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Hilliary Morarend
Guttenberg, Iowa
Clayton County
50 cows
Family: My mom, Laura; a brother, Tim, and his wife, Ashley, and son, Easton. Tim and my uncle, Troy, have been helping me a lot since my dad was diagnosed with cancer.

Tell us about your farm. I am a fifth-generation farmer on the family farm. My grandpa started the dairy around 1940 when he bought a couple Brown Swiss cows from Cattle Congress. He also had chickens and pigs. He grew hay and corn. My dad took over the farm in 1986. He continued the dairy and pigs along with growing hay and corn. Dad stopped raising pigs in 1997 and started finishing out our steer calves. I began farming after graduating from Northeast Iowa Community College in 2014. I was a herdsperson for Dad. In 2017, I began farming on halves with Dad and am adjusting to solo farming after Dad recently passed away from cancer. My herd consists of 50 purebred Brown Swiss cows. I raise my replacement heifers. I also have a small beef herd of 20 cows. I still finish out my steer calves but will be stepping away from selling finished steers at the end of this year. As for crops, I raise corn, alfalfa and grass hay.

What is the busiest time of day for you? I stay pretty busy throughout the day, but mornings are the busiest for me because I feed my steers and replacement heifers, deep clean my milking equipment and get things set up for the day.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? In my spare time, I like to go walking or running, and do gardening.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. My most memorable experience on the farm was when my pet cow, Cola, had her first calf. It was in the middle of winter and all of her teats got frostbite. My dad was recovering from a four-wheeler accident, so my brother and uncle were relief milking. I was helping as much as I could when I wasn’t in school. It took about six weeks, but we got all her teats healed, and she is in her ninth lactation.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I like most everything about dairy farming. I like the lifestyle and the ethics dairy farming teaches you. My favorite part is taking care of the livestock, especially herd health. I graduated as a vet technician, so I do as much of the herd health as I can. While I don’t like having a sick cow or calf, I do like taking care of them and nursing them back to health.

How do you stay connected with others in the industry? I stay connected with others in the dairy industry through various groups on Facebook. I also read papers and magazines.

Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? My dad has inspired me. He was my teacher and taught me a lot over the years. I learned how important farming is and how rewarding of a lifestyle it is. He always had my back and encouraged me to not give up. My dad was always willing to help me.

If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? I would rather let children tour my farm, especially children who have never been to a farm. I would rather let kids come to the farm because I believe too many kids and some adults don’t know where their food comes from and don’t know the truth about what farmers do.

What is the best vacation you have ever taken? I have not taken a vacation. My vacation is getting a night off here and there to go to concerts or county fairs. So far, my favorite concerts have been Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw.

What are some words you like to live by? Life is 10% what happens and 90% how you react to it. What works for one doesn’t always work for another.

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