Passion for dairy builds new creamery business Ethan couple has big dreams for making cheese products By Sam Fosness South Dakota Farm and Ranch
Photos by: Sam Fosness / Republic Chad Blase’s family dairy farm January 4 in Ethan. Blase and Klock will use the cows on the Blase family farm when they break ground this spring and build their cheese making operation in Ethan.
ETHAN — Growing up on a Madison. “It came down to where under the umbrella of the United to buy into the Crooks cheese dairy farm, Chad Blase witnessed the day-to-day struggles of life as a dairy producer. The work was hard, the prices were low and the profit margins were tight. But in the midst of watching those struggles, Blase’s hopes of making it as dairy farmer never died. “For almost the entire dairy industry, it’s really come to a head in the last few years,” said Blase, who grew up on a dairy farm near
we either quit and get out of dairy farming while there is still equity, or we add value to our product.” But Blase and his girlfriend Laura Klock have taken the dairy business to a completely new level. They, along with Chad’s parents Gary and Amy, explored opening a creamery on the Blase family farm, when a unique opportunity arose. Klock was introduced to ValueAdded Ag Services, a program
States Department of Agriculture that aims to help farmers add more value to their operation through introducing grants and other financial solutions to improve farms. That program led to meeting the owners of Valley Side Farm Cheese, an artisan cheese business in Crooks, South Dakota. Blase and Klock fell in love with the cheese-making process, and jumped on the opportunity
operation about four months ago. It was then that their Farm Life Creamery business was born. “We get up at 4 a.m. and do chores on the farm, and then we hit the road before sunrise,” Blase said. “Farming is hard work, and starting this business has added more hard work for us, but we do it because we love it. Farming is more than a job, it’s a way of life. A risky one at that.” MORE ON: Page 7
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