Daniel A. Sergi spent 45 years immersed in the world of insurance—analyzing data, mentoring employees, and making critical business decisions. He was always busy, always solving problems, and always moving forward with a clear sense of purpose.
And work hasn't always been his focus. On the side, he launched the Beds for Kids Fund, making sure around ten children each month—across the Fox Valley area and sometimes as far as Florida and Wisconsin—had a place to lay their heads and a bed to call their own. He used to serve on nine boards, but down to two boards now, and it's safe to say his plate has always been full.
Then, just like that, it was time to retire. And for a man who had spent decades with a packed schedule, stepping away wasn't as seamless as one might think.
"I didn't like retirement," Sergi admits. "I was very busy all the time working and you know, it was fine to retire. Don't get me wrong, I needed to break away from all that, but when you're productive all the time, you need to stay productive and fill your time."
Rather than settling into the slow drift of retirement, Daniel A. Sergi found himself on a very different path—one grounded in faith and stewardship. Working the land was a prayer, a way to honor God by caring for His creation. The farm became a testament to that belief—hundreds of acres where cattle roam freely, moving through fresh pasture every three days in a system of rotational grazing that nurtures both the land and the animals.
"Being good stewards of the land and animals is everything," he says. The welfare of his cattle is critical, and the way they are treated matters. Buyers and organic inspectors who visited saw firsthand the care put into every detail and the superior health of our cattle, and it meant the world to them to see our process.
Plow and Behold
President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, "Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the cornfield." But in Daniel A. Sergi's case, farming had always been simmering in the background of his life, tucked away like a childhood dream that never quite faded.
"Farming was always in my blood," he shares. "Always. My family was originally from southern Italy, and they were all farmers. My cousins in Australia? Farmers. The Sergi family, prior to moving to the U.S., were all farmers. Even my nephew became a cattle farmer but sadly passed away in his late 20s in an accident. I learned a lot from him."
Farming was also something he actively pursued in his youth. "When I was in college, my roommate was a farmer. He took care of the university's owned farms, and I'd go out to the fields with him, and we'd do everything—plowing, planting, harvesting. I loved it," he recalls.
Buy a Farm, Raise Cattle, Work Toward Success
Retirement has a way of making space for old dreams to resurface, and for Daniel A. Sergi, it happened when he and his wife, Barb—who also had a farming heritage—found themselves looking for a new path in life.
"She grew up with her family on a large farm, who were huge cattle and crop farmers," he explains. "She left home at 18, went to college, never came back, but her desire was always to go back and raise cattle. Well, mine was the same."
And so, in their retirement years, they did what most people wouldn't dare to do. They bought a farm and threw themselves headfirst into agriculture.
It wasn't some small-scale, picturesque homestead meant for hobby gardening and weekend relaxation. No, they went all in. They turned their land into an organic cattle concern, investing in sustainable farming practices, revamping the infrastructure, and making sure everything—from the pastures to the water systems—was just right.
"We turned our farm into organic ground, both pastures and tillable acres, which certification under organic rules requires three years of diligent effort to migrate from conventional to organic farming. And then you request to be certified, and we did it. We felt it was important. It then enabled us to introduce certified black Angus cattle onto the farm. We then bought four bulls and began our cow/calf breeding operation. We named the bulls Angelo, Louie, Arthur and Floyd. We have fun with the names as they were named after my great uncles and my wife's uncles. We have a dog named Romeo, a family name, and a cat named after my dad, Carmie. And our property is named 'Villaggio di Isabella,' after my wife and my grandmothers. This all just brings a smile to my heart."
Great for the Soul, Tough on the Back
Daniel A. Sergi threw himself into the work for several years, waking up to the demands of the land, the unpredictability of weather, and the immense satisfaction that comes with nurturing something from the ground up. But it wasn't all romantic notions of the simple life.
"When you're in your mid-60s, lifting those 50-pound bags of feed, climbing over gates, fixing water lines, checking cattle twice a day, repairing fence lines, rounding up calves that got separated from their moms, well, the years start to wear on you," he says with a chuckle. "I mean, at 10 below zero, when you're out there making sure the cattle water tanks haven't frozen, and you're in the tractor moving hay bales to feed the cattle, you start thinking, 'Maybe I should've retired in Florida instead?'"
The work was fulfilling, but it was also relentless. Eventually, he and his wife realized it was time to step back. They handed over the management of the farm to a younger couple, allowing themselves to enjoy the fruits of their labor without the exhausting physical strain, but stepping back didn't mean stepping away entirely.
Retirement Done Right
"We still live on a couple hundred acres," Sergi says, explaining that they bought another piece of land nearby. "There's a large pond, a hundred acres of woods, a cabin built during our Civil War and many gardens—it's beautiful. We grow sweet corn, Indian corn, rows and rows of sunflowers and even pumpkins to put around the farm for Halloween, which then get fed to the deer after the holiday. And now, instead of managing cattle, my wife and I manage the land itself, keeping it healthy, making sure it's thriving."
That love for stewardship has extended to conservation efforts. He's planted ten acres of wildflowers for pollinators, maintained natural habitats for local wildlife, and even worked with government agricultural agencies on land and timber preservation projects. "The government and agricultural agencies strongly promote and support conservation, providing valuable guidance for it, which is wonderful," he points out.
He lights up when talking about the wildflower fields. "You walk through these trails, and the flowers are 6 feet tall. It's just a sea of yellow and blue. It draws in monarch butterflies, bees, grasshoppers—tons of wildlife. I have bluebird houses out there—11 of them. And sure enough, they come back to visit every spring through fall."
Daniel Sergi: Figuring Out How to Do Nothing Happily
"The hardest part of retiring wasn't the work itself," Sergi admits. "It was learning how to slow down. You go from having a packed schedule every day to nothing. And at first, that's hard."
He recalls the early days of retirement when he'd run into people in the community. "People out here, they're not in a rush like they are in the city. They'll wave as you drive by on a country road and even sit on the tailgate of a truck and chat for an hour. And at first, I'd be thinking, 'I have things to do.' But now? Now, I stop, and I talk, and I enjoy our time together. Breakfast with a friend is sometimes a 4–5 hour event."
Faith has been a steady foundation for Sergi, guiding him through life's transitions—especially retirement. Each morning, he begins his day with quiet spiritual reflection. "I'm up at 6:00am, and I sit down with my coffee and read my scripture to start my day slowly," he says. This peaceful routine sets the tone for the rest of his day. Soon after, his wife Barb joins him, and they share another cup of coffee together. "It's the best part of the day," he says, cherishing the simple yet meaningful ritual.
Besides his personal reflections, Sergi finds strength in his Bible study group, a source of both spiritual nourishment and deep connection. "We meet for an hour and a half every week with our assigned readings and scripture," he explains. The group's conversations extend beyond their meetings, continuing through a shared text thread where they exchange thoughts and insights during the week. "These guys are wonderful—some younger professionals, two of them are marine officers, in their thirties and two others in their fifties that I've known for decades," he says, grateful for the mix of perspectives and the friendships that have formed.
This community has been a pillar of support during life's inevitable challenges. "My faith has carried me through a lot of trials and tribulations with health and other personal issues," Sergi reflects. Within the group, members openly share their struggles and spiritual journeys, creating a space where growth is witnessed and celebrated. "Everybody's had some difficult things in life and turned corners," he says. "It's great to see, great to be part of the journey. It's a wonderful support system of Believers." Sergi says, "I recognize all this as I move into my latter years in life. I enjoy and am grateful for the gift of many, many friends and family all around me. Blessings!"
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