Top Minnesota dairy farms honored for superior cow care Herds with lowest somatic cell count are recognized

ST. PAUL, MN – Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen today released the annual list of top Minnesota dairy herds with low somatic cell counts (SCC). Somatic cell count is a key indicator of milk quality – a lower SCC count is better for cheese production and a longer shelf life for bottled milk. In honor of June Dairy Month, 114 Minnesota dairy farms are being recognized for superior herd management skills by achieving an average SCC of under 100,000. The producers on the list are nominated by their dairy plants.

“I’m honored to recognize these 114 dairies for their high level of excellence,” said Commissioner Petersen. “Minnesota’s dairy farmers help feed the state and the world with high quality, wholesome dairy products.”

Although somatic cells occur naturally and are not a food safety concern, dairy farmers monitor them because they can be used as a measure of the health of their cows. Processors also pay a premium for milk with low counts. A farmer whose herd has a very low count can receive a higher price per hundredweight compared to a farmer whose herd average is high.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and University of Minnesota dairy experts have worked with the state’s dairy farmers to lower somatic cell counts. When the initiative began in 2003, the 100 herds honored that year included those with SCC averages as high as 144,000, compared to the current goal of obtaining a SCC under 100,000.

The dairy producers on this list have achieved the goal of having an average SCC of 100,000 or lower in the previous year. The names appear in the order of lowest to highest average SCC, along with their county, as below:

•Hendel Farms, Houston

•Kent Happke, Benton •Dennis and Wayne Wolters, Morrison

•Kevin Braulick, Brown

•Selke Farms, Winona

•Ketchum Farms Partnership LLC, Winona

•Brandon and Jill Marshik, Benton

•Keith Middendorf, Todd

•Jeff Middendorf, Stearns

•Hoefs’ Dairy LLC, LeSueur

•Chad Waltman, Morrison

•Harmony Hills Dairy, LLC, Carver

•Tony and Matt Berktold, Wabasha

•Dand D Dairy, Winona

•Nosbush Dairy, Renville

•Houdek Dairy LLC, Houston

•Randy H. and Kathleen J. Bauer, Rice

•Valley Acres Dairy Farm 1, Winona

•Quarry Hill Dairy LLC – Valley Acres, Winona

•Mark Klehr, Scott

•Overdale Dairy, Stearns

•Barkeim Farms LLC, Winona

•Joe and Kim Engelmeyer, Stearns

•Merdan Dairy Inc., Stearns

  • Colleen Berscheit, Brown

•Calvin and Tammi Beumer, Morrison

•Kevin Hanson, Polk

•North Creek Dairy Inc., Olmsted

•Alan and Jessica Klimek, •Douglas

•Edward Kauffman, Todd

•Randal and LouAnn Wagner, Rice

•Steve and Estelle Martin, Pine

•Marshall and Melanie Korn, Kandiyohi

•Bill Miller, Wabasha

•Duckwitz Farm Partnership, Swift

•Wolf Creek Dairy, Rice

•Dean and Elizabeth Johnson, Cottonwood

•Duane and Karen Timm, Wabasha

•Maren Holst, Wabasha

•Schroeder Brothers LLC, Houston

•Scott and Michelle Herber, Winona

•Michael Sellner, Brown

•Dominic Primus, Todd

•Riverview LLP – West Dublin, Swift

•Kraig Krienke, McLeod

•Del and Cindy Euerle, Meeker

•Stan and Bev Meyer, Houston

•Edward and Mary Warmkagathje, Olmsted

•Dev-Lin Holsteins LLC, Houston

•Kiefland Holsteins LLC, Winona

•Harlan and Jenny Poppler, Wright

•Quarry Hill Dairy, LLC, Winona

•Paul and Bonnie Middendorf, Todd

•Evergreen Acres Dairy LLC #7, Stearns

•Glen and Rebecca Christen, Stearns

•Schefers Bros. LLC, Stearns

•Maynard and Jeremiah Schumacher, Wabasha

•Mundt Dairy, Winona

•Wirtland Holstein, Winona

•Kevin Virchow, Freeborn

•Naatz Dairy Cows, Olmsted

•Tim Bruder, Todd

•Zweber Farms LLC, Scott

•Greden Farms, LLC, Winona

•Robert Hinsch, Goodhue

•Tatge Dairy LLC, Rice

•D & L Johnson Dairy Farm LLC, Winona

•Enchanted Dairy LLC, Morrison

•Rolling Ridge Acres Inc., Winona

•Schulte Farms, Houston

•Nelson’s Organic Dairy LLC, Winona

•Youngren Dairy Farms Inc., Kandiyohi

•Sunny Side Dairy, Hennepin

•Clear Crest Farm, Winona

•Dick Family Farm, Wabasha

•James and Mary Evans, Pipestone

•Jeremy and Amanda Wentland, Stearns

•Reiland Farms LLP, Mower

•Travis and Angela Scherping, Stearns

•Jerome, Bev, and Aaron Pohlmann, Todd

•Koch Dairy Inc, Houston

•Valley Acres Dairy Farm 2, Winona

•Schmitt Dairy, Inc, Benton

•John and Karyl Diersen, Houston

•Autumn Breeze Dairy, Brown

•Knisley Dairy Inc., Stearns

•Roger Mathews, Olmsted

•Trailside Holsteins LLC, Fillmore

•John Wolf and Sons, Wabasha

•Larry and Sharon Wiste, Houston

•Shir-Man Holsteins II, Fillmore

•Burfeind Dairy Farm LLC, Goodhue

•Wilwerding Dairy – West, Stearns

•Meadow Front Farms, Le Sueur

•Reuter Farms, Dakota

•Riverview Dairy, Stevens

•Terrance D. Peshon, Winona

•Thomas Holst, Fillmore

•Ed Twohey, Olmsted

•Dollymount, Traverse

•Dreier Farm, LLC, Carver

•Lester and Donna Banse, Houston

•Cargill Innovation Campus, Sherburne

•Funks Midway Dairy, Stearns

•Jane Babatz, Wright

•John Sauber, Dakota

•Richard Kasper, Stearns

•Steven and Debra Heuer, Meeker

•Tim and Kathy Kruse, Houston

•William H. Dux, Olmsted

•Darin and Brierly Grimsgard, Meeker

•Marvin Rademacher, Stearns

•Stacy, Julie, Melendy, and Markus Miller, Wabasha

•Suzanne Jacobs, Otter Tail