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Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, L.L.C.

History

The Kleinpeter Family endured many hardships before coming to Baton Rouge on August 12, 1774 from Switzerland by way of Pennsylvania. Like many families, religious persecution is what prompted them to find a new home. Traveling by flatboat down the Ohio River, then the Mississippi River, they landed in Baton Rouge with the Sharp and Ory families. Landing in St. Gabriel near the St. Gabriel Catholic Church, they soon after relocated to the area now defined by Highland and Perkins Roads.

When the Cows First Came

In early 1913 Sebastian Louis Kleinpeter, also known as "Sib" and Leon Kleinpeter, Sr., known as 'Papa', started a small local dairy business by rounding up and milking 'woods' cows. In late 1913 Sib and Papa Kleinpeter traveled to Wisconsin and purchased two boxcar loads of Guernsey cows. On the train trip back to Louisiana, Sib and Papa traveled with the fifty cows which became the heart of the Kleinpeter herd, stopping every 300 to 400 miles to feed and water the cows. An LSU professor told them that they would give the 'best milk in the world' if fed corn silage and cotton seed for protein, a practice Kleinpeter still follows today. The Kleinpeter reputation grew, and Leon Kleinpeter incorporated the current dairy operation in 1913. The dairy was run by Leon's five sons, with the support of another brother, pediatrician Lawrence Kleinpeter, along with five sisters and mother, "Nang". From 1913 until four of the brothers retired in 1987, the dairy continued to grow and prosper.

Buying the Farm

In 1982, the original farm ceased operations, due to a southward expansion of the city. Kleinpeter Dairy continued to process raw milk purchased from local Louisiana independent dairy farmers. In 1997, Ben Kleinpeter purchased 1600 acres in Montpelier, Louisiana, and re-opened Kleinpeter Farm. The farm currently milks 700 cows twice a day and is a state-of-the art facility, incorporating the latest in dairy science, agriculture and conservation practices. Kleinpeter Farm is the only farm in Louisiana to be Certified Humane by the American Humane Association for the way the cows are treated. Such a high premium is placed on animal care that a current Kleinpeter television campaign mentions that ‘We love our cows’.

Kleinpeter Today

The fourth generation of Kleinpeters to run the operation and lead the team of 130 employees are brother and sister, Jeff Kleinpeter and Sue Anne Kleinpeter Cox. Jeff became President in 2004 and Sue Anne serves as Secretary-Treasurer. They feel the legacy of the sacrifices and hard work of the generations who came before them, and they work hard every day to prepare the way for those who come after them. Kleinpeter Dairy was built on the current site at Airline Highway and Barringer Foreman Road in 1955 and is the site of continual improvement. The current line of Kleinpeter products includes milk, orange juice, butter, oleo, eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, coffee, tea, punch and empty containers made on-site for other companies as well as our own, a service that was added in 2005.

Local Touch

Kleinpeter Dairy is well positioned to benefit from eating-local trends; Louisianians and other Americans have been turning toward locally sourced products to support their communities economically, celebrate regional uniqueness and reduce the carbon footprint of the foods they eat. Kleinpeter promotes the local aspect of their business. In addition to purchasing milk from smaller dairy farms-all of which adhere to Kleinpeter’s rigorous practices-to shore up its own supply, Kleinpeter Dairy has forged partnerships with many other Louisiana companies for its ice cream flavors. Aunt Sally’s provides the defining ingredient for Pralines & Cream, Elmer’s Candy for Gold Brick, Bruce Foods of New Iberia for Sweet Potato Pie, Community Coffee for Café au Lait and Bergeron Pecan Co. for Butter Pecan. Naturally, Kleinpeter’s Strawberry ice cream uses Ponchatoula strawberries, and almost all flavors are sweetened with Louisiana cane sugar.

Dairy Cow Husbandry

Herd

Originally the Kleinpeters milked only Guernsey cows, but today the herd consists of Holstein, Jersey and Guernsey cows. The herd has approximately twenty-three percent Jersey, five percent Guernsey, and Holstein makes up the majority of the herd with about seventy-two percent. Mature herds are kept in a pasture and fed a specially formulated diet to prepare them for pregnancy. Ideally, a mature cow would be expected to give birth once every thirteen months. Lactating herds are kept in free-stall barns where they have daily access to exercise lots. Genetics, breed, environmental conditions and diet all play a role in the health and production of dairy animals. Three main things the farm does to enhance the longevity of the herd is to provide each animal with creature comforts, a nutritional diet and care. Once a cow is no longer productive, she is taken to a livestock auction for a slaughter-only sale. None are sold to the public, and none are reused for the production of meat.

