Riley Knisley 14 years old Eighth grade When do you do chores? Night. What is your favorite and least favorite chore? My favorite is anything with the skid loader. My …
CLARKFIELD, Minn. — Merle Pearson started milking cows with his mother when he was 5 years old. Now, at 87, Merle has milked his cows for the last time. “I was born into dairy,” Pearson …
TRAIL, Minn. — May 20, 2025, marked a new beginning for cousins Josh and Wyatt Vettleson when their robot barn became operational. “(I like) the consistency,” Josh said. “If you want to …
ST. MARTIN, Minn. — For nearly 60 years, Kolb Dairy was managed by Theresa Kolb. The matriarch of the Kolb family has now passed the torch to her granddaughter, Alayna Kolb. “As a kid …
BLOOMER, Wis. — Dairy markets continue to look depressed heading into the second quarter of 2026, according to Leonard Polzin, dairy markets and policy outreach specialist, University of …
Jenn and Justin Bauman Elkton, South Dakota Brookings County 65 cows What crops do you raise, and how many acres of each do you have? We raise 60 acres of alfalfa, and …
How many times a day do you milk, and what is your current herd average, butterfat and protein? We milk three times a day. We average 98 pounds of milk per cow with tests of 4.6% butterfat and 3.3% …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Whenever there is an opportunity for agriculture to shine in the national limelight, Amy Penterman is all-in. While she was preparing to represent her fellow Wisconsin dairy …
DARLINGTON, Wis. — Reggie Kamps watched a cow named Apple walk off the farm when he was young. But thanks to science, a version of that same cow returned to the farm he operates with his wife, …
From corn mazes and pumpkin patches to on-farm stores and tours, many possibilities exist for dairy farmers to tap into new revenue streams through agricultural tourism. “We’re seeing more …
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Supplementing the dairy ration with isoacids can help drive efficiency, Andrew LaPierre said. LaPierre is a dairy technical specialist at Zinpro Corporation, based in …
HUTCHINSON, Minn. — It took nearly 30 pages for Shelby Swanson to summarize her activities as a junior member of the Holstein Association for submission to the organization’s Distinguished Junior …
Tell us about your family and farm. My family consists of my husband, John, and my 6-month-old daughter, Lela. Our farm is operated by John; my dad, Kevin; and me. We milk around 80 Holstein …
MONDOVI, Wis. — Tom Brown grew up on his family farm near Audubon, Minnesota, and that upbringing created the routine he has strived for since. Milking cows in the morning and at night provided the …
BRILLION, Wis. — With the stroke of his paintbrush, Jose Pineda is brightening up Shiloh Dairy LLC. It all started when this self-taught artist saw a need to make a calf trailer a bit more …
BALDWIN, Wis. — As a student at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Mary Holle had no idea that 15 years post graduation, she would take the lead of a reimagined agricultural education …
MANITOWOC, Wis. — Megan Hochkammer is not afraid of hard work, whether that is working on her family’s dairy farm or becoming a better softball, basketball and volleyball player. This three-sport …
HAZELHURST, Wis. — Tom Tiffany was raised on his family’s western Wisconsin dairy farm, where he learned life lessons about the value of hard work and the importance of community. Those lessons …
HILLSBORO, Wis. — As a kid in Rockford, Illinois, Sarah Schmidt felt an unlikely calling. She wanted to farm — not just any farm, but one of her own. The path to living that dream was winding and …
CANBY, Ore. — A 4-H project grew over time into a small dairy farm, complete with on-farm processing — including both a creamery and, eventually, a distillery — for Todd Koch. “I grew up …