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DAIRY ST R
July 9, 2022
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 24, No. 10
Conservation through collaboration Schaefer works with fellow farmers to employ environmentally-friendly farming practices By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
CHILTON, Wis. – Mitchell Schaefer is grateful he has not had to travel alone on his conservation journey. Relying on the expertise of other farmers in Calumet County who have been there and done that, Schaefer has successfully implemented cover crops and minimal tilling practices into his operation. “These techniques help our farm be sustainable while also helping the environment,” Schaefer said. “My goal is to be here on the land but not wreck it. I want to exist with it but not cause problems if
possible.” Schaefer milks 230 cows and farms 400 acres near Chilton. Established in 1894, Schaefer is the fth generation to operate the farm he and his wife, Amanda, and their three kids – Allison, Clay and Levi – call home. His love for the land has led him to try new things that he believes are right for the environment and the farm’s future. Three years ago, Schaefer began exploring with doing minimal tillage and no tillage and planting Turn to SCHAEFER | Page 6
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
Mitchell and Amanda Schaefer are pictured with two of their three children – Clay and Allison – on their farm where they milk 230 cows and farm 400 acres near Chilton, Wisconsin. Not pictured is the Schaefers’ son, Levi.
Tractor-Ɵme dream Roehls host Wisconsin Farm Technology Days By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
LOYAL, Wis. – For many farmers, time in the tractor is thinking time; the time when plans are born. That is exactly how the 2022 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days landed in Clark County at Roehl Acres in Loyal. “I spend too much time in the tractor,” said Dennis Roehl. “Hosting Farm Technology Days is something I have always wanted to do. I have always wanted to be able to inuence how the public views agriculture and show them how we produce the food they consume.” Wisconsin Farm Technology Days will be July 12 to 14 and is co-hosted
PHOTO COURTESY OF KAILA FITZ PHOTOGRAPHY
The Roehl family – (front, from leŌ) Velora, Lowell and Kathryn; (back, from leŌ) Dennis, Jackson, Devon and Suzie – plan to welcome thousands of visitors when they host Wisconsin Farm Technology Days July 12-14 at their farm in Loyal, Wisconsin. by Roehl Acres and Rustic Occasions, an event facility operated by Roehl’s cousin, Doug Roehl, and his wife,
Kim, on another Roehl family farm located just up the road. “My family has been very supportive of this dream,”
Roehl said. “They have all worked to make this a reality.” Roehl and his wife, Suzie, and their three children –
Devon, Jackson and Kathryn – milk 210 registered Holsteins on their 800-acre farm. The family retrotted their existing freestall barn to install four DeLaval robotic milking systems. They began using the robots May 16. “The startup could not have gone smoother,” Roehl said. “We worked with Joe’s Refrigeration, and they were great. They brought out a team of eight people. They were here 24 hours a day, and they just made it go so well.” Roehl said the cows transitioned well. “They have been in the barn throughout all the construction; the crews have pretty much worked around them,” Roehl said. “Not having a routine had almost become their routine. One day they had to go one way, and the next they might have had to go another way. They never really seemed to
Turn to ROEHLS | Page 8