Welcome to Kingbird Cattle: A Glimpse at Our Farm's History and Purpose
Where It All Began
The story begins in 1890 when great-great grandfather Lawrence made the trip from Poland to the United States. After originally settling in Milwaukee, in 1918 he made the decision to move north and buy the farm that started it all. His son Frank (pictured to the right), my great grandfather, grew up and remained on the homestead making a living milking a modest herd of dairy cattle with his wife, Ottilia. Although much has changed, some things stay the same. Remnants of ancient barbed wire can be seen on the edges of the pastures that fed the original dairy herd, and 100 years later, continue to feed our cattle.
Building The Foundation
On April 15th, 1965 my grandfather Jim returned to Marinette county and purchased a farm two miles north of the original homestead with his wife Micki. Together they proudly milked their herd of Holstein dairy cows twice a day for almost four decades. They believed in quality genetics, land stewardship, and community. During their farming days, my grandmother practiced a rudimentary form of rotational grazing with the technology available by splitting large paddocks into smaller paddocks and observing how rest/recovery cycles improved yield and quality of the pasture. Today, our cow-calf herd grazes on the same pastures and converted corn fields guided by the same principles.
Meet Your Farmer
I was introduced to farming at a young age when as a kid my family would make the drive from Minneapolis to my grandparent's farm in NE Wisconsin. Here I bottle-fed my first calf, gathered my first eggs, and picked my first ears of sweet corn from the garden. Many years later I found myself studying at the School of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, just hoping I could find a career in agriculture. This became a reality on April 20th, 2018 when I purchased the farm from my grandparents. That same year, I deployed to Afghanistan, on the other side of the world I read books and watched YouTube videos about the wonders of regenerative farming and using livestock to heal the land. I knew immediately this was the direction I wanted to take the family farm. I am passionate about soil and water, livestock and wildlife, eating healthy and being active. Its an honor to be your farmer and to raise the food that you put on the table and feed your families, thank you for coming along on this journey with me. And thank you for supporting small, local farms and local food.
