A year of success for new owners of Enchanted Dairy in Little Falls
26 Feb 2022
New Business, News, Economic Development, Community, Business, Agriculture
More than a year has passed since Jake and Brooke Carrow purchased Enchanted Dairy in Little Falls from Brooke’s parents, Ron and Jeannie Miller and her Uncle Marv Miller, on Jan. 1, 2021.
“Marv and Ron have been a huge help in getting us through this first year. There were a lot of questions that I had initially during the first six months at least, but now we’re getting a lot more comfortable with it,” Jake said.
Even so, Jake said he is very appreciative of all of the help they continue to offer. For instance, he said, since they built the parlor, they are more familiar with how it is set up and what needs to be done when something needs to be repaired. Marv has also been an excellent resource when it comes to diagnosing and fixing machinery, Jake said.
“If we didn’t have a connection to the previous owners, we would have to figure out a lot more on our own,” he said.
As both Jake and Brooke grew up on farms, the love for farming runs deep. Before they moved to Minnesota, they lived in Parker, S.D. During the crop season, Jake frequently drove to Little Falls to help the Miller brothers with the crops on the farm. In addition, he crop farms corn and soybeans at about 1,800 acres in Marshall in an equal partnership he has with his dad, Richard Carrow.
Brooke said there were several reasons that made them decide to move back to Minnesota. Besides wanting to own their own business and reap the benefits of it, such as setting their own schedule, being closer to her family had a lot to do with their decision, as well.
“Once you have kids, it’s nice to have a grandparent close by, too,” she said.
The Carrows have two children, Asher, 3, and Carter, 1. Since Brooke is a veterinarian, living in South Dakota and being on call was challenging at times as she needed to find a sitter.
Although she consults as a veterinarian at Enchanted Dairy, the couple works with Freeport Veterinary Services, who does the regular herd checkups and more. Given how young their children are, the couple cannot always count on their children’s child care to come through, as they have to follow COVID protocols during the pandemic. That means, that sometimes the children are home for a few weeks.
What helps the couple cut some costs is that Brooke performs any surgeries that are needed. While they still have the expense for the supplies, they don’t have the cost of the veterinarian’s time of completing the surgery and for making a farm call.