Folks ‘drink up’ Dairy Month at Breakfast on the Farm

Myles Lemkau wanted to see cows Saturday. And he wanted to hear them moo.

The Brandon 3-year-old got his wish at Royalwood Dairy, where the Ode family held their 12th annual Breakfast on the Farm June 15.

“Ice cream and cows before 10 a.m. Not bad,” said the youngster’s mom, Val. 

Breakfast on the Farm serves pancakes and SDSU ice cream to hundreds every year at the Ode dairy farm in rural Brandon. The public also tours the dairy, pets calves, makes crafts and enjoys the music of children’s  entertainer Phil Baker.

The youngest Lemkau wasn’t the only one who came to Breakfast on the Farm for the cows. Several adults who grew up on dairy farms saw the event advertised and made their first trek to the Odes’ operation this year.

“We thought we’d give it a try. It’s nice out,” said Marissa Ritter, who attended with her daughter and husband. “I grew up on a dairy farm. My grandparents aren’t actively milking anymore.”

Saturday was Brian Bennett’s first Breakfast on the Farm, too.

“We drive by it all the time,” said Bennett, who lives in Valley Springs. “It’s fun to see how it’s set up.”

Royalwood Dairy is home to 350 cows, said dairy farmer Doug Ode.

The goal of holding Breakfast on the Farm, he said, is to bring awareness about dairy farming.

“The biggest thing is how many people have lost connection with livestock production, agriculture, as far as animals and cattle and dairy operations. They don’t know what goes into it,” Ode said. “You don’t have to drive far out of Sioux Falls to be in ag country. People need to know how the animals are treated, and that we do have a safe product.”

Royalwood Dairy’s cows are milked three times a day. Altogetier, they produce 92 pounds of milk daily, or roughly 11 gallons each, he said, and milk can be in stores as soon as two days later.

“When people see the Land O Lakes jug, that’s us,” he said. “We’re part of the food chain, whether people realize it or not.” 

An estimated 1,800 people attended Breakfast on the Farm Saturday.

“We come every year, and it gets bigger every year,” said Brittany Muhs, who brought her husband, Ryan, and daughter, Everly. “There are lots of learning opportunities.”

Learning opportunities included exhibits by the South Dakota Soybean Association and touring the dairy, which has trivia on cows and milk production posted throughout.

The Ode family has hosted Breakfast on the Farm every June since 2002 in honor of June Dairy Month. Royalwood Dairy is operated by brothers Doug and Gregg Ode.    

“It’s a great opportunity for the Odes to showcase what they do,” said Steve Dick with Ag United, which co-sponsors Breakfast on the Farm. “Families with kids come, and then they grow up and bring their kids.”

Royalwood Dairy is just three miles from Sioux Falls, Dick added.

“It’s a modern dairy in the shadows of a big city,” he said. “That’s pretty rare.”