Dairy farming is a perpetual balancing act. Producers strive to find the right balance between investing in new equipment, cows or technology and finding ways to save costs and be more efficient. They also aim to strike a balance in maximizing experience and past successes, and the adoption of new ideas and management practices. And they are always looking to balance the best ration for their herds while also making the most of available feed supplies.
I am fortunate to be the third generation on a family farm that has evolved over the years to be more competitive and consistently provide better opportunities for everyone involved. My grandfather, Ambrose Lisowe, started farming in 1949, with his wife, Lorna. Ambrose and Lorna had 10 children, six sons and four daughters. Over the course of 40 years, Ambrose was able to purchase neighboring farms so five of his sons could milk the dairy herds and Ambrose could oversee each farm. Every year, the members on all five farms worked together to accomplish the fieldwork. In 1979, they formed A & L Lisowe & Sons. In 2006, when the third generation also showed interest in farming, Lisowe Acres was formed. Today, I own Lisowe Acres with my dad, uncle and cousin.
Luke Lisowe is one of the owners and operators of Lisowe Acres. He is joined on the farm by his wife, Ashley, and son, Rhett. Courtesy photo.
I grew up on the farm doing chores, building a solid work ethic and learning from my father, grandfather, uncles and cousins. Now, as part of the ownership and management team, I have the best of both worlds: continuing to gain experience while taking advantage of all the ongoing educational opportunities our ever-changing industry provides.
Training programs such as PDPW Manager’s Academy and Cornerstone Leadership Academy have helped me build the leadership and management skills necessary to work with and make the most of our dairy team. Learning from world-class speakers and other dairy farmers has given me the confidence to manage and lead teams in challenging situations and to recognize the differences in team members and manage them accordingly.
I have found on-farm workshops and tours to be especially valuable because I enjoy going behind the scenes and asking questions. I appreciate not only seeing other farms but having discussions about what those producers have tried and learned and how a piece of equipment, technology or management practice is working for them. I have discovered that one size does not fit all and what works for one farm might not work for ours, but each tour is an opportunity to learn and take home new ideas.
Attending training programs or industry events, like World Dairy Expo, are also a great way to meet other dairy farmers and industry professionals who we can stay in touch with throughout the year to ask questions and share ideas. Also, accessing on-demand programming like the PDPW podcast and streaming episodes of PDPW’s The Dairy Signal allows our whole team to learn from some of the top researchers and industry experts on our own schedules.
When costs are rising or you are looking to invest every dollar into the business, it can seem difficult to choose to invest in training programs, but we have found it to be an investment in the future of ourselves, our team and our business.
Luke Lisowe is one of the owners and operators of Lisowe Acres. Lisowe is an active PDPW and Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation member; he also plays an important role in the Calumet Fire Department. In Lisowe's spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and trapping wildlife.
