Leading the next generation

ARCADIA, Wis. — As a former state president of Wisconsin FFA, Collin Weltzien feels a sense of responsibility to help continue working with young farmers in his area. Since returning to his family farm in 2021, Weltzien continues to find leadership opportunities while navigating farming with his brother, Curtis, as the fourth generation at Weltzien Farms, where they milk 190 cows with their father, Keith. 

“I’ve been very fortunate, and to whom much is given, much is expected,” Weltzien said.
“Other people have poured into me, and with fewer and fewer young people going into production agriculture, having the opportunity to be a young farmer myself, I definitely plan to continue to advocate for farming and agriculture.”

Weltzien sits on the board of Buffalo County Farm Bureau and is also the board’s young farmer chair. In those roles, he helps host at least one event each year and keeps young farmers involved in the program.

He and his wife, Casey, recently completed the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Leadership Institute. He was also a speaker at Ag Day at the Capitol in Madison in January. More than 300 farmers and agriculturalists attended the event this year. Weltzien was invited to speak, and after doing so, he advocated for bills that he supported directly with legislators. 

“Learning to speak with legislators is something I think is a crucial skill,” Weltzien said. “I certainly plan to use that more as I go on through my farming career.”

Weltzien appreciates the strong community of local farmers in his area, using his position with Farm Bureau to talk to others who understand the challenges and situations that come with dairy farming.

“When you spend 70 hours a week on the farm and have a to-do list that never quite gets crossed off, it’s easy to get caught up in your own world,” Weltzien said. “It’s tough for other people to understand that unless they’ve lived it. That’s why it’s important to have friends and mentors to help you get through the highs and lows of dairy farming.”

Talking through ideas with young and experienced farmers alike helps his community continue to learn and evolve.

“Visiting with both young farmers who are going through the same thing as me and veteran farmers who have been farming for 50 years, that’s probably my favorite part of going to a monthly Farm Bureau meeting,” Weltzien said. “(I enjoy) talking to the other farmers, sharing laughs and learning from them, learning about their operations and what they do differently than us. It gives you a refreshed energy when you get back home.”

Having a solid network of peers can also be beneficial as farms continue to grow and evolve, exchanging practices and strategies to help further efficiencies. 

“Like any business, there’s always a need for improvement and innovation,” Weltzien said. “If you can learn how other farmers are doing that or gain insight into what has worked or what didn’t work for others, I think that can go a long way in helping keep your farm profitable into the future.”

Weltzien Farms continues its journey of family working together. Prior to Collin and Curtis joining the ownership group, the farm was owned and managed by Keith and his two brothers. Collin, Curtis and Keith now own the dairy, with a younger brother, Connor, planning to return after finishing school at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where he is a member of the baseball team.

“Going to work every day with your family is the best part, most days anyway,” Weltzien said. “I definitely considered it a privilege to make a living working with them on the farm every day.”

Brothers working together at Weltzien Farms has become a tradition, something Collin, Curtis and Connor look forward to continuing as the farm turned 100 years old last year.

“It was pretty much always the plan, us coming back to the farm,” Weltzien said. “We were always told to keep an open mind and to explore our options, but we both decided there’s no place we’d rather be. So when we started winding down college, the action with the transition plan started to pick up. So many things have to go right to get a farm to the next generation, and we’re just so thankful it worked out for us.”

Seeing how their dad worked with his brothers helped Weltzien and his brother each carve their own role on the farm. Weltzien works more consistently with the cows, while Curtis is more mechanical.

“Our roles came about naturally,” Weltzien said. “I love being with the animals in the day-to-day work —the feeding, vaccinating, breeding and record keeping side of things. My brother is more of the fix-it mechanic, fieldwork kind of guy. But we all do a little of everything wherever needed, and we’re looking forward to seeing where Connor fits in after graduation.”

The farm’s 100-year tradition is not lost on Weltzien, as he and Casey recently started a family of their own, welcoming their son, Claton. Weltzien hopes to provide his children with the same opportunities he was afforded growing up on the farm and in his community.

“My family inspired me to keep going in agriculture,” Weltzien said. “I hope some kids can see me as someone who went to college and could have gone and done something else, but chose to come back to his family farm and stay in his local community. Maybe someday they’ll want to do that too.”

Lessons learned on the farm continue to showcase themselves throughout his dairy life. 

“Farming provides such a humbling lifestyle; it keeps you grounded,” Weltzien said. “So many things are out of your control. You can put in time and hard work and do all the right things, and you’re still going to have cattle get sick, the weather mess up your crops and the milk price go down. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do your best work every day, enjoy the journey along the way and trust the man upstairs that it’s all going to work out in the end. That same lesson applies to the game of life.”