
Barn Gothic
Three Generations and the Death of the Family Dairy Farm
Ryan Dennis(Author)
Island Press
Published on 13. November 2025
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-64283-447-5 (ISBN)
Description
When Ryan
Dennis's father
was crushed by heavy machinery on their New York dairy farm, both men accepted the accident as a risk of agricultural life. But it was harder to comprehend being crushed by low milk
prices, big banks, and the policies that destroyed America's family farms.
Even though Ryan grew up watching his father and grandfather struggle to survive, he always thought
he would follow in their footsteps and take over the family farm. But as he
milked cows and fed calves, the world outside the barn was changing. Between 2003 and 2020, 40,000 dairy
farms went
out of business in the
United States.
Barn Gotl1ic is an elegy for family farmers and
an intimate portrait of three generations laboring to be fathers and sons
while
their livelihood falls apart. Beautifully told with a farmer's restraint and a poet's
grace, it is a story of personal loss amid corporate corruption and of finding a way forward when everything you know disappears.
Dennis's father
was crushed by heavy machinery on their New York dairy farm, both men accepted the accident as a risk of agricultural life. But it was harder to comprehend being crushed by low milk
prices, big banks, and the policies that destroyed America's family farms.
Even though Ryan grew up watching his father and grandfather struggle to survive, he always thought
he would follow in their footsteps and take over the family farm. But as he
milked cows and fed calves, the world outside the barn was changing. Between 2003 and 2020, 40,000 dairy
farms went
out of business in the
United States.
Barn Gotl1ic is an elegy for family farmers and
an intimate portrait of three generations laboring to be fathers and sons
while
their livelihood falls apart. Beautifully told with a farmer's restraint and a poet's
grace, it is a story of personal loss amid corporate corruption and of finding a way forward when everything you know disappears.
Reviews / Votes
"For anyone who wants to learn more about all that goes into working on a family farm-both labor-wise and personally-and who loves a beautifully written book, this one's for you."---Kate Bittman, The Bittman ProjectMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Princeton University Press
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 221 mm
Width: 147 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
544 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64283-447-5 (9781642834475)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2025
Princeton University Press
€29.49
Available for download
Person
Ryan Dennis