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The mission of Soaring Eagle Dairy is to operate an efficient and profitable business producing high quality dairy products. We strive to be leaders, create a positive image for the dairy industry, promote personal growth and financial stability among ourselves and our employees. It is important that everyone involved in the business promotes Christian values in dealing with one another, the livestock and the environment.
Family and Owners of Soaring Eagle Dairy
Jim and Sandie Fitzgerald
In 1980, Jim and Sandie built a 60-cow tie stall barn after farming with Jim's father and brothers for 24 years. In 1994, 30 additional cows were added to the milking herd to bring the total to 90. In 1997, Soaring Eagle Dairy was formed and a 400 cow freestall barn was built. Over the years, the addition of a special needs barn and most recently the addition of a second freestall barn has allowed the herd to build to 650 milking cows. Jim Fitzgerald is the CEO of Soaring Eagle Dairy. Sandie serves as the financial manager of the farm.
Outside of farming, Jim's interests include hot rod and antique cars and NASCAR racing. Sandie is very active in St. Thomas the Apostle Church, serving as worship minister for the parish.
Kelly and Brian Goehring
After attending UW-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course, Kelly came back to the farm. When Soaring Eagle Dairy formed, she and her husband Brian joined as partners. Kelly is the herdsperson at Soaring Eagle. She Kelly and Brian have 3 children, Brooke (age 10), Austin (age 7) and Nathan (age 3). In their free time they enjoy golf and spending time with their kids.
Julie Maurer
Julie spent 11 years working for the Kohler Co. In 2003, she came back and worked full-time at Soaring Eagle. In January of 2005, she joined as a partner in Soaring Eagle Dairy. Julie's husband Rick works in manufacturing at Bemis in Sheboygan Falls. They have 2 children, Haily (age 8) and Kelsey (age 5).
Stacy Fitzgerald
Stacy also attended the UW-Madison Farm and Industry Short Course and returned to the farm after school. She too became a partner in the business in January of 2005. Stacy lives in Kiel and enjoys playing volleyball in her spare time.
In 1980, Jim Fitzgerald built a 60-cow tie stall barn after farming with his father and brothers for 24 years. In 1994, Jim began using a custom heifer raising operation to allow room for the milking of an additional 30 cows. In 1997, Soaring Eagle Dairy, LLC was formed and the new 400-cow free-stall and double 12 parallel parlor was built.
Two years later, a transition barn was added, allowing the herd to grow to 640 and providing a place for fresh and steam-up dry cows. An expansion of the transition barn in 2004 provided an additional 100 free stalls as well as a dedicated maternity area.
In 2005, a second free stall barn and the expansion of the parlor to a double 16 will allow the herd to grow to 925 milking cows.
Today, Jim and Sandie Fitzgerald and their daughter and son-in-law, Kelly and Brian Goehring and their other two daughters, Julie Maurer and Stacy Fitzgerald, own Soaring Eagle Dairy.
A Day in a Cow's Life at Soaring Eagle Dairy
Cows are milked at SED 3 times each day. Cow comfort is important to the dairy and has led to the installation of a mist cooling system, rubber flooring and long day lighting. Sand bedded free-stalls were retrofitted into existing barns in 2004.
All cows are bred AI after a 45-60 day waiting period and are dry for 45 days prior to freshening.
Heifer calves continue to be raised by a custom grower and bull calves are sold shortly after they are born.
A mixed ration of corn silage, haylage, corn, cottonseed, and wet distillers grain are fed to the cows.
Over 1100 acres of crops are grown to provide the roughage needs to the herd.
The milking center houses the parlor, milk house, utility room and office. DeLaval milkers are used in the parlor with automatic take-offs. Located in the basement are milk weight meters, pulsators and the pipeline. Milk weights for each cow are captured and downloaded to Dairy Comp 305 for analysis and herd information. Two bulk storage milk tanks hold 6000-7000 gallons of milk each. Both a chiller and plate cooler ensure that milk is cooled from a cow's internal body temperature of 101.5 degrees to 34 degrees before entering the bulk tank.
All manure from the barns is scraped into a collection pit that flows via a flume to an earthen lagoon located behind the barn. From the barn, the manure passes over a sand-settling lane where most of the sand is recaptured for reuse before being pumped into the three-stage lagoon system.
Manure is hauled in the fall of the year to the 1100 acres owned or leased by the dairy. Fields in close proximity have manure injected into the ground by a tractor and drag hose while fields further away rely on tankers to haul the manure. The practice of incorporating manure into the soil within a few hours is employed at Soaring Eagle. In addition, voluntary buffer strips protect waterways from nutrient contamination. The dairy works with a crop consultant in the management of its phosphorus based nutrient management plan. Soil is tested yearly for nutrient needs and records of these tests are kept for each field. A leachate collection system at the bunker silos was installed to further protect the environment.
Computers are an integral part of managing Soaring Eagle Dairy. Data from these systems are used to monitor how management decisions affect production, health, reproduction and profitability. DeLaval's Alpro system records the daily weights from the milking center. Dairy Comp 305 is used to monitor milk weight deviation, health and reproduction records. Breeding is accomplished through a combination of aggressive visual heat detection programs and timed insemination. The farm's TMR mixer keeps track of the usage of each ingredient and downloads information from the computer on exact ration recipes.
In addition to the 5 full-time family members involved in Soaring Eagle, the dairy employs 9 full-time associates. In addition, part-time help is called upon during the busy summer months. The make-up of the Soaring Eagle team includes family members, men, women, and both Hispanics and locals.
Manitowoc County Discovery Farms Program Involvement
Soaring Eagle Dairy's commitment to environmental stewardship is reflected by its participation in the Manitowoc County Discovery Farms Program. The program, operated through the UW-Madison Extension office, is a collaboration of agricultural, conservation and environmental interests. The goal of this project is to measure farm practices and their effects on water quality and the environment.
At Soaring Eagle Dairy, they are comitted to delivering the highest quality dairy products "From Our Cows to Your Table". We welcome any visitors to tour our facilities. To arrange for a tour, please contact us at the number listed below. In addition, we open our land for recreational snowmobiles and hunters. If you are interested, please contact us.
Address: Soaring Eagle Dairy, LLC
Jim and Sandie Fitzgerald, Kelly and Brian Goehring, Julie Maurer, Stacy Fitzgerald, Nick Fitzgerald
10219 County Road F
Newton, WI 53063
Phone: 920-726-4890
Fax: 920-726-4891
Email: soaringeagle@lakefield.net
Press Releases and Farm Information
1. Informational Brochure on Soaring Eagle Dairy (PDF 116 KB)
