Genetics whiz, Mitch Kappelman creates custom mating program to build ideal milking herd

MANITOWOC ‒ When milk prices are low and interest rates go up, farmers are faced with making decisions to help their farm survive the challenges.           

Mitch Kappelman is the fifth generation on his family’s 450-cow registered Holstein and registered Brown Swiss dairy farm, Meadow Brook Farms, in northern Manitowoc County. Working with dairy cattle and helping on his family’s farm has always been his passion.

A career in farming was an obvious choice since growing up everything he did involved cows and farming and his friends shared his interests.

His parents encouraged him to get his college degree and have some off-farm experiences before returning to the family farm.

Before joining his family’s business and forming the partnership he earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin Madison where he majored in dairy science. While In school, Kappelman took an internship and job with International Protein Sires followed by two years as a Herd and Sire Analyst for Accelerated Genetics.

At age 24, after two years working off the farm, he returned home. He officially entered the family business in 2015 after seven consecutive years of break-even or below milk prices.

“This presented challenges but it also taught me about the importance of marketing and contracting milk,” said the fifth generation farmer.

When Mitch joined his family’s business, they worked with Lakeshore Farm Management and with a law firm that understood the complexities of taking over a family farm. They established a plan that included some gifting from his parents along with future buyout plans.

Putting his knowledge in dairy genetics to work

Once he took over, Kappelman immediately set out to apply his knowledge and interest in dairy genetics to improve the herd average.

“My experience mating cows for Accelerated Genetics helped me to create my own mating program (MitchMatch) using Microsoft Excel,” he said. “Genomic testing is only as useful in how much it is used. My program uses everything.”

To find the best matings, Kappelman inputs the data of female animals and as many potential sires (around 5,000) to find the best bulls for his herd.

About 95% of the herd is bred to be profitable commercial cows and the other 5% are Red and White, red carrier, or higher type black and white cows. He created his own weighted indexes to select the best males and females. The lower end females are bred to beef or are used as recipients for embryo transfer. 

The program uses haplotypes to eliminate any carriers being mated together and watches for inbreeding as well.

Mating program paving way for bright genetic future

Since developing this program, the Kappelman herd has gained consistency. The Manitowoc County dairy farmer says he is pleased with the freshening two-years olds that will help build a bright future for the farm.

“While improving the herd average was a goal, my overall goal is to improve herd longevity, fat and protein production as well as pregnancy rate,” he said.

Kappelman aims high in setting breeding goals

Since he entered farming, Kappelman has set specific goals: breeding an All-American in the show ring and breeding the number one male and female Brown Swiss. So far he has achieved the goal of breeding the number one male and female Brown Swiss but is still working on the All-American.

As for other goals, he had hoped to have an automatic milking system (robots) in place this year. However, that plan has been put on hold due to the low milk prices and higher interest rates.

In the meantime, he is looking at other ways to make the farm efficient. 

While Mitch’s past experience on his family’s farm has been working with dairy cattle, he is striving to learn more about the cropping side of the business.  The family partnership owns 311 acres and rents another 781 acres.

Achieving production goals in the milk tank requires good crops

The corn for grain and silage, alfalfa, soybeans, winter wheat and rye are all raised for the dairy cattle on the farm.

To achieve the production levels, he is striving for through genetics, Kappelman knows it is also important to make high quality feed, and that starts with maintaining healthy soil and water.

Good communication between Kappelman, the agronomist and the manure hauler is important for establishing the proper rates. Sharing that information with employees via field maps and the nutrient management plan is critical during the application process.

Planting cover crops and utilizing crop rotation are ways the farm maintains soil and water quality. Kappelman says cover crops also help increase nutrients in the soil, increasing yields. Ryegrass is planted as a cover crop and harvested for low-energy dry cow feed. 

Partnerships and volunteering important to Kappelman family

Kappelman gets help from his wife McKenzie with management duties including employee scheduling and payroll, and working with financial advisors. 

"She pays the bills on the farm and will help with barn duties or covering feed bunks when needed," he said.

McKenzie also works off the farm as a patient services representative at the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic at Aurora Baycare in Green Bay. Her job has a flexible schedule that allows her to still work on the farm while providing health insurance.

Looking back, Kappelman realizes the importance of volunteers who work with youth in developing farming interests and skills. 

"I want to try to do the same for youth today,” he said. “As a youth, my involvement in the dairy quiz bowl and other activities not only taught me about dairy cattle and farming but also taught me about building relationships, patience, perseverance and other life lessons.” 

He currently serves as a member of the genetics committee and the nominating committee chair for the Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders Association; a Canton IV Director for the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Association, Quiz Bowl moderator for Manitowoc Lutheran High School and Quiz Bowl judge and moderator for the Wisconsin Junior Holstein Convention. He has also served as a board member and officer for the county and state Holstein Association.

He and McKenzie have been active over the years working with the local Dairy Promotion Committee at the annual dairy breakfast. Their farm has hosted school tours. The couple has also given radio and television interviews promoting the dairy industry and educating non-farmers about dairy.

To complete the Young Dairy Leaders Institute, the couple was required to reach out to local radio stations and newspapers and offer information about dairying. Kappelman went a step further, undertaking a project of showing consumers the milking process and teaching them about cows at the Manitowoc County Fair.