Tony and Maizie Scheffler and Family
Tony's grandparents purchased the farm in 1954 when it was run mainly as a dairy, but there were also chickens, pigs and draft horses. Since the 1980s, the farm has been exclusively a dairy.
Tony and Maizie started farming in 2003. The free stall barn was built in 2003, and the tie stall barn was converted to a double-8, step-up parlor in 2005. Tony and Maizie purchased 40 acres and the building site in 2018. They continue to make various improvements to the farm.
Tony and Maizie, along with their kids, currently milk 150 cows, mostly Holsteins, and a few Jerseys. The cows are milked twice a day, and the milk is sold to Plainview Milk Products. Tony and Maizie raise all their own replacement heifers. They grow alfalfa and corn on 130 acres and purchase the remainder of their feed.
All the work on the farm is done by Tony, Maizie and their four kids. Owen graduated from South Dakota State University in May with a degree in dairy production. Evelyn finished her freshman year at SDSU and is also majoring in dairy production. Matthew and Benjamin are students at Kenyon-Wanamingo schools.
Tony and Maizie are dedicated to the 4-H dairy judging program and have coached many teams over the past 25 years. They initially coached in Rice County where Maizie grew up, and then began coaching in Goodhue County in 2013. Since 2012, Tony and Maizie have coached 11 teams that have moved on to compete at the national level in the All-American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, PA; the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, KY; and the World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI. Of these 11 teams that have judged at the national level, nine have placed first or second in their respective contests. Four of the five teams they have taken to the World Dairy Expo have had the opportunity to experience dairy judging at the international level at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Tony and Maizie started the 4-H quiz bowl program in Goodhue County in 2014 and coached the teams for several years. The kids have all been extremely active in 4-H, FFA, and Minnesota Junior Holsteins. Tony and Maizie and their kids also serve as mentors in the dairy project and have conducted workshops and fitting and showing clinics. The Scheffler family also leases dairy cattle to youth who do not live on a farm but have an interest in dairy. Tony is on the Goodhue County Holstein board.