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Stephanie Hammerly
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Columbia County
25 cows and heifers

Family: My husband, Joel, and I have two children, Hannah and Hunter.

Tell us about your farm. Dreamstone Dairy was founded in 2015 with the purchase of Ja-Bob Armani Satin P-RC from the first #PolledPlace Tag Sale. Our focus is on breeding for polled, red and A2A2. We have a small farm at my father-in-law’s located five minutes outside of the tourist town of Wisconsin Dells where we raise calves, breeding bulls, dairy steers and a few milk cows and dry cows. We also direct market our dairy beef to consumers. Calves are housed in calf hutches, and older animals are on pasture and bedded pack. Our milk cows are cared for by my family in Monroe, and breeding-age heifers are on pasture with one of our partners that we own cattle with in Minnesota.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? I begin each morning caring for our young calves. We have a few milk cows that are milked with a portable milk pump, and the milk is used to feed calves. I also work on paperwork for registrations, genomics, polled and A2A2 testing, and manage our farm records. Weekends often involve working on farm projects.

What decision have you made in the last year that has benefited your farm? Working with friends and family to help us care for our animals has helped us out tremendously. With both of us working off the farm and raising two young kids, we appreciate those who support our dream of owning cows and raising a family around farming.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. My most memorable moment has been seeing our daughter, Hannah, enjoy showing and promoting the dairy industry. She showed her first cow this year, and some of her animals were included in dairy promotion events at Harvard Milk Days and Wisconsin State Fair.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I enjoy being able to share our passion for farming and cows with our children. Growing up on a farm, I also wanted to share this with my family one day. To see their eyes light up with excitement about the farm, cows and tractors means so much. I enjoy each time a new calf is born, especially when they are red and polled. To see cow families improve from one generation to the next is rewarding, and I enjoy researching pedigrees and evaluating bull proofs.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Starting my own business promoting Polled Dairy Cattle has been my biggest accomplishment. With the support and encouragement of several mentors in the dairy industry, I launched the #PolledPlace all-breeds magazine and have managed several sales featuring polled genetics. I also have a booth at World Dairy Expo, which is the highlight of my year to promote and share what is available for polled genetics both from breeders and the A.I. industry.  

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? I am passionate about dairy promotion and am grateful for the opportunities to share more about dairy farming with consumers. A couple of highlights include providing cows for Dairy Lane and calves for the Discovery Barn at Wisconsin State Fair. I also promote Polled Dairy Cattle through the #PolledPlace all-breeds publication and the #PolledPlace Tag Sale. Dreamstone Dairy is promoted using social media along with a website. We also promote our dairy beef by donating to events or sharing as a donation to silent auctions.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Say yes to the opportunities to share your dairy story and promote the industry you love, especially when your family can be involved too.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I also like to attend dairy and agricultural events.

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