Lt. Gov. Rodriguez visits area farms

WAUPACA – For June Dairy Month, Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez is touring dairy farms throughout Wisconsin. On June 27, she visited Sheridan Flats Dairy in Waupaca and Feltz Family Farms in Stevens Point.
Sheridan Flats is located off U.S. Highway 10 up the road from Amherst Marine. It’s owned by Mark and Dawn Anderson and they are guiding their daughter Amy and her husband Josh Karpinski to be the fourth-generation stewards of the farm.
They guided Rodriguez into the main barn where the only sound was a low drone of large fans keeping the herd cool as they ate and lounged between milkings. Quiet cows are happy, copacetic cows.
They discussed the $80 million in funding into the state’s agricultural industry and final stages of the state budget process. Some of the items geared towards dairy farmers include improved rural roads that take a beating from heavy farm machinery, opening new markets and developments in grazing. They also talked about mental health. Over the past years there has been an increase of dairy farmers committing suicide and they spoke about the importance of support systems.
The farm has grown over the generations. In 2023, they built a free-stall barn and added 120 cows to their operation. There herd is mostly Holsteins with a few Brown Swiss and Jerseys mixed in. They have three full-time employees and two part timers. They also grow corn and alfalfa. All of their milk is sold to Agropur in Weyauwega. Currently, they are milking 320 head except for their mascot Bones, a retired and pastured Holstein that is Facebook famous and has a sweet tooth for Kwik Trip donuts.