Four out of four

TWO RIVERS, Wis. — Working on the farm with all his adult children is something Russel Strutz never thought would happen. Now, this fifth-generation dairyman considers himself lucky to spend each day alongside every member of the sixth generation at Strutz Farm Inc.

“I never dreamed it,” Strutz said. “I’m like a baseball player batting four for four. We never thought that would happen. I definitely enjoy working with the kids.”

Strutz and his wife, Karen, own the farm that has been in the Strutz family since 1898. The Strutzes operate a 1,400-cow farm with their four children — two daughters and two sons — who range in age from 21 to 31.

Nicole Strutz is the head herdsman. Working directly under the herd manager, she is part of the herd health team. Meghan Magley is head of employee management. She is responsible for recruiting employees and coordinating the training of all employees while also managing work schedules. Magley also helps with fieldwork. The family farms about 2,000 acres.

Ryan Strutz manages maintenance, mechanics and crops. Cameron Strutz is the youngest child and newest full-time employee. Currently, he does a little bit of everything as he works to find his niche on the farm.

“Everyone has their own area, which I think is unique,” Magley said.

All four kids have degrees from Lakeshore College or Fox Valley Technical College. The interests of the Strutz siblings converged on the farm as each one returned home and started to specialize in their passions.

“I didn’t push to have them here,” Strutz said. “They found out themselves they wanted to be part of the operation. They all have this agriculture love.”

Magley’s husband, Brandon, also works on the farm that employs 25 people.

“We don’t have a lot of turnover,” Strutz said. “Meghan manages that area very well. It was like a dream come true when she came back to the farm. She’s a people-person and has relationships with all the employees.”

When on maternity leave for six weeks recently, Magley was missed by her father.

“Meghan is my sidekick, and I was so happy when she came back,” he said. “I missed that interaction of bouncing ideas off each other.”

After completing the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Farm and Industry Short Course in 1988, Strutz began acquiring ownership in his family’s farm. They were milking 120 cows in a stanchion barn and farming 750 acres at the time.

“I never dreamed when I was coming out of high school that I was going to go home and milk cows for the rest of my life or knew that I was going to manage an operation to the size we are today,” he said.

In 1995, the Strutz family built its first freestall barn and a double-8 parallel parlor while growing to 350 cows. In the early 2000s, Strutz and his wife became the farm’s sole owners.

Over time, the parlor was expanded, and today, cows are milked three times a day in a double-18 parallel. The farm’s milk is shipped to Land O’ Lakes Inc. Cows are housed in two freestall barns — a 10-row cross-ventilated barn and a 4-row tunnel-ventilated barn.

“Even though we are smack dab against Lake Michigan, we still use forced ventilation, which has saved production,” Strutz said.

The Strutz family has made additions to the barns as they internally grow cow numbers by about 5% every year.

Keeping up with the latest technology is a priority. For example, rumination tracking and heat detection are automated with 100% of cows wearing collars, and nearly every tractor is equipped with a GPS.

“I’ll do anything I can to make the farm sustainable for the next generation,” Strutz said. “We’re not going to slow down with new technology or anything that would make us more profitable. … The next generation is here, and we want them to be successful.”

Although their children do not yet retain ownership in the farm, Strutz said they have put work into how ownership will look for the next generation, and a succession plan is in place.

“That’s important, but it’s never done,” he said. “The plan always needs to be reviewed. Our goal was always, when a kid turned 30, to start turning over ownership, but what does that look like? There are four potential future owners, not just one or two, which makes it a little more complicated.”

The Strutz family also makes time for strategic planning with their financial consultant.

Farming with her siblings and parents is something Magley said she enjoys.

“Being a family person, I could never imagine moving away from my family,” she said. “I always want to be around them, but I never really pictured working with them every day. I feel like we all get along so well that it hasn’t been an issue to keep our personal and professional lives separate.”

Being departmentalized in their work probably helps as well, Magley said.

“If we all did the same exact job together all day every day, it might be a little more challenging,” she said. “We all have our own strengths and can build off each other. There are things I know that my siblings don’t and vice versa. It’s cool to share that passion with them.”

Strutz does not want his children to lose the bond the family shares.

“That’s my greatest fear,” he said. “If the four kids were to become co-owners, I want them to maintain that relationship they have now, personally and professionally. I want to try to make sure things stay positive.”

Magley said she has learned a lot from her dad.

“He’s the person who taught me how to have a work ethic, and I’m glad he instilled that in me,” she said.

Magley regularly consults with her dad.

“I refer to him a lot because he has a lot more experience than I do,” she said. “I might be implementing my own opinion in the end, but I’m still considering his opinion because he’s done this before, and he’s done it for a long time. The success of this farm is because of him and my mom.”

Strutz looks to his kids as equals and said he likes to hear their opinions.

“When they bring new ideas to the table, there are some things that I might not have thought of,” he said.

The family is currently brainstorming ideas for a new milking facility.

“We’ve been researching robots for the last five years,” Strutz said. “Our milking center is getting tired, and we need to either remodel it or do something else.”

As they continue planning, generations five and six are doing everything they can to make sure their operation is progressive for years to come.

A potential seventh generation can be found in Strutz’s three granddaughters, who range from 3 months to 3 years old.

“The girls are going to run this place someday,” Magley said.