Barn Full of Memories

Jan & Phillip Damhof
Blomkest, Minnesota

Within this feature the Dairy Star  catches up to retired farmers to talk about the ups and downs they had when dairy farming. The feature includes how each individual farm changed throughout the farmer’s career and what each has been doing since they hung the milkers up.

What year did you start farming, and what year did you retire? I started farming in the early 70s and retired April 16, 2016, after almost 50 years of dairying.

Tell us about your farm when you started and describe what it looked like when you retired, including how many cows you milked when you retired. I started farming by renting a farm that had a dairy barn on it. The farm consisted of 400 acres, which included a 40-acre pasture. I raised corn, soybeans and alfalfa hay, which provided the feed for the cows. The dairy barn had room for 40 cows and was an old-fashioned, round-roof barn that had a huge hay mow above. When I retired, I was milking 80 Holstein cows. The herd consisted of 200 animals, which included dry cows, bred heifers and heifer calves.

After seven years of renting and building a herd, I bought the home farm and an 80-cow tie stall barn with a pit underneath was built. More additions included four silos with total mixed ration equipment in the feed room, a hay shed, a machine shed, a shop, a calf barn and a heifer barn.

I grew up on the family farm, where crops were raised and my dad fed out beef. I was active in church, 4-H and FFA. My wife, Jan, and our family worked together on the farm. The next generation (our daughter and three sons) actively worked on the farm. Now, the next generation (our grandsons) are working on the farm. We are happy to see the family is continuing to enjoy the farm and is becoming good stewards of the land.

What were some of the big advancements you made during your career? Some of my biggest advancements would have been going from an identified grade herd to a registered herd, selling breeding stock, and using the computer for everything.

What did you love about milking cows? Being a successful dairy farmer is more than milking cows. When I started with the dairy, I learned about breeding, feeding and management. With my breeding program, I used A.I., began working with embryos and studied genetics. My nutritionist took feed samples and helped balance a ration for different production levels. I worked with the vet who came monthly to do checkups and vaccinations. The Dairy Herd Improvement Association tester was on the farm monthly. Registering calves would sometimes be a family affair, with everyone drawing pictures of calves, especially if we had a lot to do.

What was the highlight of your dairy career? One of my highlights with dairying was when the classifier would come. He would score the cows on a point system. I had several cows that scored Excellent and several first-lactation cows that scored Very Good. This told me that genetics was working for production and type.

What is the biggest challenge you faced in your career and how did you overcome it? Cow comfort was my biggest challenge when the summer days were really hot with high humidity. I put in a mister system that was directed to the head of the cow, and then I also added tunnel ventilation. That moved a lot of air, which also helped a little with mosquito and fly control.

What do you miss most about dairy farming? I miss being a caretaker of animals, seeing the birth of a baby calf and working together as a family. I also miss hosting tours for school classes, foreign groups and organizations.

What advice would you give to a young farmer today? I would tell a young farmer they will need help from parents, grandparents or others to get started. Some years, prices will be good, and other years, not so good. If you love what you are doing, stick it out, stand firm, be committed and be patient.

Was retiring an easy or hard decision/transition? Retiring was very, very hard. I loved my work, seeing a new baby calf stand up for the first time and facing new challenges every day. After milking for almost 50 years, my body said it was time to retire.

What have you been doing since you retired? I work on the farm where I am needed. I help pick rocks in the spring and fall and run miscellaneous errands for the farm. I plant and take care of our vegetable garden and also work in the flower garden. I enjoy mowing and mow lawns for several family members.