Combine family tradition and passion, with an overall enthusiasm for agriculture and you will begin to see how Roden Echo Valley, LLC was formed. Bob and Cindy Roden established their farm in the Town of Trenton with hopes that the next generation of their family would want to get involved. Their son, Rick, would be the one to see it as the perfect opportunity for his future. Now Rick and his wife, Melissa, are a part of this dairy and cash crop operation located in southeastern Wisconsin, just east of West Bend.
Bob appreciated growing up on a farm and has always wanted to be a farmer. Working with family every day has been a bonus. His favorite part is watching the next generation have interest in agriculture and then seeing that spark of potential in the following generation. He loves it all. With the variety of career opportunities available in it, he expects their family tradition will continue.
Rick enjoys working with the family. “Most times we get along really good. All of them are pretty easy going,” he said. “We each have our different areas of the farm. Dad handles the crops, mom has the calves, I have the cows, and my sister, Jacki, educates on the industry and offers farm tours for the community.” Rick likes working with the cows; fresh cows and in the maternity area the best, but they all help in all areas of the operation.
Jacki’s ag-tourism business, Roden Barnyard Adventures, isn’t the only thing that is unique to Roden Echo Valley’s operation. They have ProCross Dairy Cattle which is a crossbreed of Montbéliarde, Swedish Red, and Holstein cows. They have 8 individual barns for housing their calves for an all-in and all-out routine. The calves can stay in the same building for 3 months to help reduce stress from moving. They also use a manure separation process that removes liquid and composts the solid for bedding to use in the freestalls.
Bob is on the Town Planning Commission, the County Fair Board, the Dairy Promotion Committee, and Farm Bureau. Rick is involved with the local Farm Bureau, helps out with their local 4-H, is a Beef Leader, and helps out with the Dairy Show at their County Fair. He plays volleyball and has a motorcycle but doesn’t have much time for that anymore. Rick and Melissa’s daughter, Kendra, is 15 months old so there is more family time in their routine which is spent trying to keep up to her.
We appreciate the time Bob and Rick took out of their busy day to share their story for this week’s Farmer Friday message. We wish the best for you, your family’s and Roden Echo Valley, LLC’s future! Thank you for your business and for what you do to promote and educate about agriculture.
#FarmerFriday ...post #63. 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