Heart for Dairy

Duane Alberts

Alberts, Brothers LLC

Pine Island, Minnesota

Dodge County

Number of cows: 600

How many years have you dairy farmed? Kids who grow up on dairy farms as I did start farming at a very early age. There was never a shortage of age-appropriate tasks and responsibilities available as long as I had time to do them. I learned early on that some jobs around the farm are more important than others, and caring for the calves and cows was the ultimate responsibility. I think I can claim to have started farming at age 10, and I’ve been farming for 60 years.

How has your farm evolved since you started? I grew up on a 60-cow dairy, and my uncle, who lived on the homeplace, also milked 60 cows. The two farms shared machinery. In addition, we did some custom fieldwork such as filling silos and providing a haying crew for some close neighbors. Our cow numbers grew slowly with several stanchion barn additions until, in 1980, our family built a double-8 Germania parlor. The parlor instigated a giant leap in labor efficiency. With it came liquid manure instead of solid, bunker silos for feed instead of upright and drive-through feeding of cows grouped according to stage of lactation. Improvements in the efficient handling of milk, feed and manure continue to be made on our farm as well as many others.

Why is dairy farming the career for you? There are many challenges in owning and operating a dairy farm, such as weather, pricing and labor. These challenges are offset by the sense of accomplishment I get from having a full tank of milk to sell at the end of the day, watching a pen of young newborn calves grow into mature milk cows or seeing my daughter show a novice calf at the county fair.

What is a highlight of your career? Making a management change and witnessing a positive outcome. The most recent is in the last few years, seeing our registered Holstein cow families gradually increase butterfat yield of 4% to 5%, and a few of them now producing 6% butterfat milk. It is exciting to see improvements in genetics and feeding yield such a positive outcome.

What keeps you motivated? Go to any dairy tradeshow or dairy farm tour, and you will see different ways of doing things. Dairying is an occupation/industry that is always changing and always in a state of flux. Inevitably, you will come across ideas you will want to take home and try, or you will see things that you’ve already tried. I think I can say that all dairymen and dairywomen are motivated by the desire to do it better.

What advice do you have for younger dairy farmers? It is always dangerous to give advice because what worked well years ago may not work well today, and what is working well today may not work well in the future. But I will say it is imperative for young dairy farmers to stay educated about their industry. Watch for opportunities and carefully identify and navigate the challenges.

What is the best decision you have made? The best decision I’ve made was to be in partnership with family members. The capital requirements, labor requirements and expertise requirements make partnerships essential, with each family member contributing in his or her own special way.

Looking back, what would you do differently? In farming, there are always things that we could have done differently. I don’t think it is very helpful to look back. Always look forward.

Merle Pearson

Clarkfield, Minnesota

Yellow Medicine County

49 cows

How many years have you dairy farmed? I’ve dairy farmed my entire life. I will be 86 years old in June.

How has your farm evolved since you started? When I was a kid, my mom and I milked 24 cows by hand every day; now I have a pipeline milker. Back then, milk was $2.75 per hundred pounds and you could buy heifers for about $275 a piece.

Why is dairy farming the career for you? I was just born and raised doing it, and I’ve known my whole life that that’s what I’m going to do.

What is a highlight of your career? I’ve made really good friends over the years; a lot of people check in on me and bring me food and baked goods. I have chickens, and instead of paying for eggs people bring me cookies or bread in exchange for eggs.

What keeps you motivated? I have to do something all day every day; I can’t just sit around. I do this and it keeps me busy and out of trouble.

What advice do you have for younger dairy farmers? You have to get help. It doesn’t matter what kind of help but it’s tough out there and starting out now is impossible if you can’t rely on someone to help you. Ask for help and take it.

What is the best decisiaon you have made? I rented this farm for four years before I bought it. When it came time to buy it, I didn’t have any money, but I had been renting it, so the guy knew me and my down payment was a handshake.

