A passion for ag brought him — with new skills — back to the family dairy farm

Posted By Maycee Wilkie

Dustin Ellis grew up on his family dairy farm in Waumandee, WI. After his high school graduation, he knew he’d come back to the family farm. Dustin’s experience in FFA, including receiving third place at the National FFA Convention for his John Deere 4320 restoration project, helped make the ag industry his life’s passion.

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Dustin went to Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College- New Richmond to study Ag Diesel Mechanics.

“I chose this major because I enjoyed fixing things,” he says. “I wanted to expand my skill set and bring that back to my family farm.”

Dustin met his wife, Ashley, in FFA during high school, where they shared a passion for agriculture. They now have two daughters, Finley and Nola. Ashley works from home, takes care of the bookkeeping and helps on the farm.

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After college, Dustin returned home to his family dairy farm full-time and works with his parents and brother. They milk in a double 10 parallel parlor, and grow soybeans, alfalfa, corn and rye. They also run a custom chopping operation.

Dustin says he wanted to work with an independent, family-owned seed company. He became interested in Latham for its strong corn and soybean lineup and was excited to test some of the new products firsthand through seed trials.

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“My favorite part about working with Latham Seeds is the knowledgeable staff who are always willing to help find the best products for our farm and my customers,” Dusting says.

Dustin is involved in the community through his county Farm Bureau, where he is on the Board of Directors and was the Young Farmer Chair. When he’s not farming, he enjoys spending time with Ashley and his daughters, wakeboarding and hunting.

Today he shares with his his families favorite recipe Biscuits and Gravy!

Biscuits and Gravy

Ingredients

  • 8 count package refrigerated biscuit dough use large biscuits, such as Grands
  • 1 pound bulk sausage
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 6 large eggs
  • ½ cup milk
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 2 3/4 ounce package peppered gravy mix (makes 2 cups)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13×9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until completely browned. Drain off the fat and set the sausage aside.
  • Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and spread over the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer.
  • Add the cooked sausage over the biscuit dough, then sprinkle the cheese over the sausage.
  • Whisk together the eggs and milk, in a large bowl; add salt and pepper to taste, then pour the mixture all over the casserole.
  • Follow the instructions on gravy mix to prepare and then pour prepared gravy over the entire casserole.
  • Bake the casserole for 40-45 minutes until puffed up and golden brown on top.
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