Jamie and Deanne have a classic farm tale. They both grew up on dairy farms; Jamie really enjoyed it and Deanne couldn’t wait to get away from it. After high school, Jamie went on to the UW Short Course and Deanne left home to explore the world. After several months of adventure, Deanne realized how much she missed farming and returned to help her parents. Jamie began working on his father’s farm. They met each other and shared a love of being part of the land. After marrying in 1998, Jamie and Deanne bought the cows and machinery from Jamie’s father in 2001 and rented the rolling 200 acre family farm in Green County.
Costs of farming began to add up, especially the custom bill for raising crops. The idea of grazing their cows to reduce costs was intriguing to Jamie and Deanne, but they did not think it could work on their farm. After meeting Bert Paris and Bill Gausman, dairy farmers who promote grazing and how to make it work for you, Jamie and Deanne decided to go for it. Deanne discovered that she loved grazing and all of a sudden everything seemed right. The couple discovered that they enjoyed farming even more! The custom bills melted over the next years as the grassy days took over their farm.
Daughter Samantha, 7, loves the cows, calves, and grass. She is an expert at helping move fences and the cows have an obvious love of her, too.