Brickstead Dairy to host Brown County June dairy breakfast

GREENLEAF, Wis. – While many on-farm June dairy breakfasts were either cancelled or scaled back the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the events are returning to a more normal format this year, including in Brown County.

One of the earliest is the Brown County Breakfast on the Farm, Sunday, June 5, at Brickstead Dairy, 1734 Wayside Road, in rural Greenleaf, hosted by Dan and Melanie Brick.

Activities will begin with a 7 a.m. church service, followed by breakfast served from 8 a.m. to noon. The meal includes eggs, sausage, pancakes, maple syrup, mozzarella sticks, cheese curds, cheese samples, yogurt, bagels & cream cheese and milk.

Advance tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for children ages 5 to 10, children age 4 and under are free. The day of the event adult tickets will be $10, and $5 for children ages  5 to 10.

Those coming for the meal also will have the opportunity to take a ride-along tour featuring portions of the farm, view the various animals, see the milking parlor, enjoy a dairy treat at the ice cream stand and see a display of farm machinery that’s used to plant and harvest crops. The Brown County Bookmobile will be on hand, along with other educational displays.

The Kid’s Zone will feature a play area, petting zoo, plus interactive games and activities for kids to learn the value of agriculture and how it affects our quality of life. Kids also will have the opportunity to have their picture taken with a calf.

The farm was established in 1848, and in 1996 Dan Brick became the fifth generation on the family farm when he partnered with his father, Gene. Over the years, the dairy herd has grown from 20 to its current population of 900 cows.

Brick not only cares about the animals on his farm, but he is also passionate about the land he farms and is dedicated to sharing his environmental journey with fellow farmers and members of the local community. 

Conservation and cow comfort are at the heart of Brickstead Dairy’s mission, and drive the decision-making and vision. Brickstead Dairy also now has a farm-to-table online store offering high-quality beef.

Crops include corn, grain and winter rye. “Our goal is to interseed  cover crops between our rows of corn,” Brick said. “I think we need to be able to do that to get a good cover crop established. We’re also working on ways to better incorporate our manure to prevent runoff and gain additional nutrients for our crops.”

The June Dairy event also will feature demonstrations on sustainability and cover crops. Brickstead Dairy is a Fox River Watershed demonstration farm, part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funded project designed to showcase and demonstrate conservation practices to improve water quality by reducing phosphorus and sediment from entering the Fox River and Green Bay.

Brick’s wife, Melanie, is a social worker for the DePere School District. The couple have three sons, Sawyer and twins Elijah and Ian who they hope will be part of the sixth generation to farm the land. When not at the farm, the family often can be found assisting studentst and families in need, as well as volunteering within the local community.

For more information on the 2022 Brown County Breakfast on the Farm, and to purchase advance tickets online, go to browncountydairypromotions.com