This piece first appeared in the Modern Producer Magazine - Special Thanks to Britt Roman and Munters! 

The dairy operation at Vir-Clar Dairy in Fond du Lac Wisconsin is like many other dairy operations in the Midwest, a family-owned farm in its fourth generation. As a growing operation, Vir-Clar has evolved over time and they’ve added new barns, their most recent addition was a cross ventilation barn which now stands next to a naturally ventilated and a tunnel ventilated barn. Today they milk more than 2,000 cows.

Third-generation farmers, and owners of Iowa Select Farms, Jeff and Deb Hansen, started with humble roots in 1976, farrowing just three sows. Through passion and hard work, Iowa Select Farms was born and has grown steadily to become the fourth-largest pork producer in the United States.