Trautman Family Farm

This was my commentary on October 15 2008, prior to this blog. I thought it should be repeated here, today. - Scott

"what about me, what about right now"

My first effort just about got uploaded to this page, but fortunately, I did not give in to my frustration, but let time and reflection bring me back to what I believe is my fundamental nature; that being a person of hope and faith in people. We are frustrated and concerned, and saddened when some customers tell us "they're watching their pennies right now", and that means back to the cheap food. We feel badly that we have not done our job of educating them of the value and importance of pure, quality food, and supporting, especially now, the farms that produce them. The stakes have never been higher. So instead of a rant, I say the following:

Thank you so very much for your business, and for your votes – your dollars, for our farm and our methods, and what we represent. 

In these trying times, it means so very much to us that you choose to spend your money with us, when there are so many choices out there, and the persistent message is one of “what about me, what about right now”, and it is so very difficult to resist.

We appreciate, and feel hope for the future, that even in trying times that you and others like you will value ours, and other local, sustainable, organic farm’s products, enough to continue to choose them, instead of retreating into cheaper, lower quality, less sustainable foods. Quality food from sustainable, local farms is not a luxury, but a necessity to change our own lives and the path of the world. Your choices reflect your true values in life, and we are proud and humbled to be a part of that.

We are confident that your reward will be better health and a better world. It takes courage and wisdom to make good long term decisions, and sacrifice today for a better future, even as those around us may tempt us and call us foolish. It is never foolish to look out for one another and work towards a better world. Our rewards may not be immediate, but they will come and they will be everlasting.

 Our individual and collective character isn’t determined when times are easy, but by the difficult choices and sacrifices we make when it isn’t easy.

 We have never and do not now believe, arrogantly, that you or anyone else should pay us any price, but that we owe it to you to be efficient and provide excellent value, and if we fall short of that, we do not deserve your business or your faith. 

Our gratitude to you will be to continue to work tirelessly, to work with you in providing value, and to be a beacon of hope with our farm, the values it represents, and to give unselfishly to others that would also make the world a better place.

At these frustrating times, rather than get sucked into the unfairness of it all, a pity party, negative thinking, I am reminded of how very grateful we are, especially to the following people who have given of themselves to our farm; with their time, and materials and money. I can't imagine how we would be where we are at without the help of these people, especially.

Bruce&Cindy Andre
Norm Bouchard
Joe Kester
Don Warren
Mike Logan+Family/Dan Utter
Dwayne Trautman
Richard Falkenstein
Art Johnson
Mike&Jeanne Cary
Gary Zimmer
Duane Siegenthaler
Eric Stokstad
Larry Johnson
Jeff Hougan
A Special thank you to Gary Hougan, previous steward of our farm
Muriel Plichta
Dick&Ardy Straub
Martha O'Reilly
MaryJo Fahey
Steven Wilson
Brad Jackson

Sincerely,

Scott, Julie, Ian, Quinn & Lilly Trautman

Our philosophy is "if the animals can do it, let 'em", and "the animals will always do a better job than we will". That pretty much sums up a bull. He has one really really important job: To make sure the cows are bred. Great work if you can find it.

Shim is a now 6 year old purebred Jersey bull. We bought him and brought him to the farm on October 9, 2007 to breed our heifers & couple cows. October 9 I know because it's Julie's (my wife) birthday. Some birthday present, eh? I am one suave husband.

We bought Shim from Art Johnson, who has a 32 acre grazing farm by Milton. I will surely write a blog entry about Art at some point, he is quite a character and a super person. Art's wife died 6 years ago now, so he's there alone, and he's in his 70's. He mostly raises bulls at this time, and Shim is a fine specimen of a bull; a son of Sambo, a quite famous bull that has had many daughters who have won many awards.

If you know anything about cattle, and bulls, and Jersey's, Jersey bulls -- the first words out of your mouth (to me) will be, Jersey bulls are the most dangerous bulls there are. Unpredictable. Vicious. Etc. And I believe they are indeed like that, and we treat Shim with great care. So no need to drop me a line about being careful. Being careful means always knowing where you are, the bull is, and making sure you have an exit plan. And having a stick of some sort in your hand is a must as well. Respect the Bull.

That all being said, Shim is a peach of a guy. He's past his macho years (2-4 years old), and into his middle age. Part of why he's such a swell is Art's handling of him since birth. Art talks to his cattle constantly, and works with them often. Shim is used to and has respect for people.He will do the whole macho thing of pawing the ground, but yell at him good and he'll stop and go on his way. A reasonable fellow

Did I mention that Shim still has his horns? And he knows how to use them like you and I use our hands. Why the heck does he have his horns? All the better to gore you with? Not according to Art; who believes in event of an attack, that he's going to get you one way or the other, that the horns are a useful grabbing point to keep him away from you. Now I'm not necessarily all in on that idea. But at 6 years old, not a lot I'm able to do about it. I would like Shim a wee bit more if not for the horns. But I have appreciated, too, that Art can throw a lasso over his horns quite nicely. I do rather enjoy standing on the other side of the fence in the parlor, and I'll go to scratch Shim and he'll nod his horns at me, which says, thanks but no. Touching the horns? He doesn't like that.

I get a chuckle out of macho Shim when he'll give a bale of hay what for. Uses his horns to scrape some out, invariably leaving him a rasta hat of hay.

My weird little deal is somewhere along the way I've decided that an Australian accent is my Shim & me voice. "Oooh yeah, you're a rough one aint you mate, yeah, that's right." Steve the Crocodile Hunter style.

So he goes in with the heifers on October 9. And starting July 14th (2 weeks early, but twins), 281 days later, the calves start a comin', with 92% within a 20 day window. 20 days is how often cows come into heat, plus or minus a couple days, so that's when Shim can "get them". So, it says good things for us that our girls were in good health and were able to be bred quickly, and for Shim as a bull that takes care of business.

We all know that the bull is the one that determines the calf sex. And we had 75% bulls, which, for a dairy farm, is going the wrong way. You'd be a lucky fellow indeed to have 75% heifers! (girls that is). So King Henry the 8th would have stayed at one wife if like Shim. We shall see how 2009 goes. He was in with the bulls later in October, and we've seen no heats in the cows, only one young heifer appears to have not caught on.

So what do most farmers do? Bulls are too dangerous and hard to handle, and limit their choices for genetic diversity. So they hire or AI (Artificially Inseminate) the cows themselves. Now that was going to be right difficult for the 2007 group of heifers, anyway, having been out in the field, and well, wild. The gals aren't exactly willing for a human to AI them like they are for a bull. The next big problem, even if they're in the stanchions in the barn, is detecting their heats. Humans: flawed. Bulls: flawless. They know, and since their right there, take care of business. Hence, the bull. Problem solved.

Unfortunately for Shim this will be his last year here; the following year he would be in a position to start breeding some of his own offspring, and that is of course not what you want. And we do desire genetic diversity, and towards some goals other than more Jersey. Our aim is to maintain about 1/2 Jersey in our crossbred cows.

So we will be looking -- and doubtful of finding -- a fellow as level headed and generally agreeable and capable as Ol' Shim. But I will insist that Shim go to a good farm where he will be appreciated as the fine fellow he is. He deserves no less.

Answers to a couple questions that come up about the whole...breeding thing...

Do bulls just "do it" to do it? They do not. It's because a cow is in heat or they don't. It's just a job to them. Okay, I'm sure there are some exceptions, and perhaps even the odd gay bull (okay now I've really lost a few of you haven't I), but as a rule, business use only. Harumph.

So how do they/us know when a cow is in heat? Cows in heat give off an odor that can be detected. If there is not a bull in with the cows, another cow will mount or the cow in heat will mount another cow to demonstrate being in heat.

Are you enjoying these little postings of mine? Drop me a line and let me know. Better yet, if you are in the area, come by the farm store and purchase some of our fine quality meats. You'll love them and my writing will be upbeat and fun rather than desperate and bitter. Not so entertaining my pretties.

 All the best for now,

Scott

The Shim-inator, December 2007.

PS: If you have seen and enjoyed the PBS Specials on Barns, you will definately have remembered Art; he's the one with the beautiful yellow barn, but he's the guy who's talking to his cows and bulls

Wisconsin Barns: Touchstones to the Past and
American Barn Stories and Other Tales from the Heartland

..by Tom Laughlin. You can buy these films at his website

http://www.koviaonline.com/order.html

Note: This is in response to a former student of my MATC organic class and represents about the entirety of my thoughts on organic poultry 2008. I decided to post it here as well hoping that others might gain...whatever they might gain...from our experiences. No, I'm not going to provide YOU dear reader with equipment/market - SMT

 

I guess I would have to say I'm not the stereotypical farmer; farming skipped a generation in our family, and my experiences are such that I've spent a lot of time on introspection & looking to be a better person. Here is one quote that I try and keep close and read as often as I can.

I am the decisive element.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.

I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration,
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.

In all situations, it is my response that decides whether
a crisis is escalated or de-escalated,
and a person is humanized or de-humanized.

If we treat people as they are, we make them worse.
If we treat people as they ought to be,
we help them become what they are capable of becoming.

J.W.Goethe

 PS: Consider joining the Ripples Project -- Paul does great works, it's a simple inspirational email a week. http://www.theripplesproject.org

It doesn't matter what Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow Chemical and the ilk do, that there's a giant conspiracy to control the seeds, the farmers for their profit.

There's nothing I can say that will change any of that. Beyond educating myself, it is a waste of my time to work over the same ground again and again.

It matters  that I am doing something about it in the small way that I can. As an organic farmer, I am proud -- and on purpose -- not supporting these companies in any way; as a farm producer or as a consumer. That is the only language, the only action that will end up mattering.

It doesn't matter that I can't make consumers see what I see, to really look to the long term and beyond "what about me and what about right now". Me screaming about it isn't going to change them.

