Frank Doll, Illinois Dairy Farmer
- “It’s never a day of work when you like what you do. You wake up excited every day.”
- Cows on Frank’s farm enjoy sand beds and the ability to move around to get fresh food and water all day.
- Frank is a dedicated family farmer. At any given day on his farm, you could find not only him working in the barns, but also his father, wife Pam, and two sons, Logan and Blake.
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Frank Doll, Illinois Dairy Farmer
Ted Doymeyer, Iowa Dairy Farmer
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Ted farms with his brother and sister-in-law on their 1961 family farm. His son, Brayden (10) also helps on the farm and shows the cows at local fairs.
- Young calves at Ted’s farm receive special attention to ensure their health and comfort. Their barn is equipped with automated feeders for the calves to visit whenever they please throughout the day.
- The farm family was voted “Outstanding Dairy Farm Family” by a local dairy promotion association.
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“It is nice to be able to raise my son on the same farm I was raised on. He likes to help, too.”
Ted Doymeyer, Iowa Dairy Farmer
Dan Duitscher, Iowa Dairy Farmer
- Dan started his career in dairy manufacturing, working for Prairie Farms joint venture, Hiland Dairy. He and his brother started their dairy farm in 1998, and Dan began farming fulltime in 2000.
- Both Dan’s brother and father are veterinarians, and the younger of his two sons, Payton, is studying to be a vet as well. His older son, Derek, is involved in mission work.
- The Duitscher family holds many tours on their farm throughout the year. Welcoming everyone from preschoolers to nursing home residents, Dan is able to show visitors how a dairy farm operates and finishes out the tour with Prairie Farms Chocolate Milk.
Dan Duitscher, Iowa Dairy Farmer
Craig Finke, Illinois Dairy Farmer
- Craig is a fifth generation dairy farmer. His wife, Tricia, and mother, Sharon, are both actively in the farm. Craig and Tricia have two children, Natalie (8) and Hayden (6).
- Craig has a fully automated farm, using robots to help with daily milking, feeding and cleaning. He has made many upgrades on his farm to aid in cow comfort. His barn is a free-stall barn, where cows are able to freely move about, choose their bed, and access fresh food and water at will.
- “Our barn is a very cow-friendly set-up and is built specifically for cow comfort. It’s like a day at the beach."
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Craig Finke, Illinois Dairy Farmer
Bryan Henrichs, Illinois Dairy Farmer
- Bryan is a third generation dairy farmer, who is raising five younger daughters on the farm with his wife, Emily. Bryan hopes to have a farm his daughters will someday come back to!
- Bryan’s farm focuses heavily on sustainability. They raise the crops their cows eat, and in turn, use manure from the farm to fertilize the next season’s crops.
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Bryan Henrichs, Illinois Dairy Farmer
Jerry Knebel, Illinois Dairy Farmer
- Jerry is the third generation to live on his family farm. Some of his favorite memories include milking cows and working with his grandfather.
- Jerry’s entire family is involved in the farm, including several of his grandchildren. He hopes to see them one day take over.
- After installing a new free-stall barn, where the cows have the ability to move freely about throughout the day, Jerry has noticed how comfortable his cows are. Though he still gives them the option to go out to pasture, most often they like to stay in the barn.
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Jerry Knebel, Illinois Dairy Farmer
Craig Meng, Illinois Dairy Farmer
- Craig is a third generation farmer, living on the farm his grandfather began in the 1940’s. Craig and his wife, Kristen, have three boys, Luke (9), Pete (6), and John (3).
- Craig milks 125 cows, three times a day.
- “I feel incredibly privileged that the previous two generations spent so much time to lay the farm out to be what it is today and have really put me in a wonderful position to work towards our future,” Meng stated. “I always wanted to be a dairy farmer, really from day one.”
Craig Meng, Illinois Dairy Farmer
Brooke Mollet, Illinois Dairy Farmer
- Brooke is a fourth generation dairy farmer, raising two kids, Ansly and Sawyer, along with her husband Craig. For fun, Brooke started milking cows with her mom and dad when she was in kindergarten.
- Brooke and Craig met when he was working construction for the company installing the family farm’s robotic milking system. The family has a fully robotic farm that includes milkers and feeders for the cows and baby calves.
- “We take a lot of pride in the products we produce and provide for consumers.”
Brooke Mollet, Illinois Dairy Farmer
Pat Schroeder, Wisconsin Dairy Farmer
- Pat and his wife of 35-years, Karen, live on and operate their families’ Century Farm. They have two sons, Matt and Patrick, and a daughter, Stepfanie. With three grandchildren, ages 4, 3 and 8 weeks, Pat hopes to see the family farm pass on to his grandchildren one day.
- Though he didn’t grow on the farm, Pat got involved in the farm while still in high school, helping his grandfather milk daily.
- Pat’s sons, Matt and Patrick, along with his son-in-law, Adam, milk the farms 400 cows three times a day.
Pat Schroeder, Wisconsin Dairy Farmer