Malecha Family
Ron Malecha grew up milking 200 cows on the family farm, working in a double 16 parallel parlor until the cows were sold in 2009. Since then, the focus has shifted, but farming is still at the heart of everything they do. Today, Ron and his family raise about 250 steers from bottle calves all the way to finish weight, along with another 250 heifers that are sold as springing replacements.
They farm over 700 acres of corn, soybeans, alfalfa and oats, most of it used to feed their own livestock. Lisa works part-time at a local dental office, but still finds time to help out on the farm. Their daughter, Cassie, lives and works in Apple Valley. Their son, Jacob, is on the farm full-time, working side by side with Ron and his grandpa.
Conservation is important to them. Ron works closely with the Scott County Soil and Water Conservation District, planting cover crops for the past three years and participating in local watershed meetings to protect Spring Lake and Prior Lake.
The family stays connected to agriculture off the farm, too. Ron and Jacob are past FFA members, and the Malechas are active in the Farm Bureau. As Ron puts it, this farm, and everything they have built into it, is a 40-year work in progress.