Drawn to the red, white, roan

NEILLSVILLE, Wis. — Mitchell Tieman decided he wanted to become the fourth generation of his family to milk cows. That is not an unusual decision for a young man from rural Wisconsin, except that Tieman was a high school freshman when he made the decision, and his family was not actively dairy farming.

“My grandpa used to milk 40 cows but retired in the early 2000s,” Tieman said. “He had a herd of Holsteins with a few Jerseys because my mom liked them. My great-grandfather had some Guernseys, I believe, and then Holsteins.”

The Thorp high school senior is nearly four years into his own venture. He exhibited his Milking Shorthorn cows at the Clark County Fair in Neillsville for the second time, netting two blue ribbons and one red.

“There’s some great competition here,” Tieman said. “It’s exciting that my cows did so well.”

Tieman is milking three cows on his family’s small farm near Thorp, using the same Surge bucket that his great-grandfather first put into service.

“I’m the fourth generation of my family to use that old bucket to milk cows,” Tieman said. “It’s been passed down over the years. I think that’s kind of cool; I don’t think there are many other kids my age that could say that.”

Tieman became interested in milking cows while watching friends show at the fair.

“I’ve always enjoyed coming to the fair,” Tieman said. “I’ve always come at least one day with my family, and then as I got older, I would hang out with friends showing dairy. I realized it was something I wanted to do, but I didn’t just want to borrow a calf from someone. I wanted to buy my own, do the work involved, and get the full experience.”

Tieman’s affinity for Milking Shorthorns was born early.

“My dad picked up a Milking Shorthorn cross when I was younger; I think she had some Jersey in her,” Tieman said. “I really liked her; she seemed really docile. They seemed like an original breed around the area.”

When the desire to begin his own herd overcame him, Tieman remembered that cow.

“I liked the coloring, especially the darker ones at first, and how they acted,” Tieman said. “I started doing some research and learned there was a state sale in Neillsville, so I started saving money and was able to buy my first heifer at the sale in 2024. Once I got her home and started working with her, I fell even more in love with the breed.”

Since that initial purchase, he added a calf and a springing heifer. Herd growth has been slow, Tieman said, with more bull calves born than heifer calves. His first heifer calf was born this summer, and Tieman is excited to watch her develop.

“I’m looking forward to raising her and being able to show her next year,” Tieman said. “So far the Clark County Fair is the only show I’ve gone to, but next year I might try to go to a couple other shows, like the Chippewa fair or the high protein show they hold here in Neillsville.”

As a new Milking Shorthorn breeder, Tieman has been putting in the time researching potential sires and planning matings to improve his herd. He is interested in working with polled genetics. He currently has a technician breed his cows but hopes to take a class to learn how to do his own breeding.

Tieman feeds his cows a ration of grain and hay.

“We do our own hay and crops,” Tieman said. “We have roughly 110 acres we do ourselves, then my grandfather has another 175 acres we help him with, too, so we’ve got good hay sources.”

Tieman has been balancing chores with school, milking before and after classes.

“Sometimes it’s hard, but I try to get my homework done early,” Tieman said. “I try to buckle down so I can get up early to get things done to be to school in time. I’ve been late a couple of times, but they’ve been pretty good to work with.”

Tieman plays on the school’s golf team and says his parents help him fill in the gaps when he plays in a match.

Tieman feeds the milk his cows produce to calves. His family uses an instant pot to pasteurize milk to make yogurt, and he is planning to try his hand at cheesemaking. He has been working to create soaps and lotions with his milk, with hopes to sell them as a revenue stream.

As he nears the midpoint of his final year of high school, Tieman has been considering how to continue building his herd while continuing his education.

“I’d like to be either an ag teacher or a tech ed teacher,” Tieman said. “I’d like to continue to have a dairy farm and buy some more cows and build my herd. I’d like to go to either (the University of Wisconsin) Stout or River Falls.”

As he weighs his options, Tieman said he is researching options for taking classes online to continue caring for his cows. He has also been discussing with his parents what role they might be willing to play in helping with the herd.

“I’m probably not going to be able to find a dorm room that will let me keep cows,” Tieman said.

Chasing his dream has been possible because of the support he has received from his parents, Tieman said.

“My mom and dad have been really supportive,” he said. “They help me out if I need it, but I like being there, doing the chores.”

The road he has traveled and the one he hopes to continue down are not easy paths, Tieman said, but that does not sway his determination.

“There’s a huge sense of accomplishment I feel, doing this,” he said. “Watching the cows change and develop is rewarding, and the feeling I had when my first heifer calf was born , that’s a feeling I hope I never forget. I enjoy milking the cows and working with them. It means a lot to me to be doing the same thing my grandpa and great-grandpa used to do, and I think about them every time I put that old Surge bucket on one of the cows.”