Farm FAQs

Dive Deeper, Discover More, and then Ask us your Question...

Q: Who is part of the farm?

A: We have 4 generations on our family dairy farm! Dan’s parents, Dave & Pam, are involved daily to care for our cows & calves. Dan & Lynn try to keep it all pulled together and their 3 kids love helping (and playing) whenever they get the chance!

Dan’s grandparents still help when they can. We wouldn’t be here today without a strong family foundation and a willingness of Dan’s grandpa Neil to let Dave get started when he was only 13! to build on. Dan’s grandmothers, Mavis & Mary, were #FarmHers before their time! Dan’s Grandpa Pete inspires us to just keep on going no matter what life throws at you… we think it’s probably all the ice cream!

Our broader community & family play an important role on the farm too in more ways than we can list here. We’re thankful for all of them! Lots of our family attended our Ground Breaking Ceremony in 2015 when we built New Day Dairy’s new barn, just up the hill from the original homestead.

Q: What’s it like to live on a dairy farm?

A: Since we do it every day, it might be hard for us to describe. One summer we had a great young man visit for a week. That fall he wrote an essay about his week on a dairy farm.

“What do you want to call it? Duty? Responsibility? Fun? Personally, I couldn’t tell the difference. My experience at New Day Dairy might’ve been a mix of all three, and I can’t tell you how I felt about the work I did. I honestly don’t know… But I can tell you that it’ll keep you very occupied, grateful, and surprisingly happy.”

Read more about Lewis’ experience on the farm!

Q: How can I buy your milk?

A: Since we don’t bottle our own milk here on the farm, folks ask us how they can get “our” milk. How can they make sure they’re supporting us with their dairy purchase dollars? As I explain in detail here we’re member owners of Prairie Farms so buying Prairie Farms products is best way to directly support us. And if you want some Swiss Cheese or Cream Cheese to take home, we actually sell that here at the GuestBarn!

Q: How long have your cows been milked by a robot?

A: Our family farm has always had cows, but we have a few more now than they did 125+ years ago. Back then Dan’s Great-Great-Grandma milked their cow by hand, like all of her neighbors. How we milk our cows has changed 3 times since then! Read all about how it happened!

There are soooo many more questions to answer… Click READ MORE to get more questions answered!

We’ll be updating these as we answer more of them… what’s your most burning question? Let us know when you visit or send a note.

Q: Is a robot really better? How does Rita milk the cows?

A: While we think there are advantages to having Rita milk our cows, every dairy farmer has to make their own choice about how to milk their cows based on the “deck of cards” they’ve been dealt. Rita does a great job for us each day… find out how (and why) here! And despite what you might think Rita doesn’t necessarily make our job easier just more flexible & interesting!

Q: Heifer, Steer, Bull, Calf… Cow? What does that all mean anyway?

A: A cow is often thought of as any bovine, but a cow is actually a special kind of bovine… read more about what each of these are here!

Q: What does #DairymanDan do every day?

A: Glad you asked! We spent June 2016 highlighting his days… catch all the fun here!

Q: Do you love being a dairy farmer?

A: Most days, yes, but like anything there are those days when nothing goes right and you ask yourself “why?” Since Lynn didn’t grow up on the farm she’s learned a lot… and sometimes she doesn’t always love the calves… read her confession.

Here are 10 more reasons that we love being dairy farmers… even on the tough days!

Q: What keeps you going, even on the tough days?

A: Our faith, family, and love for our cows keep us going even on days when everything goes wrong (which happens!). When we kicked off our barn building project in 2015 we were blessed to have family join us, share stories & scripture, and pray for the future of New Day Dairy GuestBarn. Those are still the things that get us out of bed each morning ready to greet the sunrise and the cows.

Q: How much work is it to care for all those little baby calves?

A: Since we bring each of our calves their milk, water, and feed 2-3 times a day, quite a bit. It’s worth it when we see them thriving and growing! Check out all the details.

Q: Do your calves stay outside all winter long?

A: Yes, they do, just like the deer we see running through our snow-covered fields. Thankfully our calves have a bit more personalized attention. See all the ways we make sure our calves are well cared for even in the deep of winter.

We’ll be updating these as we answer more of them… what’s your most burning question? Let us know when you visit or send a note.