Page 10 • Dairy Star • Saturday, March 27, 2021
Jersey herd inspiration for Little Brown Cow Cheese Wilterdink nds niche in marketing cheddars By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
SHEBOYGAN FALLS, Wis. – Don Wilterdink’s cows mean the world to him. He knows each cow in his allJersey herd by heart and views the bovines as employees and partners. Every cow at Long Distance Genetics has a name and is special to Wilterdink. “I’m a cowaholic,” Wilterdink said. “I love cows.” Wilterdink is sharing his beloved cows with others through the cheddar cheese he started making from their milk in 2018 – an idea that transpired during a visit to a Door County winery. “I wanted to provide something people feel good about,” Wilterdink said. “Little Brown Cow Cheese
is exceptional cheese with a small-town story, and that’s appealing to consumers.” Made by Gibbsville Cheese, Little Brown Cow Cheese is a 60/40 blend of Wilterdink’s Jersey milk and locally sourced milk. Wilterdink uses a percentage of his farm’s milk to make mild, medium and aged cheddars. “Our cheese is soft and holds moisture well,” Wilterdink said. “People say it’s so creamy. It works great for making grilled cheese sandwiches and mac and cheese.” Wilterdink milks 60 cows and farms 600 acres near Sheboygan Falls. He married his high school sweetheart, Lynn, in 1986. The couple has eight children and seven grandchildren. Lynn, a retired
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Wilterdink family makes aged, medium and mild cheddar cheeses from their Jersey cows’ milk which they market under the brand, LiƩle Brown Cow Cheese. Product labels feature the Wilterdink children and caƩle from the family’s farm.
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Don Wilterdink poses with one of his cows, Donnie, on his farm near Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, where he milks 60 Jerseys and farms 600 acres. Wilterdink began making LiƩle Brown Cow Cheese in 2018. teacher, tutors twice a week and watches their grandkids twice a week. Wilterdink began working at his brother’s farm when he was in sixth grade. He later became a herdsman at another farm while also working at an apple orchard. When he went out on his own, Wilterdink started with four cows in a rented barn near Random Lake. He soon took out a loan and bought 17 more cows. He continued growing his herd and moved to his current location in 1988. “I had a fear of failure and that was great motivation for me when I was young,” Wilterdink said. Wilterdink always had an eye for Jerseys even though people often questioned his choice of breed early on. “Now, everyone seems to want Jerseys,” he said. During the late 1980s and 1990s, Wilterdink’s focus was
on genetics. “We sold 40 to 50 bulls into A.I. and had the No. 1 uid dollar merit bull in the U.S. for a couple years - Long Distance Barber Barkly,” Wilterdink said. “We sold embryos to different countries. It was fun. I enjoyed it.” Wilterdink’s all-time favorite cow is Duncan Babe – a Jersey that came from Parma, Michigan. Wilterdink bought her as a calf, and when she passed away years later, Babe was buried on the farm. “We were big into genetics and still are,” Wilterdink said. “Once a year, we would go anywhere in the country to buy the best heifer or cow that we could. We also did a lot of ushing. Babe was great looking, was a great milker and ushed well. She probably made us a lot of money.” But when their kids started growing up, Wilterdink’s focus shifted.
“They were very athletic and played a lot of ball,” Wilterdink said. “Since I didn’t trust anyone else to milk the cows, I ended up missing a lot of ball games. I didn’t want to miss out on things anymore, so I scaled back on the merchandising end and invested in some other businesses instead. It worked out well. I got to watch more ball games, which is something I enjoy.” However, Wilterdink has not lost his passion for good genetics. Top-quality cows are a must in his barn, and he sells quite a few cattle. Cows are milked twice a day in a 60-stall tiestall barn where the rolling herd average is 17,963 pounds of milk with 5.5% butterfat and 3.7% protein. “Our milk’s high butterfat is what makes our cheese Turn to WILTERDINKS | Page 11
Congratulations to the six young ladies crowned Stearns County Dairy Princesses.
Six girls (from left) Samantha Young the daughter of Kevin & Beth Young of Holdingford, Minn., Alex Christen the daughter of Glen & Becky Christen of Sauk Centre, Minn., Kallie Frericks the daughter of Steve & Tammy Frericks of Albany, Minn., Hailey Frericks, the daughter of Steve & Tammy Frericks of Albany, Minn., Savanna Marthaler the daughter of Harold Marthaler & Denise Mikkelson of Sauk Centre, Minn., and Makayla Breth the daughter Jerry & Tammy Breth of St. Anthony, Minn. were crowned Stearns County dairy princesses at the annual banquet which was held March 20 at the Freeport Community Center. Young and Ohmann were also recipients of $500 scholarships from the Stearns County American Dairy Association. Ambassadors are Emily Breth the daughter of Jerry & Tammy Breth of St. Anthony, Brittany Klaphake the daughter of Joel & Jessica Klaphake of Holdingford, Jenna Lawin the daughter of Kyle & Becky Lawin of Holdingford, Jessica Ohmann the daughter of Ron and Ami Ohmann of Albany and Clara Pflueger the daughter of Brian and Jessica Donabauer of St. Anthony.