On our farm we work to nourish our land, animals, family, and community. We do our best to implement good farming practices in a way that is beneficial to everything involved.
History
In 1993 Steve and Ann bought Ann’s home farm from her mom and moved back to Wisconsin to raise their family and farm. From the beginning, they were interested in grazing and organic practices. In 2004 they became certified organic and began shipping milk to Organic Valley. It was about the same time that they stopped feeding grain and ever since they have relied on forage to provide nutrition for the dairy herd.
Our farm has a conglomeration of animals which is a result of Steve and Ann encouraging their kids to pursue their interests. The dairy herd is the main enterprise and other animals on the farm include chickens, pigs, beef cows, goats, horses, sled dogs, farm dogs, cats, and ducks. Most of our animals are on pasture as much of the year as possible and are moved regularly to promote the health of the land and animals.
Land
We own around 300 acres and use management strategies that provide quality pasture for our animals, protect the soil, increase soil fertility, and reduce detrimental effects to the environment. By managing the length of time that a group of animals is in a certain place, we can create a healthy and functioning ecosystem, while also producing healthy, nourishing food for your family.
Dairy Herd
The dairy cows are the primary animal on our farm. The dairy herd is certified organic and 100% grass-fed, and the cows are outside all year long. In the summer they are on pasture, and in the winter, they are fed hay and have access to a lean-to that is bedded daily with straw for them to lay on. While they are on pasture, they are moved twice a day so that they can produce high quality meat and milk. We have used several breeds over the years, so the cows are a mix of Dutch Belted, Milking Shorthorn, and Jersey. Recently, we have bred primarily to Jersey, selecting for cows that produce higher quality milk.
Calves
Matt does a great job raising our calves for us. The calves are born outside during the months of May, June, and July. Once the calves get a good start, they are combined into groups and are moved outside to pens. They are fed plenty of milk from the cows and are moved to fresh grass once or twice a day. When the calves are older, they are trained to an electric fence, and then they are moved daily to fresh pasture.
Pigs
The pigs are raised outside where they have plenty of room to root around in the dirt. They get excess produce from the garden. The pigs are happy if they have plenty to eat, dirt to dig in and a comfortable place to sleep.
Beef
Nate and Matt have a herd of beef cows, which are grass-fed as well. Since the pastures for the beef cows are not all together, occasionally they need to be moved a pasture a couple miles away. At times they get hauled in trailers, but we will also do cattle drives and walk them down the road to the next pasture.
Chickens
Our laying hens are in a movable coop on pasture in the summer and get to scratch around for bugs. When they are on pasture, the chickens not only produce eggs with orange yolks and good-tasting meat, but they also help fertilize the soil, making the pasture more productive. The broilers are also raised on pasture with a shelter that gets moved daily.
Goats
The meat goats are Grace’s project. They tend to eat more brush than either the cows or the sheep, so they are useful for clearing brushy areas. Goats like to be up high, so they are happy when there are rocks or stumps to play on. When they are moved to a new section of pasture it does not take very long for them to find the highest point.
Sled Dogs
Matt has Siberian and Alaskan huskies that he enjoys running. The dogs love to run, and it gets extremely noisy when he is hooking them to the sled. He mostly runs them in our area for recreation, but has competed in 30-40 miles races in WI and MN.