Dan Smith displays a photo of his former dairy herd as it grazes north of Freeport, Illinois. Smith's poems speak to the loss of dairy farms throughout the country. In Wisconsin, 41,000 herds have vanished since 1978.
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Dan Smith, a poet and former dairy farmer, with his wife, Cheryl, outside their barn across the road from their home in rural Arena. The 1951 Farmall tractor has been in Smith's family for 70 years.
Dan Smith's poem "Chasing Chores" is included in his book "Ancestral."
A photo of Dan and Cheryl Smith's boys when they were young is on display next to a sketch of their former dairy farm north of Freeport, Ill., in an office space in their barn near Arena.
A portion of a barn on Dan Smith's 22-acre property near Arena serves as a writing space. Smith moved to the area in 2008 after a life of farming in northern Illinois.
Not all of the tools from Dan Smith's former farm in northern Illinois were sold at auction. Some hang in a former chicken coop turned tool shed at his home near Arena.
The kitchen table of Dan Smith's home near Arena is covered with photos of his former farm in northern Illinois. Memories are precious for Smith, whose new book of poetry draws on his decades of farming and his experiences as a farm financial counselor in Wisconsin.
Photos: The poetry and Arena farm of Dan Smith
The poetry of Dan Smith
Dan Smith, a poet and former dairy farmer, reads one of his poems from his book "Ancestral" at his home near Arena.
The poetry of Dan Smith
Dan Smith, a poet and former dairy farmer in northern Illinois, reads one of his poems from his new book "Ancestral" at his home near Arena. The poems draw from not only his time farming but from three years as a farm financial counselor in Wisconsin.
The poetry of Dan Smith
A portion of a barn on Dan Smith's 22-acre property near Arena serves as a writing space. Smith moved to the area in 2008 after a life of farming in northern Illinois.
The poetry of Dan Smith
Dan Smith displays a photo of his former dairy herd as it grazes north of Freeport, Illinois. Smith's poems speak to the loss of dairy farms throughout the country. In Wisconsin, 41,000 herds have vanished since 1978.
The poetry of Dan Smith
A milk can used by Dan Smith's father in northern Illinois is stored in an out building at his home near Arena.
The poetry of Dan Smith
Dan Smith, a poet and former dairy farmer, with his wife, Cheryl, outside their barn across the road from their home in rural Arena. The 1951 Farmall tractor has been in Smith's family for 70 years.
The poetry of Dan Smith
Dan Smith's poem "Chasing Chores" is included in his book "Ancestral."
The poetry of Dan Smith
The kitchen table of Dan Smith's home near Arena is covered with photos of his former farm in northern Illinois. Memories are precious for Smith, whose new book of poetry draws on his decades of farming and his experiences as a farm financial counselor in Wisconsin.
The poetry of Dan Smith
Dan Smith's book "Ancestral," is 99 pages of poetry he wants farmers and non farmers to read. The books speaks to the joys and challenges of farming.
The poetry of Dan Smith
Not all of the tools from Dan Smith's former farm in northern Illinois were sold at auction. Some hang in a former chicken coop turned tool shed at his home near Arena.
The poetry of Dan Smith
This 1951 Farmall tractor was purchased new by Dan Smith's father and used on the family farm in northern Illinois for nearly 60 years. It now has a home near Arena, where Smith lives with his wife, Cheryl.
The poetry of Dan Smith
A photo of Dan and Cheryl Smith's boys when they were young is on display next to a sketch of their former dairy farm north of Freeport, Ill., in an office space in their barn near Arena.
Barry Adams covers regional news for the Wisconsin State Journal. Send him ideas for On Wisconsin at 608-252-6148 or by email at badams@madison.com.
