“The co-op organizes the processing and distribution in regionalized centers, so the economic benefits are staying in those local communities where the farmers are,” Loretta said. “That’s part of their philosophy.”

Prices paid to farmers for organic milk are usually about double that of conventional milk.

Diversity the key
The 350-acre farm is a largely self-contained operation with all of the feed and hay for the herd grown on the farm.

The 105 acres of pastures are planted with a variety of grass and clover species. “It’s nice to have native plants and variety in the pasture,” Martin said. “Cows know what they need and they get it from different plants.”

The pastures are divided into 25 paddocks with large cows rotated to different pastures daily to give the grasses and clovers time to regrow.

A 60-acre field is planted in three crops rather than one. “We break up all of our fields,” Martin said. “It slows down rodent problems or diseases if they hit and it creates edge effects, which are important to the animals.”

The Jauses say the years of organic farming have physically changed the soil, from fine granules that easily blew away with the winds to a thicker, richer loam that clumps together.

“You have more organisms, the worms, and even microbes that work like glue to hold the soil together,” Loretta said.

Martin said the soil absorbs and holds moisture better. While his field tile lines stop flowing with water a few days after a rain, their neighbors’ tile will continue to flow for weeks, removing moisture from the soil.

Wildlife enthusiasts
When the Jauses aren’t milking and doing other chores, they are usually enjoying and helping the wildlife. There are about 100 bluebird houses on the property. This year nine pair of bluebirds are nesting while the other houses are used by other birds.

“It’s still not a lot of bluebirds, but when we came here, there were none,” Loretta said.

“One of the things that continues to amaze us is that our wildlife projects tie in so nicely with the organic farm,” she said. “You need the diversity.”

The Jauses said a key to increasing bird and wildlife numbers across intensively farmed corn and soybean land is to have many land owners create a number of small natural areas over long corridors.

“If you have that corridor of small plots, the animals and birds can move from one to another,” Loretta said. “There are farm conservation programs to help do it. People want to do the right thing. They just need some help and encouragement.”