Dane County Dairy Promotion Committee: Dane County’s 2012 Breakfast on the Farm
5/31/2012
Dane County’s 34rd Annual “Breakfast on the Farm”
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Media Contact: Jennifer Kuhn, Dane County Dairy Promotion Committee “Breakfast on the Farm” Event Coordinator, 608-577-8990; jenkuhn@tds.net; http://www.danecountydairy.com/breakfast-on-the-farm/
What: “Breakfast on the Farm,” organized by the Dane County Dairy Promotion Committee and sponsored by Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, is a major June Dairy Month event. The public is welcome to visit a dairy farm in Dane County each year. The number of visitors reach over 4,000 people.
After enjoying breakfast, guests are welcome to roam the farm and stop at tour stations; experience a horse-drawn wagon ride; meet Wisconsin’s Fairest of the Fair, watch the crowning of Dane County’s Fairest of the Fair; and enjoy live music and face painting. In the Expo Building, vendors host educational activities and offer product samples.
Where: Kellercrest Registered Holsteins, Inc.
1141 County Hwy JG South
Mount Horeb, WI 53572
Directions: From Kwik Trip in Mt. Horeb
Travel east on State Hwy 92
After four blocks, the high school is on the left
Veer right onto Cty Rd JG
Travel on JG 7.5 miles to the farm
When: Saturday, June 9, 2012
Breakfast Served 7:30 a.m. – Noon
Activities: Guest Speaker – Pam Jahnke, Farm Director
Crowning of Dane County’s Fairest of the Fair
Appearance by Alice in Dairyland
Appearance by Wisconsin Fairest of the Fairs
Bucky Badger will welcome guests
Expo Area featuring dairy information & food samples
Self-Guided Farm Tours
Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides by Treinen Farm
Educational Displays & Activities
Live Music featuring The Soggy Prairie Boys
Face Painting by WI Farmers Union Kamp Kenwood
Farm Background: A modern day farm with all the bells and whistle and a dairy farm that knows its past. Kellers take care of their cows so their cows take care of them.
The Keller family began farming in the Mount Horeb area in the late 1840s. In the late 1960s, Daniel and Jeanne Keller purchased two registered Holsteins and created the Kellercrest prefix. They saw the future and value of registered cattle and continued over the next several years to add quality animals to the herd.
In 1972, when their son Tim was 10 years old, Daniel and Jeanne purchased him a registered calf named Suzie from John Hamilton’s farm in Verona. Two years later, Tim also purchased a registered calf from John. Several members of today’s herd trace back to both of these early calves.
In 1988, Tim and Sandy became partners in the farm on a 50/50 arrangement with Daniel and Jeanne. In 1997, Tim and Sandy purchased 100% of the herd and cash rented the farm. With the future of the dairy business changing rapidly and Tim having bad knees, a decision had to be made on whether to stay farming or get out. Like most dairy farmers, we have gone through highs and lows. During one of our low periods we chose to expand to improve cow comfort and make milking easier. After seeing some other breeders successfully expand their operation the decision was made to buy the farm.
Kellercrest Registered Holsteins, Inc consists of a partnership of Tim and Sandy along with Tim’s brother, Mark, and his wife Kareen. Both Tim and Mark bring great experience to the operation. Tim is a UW-Madison Short Course graduate and Mark is a UW-Platteville graduate. He also worked in the agriculture industry for 13 years before returning to the home farm.
A freestall barn was built in 2000 and the Larry and Carol Kammes herd near Gratiot was added into Kellercrest’s. This brought an additional 85 good registered cows into the heard while adding to the herd and facilities. A new heifer shed was completed in 2004, and a 20-head fresh cow facility was added in the spring of 2010. A new calf barn in January 2010 was the most recent addition to the Kellercrest facilities. Today, Kellercrest has 600 animals on the farm with nearly 320 in milk, 300 heifers and a handful of bulls for A.I. The herd is 100% registered and about 96% homebred.
