Freddie and Mary Martin

Freddie Martin was born Aug. 29, 1940, in Santa Paula, Calif. His parents later moved to Humansville and bought a 120-acre farm in 1951.  On Sept. 14, 1963, he married Mary Shaw, of Humansville.

They have two children.  Dana and her husband Mark Ester have a six-year-old daughter and live in Oklahoma. Their son, David graduated from the University of Missouri in 1992 with a degree in agricultural economics. David married Trisha Kemper Dec. 6, 2003.

The Martins started in the dairy business in 1968 when they raised Holstein heifers and sold them as springers. In 1973 they started milking in a remodeled herringbone double four parlor.

The original dairy operation was built for 120 cows. It included free stall housing with a mechanical silage feeder from two concrete stave silos and self-feeding hay managers built onto hay storage barns.

An anaerobic lagoon was built in the late 70s and was used to collect lot runoff and handle lot wastes when it was too wet to haul and spread manure. Computer feeders were added in the early 80s.

During the 80s a commodity storage shed was added and three bins were added later for fertilizer. A fertilizer mixing and loading facility was added in 1989.

A new double 10 parallel-milking parlor equipped with electronic animal identifying units was built in 1989. A free stall bam provided 240 stalls and had lock up stanchions.  The milking herd was fed a mixed ration twice daily with extra grain fed to higher producing cows by a dual ration computer feeding system.

By October 1990 the rolling herd average for 209 cows was 22,050 pounds of milk with 795 pounds fat and 710 pounds protein.  Three times a day milking on higher producing and fresh cows was started in the mid-80s.

By 1992 David, following graduation from MU, looked at various work options and then made the decision to return to the farm.

One of David’s responsibilities is the cropping program on the 2,000 plus acres the Martins own. They raise all of their corn silage and harvest 40 to 50 acres for grain.

They grow 150 acres of wheat for silage and grain which may be fed or sold. Normally, 200 acres are planted in soybeans and the remaining acreage is used for pasture and hay.

In 1993 the milking herd was 300 cows and a change was made to milk three times a day. The milking herd has grown to 330 cows, is milked three times a day and produces 65 pounds of milk per cow daily.

Martin Prairie Farms was incorporated in 1995 to handle the business end of the dairy and crops operations and raising calves.

In 1999 Martin Dairy, Inc. was started to process and bottle some of its own milk for local distribution.

As of 2003 the bottling venture had approximately 100 customers, 12 milk routes per week, and four delivery drivers. The processing plant bottles milk three times a week and produces a variety of dairy and related products.

Freddie is president of Martin Prairie Farms, Inc., and vice president of Martin Dairy, Inc., in charge of dairy sales and delivery, the milking operation, and raising calves up to 300 pounds.

Mary is secretary treasurer of both Martin Prairie Farms and Martin Dairy and is in charge of administrative operations and testing of the raw and processed milk.

David is president of Martin Dairy, Inc., and vice president of Martin Prairie Farms, Inc. He has responsibilities for crops, the bottling plant, and raising calves from 300 pounds. Heifers are moved into the milking herd or are sold as springers. Steers and cull heifers are moved to feedlots.

Daryl Oldvader, chief executive officer of Farm Credit Services, Jefferson City, nominated the Martins for the Dairy Leadership Award.

“We have enjoyed the opportunity to work with the Martins as they expanded and diversified their farm operation.  They were one of the first Missouri dairies to initiate a major vertical integration in their operation.”

“The Martins expand their leadership traits beyond the milk parlor. They are active in community and church activities and Freddie serves in leadership roles in the dairy industry as well as serving on the board of directors of Farm Credit Services,”‘ Oldvader added.