Women in dairy are always on the go. Balancing farm with home and often off-farm jobs, they are, no doubt, “the heart of the farm.” If you are looking for quick fixes to common problems that save you time and money, you are in luck.

Read on for some practical tips and tricks collected from real-life women in dairy – just like you.

Kim and Lisa Condon
Condon Dairy Farm,
Juneau, Wisconsin, 500 milking

• Pre-made vet boxes for newborn calves
• Skateboard for moving calf panels

Kim and her mother, Lisa, have developed several tips and tricks to improve efficiency on their Wisconsin farm. In particular, the duo has helped to take the guesswork out of caring for newborn calves with pre-made vet boxes.

“The boxes are simple plastic storage containers typically used for office supplies. We organize the new syringes, vaccination bottles and navel dip into separate compartments. We include an empty plastic bag in the vet box and a hand pump for navel dip on the counter of our storage room. We keep the boxes stacked in the refrigerator so they are ready to go when we need them,” Kim says.

The next Condon-developed trick is to use a skateboard – yes, a skateboard – to move calf panels. For anyone challenged in the height and strength departments, this is a great fix.

“I started using a skateboard to move calf panels a couple years ago when I was having troubles dragging the panels outside to clean them. It has the same function as a furniture dolly. I put one bottom edge on the board and lift the other edge a few inches to walk it down the barn aisle.

I use it whenever I need to move panels a long distance so I don’t scrape the bottoms against the floor or waste time. Currently, I am the only one on the farm using the ‘skateboard method’ for calf panels, but it works great for me and saves a ton of time,” Kim says.

Angela Niles
Dairy Dreams LLC,
Casco, Wisconsin, 2,800 milking

• Milking glove hair-tie
• Changing skid-steer tires
• Tips for eating on the go

Angela is a problem solver. She works as a sales representative for Animal Health International and helps out as much as possible at her home farm. Angela has developed a few tricks along the way – most out of necessity.

“I get my curly hair from my mom. As women, we have all been in a situation where our hair-tie breaks or we can’t seem to find one. I found a way to take an ordinary milking glove and use it as a hair-tie. Simply cut off the band at the base of the glove, and use it the same as an ordinary hair-tie. It’s not the best for your hair, but it will work in a pinch.”

Don’t be fooled by Angela’s petite physique. She can handle intense work on the farm with the best of them. She’s even developed her own way to change skid-steer tires.

With a busy schedule, Angela has also perfected eating on the go. You won’t see her at a drive-through; instead, Angela prefers healthy snacks that are convenient.

“Greek yogurt is a great source of protein – which keeps me full when I’m working hard. I don’t always have access to a spoon, but I happen to love granola bars. I use the granola bar as a spoon to eat my yogurt. It works great,” Angela says.

Jennifer Heim

Heim Dairy Farm LLC,

Easton, Kansas, 100 Milking

• Mobile apps

Jennifer and her husband, David, use mobile technology on their Kansas dairy to improve communication, which helps them take even better care of their herd. Specifically, Jennifer uses the app Evernote to record and track cattle.

“We use our Evernote account for all kinds of cow lists. For example, cows to dry treat, cows to move to the calving pen, cows to draw blood from for pregnancy tests. I especially like it for pregnancy tests because I can record results in Evernote until I have time to get them into the computer.

Evernote makes it easy for us to share lists between the office and the barn, and we rarely are without our phones, so we always have the lists on hand when we need them,” Jennifer says.

Shannon Seifert

Orange Patch Dairy,
Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, 230 milking

• Dawn for removing stains

Laundry and dairy farming go hand-in-hand, and Shannon uses Dawn dishwashing liquid to help with extra-dirty farm clothes.

“Using a couple squirts of Original Scent Dawn dish soap in the laundry with manure-crusted or grease-soaked clothes almost always gets the ‘yucky’ stuff out. It works magic on my husband’s jeans during harvest,” Shannon says.

Nina Goessling-Schmocker
Whitewater, Wisconsin,
20 Holstein heifers

• Headlights to check animals at night
• Pre-measured feed for farm-sitter

It’s dark, you need to check on animals in a pasture or pen, and you need both hands. Nina suggests a simple headlamp that fits over your head with elastic bands; problem solved.

“The headlight became a tool with checking animals at night because they are easy to keep your hands free if you have to open gates or help with a calving. My husband bought the first headlight. He is a hoof trimmer, and it made finding his stuff in the back of his truck easier,” Nina says.

Going out of town and leaving a friend or neighbor to take care of your animals can be stressful, especially when they are on a strict diet. Although Nina has a small herd, she uses a labeling system that ensures her heifers will get the same feed even while she is away.

“We only have 20 or so heifers, so we have enough pails to have the a.m. and p.m. feeding portioned, labeled and placed by each pen. It’s pretty fool-proof. We always have the feeders full of hay and water too; that way, the help doesn’t have to work too hard at it,” Nina says.

Whether it’s 20 heifers or 2,800 milking cows, these dairywomen use simple solutions to solve common problems. A special thank you to the Dairy Girl Network Facebook group for creating the platform that aided in this article. PD

Maria F. McGinnis is a freelance writer based in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

For information on how to join the Dairy Girl Network Facebook group, contact Laura Daniels by email.

PHOTO 1: Lisa Condon created pre-made vet boxes that contain all the necessities for newborn calves.

PHOTO 2: Kim Condon uses a skateboard to help transport heavy calf panels. Photos courtesy of Lisa and Kim Condon.

PHOTO 3: An ordinary milking glove can be used to make a hair-tie.

PHOTO 4: Angela Niles uses her legs as a jack to change a skid steer tire. Photos courtesy Angela Niles.

PHOTO 5: Shannon and Jonathan Seifert. Photo courtesy Dairy Star.