COLFAX, Wis. — When John Richmond graduated from college, he knew he wanted to dairy farm. However, as a first-generation farmer, he also knew he was facing an uphill climb to follow his dream.
“I didn’t grow up on a farm, but I always helped on farms my family members owned,” Richmond said. “But I was always in line behind their children to take over the family farms, and I knew that starting out from scratch was not truly feasible.”
Richmond shared his story during a River Country Resource Conservation and Development Council Inc., pasture walk hosted at his farm Sept. 20.
Through connections made while attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Richmond learned of the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program, which put him in connection with Charles and Karen Floodquist. The Floodquists wanted to see their farm continue as a dairy farm in the future, following their own retirement.
“We worked with the DGA for about two years,” Richmond said. “Our involvement with that program is probably why we are as far into a transition plan as we are.”
Richmond began working with the Floodquists as an apprentice in 2015. They began a transition plan in 2018.
Richmond and the Floodquists are about midway through their transition. Richmond has purchased the cows, along with some equipment, while working on a land contract lease.
“I figure it will take me another three years to finish paying off the equipment,” Richmond said. “Then hopefully things will be in a better place for purchasing the farm. Land prices right now are unsustainable.”
Richmond is milking 150 cows and raising about 150 head of youngstock on the Chippewa County dairy farm owned by the Floodquists near Colfax. Richmond practices managed grazing for the entire herd. Although the farm is not certified organic, Richmond values and largely adheres to the principles of both organic production and grazing management.
“We do spray our corn,” Richmond said. “That is really the only thing (that stands) between us and being organic.”
Richmond is farming 500 acres, with about 350-400 acres in permanent pasture. He does little to no-tillage on the farm and follows regenerative farming principles.
He tills to transition land. Other than that he does not want to till it. He overwinters his cattle in a different spot each year and then follows it with corn.
“I push the grasses,” Richmond said. “Most of the farm is what naturally grows here. It seems like all the plants that grow in Wisconsin are here on this farm. Nothing seems to be completely taking over, so I just go with the flow.”
When he plants a new-seeding pasture to follow a stand of silage corn, Richmond uses a little bit of everything, except for tall fescue.
“I plant a lot of orchard grass because it grows well here,” Richmond said. “Maybe at certain times of the year it’s not the best to make milk, but I want to plant what grows and does well here.”
Everything Richmond grows on his farm is fed to his herd. His only feed purchases include a grain supplement mix and calf grain.
Richmond’s herd is housed outdoors most of the year. There is a freestall barn for milk cows to live in during the winter months, but dry cows and youngstock are all wintered outside.
“If you provide them with good nutrition and maybe a windbreak, that’s all they really need,” Richmond said.
The animals in Richmond’s herd are bull-bred. He typically raises bull calves from the cows he believes to be the best cows in his herd. These most closely embody the goals he has for his cattle: profitable, hardy and low maintenance.
He puts the bulls in with his herd beginning July 1 and they remain with the cows until January. This limits his calving season from early April through early October.
“I have no interest in calving from mid-October through mid-March,” Richmond said. “I just don’t have the facilities for it.”
Richmond recently began raising his milk calves in outdoor group housing on a lime base bedded with cornstalks.
“It started by accident — one year I had way more calves than individual hutches,” Richmond said. “At that time, bull calves weren’t worth much, so I made a group pen and put all my bull calves in there together. They did great.”
This year, Richmond began raising all his calves that way and has been pleased with the results.
Calves are grouped by age, and using a 5-nipple mob feeder, each group is fed as much whole milk as they will drink, an average of 1-2 gallons per calf.
“My calf nutritionist told me my biggest problem was that I wasn’t feeding my milk warm enough,” Richmond said. “Now I use an old pasteurizer to heat the milk to just over 100 degrees. That, along with feeding as much as they will drink has made an amazing difference.”
Richmond has also begun putting straw into a feeder and putting the grain on top which he said he feels has improved the health of his calves.
“They’re just like little kids — they are into everything, they want to eat everything,” Richmond said. “My calf health this year has been phenomenal, significantly better than it previously was.”
With his interest and adherence to organic practices, Richmond says he has not ruled out the idea of establishing an organic certification in the future.
“I have dreams of being an organic grass-fed producer, but I do like feeding corn silage,” Richmond said. “You just can never say, never.”
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