What matters is that intelligent, thoughtful and caring people do eventually come to the conclusions themselves, as they do push away from the numbing TV, newspapers, radio, mass consumerism that is designed to control them, and ask themselves, is any of this making me happy?

We will be here when they do; to help and to guide their journey. Through real health, and real concern for our future -- especially our children -- that we will act and not complain, do and not excuse ourselves, take responsibility and not blame. We get what we ask for. Our words must match our actions. All of us build illusion in what we say but build conflict within ourselves by not matching words with what we do; the words cost nothing, action has a price we are often not willing to pay.

It doesn't matter every conspiracy, every effort at control, every evil is out to get us; as far as I can tell or care, every conspiracy is true.

But I always ask at the end of hearing about it, so what are you going to do about it? And the reaction is almost always the same. More talk about it, no action. It matters that life is short, and where we put our minds matters. If I have been given by God a beautiful brain with which to think, I do not honor God by using it to think angry inconsequential thoughts. I must use it to think constantly of new ideas for action -- to tirelessly work towards the change I want.

I have found that when I am frustrated with myself, when things aren't going that well with me, is when I allow my mind to "go there" and to massage, turn over and over, to dwell in the hopelessness of lack of control -- these powerful people, entities, governments, businesses, consumers, these stupid, evil -- you put the negative words to it, it's been thought a trillion trillion times, but how often are the thoughts put where they can do some good? Not a trillion trillion times.This putting of my mind in this place -- I take responsibility for it in recognizing that it is me I am angry with, that I project it out into the world and blame the world rather than take ownership of what I can within myself.

And it takes work to recognize these thoughts. And they are destructive to ourselves. And they are constantly reinforced all around us. See or read the news: What a terrible world we are in. In the advertisements we see every day: We cannot possibly be happy with whatever it is we have, no matter how much or little, it is and will never be enough.

It matters that I control my thoughts; that I control what goes into my head through my eyes and ears, and that I choose to surround myself with the positive rather than the negative, that the universe is a good rather than bad place. I choose to turn off the TV, put away the newspaper, turn away from people that only know how to complain, I am drawn to people of ideas, even those that differ from my own, I am not afraid of conflict, of honest discourse, I am not afraid to say I was wrong but now I know better. Pride makes us a slave, humility sets us free.

It doesn't matter that people will read this and laugh, think what a fool you are Scott, to think how you do, you just don't get it. You will get walked all over with this naive, wide-eyed optimism.

And you'd be right -- I have been walked all over in trust to those that don't deserve it. But I remember so clearly in my head; I don't remember when or where or who, but I do remember, a youngish person who had obviously just been yelled at by a boss, this person saying to me, "I can't wait until I'm the boss so I can be an asshole to everyone", and me thinking then -- and now, you so did not get the right message from that. And so I am tested -- do I become that which I detest, because then I'll get something more that way? The cynic pretends to be happy, content, their actions show differently. It will never be enough, you would never be treated well enough, respected enough, have enough.

It matters that I don't care what anyone thinks, and although I will be weak and give into anger and frustration, and lash out, I will always come back to this place -- in strength -- in my mind and in my heart, that the universe is goodness, that goodness is winning.

It matters that my intentions are to surround myself with like-minded people of hope and energy and that we will work together to do all we can do -- in our small way, we do big things. If it is only to change within ourselves, our family, our neighborhood, our town, our state, our nation our world. How do I really know that what I do won't change anything? That person I encourage today encourages someone else that encourages a group that gives hope to a nation and so on.

It matters that every moment of life matters, that life is too short. Use your time wisely, keep your mind on the positive. Do you own your thoughts or not? You do if you choose to.

It matters that we here on this farm in this moment are doing what we can -- in action, not words -- to make the world a better place, in whatever small way that is. We are being tested -- is this really what you want? Are you really willing to work that hard for this little? Don't you know how foolish you are to think you can do this? Don't you know how little people really care?

No I don't know any of that. It matters that we attract and surround ourselves with beautiful people that are making a positive difference in this world. And that our numbers grow with each minute in every day. That whatever happens is meant to be, that we are meant to learn the lessons of life in the way that we do; we can receive them willingly and early, or resist them and have them be loud and hard.

Scott

 

Postscript:

I choose to use my time in putting these words here. As a matter of fact, it is as much for me as anyone else. To put these words here is to take my mind there, and to write it down is to organize it in my mind. We struggle right now, I struggle trying to keep the "internal conversation" -- the thoughts going through my head -- to the constructive, to ideas that will help our farm, help my family, help the world, and not give into the destructive thoughts or the prevelant attitudes of the day, what about me, what about right now.

I've been blessed in so many many ways to have the defining experiences of my life that I have had; to be put in front of so many important and wonderful people, and have so many opportunities. I have, I will continue, to struggle as do each of us towards some ideal of happiness and contentment. And my next post I hope to spend the next couple days thinking about; in my travels, in my chores: while I milk the cows, while I fill the water, while I drive to here, that I'll fill that time with this vision of what will be. And I believe it will be: A paradise on earth, right here at this farm.

"Family Farm" has, like so many other good things, had the good mined out of it for purposes of selling you something. Monolithic companies want you to be convinced that they are some warm fuzzy collection of family farms, when they have merely taken this good thing and used it only for their marketing -- hoping people will not check too closely, and just buy the warm image. Meanwhile family farms keep being eroded away by these same companies and their predatory practices. That's not what I want to talk about. But keep that in mind -- family farms are not dead -- but they need YOUR HELP NOW. - Scott

Well folks, ours IS that family farm you have in your mind -- it's me, Scott, wife Julie, and our kids - Ian 10, Quinn 8, Lilly 5 that are the heart&soul and labors of this farm. Here's the farm, here's the family, debate over.

This farm does not work if not for everyone pitching in. There is simply too much work to be done, too many things where one person cannot possibly do the thing alone, nor be timely enough to keep all the balls in the air. Each of us has our competencies, and our roles. We back each other up, we can do certain of each other's jobs, and there are those things that only that person can do. And the very best of things is "Team Trautman" jobs -- all of us together.

Team Trautman Jobs: Rounding up cattle that have gotten out of their area. We use polywire electrified fencing to keep groups of cattle in their areas. This fencing is easily moved from place to place for fresh grass or shelter. But on occasion something happens and that group of cattle gets out.

I can remember back to our first year with cattle: 2003, it was only 4 steers, and they were out A LOT, and we were complete nincompoops in handling them. Now, here 5 years later, it just isn't a big deal, and it's fairly rare that they're out at all. WE have changed most of all, not the cattle.

So we look out the window of our house and see some cattle outside their area. The call goes through the house, " OUT!". Might be "Little Steers!" or "Cows" or "Heifers", or horrors, "Pigs OUT!" (pigs aren't really that difficult but they aren't herd animals like cows, either). Whomever is there jumps to get their coat/boots on, we grab a roll of polywire string. It takes 2 people to operate a string -- one on the spool end, one on the end. We let out the spool, up to several hundred feet -- and get behind the group of out cattle, and then walk them back to where they belong. They respect the string, even if there is no charge on it. If we catch them early, they aren't very far from where they belong. The worst case is when they aren't even together as a group -- but have broken off in small groups. This is when it takes awhile to get them back in. Or get in the woods -- ahem -- a string is not possible in the woods, you need open spaces.

So minimum 2 people to operate a string. If only one? And it does rarely occur, well, different tactics necessary. Very difficult. 3 people is better, and 4 is great, especially if it's the crack Team Trautman group. Ian, 10, is now of a maturity and experience where it is effortless for him to join the group. Quinn, 8, is pretty good, but needs more guidance, and his personality is such that he can drift off into Quinn-land (just like dad can find himself in Scott-land). And even Lilly -- 5 - can help handle string.

Two people -- two points make a line -- we move the cattle next to the area they got out of. If some are still in, we have to leave it closed, so a person there to open the existing area string when we get the cattle back over there is useful.

"Be a post" -- we can get the animals next to the area where we want them, and either we have a plastic post in hand, and create a triangle (with area -- remember a line has no area -- very small geometry lesson here), attach each end of the string on the existing area string, open the old area up, and the cattle go back in. Be a post is that third point in the middle that makes it a triangle rather than a line.

We also use that triangle if we need to herd animals across the farm, to create a pathway, a big V, with which they stay in and we can navigate that wherever it needs to go. Otherwise, if only that line, we'll often use existing structures -- be they the perimeter fence, or a line of bales, or another string, to keep a wedge going.

We can always make it work with however many we have, but the more we have, and the better we're coordinated, the better it works. "Cattle out!", the orders fly -- Julie, you go get the string over by the shed -- Ian, go close the front gate and meet your mom back by the barn -- Quinn, you go over and put their old fence back up and prepare to open it, Lilly -- you unplug the fence and then find me. Lilly -- you're in the middle, Ian - go bring those two around back to the group. You get the picture. And bang -- 5-10 minutes later, everyone's back where they should be, no problem. A non-event.

We work together often -- so we know the job, we know how to communicate. Often it's a subtle hand gesture, hand signals we've practiced to know what to do when we can't hear each other, like around tractors. Could your family work together if they had to? Would they be in practice to be able to do it efficiently? Ours is, and it's because we have to be, and, because I think it's so very very cool and pleasurable.

Some of the warmest feelings of pride I have are when our family works together -- Team Trautman -- and I do say that on occasion to give the troops the reminder that we need to work together ("hey guys, I need Team Trautman today!"). In my upbringing, and many family's lives, there is probably teamwork between mom and dad (or not), but the kids, probably not. We cultivate and it is fact that we need each other, there is no point to individuals, we share, we work together, we're a team, and there is joy in our work. I take a special pride that my wife and I can work together - efficiently and effectively, without a whole lot of drama. (sure, some drama, but it's not MY fault, ha ha ha, oh yes it is)

A farm is good for that -- a family farm -- a farm like ours -- where it is designed from the ground up that we CAN work together. A giant grain farm, confinement operation -- are you kidding me? Keep the kids AWAY. Mom probably has very little to do with it. Hire someone as "labor". Man that sounds like work to me rather than the vocation that a family farm is to us. By design -- small tractor that our sons can operate, small animals like chickens that young children can safely be around, very mellow animals and teaching from an early age to respect and handle, say cattle and pigs. The Amish are experts at this -- training from an early age -- and we have learned this from them, and in the history and stories of what the family farm used to be -- is for us and others - and can still be.

