Congratulations to our June Farmer of the Month, Greg Lapinski who was nominated by his wife, Anne. Her nomination said this, “I know I am biased, but I have never met a more honest and hardworking man. With a family farm that has been in the family for over a hundred years – the Lapinski’s have a passion and dedication to farming and the dairy industry that is unmatched. It is an honor to marry into the farm life.”
The Lapinski family has farmed at Pleasant Acres Dairy since 1855. “Hopefully I’ll be the next generation to take it over with my brothers,” Greg said. They’re currently milking around 500 cows and running about 1,600 acres of land, which most of those crops come back to the farm to feed the cattle he explained.
Greg went to college for a brief time but ultimately realized that the farm was where he really wanted to be. “I love it. I love the fact that I can be outdoors and the diversity of it. Ya know, it’s not only just one job in particular, you’re learning a lot of different skills,” Greg said. “It’s things that come in handy throughout the rest of your life for even when you’re not on a farm.”
For Greg, the farm has been a part of his life since day one, but for his wife, it’s a different story. “I did not grow up on a farm. So, I grew up in Random Lake and then moved up to Green Bay.” Anne explained that her dad grew up on a farm and worked at one while she was growing up, but it was still a big change for her once she married into the dairy. “There’s a lot of learning curves, the hours are long, and the work is hard, but I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else now because it’s just a perfect lifestyle.”
Similar to Anne, there are plenty of people interest in agriculture that may not have the industry background to get their foot in the door right away, so Greg had some advice. “The best thing for someone like that to do is to just get out on a farm, give it a try.” He said that if it’s something you really want, then be a farmhand for a while and work your way up. Who knows, you could possibly end up investing in the farm and eventually take it over.
With June Dairy Month coming to a close, the couple also hopes people realize how important the dairy industry is to our country. “I feel like dairy’s the backbone of this country more so than anything else,” Greg said. “You’re feeding the world when you’re a dairy farmer.” Anne mentioned that without farmers, we wouldn’t be able to do the things we do or eat the food we eat. “That’s what makes the world go-’round,” she added.
Thank you to Greg and all of the hard-working farmers in our state. You can listen to the full interview with Greg and his wife Anne on our podcast page.
