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April 12, 2025
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 27, No. 4
Small farm, big dream
Donnays work toward farm transition, processing By Tiffany Klaphake tiffany.k@dairystar.com
TIFFANY KLAPHAKE/DAIRY STAR
Anna Donnay takes a break in the hay shed March 31 at her family’s farm near Kimball, Minnesota. The Donnay family farm is cerƟed organic.
KIMBALL, Minn. — Anna Donnay has had a single goal for some time that she has been continuously working towards. “I have always wanted to come back to the farm,” Donnay said. “I have always dreamed of having a yogurt or ice cream business on the farm.” Donnay graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in dairy manufacturing and dairy production, and she is back home on the farm working in tandem with her parents, John and Chris Donnay, to transition the farm and eventually install a processing plant. “I worked in the Davis Dairy Plant in Brookings and I made cheese and ice cream there, which was an eye-opening
experience,” Donnay said. “I just love the fact that you can take milk and make it into so many things and sell it directly to the consumer. I nd it just fascinating.” Donnay and her parents milk 40 organic cows — a mix of Holstein, Jersey and Ayrshire — in a stanchion barn near Kimball. Since she graduated from college in December 2021, Donnay has been working on her family’s farm and on other farms across the country to learn more about dairy farming and onfarm processing. “When I came back to the farm, I didn’t know anybody besides my dad and a few of his farming friends,” Donnay said. “I felt like I needed to get out and experience how other farms operate. While in college I was a distance runner on the Jackrabbits cross country Turn to DONNAYS | Page 2
Award-winning geneƟcs Henkes named Iowa Holstein Association Master Breeder By Dan Wacker
dan.w@dairystar.com
LUANA, Iowa — Being in charge of hosting the Iowa Holstein Association’s annual show means there must be trust involved with those you are working with. What show host Trent Henkes did not know was that the rest of the executive committee, and even his kids, were keeping a secret from him. During the awards ceremony, it was revealed that Henkes was winner of the 2025 Iowa Holstein Association Master Breeder award. “It’s truly an honor to receive,” Henkes said. “Our family is good friends with Linda Pagel, and I’m very appreciative to receive the award she created in her husband’s mem-
ory. Russel bred a tremendous herd of high-producing cows. It’s a very impressive list of Iowa breeders that have already received the award, and I’m very grateful to be included in this elite group.” Henkes, owner of Henkeseen Holsteins in Luana, currently milks 65 registered Holsteins and 10 registered Milking Shorthorns with a herd average of 28,726 milk and tests of 3.9% butterfat and 3.0% protein. The herd has a BAA of 110.6 with 24 cows currently scored Excellent. His herd is 96% homebred. Over the years, he has bred 184 Excellent cows. A 1984 graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in dairy science, Henkes is the fth generation on his family farm. He has been active with
Turn to HENKES | Page 6
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The Henkes family — Shane (front, from leŌ), Owen and Leigh Lange; (back, from leŌ) MaƩ, Leslie and Trent Henkes, and Marshall and Leah Lange — stand Feb. 22 in Gutenberg, Iowa. The Henkes family manages a 96% homebred herd that includes 24 Excellents.