Page 16 Dairy Star Second Section Saturday, May 9, 2015
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Not af liated with the Harvestore brand
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. Jasons 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
A day in the life of Jason Ihm
KRISTIN OLSON/DAIRY STARJason Ihm stands near this custom dune
buggy, which he re-stored and detailed himself. Ihm milks 90 cows
on his farm nearBlue Mounds, Wis.
Daily chores, eldwork made for a busy April 30
BY KRISTIN OLSONSta writer
Turn to DAY IN THE LIFE | Page 18
KRISTIN OLSON/DAIRY STARIhm (right) stops in at Aunt Marys
Hooterville Inn, in Blue Mounds, Wis., for a quick lunch and
catches up with friends and neighbors.
twice in the morning and twice in the evening. Meanwhile, in the
stanchion barn, Jasons 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 Jasons 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. Its 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,
mend the fence, he shares a bit more about how his story began.
While growing up on his familys 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
wasnt much for young Jason to help with. I left the farm when I was
12 years old, basically, he said jokingly. Not because I didnt get
along, but because I had older brothers and there wasnt 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 wasnt going to go to college to play
baseball. I had a scholarship, but I had to make the team to get
the scholarship. I didnt want to be in debt if I didnt make the
team, so I
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 dont 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 familys dairy. After
looking for a place to rent, he couldnt nd one right away, so he
brought his 40 head of cows and youngstock to his uncles, who
needed help and had extra space at the time. In the meantime, the
farmer at Jasons current site began
raising his heifers. Six monthslater, Jason began renting
hiscurrent farm and eventuallybuilt 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 Ill never make it, no way, Jason
said.Then, all of a sudden ve years later, the price of land went
through the roof and itmade 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 gatewayfrom the cow yard to the lane. Slowly,
the curious cows begin making their way out onto the rolling green
pasture. In no
KRISTIN OLSON/DAIRY STARIhms nephew, Carter Ihm, curry combs a
cow during eve-ning milking.
