Cherishing a father’s guidance

WESTBY, Wis. — The beginning of any career can have its ups and downs and unforeseen challenges. What made the transition of his family’s farm easier for Brett Von Ruden was having his dad there to help him navigate the landscape.

This July will be 10 years since Darin Von Ruden transitioned the farm to his son. Brett had been working on the farm since he was 13, and the history of his family farming on that land meant a great deal to him.

“That was a big part of why I decided to come back,” Brett said. “The farm has been in the family so long. It’s a good feeling knowing that I can continue. It’s something that my dad, grandpa and great-grandpa helped set up. It’s not lost on me how hard they worked to keep this farm going through those times.”

The Von Rudens have been milking cows for over 100 years, transitioning to organic in 2007. Their 51-cow herd is milked in a tiestall barn. They own 230 acres and rent 50 acres of pasture and 72 acres of tillable land.

Brett was a two sport athlete in high school, balancing school, sports and working on the family farm. After graduation, he was not sure about taking over the dairy. He attended Western Technical College’s agribusiness program in La Crosse for a year, while working in retail part time.

“It’s hard to see your kids leave the farm because you aren’t sure if they’re going to come back,” Darin said.

Darin also serves as president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union — a position with large demands on his time and a rigorous travel schedule.

“I was starting to transition the herd because I didn’t know what Brett wanted to do,” Darin said. 

However, after that first year away from the farm, Brett said he decided farming was more fun than retail work.

“I realized how much I enjoyed working with animals and working in the ag industry,” he said.

When Brett decided he would return home to the farm, it made Darin’s decision to continue his involvement with the WFU that much easier. As president, the elder Von Ruden works in a variety of roles. He sits on the national board for the Farmers Union and is secretary for the national board while also serving as the chair of the Farmers Union enterprise board.

“When Brett decided to come back, I was happy, but I knew it was going to be a struggle,” Darin said.

Brett and his wife, Nicole, moved into his childhood home, a mere 30 steps from the barn, and are raising two children.

“I hope my children can take what I learned — the hard work, the taking care of animals — and I hope they can use that for something in their future,” Brett said. “Whether they end up taking over for me someday or whatever they end up doing — hard work is one of the things they can learn here that can help them in any career.”

Although he followed in his father’s farming footsteps, Brett said he does not see himself following in his father’s path of serving in the WFU.

“It’s nice knowing there are people still out there looking out for us farmers and trying to help better our industry,” Brett said.

In his presidential role, Darin leans on the three pillars of the WFU: education, cooperation and legislation, and community involvement. He said education is what continues to drive him in this position.

“Educating our elected officials as to what our communities need is huge,” Darin said.  “But we also make sure that consumers are aware of what’s going on throughout the cycle of food production.”

In December, Darin was re-elected to his 15th year of service as president of the WFU. With his son at the helm of the family farm, Darin has more time to devote to his presidency; however, he still finds time to be there for Brett.

“It’s nice to have him as a safety blanket,” Brett said. “He helped me with the paperwork for the organic side that first year and then let me run with it. I don’t plan on changing much of what we’ve done in the past at this point, but I’m happy that if I do, I have him and my mom to lean on if I need advice.”