Testimonials

We believe in our farming practices and trust our partners. Read what some of our land owners have to say.

“Holtz Farms has leased my farm land over the past several years. I could not be happier with their work. They invest into the land for maximum yield, pay their dues promptly, and in my opinion farm at a highest level with the most modern science and practices. With all this said, I will continue to partner with Holtz Farms in the future. Should you wish to contact me, I am available to attest to their abilities.”

Mike Kaminski
Owner, Chula Vista Resort

“I own three farms located in the Midwest and Holtz farms performs the farming operations on the largest one which is located in Columbia County, Wisconsin on the Wisconsin river. The primary drivers of the land management practice that are undertaken on all three properties surrounds conservation and sustainability. For example, the farm that Holtz farms operates on undertakes aggressive timber management to recreate native savanna structures, has reclaimed wetlands and prairies and performs managed rotational grazing with cattle. I insist that the agricultural practices that are performed on the property coincide with the spirit of the overall conservation theme. To a very large extent, the ultimate target of these practices as it relates to the agricultural land surrounds soil health management.

I can personally attest to the fact that finding operators who truly prioritize soil health and conscious land management is extremely difficult to find. In the fall of 2020, I became dissatisfied with my current operator and began a search for a new tenant that shared my conservation values. I listened to a lot of “hot air” and after talking with 10-12 candidates, I came to the conclusion that there was nobody else that came remotely close to the capabilities that Holtz farms was able to exemplify. The combination of agricultural and biological knowledge, operational capacity (people, equipment and capital) were the primary drivers that convinced me to give them a shot. I have not been disappointed.

A few of the tangible items that Holtz Farms have done during the short tenure of our relationship are as follows:

1. They (Tyler Emhoff especially) took the time to listen to what my objectives were and was very clear on what they could do in order to fulfill those needs. Importantly, they were not afraid to tell me of what they couldn’t do. They wanted to have crystal clarity when establishing my expectations which I deeply respect. Just telling me what I wanted to hear in order to procure the land is the normal manner of operations for most. This sheds light on their integrity.

2. We agreed to a contract in the late fall of the season, and it presented a nearly impossible timeline to get the winter cover crop planted. Two days after the contract was signed, they were in the fields planting. I know that they had to shuffle around a lot of priorities, inputs and commitments to get this done yet they were able to pull it off.

3. During that first winter they took very aggressive actions to improve the property’s suitability to optimize crop yields. The most significant was the removal of a massive amount of tree lines that prior operators had said they would do but never got around to it. Had these others done so, it honestly would have taken 3-5 years. Holtz Farms completed the entire task in about a week. Of additional importance was that the residue was disposed of properly resulting in better fields for them to operate in and better values and sight pictures for the property.

4. There are special plantings that I require outside of the commercial operations performed by Holtz. This largely takes the form of bird and mammal food plots. Holtz Farms did not shy away from this work, and we were able to negotiate a fair price for the maintenance of these projects.

5. Finally, Tyler and Holtz Farms made themselves available at a very busy time of the season to sit down and walk through an annual recap. In addition to providing me with a summary of the season, they supplied me with their thoughts on future projects to consider that would help build up the utility of the farm. I valued these suggestions as there is no substitute for recommendations from those that are out there every day fighting the fight.

I am truly pleased with the performance and the relationship that I have established with Tyler and the rest of the Holtz Farma crew. Soil health and land conservation were the roles that I was initially looking for in a new operator. I honestly thought that I would have to sacrifice operation expertise to fulfill those needs. I feel fortunate having teamed up with Holtz Farms as none of the sacrifices that I originally anticipated ever came to fruition. Tyler has my phone number and you can feel free to call me if you would like to discuss further.”

Jim Pines
Owner, Riverside Farms, LLC