CapitalPress.com
Friday, June 4, 2021
LAGLER DAIRY
Father and sons part of the team
By HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
For the Capital Press
EAST
VANCOUVER,
Wash. — Dennis Lagler and
his sons, Nathan and Tyson,
operate a dairy near East
Vancouver, Wash., across
the Columbia River from
Portland.
Dennis’ parents moved
there from Tillamook, Ore., in
1955.
“I grew up on the dairy
then went to college to study
architecture. Then the Army
caught me and I was in the
Corps of Engineers,” Dennis
said. “After that I decided I
wanted to have my own busi-
ness and came back to the
dairy in 1972.”
He worked with his parents
a few years and then bought
the dairy from them in 1975.
Today he and his sons are
milking 700 Holsteins, with a
herd of 840 cows.
The farm has 700 acres,
plus 500 rented river bottom
acres about 25 miles away.
“Here on our place we grow
alfalfa hay and high-quality
grasses for silage. The rented
ground produces corn silage,
and we haul it home as we use
it,” Dennis said.
It’s a long haul but still
cheaper and more depend-
The grass is greener over here.
Tillamook County Creamery Association
Dennis Lagler, center, with sons Nathan, left, and Tyson.
They operate a dairy near East Vancouver, Wash.
able than trying to buy feed,
he said, adding that when you
grow it yourself, you know
what it is, and can balance
diets properly.
“We use consultants — a
veterinarian who helps with
our health and vaccination
program, a nutritionist who
helps balance the rations, get
the most from our feed and
waste the least, and an accoun-
tant who keeps us straight
with the books and the taxes,”
he said. “It takes a good team
to make it all work.”
He’s been using artifi -
cial insemination since 1972.
Using sexed semen, the dairy
raises all its heifers.
“We tried it on all the cows
a few years back and ended up
with too many heifers so now
we breed the bottom end of the
herd (least genetic potential)
with Angus semen because
the crossbred calves are worth
more,” he said.
“We fi gure the heifers have
our best genetic potential, and
all of them get bred twice with
sexed semen, plus a few other
cows that are exceptional in
the herd. After second service,
however, everything is bred
with Angus semen,” Dennis
said.
Milk from the dairy goes to
the Tillamook County Cream-
ery Association — one load
per day.
“We are a member of that
co-op, and that market has
been good the past few years,”
he said. “The market for milk
has been up and down, how-
ever. I can remember when I
fi rst started, some years I had
to dump milk because we
couldn’t sell it all.”
The climate is mild, and
perfect for a dairy.
BUILT DURABLE TO LAST
• 53.5 Cu Yds – 1431 Cu Ft
Struck (32ft)
• Hutch brand “Single Point”
Spring Ride Axle
- 7000 lb GTWR rated
• Heavy Duty Box construction
• All welded side panels & floor
• ¼” Wall Panel Thickness
• Overall Height 11ft 3in
• Dual or Flotation Tires
• Quick, Simple Side Delivery
Dumping
• Large 6 x 30 Hydraulic
Lift Cylinders
They’ve been tested. Retested. And trusted to efficiently take
on the toughest dairy chores. Fendt is the tractor of choice
for dairy operators who expect more from their machine.
Visit Agri-Service to see our new Fendt® machines today!
GRI- S ERVICE
Together, we drive agriculture FORWARD
SIDE DUMP TRAILERS
800-260-3599 // www.agri-service.com
24FT TO 32FT PULL-TYPE TRAILER MOUNTED
©2019 AGCO Corporation. Fendt is a worldwide brand of AGCO Corporation. AGCO and Fendt are trademarks of AGCO. All rights reserved.
S243527-1
www.parmacompany.com
www.arenagroomer.net
PO B OX 190 • P ARMA , ID 83660
(208) 722-5116 • FAX: (208) 722-6012
S244322-1
10