For Seykora, dairy cows sold, but rebuilding still possibility

Two months following a devastating barn fire that disrupted one of the top dairy herds in the state, the owner has sold the surviving cows.
Brian Seykora of rural Owatonna sold the remaining 28 cows from the fire to Premier Livestock in Wisconsin on June 1.
“It was a tough morning,” Seykora said as the cows were loaded up from Clover Glen Farm, a dairy operation in eastern Steele County that took in the cows after the fire.
“Just as tough as the night of the fire,” he said, stressing he had to demonstrate “logic over emotion” in letting the cows go.
A fire destroyed Seykora’s century-old dairy barn located south of Owatonna on April 8. Eight cows died in the fire, which also sent 3,000 bales of straw and hay up in smoke.
After the fire, Seykora said he expected more cows to die because of the trauma they faced in being rescued from the burning structure. However, Seykora was happy to report no other cows died and there were no aborted pregnancies.
Even though Seykora has sold the dairy herd, he is still considering rebuilding the operation. “I need to take a step back and pencil it out,” he said. “I want to get input from others. I’m definitely not ruling it out.”
Matthew, Seykora’s oldest son, graduated last week from Owatonna and plans to attend Southwest Minnesota State University at Marshall in the fall. Matthew has expressed interest in joining the family operation once he graduates from college.
“I’m not rushing to rebuild,” Seykora said. “I need their help,” he said, referring to his sons. His youngest son, Mitch, will be a sophomore in high school.
Another factor that has been weighing heavily on the Seykoras is the cost to rebuild. Construction costs have jumped significantly this year.
“It’s not the time to build,” Seykora said, adding he hopes the costs will level out in the next year or two.
If he rebuilds, Seykora said he likely would invest in a robotic milking system. He is going to use this summer touring other dairy operations with robots.
One of the benefits of having a robotic herd is that Seykora would not need a milking parlor or a holding area, which would require less concrete and other building materials. Seykora would put the money saved in construction costs into the robots.
In the meantime, Seykora is keeping busy by farming 800 acres. It has made him realize one thing: “How did I have time to milk the cows in between?” he said.
Seykora said he has been busy with the crops and getting ready for his son’s graduation since the fire. He said he expects reality to finally set in at the end of June, when the crops will be pretty much done until harvest time.
For Seykora, it hasn’t been easy without the cows. “I miss the sights and smells and just being with them,” he said.
However, Seykora isn’t totally without livestock. He still has 60 head of young stock, mostly dairy heifers.
“We have feed in storage that needs to be used up,” he said.
Friends and family have rallied since the fire to help the Seykoras. A Gofundme campaign topped a $40,000 goal by raising $44,980.