OUR FARMERS
JUICE'S JERSEYS
JASON UNSER
Hi, my name is Jason Unser, and I own and operate Juice’s Jerseys and Porcupine Valley Trucking, LLC in Porcupine, WI. My brother Josh and I purchased our grandparents farm in 2011. On the farm, I raise Jersey steers from baby calves to butcher steers in about 18 months. The steers are raised on a whole shell corn and finisher pellet diet, which supports a tender and nice marbled steak. The hanging weight ranges from 600-700 pound, and I offer these steers by the ¼, ½, or whole animal. I have been working with JM Watkins since they started in 2013, and it has been a great experience for myself and my customers.
MAIER FAMILY FARM
RANDI + KIM MAIER
Randy and I both grew up on farms in the Big River and Trimbelle area. In 1999, we began our beef cow herd with 10 cows in Trimbelle. Today, along with the help of our 5 children our beef cow herd has grown to 60 cows, and we raise 50 steers a year. We also raise pigs from farrow to finish each year. Farming is an important part of our lives which we are very proud of. Producing quality meat products for the consumer is our number one priority.
DZ WAGYU
DOUG + PATTY ZWIEFELHOFER
DZ Wagyu is owned and operated by Doug & Patty Zwiefelhofer in Bloomer, Wisconsin. In 2017, we transitioned from milking dairy cattle to raising Wagyu beef and have built up a herd of both American and 100% Fullblood Wagyu genetics. Our current herd consists of approximately 30 cow/calf pairs and multiple steers that are pasture raised and finished throughout the year. DZ Wagyu beef can be purchased as halves, quarters, eighths or sampler bundles. We are proud to partner with a few local businesses, providing them with quality grass-fed and grain-finished Wagyu beef.
OXHEART FARM
EMMET + CELLA
We started our farm in 2013, near Hager City, WI. One thing we love about farming is it allows us to live a life rich in good food. Our goal is to pass that richness on to our customers with as much breadth and depth as possible by growing and raising many different products and offering food for sale during as much of the year as possible. To that end, as we have grown as a business, we have grown by adding new enterprises and weeks to our farming season, remaining small in the number of customers we need to keep us afloat. In this way we mimic the diversified family farm of the past--small scale, resilient, and sufficient.
Our farming practices are based on a tendency towards self-reliance, and a belief that the more we can diversify and avoid off-farm inputs, the more evident any ecological imbalances would be. Our goal is to do more than sustain the part of the world that we tend, but to also improve it slowly over time.
BLUE GOOSE HEREFORD FARM
LUCAS + STEPHANIE
Lucas and Stephanie embarked on their farming journey in 2016, a new chapter that began after Lucas completed his service in the U.S. Army. Together, they established Blue Goose Hereford Farms, a small cow-calf herd of registered Herefords, and a steer finishing operation. With a deep commitment to quality, they prioritize breeding for superior carcass traits, ensuring their cattle meet high standards for both flavor and sustainability. Their vision goes beyond the present—rooted in the ideal of building a farm that thrives for future generations. Lucas, a third-generation farmer, focuses on sustainable practices that preserve the land and secure a legacy for their three children, John, Owen, and Levi. Raising their boys amidst the rhythms of farm life, Lucas and Stephanie instill in them the values of hard work, responsibility, and a connection to the land, hoping one day they might carry on the family tradition.
LARSON HEREFORD FARM
JERRY + JOYCE
Larson Hereford Farms is a 5th generation farm near Spring Valley, WI. Founded by our Norwegian patriarch, Esten Larson in 1876, our farm has been home to almost all species of livestock in our 150 year history, but cattle have been a constant. Registered Herefords were introduced in 1942. Our cow herd consists of 200+ females that are nationally recognized for productivity and performance. We have exported live cattle to Canada, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Frozen genetics from our herd have reached around the world, including Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, France, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Austria and Germany. We grow all of our own feed and hay. We retain and feed all of our calves in order to produce butcher beef, breeding bulls and breeding heifers. DNA testing is utilized to help select genetics to move our herd forward, including Ribeye area and marbling traits, ensuring well-marbled, delicious and nutritious beef.
