| October 2004
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| | ISBN 1-59113-592-3) is a collection of 20
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| For Immediate Release...
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| | true stories that took place on her
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| Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam
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| | family's farm 40 years ago. Story titles
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| COLFAX, WISCONSIN - Did you know that
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| | include "Taking the Bull by the Horns,"
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| since 1969, the United States has lost 85
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| | "Spring Cleaning," "A Different Sort of
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| percent of its dairy farms. And did you
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| | Cow," "Dad's Favorite Recipe," "Popsicle
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| know that since 1969, Wisconsin has lost
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| | Blues," "On Top of the World," and
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| nearly 70 percent of its dairy farms?
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| | "Better Butter."
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| "I lived away from my hometown in west
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| | According to Midwest Book Review, Ralph's
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| central Wisconsin for 15 years. When I
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| | first book, Christmas In Dairyland: True
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| returned in the mid 1990s, I expected to
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| | Stories From A Wisconsin Farm "is a
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| be living in a farming community again.
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| | heartwarming anthology of true anecdotes
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| Instead, I discovered that many of the
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| | of rural life on a Wisconsin dairy farm.
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| small family dairy farms like the one
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| | Even though Wisconsin is still known as
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| where I grew up had disappeared" said
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| | America's Dairyland, life on a family
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| LeAnn R. Ralph, author of the books
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| | homestead is fast being replaced by
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| Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from
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| | corporate agribusiness, and the memories
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| a Wisconsin Farm) (August 2003) and Give
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| | treasured in Christmas In Dairyland are
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| Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam
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| | quickly becoming unique milestones of an
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| (October 2004).
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| | era needing to be preserved in thought
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| Figures from the Census of Agriculture
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| | and print for the sake of future
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| and from the American Farm Bureau
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| | generations. Christmas In Dairyland is
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| Federation indicate that in 1969 more
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| | simply wonderful reading and is a 'must'
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| than a half a million dairy farms
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| | for all Wisconsin public library
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| operated in the United States, but by the
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| | collections."
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| year 2000, only 83,000 dairy farms
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| | Ralph earned a Bachelor of Arts in
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| remained. And according to statistics
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| | English with a writing emphasis from the
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| from the U.S. Census of Agriculture,
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| | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and
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| during the last three decades of the
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| | also earned a Master of Arts in Teaching
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| twentieth century, Wisconsin went from
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| | from UW-Whitewater. She worked as a
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| 66,000 dairy farms down to 20,000 dairy
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| | newspaper reporter for nine years and
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| farms.
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| | also has taught English at a boys'
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| "That's why I decided to write stories
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| | boarding school. She is the editor of the
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| about growing up on a dairy farm. Our
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| | Wisconsin Regional Writer (the quarterly
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| farm was home-steaded by my Norwegian
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| | publication of the Wisconsin Regional
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| great-grandfather in the late 1800s, but
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| | Writers' Assoc.).
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| small family farms are a thing of the
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| | Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam
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| past. They have pretty much disappeared
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| | and Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories
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| from the landscape," Ralph said.
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| | from a Wisconsin Farm)are available
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| "My dad milked 20 cows and knew all of
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| | through Barnes & Noble and For more
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| them by name. Nowadays the trend is
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| | information or to order the books, visit
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| toward corporate farms that milk hundreds
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| | or call LeAnn at (715) 962-3368.
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| of cows," she said.
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| | Contact Information:
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| Ralph's new book, Give Me a Home Where
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| | LeAnn R. Ralph; E6689 970th Ave.
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| the Dairy Cows Roam (192 pages; $13.95;
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|
