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The Gerard and Lori Jacob family of Linton was crowned Farm Family of the Year for 2007, and they will pass the title along to the next deserving candidate during this year’s Dairy Days festivities on Friday in Linton.

The Jacob family lives about 10 miles east of Linton. Their children are Clay, 13; Chase, 12; Heidi, 9, and Trey, 5.

Their farming is “diversified,” as they put it, for their business runs from dairy to beef cows to small grains.

“Milk, field work, milk, field work, sleep,” is a typical day on the farm for the field months, said Gerard. He usually works the field from April until September or October. In the winter months the schedule is a bit more laid back, but the cows still need to be taken care of each day.

Milking begins at 5:30 to 6:00 in the morning. The Jacobs milk 50 to 60 cows year-round, twice a day. The cows are “trained” to come when they see the Jacobs at milking time, which means they are simply accustomed to being milked at the same time each day. They put the cows into a stanchion, which is basically a wooden gate where the cows put their heads between the boards and are fed grain during the milking process. The cows are hooked up to a pump, which moves the milk through a series of pipes and then cools it down when cold water is run through a tube that sits in the middle of the milk at a point in the system. The use of already cold water to cool the milk is quite economically efficient, saving electricity that would otherwise have to be used on a cooler.

The milk then goes into one of two holding tanks, one holding 800 gallons and another 400. This is where the milk is kept until it is picked up by the milk truck every two days. Before the milk is shipped off it is always tested for anything unhealthy. If any bad milk got into the truck it would contaminate the rest, and the Jacobs would be liable for the whole batch. But the milk is quite safe, and the Jacobs often keep some, unprocessed, for their own use. It contains more fat than store-bought milk, and it doesn’t contain the added vitamins A and D, but it is still the pure essential for healthy living.

The 400 gallon milk tank is kept as a safeguard. When the blizzard of 1997 hit, the milk truck was unable to come for nearly a week. This forced the Jacobs to dump the milk twice a day because the tank became full very quickly. Since then they got the newer 800 gallon tank, but they keep the old one for extra storage just in case of another disaster.

Beef cows are also raised by the Jacobs. They currently have 20 Hereford cross, which are red with white faces. They are fed a variety of crops, including corn, wheat, and the occasional handful of grass that Trey enjoys giving them. Gerard makes sure to feed them well and with good feed. He makes sure that he doesn’t feed them bone meal, which is sometimes used in Canada for their cows. In his opinion, buying a cow or beef straight from a farmer is better than getting it from the store, since a person knows what he or she is getting. All the meat gets mixed together, so its hard to know how good of quality the beef actually is.

The cows are cared for since birth. Currently the Jacobs have about 15 calves. The kids can get attached to some of them that they name. A few full grown cows are still known by name. The cows are generally gentle creatures and aren’t too rowdy, according to Gerard and Lori. The only time they kick is when they get startled, so whenever the Jacobs come up on a cow they just need to talk a little to let the cows know they are there.

The Jacobs also raise small crops, like wheat, barley, corn, oats and sunflowers. They own 1,000 acres and are renting 800, which sit on the north and east sides of the house. The price of wheat is good at the moment, but the Jacobs are hoping that it stays that way through harvest. They have seen times before where the price was very good during the planting and growing seasons but plummeted as soon as harvest came along. Gerard commented that the crop portion of his farming is by far the more stressful of the three, with the fluctuating prices and the constant need for more rain.

With a relatively large family, Gerard gets lots of help whenever there is time off. Clay and Chase, going into the 8th and 7th grade, respectively, are always willing to help out with the cows and in the field. They are both involved in wrestling and football in school, and Chase additionally plays basketball, so the summer means a lot more help for Gerard. Heidi, going into the 4th grade, also helps out by feeding the immense number of cats, fills in for the boys during football season and does dishes and other housework to relieve the stress on Lori. Trey, who will be going into kindergarten, has his own job of watching the gate when the cows are moved into the barn to be milked, making sure none get off track.

Lori, in addition to helping out at the farm, is an elementary school teacher at Linton Public School. She started out teaching the second grade but then moved to the fourth grade. She will be going back to the second grade this next school year. She just finished her eighth year teaching in Linton. Although Lori does enjoy working with the kids at the school, she treasures her time at home.

“It’s a break for the mind,” Lori said. She enjoys the time when the routine can take over and she can relax.

Both Lori and Gerard agreed that the milking times are their favorite part of the day. The whole family is a part of milking, and the laid back time allows the family to talk, connect and have some fun. Lori recalled some times when Clay and Chase decided to start “a little war” with squirt guns or with the hose. The milking time may take a little longer, but they are willing to sacrifice the time for some old fashioned fun.

Gerard and Lori commented on the decline of

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the number of dairy farmers in this region. Lori heard that there are only 28 dairy farmers currently in Emmons County, which is significantly lower than when Gerard’s parents owned the farm. Lori recalled that within the time Gerard and Lori have owned the farm “five families within a five mile radius have quit.” When asked why they thought this was, Gerard said that he thought people didn’t like the hassle of having to milk twice a day. They have instead turned to grain farming, which Gerard was quick to say is very important, as well.

The Jacob farm has been passed down from Gerard’s parents, Frank and Helen Jacob. They farmed 400 acres when they began from scratch in 1952. They lived first in a summer kitchen, which was a one room shack where they slept and ate and had a kitchen separate from the house to keep it from being too hot in the summer.

Frank and Helen were also diversified farmers, doing everything Gerard does now with the exception of planting corn and sunflowers. They also raised chickens, which the Jacobs do not have now. Most of the buildings still being used on the farm were built by Frank and Helen. Gerard has added a shop, some bins and the house, but the buildings already there are still reliable. He has more than tripled the amount of land that the farm occupies and has updated nearly all of the equipment.

Gerard is the youngest of six children, three sisters and two brothers. One sister is married to a dairy farmer. All of his uncles used to dairy.

He graduated from Linton High School in 1985 and went straight to work with his dad full time. He always knew that he wanted to take over the farm, so he worked with Frank Jacob for eight years and took over the farm in 1993.

Lori’s parents farmed about 20 miles outside of Bismarck. They raised hogs and cattle on top of grain farming. Lori attended St. Mary’s High School. After graduating in 1986 she went first to Bismarck State College and then transferred to Moorhead State, becoming certified in kindergarten and elementary education.

Gerard and Lori met at a biker rally in Linton. A mutual friend of the two lived in Linton but attended BSC with Lori. When the ABATE Biker Rally was going on, the mutual friend brought Lori down for the bands that were going to play at Seeman Park. Gerard also met up with the friend, and Lori and Gerard got to know each other. They were married in 1992.

Clay, Chase, Heidi and Trey don’t really have any plans for the future as of yet, but their mom was quick to add that they will attend some form of higher education.