Successful Dairy Systems Field Days: Summer 2007
- To visit successful dairy operations and hear about the host family’s decision making process and changes made to assure their future in dairying.
- To learn about the dairy operation’s features.
- To ask questions and learn from one another.
The program is sponsored by Minnesota Dairy Initiative and UM Extension. No pre-registration is required. Cost is $5 per person per location, includes handouts.
[download the
brochure, pdf]
2007 Successful Dairy Systems Field Days
Each Field Day will include:
- Description of farm operation by host
farm family
- Discussion on topics related to featured items of that farm
- Tour of dairy facility
- Question and answer session
Caledonia
June 19 |
10:00 am-Noon
Blue View Dairy (Maynard Welscher & sons Jay, Jon,
Jim), 10008 Cnty 14, Caledonia, MN
From Caledonia, 3 mi south on Cnty 5, continue
approx 2 mi east on Cnty 14.
A 3-row drive-by feeding, sand bedded freestall
barn was built in 2006 for 180 dairy heifers and dry cows.
The milking herd is housed in a 4-row, center feeding
freestall barn and milked in a double 9 parallel parlor. |
Lewiston
June 20 |
10:00 am-Noon
Prime Pastures Organic Dairy (Dale & Carmen Pangrac;
Kim & Andy Olson), 19300 Trestle Dr, Lewiston, MN
From west end of Lewiston on US Hwy 14, go 0.9 mi north on Rupprecht’s Valley Rd, left on Trestle Dr,
continue 0.7 mi to farm.
Organic dairy operation with 450 acres of which
300 are in grazing/hay. 140 crossbred cows, mostly
seasonal milking, 140,000 SCC in 2006. In December
2006, built 60’x200’ dairy compost hoop barn with outside
drive-by feeding to house the herd in winter. Have step-up
double 8 parlor retrofitted into older stanchion barn. |
Pipestone
July 6 |
10:00 am-Noon
Randy & Priscilla Pater, 763 51st St, Pipestone, MN
From intersection of MN Hwys 23 and 30, go
south on Cnty Rd 56 for 5.5 mi. Farm is on west side of
road.
A 530-stall, 8-row, cross ventilated, sand bedded
freestall barn finished in 2007. Double 12 parlor. Manure
system flush flume system with a sand lane to recycle the
sand. |
Sleepy Eye
July 16 |
1:00-2:30
Loran & Heidi Sellner Dairy, 22292 Cnty Rd 24, Sleepy
Eye, MN
From Sleepy Eye, take Hwy 4 south to Cnty Rd
24, east on 24 approx 5.5 mi. Farm is on north side of
road. From New Ulm, take Hwy 14 west to Cnty Rd 11,
south on 11 to Cnty Rd 24, west on 24 to 3rd farm on
north side of road.
In 1999, this fifth generation farm built a 148-freestall barn and a double 6 parlor (expandable to double
10), and went from 60 to 185 cows. A 24’x72’ calf barn
built in 2006 currently holds 30 calf pens with space for
bedding and feed storage. Barn has curtain side walls and
a raised ridge cap. For added ventilation, a positive air
pressure tube will be added this summer. |
McIntosh
July 18 |
10:30 am-Noon
(Lunch provided compliments of Organic Valley Coop)
Mark & Joan Lee, 28292 300 St SE, McIntosh, MN
6 mi north of McIntosh on Polk Cnty 8, 1/4 mi
east on Polk Cnty 5.
To improve profitability and remain competitive
in the future, this second generation family farm recently
converted to organic production. The 42-cow herd is milked
in a tie stall barn.
|
Gonvick
(Clearwater Co)
July 18 |
1:30-3:00 pm
Arne & Carol Kleppe, 13600 Stony Lake Dr, Gonvick,
MN (Clearwater Cnty)
From Clearbrook, 1.5 mi south on Hwy 92, west
on Clearwater Cnty 6 approx 3.5 mi. From the Mark & Joan
Lee Farm, east on Polk Cnty 5 approx 17 mi (road becomes
Clearwater Cnty 8), south on Clearwater Cnty 7 (Pine Lake
Rd) approx 4 mi to Clearwater Cnty 6, then 3/4 mi east.
Kleppes will be certified organic and shipping
organic milk from their 120-cow dairy this fall. The crossbred
herd is rotationally grazed during summer, housed in
a low-cost compost barn during winter, and milked in a flat
parlor. Most of their 900 acres are devoted to forages. |
Long Prairie
July 30 |
10:00 am-1:00 pm
Clasemann Dairy Farm, 25154 280th St, Long Prairie,
MN
From Long Prairie, take Hwy 27 1/2 mi east
from Hwy 71, north 4 mi on Cnty Rd 5 to 280th St, east
1/4 mi. From Browerville, Cnty Rd 14 east from Hwy 71
3/4 mi to Cnty Rd 5, south 3 mi to 280th, then east 1/4
mi. Watch for signs.
Internally expanding dairy with approx 90 cows.
100-cow freestall barn with sand bedding. Concrete
manure pit with a liquid drain-off system to facilitate use
of sand bedding. Currently milking in shifts in old
stanchion barn and plan to build a parlor. |
Lester Prairie (McLeod Co)
August 1 |
11:00 am-1:00 pm
Krienke Dairy (Kraig, Rachelle, Roger), Lester Prairie,
MN (McLeod Cnty)
From Hutchinson, take MN Hwy 7 east through
Silver Lake, look for Eagle Ave east of Silver Lake and
west of Lester Prairie. Farm is first driveway on left (north)
after Eagle Ave. Fire number 5696.
Fifth generation dairy milking 190 cows. RHA is
29,700 lb and SCC is between 130,000-180,000. Cows
are milked in a parlor of old barn. All dairy animals over
12 months of age are housed in sand freestalls. Manure
is pushed into a concrete pit with approx 2 months of
storage. In process of expanding to about 260 milking
cows. |
Goodhue
August 14 |
10:00 am-Noon
Brent Lexvold Farm, 34645 190th Ave, Goodhue, MN
From Goodhue, 1 mi west on Goodhue Cnty 9
to Cnty Rd 6, 3 mi north on 6 to 350th St, then 1/2 mi
west and 1/2 mi north on 190th Ave.
Hoop barn with stalls built to fit larger Holstein
cows. Added a Jersey herd to better fit the stalls in the
older freestall barn. Has started some crossbreeding.
Currently milking 300 cows. |
Faribault
August 20 |
10:00 am-Noon
Randy & Kathleen Bauer Farm, 6034 Kenyon Blvd,
Faribault, MN
MN Hwy 60 approx 3.5 mi east of Faribault or
9 mi west of Kenyon. Farm is on north side of road.
Mixed Holstein and Jersey herd. Constructed an 80-cow freestall barn in 2006. Milking in a retrofitted
swing parlor. Currently using washed lime bedding.
Scraping manure directly into spreader or short-term
storage in a mini-pit. |
See you at a Successful Dairy Systems Field Day! |