Sam Cassellius gets ready to milk cows, an almost everyday occurrence for him.
Sam Cassellius, a Glenwood City High School senior and the GCHS FFA Chapter’s vice president of community development, is plenty involved in his community. “[I’m] the guy who’s milking cows,” Cassellius says. “When I have nothing else to do, I milk cows.”
Cassellius spends a lot of his free time working for two local farmers, Brad Voeltz and Paul Bartz, as a farmhand. He takes care of feeding, cleaning and, of course, milking by himself.
Cassellius shows off the Bartz family’s tile-style milking barn before bringing in cows for morning milking.
The heart of Wisconsin’s dairy industry has long been built on the heritage of small hometown farms, including the hired help they use to keep operations running. According to a 2024 Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection (DATCP) survey, 99% of Wisconsin dairy farmers identified as being family-owned. This rings true for the Bartzes, who are currently working on their third-generation, family-owned dairy in Connorsville, Wisc.
According to Bartz, this path is not easy. “[Running] a small dairy like this right now, in this day and age, is very tough.”
The Bartzes’ third-generation milking barn, including cows ready to be milked.
The Bartzes care deeply for the work they do and their animals. When asked about what he wanted people to know about small dairy farming, Bartz wanted to ensure people knew he takes good care of his animals. He, his family and some help milk about 50 cows twice a day, every day.
“This is our livelihood and where the money is, so we treat the cows very well,” he adds. “I mean, because we have to. It’s just the way it is. I’ve been doing this almost 40 years now.”
Paul Bartz speaks about his experience as a third-generation small dairy farmer of almost 40 years.
Cassellius’s work in agriculture goes further than his supervised agricultural experience (SAE). He’s been an FFA member for five years, saying, “It’s not just farming, and it’s not just agriculture. It’s a lot of stuff compacted under one organization.”
Cassellius plays with his favorite barn cat, Earl, while waiting a round of milking to finish.
Cassellius speaks highly of how many agricultural experiences he’s had through FFA. “[It’s] is a lot about leadership, and a lot of good stuff can happen when you join FFA,” he adds.
