Barn full of memories

John Selin
Viroqua, Wisconsin

Within this feature the Dairy Star  catches up to retired farmers to talk about the ups and downs 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.

What year did you start farming and what year did you retire? I started farming in 1971 after I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and I sold my cows in 2014.

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. I pretty much always milked between 35-40 cows all the time. My parents started out as tenant farmers. They bought the farm from an estate when I got out of school.

What were some of the big advancements you made during your career? There was no pipeline when we bought the farm; we put one in in 1978. We also built a pack shed adjacent to the barn in 1978. In 1998 we built a new heifer barn. Updating stalls and adding mats and putting in tunnel ventilation made a huge difference in cow comfort. 

What did you love about milking cows? I enjoyed the personal contact with the cows and it was a nice quiet time to think and plan. It was always a peaceful time of the day.

What was the highlight of your dairy career? All the highlights were cattle oriented. I bred J Imperial Sonata. She sold in the World Top Quality sale in Quebec to Piedmont Jerseys for $100,000. I owned Gaymar Imperial Lorna, who was scored EX-96 and for a long time was the highest scored Jersey in Wisconsin, until Musqie Iatola Martha.

What is the biggest challenge you faced in your career and how did you overcome it? Those are constants for dairy farmers, even today. Labor, occasionally, was an issue for me. The constant variations in the costs of inputs and the fluctuation of milk prices made it hard to budget and plan. Milk prices seemed to fluctuate more and more frequently later in my career.

If there is one thing you wish you could have done differently during your farming career, what would it be? I would probably try to use a little more technology than I did. I was at times slow to use new products.

What piece of equipment or technology has been introduced that you wish you had for your dairy career? I wish I had access to activity monitoring. You can be watchful and vigilant, but observation can only catch an issue after it presents.

What do you miss most about dairy farming? I miss the day-to-day, hands-on contact with the cows. I enjoyed making good-quality forage. I also do not see as many of the friends I have made over the years quite as often.

What advice would you give to a young farmer today? I would tell them to set reasonable and obtainable goals. I would tell them not to be afraid to ask questions of and take advice from people who are successful in the industry.

What is your tie to the dairy industry today? I work at bull barns for Select Sires in Westby. I also own a few registered Jerseys, including Smokin Hot Texas Tornado. Texas Tornado was the Reserve National Jersey Jug Futurity champion in 2024. I own her in partnership with her breeder, Austin Nauman, and also Heartland Dairy.

Was retiring an easy or hard decision/transition? Not milking cows was a hard decision, but in a way, it was easy because the cattle I still owned, I knew were going to have excellent homes.

What have you been doing since you retired? I started working at Accelerated Genetics (now Select Sires). I still help friends and neighbors on their farms, and I continue to own a small group of registered Jerseys in partnerships with some friends.