Barn full of memories

Ray Sands
Kenyon, 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 dairy farming in 1948 at the age of 17 upon high school graduation. I retired from milking cows in 2008 at the age of 77.

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. We have a 200-acre dairy and crop farm that has been in my family since 1856, when my grandfather homesteaded the property. When I began milking with my father, we had 12 cows in an old barn and milked them by hand. We built a new barn in 1952 and added two silos and a bunk feeder. When I retired, I was milking 35 cows every day by myself.

What were some of the big advancements you made during your career? In the 1970s, we built two blue Harvestore silos, one for corn and the other for haylage. The bunk feeder was an addition for efficiency for the barn to feed cattle outside. A glass pipeline, which was the last glass pipeline still in use in Minnesota when I retired in 2008, was installed to transfer milk to the bulk tank in the milk room. It held 350 gallons.

What did you love about milking cows? The cows were like pets, part of the family. I enjoyed raising calves and seeing them grow. My two daughters, Heidi and Kristy, used to help me feed the baby calves during evening chores. It was fun to have them in the barn.

What was the highlight of your dairy career? In 1963, we were given the award for the highest-producing dairy herd in Goodhue County.

What is the biggest challenge you faced in your career, and how did you overcome it? Battling extreme cold weather conditions and equipment breakdowns were certainly challenges, but I was just glad when everything was working right. At times, it was also a delicate balance to milk cows morning and night and play music with the polka band. When I turned 18, I was asked to play accordion in a band called The Polka Dots. That became my other career in life, which I really enjoyed. I became the band leader a few years later. We performed in numerous ballrooms and dance halls and other venues in the Upper Midwest up to five nights a week in the 1950s. We even traveled and performed internationally at two music festivals in Europe. I retired from the band in August 2022 at the age of 91. My wife, Sue, and our two daughters performed with the band over the years as well.

If there is one thing you wished you could have done differently during your farming career, what would it be? Nothing comes to mind. I got to do everything I wanted to do.

What piece of equipment or technology has been introduced that you wish you had for your dairy career? I can’t think of anything. I had everything I needed.

What do you miss most about dairy farming? The milk check, twice per month.

What advice would you give to a young farmer today? Start small and expand as you can afford it.

What is your tie to the dairy industry today? I still follow the market prices daily for milk and crops.

Was retiring an easy or hard decision/transition? Both hard and easy. It was hard to sell the cows that had been on the farm all of my life, but my age told me I had to do it. I was aiming for 80 years.

What have you been doing since you retired? I continue to crop farm 40 acres and rent out the rest of the crop land. I continue to mow the lawn in the summertime. I also enjoy spending time with my four grandchildren: Bryan, 18; Colin, 14; Rylan, 14; and Mari, 10.