1. Gobel Dairy expands business
NOVEMBER 06, 2014 5:45 PM • MIKE KLAWITTER SPECIAL TO
AGRI-VIEW
It was eight years ago when brothers Mark and
Justin Gobel started working together as partners
on the family dairy farm in Belleville.
Their father Mario had been there since 1978,
milking 200 cows.
Mark and Justin had much bigger plans for the
business including new buildings, additional
acreage and more than twice as many cows.
Today, the Gobel brothers are living the dream of running their own farm, being their own
bosses and facing challenges common with all entrepreneurs.
The Gobel Dairy Farm off of Highway A in Belleville was a 700-acre facility when Mark
graduated from high school in 2004. He had been working full-time at the farm as a teenager,
wanted to invest in the business and bought half the cows from his father.
Older brother Justin graduated from UW-Whitewater in 2004, but after a couple of years of
working a typical office job with four walls and a boss, he decided to return home and become
a partner.
Mark said when he and Justin came up with a proposal to expand the dairy business and bring
in more income, their father was not interested.
“He didn’t want to build a new dairy,” Mark said. “He said he had enough cows when we
approached him with a plan to grow the farm larger.”
Eventually, it was agreed that Mark and Justin would each own one-third of the cows, and their
father the other third. Mario is still involved in the business, helping with maintenance of cash
crops, such as corn, wheat, soybeans and alfalfa, used to feed the animals. But Mark and
Justin are in charge of all decision making.
Mark and Justin incrementally bought an additional 500 acres, giving them 1,200 acres total.
They also built two free-standing barns and added more cows until reaching their current
number of 550. Additionally, they raise 160 calves.
Justin said making the farm larger was needed to stay competitive with other farms and earn
more income.
“It’s about job security,” he said. “We have three families living off of this farm. More cows pay
more bills for our families.”

2. The brothers also built a new user-friendly milking parlor, which includes upgraded technology
that measures the milk weight of every cow. It also has simplified the task of transporting the
cows when it was time to milk them.
“We were walking the cows by foot 1700 feet up and down a hill to the old milking parlor, twice
a day,” Mark said. “Walking 300 cows up and down an icy hill in the middle of winter sped up
our 5-year plan, and we put in a new parlor and barn after that.”
Justin said the new parlor has led to increased milk production because it is roomier and puts
the animals more at ease.
“You know the commercial, a happy cow comes from California?” he said. “A happy cow
makes better milk when she is less stressed. Cows like routine, and they don’t like change.
They aren’t going to be happy when you disrupt their social behavior.”
Mark said the cows are now being milked three times daily instead of two, leading to 15
percent more milk production. While this has led to increased income, the Gobels also are
keeping a watchful eye on milk prices, which have been higher than normal but may drop at
any time.
“Higher milk prices follow a 3-year cycle, and we are at the end of the fourth or fifth year,”
Mark said. “As you build bigger, you build a bigger volume of milk which helps. But, debt load
is bigger when milk prices fall and you are at more risk.”
“Then we tighten the belts,” Justin said.
Yet, until that time, the Gobels continue to surf on a wave of success that has led to other
benefits besides money.
They currently have nine full-time employees who work around the clock to tend to the needs
of the cows.
Having the extra help has provided the Gobels with more free time to spend with their families
and children.
“We can be home by five or six o’clock, which gives us enough time to go to our children’s
soccer games or enjoy a family dinner,” Mark said. “When you do get larger and have
employees, you can get some weekends off, your children have a better family life, and you
have a better chance for your children wanting to farm.”
Mark’s wife is a school teacher and Justin’s wife works in the health care industry. Both
families have three kids. Mark’s family lives at the Belleville farm, and Justin resides at his
grandfather’s farm in Brooklyn.
Overall, both Mark and Justin have no regrets about their decision to make their business
larger.
“I had the opportunity to come back to the farm, be outside, be my own boss and do
something I love every day,” Justin said. “You have a set schedule, but every day is different.
There is always something else to do, something else to build, another animal to care for. I love
my job.”
Mark agreed and added his thoughts.

3. “It never gets boring,” said Mark. “It’s been a good journey. I love what I do, and I plan on
never retiring. I think that is the key to a successful life, enjoying what you do.”