Ready for Something New « Back

When dairy producers Wilfried and Olga Reuvekamp of Hilltop Dairy, immigrated to South Dakota from the Netherlands and purchased their Elkton, South Dakota dairy farm, they were ready for a new challenge.

“We were ready for something new. A new challenge, a new ambition,” says Olga Reuvekamp, of the move the family made five years ago.

Upgrading from a 175-cow dairy in the Netherlands to their 2,100-cow dairy off the South Dakota I-29 corridor supplied just the challenge they were searching for.

Producing 140,000 pounds of milk daily is no small task, and the Reuvekamps relys on a team of 33 employees to help them care for their dairy cows and 2,300-acres of corn and alfalfa, all of which goes back into feeding their cows. Collectively, all the farm’s assets allow them to reach their mission of producing the highest quality of milk possible for the consumer.

The Reuvekamps firmly believe in taking excellent care of their cows, so that in return the cows can take care of Hilltop Dairy, their family and employees.

Their cows are housed in a free-stall barn, where they can move around, eat and drink, or lay in stalls bedded with recycled manure, at any time. Hilltop Dairy’s cows are offered free-choice feed throughout the day, much of which is homegrown and part of a diet balanced by the dairy’s nutritionist.

Cows at Hilltop are milked three times a day in a 40-stall rotary parlor, which means it is built in a circle and rotates while cows step in and out of milking stalls. The herd produces an average of 23,400 pounds annually per cow. All of Hilltop Dairy’s barns are equipped with fans and use inflatable curtains in the walls to keep a healthy, comfortable climate in the barn. 

Wilfried and Olga have three children - Els, Thijs and Wim - who not only represent a vital part of Hilltop Dairy’s enterprise, but also the next generation for this family owned and operated dairy farm.

The Reuvekamp family, along with their team of employees put forth hard-work and commitment, day in and day out, to successfully meet their newest challenge of providing a high-end, quality product for consumers in the U.S. “We love our way of life raising our family on our dairy farm and working with beautiful, productive cows to produce a great product,” says Olga.