Schmidt Farms

Al Schmidt is the owner of Schmidt Farms, a Cash & Hay Crop operation in West Bend, Wisconsin. The farm’s history goes back to his Great-Grandmother who was born in 1872 in the back 20 acres. That is where it all started and led to Al being the 4th generation to take over. He had enjoyed helping his father with the farm and wanted to stay with the operation. Over the years it has grown, expanding into the Town of Jackson, which like West Bend is in Washington County, but also taking on farmland in Cedarburg, which is in Ozaukee County.

Agriculture has created a bond throughout the community. “We have been farming here forever,” Al said. “We are all friends and working together to make a living.” Al does the majority of his work on his own, but he knows if he needs help here and there hauling hay off, there will be someone around to do it. He is willing to return the favor and hauls cattle or lends a hand to help other farmers with their work. Being the sole owner can be challenging when there is work that needs to get done, but it has its perks; he doesn’t have anyone telling him what to do and he has full responsibility for the choices he makes. He also has a great team he can go to for guidance when he needs it. “I enjoy working with Country Visions,” Al said. “They take very good care of me.”

Al takes pride in the hay he grows and sells. “I love selling a perfect product and making people happy,” he said. His nieces entered some of the hay at the fair this year. They received one 2nd, three 1st place awards and Grand Champion at the Washington County Fair.

Al is a member of the Cedar Creek Farmers - Producer Led Watershed Group. Their mission is improving land for cleaner waters by implementing practices such as no-till and residue management, cover crops, and conservation farming. Becoming a part of the Cedar Creek Farmers has been inspiring for Al. “I really enjoy being able to help out other farmers,” he said. Leading by example, he changed to 100% no-till for his operation this year. More information about the Cedar Creek Farmers is available here http://www.co.washington.wi.us/departments.iml…

He picks stones for a living. Al was joking with that statement, but living close to a gravel pit means there are a TON of stones in his fields. He spends a lot of hours picking them to avoid damaging his equipment. His “picking” has resulted in a nice collection of arrowheads that he has found on the property.

Thank you to Al for representing the ag community for this week’s Farmer Friday. Congratulations on producing a Grand Champion product this year! We wish you continued success with your operation as you help improve the land for future generations.

#FarmerFriday ...post #99. To show our appreciation to our producer members Country Visions Cooperative will be giving a snapshot look of our customers and their operations in this feature each Friday