Hasselman Family Farm Delivers Pasture-Raised Meats with Help of Bobcat Skid-Steer

In today’s food system, farmers can send their products anywhere in the world. But for Scott Hasselmann, it’s important to keep things local. Scott owns and operates a family farm in Northern Illinois named “Hasselmann Family Farm” in honor of the four generations who came before him. He is proud of his role as a small-scale, American farmer. As farm operations have expanded, Hasselmann Family Farm has intentionally stayed small, starting as a vegetable and mushroom farm, and evolving into pasture-raised meats sold direct-to-consumer.   

Through the help of his family, a gritty work ethic and a single Bobcat® machine, Scott proudly delivers high-quality, pasture-raised meats to Chicago area customers.  

Animals Enjoy Greener Pastures Through Regenerative Farming 

On Hasselmann Family Farm, cattle, pigs, sheep, ducks, geese and chickens roam freely between barns, pastures and fields. Scott’s mother- and aunt-in-law care for most animals by hand, feeding chickens and piglets, milking cows and collecting eggs. For other chores, Scott prioritizes regenerative farming practices.  

“We use regenerative farming practices to reduce our reliance on chemical fertilizers,” Scott says. “The animals and crops have a symbiotic relationship as they were intended to. I couldn’t imagine a farm without livestock and crops, and I couldn’t imagine doing these chores without my Bobcat machine.” 

Regenerative farming is a holistic approach to farming that aims to restore soil and ecosystem health by reducing chemical use and relying on natural solutions. Composting manure is a large part of this approach. Scott collects all manure from animal barns daily, stores it in a compost pile for it to decompose and land-applies it to his row crops. Row crops are then processed into feed for the animals to use during the winter months.  

“I’m only here for a little while stewarding this land, and I want to pass it onto my kids like my dad and grandpa passed it on to me,” Scott says. “It’s important to me that we take care of the land now for the next generation.” 

Scott’s Bobcat S450 is crucial for collecting manure, turning compost, loading compost into his land-applier and moving bales of hay throughout animal barns. With such versatile attachments, Scott can use his single machine for all these tasks, while easily going in and out of tight barns.  

Customers Prioritize High-Quality Meats 

Hasselmann Family Farm customers travel from a 60-mile radius to pick up their pasture-raised meats. A retired friend of the Hasselmann family, Mike Colan, works the farm store Wednesdays and Saturdays and interacts with all customers.  

“Customers return to Hasselmann Family Farm because of the quality of our products,” Mike says. “And people like visiting the farm, especially with their kids. A lot of our customers are families from the city and the kids come and wander around and get a big kick out of being able to see all of our animals.” 

Knowing customers visit the farm weekly, keeping it clean is a priority. Scott uses his S450 skid-steer loader to keep barns clean, move supplies into buildings or whatever else needs to be done — there’s always more to do on the farm.  

“I love the machine’s adaptability,” Scott says. “We can use one machine for everything we need because of all the attachment offerings. My day without my skid-steer would be a nightmare. It’s the number one workhorse on our farm to keep everything going.” 

While there’s no typical day on the farm, Scott’s skid-steer gives him the peace of mind that when he wakes up in the morning to tackle whatever challenges arise, he doesn’t have to handle them alone.