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