June is
DAIRY MONTH
A special section of the Tri-County News • Chilton, Kiel and New Holstein • Thursday, June 7, 2018
22-year-old farm owner
Fox Valley Tech program helps farmers learn, grow By Mark Sherry Like every other vocation on the planet, farming has changed dramatically over the years. Whether it be dairy farming, crops, livestock, or the myriad of other types of agricultural endeavors, it is not an exaggeration to say that the list of “best practices” on every farm is changing constantly. That is why many farmers today put together teams of experts who know the latest and greatest in their specific areas of expertise. It also is not unusual to include someone from the nearest technical college on that team—someone like Jeremy Hanson of Fox Valley Technical College. Hanson is in his 14th year as an instructor for the Farm Business & Production Management Program at FVTC. He said he believes the program is as important today as when he started, and high student-to-instructor ratios support that. He said many farmers rely on people like him for information, even though he said he has to be somewhat of a jack-ofall-trades because of the ever widening scope of agriculture. Program started in 1920s Wisconsin’s technical college agricultural programs have their roots in the 1920s and were one of the first formal programs to work with farmers, Hanson said. Today’s program provides individual instruction for each student, including on-farm sessions at least once every two months along with formal night classes at places such as FVTC’s Regional Center in Chilton or at area high schools. Four classes are offered each year on a variety of topics such as animal nutrition, equipment, and farm business operations. Hanson said information is geared to what specific farmers are doing and to their needs, including business plans, human resources topics, etc. He emphasized that he is an educator and not a consultant. He did not plan to be either of those when the Dunn County native headed off to become an engineer while studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before long, however, he said he realized he was not enjoying that field of study. He had always enjoyed spending time on his grandparents’ farm, and that experience eventually led to Hanson becoming an independent crop consultant and later an agronomist for Outagamie County. His experiences eventually led him to his current position with FVTC, one which he said he enjoys because of the variety of topics he handles. “There are always fires to put out,” he said. Many of those are in the area of dairy farming, but not all of them. One of the more interesting case studies Hanson has helped with is unfolding right now in the
Fox Valley Technical College agriculture instructor Jeremy Hanson (left) goes over some numbers with young farm owner Blake Schneider of rural Chilton. Mark Sherry photo
person of Blake Schneider. At the age of just 22, the 2014 graduate of Chilton High School is on the verge of becoming one of the area’s biggest raisers of feeder steers. Schneider first met Hanson as a 14or 15-year-old when he took a tractor safety course via FVTC. About a year and a half ago, Schneider called Hanson and said he wanted to start selling feeder steers. Growth already, more to come Now part of FVTC’s Farm Business & Production Management Program, Schneider has come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. He said four years ago he had two steers in his parents’ back yard. He had about 15 when he called Hanson 18 months ago. Then the number rose to 20, and then to 100. Today Schneider has about 220 animals and has purchased his own farm and home on CTH Y northeast of Chilton. His parents have purchased the adjacent crop land so that he is buying feed from his mom and dad. “This is part of a bigger plan,” Hanson said of Schneider’s goals, which include
having 3,000 animals by the time he is 30 years old. “I consider myself part of the management team of his farm.” The road will not be easy, nor has it been to this point. Schneider and Hanson talked about how their first loan application with the Farm Service Agency was denied, something which they said is not all that unusual but was a significant setback. Schneider said he thought his plans might be dead in the water at that point, but Hanson encouraged him to keep going. “It’s all about the process,” Hanson said. Schneider said he learned a lot about how negotiations work—and how long they can take—when he was in the process of purchasing his farm and home. If he is to reach his goal, there will be more hurdles to clear such as adding buildings and adding employees. Hanson said it will take six years for Schneider to acquire his technical diploma but that many of his students continue taking classes even after they have their diploma in order to keep up with the industry. “Agriculture keeps changing every day,” he said. Their relationship will change over
time as Schneider’s operation matures. How to better raise his mix of Holsteins, Brown Swiss, and Angus will be one of the focuses this year. Schneider said he gets his calves primarily from other farms outside the immediate area when the calves are two or three days old. He said he is feeding about 60 calves right now on milk. Schneider said he has seen the growth in himself and his skills with the help of Hanson and other students and mentors. “I’m starting to know how to crunch numbers in my head,” he said. While having a 22-year-old farm and home owner who has a goal of owning 3,000 steers might be an extreme example, Hanson said it is not all that unusual as he is seeing a resurgence in students Schneider’s age with an interest in owning their own agriculture-related business. “There’s more interest this year,” Hanson said. He added, “It’s so rewarding to see him own his own business.” Schneider is quick to return the compliment. “If I wouldn’t have gotten a hold of Jeremy, this wouldn’t have worked,” he said.