Rock County Dairy Breakfast: Pancakes, robotic milkers and family fun

JANESVILLE — Decorate a cow cut out, check out robotic milkers and chow down on all you can eat pancakes at the upcoming Rock County Dairy Breakfast. It takes place at Morton Dairy Farm, 15739 W. State Road 59, Evansville, on Saturday, June 8, from 6:30 -11 a.m.

The breakfast will be hosted by Amanda and Justin Morton and their cousin, Mark Thompson, as the Morton Dairy Farm celebrates its 50th year. The farm was established in 1974.

Different farms host the breakfast every year and “it’s an honor to have people come to your farm,” Amanda Morton said.

It’s a great way to connect folks to agriculture and “show them where their food comes from,” she added.

Breakfast includes ham, yogurt, applesauce, cheese and milk. Evansville Future Farmers of America will be setting up a petting zoo. There will be a cornbox, tractor rides, a crafty cow contest, ice cream, music, and over 10 local vendors with homemade goods. Adult tickets are $10 and $5 for kids age 10 and under.

Justin’s family hosted the dairy breakfast last in 2006, when he was just 14 years old. Amanda is a fourth generation farmer and Justin is a third generation farmer. Her family farm, also from Evansville, hosted the breakfast back in 1990, before she was born.

“This is our first time that it’s just us,” Morton said.

In 2022, the Morton’s felt like they were at a fork in the road.

“One option was to sell out, because we were struggling with hired help with Justin and Mark doing most of the work themselves. We wondered, ‘how are we going to change to make this more enjoyable?’ So we decided to put in robots and it’s been such a big help,” Amanda said.

In November that year, they installed two Lely Astronaut A5 robotic milking systems. Becoming the first farm in Rock County to have robotic milkers.

“Our cow comfort has really improved because the cows just kind of go in as they please, anytime,” she said.

They have around 120 cows and 150 young cattle and Thompson raises the bulls at another location.

The Morton family is sprucing up the farm by painting some sheds and putting down gravel to help guests while walking around. The family plans to wear T-shirts with the slogan, “Proudly keeping the tradition.”

The event is sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and Rock County Dairy Promotion Council.

For questions, call 608-290-4921.