Embracing New Challenges « Back

A recent visit with my good friends the Lantzky family made my day. At Hei-Bri Jerseys, home of Brian and Heidi Lantzky and their two daughters, Brittany and Dayle, and more than160 Registered Jersey milk cows, optimism runs extremely high. They strongly believe that within every adversity lies a slumbering possibility.

“I think in this business, you have to be an eternal optimist,” Heidi said.

The Lantzkys, like many dairy farmers, embrace new challenges as possibilities for their future. They face low milk prices and high feed and energy costs, but continue to be optimistic about their future in the dairy business.

“We are blessed to be on this farm and try to make the most of it. We hold to our faith that God has a plan for us and we love the opportunity to work as a family to feed the world,” Brian said.

At the farm in Hawkeye, Iowa, situated on 200 acres, their mission statement includes providing the highest quality dairy product to the consumer and top quality genetics to other dairy breeders.

The farm’s standards include the daily tasks of keeping their barns cleaned by scraping stalls twice a day and adding fresh bedding weekly. When it comes to milking procedures at Hei-Bri, quality practices and procedures are never skipped, which means great safe, nutritious milk for the consumer. Cows’ teats are cleaned by dipping them before and after milking with an iodine-based sanitizer and they utilize the most up-to-date tests to detect any sick cows. The Lantzkys have received milk quality awards from their local dairy co-op giving them great pride in the product their cows produce.

With their Jersey herd well known among other dairy farmers, Brian and Heidi also depend on top-quality genetics and show their cattle at both the local and state level. “We’re very proud of our cows.  We love our cows and we provide the best care for them,” Brian said.