From our side of the fence

Leo Privet

Northeast Iowa Community College, majoring in ag business and dairy science

Caledonia, Minnesota

Houston County

Tell us about the dairy farm you interned at. I interned on Hendel Farms in Caledonia, Minnesota. They milk 430 Holsteins and Brown Swiss, milking twice a day in a double-15 parallel parlor. Cows are housed in a freestall barn with sand bedding. There are 15 full-time and part-time employees.

What was your title and main responsibilities? My main responsibilities are hauling manure solids, tanking liquid manure, merging hay and running silage carts. In the barns, I scrape manure, bed packs, milk, haul cattle and help the herdsman with his chores.

What was the most valuable part of this internship? The most valuable part of my internship is learning how all parts of the farm work and how implementing the right techniques helps your cows and crops. I have learned a lot about the importance of producing high-quality feed and how to take care of cows so they can take care of you.

What challenged you? What challenged me the most is relearning things I’ve done at home to do them the right way. I am glad I did this internship so I could learn the right way to do things. Now, I can implement them at home the best I can.

Tell us your career goals and how this internship will help meet those. My career goal is to take over both of my family farms and expand the operations. I help my grandpa, who feeds dairy steers. After school, I hope I am able to feed more calves and finish out more steers. In the near future, I would also like to start a herd of beef cattle. This internship has taught me how to be a good farmer and good neighbor and how to work with others. I have created relationships with great mentors for advice and guidance for my future.

Jayden Schmitt

University of Wisconsin-River Falls, majoring in dairy science and minoring in agricultural business

Browerville, Minnesota

Todd County

Tell us about the dairy farm you interned at. I am currently interning at Twin Spruce Farms out of Richmond. They currently are milking at five locations and also operate a calving barn, calf ranch, dry cow facilities and steer and heifer lots. The parlor setups include a double-32 parallel at the Richmond facility, a double-24 parallel at the Arlington and Perham facilities, a double-12 at the Gaylord facility and a swing-12 at the second location in Perham.

What was your title and main responsibilities? I am the summer intern. I help with almost all tasks related to the cows, including treating fresh cows, checking cows and assiting with animals who are having difficulty calving. I also work in the in vitro fertilization lab every week and vaccinate youngstock.

What was the most valuable part of this internship? I find a lot of value in this internship as it gives me a ton of opportunities for the future, allows me to make connections with companies, and provides tons of experience on a very active and growing dairy farm.

What challenged you? The most challenging thing for me was learning how to work in the IVF lab.

Tell us your career goals and how this internship will help meet those. I have a very open mind for my career goals, but after being here on the farm and working in the IVF lab, I have a strong passion to find a career somewhere in the genetics field. I also have an interest in nutrition as well.

Anna Johnson

South Dakota State University, dairy production and agricultural science

Aberdeen, South Dakota

Brown County

Tell us about the dairy farm you interned at. I am interning at Double J Dairy in Elkton, South Dakota. They milk 65 cows in a 14-stall stanchion-style barn.

What was your title and main responsibilities? My main responsibilities are milking in the afternoons at 3 and some mornings starting at 4.

What was the most valuable part of this internship? The most valuable part was observing how different dairy farms operate. It gave me a broader perspective on management practices and the many ways producers successfully care for their herds.

What challenged you? The most challenging part of my internship was the beginning. Since I was new to the farm, the cows were unfamiliar with me, so earning their trust was the biggest challenge.

Tell us your career goals and how this internship will help meet those. My career goal is to build a career in the dairy industry in ruminant nutrition or in feed sales. I want to use my knowledge of animal nutrition and communication skills to improve animal health and productivity while supporting a sustainable dairy industry. This internship is helping me achieve those goals by providing valuable hands-on experience on a working dairy farm.

Hailey Zernicke

University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, majoring in agriculture and food business management and animal science

Bonduel, Wisconsin

Shawano County

Tell us about the dairy farm you interned at. This summer, I interned at Synergy Family Dairy located in Pulaski, Wisconsin, where they milk about 600 cows with an additional 100 dry cows, 400 heifers and 160 calves on site. The milking herd is housed in two freestall barns, one tunnel ventilated and the other naturally ventilated. Calves are raised in hutches, some individually and some in pairs. Cows are milked three times a day in a double-12 parallel parlor. The farm also uses SCR tags to monitor cow health and heats, supporting both reproductive management and early illness detection.

