Turning catastrophe into opportunity

LOMIRA, Wis. — Cow comfort and efficiency were the focus when building a new barn at Elsinger Farms LLC — an unexpected project derived of necessity after the dairy’s freestall barn was destroyed by a tornado.

“Before the tornado hit, we already were looking at how we could become more efficient,” Brenda Elsinger said. “We wanted to make improvements, but it would have been challenging in our old barn. The night of the tornado, when I was moving cattle offsite, I already had the barn designed in my head. I knew what we were going to do.”

Elsinger and her husband, Jeff, farm with their son, Mike, near Lomira. When a tornado dropped down on their farm May 15, 2025, it took the east half of the freestall barn with it. Even though the west side of the barn remained standing, it was compromised. The storm was part of a 14-tornado outbreak that hit Wisconsin that day.

Six months and three days after that devastating night, the barn was rebuilt, and all the cows were reunited in a new and improved facility.

“It was amazing how fast it got done, but it was quite the journey to get to this point,” Elsinger said.

The new barn retained the same footprint but was made wider to increase efficiency. Drovers’ lanes were added on the south end of the 6-row barn to improve cattle flow to and from the parlor. Elsinger said the lanes also limit disruptions in cattle movement, allowing cows to remain in their habitat longer.

Flex stalls replaced hoop stalls on the farm — a change the family began initiating prior to the tornado. Stalls were also made longer in the outside rows. Elsinger said the spacious and flexible stalls positively impact cow comfort. The family continues to use sand bedding but put concrete underneath the stalls to save on sand.

Exhaust fans were installed in the ridge of the roof, and space was reserved on the east end of the barn to possibly incorporate tunnel ventilation in the future.

“We had an open ridge previously, and I think those fans will be a huge improvement to get some of the air out of the barn,” Elsinger said.

Other features of the facility include a new sprinkler system designed by their nutritionist, different curtains, and a newer type of LED lighting that dims for several hours at night.

Elsinger said the cows are flourishing.

“We hit over 100 pounds of milk per cow,” she said. “We didn’t have that before. We’re seeing great progress and feeling that the efficiency and cow comfort features have taken us to that next level.”

Elsinger said they are now working to rebuild milk quality numbers. Their somatic cell count was 57,000 before the tornado. In October, it peaked at 138,000.

“We had a brutal summer with it being so hot, and we were overstocked,” Elsinger said. “Our goal is to get back down to 70,000 for 2026. We’re at 77,000 right now, so we’re starting the new year on a good note.”

First-lactation animals were sent to three farms following the tornado. After the east side of the new barn was completed,
cows were moved from the west end to the east end,  and the first group of cows came home. Then, the west side was torn down and rebuilt. The cows were moved home in two shifts, with the first group returning in September 2025 and the final group arriving Nov. 18, 2025.

“Having them all back is a relief,” Elsinger said. “It was very emotional for the whole farm when the first group came home, and then the second group came home.”

Redoing the exterior of the milking parlor is the next phase of the Elsingers’ rebuilding project.

“The tornado pushed in the front of the parlor, and we had some broken trusses on the roof,” Elsinger said. “We’re going to give the whole parlor a makeover on the outside.”

Inside, a key upgrade will be making return lanes wider in the holding area to help cows exit the parlor quicker. The Elsingers also plan to make several other updates to increase efficiency.

Elsinger said finding their builder was easy.

“Andy from Duthie Construction stopped the day after the tornado and said, ‘I can fit you in,’” she said. “There were a lot of people who stepped up.”

When it came to creating the building package, Elsinger said many places were booked into the beginning of 2026.

“Keller Inc. made up the plans, and their people worked overtime to get this building package out to us,” she said.

When the first half of the barn was complete, the crew from Maki Welding Services LLC stayed to help take down the second half.

“It was something they’ve never done, but they were like, ‘Hey, whatever you need help with,’” Elsinger said. “It was just a lot of people saying, ‘What do you need?’”

Kindness from the community and beyond was abundant the night of the storm and for a long time after.

“For days, people came and carried steel away and moved things on piles so when the dumpsters came, we could load,” Elsinger said. “Months after, people were still bringing food. It made me feel good and was so helpful. That’s the one thing that came out of all of this — there are a lot of good people in the world. It was truly an amazing experience.”

The farm’s employees also pivoted to help wherever needed, and the Elsingers dedicated two employees to helping the builder full time.

“We have a really good team,” Elsinger said.

The Elsingers did cleanup and prepped the site to help keep the builder ahead of schedule.

“There was a lot of in-house work being done to get the barn up,” Elsinger said. “Many nights, they were still welding at midnight, digging or cleaning or doing whatever needed to be done to be ready for the next day. It was a very busy summer.”

Elsinger said it feels good to be on the other side of this disaster.

“Once in a while, I look back at pictures and wonder how we ever got through it,” she said. “We had a lot of good people helping us, and we just pushed forward. We didn’t have a choice. You really realize there is a greater being above us. I was being guided that whole day of the tornado and didn’t even know it. It saved everybody here.”

With the rhythm of the farm reinstated, the Elsingers have found that the new barn has brought opportunities.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Elsinger said. “We were trying to make decisions before this happened, but then the decisions were made for us. We went from tragedy to having everything we wanted for the future. We’re looking forward, but we will never forget.”