Farmers

Ulmen Custom Feed

Marisa and Jim Ulmen provide organic feed to Tree-Range™ producers and are in the process of setting up their own Tree-Range™ chicken operation. After Marisa experienced a health crisis about 10 years ago, Marisa and Jim decided to turn their backs on chemicals and start to produce their own supply of healthy vegetables, milk, meat, and eggs. Since then, they have raised goats, Berkshire hogs, and now Tree-Range™ chickens. When the only feed mill in Madelia went up for sale, they stepped up to become the only feed provider for small-scale producers in the area.

Marisa and Jim were excited to get into regenerative poultry when they learned about it from their neighbor, Tree-Range™ producer, José Callejas. Realizing that Tree-Range™ aligned with their values of healthy food, decent wages for workers and farmers, and caring for the animals and the environment, they volunteered to offer quality feed to the cooperative and to invest in two production units on their farm.

Jim is a jack of all trades able to problem solve the toughest on-farm challenges and Marisa is an expert in business development and farm accounting. They truly complement each other and are eager to contribute to other Tree-Range™ farms and are working on becoming organic certified. Jim and Marisa are both from Madelia and have been lucky to access land for purchase and rent from their parents and family members. The Ulmens and the Callejas are a bright spot of regenerative agriculture and solidarity in one of the poorest counties in Minnesota.

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