“The farm is a partnership,” Matt Derks said of the local business operation started by his parents Steve and Cindy Derks in 1979 north of Boyd, before broadening in 1999 to include the second generation as part owners. Included with that second generation are Matt and his wife Jodi, along with Matt’s brother Greg. Back when it all began almost 41 years ago, Derks Farms was a combination dairy milking and “dairy beef” operation, later phasing out its dairy milking operation completely as of this past year. Steers are male while cows are female, meaning that steers don’t have udders and so can’t be milked, with just one steer is technically needed to sire many cows. Derks said that in the days when the farm was a combined dairy-beef operation that the bull (male) calves from the dairy herd. would usually be sold to someone else to feed out if the family didn't keep them to feed itself.

Today a wholly beef operation, Derks Farms Beef started to raise Angus cows in 2007, alongside its dairy beef and milk cows. The ultimate transition of Derks Farms to a wholly beef operation started with the phasing out of dairy cows in 2015 and took four years total, Derks said. The choice to change its operation was made for many reasons, but included one persistent dilemma, that of finding the necessary milking help—any help.

“Hired help, that was a challenge,” Derks said of the reason in part for shifting operations completely to beef. “It was challenging to find someone that wanted to milk cows anymore.” In addition, the Derks family wanted to go back to where they could do all the farm work themselves, as opposed to having the persistent dilemma of needing to find outside employees. When reached this past week, the members of the Derks family were busy working out in the field, preparing for the coming season. The steers at Derks Farms Beef are fed corn silage, haylage, corn, distiller’s grain from Ace and mineral, Derks said. They are raised to about 18 to 20 months with no added hormones, meaning a better quality meat with more marbling and more flavor.

Located at 33640 115th Avenue north of Boyd, Derks Farms Beef partners with Big Mike’s Meats and Phillips Catering out of Augusta to do its meat processing and has the necessary permits from the Chippewa County Department of Health to sell its meat products off of the farm, with sales priced according to the pound and a freezer in the farm basement. So where does Derks Farms get its beef steers, both the dairy beef and angus variety? Locally, as it turns out.

“We buy them as feeder steers from a lot of local guys,” Derks said of the initial acquisition process. After being raised for a year and a half or just over, the steers are slaughtered for market, with choice cuts including Tenderloin, New York Strip, and Rib Eye, along with ground meat. Derks Farms Beef is sold by appointment. Interested newspaper readers can seek Derks Farms Beef out on Facebook or get in touch with Matt at (715) 703-0399.