Berglane Farm – dairy farming, parenthood, photography & lotion

For Sam and Brittany Olson, Berglane Farm in northwestern Wisconsin is not just where they live – it’s where generations before them worked the land, raised dairy cattle, and passed down a way of life rooted in family, faith, and responsibility to the animals in their care.

Today, Sam and Brittany are the fifth generation on the farm, raising the sixth.

A way of life, not a business plan

Ask Sam and Brittany what matters most about farming, and the answer isn’t profit or growth.

As Brittany describes it, it comes down to a way of living.

It’s lifestyle.
It’s working alongside family.
It’s living close to the land.
It’s continuing a family legacy.
It’s answering what they see as a calling.

We don’t do it for money but for the love of the game. Caring for God’s creatures is holy work.

That belief shapes everything they do on the farm – from how they manage their cattle and crops to how they show up in their community. They stay connected through local farm organisations, by being good neighbours, and through regular church life. For them, farming isn’t separate from community – it’s woven into it.

And when the days get hard, as they inevitably do, perspective helps. As Brittany puts it,

A bad day on the farm beats the hell out of working in an office!

Life, birth, and the rhythm of the barn

One of their most cherished memories captures exactly what this life means to them.

When Brittany came home from the hospital after giving birth to their son, Titus, they didn’t settle straight into the house. Instead, they brought their newborn down to the barn. Brittany needed to check on her favourite Jersey cow, who had given birth just two days after she did.

Human and animal, mother and mother, new life unfolding side by side – all within the familiar rhythm of the farm.

It’s a moment they rank among their top ten memories, and one that speaks to how deeply intertwined their family life is with the land and animals they care for.

More than milking cows

Berglane Farm is a working dairy, but it’s also home to something a little unexpected.

Using milk from their own registered Holsteins and Jerseys, Sam and Brittany make Mammary Lane Body Lotion – a handcrafted, small-batch cows’ milk lotion produced right on the farm. It reflects the same values they bring to their farming: care, intention, and simplicity.

It’s paraben-free, phthalate-free, available in both scented and unscented options, and made with intention rather than excess.

Brittany balances farm life with her work as a freelance writer and photographer, alongside making the lotion they sell through their online store. The idea took on new meaning after Titus was born in 2022.

As Brittany explains,

He’s the reason for everything we do, and why we strive to leave this piece of creation better than how we found it.

What they hope you feel

When Sam and Brittany talk about why buying from local farmers matters, they don’t talk about transactions or products.

They talk about connection.
About feeling grounded.
About care.
About love.

That is what they hope people feel when they choose to support farms like theirs.

Supporting Berglane Farm helps keep a multigenerational dairy going, supports thoughtful stewardship of animals and land, and allows this family to keep writing their story one cow at a time.

And as Sam and Brittany would be the first to say, thank you for being part of it.