Farming: A family affair

WEST BEND — After winning the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor award recently, Diane Streit reminisced about the incredible opportunity she had to raise her children on a farm and the invaluable life lessons it taught them.

Diane and Tony Streit have been running their family farm for 34 years. They’ve raised three children, Lindsey, Courtney, and Logan, and now have nine grandchildren.

Married in November 1986, Diane and Tony initially worked at a cattle facility in Kansas. They returned to West Bend to help with the family farm, initially raising hogs and crops, eventually adding sheep to the operation, and trading hogs and sheep for cattle.

"In 1990, we moved out to the family farm, and Tony's parents moved to town. It was financially challenging for the first several years as we were just coming off the '80s farm crisis," Diane said.

Diane speaks fondly of raising their three children, Lindsey, Courtney, and Logan, on the farm. "It was a wonderful experience raising our children on the farm — having their dad working outside the door where they could hop in the truck or tractor for a ride was priceless," she said.

The children enjoyed immersing themselves in many activities, including making mud pies, playing olden days, and riding anything with wheels.

"Logan enjoyed hard work at an early age. He was more than happy to help his dad with any work that needed to be done. The girls would help with power washing, baling hay, planting trees, and we all had to lend a hand when the animals got out.”

Logan, in particular, showed a strong affinity for farming from a young age and has now joined the farm full-time. "When Logan found out Kindergarten was five days a week, he said that was not going to work because how was Dad going to run the farm without him," Diane recalled.

Diane and Tony are now honored to share their farming traditions with their nine grandchildren, emphasizing hard work and the importance of earning one's way in life. Diane hopes future generations appreciate the sacrifices made by their ancestors to sustain the farm and remain grateful for the opportunities provided by this legacy.

"You have to show up every day. Life is not going to hand you anything; you're not entitled. You need to work hard and earn it,“ she said.

"Our grandson Levi is only three but has declared his love for farming already," Diane said, showing promise that this farm will be around for generations to come.

However, she hopes the coming generations remember "that multiple families have worked tirelessly to create this way of life and ensure that it remains viable for the next generation. I hope each new generation keeps an awareness and gratitude for the opportunity that they have been given due to the blood, sweat, and tears of their fathers and grandfathers before them.“