CALEDONIA — A Caledonia dairy farm family was honored for their commitment and dedication to dairy, involvement in the community and positive attitude toward their dairy's future at the Minnesota Milk Dairy Conference and Expo.
The Doug and Julie Heintz family of Heintz Badger Valley Farm was named Minnesota Milk's 2015 Producer of the Year on Dec. 2 at the expo, held in St. Cloud.
"The Heintz family is an example of the kind of people who make Minnesota's dairy community great," said Eir GarciaSilva, Minnesota Milk Producers Association associate director. "They're involved, successful and forward-thinking. And their values match those of the people who benefit from the food they produce and the business they operate."
Doug Heintz began dairying when his father and grandfather died in a house fire in 1983. He was a high school junior. He purchased the farm from his mother three years later, in 1986.
He milked in a tie-stall barn until 2008. That's when he and Julie installed the first two of their three robotic milkers. The latest robot was installed this summer. They added a sand-bedded free-stall barn in 2008 to increase cow comfort, milk quality and production and add flexibility for the family. They used a Minnesota Dairy Initiatives team to position their farm for the future.
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Doug and Julie work with part-time employee Matt Feldmeier in operating a 150-cow robotic dairy while farming more than 400 acres of owned and rented land where they raise corn, alfalfa and pasture. They raise their own replacement heifers and sell their bull calves.
Son Dayne assists with the farm while working off-farm as a robotic dairy start-up specialist and plans to join the operation in the future. Daughter Jackie is an elementary school teacher.
After they built their robotic facility, thousands of people came out to visit, Julie said. They didn't hold a formal open house, instead people called and stopped by.
Reaching out to the community is important to them.
Through their role with the Houston County Farm Bureau, they have been engaged in youth farm safety days, fair booths, career days and promotional events. Badger Valley Farm has also hosted a training night for the local fire department and donated beef to the department's annual fundraiser.
Doug calls a Houston teacher workshop day with Houston County Farm Bureau one of his best achievements.
"We were able to show firsthand that our farm's priority is animal care. We used this opportunity to discuss topics the public has questions about," he said. "This event's impact solidified how important it is for our family to be the face of agriculture in our community, and it's a role we willingly take on."
He is also active in the dairy industry, serving as the Region 65 chairman for Land O'Lakes, and in that role has hosted and met with legislators locally, statewide and nationally.
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In August 2010, the family received the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Good Farm Neighbor Award and their farm earned a Five-Star Dairy designation from Minnesota Milk Producers Association in 2007. The farm completed the group's Environmental Quality Assurance program at that time as well.
