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Wilson Dairy Farm MD
Today I'm talking with Haley at Wilson Dairy Farm MD. You can also follow on Facebook.
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00:00
You're listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters. I'm your host, Mary Lewis. Today I'm talking with Haley at Wilson Dairy Farm in Maryland, I think it is. Good afternoon, Hayley, how are you? Good afternoon, I'm great. And yes, you're right, we are in Maryland here, Baltimore County. All right, and you guys are a dairy farm and
00:27
I've actually been really looking forward to this because I don't talk to people who do dairy. I talk to people who do cattle for eating the meat more often. So, uh number one, how's the weather in Maryland today? Today is absolutely gorgeous. We hit 50 degrees and it's been sunny and just a light breeze and it feels like a nice spring day in January. Yeah, oh in Minnesota it is pushing 40 degrees. Everything is melting. There's no wind.
00:56
It's sunny, it's gorgeous. It feels like April, not January. Yes, I'll take it though. Yeah, me too, because I figure two weeks from now it'll be minus 20 with a wind chill of minus 40. Exactly, we don't quite get that cold, but anything under 30 degrees is cold for me. Yeah, it definitely gets cold here in Minnesota for sure.
01:21
We had a night last winter that was pushing minus 50 windchill and I thought you know, maybe the northern tier states aren't as much fun as I as I think they are so I bet All right. So tell me about yourself and about your dairy farm because I am so excited to hear your story Sure. So my name is Haley Wilson. I grew up on a commercial dairy farm My dad milked around 220 Holsteins at our biggest
01:50
So we were a small commercial dairy farm because there are a thousand head dairy farms out west. There's much bigger farms than that. for us, that was a lot. We milked 200 cows a day. It was about three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening. We had some family trouble over the property about six years ago. My dad's siblings had all left the farm when they were young.
02:15
like a lot of small family farm disputes go, they came back and they wanted their inheritance. we were in a lawsuit during the COVID timeframe between 2018 and 2021. And um because of COVID, we actually never got to see a jury trial. We had a judge who just decided everything. And because my grandfather's notes that said what he wanted to happen with the land were not notarized, he said none of them could be
02:43
admitted as evidence. So we actually ended up losing everything. had around 350 acres. it was all, yeah, it was all gone to my aunt and uncle who live in Virginia. They're not even local. So that was something we went through a couple of years ago that was really heartbreaking. And there were a lot of emotions surrounding the lawsuit, know, anger, frustration, just disappointment all around. My dad really took it hard.
03:09
And my sister and I kind of felt the weight of the family and we kind of had to figure out how to keep things moving. As far as the dairy cows go, I was able to keep a couple of my nice show animals. I just kind of took them to different dairy farms around the state of Maryland, actually. People were very generous and would house them for me. Just last year, I found this farm about 10 minutes away from my home farm where I grew up.
03:33
and the people who own it were renting it out to a family who were moving and I reached out and everything worked out perfectly. I was able to move in last fall. I brought all of my young animals, so like my little calves and my breeding age heifers, no one who's in milk yet. I brought all them home here about a year ago. And for the last year, I've been working on fixing up the farm and getting a parlor built.
03:58
When you're going to milk more than just two or three cows, you've really got to have the facility for it. And since I planned on shipping milk grade A to a cooperative, like my dad did, I had to have the facility to match their standards. So I just accomplished that here in November, and I'm shipping milk for 25 cows for the last 60 days. So that's catch up to where I'm at. Is it just you? It's just me.
04:24
Yeah, it's just me. My parents live in a house that they rent down the road. My sister has a little farm she does ag tourism business with, but I'm the only one that lives here. So whenever I say we, I mean me and the dogs, me and the animals. We is a me and my animals concept. I um don't have anybody that lives with me or helps me. It's just me. Wow. Haley, I am so impressed and so proud of you. Thank you.
