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September 21, 2026
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY – Those who haven’t grown up on a farm or personally know any farmers may think agriculture is straightforward: plant in the spring, harvest in the fall, up early every day to milk cows, etc.
However, Tyler Meinnert, a fourth-generation farmer in Sheboygan County, said running a successful farm requires painstaking attention to details that most people never consider.
“One of the things that keeps our farm successful is our drive to excellence,” he said. “That’s a broad term, so I’ll break it down: excellence in the feed quality. We have a very high-producing herd with above-average components, meaning butterfat and protein in the milk. Going hand in hand with your high-quality feed, you need high-quality genetics, too.”
Meinnert, one of this year’s four finalists for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation’s (WFBF) Farming for the Future award, said his parents credit the farm’s success to his diligent focus on their herd genetics.
“They will tell you, over the last 10 years, whenever I know a company is releasing new bulls – every month, every two months or every four months – I’m on the computer,” he said. “I’m looking at those bulls and asking, ‘Do they have a place in this farm, or do we just keep using the bulls we have?’ To get high-quality genetics, you have to use the best bulls on the market at the time.”
More on the award
According to WFBF officials, the Farming for the Future Award recognizes Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation members, aged 18–35, who excel in their farm involvement and leadership abilities.
“These finalists represent the next generation of bold, business-minded farmers who are deeply committed to growing Wisconsin agriculture,” WFBF President Brad Olson said. “Their leadership and vision are helping shape the future of farming in our state.”
After someone in his district nominated him for the award, Meinnert said he began the application process.
He said the application included a series of 10 essay questions – covering his farm bureau involvement, leadership experience outside of the bureau and what operational and management decisions he makes on the farm every day.
Previous WFBF honors Meinnert has received include his placement on the “35 Under 35” list two years in a row.
According to the WFBF website (wfbf.com), the program commends the “innovation of young farmers and agriculturists who are preserving agriculture through leadership in environmental, social and economic activities.”
In his first year, Meinnert said he was nominated in the award program’s Sustainable Future category, which recognizes individuals preserving generational success on the farm.
Last year, he said, the Meinnert Farm earned several honors from STgenetics regarding the farm’s Genomic Total Performance Index, which is a genetic-evaluation score used primarily for dairy cattle.
Meinnert said he also meets the Farming for the Future program’s other leadership requirements with his work with the Sheboygan County Holstein Association, where he serves as vice president.
“I helped coordinate the Sheboygan County Fair’s Holstein Futurity event earlier this month,” he said. “I was also in charge of the association’s Farmerbud event, which allows kids aged four through eight to bring a calf to the fair.”
As he leads the farm into its fourth generation of family ownership, Meinnert said he appreciates another, larger family of support available to him via the WFBF.
“They are really trying in the last few years to build more of a community for young farmers, even just within our county,” he said. “They are hosting more events to help people get off the farm once in a while and have some fun. It’s a good way of getting out and letting off some steam. There are days where it can feel very lonely, and you need that community to bounce ideas off of.”
Meinnert said he is also active with legislative initiatives at the WFBF.
He said farm bureau meetings throughout the year are a good way to keep up to date on state legislative policy.
“We may agree with 90% of what’s being said, but we ask for a few tweaks,” he said. “Then, it goes from committee to your county’s annual meeting, and then to the statewide membership for approval.”
Almost a century of farming history
In two years, Meinnert said the family farm will be celebrating its 100 years since his great-grandfather emigrated from Germany in 1928 and settled in Johnsonville, just two miles down the road.
“Eventually, he ended up here at the farm site we have now,” he said. “He built the barn and started with 50 cows and 140 acres. Over time, we’ve slowly increased the number of acres to 600 – 300 we own and 300 we rent. We haven’t increased our herd drastically; we’re up to 70 [cows] now.”
Meinnert said he credits his success in farm management to the lessons he learned from his father.
“He is the one who taught me that if you’re going to do this, you do it with your whole heart,” he said. “You cannot simply go through the motions. You have to strive to make sure you have excellent cows milking excellently. If you don’t have that, you need to figure out why you don’t.”
Meinnert said that’s where the attention to detail makes or breaks a farm.
“If, all of a sudden, your cows aren’t milking quite right, you have to get a hold of your nutritionist, pull feed samples and test the samples, so they can balance your ration in a way that gets production back to where you want it,” he said.
The same goes for machinery, Meinnert said.
For example, he said if the haybine isn’t working properly, it’s best to stop immediately and check things out.
“Get out of the tractor, get down there and figure out what’s wrong,” he said. “Usually, it’s a quick fix. If you press on when there is a problem, you could be leaving tonnage on the field that’s essentially being wasted.”
The final step for Meinnert and the other three Farming for the Future award nominees involves an interview by a panel of judges at the WFBF Young Farmer and Agriculturist (YFA) Conference in Wisconsin Dells in December.
The 2026 winner, per the WFBF, will receive $1,500 and trips to the 2027 American Farm Bureau Federation FUSION Conference in New Orleans and the 2027 WFBF YFA Conference.
