This month, Leader of the Land ® celebrates the love and passion farmers share for their land and animals.
Since February is the month of love, it’s worth sharing the story of two high school sweethearts whose passion for agriculture inspired them to start working and continues to do so today. Deer Creek Angus Farms works successfully.
Karen Kerner and her husband Greg are the third generation to farm in Phillips, Wisconsin. A neighbor and friend named Charlie recognized Karen and Greg’s passion early on and told the newborn couple while they were still in high school that he wanted them to take over his farm.
Karen and Greg started in the mid-1990s with just seven head of cattle. Since then, their number has increased to 100 pairs of cows and calves.
Deer Creek Angus Farm is named after Deer Creek, which runs through this land. The family partnered with experts to put up fences and buffers around the creek to keep cattle away from it.
Deer Creek Farm employs several conservation practices on its farm, including crop rotation, no-till, cover crops, and moving cattle into the forest for grazing. Cover crops provide cattle with more forage throughout the year.
The couple is constantly learning up-to-date things about managing fertilizer and soil in order to conserve these resources and be more effective.
“We have children who will be the fourth generation here on this farm. It is essential to protect these resources and do everything we can to manage soil and water resources in a sustainable manner,” Karen said.
Karen sells her farm beef at her farm shop and at local markets. He enjoys teaching people about beef at the market and finds it a successful day to share his story and aid his customers learn more. He also works with youth in the community to aid with 4-H projects.
“Yes, it’s a life we choose, but as we tell our children, we have the most important job in the world because we feed the world,” Karen added.
Karen is passionate about caring for animals and loves sharing the high quality products they produce. She is proud to share her passion with her community and one day pass on her legacy to her children.
