Women in Dairy

Ariann Doe
New England, 
North Dakota
Hettinger County
250 cows

Tell us about your family and farm. This is a fourth-generation farm. My grandparents started this farm in 1952. Currently, my parents, Warren and Gail; my brother, Kory; my husband, Don, and I all live and work on our farm. My brother’s wife works off the farm, but the rest of us work between the dairy and crop farm we have. My dad and brother take care of the crops and my son, Westin, and my husband and I milk the cows. We milk in a parlor with 12 units on one side and 16 on the other; we essentially combined two parlors into one. We wanted to add on but only had so much room to add on to. We help each other out where needed. We raise all our own replacements. My parents still own the dairy but Kory, Don and I are full time on the farm, and Kory’s kids and my son help on the farm.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? We start milking around 4:30 every morning, and then I feed the calves. I grind feed for the animals almost every day and take care of whatever else needs to be done until 4:30 p.m., when it is time to milk cows again. There is a routine with being on a dairy farm, but what needs to be taken care of next can change on a dime.

What decision have you made in the last year that has benefited your farm? Homeschooling our son. We decided to homeschool my teenager this year. Since we don’t have any outside help on our farm, he helps a lot on the farm and, with homeschooling, his schedule can be more flexible.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. Nothing specific, but I have been here my entire life, so it is growing up and working with my grandparents and parents and now working with my son every day. I enjoy seeing the generations grow up here and the dairy keep going.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I like working with the animals. I like being able to be with the cows and calves every day. The calves are my favorite. To see them as babies and then see them have babies of their own is very rewarding.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? We are still here. North Dakota has less than 30 dairy farms, and we are one of them. There used to be so many more, but they have all quit for various reasons. However, we are still here.

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? We give tours to elementary classrooms, and we have been in parades with a calf on a trailer. If anybody calls and wants to come visit, we say yes.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Don’t forget to shut the gate. It’s simple and yet very important to anyone who has a farm.

What is a challenge in the dairy industry you have faced and how did you overcome it? Last year, our processing plant closed, so we looked into getting our own truck or building our own on-farm creamery. Then, our processor said they will ship our milk to West Fargo. With the North Dakota dairy industry shrinking, this is something we need to have in the back of our minds, and we need to be flexible to change. My whole family is employed here, and it will make a big impact on us if things ever change.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I help organize and act in our community dinner theatre. We put on a show every fall. I also help with the high school clay target league. My husband is a coach, and I volunteer to help out too. I also run distance when I get a chance. I have done a marathon but typically do 5Ks and half marathons.