‘Wrenches in Time’ features 1947 John Deere D tractor

BIRNAMWOOD — Shawano County’s 349th barn quilt is now on display on a beautifully restored barn owned by John and Diana Resch at N11137 Hutchins-Aniwa Townline Road, Birnamwood. The name of the quilt pattern is “Wrenches in Time.”

The quilt features an image of a 1947 John Deere D tractor. John Resch purchased the tractor six years ago.

Wilfred and Gretchen Resch purchased the 240-acre farm in 1945. Shortly thereafter they built a new barn and began dairy farming. They raised eight children, Robert, Genevieve, Thomas, John, Trudey, Andy, Emily and Caroline, all of whom worked alongside their parents on the family farm.

John Resch remained to farm with his dad in 1970, so they added onto the barn and eventually purchased an additional 160 acres of land. Soon after John and Diana got married in 1982, the families incorporated as W.J. Dairy, Inc. They continued milking 60 Holstein cows and raising the young stock as replacements. To diversify, cash crops of corn and soybeans were grown with the purchase of an additional 70 acres of crop land.

After John and Diana’s daughter, Rosalind, and son, Alex, left the farm to pursue other careers, the transition from dairy to cash crops was completed in 2011 when the dairy herd was sold.

Now, as John Resch approaches retirement, most of the land is being rented for growing cash crops, but the barn still remains as a monument to the family farm and its past.

“We really like the barn quilt,” Diana Resch said, “and are so pleased to be part of the wonderful Shawano County barn quilt project.”

The Resch barn quilt was painted by the Shawano County barn quilt project committee and was put on display by LeRoy Raddant of Raddant Electric in Shawano with the help of his grandson, Keenan.