True Meaning of Family Farm « Back

I visited with the Gerdes family this week – they remind me why I am so proud to be a part of the dairy industry.

The Gerdes Dairy is a three-generation Minnesota family farm whose mission is to work together and learn together. Will and Carol Gerdes and their eight children – ages 26 to seven – are are very successful in doing just that.

Carol considers their classroom from fence line to fence line. She has home-schooled all of her children and believes it is a true blessing to teach her family. She says the purpose of their farm is not so much just to farm, but to provide a wonderful place to raise a family.

This ideal setting enables the Will and Carol to provide a solid foundation for their children to build their lives upon. Through hard work on the family dairy farm, the Gerdes’ teach discipline, commitment, relationships and the true meaning of family.

The family stands on strong shoulders from their heritage – Will’s father, Herbert, was 21 years old when he bought the farm in 1939. Having lived and farmed through the Depression, he was able to provide the values and mission that would allow Will and Carol and their family to persevere during tough economic times. 

Today, Gerdes Dairy milks 70 Holstein cows that produce an average of 27,500 pounds of milk each on an annual basis. In addition, they farm 300 acres of corn and alfalfa hay. But for the Gerdes’, success is not about that top milk production nor the good yields on their crops.  Instead, their measure for success is how the dairy farm helps teach the children the good values in life-shaping them for a bright and successful future.