This is Schmidt Dairy, right outside of De Pere, WI.
Kevin Schmidt is a life long farmer and he was born and raised right at this same farm. Schmidt took over the farm back in 1980. This is his life, and farming is in his blood. With the help of his wife, and his kids, they get the job done. Kevin was asked if his daughter was a big help at the farm, “Well, I wouldn’t say a big help, but when we need her she comes out,” he jokingly adds. You can tell that family is very important to Schmidt Dairy. Pictured below is Kevin, along with his wife, Vicki, and their grandson Clayton.
I spoke with him about the farm and how in the industry right now, there are a lot of farmers that are either going out of business, or just deciding to call it quits.
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I asked Schmidt how he keeps the faith in farming when you watch these other farms going down. “You just gotta, everyday you wake up, maybe tomorrow will be better…it’s gotta get better,” said Schmidt. Having hope is really the only way that you can make it in a market like this. I think that it’s awesome and refreshing to see farmers that are hopeful and that have that faith.
We also talked about what advice he might give to another farmer in the area so that they can try and cope with what’s happening. “…just look on the bright side, do you want to go work in an office? In a paper mill? Look a machine?” said Kevin.
It was awesome to talk with him and his wife about everything, truly some of the nicest people. He has the right idea and I hope more farmers learn from the way he thinks about it. If you didn’t LOVE what you do, you wouldn’t have started doing it in the first place. You can tell that he’s very passionate about farming, as are most farmers. That’s why it’s important to keep going and keep fighting to stay afloat. Do what you love to do. As for Kevin, that’s exactly what he’s doing everyday of his life. In his words “Just keep pushin-er”. Honestly, the simplest, and most truthful advice.
