Meet our new Edge board president: Heidi Fischer

Tell us a bit about yourself and your farm. 

I farm with my husband, Jon, and his parents, Mike and Sue, at Fischer-Clark Dairy Farm in Hatley, Wisconsin. The farm was founded in 1972 with eight cows. Today, we milk over 1,000 cows and raise nearly 700 calves and heifers, as well as farm about 2,800 acres, growing corn, alfalfa, soybeans and grass. We employ 18 full-time and six part-time employees. In addition to practicing strip-till precision farming for the last eight years, we use some no-till and cover crops and have inter-seeded our second-year alfalfa with a grass blend to boost tonnage and milk component levels. The milk from our farm is shipped to a privately owned cheese plant in nearby Antigo, Wisconsin.  

Since 2016, our processor has continuously recognized our farm for high quality, including low somatic cell count and high cheese yield. Fischer-Clark Dairy Farm was also recognized as the 2019 Platinum Farm and the 2022 Silver Farm for the National Dairy Quality Assurance, and in 2024, we were recognized as a Gold Farm. We hope to continue advancing our farm and building more efficiencies through technology and other evolutions.  

Tell us why you are committed to the organization and what it means to your farm. 

I believe it is important to be involved in Edge. Farming and the future of farming are very important to me. Too many people with little to no experience on a farm make decisions about my future and farming. We need to be active and have that voice, be a part of the conversation, and tell our story.  

What are some challenges the dairy community is facing today that you feel our organization can take steps to address? 

We are facing challenges with immigration and ensuring we have access to a workforce that wants to work in agriculture. Consumers are demanding carbon-friendly or carbon-neutral products or business practices that do not add to carbon emissions. Verifying our carbon efficiencies, as well as being able to afford some of the equipment (i.e., Strip-Till equipment)  that is required for some of these practices, will be a challenge.  

What are you looking forward to the most in your role as president? 

I’m looking forward to sharing our stories and experiences with lawmakers and people in positions that shape our policies and reforms. We have a great story to tell, and we have experience; Edge is viewed as a trusted resource, and we need to continue to be active and present. I think that is the difference that sets us apart from other co-ops.