We work in small teams -- like me & my oldest son Ian. Giving bales. One on the tractor (me), and Ian opens the electric fence to let me in. Rather difficult to do alone, given the cattle are standing just on the opposite side of the fence, and on the "out" side of the fence is their food, which they definitely want, and now. Loading straw bales in the bale chopper on the back of the little loader tractor, building up the bedding pack. Recently Ian was pleased to find out that he could do the most pushups -- by far -- of anyone in his class. Guess why? That's right, physical activity out on the farm -- moving bales around -- often about as big as he is. He's really good at using his weight to lever the bales where they need to go. What is your kid doing? Exercising his thumbs on the dumb machine? (computer games). Yes, our kids do that too, but we limit it. And it isn't kick them off that go sit in front of the dummy box -- the TV. I feel bad that too many kids don't have the opportunities ours do to be physically active, nor the will of the parents to have them be physically active. They will pay for it throughout their life.

Having a relationship with your kids is about spending time with them. We don't have the money or the inclination to purchase our fun, nor shuttle them to umpteen "activities" here there and everywhere, what we have are things to be done on the farm that need more than one person to do. I need help (which you may well take meaning beyond). It's in those moments that we work together that we talk about stuff -- what's going on, the questions of life, that just naturally occur. I can't make them happen, stuff them into a vacation or allocated "quality time", they just have to happen. And we get stuff done -- a very, very efficient operation the true family farm is.

Julie does the same -- she has a special bond with our daughter, Lilly. Lilly was born on the farm, she has been a little farmer all her life. That first summer she was born -- 2003 -- she was strapped to the passenger seat of the gator out doing chores with her mom. She helps mom gather eggs, hold string, whatever thing she can do to help. And as you can imagine, she is, for her age, quite good help, and is beyond many of her age group in her ability to understand and act on instructions. And because she has been around it all, I would wager she will pick up activities a good 2 years before where her older brothers would have.

Both Julie and I will "grab a child" and go to our chores. Or more than one. We'll split it up. Or send a couple children out with some chores they can do. They know they are important to our operation here. They are a part of it, and I dream of a day that they choose to be an adult part of this family farm. I admire any family that can work together. I know they must have done something right along the way to make the environment such that they can. That relationship can be many things; boss-employee, partners, and the boss can be the child or the parent. I dream of that day, way far away, when it's "Oh dad, we've got it covered, go play with your grand kids, we'll get this done".

Before you think this is some extended online bragging Christmas letter -- these relationships and activities have taken work, and haven't been without their frustrations and failures and conflicts. It is a work in progress. They get better in time through practice. I hope I get more patient and better to work with in time too. I have much to learn about patience and control (of myself).

This farm is a family farm by design -- on purpose for a long term goal.

This farm is an organic farm - supporting the long term purpose of sustainability - a hopefully multi-generational farm that through our success, our happiness, our ability to happily work together, our children will be drawn to this life.

This farm is a small farm, where children can be involved. We knew this was a startup business, and startup businesses of any kind -- much less the known work of a farm -- are long days. I've done it before, and I know it's 16 hour days. I was unwilling to do it at this time without my family - and miss out on those moments that pass so quickly in a child's life. Poof -- they're adults, where did the time go, where was I. I am here -- they are here -- we're together as much as is possible.

The work towards all this started on day one and was not an afterthought. I hope and pray for your family -- that you will find purpose, purpose in good, and find ways to work, live, love and laugh together as we do. May you have your own "Team Trautman" and know the life pleasures of your family.

Scott

Postscript, 12/6/08, 6:45am: Parenting in action, I just had a conversation with Quinn our 8 year old. I'm having to work on him to get him to be a willing and enthusiastic participant, in farm and home life and especially school. Nothing new there -- same issues at about the same age with his older brother Ian.

So Quinn has lately expressed that "Dad likes Ian better than me", and this morning, when I asked him specifically to be my "Right hand man" this morning, he tells mom "I did it the last couple times". So I had a parenting moment and went up to his room to discuss it with him -- and made my points of, No, I don't like our brother better than you, but that he's older and can do more things than you can and he has a good attitude, and "who cares?" if you did it the last couple times, we don't keep track around here of who does what when to keep even, we ALL help out as we can whenever we can, and finally, I asked YOU to help ME because I want to spend time with you and work with you so you can do the kinds of things your brother can.

So then I come here and write this -- while making some oatmeal, and the small act that proves the value -- his brother Ian hears the timer go off, rushes into the kitchen and takes it off the burner. No one asked him to, he just did it. That's the kind of team we're building here, and these are the moments of joy in paradise I am grateful for -- Scott

Rhoda is a 15 year old Jersey, with a little Holstein in her, 3 teated cow. She is my first cow; she came to our farm from my Amish friend Andrew Swarey by Dorchester in May of 2007.

Rhoda had been in Andrew's herd for a long time; she is a certified organic cow. I paid $500 for her; she was to be our "test pilot" cow for us diving into dairy. That's how we operate around here, dip in a toe, test the waters, then wade in a ways before we go all in.

We had no milking equipment ready the day she came. We had no facility to milk -- as I came to find very funny myself telling people -- milk cow. Now cow-s, but cow. As in "Time to go milk Cow". Well I STILL think it's funny. But as usual, we managed. We go from complete naivete, to adaption, to some kind of efficiency. Naivete - Guess what, cows don't generally just stand there and wait to be milked. There being in the pasture. In fact, Rhoda didn't even want to be caught, much less milked. Okay; so day one went by without milking her. Not good. With the help of our very good friend, and all around capable and inventive guy, Don Warren, we (or I should admit, he) lassoed Rhoda, and we put a halter on her, tied her up close to a post on the edge of the field, gave her some grain, and proceeded to milk her by hand.

To look at my soft white small hands, you would have to know I have not milked (many)(okay any) cows before. It is hard on the hands! It took a good 20 minutes and very sore hands later to feel like we milked her out good enough that first time.

I had borrowed an old portable vacuum pump (really an air compressor turned backwards: vacuum instead of pressure), and a bucket milker, which is a stainless steel bucket, around 5 gallon size, with a top on it and a device called a pulsator that would squeeze the teat cups on the teats of the cow to have her release her milk. But they were in pretty poor shape, and Rhoda came before I got them fixed. Well, the portable vacuum needed to be replaced, and waiting on it to be shipped to us. A couple days of hand milking.

 

As usual, the 2nd day went better than the 1st, and the 3rd better still, although I was ...pretty much on my own. The deal was, to get Rhoda here in the first place, was, this is YOUR project Scott, YOU milk the cow. This from "the boss", Julie, Chief Skeptic & Keeper of Scott from Doing Crazy Things. So it would not be good for me to complain, so I didn't, but I sure was happy to have that portable milker. And by this time, she knew the drill, too -- that some grain was in it for her if she came up to be milked.

Most dairymen milk twice a day. Some even three times a day. Us? Once a day. It is not unheard of, and there is logic and reason to it I won't go into here. To say I didn't have time to milk once a day, one cow (for which the setup and cleanup are the same as to milk 10...or 100, is an understatement. But to milk twice a day, with the setup and cleanup taking far longer than the actual milking, well, that would be pretty crazy. (as opposed to "pretty crazy" to be milking at all, or milking only one cow)

When I talked to Andrew about getting "a" milk cow, to smooth the wife into this whole dairy thing, seduce her with the beauty of it all, I communicated the need for a friendly, easy to milk cow, great disposition, a cow easy to fall in love with. Well, didn't quite work out that way, at least to begin with. Rhoda knew early on that I was the "herd leader", but Julie, and the kids -- they were put on this green earth to be bossed around, and that she did. She was generally a menace to everyone but me. Which in it's own way endeared her to me, as I was "special" (as anyone who might know me might say with another meaning..."special"....).

So all spring I would milk her; I'd ask for and get a hand from one of the kids. There was the bucket milker to be sanitized, put together, the tools such as the teat dip, the curry comb (my touch), warm soapy water & wash clothes to clean teats, paper towels to dry the teats. It took about an hour start to finish. And Julie helped along the way, and stripped (squeeze the teats to get the initial milk flowing) and put on the milker.

We would drink the milk ourselves; boy it was good. Yep, unpasteurized, death-waiting-to-happen (so they say). I would call it a "Rhoda-Soda", a tall glass of cold milk, from a bottle with a nice 2 inch head of cream on it.

Rhoda was all by herself. Which we now understand to have been the source of ...most... of her "anti-social" behavior along the way. Cows are herd animals -- and especially if they have always been IN a herd, they act weird if they are OUT of a herd. What herd order? In the case of Rhoda, clearly a herd leader, who to boss around then? Well, not me, we'd established that <I> was the herd LEADER, but Julie & the kids? Well well, they could be bossed.

By late June, GJ, Maidengirl (GJ's Sister) and Baby GJ (GJ's daughter, we just call her "Baby") came to the farm from Richard's (see prior post about My Friend Richard). After some time, Rhoda was integrated with this group, and of course, Rhoda, being even the smallest of the group, took over leadership. GJ is about the most passive cow you'd ever meet, even being probably 1400 lbs vs. Rhoda's 900. Size doesn't matter: attitude does. With her finally being back into a "herd", even if it was only 4, she mellowed out some. I had been able to touch her all along since I milked her; I brushed her, complimented her on how nice she looked (girls do like that, even bovine ones) and generally made a fuss of her.

