Book Launch story

Former Fort Atkinson resident and longtime Hoard’s Dairyman editor Corey Geiger has just released his third book related to farming in Wisconsin, with a launch party set Monday in Watertown.

The co-editor of the World Dairy Expo history, “We Need a Show” Geiger went on to release a book on his family’s early history, “On a Wisconsin Family Farm — Historic Tales of Character, Community and Culture” in 2021.

Now, Geiger is releasing “On the Wisconsin Family Farm They Built, Tales of Family and Fortitude” at a launch party Monday evening at the Literatus and Co. bookstore.

The author developed an interest in family history as a young child, sitting at the feet of family elders and listening to their well-polished tales.

Geiger inherited that storytelling talent himself, which he has honed for decades as a writer and editor for Hoard’s Dairyman and more recently, through his own books relating to Wisconsin dairy history and his own family’s farm experience.

His first truly personal book, “On a Wisconsin Family Farm,” came out in 2021, centering on 150 years of his family’s farming history. It drew heavily on the notes and photographs left behind by his great-grandmother Anna Burich and his grandmother Julia Pritzl.

His new book, “On the Wisconsin Family Farm They Built,” follows the stories of his grandparents, Elmer and Julia Pritzl.

The book opens with the death of Elmer’s mother when he was a young boy. Elmer watched helplessly as she was struck by a train. In the wake of the accident, Elmer’s father subsumed himself in alcohol and socializing, leaving many of the family responsibilities to Elmer.

Elmer never expected to become a farmer. He was poised for a bright future in industry when he fell in love with a farm girl, Julia Burich, and they married. Shortly after, Julia’s father died and her mother asked Elmer to take over the farm.

As he writes, Geiger draws on details from his family’s history. At the same time, he also uses their personal stories as a vantage point for larger events, like the rise and fall of Allis Chalmers as an agricultural equipment powerhouse.

The book’s dedication and foreword are by renowned Wisconsin farm history writer Jerry Apps.

Apps’ daughter came to a signing for Geiger’s previous book, which she gave to her father. Soon, a letter arrived from the Apps himself expressing his great appreciation for the book.

“It was extremely personable and humble, especially coming from someone who had achieved so much regional fame,” Geiger said.

At that time, Geiger was working on his second book and had completed the manuscript. So he bound the as-yet-unpublished work and sent to it Apps, who agreed to write the forward for “On a Wisconsin Family Farm.”

Geiger, a former resident of both Fort Atkinson and Johnson Creek, now lives in Beaver Dam. He also runs a six-generation family farm in Reedsville, raising dairy cows and crops.

He has been with Hoard’s Dairyman for 28 years, rising to managing editor in 2013.

The easiest place for locals to pick up the book will be at the launch party, set from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at the Literatus and Co. bookshop on Main Street in Watertown.

Written by Pamela Chickering Wilson May 12, 2023 in the Watertown Daily Times.