LOOK INSIDE FOR OUR WORLD DAIRY EXPO PREVIEW EDITION!
September 14, 2024
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 26, No. 14
A touchdown for dairy Haags host Wisconsin Badgers football team to provide education about industry By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Drew Braam (leŌ) and Omillio Agard, members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison football team, interact with a cow July 22 at the Haag farm near Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. The Haags set up staƟons around the farm to give the athletes an overview of dairy farming.
MOUNT HOREB, Wis. — When a big, black “On Wisconsin” bus pulled up to their driveway July 22, the Haag family was ready to make a good impression on 25 young men who had never stepped foot on a dairy farm. The men were members of the University of WisconsinMadison football team, and they brought a busload of enthusiasm to the farm. “This was such a unique promotion of our dairy industry,” Dawn Haag said. “We were able to reach a whole different realm of consumers and make an impact that day. I bet every one of those kids went back and told their mom, dad, uncle and brother what they saw.” Dawn and her husband, Virgil, farm with their children, Karsen and Kody, near Mount
Horeb. The Haags milk 260 cows with four Lely A5 robotic milking units in a facility built in 2023. The Badger football fans greeted their guests with a big Wisconsin family farm welcome. “It was a fun farm experience to share something we’re passionate about and proud of with people unfamiliar with the dairy industry, and they were very receptive,” Dawn said. “Just a little snippet of their time is all we had. You can’t explain dairy farming in two hours, but you can give them an overview.” The Haags partnered with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin in hosting the event that was orchestrated by former NFL player, Travis Beckum. Beckum works for the UW-Madison athletic department and also played football for the Badgers.
Turn to BADGER FOOTBALL | Page 2
From eld to milk jug DeYoung launches on-farm creamery By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
WOODSTOCK, Ill. – Grant DeYoung took control of his farm’s future when he launched Cow Valley Creamery last year. The milk processing plant is located on his farm near Woodstock where he milks 10 cows. Cow Valley Creamery is the only Grade A dairy plant in McHenry County after the region lost two large dairy processors in the last eight years, DeYoung said. Although the young farmer always had a home for his milk, DeYoung said that sometimes it made a 1.5-hour trip to Rockford. Now, DeYoung’s milk stays close to home. After it is pasteurized and
bottled on-site, the milk is sold at Bull Valley Farm Country Store, located just steps from his barn. The store, which is open seven days a week, is owned and managed by DeYoung’s mom, Michelle Aavang. “It was either do this or get really big, but I didn’t want to milk a lot of cows,” DeYoung said. “This is better for the future and went along well with my mom wanting to open a store.” Cow Valley Creamery and Bull Valley Farm Country Store are companion businesses, operating on the farm Aavang bought after renting for many years. She opened the store in December 2022. Turn to DEYOUNGS | Page 6
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Grant DeYoung and his girlfriend, Madison Epping, take a break to visit cows on pasture Sept. 3 near Woodstock, Illinois. DeYoung launched Cow Valley Creamery last year — a milk processing plant located on his farm where he milks 10 cows.