1912-1950

Vincent and Tressa Slowey rode a sleigh to the church in Briggsville on February 20th, 1912 to get married. A little while later, Tressa’s father purchased the farm at an auction for them to begin farming here. They moved into the house with their first child, Kathryn. They brought grain, hay, husked corn, 4 horses and 7 cows to Westfield from Briggsville. It doesn’t seem like a far move, but they did it with a horse and buggy. There were a few outbuildings (deemed inadequate at the time), a windmill, and sheds with hay. They also turned a stone building into an ice house.

The winter following the purchase of the farm, Vincent and Tressa’s father cut timber to build a barn. Throughout the years, Tressa helped Vincent with raising chickens, horses, milking cows, and husking corn. They also had two more children: Robert and Evie.

Vincent and Tressa were progressive farmers during their time. They had a Delco Plant that powered the separator, washing machine, and the pump that brought water to the house. This was a time when electricity had not yet made it to rural Wisconsin. They even had an indoor bathroom!

Robert took the farm over, with his wife Julie, when Vincent and Tressa were ready to retire.

1950-1970

Bob and Julie worked on the farm for many years-before and after their ownership. They got married on November 17th, 1944. Friends, family, and people that worked at the farm in the past share great stories about them; from delivering hot breakfast sandwiches to the barn, to enjoying a glass of Jameson (without ice because ice would kill you) with Bob. They built their “retirement home” a whole half mile away from the farm, and they made sure it had a wet bar for Bob. Together, Bob and Julie had four children: Sue, Tim, Kay, and Joan.

While Bob and Julie owned the farm, they expanded to milking 100 cows in a parlor. They built the parlor at the farm around the year 1969 with the help of Tim. Before that parlor, they were miking in a stanchion barn. After Vincent died, Bob and Julie worked tirelessly (and with few days off) to keep the farm going and expanding.

By 1970, Bob and Julie were heading toward retirement. They would drive around in their Toyota and feed calves or help out in other ways. They also could have been found at The Haystack. They would go out to eat and eventually started bartending and hosting at the restaurant. Tim and Sue handled all of the farm chores and responsibilities while Bob and Julie enjoyed “retirement”.

1970-2020

While Bob and Julie were enjoying the “retirement”, Tim and Sue were handling everything else. Tim and Sue were raising three kids while milking and doing all of the other farm chores. Eventually, their children started helping out on the farm milking, taking care of calves and everything in between. Throughout the years, Alby’s brother and sister moved on to other jobs away from the farm. Tim, Alby, and Sue shared the responsibilities between the three of them after that.

With the help of their son, Alby, Tim and Sue started expanding the farm. By 2001, the farm was milking 380 cows. They were moved across the road and milked in the parlor we currently use. It did not take long and the farm was milking about 800 cows in the double 16 parallel parlor. With this expansion, the farm changed a lot. Tim was in charge of the most of the operation, Alby was the herdsman, and there were about 15 employees who helped milk and do the other tasks. As the years went on, Sue handled the books, Tim was in charge of the crops, and Alby continued to be the herdsman and take care of the employees.

When it became time for Tim and Sue to retire, they passed the reigns to Dawn and Alby.

2020-Now

Alby was working with Tim and Sue when his son, Alex, graduated from college. Alex came back to the farm in 2018. He worked in the shop and helped with crops. Then, Dawn retired from her town job to take over the books from Sue and keep everyone in line. Alby and Alex share the crop responsibilities. Alex chops corn, while Alby chops the hay. Along with planting and harvesting crops, Alby is in charge of many other things. With the help of 30+ employees, we are able to milk around 1,500 cows three times a day, raise our own heifers, and grow most of our own feed.

We are still using the same parlor that was built in 2001. We expanded the parlor from a double 16 to a double 24. Since 2020, we have updated some things and built a sand separating system. We also started raising a small black angus herd to sell beef at our farm.

Alex’s wife, Mattie, also helps out on the farm in the office. She takes care of the employees, the website, and other internet activities. She also helps out wherever the farm needs her. Alby jokes that him and Dawn are going to retire in a few years, but Alex and Mattie are not going to allow it.

In the future, we have plans to do more updates while we continue to produce high quality milk. We want to be able to sell our beef, highlight our milk production and engage with the community.