milking parlor. A computer feeder has been
used in the past to provide additional concentrates to the higher producing
cows.
Two consultants
have been hired, one to improve feeding practices and the other to improve
herd health. The nutritionist formulates rations for the milking
herd and replacement animals. He also provides a supplement that
is used in the TMR. No commercial feed is purchased, and all feed
stuffs are tested periodically and used accordingly. The herd health
consultant provides the Niermans with the newest information in the dairy
industry. He performs routine pregnancy checks and checks cow's body
fat.
INVOLVEMENT IN DAIRY ACTIVITIES
The Niermans
have been involved in many activities in the dairy industry. Roger
is currently serving his second term as a National Director for the Brown
Swiss Cattle Breeders' Association. He also serves as a director
for the local DHIA Association and the Indiana Brown Swiss Association.
Along with these duties, Roger has served as the Brown Swiss southern canton
president and is a past president of the Indiana Brown Swiss Association.
He has also served on several committees for the National Brown Swiss Association,
and currently serves on the cow recognition program. He was recently
elected as a 1998 Southern Indiana delegate for NOBA/CRI.
Brian Nierman serves on the Board of Directors for the Indiana Brown
Swiss Association and the local DHIA. All of the Niermans children
have been involved in the National and Indiana Brown Swiss Youth Programs
and 4-H. Brian, Jason, and Jill have all won National Production
and Cheese Yield Awards several times for District IV. During Brian
and Jason's years in youth activities, they both were awarded the Brown
Swiss National Achievement Award for District IV. The children have
also owned several National and State Junior Bell Ringers. Brian
and Jill have both been named the Supreme 4-H Dairy Showman at the Indiana
State Fair. Only Jill remains eligible to participate in the youth
activities.
FUTURE PLANS
Future
plans call for the herd to continue to expand in numbers, as well as in
quality. With Brian involved in the dairy operation, more cows are
needed to allow profits to support two families. Production will
continue to be a top priority with the Nierman herd. During the past
few years, culling has been light due to the rebuilding process after the
dispersal sale in 1990.
Currently
the herd is milked two times a day, but the Niermans have milked three
times a day when the herd was smaller. It increased the herd average
to over 20,000 pounds and decreased herd health problems. So milking
three times a day may be attempted again. The family also hopes to
take advantage of the high solids in Brown Swiss milk and seek markets
in demand for this type of milk.
This page maintained byJason
Nierman
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