When Tom Alger’s sons, Tommy and Derek, were in high school, he advised them to make their own paths and not follow his into dairy farming.

It’s not because he dislikes his own job – nothing could be further from the truth – he just envisioned their futures with 9-to-5 jobs, Monday through Friday, where they’d be free to spend the holidays as they liked. They’d have 401(k)s and health care and never have to miss a school play to assist a cow giving birth. They could go on vacation without constantly worrying about what’s going on back at the farm.