MONROE — One of the region’s most beloved family events is just around the corner: The 46th Annual Breakfast on the Farm event will be hosted at Pinnacle Dairy, among the biggest dairy operations in this part of the state — yet still a family-run farm.

Indeed, the Tuls family, say they “are excited” to host the breakfast, which each year feeds hundreds and gives families a chance to see a real dairy operation; and celebrate all things agriculture in Green County. The Tuls’ take over from the 2025 volunteer hosts, Josh and Liz Steiner of Blanchardville.

The event is hosted each year by Green County Ag Chest. On the menu are all of the traditional breakfast delights: scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese, homemade coffee cake, milk, coffee and orange juice, and ice cream treats. But as usual, the food is just part of the day’s fun-filled lineup, in which dairy industry heritage brings plenty of non-farm types out to see what makes the region run through informative booths, presentations and one-on-one interactions with other dairy producers.

“Our founder and owner, Todd Tuls, is a third-generation farmer who has owned and operated dairies across the country. Todd began dairy farming in middle school, bottle-feeding calves on a 400-cow farm in Chino, California,” said a press release announcing the winner/host. “Since then, he has overseen multiple large-scale dairy operations…As a Tuls Family Tradition, dairy farming has been a way of life for the Tuls Family throughout many generations.”

Pinnacle Dairy opened here in 2018, milking about 5,400 cows. That produces 56,000 gallons of fresh milk daily that is then shipped to nearby Grande Cheese, which specializes in Italian-style cheeses.

Still, the Tuls family dairy roots aren’t limited to California and Wisconsin. In 2000, Todd and the Tuls family moved to Nebraska and formed Double Dutch Dairy, their first operation. Today, Tuls Dairies operates farms across Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Kansas.

And while the Green County operation is huge, it still remains very much a family business — Todd’s son, TJ, for example, “now plays a pivotal role in the business alongside his father.”

Their commitment extends beyond big customers and masses of cheese lovers to the thousands of animals that provide the raw material for the farm, 365 days a year.

“As we’ve grown over the years, continuing to stay rooted is our true passion, as is caring for each animal. Todd and TJ Tuls walk through each farm to make sure every animal is being well cared for,” said the Tuls statement. “We work with local farmers to grow feed for our dairy cows. Farmers are responsible for planting and growing the crop, but we will take care of the rest. We harvest, haul, and store it.

Local volunteers are a big part of the event and Ag Chest offers transportation for them and the public to the site throughout the morning: First bus leaves Green County Fairgrounds and Albany Lions Club at 5:15 a.m. for first-shift workers. After that, the shuttles are every 15 minutes leaving from Green County Fairgrounds, Albany Lions Club, Monticello School and Juda School from 5:30-9:30 a.m. There will be no on-site parking available.

Not only are volunteers critical to work on the day of the event, many sign up ahead of time for such vital tasks as baking the signature Breakfast on the Farm coffee cake. It’s tradition here since 1961 when the first “Dairy Breakfast,” as it is also known, was held at the Juda Church.

Founded in 1958, the Monroe-based organization behind the event, Green County Ag Chest, was created when the Green County Dairy Promotion Committee and the Green County Agricultural Foundation merged. According to its literature, it remains “committed to developing new and unique ways to promote the hardworking people of Green County and the products and resources they provide.”