This was the Jerry and Catherine Johnson farm from March 1976 until 1996. In the late 70's, an additional 100 feet was added to the barn and the westernmost stave silo was increased to 70 feet. A Harvestore silo was also added around that time just to the north of the barn. Jerry and Cathy raised 5 children on the farm, maintained a herd of registered Holsteins, and won many agricultural and civic awards for their involvement in agriculture and the community. Dean and JoAnn Putz purchased the farm in 1996 and continued to make additions and improvements to the operation. Prior to it being the Johnson farm, it was the Millie and Herb Nondorf farm. Herb passed away on the farm on Feb 16, 1974. Slightly obscured by the trees is a second wooden farmhouse which lies just to the west of the brick farmhouse. In the foreground sits two Papec forage wagons to the west and the salvage yard in the southeast corner of the photo. The salvage yard was operated by Bill and Bonnie Davis until the early 1990's. The southern boundary of the farm lawn is made by railroad tracks (Wisconsin & Southern Railroad) which are barely visible in the photo. The farm was bordered by the Village of Avoca to the east (paved First St shown in the photo), the Avoca Lake and Wisconsin River backwaters to the north, and the Ron and Janet Gast farm to the west. Wisconsin State Highway 133 and the railroad tracks separated the farm's northern farmland from a large continuous tract of farmland to the south (not shown in this photo). Crops raised on the farm included corn, alfalfa, soybeans. The farm maintained a center-pivot and traveler irrigation system with the main irrigation pump system just out of view in the center left portion of the photo. To establish your navigational bearings, paved First Street runs south to north from the bottom to the top of the photo.

Herb Nondorf was my uncle I grew up on the farm west of this picture, the hog house is gone along with the house, the brick house was a run down shack but went into reconstruction on the inside when uncle herb married aunt Millie. My brother's Marc and Dennis use to help herb on the farm growing up