04:53
That is a lot to take on as one person. It is definitely a lot. Once I got a routine, know, things have, it's like anything, you know, once you get a system down, it becomes a little bit easier, but there, you know, there's definitely tasks out there that I have to wait until I can call my dad or somebody to swing by and help me. It's just not possible to do some jobs by yourself. So I do my best, but I do have an intern that sometimes will come down from Penn State when she's on her breaks and she'll help me occasionally. So.
05:21
People are very generous. Our community being in Baltimore, it is a big city below us, but ultimately the area that I'm in in the county, the community members are great. If I need help fixing the manure spreader or fixing the tractor, there's people I can call that'll run over and just do me a favor and they'll help me out, which has been life-changing. Yeah, community is so important, especially when it's just one person trying to do what you're doing. Yes, absolutely, yes.
05:51
I mean, community is important anyway, but boy, you are really fortunate that you have people around you who are more than willing to help. That is fantastic. So how many cows do you have? So I'm currently milking 25. Now with the whole community concept, they're not all my milk cows. I only owned about 13 milk cows. So the other cows are actually from three other neighboring farms who said, hey, this young girl is trying to get started.
06:19
go ahead, you can take a couple of our cows because I have to have enough milk to reach the agitator in my tank. They were willing to give me their money producing asset because they believed in helping a young person get started in the dairy industry. So I actually only own 12, I think it's 13 now, I just had one calf, 13 of my 25. I own them, they're registered in my name, but the other half of my milk cows are actually belonging to neighborhood farms who are trying to help me.
06:47
get my feet under me and get started here. Because the rule is when the milk goes in the tank, you have to have enough milk in it to reach the little agitation stick that's in the tank. And if I didn't ship enough milk, it wouldn't stir and it would create bacteria. So there's lots of regulations around that. So I own about 13 of my milk cows and then I actually have another 13 of the younger stock, which would be the calves and heifers that are not milking yet. So I own about 30.
07:17
Wow. Oh my God, Haley. I'm so blown away by everything you've just said. There's a lot to it and it can be very overwhelming. It should throw at you all at once. So if I have to repeat anything, if you have further questions, feel free to stop me. No, I just, can't believe how everything is coming together for you to do this. Yes. Nope. I don't believe it some days either, but I have to say I have faith.
07:44
And not just religious faith, but faith in myself, faith in the goodness of the world, faith in just things working out. And I hate to say it, but if I wanted to get this far or to even go further, I have to have that kind of just belief that things will work out because there are days, there are really cold days when equipment won't start or the days where maybe a cow is sick or if I lose a calf, they're really tough. And the only way to get through them for me is to have faith that things will work out the way they're supposed to.
08:14
Yes, and things do work out the way they're supposed to. The problem is sometimes the supposed to part isn't the way you wanted it to work out. Very true, very true. I understand that completely. I've had a lot of those moments in my life, but I'm 56 years old. I have lived a great life so far and it all does kind of come out in the wash. There's some really terrible things that happen.
08:42
And there's some really fabulous things that happen that offset the terrible things. yeah. Just keep moving. Just keep going. It's all perspective. It really is. Yes, exactly. Wow. I am just sitting here dumbfounded. I cannot believe all the stars that had to align for you to get where you are.
09:03
Me as well. definitely, this fall as things were coming together, I, you things fell together and people offered, whether it's a manure spreader to borrow or coming to chop the corn. So I'd have feed in my trench for this winter to milk the cows, all those little things. I say little, they're big things, but like you said, everything just fell together so great. I will forever be in debt to lots of people around here. Well, I'm sure that if they needed something, you would be right there for them too.
09:32
Yes, absolutely. Yep, because that's how this works. You don't receive the kind of blessings that you're receiving on this without giving some back. Correct. And if you own animals, if there's people who have homesteads and they have any type of sick livestock where they need medication and it's nine o'clock at night, you're calling your neighbor who maybe also has animals and has something in stock. So that's just how it works when you have animals and have to take care of everybody.
