Town officials check progress on Paulus farm projects OK’d last year

Town of Fredonia officials followed up on the approval of the major expansion of the Mike and Lori Paulus dairy farm on Meadowlark Road for the better part of two years, although much of that monitoring was on paper.

The town’s Plan Commission got a chance for some first-hand impressions during an onsite visit prior to the start of this month’s planning meeting.

When Mike Paulus talked to the commission about his long-term plans for the dairy farm, he said he envisioned expanding his dairy herd to 1,200 cows.

Paulus said the expansion is necessary to ensure the dairy business is profitable enough to support his family and employees well into the future.

To accomodate a larger herd, he gained approval from the town for a multi-phase development plan.

Highlighting the expansion is a new milking parlor, along with two 62,000-square-foot freestall barns and a 30,000-square-foot special-needs barn.

If the markets cooperate, Paulus said, the farm’s building boom and herd expansion will be completed in five to seven years.

TOWN OF FREDONIA Plan Commission members visited the dairy farm of Mike and Lori Paulus on Meadowlark Road during a recent meeting. The commission reviewed the plans and helped draft a conditional-use permit in a process that took more than a year to complete. At left, the highlight of the visit was the state-of-the-art milking parlor.                                                                                                       Photos by Sam Arendt

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