Started in 1964, Preston Dairy and Farm will celebrate 60 years of operation this year. Originally based in the immediate city of Preston across from trailhead park, they moved to their current location outside of town on Hwy 16. in 2014. They provide agronomy services and consulting for local farmers including feed, seed, fertilizer and chemical application.
“We are a total farm service,” states general manager Nathan Honsey.
Preston Dairy and Farm employs 15 full-time employees and around six seasonal employees. Some employees have been with the company for over 20 years. The company also has a board of directors comprised of five individuals who typically meet once a month.
Around 10 years ago, Preston Dairy and Farm added a second location in Canton, Minn., after purchasing the Canton feed store, gas pumps and Sarah’s Diner and the hay market. The hay market runs six months a year. Patrons of the Canton branch can now fill their vehicle tank, check out the hay sale, pick up some feed and have a bite to eat at Sarah’s Diner.
Preston Dairy and Farm seed sales consist mainly of corn and soybeans but they still handle oats as well. All three are sold through the mill and they also purchase a fair amount of them locally. They work with a number of hay and forage crop seeds and seeds for deer plots. If a customer is interested in seed outside this realm, they will do their best to get it for them.
“We can source any type of seed and if we don’t have the answer, we’ll get the answer,” states Honsey. “We’ll bring in grain whether it’s corn or oats, and then it gets used for feed going out again. For the customers that don’t have corn, we buy and resell that too. We try to buy all of that locally.”
Preston Dairy and Farm also does fertilizer applications, chemical applications and lime. They mainly use conventional fertilizers but can also source organic fertilizers for organic farmers. With the agronomy side of the business growing every year, the current location gives them plenty of room to expand if they need to.
“Depending on how much we grow in business, we have the room to expand our fertilizer plant,” says Honsey.
While the agronomy side is growing, they would like to expand the feed business as well, but that comes with the challenges of there being less livestock in the area. Small to mid-range farms are disappearing or moving toward the larger operations. With the larger livestock operations taking care of their own needs, Preston Dairy and Farm happily works with the smaller to mid-range livestock operations.
“Our bread and butter is always going to be that smaller farm and we know that,” says Kerry Rindels manager of the feed mill and feed sales and service. “We are appreciative of that.”
They provide feed through their own feed mill and through Big Gain. They do their own custom feed blends or blends that the customer requests. Big Gain will also do custom blends and direct ship. They are not set up to do organic feed through their mill but can get organic feeds in for customers that ask for them. They carry large animal and small animal feeds.
“We get random stuff in every week that people ask for,” says Honsey. “There’s not much we can’t get. Everyone is treated different. Everything we do is based on the farmer or the client. It’s based on individual recommendation. It’s not just a cookie cutter. This [business] does everything.”
The common theme with the employees of Preston Diary and Farm is how much they enjoy working with their customers. They want to thank each and every one of them for their business. It is because of them that they have been able to grow as a business and provide even more services for local farmers.
“I think we’ll continue to grow a little bit every year,” says Honsey. I think more people want to deal with a locally owned business. They come here and they get the answer. They don’t have to wait and they get good service.”
For more information on Preston Dairy and Farm please call (507) 765-2484. The Canton location can be reached at (507) 743-2550.
Dale Arnold says
Do you mill and sell chicken broiler (meat chicken ) feed in bulk? What is the price for 1,000 lb or 1 ton bulk in a tote bag to be picked up at the mill?