Barn full of memories: Ken and Jackie Thurk

Ken and Jackie Thurk

Villard, Minnesota

What year did you start farming, and what year did you retire? Ken started in 1961 and Jackie joined in 1966. We retired from dairying in 2018.

Tell us about your farm when you started and describe what it looked like when you retired, including how many cows you milked when you retired. We started with 15 cows and no silo unloaders or barn cleaners. We used Surge buckets to milk the cows. We added onto the barn and put in a pipeline in 1982. We also built a silo that year.

What were some of the big advancements you made during your career? We started milking three times a day in 1982. That boosted production by 30%.

What did you love about milking cows? We could work together with the children and find out who got in trouble at school.

What is the biggest challenge you faced in your career and how did you overcome it? Probably the drought of 1988. We baled 25 acres of second crop hay and got 178 bales. We were fortunate to have some feed to carry over and tightened our belt.

If there is one thing you wish you could have done differently during your farming career, what would it be? We can’t think of anything.

What piece of equipment or technology has been introduced that you wish you had for your dairy career? A better ventilation system in the summer would have been nice.

What do you miss most about dairy farming? Kenny was ready to quit. Jackie missed walking into the barn every day and caring for the calves and watching for them grow.

What advice would you give to a young farmer today? There will be ups and downs and things that are out of your control.

What is your tie to the dairy industry today? Our daughter, Alicia Hiebert, dairy farms near Browerville and sometimes Jackie will help them out.

Was retiring an easy or hard decision/transition? It was easy for Kenny but harder for Jackie.

What have you been doing since you retired? Kenny: We raise chickens and a few steers and continued to farm the land until 2024. Now, our son and grandson have taken over farming that land. Jackie: I volunteer and get to see family more.