Women in Dairy: Cheryl Seibert

Cheryl Seibert
Sebeka, Minnesota
Wadena County
65 cows

Tell us about your family and farm. My husband, Ray, and I bought our farm from his parents. We raised our four kids — Roger, Amber, Joshua and Allyson — here. Allyson is farming with us now. We started with tie stalls in the barn and transformed this into a swing-8 parlor with a bedded pack barn for the cows. We raise our own replacements and calve mid-March to mid-November. We don’t have facilities for cold-weather calving.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? We start milking around 5 a.m. Ally and I do the milking while Ray feeds the cows. After breakfast, I clean the parlor and holding area. I do all the cooking, especially when we have field work or harvesting help. We start milking again around 5 p.m. Afternoons are meant for lawn mowing, gardening or baking.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. My most memorable experience has been watching our kids grow into the adults they are now. Our kids have worked and learned from grandparents who help us farm.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I have enjoyed working with my husband and now working with our daughter. The other kids have helped while they lived at home. Our other daughter lives nearby and helps when we need her.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Raising four kids with a passion for agriculture.

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? Since nieces and nephews all grew up coming to the farm, they now bring their families to watch milking and learn how to milk.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Dairy cows are a 24/7 job. Take time off whenever possible, even day trips help.

What is a challenge in the dairy industry you have faced, and how did you overcome it? Milk price has been a challenge. We have put projects on hold because of low prices. As prices got better, we took on those projects. We live and farm in sand, so water retention for crops is an issue. We installed center pivots.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I like to read in my spare time. I grow a vegetable garden and keep our yard mowed. I like to bake. We live close to the Crow Wing River and like to canoe.