Dan Wiese is a second-generation partner at the firm Brother Wiese Farms. Their job is to transport, feed, and sell various food byproducts from facilities in the greater Fox Valley region.
At Wiese Brothers Farms in Greenleaf, Wisconsin, they are always looking for opportunities to introduce a variety of products to feed their dairy cattle.
Dan compares the herd to the inhabitants of a city or countryside. Everyone needs to be fed and waste managed. Wiese Brothers’ goal is to feed the herd efficiently and profitably and manage manure in such a way that the community and surrounding environment are well managed.
Cows indirectly support reduce methane emissions by consuming edible food waste.
Truckloads of product will be rejected from processing plants for a myriad of reasons. Wiese stores are located approximately 25 miles south of Green Bay, making them an ideal location to receive these products.
The dairy cow is a great recycling. It can transform these food byproducts into delicious, nutritious dairy products.
The basic components of the cows’ diet are still corn silage and haylage, which remain unchanged every day. Fruit pebbles, granola, cranberry hulls and sweets are just a few examples of products that are included in the rations at Wiese Brothers.
When it comes to sustainability, every farm is different. The Wiese brothers discovered the economic and environmental benefits of using by-products in dairy herd rations.
