I grew up in a place called Veefkind. It used to be a little bitty rural community with a store, post office, a couple of sawmills, tavern, church, and, of course, the cemetery. It was named after my great-great grandfather, Henry Born Veefkind, who actually built our farm. The home farm went through six generations
“A farm kid, an old jock, and a veteran.” Read More »
I have always enjoyed making things with my own hands and sharing them for other people to enjoy, and beer is no exception. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd I grew up in a beer-loving family, so beer has always been a passion of mine. But before we started the Wisconsin Hop Exchange Co-op, I mostly worked
I grew up in Milwaukee, in the Sherman Park neighborhood. From as early as I can remember, my life has been about community involvement. I was an only child for the first eight years of my life, so a lot of my social experiences, my social needs were met in community. Photos taken by Nicole
“I was raised like the community is family.” Read More »
Duane: When I was growing up in Oulu, Wisconsin, everywhere you went there were people speaking the Finnish language. Finnish sounds and refrains were around every corner. I remember going to the co-op store in Iron River as a kid. There’d always be these old-timers sitting on a bench by the door, passing time, speaking in
Building a Place for Finnish Heritage to Thrive Read More »
My ancestors came from Ireland and Ohio to a parcel of land in the Driftless region and homesteaded in 1854. Photo by Hedi Lamarr Rudd I am the sixth generation to be raised on the family property formerly used as a 40-head milking dairy farm, but the government pretty much forced out family farms. It’s
Farming Music in The Driftless Read More »
When I was a kid, I always wanted to live on a farm. I often asked my parents, ‘Can we at least live in the country?’ I loved animals more than anything. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd But we always lived in town, in the La Crosse area. My dad’s a physician and my mom
A Century-old, Family-run Farm Perfects the Corn Maze. Read More »
I was born in Chicago Heights, a Chicago suburb. When I was six years old, my family and I moved to Middleton, Wisconsin because my dad had a new job. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd This was a huge culture shock and a tough experience for me. In Chicago Heights, I was around a lot
I grew up in a multi-generation dairy farm family. My parents got married at 18 and 19, and dad started dairy farming right away, a mile from where he grew up. Photos courtesy of Corey Geiger My dad had been studying to be a Catholic priest; but in 1966, when he was 16, his dad
The Dancing Dairyman Read More »
The Wisconsin Historical Society Press published ‘Hope Is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic’. In this series, we feature five writers who share their experiences as they explore hope in the era of Covid. Yia Lor contributed an essay to the book. I am from Chippewa Valley. I spent much of my childhood
“How can I be that seed that continues.” Read More »
The Wisconsin Historical Society Press published ‘Hope Is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Perseverance in a Pandemic’. In this series, we feature five writers who share their experiences as they explore hope in the era of Covid. Jay Gilbertson contributed an essay to the book. I live with my husband in Prairie Farm, it’s a very
“What does hope mean to me?” Read More »
If you see a large sculpture of a mouse holding a slice of cheese, you know you are in Wisconsin. Across the country, we are known as Cheeseheads, but how much do you actually know about the “dairy” in America’s Dairyland? Back in 1841 Anne Picket used milk from her neighbors’ cows and established one
Master Cheesemaker at the Last Limburger Cheese Factory in the U.S. Read More »
If you see a large sculpture of a mouse holding a slice of cheese, you know you are in Wisconsin. Across the country, we are known as Cheeseheads, but how much do you actually know about the “dairy” in America’s Dairyland? Back in 1841 Anne Picket used milk from her neighbors’ cows and established one
“Life changes and takes you to different places for a reason.” Read More »
