Bremer Farms feeds and educates the community

By Brooke Shepherd

Bremer Farms is a 270acre family owned and operated dairy farm in Hastings, Minn.

John and Janet Bremer run the farm, purchased by John’s parents back in 1952. John’s father, Roy Bremer, died in 2021. His mother, Karen, still helps with the operation daily, feeding calves and doing general farm chores.

Bremer Farms started as a 200acre, threecow operation. They have grown to a herd of 130 Holstein cows. Janet Bremer is a sixthgeneration dairy farmer, and John Bremer is a fifthgeneration farmer. Together they have two children, Michael and Sara, who both help alongside their fulltime jobs.

“I joke around that farming has been in my blood my whole life,” said Janet Bremer. “Whenever we had family get togethers it was like well, we have to be done by 4 in the afternoon because everybody has to go home to milk cows. It’s always been a part of my life and I didn’t realize the importance of farming until I was older.”

The Bremer’s raise calves, care for their milking herd, sell bull calves to other local farms, and raise steers to be sold for beef. They milk every day at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m., with no exceptions.

“We take a lot of pride in providing quality food to people,” said Janet Bremer. “We know it’s a good, clean, safe product. I enjoy that we get to work side by side with family. We never heard our kids say they were bored growing up, because there’s always something to do.”

The milk produced on their farm is taken by a truck every other day. The Bremer’s work in partnership with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), who take the milk to processing plants to become butter, cheese, ice cream, and a variety of other products.

“Because we are feeding a community of people, there are a lot of regulations that we follow,” said Janet Bremer. “Whether it be in how we handle our fields, our animals or milk, all of that is state and federally regulated. Sometimes it can be a challenge, yet a lot of the rules in place are for the good of everyone.”

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, people in the U.S. are on average at least three generations removed from farming. Janet and John Bremer are both strong advocates for the dairy and agricultural industries, and said many people misunderstand what they do.

Janet Bremer is active on social media, and posts information on Facebook and Instagram of daytoday operations on the farm to help build understanding and transparency for the public.

“It’s one of those fields where if we don’t tell our own story, who’s going to share it?” said Janet Bremer. “I think it’s important to get the word out there of what we’re doing and why.”

The Bremer’s have a YouTube channel, called My Barnyard View, where Janet Bremer has made dozens of Storytime videos for children, as well as some content showing different aspects of the farm.

Besides working on the farm, Janet Bremer is also the Minnesota Dairy Princess Coordinator. She works with the Princess Kay of the Milky Way program. She is also the treasurer of Nininger Township, and John Bremer is the chairman of the planning commission for the township.

Janet Bremer said her family enjoys farming, and that no matter the size of the operation, the end goal should be the same. One difference with the smaller dairy farms is that the Bremer’s have many pet cows. For John Bremer, he said watching crops grow and seeing baby calves always feels new to him. He also loves spending time outdoors.

For more information about Bremer Farms, visit mybarnyardview.blogspot.co m. Janet Bremer also posts regularly on the Facebook page My Barnyard View. All other social media is linked on their website.

Cows from Bremer Farms are milked at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily, no exception. Photo courtesy of Janet Bremer

Mike, Sara, Janet, and John Bremer all work together to operate Bremer Farms. Photo courtesy of Janet Bremer

A fifth-generation farmer, John Bremer plants corn. He said watching crops grow always feels new to him. Photo courtesy of Janet Bremer