BLANCHARDVILLE - The creator of a popular social media site who resides in Palo Alto, California, has embarked on a trip across the United States and included an afternoon at an area dairy farm.
Mark Zuckerberg is the creator of Facebook, a social media website he started with a game in which co-eds voted on whose photo was more attractive while he was in his sophomore year at Harvard University. It took form online February 2004 as a replica of facebooks, which were then known as physical catalogues of student headshots created for separate houses of ivy league colleges. The internet venture grew into a multibillion dollar company.
Gant Farms was established in 1888 in rural Blanchardville. Multiple generations of the family have continued to maintain the land and cattle since its inception. Currently Jed Gant and his wife, Rona, reside at the dairy farm, milking about 30 cows, attending to a handful of calves and growing crops along the land. Their son, Austin, works alongside Jed on the farm, and daughters Ashley, Lindsey and Hillary grew up there.
On Sunday, those two worlds collided at Gant Farms for three hours as Zuckerberg took in the everyday operations of a small dairy farm. The website mogul, in expected fashion, shared the trip in a post on Facebook, complete with photos of his activities and his impression of the Gant family.
"The family is incredibly disciplined," Zuckerberg's post read. "Everyone works daylight to dark, seven days a week. When we were driving around his property, Jed told me he'd rather feed the cattle than feed himself if it came down to that ... their self-reliance is impressive."
The trip included a tour of the farm. Zuckerberg fed a calf from a bottle, drank unpasteurized milk and drove a four-generation Farmall, all for the first time in his life.
Rona Gant said the visit was an experience, sitting down at the family table with someone looking to learn more about their everyday operations. Zuckerberg has set out to learn more about a variety of industries and culture in each state. In February, he stopped by Ground Zero Blues in Clarksdale, Mississippi, said to be the birthplace of blues music. Before that, he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, spoke to a fourth-generation shrimper in Mobile, Alabama, about the struggles of the industry after Hurricane Katrina and Gulf of Mexico oil spills.
"He just wants to get out there and interact with real people," Gant said. "Roll up his sleeves a little bit, you know."
Gant said they spent an afternoon "packed" with activities for Zuckerberg to share. She said he was "a really nice guy" and was happy to see each aspect of the farm, from the barn kittens to the family home.
The family is busy in the midst of spring planting and preparing for a family wedding. To handle requests for interviews from area media, Gant said the family is hosting an event today in lieu of individual interviews. See Wednesday's edition of The Monroe Times for more on Zuckerberg's visit.
Mark Zuckerberg is the creator of Facebook, a social media website he started with a game in which co-eds voted on whose photo was more attractive while he was in his sophomore year at Harvard University. It took form online February 2004 as a replica of facebooks, which were then known as physical catalogues of student headshots created for separate houses of ivy league colleges. The internet venture grew into a multibillion dollar company.
Gant Farms was established in 1888 in rural Blanchardville. Multiple generations of the family have continued to maintain the land and cattle since its inception. Currently Jed Gant and his wife, Rona, reside at the dairy farm, milking about 30 cows, attending to a handful of calves and growing crops along the land. Their son, Austin, works alongside Jed on the farm, and daughters Ashley, Lindsey and Hillary grew up there.
On Sunday, those two worlds collided at Gant Farms for three hours as Zuckerberg took in the everyday operations of a small dairy farm. The website mogul, in expected fashion, shared the trip in a post on Facebook, complete with photos of his activities and his impression of the Gant family.
"The family is incredibly disciplined," Zuckerberg's post read. "Everyone works daylight to dark, seven days a week. When we were driving around his property, Jed told me he'd rather feed the cattle than feed himself if it came down to that ... their self-reliance is impressive."
The trip included a tour of the farm. Zuckerberg fed a calf from a bottle, drank unpasteurized milk and drove a four-generation Farmall, all for the first time in his life.
Rona Gant said the visit was an experience, sitting down at the family table with someone looking to learn more about their everyday operations. Zuckerberg has set out to learn more about a variety of industries and culture in each state. In February, he stopped by Ground Zero Blues in Clarksdale, Mississippi, said to be the birthplace of blues music. Before that, he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, spoke to a fourth-generation shrimper in Mobile, Alabama, about the struggles of the industry after Hurricane Katrina and Gulf of Mexico oil spills.
"He just wants to get out there and interact with real people," Gant said. "Roll up his sleeves a little bit, you know."
Gant said they spent an afternoon "packed" with activities for Zuckerberg to share. She said he was "a really nice guy" and was happy to see each aspect of the farm, from the barn kittens to the family home.
The family is busy in the midst of spring planting and preparing for a family wedding. To handle requests for interviews from area media, Gant said the family is hosting an event today in lieu of individual interviews. See Wednesday's edition of The Monroe Times for more on Zuckerberg's visit.