Harmony on the
Farm
Harmony Holsteins brings family tradition to dairy breakfast
A farm with roots in the Ertl family will play host to the 42nd annual Colby Dairy Breakfast on Sunday, June 25.
Harmony Holsteins farm, located 3.5 miles west of Unity on County Hwy. K, will be the site of the event. The farm will be set up with conservation methods and implement equipment on display for attendees to see. Visitors will also get to look inside the family’s cattle barn to see some of the Ertl’s livestock.
Todd and Jessica both graduated from Colby High School and got married in 2001. Todd took over his step-dad’s farm in 1999 and after getting married, he and Jessica decided the farm would be their home for the foreseeable future.
“It’s a great place to raise kids,” Todd said. “It’s not all work. You create fun while you work but it’s not all work.”
The family of six raises and milks 110 cows and 130 heifers. The Ertls farm 1,100 acres of land. Todd said the farm has recently been testing out different cropping strategies such as no-till or cover crop methods.
Although neighboring breakfasts have found it tough to find a host for the event, the Ertls actually volunteered for the opportunity to host the breakfast. They said they didn’t look at it as an opportunity to show off their farm, but rather, thought they would help do their part in educating the next generation of farmers about life as a farming family.
“We’re a little more humble on that side of things,” Todd said. “We don’t necessarily want to show off [the farm] but we do want to have things looking nice. You’ve got to look decent as a dairy farm to represent the whole industry.”
The Ertls said the process of getting ready for the breakfast has been mostly stress-free up until this point. Todd said because of the late start farmers got in the fields, he has been mostly focused on that but assured that the farm would be ready for the crowd come June 25.
“It is nice to see everyone come out in the community for the breakfast and to visit,” Todd said.
The Ertl family has been extremely active in Colby FFA, showing animals and in 4-H clubs. Their love for agriculture has given the Ertls something that is less prevalent today than it was 20 years ago in the farming community, a child that wants to take over the family farm.
Trevor, a 2023 graduate of Colby High School, was the Colby FFA’s president for the 2022-23 school year. He helped organize the school’s first drive your tractor to school day after the Covid pandemic in 2022. He has expressed interest in taking over the farm someday.
“The generation of people wanting to come back and work 24/7 is very slim,” Colby FFA Alumni Dairy Breakfast Coordinator Jeanie Tesch said. “They’re very lucky to have kids that want to come back and work on the farm.”
Todd said a lot of that love for agriculture comes from living on the farm. He said if they had lived off the farm somewhere, he’s not sure they would have the same passion for the work it takes to own and run a farm.
Todd, Jessica and the family will be out and about the grounds during the event. They said an important part of the meal is the educational aspect the family can provide to those who might not know as much about agriculture.
“We’re out to educate people,” Jessica said. “If you have questions, ask. There’s so many people that have a false understanding of agriculture and don’t know where their food comes from.”
The event will take place from 7 a.m. - noon, or until supplies run out. Weather permitting, there will be limited parking on the farm but a shuttle will be running from Colby High School to the farm from 7:30 a.m. to noon.
There is a cost for those attending who are six years old and older. Kids ages five and under will be admitted for free. Taylor Schaefer, the 75th Alice in Dairyland, will be making an appearance during the event.
Other activities include: a polka band, petting zoo, bouncy house and face painting. Matt Oehmichen from Short Lane Ag Supply will also have a demonstration on the conservation practices implemented by the Ertls on their farm.
The event wouldn’t be possible without the help of sponsors and Tesch said this year the proceeds from the event will go to the Abby/Colby Crossings Chamber as well as youth who are in agriculture programs, FFA jackets and scholarships.
“This year, we’re well over 100 sponsors and I can’t thank them enough,” Tesch said. “This will be completely covered cost-wise.”
Tesch said the event is still in need of volunteers for the 9:30 a.m. - noon shift. If you are interested in volunteering, you can contact Tesch at 715-223-5182.
