A passion for hands-on learning

MELLEN, Wis. — Even as a young girl, Kendra Thewis liked sharing her family’s story about their central Wisconsin dairy farm with visitors. This enjoyment continued when she dairy farmed with her husband and father-in-law in Ashland County.

“I have always liked sharing my story of agriculture,” Thewis said. “There is so much to tell; that has always appealed to me.”

Her appreciation for educating led Thewis to continue her connection to the dairy industry, even after her family’s herd of dairy cows was sold in October 2021.

With her husband, Peter, and their children, Starr and Skyler, Thewis launched Sunshine’s Agriculture Farm Experience in Mellen, a small farm designed to create a learning environment for children and families.

Both Peter and Kendra are involved with the Chequamegon Dairy Association, which encompasses Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas and Iron Counties in northern Wisconsin. Peter serves as the group’s president, while Kendra maintains their social media presence.

“It really was born of all the little misconceptions you hear, like people thinking chocolate milk comes from brown cows,” Thewis said. “I just wanted to play an active role in helping to clear up those misconceptions.”

Thewis chose to share her appreciation of animals with children, working to teach and educate about farm life in a hands-on manner.

“I wanted to give kids an experience, something that they’ll remember, more than just sitting and doing worksheets,” Thewis said.

Thewis launched Sunshine’s Agriculture Farm Experience on a small scale during the summer of 2021.

“I started with hosting days that people could come feed calves and goats,” Thewis said. “I would bring a few calves over from the farm. I had goats and pot-bellied pigs here for people to interact with.”

After her family’s cows were sold, Thewis added a couple of milking cows to her fold.

“In 2019 I came across a grant from the Wisconsin Ayrshire Breeders Association for $1,000 to purchase an Ayrshire,” Thewis said. “I applied and was awarded $1,000, which I put towards purchasing Starkissed, and she was carrying Skystar. They are the two cows I have here on the farm today. It took me five years to get another heifer calf from them, but I finally got one this year.”

While she wants to keep the number of animals on the farm small, Thewis tries to have at least a few members of each species in residence, creating opportunities to talk about the animals and provide that hands-on experience she desires to share.

Each year, Kendra runs on-farm educational programming from May through October.

“In May I open up to school groups,” Thewis said. “In June we do farm camp sessions, where the public can come. We have story times, cow milking demonstrations and calf feeding. We’ve done other things like date nights on the farm and open up for days where people can just come pet and interact with the animals. We also have a sunflower field that people can come walk through … when the sunflowers are in bloom.”

Thewis said she prefers the more structured activities, with limited attendance.

“The smaller the group, the more time I can spend talking about the animals,” Thewis said. “I can spend more time with people, educating them and making a more personal connection about our industry.”

This year, the Thewises hosted the first Chequamegon Dairy Day event in five years.

“After COVID, we struggled to find a place to host the event,” Thewis said. “I finally felt like I was in a position to run a great event like that for our community.”

Thewis said her remote location provides a challenge when it comes to drawing crowds for some events, but overall, she believes her educational center is headed in the right direction by filling a need for her community.

“People who visit say good things, and I have lots of returning visitors,” Thewis said. “I just want to make a difference, to help people understand where their food comes from and clear up the misconceptions. It upsets me to hear people speak badly about the dairy industry when most of the time they are simply misinformed.”