In Our Own Voices

Mike Gingrich—Splendor From the Grass


In the mid-1970s, Mike Gingrich wanted to leave his life in the suburbs for a life living on the land. He bought a small farm near Dodgeville where he planned to milk 30 cows and live on the milk check. But his new friend and neighbor Dan Patenaud had found the economic rewards from 30 cows elusive to say the least. So, the two men became partners in an attempt to find a way to keep them on the land and in the company of cows, doing what they love to do in the way they want to do it.

It turns out cheese was the answer to their dream when Mike created what is now an extremely successful farmstead cheese. A cheese you might say that is the "Poster Cheese" for the new way of being Wisconsin dairy farmers.

Watch & Listen


America's Dairyland: In Our Own Voices Conversations with Wisconsin Dairy Farmers and Cheesemakers

Select a profile below to hear the audio interview and view the slideshow:

The Mayers
The Honorable Profession of Dairymen

Jeff Wideman and Bruce Workman
Milk on Their Shoes

Mike Gingrich
Splendor From the Grass

Crave Brothers
Our Father's Dream: Keeping Farming in the Family

The Truttmans
Forward to Yesterday: Grazing Our Way to the Future

Sid Cook
From Cheddar to Art

Sam Cook
Inside Work, If You Can Get It

Laura Daniels
The Making of a Dairy Farmer

Ed Janus
Biography