A Dairy Dream Come True at Rokeyroad
Near Sabetha, Dwight and Anita Rokey run a small dairy farm that’s been the realization of a big dream. Rokeyroad Holsteins, a first-generation family dairy, has been in operation since 1999. This year, they’re expanding their milk production to include an on-site processing and retail branch called Rokeyroad Creamery.
“We’re what I would consider a small farm,” Dwight said. “We only have about 60 acres, and we rent an additional 300 acres. We're able to raise our own feed for the cows. We produce milk, and now we want to start processing that.”
Their focus is on raising a dairy herd with good genetics that produces high-quality, nutritious dairy products to feed their community.
Rokeyroad Holsteins
Dwight and Anita both grew up on hog, cattle and crop farms before finding a passion for dairy.
“When I was 10 years old, we took a family vacation to Wisconsin,” Dwight recalled. “My mom had some relatives there. One had a tie stall, and he milked cows. I walked into that barn, and my jaw just dropped. I thought, ‘This is so neat. This is what I'm going to do when I get big.’”
He begged his parents for a cow he could milk by hand. They obliged, and Dwight milked that cow and several others through high school before getting busy with various activities. That was the end of his dairy dream, or so Dwight thought, because “you don’t just start a dairy.”
Anita started working at a dairy as a teenager. She milked for local dairymen and enjoyed it. Later, she became the herdswoman for a dairy. When the couple met at church, Dwight was working at a veterinary clinic and would often go help her on the dairy. After they married, Dwight started working part time at the dairy, juggling both jobs. About two years later, Dwight went full time at the dairy. When they started a family, they also started thinking about new possibilities.
“One day we were like, why don't we try this on our own?” he said.
They met with a financial advisor who ran the numbers. His estimates came out exactly at breakeven, and he advised against the venture.
“But we really felt that this is where God was leading us,” Dwight said.
Dwight remembers the day — November 11, 1999 — when he and Anita started milking on their own farm. And they haven’t looked back since.
“We've questioned it a few times,” he laughed.
The journey has been difficult at times, and during lean years Dwight has recalled that early financial advice.
“Sometimes it's just hard,” he said. “You're really stepping out in faith. Farmers do that a lot. It can be challenging.”
But the rewarding aspects of the job win out.
“When you see a new calf born or you take the grandkids out, then you know: I'm where I'm supposed to be,” he said. “When you put a lot of time and effort into genetics or putting up good feed and then see the cows respond to that, see your production excel, it’s very rewarding.”
Dwight takes a big-picture view — thinking of farmers in terms of feeding the world — and with the creamery, he gets to live that mission in his community.
Rokeyroad Creamery
Processing their milk has been a dream for years. He recalled thinking “someday maybe, hopefully” even when they first opened their dairy.
“We've been thinking about this for a long time,” Dwight said. “Whenever we would travel somewhere, if there was a farm that did on-farm processing, we would stop in and talk to them.”
They visited farms across the country, asking how they got started, what products they used and any advice they could offer. It wasn’t until their oldest daughter, Leigha, worked on a dairy farm in Illinois where they processed their milk that the dream seemed possible.
“When she came home, she really reinvigorated that idea,” Dwight said. “We have really good cows and good-quality milk, and we just want to get that to the consumer.”
Here Dwight paused. He didn’t want to put down milk at the store, because he said that’s important and has its place — “it’s good, and it’s healthy” — but having a local dairy sell its milk and other products directly to the consumer has a positive impact in the community.
“We have a passion for people, and we want to serve our local communities with what we do,” he said. “We like that connection, and to provide that for our community is really our main focus for doing it.”
To hear the community’s excitement about the creamery means a lot to Dwight and Anita.
“It’s really rewarding that people are engaged and want to have fresh dairy products. That really drives us,” Dwight said.
A Family Business
Dwight, Anita and Leigha all work on the farm full time. They share chores such a milking and feeding, but they each have an area of expertise.
