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VAN DYNE – Breakfast on the Farm – a beloved state tradition orchestrated by county-based organizations in communities across the dairy state – is making a moo-ve over to the Pollack family farm in Fond du Lac County next month.
The 600-plus dairy cow operation – located at N9017 Van Dyne Road – will provide folks with an up-close-and-personal view of agriculture in action, with a side of breakfast, from 8 a.m. to noon June 22.
Pollack Dairy Farm
Nearly 20 years after they married, Lynn Pollack (pronounced Pow-lack) – administrative manager of the Pollack Dairy Farm in Van Dyne – said she and her husband, John, left his family’s dairy farm to start their own operation.
“We started with 41 cows in 1989, and we ‘grew within,’ is how they say it,” she said. “We didn’t have any heifers, just the cows. We naturally had to buy a couple throughout that first year, and we bought a couple of the neighbors’ newborn heifer calves. From then on, we never bought another, and grew to where we are today.”
Where they are today, Lynn said, is a dairy farm that continually works to ensure the comfort and well-being of its now 600 cows.
“We’re cow lovers,” she said. “(As our herd grew), we added buildings as we needed (them), and everything here is set for cow comfort. Ben, my son, farms with us. Ben has been a cow lover since a very young age – like, eight years old.”
In 2017, Lynn said she and John brought Ben into the business partnership and officially formed Pollack Dairy LLC.
“He’s been doing so much of the work and has such an interest,” she said. “He’s married and (is) starting his family, and it was just time to start handing this over to the next generation.”
Just like Ben and his siblings when they were young, Lynn said Ben’s children are taking an interest in the farm operations, as well as its show animals.
“(When) we decided to break away and go on our own, (it was to) focus on the dairy cows and obtain the type of herd that we wanted,” Lynn said. “We have large cows, (and) we have some show cows. Over the years, our kids were able to show (livestock) at in-state and out-of-state (competitions) and at the World Dairy Expo. It’s just been a fun place to raise a family, and the kids learn so much.”
Now, Lynn said the entire Pollack family is excited to offer a taste of the farm life to agra-tourists from across the county and beyond during this year’s Fond du Lac Breakfast on the Farm.
The right time
As a sitting member of Envision Greater Fond du Lac’s Ag Ambassador Committee, Lynn said Pollack Dairy was a long-time, potential recruit for the event.
“We’ve just been talking about it over the years,” she said.
So, what made this year different?
“Cows are awesome, and people should just come out, relax, have breakfast and listen to music, but we also have a very short dooryard,” she said. “We needed to have enough room… so that we could put up this huge, big tent and have a nice, open, big spot for everyone. It just happened that… we knew by this year we’d be ready.”
Not only do the Pollacks have more space for what’s expected to be a large crowd of eager visitors, Lynn said they also planted hay in the field across the street several years ago, making it a prime parking spot, weather permitting.
“Things are just where they should be right now,” she said – including plans for Pollack Dairy’s successor.
“We didn’t make (Ben) go work for someone else or anything, because he went to the short course at (the University of Wisconsin-)Madison, then he came home and knew exactly what he wanted to do anyway,” she said.
Now, as a family unit, Lynn said every person and employee at Pollack Dairy is working to ensure the health and well-being of their growing herd and business.
“When we only had 40 cows, I could do the books maybe once a month or something,” she said. “It’s not that way anymore – you’ve got to keep up. John gets up seven days a week and mixes feed. He’s really into what feed is coming out of the pile… He’s also the farm mechanic. Everybody’s got their jobs, and it seems to work out really well. I have employees – some have been with us for 16 and 17 years – and they’re awesome.”
‘A family oriented day’
As time has passed, Lynn said people have lost touch with farms and the farming lifestyle.
“So many people nowadays don’t have that relative – that uncle or grandfather – who has a farm,” she said. “So many people don’t have that connection anymore (to) where their food comes from.”
Lynn said events such as Breakfast on the Farm, in various areas throughout the state, give community members a chance to peer into how “wonderful life on the farm is.”
“I think it’s great for the community to come out and see what we do and where food comes from and just enjoy the day,” she said.
At this year’s Fond du Lac County Breakfast on the Farm, Pollack Dairy will not only serve “a delicious breakfast” courtesy of their cows and crops, Lynn said the family oriented event will also feature:
- A “kiddie pedal pull”
- A petting zoo
- An educational area
- A big sand pile
- Kelly’s Creamery ice cream
- And more
Also on site at Pollack Dairy, Lynn said, is local pizzeria Poco Pizza – owned and operated by her second son, Shawn.
“He was living in San Diego for a while, came back home here and decided that this is a place where he wanted to grow his business,” she said. “So, we have a pizza business on the farm.”
Just as she recognized Ben taking an interest in cows at a young age, Lynn said she also noticed Shawn’s passion for cooking early on.
“It started out (with) growing our own food and the taste of the food (that) was fresh,” she said. “We also grow our own pork, beef, poultry – all of that, too – and (while away from home), he noticed that food wasn’t tasting the same as what it did… So, he got into the taste of food and how fresh it is when it’s grown right there locally.”
Poco Pizza, Lynn said, will be open during Breakfast on the Farm.
Dedicated community members
Amy Ries – Envision Great Fond du Lac’s director of agricultural programs – said Pollack Dairy “is a great example of a farm-to-table operation,” representing why America’s Dairyland deserves to be celebrated.
“Breakfast on the Farm is an excellent way for the public to connect with modern agriculture,” she said. “Agriculture is a vital industry in Fond du Lac County and the whole State of Wisconsin.”
As a member of Envision, Lynn said she and Pollack Dairy want to recognize the hard work of the Breakfast on the Farm Committee, whose members tirelessly work to organize the logistically challenging event.
“This is the 36th Breakfast on the Farm, and this committee is so dedicated,” she said. “They’re an extremely wonderful group of people (who) come, set it all up and do their thing. It’s really wonderful. It takes a lot of the worry and the stress away from us so we can just enjoy the day.”
For more information on the event, visit envisiongreaterfdl.com.
