14
NewsWatch
www.FarmProgress.com ● March 2013
MASTER
Wallaces Farmer
FARMERS
Hansens keep
kids part of dairy
By FRANK HOLDMEYER
T
HE farm at 8617 Lincoln Road in
Hudson has been in the family since
1864. Jay Hansen is the fifth generation of his family to farm the land, and now
his grandchildren are the seventh generation to grow up there.
Jay was involved in 4-H and FFA, and enjoyed showing cows at fairs while learning
all about dairy on the home farm. After
graduating from Iowa State University and
marrying Jeanne, the couple moved to a 40acre farm in Charles City. Jay taught vocational agriculture there until he and Jeanne
returned to Hudson in 1975. Back home,
they began taking over the family farm from
Jay’s father, Jack, and raising five children.
By 2004, all four of Jay and Jeanne’s sons
had returned to the Black Hawk County
dairy farm and began taking ownership.
After realizing selling milk to a co-op
wouldn’t produce enough income for the
five families that wanted to work on the
farm, they decided to build an on-farm
dairy. Hansen’s Farm Fresh Dairy now
produces whole, 1%, skim and chocolate
milk; butter; cheese curds; heavy cream; 30
flavors of hard ice cream; a soft-serve ice
cream; and ice cream pies and cakes. They
also sell ground beef from their dairy cows.
Jay, Jeanne, their four sons and one
daughter-in-law work on the farm. They
have two full-time employees and eight
part-time employees to help with milking,
creamery work and fieldwork. An additional 25 people work at the family’s retail
stores, Moo Roo in Waterloo and Hansen’s
Farm Fresh Dairy Outlet in Cedar Falls. Two
are full time and the rest are part time.
Jay and Jeanne recently finished construction of a pair of monolithic domes —
one for their home and the adjoining one
for the farm’s tour center. The all-concrete
structures are energy-efficient and sturdy,
providing an innovative site for operating
the tourism business.
Thinking outside the box, the Hansens
chose a wallaby as the farm mascot
and logo on their dairy products. “Our
son Blake loved the wallabies he saw in
Australia and wanted the miniature kangaroos for pets. He purchased three wallabies straight from New Zealand right
about the time we began processing our
own milk,” says Jeanne. “A cartoon wallaby
was drawn with a cow in the pouch, and
our logo was born.”
The 350 Holstein cows are all purebred
and registered under the Jaywood prefix.
They operate a closed herd and raise all
young stock on the premises. Breeding is
done by artificial insemination. Cows are
milked in a double-eight parallel parlor and
live in a freestall barn. Production is about
25,000 pounds per year.
Cow records are kept with the National
Holstein Association and Dairy Herd
Information Association. The creamery
keeps production and delivery records.
Sales and labor information are kept at
each of the stores. All four sons compile
annual financial reports (labor, inventory,
production, expenses and income) in their
area of responsibility on the farm.
Jay and Jeanne were among the early
producers to process corn kernels in corn
silage. Jay also built his own prototype of
a cattle hoof-trimming chute and started
his own hoof-trimming business early in
his farming career.
Crops and conservation
Of the 450 acres owned, about half are
designated for alfalfa and the other half
to corn and sometimes sorghum. The sorghum is used as low-energy filler in drycow and heifer rations. Minimum tillage
and contour farming are utilized. About
three-fourths of the cropland is used for
cow feed; the other quarter is a cash crop.
Cow manure is stored in a 1 milliongallon lagoon and injected on fields in the
spring and fall.
Community supporters
Jay and Jeanne were actively involved with
the Hudson Community School when their
children were students. Now, nine of their
15 grandchildren attend school there, with
at least one grandchild in each grade from
sixth on down. The couple supports the
FFA by being involved in fundraisers, providing cheese, judging contests, offering
tours of the farm and employing students.
The farm is a partner site in the Silos
and Smokestacks National Heritage Area.
Jay and Jeanne are members of the Hudson
Chamber of Commerce, Northern Iowa
Food and Farm Partnership, Practical
Farmers of Iowa, Iowa Holstein Association,
and Hudson Chamber of Commerce.
They are ardent supporters of the
Buy Fresh, Buy Local movement through
the University of Northern Iowa. They
give farm tours every year to more than
3,000 visitors, which includes visits from
schools, 4-H and FFA clubs, senior citizens,
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Jay and Jeanne
Hansen expanded their operation to
include an on-farm dairy, so that all of
their children and their families could be
part of the business.
and international visitors. The trolley tour
demonstrates the importance of agriculture and gives visitors a hands-on experience of a working dairy farm by milking
a cow, feeding a calf and making butter
before enjoying Hansen’s ice cream.
Jay and Jeanne started the Junior
Racquetball Team in Waterloo, and took
kids from all over the United States to compete in tournaments. They have even built
a racquetball court in their new home.
For more information on Hansen Farm
Dairy, visit www.hansendairy.com.
PROFILE
JAY and JEANNE HANSEN
HOMETOWN: Hudson
FARM: 450 acres of corn and hay,
350 registered Holsteins, creamery,
retail dairy stores, on-farm tourism
FAMILY: Sons Brent, Brad, Blair with
wife Suzi, and Blake with wife Jordan;
daughter Lynn with husband Jason
Yuntum; and 15 grandchildren
MONOLITHIC DOME: Jay and Jeanne constructed two domes on their property. The dome in the foreground is their home.
The second one is used for the farm’s retail dairy product store and tour business.
LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS: Jay is
a former president and past District 2
director of the Iowa Holstein Association, and vice chairman of the
Community Church of Hudson board.
He is involved with the Iowa Holstein
Association, Black Hawk County
DHIA and Bremer/Butler Holstein
Association. Jeanne is a past deacon
at Community Church of Hudson and
a current member of the personnel
committee. An Iowa Master Farm
Homemaker, she is also involved with
the Community Church of Hudson,
Blackhawk County Extension and the
state Food Safety Task Force. Both
are 4-H leaders and Iowa Holstein
Association members.