Motivated by the next generation

ZUMBROTA, Minn. — Seeing their children’s appreciation for the dairy community is part of what keeps Tony and Maizie Scheffler farming.

“Our kids are very, very involved, and that makes it easy for us to want to keep doing it because they enjoy it too,” Maizie said.

The Scheffler family was named the 2024 Goodhue County Farm Family of the Year. The Schefflers milk 140 cows and farm 130 tillable acres on their farm near Zumbrota.

“We farm because we enjoy working with cows,” Tony said.

Tony and Maizie both work full time on the farm and Maizie also works off the farm as a nurse at the Mayo Clinic. Both grew up dairy farming.

“More than anything, we just are really proud of being dairy farmers,” Maizie said. “When I go to work, I really enjoy all my coworkers who often have ... questions for me, and I enjoy teaching them about agriculture and dairy farming.”

The Schefflers farm as a family and each member of the family has their role. Tony works with breeding, milking and herd health. Maizie works on financials, bookwork and milking.

Their oldest, Owen, works off the farm but helps evenings and weekends as he is able. Evie, who is in college, helps in the summers and on weekends with feeding calves, milking, cleaning the barn, herd health and other tasks. Matt mixes feed and does mechanic work and Ben feeds calves.

“Our kids are so passionate about ag,” Maizie said. “They’re at the farm all the time finding something to do.”

Not having to hire outside labor is one of the things the Schefflers said is part of their success.

“We do a lot of our own work,” Maizie said. “It’s not like we’re going just to check on things.”

The Schefflers have spent almost a decade focusing on genetics. They use genomics to aid in their breeding decisions. The Schefflers use beef sires for older cows and the bottom cows in the herd from a genetics standpoint. They consider a blend of traits Tony said.

“We want a really balanced animal that’s very functional,” Tony said. “We want them to look nice and then, of course, they have to be able to produce some milk and components.”

The Schefflers use CowManager activity monitors as a tool to track their cows. Maizie said it can detect an issue before they can see it visibly, and it has been an extremely useful tool.

“They’re good for heat detection, but they’re even better for health-related issues,” Maizie said.

They also work with a nutritionist who is quick to respond when there’s an issue, Tony said.

“We work with a nutritionist who we respect, and we feel like he respects us too when we say something’s wrong,” Tony said.

Outside the farm, the Schefflers are active in their community. They have worked as coaches for 4-H and FFA dairy judging for about 25 years and have also assisted with several collegiate teams. In their coaching career, they have sent four teams overseas for dairy judging.

Maizie said their family’s life revolves around 4-H and FFA as all their children have been active in these organizations as well as the junior Holstein association.

“It has made them well rounded, confident,” Maizie said. “They’re not afraid of hard work. They see that hard work pays off. They’ve become much better public speakers. ... They’ve gained a ton of leadership experience.”

The Schefflers said their children have also met many new people through their involvement in these organizations.

Besides showing at the Goodhue County Fair, the Scheffler children also help friends at their fairs. This year they helped at fairs in Fillmore, Wabasha and Rice Counties. One year they helped at eight county fairs. Maizie said they receive calls with requests for their children’s help with show strings for open shows along with the state fair.

Looking to the future of their farm, the Schefflers are open to the next generation returning.

“We’d like to give any or all of our kids the opportunity to come back, ... if that’s something that they would like to do,” Maizie said.