GJ freshened (had a calf & started to milk) August 11th; a beautiful bull we promptly named "Little Richard". Rhoda, being the bossy girl she is, and GJ being the passive cow she is, pretty much gave up her calf to Rhoda, who, being 14 years old, had had probably 12 calves but never been left to keep a single one (calves in dairy...except for a few Very Odd places like ours, are taken away right away from mom....I hate that with a passion), was getting in 12 calves worth of mommy-ing all at once.

 

When we were only milking a couple -- there were a few days where Rhoda was "difficult" and didn't want to come in, or be milked, or whatever, that we massaged some "hamburger"-like thoughts, and half convinced ourselves she "just wasn't working out", but like so many things, looking back, they were our problems, not hers, we weren't working things out very well, she was being....a cow...

We are now milking 22 cows -- and Rhoda isn't exactly the leader anymore, but if she has a chance to be the boss of anyone - of Baby and Maidengirl and a couple heifers anyway -- she does. Now Rhoda is more "in the lead" -- as in that nosey gramma-like person that always has to know what's going on and be at the front of the crowd. She always wants to be first for new grass, hay, to be milked. Very assertive that way. And eat -- she can really pack it in! Julie especially calls her "Rotunda" -- positively ROUND from filling up on as much grass or hay as she can pack in. That is a mighty good characteristic of a cow -- the more they eat, the more milk they give.

 GJ, Rhoda, Maidengirl's calf Karen Marie, and Little Richard

We had some trouble getting Rhoda bred; she is at this time in her 650th day of lactation -- almost two full years -- which is way too long. We didn't get the job done like it should have been. We use a bull, and Rhoda being old-ish has some old-person issues on occasion and weak hips kept her from allowing Shim the Bull to complete his work. But he did, this last spring, and she will have a calf in around February 20th. So we'll be drying her off here any day. She still gives a nice amount of milk; lots of butterfat & good protein, and low somatic cell count. We are really hoping for a heifer calf, to continue the legacy of Rhoda The Wonder Cow.

 

Rhoda in the new parlor, along with our daughter Lilly. And Bob from Tri-County Dairy in the background. This was day one for the new parlor - 8/27/08

Even Julie now is very fond of her, she is nice to all humans and that certainly helps. Or think of it as everyone's used to everyone's quirks and needs by now. We know how she is, she knows how we are, we get along.

I hope that she can be a productive happy member of our herd for many years yet. She is in good health, and could be around for 5+ years yet, before she's considered really old. For a herd like ours, that is. 5 years old is really old and worn out in many herds today, and that is sad because it doesn't need to be like that.

Come on out and see Rhoda the Wonder Cow and see what I mean.

 

This post from August 5th, 2005. Any of you out there that knows what happened in August of 2005 in the Stoughton area know what's coming up.

I mention "Authentic Happiness" by Seligman. That is a great book that effectively makes the case for optimism; it opens the door. The books that help me practice optimism are The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne Dyer & now Happy for No Reason by Marci Shimoff. I had the Power of Intention for some time, but could not get into it. When the time was right. And here recently with the economy, I needed to re-listen to the Power of Intention to get out of my funk.

 Here it is 2008 and I still feel the same way. Generally positive, with my moments of despair. Think about the good things, and forget the bad other than to learn from our mistakes. Have a great Thanksgiving, and do give thanks. - Scott

 

I've certainly had enough downer things here lately to bitch about, but I do believe I am a positive person, and in so, need to search that positive out. So this is that; things I am thankful for, and are truly good.

1. Getting by with a little help from my friends. In a time of need, you find out who's really a friend and who's not. I've had several, and some unexpected, that have given of themselves selflessly. Thanks Dan, Mike, Bruce, Mike, Dale. You guys live the faith beyond Sunday service. Thanks.

2. Healthy family, healthy animals. The worst of the pinkeye is over, and every calf is looking pretty darn good, even with this hot muggy weather.

3. More rain than most have gotten. A hard year could have been so much worse, and is far worse for so many. As dry as it might be, we have nothing to bitch about.

4. New customers and friends. It is so revitalizing to get to know you. I am fed by your positive energy and hope.

5. Always something interesting, something to learn. Never a dull moment.

6. For all the equipment that does work. Seems like it's always something, but so far, been able to keep the balls in the air.

7. For God to give me the strength to get through the tough times. As bad as I might think things are, I know so many have it so much worse. God has been kind to us in every way possible.

8. For my wife and children that bring me so much joy. They ground me and show me what is truly important in life.

9. For my health. A stubby finger slows me down. A fellow I know has been laid up on his back for four days now, getting nothing done. That would be devastating for us.

10. The wonderment that is nature, and the confidence that what we do and how is the right thing.

I credit some of my framework for positiveness to "Authentic Happiness", the book by Dr. Seligman, which put into focus strategies, such as this very effort, to keep a positive attitude, even when one could easily fall into despair & be just another whiner complaining about just how crappy everything is. It isn't, but I'm the only one that can make me live and believe that.

All the very best to all.
(now surely back to my whining...)

I ran across this again and thought it would be a nice little pensive day brightener type of thing. 

 The Book is "The Cow" by Jared Van Wagenen, Jr., 1922
From the Steenbock Ag library, University of Wisconsin campus

"When the soil-miner has wrought his perfect work and the earth no
longer gives her increase-when seed for the sower and bread for the
eater grow scanty--then the cow comes to the rescue. From the
beginning she has exemplified the doctrine of soil conservation. Where
she makes the land her own, green carpets of pasture possess the
fields, alfalfa throws its perfume to the breeze and corn waves and
rustles in the sunshine. There great new barns rise in place of the
old, and white walled farmsteads speak of peace and plenty. There
contented farm folk found dynasties by striking the roots of their
lives deep into the soil. And of such is the Kingdom of Heaven"

This also from July 2005. What a crappy couple of months it ended up being. Another note -- I complain about $290/mo insurance being devastating -- with a deductable of $10,000. Try $15,000 deductable and $550/month. That is robbery. I think soon we will join the millions without any healthcare at all. - Scott

Takin' one for the team

 

The vet was out yesterday; to treat one calf with pinkeye, poor little #85, who's been rather sorry looking since he got here, having been weaned too quickly & transported here on a quite cold day. The vet also lanced an abcess on another calf's cheek, one about the size of a big golf ball.

My wife Julie helps we catch and hold these fellows when we need to do something. These fellows are in the calf shed, a 40x60 foot building.

With that cheek lance, we need to push out the pus out & put some iodine in there, at least twice a day until it heals over.
Six hours after the vet lanced it, it was back to its original oversized golf ball size, we catch good ol' Wolly, but darn it if we can get the puss out of the lance, trying to squeeze it. The vet said we might have to clean it out with hydrogen peroxide & break a scab to get it out. Well, probe as I might in the wound, and thoroughly grossing Julie & myself out, can't get it open. Need the vet out again.

At the same time, we need to vaccinate the other 7 fellows in with him against pinkeye. Which means catch 'em & give them a quick shot in the neck. We caught 5 with relative ease. I suggested to Julie, well, maybe that's enough for tonight. Okay, let's try the next one, if we can't, that'll be it for tonight. Okay! Julie & I make quite a team, I'm the major "grabber", she's right behind to gain control, then back to me to get them down on the ground & do the vaccination, 2cc's in the neck.

Good & big #224, I grab him at the feeder, he makes a lunge, Julie's got his tail, I've got him by the neck, down he goes, I'm on top.
Bam, up goes his head, and his bud of a horn knocks me good just above my left eye, wow, that hurt, but I got him vaccinated. I touch my head, it's slick, and my hand comes back bloody. Julie can't see my face yet.

When she does, her first comment is "you've got to go to the emergency room". The damn thing doesn't really hurt, but it's definitely bleeding good. Nah, no emergency room, it's not that big a deal. Especially since the last time we had an urgent care situation, our 2 year old daughter having fallen down a couple stairs playing with her brothers, result being she was limping. Three x-rays later, $1000. It was nothing, she just sprained her ankle, but there it is, $1000 for being safe. And a nice little note in the file about "blunt trauma" to make sure they could suggest child abuse to keep us shut up.

Our health insurance is still $290/month, almost $10/day, for a $10k per person deductable. On a farmer's pay, that $1000 was devastating, and all I can think is they'll find some way to make this a $1000 cut, won't they? So no, not going to urgent care, clean it up, try and bind it up to minimize a scar. Such is the price of healthcare these days. You've got good employer provided healthcare? Good for you, no scars for you. For us, if it's me anyway, it'll be a broken bone or as bad before I go to those money suckers.

Being the jokester that I am, I now am able to say upon being asked (by everyone of course) "what happened?", well, Julie, she's a mean drunk I tell you, I never saw it coming. There may well be a small scar, no problem, the problem right now is wiping away sweat in the course of other activities from that eye. All part of what it is to be a farmer, with animals.

 

This was a posting to my original blog on blogspot, on July 9, 2005. This is the "way back machine". I will keep posting these until I'm out of them -- upon rereading them, it is amazing we're as upbeat as we are. There's some good farm history here. 2005 was our 3rd season. - Scott

Hi, it's me!

HELLO

Scott (me), Julie, Ian (7), Quinn (5), Lilly (2), are organic farmers by Stoughton, Wisconsin. Our farm is 40 acres.
We moved here May 17th of 2002, Settendmai weekend.
I owned a small ISP (Internet Service Provider) company from late 1994-May 2004.

We started farming early spring of 2003, with some rainbow mix laying hens (50) & 4 started Jersey steers.
I planted the entire farm into pasture in late April, a little heavy on the red clover.

We've worked agressively on soil life, following Gary Zimmer's program in his "The Biological Farmer" book, loading up on lots of calcium, while we have the money to do it, money from a modest payout on selling the Internet business.

