Lakeview Buffalo Farms

We have all heard the expression “teamwork makes the dream work.” Barbara & Al Weyker work well as a team operating Lakeview Buffalo Farm in Belgium, Wisconsin. The Weykers started with a dairy farm. They are 5th generation farmers who took over the dairy operation from Al’s folks. They had 6 kids; 4 girls and 2 boys. Barbara milked cows, drove tractor and would do everything to help Al out. They have great memories of raising their children on the farm. When the whole family was in the barn milking, they would come up with clever and fun things to do. They would quiz each other with math facts, see who could do the most pull-ups or play with the cats.

A conversation with a friend who talked about people wanting a leaner meat is where the Weyker’s interest in raising buffalo got started. They developed a market for buffalo and proceeded with a sale of their dairy cows in 2001. They started out with 6 bulls and then bought more bull calves. The buffalo came from someone in Eden. “We accidentally had a heifer and we decided to keep it,” Barbara said. “We couldn’t have just one, so we got some more!”

Calving season is the favorite time of the year at the farm. Barbara and Al both agreed that the little tykes are ‘just so cute’. “Buffalo are very happy animals if they have food, water and a place to run,” according to Al. “We handle them in a safe and secure area because they are wild animals. The down-side is that requires more fencing, because you really don’t want them to get out.” The big pastures are 6-strand high tensile woven wire fence. 

Al is the Chairman of the Board of Appeals. He was a Co-op Board Member, starting at Cedar Grove Co-op in the mid-80's. Al’s hobbies include hunting and fishing. They like to go up north. Barbara likes reading and is learning how to play piano. She also likes working with her horse. Together, they attend as many of their grand-kids functions as they can.

Thank you to Barbara and Al for sharing their story for this week’s Farmer Friday post. Working together to get the work done has paid off in helping you achieve your dreams. Best wishes to you and your family for continued success!

Happy Milestone Farmer Friday! We've reached number 100!
#FarmerFriday ...post #100. To show our appreciation to our producer members Country Visions Cooperative will be giving a snapshot look of our customers and their operations in this feature each Friday