Longdale Family Farm Expansion and Stewardship in the Driftless Area of Western Wisconsin, USA: A Case History from 1888 to Present Day

First homesteaded in 1870, Longdale Farm (289 ha) in the Driftless Area hill country of west central Wisconsin, USA, has remained under the same family ownership since 1888 (138 years and five generations). Because such long-term family farm ownership and operation is very rare, our objective was to document and describe how the history and operational changes that took place on this family farm allowed it to continue under management of the same family, while so many other family farms were being sold off or transferred to commercial entities. We examined available farm records, diaries, and documents, governmental records, and historical photographs, and questioned living family members to gather data that allowed us to examine expected shifts away from self-sustaining farming, decreasing farm diversification, and changes in family interest in active farming. Hand-written entries in a multi-volume farm book or diary spanning 1913 through 2007 and information provided by living family members allowed for a generation-by-generation reconstruction of farm activities and assessments of changing practices. The farm has remained as a diversified operation throughout its history, including crop production, livestock (dairy and beef cattle, hogs, chickens) rearing, timber harvest, and wildlife and fish harvest. Farming priorities have shifted significantly across the generations, moving away from being largely self-sustaining but not becoming specialized in one particular area (e.g., dairy production) as have neighboring farms, instead remaining as a diversified operation. Multiple generations of family-owners still reside on and manage the farm with assistance from governmental land management professionals, but the farm’s croplands and pastures are now leased to neighboring farmers as a major source of farm income. Although the latest generations of farm owners have shifted away from active crop and livestock farming, Longdale Farm continues as a sustainable, revenue-generating operation available to future generations.