Women in Dairy: Maureen Keinbaum

Maureen Keinbaum
Wausau, Wisconsin
Marathon County
60 cows

Family: Husband, Scott, and son, Waylon, 4.
 
Tell us about your farm. We milk 60 grade and registered Holsteins on our 115-year-old farm. My husband is the fourth generation of his family to do so. We crop 200 acres and raise all our heifers.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? A typical day for me starts with a 4:45 a.m. alarm, and then, it is go. We don’t have any hired help so we do everything ourselves. I feed cows, milk, take care of calves, do fieldwork and book work, and anything else that needs to be done.

What decision have you made in the last year that has benefited your farm? We have been focusing on better genetics and working to breed better cows.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. My most memorable experience is delivering a live calf out of a first-calf heifer that had a lot of problems. It took two vets, myself and my husband, but we saved them both.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I love working with the animals. From calf to cow, it is amazing to watch them grow and see what they become.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? My biggest accomplishment has been re-starting our dairy. A few years ago, we sold the cows and took off-farm jobs. We hated it. Within a year, we bought more cows and heifers and were milking again. It was a difficult process, but this is where we belong and what we love.

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? I post about farming on Facebook: pictures, videos, explanations of what we do, etc. We host a farm day in the spring where we invite young kids and their parents out to see what we do, interact with the animals, go on a hayride, and make butter and ice cream. We support our local FFA and 4-H. I am constantly advocating for agriculture.
 
What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? My advice is if you want it, go get it. Chase your dreams and never take no for an answer.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? In my spare time, I love to garden and hunt.