Wecome to Betty’s House.
I am Betty’s son and her husband Jacob’s son. They built this house after moving off the home farm in 1988. Their sons, John, me, and Paul along with my wife, Nettie, took over working the farm known as Rosenholm Dairy. Betty outlived my father by 16 years so we call the house Betty’s house. She died at the age of 89 in 2012. Mother told me that when they built the house they wanted to spend their money traveling. Thus the house was built with that in mind as well as experience of how life was during the Depression in the 1930s.
The barn is the remnant of the farmstead known as the CW Senty place who was my father’s uncle. My parents bought the place with a few acres and made the existing house into what they called the hired man’s house. In 1964, when I turned 14, they tore the house down as now I was old enough to fill those shoes. Later, 1968, Betty’s parents moved a mobile home onto the farmstead and lived out their lives in the only new home they ever had. Betty was their care giver.
During all this time, we drove past this farmstead multiple times per day as it sits among the 5 farms we now run. After seeing the house sit empty for a couple of years we decided to open it up for people like you to experience the beauty and uniqueness of this area of Wisconsin. It is located in the Waumandee Valley with some of the richest soil in the world. We are a dairy area and our farm milks over 500 cows all day and night long every day. Our milk is made into cheese by our milk cooperative. With calves and young animals, there are over 1000 head on the farms adjacent to Betty’s House.
We farm about 900 acres and raise feed for the cows on all of those acres. The land is not level and it is probably why my ancestors from Switzerland settled here rather than traveling 30 miles further west when they came in the 1850s. The land is very productive but farming practices have to adapt to the terrain or the soil will erode. We use tactics such as no-till farming when growing corn, rotating crops and planting soil holding crops such as alfalfa. The terrain is suited to dairy rather than just crop farming.
We also have another business, Cowsmo. Cowsmo sells composted cow manure and potting soils made with the compost to landscapers, gardeners and organic vegetable growers in 15 states.
So what do you do here after you have looked at the scenery. This is not Disney World but there are things to do. Here is a list of things others enjoy in this area:

- Wildlife viewing. Buffalo County is known worldwide for its deer population and you are now in the center of it. A drive through the valleys and to the ridgetops, especially in the hours before dark, will allow you to see deer. There have also been albino deer which are very rare. Be careful to watch for them as they also prefer to cross the road in front of you. Other common sights are raccoon, bald eagles, hawks of many kinds, squirrels and coyotes. At night you will probably hear the coyotes.

- Fishing There is a trout stream within walking distance of the House. The Mississippi River is only 15-20 minutes away with all kinds of fishing possibilities.

- Eating There are 2 pizza farms within 15 minutes of the house where they make wood- fired pizzas on selected nights. The local bar/restaurant serves all you can eat broasted chicken every other Wednesday night all year long. Expect a wait as it is very popular. Bucknuckles is about 15 minutes away in Praag with a very different décor. If you want world class food travel to Pepin to eat at the Harborview Café. It is about 40 minutes to get there. We have many other places we enjoy. Just ask us what you are looking for.

- Golfing I play at Walnut Grove in Cochrane, 15 minutes away. Arcadia, 18 minutes, has a

course as well. Tee times generally are not necessary.

• -  Tennis There are courts in Alma about 20 minutes away.

• -  Bike riding Most all the roads in Buffalo County are paved and the county roads are not very busy. County EE usually has fewer than 5 cars per hour

• -  Farm tours. Call me to arrange a farm tour. You will learn a few things and see calves born and watch us milk. We also have beautiful horses.

• -  Conversation. I know some great people that are different than others. If you enjoy a good conversation, I can arrange it.

• -  Walking We have field roads, trails through the woods and just very quiet roads. I walk my dog in a back valley where there are no cars. No need for a leash there.

• -  Museums There is a world class museum in Winona, 35 minutes with Picasso’s, Monets and others. There is a museum in Alma with armor from the Middle Ages.

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