Doing what he always wanted

LAKE CITY, Minn. — As Josh Wright’s Grandpa Lyle puts it, Josh has been part of the dairy farm from the day he was born. Whether it was young Josh and his twin brother, Tommy, driving the skid loader forward for their dad, Jim, while he bedded free stalls or Josh learning to milk at 8 years old, his story is entwined in his family’s dairy.

Josh, a 22-year-old dairy farmer, is the fourth generation on his family’s farm near Lake City. He farms with Lyle, his grandma, Rose, and Jim. Together they milk 190 cows.

“I’m glad he stayed here to help, or the cows would be gone,” Lyle said. “He wants to milk, and so we’re going to keep going as long as we can, and I’ll keep trying to help as I can.”

Jim agreed.

“It’s been a dream to pass this on,” he said. “I know it’s not going to be easy … with the way things are going. I don’t want to be a big operator, just because of labor issues.”

Josh also said he would like to remain at their current size.

“I want to stay the one true farm that doesn’t need to grow, that just likes to stay where it’s at,” Josh said. “(I want to) prove that you don’t need to be having 500 cows (worth) of milk to get somewhere in life.”

Josh joined the farm immediately after high school graduation amid the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, a goal he harbored in his heart for years.

“When I was young … I just wanted to do it because my dad and my grandpa did it,” Josh said. “Then when I got (to be) 10-11, I was like, this is what I love doing.”

Part of Josh’s passion is the cows themselves.

“Everybody has their own pets, but I just … have a weird connection,” Josh said. “Once I get one tamed, I just can’t stop. Then I try taming all of them. … I just wake up in the morning I think about that and about what I want to do with the rest of my life and … being around four-legged cows gets me.”

Josh’s care for the cows is something Lyle has noticed.

“He knows the cows,” Lyle said. “He is concerned about them. He likes taking care of them. … He’s a good dairyman. … That’s why he’ll do good milking.”

Though formal transition plans are not yet in place, the family said they are exploring options.

“Hopefully he can just work in,” Lyle said. “What scares me is he can’t afford to buy it. Nobody can. What I have invested in machinery and cattle and the land and everything. … We’re going to gift what we can.”

The farm started in 1944 with Josh’s great-grandfather, Marlyn. Lyle took over the dairy in the mid-1970s.

“(My dad) financed me,” Lyle said. “That’s probably what I’m going to do here too. I’ll finance him and help him get going.”

Jim, who began a partnership with Lyle in 1996, echoed his dad’s sentiments.

“You have to have family backing, or some kind of backing,” he said.
“My dad included me, so I want to do the same for Josh. He wants a newer barn, and that’s what I want to give him.”

The facilities at the Wright farm are all over 20 years old.

“I want to pass on an operation that’s going to go forward,” Jim said. “We do need to make some upgrades. Our current facility is getting worn out. I just hope we don’t have to make that 1,000-cow jump. I don’t want to do that.”

Josh said he hopes to have robotic milking units in the future

Josh works in various areas across the farm including milking and assisting with overseeing cow health. Jim said this is a way he is giving Josh authority. 

“He enjoys milking cows, and I wanted him to have that responsibility of taking care of the cows in the parlor,” Jim said. “That means a lot to me by giving him that responsibility of noticing things where I don’t have to be babysitting.”

Josh has also taken over the round baling.

Josh said he has seen his influence on the farm grow.

“They’re including me more,” Josh said. “I’m getting more choice on what goes on around here, and they’re always asking my opinion on stuff.”

Josh said he appreciates the mentorship from his dad, grandpa and grandma.

“I wouldn’t know what I’m doing if I didn’t have them,” Josh said. “I like being around them because they’re still teaching me. They never make work hard, they always make it fun.”

Lyle also said he enjoys working with his grandson.

“It’s fun working with him,” Lyle said. “He’s side by side. He’s not afraid to help me or do anything with me.”