Women in Dairy: Elyssa Robinson

Tell us about your family and farm. I’ve been around dairy my whole life. My dad was milking cows, but he retired from milking in 2009, so I don’t remember much, considering I was only 3. Yet, growing up with dairy and showing since I was 2 — all the way to now —makes up for it. We just started shipping our milk again. I love dairy, not just the animals, but their products as well.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? Working a full time job along with farming, a typical day for me is waking up at 5 a.m., heading to the farm to start milking the cows, and feeding grain along with bottles. I make sure everything has water and let the cows out on pasture, then I head to my other full time job.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. My most memorable experience on the farm would be dealing with the calves. I’ve always loved feeding and teaching them to drink from the bucket or the holder, mainly because I was the only one patient enough. The skills and knowledge that I’ve learned from them, and still continue to learn, sure has been a journey.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? Milking cows would be the most enjoyable thing. Watching the young heifer calf I showed 5 years ago — milking 100 pounds a day — puts a smile on my face and makes me proud of how far the family farm has come.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? My biggest accomplishment would be me and my older brother wanting to start shipping milk again 3 years ago. Now, we are milking 20 cows but soon hope to grow up to 40.

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? We are a small farm but a big family. We have sweatshirts, hats, wind breakers that we’ve given to other family members who wear them around.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Some advice I’d give to another woman in the dairy industry would be: Stand your ground; it’s not a men-only organization — you can do it just as easily as anybody else!

What is a challenge in the dairy industry you have faced, and how did you overcome it? Trying to balance the farm life with my day life — not knowing what’s gonna happen that day or if a cow goes down. I’ve had to cancel plans or call in late for work. But now, I’ve learned to get to the farm earlier than normal if possible.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? My spare time is rare and usually nonexistent. What I like to do is either mentor younger kids, who want to be a part of this industry, and teach them the safety, skills and knowledge that I’ve learned from the farm.