Hendrickson Dairy Farm

How cool is this?! My Aunt Pam- Sam's side- sent this to me today. They have built on a HUGE addition to their farm and it is going to pay off! Look at what is already happening! (And by the way, we are leaving for WI next week to go to Andy's wedding- the eldest son in the family. Here is a little snippit about the wedding that is in the same article... "That family is poised to grow soon, as they all count the days to Andrew's Aug. 5 marriage to Mackenzie Douma of Cambria. And while having four sons to help with milking normally means shifts get covered, in this case the family is hiring help so they can all have the day off.") **I can't get the photo's on this, but hopefully it will work later.)

Hendricksons to be Dairy Herd Family of the Year
By Ann Marie Ames

It's taken 27 years for Neal Hendrickson to groom his business partners. But after years of guidance, training and, probably, the occasional fatherly lecture, the Hendrickson family farm on Highway B south of Cambria is poised to go far with the next generation.
Hendrickson isn't the only one pleased with the way his sons are helping him steer his business. The Columbia County Dairy Herd Improvement Association will recognize the family Friday morning as the 2006 Outstanding Farm Family of the Year.

The award, according to Robert Curtis of the Dairy Herd Improvement Association, is a means of recognizing area milk producers for their efforts to improve the industry and a way to educate the public.

"We tried to pick a dairy farm because that's what we work with," Curtis said. "I've known the family for a long time, and they're great to work with."

Neal and Pam Hendrickson's four sons, Andrew, 27, Dan, 24, Tim, 21, and Mike, 19, have been learning about dairy farming since they were old enough to toddle behind their dad in the barn. And with Andrew and Dan working full-time on the farm with Neal, Tim hauling the family's milk as part of his route for L & R DeVries of Randolph, Mike working weekends between classes at UW-Oshkosh and Pam doing the accounting, the farm is truly a family operation.

While Neal is happy being a part of the dairy industry, he is sometimes frustrated by the perceptions outsiders have of dairy farmers. As an example, Neal remembers two summers ago when milk prices shot up to around $17 per hundredweight. At the time, the Hendricksons were paying about $7 for their favorite ice-cream. Today, milk is bringing in about $11 per hundredweight, and the Hendrickson's are still paying the same price for the ice-cream.
"When milk prices were up, everyone complained about the price of butter and ice-cream," Neal said. "Now milk prices have dropped, but we're not making any more money. Now they're blaming it on gas."

To read the whole article click this sentence!