Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Opelt
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 6/09/2021
Opelt‘s Dairy to Host Dairy Breakfast (2021)
By Valorie Brecht
After a year’s hiatus, a local tradition is fixing to cook up some normalcy in Clark County.
The Neillsville Dairy Breakfast will return this year after the disruption to the yearly schedule in 2020.
Isaac and Jordan Opelt live on a farm just south of Neillsville with their two daughters, Brynleigh and Brooklyn. Their farm will be the site of this year’s Neillsville Dairy Breakfast. Submitted photo
Isaac and Jordan Opelt will be the hosts this year. Their farm, Opelt’s Dairy is at N 3468 River Avenue, Neillsville. The breakfast will be on Sunday, June 13, from 7 a.m. to noon.
Issac took over the farm from his dad after buying the cows in 2017 and the real estate in 2020. Farming is simply his way of life.
“I’m a cattle guy; I like cows… It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do [for a job],” he said.
Growing up on the farm, I helped with pretty much everything. I helped with jobs on other farms and got experience from that also,” he added.
When Isaac bought the animals from his dad, there were 50 cows.. Every year, he has expanded the herd a little bit. He currently90 cows that produce 7,000 pounds of milk a day. The milk is taken to Nasonville Dairy. He has a total of 170 cattle, including the heifers and dry cows.
“It’s rewarding t hat I’m growing the farm myself. My dad helped me a lot to get started,” he said.
Although Isaac does a lot if the work himself, he has one part time milker and a cousin who helps with fieldwork. His dad also helps out. Isaac acknowledges that being a dairy farmer is not an easy way to make a living.
“It’s challenging… If farming were easy everyone would do it. It takes a special type of person to handle everything,” he said.
Despite the challenges, he enjoys he perks of rm life, not the least of which are getting to be outside and getting to be around his kids a lot more than he otherwise might. Isaac and his wife Jordan have two daughters: Brynleigh, 3, and Brooklyn 5 months. Jordan operates a home daycare at the farm.
“[The farm] is a good place to raise kids. I always tell my wife that not too many kids nowadays get to experience this lifestyle,: Isaac said.
He said growing up on a farm provides learning opportunities for kids.
“They learn [about] life, like if an animal gets sick. They learn how to work hard.”
When Isaac and his wife were asked about hosting the dairy breakfast, Isaac wasn’t really interested. But he eventually changed his mind.
“My wife and I got married on the farm last year, so we have everything fixed up nice,” he said. “They didn’t have anyone to do it [host the breakfast], so I said we could.
Beyond filling the immediate need for someone to host though, Isaac wanted to give people the chance to get an inside look at a dairy farm. He plans to have his barns open for people to walk through.
“It’s important for people to see what farmers do. I want people to see that younger people can di it too,” he said.
Visitors to the farm will get to enjoy a meal full of dairy products. The menu will include special recipe scrambled eggs, regular and blueberry pancakes, Smith Brothers sausage, applesauce, cheese curds, ice cream, juice, milk and coffee. The cost is $7 per adult and $3 for kindergarten through fifth grade. Preschool age is free.
In addition, the Granton Area Antique Tractor Club will have its tractors on display and there will be activities for kids.
Parking will be at the hay field with shuttles to the building. There will also be handicap parking available next to the buildings.
The event is being put on by the Neillsville Area Chamber of Commerce (NACC), Neillsville FFA Alumni and Neillsville FFA.
For more information, contact the NACC at 715-743-6444.
