Chad Crowley firmly believes that for those who want to get into dairy or farming in general, grazing is the way to go.
That route has certainly gone well for him. He was told many times that he couldn’t find success in farming because he didn’t grow up on one, but today he and his wife Melissa farm in southeast Minnesota as part of Enchanted Meadows Farms.
Enchanted Meadows is an organic, pasture-based dairy in La Crescent. The Crowleys were hired by owners Art and Jean Thicke in the early 2000’s. After prior experience working at a high-production dairy, the grazing dairy model allowed for the lifestyle that Chad and Melissa were looking for. They stayed on for several years, and the Thickes began gifting them calves to “build sweat equity” in the farm business. If they ever left Enchanted Meadows, their growing herd could move on with them.
Twelve years in, the Thickes concretely initiated a farm transition, selling the Crowleys one of the farms and splitting ownership of the herd. “Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it,” says Chad. The four continue farming together, and good communication and planning has helped the partners through inevitable times of disagreements.
Listen in as Chad Crowley offers a candid conversation on getting into farming and non-family farm transitions in this episode with Jared Luhman.
Chad Crowley, Enchanted Meadows Farms
Jared Luhman, Soil Health Lead, SFA
If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, please consider supporting Dirt Rich and SFA's work by donating or becoming a member at www.sfa-mn.org.
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association.
55: Soil Lab Tests for Regenerative Ag
Revisited: Designing Cover Crops for Late Season Grazing
54: REKO Rings
53: Endorsed for Water Quality
52: We’re on YouTube (and in the field)
Revisited: Restoring Oak Savanna
51: Framing Succession Planning
50: Transferring a Land Ethic Legacy Farm
49: Family Farm Succession Planning
48: Grazing Cattle to Restore Oak Savanna in the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
Revisited: Managing Spring Grazing
47: Four DIY Soil Health Tests
46: Managing Land with Solar Grazing
45: Local Meats and Processing in Southeast Minnesota
44: Scaling Up Soy- and Corn-Free Pastured Chickens
43: Heirloom Apples & Craft Cider
42: Conventional to Kernza®: A Soil Health Journey
Revisited: Pastured Turkeys
41: Studying Soil Health
40: Field Notes
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