Day in the life of the Dobmeiers

ALBANY, Minn. — Father and son, Tom and Austin Dobmeier, completed another yearly milestone May 13 on their farm south of Albany.
They finished planting corn on that Tuesday, now having all their seed in the ground for what they hope will be a productive crop year.
“It is a relief, because it is our cropping season, and after you get the seed in the ground, you hope for rain so you have feed for the cows,” Tom said.
The Dobmeiers planted 180 acres of corn and alfalfa that is undersown with barley and peas.
Tom and Austin milk 110 cows alongside their family.
“There is no other person I would want to work with than my son and my family,” Tom said. “That’s valuable time that we can spend together as a family.”
Austin and his wife, Kiley, are raising their children, Harper and Emerson, on the farm with the help of Austin’s mom, Anita.
“Whether it is over lunch or out in the yard, it makes my day better to see those little kids,” Tom said. “We did it with our kids this way, and now, we are doing it with his kids.”
Austin returned to the farm in 2017 and has been earning a portion of the milk proceeds.
Before Tom and Austin could begin work in the field, they did morning chores. They woke up shortly after 4 a.m. and by 5, they were milking 110 cows in a swing-9 parlor.
In September 2024, they converted a pack barn that housed heifers into a freestall barn.
The Dobmeiers raise calves until 5 months of age. Then, they are sent to Jeremy Holthaus. Heifers return when they are 7 to 8 months pregnant.
By adding 40 stalls, the Dobmeiers increased their herd. Earlier this year, they finished renovating the tiestall barn into a parlor. They have been in their new setup since Feb. 17.
“The original barn was built in 1880 and has been taken care of over the years, and now, we put a parlor in it and are still milking cows in the same exact barn,” Austin said.
Austin said the parlor cuts milking time in half and has been beneficial.
“We were switching the cows, and it took around three and half hours to milk,” Austin said. “It’s been phenomenal seeing the cows and how much they enjoy not having to stand around waiting to be milked. We have been able to spend more time with our family.”
Once out of the barn, the main focus for the Dobmeiers, on what turned out to be a warm and windy day, was to finish planting. Shortly before 9 a.m., the duo headed in separate ways. Austin had to pick up milk replacer and run errands while Tom fed calves and got their 6-row planter ready.
After a quick lunch, Tom’s brother, Dan, who helps with fieldwork and mechanical jobs, arrived and immediately worked the remaining 30 acres while Tom started planting. Austin mixed feed for the cows, worked on taking a hood off a tractor in preparation for doing radiator work and then weed trimmed around the yard.
By 4 p.m., Austin fed calves and prepared for night milking. Working with the cows has been a passion of his for a long time and cow longevity has been a focus. He recently had a cow reach eight lactations.
“I am making a difference in the cows’ lives, from when they are born to when they are milking,” Austin said. “I really like a good, long-lasting cow. Nothing makes me happier than to see a cow that has five or six lactations. Some cows are coming in next to their daughters, and I like watching their progression.”
Around 7 p.m., Austin finished chores and spent time with his family, and Tom planted until 9 p.m. when he ran one bag short of seed; he finished off the field the following morning. Their planting season that started May 9 was complete.
“Every year, we sit down and make a goal for ourselves, whether it’s production, components, conception rates or a certain quality feed,” Austin said. “Both of us are cow-minded people. We always decide first and foremost what we can do for the cows and reflect that on our fieldwork.”