4-Year-Old Crosses ‘Milking a Cow’ Off Bucket List Thanks to Local Dairy Farmer
Osseo farmer fulfills little boy’s request to learn how to milk a cow
Early this year on Jan. 4, while light snow fell and Wisconsin weather served folks a chilly 34 degrees, award-winning Century 21 Realtor and mom of four incredible boys, Elizabeth “Liz” Thompson, posed an interesting question via Facebook:
Happily married for 13 years to her husband Andrew, vice president of technology at Bauer Built in Durand, they are the proud parents of Spencer, 11; Oliver, 9; Carter, 8; and Sawyer, 4.
Who could make Sawyer’s dream of milking a cow come true?
Why, Inga Witscher, of course. Passionate dairy farmer and host of Around the Farm Table on PBS Wisconsin, Inga owns and operates St. Isidore’s Dairy, a micro-dairy farm milking 10 Jersey cows nestled in the foothills outside of Osseo. There, the milk is carefully crafted into St. Isidore’s Dairy Farmstead Cheese, a raw milk, bandaged cheddar cheese (available for purchase at the Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market on Saturdays).
Liz emailed Inga, and Inga quickly responded, “How adorable." Inga suggested they schedule after the snow melts, because alas, “our cows are ‘dry’ until spring.”
St. Isidore’s Dairy does not usually host visitors, but to realize a little boy’s dream of milking a cow, Inga was willing to make an exception this one time. St. Isidore’s Dairy is typically only open to the public for one day a year in mid-September.
After a long winter, mid-April brought a summer-teasing weather pattern with sunny skies and 70-to-80-degree temps. Sawyer was bugging his mom again, asking when he would finally be able to milk a cow.
Sawyer: “Mom, when do I get to milk a cow?
Liz: “I’m not sure honey, soon, when the weather gets nicer outside. Why do you want to milk a cow so badly anyway Sawyer?”
Sawyer: “I want to milk all the wieners – or what are they called anyway?”
Liz smiled and giggled a little: “Sawyer, I’m pretty sure they’re called udders, and you’ll learn about them when we go to milk a cow.”
The big day arrived on Monday, May 15, right after school and before sunset. The experience not only met Sawyer’s expectations – it exceeded them. The same went for his three older brothers and Liz.
“Milking cows was better than riding in a convertible,” said Sawyer, adding that he liked the experience very much, and checked both items off his life bucket list.
Liz shared that Inga was great with the kids — super sweet, very informative, and funny. “She walked us into her milking parlor explaining each aspect of the process, asking good questions, and pointing out things we never knew. The boys fed her Jersey cows a bit of grain as a special treat. Then, we took turns trying and learning how to milk the cows. It’s a lot harder than it looks,” Liz said. “Inga assisted Sawyer in cleaning the teats first (not ‘weiners’ or ‘udders’), explained everything, and then let him try. When showing Oliver how to milk, the cow shot him with some milk, which was fun.”
Inga also educated the family to be slow and gentle around her Jersey cows. “It’s important to steer clear of their backends for safety – obviously kicking and other bodily functions,” Liz said. “We also learned that cows have four stomachs and drink water, while calves drink milk.”
The family got to sample freshly squeezed milk afterward, and it tasted a lot like warm melted ice cream, Liz said.
“It’s always exciting to see the farm through the eyes of children and let them experience the life I love so much,” Inga said. “I hope that this will inspire them to ask more questions about where their food comes from.”
Inga also shared why Jerseys are her favorite breed of cow in a recent June Dairy Month promotional video on PBS. “I love having Jersey cows here on my farms,” she said. “They have a lot of great things going for them: They have higher butterfat and protein in their milk, which makes for a higher yield when you’re making cheese or butter; they’re also a really sustainable breed; they are soft on the environment by producing less manure, needing less water, and less land to live; they’re also incredible grazers; they can tolerate the hot summers here in Wisconsin; and overall, I just really love their dispositions. They each have their own personalities and a different something that they bring to my farm and my family. And they’re just beautiful cows.”
For more info, visit PBS Wisconsin’s Around the Farm Table website, St. Isidore’s Dairy website, and keep up with the farm on Facebook.
