Tauer Family
Tauer Dairy was established in the mid-1920s by Michael and Margaret Tauer. The farm was a diversified dairy, livestock and crop operation. In the late 1960s, Robert and Darlene Tauer became the second generation of the family to own and operate the farm. Robert and Darlene still play active roles in the dairy—a true testament to the legacy of the dairy, crops, and family they established with their six children. In 2008, their son David and his wife, Angie, purchased the dairy and continue the legacy by striving for progress, quality and environmentalism. David and Angie, along with their children, Ruby and Adam, are the third and fourth generations to operate the farm.
Tauer Dairy consists of 250 head in a free stall and parlor set-up. In 2021, a state-of-the-art heifer raising facility was added on site. The family runs a closed herd with a focus on genetics, quality milk/components, and overall herd health. Tauer Dairy is continually ranked as a Minnesota DHIA Top 200 herd.
The family also runs 450 acres of cropland planted to corn, rye, alfalfa, and various cover crop/double cropping rotations. All the crops are used to feed the farm’s livestock.
Tauer Dairy is a University of Minnesota MAST training farm that has hosted 25 interns from 10 countries since 2010. The family has also hosted interns from Penn State University.
David and Angie are the owners/operators of Tauer Dairy. Ruby and Adam handle a variety of chores on the farm. David’s mom, Darlene, helps milk and feeds calves while his dad, Robert, takes care of the yard and other tasks. David’s brother, Ron, provides help on the weekends.
The Tauers have been very involved in their local community, including the Brown County Dairy Princess Program, serving as a host farm for Ag Enrichment Day at Saint Mary’s School in Sleepy Eye, a Twilite Meeting host farm, and participated in the Adopt-a-Cow program through Discover Dairy. Angie created and managed the Brown County Ag Literacy Program working with area libraries and schools to make books related to agriculture available to students.