367 | Golden E Dairy: Building Dreams From the Ground Up
On the Uplevel Dairy Podcast, Peggy Coffeen visits with the family behind Golden E Dairy in Kewaskum, Wisconsin, where first-generation farmers Chris and Tracey Elbe describe building their dairy from a 64-stall stanchion barn and 250 acres into a self-sufficient enterprise milking 2,900 cows, raising calves, heifers, and steers on site, and operating grain handling and soybean roasting.
Chris recounts starting at age nine with calves as pay, learning through hardship, and taking calculated risks to expand from tie-stalls to a parlor and freestalls, then a modern facility with a double-32. Tracey, a former X-ray tech, shares adapting from city life, raising four children who all stayed in the business, and the challenge of letting go during transition. They emphasize hard work, listening to experienced people, strong employees, communication through weekly meetings, and concerns about land costs driven by non-farm uses.
This episode is sponsored by Compeer Financial.
Compeer Financial is a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural America. Their dairy team brings world-class expertise and tailored solutions to support dairy producers’ financial goals and lending needs.
Visit https://www.compeer.com/specialists/dairy
00:00 From Nothing to Golden E
01:42 Chris Starts With Calves
03:07 Hard Lessons and Bankruptcy
03:54 Buying the First Farm
06:11 Tie Stall Grind to Parlor
07:23 Scaling to 2900 Cows
09:06 Tracey Finds Her Place
10:04 Raising Kids on the Farm
12:39 Family Roles and Mentors
16:54 Taking Smart Risks
20:39 Tech And Growth Strategy
22:20 Kids Roles On Farm
23:45 Weekly Meetings Transition
26:20 Big Dream Legacy
27:15 People Behind Success
29:56 Letting Go Of Control
33:57 Emotional Handoff Stories
37:05 Threats And Opportunities
39:06 Advice For New Farmers
