John 14:6
I am the Way, the Truth, and the
Life. No one come to the Father except
through me. (NIV)
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements | |
About the Author | |
Dedication | |
Introduction | |
Contents | |
Part 1: How A City Boy Became A Farmer | |
A City Boy Longs for The Farm | |
The Menger – Guenther Sawmill | |
Grandma Jonas | |
Christmastime With Grandma Jonas | |
An Unlikely Couple | |
Dog Patch | |
Grandpa Jonas | |
Out Home | |
Uncle Eddie | |
The Cottage at Cedar Lake | |
Family Heritage | |
Grandma and Grandpa Cooper | |
My Second Home, The Mertz Farm | |
Threshing Oats | |
The Next Generation Farm Owners | |
My Many Illnesses | |
Wimpy’s Hired Hand Dusty | |
Smokey’s Hat | |
The Contraption | |
Joan Out at The Farm | |
Brother Butch on The Farm | |
Paper Route, Pigeons, and Rabbits | |
The Move to North Carolina | |
The Restaurant Business | |
My Freshman Year in High School | |
Summer on the Farm | |
A Full-Time Farmhand | |
Back to High School | |
Next Summer on the Farm | |
Building That Fence | |
Edgar Miske, A Good Neighbor | |
High School Graduation | |
Part 2: A City Boy’s Rocky Road to Farm Ownership | |
High School Graduation | |
My Last Visit with Grandma Jonas | |
My Last Year on the Mertz Farm | |
Excavating Job | |
My First and Last Deer Hunt | |
An Unforgettable Christmas | |
Clover Lawn Farm | |
Back Home to Saukville | |
Curtis Candy Company Artificial Breeding Service | |
The Feed Mill | |
The Machine Shop Job | |
Milk Testing and Artificial Breeding | |
The Love of My Life | |
Our Wedding | |
Our Honeymoon | |
Bugs in Our Bed | |
A Home of Our Own | |
A Herd of Cows and our First Rented Farm | |
Our Second Rented Farm | |
Foster Boys | |
A Good Farm and a Great Start | |
Boys Will Be Boys? | |
Marketing Our Milk | |
Tornados | |
Farm Bureau | |
NFO | |
The Battle with Our Bull | |
Farm Finance | |
Search for a Farm to Purchase | |
The Purchase of a Farm of Our Own | |
The Poch Auction | |
The Overloaded Pickup | |
Moving Day | |
Our Lifelong Dream Fulfilled | |
Organizing Dairy Farmers | |
Part 3: Dairy Farming: Our Way of Life | |
Dairy Farming: Our Way of Life | |
Our Daughter Jenny’s Open-Heart Surgery | |
4-H and the Sheboygan County Fair | |
Farm Politics / AMPI | |
Building Projects and Further Land Purchases | |
The Day Our Farm Burned | |
Out of Ashes – A New Barn | |
The Real Estate and Auction Business |
John 15:12-13
My command is this; love each other as I have
loved you. Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends. (NIV)
Mark 1:15
The time has come, He said. the kingdom of
God is near. Repent and believe the Good
News. (NIV)
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
lean not on your own understanding; in all
your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make
your paths straight. (NIV)
Proverbs 31: 30-31
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be
praised. Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city
gate. (NIV)
Dairy Farming:
A Way of Life
By: D. F. (Don) Cooper

Book = $10.00
WI Sales Tax = $ .50
S + H = $ 8.00
Total = $18.50
Order a book or CD by contacting Don by email, phone, or mail.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 920-526-3451
Mail:
N6336 Division Road
Glenbeulah, WI 53023
Dairy Farming: A Way of Life
A story about Don Cooper from infancy, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, his maternal ancestors emigrated from Germany in the 1850’s. They made their homesteads in Washington County, Wisconsin. Don visited their farms frequently as a youth, and eventually was employed as a farm hand on his mom’s cousin’s farm. Those many visits convinced him that he would become a farmer some day. His Mom’s cousin, Armand (Wimpy) Mertz, became his mentor. Don worked full time for him after graduating from high school. He loved the cows, calves, pigs, chickens, wildlife, and especially the horses. Wimpy knew the names of the trees, weeds, other plants, bugs and all of God’s creation. Don admired his vast knowledge and was thankful for having such a wonderful teacher. I soon realized that my chances of purchasing a farm of our own where pretty slim. I worked on several agricultural related jobs. My friends Paul and Elvira Brunnquell convinced me to go on a blind date with them. Ruth Nienow, was my date; I fell madly in love with her, and prayed that God would convince her to be my beautiful bride. One year later we were married. Her Dad was a farmer, and we decided that we would try to purchase a farm.We saw an ad in the paper, “Farm for rent.” Another ad, “Purebred herd of Holstein cows for sale.” We purchased the cows and rented the farm. It was a nightmare. There was too much work and not enough income. Our landlord died six months later. The next farm was also bad news. The third rented farm was an excellent farm that provided us with the income needed to purchase our own farm. “Dairy Farming A Way of Life’’ describes the many trials and tribulations we endured. The Lord was with us every step of the way. Without His ever presence and guidance, we would not have not have been able to continue farming.
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