Ben Gotschall

Dairy and Livestock Manager, Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment

I was born and raised on a ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska, where we raised beef cattle, dairy cattle, and bison. I obtained an MFA in poetry, published a full-length collection of poems, and worked as a college professor of writing and literature before returning to agriculture full-time about 12 years ago.

In addition to owning and managing several organic dairy, micro-dairy, and creamery businesses, I have previously worked in ag policy, grassroots environmental organizing, and local food cooperative distribution. Along with my wife Tammy and our daughter Charlotte, we operate Holt Creek Jerseys, a grass-fed dairy cattle and genetics business that I began when I was 10 years old.

Life-long learning is important to me and I now manage the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program at Wolfe’s Neck where we work with nature, utilize research, and enable innovation to train the next generation of dairy graziers.