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EJ Delwiche
Edmond Joseph Delwiche
Edmond "EJ" Delwiche immigrated from Orbais, Belgium to Red River in Kewaunee County in 1879. From his youth as a pioneer, EJ went on to a career of service to become one of the outstanding pioneer agronomists of the state and nation. Courtesy: EJ, by Richard Delwiche
Desire Joseph Delwiche
In 1879, Desire Joseph Delwiche, his wife, the former Marie Josephe Dethy, and their five children, ages 3 to 8, emigrated from their home in Orbais, Belgium to America. Their third child, Edmond Joseph (EJ), was only five at the time. Courtesy: Susan Delwiche Jauquet
Marie Josèphe (Dethy) Delwiche
The family settled on a farm in the Town of Red River in Kewaunee County, joining a previously established community of Belgian immigrants, many of whom had arrived in the 1850s and 1860s. The farm was said to be rather poor—apparently the better land had already been taken by earlier waves of settlers, and the late-comers had to take what was left. Courtesy: Susan Delwiche Jauquet
EJ Delwiche - 1900
At age 19, EJ left home for a stint in the logging camps. When, after four years as a lumberjack, he realized he had saved only $87, he left the woods in pursuit of a more lucrative occupation. Courtesy: EJ, by Richard Delwiche
Union District No. 3 School
In 1897, EJ enrolled in a 20-week course at the Northern Illinois Normal School and Dixon Business College. This prepared him for his first teaching job in 1897 in the Town of Union, Door County. Courtesy: EJ, by Richard Delwiche
Alice Collin Delwiche
In 1899, EJ married a local girl, Alice J. Collin, and they started a family. In fall 1903, after 6 terms (4 in Door County and 2 in Kewaunee County), he left teaching, and rode his bicycle to Madison to enroll in the University of Wisconsin to study horticulture. Courtesy: EJ, by Richard Delwiche
Spooner Agricultural Research Station
In April 1906, the university's horticulture department moved EJ and his family to its demonstration farm in Iron River, WI, soon promoting him to an administrative position. In 1909, the university established the first UW Agricultural Experiment Station at Spooner, WI, followed in 1912 by the station at Ashland Junction, which replaced the demonstration farm in Iron River. Thus began a three-prong career of managing several Experiment Stations, providing extension service to the farmers of northern Wisconsin, and conducting research on crop breeding and selection. Courtesy: Spooner Agricultural Research Station
Corn Field at Spooner Experiment Station
This photo of EJ was taken in August 1914 at the Experiment Station in Spooner, Wisconsin. Average yield for this breeding plot was 75 bushels per acre with the best row at 100 bushels per acre. Courtesy: University of Wisconsin Madison Archives
First Aid to the Settler - Oct 1915
One of his early publications, First Aid to the Settler, was widely used by new immigrants of many nationalities. It included advice for selecting and buying land, clearing timber and pulling stumps, planting the first year’s crops, choosing plant varieties suited to northern soils, and selecting live stock.
Pamphlets for the Farmers
EJ authored or co-authored numerous pamphlets written in plain language for the immigrant farmers of Wisconsin, many of which are still accessible today in libraries or online. These bulletins covered topics such as growing wheat, corn, and his specialty, commercial peas.
Plant Breeding and Research Contributions
EJ's contributions in the area of plant breeding and research had a significant impact on the agricultural practices of the day. In the 1920s, he was widely credited with saving the Wisconsin pea canning industry from extinction through the development of wilt-resistant strains. This photo was taken on October 2, 1920 in a field of peas. Courtesy: University of Wisconsin Madison Archives
Station Day at Spooner Experiment Station
EJ was also a popular speaker at the periodic Station Days gatherings held at the Experiment Stations around the state. These events provided an opportunity for the community to learn how to make their land more productive. Topics of discussion ranged from land clearing, to crop varieties, to harvesting methods. EJ loved this sort of teaching. Courtesy: Spooner Agricultural Research Station
Station Day at Spooner Experiment Station
Farmers walking the fields during Station Day in Spooner. This scene was typical of the activities that occurred on Station Days. Courtesy: Spooner Agricultural Research Station
EJ in Soybeans
This photo was taken in a soybean field at the Experiment Station in Spooner, Wisconsin. Courtesy: Spooner Agricultural Research Station.
Peninsular Agricultural Research Station
With the establishment of the Peninsular Agricultural Experiment Station outside of Sturgeon Bay in 1923, EJ now served as Superintendent of three Stations: Ashland Junction, Spooner, and Sturgeon Bay. He also did some work at the Hancock and Marshfield Stations, as well as at various demonstration plots in the region. EJ was to hold this position for the remainder of his career. Courtesy: Michael King and UW CALS
EJ Delwiche homestead, est 1918
As the number of Experiment Stations expanded, EJ moved his growing family from Iron River, to Ashland, and finally to Green Bay, where he established a farm in the Town of Preble on the east side of Green Bay. The farm served the dual purpose of supporting the family and providing EJ an opportunity to implement some of the agricultural practices being developed at the Experiment Stations. Courtesy: Family of F. E. Delwiche
Delwiche Farms’ prize Guernsey bull
The farm raised a herd of Guernsey cattle, a breed renowned for producing rich milk with a high butterfat content. A few years later, this coveted commodity would serve as the basis for an emerging family enterprise. Moose Valley Mead, shown here, is posed on the front lawn of the homestead, c.1929. Courtesy Family of F. E. Delwiche
Delwiche Farms, Inc.
Following in their father's footsteps, EJ's eight children pursued careers in teaching, agronomy, dairy science, agricultural economics, microbiology, and biochemistry. In 1932, under EJ's guidance, the family established Delwiche Farms, Incorporated, a dairy plant and home delivery enterprise headquartered on the family homestead in Green Bay. Courtesy: Family of F. E. Delwiche
Delwiche Farms Delivery Truck - 1965
Over the next 33 years, Delwiche Farms Inc. produced a wide range of dairy products, including bottled milk, flavored milk, buttermilk, coffee cream, whipping cream, half and half, cottage cheese, sherbet, and of course the best ice cream in the world. In addition, it outsourced butter and eggs sold under the Delwiche Farms label, and sold Gold Bond Ice Cream’s frozen novelties from delivery drivers and the dairy store. Although Delwiche Farms did not manufacture hard cheeses, when it was sold to Lake to Lake Dairy Cooperative in 1965, Lake to Lake's award winning cheeses became part of the dairy offerings. Courtesy Family of F. E. Delwiche.
EJ and Alice Delwiche - 1944
EJ retired in 1945 as Full Professor of Agronomy at UW-Madison. He continued to live on the homestead in Green Bay, performing occasional consultations and writing professionally, until his death in 1950. Courtesy: Family of F.E. Delwiche
He Serves Best Who Forgets Self
This plaque was a gift from the farmers of the four northern counties served by the Branch Experiment Station at Ashland Junction to honor EJ for his 25 years of service. From 1935 to about 2005, the rock was located at the Experiment Station at Ashland Junction. At EJ's death in 1950, University of Wisconsin President EB Fred said "...EJ was the Wisconsin Idea in reality. Few sensed better than he, its principle of extending the influence of the University to the very boundaries of the state." Courtesy: Frances A. Delwiche