Ashley and Josh Blaeser (and company) of Blaeser Farms.

A stroll through the pasture at Blaeser Farms with Ashley Blaeser involves chit chat about her beef cattle – their personalities and heritage, how they are being bred and how many calves they have borne, where they came from and their medical histories. She and her husband, Josh, have a small enough herd that they know each of their cattle personally.

“All of our animals have names. We know what they do and where they came from and how friendly they are. We’re transparent as hell.” – Josh Blaeser

The Blaesers raise cattle from a variety of lineages, from “chocolate milk” Simmentals to classic Holsteins and dark, imposing Angus. One standout from the group is a caramel-colored Highland heifer with long, symmetrical horns and a shaggy coat. Her name is Ophelia – “Because if she gets to you with those horns, you’re gonna o-feel-it!” Josh bellowed. She came to the Blaesers by chance. A butcher hired to slaughter the creature because she wouldn’t reproduce couldn’t bear to process such a beautiful animal, so he bought it and reached out to the couple to take it off his hands.

A vet found that Ophelia had an ovarian cyst that was preventing pregnancy, which the Blaesers removed. They are now awaiting the arrival of her calf, which will be a Highland-Wagyu crossbreed, hopefully with the resilience of the Highland variety and the excellent marbling of Wagyu.

Ashley grew up on her parents’ dairy farm, raising animals to show in 4-H and Future Farmers of America competitions. She had to leave her herd of 13 with her family while she attended school and eventually began teaching in Eau Claire, which is where she met Josh in 2012. Although he had no experience in farming, being the outgoing and adventurous sort, Josh wasn’t phased when Ashley said she wanted to bring her herd home someday and raise beef cattle. The two married in 2015, bought a swath of farmland in Chippewa Falls, and hauled in Ashley’s herd.

“I think Josh not having a background in farming makes (Blaeser Farms) very unique in that he has a buyer’s mentality instead of a farmer’s mentality,” Amy said. “He knew how to relate to people better.” Ashley admits she can get caught up in jargon due to her lifetime of experience with cattle and her biology degree. Josh swoops in with layman's explanations when she gets too technical. “We have such different backgrounds and mindsets that we’re able to encompass a larger understanding for people,” Ashley said. “So Josh, when he came in on the whole herd thing, (the business) just exploded.”

Josh can be found several days a week at farmers markets in Menomonie and Eau Claire selling beef, lamb, chicken. and eggs. He’s as down to chat as he is to sell a person Blaeser’s naturally raised products.

“All of our animals have names. We know what they do and where they came from and how friendly they are,” Josh said. During the warmer months, he and Ashley have visitors to their farm almost every day to see the farm and buy food.  “We’re transparent as hell,” he said.

“I think that’s such a huge aspect, is knowing that your food can come literally from a few miles down the road from your house and where you live,” Ashley said. “You don’t have to go to the grocery store – you can purchase things and support our local community vs. having to go to a store where who knows where that product came from.”

Josh and Ashley work hard to provide their products at an accessible price, which means striking a balance between raising more animals and keeping the herd manageable.  “We’re both teachers, and if we can’t afford it, why are we doing this?” Josh said. 

Raising more meat to keep costs low makes it more difficult it is to sustain an organically motivated, grass-fed operation. But doing so is important to the Blaesers. Ashley is inspired by a line from Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.”

“We are just a small farm in the Chippewa Valley, but we can still make a small change/difference in terms of how people view and buy their meat products,” Ashley said. She hopes this will bring health, satisfaction, and peace of mind to her customers.

Learn more at blaeserfarms.com or facebook.com/blaeserfarms.