What was your title and main responsibilities? My responsibilities as a herdsman assistant centered on herd health and daily calf care, including feeding and vaccinations. I assisted with maternity care and breeding, as well as pulling cows for dry offs and hoof trimming each week. My role also involved assisting with heifer moves and pen moves within the milking herd to maintain efficient herd flow. Additionally, I collected and tracked data on calf health and performance for both paired and single-housed calves, monitoring outcomes before and after weaning.

What was the most valuable part of this internship? I think the most valuable part of my internship was seeing how a farm outside of my own family’s operation is run and managed. Being exposed to different protocols and management styles broadened my perspective on the dairy industry and let me learn directly from experienced industry professionals, where I was able to pick up new skills I had not been exposed to before. Comparing their approach to what I grew up doing gave me a wider understanding of the industry I hope to have a future in someday.

What challenged you? One of the biggest things that challenged me was adjusting to a new computer data system and set of protocols that differed from what I was used to on my family’s farm. I also had to problem solve quickly when situations I had not encountered before arose, which was challenging, too. This pushed me to not only be more independent but also confident with my decision making as well.

Tell us your career goals and how this internship will help meet those. My long-term goal is to stay involved in the dairy industry, whether that means directly working on a farm or working in a role that helps other farmers maximize their operations’ full potential. This internship gave me valuable exposure and understanding of what is possible in herd management and farm efficiency. The skills and perspective I gained, from herd health and reproduction to data collection and problem-solving, will help me bring more well-rounded knowledge to wherever I end up in the industry.

Chloe Kinnard

College and major: University of Minnesota-Crookston, applied agricultural communications

Casco, Wisconsin

Kewaunee County

Tell us about the dairy farm you interned at. I completed the Farm to Fork Internship at Ebert Enterprises near Algoma, Wisconsin. Ebert Enterprises is a family-owned dairy, beef and cropping operation with approximately 14,000 animals across their dairy and beef facilities. The farm consists of multiple dairy sites with several freestall barns, an 80-stall rotary milking parlor, calf and heifer facilities, feed storage areas and crop acres that supply feed for the herd. As part of the Farm to Fork operation, the family of businesses also includes Salmon’s Meat Products and Homestead Kitchen & Tap, connecting agriculture from the farm all the way to the consumer.

What was your title and main responsibilities? During my internship, I specialized in marketing while also gaining hands-on experience throughout the dairy operation. I rotated through several departments, including calves, maternity, dry cows, milk quality, breeding and reproduction and cropping, giving me a broad understanding of how each area contributes to the success of the farm. On the marketing side, I helped launch the farm's TikTok account from the ground up, creating photo and video content, brainstorming content ideas, tracking performance through analytics and using those insights to improve future content. Experiencing both the dairy and marketing sides of the business allowed me to create content that authentically represented the operation.

What was the most valuable part of this internship? The most valuable part of this internship was getting to experience both sides of the industry. I spent time learning the day-to-day operations of the dairy while also specializing in marketing. That gave me a perspective I don’t think I would have gained otherwise. Instead of just filming videos, I understood the work behind it, which made it easier to tell the farm’s story in an authentic way. It also gave me the confidence to take on projects, share new ideas and grow both personally and professionally.

What challenged you? One of the biggest challenges was not knowing what people wanted to see on TikTok. Since we were starting the account from scratch, there wasn’t an established audience or previous content to learn from. I had to try different ideas, pay attention to what people engaged with and adjust my approach along the way. It taught me that successful marketing is not about guessing; it's about listening to your audience and being willing to adapt.

Tell us your career goals and how this internship will help meet those. My goal is to work for a dairy sire company, ideally in a role that combines my passion for the dairy industry with marketing and communications. What I enjoyed most about this internship was learning the operation from the inside out. Spending time in many different departments helped me understand not only what happens on a dairy but also why each part matters. I think that perspective will be invaluable in my future career because it allows me to connect with producers, understand their priorities and communicate with credibility.

Natalie Abey

College and major: Iowa State University, animal science with pre-veterinary emphasis and a certificate in dairy cattle production management

Janesville, Wisconsin

Rock County

Tell us about the dairy farm you interned at. This summer, I interned at Larson Acres LLC located in Evansville, Wisconsin. This multigenerational farm has three main focuses: quality, pride and family. They milk 2,800 cows in both a conventional double-20 parallel parlor and a cross-ventilated double-22 parallel parlor. The farm aims to provide a high-quality product to customers throughout the United States.

What was your title and main responsibilities? My title was calf care assistant. I was responsible for calf care from 2 hours after birth through 2 months post-weaning, ensuring proper colostrum intake and maintaining cleaning and sanitation procedures. I learned to work effectively as part of a team with individuals from different linguistic backgrounds and communicated health concerns to my supervisor when necessary. I also gained hands-on experience in administering vaccines and medications through intramuscular, intravenous and subcutaneous routes.

