Bobcat S750s Save Time on the Farm so This Dairyman Can Travel the World

Hank Van Exel, lifelong dairyman and owner of the third-generation farm, believes that if you grow high-quality crops for feed, then you’ll raise healthy, productive cows that in turn produce nutritious, high-quality milk. It’s a smart strategy for the dairy business. “If we do all of that, it gives us an edge over all the people who have to buy large amounts of feed,” says Van Exel, who was awarded his industry’s highest honor in 2015 — the World Dairy Expo Dairyman of the Year award.

To grow enough feed for their herd of 3,000 Jersey and Holstein cows, the family owns 1,000 acres of cropland and farms an additional 1,300 acres. They grow corn, alfalfa, wheat, triticale and ryegrass. In the temperate California climate, the Van Exels can harvest two crops of wheat each year, doubling their production. In addition to feed crops, the family also raises 80 acres of grapes for the thriving California wine industry. This year, they’re hoping to expand their grape crop to 130 acres.

With several dairy farm locations, Van Exel has a team of 40 people, including his children and their spouses, to help with the work. Hank’s son, Adam, and two daughters are the third generation to work on the farm, which was started by his father and mother — Adam and Pietje — after World War II. His parents emigrated to the United States from Holland in 1951 and started the dairy in 1954 with just 30 cows.

“My parents milked the cows by hand. They did everything, all the work, by themselves. I think they were one of the greatest generations ever,” Van Exel says. “They could accomplish a lot just by working really hard.”