Jon Nelson
Jon Nelson has had a passion for farming all his life. He grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Wisconsin and became addicted to the exciting lifestyle. He moved to Michigan after graduating from the University of Minnesota and went to work at Dow Corning while hobby farming on 10 acres. In 2000, he and his wife, Tammy, and their 5 boys moved to their current location about 8 miles northwest of Midland, Michigan. Their 220 acre farm had historically been part of a cash crop operation and Jon and Tammy continued to operate it that way for 10 years.
In 2010, with a renewed focus on healthy eating and food production, they began the process of transitioning their cash crop land to rotational grazing for grass fed beef production. With the help of many experts and advisors, the operation has grown to 200 acres permanently fenced into 20 paddocks for rotational grazing with plantings of both perennial and annual forages and an additional 130 acres of rented ground for winter hay production.
Our farm raises cattle from birth to finish. In 2014, we added a hoop house as an additional enterprise to extend the season for enjoying fresh vegetables. Tammy’s vision is to produce vegetables using organic practices and offer the surplus, beyond what our family can use, to our community.
Currently my career at Dow Corning funds my farming addiction. I look forward to the future when I am able to focus more effort on grass fed beef and sustainable land management. Looking back over my 25 year Dow Corning career, there are many valuable experiences including manufacturing, facility design, product development, market development, sales development and customer technical support, I can see many valuable experiences to use in my future endeavors.
