Parlor Profiles: Dairy Families Talk About Their Lives

Rewards of Dairy Farming

The job of a dairy farmer offers rewards not available outside farming—some that even other farmers can’t claim. For most dairy farmers, being around cows, getting instant rewards and feedback—along with where and how they do their work—makes their job special.

Bonds Are Built

The close relationship dairy farmers develop with their cows is a real plus for most. Many in the study talked about this special bond. One farmer, who called his cows “the girls,” showed that the strength of this bond can sometimes lead to a loss of perspective. “On the farm, I’m married to those girls first and she (his wife) comes second. That doesn’t go over real well,” he said.

The relationship farmers have with their cows is almost human, no doubt partly because the cows are usually the farm’s main enterprise. As one farmer said, “I guess a guy just kind of takes the parts that he likes the best in dairy farming and does the best he can. If you like your cows, take care of them and they’ll take care of you.”

The rewards of breeding and showing cattle was another thing a number of dairy farm couples liked. In addition to being around the animals, there was the added bonus that the whole family could be involved in groups such as 4-H, FFA and breeding organizations.

Farm Life Is Gratifying

Another dairy farming plus, identified primarily by husbands, is the gratification that comes from working on a farm. One farmer put it this way: “You see a cow have a calf. The calf grows and has a calf. You plant a seed, it turns into a crop. The changing of the seasons. There’s the closeness that you feel toward God and just with the life.”

One wife identified another benefit that seems unique to dairy farming—the instant reward and feedback. “When you get the milk, you get an instant reward,” she said. “If you screw up, they (the cows) are going to tell you with that next milk check or the next milking. You get instant feedback that tells you whether you are doing a good job or not. In a lot of jobs, you don’t get any feedback.”

Time Management Is up to You

"You are your own boss, that's the best part of it."

Couples said they liked dairy farming because they could be their own bosses and have some control over how they used their time. Many felt good about being able to do what they wanted when and how they wanted—at least some of the time.

“You are your own boss, that is the best part of it,” noted one farmer. “One reason I didn’t go into the dairy buyout was because I didn’t want to work for somebody else. I’m used to being my own boss. If it rains and I don’t feel like working, as soon as I finish the work that has to be done, I can loaf. If I had a job someplace else, I probably wouldn’t be here talking to you today because I’d have to be there working.”

Keep Life on Track

While families liked the variety of tasks on the farm, they also appreciated dairy farming’s habits and routines. They thought that having to milk the cows twice every day provided some stability to life. One farmer said, “I’m a creature of habit. When my routine is screwed up, it throws me off. If I plan to do such and such a thing today and I get half-done and it’s all wrong, my whole day is screwed up.”

No Commuting to Job

Where they worked was another reward dairy couples talked about, because it meant they could avoid the daily hassle of commuting to a job in traffic and didn’t have to punch a time clock. It also meant they could enjoy the peace of the farm.

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Produced by Communication and Educational Technology Services, University of Minnesota Extension.

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