There has been a transition with family farms for many decades. Dairy farming has slowly, and not so slowly, accelerated from small family farms milking a small number of cows to milking several hundred and some milking several thousand or they go out of business. Farming has changed the way the crops are raised and produced. In the past, hay was bailed primarily in small rectangular bales weighing 50-85 pounds. It was labor intensive putting up thousands of bales and filling the barns for the cattle during the winter months. Now, hay is chopped and put in tube-like enclosures hundreds of feet long, and in huge piles. Other times hay is baled in large round bales weighing several hundred pounds each. This transition in farming has made the old hip-style barns obsolete. Milking the cows has moved from the stanchion to the milking parlor. Over the next 2-3 weeks we will be interviewing farmers who have transitioned away from milking cows. We will see the reason(s) why.
Our first interview will be with Ken and Carol TeBos at the TeBos Family Farm in Aetna Township, Missaukee County by Falmouth. As we will see during our interview this family farm was started in 1926 and is now a four-generation farm.
Marion Press: Ken and Carol, tell us where you were raised.
Ken: I was born in Mercy Hospital in Cadillac and raised here on the farm, which is at 3378 S. Eight Mile Road,
Falmouth. I have lived here all my life.
Carol: I was born at Mercy Hospital and raised just north of Falmouth.
MP: When did the farm start becoming a family farm?
Ken: My grandparents, Nick and Stella TeBos purchased the farm in 1926. My grandfather Nick was a blacksmith in Vogel Center. He saw blacksmithing coming to an end and decided to buy this farm and start milking cows right away with 10-12 cows. Initially, Nick and Stella purchased 180 acres and later purchased another 200. They started dairy right away and like everyone during that period, they had chickens. They both milked cows by hand. My grandparents were one of the first farmers who purchased milking machines. The milking machine was DE Laval. When they started milking, they sold grade “B” milk, which means it in 10-gallon cans and placed in a cooler. Milk haulers would come and pick up the cans every day or two.
MP: Tell me about your grandparents, Nick, and Stella.
Ken: Both Nick and Stella were born in this country. However, their parents were immigrants, and they came from the Old Country, The Netherlands. As I mentioned, Nick and Stella moved here from Vogel Center in 1926 when they bought the farm.
MP: Tell us about your parents and when they took over the farm.
Ken: My parents, Marv and Ruth, purchased the farm from their parents in the early 1950’s. Dad and Mom were married in 1952 and that was about the time they took over the farm. They continued with the dairy and milked about 50-60 cows in the 80’s and we gradually increased the number over the years. In addition to having milk cows, we always raised the steers for beef, so this is nothing new for us. Carol and I purchased the farm from them, but Marv never really retired.
MP: Do you recall your parents talking or even your grandparents when they first got electricity here?
Ken: No, I don’t, but my great-grandpa built a generator in Vogel. So, they had electricity there. He owned the store in Vogel, which is on the east side of the road. I don’t know when they got electricity here, however. There was a windmill in front of the house for water.
MP: When did the house get indoor plumbing?
Ken: They got indoor plumbing in the 1940’s.
MP: When did you take over from your dad?
Ken: I took over in the late 80s and increased our herd to 130 Holstein Cows. We increased the number of buildings as we increased the herd. When we sold the cows, we retro’ed the buildings for steers.
MP: When did you sell your cows?
Ken: We sold our cows in October 2021.
MP: Why did you get out of the dairy business?
Ken: We got out of the dairy business because we were having trouble finding the type of help, we needed to be effective in the business. In the end, it was just my son Chad and myself, with Carol helping when she could. We were working 16-hour days without a break. We worked seven days a week with no time away.
MP: It is surprising to me that the reason you left the dairy business was because you couldn’t get the type of help you needed. I thought maybe because there was an increase in cost. I thought that because of an increase in cost, you would have had to increase your herd to have more cash flow. That was not the case.
Ken & Carol: We managed so the money was not the issue. The issue remained getting the quality of help that was required. We examined different avenues of hiring the help we needed, but we just could not effectively acquire the labor we needed, so the decision was made to sell the milk cows.
MP: Since ending the dairy business you transitioned to a new line of work but still in the cattle business. You have moved from the dairy line to the raising of beef. Please explain how that started and how it has evolved into what you are doing today.
Ken: We decided to switch to beef and it took us about a year to change to all beef. Our steers are Angus/Holstein cross. In addition to selling our meat by the quarter, half, or whole steers, we sell at the Farmer’s Markets. This past November, we opened the farm for direct sales. The farm store is open on the first Saturday of each month from 10-4 pm. We do accept snap cards/bridge cards and credit cards.
We are licensed through the State of Michigan. All our meat is USDA-processed. Our processor is “RRR” in Buckley. We also sell some pork that we raise on the farm. We also sell Maple Syrup from Highland Hills, by Marion. We sell honey in the farm store from Moonlit Farms, by Falmouth. Our business is a work in progress. People can contact us through Facebook-TeBos Family Farm, CALL US AT 231-878-5673 or email. tebosfamilyfarm@gmail.com
MP: You took over the farm in the late 80’s and early 90’s from your parents, Marv, and Ruth. Your son Chad is farming with you. Tell, us about your son Chad.
Ken: He lives here on the farm and in the farmhouse that my grandparents purchased, my parents lived in, and where I grew up. We raised our 4 children on this farm. While Chad, his wife, Ayshya, and their two girls moved into the farmhouse, Carol and I moved down the road.
At present, we raise more beef than we sell at the market and from our store. We sell at least a dozen head at the sale barn each month. However, we sell and butcher about 300 steers a year in total.
MP: Tell us about your family. Do you have more children than Chad?
Carol: We have 4 children, Haley, Chad, Bryce, and Casey. We have 5 grandchildren.
MP: Ken, I know that you were raised here on the farm and have remained here your entire life. Carol, tell us about you.
Carol: I grew up on a dairy farm as well, which was just north of Falmouth. My parents are Roger and Betty Molhoek.
Tribute to Ken’s Parents: Marv & Ruth and the Aetna CRC: I have known Marv and Ruth for many years. There is an adage that says, “Don’t be so Heavenly minded, that you are no earthly good.” This would not at all fit Marv and Ruth. My history of this couple goes back to the late summer or early fall of 1959. Our friends and neighbors, Carvel, Ras, and Ila Rasberry, across the road, lost their barn in a fire. The very next day Marv and Ruth, along with other members of the Aetna CRC, were at the Rasberry home helping with the devastation from the fire. There were cattle killed in the fire and cattle that escaped the fire only to be without food. Marv and Ruth as well as others from that little CRC church at the base of the Aetna Hill were there bringing feed for the cattle and food for the workers. It was a regular neighborhood work bee. Oh, there were others from the community there to help. Marv and Ruth and this little band of parishioners kept coming and coming. The days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and eventually into years. This band of faithful Jesus followers could not save the world, but they could and did contribute to saving a couple. Before this event, Ras and Ila did not attend church or profess a faith in Christ. This couple started to attend church. Where do you suppose they attended? Yes, it was the little Aetna Church. Ras and Ila became regular attendees not missing Sunday morning worship. When each of them passed from this life to the next, where do you suppose their funerals were? Yes, they were held in this little church. Yes, and they are buried in the Aetna Cemetery.
When I returned to the farm after having double knee replacement surgery, Marv, without being asked, drove in with his pickup with a walker, a cane, and a stationary bike. This couple and those others surrounding them put their feet to their faith and touched lives in meaningful ways. I can hear the Father saying, “Well Done, Good and Faithful Servants!!!” Steve Boven