Ryan Dennis: Dairy dads, disappearing farms and the story he didn't tell

Columnist Ryan Dennis has been writing for Progressive Dairy for many years. In addition, he’s also a published author. His most recent book is titled Barn Gothic: Three Generations and the Death of the Family Dairy Farm. It's a memoir about his own family dairy farm. At the center of the story is his dad, who taught him everything about handling cattle, farming and running a dairy. Most dairy dads are heroes. And Ryan’s book is a tribute to his own dairy hero and the many others just like him. 

Walt and Ryan talk about father-son working relationships, the pressures of writing a monthly column on deadline, and the one story he deliberately left out of the book to not distract from his father's legacy. We also get into what it feels like to watch the family dairy disappear.

Highlights 

• 1:30 – Ryan Dennis - a master of ‘show don’t tell’ writing
• 4:30 – ‘Quiet violence’ – the loss of 1/2 of U.S. dairy farms in two decades 
• 6:00 – ‘The rhythm of farming’ 
• 9:00 – Why did you want to write this book?
• 12:00 – Do you see your dad as hero or victim in this story?
• 15:00 – ‘An ember of toughness’
• 17:30 – Father-son relationships in farming 
• 20:00 – A story that didn’t make it into the book
• 23:15 – What would you redo about your life while dairying?
• 26:10 – Why do people still farm if it’s not often very profitable?  
• 30:25 – What are your fondest memories of writing for Progressive Dairy? 
• 34:00 – What would U.S. dairy farmers find interesting about Irish dairying?