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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.