Mark Crave

At this Wisconsin dairy, sustainability and family farming go hand in hand, from milking 2,300 cows to powering the farm with manure.

- Lisa Foust Prater

Mark Crave and his six older siblings grew up on a 40-cow dairy farm near Beloit, in south-central Wisconsin. He and three of his brothers later moved 60 miles north to Waterloo, where they own and run a dairy farm and cheese factory, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese.

The enterprise has expanded from milking 200 cows with family labor to a technologically advanced dairy and cheese business that milks 2,300 cows, farms 3,300 acres, embraces sustainable practices, and employs around 90 full-time staff. Five members of the next generation have joined the business.

Milk is piped across the road to the factory, where fresh varieties of mozzarella, mascarpone, string, and Oaxaca cheeses are produced, distributed to retailers nationwide.

SF: The dairy industry has embraced technology. What innovations are you using?

MC: We use GPS and other technology on the agronomy side. In the barn, when a calf is born, she gets a radio frequency tag and is DNA tested. We genomically test all the females and use sexed female semen on the more elite genetics. The others are bred with beef semen, then we sell the week-old beef calves.