Colton Sluga
Employers: Ken and Brady Giese
Whitehall, Wisconsin
Trempealeau County
140 cows
Whitehall High School
17 years old


Questions for employer: 
Tell us your favorite experience of working with this youth. The best experience is having someone like Colton to rake hay in summer. I run the baler, and he does a lot of the raking. It’s nice to have someone reliable to help put hay up in a timely fashion.

What qualities does your student have that benefit the farm? Colton is reliable. He is able to come in and get things done in a timely fashion.


Questions for youth:
What are your responsibilities on the farm? The Gieses have cows on two farms, and I help with anything from milking, bringing cows into the parlor, feeding calves, bedding heifers, hauling manure, scraping and helping in the tiestall barn.

When did you begin helping on the farm? I started in 2016 because I liked the thought of farming and figured I needed a job sometime so I started coming around. 

How has working on the farm shaped your character? It’s definitely made me a better person by showing me a good work ethic and how to work with other people. I also realize the importance of being on time and everything else that comes along with a job.

What do you love most about farm life? The guys I work with and working with the animals and the machinery.

What is one thing you have learned from working alongside your employers? I’m always learning something from them. When I first started coming here, I didn’t know anything about farming. Now it’s amazing how much I know. Probably the biggest thing is going to the parlor farm and talking about cows. I know which ones we are talking about. It’s nice getting to know the cows.  

What are your future plans? I am undecided between going to technical school or joining the work force.