TEXAS NEIGHBORS | SPRING 2023 Continuing the family’s By Emmy Powell Communications Specialist After growing up milking cows, a dairy wasn’t in Jouwert Talsma’s plans. A childhood full of hard work. Tending to cows. Working hand and hand with his parents. Talsma’s parents immigrated from the Netherlands over 35 years ago, and they soon became owners and operators of their own dairy in Mount Vernon. After graduating high school, he attended technical college and received a degree in diesel engineering. “I graduated high school, honestly, never wanting to look at a dairy cow again. They wore me out, always having to milk and work cows,” Talsma said. “I went to technical college for diesel engineering. After I graduated, I worked for a couple of tractor dealerships and decided I wanted to work for myself, so I ran a service truck. After a few years of that, I didn’t enjoy that either. I enjoyed my time on the dairy more.” Talsma married his wife, Amber, in 2010. They bought their first load of cows together in 2014. WWW.TEXASFARMBUREAU.ORG