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Constant Goal, Changing Tactics: A Wisconsin Dairy Farm Start-up

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

Joshua L. Posner ,
Gary G. Frank ,
Kenneth V. Nordlund  and
Ronald T. Schuler
Joshua L. Posner
Affiliation:
Professor of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706.
Gary G. Frank
Affiliation:
Economist with the Center for Dairy Profitability, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706.
Kenneth V. Nordlund
Affiliation:
Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706.
Ronald T. Schuler
Affiliation:
Professor in the Department of Biological Systems, all at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706.
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Abstract

This case study documents the start-up of a successful alternative dairy farm in Wisconsin. Initially the vision was to establish a 97-ha biodynamic farm with dairy and cash cropping. Low milk prices throughout most of 1991 and the heavy work load associated with conventional dairying forced the farm family to look for alternative strategies. They experimented with management-intensive grazing in 1992, and by spring 1994 had seeded their entire farm to sod. The work load still was too heavy, so they switched to seasonal dairying and outwintering of their dry stock, which reduced the daily midwinter work load from 12 to 3.5 hours. By the end of 1995, yearly net farm income from operations had risen from $21,500 (1990 and 1991) to $54,000 (1994 and 1995). The farm family, with its alternative approach (biodynamic, grass-based, seasonal milking) weathered the stresses of entering dairy farming at a time when entry rates were very low and existing dairy farmers faced substantial financial pressure. The grassbased system required low purchased feed inputs ($300 per cow) and nearly reached equilibrium in the whole-farm nutrient budget. Good herd management has maintained high productivity (rolling herd average of 17,000 lbs) and excellent herd health. Renting the farm and managing money carefully have resulted in a low debt load ($73 per cow). This study illustrates the complexities and adjustments associated with the initiation of an alternative farm business.

Keywords

case studymanagement-intensive grazingseasonal dairyingbiodynamic Agriculture
Type
Articles
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 13 , Issue 2 , June 1998 , pp. 50 - 60
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

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