JERSEY OAKS FARM
PHIL + NICOLE
Jersey Oaks started out as a small hobby in 2013 and has grown into a dream that one could only imagine! I grew up on a small dairy and hog farm in rural Wisconsin. During my childhood we grew up always having fresh, farm raised, quality beef and pork. We found the best meat locker around to process our meats was JM Watkins Locker. In Highschool, I started out with one gilt and grew a small business raising pigs with the help of Bob and Doug Watkins. As time passed, I purchased a couple calves and raised some steers for myself and several family members. I enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2001, where I spent 4.5 years before coming back to Wisconsin and creating the beef business I have today.
After marrying my wife Nicole in 2012, we found a small hobby farm in Menomonie Wisconsin and built our dream farm. Nicole finds her passion in horses and mine in cattle and together we have shared our life experiences with our two daughters Sophia and Charlotte on our farm. Our daughters have experienced the joys of new life but also the hard lessons of losing a beloved animal they helped raise and the circle of life. It has been a pleasure to share these experiences with my family and watch them grow and learn the all-around lessons a farm can offer. With the love, help and support of my wife, I have been able to grow my small hobby farm into a growing, thriving business.
LONG AGO RANCH
TOM + KRIS MARTIN
Our bison story begins in the summer of 1997 in Hayden Valley, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. An amazing scene of hundreds of the iconic symbol of the American Old West and the American National Mammal, the bison. We spent hours just observing this massive herd. We were in awe and fell in love with this hump-backed animal and just knew that we had to play a part in their storied history.
From a population of more than 65 million in the 1700’s to less than 1,000 by the late 1800’s and now to just over 400,000, their story is one of near extinction and survival. As bison ranchers, we are helping to preserve the animals that once roamed freely across the untamed, North American continent. Some of the benefits of Bison are its rich flavor, a better Omega 3:6 ratio, high iron content and lower cholesterol. Try some this upcoming “hump” day.
LOMMEL FARM
PAUL LOMMEL
Our farm started with just 3 pigs back in 2017, a year after we moved in. It quickly grew to 10 and then 15 and then to 20 in the next few years. We sell our hogs to friends and family and really enjoy providing high quality meat to them. We ferment our feed which has nutritional benefits for the pigs and rotate their pasture 4 times each summer. This helps us keep our land in good condition as well as our pigs.
Our pigs enjoy the best views on our property and our friends say it's one of the best views in the county. We have "sunset with the pigs" several times each summer with many of our friends and neighbors.
At the end of the summer we look forward to seeing our hogs leave the farm. The folks at JM Watkins are great to work with and have done amazing things with the meat products that they produce. I love the service and the care they take with each of my customers even when things get difficult. The bacon, pork chops, sausage and all the other cuts are awesome! One of my favorites has been the bratwurst!
Our pigs are a big part of our way of life, and we love having them.
BELZ FAMILY FARM
SCOTT + MARIE
Belz Family Farm raises 100% grass fed and finished red and black angus cattle on our family farm near Baldwin, WI. Our children, their spouses and our grandchildren are our "cowboys"; our working crew. All animals are born and raised here. We use Pharo Cattle Co. genetics to grow cattle that finish and marble on rotationally grazed grass and hay. The cattle are hormone, antibiotic and grain free. We started farming in Afton, MN in 1977 and moved to our present location in 2003.
TWIN FOLK FARMS
NATE + DARLA
Twin Folk Farms is near Hager City, WI. Nate, Darla and their family raise pastured animals, including sheep, pigs, turkeys, chickens, cattle, and rabbits. They sell their meat at the local farmer's market in addition to straight off the farm. They live next door to Darla's twin sister's family, hence the name 'Twin Folk Farms'. The families enjoy sharing their farm with the community, so they offer a variety of homesteading classes for both kids and adults. They also offer off grid camping right on the farm to give people a chance to experience farm life for themselves.
HOPE SCHOOL
PAUL LOMMEL
Hope Farm School is transforming the lives of boys by teaching the hard work and dedication through hands-on care of livestock. These young men, removed from challenging environments, are now thriving in a nurturing setting where growth and renewal are possible.
Our grass-fed, free-range, organic beef is not only delicious, it is high in Omega-3s and has no added hormones or antibiotics, which makes it great for you!
Our students take the responsibility of raising these pigs in an open-air environment, providing them with ample space to roam and thrive.