For the past 10 years, we have been exploring Wisconsin’s agricultural “memory” by recording its people at farm kitchen tables, banks, cheese plants, corporate offices and agricultural fairs. Each of the stories we’ve recorded reminds us of how interesting, thoughtful and “historically important” the people of Wisconsin agriculture are. These are the men and women whose labor, intelligence, and faith created the present we enjoy. By knowing them we will know ourselves better. What better way to know them then to listen to them in their own voices.
Meet: Loretta McGlynn
How do you keep a healthy heart at age 93? … Take care of calves every day of course!
Loretta McGlynn, “people call me Dimp,” is a 93 year old dairy farmer who has spent her entire life in Richland County. At age 90 she was named Richland County Dairy Farm Woman of the Year, even driving her tractor in the parade honoring her. At age 90!
Ms. McGlynn raised 9 children herself after her husband died in a farm accident. Now she goes up the road to that farm twice a day to renew her affection for life by caring for her son’s calves. She says it’s her way of keeping her heart healthy and strong. It seems to work for her.
Listen to an interview with Loretta… click on the image below.
Ed Janus
Ed Janus spent two years as a dairy farmer in Crawford County, where he fell in love with cows, fields, barns, and farmers. Since then he has interviewed hundreds of people as an audio journalist, writer, and oral historian and has created radio programs for public radio, the Voice of America, and publishers in the United States and Germany. His first-person audio book on surviving breast cancer won top honors from the Audio Publishers Association in 1999. In 2007 Ed created a series of audio profiles of today’s dairy farmers and cheesemakers for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, and he recently founded the Wisconsin Dairy History Project. He lives in Madison where he founded both the Madison Muskies baseball team and the world-renowned Capital Brewery.
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