15 minutes with organic dairy farmer, Kevin Mahalko

Kevin Mahalko helped lead his family dairy farm to an organic, grass-fed operation in the 1990s, finding that implementing innovative grazing practices resulted in improved soil health, healthier food, and more revenue. With his retired parents, Mahalko runs a 40-cow dairy, with 80 heifers and grass-fed steers, near Gilman, Wisconsin.

SF: What is the history of your farm?

KM: The dairy started in 1969. My father had the vision to give me ownership of cattle in exchange for working on the farm. Of our 350 acres, 120 acres are dedicated to rotational grazing. We have been certified organic since 2011. Our milk is marketed through the Organic Valley Cooperative's Grassmilk product line, which means the cows are grass-fed, without any grain in the diet.

SF: Where does soil health come into play?

KM: We're looking at having the most milk per acre and want to push management. Pasture must be high quality, so good soil is necessary. I've seen a lot of small-farm agriculture in Europe. Ruminant animals have helped build really rich soil globally over the years. Here, some of our rivers are just chocolate-filled water. Not chocolate, but soil. It's something we have to fix. And we have the knowledge to do it.

SF: Why did you move your farm toward organic?

KM: We've seen a steep decline in the number of dairy farms in the last decade. There are fewer than 9,000 dairy farms in Wisconsin now, and in 2010 there were 13,000. I went to organic not necessarily to capitalize on higher prices, but to reduce the huge swings. It was hard to establish a budget when milk would range from $9 to $19 per hundredweight. We've lost some production volume, but gained much better financial stability.

SF: What is required to participate in the Organic Valley cooperative?

KM: The cows eat high-quality pasture and hay and receive necessary supplements. They receive no antibiotics, growth hormones, or GMOs. Animal health is a priority. Wellness checks and veterinarian oversight are required. A 100% grass-fed farm receives an annual on-farm review.

SF: Has the Grassmilk brand of organic milk been good for participating dairy farms?

KM: It's been great for our members within Organic Valley. That co-op started in Wisconsin and has grown to more than 2,000 members.

SF: How did you embark upon a strictly grazing system?

KM: People just were interested. We'd do pasture walks and see each other's farms and try new things. There were good networks of farmers helping each other. We also had a good Extension agent who helped. Now, we're not living in a dream world. While a lot of people who went into grazing are still in it, there are many who didn't want to do something different. This requires more day-to-day management, and you have to be in a daily harvest mode mentality.

SF: In what ways do you work to improve the soil?

KM: We haven't bought any fertilizer for several years. We conduct soil tests and then monitor what we need. We'll no-till clover into pastures to capture atmospheric nitrogen. We spread manure, either as compost, direct spreading, or via grazing. We use cover crops to suppress weeds on farm fields planted to grazing pasture, and on all new seeding hayfields.

SF: What have you learned by reducing tillage, no-tilling cover crops into pasture seedings, and grazing them?

KM: Soil health is our wealth. If we take care of that resource it improves. Over time, we're increasing yields by carrying more animals and getting more tonnage per acre. It's exciting.