Who wants ice cream for breakfast? While it may not be standard or traditional breakfast fare, there is one day each year that it is allowed. This year that day is Friday, June 17th when the Casey O’Reilly family of Goodhue will be hosting the annual Breakfast On The Farm event from 7-11 a.m. Of course more than just ice cream will be offered for breakfast, there will also be an egg bake, donuts, and milk. The Ellsworth Co-Op Creamery will be deep frying cheese curds or you can opt for cheese sticks or other dairy treats. Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Anna Euerle, and Goodhue County Dairy Princesses will be on hand to serve and answer questions. KCUE radio will be broadcasting live at the farm for their morning on air broadcast from 6:00 am – 10:00 am.
The organizing committee and the O’Reilly’s have been busy preparing for the annual event that has drawn crowds of up to 1,700 people. Having gone to a drive-thru program the past 2 years due to the Covid pandemic, they are excited to be going back to an on-farm format. There will be something for everyone including kids’ games and other favorites such as tub train rides and a petting zoo. Tractors and farm equipment will be on display and the Ag Cab Lab tractor driving simulator will be on site. You can try your hand at milking a cow and enter the calf naming contest.
The host family consists of Casey and Kim and their three boys, Carsyn, Cayden and Jack O’Reilly who are all active on the dairy. The boys are fourth generation farm workers helping with everything from daily chores to field work. The farm, located at 33456 200th Avenue, Red Wing, was started in 2009 after Casey and Kim built their milking facilities and brought 76 cows across the field from Casey’s family farm, Shamrock Farms. The operation is all organic, currently milking 100 cows twice a day and running 320 acres of land. They hosted Breakfast On The Farm in 2011 and are looking forward to doing it again this year.
The goal of this event is to educate consumers and the community on the positive impacts the dairy industry has in Goodhue County and to the overall economy. It is a way to get people out on the farm to experience firsthand how dairy farmers take the health and comfort of their cattle very seriously and work hard to produce high quality products to feed your family. Farmers also take great care of their land to ensure it is available, and will remain as high quality as it is today, for many generations to come. “We encourage people to take their time, look around and ask questions,” Kim said.
Breakfast on the farm is a fun, yet educational event for the whole family. And, let’s be honest, we all want ice cream for breakfast. The event is free and sponsored by local dairy farmers through the Goodhue County Dairy Association, KCUE radio, Organic Valley Cooperative and local businesses. Onsite parking is limited but there will be bus service beginning at 6:35 a.m. and running continuously until 10:30 a.m. with pick up and drop off points at both the Goodhue and Red Wing high schools. Hiawatha Transit will be offering rides from Red Wing to the school at a minimum cost. Please direct any questions to Kristin Schrimpf at 651-380-8293 or Ann Buck at 651-764-3087.
