A Day in the Life of a Dairy Farmer (On a Day When Most Things Go Right)

If there’s one thing I can guarantee about life on a dairy farm, it’s that no two days are ever the same. Some days, everything runs like a well-oiled machine. Other days, a cow figures out how to unlatch a gate, a tractor refuses to start, or a storm rolls in at just the wrong time. But on a day when most things go right (fingers crossed), here’s what it looks like.

Most days start right around 8:00 a.m., but thanks to our robotic milkers, the cows have been milked around the clock. The morning begins with feeding the cows, checking on the herd, and making sure everything is running smoothly. The calves need their morning bottles, and the barn needs fresh bedding.

After morning chores, we start plugging away at the growing day’s to-do list. On any given day, that could mean fixing a fence, cleaning equipment, or checking crops in the field. Spring and summer mean planting and harvesting, while fall is all about getting crops off the field before the weather turns. And in the winter? Well, there’s always something to repair before the busy season rolls back around.

Lunch on the farm isn’t so much a scheduled meal as it is “grab something when you can.” If it’s a good day, it’s a meal at the kitchen table. If it’s a really busy day, it’s a sandwich in one hand and a feed bucket in the other.

Afternoons vary from fixing a tractor (again), prepping for the next round of harvest, moving cattle, running into town for a “quick” parts run (which never actually takes less than an hour). Some afternoons it’s spent at the creamery. That might mean hauling fresh milk over, making cheese, bottling milk, and running a delivery route.

Late afternoon and early evening, it’s time for another round of feeding, cleaning, and checking on the cows. The robotic milkers handle most of the milking, but cows still need fresh feed and attention. If a cow isn’t feeling well or there’s a mechanical hiccup, this is when it gets sorted out. The goal is to finish up before dark, but let’s be honest, that doesn’t always happen.

By dinner time or just after most of the work is done (aside from any last-minute surprises). Then, it’s time to rest up and get ready to do it all again tomorrow—because the cows don’t know what weekends are, and the farm never really stops. Some days are full of unexpected chaos. Others go surprisingly smooth. But at the heart of it all is the commitment to caring for our cows, producing quality milk, and keeping the farm running—no matter what the day throws our way.