Twin Lakes farm featured on national television show
By Anne Trautner
Staff Writer
Philip Diedrich knows the names of all 130 cows on his farm situated on Richmond Road in Twin Lakes, Wis.
“We are real personal with our animals,” Diedrich said. “They are kind of like family.”
The Diedrich family does what it can to keep the cows happy. All 325 acres are farmed in order to provide high-quality food for the cattle.
“Our cows get fed a better diet than what we eat as humans. Everything is computerized balanced. We just take really good care of them, they are comfortable,” Diedrich said.
Because of the exceptional care the family farm provides for its cattle, the Diedrich family farm was featured on the nationally televised show “This Week in Agribusiness” on the RFD television channel last weekend.
The show was spotlighting Oberweis Dairy, and wanted to go to a farm to show where the milk comes from. Oberweis officials recommended the Diedrich farm because it is a nice, clean farm.
“They wanted a farm to go to, to show how the milk goes from the cow to a glass bottle,” Diedrich said.
The film crew came out to the farm about four weeks ago and shot some video and interviewed Diedrich, asking questions about what makes his farm’s milk a higher quality product than that of other farms, in order to sell to Oberweis.
Diedrich explained to television reporters that happy cows produce high-quality milk.
The Diedrich family was excited for the TV show to come out, even though it would be about a month before the show would air.
But on Saturday, April 4, Philip’s brother was listening to a farm show on Chicago’s WGN Radio at about 5 a.m., and heard Philip’s voice on the radio.
The radio station was airing some of the interviews from the TV program.
WGN Radio also posted pictures of the farm on its website.
The Diedrich family farm sells its milk only to Oberweis.
Oberweis has been delivering milk to homes since 1927. The company prides itself on selling high-quality milk, ice cream and dairy products.
“They really focus on the quality of the milk, like they are real fussy about who they choose for farms, so you have to meet their criteria. It’s just a lot of little things that help produce our quality product,” Diedrich said.
In order to sell to Oberweis, farms must pass certain quality tests, such as bacteria level tests, Diedrich said.
“We are always super low on the bacteria counts,” Diedrich said. “It’s also a matter of taking good care of the cows, feeding the cows well, and giving them extra vitamins and minerals to help them produce a higher quality product.”
Those things usually earn the family the highest premiums that Oberweis pays out for the milk, he said.
There are several other farms in the area that sell to Oberweis, including one farm in Wheatland and several near Brighton.
Diedrich’s daughters, Abby and Shannon Diedrich, have seen people buying their farm’s products while working at Richter’s Marketplace in Twin Lakes.
“They think it is neat when they check people out who are buying Oberweis milk and ice cream,” Philip Diedrich said.
The Diedrich farm was started about 65 years ago, when Philip Diedrich’s grandfather, Edward, bought the farm.
Philip’s parents, Richard and Sandra Diedrich, took over the farm in the early 1970s, and are still involved with the farm.
Philip’s brother, John, and his son Justin also help run the farm. Philip’s wife, Kimberly, their three children, 19-year-old Abby, 16-year-old Shannon and 13-year old Kyle, also work on the farm.
“We have the fourth generation coming up, hopefully, if they take over the farm some day,” Philip Diedrich said.
Taking care of the cows takes a lot of time, said Philip Diedrich, who works 14 to 15 hours a day.
“But I enjoy it,” he said. “I enjoy getting up in the morning and going to work. If you enjoy what you do, it’s not work.”