Building the farm they envisioned

DEER CREEK, Minn. — Through countless hours of planning, long days and sleepless nights, Andrew and Chelsa Golberg know success can take a while — sometimes over 20 years.

Despite starting from scratch and experiencing many challenges since graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2006, the couple never gave up on being dairy farmers or expanding their farm, Golbergs Lakeview Dairy, near Deer Creek.

The Golbergs started off with about 50 cows in a compost barn, before adding a sand-bedded freestall barn and other facilities as they grew. Over time, the farm has expanded to around 220 milking cows. A new expansion project to be completed this summer will push that number close to 450.

For Andrew, being a dairy farmer has been his dream ever since he was a kid.

“His mom said he had a whole room dedicated to setting up his play farm,” said Chelsa, who is also a full-time teacher. “He just loved setting up farms and getting everything a certain way.”

Andrew agreed and said all he has ever wanted to do involved a dairy farm.

“My mom (and) dad said that I would ask people if they had any milk cows, and if they didn’t,
I’d just turn around and walk the other way,” he said.

His parents originally began dairy farming in the 1980s. But a few years later, they realized the industry was not doing well. They slowly paid off their debts before moving to Moorhead, where they built and owned a successful business. Then, in 1998, the family returned to Deer Creek, and Andrew’s dream started to become reality.

“It was a dairy farm at one point,” he said. “There was a 45-cow tiestall barn here, and we just had beef cows and crops, but Dad and I farmed together.”

For some family farms, passing control to the next generation can cause power dynamic struggles, Andrew said. Thankfully, that was not the case between him and his father. After graduating from college, Andrew took over.

“My dad didn’t care about being in charge of the farm,” he said. “From the beginning, he was OK with me doing things the way that I felt we should and even though we talk regularly about decisions, it has never been a power struggle. Our farm is very unique that way.”

However, with several hardships and challenges occurring over the years, Andrew and Chelsa had a lot to navigate and overcome before the dairy could become successful.

The financial blows have cut deep. Just four years into the farm, milk prices dropped greatly, causing the farm to lose around $100,000 in a single year. Andrew remembers it as earning less while working harder than ever.

Late nights paying bills were often as draining as long days spent in the barn. Andrew and Chelsa recall putting their kids to bed, putting away toys and then sitting down to pay bills at the kitchen table, only to find they were thousands of dollars short.

“You’re exhausted, and you’re just like, ‘Why are we doing this? How are we working harder, and with what we’re making, there’s no way,’” Chelsa said.

She added that it was difficult to watch friends who weren’t farmers work fewer hours and have more free time.

In those days, they did not have much savings or a backup plan to lean on. The couple worked together to finance wherever they could — Farm Service Agency loans, seed-company credit, equipment loans and more.

Through it all, there were many challenges and struggles, but a combination of planning, hope and support kept them going. Andrew said he constantly plans for the next steps, thinking up each new project to better the farm.

“For me, it was always like, ‘OK, we’re enduring this hard time, we’re going to do whatever we have to do to get our bills paid and next year, this will help make us more efficient,’” he said. “I feel like that’s always been my carrot, like we’re going to keep improving, (and) we’re getting through the hard times, because we know that next year we’re going to be better.”

Chelsa said relationships — both on and off the farm — have been crucial in surviving the hard times. From friends in the industry who understand late nights to other farm families they can call, those connections help make their struggles feel less isolating.

“You just want to feel like you’re not alone,” she said. “It helps to hear what other people did to get through it, even if their scenario isn’t the same.”

Family support has also played a major role.

“Even though Andrew’s parents have stepped back from being in the day-to-day operations, I don’t think we would have survived without them,” Chelsa said.

The Golbergs children, Hank and Ellie, are also active on the farm.

Through each setback or challenge, the couple tried to keep their focus beyond the current bill or tough month. Even in years when they were losing money, Andrew said he reminded himself that they were building something bigger: equity in the farm, a future for their family and a place their kids could always come home to.

Today, the Golbergs’ success is proof that with a growth mindset, support and planning, anything is possible.

Over the years, the farm grew beyond just milking cows. The couple developed a custom heifer-raising business, caring for 400-500 breeding-age heifers for a large dairy. They also developed a custom chopping business to keep employees busy year-round and better utilize their equipment and land.

Currently, the Golbergs farm over 1,000 acres, a mix of owned and rented land. 

Andrew said, “Renting has allowed us to keep our debt load flexible, to grow crops and make full use of our manure.”

Now, as they phase out heifer raising, the acres are being given back to their own herd. The current expansion — a new freestall barn and integrated facilities — will almost double their milking herd. The project has created more long days and creative problem-solving. Andrew has done much of the concrete work himself, pouring approximately 1,700 yards, while managing the farm and its employees.

A new calf barn is also replacing outdoor hutches. The barn allows groups of calves to move through the pens, with scraping and sanitizing happening between each group. Andrew designed and built most of the setup, including custom bottle holders.

Looking back, the couple said there is not much left of what they started with two decades ago, but that is exactly the point. Every sleepless night, hard conversation and canceled vacation has moved them closer to the farm they envisioned.

“I told Chelsa when we were young that we’re going to be able to get through anything,” Andrew said. “It’s a million little steps. Sometimes a step in the right direction just feels like more work, but if we want to get to this spot, we’ve got to keep taking the steps.”