I grew up on our farm in the Town of Dunn in Dane County Wisconsin; so in 1981 when my parents retired from farming, I was excited to leave my job as a glazier in the construction field and return to a life of farming. My wife, Roz, and our children Hans and Heather have many great memories of life on the farm, whether it was doing farm chores together or having a winter picnic in the snow, while getting fire wood.

The first ten years we had a more conventional farm operation but we were interested in sustainable farming with a more seasonal schedule. By 1992 we converted to an “almost” seasonal dairy farm with an emphasis on doing intensive rotational grazing.

Our 214 acre farm is on the gently rolling hills in the Town of Dunn, just 10 miles south of the state capital in Madison. The herd of 90 colorful cows is made up of cross breeds that enjoy harvesting their own feed from lush green pastures starting each spring and continuing until the ground is covered with Wisconsin’s winter coat of snow.

Roz and I were the proud recipients of the 2005 Town of Dunn Stewardship award, given in recognition of our commitment to agricultural conservation. We believe our grass based dairy operation accomplishes our goal to farm in a manner that gives the soil and our cows the same healthy stress free lifestyle that we enjoy.