Looking back, what would you do differently? I wouldn’t do anything differently, as long as the Lord lets me be a dairy farmer that’s what I’ll do.

John Donnay

Kimball, Minnesota

Stearns County

45 cows

How many years have you dairy farmed? 39 years.

How has your farm evolved since you started? My dad started this farm in 1965. It is not his home farm, but it was nearby. I am the second generation, and my daughter, Anna, who farms full time with me, is the third generation. We have always milked a barn full of cows, which has always been around 40. There are tie stalls and stanchions in the barn. We were certified organic in 2005. I didn’t want to expand in cow numbers, so to help diversify, we decided to go organic. The rotational grazing works well for us and the cows.

Why is dairy farming the career for you? I watched my dad farm, and it was what I wanted to do. I was born to be a dairy farmer; it’s in my blood. There are many reasons, like having your own schedule and being with family every day.

What is a highlight of your career? Raising four children on the farm and giving them the same values that I was raised with, values like having a strong work ethic and having respect for the land, animals and the people around us. Being home every day on the farm, I also got to see my family every day and spend more time with them than I would have otherwise.

What keeps you motivated? Seeing the farm continue. We are in the process of transitioning our farm to our youngest daughter, Anna. My son, Matt, comes out and helps in the winter, too. With his job, he is laid off during the wintertime.

What advice do you have for younger dairy farmers? Faith, family and farming. Remember to keep your faith and family involved in the farm. With the farm, keep your debt within reach at all times and pay your mortgage down as fast as you can.

What is the best decision you have made? Being certified organic and starting rotational grazing as it is better for the cattle, the land, my family and the environment.

Looking back, what would you do differently? I would have invested in more land and taken more time to go on vacations.

Greg Radermacher

Brooten, Minnesota

Stearns County

300 cows

How many years have you dairy farmed? We have dairy farmed for 47 years.

How has your farm evolved since you started? I bought the farm in 1977 and started milking 10 cows while keeping my job at the fertilizer plant in town. In 1980, we expanded to 24 cows, and in 1983, we added 10 Jerseys and internally expanded from there to 38 cows, trying to keep the barn full year-round. In 2000, our son, Aaron, graduated from Ridgewater College and wanted to farm. In 2002, we built a compost barn and doubled the herd. By 2009, we were milking 110 cows and badly needed to upgrade the facilities or quit. In 2011, we moved the cows into a 145-cow, tunnel-vented, sand-bedded freestall barn with a double-12 parabone parlor on Aaron’s farm 1.5 miles down the road. All the heifers continue to be raised on our original homestead. By 2021, we were milking about 200 cows, and in 2022, we added another 90 stalls; we put in four Lely robots and are now milking 250. We have been using sexed semen on the top 50% of the cows and beef on the other 50%. We have also been MAPPing  our cows since the middle 1980s. In 2023, we started a transition plan.

Why is dairy farming the career for you? I grew up on a dairy farm and also worked for other farmers. After working other jobs for eight years, I felt that dairy farming would be a good career and a good place to raise a family and be my own boss.

What is a highlight of your career? Everything I have accomplished could not have been done without my family and wife of almost 50 years, Audrey. We have been blessed to raise and see our five children grow up with strong work ethics and become responsible adults with successful careers and families, with an added bonus of now working with the third generation.

What keeps you motivated? Trying to improve efficiency and genetics in the herd to improve production, as well as managing manure to increase crop yields and seeing the results. 

What advice do you have for younger dairy farms? Focus on putting God and your family first and the cows second. These have to be top priorities, no matter how many cows you milk.

What is the best decision you have made? In 1983, watching what was happening in the dairy industry going to component pricing, we bought the Jersey cows to improve our components. We now have 75% Jerseys and 25% Holsteins.

Looking back, what would you do differently? There are always things you might have or could have done differently, but we made a decision on what we wanted/needed, prayed and trusted we made the right decision and moved forward.