Tours of fifth-generation farm highlights dairy breakfast
By Maureen Vander Sanden
Staff writer
For brothers Marc and Scott Nelson, dairy farming is more than a business.
“It’s a lifestyle,” 37-year-old Marc said on a hot afternoon, shortly after he and Scott, 30, finished a second round of milking their 300 hard-working Holsteins.
The young brothers, who operate Nel-Farm, W6080 Amos Road, will welcome hundreds of guests Saturday to learn about the lifestyle, as they tour the Sugar Creek operation, as part of the Walworth County Farm Bureau’s 36th annual dairy breakfast in celebration of June Dairy Month.
“We want to show (guests) there are younger generations interested in continuing farming in the county,” Scott said. “There may be fewer farms, but there is definitely a presence here and will be for a long time.”
For more than 150 years, the Nelson family has been farming the land that today is composed of 850 acres.
The brothers, representing the fifth generation, left the farm shortly after high school to get educated, and returned with degrees in hand to continue the family tradition.
Marc, who majored in accounting, and Scott, a business major, officially took over Nel-Farm in 2009, after their dad, Paul, lost his battle with cancer.
The two said they always wanted to keep the farm going, but growing up experienced first-hand the round-the-clock hours necessary to care for cattle and crops, so, admittedly, there was some hesitation.
“When you grow up, it looks like a lot of work, but then you get away, then the lifestyle looks a lot better,” Marc said.
“The great lifestyle and carrying the family tradition forward far outweighs working 70-80 hours a week,” he added.
Besides, the two have a system in place that would make their dad proud.
Marc manages the crops for feed, which includes 340 acres of corn, 180 acres of alfalfa, 180 acres of soybeans and 50 acres of wheat. He is also in charge of the farm’s bookwork, with the help of his mom, Judy, who still lives on the farm.
Scott, who said he has always loved working with animals, tends to the herd.
“We raise all of our young stock right here,” he said.
The farm averages one new calf daily that join more than 300 other calves.
Caring for the cattle is no easy task and healthy, happy cows are crucial to the family’s business.
Nel-Farm produces 2,750 gallons of milk a day for Dean Foods.
The farm has come a long way since Jacob Nelson emigrated from Norway in the 19th century to buy the land that would become what is similar to today’s hobby farm.
While a business plan focused on dairy has remained the same throughout Nel-Farm’s history, Marc and Scott have watched it grow from 600 acres, and less than 100 cows, to today’s herd of 750 on 850 acres.
In October 2010, the two broke ground for a state-of-the-art 350-cow dairy facility, which will be the focus of Saturday’s tours.
The building that was completed last October includes slatted-floors for under barn manure storage, a holding area, veteran room and milking parlor.
“Here (visitors) will learn about the milking process, and see where their food comes from,” Marc said.
According to Scott, Saturday’s event is important in order to keep the younger generation interested in agriculture.
“We are losing dairy farms every day in Wisconsin,” he said.
“Here, we’re doing the same thing one guy from Norway did more than 150 years ago,” Marc added.
“There’s a lot of family history here,” Scott said.
Marc and his wife, Marianna, have three children – Paige, 5, Tyler, 3 and Ella, 1.
Scott and his wife, Jessica, have 2-year-old Isaac and another child due in July.
With five young ones running around the farm, the two are confident the family business will remain in the Nelson name well into the future.
Milk is on the menu
The Walworth County Farm Bureau will hold its 36th annual Dairy Breakfast Saturday, June 16 from 6 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Walworth County Fairgrounds, 411 E. Court St., Elkhorn. Activities will continue until noon.
The menu includes deluxe scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, milk, juice, coffee and ice cream sundaes. Tours of the farm and a number of activities will take place. Tickets are $7 at the gate, and children 5 and younger eat free. Tours of Nel-Farm, a dairy farm at W6080 Amos Road, Elkhorn, will take place throughout the morning.
For more information, call the Farm Bureau (262) 723-2613.
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