In 1951 Freddie Martin’s parents moved to the location he still farms today. “I bought the whole farm in 1960. Then, in the Spring of ‘73 the bottom fell out of the cattle market. $600 heifers went to $300, so we decided to start milking. I only milked cows one year myself. After that, we started hiring employees. Martin Prairie Farms employs around eight non-family members. Freddie said it is easier to have full-time people living on his farm because of their reliability and closeness, especially in an emergency.
The Martin Cattle Herd
Freddie’s dairy operation today consists of 330 cows.
“We milk three times a day, which makes rotating milkers easier. In August 2006 the milk parlor was upgraded from a double 10 to a Westfalia double 14. We are currently building a second and third freestall barn, each a 98 ft. by 300 ft. facility. We will then be able to milk 600-plus,” he noted.
Trying to stay diversified, they also background feeder cattle, including beef heifers and steers and Holstein steers. They also raise and sell springer dairy heifers to other dairies.
With 150 calves on the bucket right now, Freddie said that caring for the calves can be the best and worst job on the farm. “You get a pretty day out there with those babies, it is the best.”
The Martins utilize Holsteins 95 percent of the time, and have been trying some Holstein with a Jersey mix. Freddie and his son, David, research breeds and progeny to always be improving the herd. “We have even looked at breeds from Europe, looking for that good hybrid vigor,” he added.
Freddie said they are quick to address health problems. “We have a vet here on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. He checks cows, and together we keep up with a specific vaccination program, no matter what age.”
Marketplace Diversity
Over the years, Freddie has seen and struggled through the challenges of dairying. “Feed costs are just unbelievable. Even just since August. I tried to contract gluten in August for $104/ton. Well, we messed around and didn’t get it worked out for a few weeks. We ended up contracting it at $118/ton. If we hadn’t contracted it, we’d be paying near $200/ton now, though,” Freddie recalled.
They try to grow a lot of their own feed, and Freddie said he and his son work together to produce, purchase and mix all the feed on the farm, including baby calf feed. “Last year we harvested over 5,000 tons of corn silage and we put up 20,000 bushels of shelled corn,” he said.
You may remember Martin Prairie Farms as a dairy and bottling operation just a few years back. "We processed and bottled our own milk for about seven years and bottled 10,000 gallons per week at our peak.” Out of the bottling business now, Freddie is focusing on improving the farm facilities and increasing the dairy herd.
The Martins also utilize ethanol byproducts, feeding wet distillers grains from the ethanol plant at Malta Bend, Mo. The key to utilizing distillers grains, Freddie said, is to blend with a lot of other ingredients. “You can feed too much of it. Distillers grains is a very hot feed. It is 25 to 30 percent protein and 10 percent oil. It is so rich you just can’t feed it by itself,” Freddie explained.
The commodities that go into the ration at Martin Prairie Farms are distillers grains, gluten, soybean meal, soy hulls, corn and some cotton seed hulls. Freddie said they have to be careful with fat inputs when using distillers, though.
The challenges with the milking industry Freddie also evaluates through his position with the Missouri Dairy Association.
Freddie's son, David, works full time at the farm. David, a graduate of the University of Missouri, brought a lot of positive change and new ideas to the farm when he came home from college.
Freddie Martin has weathered the changes in his industry, and knows he will continue to thrive. Between Fred, his wife, Mary, David and his wife Trisha, they are committed to keeping Martin Prairie Farms a viable and efficient milk supplier for the southwest Missouri region, for years to come.
