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Meier family continues breakfast tradition
PHOTO COURTESY OF RENEE EICHELKRAU Brodhead Independent-Register
The Meier Family – Duane “Dewe” (from left), Jeanne, Tiffany (holding Avery) and David, will host the 42nd annual Breakfast on the Farm May 28 at their dairy farm, Sunset Ridge in Monticello.
The Green County Ag Chest’s 42nd annual Breakfast on the Farm will return Saturday, May 28 at Sunset Ridge Dairy Farm, W2902 Oliver Road, Monticello. Breakfast will be served from 6 to 10 a.m. The farm is owned and operated by Duane (Dewey) and Jeanne Meier along with their son, David Meier and his wife Tiffany who share a daughter, Avery. Dewey and David represent the fourth and fifth generations on the dairy farm respectively. In addition to farming, Jeanne works at Figi Insurance and Financial Services and Tiffany works at The Oregon Veterinary Clinic. After many years of renting other farms, they purchased this farm in 1999. Previously they milked in a stall barn and that changed when they expanded the farm by building a freestall barn in 2014 and, in 2016, they added a double eight parlor to their operations. The Meiers have 120 cows which include Holstein and Registered Brown Swiss, and raise their own heifer replacements to
continue improving their herd. Their milk is shipped to The Chalet Cheese Co-op; which is known for “The Home Of World Champion Cheeses,” including its famous Limburger Cheese and Deppeler’s Baby Swiss, and also for many other different variety of cheeses: Brick, Pannaro, Havarti, Deppeler’s Swiss, wheel aged and cheese curds. They also farm in partnership with their son-in-law, Andrew who lives with wife Jodi at the neighboring family farm. The Meiers have taken great pride in their farming operation along with their children who helped on the farm growing up. The fifth generation - Jenna, Jodi, Jessie and David - were very active in showing cattle through 4-H and FFA. The Meiers encouraged many other children to show their cattle along with hosted many practices for the Youth Dairy Judging Teams. The Meier Family, in a press release, thanked family, friends, neighbors and sponsors for helping them to promote the dairy and agriculture industry.
Traditional farm fare The annual breakfast will include scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese, homemade coffee cake, milk, coffee and orange juice, along with strawberry ice-cream sundaes. Flight for Life is scheduled to land at the farm at 8 a.m. and will be on site for one hour. Parking will be available on-site, weather permitting, however, transportation will be provided via bussing from Walmart Supercenter, 300 6th Ave W, in Monroe or the Albany Lions Club, 402 N. Cincinnati St., in Albany and is highly encouraged as space is limited. Buses will leave for the farm from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. The cost of the breakfast is $8 for those ages 11 and older, $5 for kids ages 5-10 and free for children 4 and younger. Stateline Playboys band will perform from 7 to 10 a.m. while guests enjoy an antique tractor display and petting zoo, as well as agricultural and wellness education stations and various craft vendors.
Local cheesemakers among state grant recipients Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP), announced recently that area dairy companies are among 19 Wisconsin cheesemakers that will receive a DATCP Dairy Processor Grant in 2022. Alpine Slicing and Cheese in Monroe and Decatur Swiss Co-op in Brodhead will receive grants totaling $15,000 and $24,000 respectively.
Alpine Slicing and Cheese will use the grant award toward relocation and expansion to meet quality demands and the needs of customers and employees. Decatur Swiss Co-op will use its funds toward Brodhead facility expansion to accommodate packaging, storage, cooler space, and an area for technological advancement. These grants aim to foster innovation, improve profitabil-
ity, and sustain the long-term viability of Wisconsin’s dairy processing facilities. “Wisconsin’s dairy industry is not only a vital part of our economy, but it’s core to our Wisconsin heritage and who we are as a state,” Evers stated in a press release. “I was proud to increase funding for these grants in our last budget, and I am glad to be awarding these funds today to ensure our dairy processors can continue
to grow their businesses and consumers across the globe can continue to enjoy high-quality dairy products from America’s Dairyland.” As part of the 2021-23 biennial budget, Evers increased the
annual funding for dairy processor grants from $200,000 to $400,000 to provide additional support to Wisconsin’s dairy industry. DATCP received 43 grant requests totaling more than $1.7 million.
“Wisconsin’s dairy processors are a critical element of our state’s thriving dairy industry,” said DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski. “As a national
See GRANT, Page 3
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