Affecting change through involvement

HATLEY, Wis. — Seeking opportunities for collaboration and leadership came naturally to Heidi Fischer after she left her corporate job to join her husband’s family on their Marathon County dairy farm.

Along with her husband, Jon, and his parents, Mike and Sue, Fischer operates Fischer-Clark Dairy near Hatley, where they milk 1,000 cows.

Curiosity and an eagerness to be involved led Fischer to be elected president of Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative at the organization’s annual meeting in January. The position came after serving six years on the board of directors, including the past year as vice-president.

Fischer said back when she switched out of corporate she felt trepidation going to the dairy farm because of her limited experience. But, curiosity and an eagerness to learn and become involved helped her overcome that.

“I came here not knowing anything about farming,” Fischer said, “I didn’t grow up on a farm. My cousins had a farm down the road, and we would go there and help scrape manure and think it was the greatest thing ever.”

With a young family, Fischer said she had felt she could gain flexibility by joining the family farm team.

“I love the farm,” Fischer said. “I love that when the work is done, I can go home with my family — I don’t have to punch an 8-hour time clock.”

Fischer took on calf care responsibilities on the farm.

“It was overwhelming — all the details, the small things that can go wrong very quickly with calves,” Fischer said.

Early on she surrounded herself with those who could provide knowledge.

“We had a great nutritionist who made sure I had the experts in front of me to help in the calf barn, getting the knowledge base I needed,” Fischer said. “I quickly aligned myself with the Professional Dairy Producers to get more education and training.”

With a background that taught her to solve problems and seek solutions, Fischer continually sought out avenues of information, which is how she learned about Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative.

“The story is kind of comical,” Fischer said. “I was in the herdsman’s office one night after I was done working, looking online to see what other organizations I could align with. I wanted to surround myself with the right group. Inadvertently, I signed us up to join the Edge (Dairy Farmer) Cooperative. I didn’t know what that entailed or exactly meant, but apparently our field rep took care of all the paperwork. In the end, my father-in-law was very happy with it, and it made sense for us.”

Fischer embraced everything the cooperative offered, attending meetings and networking with others in the industry. The Fischers hosted an Edge policy picnic event on their farm.

“Being a part of Edge, and some of the other organizations I’m involved in helps me scratch that professional, corporate side I still have,” Fischer said. “It’s been a good outlet for me. It provides balance.”

In addition to the milk cooperative and PDP, Fischer is involved in Marathon County’s promotional group, Partnership for Progressive Agriculture.

Eventually Fischer was approached about seeking a seat on the cooperative board, an opportunity she embraced, hoping she could impact the industry she had grown passionate about.

“This industry is so volatile — we’re at point where you have to be active,” Fischer said. “It’s easy to sit at home and complain to your neighbor about what is going on, but it’s important to be involved, to network and hear from others. We’ve learned so much from meeting other farmers, whether it is about Edge issues or issues on our own farm. It’s important to get out there and make those connections, to realize you’re not on an island.”

Being active in groups like Edge Dairy Farmers Cooperative can happen on a variety of levels, Fischer said.

“You don’t necessarily have to be a board member to take on a leadership role,” she said. “There are committees and subcommittees, about so many topics and issues. Wherever your passion lies there is an outlet for you.”

Fischer has become passionate about making connections that impact policies and legislation that affect dairy farmers and the dairy industry, sharing her story of being a Wisconsin dairy farmer.

“Most of our legislators, here in Wisconsin and in Washington, D.C., are so far removed from agriculture,” Fischer said. “They have been very receptive, wanting to learn from us. They will call us and ask what we are seeing and hearing in our communities.”

Fischer said she enjoys meeting with legislators both in Wisconsin and in Washington, D.C.

“We’ve made some great headway with the Federal Milk Marketing Orders,” Fischer said. “We were highly involved in some of the testimony and submitting proposals. Sharing the concerns we have as dairy farmers is a real eye-opener for some of the legislators.”

Spreading her message and engaging in policy-making positions is what Fischer said she is looking forward to continuing to achieve during her time as president.

“There will be an avenue for continued conversations,” Fischer said. “We need to continue to educate about the importance and value of our rural workforce and to be the boots-on-the-ground experts they can rely on for feedback and an honest opinion.”