A baby calf is born only hours before I arrive. Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

Already weighing close to 100 pounds, a baby calf is born on the Ripp Dairy Farm in Middleton, Wisconsin. Her mother will be watching over her for the next several months on this farm that is situated on roughly 30 acres of pure Wisconsin countryside. After that she will be tended to solely by Dave Ripp and his son Carl.

Father and son discarding of feed bags. Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

Dave comes from a lineage of dairy farmers and has now become the tenth generation in the Ripp family to own this farm. Although Wisconsin is known for its milk, family farms such as Dave's is one of very few left. "America's Dairyland," the state nickname that is also displayed on its license plates, has gone from 170,000 individually owned farmsteads in 1930 to 13,200 in 2009. In 2019 alone, close to 800 dairy farms have also closed. This trend has only continued since then.

Carl pauses to wipe his nose after a cow kicked mud into his face. Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

While following Dave and Carl around their farm, I got the chance to ask Dave about why he felt so many dairy farms have been closing in Wisconsin. He said dairy farming is an extremely demanding occupation. "Dairy farmers work 7 days a week, from before the sun rises, till well after it sets," Dave told me while climbing into his slide loader. "Many of the new generations simply don't see the point of it all if you don't make much doing it."

Dave feeding the cows using his skid loader. Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

Dave looks through the cage of his skid loader that he uses for many of his tasks around the farm. Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

The price you pay for a gallon of milk is the about the same price you would have paid back in the day with inflation being taken into consideration. This means that the income of a dairy farmer is strictly based on the quantity it is able to produce. The cost of operating a farm like this along with no support from the state is making it difficult for this family to keep its tradition and culture alive.

Dave and Carl milking their cows. Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

Dave pours milk collected from a mother cow and pours it into bottles to feed baby cows. Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

Dave grapples a mother cow to feed her a calcium pill after milking, Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

It should come as no surprise that depression is fairly common amongst this community of people due to the demanding work schedule and immense financial stress. I asked Dave about this and he was very familiar with this situation within his circle of dairy farmers. "Farmers are among the most likely to die by suicide, compared to other occupations, according to a January study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study also found that suicide rates overall had increased by 40% in less than two decades." (Wisconsin State Farmer, 2020) Dave has personally known of people that have suffered greatly from depression.

Dave makes his final rounds through the cow stables Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

The hands of Gary (left), Dave (middle), Carl (right). Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

After Dave had finished milking his cows, Dave's father, Gary Ripp, and step brother, Chuck Ripp, stopped by the farm to introduce themselves. After some small talk, I asked about the differences between big dairy and small family farms. Gary, who has since retired, told me that a majority of the people who work on big dairy farms are mostly immigrants and many of them are undocumented. Gary continued to tell me that the people who own these farms will build small cottages to give migrant workers a place to live so they can be on the farm 24/7. This is so common in Wisconsin that in November of last year, almost 50 U.S. House members co-sponsored bipartisan legislation that would give undocumented farmworkers and family a path to citizenship. This would also give dairy farms the possibility of access to thousands of agricultural guest workers for year-round jobs. This would also offer 40,000 green cards per year for agricultural workers. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Carl Ripp poses proudly with a photo of the Ripp Dairy Farm shot in 1970. Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

Dave tells me that he is worried for the future of Wisconsin's dairy. Day by day, more farms like his close due to being unable to compete with larger dairy companies. It's also incredibly hard for Dave to expand his farm becase the price for a single acre can easily exceed $500,000. This is far more than what he can afford to pay. He hopes Carl will eventually take over the farm from him when the time is right, carrying on the linage of Ripp dairy farming. Dave tells me that this is a way of life for him and the people that he calls friends and family. This is a culture.

Dave Ripp hand feeds a week old baby cow. Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021

The dairy farming culture of the Wisconsin not only helped build the state's economy but America's economy as well. We as a nation are more concerned about mass production than we are about preserving a way of life. Family dairy farming is dying culture. Due to lack of support from the state, competing with larger farms for production quantity, and obscene property costs, it will be hard to see farms like these survive the near future. When there are no more farms like Dave's, will we still be able to call Wisconsin "America's Dairyland?"

Carl walking off to do his homework after finishing milking the cows. The family dog Chip is waiting for him. Middleton, WI. April 7, 2021