Straight From the Dairy Farmer: Part Two
By Katie Meade, Humane Farming Program Associate
Welcome back to Straight from the Dairy Farmer: Part Two! Here we ask our FACT mentors and dairy farmers about their insights on life as a Dairyman or woman. They had a lot of valuable information to share, including their favorite resources, how they handle stress, and what they wish up-and-coming dairy farmers and customers knew about the industry. It was clear that these individuals are extremely passionate about what they do and are dedicated to providing high-quality dairy products to their communities. Overall, it’s clear that there is a lot to love about life as a dairy farmer, and a lot of hard work, too!
Contributors:
Mike Guebert, of Terra Farma in Corbett, OR
Bill Theiss, of Fawn Crossing Farms in Bridgewater, VA
Samantha Gasson, of Bull City Farm in Rougemont, NC
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what gets you back on track?
“It's important to build in some time away from the farm, I find that some time in nature gets me excited again. But also, helping others solve problems on their farms and seeing them get excited makes those tough days feel worthwhile.” ~Mike Guebert
“Determine the root cause of the problem and initiate a plan to resolve it.” ~Bill Theiss
“Whenever I get overwhelmed, I get very grumpy, which my husband picks up on first and recommends I take a moment to paint or draw (he views it as self-preservation on his part). It helps stop my brain from spiraling, allowing me to refocus and improve my mood and productivity:)” ~Samantha Gasson
Name a failure that turned out to be a great learning opportunity or benefitted you later on.
“There is a pasture nearby where we rent space to graze our animals and one day I arrived to find the property owner planting a row of trees right across all of our paddocks. I was a bit upset at first because our entire system of rotational grazing would have to be redesigned to protect the seedlings from the livestock. But, it caused me to look at the setup there with new eyes, and the new system I designed is far superior to the previous system and I'm now using it as a model that can be replicated elsewhere.” ~Mike Guebert
“Never attempt to push a pig onto a trailer. Make him think exploring the trailer is his idea using a food enticement.” ~Bill Theiss
“It's funny how often failures turn out to be blessings in disguise. Our first goal with the farm was to open a farmstead cheese operation but the upfront cost was just too high. We started raising meat for our community as a way to save up for the creamery and found that we liked being a diversified operation and the flexibility it affords. We now have pork, herd shares, lamb, beef, turkey, and chicken for sale plus farmstead sausages. I still make a lot of cheese, I just don’t sell it.” ~Samantha Gasson
What advice do you have for an aspiring Dairy farmer?
“Spend some time working on a variety of other farms before you try to start your own, find a mentor, and know your local regulations.” ~Mike Guebert
“If you are not passionate about dairy farming, then do something else.” ~Bill Theiss
“Be flexible and roll with the punches. It's a hard industry but very rewarding.” ~Samantha Gasson
What do you wish you knew about dairy farming- but nobody told you?
“I wish I had better advice early on about marketing, particularly for selling raw milk.” ~Mike Guebert
“How delicious raw goat milk, cheese and yogurt really is.” ~Bill Theiss
“I wish I had known how hard it is to make a living farming. In the beginning, I looked at the prices at our local farmers’ market running the numbers assuming everyone was marking their products up by 100%......definitely not the case!
Many farmers have no idea how much their products actually cost and are frequently losing money when they allow the marketplace to dictate their pricing. I wish I had taken some basic business and marketing classes early on, it would’ve saved me time and money in the long run.” ~Samantha Gasson
What resources do you recommend to farmers interested in the dairying life?
“For someone just starting out, the book "Keeping a Family Cow" is great. For someone wanting to gain experience, volunteering at a farm through WWOOFing is a great place to start, but make sure to search out farms that are focused on teaching WWOOFers, rather than just using them for free labor. For someone a little further along, finding a mentor through the FACT mentorship program can potentially accelerate your growth curve.” ~Mike Guebert
“Find a mentor.” ~Bill Theiss
“There are so many things you can (and should) do before starting your own dairy:
Be sure to work on a variety of farms doing something similar to your end goal, there’s nothing like hands-on experience.
If possible, find someone who has more experience than you to help guide you with the intention of being that person to someone else as you gain experience. The best mentors are those who were once mentored.
I have also learned a lot from attending pasture walks (usually organized by your local extension office), I still love a good pasture walk:).
My absolute favorite way to learn is by attending conferences with a focus on sustainable or regenerative ag. These conferences tend to have a small farm focus which tends to be more relevant.
I am also a huge fan of online learning, attending as many webinars on as many topics as possible. Obviously I’m passionate about FACT’s webinars but I also attend a lot of ‘one-offs’ on topics I find interesting. I’m attending one today presented by RAFI USA called ‘CONSERVATION ON GRAZING LAND AND NRCS COST-SHARE OPPORTUNITIES’. So much to learn, I love it! ” ~Samantha Gasson
What do you wish consumers knew or asked about dairy farming and/or dairy products?
“I don't think consumers truly appreciate what commitment dairy farmers have to their operation, for many it is twice a day, every day of the year, with vacations a rare commodity. They may think the high cost of raw milk means the farmer is making lots of money, but for a majority that is simply not the case, as the cost of inputs for small farms has risen dramatically in recent years.
As for questions consumers should ask, if buying raw milk they should ask, "What steps do you take to produce clean milk?" "What do your cows eat?" "how long should this milk keep if kept refrigerated?" "What can I do as a consumer to be helpful to you so that you can be successful and stay in business?" ~Mike Guebert
“The amount of labor, risk, capital expense, and feed expense required to produce the dairy product.” ~Bill Theiss
“There is a perception that raw milk will cure all without realizing some of the dangers. It is important for consumers of dairy products to know what to ask when they decide who to buy from. With raw milk, it is all about milk collection, storage, and transportation.
There are three main times when raw milk can be contaminated during collection; poor udder health and sanitation before collection, poor sanitation in the milking area and poor equipment sanitation (the udder should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before collection, milking equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before and after use, the milking area should be easy to clean….cows poop whenever and wherever they feel like).
There are also three main times when the bacteria in the milk has the opportunity to grow and spoil the milk; right after collection, during storage, and during transportation (milk should be brought down to 45 deg F within 2 hours after collection, stored at a consistent 40 deg or below, and kept under 45 deg F during transportation).
Don’t assume your dairy farmer is doing things right, be sure to ask.” ~Samantha Gasson
If you're feeling inspired and curious to discover more about the world of dairy farming, make sure to stay tuned for our upcoming interview with one of our accomplished mentors who also happens to be a sheep dairy farmer! Part 3 of Straight from the Dairy Farmer is sure to provide valuable insights, information, and inspiration.
Photo Credit: Terra Farma, Mike Guebert