| | | The Fitzgerald Family (back: Sandie/Jim Fitzgerald, Jeremy/Stacy Klotz; middle: Rick/Julie Maurer, Kelly/Brian Goehring; front: Hailey and Kelsey Maurer; Nathan, Brooke and Austin Goehring) | The Fitzgerald family—Dad, Mom and three daughters—manages and operates a three-generation dairy farm and places priority on delivering the highest-quality dairy products. - Jim Fitzgerald – Crop and Maintenance Manager
- Sandie Fitzgerald – Bookkeeper
- Kelly Goehring – Co-herd Manager
- Stacy Klotz – Co-herd Manager
- Julie Maurer – Human Resources and Milking Parlor Manager
"The mission of Soaring Eagle Dairy is to operate an efficient and profitable business that produces high-quality dairy products. We strive to be leaders, create a positive image for the dairy industry, and 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. To conserve resources, we always look for the most energy-efficient equipment. For example, water used in the barns goes through an energy-efficient plate cooler to pre-cool milk. Also, buffer strips line farm fields that lie adjacent to streams. We welcome any visitors to tour our facilities and open our land for recreational snowmobiles and hunters." Cattle comfort is a high priority at Soaring Eagle Dairy. In the summer, they use a mist cooling system to alleviate heat stress. Rubber flooring enhances hoof health and helps prevent lameness. Plus, Soaring Eagle cows enjoy a "day on the beach" 365 days a year in the barns' sand-bedded freestalls. "We are huge proponents of sand bedding and have seen many extremely positive results in milk quality and cattle health after converting from mattresses." Realizing that they can't be an expert in every dairy management area, the owners of Soaring Eagle Dairy rely on several business advisers, including a veterinarian, nutritionist, banker, reproduction specialist and crop consultant. The farm owners meet with these contractors quarterly to discuss operations and determine future priorities. "Everybody brings something to the table at those meetings. It's amazing how everyone works together to make our dairy run better." From 2004-2007, Soaring Eagle Dairy has provided a site for surface water and nutrient and soil sediment loss studies for the UW Discovery Farms program and recently became Discovery Farms' first "graduate." (View summary of program results.) For more information about Soaring Eagle Dairy, visit the farm's website.
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