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Zola, 2, poses with her mother, Ellen Geisler, brother, Eric, 6 months. and father, Jeremie Favre. Maia is the family dog who has been with Favre through his travels between Switzerland and Wisconsin.
Zola shares a tomato she picked from the family garden. Jeremie Favre and Ellen Geisler are grateful to have experienced a sense of community connection with neighboring farms immediately after moving to their new farm in Wisconsin.
Laxey Creek Sheep Farm has three Colorado Mountain Dog guardian dogs. Benny is a friendly pup.
Jeremie Favre says it might be traditional Protestant influences growing up in Geneva, Switzerland, where extravagances were frowned upon that has steered him to approaching farming from a minimalistic reduced-input perspective.
A grant from Wisconsin's Regional Conservation Partnership Program will allow Laxey Creek to install paddock waterlines and 5 miles of interior fencing.
A temporary corral can be loaded on a wagon and used remotely.
Ellen Geisler sits with her daughter, Zola, and son, Eric. In the background is where an original farmhouse stood. The foundation is a cabin Jeremie Favre's parents are building for their visits from Switzerland. When available the cabin will also serve as an Airbnb.
A group of May-born Polypay lambs gather in a shed that's used for the third of the flock that lambs in winter.
Laxey Creek uses a bale unroller for winter feeding; it lays a silage bale into a long row for the sheep to access efficiently. It can also unload into a bunk.
Jeremie Favre works with his German-engineered 18-foot sickle-type hay mower; its frame is made by an Amish business in Pennsylvania.
Jeremie Favre says his mower never plugs; it has a dual-action sickle with two sets of knives along with a staggered alignment that reduces the amount of torque required to cut. It only needs 15 horsepower to operate.
Jeremie Favre says the only flat spot on his farm is the floor of the lambing shed.
Eileen Geisler, Jeremie Favre and Zola enjoy family time with two of their guardian dogs, Benny and Coyote.
With lambing occurring every eight months, Laxey Creek requires excellent-quality-forage availability. Jeremie Favre does the cutting and rakin; silage bales are made custom.
The Laxey Creek flock of Polypay sheep graze in one of the most challenging paddocks to manage because of the presence of a pond and trees. The historical use of the area as permanent pasture for cattle allowed thistles to prevail.
Ellen Geisler gardens between her commitment to raising her children and helping with the sheep. The hives in the background yielded 300 pounds of honey this year. Laxey Creek will be selling honey, lamb and beef at the Mineral Point Farmers Market beginning this fall.
Jeremie Favre and Ellen Geisler say they're happy to have had the funding come through to build the farm's infrastructure. They said the application process was their biggest source of stress and anxiety.
Laxey Creek's biggest challenge is managing the farm with no infrastructure in place to make daily sheep moves efficient – including providing water. With funding finally in place, materials are being delivered; work lies ahead for the family.
Jeremie Favre and Zola pet Mitchi, the family kitten who recently survived a trip to town on the frame of his car. Favre says throughout his educational pursuits issues like global warming and pollution have been front and center; they've proven to be problematic. He said grass fixes all those issues.
Greg Galbraith
MINERAL POINT, Wis. – “Managing diverse perennial swards and using animals as a tool to harvest really speaks to me,” said Jeremie Favre in January 2022.
Greg Galbraith, a former dairy farmer, writes about the rapidly changing nature of the agricultural landscape. He has built a lifetime connection to the land and those who farm it.
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Zola shares a tomato she picked from the family garden. Jeremie Favre and Ellen Geisler are grateful to have experienced a sense of community connection with neighboring farms immediately after moving to their new farm in Wisconsin.
Jeremie Favre says it might be traditional Protestant influences growing up in Geneva, Switzerland, where extravagances were frowned upon that has steered him to approaching farming from a minimalistic reduced-input perspective.
Ellen Geisler sits with her daughter, Zola, and son, Eric. In the background is where an original farmhouse stood. The foundation is a cabin Jeremie Favre's parents are building for their visits from Switzerland. When available the cabin will also serve as an Airbnb.
Jeremie Favre says his mower never plugs; it has a dual-action sickle with two sets of knives along with a staggered alignment that reduces the amount of torque required to cut. It only needs 15 horsepower to operate.
The Laxey Creek flock of Polypay sheep graze in one of the most challenging paddocks to manage because of the presence of a pond and trees. The historical use of the area as permanent pasture for cattle allowed thistles to prevail.
Ellen Geisler gardens between her commitment to raising her children and helping with the sheep. The hives in the background yielded 300 pounds of honey this year. Laxey Creek will be selling honey, lamb and beef at the Mineral Point Farmers Market beginning this fall.
Laxey Creek's biggest challenge is managing the farm with no infrastructure in place to make daily sheep moves efficient – including providing water. With funding finally in place, materials are being delivered; work lies ahead for the family.
Jeremie Favre and Zola pet Mitchi, the family kitten who recently survived a trip to town on the frame of his car. Favre says throughout his educational pursuits issues like global warming and pollution have been front and center; they've proven to be problematic. He said grass fixes all those issues.
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