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Koepke Farms, Inc. Mission Statement
- To produce high quality agricultural commodities at a profit
- To practice farming methods that sustain or improve our soil, water and the surrounding environment
- To provide a comfortable standard of living for the owners and employees
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To maintain a warm and positive atmosphere for all personnel
Alan Koepke
Alan graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1963 with a degree in agricultural engineering. Following graduation, Alan returned to his family dairy farm to begin farming with his parents. The business grew to become Koepke Farms, Inc., a corporation that includes Alan and his brothers and nephew as the managing partners. Alan specializes in on-farm ag engineering projects, and oversees machinery maintenance and the farm's financial operations.
Alan has been active in numerous local and state organizations. He was a founding director of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) and served as president and vice president of the Wisconsin Holstein Association. Alan was the first chairperson of the Dairy Center for Profitability Advisory Committee, a member of the UW-Madison Dairy Science Department Advisory Committee and Wisconsin Electric Power Company Consumer Advisory Council. Currently, Alan serves on the PDPW Education Foundation and Public Policy committees, is a Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) voting delegate, and is a director on the Wisconsin Agricultural and Life Science Alumni Association (WALSAA) Board. He received the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Science honorary recognition Award of Distinction and was honored as a Master Agriculturist.
Alan and his wife, Mary, who graduated from UW-Madison, have three daughters, Ann, Laura and Jane, and two grandsons, Jason and Matthew.
James Koepke
James graduated form the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1967 with a bachelor's degree in dairy science. Upon graduation, James returned to his family's dairy farm to begin farming with his father and older brother. His area of interest focuses on crop production and farmland conservation and preservation. With his supervision, Koepke Farms has used no-till cropping practices for nearly 20 years. Jim also manages the crop irrigation systems that have been in place at the farm for 40 years.
Over the years, Jim's experience in soil and water conservation has led him to advisor positions with the UW Madison Soils and Agronomy Departments, the UW Fertilizer Research Council, the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS), and currently with the Waters of Wisconsin Committee under the Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts & Letters, and the USDA Land Use Planning Committee. Jim received the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences honorary recognition Award of Distinction and was honored as a Master Agriculturist.
Jim and his wife, Mary, who graduated form UW-Madison, have one son-John, who is a business partner at Koepke Farms-one daughter, Ruth, and two grandsons, August and Colton.
David Koepke
After completing military service as an aviation instrument specialist with the United State Air Force, David returned to Koepke Farms in 1975 to farm with his father and two brothers. David's expertise is in managing the dairy herd and focusing on cow health and genetics/breeding.
David has served on the Dodge County Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) for the past eight years and held the position of secretary for seven years. He currently serves on the AgSource Cooperative Services Board of Directors as a director representing southeastern Wisconsin. David received the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences honorary recognition Award of Distinction.
David and his wife, Linda, have three daughters, Katie, Kayla, Karissa, and one son, Cody.
John Koepke
John graduated from Cornell University in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in animal science. Upon graduation, John returned to Koepke Farms to begin farming with his father and two uncles. John is the dairy cattle nutritionist at the farm and handles ration formulation for all cow and heifer diets. His core interests also include feed purchasing and inventory, crop harvest management, and milk marketing strategies.
John has been actively involved with the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW), serving on the Producer Meetings Committee. John also serves as President of the Waukesha Milk Producers' Cooperative. John and his wife, Kim, received the local Watertown Area Outstanding Young Farmer Award, and the fourth runner up title at the Wisconsin Jaycees Outstanding Young Farmer state award competition in 2003. John and Kim both serve on the Watertown Area Outstanding Young Farmer Committee.
John and his wife, Kim, a Cornell University graduate, have two sons, August and Colton.
Koepke Farms is home to approximately 600 registered Holstein dairy cattle. There are also several registered Brown Swiss cattle in the herd. The cows are milked three times a day in a double 10 herringbone milking parlor. Two groups of cows are even milked four times daily to optimize milk production and cow comfort. For several years the Koepkes have maintained an average herd production of over 30,000 pounds of milk.
All of the cattle are housed in freestalls bedded with sand except for yearling bulls. The Koepkes have had many recent additions or improvements to their facilities. They built a new dry cow barn and 120-stall freestall barn, and remodeled a traditional dairy barn into freestall housing for bred heifers. In 1998, a new machine shed was built and a tower silo was converted to grain storage. Most recently, in 2002, the parlor was completely renovated to house a new double 10 herringbone rapid exit parlor, with the ability to load the 
milk directly only semi-tankers. This new milking parlor has reduced labor costs dramatically; while allowing them time to milk some cow groups four times daily, increasing production in those groups by about 10 percent.
