Boehl-View Ranch

Boehl-View Ranch is owned by Robert & Dawn Boehlke in Random Lake, Wisconsin. Once operated as a beef farm, that portion has been retired and it is now a Cash Crop operation. The Boehlkes didn’t get rid of all of their livestock. They still have some cows and feeders left, some horses for riding, and always raise some pigs in the summer.

As a freshman in high school, Bob was given a choice to live in town or on his Dad’s hobby farm. “I didn’t like it in town,” Bob said. Living on the farm was his choice, even though he knew it would involve a lot of hard work and there was a stipulation from his Dad that chores would be done before the bus came. They were raising Angus cattle and showed them throughout the country. Bob eventually moved off his Dad’s farm to start his own. He began with a bull calf. It was a champion bull from Denver and he still has cattle from that genetic line. As far back as Bob remembers, they have always had horses, too. He even has a horse that goes back 7 generations to one of their original horses.

Bob and Dawn’s favorite part of farming is working with the animals and they enjoy the challenge of agriculture. They are passionate about figuring out how to accomplish things people say you will ‘never’ be able to get done. They are determined that ‘never’ won’t be a word they will ever accept without a proper fight in farming and with his life. When Bob was 23, he slipped off a silo and fell 40 feet. “I had 14 fractures,” he stated. “They gave me a 25% chance to live and were unsure if I would ever walk again.” Hearing the doctor say that, he asked the doctor if he could ride a horse. The doctor told him he would never ride a horse again. “I was in the hospital for 5 months, 2 weeks, 2 days, since I had 26 surgeries,” Bob said, “and seven months after the accident, I was on a horse.”

Agriculture has been a mainstay for Bob and Dawn their whole life. He has been involved with 4-H and FFA, selling the first steer and lamb at the Sheboygan County Fair. Right out of high school, he was the first treasurer for Tri-County Pork Producers. He served 17 years on the Horse and Pony Project. He started the Renegade Drill Team and helped to start Gymkhana speed show horse classes for the County Fair. He was a part of the State Junior Angus Show, when that needed some help to get started. He showed cattle, he was a ringman, and he was a judge. He was involved in large shows for horse, cattle, and dairy, achieving recognition as the 43rd person to have a perfect score in the Hoards Dairymen. Bob is part of the Forage Council for Sheboygan County, Dairy Promotions, and the Holstein Association Board. He was on the Board of Directors for Kettle Lakes Co-op and helped at many of their Annual Meetings. He had several years on the Town Board for the Town of Sherman and 25 years in the Silver Creek Fire Department. His wife, Dawn, was on DHI Board. “The best part about being involved,” Bob said, “is getting to meet people where you don’t expect to.”

Bob enjoys making homemade wine and donates a lot of it to silent auctions at benefits and fundraisers. He still enjoys riding horses, trail riding, and helping kids out with their horses. Working with the young people inspires him.

We don’t want to give his secret away, but Bob is known for leaving Snickers candy bars in unexpected places. He hides them where they can be easily found. That little surprise puts a smile on everyone’s face! Thank you for doing that, Bob, and for being this week’s Farmer Friday! We wish you and your family all the best as we head into the New Year!

#FarmerFriday ...post #103. To show our appreciation to our producer members Country Visions Cooperative will be giving a snapshot look of our customers and their operations in this feature each Friday