First season, we harvested those 4 steers in the fall, but during that summer started what ended up being 16 Jersey calves from a near big conventional dairy. 2nd season, we ended up with 31 big calves, and having purchased 2 others, have 33 grazing right now for fall harvest.

Now being the season where it's been 3 years since anything artificial put on our ground, we're a few days away from our final organic certification. We've gotten over 40 weaned Jersey/cross bull calves so far, with all but four so far being certified organic, on our way to 50.

April-May-June have been incredibly busy, had to re-seed about half our pastures due to winterkill, and mistakedly starting some big projects in late May. Won't be doing that again, May-June is pure farming, no projects for next year. Live and learn.

I'll keep adding to this post for more background, as I have time, along with the daily stuff.
We love farming, and although the posts might reflect setbacks, know we've got a very positive attitude, I'll try and make sure that gets reflected & not just the bummers along the way. Such as it is, gotta do some grousing along the way.

SMT

Over a year ago now, I, Scott Trautman, picked up the latest MATC class guide, and noticed there was an Ag department, but no farming classes, and definitely no organic farming classes. I contacted the director of the ag department, and with him and the fine staff, and a phenomenal co-teacher, Sam Prasch, doctoral candidate, we put together the spring semester "Introduction to Organic Farming" class. It meets Tuesday and Thursday nights Jan into April, with less meetings and some farm visits as we re-enter the farming season. I am an organic farmer, that is my living, so I understand about time.

I tend to be a person of action; I'm not your protest guy, or conspiracy nut; I can complain with the best of them but end up in "what can be done, what can I do?". Otherwise I don't spend much time "there". I believe -as should others -- and definitely farmers - ought know they have far more control over their lives & careers than they give themselves credit for. I worked with MATC to come up with this class, for a constructive solution to the problem of failing farms.

I can't control the weather (drought, torrential downpours), but I can control how I'm prepared for it (building organic matter to hold more moisture, etc.). And for farmers especially, we have no control over the markets. The conventional markets are up, down, and when they're up, the costs mysteriously go up to meet them. The deck seems stacked against us. What to do?

If all a person wants to do is bitch about that, and be in good company while doing so, and pretend there's nothing that can be done, go with the flow and pretend the family farm is dead, then you can surely stop reading here, because what this course offers is a long term future in farming. But with anything truly good -- it is not free, it is not without risk. Are you good enough to not only become an organic farmer, but an excellent organic farmer?

The organic markets have proven themselves far more stable than conventional markets. No wild speculative swings; good prices every year. This year corn, for example, is $9/bushel at harvest time and holding. Milk price, base, is $23.50, and has been that since spring, and was $22 before that. How's your milk price holding up? Us organic guys don't get too excited when the conventional milk price gets close to ours, because we KNOW it won't hold; enjoy it while you can, it'll be down to $14 again and then where will you be? We'll still be at $23.50.

So pricing -- more stable, and a system organized from the very start with the idea that to make organic work -- farmers would need to be paid a fair price every year. If you object to organic, you also have to reject that idea as well.

Costs: Yes they are more for organic. Some of that is scale; the amount of organic fertilizers (yes we do use them by the way) produced are small compared to the billions of pounds of conventional fertilizers, and they have to be produced in a responsible way, which also costs more. How you ought to think about "going organic" is that you're going to BUY your soil's fertility instead of RENTING it year after year. You will invest in your soils to get them back to say -- where your grandfather left them to your father, and maybe even your father left them to you--and that will take some money and time. But once you get there -- once you own your fertility -- its a matter of maintenance rather than putting the same and more inputs on each year. The real money to be made in organic is 5 years down the line when our input costs are way down -- and conventional inputs will be higher still and more of them.

Why haven't more farmers gone organic, anyway? First, in our taking responsibility, we haven't done a good enough job of convincing; there have been failures of "organic" farmers and not enough "successes" that are obvious enough examples. The dynamic is often that a failing farmer -- a not very good farmer, period -- will reach out and believe that organic will save his farm. They don't educate themselves, they don't become better farmers, they just quit using chemicals and the most important part, don't change how they think about farming, and they fail. And when they fail -- they blame organic, that organic doesn't work, it couldn't possibly be them. And the neighbors all believe that -- especially when they have help in that idea from...the guys that sell them all those great chemicals. You don't want to be like Charlie over there, do you?

There are indeed bad organic farmers. They drive me nuts because they are screwing up my brand, organic, but the tragic problem is that a giant bomb blast goes off covering miles and miles -- and when you bring up the word organic the area farmer responds -- THERE is your organic, over there -- Charlie, what a mess. No matter that Charlie IS the mess, and organic, needing more skill, amplified and accelerated his inevitable failure, but wasn't the cause of his failure.

This course and my efforts in this class are to make EXCELLENT organic farmers of already EXCELLENT farmers. Are you an excellent farmer, looking to be rewarded for your excellent stewardship and management? You owe it to yourself to look at organic.

Being an excellent -- and that translating to successful -- organic farmer -- is going to take a change in how you look at your farm. There aren't the chemical "whoopsies", there is no call to the Coop to come spray away your mistakes, there is excellent, timely farming, and a farmer behind it that takes responsibility for himself and his future.

Do you understand that nature wants us to succeed? I mean really, do you understand that? Nature wants us to work with her, not make war on her. Dousing her creation with chemical killers, caustic fertilizers is not working with, it is battling nature. Accept that making war on anything is always but always going to cost more in the long run than working with something. Organic farmers build organic matter in the soil, rotate crops, work with soil life to create all the same types of situations you must create chemically when you work against her.

Organic farmers are capable of similar yields as conventional, but understand it will take time to get there. With organic farming, every year gets better, the soils repair themselves, soil life gets better, yields get better, weed pressures lessen. Can you say that about conventional agriculture? Before you say yes, I want to see the soil reports. I want to see your organic matter -- today and 10, 20 years ago, I want to see your nutrient levels, and I want to see what your soil looks and acts like. Then you come look at mine -- or any other GOOD organic farmers and see what we see.

Let me paint a picture for you. Farming is supposed to be fun -- I'm having fun farming. 1st, I'm creating this scene, and I don't have to thank any chemicals for it. It's all me. 2nd, every year gets better -- every spring my soils are better, my crops do better, I fantasize about how they will be in 10 years, 20, how good can they get?

I love to raise a little corn here, and the peak of my joy is to cultivate. When I cultivate, I'm driving through almost clean rows, through dark green healthy corn, I'm opening up the beautiful dark soil is what I'm doing mostly. Sure, I have a few weeds along the way -- but not a weed problem. And to know I did this - me - not chemicals, and I'll get paid fairly for it every year, get decent yields, that is when farming is truly fun.

I respect the hard work and innovation of farmers. We have continued to get more and more efficient, and then given all of that away to agribusiness; each and every time, yet we continue to come back for more, and lose more farmers along the way. Are you ready for a change? Do you want to attract your children to the farm, rather than send them away? Don't you owe it to yourself, as a businessperson -- to look at ANY options out there to protect your future?

Come join our class. Be skeptical. But bring an open mind. Don't think you have to drop everything you know and start "going organic" tomorrow; you can shoot down the road as many years as you need, but you do need to make some changes now, and understand those changes will help you in the farming you do now. Waiting until you're backed into a corner, going organic will not be an option.

The ideal situation is one where over time, you NEED less and less chemicals to get the same and better yields, and the point comes where you're ready to take the extra money for going all the way to organic.

The hardest, and biggest change comes in changing how you think. One example I like to give. Follow me on this --

Conventional:
Problem: Weeds
Cause: Lack of herbicide
Solution: Apply herbicide


Organic:
Problem: Weeds:
Cause: Hey wait a second -- what weeds are we talking here? WHAT weeds we have gives us clues to what is going on with the soil and conditions that we can then work on.
Solution: Fix the problems in the soil, take the proper timely actions to conditions. In time, problem solved, permanently -- not just this season with a call to the coop.

Can you think that way? It is harder. You will have to re-think all those deep, deep ruts in your unexamined ideas that benefit not you, not your farm, not the world, but agribusiness - transferring your natural resource wealth out of your pocket and into theirs.

Are you an excellent farmer already? We need you. Not very good? Thanks, but you need all the tools you have already, you'd best stay just where you're at. We don't need you messing up our organic brand, nor blocking other farmers from thinking about going organic with your failure, and you will fail.

This course is about creating organic excellence; introducing you to a way of thinking, immersing you in the world of resources available (so many more in 2008 than even when we started in 2003!), exposing you to excellent farmers that have had the courage to make those hard decisions, and to look deep within themselves, and decide they wanted something better for themselves, their families and the world. They decided to go organic.

Take the course -- it's just a few hours this winter -- can you take the challenge of surrounding yourself with people that don't think exactly like you currently do? Do you love farming enough to look at all the options rather than just the same ones from the same places that give the same results?

Enrollment opens December 2nd. Please contact me with any questions you might have; you are welcome to my farm anytime, I will be open and honest with you, and I don't pretend that it's all sunny, 70 and an inch a week here.

All the very best to you and yours,

Sincerely,
Scott Trautman
Trautman Family Farm, Stoughton WI
http://www.trautmanfarm.com
Organic 100% Grass dairy, Grassfed beef, Pastured Pork, eggs & more
Instructor, Introduction to Organic Farming, MATC Madison WI

This document was created back in early 2007 as we considered dairy seriously and searched for assistance to make this happen. Some of the timelines are now way off, but most are still in line, and the ideas have now been proven with a year of milking cows. We will indeed modify some ideas to better suit "reality" and the situation, but by and large, everything mentioned here works. One of the larger changes is the seasonality: From spring freshening, to fall freshening, that due to considerations that everyone, especially organically, wants to freshen in springtime, and so there is a glut of milk. Fall freshening actually comes out working to our favor in many ways that I'll discuss at a future time. -- Scott

Trautman Family Farm Artisanal Dairy Initiative

Project mission:

For Trautman Family Farm to add the last critical peice of our farm sustainability puzzle (100% farm produced income) through artisanal dairy: reap the rewards of our hard work to date: in remineralizing our soils, becoming certified organic and very capable farmers with a strong direct market following and marketing appeal.

