The beginning…

I was living in Madison and attending grad school at the UW for my masters in Agroecology (sustainable agriculture). One day as I sat in class discussing the barriers for beginning farmers, it dawned on me that I could and should just farm. Being out in the field working was really where my passion was. I also had a unique opportunity in that my parents farm, where I grew up, which was a grass-based dairy farm, was currently up for sale after the dairy barn burned.

The Animals:

We have a growing herd of British White Park cattle. They are a heritage breed known for their docile nature, easy calving, and exceptional meat.

The animals are given fresh grass daily during the growing season, and fed hay during the winter months. In addition, they receive free choice organic mineral/salt, as well as organic kelp for nutritional supplementation.

The Pastures:

Our pastures are a grass/legume mix with great diversity. This mix helps maintain pasture quality throughout the growing season and provides excellent feed for the animals. We can also get one cutting off of the pastures for winter feed, which is supplemented by alfalfa that I harvest from a field along the Little Wolf River that has been passed down generations.

Organic and 100% Grass Fed Certifications:

We were in the process of organic certification, but realized that in getting certified we’d have to switch processors and our costs would increase. Rather than having to raise our prices in order to cover the added expenses, we decided to forgo the organic certification. We still farm in a way that we could be certified. We did obtain a 100% grass fed and finished certification through WI DATCP, that we maintain.