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“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 18, No. 16
October 8, 2016
A fresh start “It’s a blessing the way it all worked out.” – Pete Hopfer
Hopfer continues dairying, builds new facility after barn re By Andrea Borgerding andrea.b@dairystar.com
LAKE HENRY, Minn. – It’s been almost a year since a re destroyed Pete and Vicki Hopfer’s dairy barn. With everything they’ve been through in the past year, the Hopfers are counting their blessings and looking ahead to a fresh start in their new facility. “It was the worst of the worst scenario,” Pete Hopfer said. “I wish it would have never happened, but you can’t look back.” As of Sept. 1, the Hopfers have been milking their herd of 62 cows in a new 63-cow tiestall barn with tunnel ventilation, a maternity pen and attached TMR room. The facility marks the end of a tumultuous year for the Turn to HOPFER | Page 5
MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Pete Hopfer stands in his new 63-cow Ɵestall barn on his farm near Lake Henry, Minn. The facility was completed September 1. Hopfer rebuilt aŌer a re destroyed his previous Ɵestall barn.
Damaging oods continue in Iowa Thirteen counties included in formal disaster proclamation by governor By Krista Kuzma
krista.k@dairystar.com
CLARKSVILLE, Iowa – During the 37 years the Bolins have dairy farmed near Beaver Creek in Butler County, no ood has been as bad as what they experienced on Sept. 22. “We’ve had some oods, but this is pretty serious,” said Pam Bolin, who together with her husband and their son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Lynn, has 216 head of milking cows and heifers near Clarksville, Iowa. “It’s historical without a doubt.” The Bolins are just one of the many affected by ooding and heavy rains in the area that started Sept. 21. Because
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The view looking towards Pam and Dan Bolin’s farm shows how much the Beaver Creek swelled outside of its banks on Sept. 22 near Clarksville, Iowa. of the devastation, Governor Terry Branstad signed a formal disaster proclamation for 13 counties: Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer,
Buchanan, Butler, Cedar, Chickasaw, Delaware, Floyd, Franklin, Linn and Wright. The proclamation allows state resources to be used to
respond to and recover from the ooding. The Bolins recently built a new barn with a robotic milking system they call
New Day Dairy; however, when building, they chose to construct the facility on higher ground. They’re glad they worked with the Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers, who gave them the advice. “If we would have had the animals down here on the at, we would have had a mess,” said Bolin, whose family calls the farm in the valley Beaver Creek Farm. “We’re feeling very thankful we listened and went up the hill.” Usually the creek isn’t an issue as far as ooding. “The coalition strongly suggested we move the dairy building up the hill. While we thought it was a good idea all along, it was conrmed [with this ood],” Bolin said By about 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 22, water had crept out of the creek banks all the way up to the road. Although not covered, Bolin said it didn’t take long for the water to continue to rise. Turn to FLOODING | Page 7