Ours is by design a family farm, and it is our strongest desire to keep it that way, and to involve our children for now and the future in our operations, through strategic partnerships, such as cheesemakers, buttermakers and other dairy artisans, who appreciate excellent quality milk, from a farm with a great story. We will do our part: make excellent grassfed organic milk, along with learn from and interact with diary artisans to come up with excellent products -- both for the high end market, and with an eye for our local market, in an effort to revitalize our local farming community and make excellent food a reality for all people and not just the affluent.

History:

Scott’s grandparents farmed in North Dakota, and he spent quality time there as a child, and not surprisingly has had a lifelong love of farming. In highschool, in very suburban Bettendorf Iowa, he ran an ad in the paper to work on a farm, found that job, and even rented ground and raised pigs with the farmer’s equipment & facilities, one of his first entrepenurial ventures.

With the realities of "getting into" farming, starting to farm at that time (mid 80’s!) would have been near impossible, so off to college and eventually a business degree, with then work with computers in a business setting. This work culminated in 10 years, from 1994 to 2004 as owner of Global Dialog Internet, a small company serving south central Wisconsin with Internet services; known for superior customer service and innovation. During this time the now Trautman family moved in 2002 to a farm outside of Stoughton, 40 acres square, with later additions of 30 acres (now in transition to organic) plus another 40 acres in rented land. Through “dangerous reading”, and frustration with the Internet work, the family moved the direction of farming, and in 2003 started towards organic certification, planted the whole farm to pastures, and started grazing steers, raised a few laying hens and broilers. The Internet business was sold in 2004, and has allowed us the ongoing capital to proceed with our farm plans.

Fortunately at that time, too, we embarked on an agressive soil reminerilization & fertility program, and through extensive effort and education, that effort today reaps fantastic rewords in quality and quantity forages. Those investments will continue to pay for many many years.

Each year since 2003, we have added new dimensions to our operation, testing the waters and starting small to minimize our expenditures in ill concieved directions. We know from the past four year's works - that our strengths are in grazing and marketing, and in the diversity of animal related products, such as chicken, eggs, pork & beef -- all with grass as a focus. Grassfed-Organic is "the place to be", and we are there. From our "toe in the water" start in 2003 -- with only 4 steers, 200 broilers & 30 hens -- to in 2006 finishing 44 steers, 600 broilers and 20 hogs, all of which sold off the farm, not at farmer's markets or wholesale. We always run out of product before our next harvest. New customers average 1-2 per week. Our ability to meet demand - not finding customers is our limitation. Especially with Scott's background in technology, we utilize the Internet extensively for marketing and efficiency. As we are in the "place to be" with our products, we capitalize on new technologies such as YouTube videos, blogging to spread the word.

Our limitation to sustainability at this time is either enough land (we estimate between 2-300 acres as a certified organic direct market farm), or with less (more is NOT available currently) with maximizing our production (working well) and income -- which is where dairy fits in, along with our other direct market farming efforts. It is also important for us to have both product and customer diversity; this provide us the most resilience in a quickly changing market and conditions.

We are adaptive, learn and adjust very quickly. Our biggest asset: Julie and Scott are one great team - working together on the farm. We make friends easily, through our sincere love of farming and people and social networking. Small companies -- and farms -- that are successful -- can adapt to changing conditions more easily than large companies/farms. Rather than smallness being a liability, smallness = nimbleness, adaptability. In fact we have strategically chosen our practices and markets that do not "scale up" to large farms well -- and organic grassfed dairy is one that large companies will not be able to effectively "be big" at -- it requires the skills and reactiveness of -- you guessed it -- a family farmer that really knows their animals and can't be put off on low skill employees or in technology.

Having a family focus -- changes the nature of our decisions, as we plan for a future including our children, instead of just on this year's crop & how many houselots would have to be sold to retire someday. The whole package together - the products, and the "green-ness" - is one that people are actively rooting for -- for our success, in contrast to the conventional wisdom that family farms are in decline and cannot succeed in today's market. We show that does not have to be the case - with our success.

Dairy Initiative Plan ===============

"Make great milk and they will come"

First and most importantly -- make a great product for a willing market. And grassfed organic is that market, and the quality forages and management brings the quality product. It is our desire to be excellent dairymen -- but also know the world of the dairy artisan to better serve them. We are very quick and deep learners; it is not usual for the dairyman to get together with the artisan, but our desire is to break that detachment between the production of the milk and the product.

We anticipate partnering with one or more cheesemakers -- we bring the excellent milk. A possibility is to create an on-farm cheesemaking facility; with proximity to Madison & cheese facilities & bring in even "guest" cheesemakers, I'm confident we can find the right situation.

We would absolutely entertain a partnership where a cheesemaker puts a facility on our farm and makes the cheese. Surely there are budding cheesemakers looking for just this situation.

We anticipate that cheese made from our milk would be in the $10-20+ per pound retail range - high end. It would also be relatively scarce -- there will only be so much. Also some innovative marketing possibilities that I could discuss at another time to expand the market -- for example a cheese auction online on Ebay.

We anticipate -- with the whole package including milk, our farm, us in marketing support -- that we conservatively should earn $35 per 100wt fluid milk. I think it will be higher, but this is a reasonable starting point for discussion.

"Surround ourselves with excellence and success"

With the great products -- we will be of interest to those that can judge what is excellent, and do special things with that excellence. Artisanal cheesemakers such as the Willi Lehners of Bleu Mont Cheese, Uplands Cheese, Bob Wills -- and many more -- that know what excellence is and can help guide us, and we can take the responsibility and have the interest in their world -- and shape our work to best meet the artisan's needs -- all of them -- product and logistics and marketing as examples. As opposed to current situation with most dairy farms, which is "Will you please take my milk?". We can and will go far beyond that with initiative, enthusiasm and ideas.

"Quality is your best marketing: Customer service is right behind that"

We "get it" with customer service -- all too often those "artists" that are excellent, have a certain despise for the customer. We love people, we treat others as we wish to be treated. We know our customers beyond their interest in our products --- they truly become our friends --- and we work very hard to make it easy to work with us, which has meant great customer loyalty and a willingness for our customers to come to the farm rather than us having to spend valuable time at farmer's markets et al marketing our products.

"Our family farm is a marketing asset"

We would preserve our name -- Trautman Family Farm -- in the end product, because it would be to the artisanal dairy professional's interest to do so. We "clean up good" so to speak -- and are excellent ambassadors. A true family farm -- as we like to say -- we ARE that farm pictured on the side of the milk carton or on the cheese label. A happy family farm with happy animals.

Our newest marketing catchphrase says it, too --

"With every taste an invitation -- to see how very special our products are from Trautman Family Farm".

Come see us -- really -- and you will see content, clean animals, well thought out ideas throughout the farm. But -- you will see too -- that we are not an antiseptic planned "show farm" -- it is obvious that real work is done here by a real family, but certainly with a mind to visitors. That is a powerful marketing tool -- especially in the face of competition by large companies. No invitations to the farms there.

MARKET

I won't spend much time discussing the general market for organic or grassfed: They are growing very quickly, and certain events (E Coli for example) even in the past year have only focused more interest. But it is important to note that organic and grassfed is a grassroots movement -- there is no marketing board supporting this, this grows from the people on up. I believe very strongly that we are at the cusp of a wave of change -- very similar to the Internet revolution we participated in starting in 1994.

We have found that our customer base includes a wide range of people, but the most exciting and fastest growing segment is the young educated families -- that have not had health crises that bring them to more natural foods, but by desire to start their families right with healthful food, but also in support of their beliefs about farming, the environment & social justice. These are families that could be customers for 40 plus years!

PRODUCTS

Some flexibility here as of yet. With a high fat & protein milk, fat up to 7% -- we are thinking towards

- Grassfed organic butter (very little in the market right now)
- Grassfed organic raw milk cheeses that preserves as much of the original milk qualities as possible
- generally, products that accent the unique and healthful qualities of grassfed milk
PRACTICES OVERVIEW

We are a very adaptive farm; and much of this comes from absorbing information from trade resources, other farmers and media. In so doing, we have identified practices that satisfy many areas -- marketing, family life & sustainability. Dairy is no different, and it is intended, but with option to adapt to the situation -- to implement the following practices in dairy, based on success of individuals in this area, New Zealand, and in general from those that question everything about what they do -- as we do.

OAD (Once A Day) milking: First reaction by most dairyman: you're crazy. All the more reason to question it. It is being practiced very successfully in Wisconsin, and has the very important quality family life component to it; not "chained to milking" as much. Milk components are very high over 7% butterfat. NOT 50% less milk; 30% less milk, but put the whole equation together and result is a 10% decrease in net profit.

Calf on Cow: Works on so many levels, with the right situation, a Johne's free herd being very important, and a clean, grass environment another. Result is hugely healthier calves, larger and more productive; often they are starting to eat grass at 2 weeks old. Great for heifers and what will be beef steers: that will perform to their peak on grass, without need of grain and the associated health side-effects of feeding grain. This too is being done very effectively by "crazy people" throughout the state, and most dairyman -- for their own convenience needs -- and not the best interests of their animals -- will not even think any further about this. Another advantage to the small farm - it will not scale up to a 400 cow dairy.

100% Grassfed: We have found that customers desire 100% grassfed. They are open to being educated about using "small amounts of grain", but we find it a distracting conversation to have. With our superior quality forages -- and an understanding of the design of the cow -- quality forages are what produce the greatest quality of milk, and best health and longevity. Less milk? Yes. But more than made up in quality. CLA levels at their absolute highest. I am confident in the next few years research will find yet more reasons why grassfed is superior to any other feed system -- except for quantity of milk.

