Dan Truttman’s introduction to “regenerative farming” came when he was a kid growing up on his family’s dairy farm and he was dispatched to pick rocks in a field.
“I remember thinking, ‘We picked these rocks last year… why do they keep coming back?” Truttman recalled. “That’s when I realized the more the soil was tilled, the more soil would get washed away and the more rocks would pop up.”
Although his grandfather was among the region’s first contour farmers, the process of using rotational “cover crops” and terraces to curb runoff and replenish tired soil was still a work in progress at the time. It remains a priority today on this fifth-generation farm as Truttman, his family and farm hands strive to make a 525-head herd more productive through technology and careful husbandry of land and animals alike.
It’s the kind of management practice that could become even more prevalent in Wisconsin if a coalition of farmers, producers, researchers and others win a National Science Foundation grant focused on sustainable agriculture throughout the food chain.
A recent tour of the 1,000-acre farm, which straddles the border between Dane and Green counties near New Glarus, began in the barn where calves are housed within hours of their birth. “Look at that little beauty,” remarked Truttman, adding that caring for calves is his favorite job – and one of the most profitable in the long run if they’re healthy and happy.
About 40 calves are born each month. Each receives colostrum within hours to build their immune system; treatments to prevent respiratory troubles and other ailments follow.
Almost all the farm’s dairy cows are Jerseys because they produce high butterfat milk, which is used to produce Feta, Brie and Camembert cheese through a southwest Wisconsin buyer. About 30,000 pounds of milk are produced per day by the 450 cows that are milked.
The farm uses a mix of technologies, short of robotic milkers, to keep the dairy herd as well as some beef cattle healthy and well-fed. Examples include software programs to track nutrient mix in feed, vaccinations, udder health and fertility timing to hold down use of hormones. With tons of feed used every day, getting the right blend is essential for growth, production and animal health.
“It physically hurts us when we can’t cure animals when they’re sick,” Truttman said.
Cover crops such as winter rye and wheat, along with contouring of fields, help enhance the living biology of the soil while capturing carbon and reducing emission of nitrous oxide. That provides a net reduction of “greenhouse gas,” which is known to trap atmospheric heat and contribute to climate change. More permanent covers can nourish grass-fed beef, as well.
“We’ve been taking care of the land in what we think is the right way for a long time,” Truttman said.
Just down the road on the Dane County side of the line is neighbor Jonathan Barry, who has been a farmer, elected public official and business executive over the decades. He’s also a fan of “regenerative farming” and quotes evidence to suggest if all farmers followed those practices, soils would be rebuilt and roughly 150 years of carbon buildup in the air could be reversed.
When it comes to resource preservation and enhancing farm profitability in the bargain, Barry said, “what far too many farmers are doing today is short-sighted.”
Better practices from farm to market are among the goals of WiSys, which promotes research, innovation and entrepreneurship through Universities of Wisconsin campuses outside UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee. It hopes to take a $1-million NSF award to the next level in the coming months by demonstrating Wisconsin can be a laboratory for the nation when it comes to agriculture.
Only 44 of the $1-million Type 1 Regional Innovation Engine grants were awarded nationwide; Wisconsin scored two between WiSys and a coalition led by The Water Council in Milwaukee.
Even with better technology, dairy farming is labor-intensive and often unforgiving of the time concerns of those who do the work. For Truttman, however, it’s a way of life that can and should be preserved for generations to come. Smarter practices throughout the food chain can help keep dairying, cheese-making and associated industries a part of the Wisconsin landscape for years to come.
Still is president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. He can be reached at tstill@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com.