Mark, Jan, and Joe Riechers of Riechers Beef

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Map 1 location of USGS sites
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Data Presentations

News Releases

1. Riechers Beef Informational Brochure (PDF 695 KB)
2. Mark Riechers Receives Master Agriculturist Award (6/05)

Mark Riechers, Darlington, and his family operate Riechers Beef. Mark and his wife, Jan, have three grown children and four grandchildren. Mark has a degree in Ag Education from UW-Platteville.

Mark represents the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association on the Discovery Farms Steering Committee, and is the Steering Committee chairperson.

When Mark’s parents moved to their farm in the 1940s, they had horses, milked cows and concentrated on feeding steers and raising hogs. Most of the farm was laid out on 10 acre strips and were rotated from oats to hay and corn. During the ‘50s and ‘60s several silos were put in place, and barns were built for livestock. Contours were laid out in the ‘60s, barnyards were covered with concrete, and fence line feed bunks were poured in place. Mark started to farm in the mid ‘70s by renting from his parents.

In the late ‘70s the Riechers participated in a state-sponsored pilot project in the Galena River Watershed, and installed barnyard runoff control measures and terraced most of the farm. The Riechers have limited acres and have bought about half of their feed most years. In the early ‘80s, they converted the hog facilities into a cattle processing center, increased their cattle numbers and built a 2,000 – ton bunker silo.

During the ‘70s and ‘80s, Mark used a chisel plow, increased corn acres, and produced less hay. In the ‘80s he converted to no-till corn production, and continues that practice today. The Riechers currently have two years of no-till corn followed by one crop of soybeans. About one third of the corn is cut for silage and about one third of the stalks are left on combined corn acres. The removed corn stalks are used to bed their Holstein steers.

The Riechers usually have about 600 Holstein steers on feed. Last year they raised about 235 acres of corn.

Mark was honored in 1992, by being selected by Farm Journal as Farm Steward of the Year in Farm Journal’s first Farm Stewardship contest.

“I believe in the goals and mission of the Discovery Farms Program. I also believe that I have developed the skills to work with and help guide other willing participants to move this innovative idea into a successful program that will benefit farmers throughout Wisconsin.”

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