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| Eastern Wisconsin's Cycle Farm, home to a fourth generation of Brey family farmers. |
More than a century ago, rows of cherry trees covered the Brey family farmstead near Sturgeon Bay. George Brey, Sr., the patriarch of the farm, was a German farmer who had "a little bit of everything" on his farm.
Fast forward 100 years, and quite another crop has blossomed on that farm—a fourth generation of Brey family farmers.The farm has evolved from a diversified business of fruit and livestock to a focused and modern dairy business. Today, Bill Brey (George Brey’s grandson) and his wife Clarice, their son Tony, and Tony’s wife Moriah, work the land at Cycle Farm.
"We named it Cycle Farm because we were leaving the door open for our children to come in and become the cycling of the next generation," says Bill Brey, who, with Clarice, are the third generation of Breys to farm.
The Breys' Cycle Farm is one of the many family dairy farms that dot Wisconsin's lush, verdant landscape. In fact, more than 98 percent of Wisconsin farms are family owned. And although the farms are just as pastoral as ever, these families are running a business and preparing for the next generation.
Consistent family ownership brings challenges, and Wisconsin family farms have been in significant transition for the last decade. Many Wisconsin farms have expanded to remain profitable as well as support the multiple family members who want to be involved in the business.
Cycle Farm originally had 12 cows. When Bill and Clarice Brey took over the management, they had 24 animals, and today they have 240 cows that each milk an average of 23,000 pounds (about 2,675 gallons) of milk per year.
"Our goal is to continue developing a profitable and desirable dairy operation that can be successful for many years into the future."
~ Tony Brey
Then, and Now
In farms of yesteryears, one or two family members did everything that needed to be done to keep the cows healthy and the farm running. Today, family members often take on more specialized roles. At Cycle Farm, Bill Brey is the crop manager while Clarice takes care of calf management, bookkeeping and accounting. Tony is the herd manager while Moriah is in charge of the farm’s marketing and public relations. Jacob, Tony’s younger brother, remains involved in the farm when he’s home from school (he’s studying dairy science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison).
"There's a very good possibility that Jacob will come back to work on the farm," Moriah says. And if he joins the farm, he will carve out his own niche.
Farming feeds us, too
Specialization is also how things are run at Kretzschmar Holsteins in Mellen, Wis. When Richard Kretzschmar began farming in 1950, he milked 10 cows twice a day by hand, running the operation single-handedly. Today, Kretzschmar Holsteins has 700 cows, and employs six family members and 11 full-time and part-time employees. It is a multi-generational business, with Richard's son, David, at the helm. A fourth-generation dairyman, David owns the farm, and he is both the business and farm manager. His son Ben manages human resources and the young stock, while other son Jake is the herd manager.
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| The fifth generation of the Kretzschmar family are active members of the farm dairy business. |
"Obviously, there are a lot of joint issues where we collaborate, but everybody has their own individual responsibility," David says.
And Richard? He still holds his farming responsibilities close to his heart. "He's 81 and works every day, doing mainly field work and tractor work," says David. "In wintertime, he goes cross country skiing five miles every day, too."
The reason Richard continues to farm—and the reason his son and his grandsons farm—is because they love the lifestyle and the business.
Today, both of his sons have young children, and they are the sixth generation of Kretzschmars to grow up on a farm. And they all believe that farm living—and the farm business—offer a great way to raise a family. "We always try to have fun," David says. "Having fun working is as much of it as anything."
"It's a lot of give and take, and you put in some long hours, but the reward is that you get to be with your family a lot. When my kids were growing up, they were alongside of me."
~ David Kretzschmar