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Volume 27, No. 7
May 24, 2025
A state-wide path of destruction Communities rally to help Wisconsin dairies affected by 14-tornado outbreak By Stacey Smart and Danielle Nauman Staff Writers
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Members of the community help assess the damage May 15 a�er a tornado destroyed the freestall barn at Elsinger Farms near Lomira, Wisconsin. An EF1 tornado with winds up to 95 mph touched down just a�er 6 p.m.
LOMIRA, Wis. — On the evening of May 15, Brenda Elsinger came up from the basement to nd her farm’s freestall barn destroyed. The tornado that hit Lomira just after 6 p.m. was rated EF1 with winds up to 95 mph. “We’ve been here 36 years, and this dairy is my life,” Elsinger said. “We started with a stanchion barn and worked our tails off to get this herd built up and this facility humming. I just stood there, and it was all gone. … I was in shock. I lost something that was part of me.” Elsinger and her husband, Jeff, farm with their son, Mike, near Lomira. “Our whole lives basically were disrupted, but we just have to gure it out,” Elsinger said. “Challenge is part of life, and well, we got ourselves a challenge.” The storm system that swept across Wisconsin May 15 left a trail of destruc-
tion, wreaking havoc on several Wisconsin dairy farms. In total, 14 tornadoes were conrmed by the National Weather Service as of May 20, in Clark, Dodge, St. Croix, Portage, Sauk, Marathon and Columbia Counties. In addition, hail that measured as much as 4 inches in diameter was documented in Eau Claire County. Signicant straight-line wind damage was also reported across the state. Eight people and two dogs sought shelter in the basement of Elsinger’s house when the tornado warning was issued. The farm’s protocol during a tornado warning is to shut everything down and head to the basement. Three employees in the parlor and another cleaning the barn took cover with Elsinger and her family. “You can never assume it’s not going to be you,” Elsinger said. “I’m very glad we followed the protocol and got there before the storm moved in.”
Turn to STORM | Page 2
Growing for greater efficiency
Meissners add second site to dairy operation By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
CHILI, Wis. — When an opportunity that t their business model presented itself to the Meissner family last year, they leaped. The Meissners added a second location to the family dairy farm to lay the groundwork for the next generation to join the operation. “Jim Kusilek emailed me out of the blue the rst of last year, asking if we were looking for an opportunity to acquire another dairy,” Josh Meissner said. “It wasn’t something we were actively pursuing too much, but the stars aligned and it all t — what he was doing, what we were doing and cow numbers.” Josh and his son, Emmett,
represent the third and fourth generations of the Meissner family to operate Norm-ELane Farm, established by Josh’s grandfather in the late 1940s near Chili, in Clark County. Neither questioned coming home to join the family farm. “I graduated from college in 1998 and as soon as my dad and uncles knew for certain I was serious about coming back, expansion talks started,” Josh said. “This was built in 2000.” Emmett’s plans mirrored his dad’s. “I always wanted to join the farm; there was never any question for me,” Emmett said. Turn to MEISSNERS | Page 6
DANIELLE NAUMAN/DAIRY STAR
Josh (le�) and Emme� Meissner take a moment May 5 in the parlor of their family’s dairy farm near Chili, Wisconsin. The Meissners milk 1,900 cows in Chili and another 1,700 cows at a second farm they recently purchased near Hillsdale.