Cover Crops Bring Opportunities and Trade-Offs

This episode's Legacy Farmer comes from Brilliant, Wisconsin.

Greg Bowman is the fourth generation on his family farm, milking 46 cows in a tie-stall barn.

His milking career started at just six years old.

He went out to the barn with his father, who talked him through how to milk a cow, and he's been doing it ever since.

It was around that time that the family's barn was remodeled, putting in steel tie stalls, a bulk tank, and a barn cleaner.

Bowman worked on the farm throughout his high school career, and after graduating, went to work for a private feed mill.

While at the feed mill, Bowman learned more about how to work with different personalities to be successful in life and in the dairy industry.

After completing the continuing farmer education program at Fox Valley Tech and 20 years at the feed mill, Bowman went on to buy the family farm.

For the past 36 years, he's helped his calves grow up and become part of his herd.

That's part of the job that he enjoys the most, knowing that he's the only human contact these animals have.

He gets to teach these calves how to drink from the bottle, and they place their trust in him because they know he will do them no harm.

Seeing the cows grow from babies to replacement members of his herd is a feeling that's difficult to replicate.

During the early part of his career, Bowman was component feeding in the Tystall barn and had a chance to tailor each cow's ration to their specific needs.

He could tell just by looking his cows in the eye what they needed for feed and had his herd averaging 100 pounds of milk per day.

He's since moved to a total mixed ration system, but misses when he could look at a cow, connect, and know exactly what she needed.

Bowman had an opportunity to raise his family on the farm.

raising three children, and now has a chance to see his grandchildren come back and work on the farm with him and see them become active members of the Junior Holstein Association.

His guidance is extended beyond his own family, as he helped usher in agriculture to another local farmer.

Nearly 20 years ago, he was looking for some part-time help and got a list of names from the local FFA advisor.

Bowman ended up hiring someone with an interest in agriculture who still uses Bowman as a sounding board.

It's the opportunity to give back to others and his cows that makes him the most proud.

If someone ever needs a person to lean on, Greg has your back.

Bowman hopes he's made a positive impact on others and the cows he cares for.

Instead of people need someone to talk to, he's got a pop in the fridge and ice cream bars in the freezer for you.

As Greg and I talked, he took a break from helping a neighbor make hay to reflect on some of his favorite parts of dairy farming.