Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy in Wisconsin: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, grew from an 80-acre farm bought in 1946 into what Wisconsin Dairy describes as the largest family-owned dairy farm in the state. GreenStone Farm Credit reports more than 8,500 milking cows and about 9,000 acres of cropland across its operations, plus a farmstead cheese plant and a manure-to-renewable-gas digester.
| Location | Kewaunee, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1946, when Carl and Garnet Pagel bought the farm |
| Sectors | dairy; farmstead cheese; cropland; renewable natural gas; agricultural education |
| Scale | More than 8,500 milking cows and about 9,000 acres of cropland, per GreenStone Farm Credit; earlier coverage cited more than 5,000 cows |
| Why it is elite | Described by Wisconsin Dairy as the largest family-owned dairy farm in Wisconsin; gold medal at the 2019 US Cheese Championship for Ponderosa Dairy Products |
| Ownership | Family owned; third generation (Jamie, J.J. and Bryan) leads the business |
| Official website | Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy official site |
History of Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy
Carl and Garnet Pagel bought an 80-acre farm with a few cows, chickens and hogs outside Kewaunee in 1946. WBAY reports that the farm grew to 320 acres and 65 milking cows over three decades, and that the name came from the family's favorite television western, Bonanza. John Pagel, the youngest of seven children, studied at the UW-Madison Farm Short Course, took over in 1978 and pushed the farm toward technology and scale.
In the late 1990s and 2000s the dairy added a rotary milking parlor, a nutrient recovery system and flash cooling, and it eventually milked thousands of cows daily. The family later launched its own cheese line. John Pagel died in a 2018 plane crash, and his children and in-laws, now the third generation, have kept the farm growing with a workforce that GreenStone Farm Credit puts above 200 employees.
What Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy Grows and Raises
The core of the business is a large Holstein dairy with a 72-stall rotary parlor, according to a Dairy Herd profile. GreenStone Farm Credit reports more than 8,500 milking cows under Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy, LLC and Dairy Dreams, and about 9,000 acres of cropland that supply feed and receive nutrients. The family also runs agricultural education, including tours, field trips and a youth summer program described by WBAY.
Ponderosa Dairy Products, opened in 2016, is a farmstead cheese plant that processes the farm's own milk, which supports quality control and traceability. A digester converts manure into renewable natural gas, and GreenStone Farm Credit says the project cuts emissions by an amount equal to taking about 9,200 vehicles off the road each year.
How Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy Makes Money
Milk sales
As a large dairy, the operation's main product is milk from thousands of cows, backed by its own crop acres for feed. Scale lets it spread parlor, labor and equipment costs across a high volume of milk.
Farmstead cheese
Ponderosa Dairy Products turns farm milk into branded cheese and curds, with a farm store in Kewaunee County. Coverage notes the plant won a gold medal at the 2019 US Cheese Championship, which supports premium positioning for its cheeses.
Renewable natural gas and agritourism
The digester produces renewable natural gas from manure, adding an energy revenue line described in lender and trade coverage. The farm has also used tours and a farm-to-table restaurant relationship to connect consumers with the operation, as reported by Dairy Herd.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy
Pagel's shows how a family dairy can grow in stages: first scale and technology in the parlor, then processing with its own cheese, then energy from manure. Each step added a revenue line that does not depend on the milk check alone.
The family also invests in people and public trust. Daily manager meetings, formal training and open tours turn a big operation into a credible neighbor, which matters when large dairies face permitting and community questions.
A farm named after a western TV show deserves a good sense of humor, and Ponderosa fits the part with its cowboy-ish name and very serious cows. At farm.FM we file this under farm satire and farm humor, because few places mix a rotary parlor and a cheese store as neatly as Kewaunee County. If you have ever heard ranch humor about a dairy that never rode a horse, we promise our farm jokes about this one are strictly affectionate.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
How to Contact Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy
Website: http://pagelsponderosa.com
Contact details as published on the operation's own website, November 2026. Farm store hours, tours and cheese sales vary; confirm with the dairy before traveling.
Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy official site - The dairy's own website
- GreenStone Farm Credit profile - Cows, acres, cheese plant and digester figures
- WBAY Small Towns feature - Farm history, family leadership and tours
- Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin story - Producer association profile of the dairy
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Official farm and dairy statistics
Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy FAQ
Where is Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy?
It is in Kewaunee, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, near Lake Michigan.
How many cows does the dairy milk?
GreenStone Farm Credit reports more than 8,500 milking cows across its operations, while older coverage cited more than 5,000.
Does the farm make cheese?
Yes. Ponderosa Dairy Products, opened in 2016, makes farmstead cheese from the farm's milk and won a gold medal at the 2019 US Cheese Championship.
How can I contact Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy?
Use the contact information on the official site at pagelsponderosa.com, and confirm store hours or tour availability before visiting.
Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy shows how a family can scale a dairy, add cheese and turn manure into energy while staying family owned. For the wider picture of Wisconsin crops, dairy and markets, read the Wisconsin farms guide and the other profiled operations.