Women in Dairy: Lorilee Schultz

Lorilee Schultz
Orangeville, Illinois
Stephenson County
55 cows

Family: My partner Chris and daughter Lucy. Aside from helping on the agronomy side, Chris is busy with his own farm, custom spraying and carpentry businesses and is not involved in day-to-day operations. The farm is owned by my grandparents, Bob and Kaye Miller. My aunt, Kathy Miller, is our calf feeder. My eldest two brothers operate a custom harvesting business, and I am able to hire them to make our feed and for some other fieldwork. I am lucky to also have three sisters-in-law and a few cousins nearby who can help in a pinch.

Tell us about your farm. My grandparents started Mil-R-Mor Farm in 1962. They relocated the farm from a Chicago suburb to Orangeville in 2006. The main farm is 285 acres, including about 50 acres of grass and pasture. The milking barn has 34 tie stalls and 22 box pens. Calves are raised in individual pens in a converted corn crib with curtains on the sides. Heifers are in groups of 4-6 from 10 weeks to breeding age. Bred heifers and dry cows are housed in a freestall with access to pasture. Our breeding goal is to develop strong cow families with high type and longevity. Our herd received the Holstein Association Progressive Breeder Registry Award in 2021. Since taking over management of the crop ground in 2015, I have worked to incorporate environmental practices such as growing cover crops, creating pollinator and wildlife habitat, planting native tree species and managing soil for micronutrients, all while growing corn, alfalfa and wheat. In addition to myself and my aunt, we have one full-time employee along with some part-time employees. We enjoy being an integral part of our community and economy.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? My role on the dairy is constantly evolving depending on the time of the year and our employee situation. I am lucky and grateful to have an amazing employee who has been my right-hand lady through it all and makes it easier to run a farm while caring for an infant. She generally arrives first and gets the cows in and starts milking while I get organized to make it to the barn. I help bring in the second group of cows to milk, then put out feed while Lucy naps in the barn. This time of year, the cows go back out to pasture, and we clean the barn for the day. Then it’s project and errand time. Occasionally, I use this time to clean my house or get groceries. By mid-afternoon, I start mixing feed again for the day. Ideally, Lucy will take a nap in her stroller during this time, or she will ride with me. Then, we put cows in for evening milking. Most nights, I have a high schooler who milks while I put feed out again and feed hay to heifers. On days that I don’t have help in the barn, I call Grandma for help with the baby and plan to spend most of my day in the barn. After chores, we do our nighttime routine of super, bath time and not doing the dishes, and I prop my eyes open until I can get the baby to sleep.

What decision have you made in the last year that has benefited your farm? I decided not to breed anything to calve in January-February and July-August any more. Winter time chores with 22 box pens is a ridiculous amount of work, so it is worth having a few empty pens at that time, even if it means I have to double up in the spring when the cows are back on pasture. Try as we might to keep them cool, calving in the middle of summer inevitably leads to fresh cow problems that also take up time. Without the ability to make major changes to the facility, anything I can do to streamline labor makes a big difference. As a bonus, I have been able to maintain better pre-fresh nutrition and protocols when I calve in bigger groups together.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. Every summer, we compete at our local district show. My grandparents now have 23 great-grandchildren, and last year, we had 11 of them participate in the show. We bring a bunch of March calves that they all work with ahead of time. It takes a lot of effort, but the kids have so much fun together, and it is amazing to see their progress each year as they learn. The connection with animals, teamwork with each other and work ethic they learn means at least as much as any banners or trophies we might bring home.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? The dairy industry has taken me some amazing places, and I’ve met many interesting people. I’ve been all over the country for Holstein conventions and conferences. I went to Australia and visited many farms with my grandparents when my grandpa was invited to judge an on-farm competition in Victoria. I’ve been to the incredible Swiss Expo in Lausanne, Switzerland, and visited dairy farms in China and New Zealand through internship and study abroad experiences. There is also a great network of supportive dairy farmers at my fingertips on social media.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? I’ve had my share of highs and lows on the farm and had neat experiences, but I am most proud of the quality product that leaves the driveway every day. It represents the consistent effort we put in to maintain exceptional milk quality, keep our cows healthy and grow high-quality forages.

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? We donate to local fundraisers and host tours when we can. I also did a collaboration with Midwest Dairy to thank teachers for their efforts during the pandemic. We participated in the adopt-a-calf program for three years and were able to help reach over 200,000 students with information from our farm. This included farm tours on YouTube. I also host a farm Facebook page with over 4,000 followers.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? It’s hard to leave the farm, but try to do something for yourself to gain perspective and grow your skills. Each year, I participate in at least one conference or program. In the past, I have completed the Young Dairy Leaders Institute, gone to meetings such as the annual PDPW or the Dairy Girl Network conferences, and this year, I am excited to go to the National Milk Producers Federation Young Cooperators meeting. Sure, I’ve been underestimated and discriminated against, but at the end of the day, it’s true that those who matter don’t mind, and those who mind don’t matter.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? Spend time with family and friends.