Lesa and Kenny Wagler with granddaughters Emma, 10, and Eliza, 5.
has used his entire life.“ I learned how big businesses were run, how to recruit employees and how to treat employees,” Kenny said.
In 1977, Kenny married his wife Lesa, and in 1978 he took a 75 percent pay cut to go back to work on the family farm.
“ I had a really nice 1969 Corvette that I sold to buy cows,” he said.“ It was a huge pay cut, but I believe that God moves you where you need to be.”
Kenny bought into the family farm at 25 percent share. His brothers Lloyd and Howard also held 25 percent share and their father Henry held the remaining 25 percent share.
In 1985, Henry retired and the three brothers owned equal thirds of the farm. In 1990, Howard felt called to join the ministry and left the farm to go to seminary. Kenny and Lloyd split the shares equally until 2014, when Lloyd chose to opt out of the dairy farm to focus on crops.
Kenny has managed Wagler Dairy on his own since 2014, and takes great pride in the strides the farm has made since its humble beginnings with 18 cows.
At the time Kenny bought in, Wagler Dairy owned approximately 100 animals and milked 75 cows, two times a day. Each cow produced close to 50 pounds of milk per day.
Today, Wagler Dairy has grown considerably. Cows are milked three times a day now and produce approximately 90 pounds of milk.
Transponders on their legs let Kenny know vital statistics like how many steps per day each cow takes, how much milk each cow produces each day, and the somatic cell count.“ Fewer steps could mean the cow isn’ t feeling well or is having hoof problems. More steps could mean they are in heat and need to be put in with the bulls,” Kenny said. The somatic cell count helps Kenny know if a cow is having issues with their udder. The higher the count, the greater the chance a section of the udder is infected. A mastitis infection can be devastating to a cow and a dairy farm.
Kenny said he has been able to increase milk production by focusing on animal health, nutrition, and comfort.“ We don’ t want any animal standing for more than three hours a day,” he said.“ We want them to be comfortable, eating the proper nutrition, and feeling free of any stress.”
A hoof specialist visits the farm every three weeks to trim hooves on a rotating basis.“ Keeping the cows’ hooves healthy is vital,” Kenny said.“ If a cow doesn’ t feel well, or her hooves hurt, she will not produce as much milk.”
One fact Kenny is extremely proud of is that the farm has only purchased 13 cows the entire time the family has been farming.
“ We put a lot of focus on our breeding program and buying the right bulls,” he said.“ We look for bulls with good legs and good feet.”
While Kenny has enjoyed the work, the hours have been tough.
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May / June 2022 • Our Brown County 17