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2 DAIRY ST 5R C E L E B R A T I N G
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Y E A R S
July 22, 2023
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 25, No. 11
Maximizing the benets of sustainability Dallmanns protect land, bottom line through various practices By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
BRILLION, Wis. – Dan Dallmann and his family prefer to grow with the environment rather than against it. As a result, the Dallmanns have implemented practices that are better for the earth as well as their bottom line. They have become ultimate recyclers, repurposing manure for bedding, collecting
runoff water and putting it back on their elds, and capturing energy from the sun to run their digester. Dan and his wife, Shirley, farm in partnership at Dallmann East River Dairy near Brillion with their son, Nick, and daughter, Lindsay Hansen. Dan’s parents, Terrell and Darlene, started the farm in 1964 with 80 acres of land and 15 cows and remain active on the farm. “My grandpa comes to the PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Dallmann family – Nick (le�) and his wife, Janessa, and their children, Jackson, Abigail and Kennedi (front); (front, middle) Terrell and Darlene; (back, middle) Dan and Shirley; (right) Lindsay Hansen and her husband, Travis, and their children, Colten (le�) and Colby – milk 2,600 cows and farm 3,300 acres near Brillion, Wisconsin. The Dallmanns are commi�ed to implemen�ng sustainability prac�ces that protect the land while also improving their bo�om line.
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
The Dallmanns’ Rain 360 unit sits in a eld June 27 where corn was no-�lled into rye on their dairy near Brillion, Wisconsin. The Dallmanns are using the unit to apply manure and runoff water to growing corn.
farm every day and hauls cattle, etc.,” Lindsay said. The Dallmanns milk around 2,600 cows in a double-25 parallel parlor and farm 3,300 acres with 5,000 animals on-site.
Nick heads up eldwork and the farm’s digester, while Lindsay manages the books. Both Nick and Lindsay can also be found in the barn working with the cattle. The farm has 37 employ-
ees, including family members. Efciency in the parlor is a priority for the Dallmanns, who have created a unique milking schedule. Cows are milked 2.6
Turn to DALLMANS | Page 7
An updated face for the next 100 years 125th edition of Northern Wisconsin State Fair features new livestock buildings By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. – When trucks and trailers lled with exhibitors and their animals rolled into the 125th edition of the Northern Wisconsin State Fair, they were greeted by the sight of two new cattle buildings and a new show ring facility. “The old barns these new buildings replaced were all over 100 years old,” said Rusty Volk, executive director of the NWSF.
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Exhibitors at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair showcase their animals July 16 in one of the new ca�le buildings in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. The buildings replaced deteriora�ng 100-year-old buildings. “We did numerous studies and which we determined to be be- sioned building project and inlots of strategic planning and de- yond repair.” creased the eventual cost due termined that the best course of The coronavirus pandemic to the availability of necessary action was to replace the barns, delayed the onset of the envi- building materials and labor
shortages, Volk said. A portion of the roof of the previous show ring facility, known as the Big Red Barn, had collapsed in 2019, Volk said, rendering the building unsafe. That building was 130 years old. “We had been looking at a building project for several years, but that really became the catalyst,” Volk said. “We had to do something at that point. It was sad to let the history go, but we needed to move forward.” Included in the nearly $7 million dollar building project were two new livestock buildings; a small animal building; a year-round, multipurpose building which can serve as a show ring venue; and a restroom and shower facility that will serve as a safety shelter in the event of severe weather. At the conclusion of the 2022 NWSF, crews began the
Turn to NWSF | Page 6