Women in Dairy: Morgan Robers

Tell us about your family and farm. My family consists of my husband, Dan, our three children — Arie, 17; Sidney, 14; and Ian, 10 — and me. Our farm is family-owned and operated by Dan and his father, Mike. We currently milk about 450 Holsteins and raise all our own replacements and crops. We employ eight full-time employees in addition to Dan, his parents and me, and the kids help with crops in the summer.

What is a typical day like for you on the dairy? A typical day on the dairy for me starts around 7:30 a.m. The first thing I do is check for any cows in distress and address those as needed. Then, I move on to reproductive shots because consistent timing for those is critical. After those two things are done, I just start going down the list. I check on all the fresh cows, enter any new data since the previous day into the computer and treat anyone who needs attention. Sometimes, that means intravenous treatments, calving assistance or just supportive therapy. Each day is kind of different. Mondays are vaccination and hoof-trim days, Wednesdays are pregnancy check days with the vet and Thursdays are dry-off days. Between all of that, I do all human resource paperwork and payroll and recently started transitioning into taking care of the financial bookkeeping.

What decision have you made in the last year that has benefited your farm? My most recent decision was to upgrade to a much newer, online version of QuickBooks. That cut payroll time by more than half, reduced the use of paper checks and postage a little bit and has allowed more remote access. On the animal side of things, I closely monitor heifer inventory and knew we would significantly exceed our replacement needs in July and August. With the prices the way they are, it seems silly to hold on to any extras, so I decided to sell about 25 springing heifers. That benefited us because the sale prices are great, it reduces feed costs and it reduces the stress of crowding for the other cows in the close-up and fresh pens. My next decision will be to hire a herdsman — if anyone out there is interested.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. My most memorable moments are honestly the times my kids have jumped in a tractor to merge hay or pack silage. There is just something so cool to watch it all come full circle.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? I honestly love the hard days the most because you have to persevere. There aren’t many careers that allow you to literally see the fruits of your labor, but in agriculture, you do. You work really hard but see your wins all the time in your production, harvest and animals. I love that I’m relatively flexible, too, and can be there for all my kids’ sports, concerts and sick days.

What is your biggest accomplishment in your dairy career? My biggest accomplishment is honestly just the fact that I am here. I was not raised in agriculture of any kind. I was living in Minneapolis, very much living the city life, when I met my husband. After moving back to Wisconsin, I worked in lending for about 10 years, but raising three little kids, trying to grow our dairy operation and trying to maintain my own career just did not work well. I decided to step back from the banking world and focus on our family, which led to learning small things on the farm to help. I started with feeding calves from a chart I barely understood, but over the years, I have built my skills and knowledge, and I now care for the entire herd and milking staff, allowing my husband to manage the operation as a whole. I had no idea the pride and love these cows would give me, but they truly make me proud.

What are things you do to promote your farm or the dairy industry? We will always sponsor and support local FFA, 4-H, county fair and other nonprofits. We love to donate chocolate milk for local running camps and races. We also invite area fourth and fifth grade students to come to the farm each spring. They learn about the progress of machinery, crops and feed and the life cycle of a dairy cow. I also try to post fun facts on social media, but I don’t get to that as often as I would like to.

What advice would you give another woman in the dairy industry? This is a tough one. Raising kids, maintaining a healthy marriage and sustaining a profitable dairy is really tough. There are not many women out there who understand the exhaustion, the sudden changes in plans or having to feed your kids from another to-go container without judgment, so just find your people; we are out here. Most importantly, find those little moments to breathe. We were not made to do it all, but we can, and we have to. So, we do, and that can get us in trouble. Prioritize, delegate and find your people.

What is a challenge in the dairy industry you have faced, and how did you overcome it? The most frustrating challenges are the workforce and milk prices. It’s really tough to find quality labor, and it’s really tough to sustain a profit with these milk prices. The only way to overcome those two things is to be as efficient as possible and monitor all your operating costs. Don’t have people on the clock who don’t need to be, invest in risk management opportunities and keep looking for the right person to add to the team with the same mindset.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? We are always busy. I spend most of my time volunteering with 4-H, youth swimming, youth baseball, etc. Wherever my kids are, that is where I am spending most of my time. When I get a chance outside of those things, I love concerts and traveling far away from Wisconsin.