Elegy to Woodstock, Wisconsin, and the Decline of the Family Dairy Farm

The family dairy farm, an institution and economic engine within Wisconsin, is in serious decline. The ripple effect on our rural communities has been disastrous. This book portrays the story of a fictional dairy farmer and his family and the daunting challenges of trying to keep a family farm afloat during an extended period of low milk prices and over supply. The story is set within the Driftless Region of Wisconsin, near the village of Woodstock, in the West Pine River Valley of...
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The family dairy farm, an institution and economic engine within Wisconsin, is in serious decline. The ripple effect on our rural communities has been disastrous. This book portrays the story of a fictional dairy farmer and his family and the daunting challenges of trying to keep a family farm afloat during an extended period of low milk prices and over supply. The story is set within the Driftless Region of Wisconsin, near the village of Woodstock, in the West Pine River Valley of Richland County. The book uses the rapid growth and decline of the village of Woodstock as a metaphor for the family dairy farm.The author describes the early settlement and growth of Woodstock and the introduction and initial success of family dairy farming in the West Pine River Valley. He weaves into the fictional story of the family farm a perspective on the challenges facing the industry and traces the reasons and course it has taken toward the large herds and more industrial operations that characterize the industry today.The book is richly illustrated with real photographs of the village of Woodstock, the surrounding environs, and dairying operations within both the smaller, iconic stanchion dairy barn and the large free stall industrial barns.