These young farmers embrace regenerative agriculture practices on their small farm

Rochelle and Evan Schnadt have been farming in Lodi, Wisconsin, north of Madison, for the past six years, and say they have always wanted farming to be part of their story.

“We’re both farm kids: I’m from Wisconsin, and Evan’s from Iowa,” Rochelle Schnadt says. “We both grew up watching our parents share this lifestyle with us. Now that we have kids of our own, it’s very much something we want for them, too.” 

Rochelle and Evan are 37 years old, and have been married nearly 11 years. Their children — Leighton, 6 years old, and his sister, Ellery, 4 years old — are farm kids through and through. The couple say they hope raising them around agriculture helps them learn skills for the future. 

“The fact we are smaller and we have smaller equipment — it’s very hands-on, like how a lot of us grew up,” Evan Schnadt says. “As farms have gotten bigger, it makes it a little less approachable for kids so young to get involved. I feel really good that we’re able to give them the ‘farm kid’ experience.”

The Schnadts largely run their farm on their own; both have their day jobs on top of farm responsibilities to help supplement their income. Evan works in dairy genetics at ABS Global in nearby DeForest. Rochelle works for C.O.nxt, an agriculture marketing communications agency west of Milwaukee.

Rochelle’s family are full-time farmers, and her brothers, Ryan and Radley Ripp, help out when needed. The Schnadts hired Ryan to plant corn, sharing some of their business with him that helps pay off his technology, and also helps speed up planting.

Forging their own path

After the two got married, the Schnadts purchased their first home and first plot of farmland from Rochelle’s parents. They later purchased a nearby plot of land by taking advantage of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency’s beginning farmer loans, as well as some loans from traditional financial institutions. 

Rochelle’s parents used the land to grow traditional row crops, such as corn and soybeans, with conventional practices. Since purchasing the land, the Schnadts have been growing unique crops to mill for food and beverage production across 50 acres. They are experimenting to perfect the art of regenerative agriculture by making use of no-till and cover crops.

“As we took ownership of it, we started to forge our own path and try to add value to the land because of the price tag associated with it, so we started down the path of growing heirloom corn,” Rochelle says. 

This sometimes took a frustrating amount of trial and error, Rochelle says, with a laugh. The pair started by growing small plots in their yard, to figure out what would grow well, before scaling up to full production. Evan says they have been captivated by the idea of regenerative agriculture, further complicating production. 

The Schnadts approach regenerative agriculture holistically. The farm has large areas of sloping land, making no-till a no-brainer. But as they learned more about regenerative practices, they learned how they interact in a system. 

“We’re used to thinking in a scientific sense, ‘If I change just one thing, what’s the net effect at the end of the day?’ People that don’t like no-till talk about nutrient stratification, and you’ll get a few years in and need to till again,” Evan says. “I think some of that is true if you don’t have the cover crops or foster the soil biology. Approaching these right practices together in a systems approach is our biggest evolution.”

This isn’t a finished process, and Evan always has something up his sleeve, Rochelle says. The Schnadts grow on a three-year rotation of conventional soybeans, small grains, and corn, with cover crops in between, and are exploring dried beans. Only a handful of years into farming, it will take a while to settle into a cycle. 

“The reality is it takes some time,” Evan says. “I think we have the framework in mind, and every year we’re just able to do a new piece of it. It’s like investing in a 401(k). At first, it’s just money out of your paycheck, but then all of a sudden you start seeing the compound interest kick in.” 

Smaller farms, such as theirs, are at a disadvantage compared with larger farms, and it takes creativity to compete, Evan says. Right now, the Schnadts are content with the pace of work, but see growth as inevitable, and necessary for their operation.

“We can tell we have something where we just need to keep expanding,” Evan says. “As it expands,” he says, “we can look for more land because we need it versus just buying more because we’re supposed to. We built our model and will scale accordingly.”

Farming on a smaller tract of land has enabled them to be nimble and have lower production costs. 

“We’re not using the biggest or newest equipment; it’s the right size for us,” Rochelle says. “From a financial sustainability perspective — if you truly want to be in this for the long haul and have something to pass on to the next generation — you have to be smart with the funds you’re spending and earning.”

Growing a network

Rochelle says building connections with other farmers to learn about regenerative agriculture is how curiosity became impetus. They dove into podcasts and articles, eventually joining Facebook groups, where they found support to stay the course. 

“It’s very much a mindset shift,” Rochelle says. “You need that support group to say, 

‘Don’t abandon ship yet; you’ve got this; this is what we saw; this what we lived through.’ You’ll get a kind of reassurance as you’re scratching your head saying, ‘This doesn’t look great.’ ”

In growing their connections, the Schnadts have learned practices they’ve applied to their operation. Getting a longer, more diverse crop rotation, with small grains and legumes to build soil health, has been an import-ant part of their approach to agriculture. 

Obtaining metric data has inspired confidence in their practices and guides them toward their goals. The Schnadts test their soil every year with Regen Ag Lab in Nebraska, where Evan says the team spent “way more time than it would be sustainable” to help him understand the science behind soil health. 

Working outside tried-and-true farming practices presents risk, especially for new farmers. The Schnadts had their share of learning moments on their journey, mitigated by testing in small plots in their yard. 

“If you’re interested or curious about something, do something to get started, because with farming you get one shot a year,” Evan says. “Just don’t go too far too fast unless you have the means to do so. I want to go this new route, but we also recognize the traditional wisdom in the ag community about how and why things have been done.”

Rochelle says they document everything, and share their story on social media.

“Now we’re able to advocate and share more of the farm story, because people want to connect with the farmer and know where their food is coming from,” Rochelle says. “That movement has continued to grow over the years, and we think it’s important to show context about what agriculture is up to. Having context helps move the conversation forward.”