Grygla Eagle visits local dairy farm

Few things are as refreshing – or nutritious – on a warm summer day as a tall glass of cold milk. Just ask Mike and Linda Hanson, of rural Goodridge. When asked what their favorite dairy product is, both agreed that a plain old glass of cold milk hits the spot and would be their first choice. Both are qualified enough to answer that question as they have been in the dairy business for decades now! Looking forward, it also seems hopeful that the long-standing family business will only continue to grow, with their sons following in their footsteps.

With June being National Dairy Month, the Grygla Eagle wanted to visit a local dairy operation and was welcomed onto the farm of Mike and Linda Hanson in rural Goodridge. A great evening was had by all and the Hansons were more than willing to allow the Eagle Editor and Intern into the barn to help with the evening chores and answer any questions that came to mind!

National Dairy Month started out as National Milk Month in 1937, as a way to promote drinking milk, but has now developed into an annual tradition that celebrates the contributions the entire dairy industry has made to our world. 

The Hanson’s farm is among those dairy operations that are making some pretty great contributions. Mike and Linda were asked why they are dairy farmers. Both replied, “It’s what we’ve always known! We love cows!” Each grew up on a dairy farm and has been around the industry their whole lives, always knowing it was something they’d want to continue with. In fact, the two met at a dairy convention years ago, their love of cows bringing them together to form what is now known as Good-Vue Ayr Farms.

The dairy and small grain farm is a family operation that relies exclusively on family help, not only milking, but also breeding Ayrshires. Mike and Linda have three grown sons, David, Matthew and Steven. With the entire family having a background education in diary science/management, and a couple of sons currently pursuing the field of study, the Good-Vue Ayr Farm is sure to live on. “We are so happy and proud that not only one, but all three of our sons are interested in keeping our dairy farm alive,” says Mike. “In 1994, there were 22 dairy herds in eastern Pennington County alone,” he recalls. “There aren’t many left today.”

The Hansons have some particular goals in mind when looking towards the future of Good-Vue Ayr Farms. They are considering plans of a new facility that may include robotic milking and are looking into it very seriously. Robotic dairy farms have grown steadily in Minnesota over the last ten years and essentially allow a smaller to mid-size dairy farm to operate without hiring any outside employees. Mike stated, “For me, I want to do this as a legacy; I want to leave something behind. A lot of people retire and quit farming, but we have kids that are interested in carrying on the dairy tradition; they are the fourth generation with Ayrshire cattle.”

At the time the Grygla Eagle was at the dairy farm, there were 54 Ayrshires that needed to be milked, twice a day. The Hansons have a 5am shift and a 5pm shift; the Eagle got in on the 5pm shift. Upon arrival, a very clean and organized barn was opened to us that held 42 cows waiting to be milked, each one with a registered name picked especially for them! The Eagle Editor, Kari Sundberg, and the Eagle Intern, Trystan Jelle, lended a helping hand by cleaning the barn and laying down new bedding in the stalls. When it was milking time, each tried their hand at the process and were pleasantly surprised at how smooth the entire routine went. Linda and Steven were doing chores inside the barn, while Mike and David were doing outside chores, along with Lynn, Mike’s father, who likes to come over, get on the machinery and help in any way that he can. The evening shift of chores couldn’t have gone smoother and it was a fun thing to be a part of.

When reflecting on their busy schedule over the years, Linda shared some memories about her kids growing up in the barn. “One of the biggest perks for me, other than my passion for the cows, was that I never had to worry about putting my kids in a daycare. We had a job at home with our cows, but the kids were in the barn alongside of us. Toddler stage was a challenge, but we got it done,” she laughed. “We just closed the doors so they couldn’t get out!” She added, “I’ve been able to do what I want to do and what I’m interested in. The dairy business has allowed me to get to know people all over the world and has allowed many opportunities for me.”

This particular time of year is especially busy for the Hanson family. While the average person typically works 40 hours a week, Linda says right now, in this season, they are putting in about 15 hours a day, 7 days a week. As mentioned, they rely exclusively on family help, but one son was missing the day the Eagle visited the farm; Matthew, their middle son, is currently doing an internship on a dairy farm in Maryland as part of his college education.

The Hansons have participated in Dairy Month by allowing kids and adults to come out and tour their farm. They’ve also attended breakfasts on other people’s farms to recognize and celebrate the industry. 

In their free time, Mike and Linda enjoy snowmobiling in the winter and riding motorcycle in the summer. They don’t find as much time to ride as they’d like, but they enjoy meeting up with a local motorcycle group when their schedule allows.

The Eagle had a great time at the Hanson farm and appreciated the opportunity to visit. The last question that was asked to Mike and Linda, before leaving their farm, was, “Is your glass of milk half full or half empty?”

Both replied, “Half full. Always half-full. Well…most of the time,” they laughed.