A priority for community involvement

GLENWOOD, Minn. — Started in 1899, the Vold farm has been transitioned through the generations by a family dedicated to farming. Dorrich Dairy Inc. — a partnership between Brad and Susanne Vold and Brad’s brother and sister-in-law, Greg and Charity — has been named the Pope County Farm Family of the Year.

Dorrich Dairy is a 500-cow dairy, with cows housed in a 9-row freestall barn and milked by seven Lely Astronaut robotic milking units. Before the robotic milking units, the Vold family milked 300 cows in a double-8 herringbone parlor.

The Vold family said they operate with five key values: doing common things uncommonly well; leaving it better than when they got there; surrounding themselves with great people; promoting agriculture through education and doing the right thing.

“Our motto here: not just another herd,” Greg Vold said.

There are many ways the family is active in the community, mainly by helping others learn about agriculture.

“Our farm has always been heavily involved in ag education (in) one way or another, whether it is working with local community groups, doing tours or (getting) involved in different organizations within our community,” Vold said.

All members of the Vold family are active in different ways throughout the community.

“We all kind of work with different dairy promotion activities, whether it be local, on the state level, and (volunteering) and working with our different school booster groups,” Vold said. “Each one of us kind of has our own little niche.”

Vold is involved with the Pope County Farm Bureau and serves on the local housing and redevelopment authority. Charity is president of the Pope County daycare association and sits on the board of the Minnewaska Parent Teacher Organization.

Brad is a regional council representative for Land O’ Lakes Inc. Susanne is a Midwest Dairy corporate board member, is involved with the National Dairy Promotion & Research Board and serves on the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s Environmental Stewardship Committee.

Richard is also involved in the Lions Club and served many years on the GENEX Cooperative board. The entire family helps with church activities and school booster groups.

“Outside of (the) local community, we always look at how to bridge that connection between those involved in the farm and those who do not have a direct connection with the farming community,” Vold said. “We are always opening up that door, creating a connection and offering a way for others to ask questions.”

Prior to the brothers and their wives taking ownership, the farm was owned by their parents, Richard and Dorothy Vold.

“Our parents just got out of ownership a couple of years ago,” Vold said. “Our dad still helps us with the day-to-day activities.”

Brad’s kids — Anna, Erik and Katy — and Greg’s kids — Aidric, Roran and Braigh — are also part of the farm.

Over the years Dorrich Dairy has been an early adopter of advancements in the dairy industry. The farm has seen nearly every type of milking system from milking by hand to robots and nearly everything in between.

For many years, the family raised hogs and chickens, but they sold them to focus on dairy.

The Volds raise their own feed on 600 acres of land.

Youngstock are raised off site but the Volds retain ownership. The bull calves are sold usually at a week old, and the heifers are transferred to the raisers around that time as well. They get the heifers back roughly 2-2.5 months before calving.

Looking to the future, the Volds said they want to preserve the land better than the way they found it.

“We want to secure a good environment for the kids if they want to stay and take over,” Vold said.