Barn Full of Memories: Randy and Diane Schweer

Randy and Diane Schweer

Watertown, South Dakota

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 working for Larry and Susan Munger in 1981. My wife, Diane, and I purchased the farm and herd in 2002. We sold the herd of registered Holsteins May 13, 2015, but we are still actively farming and custom-raising beef-dairy cross calves plus a few Red Angus cattle.

Tell us about your farm when you started and describe what it looked like, including how many cows you milked when you retired. We milked 90 registered Holsteins the whole time we milked.

What were some of the big advancements you made during your career? I always strived to breed better cows for both type and production. I installed tunnel ventilation and Kraigburg Elastik rubber mats to improve the comfort of stalls in the barn.

What did you love about milking cows? I enjoyed watching young heifers develop into cows that I loved and going to the barn to milk.

What was the highlight of your dairy career? We had two national dairy tours visit our farm, one during the national Holstein convention and another sponsored by Select Sires Inc. It was interesting to meet the people in the industry and breeders from around the country.

What is the biggest challenge you faced in your career, and how did you overcome it? Milk price. Being able to overcome this was a big challenge, but I was able to sell breeding stock to help fill the gap.

What do you miss most about dairy farming? The people. We raised six children on the farm; each one grew up knowing the value of hard work. We also enjoyed learning business ideas.

What advice would you give to a young farmer today? Put your money in cow comfort and genetics and make the best feed you can to better manage tight margins.

What is your tie to the dairy industry today? Our son, Samuel, breeds cows in Tulare, California. One of our daughters, Ana, is finishing her doctorate in veterinary medicine at the University of Minnesota. One of my brothers, Richard, milks near Milbank, South Dakota. I also have great neighbors at Sioux River Dairy and County Line Dairy, whom I help on certain projects. I still love the smell of fresh feed and looking at Holstein cows.

Was retiring an easy or hard decision/transition? It was a hard decision, but it has all worked out well for us. There is still plenty of work to do, but it is easier to get away from the farm.

What have you been doing since you retired? I raise Red Angus and custom raise beef-dairy calves that we get from a calf grower at 220 pounds. I’m also a commissioner for Codington County. We have six children and nine grandchildren around the country; this keeps us very busy as well.