Quality is Their Main Focus « Back

I recently visited with my good dairy friends, Mark and Jill Lamborn of Northeast Iowa. They are a young dairy family working hard together to produce quality milk for consumers to enjoy.

The Lamborns are nestled in the quaint country town of Luana, Iowa and quality is their main focus. From cow comfort and land-friendly cropping practices to raising a potential sixth-generation dairy farmer - quality is etched through and through.

Lamborn Farm LLC milks 160 Holstein dairy cattle and raises all of their own dairy replacement animals. Mark handles all aspects of the dairy herd, milking the animals daily and managing the herd health with assistance from his parents, Larry and Jane. Mark and Larry handle the field work and all of the maintenance issues that come with farming 650 acres of corn, soybeans, hay and oats - which is nearly all fed back to the dairy herd. The Lamborns have done a commendable job sustaining their land and animal resources, allowing them to persevere year after year for more than 150 years.

Cow comfort is a top priority on Lamborn Farm. Their cows are housed in a well-ventilated free-stall barn and lay on exceptionally well-groomed mattresses bedded with wood shavings and lime daily. They wear latex gloves when milking the cows and follow strict milking procedures to ensure the purest quality milk. Once cows are done being milked, their teats are dipped with an iodine-based solution to promote good udder health and hygiene.

Over the years, the Lamborns have managed their land using conservation principles, and that effort continues today. They have worked with the state of Iowa and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to develop a sound manure management plan. Along with their manure management plan, the Lamborn family practices other environmentally friendly ways, including farming with no tillage, strip cropping to reduce water run-off, and rotational crop farming to reduce soil erosion and improve water quality.

The Lamborns have an overwhelming love for their dairy cattle and land, and for their family. “We love raising our family on our generational dairy farm,” Mark’s wife, Jill, said. Mark and Jill beam with pride - knowing they are instilling deep values into their children, such as commitment, dedication and care for land, animals and family.

Mark and Jill’s four children, Brock, Blake, Avery and Jaxon, all can be found at the farm, helping Grandpa feed baby calves or helping their father farm the Iowa fields they one day could be taking over.