Choosing simple things in life

THORP, Wis. – For McKenna Mertens, there is no place like home.
When wedding bells began to ring for her and her fiancé Dylan Giencke, there was no question in her mind that she wanted her wedding celebrated on her family’s dairy goat farm near Thorp.
“It’s our family farm; it is home,” McKenna said. “And, I love the goats, and they love me.”                                                                                    
The Mertens family – Jim and Kimberly and their three children, McKenna, Paige and Reed – have called the Clark County farm home since 2005.                 
The young couple was married Sept. 10 in front of one of the farm’s two ponds. Reed became an ordained minister to officiate the ceremony for his sister and new brother-in-law, and Paige served as the maid of honor. For the occasion, the Mertenses welcomed more than 350 guests to their 40-acre farm.
Dairy goats first came to the farm in 2014, and the Mertenses began milking goats on their farm in 2015.                                                                                                                    
“When we first started, we both worked off the farm full-time,” Kimberly said. “Jim is a master electrician, and I am a dental hygienist. Our kids call it our mid-life crisis, but we just love it.”
Before beginning their fledgling goat herd, they spent more than a year researching to ensure milking goats was the right fit for them.
“We looked at a lot of different dairies,” Jim said. “Eventually, we came to the decision it was something we wanted to try doing.”              
To start their venture, the Mertenses purchased 150 kids from three popular dairy goat farms. Those kids would become the nucleus of their milking herd.                                                               
As the Mertenses were settling into their lives of working full time and milking, life threw them a curve ball that forced them to reevaluate their priorities.
On Jan. 17, 2018, the Mertenses’ home started on fire while they were milking.
“We were just so thankful that nobody was in the house when the fire started,” Kimberly said. “When you lose everything, you just choose a simpler path.”
The Mertenses embraced that philosophy. They both left their full-time, off-farm employment in favor of expanding and growing the herd of milking goats. Rather than rebuilding their house, the Mertenses chose to renovate their garage into a home. The bedrooms are located separately from the rest of the house in what the Mertenses call tiny houses.
Today, the Mertenses milk 200 head of Saanens, Alpines and LaManchas in a single-24 parlor; they have another 200 youngstock. They ship their milk to Saputo. Kimberly also makes a dozen varieties of homemade soaps with the milk, which she retails from home and at a local salon.
“I started making the soaps and natural products for my own use and was gifting and donating a lot,” Kimberly said. “Eventually, I decided to try and sell some too. To me, it is the best soap, and I love to share that.”
For wedding favors, the couple gave guests bars of some of their favorite scents of soaps that Kimberly makes: peppermint patty, charcoal tea tree and eucalyptus.               
As their journey as dairy goat farmers has progressed, the Mertenses have experimented with different management models.                                                                               
“We have been up to milking as many as 350 but have cut back down to 200,” Jim said. “We culled pretty hard for production.”
Since devoting their efforts to their farm, the Mertenses have also diversified into making maple syrup from the trees on the property as well as raising chickens, ducks, quail, turkeys, Californian rabbits and Berkshire hogs. They also raise their own beef and have a diverse garden on the farm.
“Our goal is really to be self-sufficient and to just keep things simple,” Jim said. “Being able to provide everything you need is a good feeling, especially the way things are with the world and the economy today.”
In the future, Jim and Kimberly plan to open an on-farm store to sell not only Kimberly’s goat milk soaps, but also Jim and Reed’s maple syrup, eggs, meat and produce.
McKenna, who works as a salesperson at Timber Ford in Hayward, said her wedding allowed her to share how she grew up with family and friends. Dylan, who owns Obsidian Sealcoating in Hayward, also grew up in Clark County.
“The farm is very important to me and has been a big part of my life,” McKenna said. “To be able to share it with my family and friends, while celebrating our marriage, was very special. Seeing everyone walk around and enjoy the goats like I do made me so happy.”
Jim and Kimberly said they are blessed to have their children all love the farm the way they do in light of the challenges the family has faced.
“Our kids started this adventure with us and are a part of our future here,” Kimberly said. “They all know they have the option to come back to the farm. For now, they all still love to come home to the farm and help out. And, we are so thankful that after everything, McKenna chose this as the place where she and Dylan will begin their married life.”