Dairy's Working Youth

Allen Lester
Parents: Bryan and Heather Lester
Employer: Tim Weidenfeld, Weidenfeld Dairy Farms
Lake Mills, Wisconsin
Jefferson County
300 cows
Senior at Lakeside Lutheran High
17 years old

Questions for employer:
Tell us your favorite experience of Allen helping with chores. My favorite experience was when he was learning how to run the chopper as Allen has the ability to pick up new tasks very quickly.

What qualities does Allen have that benefit the farm? Allen’s knowledge of cattle and machinery is very beneficial to the farm. He is also a quick study, learning new tasks at a fast speed.
 
Questions for the youth:
What are your responsibilities on the farm? I milk cows, haul wagons, rake hay and straw, haul away manure, and fix equipment or miscellaneous things.
 
When did you begin helping on the farm? I began working on the farm in February 2021 after I received my driver’s license. I knew the Weidenfelts through my great uncle, and they always helped us. The farm is also close to school, so it works out nicely to work there before school.

How do you balance school, extracurricular activities and farm chores? I only participate in FFA at my school. If I put my head down and work diligently, I can get all of my schoolwork and chores done before work.

How has working on the farm shaped your character? It has helped me gain knowledge of cows and equipment, which I use to better myself on my own farm. It has also helped me to be more organized. My family’s farm is a dairy beef and beef farm where we raise about 100 steers a year and have 30 beef breeding stock. It is a small farm running only 80 acres of grain, but we do all of the planting and maintaining of the crops as well as harvesting it ourselves. My parents and sister and I run the farm.

What do you love most about farm life? I honestly love the people. They are always willing to help me and others as well. Helping has grown to be a part of me, in that I’m always willing to give a complete stranger a helping hand.

What is one thing you have learned from working alongside your family and your employer? The list is endless, but if I had to choose what my favorite thing is to do that I have learned, it is to combine on my own farm. My employers and my family taught me how to run the combine and how things work in it to better understand what I am doing, and it is a very enjoyable job.

What are your future plans? My plans for the future are to become an operator engineer. My dad became one, and like some people, I also want to do what my dad does. I enjoy running equipment and think that I would be a good operator.