Escape to Wisconsin

I have had the pleasure of hosting farm tours for nearly 27 years. All the tours are by reservation and often I am asked if rain cancels the tour. I don’t have a problem with sprinkles, and most children have a rain jacket and boots with their umbrella that they wish they could use more often. Parents and grandparents are the ones that usually cancel if they don’t want to get wet. Severe weather with lightening cancels all tours, even if a tour is already started. One loud thunderclap will send children and parents looking for cover. With open fields and high winds, lightning will get the little children and parents panicking, I don’t have to convince anyone to carefully head to their cars.

This summer has thrown us many severe storms, and it has created many flooded areas throughout Wisconsin and other Midwestern states. I don’t ever remember so many tornado warnings and watches. I am startled when the alert comes blaring on my phone to take cover in the lowest place away from windows. It usually happens when we are feeding calves in the old barn. It has rock walls and concrete bricks. That is a safe place to hang out in until the storm passes. We wait quietly, holding the calf bottles and listening for the train sound that would mean we should run into the basement. I have seen barns, tobacco sheds and grain bins completely destroyed by tornados.

This July, we have had so many families from Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas that have visited while getting away from the destruction of Hurricane Beryl that has left their homes and communities without power. Some have family to visit in Wisconsin, but many just wanted to get someplace away from the threat of extreme weather. They did not realize that the storm came inland and added more tornadoes and flash flooding in many areas as it headed east into Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio according to the National Weather Service. Even though Wisconsin wasn’t on the list, we did have some severe thunderstorms that created apocalyptic lightening.

Having conversations with these families about their homes and what they left behind, they all seem comfortable and well versed in hurricanes. Looking forward to a mandatory vacation, they simply empty out the refrigerator and freezer, pack up clothes for hot days and cool nights, and head to Wisconsin. The hurricanes are watched and predicted so they can plan accordingly. Some of the kids actually look forward to these extra excursions that are often not planned until just days before.

Renting a house, staying with relatives or just heading to the waterparks is the most amazing getaway they said. Most of the parents would agree that they are more frightened of tornados versus hurricanes. They had no fear to venture up through tornado alley to get to some of the “best vacationing in all of the United States” as one family said.

While hanging out in Wisconsin and searching for things to do, they all really think a visit to a farm would be so much fun. The time spent here has made an impact on their ideas about Wisconsin dairy farms and the importance of making choices to put more dairy into the shopping cart every time they go to the grocery store. They learn the fact that they can make a difference and help keep Wisconsin dairy farm thrive by consuming and seeking out real dairy in restaurants, and, of course, eating Wisconsin cheese, ice cream and all of the delicious dairy products from our cows’ milk.

“Tornados are exciting to watch from far away, like on a YouTube video, not in real life.” I was told by twin sisters, who had seen the storm clouds rolling in as they buckled into their car seats and prepared to go back to the waterpark. They were chatting about what calf they were going to sneak into the back of their van. These families have enough photos and videos to remember the visit to our farm, but many of the parents have promised to return again, maybe during the next hurricane.

Tina Hinchley, her husband Duane and daughter Anna milk 240 registered Holsteins with robots. They also farm 2,300 acres near Cambridge, Wisconsin. The Hinchleys have been hosting farm tours for over 25 years.