It was a near brush with death that caused Gerry Klinkner to convert to organic farming. Just four months after his wedding, he was diagnosed with Stage I Hodgkin's lymphoma. While recovering from surgery Klinkner and his wife Ann watched a documentary on the links between agricultural chemicals and certain forms of cancer and made the decision to convert their farm. As teenagers, Klinkner and his brother had mixed chemicals and sprayed the fields for their father without any protection from the sprays.
Klinkner persuaded his brother, who owns the neighboring farm, to convert to organic and after several setbacks, their 230 acres were certified organic in 2001. Located in Cashton, Wisc, the brothers farm 150 acres of tillable soil and maintain 80 acres of permanent pasture. Their organic milk is marketed through Organic Valley.
In addition to improving his health and that of his family, Klinkner recognizes that holistic herd health management has improved the health of his cattle as well. They now eat the organic alfalfa and corn, grown on the farm. With the help of a homeopathic veterinarian in Arcada, Klinkner uses natural remedies like garlic, aloe vera and Echinecea for his cows on the rare occasions they need health care. His vet bills have reduced dramatically - $450 for an entire year compared to an average of $625 a month when he was farming conventionally.
You can buy Gerry Klinkner’s organic milk and other Organic Valley products at many health food stores and grocery stores that feature organic foods including: Whole Foods Markets, Stanley’s Market, Dominck’s and Treasure Island.
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