L to R: Kevin Peterson, Brad Peterson & Michelle Reuter

In the Kinnickinnic River Valley, the Peterson Family Dairy farm has been milking cows and working the land for four generations. The farm is currently run by siblings Brad Peterson, Michelle Reuter and Kevin Peterson who bought the farm from their parents Roger and Bev Peterson in 2023. For their farm sustainability is a lifestyle, it is the way to ensure the farm will continue to succeed for generations to come.

“Sustainability is a major part of our farm,” Brad says, “You have to preserve what you have in order to get it to produce. The farm has to be productive in case any of our children have any interest in farming in the future.”

The family farm currently milks 300 cows and grows 2,000 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa. They practice sustainability by growing their own forages, implementing nitrogen management in their soil, planting cover crops, feeding local byproducts and reclaiming their sand bedding with a sand separator system.

“We are efficient for the land use,” says Kevin. Their current sustainability practices are effective, and the farm is already looking ahead for more.

The next chapter in the farm’s sustainability story is implementing an anaerobic digester. An outside firm approached the Peterson Family Farm to work together in putting a digester on the farm to take manure from the dairy and outside local food waste as inputs. Then it will take the methane gas and put it into a major gas line. The rest of the compost and waste will stay on the farm for the Petersons to use as bedding for their cows and fertilizer for their fields. Michelle explains, “We’re already going to create the methane gas, now we’re just able to capture it and utilize it.”

The methane gas produced is projected to heat 10,000 homes while diverting local food waste from landfills to enhance the community. The valuable fertilizer will help the Petersons cut down on commercial fertilizer use in their fields.

Another big sustainability piece across the dairy industry is cow efficiency. As cow comfort, health and cleanliness increases, so does productivity.

“The nice thing is that you can produce way more food for way less carbon footprint. We have three times the productivity out of the same cows,” says Brad.

When the kids’ 98-year-old grandfather, Leroy, was farming the cows were producing 30 pounds of milk a day each. Most recently, their cows were milking 107 pounds of milk in one day. Brad says, “You have way less cows producing a lot more milk.”

For the Petersons, every step toward sustainability and efficiency is important. Brad, Michelle and Kevin are farming with the fifth generation in mind while valuing the community and environment.

“I would just like to invite anyone who’s not from a farm to reach out and visit a farm. To see what farming is because I think it would surprise a lot of people,” says Michelle.

Watch an exclusive video interview below.