Midwestern Bio-Ag is a biologically-based agricultural consulting company, founded in 1984.

We bring our services to more than 3,500 farms in nine states through a network of more than 75 skilled, knowledgable, in-the-field, hands-on consultants. Our consultants are supported by a staff rich in education and experience in veterinary medicine, animal nutrition, soil management, cropping systems, soil organisms, and biological farming systems.

We supply and deliver biologically-based products to our clients through the same consultant network.

Many of these products are difficult for biologically-oriented farmers to find elsewhere. Our manufacturing and distribution headquarters is located in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, with satellite facilities in Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan. We also operate a research farm and learning center south of Lone Rock, Wisconsin.

Our Philosophy & Values

We pride ourselves that Midwestern Bio-Ag is an ethical company that's about more than just money. While we are dedicated to helping farmers and ranchers become more productive and profitable -- and making a fair profit ourselves while investing in research and development for the future -- we are equally dedicated to an agriculture that is safer, healthier, and more sustainable for future generations.

We firmly believe -- and make no apologies for our belief -- that the principles of biological farming are providing the basis for a revitalization of agriculture and rural communities. Working WITH natural laws gives abundant yields, superior quality crops and livestock, and, equally important, an abundant quality of life. We see it happening every day on our clients' farms and ranches.

Our customers are partners in working to demonstrate agricultural practices that are profitable as well as sustainable. Our consultants are independent business people who provide the primary means of distributing knowledge and products to our customers. We are committed to promoting our consultants' success through training and support. Our employees maintain the quality of services and products that are essential for successful pursuit of our mission. We support them through training and sharing in the success of the company.

If you're uneasy about your current farming situation. If you're concerned about getting trampled in the stampede to "industrial" agriculture. If you're concerned about your stewardship of your farm. If you're searching for a way your independent family farm can better sustain your family and your future ..... then you owe it to yourself to investigate the opportunities of "bio-logical" farming. If you're interested, we're interested in helping you.

Our History

Back in the 1980's four gentlemen from diverse backgrounds came together to form a company that has changed agriculture. Gary Zimmer was a farmer, teacher, and agricultural consultant. Don Gilbertson was a farmer with military organizational experience. Fred Kurschner was a businessman with a strong background in agricultural marketing. And Don Faber was a businessman who'd traveled the world and believed in the concepts of agriculture that Gary was advocating.

Zimmer, Gilbertson and Kurschner had already been partners in an agricultural company that focused on composting. But they soon realized that there was much more that farmers wanted and needed to know about farming methods that focused on healthy, balanced soils as the basis for healthy crops, healthy livestock, and healthy, successful farms.

In 1984, it all came together with the creation of Midwestern Bio-Ag, an agricultural consulting company with supporting products. Don Faber joined the other three partners and a new day was born in agriculture.

Initially based in Seward, IL, three years later the business moved to its present location in Blue Mounds, WI., which has served as headquarters during two decades of continued growth and expansion into supplying a wide range of quality products for biological and organic farmers.
Today, the four partners lead a business that is recognized as a groundbreaking force in the world of biological agriculture, a common sense concept that is catching on around the world wherever farmers recognize the need to understand and improve their soils as the basis for healthy crops, healthy livestock, healthy farms, and healthy humans.

The first Midwestern Bio-Ag satellite facility was established in Iowa in 1997, followed by Michigan in 1999, and Minnesota in 2003. The Bio-Vet division was created in 1991 and became a separate company in 1996 under president Dr. William Zimmer DVM.

In April 2006, Midwestern Bio-Ag broke ground for the construction of a new company headquarters on a 9.94 acre site in the Blue Mounds Industrial Park (located just across highway 18-151 from our old facility). The new building meets the needs of our growing company with a 5,800 square foot office building; a 120x300 warehouse/production area/shop and a 17,000 square foot custom-built fertilizer building for both Midwestern Bio-Ag and Bio-Vet operations.

Midwestern Bio-Ag is proud of the reputation we've earned over more than 20 years in business. "As we move agriculture into the 21st century," says Gary Zimmer, "We remain biological farmers, our goal is to mineralize and balance our soils to provide healthy food and feed, and sustain healthy, profitable farms. We're excited about the opportunities that we are presented with every day. We're growing, we're expanding, but we remain focused on our objective of profitable, successful and healthy farming."

