A different dream

GALWAY, Ireland — Growing up on his family’s western New York dairy farm, Ryan Dennis became aware of the challenges facing his parents at a young age. That blossoming comprehension laid a foundation for the path he would take in life.

“I grew up in the 1990s, and the dairy industry was really changing at that time,” Dennis said. “I realized two things — no one was telling the story of what was happening to people like us, our neighbors and others who had family farms. The other was that it didn’t really seem like the farmers themselves understood why the economic conditions were the way they were.”

Like many American farm kids, Dennis wanted to become the fourth generation of his family to dairy farm near Canaseraga, New York. His father and grandfather operated adjoining farms, each milking their own herds of cows while working together to crop.

Dennis grew up with dreams of taking over his grandfather’s farm, but fate and a dismal farm economy combined to change his course.

In the early 1990s, the Dennis family felt pressured by their bankers to double their milking herd to 200 cows. Then, in 2001, Dennis’ grandfather suffered a devastating farm accident. In 2009, tragedy struck again as his father suffered his own catastrophic farm accident.

When he realized farming was not likely in his future, Dennis set his sights on writing and went to the University of Iowa, where he pursued his undergraduate degree before transferring to the National University of Ireland, Galway.

“Galway has the reputation of being a really good writing school,” Dennis said. “Since I was paying out-of-state tuition, or collecting loans on that, it was no more expensive to go out of country, so I went to Galway for a semester. I loved it.”

Dennis returned to the farm before the cows were eventually sold in 2015, officially bringing Dennis’ dreams of carrying on his family’s dairy farming legacy to an end. A decade later, he would publish his book, “Barn Gothic.”

“I think I knew one day I would try to write a book that would look at the issues I perceived about farming,” Dennis said. “That told what one family’s lived experience was, going through that period, but also to try and pin down at least one person’s opinion of all the forces at work that made it extremely difficult for a family dairy farm to survive in the United States.”

With his dream of farming in the rearview mirror, Dennis returned to Galway to obtain a master’s degree, and eventually a doctorate, in writing.

“I went back to Galway partly to continue my education, but partly to get some headspace and be in a different environment,” Dennis said. “I think I left the west of Ireland five times, thinking I’d never come back; five times I went back, and eventually, I decided to stop leaving.”

When he was away from Galway, Dennis spent time teaching at a university in Germany and obtained a Fulbright Scholarship to spend time in Iceland, writing about Icelandic farmers, as well as spending time in the U.S.

During his absences, the Emerald Isle continued to call to him.

“The thing I appreciate most of all about Ireland is its inclusive feeling,” Dennis said. “There is a real sense of public community, whereas in Germany, unless someone knew you, they kept you at a distance. In Iceland, they always say, ‘An Icelander will help you,’ but you have to ask for it. In Ireland, they’ll give you help, whether you want it or not, which is kind of nice. It’s easy to get into any circle and feel welcomed. Galway, particularly, is quite an international place.”

In all, Dennis has hung his hat in Ireland for roughly 14 years.

“The last time I came back was during the pandemic in 2020,” Dennis said. “I actually went back to Ireland as an illegal immigrant, really. I just arrived back and then, once I got there, I sent a letter to the government and basically said, ‘Listen, I didn’t think I’d come back here. I could have renewed some forms that would’ve allowed me to be here legally now, but I didn’t, and I’m here now. Do you mind if I just stay?’  Luckily, they granted me permission to stay in the country.”

Along with his writing, Dennis teaches his trade to aspiring writers.

“There are only five or six universities in the Republic of Ireland, and there are a lot of writers, so it’s hard to get permanent teaching work,” Dennis said. “I teach a university course every summer in Galway, mostly to American and Australian students; then, I get other teaching work where I can.”

Dennis compiles a literary journal called “The Milk House,” focused on rural writing, which includes both his own writing and submissions from other writers.

With his background, Dennis observes the Irish dairy industry with interest and has been called upon to offer his American perspective on agricultural policy.

“The phasing out of quotas in 2015 changed the Irish dairy industry,” Dennis said. “At the time, there was a lot of farmer support in Ireland for the removal of quotas.”

Widespread expansion and a surplus of milk production ensued.

“When you’re farming, when you do the same things every day, your mind can’t help but wonder, ‘If I could have 20 or 50 more cows, I can make this much more money,’” Dennis said. “The problem is, everyone is getting 50 more cows, and suddenly, there’s more milk on the market, and it drives the price lower. I think the industry has been unstable since then; it’s mirrored the U.S. dairy industry in a lot of ways, and it’s forced consolidation, though the scale is different.”

Watching an industry leave his family behind left its mark on Dennis, shaping his outlook on the world and driving home the importance of telling the story of the family farms that did not survive.

“One of my goals with ‘Barn Gothic’ was to try and map out the reasons why it happened, and why we’re at the point now where the small or mid-size dairy farm is really struggling to survive in the U.S.,” Dennis said. “The government has been motivated to keep food cheap in the U.S., but there’s a price to cheap food, and the family farm is paying it.”