Meet the Board
Dozier Hendershot
Dozier Hendershot recently joined the board as a a Director at large. Dozier and his farther farm in Sullivan, Ohio and the surrounding area. They work a herd of Belted Galloways on pasture using rotational grazing methods. The neighbors refer to the cattle as the Gypsy herd, because they are always on the move.
Dozier and his Father make hay on another 75 acres. Dozier and his family started raising beef cattle through 4H projects. They started exploring raising cattle on grass after growing a few beeves the conventional way. Seeking a more sustainable method, Dozier started exploring grazing. Dozier and his wife Charlee have five children and all are involved in the farming operation in one form or another. Please join us in welcoming Dozier and his family to the team!
John Hamm
John Hamm and his girlfriend Mary Allison live in rural Mauston, Wisconsin. They have 30 Belted Galloway cow calf pairs and raise a pen of Belted Galloway steers for market. each year. They also have four friendly dogs, cats, horses, goats and chickens for a fun family farm. They are assisted by their adult children and friends. John is co-owner of Wisconsin River Meats and has been involved in the processing and selling of meat for over 40 years with success in selling halves and quarters of beef. John is involved in many community service projects in Central Wisconsin and has a radio broadcasted local high school football and wresting show for many years.
Meet Our Members
Shadow Wood Ranch
Shadow Wood Ranch is a 60 acre homestead located in Bruner, Missouri. Veronica and Daniel have lived there for 12 years now and have spent that time building the farm and raising their five children. They moved from the big city in Phoenix, AZ and have invested literal blood, sweat and tears into their new country lifestyle, but they wouldn’t trade it for anything. They started with a bare field, but after countless hours of labor, Daniel was able to build all of the fencing, barns and water systems himself, learning how to weld and many other skills along the way.
They have experimented with many different animals including sheep, hogs, and quail, but nothing really felt right. They first learned of the Belted Galloway from a Mother Earth News article that highlighted the benefits of heritage breed cows. They wanted hardy, sustainable animals that would also be less dangerous for their young children to be around. It was impossible not to fall in love with the Oreo cow. Since then, they have settled with a small but growing herd of the belties as well as chickens, honey bees, and a wood mill. They rotationally graze, and produce as many of their own resources as they can, in an effort to be sustainable.
Their goals for the future include improving the genetics of their herd, improving the land, 30 acres of which they are in the process of clearing and fencing, and this year will be the first that they hope to replace winter hay with grass pellets produced on the farm.
They are excited to be a part of Great Lakes community for mentorship as they continue to learn. As reformed city slickers starting from scratch, they still occasionally make mistakes regarding simple things that others would take for granted. Although they are new to the breed, and cattle in general, they are looking forward to continuing to learn and improve their operation, and contribute to improving the quality of the Belted Galloway breed in the future.
|