Snow may have been just outside the doors at the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds Exposition Hall, but you would have thought it was June Dairy Month inside on Thursday. Dairy farmers, Kewaunee County Dairy Promotion Committee volunteers, and other stakeholders came together for the second annual Celebrate Dairy! Dinner is not just to celebrate the industry but also to reconnect with each other after a long winter.

The event also serves as the official introduction of the Breakfast on the Farm hosts, which will be Heim’s Hillcrest Dairy in Algoma this year. The operation began in 1963 with 30 cows under the guidance of Ray and Florence Heim. Now, the farm milks 825 cows and involves three generations of Heim family members. The business has grown to include Heim Brothers Custom, which provides crop harvesting, manure transportation, and other trucking needs to farms of all sizes across the region.

Heim’s Hillcrest Dairy last held the Kewaunee County Breakfast on the Farm over a decade ago, and Jeremy Heim is excited to show the community how they have evolved in the year since.

The event also honored Jim Smidel as its volunteer of the year. Smidel serves as the committee's treasurer and has been active in other agricultural endeavors in the county. The Kewaunee County Breakfast on the Farm is on Father’s Day, June 16th. The Kewaunee County Dairy Promotion Committee is looking for volunteers for this year’s event, which draws thousands from across the area annually.