Erin Grawe holds up a handful of feed Saturday while discussing with children what the cows at Daluge Farm are fed during a farm camp at the farm just south of Janesville.
Erin Grawe leads a group of children on a dairy farm tour as they attend the farm camp at the Daluge Farm just south of Janesville on Saturday. Sisters Erin Grawe and Megan Daluge created the farm camps at their family’s dairy farm where they help their father Peter Daluge with milking 140 cows on 170 acres.
Kashton Sura checks out the front seat of a tractor during a farm camp at the Daluge Farm just south of Janesville on Saturday while dairy farmer Peter Daluge supervises.
A new building at the Daluge Farm will be utilized as a meeting place for its farm camps and might eventually house items for sale from Frayed Edges Boutique, the clothing company sisters Megan Daluge and Erin Grawe run.
Erin Grawe holds up a handful of feed Saturday while discussing with children what the cows at Daluge Farm are fed during a farm camp at the farm just south of Janesville.
Erin Grawe leads a group of children on a dairy farm tour as they attend the farm camp at the Daluge Farm just south of Janesville on Saturday. Sisters Erin Grawe and Megan Daluge created the farm camps at their family’s dairy farm where they help their father Peter Daluge with milking 140 cows on 170 acres.
Kashton Sura checks out the front seat of a tractor during a farm camp at the Daluge Farm just south of Janesville on Saturday while dairy farmer Peter Daluge supervises.
A new building at the Daluge Farm will be utilized as a meeting place for its farm camps and might eventually house items for sale from Frayed Edges Boutique, the clothing company sisters Megan Daluge and Erin Grawe run.
JANESVILLE—For more than 100 years, the Daluge Farm has operated south of Janesville. Now, sisters Megan Daluge and Erin Grawe are helping keep local youngsters’ interest in agriculture alive with their Milkin’ Mamas farm camp.
The sisters have remained working on the farm at 3719 S. County G. In 2019, they added the camp for children interested in farm life. Mini Farm Camp is for 5- to 6-year-olds while 7- to 11-year-olds can sign up for a weeklong Farm Camp.
A day at camp Saturday started with the sisters giving a tour of their farm and telling the campers about their cows and agriculture in general. Megan Daluge showed the children the total mixed ration feed the cows eat and told them about Rock County’s biggest crop, soybeans, which is part of the cows’ daily meal. Daluge told the campers to repeat after her and say, “Soybean” trying that a few times with increasing enthusiasm.
The family’s dog, Lucy, also joined the tour.
Camp participants enjoyed ice cream donated by the Rock County Dairy Promotion Council, of which Megan is president. Dairy producer Prairie Farms has also donated milk for campers to drink.
“The next generation is just so far removed from farm life. It’s nice to get them out there,” Megan Daluge said.
The Daluge Farm milks 140 cows on 170 acres. The sisters’ father, Peter Daluge, is still head of the farm. Megan jokes that he will never fully retire, but the family is working on a succession plan. Erin’s husband, Tristan, also works full-time on the farm.
The family has no plans to expand its dairy operation, Megan said, believing that keeping it small will maintain its quality. But it does envision the farm camp growing.
Upcoming camp dates are July 13 to 15, July 19 to 22, Aug. 2 to 5 and Aug. 9 to 12.
The sisters also have a clothing boutique they are hoping to expand into a building planned to go on the farm. Frayed Edges Boutique is currently sells items online only, but the storefront is coming soon. You can also find the sisters on Instagram, where they post about farm life and their clothing line.
