On Tuesday, October 28, a group of community members and Peninsula Pride Farms participants gathered to learn about nutrient management and forage rotation following alfalfa. The event was hosted by Jeremy Heim, co-owner of Heim’s Hillcrest Dairy and Heim Brothers Custom, who recently implemented a new forage rotation on one of his fields just north of Algoma.
At first glance, the field appears to be a typical cover crop mix of oats and triticale. However, the story behind this field—and the farm’s long-term goals—is what inspired Jeremy’s decision to test this new mix on 125 acres.
“Our biggest struggle around here is that it’s either too wet or too dry in the fall,” Jeremy explained. “We’re still searching for what’s the best avenue for our farm, and that’s what led us to try out this cover crop mix.”
After sharing his experience, Jeremy led the group on a walk to the field to see the results firsthand.
Earlier in the season, the same field produced a high-quality alfalfa crop, with three cuttings taken over the summer. After the third cutting, Jeremy made the strategic decision to forego a fourth alfalfa harvest in favor of planting a cover crop that could provide additional forage — heifer feed in the fall and cow feed in the spring — while maintaining nitrogen in the soil. Before planting into the existing alfalfa stand, 10,000 gallons of Algoma city sludge were applied to the field as part of a nutrient management contract Jeremy has with the town. On August 7, a mix of 80 pounds of oats and 80 pounds of triticale per acre was no-tilled into the alfalfa. When the group visited the field just under three months later, the oats were already headed out, while the triticale was still in its early growth stages.
This planting approach offers multiple benefits. It provided high-quality heifer feed, which was harvested on October 29, and will deliver another round of nutrient-rich cow forage when the triticale reaches maturity in the spring. Additionally, the cover crop opened up more opportunities for manure application, helping the farm improve nutrient cycling. Following the fall harvest, Heim Brothers Custom applied 7,000 gallons of manure to the field.
“I’m super excited to be trying new things and seeing if they’ll work,” Jeremy said. “Being a part of PPF has really influenced my mindset toward experimenting. If it works — great. If not, how can I tweak things to make it work for me and my farm?”
This event marked the final Peninsula Pride Farms Conservation Conversation of the year. The group extends its thanks to all who hosted and participated throughout the 2025 growing season.