Fifth generation taking the lead

WALLACE, Mich. — Sara Havelka’s enthusiasm for farming began early.

“As soon as she could walk, Sara had a shovel in her hand shoveling corn,” said her dad, Darrell Havelka. “She started cutting hay (pretty young). The rows weren’t straight, but so what? It got cut. Her mom always said Sara is a lot like me.”

Today, the 19-year-old is farming alongside her father as the fifth generation while also going to college. The Havelkas milk 54 cows and farm 303 acres at Havelka Farms near Wallace in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Cows are milked in a double-6 parlor and housed in a freestall barn. Darrell’s 80-year-old mother, Frances Havelka, still chops hay and corn and does bookwork for the farm Darrell’s dad purchased in 1983.

Sara said being a dairy farmer has been on her mind for a long time.

“I always liked it; I always liked being here,” she said. “Growing up, I spent more time here than at home some summers.”

Havelka Farms is located four miles from Mikrut Farm, where Sara and her father live. Sitting on the shores of the Menominee River, Mikrut Farm has remained in Frances’ family for 120 years since Jozef Mikrut bought it in 1905. Sara did the paperwork to attain centennial farm status.

“It was fun to dig into the farm’s history,” she said.

Sara attends Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, where she is studying dairy science. She will graduate next May and hopes to take over the farm someday.

Sara and her father have gone through a lot together. An only child, Sara was 11 years old when her mom, Christine, was diagnosed with Pompe disease — a rare genetic disorder. Her mom spent 213 days in a Green Bay hospital, more than 70 miles from home.
Once she was finally able to come back, Christine was on life support and required around-the-clock care, which Darrell and Sara provided.

After a 3.5-year battle, Christine died in 2021 when Sara was 15. Darrell and Sara persevered on together. Sara played basketball while also excelling academically, graduating as salutatorian.

“Our faith in Jesus got us through it,” Darrell said.

Two months after her mom’s passing, Sara poured her energy into a new hobby — restoring a little tractor that had been sitting in the shed for 20 years.

“It always interested me, and knowing it was my great-grandpa’s, I thought it would be cool to drive it,” Sara said.

The red 1946 Farmall B was the first tractor on the farm where Darrell grew up.

“We dragged it out of the shed, and family and friends helped her get it going again,” Darrell said.

The restoration took two years, but the painting and actual body work was completed in just over a month.

“We put in all new sealings and new bearings in the rear end and worked on the transmission,” Darrell said. “It took a while to find parts, but we know people who know people.”

Sara’s primary role was sanding, priming and painting the tractor.

“My brothers have a nice shop with a paint booth,” Darrell said. “We helped her tear it all down so she could paint it. Sara was hardly at the farm during the painting process. She was on a mission, and her uncles were there to give her tips.”

Sara said she enjoyed seeing it all come together.

“It looked bad when we started, and it took a while to realize what it could be,” she said. “A lot of work went into it, and it turned out well. It really came to life at the end when I was putting the decals on.”

The Havelkas raked hay with the restored Farmall last year, but they agreed it is more for show than for function.

“It doesn’t ride too nicely,” Sara said. “I drive it around a little, but I wanted it for my senior pictures. It got done just in time.”

Sara has her eye on a 1938 Case L to restore next, purchased by two of Darrell’s great-uncles, George and John Havelka.

“It will be more work than the other one,” Darrell said. “It has old Babbitt lead bearings on the engine crankshafts. There’s no one left who knows how to do that kind of work.”

With a wrench in her hand, Sara also helps keep the tractors running that she and her dad use on a regular basis.

“She replaced all the sickles and guards in the haybine by herself and greases most of the equipment,” Darrell said. “I’ve been told I lucked out having a daughter who’s also a mechanic.Sara grew up learning how to fix things.”

Sara’s dog, Ollie, goes everywhere with her and is a constant companion on the farm. The Australian Shepherd was a gift from Ally’s Wish, Inc., given to Sara during her mom’s sickness.

“Ally’s Wish is for kids with terminally ill moms, and Sara wanted a puppy,” Darrell said.

From doing health exams on cows to treating calves, Sara has taken the lead on many aspects of the operation.

“If something happened to me, she could do it,” Darrell said. “She can do everything on the farm. I made sure of that when she started here. I would say, ‘Go do it.’”

Sara has been doing all the mating of their polled Holstein and Jersey herd for the last couple of years.

“I look at components a lot and udders when picking bulls,” she said.

Sara is gaining additional hands-on experience through internships. Last year, she worked for a veterinary clinic, and this year, she hopes to work at another local farm.

“She has seen a lot of farms and talked to a lot of people,” Darrell said. “She gets other ideas beyond just what we do here. I had free rein when I took over from my dad, and Sara has free rein, too.”

Sara said in the future she would like to create a better maternity/transition setup and perhaps build a new barn for this purpose.

“We just have a little pen for calving now, but I would like to have something more,” she said.

Sara is as much a fixture in the field as she is in the barn.

“We no-till everything, but that’s Sara’s job now,” Darrel said. “She’s in charge, whether she likes it or not. She does the planting, and she plants straight; there’s no overlap. She plants better than I do.”

The Havelkas ship their milk with Michigan Milk Producers Association, where it is sold for fluid consumption.

“It’s important to me and important to my mom that there is someone to take over the farm,” Darrell said. “I’m proud as all get out of Sara.”