Breeder Profile
District 4: Sunsett Dairy Red and white, black and white and fawn colored cows can be seen grazing the pastures in Pittsville where Alan and Stephanie Hughes farm with their three sons. Color represents the Hughes’ dairy from the cast of breeds represented in their barn, the backgrounds of those involved on the farm and their prefix, Sunsett-S&A. Before the Hughes settled on their farm, they rented facilities at a dairy in Thorp on Sunset Drive. The journey to their existing location was long and tough but with a passion for dairying, they’ve created a successful herd of Registered Holsteins, Jerseys and Milking Shorthorns. Alan and Stephanie both grew up on small dairies with grade Holsteins and Ayrshires; Stephanie in Greenwood and Alan in Thorp. While they lived close enough to each other growing up, they didn’t get to know each other until they both went to college at UW-River Falls. Stephanie was studying dairy science and Alan studying broad area agriculture. Through the years, they became good friends through industry and social functions. Stephanie was interning at Vita Plus and was helping her parents’ milk. She called Alan to give her a hand with chores and from then on, two good friends became an item. They dated for a year and a half before they were married in March 2008. Alan and Stephanie have three children, Bryce, 11, Gavin, 10, and Derek, 5. About a year before their marriage, Alan’s dad offered to rent out his farm by Thorp. The barn had 43 stalls. This is where the couple bought their first Milking Shorthorn, Hashieders Julius Raisin. Stephanie grew up showing Ayrshires so colored breeds have always held a special place in her heart. To get more milk in the tank though, they purchased 10 Holsteins from Chris Van Dyk who Stephanie knew well from showing. Chris sold them good, solid foundation cows that could achieve the breeding goals that the Hughes were
Sunsett Patriot Riot-ET 8 – Wisconsin Holstein News – April/May 2022
looking for. To start their Registered Holstein herd, they also acquired some heifers from Keith Maitke. They also added a small group of Jerseys to the herd from Meadow Ridge Jerseys, the Riebe family. Following graduation, Stephanie’s first job was working in breeding and mating for Genex. “This was a huge asset when we started farming,” she says. It really helped her propel the reproduction program at their farm. Because of this knowledge of reproduction, the Hughes are able to use minimal reproductive drugs and get cows bred back efficiently. She also spent time working as a herdsman for the Endvick family before transitioning into a role as an Photo by Cassie Sonnentag agricultural lender for seven years. Alan, too, worked off the farm in the service department at an implement dealer. After some time there he left to help out on the farm. In 2014, Alan joined the Air National Guard and during this time the farm was being moved. With Alan at basic training, Stephanie was the sole farm manager navigating a new facility with two kids. The time came to find a stable location for the dairy. After finding a new location, the papers were drafted and at the last minute, the seller backed out of the deal. While this certainly wasn’t part of their dairying plan, it ended up working out for the best. Another farm became available as the owners were moving back to their home country of Australia. Stephanie recalls that the barn was exactly what they wanted and she could see their herd fitting in there. And without even looking at the inside of the house, the couple worked on the arrangement to purchase. The barn has 56 stalls and is a modern type of tie-stall and the couple farms 70 acres.. There are 35 acres of pasture that the herd grazes on from about May to September or October. This keeps labor efficient and cows happy. In the barn, the Hughes feed a TMR. The overall goal of day-to-day operations is keeping the workload
Meadow-Ridge Maestro Petunia EX-95
Sunsett-S&A Drake Hana-TW EX-92