What was the most valuable part of this internship? My internship taught me how to manage and care for animals in a large-scale dairy operation while working efficiently in a fast-paced environment. I gained experience working with people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and learned the importance of communication and teamwork. I was also introduced to in vitro fertilization and gained hands-on experience with calf care in a large-scale setting. Repeatedly administering medications and vaccinations helped me become more confident and comfortable with different injection techniques and animal handling.

What challenged you? Some of the challenges I faced during my internship included learning how to effectively communicate and work as part of a team with individuals who did not speak the same language as me. I also had to learn how to keep up in a fast-paced work environment while maintaining attention to detail. Another challenge was learning and remembering the many processes and procedures involved in calf care and making sure they were followed correctly to provide the highest quality of care for the calves.

Tell us your career goals and how this internship will help meet those. My goal is to graduate from Iowa State University with a bachelor's degree in animal science with a certificate in dairy cattle production management. After that, I plan to pursue a career in production animal veterinary medicine. This internship gave me valuable insight into how a large dairy farm operates and allowed me to connect concepts I learned in the classroom to real-world situations. I want to become a production animal veterinarian because of the experiences I had growing up in 4-H and FFA. Growing up on a small, show-heifer and crop farm taught me how important rural America is and inspired me to serve rural communities by caring for their animals and supporting the people who depend on them.

Summer Hammann

University of Wisconsin-Madison,

majoring in dairy science

Barron, Wisconsin

Barron County

Tell us about the dairy farm you interned at. I interned at Alfalawn in Menomonie, Wisconsin. Alfalawn is a progressive dairy that milks approximately 2,200 Holstein cows in a modern freestall facility with a 60-cow rotary parlor. The farm focuses on high-quality herd management, reproduction and animal health while utilizing the latest technology and management practices to maximize cow comfort and productivity.

What was your title and main responsibilities? I served as a herdsman intern. My responsibilities included assisting with herd health by treating cows and calves, administering medications and intravenous treatments, assisting with pregnancy checks, giving synchronization and vaccination shots, breeding cows through A.I. and working with show heifers. I also observed and participated in daily herd management decisions alongside the herdsmen and veterinarians.

What was the most valuable part of this internship? The most valuable part of this internship was gaining hands-on experience in herd health and reproduction while learning from an experienced management team. Before this internship, I had very little experience performing A.I., but by the end of the summer, I was confidently passing through the cervix and successfully breeding cows. Every day provided opportunities to strengthen my technical skills and better understand how management decisions affect both animal well-being and the overall success of the dairy.

What challenged you? One of the biggest challenges was stepping outside of my comfort zone and building confidence while working with a large herd. Every day brought new situations that required me to think quickly, solve problems and continue developing my skills in herd health and reproduction. In the end, those challenges became some of the most rewarding parts of the internship because they helped me grow both personally and professionally.

Tell us your career goals and how this internship will help meet those. My goal is to build a career in the dairy industry, working directly with cattle with the long-term goal of becoming a herdsman. This internship confirmed my enjoyment of the hands-on aspects of dairy production and provided valuable experience in herd health, reproduction and daily management. The knowledge and skills I gained this summer have prepared me to continue learning and will serve as a strong foundation as I pursue a career in dairy herd management.

Angela Donley

Western Technical College,

majoring in agribusiness and science technology

La Crosse, Wisconsin

La Crosse County

Tell us about the dairy farm you interned at. I am interning at Arlisa and Cody Clements’s dairy farm that is currently milking 80 cows in a double-8 parlor with a freestall barn for housing.

What was your title and main responsibilities? In my role, I helped with a little bit of everything around the farm. During my internship, I helped milk cows, feed calves, haul bales and assist Arlisa and Cody where they most needed me, depending on the day.

What was the most valuable part of this internship? A valuable part of this internship was the different learning opportunities around this farm. I also met and learned from different people who work with the farm, like the nutritionist and veterinarian.

What challenged you? A big challenge for me was the learning curve when I first started. I didn’t know a lot about the dairy industry, and getting to work in it really helped me understand its inner workings.

Tell us your career goals, and how this internship will help meet those? Livestock nutrition and overall herd management are what I’m interested in, but I am still unsure of what career path I want to take. This internship helped introduce me to different contacts within the industry, helping me connect with other professions related to dairy farming. It also helped teach me about what it takes to run a farm. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that I didn’t know about before having the chance to work here, and I got to experience what it takes to run a dairy farm.