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Melrose, Wis.
Jackson County
70 cows

Family: My boyfriend, Garrett Schmidt, his parents, Jerry and Jan Schmidt, and grandmother, Elizabeth Schmidt.

Tell us about your farm: We are milking 65 Holsteins with another five dry. We farm 150 acres and breed our cows for show type, longevity and production. The farm has been in Garrett's family since November 1946, and we have been raising registered Holsteins since 1964.

What is the busiest time of day for you? Chore time is the busiest. I work as a sire analyst, as well, so once I am done with my office job, I head to the farm. It's the busiest but the best time of the day.

How much time do you spend doing farm work and how much time do you spend doing housework? I would say more time is focused on the farm versus home. It depends if I have to be in the office or not, because I spend more time in the office at home than I do on the farm. But, I prefer to be with the animals. Some people aren't fans of milking cows versus doing chores or fieldwork, but I'm the exact opposite. I prefer milking cows. It gives me some down time to think. Our cows are so calm that it makes for a low stress environment and gives us time to enjoy the cattle.

What do you do in your free time? Our lives revolve around cows. When we have free time, we are working cattle or at a show. We love showing because that is where we get to see our hard work pay off - whether that be at county fair, World Dairy Expo or the Royal. Garrett's job, my job and the farm are all cow-focused, but that's what we love to do.

What is the best thing about farming? For us, it is seeing the hard work pay off by developing cows. When your best cow has a calf, you get so excited, and we are no different. She starts off as a calf, develops into a heifer and one day, calves in with hopefully another heifer you hope turns out well. That's a feeling you cannot beat.

When you look back on your life, what do you want to be remembered for? I want people to remember me as a great sire analyst and farmer. Not a great sire analyst and farmer for a girl; a great one independent of that mindset.

Do you have any ideas that would make life easier for you and other farming women? Simply breaking down the stereotypes of women on farms. For example, when someone comes on the farm and asks me, "Where is the boss?" or someone assumes I take care of the office work or communications. I'll go out to visit farms for my job and people will ask if I'm a secretary. No - I'm the sire analyst. It's something that is gradually getting better for women but still happens a lot.

What is your most memorable experience while dairy farming? For both Garrett and I, it's milking and doing chores with his grandpa, Don. He's a guy that Garrett and I both looked up to very much and had a lot of respect for. The farm isn't the same without him around.
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