How this first-time dairy farmer discovered a passion for dairy

Unlike most typical dairy farmers, Lee Holtmeier had never milked a cow until he was 40 years old. He knew cows — but not dairy cows — when he became manager and part-owner of Linn Willow Creek Dairy in Linn, Kan.

Started in 1999 by a group of investors, Linn Willow Creek Dairy was originally called 21st Century Dairy. The business operated as a closed co-op with just 400 cows, about 25 miles south of the Nebraska border. Recognizing its potential for growth, Lee accepted the offer for a herdsman position when asked by a friend. He would eventually assume the role of general manager in 2000.

Despite not having family members to show him the ropes, like many multi-generational family dairy farms, Lee had business know-how and a love for cows. Up until he took over the dairy, Lee worked in the sale barn business, where he helped his family manage livestock auctions. He then developed his business acumen after managing a hog buying station for Farmland Foods Inc., for 20 years.

“Some people told me I was better off not knowing the dairy industry, simply because it meant my decisions were my own, free from any blinders,” Lee says. “It meant I had to ask questions and then make my own decisions.”

Lee loved cattle from a young age and even owns 145 Angus cows at his property not far from the dairy. He helped with his father’s sale barn in Crete, Neb., from the time he could walk until he was 19 years old, when he moved to Linn, Kan. The values instilled in Lee by his father, such as the importance of a good work ethic and being genuine, would later help him manage the dairy operation and supervise and develop his employees.

“Seeing people smile from excelling in their jobs — I knew that I could make a difference in people’s lives through mentorship,” Lee says.

The first change he made was shifting the business structure from the original co-op arrangement to a limited liability company (LLC). The move allowed any investor, not just farmers, to buy shares in the dairy business.

The stage was set for a two-plus-decade success story.

Linn Willow Creek Dairy might not be a generational Holtmeier family business, but the operation has a family feel. Without his 33 employees, Lee says, there is no business.

When Lee first took on his new role, he relied on his employees’ skills and knowledge while he learned how to run the dairy.

With 24 years of experience under his belt now, Lee has found that the key to success is the same as when he first started. His employees matter most. With several employees working on the dairy since its founding, it’s safe to say that something is being done right.

“To me, employees run any business,” Lee says. “Without their constant dedication and passion for what they do, this dairy would not be where it’s at. For all the good my employees do, it’s just as important to reward them for their efforts.”

An avid football fan, Lee says his role at Linn Willow Creek Dairy mirrors that of a football coach: recognize talent, extract that talent and develop it to its fullest. For example, Lee and the team worked together to form their own maintenance crew. Instead of outsourcing repairs, they better used current employees with maintenance skills. They also constructed a building to repair and maintain equipment on-site.

Lee’s two daughters, Erin and Lauren, and his wife, Stephanie, know their way around the farm and could point out the commodity shed or the parlor, but they weren't raised consistently helping in the day-to-day operations — however, they still contributed to what makes the team feel like family.

When the girls were little, Lee would bring them to the dairy, letting them help bottle feed calves. As they grew older, they would then take shifts milking the cows. His daughter Erin shares Lee’s passion for cows and owns her own herd of registered Angus cows.

Lauren, inspired by her father’s passion for dairy, later interned in the communications department with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), their milk marketing cooperative. During the summer internship, she learned more about the dairy industry and further developed her journalism skills.

Lee has always been diligent about ensuring the dairy's nearly 2,000 Holstein cows stay comfortable.

Over the years, the dairy has expanded — with the cows in mind. A new four-row free stall barn was built in 2022. Curtains were also added on the back of the cows’ stalls for warmth in the winter.

The dairy’s employees work hard every day to ensure the cows always have access to clean water and comfortable bedding. Fresh sand bedding is laid out after every milking shift, which keeps the cows comfortable all year long and warm during the winter.

“If you don’t take care of the cows, they don’t take care of you,” Lee says.

Not only is cow comfort at the top of Lee’s priorities, but he also uses resources wisely.

Lee was concerned about the sand used for the cows’ bedding running into a nearby lagoon. Too much sand would contaminate the water and waste the manure. In 2014, the farm invested in building a solid separator — a simple name for a machine with multiple capabilities — to solve the problem.

"With this solid separator, when a cow goes to its milking, the sand bed is leveled and cleaned. Water runs down the alley, flushing out the old sand and taking it down to our beloved sand-sled to be collected and reused. As for the manure, it enters a manure separator and keeps the manure separate from the sand,” Lee says.

The lagoon water stays clean, and the rich manure is then sold to local farmers for fertilizing their crops.

With retirement on the horizon and a heartfelt tug to tend to his cattle, Lee has taken his assistant manager, Andrew Tiemeyer, under his wing over the past few years. With a father-son dynamic, Lee and Andrew are aligned on their fierce commitment to learning, teamwork and quality. They also both support the dairy’s mission.

A mission statement sign, written by Lee himself, proclaiming: “We as employees will work hard to achieve the comfort needed to maintain high-quality dairy,” hangs on the front wall of the office building as a reminder to all who enter.

Similar to Lee in that he didn’t have a dairy background, Andrew only had slight exposure to the field when working on a dairy farm during high school.

“I’m eager to see where DFA can continue to provide value to its farmer-owners in the future,” Andrew says.

And while Lee’s looking forward to retirement, living just a three-minute drive away from the dairy, he might have a hard time staying away.