By Kim McDarison
The 27th Annual Fourth-Grade Farm Tour was held Wednesday.
As is the tradition, members of the Kutz family opened their Jefferson County dairy farm to fourth-grade students from across Jefferson County.
The event is organized by the Jefferson County Farm Bureau and the Jefferson County Agri-Business Club.
Guided by volunteers, students, along with their chaperones and teachers, moved between 11 educational stations where they were treated to demonstrations featuring the importance of agriculture.
Stations included such topics as beef and swine; sheep and goats; field to food; “Then and Now,” which focused on changes in farming technologies and careers; animal housing and facilities; land preservation; crops, and calves.
Stations were manned by members of the Kutz family, the farm’s staff, knowledgeable volunteers and agricultural industry professionals.
FFA members from Cambridge, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lakeside Lutheran, and Palmyra-Eagle assisted with farm tour operations, according to information supplied by event organizers.
FFA-supplied tour guides led the students from station to station and helped keep student groups on schedule.
According to information supplied by event organizers, this year, over 600 students were invited to participate in the tour. Students represented some 24 different public and private schools, and two homeschool groups.
The 74th Alice in Dairyland Julia Nunes and the 2022 Jefferson County Fair Fairest of the Fair Maddi Besch were also in attendance to greet students. Besch is a resident of Fort Atkinson.
About the farm
The Kutz family farm is a family-owned business. The 1,800-acre farm is home to some 2,500 registered Jersey cows.
The farm is owned and operated by Kutz family members Ron and Pam Kutz, along with their three sons and their sons’ families. The sons and their wives are: Allan and Katie Kutz, Aaron and Melanie Kutz, and Andrew and Robin Kutz.
Ron and Pam began the farm in 1973 with 10 Holstein cows.
In an interview conducted with Allan last October, he noted that his parents began the farm raising a few pigs.
They received a heifer calf for Christmas, he said, and that was the beginning of the dairy farm. In the beginning, the farm milked Holstein cows, but in 2002, the family switched to Jerseys, Allan said, because the animals were smaller, heartier, and more efficient. Today, the farm milks nearly 2,500 Jersey cows three times each day. The farm has 30 full-time employees.
During a farm tour held as part of a fundraiser for the Badgerland After School Enrichment Program (BASE), which was held on the Kutz family farm last fall, Allan told those in attendance that Jersey cows are known for being friendly and curious.
He noted that the farm produces some 140,000 pounds of milk each day.
An earlier story about the farm and the BASE fundraiser is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/forts-base-honors-edwards-statz-at-harvest-dinner/.
Following are photos taken Wednesday during the Fourth-Grade Farm Tour.
Kinsley Kutz, at right, greets visitors and answers questions about calves in the calf barn on her family’s farm.
Ian Kuecker, a student at Luther Elementary School in Fort Atkinson, pets a goat. The animal was among several available for petting at the sheep and goat station.
Palmyra/Eagle High School and FFA student Ella Rupinski visits with several Jersey cows. Rupinski was one of several FFA students serving as guides during the farm tour.
Wisconsin Pork Association Assistant Program Director Mikayla Wehrle holds “Brownie,” a 1-month-old “gilt,” which is a young female pig. The two were on-hand Wednesday to greet students and talk about beef and swine.
Rowdy Kamber, a student from Palmyra/Eagle High School and a member of FFA shares information about an Angus cow named “Sandy.” Owner Maggie Mindemann, not pictured, said Maggie is three years old and is her pet. Sandy served as a bovine ambassador at the beef and swine station.
Melanie Kutz, one of several members of the Kutz family who were on-hand to give demonstrations, talks about freestyle barns.
Third- and fourth-grade students from St. John’s Lutheran School in Jefferson learn about freestyle barns.
Walt Christensen, who was among volunteers presenting information at the “land preservation” station, explained that the demonstration uses an apple to represent the Earth. Students learned that about 1/32 of the apple is agricultural land, and the peel represents the soil. Christensen said the presentation is popular with children. He has been involved with presenting the concepts at the farm tour and other venues for about four years.
“It’s always fun. Kids are interested and energized about it,” he said.
Palmyra/Eagle High School student Stacy Johnson, at left, teaches students about the various places where certain types of food is grown. She is aided by Jamie Patton, not pictured, a University of Wisconsin-Madison soil scientist.
Liam Bos, a senior at Fort Atkinson High School, demonstrates the friendly and curious nature of Jersey cows.
Kinsley Kutz pets a Jersey calf in the farm’s calf barn.
Two photos above, at top: 2022 Jefferson County Fair Fairest of the Fair Maddi Besch visits the Kutz farm calf barn, and with “Sandy,” pictured above, an Angus cow who was among animals on display at the beef and swine station. Besch is a resident of Fort Atkinson who is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She made an appearance at the farm tour as a special guest.
Presenter McCoy Jaeckel teaches students about feed and crops, including those of soy and corn. He also invited students to try their hand at lifting hay and straw bales.
Leslie Ott, at right, volunteers at a “land preservation” station where children learn about preserving farmland.
A view of a freestyle cow barn on the Kutz family dairy farm.
Kim McDarison photos.
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