We are Holtz Farms
Learn more about us, and what we can do for your land.
Our Farming Practices
First and foremost, Holtz Farms is a minimum tillage operation. We use cover crops to hold in the moisture of the land and rotate our crops for maximum use of the available nutrients within the soil. Our operation specializes in managing the soil’s nutrition in order to balance the pH of the land and improve the overall health of the soil.
We make sure to maintain the field’s waterways to prevent erosion. We also mow waterways and field edges frequently as well as trim trees and properly dispose of the branches on the regular to keep your land looking clean.

Meet the Holtz Farms Team

Tom Holtz
Owner
“I’m Tom Holtz, the Owner of Holtz Farms, a branch under Holtz Companies. I’m mainly the visionary and logistics coordinator and an equipment operator as needed. I grew up working on my family’s dairy farm that my ancestors have owned since 1895. Then in the late 80’s, we sold all of our dairy cows, and in 2000, when I took the business over, we became a cash grain operation. My favorite part about farming is learning new techniques and technology and applying them to our practices. I have a big appreciation for the process of farming: planning, watching it grow, and harvesting. My mornings consist of catching up on the Ag Daily news and watching YouTube videos on farming, or whenever there’s a spare moment in my day. I am constantly thinking about how we can better the land and our farming practices. When I have free time, I like recreational activities such as snowmobiling, UTV-ing, fishing, and traveling.”

Tyler Emhoff
Farm Manager
“I’m Tyler, the Farm Manager. I do all the planning for the farm, from purchasing the seeds and fertilizer to combining, planting, spraying, and scouting the fields during the summertime, I do it all. I began working at the local co-op at 19 as a commercial applicator. Through that job, I realized I really liked working with the farmers so that’s when I decided to become a crop advisor and then all the other stuff just came along the way as I kept working and learning. I’ve been combining for Holtz Farms since 2012 and saw the opportunity to manage all the behind the scenes work that needs to be done, and so I started full time in 2018 doing that. My favorite part about farming is seeing the crops grow and just the entire process from beginning to end, I really enjoy being part of it. Other than working, I like spending time with my family. I love live music, snowmobiling and fishing.”

Paul Koberstein
Operations Manager
“I’m Paul, the Operations Manager. For work, I take care of all the equipment maintenance to make sure that everything’s field -ready. I was born and raised on a beef and dairy farm, but then graduated high school and worked at an industrial transmission and axle repair facility for 22 years. They sent me to school, and I got a degree in industrial mechanics at MATC. I was a service manager alongside being a mechanic for 6 years there and that helped me get acquainted with managing people. For the last 12 years, I’ve been farming full-time. Tyler’s been my good friend since high school, and so he persuaded me to come work for Holtz Farms in 2020. I’d say the most satisfying part of my job is repairing all the equipment and preventing it from breaking down. When I’m not working, I like spending time with my family and tractor pulling — it’s a fun hobby for me — my dad, uncle, and I all working on the tractor together.”

Ron Bruenig
Semi Truck Driver
“I’m Ron, I’ve been farming all my life and have my own farm now with beef cattle, horses, pigs, chickens, a donkey, a dog, and lots of farm cats. I do everything that’s thrown my way, but for Holtz Farms, I mainly drive truck. I started my career here as a carpenter for Holtz Builders in 2005 and enjoyed making hay for the Holtz Farms side of the business in my free-time, through the years my role slowly changed into what I do now, which a collection of various tasks within all of Holtz Companies. I’ve been working for Tom for 18 years now, and I believe there is no better company to work for. I enjoy everything that he puts on my plate. My hobbies are fixing things, horseback riding, ATV-ing, and snowmobiling.”

Rich Halvorsen
Equipment Operator
“I’m Rich, the main operator for all the dozers and excavators. I do the tree trimming, fixing waterways, brush-hogging and the mowing, so I see a lot of landowners when I’m out doing that. I’ve been farming all my life. When I was a kid, my dad milked cows, and they decided to get out of that business. Then I started milking cows on my own in 4th grade, and in 2000, I sold all my cows. After that, I worked for a construction company for 15 years and then came here. I started full-time in 2016. My favorite part about farming is just being able to incorporate the kids, and it’s fun, just seeing all the different technology. Some of my hobbies are snowmobiling, fishing, hunting, and building stuff.”
The Crops We Grow

Field Corn
Most of our corn grown is converted into
ethanol at a local ethanol plant.

Soybeans
Our soybeans are delivered to the local co-op where it is used for animal feed and biofuels.

Wheat, Rye, and Clover
This variety of cover crops are planted after
the soybeans and corn are harvested.
Our Seasons
We are dedicated to caring for the resources entrusted to us.
Find out more about how we care for the environment and protect the land for future generations to come.

Tom’s Perspective
At Holtz Farms,
We understand the importance of the environmental footprint our generation leaves behind, and we strive to better our practices every day. I want us to leave the soil, land, and earth better than how we got it, so our team has implemented a wide range of regenerative farming practices to help achieve this goal. These include minimum tillage (we don’t till when possible), modifying equipment to reduce soil compaction, planting cover crops to help build soil health and organic matter, and applying commercial fertilizer and chemicals more precisely to reduce the amount.
~ Tom Holtz, Owner


Let’s Chat
Are you curious to learn more about our practices?
Let’s talk about how we can help you better your farm land.