Hamletts ready for huge Hay Expo crowd
By By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 06/17/2010 9:14 AM
E-mail article | Print version
ARLINGTON, Iowa — Matt and Jana Hamlett are preparing for 6,000 to 8,000 guests June 16-17.
The couple and their employees will host the Farm Progress Hay Expo on the farm located along Highway 3 west of Strawberry Point.
The Hamletts have some idea what to expect because they hosted the event in 2006. In 1991, the Hay Expo was at Matt's father's farm near Arlington.
Matt said show organizers really liked the location in 2006. The fields are flat, and it's along a major highway.
The Hamletts farm 800 acres of corn, soybeans and hay. Some of the ground is double-cropped. When corn silage is harvested, they seed rye, which they feed. When that is taken down in the spring, they no-till plant soybeans.
The Hamletts milk 250 cows, mostly Holsteins.
Matt is a third-generation dairy farmer. His grandfather, Forest Hamlett, started milking registered Holsteins during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Jana was raised on a farm in Marshall County. Both graduated from Iowa State University, Matt in dairy science and Jana in Family and Consumer Sciences. They met while Matt was working at a bank in Marshalltown, and Jana was an ISU senior.
They started dairy farming in 1986 — first in partnership with Matt's father and brothers. In 1992, each brother started his own dairy-crop operation.
The couple has two daughters. Jaclyne graduated from ISU and works for a Waterloo TV station. Her husband, Stacy Heller, also an ISU graduate, is an engineer with John Deere in Waterloo. Daughter Jeann, graduated from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C., and works in Vancouver as a health systems counselor.
The Hamletts' herdsman is Tom Falck, who with his wife, Krista, have worked with the Hamletts for 10 years. Tom's dad, Larry Falck, also works part-time ont the farm. Tom is in charge of equipment maintenance.
Justin Steffens was hired as assistant herdsman this spring after graduating from ISU. Steffens and Tom Falck work full-time and there are six to eight part-time employees.
Jana spends much of her time with the family's growing horse operation.
Their five Belgians. Dick, Duke, Bert and Ernie, comprise the 4-up hitch that employee Jeff Mueller drives in area parades. He also provides wagon rides for youngsters who attend a nearby Bible Camp. Big Mike, another Belgian, pulls a cart or can be ridden. They also have 23 saddle horses. Jana coordinates the Bible camp's ranch hand camp and donates her time and horses.
"It's our tithe," Jana said. "We enjoy it, and it's also a great way to educate young people about agriculture and livestock."
Matt recently began devoting more time to developing high-end genetics. He purchased Ridle-Side Tina Lee-Red-Et, an 8-year-old Red and White Holstein who was unanimous All American Red and White winter calf in 2003 and winter yearling in 2004, and 2003 and 2004 Junior Champion of the Grand International. He bought the cow in partnership with Jaclyne and Stacy and is doing in-vitro fertilization work with Trans Ova Genetics through the Postville Veterinary Clinic. He has also been buying higher genomic-type animals.
The Hamletts milk in a double-10 herringbone parlor. Matt is a stickler for milk quality and trains employees in proper parlor procedures to maintain quality. They have won milk quality awards every year since 1986. Their somatic cell count stays around 100,000 to 120,000.
"We have good employees," Jana said.
Matt's New Holland FR9040 self propelled forage chopper is slated to arrive this week. He has already been asked to do some custom chopping. Another recent addition is a New Holland 15-foot Discbine mower-conditioner.