For nearly 100 years, the Gross family in Weidman, Michigan near Mount Pleasant has been running a full dairy operation.
It started in 1926 when Phil and Steve’s grandfather, Charles Gross, bought some cattle. The farm grew and milk was leaving the property by the gallon.
In 1947, the farm was passed down to Charles’ son, Norman, the father of Phil and Steve. The two boys grew up on the dairy farm where they fell in love with taking care of cattle, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“You’re born into the industry and you realize that you enjoy it and you really don’t want to do anything else,” said Steve. “I know it sounds simple, but that’s how it goes.”
“We grew up on the farm,” said Phil. “As kids, we didn’t have a choice. We had to do it whether it meant we were missing out on some stuff or not. As an adult, you look back on it and realize you weren’t missing out on a whole lot.”
The two began running the farm from their father during the 2000’s, and fully took over after the passing of their dad in 2015.
A New Phase
For Steve and Phil, keeping up with the times and making sure they can embrace their passion while turning a profit is important. They made the tough decision to move in a different direction with their farm and transitioned from a dairy farm to cash crops.
They began selling their cattle in August. Right now, there’s still a couple of cattle barns left as they continue the transition.
“Nothing happens overnight but we definitely have some more ideas of the direction we want to move the farm in,” said Steve.
As a part of this transition, the brothers began expanding the crops they grew this past year. In the fall, the two finished up harvesting corn, wheat, alfalfa, and soybeans.
The GreenStone Difference
This big transition to being crop only, means it’s even more important their crops are protected.
After working with GreenStone in the past to secure land and operational loans, the brothers wanted their crop insurance to come from the same place.
“We were working with GreenStone for years, so it made sense to do everything with GreenStone,” said Phil.
The two then worked with crop insurance specialist Jordan Schafer to come up with a coverage plan that works for their needs. It’s a relationship that was years in the making.
“The relationship formed over the years,” said Jordan. “I kept in touch with them over the past three to four years. I supplied them with information about different programs incorporated with crop insurance that could benefit them.”
Jordan used a program called Optimum for this analysis – a tool exclusive to the Farm Credit System crop insurance teams. Crop insurance specialists like Jordan enter information about a specific farm into the program and put the farm through different scenarios, like weather events. This helps customers learn about the best crop insurance plan options for their land.
Because of this tool, the brothers decided to get hail protection implemented into their plan because of issues they had in the past.
“With weather the way it is, we grow white wheat that is a little more touchy and we just wanted more protection,” said Steve. “There’s hail that comes through periodically so we are happy to have that coverage.”
Steve and Phil are happy to know that Jordan comes from a farming background and has their best interest in mind.
“Jordan has been really helpful in figuring out the level of coverage we need for our acreage,” said Steve. “He has been a really big help with our operation.”
“Jordan is a straight-shooter and tells us how it is and we appreciate that,” said Phil. “It helps that he has an agriculture background. He isn’t trying to sell us high in the sky, he’s down to earth and understands our operation.”
Family by Their Side
Although Steve and Phil are the brains behind the operation, they couldn’t do it without the help of their family.
Their nephew, Kevin, works alongside them. They hope, one day, he will be able to take the farm over when they decide to hang up their hats.
“The goal is to transition the farm over to the next generation,” said Phil.
Although Steve and Phil’s children aren’t employees of the family farm, they’re not afraid to come back and lend a hand.
“It works out. It’s give and take but we all have our jobs to do. Our kids will come back and help out when they get done with their main jobs,” said Steve. “They might not be full-time employees on the farm, but they come back and help out when needed.”
The Road Ahead
Over the next couple of years, the brothers hope to completely transition out of dairy and expand their fields.
One day, they want to have enough grain storage to be able to sell some crops on-site.
For now, the two will continue leaning on each other until the cows come home, or, find a new home.
“We’ve been able to keep it going during good and bad years, but the good always outweighs the bad,” said Steve.
“Some brothers don’t get along very well with each other, but we have made it work,” said Phil.
And Jordan will keep visiting the farm to help them keep those prized crops protected.
“It’s good of them to keep innovating everything on the farm and surrounding themselves with resources on their farm to help them take every step they can to succeed. I want to be that resource for them,” said Jordan.
To view the article in the online 2023 Winter Partners Magazine, click here.
