LEWISTON, Minn. — Flanked by bunkers and bags of silage, attendees of Family Night on the Farm walked onto the Miller family’s Winona County farm site with the faint, sweet smell of silage in their noses.
Miller’s Clear Crest Farm, located near Lewiston, hosted the community event Aug. 8. The Miller family — Pat, Robb and Kathryn, Luke and Amie, Bradley and Lilly, Ella Miller, Janae Salvetti and Gavin Salvetti — milks 700 cows three times a day in a rotary parlor.
This was the first time the family had hosted the event.
“At the end of the day, not everybody gets to see a cow get milked,” Luke Miller said.
“We’re just glad to provide that opportunity and we hope that all the kids, all the family members ... really had a good impression. ... We (want them to) know that (we) are producing a good quality product.”
The event was immersive. Outside the freestall barn, Jo Priem and her family were looking at the cows. Priem grew up on a dairy farm and said she likes her young boys to see how she grew up.
In the maternity area, Daphne Breitlow, a young girl who is usually anxious around animals, is reaching through the gates, touching the cows and even getting a few slobbery licks in return.
By the bulk tanks, a small crowd of people get a tour from Jacob Hornberg of Lang’s Dairy Equipment.
Attendees of the event could purchase a meal that included a hotdog or hamburger, potato chips, baked beans, string cheese, milk and a root beer float. Activities included barrel train rides for the children, a bounce house, a petting zoo, tours, educational and business booths, wagon rides and more.
Leading up to the event, the Miller family had a busy season. A rainy spring slowed their fieldwork and Bradley Miller, the next generation at Miller’s Clear Crest Farm, got married in June. The Winona County Fair in July added to the family’s workload before they could prepare for the event.
“It was kind of crammed into a couple of weeks, but we got it done,” Miller said.
The Winona Area Chamber of Commerce worked on the logistical details, leaving the family to get the farm prepared.
“It ... actually felt good to just go do some cleaning that you normally wouldn’t do,” Miller said. “The chamber of commerce really did a good job, all we had to do was concentrate on getting the farm ready.”
Stan Breitlow, a Winona native and chair of the Winona Area Chamber of Commerce, attended with his young family. The Breitlows said the yearly event helps them feel connected.
“It keep(s) it real,” Breitlow said. “You can know where your food comes from, where your meat comes from, where your milk comes from, and the amount of work it takes.”
The family has been attending the event for several years.
“The girls love it,” Breitlow said. “(My daughter has) been asking me a bunch of great questions about cows.”
The Breitlows said they appreciate being able to talk with experts about whatever is on their minds regarding the dairy industry.
Scott Ellinghuysen, a dairy production consultant with Ag Partners who works with the Miller family, was stationed in the feed alley in the maternity area of the free stall answering questions and helping the children interact with the cows.
“They just want to go up and touch a nose,” Ellinghuysen said. “I’ve been trying to help them just put their hand in there and hold it, let them touch you. That’s been working well.”
He said attendees were asking him questions about how long a cow milks and how soon calves are taken away from their mothers. They also asked questions about how cows are fed and the purpose of the activity collars worn by the cows.
The Miller family’s farm began in 1936 when Luke and Robb’s grandfather, John, purchased the first 80 acres for his 20 cows. Today the family farms over 1,500 acres of alfalfa, triticale, corn and soybeans.
In 1969, the first parlor was built on the farm, and in 1972, Luke and Robb’s parents, Jack and Pat, took over the farm. In 1992, they added on to the parlor.
Luke and Robb joined the farm in 2003, and they built the rotary parlor setup in 2018.
“Conservation was in our mind when we built this facility,” Robb Miller said. “We invested in many efficiencies.”
The most recent member of the dairy is Robb’s son, Bradley, who represents the fourth generation.
Though Jack has passed, Luke said his father would have enjoyed hosting the event. Luke said the family’s new rotary parlor facilities made it possible for them to have the event at their farm.
The evening brought approximately 2,500 people to the farm.
“We’re very thankful (for) everybody that came out tonight,” Luke said.
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