Will is a first generation dairy farmer from Holmes County. Together with his wife Jennifer, their four children and team of dedicated employees, they care for about 850 dairy cows on two farms and 1,000 acres.

How did you get into dairy farming?

Will: This is what I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid. My father worked for the Ohio State dairy farm, so I grew up around the dairy industry but not really on a farm. I am a first generation dairy farmer, and that’s something I’m very proud of.

It’s been my goal since I was a little kid to have my own farm – I started with empty pockets, an empty bank account and a dream. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would own a dairy farm of this size. Things have come full circle because I used to be an employee at this farm in the early 2000s. Then I moved to Pennsylvania to work on a large dairy farm. While we were there, my wife and I began renting a nearby facility to start our own dairy. We did that for a couple of years until this farm became available in 2018. We took a shot and bought it, and we’ve just kept growing it ever since.

Jennifer: I grew up in the suburbs with lots of neighbors and five minutes from three different grocery stores, so the country life has been an adjustment! We met through online dating, and I don’t think his profile said much about farming but we instantly had enough in common that I was open-minded. We had a lot of difficult conversations wondering if I was cut out for this lifestyle, but it was the best decision. I’m a teacher and mom of four boys, and the farm is a wonderful place for them to grow up.

What does a typical day on the farm look like?

Will: I start my day looking over the daily herd health reports to see if any cows need special attention and talking with our guys about what needs to be done. We currently have 13 employees between both dairies.

I love spending time with the cows in the morning. We feed cows twice a day – it takes about six hours each time to feed all the cows. In the parlor, we milk the cows three times a day. Each milking shift is about six hours. They get done, they clean up, they take a break, and then go back to it. I spend the rest of the day doing other things like fieldwork or maintenance – there’s always something that needs fixed or repaired. Or I’ll be in my office doing bookwork or accounting. There’s always lots to do!

It sounds like you have a great team of employees. What was it like being an employee to now being an owner of your own farm?

Will: I’ve always wanted my own farm, which means being my own boss. I like it, and I enjoy interacting with others. I give employees the opportunity to voice their opinions and when I can, the opportunity to dictate what gets done when. I trust them to make those decisions.

I have been on both sides of the fence – I’ve been an employee working for other people and now I am the guy who other people work for. I think it helps me be a better boss because it gives me an idea of what they’re thinking, what they want to see done and how they want to be treated. I can’t do everything by myself, but I want to be involved, so I make a point of interacting with every single employee as much as I can, mostly on a daily basis.

With multiple barns and employees, how do you track of all your cows and their health?

Will: We have health and rumination monitoring on every single cow. Every cow wears a neck collar with a sensor on the side. It tracks her daily activity and daily rumination (or gut activity), which helps monitor her overall health. All that information is collected and presented to us on different reports through the computer system. We use the data to determine which cows might need any attention, health wise. Of course, the monitors don’t replace the time we spend with the cows observing them, but they’ve been a great addition to our cow health program.

Meet more Ohio and West Virginia dairy farmers.