10:00
So if it's just you, do you manage to get any sleep at any point in time? I do. So I try to go to bed by 9.30 and I get up around five. So I do get some hours of sleep. uh I do work a day job also away from the farm. And as sad as that sounds, I can't afford to pay my bills if I don't do it. So I wake up at five and I'm usually working outside until about eight or 8.30, depending if anybody needs to be bedded up or if I have to restock any hay or feed.
10:29
and then I'll eat breakfast and I'll go to a day job from about nine to one. And then from one to three, I either run some errands or I come home and just try to relax. And then I'll feed the cows and do some afternoon projects and start my feedings again. And I'm usually finished by about six, 30 or seven at night. And then I have about two hours to do whatever inside I might want to do. Sometimes it's just hanging out, but.
10:55
Sitting still is not something I do well. So it's almost good that I'm this busy. Okay, tell me again how old you are, Hayley. I'm 29. Okay, so you're still in the, the, I'll sleep when I'm dead, 20s phase. Yes, yes. Yeah, I was raising kids in that timeframe and uh I was busy from, oh my God, two o'clock in the morning until 11 o'clock at night because, because kids, you know. Yeah.
11:25
Kids don't necessarily sleep from eight o'clock at night until six o'clock in the morning. And I had four kids. And my youngest didn't sleep through the night until he hit kindergarten. So that was a rough five and a half years. bet. I can't imagine. So when you're talking about all the stuff that you're doing, I am absolutely blown away.
11:52
But I also know what I was doing when I was your age and people were like, I don't know how you do it.
11:59
Yes, yes. It has its perks. I do feel tired more so than others other days, but that's usually in response to like mental exhaustion. Like you said, the physical exhaustion, I can get through it, can push through it. But usually if I'm very stressed, if something takes a toll on me mentally, those are the days that it can get to me and get caught up on it. Yeah, for sure.
12:29
brain is good when your mental health is good, you can go without sleep for a while. But you get that mental health thing dragging you down and you're not sleeping, it's not gonna go well. Exactly, and I think that's very important to mention. In the dairy industry in general, they talk about dairy farmers having a suicide rate higher than any other occupation, even above veterans. And that's one of those things that it speaks to you, just about how much of a toll that these people go through. uh
12:58
you know, and there's nobody there speaking for them and the number of dairy farms is shrinking and there's so many people who just don't relate to what they go through. And that's one of the reasons why I wanted to do this as well is having a social media presence and sharing the problems and the challenges with the dairy industry. I love what I do, but even in the last 60 days, I have learned so much of how much these industry
13:25
cooperatives that I am tied to, you I'm under their thumb because they are the ones hauling my milk. They're the ones finding a market for my milk. So I'm at their mercy when they want to change prices, when they want to change my hauling price, ah the flexibility of their hauler or lack of thereof. I've had to take buildings down. I've had to move my driveway. I have no choice. And most industries are not like that. You have some say or at least you get a day or two off here or there.
13:54
As a dairy farmer, you don't have a say and you don't get a day off. So it does become exhausting. absolutely. Okay. So I have a question for you that might be touchy. Is raw milk illegal in Maryland? It is. Raw milk is illegal for human consumption in the state of Maryland. It can only be sold from a farm if it's labeled as pet consumption only. That's correct. So if somebody buys it under that label,
14:22
and they choose to use it for themselves to drink. Is that okay? Yes. Yep. I know lots of farms who have said, know what, forget the co-op that I'm signed with. They're not doing anything to help me. Instead of getting 40 cents per gallon of milk from the grocery store, I'm going to sell directly to the customer, whether that's listed as raw milk or actually getting a grade A permit to process their own milk, either way.
14:47
They'll sell directly to the customer and get three, four, five dollars per gallon in their pocket. So people can do what they wish with whatever they buy as long as the label meets the standards of the state and the federal government, the farmers in the clear. Good. I haven't had raw milk in Minnesota in years, and part of that is because I can't afford it anymore. I looked the other day.
15:14
I was just curious to see what some of the local farms were selling raw milk at. Over $10 for a half gallon. Oh my gosh. I was like, yeah, that's too rich for my blood. That champagne taste on a beer budget. I can't do it. That's very true. And I think maybe some farms have gotten a little aggressive with it. I have not gone down that route yet, but...
