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“All dairy, all the time”™

Volume 18, No. 16

October 8, 2016

A fresh start

“It’s a blessing the way it all worked out.” – Pete Hopfer

Hopfer continues dairying, builds new facility after barn re By Andrea Borgerding andrea.b@dairystar.com

LAKE HENRY, Minn. – It’s been almost a year since a re destroyed Pete and Vicki Hopfer’s dairy barn. With everything they’ve been through in the past year, the Hopfers are counting their blessings and looking ahead to a fresh start in their new facility. “It was the worst of the worst scenario,” Pete Hopfer said. “I wish it would have never happened, but you can’t look back.” As of Sept. 1, the Hopfers have been milking their herd of 62 cows in a new 63-cow tiestall barn with tunnel ventilation, a maternity pen and attached TMR room. The facility marks the end of a tumultuous year for the Turn to HOPFER | Page 5

MARK KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR

Pete Hopfer stands in his new 63-cow �estall barn on his farm near Lake Henry, Minn. The facility was completed Sept. 1. Hopfer rebuilt a�er a re destroyed his previous �estall barn.

A golden Expo memory Thyens celebrate 10th anniversary of daughter’s adoption By Missy Mussman missy@dairystar.com

GROVE CITY, Minn. – When World Dairy Expo’s Facebook page asked people to share their golden Expo memories in lieu of their 50th celebration, Heather Thyen knew exactly what memory to share. It was the 2006 World Dairy Expo when Heather and her husband, Russ Thyen, realized they were able to adopt their daughter, Elizabeth, 10. Russ works for Select Sires as an account manager for southwest Minnesota and Heather is a software specialist for Minnesota DHIA near Grove City, Minn. The couple also owns 27 milking cows housed on three different farms. “That Expo is our favorite one to this day,” Heather said. For Heather and Russ, having children was always their dream.

MISSY MUSSMAN/DAIRY STAR

The Thyens – (from le�) Heather, Elizabeth and Russ – are celebra�ng the 10th anniversary of adop�ng Elizabeth into their family during World Dairy Expo this year. The Thyens own 27 cows that are milked on three different farms near Grove City, Minn. “I’m from a family of 12 and Heather’s from a family of four,” Russ said. “We wanted that.” For nearly 11 years, however, the Thyens struggled to

start a family. They were pregnant several times but suffered miscarriages. “We met with specialists, but they never pin pointed a reason,” Russ said.

So, Russ and Heather had two options, in vitro or adoption. “I don’t like getting shots, so in vitro wasn’t happening,” Heather said. “We had siblings

who adopted before, so it was never out of the question.” Eventually, the Thyens decided to pursue adoption. “We had to if we wanted a family,” Heather said. The Thyens asked their siblings and others about adoption and ofcially began the process in September of 2005 with New Horizon Adoption Agency out of Blue Earth, Minn. The Thyens took a fourhour classroom orientation and were assigned a caseworker. “We met with her four times before we could move forward,” Russ said. Finally, the family lled out a three-inch booklet with every detail about them, wrote a letter to the birth parents about why they wanted to adopt, submitted pictures of where they lived and their family and provided three nonfamily references. “There was a lot of paperwork,” Heather said. “We had to give our life story and divulge everything we ever did Turn to THYENS | Page 7