Making it their own

NEW ULM, Minn. — Brothers Jake and Nick Stadick did not take over their family’s dairy farm overnight; instead, the changeover happened through a gradual shift in responsibility and decision-making.

Now, as fourth-generation owners, they are incorporating genomic data, smarter breeding strategies and new barn technology to make the farm their own while still holding on to wisdom from their parents.

“This is what our family has always done, and we followed Dad around a lot when we were young,” Jake said.

Jake arrived back on the farm in 2017, with Nick’s return occurring in 2023. Both have remained working full time since then at their family’s Stadick Farm Inc. near New Ulm. They milk 160 cows in a double-12 swing parlor and farm 280 acres of corn and triticale with peas and around 110 acres of alfalfa.

Growing up, Jake and Nick were heavily involved in helping their parents, Mike and Tammy, tackle chores and complete tasks around the farm.

Jake left the farm in 2013 to attend South Dakota State University, where he majored in dairy production. Nick graduated from high school in 2016 before going to South Central College in North Mankato for diesel mechanics. Afterwards, he worked at Miller Sellner — an agricultural dealership.

Ultimately, the pull of the farming lifestyle drew both back home.

“I wanted to live the farming way of life, and we grew up doing this, so this was my opportunity to do that,” Nick said. “I like having our own schedule and being proud of the work we do.”

Several years before Nick returned, Jake was working with his parents when he became curious about improving genetics and overall reproduction.

“(Our) vet at the time … recommended that we start doing double ovsynch to the fresh cows,” Jake said. “When I started doing the double ovsynch to the fresh cows, things really, really started working well.”

The Stadicks then started using beef semen on the lower 25%-50% of the cows and expanded this to 75%-80% over time. The top 75%-80% of heifers are bred using sexed Holstein semen, along with cows in their first and second lactations.

The farm started genomic testing the year Nick arrived back, with all breeding decisions now based on genomic results, including evaluations for Dairy Wellness Profit Index. All heifers are genotyped. The Stadicks aim to have a set number of heifer calves per month, ensuring their inventory is even throughout the year.

“I appreciate everything Jake does with the genetics, because I don’t understand any of it,” Nick said. “I love the lifestyle and being home with everyone, and it’s a way of life that’s going away, so I wanted to keep doing it.”

Over the years, Mike and Tammy had made their share of improvements and upgrades to the farm as well, including building a larger freestyle barn.

“Mom and Dad always stressed to us that they weren’t building the barn so that we would come back, they were building the barn so that they could get to where they needed to be,” Jake said. “It was there so that if we wanted to come back, we could. They made it very clear to us that we didn’t have (to farm) if we didn’t want to.”

As time went on, the brothers continued working with their parents and knew they wanted to take over. With both interested in different aspects of farming — Jake focused on genetics and nutrition and Nick tackling maintenance, mechanic work and milking — the idea of being owners and partners together seemed perfect.

The brothers formally took over this January, with their parents, who have more time off, still remaining actively involved. Tammy assists with tasks like bookkeeping, scraping and daily chores while Mike scrapes the barn and occasionally milks.

“Dad likes to stay busy — he works as much as ever — and Mom helps a lot, too,” Nick said.

With advancing technology, the Stadick brothers have also started projects, like having a robotic feed pusher and planning for a different manure management system to improve efficiency and reduce labor.

As Jake and Nick operate the farm and implement new changes, they continue to rely on their parents’ advice and wisdom.

“One thing that Mom and Dad always stressed when we were young was that you don’t want to spend your whole day just doing chores,” Nick said. “You want to be able to get things done in time so that you have time to improve or fix other projects.”

Jake agreed, emphasizing the importance of patience and the understanding that nothing happens overnight.

“It’s hard to accept you’re not going to get stuff right the first time; it’s probably the hardest thing to be patient about,” he said.

Looking towards the future, the brothers said they are excited to continue working alongside each other while each prepares for their own wedding next summer.

“We’re your classic brothers — we grew up competitive against each other,” Nick said. “The best and the worst thing is that our skillsets and personalities are a lot different, … but at the same time, it’s what makes it work around here.”