Koepke Farms

04/23/2026

Earth Day and last week.

If you live in our neighborhood, you are aware of the heavy rainfall, severe storms, and consequent flooding that occurred last week. Indeed, we've had about 11 inches of rain since the 1st of the month.

When basements are flooding and rivers out of their banks, it is easy to only think of survival, and yearn for sunny days. As farmers, we try to plan ahead, as we've seen these conditions before and realize they will come again. Preparedness is a key component of resilience.

For Earth Day, I'm sharing several photos from the neighborhood today- hopefully they demonstrate positivity on the landscape, and the resilience of conservation techniques used in farming today. Given events like last week, it is necessary for us as farmers to utilize every "tool in the toolbox" to protect our greatest asset- our land.

The photos show no-till planting, contour planting, crop residue left on top the soil, and cover crops. It took all 4 to minimize the effects of last week's storms.

Enjoy the photos. The take-home messages are the "green is good" when it comes to protecting the landscape. And note the Farmers for Lake Country sign... it, and those of other local watershed groups, are a sign that someone cares. Not just about today- but about next week, next year, next generation.

Happy Earth Day.

03/28/2026

Some farm experiences never grow old.

The miracle of birth is one of them. It's about new beginnings, added life, high expectations, and hope.

Late Thursday afternoon, Brown Swiss heifer Addie gave birth, 5 or so days overdue. Her baby brought our Brown Swiss population to 6, and Apricot, the Swiss cow featured in many pictures here, became a grandma!

I've not heard any chatter from the "naming committee" yet, but I'm guessing that'll be announced soon. I've always wanted a Swiss named Mavis, but that's why they don't let me name cows :). And, I'm guessing it will start with an "A" like the rest of the lineage.

Mom and baby are well- and as you might imagine, some of the most watched critters in the barn right now.

Photo by Becky Cook.

03/01/2026

Two nights ago, we received this picture from a former employee, Matt Hennig. With snow falling outside tonight, it seemed appropriate to share a hot summer memory!

It certainly was a bit of a trip back in time- to late July, 2003. It shows one of the traveling irrigation guns watering soybeans on a hot July afternoon, and of course, Matt posing for the photographer.

There's a lot of details here in that photo that really help pinpoint the date. The odd layout of the field- with freshly harvest wheat stubble as the biggest clue. We planted that with one intention, to harvest it before the WE Energies natural gas pipeline was dug through the field. They wanted our crop, if to be harvested, out of the was by August 1st. Indeed, the excavators were working only a couple miles west when this was taken and would likely be at this site within days.

That was a hot, dry summer. One with a lot of angst and anxiety. As farmers and stewards of the land, seeing one of your best fields dug up for purposes beyond your control is not easy. Rest assured, nobody slept well that summer. But the crew at Price construction did their job, treated us -and our land- with courtesy and respect, and the pipeline was installed. It took awhile, but in most places the land has "healed", and you wouldn't know the excavation took place. Yet there are a few places that might still show a scar or blemish.

And Matt? He was probably finishing high school at this point. He went on to technical school, took one of our tractors as a project, and graduated in fine form. Today he's high up the totem pole at the John Deere dealer in Westfield, Wisconsin and has a great wife and family. Perhaps he'll comment here and give you all the details...
Thank you, Matt, for helping Jim that hot summer afternoon. And of course for sharing the memories!

PS- In case you are curious, the tractor he overhauled back in the day is still here, and ran today :)

01/24/2026

"As the days get longer, the cold grows stronger."- Harvey Koepke.

An appropriate quote from Grandpa today- today would have been his 114th Birthday :).

And it is usually very accurate. Seems as we go into January, despite the lengthening days, winter's grip takes hold all the harder.

Today was -18 this morning without any "windchill factor." Despite that, cows got milked and fed, milk went to market, and the day went by without too much cold-related trouble. Enjoy a few pics of today.

01/11/2026

We thought we'd share this... Al's friends have set up a scholarship fund. If you are looking to study agriculture, this is an opportunity. And if you believe in sponsoring someone, this is also an opportunity!

Agriculture needs smart, well educated, young people to move us forward and feed us in the years to come. We'd encourage both donations and potential students- not just because Al's name is on the project, but because it is a meaningful cause.

Please share!

Dairy’s Foundation has announced the launch of the Alan Koepke Memorial Scholarship, a new scholarship designed to support Wisconsin students.

01/01/2026

What to post on New Year's Day?

Here's a brief look back at the past couple months, but from a different lens... instead of my camera, these are photos sent to me. Consider it a glimpse into a farmer's "inbox", or text feed.

Enjoy trolling my phone! May 2026 bring you an exciting new year!

12/18/2025

Winter!

It showed up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I'm not certain it has been above freezing until this afternoon. We were certainly glad to be done with harvest the week previous!

The snow has been- honestly- a treat. While it does add work, the snow brightens what would be otherwise short, dark days. Snow also has a great insulating effect- both in temperature, making life easier for crops like alfalfa and wheat, but it also has a way of insulating us from noise, adding peace and quiet to our surroundings.

Here's a few photos of some snowy December days. Enjoy!

11/28/2025

'Tis the Season...
..for a really great Cheesin'.

This is yet another example as to why certain family members are better on a tractor or in a barn than in advertising.

Nonetheless, LaBelle Cheese holiday boxes are once again available. Check out our website, labellecheese.com, for details. If you are looking for large orders, feel free to message us or send us an email!

Each box features the best we have in us, plus other local goodies from our community.

And of course, "Don't be stymied by our Rhymies!"

11/27/2025

We are thank-full.

And Grate-full.

We know, that's not how you spell those words. But they are accurate today, as our "cups run-eth over."

With harvest competed a week or more ago, nearly every bin on the farm is full to the peak.

Two barns and a machine shed are full of dry bedding to keep the cattle dry.

Our barns are full of hardworking, healthy Holsteins. Ok, there's a couple brown ones in there, too. :)

Our cheese cooler is full of some the best LaBelle Cheese we've ever had.

And of course our workforce team is loaded with all stars that go until the job is done. Generation 6 has joined us, too, which has us proud!

Countless service people help us on a daily basis, keeping both the proverbial and real-world wheels turning.

Yes, there are concerns as to what next year brings. With the exception of beef, there aren't a lot of bright spots in the ag economy. Nobody knows what next year's markets or weather will be. Yet those concerns are always there, and when they are not is more likely when we should be more concerned.

On this day of Thanksgiving, we are very grateful for all of our blessings. Most importantly, thanks for being with us... being in the community with you is probably our biggest blessing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

11/14/2025

150 years on this hill- Generation 6 harvesting today.

We've been blessed in countless ways...