Mark & Cheryl Cade & Family
Hello!
I'm Mark Cade, and welcome to our family dairy farm located near Westby, WI. I actually grew up about a mile away from this place. Today, with my wife Cheryl and our children, Tiffany, Travis and Austin, we care for 120 Registered Holstein dairy cows and young stock. About 55 of these cows are producing milk every day, and our rolling herd average for milk production is 22,000 pounds per cow annually. That means we deliver more than 1-million pounds of milk to our cooperative creamery each year. We also plant and harvest over 200 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa as feedstuffs for our animals.
Every day is a work-day on a dairy farm, and every day is a great day to be part of an American and Wisconsin dairy farm family. We are very proud to be one of the patron member-owners of Westby Cooperative Creamery, where we produce great tasting and nutritious dairy food products that all start with the milk from our farms.
Creating the best possible environment for cow comfort is the foundation for success in the dairy business profession. Monitoring animal husbandry, or animal care, is vital to our bottom line. Our milk cows can lie on rubber mattresses when they want to, and tunnel ventilation keeps the barn cool during hot summer months. We take care of sanitation, insect and pest control, and facility safety as part of overall cow comfort standards, and the cows are let outside for daily exercise.
Each cow has its own personality, and we're instantly able to recognize if something is wrong with one of them. This doesn't happen very often, because good nutrition keeps our cows healthy and productive. I don't believe in trying to over-feed certain feedstuff ingredients to gain optimum milk production. We provide high quality and balanced nutrition to our cows every day, and then monitor their performance and sustainability as they transform feedstuffs into fluid milk.
That's the amazing thing about a dairy cow; they can convert natural resources that are unsuitable for human consumption into a nutritious product - milk - which is suitable and healthy for most humans of all ages to consume, and to enjoy in so many different ways from meal-to-meal or snack-to-snack.
That's why we invite you to Take Home Country Goodness in our Westby brand Cottage Cheeses, Sour Creams, Dairy Dips, Yogurts, Butter, Cream Cheeses and Hard Cheeses, all made here in Wisconsin.
There is an immense amount of satisfaction in knowing that our family dairy farm is an integral part of helping to feed the people of our state, our region, and our country. And, that our U.S.A. Dairy Industry, through exports of cheese and milk components, is a big part of helping to feed an ever growing world population.
Our farm is one part of an overall team effort, along with the other family dairy farm member-owners of Westby Cooperative Creamery, and our creamery employees, to produce high quality and nutritious dairy food products that enhance the daily lives of consumers and their families.
Thanks for stopping by. If you are ever in the Westby area, please stop by our place for a personal tour. And, be sure to visit www.DairyDoingMore.org to learn more about the lifestyle and business of dairy farming.
Best regards,
The Cade Family
Westby Cooperative Creamery Patrons
Westby, WI
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