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DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 21, No. 23
January 25, 2020
Another way to dairy
Sterken milks cows, goats By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
DELAVAN, Wis. – At Sterken Farms in Delavan, cows and goats are next-door neighbors. The cow side of the operation is owned and operated by three brothers – Wayne, Doc and Lester Sterken – while the goat operation, Musty Meadow, belongs to Lester. Between the two farms, Sterkens milk 1,200 animals – 600 of each – lling their bulk tanks with quality milk from two kinds of dairy animals. Second-generation farmers, Wayne, Doc and Lester, combined their herds into one in 1999, uniting 250 cows. They continued adding bovines until reaching 600 cows after three years. They built new facilities, including a freestall barn and milking parlor and added a special needs barn for fresh and
closeup cows in 2001. Doc’s wife, Mary, a retired schoolteacher, does the books. Lester’s daughter, Holly, is in charge of calves. Lester feeds all the cows in addition to running the dairy goat operation down the road with his wife, Helen. It was just before Christmas 2015 when Lester branched out into milking goats. “I thought it would be fun,” he said. “I was tired of cows. They’re too big to handle.” Lester describes his 1,000head goat operation as a hobby that exploded. He started out milking 80 does, and his herd grew fast. He bought 150 kids before starting his new venture which were soon added to Turn to STERKENS | Page 6
STACEY SMART/DAIIRY STAR
Lester Sterken pets his goats on his farm near Delavan, Wisconsin. Lester began milking goats in December 2015 and has several breeds, including Alpine, Lamancha, Toggenburg, Saanen and Oberhasli.
Farmers unite at Dairy Day at the Capitol
Producers meet with legislators to discuss several topics By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
MADISON, Wis. – Dairy producers made their voices heard Jan. 21 at the second annual Dairy Day at the Capitol hosted by Dairy Business Association in Madison. Approximately 40 people, including dairy farmers and industry members, received rsthand updates from legislative leaders and administration ofcials on matters critical to agriculture and dairy that are pending before the assembly and the senate. “It’s good to be down in Madison and see our lawmakers and have them see us,” said Amy Penterman, DBA vice president. “They need to hear from actual voters and learn more about what we do as dairy farmers. By putting a face to our name, we’re no
longer just a number.” Penterman and her husband, Sander, milk 850 cows and farm 1,400 acres on their farm, Dutch Dairy, in Thorp. Following a brief welcome from DBA president, Tom Crave, those in attendance heard from Preston Cole, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, who discussed the need for achieving clean water for everyone. Reps. Todd Novak and Katrina Shankland provided an update on water quality initiatives. Jason Stein, research director with Wisconsin Policy Forum, shared state budget numbers, and DBA government affairs staff briefed the audience on bills under consideration that are legislative priorities for DBA in 2020. Legislative ofce visits took place in the afternoon, giving attendees the opportunity for face-to-face meetings with lawmakers and their staff to help educate on issues such as dairy prodSTACEY SMART/DAIIRY STAR Aaron Stauffacher, DBA associate director of government affairs (le�) discusses uct labeling, crop insurance, nutrientgroup assignments for legisla�ve office visits with Bryce O’Leary (from le�), Turn to CAPITOL | Page 5 Tracey Leeder, and Jim Winn, Jan. 21 during Dairy Day at the Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin.