A friendly cow nudges her nose into frame to take her moment in the spotlight, while a member of a well-known Cuba City family presents in front of an international audience for National Farmers Day 2023.

Stephanie Tranel, wife of State Rep. Travis Tranel, grins as Bella, a Holstein/Jersey cow cross, nuzzles nose against her shoulder during the 2023 Organic Valley ‘World’s Biggest Small Farm Livestream.’

The wind, gray skies and chillier temperatures this month didn’t stop the day-long event that gave farmers across the country a chance to show the world their ag operations. 

Bundled up in a winter hat and jacket, Stephanie took to the fields of her family farm to answer questions from viewers and to highlight the work the Tranels do on their farm with Organic Valley during two, hour-long broadcasts Oct. 12. 

“The pasture is (the cows’) happy place,” said Stephanie to those who tuned in for the livestream. And that’s where the cameras rolled on her segments.

Though many locals may know Rep. Travis Tranel for his position in the Wisconsin State Assembly, some may not realize that he is also a member of the sixth generation of the Tranelfamily farm. And that Travis and Stephanie’s five kids, ages 7-14, will make up part of the seventh generation, said Stephanie.

On any given day, they have up to four generations of Tranels working on the farm at once, she added.

“We have a lot of fun" together, said Stephanie. “We’re all learning a lot.” 

There are about 30 family members in total involved with the farm currently, plus some additional full-time staff, so they can get a large amount of work done and still have some free time too, she added. 

“Farming is not easy,” but having that wide network of support helps a great deal, said Stephanie.

While not originally from a farming background herself, Stephanie realized she loved the lifestyle after meeting Travis, she said, as she learned how to milk cows and drive tractors during their early dates.

The couple is now in the process of passing these skills down to their kids, who are each starting to develop favorite tasks on the farm – from helping with the kittens to working with the larger animals to experiencing what it’s like using farm equipment, said Stephanie.

There’s a lot to learn on their farm setting, said Stephanie, since they have various types of cows, along with horses, barn cats, and other non-domesticated animals that make their homes on their land.

While milk is the primary product that the Tranels’ farm produces, they have also started selling beef and making soap for sale to diversify, said Stephanie.

Teaching the kids how to have a good work ethic and time management skills is a natural part of the farming way of life, said Stephanie. She explained to Organic Valley ‘World’s Biggest Small Farm Livestream’ viewers that on the Tranel farm, there are three milkings per day, with each taking about three-and-a-half to four hours total, including cleanup time. 

She described how the cows move between the family’s paddocks, which she compared to salad bars full of a variety of greens for the cows to eat. 

She noted during the livestream event that one of her favorite parts of the year is ‘Pasture Day,’ when the cows return to the fields in the spring. 

“It’s kind of like that last day of school when the bell rings,” she said. The cows jump and dance and prance around with excitement. “You really see their personalities (come out).”

Stephanie said that maintaining the pastures in an environmentally-friendly way is important to the Tranels. 

They want to make sure that they do the right thing for the land and leave it in a great condition for the generations to come, she said. 

Stephanie added that she’s also passionate about helping farmers show and tell the wider public their work.

“We love sharing what we do,” she said, which has led her to get more involved with Organic Valley’s marketing efforts.

For years, the Tranels have been providing farm tours and offering field trips of their place – leading up to taking part in this month’s livestream event, she said.

“We had people all over the world who were engaged” in the 2023 Organic Valley ‘World’s Biggest Small Farm Livestream,’ including folks from faraway places such as Belgium, said Stephanie. 

As K-12 classrooms and others tuned in and asked questions over chat, Stephanie gave them answers about everything from how much water cows drink a day, to how some of her family’s cows got named after Disney princesses. Her kids were involved in that decision-making process, she smiled. 

For those who missed the live stream but want to learn more, the recording is available on the ‘Organic Valley’ YouTube Page by searching for the video, ‘National Farmers Day | World's Biggest Small Farm Livestream | Organic Valley.’