Confinement to Pasture - Juliette Albrecht, Stylish Genetics

There once was a little girl who loved to play with toy cows and tractors. Hiding in a calf hutch was her safe place where she could calm her mind and regroup. She constantly daydreamed about owning her own herd and how she would manage them. This little girl grew up on a tie stall farm in Wisconsin and worked hard to make her dreams come true.

If you have ever met Juliette Albrecht, it wouldn’t take long for you to come to the conclusion that cows were made for her and she was made for cows.  Her father had to sell his cows in 1997, so Juliette was not able to stay on the family farm, but she had many opportunities to work on other farms of varying sizes, and each of these opportunities lead to her to learn more and become a better cattle manager.

Education and Work Experience

Her first job was in a tie-stall dairy, similar to the one she grew up on. Then she went to work on a farm with a double 12 herring bone and stayed on as this farm expanded up to 750 milking cows. Not only did she milk on this farm, but she also worked the maternity barn during the night assisting deliveries, tubing, and processing newborn calves.

While working on this farm Juliette also enrolled in law enforcement school. When it was time to graduate, she had one more course to complete, but lacked the funding. So instead, she just stayed on at the dairy. 

Eventually she left that farm and went on to work at a series of others. Including a large custom calf ranch in Wisconsin. This position was very challenging as she was working in conditions of -60°F. It was brutally cold and not easy to crawl into the huts with all the layers of warm clothes on. It was not her ideal job, but she learned a lot about calf management, and it opened her eyes to working with mass numbers of animals. This knowledge benefits her to this day, even when she is working with older animals.

Life Leads to Love

Eventually Juliette ended up in Minnesota, and one day found herself on the doorstep of her future sweetheart, Aaron, looking for a job. Interestingly enough, at first, she didn’t really like him, but she accepted a job on his farm. At this time Juliette was in an unhealthy relationship with her boyfriend, and Aaron was very helpful in assisting her to leave that relationship. 

It took a little while but finally she came around to the fact that maybe she should quit being so blind about Aaron. Here was a good single man with a herd of cows!  All she had ever wanted! They started dating October 2014.

Relocation

Life in Minnesota did not last for Juliette and Aaron. They were being charged a lot to rent their farm. Financially it wasn’t working out, but they had vowed they would stay in the cow business. A friend suggested to them that they might relocate to Missouri. They next thing they knew they were on their way!  April 1, 2020, three semi-trucks with stock trailers showed up. Their cattle were loaded out of confinement and transported south to Missouri where they stepped out on pasture.

Transitioning the cattle onto pasture, and eventually to rotational grazing has been quite the journey for Juliette and Aaron. The learning curve was steep, but luckily, they found a great resource in Cody Goswick of Goswick Ag Services, who has been teaching them the ropes of rotational grazing.

Calf Raising

Juliette loves all her cows, but she has a special passion for calves. 

“I swear by what I do,” she says when it comes to her calf protocols.

Since coming to Missouri, she tallies a 0% death loss on her calf crop. Which she attributes to being able to calve out most of her cows on grass. In the cold, wet winter months when she does have to calve in a pen, she strips it out and limes it in between calvings to ensure the calf is born in a clean environment.

Juliette also gives a lot of credit to her vaccination protocol for this low death loss. At birth her calves get Bovine Ecolizer, Multi-min 90, and Calf Guard. In the fall and spring, she also gives Inforce 3. At weaning calves get Triangle 10 and J-Vac. Mature cows receive ScourGuard 4KC, Endovac, and Bovisheild Gold L5 at dry off. All cattle 4 months of age and older get a Pink-Eye vaccine in the spring that targets specific strains found in the area.

Plans for the Future

After arriving in Missouri, the local extension agent introduced Juliette and Aaron to Mike, a local hay grower. Mike has been supplying them with hay for their cattle. Mike invited Aaron to come work in his shop in exchange for some of his hay needs. One day, during their conversations in the shop, Mike mentioned to Aaron that he was tiring of the inconsistency in the feeder cattle he was purchasing. Right on the spot Aaron volunteered Juliette to raise calves to fill Mikes feedlot. They hashed out the plans and are now in the process of filling contracts for dairy-beef cross calves to be purchased, raised by Juliette, and then fed out by Mike.They are looking to source calves from Southwest dairies anywhere from Texas/New Mexico to even Utah or Idaho. Anyone with calves available for contract can contact Juliette by private Facebook message.

Juliette never let go of her hopes and dreams, and her passion for these animals is evident. She loves to share her knowledge with other dairy farmers, consumers, and young people. If you are in the area of Purdy Missouri and would like to take a farm tour, reach out to her! She would love to show you around! You can also follow her on Facebook and Instagram as Ozark Dairy Woman.

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.