Ericksons of Isle farm family of year
Posted 7/31/03

Richard and Phyllis Erickson of Isle have been named the countyıs farm family of the year by the University of Minnesota Extension Service.

The Ericksons have a 110 cow/calf Red Angus x Simmental Beef herd. Their crop acres include: 300 acres of rotationally-grazed pasture divided into 26 paddocks with grazing of each paddock for one to three days.

Three hundred fifty acres of grass is harvested for hay, while 35 acres of corn silage and 30 acres of alfalfa are fed to the herd and some hay is sold.

The Ericksons have been on the Integrated Resource Management (IRM) program for seven years. Through this program they have hosted an IRM advisory team on a regular basis. The team has included staff from U of M Extension, University Beef Specialists, Farm Business Management, A.I, NRCS and others to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and to set goals and strategies to achieve them.

They have kept Cow Herd Appraisal and Performance (CHAPS) records. They have also been on the Farm Business Management program for 10 years.

As a result of taking advantage of the management opportunities, their beef herd has increased calf weaning weights by 100 pounds, decreased cow size from 1,500 to 1,200 pounds, increased cow pregnancy rates, reduced calving intervals to a majority born within 42 days, ranked cows for culling, increased calves weaned/cow and reduced feed costs.

With help from the NRCS they received a significant EQIP grant to fence off their pastures from Peterson Creek that flows into Mille Lacs Lake. They also installed a watering system, hosted lime pasture plots and have increased pasture carrying capacity through rotational grazing.

As a result, they received the Mille Lacs County Conservation Farmer Award and the 1999 Minnesota Cattlemenıs Association Commercial Producer of the Year Award.

Richard has been a Snake River Cattlemenıs Association Board member, church council president and chair of a building committee.