Evan and Rochelle Schnadt farm with family near Lodi. Together they raise, harvest and process specialty grains as part of their processing business called Heartland Artisanal Grains. Their products can be enjoyed at family tables, restaurants and bakeries throughout southern Wisconsin.
A commitment to soil health, regenerative practices and responsible water employ are why the Schnadt family is a Leaders of the Land® monthly highlight.
As teenage farmers, sustainability is vital to the Schnadt family. They are aware of their impact on the environment and strive to be good stewards of the earth. They also recognize that they need to be profitable to sustain their business in the long term.
Additionally, they want to be supportive members of the community and support other local businesses. The ultimate end goal is to create a product that is robust for their family and customers.
The Schnadts grow unique varieties of grains for food and beverages. They must be very careful about the methods they employ to produce high-quality, nutritious products. They implemented cover crops during and after the growing season to ensure they were always collecting solar energy.
“In a sense, you could say we are farmers using sunlight and the grain is just a byproduct of that,” Rochelle said.
Restorative practices assist the Schnadt family take care of their land and provide high-quality products. Apart from planting cover crops, they do not do any plowing. They want to avoid disturbing the soil as much as possible to build good soil structure and support the ecosystem in the soil. No-till farming reduced weed and insect pressure and eliminated the need to employ chemicals on produce.
“At first it was a challenge to deal with the weeds and other creatures that find our crops very palatable, but in the end it made us better farmers on our land,” Rochelle said.
Rochelle compares her soil conservation efforts to a sourdough starter. Like dynamic sourdough cultures, they want to support a robust soil microbiome to ensure balance and a robust product at harvest time.
The Schnadts balance growing antique grains with state-of-the-art technologies and practices. The revival of time-honored seed varieties requires careful manual work to spotless and transform them into a value-added product. They employ technology wherever they can to handle and process their product more efficiently. Regular soil testing is one of the tools that helps Evan and Rochelle be effective and purposeful. Soil testing writes a prescription for their soil, so they can precisely care for every acre of their land.
The Schnadts have several water sources on and near their property. They are very aware of what they do on land and how it affects the water supply, including the well from which their family drinks water from their home’s water source. Using cover crops helps absorb more water. In dehydrated years, cover crops were an excellent tool for retaining moisture in the soil and providing a shade barrier.
Evan and Rochelle’s goal is to inspire their customers with the ingredients they grow. Each grain is a testimony to care and quality at every stage, from cultivation and harvesting, to harvesting and processing, until it finds a place on the customer’s table.
