Posted on August 19, 2019 at 11:23 AM by Global Reach
Jeanne and the late Bruce Nelson, lifelong Audubon County residents, raised their five 
children as active 4-H members. Bruce lived on a farm southwest of Hamlin where his family milked cows and later raised hogs. Jeanne lived on a dairy farm southwest of Audubon. After Bruce and Jeanne were married they lived near Elk Horn where Bruce worked for a farmer. Bruce and Jeanne began helping Jeanne’s parents, Merlin and Phyllis Miller, working on their dairy farm milking around 50 cows. Bruce and Jeanne then moved to Jeanne’s family farm where their children grew up. They continued in the milking business until 2000 when they sold all the dairy cows and Bruce started his own cow/calf herd. Jeanne continues to live on the farm and with the help of her children she continues with the herd Bruce started several years ago.
Jeanne served as a club leader of the Douglas Delighters 4-H club for six years and Bruce was actively involved on the fair committee of the Dairy Cow project while their kids were involved in the program. Since they milked cows that was the perfect opportunity for the kids to have a project to exhibit at the fair.
Four of their grandchildren have recently finished as 9-year Audubon County 4-H members and another five are currently enrolled. Bruce and Jeanne help them in their 4-H careers by allowing them to use their livestock to exhibit or providing materials from the farm that would be needed to develop fair exhibits. They have also helped a few “extra” kids have exhibits at the fair allowing them to show one of their feeder calves or giving them positive encouragement if they need help on a static project or their garden plot.
Jeanne’s talents in the kitchen have served her well as she owned and operated a tearoom and catering business. She supplies cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy to benefit the county 4-H program! She also shares her love of plants and flowers keeping up small gardens around the county fairgrounds and mentoring her grandchildren as they exhibit their garden plots.
They have always instilled in their children and grandchildren that it is not about winning the big prize at the fair, it’s more about giving your best and enjoying what you are doing and if you can help someone along the way that is what you should do. It was also important to teach the kids that it’s important to have a livestock project you can be responsible for and in the end make some money on the project. They truly enjoy seeing the smile on the kids’ face when they have been successful in whatever they have accomplished.
