Schaals find satisfaction in hard work
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff writer
Brian and Renee Schaal grew up on farms.
So, it was no surprise that when both chose to attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville – Renee a 1998 Sun Prairie High School graduate, Brian the same year from Burlington High School – that the two would follow in their parents’ footsteps.
“I knew I wanted to do something in agriculture,” explained Brian. “The more I got into it, the more I realized I would like to come back to the farm.”
Brian chose a dairy science and agriculture business major, while Renee majored in agribusiness with an emphasis on dairy science. And, after the two got married, it seemed the right time to come home to the third-generation Schaal farm just outside of Burlington.
Now, as the business has slowly expanded over the past 10 years, Brian is a 50-percent partner in the dairy farm – which has 300 cows – with his father Mike. And thanks to the success of the business, the couple was recently honored as one of four national winners at the 56th national Outstanding Young Farmer Awards Congress in Springdale, Ark.
The couple was a state winner of the outstanding young farmer award last year, and entered the national competition. They were first named one of the top 25 in the contest, and then one of 10 finalists from across the nation.
At the national congress Feb. 9-12, the Schaals were named one of the top four, along with couples from Illinois, New Jersey and North Dakota.
Candidates were judged on the progress in their agricultural careers, soil and water conservation practices, and contributions to the community, state and nation.
But for the Schaals, it is about family life on a farm that Brian’s grandfather purchased in the early 1960s.
“My dad, he always milked cows,” Brian explained. “We had a 42-stall barn. When I came back after college, before I ever came back to the farm, we had to do a feasibility plan.”
That plan meant figuring out how many cows the farm would need to sustain two families living off the farm. The number went first up to 120, and then 300. An additional barn was built in 2002 and then added onto in 2008.
And what used to be a one-man operation now involves several employees for the milking. Brian works all day on the farm, while Renee is a full-time crop insurance specialist for Premiere Insurance Solutions. The couple moved out to the farm this July, along with their two children – Mike, 8, and Ashley, 4.
Renee stays involved with her son’s school, St. Charles, volunteering for various projects. And the couple hosted June Dairy Days at Waterford Public Library last year. According to Renee, more than 400 kids showed up for the program.
The whole idea is to show her children what it means to live life as a farmer.
“It’s really a very rewarding life,” Renee said. “We’re teaching our children there’s a lot of hard work, values and responsibilities at a young age. One thing Brian and I are proud of is that we can raise our family with the same values.
“They’re going to have the initiative to go out and do what needs to be done without being told.”
Renee conceded that working on a farm isn’t always easy. However, in traveling to the national congress in Arkansas, she found others with the same passion.
“It’s not the easiest life,” Renee said. “There’s a lot of hard work involved with it. When we were around these other young farmers, they shared the enthusiasm for it.
“We’re proud of what we do.”
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