The Round Barn, A Biography of an American Farm, Volume Three: Ron’s Place, Breeders Co-op, Hybrid Corn, Neighbors, Town, and County

This third volume of The Round Barn continues the story of the Dougan farm and its denizens, expanded now to include a nearby farm, with its landscaping and remodeling under the direction of the University of Wisconsin. The growing hybrid seed corn business is housed there. Rock County Breeders, the second artificial breeding co-op in the nation, hires Amos as their first inseminator, and Jackie learns the “facts of (cow) life” when she watches him in the barn. She travels Rock County with the vet, witnessing milk fever, garget, and scours. At a barn dance she receives her first kiss.
            Grampa’s second son boards a sailing schooner to Alaska, then returns to enroll in Ag School. Tragedy strikes one of the children attending the one-room schoolhouse that adjoins the farm. Grampa starts 4-H clubs in the county. Ronald, a member, enjoys raising his piglet, but loudly moans the intense labor of his corn plot. Overall, an older Ron recounts in letters to his family and friends “the infinite variety of Turtle Township.”

“[Jackson’s] . . . accounts of long-ago events, people, and experiences are amusing, poignant, and factual stories of farming and family, of hard times and good times, of growing up and learning, of work and play.”―William Behling, Beloit Daily News


“The centerpiece of this book, the Dougan round barn, was torn down in 2012 after efforts to preserve it failed. Eventually the expansion of Beloit will convert the farmland into subdivisions and commercial properties. It is therefore fortunate that a skillful author such as Jacqueline Dougan Jackson has written this account of an unusual southern Wisconsin farm. We should hope that biographies of other farms, both unique and typical, achieve such excellence.”―Arnold R. Alanen, Journal of Agricultural History


“Jackson has written skillfully and clearly about the monumental progress in cattle breeding from the pioneers in genetic research to pioneers in artificial breeding to the practical implementation of animal breeding plans into industry-wide use. This is a must-read for serious students of agricultural history.”―Robert Walton, President Emeritus of American Breeders Service


“This is a book for everybody. It’s of interest to historians, not just local ones, but to students of Midwest agriculture. Those who love good yarns and hilarious jokes will have a difficult time putting it down. Those who enjoy family dramas will be fascinated.”―Tom McBride, Beloit College