Do the Numbers: Organic Dairy
Wednesday, June 24 | 12:45 p.m. | Free | Online
Bossie Cow Farm
Random Lake, Wisconsin
Take a virtual field day with Thelma Heidel-Baker and Ricky Baker, owners of Bossie Cow Farm. They share how they manage their grass-based, organic operation, covering pasture care, conservation practices, and organic livestock health.
We also hear from Dr. Jon Winsten, an ag economist with Winrock International and The Pasture Project. He explains the economics of grazing and shares financial case studies from Upper Midwest dairy farms—from confinement operations to pasture-based farms. See how the numbers stack up!
Watch this virtual field day:
Related Podcasts:
Do the Numbers–The Economics of Dairy Grazing
You can’t control the price of milk, but you can control how much it costs you to produce it. Dr. Jon Winsten from Winrock International outlines three key metrics to look at when considering a dairy farm’s financial viability: feed efficiency, labor efficiency, and capital efficiency.
Learn more about the Pasture Project.
Learn about equity efforts for communities of color in the food system in this Civil Eats story.
Do the Numbers, Part 2: Dairy Graziers on the Economics of Dairy Grazing
Organic dairy graziers Thelma Heidel-Baker and Ricky Baker join Chuck to talk about what they’ve done to have a financially viable 60-cow dairy.
Get to know Thelma Heidel-Baker in this recent “In Her Boots” podcast episode:
Videos from Bossie Cow Farm:
Presenters:
Thelma Heidel-Baker and Ricky Baker, Bossie Cow Farm
Ricky Baker and Thelma Heidel-Baker are the farmers at Bossie Cow Farm, a grass-based and certified organic diversified dairy farm in southern Sheboygan County, WI. Their focus is to maintain healthy pastures to ensure healthy livestock. They use managed grazing across the 84-acres of the farm, raising dairy and beef cows, pigs, and chickens on pasture. On their farm, you can also find two children, two farm dogs, and a wealth of other farm creatures.
Jon Winsten, Winrock International & The Pasture Project
Jon Winsten is an agricultural and environmental economist with over 20 years of experience. His focus has been on the issues of water quality and climate change, particularly the adoption of technology for reducing production costs and improving environmental performance at the farm level, and agri-environmental policy analysis and development. At Winrock International, Winsten leads several projects related to agri-environmental policy, economic incentives for environmental performance from agriculture and sustainable livestock production systems. He has taught courses and worked in the U.S., Central and South America, and Asia.
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