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Jack and Pat HerricksCashton, WI

Herricks--300x200Cashton, Wisconsin
Herricks Dairy Farm, Inc. 

Jack Herricks is a third-generation farmer who came back home at the age of 19 to run the family farm. When Herricks began, he had 34 cows and 120 acres. Now, he runs an operation of 600 cows and farms 1300 acres. Herricks and his wife Pat farm with their son Daniel and their daughter Angie and their families, as well as three nephews – making this a real family operation.

Herricks’ farm is located on steep slopes in the driftless area of western Wisconsin, so soil erosion is always a concern. In the early 1940s, Herricks’ father and grandfather installed the farm’s first contour strips to reduce soil erosion and received the added benefit of boosted soil productivity. Since then, Herricks has incorporated additional soil health practices. In 1985, Herricks began no-till farming, which he admits was a tough year. At that time, very few people knew how to set planters and drills for no-till farming. But, Herricks says it’s like a marriage. “I made up my mind that I was going to be a no-till farmer,” he said  “I’m going to make this work. I’m not going to give up on it.”

Herricks has also incorporated cover crops and grassed waterways into his operation with the goal of leaving as much residue as possible to combat soil erosion. Additionally, Herricks includes a crop rotation of corn for either grain or silage followed by rye or oats and then three years of alfalfa.

When Herricks began farming in the 1970s, the organic matter in the soil was usually in the 2.8 percent range. Now, with the investment of these soil health practices, he sees a lot of readings of 4.0 – 4.2 percent organic matter. Herricks says probably the single best experience in incorporating soil health practices has been observing the increase in yields that they have achieved over time.

As for the dairy side of the operation, Herricks says it has been, and always will be, the economic driver for their farm. In recent years, the dairy economy has become very challenging. They now raise BMR corn silage and HarvExtra alfalfa, which has allowed the Herricks to dramatically shift the rations as both are easily digestible grains for the cows and have been noted to increase milk production. Just five years ago, the rations were 63 percent home-grown feed. Today, they have evolved to use 82 percent home-grown feed, making them a more self-sustaining operation. The single most important component in this shift, however, is that their soils, without fail, produce the high-quality feed that is required for the dairy to be successful

Since 2010, the Herricks farm have been affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Discovery Farms, conducting on-farm projects that focus on water quality monitoring and nitrogen use efficiency. They have also worked closely with the NRCS staff in Monroe County to continue making improvements to soil health, manure management and self-sustainability.

In 2012, Herricks Dairy Farm became a Century farm and Herricks reflects on how his father has instilled in him a value for the land that they farm and the cows that they raise. “Today I still think we’re a little family farm. It almost overwhelms me to think how we grew from where we started. It doesn’t seem possible.”

Herricks is concerned about the future of the land. He is worried that the next generation of landlords will be dollar driven and view their land as an investment. The conservation ethic of their parents and grandparents is not a part of who this next generation is. As a renter, he says, it becomes difficult to make the investments in the land when you may be farming it for only one or two years.

You can learn more about the farm by watching this video about their 2014 Aldo Leopold Conservation Award for Wisconsin.

Updated October 2020.

 

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