Women in Dairy: Liz Vetsch

Tell us about your family and farm. My husband, Loren, and I have four children: Mackenzie, 14; Izaak, 13; Emily, 9; and Lindsey, 7. Mackenzie is a Todd County dairy ambassador. Izaak is Loren’s right-hand man. Emily and Lindsey love playing with the calves and cats. We are first-generation dairy farmers after moving onto the farm in May of 2008. We milk 80 cows through a double-8 parallel parlor. The rest of our cows get milked by three Lely robotic milkers that we put into operation in June of 2023.

What is a typical day like for you on the farm? A typical day for me depends on the time of year. During the summer months, morning chores start at 4 a.m. We have some incredible hired help who comes and milks cows in the parlor and mixes feed while our family takes care of the freestall barn and calves. Evening is about the same, except for mixing feed, which we only do in the morning. During the winter months, I work full time at an accounting firm, so my days are spent doing taxes and payroll. I work part time at the accounting firm the rest of the year. When it is harvesting time, I am everywhere those days. From chores to packing pile, to feeding a hungry crew and taking care of kids, those days tend to be long.

What decision have you made in the last year that has benefited your farm? We were running out of space in our heifer shed and dry cow pen for pregnant heifers. Our robot side of the barn has more stalls than cows currently. So, we worked with our robot guy and came up with a plan to start training our close-up heifers in the robots. By doing that, we have seen our heifers give more milk in their first lactation than they ever have and they come into the robots so much better. Yes, they still get wound up at first when the robot arm goes under them and starts prepping them. But after a couple of days, they are perfectly content and relaxed.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. My most memorable experience on the farm was the day I rode with my son for the first time in the tractor while we were chopping corn. In that moment, I realized how growing up on the farm is going to impact his life forever. He works harder than any boy his age. He knows the value of a hard day’s work. He cares and respects our animals because he knows that, without them, we wouldn’t have the life we are living today. I was one proud mama that day.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? What I enjoy most about dairy farming is doing this with our whole family. The kids are now at the age where they are out helping us with everyday tasks on the farm. I love listening to them laugh about something funny that happened while they were feeding calves. I’m so proud of all of them when they pitch in during chopping time. We have also created some amazing bonds with our neighbors. I just love watching them all play together and come up with creative new ways to do things around the farm (as long as they are safe).

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? Explain. The biggest accomplishment we have had was the day all the cattle, from calves to milking cows, were all born and raised on our farm. It took about 10 years from the time we started, but I remember the day we brought our last purchased cow to the sales barn. It was sad to see her go, but what an accomplishment to say these were all our cows.

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? With our oldest daughter being dairy royalty for Todd County, I help a lot with promotional events for that. I also work at several events in the Todd County American Dairy Association ice cream trailer throughout the summer. This past year, our farm hosted Todd County Breakfast on the Farm. I am also an open book when it comes to our farm. I love answering questions from anyone and I am always willing to give people tours of our farm.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? My advice to other women in the dairy industry is to always be there for one another. If you know another farm is chopping or someone just had a baby, bring them over a meal to make life a little easier. If they need help with chores or sorting cattle, lend a hand. I am the first to understand how crazy life can be, but we cannot take for granted the kindness from helping a friend or neighbor out. Yes, it may set you back on your chores, but you just made that lady’s day so much better for being there when she needed it the most.

What is a challenge in the dairy industry you have faced and how did you overcome it? A challenge we faced was being too young in the dairy industry. When we started, Loren and I were partners with his cousin. A few years down the road, we bought him out and wanted to expand. Our current lender at the time did not want to give us the funds and their reasoning was because we were too young. We were able to get in contact with a great farm business management instructor who introduced us to our current lender, and we ended up getting the loan. Several expansions later (and a few more dollars in debt), we have created the farm we have today.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? When I get a spare moment, I love sewing and cross-stitching. It is a hobby I get to share with my mom. I also enjoy baking and traveling, especially to the mountains. I also play the piano and sing for church.