Diversifying Revenue Streams on the Farm: A Look at Three Cattle-Exhibiting Families
Financial advantages often come to the forefront of benefits when adding a second or third revenue stream on the farm. But for three families who exhibit cattle, it’s more than that. By diversifying their dairies, they’ve been able to sustain a way of farming and make important connections with their communities.
### Fischerdale Holsteins
Located in Verona, Wis., the Sarbacker family, a long-time World Dairy Expo cattle exhibitor, milks 65 cows. Apart from showing and milking, they were presented with a unique opportunity to sell some of their milk, older cows and bull calves to a new local boutique hotel and tourist attraction just down the road.
“It was very surprising when they first approached us for Seven Acres,” says Tom Sarbacker. “Everything promoted says to get bigger, but it was kind of nice to see someone say they were interested in a relatively small family farm. They wanted it to be really local and it was kind of uplifting.”
Seven Acre Dairy Company is a café, creamery and hotel located in the unincorporated community of Paoli, Wis., just down the road from Fischerdale Holsteins. It served as a cheese factory for most of the 1900s and was recently given new life after closing its doors in 1980.
“They kept the old original creamery – it’s almost entirely ceramic creamery tiles all the way through the whole thing, and they kept it that way,” Tom says.
“Part of the building is the Dairy Café, a small café where they sell breakfast sandwiches, and they have ice cream that’s made from our milk,” he adds. “Next to that is an upscale restaurant, which is all part of the original creamery. It’s really cool.”
While the hotel only opened in the past year, Joe Sarbacker says he’s optimistic about what their relationship with Seven Acres will bring.
“I think it can be a game changer. The premium price for the milk could keep a lot of doors open or keep us able to operate at this size – the sky’s the limit,” he says.
The family is also focusing on maintaining their high quality, small herd legacy.
“We’ve farmed in a small capacity with the registered cows just trying to do a good job,” Tom says. “We’ve been showing cattle for years – we started way back in the 60s, Dad got registered cattle and it’s been off and on ever since.”
For the Sarbackers, a sense of pride makes it worth it to maintain a milking show herd and build on their relationship with Seven Acre Dairy Company.
### Trotacre Farm & Maple Bottom Farm
The Trotter family milks 120 cows in Enon Valley, Pa. In 2020, Trotacre Farm and neighboring dairy Maple Bottom Farm spearheaded an effort to create a Guernsey co-op on behalf of the Pennsylvania Guernsey Breeders Association. Together, the farms work with a processor to market A2/A2 Guernsey milk products.
The Trotter family’s roots in the Guernsey breed go back to 1942. Although the farm added other breeds in order to quickly expand the herd in the early years, they’re working on getting back to a full herd of Guernseys.
“We’ve made ourselves very niche in the fact there’s not a lot of milk out there that’s the same as ours,” says Cara (Trotter) Itle.
There were several details and moving parts to consider as they started the journey.
“We knew with each of our families being really busy dairy farmers, we wanted to outsource our actual processing,” Itle says. “We do not manufacture our own product – however it is our brand. We work with a cheese plant, and we work with a dairy plant that does all of our fluid bottling.”
Itle says their arrangement with the processor is a unique one.
“We pay for the processing to be done, and I guess there’s only a few people who do it that way. Our milk is kept 100% separate at the plant because we’re marketing A2/A2 Guernsey milk only,” she explains.
Trotacre Farm then sells their products at their on-farm store. The family also owns an ice cream shop that uses the mix from their cows and their co-op. Between milking, showing, marketing and selling their product, and running an ice cream shop, there is room for the whole family to be involved.
The Trotter family is motivated to juggle so much because they have a passion for the Guernsey breed and for connecting with the community.
“We love our way of life as dairy farmers but also want to provide our community members with a nutritious product from our cows that we’re passionate about,” Itle says. “We like to show consumers we really do take pride in taking care of our animals and are proud of the animals we work with and breed. When it comes to showing for us at a national level, it’s just letting us show our passion and our hobby.”
The Sarbackers and Trotters agree it’s important to make it all work together according to the goals you’ve established for your farm and your family.
“There will be a lot of hard things you think might be impossible, but there are always people who are willing to help you, collaborate with you and work together for you to achieve your goals,” Itle says. “Continue to work hard and don’t stop for what you want.”
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By diversifying their dairies, these families have not only found financial advantages but have also solidified their connections with their communities and maintained a strong sense of pride in their farming practices. These stories serve as inspirations for other farmers looking to explore new revenue streams while staying true to their farming roots.
