Part 3 of our series: We Never Thought We'd Be Doing This But Here We Are
Tom's Point of View
Tom Neisen . . . a man of few words and many talents —some talents uncovered in the last year or so . . .
Tom is our Chief Operating Officer, Head of Quality Control, #1 Hamburger Browner, and Star Dishwasher.
Born into a very large family, he was number 17 of 18 children! Tom was born and raised on a farm getting to do what he loved— milking and raising dairy cattle. He was a pretty good basketball player too— but what Neisen isn’t?!
The stars aligned when he and Kathy started dating. They’d known each other most their lives— those closer to the family know that Tom and his brother Gene are married to the sisters who started this business.
Tom and Kathy were soon married and had two boys. A few years later, Tom worked and lived with his family at the Moorman’s Research Dairy Farm. His experience with dairy cattle was welcomed— Tom was born to be a dairyman.
In the 70’s, Tom and Kathy were able to start their very own dairy herd.
Trent and Lance (Niki’s brothers) were raised doing a lot of the farm work at the homestead including milking three times a day and anything and everything in between.
Tom worked and lived (for a few years) at Moorman’s Research Farm until it closed in the mid-90’s. This was a sudden and scary change, as Tom had always had employment outside of the home dairy. Shortly after, Senteka Holsteins (Tom and Kathy’s registered Holstein herd) expanded the milk house and milking parlor— doubling the amount of cows they were able to milk while doubling the amount of milk they were able to safely store and hold on the farm. Years later the old Moorman Research Farm came up for auction, and he felt so tied to that farm and land, that he made it work to be able to raise heifers and steers for his own growing dairy.
Tom has dedicated his life and career to dairy production. He understands the work that goes into raising cattle and putting lots of milk, cheese, and ice cream around tables all over the midwest. He knows there’s not an easy button for anything. He’s taught us how to work hard for the things we want, and he’s taught us that “sorry doesn’t cut it” and that “actions speak louder than words.”
In December of 2022, he milked his herd for the last time.
He now keeps busy feeding beef cattle, putting up fence, doing groundwork, or one of the many other chores at the homestead. Things around the farm are getting a facelift, and he’s been able to help us with several ongoing projects in the kitchen.After milking the cows twice a day everyday for over 60 years, the break is a welcomed change.
When asked about his thoughts on cooking, we weren’t surprised when he didn’t have much to say.
There’s no stopping this man. He’s a true celebrity and a hero in our eyes.
Do you have a Tom Neisen memory? We’d love to hear it in the comments below!
Let’s hear a round of applause for the one, the only, Tom Neisen!