When you think of life on a dairy farm are you imagining an older man who pulls on overalls early every morning to milk and feed the cows? Who maybe carries a pitchfork around with a straw hat on his head?
This stereotypical image is not only extremely outdated; it’s also the polar opposite of what life on a modern dairy farm looks like. Modern dairy farms aren’t a one-person operation anymore, most farms have multiple employees or family members, a C-suite and use advanced technology.
Read on to get a peek into a slice of a typical day on a farm.
Early Morning Hours
While most of us are still sleeping, the activity around the dairy farm is buzzing. The two most important chores each day are milking the cows and feeding the animals. Each dairy farm has set milking times that usually happen three times a day. The morning shift can start anywhere from the wee morning hours to 6 or 7 a.m. More and more farms are now using robots to milk their cows. In this case, the cow chooses when she wants to be milked.
Cows are creatures of habit and routine. So, the feeding crew arrives early to custom mix the feed ration and then deliver it to the cows. Each grouping of cows receives a precise blend of hay, grains, silage, and minerals designed by a nutritionist to keep every animal at peak health. This chore could take several hours and must be done at least twice a day. And don’t forget the young animals! The calves and heifers might not need to be milked, but they need to be fed a custom food made just for their growth and development.
There’s one more big job to be done: clean-up! As each group of cows are milked, the cows’ stalls and walking areas are scraped free of manure and water receptacles are checked and cleaned.
Various other employees and third-party businesses head to the farm in the morning hours: the milk truck driver to pick-up the milk and take it to the plant, the mechanics that service the large equipment on the farm, the veterinarian who helps keep the cows healthy and more!
Mid-Morning to Early Afternoon
These hours are when all the “odd jobs” take place: meetings, fixing equipment, moving animals, managing crops and supply management. There’s always something to do and the list rarely is empty.
Most farms have a herdsman whose job is to walk the herd every single day to assess health, behavior, appetite, and body condition. Is that cow moving differently? Is she off her feed? The herdsman catches it first and then makes sure that cow receives the medical attention she needs. Early detection means faster treatment and healthier animals overall.
Here’s the part that surprises a lot of people: dairy farming isn’t just about the cows. It’s also about the land. Most dairy farms grow a significant portion of their own feed like corn, alfalfa and hay, which means there’s a whole separate operation running alongside the cow management schedyule. Planting in the spring, managing crops through the summer, and harvesting in the fall are all part of the annual rhythm. Tractors and planters are just as essential as milking machines.
Think meetings are just for office workers? No way! Farmers hold regular meetings to manage daily schedules, plan complex projects and keep a pulse on the day-to-day operations of the farm. Farm owners are like modern CEOs and many have a C-suite to assist them: financial advisors, technology experts, the herdsman, the foreman, payroll and more. Meetings are essential to running a farm and they typically take place during the afternoons.
Late Afternoon to Evening
There’s another round of milking, feeding and cleaning to be done, but after that, the farm generally slows down. As the sun sets, the herdsman does one last walk through the barns. Milking finishes up, equipment is turned off and a quiet settles over the farm. Another busy day is done. The cows are chewing their cuds and resting, and everyone heads home for dinner and their rest. The next day is just around the corner when all the activity of caring for cows and producing milk will start again!