Dispatches: Albertville Dairy Farm Survives Urbanization

The other morning, Kristen Berning rose out of bed to her son, Anthony, nearly 3, telling her there were cows in the front yard.

"I said, 'Yeah, Anthony. The cows are in the cow yard!' But he pointed out the window, and there they were," she said with a laugh.

Dairy cows have a sense of humor.

Tom and Kristen Berning do, too. They can smile about the more than 200 rooftops in the development directly across the road from their 119-acre farm off of 80th Street, just north of the Albertville/Otsego border. They watched the suburban explosion bring homes of all shapes, colors and sizes, nearly to their front yard.

"The houses started, and we just watched them coming," Tom said. "The outlet mall really started it all."

"I think the biggest change for us was the traffic, and the people," Kristen said. "Hearing the cars, instead of the cows. That really changed."

Tom, 37, said he kept going because no developers really looked across 80th Street, which has wound up being the defacto northern border for the Towne Lakes and adjoining Albertville developments north of Interstate 94.

"I think, if you got it zoned right, you'd look at it. But as long as it's zoned ag, we'll keep going," Tom said.

With 80 milk cows and 60 heifers, the Berning's dairy operation is small, but it has a deep history. Tom's great grandfather, of course, farmed at Berning's Mill. His grandfather moved north, away from the river, and started the current farm east of Wright County 19 about 75 years ago, Tom said. They've stayed ever since.

"Business has been good ... this year," Tom said. "It's always very volatile. Two years ago was really tough for a lot of people. The last two years, I guess, have gone well."

That volatility is why some dairy farmers bailed on their operation when development came calling.

"Imagine having your salaray cut in half for a year, or maybe two," Tom said. "Then you bounce back. That's kind of how this works."

Kristen, meanwhile, works in human resources at the University of Minnesota. She grew up on a beef farm, and never expected to be raising her family on a dairy farm.

"I kind of had visions of living in a city, especially after going to the U of M," she said. "But things change."

Tom and Kristen, 35, said their life is like a lot of two income families. They have two children in daycare. They try to find time to enjoy as a family.

"Vacations are pretty limited," Kristen said. "There are always chores."

"I think we're probably not much different than any other two-income family. There's alwasy something going on," Tom said.

Today, it's checking a silo filled with hay, and cutting alfalfa in a nearby field. Meanwhile, a hired hand, John, brings the cows into a new milk parlor for the 11 a.m. milking.

"The technology has changed things a lot," Kristen said. "I'm amazed at the changes in farming from when I was growing up. It's way more productive."

"The process is very much the same," Tom said, looking at what he does every day. "You have better feed, better health care for the cows. There's still volatility, but technology has helped."

And with that, Tom is back in his tractor, off to cut another field.

About Dispatches: Every day, the media is full of stories about how American families, businesses and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. Whether it’s unemployment, the cost of education and healthcare, foreclosures, government budget cuts at all levels, the debate over raising taxes or the aging of America—as politicians and the media talk about these issues, we know they’re personally affecting the way many area residents live, think and feel.

At Patch, we want to bring the discussion to a local level and better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.