Page 16 • Dairy Star • Second Section • Saturday, May 9, 2015
A day in the life of Jason Ihm
Daily chores, eldwork made for a busy April 30 BY KRISTIN OLSON Staff writer
BLUE MOUNDS, Wis. – As the sun rises on Hi-Way Holstein Ranch – nestled in the rolling hills between Mount Horeb and Blue Mounds, Wis. – on April 30, Jason Ihm sets out to begin his day, a day forecasted with beautiful Wisconsin spring weather. Jason’s rst destination is the dry cow barn, where he checks to make sure no cows are calving and assists with pulling if necessary. With no babies this morning, he heads to the barn to mix feed. Jason regularly works with a nutritionist to ensure his cows are fed the best rations possible. Feed is mixed four times daily
– twice in the morning and twice in the evening. Meanwhile, in the stanchion barn, Jason’s two hired men begin their days by milking the 160-cow herd, which primarily consists of Holsteins, with a few Brown Swiss thrown in the mix. Cows are milked twice a day in the stanchion barn – in a few rotations to accommodate all 160 – and are housed in a nearby freestall barn, which was built in 2013. According to Jason’s metered units, the herd is averaging approximately 90 pounds of milk per day, with a 120,000 somatic cell count, 4.0 percent fat and 3.17 percent protein. As the milking wraps up, Jason continues with morning chores by spreading manure and loading up the wagon before he starts working on the pasture fence. It’s an exciting day at the farm; cows will be let out to pasture for the rst time this year. As Jason and his hired hand of nine years, Andres,
KRISTIN OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Ihm (right) stops in at Aunt Mary’s Hooterville Inn, in Blue Mounds, Wis., for a quick lunch and catches up with friends and neighbors.
mend the fence, he shares a bit more about how his story began. While growing up on his family’s dairy farm, just down the road in Barneveld, Wis., Jason developed a love for farming. But with several older brothers already helping with the workload, there wasn’t much for young Jason to help with. “I left the farm when I was 12 years old, basically,” he said jokingly. “Not because I didn’t get along, but because I had older brothers and there wasn’t a lot of work to do with 80 cows.” A neighbor had a farm and needed help, so Jason took him up on his offer. By the time he graduated from high school, Jason had reached a crossroads. “When I got out of high school, I thought, ‘Well, I wasn’t going to go to college to play baseball.’ I had a scholarship, but I had to make the team to get the scholarship. I didn’t want to be in debt if I didn’t make the team, so I
KRISTIN OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Ihm’s nephew, Carter Ihm, curry combs a cow during evening milking.
KRISTIN OLSON/DAIRY STAR
Jason Ihm stands near this custom dune buggy, which he restored and detailed himself. Ihm milks 90 cows on his farm near Blue Mounds, Wis. decided not to go, and a year later I went in debt a whole lot more than what college was going to cost me,” he said with a chuckle. “I don’t regret a bit of it, though. I love it. I love what I do. I love the location. I got lucky getting this farm.” Jason started farming in 1990 on his own, the summer he turned 18. This initial farm was just down the road from his family’s dairy. After looking for a place to rent, he couldn’t nd one right away, so he brought his 40 head of cows and youngstock to his uncle’s, who needed help and had extra space at the time. In the meantime, the farmer at Jason’s current site began
raising his heifers. Six months later, Jason began renting his current farm and eventually built up the funds to purchase it in 1999. At the time, he paid more for his farm and land than anyone else in the area. “Everyone said I’ll never make it, no way,” Jason said. “Then, all of a sudden ve years later, the price of land went through the roof and it made me a genius.” At about 10:30 a.m., the fence is ready to be tested by the herd. Jason swings the gate around, creating a gateway from the cow yard to the lane. Slowly, the curious cows begin making their way out onto the rolling green pasture. In no
Turn to DAY IN THE LIFE | Page 18
Les Kuehl
Repair Service 20+ Years Experience
• Sealed silo parts & service • Feeders & conveyors • Best chains on the market • Used and rebuilt unloaders • Stainless steel roofs • Stainless steel conveyor chains • Early maintenance service checks Not afÀliated with the Harvestore brand
320-760-2909 Eve. 320-762-1827
No Emergency Charges--Ever!