Here's a stock Pic of my ride yesterday.

I taught Dairy science and farm business in a tech college for 32 years. The herd sizes I worked with ranged from 18 to 2700 cows. I retired in 2006 about 10 years after the expansions started here. My average herd size I worked with was about 73 cows and the acreage was about 260. These were all family farms with most having mininamal full time hired labor. The herds have expanded tremendously the last 10-15 years.
When I started ub 1975 in the county I worked in there where 1216 dairy farms milking 54,000 cows or an average herd size of 45 cows. Today in 2026 there are 220 herds milking 60,000 cows or an average herd size of 228.
Several dairies and sizable ones are being bought out by the larger ones. We now have over a dozen herds with over 5000 cows.
Yes dairy farmers are 24/7/365 with all the crop work and manure hauling besides. Our crop planting windows are much shorter here in eastern WI than in the central corn belt so we need to be able to till,plant, and spray in a very short period of time and work around all the chores and pick thousands of acres of stones every year as well.

Bryce

Helped on a harvest crew when i was 16. Cut all sorts if stuff in north dakota, came back and cut corn here in kansas, lotta work. Deal with cattle for a living now.

Growing up on a farm, I remember discing fields at 7, helping plow at age 8. My dad would be in jail these days for allowed me to help as I did.

I loved my time on the farm, but not enough to take on the debt required to do it. I have nothing but respect for those that still do it.

WS

Couple people in our township lost there lives to farming related accidents 1 in back in the 80's holstein bull got him and the other 1 in the 90's.standing along side of the tractor trying to start it and it started running over him.back in the 70's neighbor lady was grinding feed wearing loose clothing and the pto shaft grabbed the piece of clothing ended up breaking both of her arms could of been alot worse.

I grew up on a farm. I went to college b/c I was tired of being a poor. Ground was $2500 an acre when I graduated. 100 acres would have been $250,000. That 100 acres today 30 years later would be worth $2,000,000. I'm not sure I chose correctly but it worked out.

Definitely sad to see all the small family dairy operations disappear. But I completely understand.

No dairy at the farm I help on. I don't know all the correct terms, but he buys the dairy bull calves and raises them for beef. About 50 or so head at any one time. His grandson, the neighbor kid, has a few 4H beef and some lambs. He's 14 and just wants to run/work grandpa's farm. Good to see that ambition in a young kid.