Barn full of memories

Within this feature the Dairy Star  catches up to retired farmers and talk about the highlights and struggles they had when dairy farming. The feature includes how each individual farm changed throughout the farmer’s career and what each has been doing since they hung the milkers up.

Stephen Nigon
Rochester, Minnesota

What year did you start farming and what year did you retire? I started in 1961 at 10 years old with milking cows. My brothers and I took turns milking for our dad because he hurt his back. I played football for two years at a junior college, and had a scholarship to play at Northern Iowa, but my back went out so I returned home. In 1971, I started dairy farming with my dad. I sold the dairy cows in June 1996. In 1995, I started expanding my beef herd. For the next 20 years, I fed out beef cattle. In 2015, I partially stepped back but continued to raise beef animals and crop farm until 2020.

Tell us about your farm when you started and describe what it looked like when you retired, including how many cows you milked when you retired. When I started, my dad, Ralph, had about 20 dairy cows, 30 beef cows, pigs and chickens. In 1973, my dad and I went into partnership. We had the home farm with 180 acres and rented another 200 acres. In 1973, I also went to school to learn artificial insemination and worked part time for Midwest Breeders on the weekends. We expanded the dairy barn in 1976 with a 40-stall tiestall barn with a manure pit. Dad and I farmed together until 1985 when he retired, and I bought his part of the cattle and machinery. I farmed on my own from 1985 until 2020. In 1988, part of the barn burnt down. We rebuilt and continued to milk cows until we sold the herd to Scott and Michelle Herber. They bought 50 milking cows as well as the youngstock we had raised.

What were some of the big advancements you made during your career? It was always a small farm. When we first started out, we had buckets. Then, we went to a step saver. When we remodeled in 1976, we installed the pipeline. The change in equipment was also something big I saw over the years. I saw one-row corn pickers all the way up to computerized combines and sprayers, and changes in horse power from 50-horse tractors to 150-horse tractors.

What did you love about milking cows? For a number of years, I got to work with my parents every day. As my kids, Wes and Amanda, were growing up, they were really good help. Also, my brother, Kevin, was a great vet for us. From grade school on, I wanted to be outside and to be a farmer. I also really enjoyed the different farm organizations. I was on the Dairy Herd Improvement Association board and got to know all those people. I was the DHIA board chair for two years. I was on the soil and water board for 12 years. I was on the Olmsted County breakfast on the farm board for about 20 years. There was also an informal young farmers club in our area who would get together.

What was the highlight of your dairy career? In 1989, we hosted the second Olmsted County breakfast on the farm. There were about 1,300 attendees.

What is the biggest challenge you faced in your career, and how did you overcome it? One of the hardest moments I had was telling my dad he had to stop driving equipment when health issues were impairing his abilities. Crop-wise, in 1988, we had a big drought. Then, on Sept. 5, 1988, part of our barn burned. I found a hay source south of town. I had enough silage to feed the cows but no crops to sell. In June 1991, our crops froze on us. We were able to replant for silage but again didn’t have any crops to sell. In 2012, I started having heart issues. After being on heart medication, I was going to sell the beef cows. I went into partnership with Tony Rossman 50/50 on the beef cattle. I had heart surgeries in 2015, and after that, I had the cows during the grazing months and the herd went to Rossman over the winter.

If there is one thing you wished you could have done differently during your farming career, what would it be? Not really anything. We were small but made a good living. We saw different farms getting bigger, but I enjoyed what I was doing on the small scale.

What piece of equipment or technology has been introduced that you wish you had for your dairy career? Nothing. I was happy with what I had. When I had my auction, most of my equipment was about 30 years old. Over the years, I could see when I had had a good year based off the equipment I had purchased.

What do you miss most about dairy farming? The calves. When I got rid of the dairy cows, I still had the beef cows and could watch those calves. Now, there are no calves around here. I also miss fully living in the country. It has gotten worse because many of the acres I once rented are houses.

What advice would you give to a young farmer today? Decisions you make when times are tight don’t hurt you. It’s the decisions you make when times are good that can cause issues. You want to be careful.

What is your tie to the dairy industry today? I’m still involved with the Olmsted County breakfast on the farm board. I also still get together with the Herbers a couple of times a year.

Was retiring an easy or hard decision/transition? It was easy. I sold the cows in 1996 in part because we were small and I was not interested in getting larger. Also, Rochester city limits borders our farm. Already in 1996, we were seeing increased traffic on our roads, and I did not have a next generation for the dairy. My wife, Sharon, was working for the Mayo Clinic which gave us income.

What have you been doing since you retired? I continued to farm until 2020 after I quit dairying. I would volunteer in the winters. I worked as a custom chopper for 25 years as well. A golf course was being developed next door to my farm and I worked there a few years. I helped seed down the fairways. I also took up golf, playing in a league from 1996-2014. Now, after fully retiring, I volunteer for my daughter with the Village Agricultural Cooperative. I wake up in the morning with nothing to do, and when I go to bed at night, I only have it half done. The worst part about dairying is all the getting up early — I still can’t help but wake up. I still have dreams I’m farming and my dad is involved.