Seasonal: Which goes with 100% grassfed. The best health and milk quality situations are created in growing grass seasons. This too combines with our family focus and ability to "take a break" from milking in winter.

100% cow needs focused dairying: We believe strongly in the management philosophy that these cows are not here to do our bidding, but ours theirs. As a good manager does: How do we as managers provide the best impediment free environment to do their job? Vs. the arrogance of man and our need to bend things to fit our convenience. There truly is a difference in how you think of things if you take this attitude. For example:

Cows don't belong on concrete. Their hooves are not meant for it.
Cows don't want to be (covered) in their own manure; it causes stress
Cows digestive systems were not meant to process grain, and grain causes a great many health issues and definitely affects milk.
Cows want to eat fresh grass; there is no stored feed that can match it; it also happens to be the cheapest way to feed a cow.
A Family sized Dairy

That would end up being at most 50-60 cows; with our other products, we anticipate a number between 30-40, which would be a great number for us to know our animals very well, create a reasonable income & volume of milk to work with in a small-batch environment.

Our first year we anticipate starting with 10-20 cows; building to 30-40 within 2 years, with the likelihood of some aggressive culling to better meet our situation's best cow traits.

Jersey/Jersey cross are the best choice. Within Jersey, NOT the highest producers. The Amish in general seem to have the right goals: Easy Keepers. Surely there will be discovery and focusing on traits as time goes on. Focus on quality and adaptability to our situation.

TIMELINE:

Overall:

2007: Learning, planning, product determination, milking facility building & staging. What a crazy busy year, but fun, too!
2008: Start to milk, work out the bugs, continue building the network; build excitement 2009: Start making value added product
2010: Start winning some awards & with our other mature business aspects, be cashflow positive
2011: Look out, here we come!

Immediate Timeline:
2007-January into February: Discovery & Business Plan, starting training such as "Production of Safe Dairy Foods" Feb 16,17. Mid February: Discovery session with DBIC with preliminary business plan. February into March: Continued immersion and networking. Find grants, consultants et al for business plan. Complete financial projections. Mid-March: Trip to New Zealand on a Babcock scholarship to research above dairy innovations, very popular already in New Zealand April: Finalizing business and implementation plan. May-July: Mostly farming, but chipping away at milking facilities & equipment plans August: Complete financing Finalize milking facilities & equipment plans, sign vendor contracts, look to November build (I suspect this could slip) Have found and purchased our cows Sept-Feb 2008: Being prepared for a whole lot of work and catchup; finish milking facility, loafing/bedding pack area Attend Beginning dairy farmer short course (late October start) Other training/seminars/continued education Mar-April 2008: Let's start milking cows
CHALLENGES:
- where to ship milk year 1; quantity not huge
- assuring our cows are inline with our programs & we don't need major culling & purchase to adjust
- managing all the technical requirements
- staying financially disciplined
- balancing life and work
- all the things that will come up that we haven't even thought of yet

OVERALL:
- A balancing of farm ventures in cattle both beef and dairy, hogs and chickens provides a resiliency, a balanced "ecosystem" and stimulating environment and a nice product mix. - A balance in dairy of give and take: Less milk, better quality, higher price, superior calves, excellent longevity & superior marketability. We will definitely discover the balance point. - We are not concerned about our ability to market our products; we already are to great success.
- We desire to stay "family" -- which is not to say we won't be a part of strategic partnerships; hopefully we will with other family farms in the area for the future. This unit necessarily will remain and flourish as a family farm, and not grow to a ....not family farm, which would erode the credibility of what we're doing. "don't get greedy"; think within the family, think to the future.
- The "best of the best" focus has both costs and rewards. We believe the rewards far outweigh the costs, especially in the social and market conditions of 2007
- By doing "all the right things" -- we are aiming to win awards and spread our message beyond our farm. We can only legitimately do that with success of our own farm
- There surely will be trials, and it will take work and discipline for it to be successful, but with our skills, situation, and the tremendous amount of help available to us, an excellent shot at success
- Our current financial situation is reasonable (this said by someone who tends to the conservative and dislikes debt), we will surely have some tight times for at least 2007 and 2008, if not longer, but we are best motivated by adversity. We will need loans to fully implement our vision, but again we have a great team working with us to clearly evaluate the business proposition.
- We have a realistic expectation of the time and energy and sacrifice this will take. As our whole family will necessary be involved -- we get our "quality time" in work time.
- We embrace that activity is not accomplishment; that we will have the discipline, and create the situations to think our actions through, and not back ourselves into corners.
- For all the confidence we show here -- we know humility -- and are open to change, and not afraid to say "I'm sorry" and "I was wrong". We are committed to being open minded and flexible.
- We understand that for all the great planning one does -- that things will come up, things will change, there will be unexpected changes. And we would say that this sure makes life interesting, and indeed that we are at our best when we have to make the best of things. Stuff happens; we deal with it.
- We are optimistic people, and we waste no time or energy being critical of others, we focus ourselves on "what can we do in our own small way to change the world for the positive?"

Indeed the most radical and revolutionary thing we can do is to succeed.

Strengths:
- a strong entrepreneurial and business background
- problem solving and technical background that allows quick adoption of new ideas; a hunger for learning
- excellent communication abilities with strong networking for a solid marketing focus
- passionate love of farming and to share our enthusiasm and knowledge with others
- a relatively short time farming: no bad habits or preconceived limitations to overcome
- a super family team that works together efficiently and effectively and in respect of each other’s strengths
- the incredible resources at hand in Wisconsin to help people like us succeed
- proximity to Madison: for customers, resources & artisans
- excellent reputation and momentum through our current product offerings; excellent customer service focus
- ability to sell all our products without leaving the farm through strategic marketing and excellent quality products that make it worthwhile for people to come here for them.
- reasonable capitalization and access to funds for expansion.
- the hard work of organic certification and soil fertility at the home farm are done; quality simply will not be an issue.
- lots of help from the many many friends we’ve made along the way.
- access to some of the finest minds anywhere in soils and forage and dairy nutrition (my Midwestern BioAg network)
- the discipline of the organic way: solving farm problems instead of masking symptoms & taking the long view
- understand the hard work ahead and what we're getting into. We love our work!

Weaknesses:
- inexperience in dairy, but have quickly learned and adapted and will be using this year before we start strategically to gain experience and expertise.
- ability to expand land-wise; countered by “heavy thinking” to maximize income per acre, with available expansion, “icing on the cake”. Long term lobbying efforts for new lands have been made.

Concerns:
- (short term) shipping milk 1st year somewhere as we work through the kinks
- managing the myriad of details in
logistics issues of getting milk to a processing facility from a single farm or
assembling a processing facility here and finding the right dairy artisan partner and
complying with health and safety regulations
- managing our time to add this venture to an already fairly full schedule
- even with a year off start date, so very much to do and learn
- managing our cash-flow in 2007,8 until we come fully "online" with dairy income in 2009
- managing innovative dairy practices with a limited support network with those new practices
- a maddening amount of administrivia in support of farm dairy production?

I'd like to take the time today to introduce you to my friend Richard.

Richard is one of the last of the old time dairymen. He is 70 years old, and has been a bachelor all his life; he has never traveled beyond Madison, and hasn't spent a whole lot of time off his farm. I am so very grateful that I have come to know him and for him to be my friend.

I met Richard in about March of 2007. I don't know why I was looking in the dairy cattle for sale section of Agri-View; I can't say I was serious about dairy at all at the time. It was of interest, but for the future. The ad said "10 cows, grazing herd, never pushed, Jersey crosses", which if I was to dairy, was just the kind of starter herd I was looking for.

So I called him, and arranged to come see the herd. I remember telling Julie just that we were "going to see some animals", as she was surely not too hep on dairy, and she does indeed "know how I get" and would not want me too encouraged in this direction. But we loaded up the whole family and went north of DeForest to Richard's farm. We arrived in the middle of milking time, and he asked if we could come back in an hour. So we went and had dinner in DeForest and then came back. He was very concerned that the cows would be disturbed by other people being around. This is a fellow that doesn't have too many visitors, and the main visitor to the cows was the vet- not usually a happy thing, so understandable about the cows being not so used to people.

Richard was so proud of his herd, and he had every right to be, at least to a fellow like me. The first cow I saw, on the end, was GJ. GJ stood for "Guernsey Jersey". She was a big girl and had a white triangle on her forehead, like Guernsey's are known to have. And where the other cows were wary, GJ was very friendly indeed, and her and I immediately warmed to each other. I instinctively performed a well received intensive tailhead scratch.

Richard had decided to quit milking cows after some 50 years due to problems with his hands: carpal tunnel syndrome, that made all farm chores difficult. But Richard wanted something that most farmers don't think about, and don't have the luxury of being able to ask for. Richard wanted a good home for his cows, and he wanted, secondly, a home close enough where he could visit them, which upon a visit to our farm and confirmation that ours was the place for his cows, 32 miles was indeed close enough. He knew he wanted someone that would love his cows the way he loved them, and that would provide them pasture and care like his.

Richard told me many times after that that he told his mother, who lived with him on the farm at the time, that upon that first meeting, he knew he wanted his girls to come to our farm. Julie was impressed with the cows, and we discussed further the implications of dairy on our future. We decided to purchase the herd, for the first group of dry cows to come in June. GJ was in that group, as was Maidengirl, GJ's sister, and Baby GJ, whom we just call Baby, GJ's daughter.

All along I talked quite a bit to Richard, and he got to know me and what I was trying to do, and I got to know Richard better, and his deep love of his cows and committment to always doing what's right for them. Our ideas differered, his reflecting more conventional views in some cases, old fashioned views in others, and I would say the best of Organic ideals as well. If Richard was 20 years younger, he'd surely be an organic farmer now.