15:39
I know around here people will pay double digits for a good raw gallon of milk. And maybe that's because where we live, cost of living in Maryland is extremely high, but their incomes is reflective of that for the most part, so they can swing it. But most parts in the country are not gonna pay 10, 12, $14 for a gallon or even a half gallon. That's crazy to me to hear as a farmer who produces milk. Yeah, I...
16:08
I want to be able to pay it because I think that anyone who takes care of cows earns every penny. But I just can't. I just can't do it. Of course, of course. So, and I love raw milk. It is one of my favorite, favorite things for coffee in the morning because it is so good. Yes, I love raw milk. I have been drinking raw milk my whole life and I'm happy to share it with people who ask. It's just one of those things that I just do it quietly.
16:37
If people ask, we're like, yeah, bring a container over, I'll get you what you need. But it's not one of those things I'm allowed to sell for a profit. Right, yes. And I'm going to tell the story again. I've told it like five times in two years on the podcast. We drove home to Maine. I grew up in Maine. And milk is actually allowed to be sold in grocery stores in Maine. That's raw milk. And I didn't know that. That was not the case when I lived there.
17:06
And we went to the little general store down the road from my parents and they had glass bottles of raw milk. And I took a bottle up to the counter and the girl behind the counter, said, how long has it been legal to sell raw milk? And she was like, I don't know where you from. I said, well, my parents live up the road. I grew up in Steep Falls, Maine.
17:30
I said, but I live in Minnesota now and it's, don't find raw milk in a store. You have to get it from the farmer at the farm. And usually you have to bring your own container. And she was like, oh man, I knew you weren't from Maine, but I didn't know you grew up here. I said, yes, I did. She said, I don't know how long it's been legal to sell it in Maine, but it's been a while. She said, cause we've been doing it for a while. She said, we're not allowed.
17:58
She said, it is frowned upon to advertise that you're doing it. And I said, frowned upon. And she said, yeah, the state of Maine doesn't really like us to promote it. And I said, okay, so every state has different laws about this. She said, they absolutely do.
18:21
Yep, yes, that's correct. So yeah, it's crazy. I... People drink raw milk for a very long time before we've got into the pasteurizing and putting parameters on what we as humans get to choose to drink. it bothers me to no end, but I always have to ask if somebody's in the industry. Sure, absolutely.
18:48
And two, with pasteurization, know, back 100, 150 years ago, 200 years ago, when people were getting sick from raw milk, they did not have the regulations that we have now with the stainless material of the pipeline, the cleaning regimen, whatever it is that the state requires. Each state's a little bit different. But I know the crucial testing that I had to go through, and I get test results every single week from my co-op. And I will tell you that our milk, whether it's, I say our milk, the girls' milk, my milk here,
19:17
is cleaner than anything else you're ever going to get. I believe it. And the other thing that a lot of people don't know is that if you sell your milk to whoever the hauler comes and your milk is tested, the whole truck gets thrown out if something's wrong with the milk, right? Correct. Yeah. If you test positive for antibiotics, if a cow is sick and I have to treat her just like we would treat our children or ourselves, you go to the doctor and you get antibiotics because you have to kill.
19:47
that bacteria, whatever's growing, you've got to get ahead of it or it could kill you. It's the same with the animals. They have to be treated. And then that milk has to be dumped appropriately for the right amount of time. And I have snap tests here. If anybody works in a vet office or even a doctor's office, they might've heard of a snap test. You can test milk, you can test blood with them. And my test specifically tests for antibiotics. And if I mess it up and I ship it, I have to pay for the whole truckload. Yeah.
20:13
does that whole truckload get dumped? It's useless? that's I thought. that's correct. They can't do anything with it and they don't want us to contaminate any other milk at the processing plant. Yeah, that's what I thought because that's how it is here too. Yep. And it's really important that that's the way it is because, you know, we've got to have safe food. It's just really unfortunate that things like that happen. And I'm guessing it hasn't happened to you yet.
