E-edition PLUS unlimited articles & videos
Personalized news alerts with our mobile app
*FREE access to newspapers.com archives
Hundreds of games, puzzles & comics online
*Refers to the latest 2 years of agupdate.com stories. Cancel anytime.
Hosting a dairy breakfast means George Gierok can show people where their food comes from and that it's not necessary to be big to be successful.
Cow bells are hung on the barn wall during the winter; cows wear the bells all summer while they graze. The Gieroks have collected a variety of them since their marriage.
A cow with her bell grazes in the pasture. The Gieroks call their farm 'High Hillside Acres' because of the pastures that are too steep to till.
A bell is created out of farm scrap by Mary Gierok's father, Josef “Wisi” Bragger, who was a Swiss immigrant.
Mariska, the Gieroks' beloved purebred St. Bernard, proudly shows off her Swiss rescue barrel.
Mariska the St. Bernard shows off her Swiss dog collar and its intricate metal designs.
Mason Gierok, who attends Independence High School, pulls into the driveway for 'Drive Your Tractor to School' day. He says he prefers driving an old tractor with some personality rather than a newer cab tractor.
An old bell from 1878 is part of the Gierok collection. Mary and George Gierok have brought bells home from trips to Switzerland; visiting friends have brought more to add to the collection.
The foreground bell is the largest the Gieroks own; it usually hangs on a Brown Swiss cow. The bells come in a variety of sizes and styles. They make a melodic sound in the pasture.
The Gierok family are hosting June 8 the Trempealeau County Dairy Breakfast. From left are Aaron, Owen, George, Mary, Jorgiann and Mason Gierok. They also in May hosted Jorgiann's on-farm wedding.
INDEPENDENCE, Wis. – The cows will be ringing in the dairy breakfast at George and Mary Gierok’s farm in Trempealeau County when they show off their Swiss cow bells, part of the farm’s Swiss heritage.
LeeAnne Bulman
LeeAnne Bulman writes about agriculture from her farm overlooking the beautiful Danuser Valley on Wisconsin’s west coast. She is the author of “Haffa Huffy or All Huffey.”
What: Trempealeau County Dairy Breakfast
When: 6-11 a.m. June 8
Where: Gierok Farm, W26747 Bugby Lane, Independence, Wisconsin
Parking: SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 36028 Osseo Road, Independence, with bus shuttles going to the farm
Cost: $7 adults; $3 children 6-12 years old; 5 years and under are free. This year’s dairy breakfast has a new twist – every dairy family in Trempealeau County will receive two free tickets.
Menu: pancakes, sausage, cheese, complementary deep-fried cheese curds, milk, coffee, juice and ice cream
Breakfast events: music by Silver Edition, antique tractor and machinery display, Dairy Ambassador crowning, straw pile for kids, health screenings, live radio broadcast, 50th anniversary of Trempealeau County royalty
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
