Essential Heroes
WOOD COUNTY FARM BUREAU MEMBERS HIGHLIGHTED DURING 2021 SUPER BOWL SEGMENT
By Cassie Sonnentag
F
ootball fans across America unite on one night for the greatest game of them all, the Super Bowl. Whether they are watching the game, the commercials or the halftime show, millions of Americans gather with their families to partake in the game every year. Wood County Farm Bureau members, Alan and Stephanie Hughes, are no different. This year, the food was prepared, chores were done early and the entire family gathered around the TV as the game time inched closer. The Hughes family was not cheering for a particular team or waiting on a particular performer, but rather were waiting for a very special segment. Prior to Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7, the Hughes family was highlighted in a moving piece named “Essential,” representing agriculture as an essential industry in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The family owns Sunsett Dairy, a 55-cow dairy farm near Pittsville. Like many Americans, their lives were completely disrupted by the pandemic. “Throughout the pandemic, the land and cattle still needed to be taken care of,” Stephanie said. “Any of us farming still had to do what we do; agriculture doesn’t stop.” In addition to farming, Alan is in his second enlistment as an F-16 Crew Chief for the Wisconsin Air National Guard. In 2019, Alan was deployed to the Bagram Airforce Base in Bagram, Afghanistan, as part of the 115th Fighter Wing. After returning home in late 2019, he said he was looking forward to returning to the farm. “I was always looking for a little break from the day-to-day work on the farm. My break just happens to be getting to work on F-16 fighter jets,” Alan said. “While I was in Afghanistan,
16
Rural Route
all of the harvest work fell on Steph’s shoulders. That is a lot of work for one person, so I was looking forward to being back home to help with planting.” Coronavirus had different plans. In April, as the virus made its way to the Midwest, Alan was called to assist with testing processes. He received a temporary certified nursing assistant certification to assist in the field hospital at the Wisconsin State Fair Park, if needed, but was ultimately transferred to a call center to report test results back to patients. “There were days when people were making up to 600 calls each,” Alan recalled. Back at home, Stephanie worked to balance the dayto-day work of the farm, spring planting season and caring for their three children, Bryce, 10; Gavin, 9; and Derek, 4. Once homeschooling became an inevitable reality, schedules were adjusted to make the balance more manageable. “I would get up and out for chores by 3 a.m. so I could make it in by 6:30 a.m. to start schoolwork with our oldest two before our youngest woke up,” Stephanie said. “It was during this time that made me really feel lucky to have this occupation to be here with the kids WISCONSIN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