The summer of 2007 was yet another drought; a bad one; it just did not rain from May until end of July. We struggled with fly control and had an outbreak of pinkeye. And most importantly, we felt we were moving too fast into dairy, and that we would put too much money into ideas that we didn't know enough about. Richard would check in every few days to see what progress we were making towards building our dairy facility; at the time we were milking one cow, in the field, with a bucket milker & portable vacuum. No facilities necessary there. With milking 10, however, need for a full blown milking facility, yet, not enough size to achieve any kind of income over expenses. The worst of both worlds. We explored, we talked, we worked, we came to the conclusion this was crazy for us to spend all this money on a facility we hadn't thought enough about. In the meantime three additional heifers had been brought to our farm from Richards, Jersey, Baby ChickaJay & Baby Blackie.

I knew I had to go to Richards farm and tell him in person that we couldn't buy the rest of his herd. It took me two weeks to work up the courage. How badly I felt about it, what it meant to Richard that he would be burdened to find another home for his cows. He pulled out his calendar, and went through day by day our contacts, and plans we had made, that I now had to reneg on. I told him I sure wish he would yell at me with as badly as I felt. But he knew it was true, too, that it made no sense for us to get in this deep with everything going on, even while we were still committed to dairy in our future, it would have to be on a smaller scale now if there was to be a future. We look back now and know had we gone ahead then, we would probably hate milking cows and would probably not be doing it at all.

So Richard did find another buyer over the next couple months for the rest of his herd, not too altogether much farther away, but definitely not much of a pastured farm, and as became evident over time, not to Richard's high standards, either. He would stop in our farm, and see our serene animals, his cows, too, with calves with them, in pasture all the time, and tell me about conditions at the other farm. I told him to quit going there -- just stop here. Richard worries a lot; that is in his nature to become consumed by worry of a thing, and keep him up at night and preoccupied during the day.

To this day, Richard comes by about once a week, he knows to pop in around 9am we will be milking, and he'll pick up the broom and sweep, and lend a hand in any way he can. I am so grateful to hear his advice: as I know it is completely from love of the cows, and not from convenience to him, or profit. I value his perspective, experience and ideas. I appreciate that he "keeps us on track"; Julie and I know that Richard will be coming, and he will ask about how we are doing on shelter for the animals, how care for them is going, are they getting bred, all the things we need to do as competent dairymen. Richard has been so very generous to us in so many ways. That he could forgive me for not being able to take his whole herd, that he cares enough to come by, I consider Richard a true friend and I am the better person for knowing him.

I enjoy hearing stories about his cows, his farming experiences, and I love to tell Richard of my experiences, especially with his cows, knowing how much they tickle him, and still the pride he feels in his girls. We share those silly little things that only two people that love cows bother with; how Baby had this cute little kick, just to tell you "hey, what'r you doing under there", and GJ's easygoing personality, how Baby ChikaJay is just like her mother.

Richard is the last of his generation that feels so deeply about his cows; today it's all business. I hope that some of Richard's spirit is in me and that I can pass that on to my children, and perhaps others. I know he nor I are the only ones to love our cows, and there are still those out there that do, and it's not just a business of numbers, facts & figures. We ought all celebrate the likes of Richard for the true love beyond himself he has shown over his long career.

So how's this economy treating ya then there Scotty my boy?

Well, not so very great; it's a tough time to be something other than the "Walmart" of food, especially when you've focused your energy on getting your food to real people, and not just people of means.

Great food costs more to produce. I'm always amazed at how cheap a pound of ground beef is, when you consider

- it has typically been driven around 1500 miles
- the trucking company got what they needed out of the deal
- the wholesaler got what they wanted
- the grocery store got their markup
- the farmer that raised it? Hmmm. Not so sure whether he got his. Maybe he had to cheapen up the product quite a bit to have it all make sense.

Then you have our farm: Raised here, processed 35 miles away, the 35 miles back to our farm, 70 miles total. No trucking company, no wholesaler, no grocery store markup. The farmer? Us? Still arguable as to whether we're getting ours!!! And that with our very lean ground beef sold at $5.25/lb, and being grassfed & from an organic farm. Ask yourself not why ours is so "expensive" but why theirs is so cheap!

Some more differences -- think of the carbon footprint of all the items above on your "cheap" beef. Your grandkids will pay for your cheap beef today, right? At least you get a deal today. Well our beef, you're paying for a better world and better health for you; the whole cost.

 So back to the economy----

We have always focused our energy on feeding real people. It's that important that real people are healthy, full of energy, and making good decisions in their lives from health and energy rather than sickness, fatigue and frustration. But that maybe was a bad bet on our part, because we've seen altogether too many that slink back to the grocery store for the cheap beef and leave us out to dry. In a trying/stressful time like this, one would hope that the very best of health and energy and decisions are made, and an excellent diet is sure a good place to be with that.

But maybe this is a good thing for us, too, in that we have to sharpen our pencils, put our minds to work, get creative and find new ways to get the word out. What we aren't going to do is give up, or cheapen our products, or now all of a sudden stick our noses up the butt of the rich and tell them how great it smells. Our food is for all people, regardless of income, it's for people that want to be healthy, but also help change the world for the better.

And who is doing their darndest to change the world for the better? Why, Scott Trautman & Trautman Family Farm is, that's who. How then? The very first and most important way: Being a radical revolutionary and daring to be a successful small family farm. Not giving into the "conventional wisdom" and laziness of thought and action that the family farm is dead. The idea that you can farm and do any damn stupid thing you want and someone will give you a living from it: That is Dead. That creative, hardworking people can still farm and keep the humanity out on the farm: Alive and well in a new breed of farmer that doesn't make excuses for themselves, and challenges each and every idea of what it is to be a farmer.

It would make some people feel a whole lot better about purchasing from the farm if the farmers lived in a doublewide, were unkempt and had bad teeth. That way you could be sure they weren't TOO profitable; it's okay for everyone else to make money, but not farmers, we have to keep them close to the bone. That's the conventional wisdom, and I've now said it. You cringe in hearing it, but isn't it the truth? You don't want to see us succeed and have a nice house out here, if you think somehow that might be at your expense. Yet Kraft, ADM, Cargill, Monsanto, the grocery store, it IS okay for all of them to report record earnings year in and year out. You say you want farmers to succeed, yet bitch about food prices. Words/action disconnect. Words easy to say: real convictions take money and action.

How again are we changing the world for the better?

Other farmers drive by this farm every day. And they all know we're one weird breed here. Organic? Everyone knows you have nothing but weeds and poor yields. Yet, that doesn't seem to be the case driving by here. How is that? As the years go by, 6 seasons now, the excuses they give THEMSELVES as to how we can be doing it -- have to drop away. And one day, they finally give in to themselves and pull in the driveway and ask just what is it we are doing here. And I am there to help, to make real farmers out of the chem-miners.

What's that about changing the world for the better?

I instigated, I lead, I teach the Introduction to Organic Farming course at MATC in Madison. I put in significant hours -- for free -- promoting it and getting the word out to farmers about how NOW is the time to be thinking about organic farming, and to be successful, they need to change how they think, and they need to fill their heads with knowledge, and not just the Coop's phone number to call in the chem bomb when they screw up.

With as screwed up as our farmlands are, our farmer's heads are far more screwed up. They question very little, and they are convinced of ideas that are just not true. If we all went organic we'd starve. That has always been bullshit. That organic farmers see nothing but low yields and weeds. Nope, bad organic farmers see low yields and weeds. All ideas propogated by those with everything to lose if farmers said NO to all that chemical and genetic crap. Those scum have mastered siphoning money from farmers to themselves; they have a captive audience as long as they continue to buy their bullshit ideas. A lie repeated often enough becomes accepted as the truth. And there are a whole lot of lies in conventional farming, friends.

So, back to this economy of ours....

The bigboys in foods over the last few years have all jumped on the organic bandwagon. Good for them. They've brought their ideas of success to organic, too -- domination good, competition bad. Suck up all the competitors, you get to do what you want. We've seen that. Mine the good out of a good word like organic. Fine. They are watching now, and I can tell you they are grinning ear to ear -- they would be happy to shut down the organic lines and fill you back full with their processed, high margin crap once again. If all it takes is a jag in the economy to put real people off the good food.

So NOW is the time for you to show them they are WRONG. When you're looking around at a smaller pot of money -- give up the damn cable, give up the extra recreation, you don't need the extra plasma TV, you don't need to eat out as much as you do, you need to eat right and spend more time with your family; not just in proximity to them but WITH them. And a family meal of great food is but one great idea on how to do it. Maybe this economy is your queue to re-assess just what's important. Stuff? Or people, family, values.

We have put our heart and soul into this farm. We currently work for NEGATIVE dollars per hour in the here and now. If we spread our labors and investment out over 20 years -- well, still less of a return than most of you would work for, but we love what we do, and know it is important work and we are willing to make the sacrifice.

It means so much more for us to feed regular people, that have made hard choices, and this food isn't out of the luxury pot, but the how are we going to make this all work pot, yet they choose us. That means something to us and we are humbled and grateful to those people.

We are suffering along with this economy. We are disappointed to see some customers make choices that lack courage, but we'll be okay; we'll work harder still, be more creative, and never ever become cynical.

We continue to lead by example, and to speak out for what's right. Please join us in that, fuel our engine of change, fuel your engines of change, support our farm, support your bodies, buy our great food, feed the gift that is your body.

How's the economy treating us? Let me be able to say it's treating us GREAT because real people are stepping up everywhere to let us know what counts.

 I now step down from my soapbox, and get back to some real work. That checkbook won't reconcile itself you know---

Really piss 'em off: Be happy, be healthy

 Scott Trautman
Trautman Family Farm
2049 Skaalen Road
Stoughton, WI 53589
family@trautman.net
http://www.trautmanfarm.com

Mr. Bull, "Shim", and our clearly emaciated half dead 100% grass dairy girls. Wait -- they look happy and healthy, how could that be? Could it be that 99.9% of dairymen are wrong? Nah, they must be getting grain somehow.....