Scharf Carries on Huth Herefords for the Next Generation

Gerald Huth started the farm located outside of Oakfield back in the mid 1960’s, basically with a 4-H project that turned into a career.
Jerry’s operation, Huth Polled Herefords, was in the business of breeding and selling Registered Hereford Cattle.
Huth was at the forefront of using Expected Progeny Difference (EPD) profiles in the selective breeding of his cows.
“He was also on the cusp of rotational grazing and has been implementing the practice for the vast majority of his lifetime,” said Josh Scharf.

Josh began working for Jerry, putting hay up into the barn, as an eighth grader in 2002 with Jerry’s two sons, who were friends, and he continued to work with them through high school and college.
When Scharf decided to become a part-time stay-at-home dad in 2016, Josh started, once again, to help Jerry on the farm part-time.
By 2018, Josh had decided he wanted to pursue a career in the beef business and that is the year they began S & H Livestock Enterprises, LLC.
S & H Livestock Enterprises, LLC is primarily a commercial cow-calf beef operation.
“We cross-breed Polled Hereford and Black Angus cattle and we have an emphasis on creating females with excellent calving ease and maternal traits, while also pursuing top-notch carcass traits,” said Scharf. “We also strive to be at the forefront of our industry in environmental sustainability with the idea that we do not own the earth; we rent it from the next generation.”
S &H markets their feeder calves through private treaty after they have been weaned, around six months of age.
“They are normally sold in December or January to a buyer who will finish them out until they are ready for slaughter,” said Scharf. “We will also be selling high-quality female replacement cattle through a private treaty.”
“We are always trying to improve our grazing management through education and trial and error,” said Scharf. “The use of EPDs and DNA testing, and the technological advances in those areas, also allow us to be more and more selective in our breeding strategies and become more efficient with our cattle.”
“We were also able to form a partnership with the Wisconsin DNR to graze some public land that borders our farm,” said Scharf. “The partnership has allowed us to utilize the extra forage for our herd, but has also helped the DNR control invasive species on the land, improve soil quality and save taxpayer dollars on management of the property.”
They were awarded our region’s Environmental Stewardship Award by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in 2022
“Support your local farmers. Talk to them, ask them for a tour. Advances are happening in the industry every day and farmers are an adaptive and ambitious group of people with a wide array of skills and backgrounds,” said Scharf. “I am confident that we will continue to find responsible ways of feeding the world, starting with our own communities.”
Farming allows Scharf to wear many different hats; on some days, he is a mechanic or an accountant, some days a botanist, some days a veterinarian.
“This forces me to constantly be learning new things, which I love and allows me to work outdoors and to create a schedule in which I can be flexible for my family,” said Scharf. “I also love having a first-hand view of God’s amazing creation and the wonders of life.”
“Jerry Huth has definitely been a wonderful mentor to me in this industry,” said Scharf. “He has been a wealth of knowledge and an invaluable asset as I have begun a career in agriculture.”
“My grandfather, John Scharf, was also an inspiration to me,” said Scharf. “He was a farmer or worked in agriculture his entire professional life (apart from a stint in the Army), and I will never forget his quiet and steady work ethic or his life of servant leadership.”
“I am probably a little bit unique in that my wife and children have not always been immersed in this industry,” said Scharf. “It is fun to see how they have grown to appreciate our cattle and the yearly process of raising cows and calves.”
“We live in a largely agricultural area, so the farming industry is an integral part of our economy and our culture,” said Scharf. “However, increasingly, there are more and more people, even in a rural area such as this, who are becoming further removed from the farm,” said Scharf
“It is our job to be ambassadors to our communities so that they cannot only see where their food comes from, but be confident it is coming from a sustainable and responsible source,” said Scharf.
Feel free to reach out to me at bpriesgen@mmclocal.com if you have a farm you would like to be featured in our newspaper.