Dreaming “It’ll never work.”
“You have to be born into it.” “It’s going to be hard.” Ty Etgen has heard all these frequently about his aspirations of becoming a dairy farmer. The Ohioan knew from a young age this was his dream. Growing up in the town of Wapakoneta, Etgen recalled, “I’ve always wanted to be a dairy farmer for as long as I can remember.” Whether it was seeing friends’ farms or exploring the countryside while visiting his grandfather, he has held onto his dream.
parents raised, the two met through showing, which started something beautiful. They now have two sons, Cash, 7, and Henry, 5. Etgen wasn’t going to stop until his dream fully became a reality. Out of his 30 cows that were housed with Fisher, he kept 12 of the best and moved to Heather’s parents’ farm, Ron and Patti Kennedy, that had not operated for 10 years. For the next 2.5 years, Etgen milked anywhere from 12 to 20 cows while also working off-farm with Ron doing welding fabrication.
At 16, while in high school, he secured a job on a dairy farm owned by Richard and Kim Steinke. He worked there for a few years and then took Etgen knew it was a start, but on a full-time farming role with he still wasn’t a full-time dairy Blair Lammers. When the econofarmer. With this thought and my struck the industry in 2009, he Ty and Heather met in the show ring and last year they had some buildings having age on great success at the Ohio State Fair,garnering the coveted decided to attend The Ohio State them, a new 100-cow compost Premier Breeder Banner. Grayson Gahring, (far right) University Agricultural Technibarn and a double-seven herhelped get the cattle looking their best for the ring. cal Institute (ATI) for a degree in ringbone parlor were constructdairy science. While at ATI, Lamdream, he still found time and is thankful ed on the farm in 2015 - and Etmers connected Etgen with Air-Osa in Pix- for his journey on the Ohio 4-H and OSU gen-Way in Harrod, Ohio, was born! ley, California, for a 2010 internship work- ATI dairy judging teams. Filling the new barn has been a coming with approximately 3,000 cows. Shortly after, 2011 saw a partnership bination of his and Heather’s cows, buying It was here that he was offered jobs, but between Etgen and Phil Fisher for three more and housing animals for other peohe said, “I didn’t take them, because I had years. The two milked approximately 60 ple. “I have bought some good heifers and a dream and I wanted to follow that dream cows. Just a couple years later, Etgen mar- cows for not a whole lot, and been able to of working for myself and starting my own ried his show-ring sweetheart, Heather breed from there,” Etgen explained. “Like farm.” Even though Etgen was working Kennedy. Although she showed Ayrshires many, I focus on type and udder. I like a long hours on farms and was pursuing his because that’s what her parents and grand- high DPR (daughter pregnancy rate) too 8
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OHIO NEWS
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
