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DAIRY ST R
October 15, 2022
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 24, No. 16
Four brothers carry farm forward
Saemrow family honored as Rice County’s family of the year By Taylor Jerde
taylor.j@star-pub.com
WATERVILLE, Minn. – Wayne, Gordon, Ron and Keith Saemrow grew up working side by side on the family farm, and today, the four brothers continue to be in partnership together. “It’s almost unheard of that we, as a four-brother partnership survived,” Wayne said. Equally as impressive is the relationship the now-grown children have with their mom. At the age of 95, Marian is active on the farm and helps with calf chores. “It’s her reason to get up in the morning,” Gordon said. The family’s commitment to one another and their community led to the Saemrows
being recognized as the 2022 Rice County Farm Family of the Year by the University of Minnesota. The Saemrow brothers are the fourth generation on the farm near Waterville, which dates back to 1894. The brothers have grown their farm to include 750 cows and 2,000 acres. They are also contract turkey growers for Jennie-O. Although farming is the brothers’ full-time job, they have the same commitment to volunteering that their dad, Herb, did. Whenever a need arises in the community, the brothers and their families are willing to help in any way possible. TAYLOR JERDE/DAIRY STAR
Turn to SAEMROW | Page 6
The Saemrow brothers Ron (from leŌ), Gordon, Keith and Wayne stand in their freestall barn Sept. 30 near Waterville, Minnesota. They were the Rice County Farm Family of the Year and milk 750 Holstein cows.
Hurricane Ian devastates dairy Florida farm loses more than 200 head, freestall barns By Tiffany Klaphake tiffany.k@dairystar.com
MYAKKA CITY, Fla. – Every day, for ve days, Jerry Dakin walked his property through the mud and debris left by Hurricane Ian to pick up deceased animals. He continues to gather pieces of debris where his freestall barns once stood. “Never in my life have I seen this many dead animals,” Dakin said. Dakin Dairy Farm received 19 inches of rain in a 12-hour span Sept. 28-29. The sustained winds of 150 mph plummeted the area as the Category 4 hurricane made landfall. As the day turned into night, the pouring rain and
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Cows at Dakin Dairy stand in what is leŌ of one of the farm’s freestall barns Oct. 1 in Myakka City, Florida. Dakin Dairy lost six 800-foot freestall barns to Hurricane Ian Sept. 28-29. winds continued. Dakin Dairy Farm lost more than 200 animals, both cows and youngstock, and six
800-foot freestall barns were scattered across the property after the storm subsided. “As bad as I got, it is hum-
bling to see that others have it much worse” Dakin said. “Some lost everything.” In 2004, Hurricane Char-
ley hit southwestern Florida but changed course as it neared Dakin’s area and left the dairy in one piece. “All the way up to about 12 hours before the Hurricane Ian hit, we thought it was going to miss us,” Dakin said. Dakin milks 2,000 cows near Myakka City, which is 50 miles inland off the west coast of Florida. The dairy farm processes its own milk and delivers to local grocery stores and homes. They also have an onfarm café and give farm tours. With the roads under water and bridges washed away, Dakin Dairy Farm could not deliver its milk; even if they could, the grocery stores could not have taken the milk as they did not have power. With no other option, Dakin had to dump multiple days’ worth of milk. The dairy itself was without power for four days, and Dakin has had to bring in two generators to get by. Turn to DAKIN | Page 9