Day in the life of the Brogan family

ST. CHARLES, Minn. — Before the sun rises over Brogan Heights Dairy, three generations of the Brogan family are already preparing for another day on the farm.

At 5:15 a.m., brothers Scott and Keith Brogan arrive at the farm and begin their morning routines.

With their father, Gerald Brogan, the brothers and several of Scott’s children — Brianna, Emily, Will, Tom and Mariah — play an important role in the day-to-day operation of the farm. Scott’s youngest daughter, 1-year-old Elaina, can also occasionally be found in the barn, taking in farm life alongside her family.

The Brogans milk 580 cows in a double-12 parlor and farm 1,100 acres of cropland, much of which is used to feed their cattle.

“We all have different roles on the farm,” Keith said. “Without that, we wouldn’t get anything done.”

For Keith, the morning begins behind a computer.

He looks through the herd records to determine which cows are ready to be bred that day.

“On the computer, I am able to select who needs to be sectioned off after milking,” Keith said. “The hired hands in the parlor are able to see it and keep the cows back.”

Once the cows are identified, Keith heads out to the barn.

“I enjoy breeding,” Keith said. “I breed every cow on the farm.”

On an average morning, Keith may breed several cows before moving on to the next task. Recently, he finished breeding six cows before heading to another part of the farm.

While Keith is working with the herd, Scott has already begun caring for another important part of the operation: the calves.

Feeding calves is one of the jobs that keeps Scott moving throughout the morning. It is also a job his children have become familiar with.

During the past couple of weeks, the family’s normal routine has been slightly different.

Brianna, Emily, Will and Tom spent four days at the Minnesota State Fair showing steers, goats and pigs. Brianna, Emily and Will returned to the fair for the final four days.

“Scott’s three oldest kids are busy at the Minnesota State Fair this weekend for FFA shows,” Keith said. “We are not able to start chopping until they return.”

Outside of fairs, the children are also involved in other FFA events. Brianna, Emily, and Will competed at the national FFA dairy judging contest in 2025, which their team won. Emily is a national FFA finalist for her dairy placement Supervised Agricultural Experience, which is about her work on the family farm. Keith has been their dairy judging coach for both 4-H and FFA.

“I have been a coach for over 35 years now,” Keith said. “I thought I would only do it for a couple of years, but they keep asking me back.”

The fair may pull some of the Brogan children away from the dairy for a few days, but the work on the farm does not stop.

With Emily normally helping feed calves, Mariah and Tom have stepped in to help fill the gap.

They have been making the trip to the farm at 5:15 a.m. and again at 4 p.m. to feed the family’s calves.

“We are only feeding about 40 calves right now,” Scott said. “Sometimes it’s around 120. Due to steer prices being high, we are selling all of them right away.”

Their farm routine is one they have become accustomed to — waking up early, heading to the farm and doing their part before moving on with the rest of their day.

For the Brogans, learning to work together has been part of growing up on the farm.

While the younger generation helps where needed, Gerald continues to contribute to the operation as well.

Gerald handles payroll and helps in the fields when additional hands are needed. His sons have taken on many of the daily responsibilities, but his experience remains an important part of the farm.

As the morning progresses, Keith leaves the dairy and heads to another farm where the family houses its steers.

“The farmer, who we lease this farm from, likes to come out and check on them and occasionally feeds them,” Brogan said.

By 10 a.m., he is checking the pens to see whether the steers need feed or if any animals require health attention.

Meanwhile on the farm, Keith gets ready to haul corn to a different site.

“Will usually does the hauling,” Brogan said. “As he is gone, we have to step in.”

While the Brogans may have specific responsibilities, no one’s job is completely isolated.

Three generations bring different experiences and different responsibilities to Brogan Heights Dairy, but they share the same goal — keeping the farm moving forward.