In Sauk County, the Meyer family has traced their origins back to 1866 as they celebrate their sesquicentennial milestone. Love letters written between Don Meyer’s great grandfather and great grandmother help paint the story that continues today. After finally tying the knot in 1868, the couple purchased their first 75 acres in 1870.
This is just a snippet of Wisconsin’s farm family histories. Meyer is among roughly 100 farms to accept the 2023 Sesquicentennial Farm & Home Award from the state.
Mid-West Farm Report has a collection of these stories that we’re sharing with you courtesy of Compeer Financial. You can find our conversations with both Century and Sesquicentennial awardees here: https://www.midwestfarmreport.com/wisconsin-century-sesquicentennial-farm-salute-2023/
The state’s Century Farm Program honors about 100 properties each year. There have been more than 9,600 properties honored since the program began in 1948. The Sesquicentennial Farm & Home Award has honored more than 940 farms since 1998.
Meyer tells Mid-West Farm Report in an interview that they’ve pieced together that the early farm was pretty diverse with a variety of animals and crops, including hops. In 1896 the couple bought 20 more acres of woodland from the neighbors for $300, and continued expanding from that time forward.
Today the Meyer farm lives on and looks forward to sharing the history with the next generation.
In Dodge County, we hear from Bobbi Pruski, who tells the story of her family’s 150-year-old farm that began in 1873. They raised dairy cattle, hogs, and chickens. Over the years, the farm passed from father to son for many generations. The original barn is still on the farmstead today where Tony Schumacher now runs the operation.
Schumacher milks about 50 cows in a stanchion barn and has begun bridging out to offer custom field work. The family fondly looks back on 2016, when the farm hosted the Dodge County Dairy Breakfast.
In Green County, we come across a 267-acre farm that belongs to Rosemary Simonson’s family. Rosie is the fifth generation on her family’s Sesquicentennial Farm called The Delbert Lynch Family Farm Trust just three miles south of Browntown. She recalls fond memories of family gatherings, vegetable soup, and making maple syrup. She also remembers not-so-fun experiences like butchering chickens!
Maybe you share similar memories of growing up on the farm!
These are just three of many historical farm stories — some of these families rooted in Wisconsin since the state first began. Find more by clicking on the 2023 Wisconsin Century & Sesquicentennial Farm Salute tab: https://www.midwestfarmreport.com/wisconsin-century-sesquicentennial-farm-salute-2023/
