Dissolved in flames

WEST BEND, Wis. — On the morning of Aug. 28, the Neumann family watched as the original dairy barn on their farm was devoured by a bright-orange, roaring fire. The building housed their milking facility, office and dry cows. A 3-sided lean-to structure standing next to the barn was also destroyed. The Neumanns lost four heifer calves that day and a dry cow one week later.

“We were in the house just getting up to milk, and when we walked outside, the barn was fully engulfed in flames,” Jenny Neumann said.

It was a devastating day on the fourth-generation dairy near West Bend where Neumann and her husband, DJ, farm with their son, Colby. Their daughter, Tessa, works off the farm but helps her family as needed. The Neumanns milk 180 cows.

The fire department received the call at 7:37 a.m. It would take more than a dozen fire departments more than four hours to extinguish the fire in a barn that was over 100 years old.

The office and housing for dry and close-up cows and heifers were in the oldest part of the building. Several sick/special needs cows had been on a bedded pack in the barn just days before the fire but were moved out when DJ needed to clean the barn.

“The first thing my husband did was run in and try to grab paperwork out of the office, but then he saw the cats and threw the paperwork down and got the cats out,” Neumann said.

The fire swiftly spread to the adjacent lean-to where nine 8-month-old heifers were trapped inside.

“We tried to get the calves out, but it was so hot that we couldn’t get anywhere near the building,” Neumann said.

When they saw how desperate the situation was, DJ pulled out his largest tractor and tried to get close enough to bust the chain on the gate, but the animals froze in fear and refused to leave. Both DJ and Colby are volunteer firefighters and when Colby arrived, he said, “I’m going to get them out.”

As soon as the first fire truck pulled in, Colby jumped into a skid loader and told the firefighters to keep a hose on it. He proceeded to lift the building with the skid loader to release the heifers from the blaze. It was too late for four of them, but the others escaped.

“They seem to be doing OK,” Neumann said. “They’re a little burned, but the vet came and gave them antibiotics and pain medicine that day.”

Firefighters also rescued an orange cat named Larry from the fire.

“He had to get hosed off,” Neumann said. “We lost a mama cat and her litter of kittens that were upstairs when the fire started. We had a hen with some chicks in there and a rooster too, but they made it out.”

All medications and veterinary tools that were stored in the office perished in the fire, as well as two weeks of breeding records.

“Everything else was on Google Docs,” Neumann said. “Thankfully, all our hay is stored off the farm.”

Because of its proximity to the burning barn, the curtains on the freestall barn melted and will need to be replaced. Neumann thinks some of the steel posts might have to be replaced as well. An addition of approximately 60 stalls was recently completed on this barn where the milking cows were housed.

The family’s cows are now temporarily residing at a farm about seven miles away near Fredonia. It had been housing heifers, but the owner — a local dairy farmer — hauled them home so the Neumanns could bring their cows over. The generosity bestowed by that dairyman was replicated by countless others in the area as farmers quickly rushed to the aid of the Neumann family.

“We can’t say thank you enough or speak enough of the community we live in,” Neumann said. “That’s the biggest reason why we love living in this area. It doesn’t matter who you are or if you get along or not — if you’re in need, people will drop everything and come and help you.”

Finding a place to milk their cows that morning was a priority.

“By the time the fire was done, there were trucks and cattle trailers all lined up,” Neumann said. “We didn’t even have to think about who had trailers and who to call, because they were already here.”

Many people came and went, bringing food and beverages to help ensure everyone there had something to eat and drink.

The Neumann family’s cows were accustomed to being milked in the stanchions of a flat-barn parlor and are now getting milked in a swing parlor. Neumann does the milking with her son’s girlfriend, Gracie. The Neumanns had to miss their nephew’s wedding, which took place the day after the fire.

“We can’t depend on other people to milk our cows that don’t go into a milking parlor,” Neumann said. “It was a week of neighbors coming and helping push cows into the parlor. And people are still bringing us food. You wouldn’t think something so mundane as making a meal would be that important, but that’s like the biggest weight lifted off my shoulders.”

Neumann said their milking herd is struggling in the aftermath.

“Cows are not turning around yet after the fire,” she said. “We feel some suffered from smoke inhalation. We’re dealing with a lot of mastitis. They’re overcrowded, so we’re dealing with health issues. But we can continue shipping milk.”

The Neumanns’ cheese plant did an inspection of the new place immediately.

“Before we were even done milking that morning, we were able to ship our milk,” Neumann said. “At least we have the income. It’s down because the cows aren’t milking like they should be, but at least it’s something.”

The cause of the fire was deemed unknown. Neumann said arson has not been ruled out, and the police are looking into suspects. The Neumann farm is located across the field from another dairy farm that had a barn fire in June.

“Everybody around here thinks somebody did this,” Neumann said. “It’s too suspicious, and neighboring farms are nervous.”

The Neumanns have two milkhouses, and the older one suffered significant damage as well.

“We lost all our automatic takeoffs,” Neumann said. “They melted.”

Their newer milkhouse, which was completed in February, is still usable. Nothing else from the fire is savable.

“It’s all coming down,” Neumann said. “We’re going to take the silos down too.”

The Neumanns are planning to build a new barn in its spot that will contain a milking parlor and holding area, along with a utility room, office, vet room and bathroom. The new space will also include a bedded pack for dry and maternity cows.

“We’re going to put in a parlor, but my one and only stipulation is that it’s not a swing parlor,” Neumann said. “We hope to have the cows home by the beginning of next year.”

The heartbreak of losing so much at the end of August was softened by the compassionate outreach of family, friends and neighbors.

“Seeing everyone come together again so soon after a neighbor’s barn fire, that’s what a farming community is,” Neumann said. “We couldn’t ask to live in a better place.”