Second Look Holsteins Has Grown for the Past 155 Years

Over the next few weeks, I will be telling the stories of some of our local farms that have been part of the agricultural industry that has grown and adapted over the years. The Hodorff family has farmed in Eden since 1871, when Gustav Hodorff immigrated from Germany. In 1911, John and Esther (Dennert) Hodorff purchased the current farm on County Road W. Then the Harold and Jo (Rozek) Hodorff family grew from 14 cows in the 1940’s to 200 cows when they retired in 1990. Over the next 30 years, the Doug and Linda (Keene) Hodorff family focused on dairy cattle genetics and herd growth with registered Holstein cattle and frozen embryos were sold worldwide; in 1999, they pioneered sending dairy heifers to Nebraska to be raised (a system now used by many area dairies) and began operating a second dairy farm near Broken Bow, Nebraska, in 2005. By the time Doug and Linda completed the business transition a few years ago, the two dairies totaled about 2000 cows. Corey and Tammy (Fryman) Hodorff joined the business partnership in 2000, and now their four daughters, Kayli, Kalista Giese, Kaianne Harrison and Kaydence all play important roles in the dairy operation. Clint Hodorff joined the partnership in 2017, working to update the cropping operation by improving soil health through no-till cultivation and planting cover crops. The farm was recognized as a century farm in 2011. “Primary operations today are milking 1000+ cows in Eden with their milk to Sartori Cheese in Plymouth and raising crops to feed the cows,” said Lind Hodroff. “Additional enterprises include custom crop services and seed sales.” “As the farm grew, non-family employees became an integral part of the business. Cattle care and timely land management require dedication. We are grateful for our past and present employee team,” said Hodroff. “Fond du Lac County is one of the top 25 dairy counties in the nation, with one dairy cow generating as much economic activity as eight beef cows,” said Hodorff. “Dairy cows provide local jobs, including on the farm, for farm suppliers, dairy processors, farm equipment dealers, business consultants and local small businesses.” “Wisconsin has one of the most balanced economies in the nation, with a balance of agriculture, tourism and manufacturing,” said Hodorff. “The agriculture infrastructure we have in this area is envied by farmers in other areas of the country. A strong agricultural economy provides a strong foundation for our local economy.” “For me, I grew up on a dairy farm and married a dairy farmer. Farming has lots of ups and downs. It’s an important responsibility and a blessing,” said Hodroff. “Working together with committed employees (both family and non-family) to steward the land, help the dairy cattle produce nutritious food products and provide opportunity for future generations has been my ‘why’.” Three generations of our family have been blessed to benefit from 4-H ( Armstrong 4-H Club) and FFA youth programs. Doug was Campbellsport FFA president in 1969, Corey and Kristel were involved in the 1990s, and in the past decade, Kalista, Kaianne and Kaydence were FFA members, culminating with Kaydence being FFA president in her senior year. Today, Clint is working with WLA (Winnebago Lutheran Academy) as they establish an agriculture program. Locally, David Rose was a mentor for Doug, beginning with exposing him to dairy genetics outside our area when Doug was in high school. When David and Dan Rose retired from dairying, we were blessed to purchase the majority of their dairy herd. One of the descendants of the Ros-E-Vue dairy herd earned Junior All-American honors for Corey and Tammy’s daughters. From 1987-2012, we hosted 27 college-age agricultural trainees in our home, with these students coming from 16 countries and 6 different continents. “The friendships built over the years helped our family learn more about the rest of the world, and we are proud that some of these former trainees now own dairies or work in agribusiness in other states and other countries,” said Hodroff. “The dairy farm is Second-Look Holsteins – we have all worked to improve the dairy herd, so the cattle are worthy of a ‘second look,” said Hodroff. “The cropping operation is Peniel Acres LTD. The name Peniel is from the Bible, meaning “blessed place or face of God”.
Feel free to reach out to me at bpriesgen@mmclocal.com if you have a farm you would like to be featured in our newspaper.