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Family members: Husband: Al, Sons: Tim, 17 and Joe, 13
Tell us about your farm. We are the third generation on my husband's family farm. We are currently milking 90 cows in a parlor retrofitted in an old stanchion barn. We raise our all youngstock here as replacements, selling the bull calves when they are weaned. We have 330 acres of land that is used for crops and grazing, with the cows rotationally grazed in the summer months.
What's the busiest time of the day for you? The busiest time of day is usually in the mornings, although it does vary by season. Mornings are full of trips back and forth from the barn getting the kids off to school and getting morning chores done at the same time.
How much time do you spend doing farm work compared to housework? My time is fairly balanced between housework and farmwork. Al and I do the morning milking together while the afternoon chores are usually covered by hired help. I do most of the calf management and feeding of them in the morning. I will spend more time in the fields during haying time and silage chopping.
What do you do in your free time and why? My free-time seems to center mostly around running with our boys to activities and sports they are involved in and some volunteering I do at our church and on our local ADA Board. I am happy to take time for taxiing my boys and watching them in their sports or showing cattle because this time in their lives seems to go so fast. Being involved at our church and helping out over the years whether in teaching Sunday School or Confirmation along with different committees helps us as a family remember what's really important and why we do what we do. If we can squeeze out a little extra free-time it is usually used to catch up with family, both near and a little further away.
What's the best thing about farming? The best thing about farming is farming. I couldn't picture raising a family anywhere else; I guess it's in my blood. Working together on a daily basis, working with the animals and land it just can't be beat.
When you look back on your life, what do you want to be remembered for? Probably like most women involved in farming and raising families, we'd like to know that we were able to contribute in positive ways to the success of our families, businesses and communities.
Do you have any ideas that could make farming easier for you and all farming women? Knowing and connecting with other women who are involved in agriculture is a great support system. Being able to communicate with other women about the direction of your farm business along with farm family is helpful.
How do you and/or your family reach out to consumers and the community to spread the word about dairy products and dairy farming? I have been involved on our local Dairy Assoc. Board for the past several years and have been involved with the Dairy Princess program there. There aren't a lot of dairy farms left in our area anymore. Much of our outreach about the dairy industry is often in personal conversations we have with friends, neighbors, and people in our community. When we tell people that we are dairy farmers, conversation usually goes to memories of growing up on a farm or memories of a relatives' farm from when they were kids and sometimes having no experience at all. Either way, it is always fun to share our story.
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