Four E Dairy & Rocky Creek

FOR THE KIDS Legacy Rebels

Wondering what a visit to Rocky Creek Maze might be like? Well, just imagine wandering along more than 2.5 miles of paths in a eight acre field of tall corn, trying to find your way through a giant puzzle! Their unique brand of good farming fun is the perfect activity for kids, parents and grandparents.

Or, if you’re interested in some spooky fun ... enter if you dare! In total darkness, stumble your way through the Haunted Trail and prepare yourself for a monstrous adventure. The haunted trail is separate from the main corn maze and takes place the last three Friday and Saturday nights in October.

Rocky Creek also hosts Field Trips for school groups. They’ve partnered with Spookley the Square Pumpkin to promote bullying prevention. Students can walk a short trail through the corn to discover Spookley’s story and answer anti-bullying discussion questions.

4e Dairy

The family also operates a dairy farm and bottles fresh unprocessed milk, offers artisan cheese and fresh yogurt - all made with their own milk. Be sure and bring your cooler. Four E Dairy is a third generation, family owned dairy farm located in the rolling hills of Lavaca County. They sell fresh Grade A retail raw milk and cream from their Jersey and Jersey-cross cows. Their cows are pasture-fed and then supplemented with a ration that includes their homegrown hay and silage. They receive no hormones or antibiotics.

At Four E Dairy, they love raw milk, their animals, and their family. The family raises their children and grandchildren on raw milk. Four E strives to continue this tradition by offering the freshest raw milk and cream to their customers.

According to their website, Ernest and Marcella Chaloupka started their dairy in 1947 with a very small herd of only two to three Holstein cows.

Their website states, “At that time everything was done by hand and milk was sold from the road. Over the years, the dairy grew to about 100 head, along with the Chaloupka family – five children, daughters Jeanette and Elizabeth, and sons Gene, Erwin, and Ernest “Jr”. Gene, Erwin and Gene’s wife, Elyse, took over the operation in 1970 and the herd grew to 200 head. Ernest retired in the early 1990’s. The third generation couldn’t stay away, and Gene and Elyse’s sons returned to the farm, Chad in 1999, and Scott in 2015.

Dairying thru the early years was a good way to raise and support a family. However, the structure of the milk market changed in the 90’s and the price of milk became very volatile. The consensus of dairy economists was “to stay in dairy business, you have to get big”. So in 2000, a freestall barn and waste pond was built, and more Holstein cows were bought with the intention to go up to 500. Needless to say, that did not happen, it did not solve the cash flow problem and, in fact, brought on a whole new set of problems.

In 2005, we decided to change to the Jersey breed, and 100 full-bred Jersey cows were bought and integrated into the herd. Since that time, the dairy has been using that root stock to build to a full Jersey herd, not bringing in any outside stock, and raising all replacement heifers on farm. We are now closed herd

In 2007, Gene read an article about a corn maze and thought it would be a good way to supplement dairy income. We joined with Gene’s youngest brother, Junior, and his wife Helen, and started the Rocky Creek Maze in September 2007. It has been a great way to share our experience and knowledge about farming, provide good clean family fun, and also add additional income.

In 2009, dairy prices took a deep dive and, coupled with a few years of drought, we were struggling to keep the farm. With the encouragement of a fellow dairyman, we took on another new venture. We made some changes in the dairy barn, put together a group of purebred Jerseys for pasturing, applied for a raw milk permit, and began selling raw milk from the farm. In doing so, we have learned so much about sustainable dairying, nutrition and healthy eating, including raw dairy products and other foods.

Through our raw milk endeavor, we have met an extraordinary group of people, our customers, who are very conscientious about their health, their source of food, and the environment. They are very willing to share their knowledge and their stories. They are very willing to promote each other’s businesses. We feel very blessed for the opportunity, the choice, and the results.

We are now working to pass on the dairy to a third generation, grateful for that generation willing to take on the responsibilities, risks, and hard work associated with dairy farming.”

Four E Dairy and Rocky Creek maze are located at 784 CR 251 and online at www.rockycreekmaze.com and www. fouredairy.com.