Mar 16, 2026
By Sedgwick County Harvest Hub
Andrea Wilder worriedly looked down at the newborn calf laying its head on her lap in the backseat of her car. Nothing in her admittedly city-girl lifestyle prepared her for the challenge of keeping a newborn calf alive, which was born in the cold and rain and too weak to stand and nurse.
It was 9 p.m. and her husband, Devan, was hurriedly driving them to the nearby Lucky W Dairy owned by Byron and Heidi Wells. The fresh milk from their cows, critical to a newborn calf, saved its life.
“I had no idea what life on the farm was like before I married Devan,” Andrea says. “Now, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
She and Devan, along with their children, live on seven acres of land near Garden Plain. Shortly after they married and blended their families four years ago, they decided to begin raising livestock like chickens and pigs for food.
“Another time it was cold and snowy, and I was spreading hay out for one of our momma cows and her new baby,” she says. “I was down on my hands and knees and the momma came up from behind and started licking my hair. At first, I thought it was kind of gross, but then I realized she was just being sweet. It was her way of thanking me for taking care of her baby. That would never have happened to me or the children if we lived in a city.
“Once we were having a birthday party for one of the kids and our sow gave birth,” Andrea laughs. “We all ran out to watch and by the time the day was over, everyone there got to hold a baby pig. We’ll never forget that birthday party!
“Devan always wanted to raise cattle so we first started raising Dexter cattle,” she says. “Along the way we added pigs and laying chickens. We’ll soon hatch 100 chicks to raise for meat birds. Devan is handy so he’s built our brooder and is in the middle of building a chicken tractor so we can move the chickens around the pasture to free range. The best part is that our kids help us do all of this from gathering eggs to holding a flashlight while Devan works on a tractor.”
Devan is a diesel mechanic and would often help others on their cattle operations but never owned any himself until he and Andrea bought their first cows.
“It was truly life-changing to start raising our own livestock,” Devan says. “All of our cattle and pigs each have their own personalities and ways we work with them. I also learned that no matter how good you think your fences are, the cows will find the weakest part and escape.
“I also learned pigs really can fly,” Devan chuckles. “I startled one of our pigs and it jumped and cleared a 3-foot-tall pile of hay. I’m glad Andrea was there to witness it!”
Another surprising thing for Andrea is how much the children love the farm. Ranging in ages from 16 \down to 2, Hunter, Audrey, Alyse and Anthony are a part of everyday chores and life on their small farm.
“Raising livestock is a 24/7 responsibility,” Devan says. “We hear other parents talk about how hard it is for kids to do chores around the house, but our kids go right out there with us. They love all the little babies.”
The Wilders own Wilder Ranch and are slowly growing their business to supply food not only for themselves, but also for their family and friends. Scanning through their Facebook posts, you can see this new farm emerging as they tend their animals, build new brooding houses and chicken tractors and, above all, share in the joy and challenges of taking care of their livestock.
You can follow them on their Facebook page: Wilder Ranch
Note: Andrea is part of our series celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer and Rancher, 2026.