By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

ST. JOHNS, Mich. – More than 1,500 people got a first-hand view of production agriculture during Breakfast on the Farm on June 20 at Jandernoa’s Dutch Meadows Dairy Farm near St. Johns.

Attendees were treated to a free pancake and sausage breakfast featuring all Michigan products, enjoyed a self-guided tour of the 1,100-cow-family-owned dairy farm and visited various educational stations hosted by local farmers.

Beth and Ben Butcher of Owosso attended the event with their children, Benjamin and Faith, to learn more about dairy farming.
“My husband grew up on a dairy farm,” Beth Butcher said. “But, even if you know dairy, it’s different to see it on this level.”
Dutch Meadows Dairy is owned and operated by Tony and Patti Jandernoa and their four children, Kyle, Amanda, Nate and Krista. Tony and Patti are first-generation dairy farmers who began purchasing their Clinton County farm in 1987. Today, they farm 2,000 acres of corn, wheat and alfalfa to feed their herd. The cows are milked three times per day in a state-of-the-art parlor. Each milking takes approximately six hours.

“Our kids are in a 4-H dairy club,” Beth Butcher said. “Their grandfather still milks some cows, but not on this scale. It’s fun to see it to have a better understanding of how it works.”

Travis Down and Elizabeth Witt of Laingsburg are local Habitat for Humanity volunteers who enjoy supporting their community.
“It’s interesting to see the farm. It’s not something you get to do every day,” Witt said. “It’s interesting to see how things have changed and the technology involved in a farm this size.”

Although David and Carolyn Conklin of DeWitt sold their dairy herd nearly 20 years ago, they attended the event with their children and grandchildren to experience changes in the industry.

“The dairy technology just keeps advancing. One way to keep up is to talk to people in the business and see what the new technology is,” said David Conklin, who spent another 15 years working as a feed salesman before retiring. “We can’t get dairy farming out of our systems, and we don’t really want to.”

Bart DeSaegher and his son, Bram, visited with attendees at a display near the farm’s bunk silos that was geared at teaching people about what cattle eat and commodities that are produced using animal byproducts. Tubs of corn, haylage, silage and other feedstuffs were identified with information about how they are used in milk production and how byproducts such as manure are used in crop production.

Back in the farm shop, which doubled as a kitchen and serving area for breakfast, Dennis Baese stood over a sizzling griddle cooking blueberry pancakes by the dozens.

The Elsie-area dairy farmer said he volunteered for the event to help tell agriculture’s story.

“We’re trying to educate the public and let them know that we farmers are trying to raise good food for good people,” Baese said.
Faith Cullens, MSU Extension regional dairy educator and lead coordinator of the event, agreed.

“Our goal is to be proactive in educating the public on where their food is coming from,” she said.

Cullens said organizers decided to host the event on a dairy farm because it shows a full view of production agriculture.

“There are a lot of crops grown here and there are animals, so people are exposed to all aspects of farming,” she said.
Cullens also credited the Jandernoa family for their commitment to hosting the event and to the more than 150 volunteers and dozens of sponsors who helped make it successful.