Thanks to Wisconsin’s rich German heritage and influence, no tailgate is complete without sauerkraut to garish your bratwurst. Did you know cabbage is grown, harvested and fermented into sauerkraut right here in our home state? The rich, black earth in Outagamie and Waupaca counties is ideal for growing vegetable crops like cabbage.
Tim Jack farms with his father-in-law Larry Van Straten at Van Straten Farms in Shiocton, Wis. Tim grew up on a dairy farm and didn’t know there was a cabbage crop in Wisconsin until he met his wife and started spending time on her family farm. Tim joined the farm full time in 2010. Now, they raise 2,800 acres of corn, soybeans and cabbage.
Van Straten Farms grows 450 acres of cabbage in two locations, near Plainfield and near the home farm in Shiocton. Farming near Plainfield extends the growing season because the soil is dryer and warmer earlier in May. They seed in over 12,000 plants to the acre at the Plainfield location. All the cabbage planted near the home farm is planted by hand. The team plants over 10,000 plants an acre manually.
Cabbage is a labor-intensive crop. Cabbage fields are cultivated three to four times a year for weed control. Cabbage is a delicate plant so there are limited options for weed management. Pest management products are often applied before the cabbage has even been planted as a proactive measure to ensure high quality cabbage.
Crop rotation helps to manage disease, pests and weeds. The Van Straten family has found the most success planting cabbage on a five-year rotation. Following cabbage harvest, the field will be deep ripped to break up the compaction from harvest and followed by corn.
Precision technology helps to ensure precise planting and fertilizer application. The farm recently invested in a drone for more precise and efficient mid-season pest control and precise fertilizer applications.
Soil sampling prior to planting helps ensure the soil is getting the exact prescription of fertilizer it needs to grow a high-quality crop. During the growing season, Tim does tissue samples of the cabbage plants to make sure they are getting all of the nutrients they need to grow.
Cabbage is harvested from mid-August through the end of November. 
Van Straten Farms uses a two-row harvester to harvest the cabbage. Two rolls pick the cabbage head up and a large disk cuts the head of cabbage from the stem. Large paddles push the heads of cabbage onto augers that remove the outer green leaves, leaving only the white cabbage head that is preferred for making sauerkraut. Once the leaves are removed, the cabbage travels up an elevator and into a dump cart.
Van Straten Farms’ cabbage is sold to GLK Foods where it is made into sauerkraut for customers across the country. The Bear Creek factory is the largest producer of sauerkraut in the world.
After the cabbage is shredded for sauerkraut, the core and excess leaves are collected. This discarded cabbage has some nutrient value for the soil and is spread back on the fields as a natural fertilizer. The excess cabbage can also be fed to cattle and is often distributed to local dairy farms and heifer growers.
Tim has two children that enjoy spending time on the farm. He hopes to be able to expand the farm so that his kids can be involved someday if he wants to.
Leaders of the Land® is Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s brand for sharing sustainability stories. Monthly profiles highlight farmers across Wisconsin working hard to meet their environmental, social and economic goals. This story was created in partnership with Midwest Communications, Inc.
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