“My main focus is on the cows and the genetics,” Dwight said. “Anita's main focus is the books, the finances of the farm — paying the bills, keeping track of the milk checks and things like that. Leigha does all the social media stuff. We all care about what the other person is doing, but we're not meddling, if you will, in their business.”
They are busy launching the creamery, handling everything from sourcing to product development. The store will feature cheese and cheese curds, ice cream, whole milk and chocolate milk, plus a yogurt drink. In addition to selling their products at the creamery, they plan to make them available at grocery stores in northeast Kansas and online.
Dwight and Anita have seven children — Leigha, Amanda (married to Marcus), Benton (married to Jodi), Dillon (married to Lillian), Brandon, Jenna and Larae — and four grandchildren — Amanda and Marcus’s children Tyrel and Kiera, and Dillon and Lillian’s children Kipp and Mack. Growing up, the children all helped on the farm. Some have pursued other careers such as running a coffee shop, working in construction, trucking or doing missionary work, but those who live near the farm help by putting up hay or chopping corn silage during busy seasons.
Dwight’s pride for his children is evident. Now he has the pleasure of sharing dairy life with a new generation.
“I had the little 18-month-old boy out this morning, and we were pushing feed to the cows,” he said. “He loves it.”
Advances on the Dairy
Whether sharing the farm with the next generation or adopting new technologies, Dwight and Anita have always had an eye on the future. Sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices are a priority.
“Things are always evolving. There's always new research and new technology,” Dwight said. “We're always looking for ways to improve in what we do. Reusing some of our resources, capturing solar power, reusing water, applying manure to the field for fertilizer — there are so many things we do.”
They’ve upgraded their milking equipment and put in solar panels to help lower their electrical bills. They’ve improved their ventilation systems and incorporated automatic calf feeders. But one aspect that hasn’t changed is their passion for the animals.
“Our main focus has always been the cows,” Dwight said. “We take care of the cows, and we feel like then they'll take care of us. If we do a good job managing them, they'll reward us.”
Part of their care for the cows has included optimizing inputs and outputs — feed and milk quality.
They switched their cows’ feed from a dry hay and grain mix to a total mixed ration, or TMR. TMR combines all elements of a healthy diet for cattle to ensure proper and consistent nutrition.
They also have done genetic testing for A2 protein. There are two types of beta-casein proteins found in milk — A1 and A2. A2 milk, while as nutritious as “regular” milk, is what they plan to use in many of the products they sell at the creamery. They’re also looking at a BB kappa-casein protein, which may help with cheese production.
“All the technology with DNA and genomic testing allows us to better our herd,” Dwight said.
Highly Technical
Dwight doesn’t have a formal education in dairy. His knowledge has been gained from experience and an insatiable curiosity.
“For me, it's continuing education,” he said. “Neither my wife nor I have a college degree. We have such a passion for the cows and for the industry. Where there's a will and a desire, there's a way.”
Dwight keeps up with industry developments by reading the latest news and studies as well as attending conferences and seminars. Both he and Anita have served on the board of the Kansas Dairy Association
“I'm currently vice president of the National Holstein Association, so I'm interacting with the industry a lot,” he said.
Dwight also acts as an ambassador for dairy farming.
“There's nothing I enjoy more than having a consumer come to the farm and showing them what we do, because we care,” he said. “We care about the farm. We care about the land.”
Dwight and Anita’s mission is to provide the best environment for their cows and contribute to their community by producing high-quality protein products.
“There's nothing better to supply protein than a Holstein cow,” he said. “She's producing protein in her milk. She's contributing to the beef market. She's just going to do it all.”
Down the Road
Dwight has come a long way from that first cow he hand-milked when he was 10. While he said he probably wouldn’t enjoy hand-milking the 100 or so cows they keep now, his love for the animals hasn’t changed.
“The interaction with the cows is still important, and I still really enjoy that,” he said.
As a dairy fan, Dwight is more than a business owner. He’s also a customer.
“If I have a hamburger and ice cream, I am pretty happy,” he said.
Want to try some Rokeyroad ice cream and other dairy products for yourself? Follow Rokeyroad on Instagram for updates on their creamery and to learn more about their operation.
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