Happy Trails, Dale!
“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never work a day in your life.” – Mark Twain
It’s the beginning of a new chapter – and the departure of an industry icon – with the retirement of Strauss Feeds Technical Director Dale Bakke.
Dale has been a member of the Strauss team for seven years, but he has been a friend to the company and leader in the calf and veal nutrition business for far longer than that. A self-described farm kid from south-central Wisconsin, Dale’s entire career has been rooted in agriculture and the care and feeding of animals. “When I was in college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I was having a bit of an identity crisis midway through my academic career,” he recalled. “I transferred out of the college of agriculture and into the business school. It only took one semester for me to realize, ‘Nope, that’s not for me. I belong in the animal world.’” And that’s where he’s been ever since. Dale’s post-college employment started with pork production near the family farm in Dane, Wis. in the early 1980s. As was the case for many farmers in the 80s, that tumultuous period initiated a career change for Dale, which took him to a research farm for a veal feed company. And the rest is history.
An Industry Leader
“I thoroughly enjoyed setting up trial designs, analyzing data, and experimenting with different nutritional formulations,” Dale shared. “It combined the analytics and science that I enjoyed with the livestock husbandry that was in my blood. I couldn’t have designed a better foundation for my career.” That career has spanned more than 40 years working in three veal- and calf-raising and nutrition businesses, culminating in his current position at Strauss Feeds. As Technical Director, he is head of quality assurance, which involves overseeing teams that vigilantly monitor product quality, from the ingredients that go into every batch of milk replacer, to the final product in every bag that goes out the door.
Dale also is in charge of all audits from third-party certification programs, as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Each of those audits requires meticulous records, which are Dale’s forte. He also manages the company’s food safety program, handles customer complaints, and provides technical assistance to the Strauss field staff.
What’s more, he supports plant operations at the Watertown, Wis. manufacturing facility, and works on special projects like the recent addition of a new dry blending line.
Most marketing literature from Strauss, and the information on every milk replacer bag tag, also have been inspected by Dale. “Every day is different, and I love the variety of my job -- even on the occasions when all of that variety collides on the same day,” he shared.
His deep involvement in calf rearing and nutrition has reached beyond the work and into positions of selfless volunteer leadership. Dale served on the board of directors of the American Veal Association for more than 15 years, with eight of them as president. Through that tenure, he led a landmark transition to group housing for all milk-fed veal calves and helped reinvigorate the Veal Quality Assurance program, both with the goal of keeping the veal industry relevant for years to come.
Dale and Jennifer Bakke
Dale is excited to experience the freedom that his retirement in May 2025 will bring and is looking forward to traveling more with his wife of almost 40 years, Jennifer.
Hitting the Trail
Although he has fully embraced his identity as a professional “calf/veal guy” for decades, Dale is excited to experience the freedom that his retirement in May 2025 will bring. He recently purchased a trike, with which he will hit the numerous bike trails of southern Wisconsin as soon as the weather is fit.
Dale on his recumbent bike.
“Excited to hit the numerous bike trails of southern Wisconsin as soon as the weather is fit.”
He also looks forward to travelling more with his wife of nearly 40 years, Jennifer. “She retired a couple of years ago, and has been having way too much fun and taking too many trips without me,” Dale laughed. They are currently cooking up their travel plans, with a trip around Lake Superior, the Norwegian Fjords, and Alaska on the short list. They also intend to spend more time with their two adult children, both of whom live in the Twin Cities region. Son Alec works in systems analysis for Target Corporation, and daughter Karla is a physician’s assistant specializing in Diabetic care. “But I’m not moving to Minnesota,” declared Dale. “I’m a Wisconsin boy through and through.”
As he reflects on his fulfilling career, Dale noted that Strauss Feeds was a perfect capstone to his professional journey. “I have always admired the Strauss family’s commitment to the young animal industry, and I respected them long before I worked for them,” he said. “Their integrity and reputation are unmatched in the industry.”
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It’s the beginning of a new chapter – and the departure of an industry icon – with the retirement of Strauss Feeds Technical Director Dale Bakke.