Women in Dairy - Michelle Benrud

Tell us about your family and farm. My family includes my husband, Roger, daughter, Clara, son, Calvin, daughter, Emily, her husband, Dylan, and their children, Caroline, and Ole. Our farm is a 100% grass-fed, certified organic dairy. We have 180 acres that are rotationally grazed and an additional 60 acres that are used for raising grass, alfalfa and clover forage. We purchase additional hay every year. The amount we need depends on the growing season. We calve semi-seasonally, half in March/April and half in August/September, and raise all of our own replacements. We have no employees, but our kids are able to help out at times if we need them. The older two have other full-time jobs; Clara helps most evenings with chores.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? I start the day with morning milking and calf chores. After that, it depends a lot on the season. From spring through fall I am responsible for daily moving of polywire fences and water tanks for the different groups that graze, as well as moving groups of cattle. We can have up to five separate groups, so it can take a good chunk of time. The balance of my day consists of any and/or all of: bookwork, housework, running errands, trapping gophers and anything else Roger needs help with. Winter is a lot slower. I help Roger with feeding and bedding. I also have time to catch up on things I’ve put off during the busy time and do some volunteer work. I end my days with evening milking and making supper.

What decision have you made in the last year that has benefited your farm? Our cows are outside all spring, summer and fall. In winter, they have to walk outside approximately 600 feet from the barn to the parlor. We’ve always fought cracked and chapped teats and figured it was something we’d just have to deal with because of our situation. Last fall, we changed pre-dip from a peroxide dip to a high-emollient iodine dip. We were hesitant to do this because it is double the cost. However, it has made a tremendous difference in teat condition. Teats are healthier and much easier to clean. We have also seen a reduction in herd somatic cell count.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. I don’t have one particular memory that stands out, but one of my favorite moments on the farm is riding out to the pasture to get cows as dawn breaks. I also enjoy picnics in the field on haymaking days, watching the cows graze when turned into a new paddock, and seeing new life come into the world when a cow calves.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I really enjoy the seasonality of the way we farm. Things change with the season, which gives variety to what I do. With our semi-seasonal calving, there are months at a time when we have no calves being born and no calves on milk. Then, the big flood of them comes; it’s really busy, but it’s also fun because it’s new again and I’ve had a little time to recharge while we’ve had a good portion of the herd dry. As spring comes, it’s fun to see 110 cows sprint to get out to their first grazing, and we look forward to another growing season. When late fall comes, I’m excited to get the cows back to the barn so I can quit rolling and unrolling polywire for a while.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? My/our biggest accomplishment has been being financially successful enough to have me be at home, working on the farm full time. I was working at IBM in Rochester when we started dairy farming. At that time, we set a 5-year goal to not need off-farm income. We met that goal; I came home to the farm full time 20 years ago this April.

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? I am involved with the Goodhue County 4-H dairy project and have helped at the Goodhue County Breakfast on the Farm. Our farm has hosted several field days and pasture walks throughout the years — some geared toward other farmers and some for consumers.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? Take time every day to thank God for what you have. It’s an easy thing for me to do when the day is sunny, the grass is green and things are going well. It’s a lot harder when there’s a cow down in the mud, the bill for the tractor repair comes, the desperately needed rains miss us or Roger and I just had an argument about something (yeah, it happens). For me, in the bad times, the prayers of thankfulness are even more important. When I take time to start looking at what I have been blessed with, the weight of the worry becomes lighter.

What is a challenge in the dairy industry you have faced and how did you overcome it? The biggest challenge we’ve had was our farm transition. We rented for many years with a plan in place to purchase. When the time came to purchase, the plan got changed. It all worked out in the end, but not without a lot of stress and uncertainty.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? In my free time and evenings, I like to cook, bake, quilt, play board games, do puzzles, play piano and read. In summer, I enjoy being a 4-H indoor project judge at area county fairs. I also spend some time each month doing bookwork as the Belvidere Township clerk.