Tom and LuAnn Troxel own Troxel Dairy Farm in Hanna, Indiana
in the northwestern part of the state.
They currently milk 130 cows, mainly Holsteins, raise about 150 younger
heifers, and farm about 170 acres of corn that is all used to feed their
animals.
Tom’s parents, Phil and Mary Troxel, started the farm that
the Troxel family still owns and operates today. Currently their oldest son, Rudy, works on
the farm with Tom and LuAnn, along with one full-time and several part-time employees. In addition to working on the farm, Tom also
has a full-time large animal veterinary practice. He typically milks every morning, oversees
the animal care and much of the general operations of the farm. LuAnn raises the young calves, manages the
farm accounting and payroll, and is the office manager of the veterinary
business. Rudy feeds the cows, milks
occasionally, and handles all the breeding decisions
on the farm.
LuAnn feels there are several misconceptions about dairy
farming. “Many people are concerned
about antibiotics in their food. They
sometimes think that their milk contains antibiotics, but it does not,” LuAnn
explains. “Dairy farmers have many rules they must comply with when it comes to
using antibiotics in animals intended for food or milk. There are certain antibiotics that cannot be
used at all. Every dairy farmer uses a
veterinarian to give oversight to antibiotic uses on their farms. In addition, every single tank of milk is
tested for antibiotic residues, and it must test negative before the milk can
be unloaded to be processed at a dairy plant.
There are no exceptions.” For
more information visit here.
The Troxels go to great lengths to make sure their cows are
comfortable. Their cows are bedded
weekly with fresh mason sand. The animals also have access to automatic cow
brushes where they are able to groom themselves. Curtains on barn openings curtail
the wind during the winter months and they, when removed, allow fresh air to
flow throughout the barns during warmer months.
The milk from Troxel farm is marketed through Foremost Farms
USA and is often processed at Dean Foods in Rochester, Indiana. “Most people don’t realize how quickly milk
gets from our farms to the store. Often,
our milk is available for sale in the grocery store in only two days from the
time it leaves our farm! Also, there is
a code on every gallon of milk, such as 18-1018”, LuAnn explains. “The 18 tells us that the gallon of milk is
from a dairy processing plant in Indiana, and most likely came from a cow in
Indiana.” For more information about
where your milk is processed visit here.
LuAnn says many difficult and rewarding elements are part of
dairy farming. “One of the most
rewarding things is the opportunity to work together with our family members
and have flexibility throughout our daily work.
Of course, chore times aren’t very flexible.But, other than milking and
feeding, there is a great variety of work and detail and there’s always
something interesting going on at the farm!
As a result of the difficult winter we just experienced, I would say
that weather is often a very difficult challenge. We can’t change the weather, but we can try
to continually improve systems on our farm to deal with inclement weather.”
LuAnn is very passionate about the job they do at Troxel
Dairy Farm. “We are in the business of
producing milk from our cows. In order
for a cow to ever get milk in her udder, she first must give birth to a baby
calf. So, much of the work on our farm
is related to our cows getting pregnant, caring for pregnant animals, delivering healthy baby calves, caring for
baby calves, and supporting the lactating cow with plenty of comfort and fresh
food and water. It is our privilege to
provide our world with high-quality nutritious milk and dairy products!”
No comments:
Post a Comment