Josh, an instructor at Chippewa Valley Technical College, and Ashley, a high school biology teacher, met in the spring of 2013. They came from different backgrounds: Josh was born and raised in the city of Eau Claire, attended college in Minneapolis, and later moved back to Eau Claire; Ashley was born and raised on a dairy farm near Cumberland, went to college in La Crosse, and landed her first teaching job in Eau Claire. Happily, they soon discovered that they shared a lot of interests: hunting, fishing, hiking, volleyball, and most importantly, animals.
After two years, the couple bought a farm southeast of Chippewa Falls on which to raise Ashley's small beef herd . In high school and throughout college, Ashley had maintained a modest herd of Hereford/Angus/Holstein crossed cattle. She had shown cows for 13 years in 4-H and in the Future Farmers of America beef project. When she began her career as a teacher, she knew that someday she wanted to bring her herd home. Fortunately, Josh was on board with trying new things and raising animals. What started out as a hobby is now growing into something much larger.
The pair maintains a 25-cow herd through rotational grazing practices. Josh, Ashley, and the cows share the farm with their new son, Jace, pigs, sheep, chickens, horses, cats, and their dog, Yukon.
After two years, the couple bought a farm southeast of Chippewa Falls on which to raise Ashley's small beef herd . In high school and throughout college, Ashley had maintained a modest herd of Hereford/Angus/Holstein crossed cattle. She had shown cows for 13 years in 4-H and in the Future Farmers of America beef project. When she began her career as a teacher, she knew that someday she wanted to bring her herd home. Fortunately, Josh was on board with trying new things and raising animals. What started out as a hobby is now growing into something much larger.
The pair maintains a 25-cow herd through rotational grazing practices. Josh, Ashley, and the cows share the farm with their new son, Jace, pigs, sheep, chickens, horses, cats, and their dog, Yukon.