Kids Corner: The Lichty Family

Vivian Lichty
13 years old
Seventh grade

When do you do chores? Every night after school and on weekends.

What is your favorite and least favorite chore? My favorite chore is feeding calves milk. It’s fun to see them grow every day and see them drink better each day. My least favorite chore is bedding the animals because it gets all dusty and seems to take forever.

What is your favorite animal on your farm? My Jersey winter yearling, Smooth Criminal. I showed her last year and hope to show her this year too.
What is your favorite subject in school? Math. I like all the problems and how it’s hard and challenging.

What is something you have learned in school recently? We learned about World War I in history. I’m also reading “A Wrinkle in Time” in literature and studying chemical reactions in science.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A veterinarian. I am very thankful to Waupun Vet Clinic for helping me learn about what vets do.  

If you had a farm, describe what it would look like. My farm would have a lot of cows and a lot of big, good-quality barns with room for calves.

What is your favorite dairy treat? Vanilla ice cream with caramel and peanut butter.

What is your favorite game to play at home and on the farm? Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit.


Are you involved in any activities? Dairy judging, dairy bowl, dairy jeopardy, public speaking, basketball and volleyball. I took first place in the junior speaking contest at the Wisconsin Junior Holstein Convention this year and will be going to nationals in Lexington, Kentucky. Of all my activities, I couldn’t pick a favorite. They are all really fun. I’m very social and like talking to people and being competitive. I use a lot of energy in sports and use my intelligence for the other activities.

Winston Lichty
9 years old
Third grade

When do you do chores? Every day after school and on weekends.

What is your favorite and least favorite chore? My favorite chore is feeding hay to all the Jersey cows. I like putting hay in the wheelbarrow and passing it out because I get to feed my cows, Ruby and Rock n’ Roll. My least favorite chore is bedding the calves because I have to go up in the hay mow to get the straw, and it’s dark and scary up there. When the cats are meowing, it sounds like babies crying. Then, I have to carry the straw to the calf hutches and super hutches.

What is your favorite animal on your farm? My Jersey calf, Rolling Thunder. She is Ruby’s daughter, and she is brand new. I am planning to show her this year.

What is your favorite subject in school? Math. I like adding and subtracting dif-ferent numbers. I use it to figure out how many barrels of bedding and slices of hay I need.

What is something you have learned in school recently? We grew grass in science class using different soils. I used normal dirt, root beer and water, and it grew.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A builder/carpenter. I would like to build shelves, cabinets and other things. I made a little wooden horse once. I also make a lot of stuff out of cardboard, like a house, police station, fire station and cat-tle trailer.

If you had a farm, describe what it would look like. I want to move to Minnesota when I grow up. On my farm, I would have a grain bin site with cows and Har-vestores, grain wagons and a bunch of barns to put tractors in. I would also have a big planter and tons of fields.

What is your favorite dairy treat? Birthday cake ice cream.

What is your favorite game to play at home and on the farm? Farming simulator and baseball.

What do you like to do during recess? Play tag or play on the snow piles, and play basketball and prison ball

Sevanna Fairbank
(Vivian’s classmate and friend)
Parents: Todd and Casey Fairbank
12 years old
Seventh grade

When do you do chores? I help with chores every day except on Mondays. I come to the farm Tuesday through Friday nights and on weekends.

What is your favorite and least favorite chore? My favorite chore is feeding grain and milk to the calves. It’s fun to mix grain and use your brain to know which bucket goes to which calf. My least favorite chore is carrying water buckets in the winter. It gets muddy, and I get mud on my boots and clothes.

What is your favorite animal on the farm? My Jersey spring yearling, Amazing Grace. I own her, and when she was born, she was the first granddaughter out of Annette – the cow that won at World Dairy Expo a couple times. I showed her at the county fair last summer.

What is your favorite subject in school? Art because I can grow with it, and I like how you can do different types of projects.

What is something you have learned in school recently? I learned about chemical reactions in science and what happens to atoms. They get mixed or stay the same.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A farmer.

If you had a farm, describe what it would look like. I would have Highland cows to sell for meat. I would also have horses. I would want good-quality buildings so that in case there is a storm, they are protected.

What is your favorite dairy treat? Vanilla ice cream and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

What is your favorite game to play at home and on the farm? I like playing Monopoly at home, and on the farm, I like playing the Life on the Farm board game.

Are you involved in any activities? Horseback riding, dairy judging and art projects. I do a lot of diamond art projects, and it can take months to do just one. I also used to do ballet dancing, but I have taken a break to spend more time on the farm. Horseback riding is my favorite because it gets me away from the farm, and I’m in my own mindset. It’s peaceful.