Our Personnel

Gary Zimmer, president, Midwestern Bio-Ag

Gary Zimmer, Madison, Wis., is a farmer, author, agri-businessman and educator dedicated to biological agriculture. He is recognized around the world for his dedication to improving farming through restoring soils and has spoken to farmers and agribusiness professionals all across the U.S. and in Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Through a lifetime in agriculture, Gary has never stopped learning or teaching.
Raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm, he studied dairy nutrition, earning a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master's degree from the University of Hawaii, combined with years of hands-on farming experience. Teaching agriculture in southern Minnesota, Gary continued learning, studying, reading, asking questions and looking at ways of farming with an open mind. He began asking questions about the soil and how it relates to healthy and productive plants, which lead him to read The Albrecht Papers.
Gary trained and worked as a Brookside Consultant for two years in southeastern Minnesota.
For the past 25 years, Gary has been evaluating farming practices as a consultant, on his family's farm, and as president of Midwestern Bio-Ag, a biological farming consulting company located in Blue Mounds, Wis. He operates the Bio-Ag Learning Center, where biological farming practices and agricultural products are field tested. The Zimmer family's Otter Creek Organic Farm, which includes a 200-cow organic dairy, also utilizes the ideas Gary has gleaned over a lifetime spent studying agriculture.
Heavily in demand as a speaker, Gary Zimmer appears at dozens of agribusiness, organic and farmer meetings every year. He has spoken to diverse audiences from coast to coast including the Acres USA conference, Innovative Farmers of Ohio Conference; Heart of Maine Resource Conservation & Development, Upper Midwest Organic Conference, Pennsylvania Sustainable Ag Conference, Vermont Grass Farmer's Association Grazing Conference, Wisconsin Grazing Conference, Michigan Governor's Conference on Organic Ag, Texas Organic Farmers, California Polytechnic University, and has participated in farmer education programs in Australia, Europe, New Zealand and South Africa.
Gary is the author of the book, The Biological Farmer, A Complete Guide to the Sustainable & Profitable Biological System of Farming, published in 2000.
His focus remains on the soil as the source of nutrients: how healthy soils produce healthy plants for healthy livestock and healthy humans.
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Don Gilbertson, VP Operations

A Blue Mounds, WI native and graduate of Barneveld High School, Don is vice president and co-founder of Midwestern Bio-Ag, and was one of the original partners in Bio-Ag of America, a composting and consulting business from 1983-84.
His duties with Bio-Ag include all aspects of inventory and plant operations, skills he honed during service in the United States Air Force, both as an active duty NCO (1957-1965) and with the reserves (1984-1996). He retired in October of 1996 with nearly 22 years of total military service, achieving the rank of Master Sergeant.
Don also dairy farmed in southwestern Wisconsin for 22 years, 1965-1988. He still is active om agriculture on a small farm south of Blue Mounds were he has a small herd of registered Corriente cattle.
"It's a marvelous feeling to be able today to be a leader in biological and organic farming methods and have premier products available for our farmers," says Don. There was a growing number of farmers who were looking for something beyond the conventional "but there was no one to guide them, show them the way, or offer them products." That has been Midwestern Bio-Ag's role. "With Gary Zimmer's ag experience, Fred Kurschner's expertise and Don Faber's financial savvy, we put together a program that makes logical and economic sense" for farmers.
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Fred Kurschner , vice- president, sales

Finding and training new consultants is one of Fred Kurschner's main duties as Vice President Sales for Midwestern Bio-Ag. He is one of the co-founders of both Midwestern Bio-Ag and Bio-Ag of America.
Fred brings to Bio-Ag's independent consultants his own extensive experience in agricultural marketing as well as owning and operating his own home remodeling business.
His experience includes sales of animal health products including Impro, probiotics and dairy minerals for Wisconsin Farm Care in southwest Wisconsin from 1978-1983;: owner and operater of K&K Enterprises, buying and remodeling homes/buildings for resale, 1973-1982; grocery store owner: Forreston, IL, 1969-73; Blue Ribbon Sausage sales to grocery stores, sausage and other meat products, building route from scratch to over 60 customers, 1965-69; Meatcutter, HyVee Food Stores, Chilton, IA and other stores, 1957-65.
Fred is a native of Barron, WI and a graduate of Barron High School who now resides in Madison, WI.
"Feed the soil life, we teach it, we preach it. Feed the soil microbes. If you feed them, they'll feed you." In the end, the solution is simple, he says. "We balance a soil to create an environment to feed soil life using calcium, sulfur and trace minerals. We give them a nice home to live in, and the food they'll thrive on." When a farmer accomplishes that, he's raising healthy plants and healthy livestock. Lower input costs include less spent on chemicals, lower vet bills, less spent on protein and commodities. Farmers can survive the low prices and thrive on the good prices because their bottom line is as healthy as their land.
"The whole thing is, in a nutshell, is to create that environment for the microbes and earthworms. Once you've got that environment, don't put anything on there that is toxic to kill them. The third step is to feed them. Then, as Gary Zimmer says, that's our way of making the farm sustainable."
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Don Faber , Midwestern Bio-Ag CFO

Don Faber took a very roundabout route, as in several times around the world, to becoming a partner in Midwestern Bio-Ag. Born in his mother's homeland of Iceland and mostly raised in the Middle East where his father worked for an American oil company. He graduated from high school in Rome, Italy, coming back to live in the U.S. at age 17.
Don spent six years in the U.S. Air Force Special Operations as a Pararescue Specialist, trained in parachuting, scuba (a sport he still avidly pursues), mountain rescue, and advanced EMT skills; serving in Southeast Asia 1968-69, then three years with the NASA affiliated Apollo Recovery Team.
Attending college on the GI Bill, Don graduated with honors from the University of West Florida with a degree in Biology and Resource Management. Don worked in Land Use Planning in Florida, and for the next six years worked in Saudi Arabia as a business analyst for ARAMCO, and traveled around the world several more times. He subsequently completed his MBA with an emphasis on finance.
Don is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for all MBA affiliated companies, setting up fiscal controls and management controls. He has been with Midwestern Bio-Ag since 1984.
Don enjoys helping people's dreams turn into a business reality.