Paul Bickford started farming his land in Ridgeway, WI as a confinement dairy in 1978 with 250 cows. His family had a dairy in the Sauk Prairie area, and Paul’s father helped him get started. In the early nineties, when the confinement model started failing, Paul was among the first dairymen to establish pastures and start rotational grazing with 350 cows. Due to issues with stray voltage, Paul sold the cows in 2011 and left dairying, plowed under pastures and planted organic corn and soybeans.
John and Halee met cooking at one of New York City’s most beloved restaurants, Prune. Food was what brought them together, and it is what they continue to be passionate about as farmers. After spending a combined ten years in New York City, they made the leap and moved back to John’s home town of Lancaster, Wisconsin. They were lucky enough to have an opportunity to run a breakfast and lunch cafe called “Dewey’s” on the square. At John’s home farm they learned how to bottle feed calves that needed a little help, grow enough vegetables to supply their restaurant, and tried their hand at growing edible dry beans, open pollinated corn, and wheat.
When it was apparent that Halee, John, and their growing family didn’t have a clear future farming family land, Halee went on Craigslist and searched for “organic” jobs in the Madison area. There she found Paul’s ad, which read: “I am seeking a forward-thinking individual or couple to join my 950-acre organic farming operation … Ethics and trust are a cornerstone of organic farming and are important to my operation. I want to share my 40 years of farm experience with someone who is willing to work to improve my farm.”
As Paul liked to say, you can teach skills, but you can’t teach “nice.” He and John settled into a comfortable working relationship and John and Halee worked toward entering ownership of Paul’s farm and business.
Paul passed away in August of 2023. With Paul's mentorship and access to this beautiful and productive land, John and Halee are carrying on his commitment to organic agriculture as they regenerate the land while providing high quality food to their community.