The Koepkes' breeding program emphasizes high production balanced with good functional type. This includes correct udders, strong feet and legs, and low Somatic Cell Count. The program strives for cows with consistently high milk production and high fertility. Cows and heifers are all A.I. bred and the cows are classified every seven months.
Every year the farm raises 30 select bulls from the best cows for sale as herd sires. In addition, up to 30 first- or second-calf cows are merchandized annually via local sales.
"Granny" Cow: A Celebrity on the Koepke Farm
"Granny" is the world record holder for the most milk produced by a single cow in a lifetime. She set the record at 18 years old, with 442,690 lbs. of 
milk in 13 lactations. She is a VG 85 Carlin M Ivanhoe daughter. Granny has seven daughters, with two still living. According to the Koepkes, she is a smaller cow, with a very quiet disposition. Since she broke the record, she has added on to it, as she has milked over 450,000 lbs. of milk in her lifetime.
More than 50 cows on the Koepke Farm have achieved lifetime production records of over 200,000 lbs. of milk.
Cropping Practices and Feeding
Koepke Farms has been using no-till planting techniques since 1986 and continues to do so today. Nearly 800 acres of alfalfa, corn, and soybeans are raised each year, with 310 acres receiving irrigation in the growing season.
The Koepkes have used TMR feeding since 1974. No dry hay is fed to any cattle on the farm. John Koepke, the herd nutritionist, has formulated three milking rations and a dry-cow ration. The rations consist of alfalfa silage, corn silage, whole cottonseed, and minerals.
Conservation Practices and Improvements
The managers at Koepke Farms believe that soil is the lifeblood of all farms, and its management will ultimately dictate the success or failure of the farmer. For this reason, they only follow management practices that will maintain or improve soils for the years to come. These management practices are nutrient management, crop rotations, compaction management, and cover crops.
Nutrient Management
Manure is spread on every tillable acre of land on the farm, resulting in consistent soil fertility and decreases the need for commercial fertilizer.
Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is also part of the nutrient management plan. The Koepkes use a six year rotation of corn-soybean-corn-and three years of alfalfa. This rotation improves yield, decreases input costs and allows the farm to use no-till management practices.
Compaction Management and Cover Crops
Koepke Farms strives to keep machinery out of the field when it is too wet, for planting, harvesting, or spreading manure. They only operate equipment with reasonable axle loads to reduce the chances of subsoil compaction.
Cover crops are also used to help improve soil organic matter, as well as for erosion control.
Erosion Control
No-till crop management is very important to the Koepkes, as it offers excellent erosion control and soil building qualities. They plant no-till alfalfa, soybeans, and corn. All acreage is planted with no-till, and some of the land has been in continuous no-till management for 19 years. They also use contour strip cropping in many locations and plant cover crops following corn silage harvest to control erosion.
Environmental Responsibility
The Koepkes utilize both irrigation and extensive drainage systems. Center pivots and traveling guns irrigate 310 acres. They have buried 20 miles of drain tile since 1995.
The Koepkes also feel a strong commitment to protecting surface waters of the community. Their dedication to safe waters has brought them into participation with Discovery Farms, and they also voluntarily adopted a nutrient management plan several years ago.
Farmstead Improvements
Beginning from 1995, recent building additions or improvements include:
- A new close-up dry cow barn, 1995
- A new 120-cow freestall barn, 1996
- A new machine shed and conversion of a tower silo to grain storage, 1998
- Remodeling of a traditional dairy barn into a freestall barn for bred heifers, 1999
- A complete parlor renovation with a new double 10 herringbone rapid exit parlor, and the ability to direct load our milk onto semi-tankers, 2002
Awards Received in the past 10 years
- Dodge County DHIA Leading Herd Milk Production Average on 3X milking 13 out of the last 14 years
- Holstein Association USA, Inc. Progressive Genetics Herd Award, 2000-2004
- State of Wisconsin, Office of the Governor, Commendation for distinguished dairy management
- State of Wisconsin, Citation by the Assembly, dedication to excellence in dairy management, 2003
- Dairy Farmers of America Milk Drop Award for Excellence in Management, 2004
- 2003 and 2004 the following companies/organizations presented achievement awards to "Granny" the cow, who currently holds the U.S. and world lifetime milk production records:
- Select Sires, Inc.
- AgSource Cooperative Services
- Wisconsin Holstein Association
- Holstein Association USA, Inc.
- State of Wisconsin
Coming Soon!
