Opening their farm again

OWATONNA, Minn. — For at least five years, Balzer Family Dairy has hosted an annual celebration to kick off June Dairy Month. This year, the family farm will once again host the Steele County Breakfast on the Farm, an event expected to draw over 1,000 visitors.

“(We are) opening the farm up to the public and area folks to whoever wants to come see the robots milk and see the baby calves,” said farmer owner Rick Balzer.

Balzer farm alongside his wife, Cathy, and their son, Scott, near Owatonna.

The event takes place June 7 from 8 a.m. to noon and features a menu of waffles, sausage, cheese, milk and coffee for breakfast. Free bus transportation is available from the Steele County Fairgrounds and the Medford Public School parking lot. On-farm parking is handicap only.

The farm will showcase its pair of Lely A4 robots that have been operating for about 10 years and are the only robotic milking units in the county, Rick said.

“(The public) are all fascinated about how the robot can put the teat cups on the cow and clean their udder,” Rick said.

Families attending will also enjoy many activities throughout the morning, from cow-themed bouncy houses to riding a kiddie train. Other activities include, crafts, the chance for kids to make butter, a corn pit, and a petting zoo with  goats, cats, rabbits, pigs and puppies. Princess Kay of the Milky Way and county dairy princesses will also be in attendance.

For the Balzers, this is one of the many times they will host people on their farm throughout the year. Most recently, 115 homeschool kids visited, along with the local chamber of commerce.

“We want to stay on good terms with these people who buy our products, so it’s nice to show them what goes into producing milk,” Cathy said.

She is most excited to see people interested in what the farm does, and for people to enjoy a morning outside on a farm.

“That shows there’s interest,” Cathy said. “I think that’s worth it. I like to visit with people, and I like to see everybody having a good time, especially the kids. They think it’s awesome with all the animals.”

While the family has hosted breakfast events for several years in the past, Rick said they still form new connections each time.

Rick said he uses everyday language when explaining on-farm practices.

“I show them the feed we feed our cows,” he said. “I call it my hot dish for the cows. It’s got everything in it. It’s got the haylage, the corn silage, the protein (and) a little bit of straw.”

Normal life comparisons help visitors understand how the Balzers use technology to monitor their cows’ health and well-being, such as tracking body condition and nutrition.

“I always tell the ladies that our barn — and most dairies — (the cows) have earrings. We got necklaces on them. We do the hair, and my son does the nails.”

Rick helps guests visualize the milk production of their cows by converting pounds of milk into gallons, which gives people a better sense of how much cows produce every day. He also shares a glimpse of what he may do every day, like his breeding program using A.I.

“They realize it’s not just the robots milking the cows, but there are a lot of things that go into this process,” Rick said.

Rick makes connections with visitors on a one-on-one or small-group basis. He said he encourages questions, which often guide his explanations.

With previous attendees of the breakfast, he said he often gets questions about the cows and why they do certain things. When asked about the cows, he said he always lets guests know they are well cared for.

“They got all the comfort in here,” he said. “They have fresh air coming in all the time in the barn. They’ve got nice soft beds. They have feed all day long.”

As the first weekend of June approaches, the family is busy making preparations cleaning and beautifying the farm. On the day of the event, the family — including their other sons, Brandon, Ross and Reid — will be bright pink T-shirts, ready to welcome visitors, answer questions and share their passion for dairy farming.