Barn full of memories: Daryl Byker

Within this feature the Dairy Star catches up to retired farmers to talk about the ups and downs they had when dairy farming. The feature includes how each individual farm changed throughout the farmer’s career and what each has been doing since they hung the milkers up.

What year did you start farming, and what year did you retire? I started farming Feb. 14, 1990, and stopped Feb. 15, 2023.

Tell us about your farm when you started and describe what it looked like when you retired. I had 60 head of milk cows with replacement heifers and steers. I also raised 100 beef cows, plus their feeder calves, and 350 head of hogs.

What were some of the big advancements you made during your career? The biggest change for my operation was building a 75-cow freestall barn.

What did you love about milking cows? I loved watching cows take care of their newborn calves and watching the heifers mature into cows.

What was the highlight of your dairy career? One of the highlights of my dairy career was having a cow make 313,000 pounds of milk in her lifetime. She lived to be 13 years old but looked like a 5-year-old. I also had a Montbéliard cow that produced 165 pounds of milk a day. I was also able to hire a few students from Dordt University to work for me. They have an excellent agriculture program. I still keep in touch with a couple of them 25 years later.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in your career, and how did you overcome it? The biggest challenge for me was taking over the dairy farm suddenly. On Feb. 14, 1990, my father died in a farming accident. I was forced to learn a lot of things quickly. I did not have anybody to talk to except for my mom.

If there is one thing you wished you could have done differently during your farming career, what would it be? I wish I could have installed a robotic milker so I would not have had to put quite so many hours in milking.

What piece of equipment or technology has been introduced that you wish you had for your dairy career? Robotic milker.

What do you miss most about dairy farming? I miss watching the miracle of birth.

What advice would you give to a young farmer today? Take time for your family; kids grow up way too fast. Have some interests totally unrelated to dairy.

What is your tie to the dairy industry today? I do not have much for ties anymore other than I talk to a couple dairymen friends at church.

Was retiring an easy or hard decision/transition? Retiring was not a hard decision for me. I knew I could not keep putting in 80-90 hours a week. I was burnt out, not a fun place to be.

What have you been doing since you retired? I am a relief rural mail carrier. I also drive the sports activity bus for the local school and I am a youth leader at church.