Dan and Shelly Truttmann own and operate Truttmann Dairy LLC, a grass-based, spring calving dairy located in south central Wisconsin. They have three children and, along with Dan's father Dwight and a couple of part-time employees, milk 175 crossbred cows and operate 400 acres. | | | Dan and Shelly Truttmann and their children are proud farmers from New Glarus. | The Truttmanns are in their 18th year of managed grazing on the farm, where a focus on productivity from healthy cows and land has led to consistent profitability. The herd consumes a high forage diet, coming mainly from pasture for up to eight months of the year, and the soil is protected year-round by grass and legumes. The cows are milked in a swing 14 milking parlor with a parlor grain feeding system to maximize the efficiency of the grazing system by reducing time spent off pasture. A freestall barn is used for winter housing and summer supplemental feeding of the milking herd. Dan recently completed a term as board member and president of Grassworks, an education and promotional organization for rotational grazing. The Truttmann family also regularly host tours for elementary, high school and college classes, as well as foreign farmer visitors and tourists. "We need all types and sizes of farms here in Wisconsin to keep our industry vibrant and growing."
~ Dan Truttmann According to Dan Truttmann, rotational grazing is a good way to keep his farm economically viable for his family. "Grazing is a good fit for my soils, farm and family," says Dan. "This dairying practice helps us preserve and protect the hilly landscape of our farm and keeps our highly erodible soil in place. It also protects the farm from the rising costs of some inputs and minimizes the need for capital investments in machinery. Our environmental ethic on this farm goes back many decades. My grandfather was one of the first farmers in Green County to put in contour strips for our crops. And we want to ensure that continues for generations to come." Dan believes that the diversity in the state's landscape and dairy industry is one of our state's strengths. "We need all types and sizes of farms here in Wisconsin to keep our industry vibrant and growing."
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