MOORE LOCAL: AT THE HEART OF THEIR COMMUNITY (PART 2)

Moore Local is more than just a creamery or coffee shop. It is a gathering place for community. What started as a way to keep a family dairy farm viable has grown into one of Maquoketa's popular gathering places.

 

MOORE FAMILY FARMS: AT THE HEART OF THE FARM (PART 1)

Heather Moore is redefining what it means to be a progressive dairy producer through Moore Family Farms and Moore Local. Balancing the demands of a diversified farm and a growing set of community-focused businesses, Moore has embraced a mindset rooted in adaptability and continuous learning, while keeping her family and businesses at top of mind.

Dan Brick of Brickstead Dairy knew from a young age that dairy farming was his path in life. With the farm’s history tracing back to 1849, Brick returned home after graduation to work alongside his father, helping guide the dairy through modernization and growth. Those changes came with careful decision-making and a focus on continual improvement. For Brick, progress is not about perfection but about steady, thoughtful change. “I think the biggest thing we have here is knowing that we will never be perfect but knowing that a little bit better is better than the day before,” Brick says, a perspective that shapes both short-term decisions and long-term goals.

 

When Dave Styer talks about Alfalawn Farm, it is clear this dairy means more than just a day’s work. It’s where family traditions were formed and where lessons about responsibility and teamwork were learned.

For Sam Peetz, the PDP Mentor Program was more than an addition to his college résumé. It was his connection to his career as a dairy producer.

Walt Moore of Walmoore Holsteins Inc. in West Grove, Pennsylvania, is a fourth-generation dairy producer whose passion for the industry runs deep. “I’ve been motivated since I was six,” Walt says. “It’s in my DNA.” From an early age, he knew dairy farming was his calling, and that commitment has shaped his life and business. Today, Walmoore Holsteins stands as a testament to decades of dedication to growth, innovation and leadership.

MarBec Dairy in Gilmanton, Wisconsin, began in 1993 when Marty Hallock set out to build a farm grounded in leadership and education. Those values have shaped MarBec into what it is today, a thriving dairy home to 1,250 cows. Marty’s son, Jonathon, returned to the farm full-time in 2013 and became a partner in 2018. Now, he’s continuing that legacy alongside his father and adding his own vision for growth and teamwork.

For more than 40 years, Joan and Tom Oberhaus have operated Cozy Nook Farm in Waukesha County, where they milk about 80 cows, along with a thriving agri-tourism business featuring pumpkins and Christmas trees. “Everyone wants an important job in life, and we feel we have an important job producing food and fiber for America,” Tom said.

Cow comfort, breeding for top genetics and practicing sustainability go hand in hand at Kellercrest Registered Holsteins, Mt. Horeb, Wis., home to Tim and Sandy Keller and Mark and Kareen Keller, along with their families.
 
Kellercrest was formed in the late 1960s when Daniel and Jeanne Keller purchased two registered Holsteins. In 1972, they bought a registered calf for their 10-year-old son Tim. Suzie was the first calf the Kellers purchased from John Hamilton of Verona, Wis. Two years later, Tim purchased another registered calf from John; today, several members of the herd trace back to these early calves.

Owned by Tom and Lorene Mueller and Tom’s sister Kathy Trimner, Miltrim Farms has seen its share of growth since Tom and Kathy’s grandfather, Martin Mueller, started the farm in 1931 with 8 cows and 80 acres of land. Tom, Lorene, Kathy and her husband Scott Trimner incorporated the dairy in 1988, and today 40 full-time employees milk and care for 2000 cows, 2000 heifers, and more than 4800 acres of land.

ALAN AND STEPHANIE HUGHES of Pittsville, Wis. are proof positive that dairies can be successful in all shapes and sizes. Sunsett Dairy is a rotationally grazed, registered 65-cow herd of Jerseys, Holsteins and Milking Shorthorns. Their farm name was coined in tribute to the name of the road that led to Alan's boyhood farm.

Marti Farms in Vesper, Wis., is home to a family committed to the cows, calves and crops on the farm, but also to educating and engaging with their non-agricultural neighbors by way of on-farm tours and the long reach of social media.

For the families at Banner Ridge Farms, “faith, family and farming” aren’t just words on the farm sign at the end of the driveway. Rather, these sentiments are the very heart of what drives the Shea and Roth families to care for the land and animals on this farm in the rolling hills of southwestern Wisconsin.
 

Janet Clark is ‘at home’ on the farm. In 1972 her parents, Roger and Sandy Grade, bought the farm that operates today as Vision Aire Farm, LLC. Janet grew up on this 140-cow registered Holstein dairy east of Eldorado in Fond du Lac county.
 

Paul Fetzer and his brothers Steve and Joe are fourth-generation owners of Fetzer Farms in Elmwood, Wis. Niece Alicia works in the office and manages the bookkeeping and nephew Brent is...

Patrick Maier of Maier Farms LLC is part of a three-generation family farm in Waunakee, Wis. Pat and his wife Courtney farm with his parents, Scott and Daun. Pat’s aunt and uncle Lynn and Keith Maier and grandparents Linus and Ruthann Maier round out...

Ragnar Holsteins began in 1976 when Mark’s parents Wally and Ava Ulness bought a neighbor’s farm, replaced the Guernseys with Holsteins and began building a registered herd.  Wally was killed in a car accident when Mark was still a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; the family carried on at the farm while Mark finished college and continued to develop the registered herd.
 

In 1948 Alvin and Milly Kinnard started their family dairy farm with 14 cows and 80 acres with money borrowed from their parents. Today Kinnard Farms is an 8,000-cow dairy using a rotary parlor and a double-36 parallel parlor to milk the herd three times a day. With a focus on environmental stewardship and taking good care of family, employees and neighbors, the farm is respected and well-known far beyond the limits of its Casco, Wis. address.
 

Dairy farmer Craig Carncross of Lodi, Wis., invests in his employees to help them achieve professional and personal goals. He takes a similar approach with the herd.
 
“One of the things we work at is developing our cattle from the ground up through genetics,” Craig says.
 
Craig leads Wargo Acres and works with nine other employees. Milking 425 registered Holsteins and managing 700 acres of corn and alfalfa, the operation includes Craig’s mom and dad, Gordon and Emily who farm, mostly care for the calves. In addition, Emily handles the farm’s bookkeeping.
 

A family farm in the truest sense, Feltz Family Farms in Stevens Point, Wis., keeps all the family members working hard: owners Ken and Jackie Feltz; their sons, Jake and Jared; daughter Taryn and additional family members Allison Eberhardt and Jenna Feltz.