Uncommon Diversification Keeps the Doll Family Together

Nutrition supports health and longevity. Blended with a little creative thinking, nutrition supports a family and thriving businesses in Perham, Minn.

Joe Doll and his wife, Lori, started J&L Nutritional Consulting in 1995 to provide services for beef, dairy and cow-calf operations. Life was good in Perham, described by the city as a small, yet vibrant place in the heart of Minnesota’s lake country, a great place to raise a family.

Introducing the Joe and Lori Doll family, left to right: Leo Riewer, Allison Riewer, Preston Riewer, Taylor Doll, Courtney Van Den Bussche-Doll, Lori Doll, Joseph Doll, Charles Doll, Edward Doll, Tyler Doll, Ricky Doll, Amanda Doll and Evelyn Doll.

As the years rolled on, things changed, as they do. Dairies were consolidating. Farmers were working even harder for profits. That’s when Joe found new revenue in cow manure.

“I got so frustrated by the digestibility issues. Seeing things like corn in manure and hard kernels, so I began looking at seed varieties designed to make grains more usable for the cow, and to help the farmer,” he says. “That’s how we got started with our seed business.”

As he and Lori saw their nutritional consulting opportunities shrink, they dove deeper into seed sales and consulting. It became their first new revenue stream, and it paid off.

“Even though we had fewer dairy farms, we still worked with those business owners. They still had land and sometimes beef cattle, and we could give them the ideal seed varieties and expertise to back it up. When times changed, we changed with them,” Joe says.

Eventually, their oldest son, Tyler, went to work for them. Today he’s the general manager and works primarily in their seed business along with a full-time agronomist, Andrew Gorentz. Tyler’s wife, Amanda, manages their accounting.

Tyler says they want to give farmers every option to fulfill their seed needs. “We take the best of every single seed company and offer it to our customers,” he says. That is why Dairyland’s hybrid alfalfa, HybriForce, is so popular.

Tyler led their seed business expansion. They have their own mixer and bulk setup now. They sell a lot more grain hybrids than they did 10 years ago. Alfalfa is a big market for them too. “We’ve grown into a pretty good-size seed business,” he says.

Farmers can also purchase chemicals, inoculants, twine, net wrap, forage plastic, milk replacers and more. But why stop there?

Agronomist Andrew Gorentz, middle, shows off some Dairyland soybeans at a J & L customer appreciation night.

While still in college, Joe and Lori’s other son, Taylor, lobbied the family to expand into the pet business. The Dolls already had a retail store full of milk and cheese, young fryer chickens, smoked chickens, gizzards and more. As fun as they say all of that was, Taylor kept pushing on the pet market.

Joe and Lori knew another new revenue stream would be needed to support the entire family. Not to mention, Taylor and Tyler brought some compelling companion animal trends to the table for discussion.

“The pet business was booming,” says Taylor. It still is. In the U.S. alone, people spent more than $100 billion on their pets in 2022. Taylor saw a void to fill in Perham that would complement the existing retail business.

It wasn’t long before they removed the walk-in fridge and traded milk, cheese and sundry items for a grooming salon. “There was a high demand for pet groomers but few groomers in town,” says Taylor, who now oversees the store. “We now have three full-time groomers and 60 to 75 dogs and cats coming through each week.”

One of the many happy customers who regularly visit The Backyard mugs for the camera.

To receive professional grooming services, pets make their way through The Backyard, the name the Dolls gave their retail business, past a full line of food brands, rows of toys, animal health products, bird seed and wild bird supplies. Doggy playcare? Check. Boarding? Check. Obedience and agility training? Its coming. In-house veterinary care? “We’re looking into it,” says Taylor.

What’s Next?

Joe has worked in livestock nutrition for 36 years, still driven by his original motivation. “You can get on a farm and learn about their management practices, their goals, their needs, and you can put together a program, and it just intrigued me to realize the nutrients a dairy cow needs to produce 80 to 100 pounds of milk. And if you don’t supply those nutrients, she’s going to crash. It’s fascinating to me. The amount of minerals a dairy cow needs to produce a glass of milk is phenomenal,” he says.

Going forward, J&L will continue to service the dairy and beef industries, utilizing the latest advancements and ration-balancing software.

Taylor is already eyeing pet business expansion. The industry keeps changing and growing, which ought to provide avenues for The Backyard to grow with it. CBD for pets is gaining traction. A Cornell study showed CBD helped with pain management in dogs. Trends in 2023 include sustainable, plant-based foods; smart pet technology; probiotics and prebiotics for gut health; and personalized pet nutrition.

“Good nutrition is vital,” says Joe. Nutrition certainly has been good for the Dolls.