Gary and Patty Edelburg haven’t been farming as long as some
in the business, but that does not change their passion for working with good
cows and the pride they take in running their own operation.
The Edelburgs purchased a nice herd of Registered Holsteins
from Bob Williams in 2003. They were able to house their small herd at the Karl
and Barb Wogsland farm (Railane Holsteins), where they worked at the time. Gary
and Patty began the search for a farm of their own in 2000, and in June of
2008, they were able to purchase their current farm.
They started milking just 65 cows and grew their herd buying
animals occasionally, in addition to the purchase of a nice herd of cows from
South Dakota. Their current herd totals 130 cows with about 85% registered.
Gary and Patty have 280 total head of cattle, and farm 350 acres.
When it comes to getting things done, Gary and Patty take a
lot of pride in the fact they are both able to do just about everything on the
farm. That way, when one of them has to leave for meetings, the other can run
the farm without issues. The Edelburg’s twins, Angie and Luke, also help at
home when they can. Gary and Patty employ three part time students from
UW-Stevens Point. The Edelburgs milk every morning, feed all the calves, cows
and heifers. They also do most of their own cow health work and breeding, in
addition to tillage work, planting, and cutting hay. They do utilize custom
harvesting.
The Edelburg’s success is propelled by their enjoyment of
working with good cows. They admit it is fun to go to the barn in the morning
and work with ‘pretty’ cows. They are slowly growing their good cow families
and buying into more, and they enjoy watching the good families grow.
What makes Gary and Patty so unique is that they started
their operation from scratch, on their own. Although both of them grew up on
dairy farms, neither of them had a family farm to return to after college.
Patty’s parents sold their family farm while she was in school, and Gary’s
brother had taken over his and at the time was raising beef. When they started
in 2008 milk prices were very good, but six months into their venture they hit
$9.00. The Edelburgs struggled through their startup year with milk prices at an
all-time low, but they were able to endure that and the drought of 2012.
The Edelburgs admit that their passion runs deep through
their veins. They enjoy the chance to be their own boss, and that every day
there is something new to do. Gary and Patty find it easier to work and talk
with cows on a daily basis rather than people. Having their kids with them,
working with them, and raising them on the farm is priceless. Both Angie and
Luke love it and are proud of being farm kids, and physically being able to
work outside is a huge benefit for the entire family.
Gary and Patty hope to continue working with good cattle,
and are looking forward to marketing cow families in the future. The kids are
really enjoying showing at the county fairs, and its been great for the
Edelburgs to have good, home grown animals that the kids can compete with.
While the farm has kept the family busy, they have still
found time to be involved locally and on the Portage County Holstein Board.
Patty was also the District 4 secretary/treasurer for six years. She also
serves on the Farmers Union state board and the WI Farm Service Agency State
Committee.
When asked what the biggest challenge in the industry is,
Gary and Patty believe the difficulty lies in getting and keeping young people
involved. Dairy farms are declining at a drastic rate in Wisconsin, and unless
young people have a farm to go back to, its is very difficult to get started.
Dairy farming is a capitally intensive business, and FSA has a great beginning
farmer program but it doesn’t work for everyone. The availability of credit and
getting banks to believe in young producers is a huge challenge. New producers
need to be able to sell themselves to the bankers, and a lot of the time that
may mean just getting help figuring out how to do that. Education is often the
key.
An inspiring member of the Holstein business that has
influenced the Edelburg family is Steve Langteau. Steve (Gary’s brother-in-law)
helped to get Gary interested when he was in High School. Both Gary and Patty
were involved in the dairy club at UW-River Falls. After college, Karl and Barb
Wogsland really helped the Edelburgs get their start. Barb was very engaged and
encouraged Gary and Patty to get involved. In addition, Bob Williams and George
Trzebiatowski were there for the Edelburgs to talk Holsteins whenever needed.
Photos: Danae Bauer, Farmgirl Photography
