Farm-fresh breakfast brings out thousands

More than 4,000 people had the same idea — have breakfast with the family, visit friends and learn a few things about a successful local dairy farm.

David, Connie, Jacob and Erin Viergutz hosted the Shawano County Farm Bureau’s Brunch on the Farm on June 26 at their farm, Triple D Dairy, north of Clintonville. The farm, located at N12098 County Road D, has been in the Viergutz family for 150 years.

The crowd included Stacy Sites, of Cudahy, who brought her daughters, Natalie and Isabella, and her parents.

“We’re originally from Cudahy and have been coming up to Shawano for 30-plus years,” she said. “My husband’s family is from Tigerton, so we’re up in the area often. We decided to take a long weekend, come up and have a good breakfast.”

The breakfast included scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, sausages, hash browns, cheese curds, cinnamon bread with butter, milk, juice and ice cream sundaes.

“I think it’s pretty well organized,” Sites said. “It’s very good food, and we’re excited to look at the activities after we eat.”

Brunch on the Farm has been a tradition in Shawano County for more than 35 years and moves around the county each year. The Viergutzes also hosted the event in 1989 and 2006.

The day began with the Dairy Dash and Stroll 5K Run/Walk. Ryan Jadin turned in the fastest overall time of 19:44.2, while Monica Lucht had the top time among females, as she crossed the finish line in 24:57.4.

The event also included a church service, wagon rides and farm tours, a petting zoo, activities for kids and live music.

Several vendors also handed out food samples and agriculture-related information.

Brooke Sperberg manned a table for Waupaca County’s Farm Service Agency office that included brochures and games for kids.

Farms across the state hold dairy breakfasts in June as part of June Dairy Month.

“They’re important to get the community understanding what ag is all about,” Sperberg said. “A lot of the general public don’t understand where their food comes from and how it’s grown. This event helps people get connected to their local farmers and ranchers.”

As soon as they were finished eating, Sites and her daughters and parents wandered around the farm.

“Beautiful day. The sun is shining; perfect weather,” she said. “You couldn’t ask for anything better.”