The weather in Central Minnesota on Saturday, June 2, was perfect for putting up hay. It was sunny with a slight breeze and no humidity in the air. Some farmers had hay cut, laying in the fields, just waiting to be raked or chopped.
For the folks at Landwehr Dairy in Watkins, that chore was temporarily on hold. Denny and Marlene Landwehr and their son Mike, along with 17 employees and dozens of volunteers were busy hosting more than 2,500 visitors to their farm for the fifth annual Stearns County Breakfast on the Farm.
The Landwehrs milk 750 cows and raise their own herd replacements.
Royalty visits. Princess Kay Mary Zahurones from Pierz spent most of the morning with folks who came to the farm.
"Each year, our breakfast has gotten bigger and bigger," said Donna Gregory, a neighbor and a member of the Stearns County breakfast team.
It was easy to spend a few hours at the farm that day. The weather was beautiful and the food was plentiful. After eating a hearty breakfast of eggs, pancakes, French toast, sausage, milk juice and coffee, visitors were welcomed to tour the farm. Stations set up around the barns were staffed by volunteers who explained cow nutrition, dairy housing, farm conservation, herd health care and calf care. Machinery displays of old and new equipment were set up for children and adults to see and climb on.
Several booths were set up in a barn, too, where kids could pet farm animals, have photos taken with a newborn calf, color and pick up educational materials and get an ice cream cone from one of the several dairy princesses on site.
Welcome:
An inviting sign along the road welcomes visitors to the Landwehr's dairy farm near Watkins.
Educational stops:
Volunteers helped explain to visitors what cows eat and how much water they drink.
Curious:
Visitors lined up to see cows getting milked in the Landwehr's 24-cow milking parlot.
Volunteers:
Volunteers who cooked and served breakfast were kept extremely busy until noon.
Royalty visits:
Princess Kay Mary Zahurones from Pierz spent most of the morning with folks who came to the farm.
Kids' playground:
An innovative play area was set up for children, using large square bales and large drain tubes.
Kids' playground:
An innovative play area was set up for children, using large square bales and large drain tubes.
Healthy cattle:
Local veterinarians explained the importance of keeping cows healthy.
Curious:
Visitors lined up to see cows getting milked in the Landwehr's 24-cow milking parlot.
Vikings support:
Host dairy farmer Dennis Landwehr takes the opportunity to thank Vikings cheerleaders Jackie (left) and Andrea (right) for attending his family farm’s dairy breakfast.
Lots of scoops:
Dairy princesses from across the state help serve ice cream at the breakfast.
Time to ride:
Farm visitors enjoyed a leisurely ride around the farm in a horse-pulled wagon.
Parking shuttle:
For biosecurity reasons and to minimize on-farm parking and traffic, breakfast organizers had visitors meet at a central location in town and then take shuttle busses to the farm.