caa a22 4500 388054328 CHVBK 20180307125102.0 cr unu---uuuuu 161130e199806 xx s 000 0 eng 10.1017/S0889189300007669 doi S0889189300007669 pii (NATIONALLICENCE)cambridge-10.1017/S0889189300007669 Constant Goal, Changing Tactics: A Wisconsin Dairy Farm Start-up [Elektronische Daten] This case study documents the start-up of a successful alternative dairy farm in Wisconsin. Initially the vision was to establish a 97-ha biodynamic farm with dairy and cash cropping. Low milk prices throughout most of 1991 and the heavy work load associated with conventional dairying forced the farm family to look for alternative strategies. They experimented with management-intensive grazing in 1992, and by spring 1994 had seeded their entire farm to sod. The work load still was too heavy, so they switched to seasonal dairying and outwintering of their dry stock, which reduced the daily midwinter work load from 12 to 3.5 hours. By the end of 1995, yearly net farm income from operations had risen from $21,500 (1990 and 1991) to $54,000 (1994 and 1995). The farm family, with its alternative approach (biodynamic, grass-based, seasonal milking) weathered the stresses of entering dairy farming at a time when entry rates were very low and existing dairy farmers faced substantial financial pressure. The grassbased system required low purchased feed inputs ($300 per cow) and nearly reached equilibrium in the whole-farm nutrient budget. Good herd management has maintained high productivity (rolling herd average of 17,000 lbs) and excellent herd health. Renting the farm and managing money carefully have resulted in a low debt load ($73 per cow). This study illustrates the complexities and adjustments associated with the initiation of an alternative farm business. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998 case study nationallicence management-intensive grazing nationallicence seasonal dairying nationallicence biodynamic Agriculture nationallicence Posner Joshua L. Professor of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. Frank Gary G. Economist with the Center for Dairy Profitability, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. Nordlund Kenneth V. Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. Schuler Ronald T. Professor in the Department of Biological Systems, all at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture Cambridge University Press 13/2(1998-06), 50-60 0889-1893 13:2<50 1998 13 AJA https://doi.org/10.1017/S0889189300007669 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0889189300007669 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Posner Joshua L. Professor of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Frank Gary G. Economist with the Center for Dairy Profitability, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Nordlund Kenneth V. Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Schuler Ronald T. Professor in the Department of Biological Systems, all at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- American Journal of Alternative Agriculture Cambridge University Press 13/2(1998-06), 50-60 0889-1893 13:2<50 1998 13 AJA CC0 http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0 nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-cambridge