Bryan to get down with dairy

EYOTA, Minn. – Not many dairy farmers can say they have had the opportunity to host a celebrity on their property, but that is all about to change in southern Minnesota.
Gar-Lin Dairy will host country music singer Luke Bryan as he brings his farm tour to Eyota Sept. 24.

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In November 2021, Dana Allen-Tully, part owner and herd manager of Gar-Lin Dairy, was contacted about hosting the concert.
“I was in disbelief,” Allen-Tully said. “How often does a dairy farm get contacted by a music group to host a concert?”
Gar-Lin Dairy milks 1,700 cows in a 50-stall rotary parlor, and they farm 4,400 acres.
The farm has made it a priority to be community supporters. They are involved in a variety of local, state and national organizations.
“Having an artist as involved in the ag industry as Luke Bryan doing a concert in our backyard is truly an honor,” Allen-Tully said. “He is so supportive of production agriculture that this will be a such a good opportunity to expose people to dairy in a unique way.”
An 80-acre field on the west end of the dairy will be used to host the concert.
Gar-Lin Dairy chose a field that would be coming out of an alfalfa rotation this year. They also adjusted their crop rotation to accommodate the event. Sorghum was planted where the parking lot will be.
Part of Bryan’s farm tour’s purpose is to advocate for agriculture and raise money for Feeding America, a non-profit organization fighting to end hunger in the United States.
Bryan, in his partnership with Bayer and Kroger, is encouraging fans to share the hashtag #HeresToTheFarmer. With every social media post using the hashtag, Bayer will assist in providing one meal through Feeding America, up to one million meals.
Since 2015, when Bayer first combined forces with Bryan, they have provided six million meals, according to a Bayer representative.
Originally, to have a concert in the middle of a field in Bryan’s home state of Georgia was just a fun idea, but the artist’s farm tour has grown to be so much more.
“Agriculture has been so influential in the way I was raised,” Bryan said. “Growing up as the son of a Georgia peanut farmer instilled so much respect and passion for what the agricultural industry does; this was how I wanted to say thank you.”
Bryan has been doing the farm tour since 2009, and each year, he said he is amazed by the amount of support the event draws from rural communities.
“Any time I can uplift and show farmers love for what they do and bring more awareness to that aspect to the American farmer way of life is something I’m proud of,” he said.
Bryan is excited to bring the farm tour at long last to Minnesota.
Though Gar-Lin Dairy knew about the concert last year, the tour was announced April 29. By May 5, all tickets were purchased.  
“It means a lot to sell out that fast,” Allen-Tully said.
Other than a few crop rotation adjustments, the preparations on the farm’s end have been minimum.
“The crew that is putting on these concerts has been doing this for a while,” Allen-Tully said. “I’m excited to see our field transform into a festival and to listen to some of Luke’s music.”
An estimated 20,000 people will attend the concert, which is far more than those who attended the Olmsted County Breakfast on the Farm hosted by Gar-Lin Dairy in June.
“The breakfast reached our local community, but this is going to bring a whole different demographic to our area,” Allen-Tully said. “This concert isn’t about our farm, but it’s about the work and dedication farmers put in to care for their land, animals and communities.”
One of Allen-Tully’s favorite things about Bryan is that he recognizes how important production agriculture is to communities, and he respects what farmers do day in and day out.
“What I see in these third-, fourth- and fifth-generation farms – how they come together, to see how they work – it is inspiring,” Bryan said. “Something that is prolific, especially with the dairy families I have met, is how the kids step in and take on the challenges of their parents.”
Moving forward, Bryan would like to be more vocal about showing his support toward production agriculture in the way farmers utilize technology, care for their livestock and are stewards of the land.