Barns and Pastures

Beds in the milking barn are leveled with fresh dirt and bedded with Louisiana rice hulls. This is a recycled material from Falcon Rice Mill (Crowley, LA). Dairy cows spend eight to sixteen hours lying so bedding is very important. Previous work has shown dairy cows tend to spend more time lying on softer surfaces as opposed to harder surfaces. Lying times are lower and standing times higher when dairy cattle are forced to use hard surfaces, specifically concrete. The Kleinpeters are aware of these findings, and take studies such as those into consideration when choosing the bedding for the cattle. A combination of non-chemical procedures is used for parasite control which limits the need for pesticides and herbicides at the facility. One non-chemical procedure used is the mowing of pastures and periodic removal of wastes to decrease the presence of an excessive fly population. Flies may be vectors for bacteria associated with mastitis. Hydrotaea irritans is a vector for the bacteria associated with summer mastitis.

Milking Facility

A herringbone parlor is used to milk the lactating cows. The cows stand on an elevated platform in an angled or herringbone fashion facing away from the operator area. This exposes enough of the back half of the cow to allow access to milk her from the side and room for an arm type detacher and associated equipment. The parlor location allows cows to enter single file as a group directly into either side of the parlor. On completion of milking the cows exit rapidly but orderly by walking straight ahead and out of the parlor. The milking process at the parlor is choreographed and includes teat and udder sanitation, effective stimulation, and appropriate prep-lag times. A 1% iodine solution is used as a pre and post teat dip to prevent bacterial infections of the udders.

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Diet

The bulk of acreage at the farm is used for the production of forage; none of which are genetically modified. Winter-grown rye grass, spring-grown corn silage and summer-grown dry hay are the predominant forages for the dairy cows at Kleinpeter Farms Dairy. The Farm Director and a nutritionist work together to formulate the rations and diet for each and every cow. This ensures the cows receive the proper nutrition needed for growth, health and milk production.

Offspring

Replacement Animals

From birth, each cow is given both a number and name that sticks with them throughout their life. A name is given for individuality, and the number is used for an electronic transponder. Electronic identification of cattle usually referred to as RFID (radiofrequency identification) enable improvement of disease control and eradication. The devices have sensor technologies for automatic monitoring of animal health and performance. Baby calves are born without immunity, and receive their milk from their mothers to obtain passive immunity. Feeding colostrum is essential to the health and survival of the calf. There is a tremendous need to provide an optimal mass of IgG to calves prior to “closure” of the intestine that occurs at approximately 24 hours of age. At Kleinpeter Farms Dairy calves are removed from their mothers thirty minutes to an hour after birth. They are nursed from an esophageal feeder to ensure they have the immunity needed to have a healthy life. The use of the esophageal feeder to feed large quantities of colostrum has been associated with reduced AEA and slightly lower serum IgG concentration compared with colostrum administered by nipple bottle. Replacement animals are raised in a facility similar to a free-stall barn. It is composed of elevated hutches and a manure alley that is flushed multiple times a day. Human access to the calf barn is limited to minimize the possibility of passing infections.

Male Calves

Male calves are only kept at the farm for one to two weeks and are then taken to auction. Artificial insemination is used to impregnate the cows, and for this reason male offspring are not raised at the facility. Constantly improving genetics have allowed the utilization of sex semen to increase the chance of having a female birth. Males with superior genetics are purchased from reputable producers, and placed with pregnant females in the case of an aborted pregnancy.

Animal Health

All cattle treatments are within American Humane Certified "Dairy Cattle- Animal Welfare Standards". Animals with illnesses are separated from other animals in a hospital bin until they are healthy enough to return to the herd. The facility uses only dairy-approved treatment, and they are knowledgeable of every medicinal treatment, residue issues and the amount of time it remains in the carcass of the cattle. Before returning to the milking facility every treated cow is given an antibody test, and must test negative for antibodies for five days before their return.

Environmental Consciousness

The Kleinpeter family takes various steps to minimize the impact their dairy practices have on the environment. Rye grass and hay crops are stored in bags and sealed to prevent runoff. Soil sampling is conducted on the farm to minimize the amount of commercial fertilizers used, and to decrease soil depletion. Chemical use at the farm is limited by triple cropping the acreage, and rotating the acreage for insect and weed control. None of the crops grown at the facility are genetically modified. Anything the facility can recycle is recycled. This includes containers, cardboard and fluorescent bulbs. The carbon footprint of the company is minimized by having only one milk truck leave the facility a day per area of business and consumers.

Water Recycling System

Water at the facility is recycled to minimize the dairy farm and processing plant's environmental impact. The water is first used clean the free-stall barns and flush manure down center alleys or concrete catch basin. From there, the combination of slurry is pumped over a manure extractor that separates solids from liquids. The liquids go to a holding pond (lagoon) where they are reused. When the level of the lagoon is high, the liquids are applied to fields for irrigation, and to decrease the amount of water needed to grow crops. On the other hand, solids are applied to fields for organic material and fertilizer to increase the water holding capacity. Recycled water can replace fertilizer use, which cuts costs for the farmer and ensures recycling of nutrients that could otherwise be harmful to the environment.

External Links

http://www.kleinpeterdairy.com/Main.aspx http://www.americanhumane.org/