September 5, 2017 at 3:32 p.m.
Groetsches host 2,500 for Stearns County Breakfast on the Farm
Albany dairy site of sixth annual event
John and Leah Kumpula, of St. Cloud, Minn. brought their four children (from left) Azalee, Jericho, Finland and Zephera, to the sixth annual Stearns County Breakfast on the Farm at Groetsch Dairy near Albany, Minn. This is the fourth year the Kumpula family has attended the breakfast.<br /><!-- 1upcrlf -->PHOTO BY MARK KLAPHAKE
Owners Steve and Lisa Groetsch gave over 2,500 people that opportunity on June 1, when they hosted the sixth annual Stearns County Breakfast on the Farm on their dairy near Albany, Minn.
Each year the public is invited to a dairy farm in Stearns County to learn more about farming and the journey of the milk from the cow to the grocery story. There are also plenty of activities for children, along with a breakfast of pancakes, French toast, sausage, eggs, milk, juice and coffee.
Over a year ago, the Groetsch family, which includes Steve and Lisa's three children - Jennifer, Matthew and Katelyn, agreed to host this year's event. They were able to attend last year's breakfast to get a better understanding of what they could expect at their farm.
"There are a small percentage of dairy farmers who can host and an even smaller percentage of dairy farmers who are willing to host it. We knew we needed to step up," Lisa said.
From that point on, the Groetsches have been preparing their farm for hosting the event, which last year drew over 2,000 people.
"We knew there were a lot of things we needed to get done and we just put it in the back of our minds," Steve said.
"[Hosting] is something big to consider, but our committee is so good to work with. The biggest thing to check is to make sure your building site is big enough," Lisa said.
The Groetsches worked with the Stearns County Breakfast on the Farm committee on promotion of the event, yard set up, and organizing tours of the farm, food preparation, children's activities, a petting zoo and countless volunteers. There were also many special guests who attended the breakfast, including Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Christine Reitsma, and two Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders.
The hard work and countless hours all came to fruition on June 1, when a comfortable Saturday morning brought people in droves to the Groetsches' dairy. Among the attendees was the Kumpula family - John and Leah, along with their four children, Zephera (5), Finland (almost 3), Azalee (2) and Jericho (6 months) - who traveled to the event from St. Cloud to get time away from the city.
"It's always marked on our calendar. We're regular attendees. It's something we look forward to every spring," John Kumpula said.
This was the fourth year the Kumpulas have attended the breakfast. They like to go to the event for both fun and education.
"The kids get to know the relationship between the cows and the milk. We make it into a field trip. They can learn a few things," Kumpula said.
Both of the Kumpulas, who have no farm background, said it was also a learning opportunity for them.
"I didn't know the amount of technology farms use, how the food is grown for the animals or how manure is used as natural fertilizer. It's interesting to see the efficiency of these farms," Kumpula said.
This year, Kumpula was especially intrigued by the four robots that milk the 240 cows on the Groetsches' farm.
"The cows can be milked when they want to be. That's an interesting concept," he said.
Another visitor who was equally overwhelmed with the farm technology was Shane Cuperus, who attended with his wife, Sara, and their children, Claire (3) and Cora (3 months).
"I would recommend it to anyone to see the technology changes. It's also a great place to see how animals are raised and where milk comes from," said Cuperus, who now lives in Sartell, but grew up having neighbors who were dairy farmers
"I was amazed by the technology and how it has changed in 20 years. You're not kneeling down anymore. Where was this technology 20 years ago? The robots blew my mind," he said.
Although Cuperus has no ties to farming anymore, he understands how important it is for his children to be familiar with the farm.
"We wanted our 3-year-old to experience the farm. We didn't have a clue what we would see. We went with an open mind. It definitely was worth it to go," said Cuperus, who was a first-time Breakfast on the Farm attendee.
A main reason the Groetsches wanted to host the breakfast on the farm was for the educational aspect of it.
"The more you can expose people to what we do and where their food comes from the better ... it just doesn't show up in Cash Wise (grocery store)," Lisa said.
This year over 2,300 people enjoyed breakfast and over 2,500 attended the event.
"You know they want to understand or they wouldn't be here," Lisa said. "The magnitude of people surprised us."
The Groetsches fully enjoyed the day and their main role of acting as host and hostess.
"The committee was really good about letting us just be hosts. They took care of all the little things that came up and let us walk through the tents and talk to people," Lisa said.
Steve agreed.
"It makes me feel good that we were able to do this," he said. "It was overwhelming and a blur. I hope everyone enjoyed the day."
Lisa spent much of the day visiting with attendees, giving hugs to friends and marveling at everything the day entailed.
"You just feel accomplished," Lisa said about the day. "You work on this for a year. It was worth every minute of it."[[In-content Ad]]
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