Farm Succession - Andy Jaworski

 

Farm Succession Stories is a series of farmer narratives that captures the experiences of CROPP farmers who have completed or are working through a change of ownership on their farms. These stories set the stage for the cooperative’s national support of farm succession planning in 2016 and also provide our readers with relevant accounts of farm succession – both successful and unsuccessful.  

Andy Jaworski wanted to farm since he was a kid, but he was raised to believe that it was too difficult to earn a decent living. So he earned a degree in finance and supply chain management from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2008. But with farming in his heart, he decided to return to the family farm after graduation. Both his grandfather’s and his parents’ farms were still in the family, and ever since his parents sold the dairy herd in ’94, he wanted to bring back the dairy enterprise. Because he also understood the challenges and constraints that came with that kind of business, he knew he needed to do some research first.

In 2007 Andy attended a grazing conference sponsored by Wisconsin-based Grassworks where he learned that graziers could mitigate financial risk using a “low-cost/low-input” strategy. Farmers were doing well financially and leading balanced lives. “I remember leaving that conference very energized,” Andy says.

The next step was to get some real-time data. Nearby Organic Valley farmers and dedicated graziers, Rick Adamski and Valerie Dantoin took Andy to a few meetings of their grazing group, where Andy got hard numbers to back up what he learned at the grazing conference. From there, he was able to push the pencil to see if this type of system would work on his farm, and if it would pay.

To ensure Andy’s success, the Adamskis felt it would be wise to gain hands-on experience in dairying, so they offered him a job on their organic dairy farm. Andy learned how to milk cows in a low-cost swing parlor, and about rotational grazing management, feeding/nutrition, calf care, and animal husbandry. The Adamskis also encouraged Andy to attend the University of Wisconsin – Farm and Industry Short Course program where he enrolled in the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers, a program that emphasizes a pasture-based farming model and requires its students to write a business plan for their farming operations.

In 2009 Andy’s relationship with the Adamskis evolved into an apprenticeship sponsored by the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers. The goal of the apprenticeship was to further Andy’s understanding of pasture-based, organic dairy.

Eventually Rick and Val worked Andy into a milk share agreement, an arrangement similar to the way farmers traditionally bring their children into the family operation. In an effort to keep it simple, they decided on a three-year, 50/50 contract. Using his business plan, Andy got a loan from USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) that he used to purchase the Adamskis’ dairy cows and heifers over time.  

“That arrangement was a huge advantage for me,” Andy says. “It allowed me the opportunity to further my experience with dairying and invest in assets without having to invest in brick-and-mortar infrastructure or land. It was also an opportunity for me to get my foot in the door with Organic Valley as a dairy producer.”

With money earned from the milk share agreement and a second FSA loan, Andy built a dairy barn and milking facility on his home farm. He also installed a robotic milking system that helps him operate the farm on his own while maintaining a balanced lifestyle. 

Andy is in a unique situation among other farmers where the parents retire and all their equity is in the farm. Since his father had an off-farm job for 40 years, his parents have their own retirement income. This meant that Andy could invest in infrastructure first and the land later.

In a few years Andy hopes to begin purchasing the land from his parents. Right now there isn’t any competition within Andy’s family for the farm. His siblings have moved away and have their own careers. “So far, everybody in my family has been very supportive because I think they really want to keep the farm in the family.”