Photo by Jim Tate Amanda Schied, left, is an integral part of the Plaetz organic dairy operation in rural Wabasso. She is shown with her parents, Bruce and Sherry Plaetz.

Bruce Plaetz is following in his father Louis’ footsteps as a dairy farmer. There’s one big difference, however — Bruce is an organic dairy farmer.

“We went organic 15 years ago,” said Plaetz, sitting around the family’s kitchen table one morning with his wife, Sherry, and their daughter Amanda Schied.

Amanda has been helping her father on the farm for six years, since she and her husband, Brian, moved to the area from Harrisburg, S.D. Brian works in IT for Schwan’s, and Amanda is an integral part of the dairy operation at the home farm site where she was raised. “I grew up being around dairy farming,” she said.

The Plaetz farm consists of 320 acres a few miles northwest of Wabasso. Bruce and Amanda milk 70 cows, and sell the product to Organic Valley from La Farge, Wisconsin.

Why the move to being an organic dairy?

It’s pretty simple, said Bruce — “financial. The conventional milk market is up and down and all over; with organic, they set the price at the start of the year. They control the supply, to the point where there’s now a shortage (of organic milk). The conventional market is volatile, it always has been.”

And though Plaetz said he’s gone organic 15 years ago, “we’d been mostly organic anyway” said Amanda.

They take great pride in being an organic dairy. No antibiotics or chemicals are used in their operation. Instead, they take a “homeopathic approach,” said Bruce. That includes honey, vinegar, garlic, essential oils and kelp, among others.

“The neighbors are very considerate as far as when they spray, things like that,” he said.

Amanda lives just one mile to the west of her father. She and Brian have three children: Jaxon, Harper and Mason. She grew up helping her father around the farm.

“When she was little, I’d tell her she could help around the house, or help her dad. She chose helping her dad,” said Sherry. Amanda chuckles at the memory, nodding her head affirmatively. “Been doing it a long time,” she said.

And while technology has made dairy farming less work than the early days when his father was milking cows, one thing remains a constant — the time commitment.

Bruce, Amanda and Sherry have seen the effects of “stray voltage issues” that can affect the health of the cows.

“It’s the nature of the beast,” said Bruce. “I’ve seen stray current kill calves, it affects their immune system, where they don’t eat or drink,” said Amanda.

It’s a fact that there are less farms in the rural areas today, and there are some giant operations that require a lot of electricity — thus the stray voltage possibility, explained Bruce.

Bruce and Sherry are the parents of four children: Amanda is the youngest; Dan and Matt both live in Sioux Falls, and Andy lives just five miles away and owns Wabasso Plumbing.

The day’s first milking occurs at 4:45 a.m. The second milking is at 4:20 p.m., she said. The milk is collected every-other-day by Organic Valley. Their farm is just one of two dairy operations in Redwood County, said Bruce.

“The conventional dairy industry is trying to get rid of the small guy,” he said.

There have been emergency situations over the years when the children have been called to help, but those are few, said Sherry.

“Everyone knows how to do the other jobs, when necessary,” she said.

Faith runs deep in the family. Bruce, Sherry and Amanda are members of St. Anne Catholic Church in Wabasso.

“Faith is important — trust in God,” said Bruce. “There’s good crops this year, and they’re good because of rain and sunshine, you must look to God and realize we are just a small part of this. When God gives you gifts, you still have to give back.”

They point to a supportive St. Anne Church membership and friends, who have raised $12.5 million in just two years for the construction of a new K-6 Catholic grade school in Wabasso, with an anticipated ground-breaking next spring.

Bruce said organic dairy farming is a “niche market” but said it’s also a growing one. He had someone from near Sleepy Eye come by recently and talk to him about going organic.

It’s a day-in, day-out commitment, and days off are rare. “We have someone who can help out (when needed),” said Bruce. “No one wants to be tied down today.”