20:42
Not yet. Knock on wood. I am very adamant. I try to use leg bands to mark the cows if they need to be treated. I put it in my phone as constant reminders as to when was the last treatment date. I will test once in the morning and if it's questionable, I'll test again in the evening. It's just one of those things I'd rather be safe than sorry. I can't afford to make the mistake. So fingers crossed I never have to do that, but I know new accidents happen and it's just a good thing there's so many checks along the way to catch it.
21:11
Yes, exactly. And I'm going to say this too. I was talking with Joel Salatin back a year ago for the podcast. You know who he is, right? The name sounds familiar, but place him for me. Okay. He has Polyphase Farm in, I think it's Virginia or West Virginia. And he's big in the homesteading uh realm. And he raises cattle and pigs and chickens and
21:40
He's just really famous in this circle. And he was saying that when he went to college, he went to college for becoming a journalist. And uh when he told somebody he was going back to the family farm, they said to him, you're way too smart to just go be a farmer. And the reason I share this is because from what you just told me, you are incredibly smart. You have to be.
22:10
to be doing what you're doing. Farmers are smart. They have to be. I agree with that. And I feel like farmers are smart in a funny sense. And when it comes to troubleshooting and trying to solve problems, a lot of people think, well, I'll just call the plumber to fix it. I'll just call the electrician. As a farmer, can afford $180 emergency call for the plumber. So guess who's just going to figure it out? You know, we're smart along the sense of being, I don't know, personal,
22:41
as troubleshooters. You know, we're always trying to find solutions. So we're forced to think outside the box when it comes to solving things. Well, the other reason I said that you're smart is because you have a lot of things you have to keep track of. And you have to be organized and you have to understand why you're doing the things that you're doing. That's correct. Yes, that's true. So I bet you're smart as a whip.
23:05
Ma'am? try to be pretty quick. You know, you to stay on my toes. And I think a lot of dairy farmers are like that. So that's a good uh analogy. Dairy farmers are pretty quick. And if they're not, you'll see which farms maybe struggle. You've got to be able to stay on top of it. And you've got six million things going on at once, just like a mom, just like a parent. You've got so many things moving at once. You've got to stay on top of it or things get dropped. Yeah, absolutely. So are your cows Holsteins? Because you mentioned Holsteins in the beginning.
23:34
I do have a couple Holsteins, that's what we milked growing up. So I kept a couple from my original family line. My dad did buy me a Brown Swiss when I was eight years old. So I have actually transitioned primarily to my Brown Swiss. So my herd of my 13 or 30, if you want to look comprehensively, is probably 80 % Brown Swiss. And then the last couple will be my Holsteins. Okay, I've never heard of a Brown Swiss. Tell me what's special about that breed.
24:02
So the Brown Swiss are from Switzerland. They are one of the main seven dairy breeds in the world. They have the high butterfat content similar to a Jersey or a Guernsey. So they're a color breed is what they're called. They have big white fluffy ears and a nice dark gray coat. I just I love my Swiss. They're like big puppy dogs and they are a bigger breed. So they're going to grow to be some of the biggest in my herd.
24:27
but they're so docile and so slow moving. I just love the personality of my swiss. They're super sweet and loving and like a lot of animals, any breed can be that, but every single one of my swiss has been great to deal with. I can hear the love in your voice and I am like that about the Jersey cows. I love them so much. Yep. They are my favorite cow to look at. They are my favorite cow.
24:56
to actually go up to and pet if I'm allowed to. Yep. They're gorgeous. So I get it. Everyone has their own favorite animal. Yes, that speaks to you. It speaks to you in a way that just touches your heart. And my Swiss, I love them to death. They're great. Uh-huh, absolutely. um So how many gallons of milk does a um brown Swiss? Is that what you said? That's correct, yep.
25:24
How many gallons of milk on average does a brown Swiss give a day? So it depends on what stage of lactation she's in. Most of my brown Swiss are going to peak around 70 or 80 pounds a day. And when I say pounds, that's what we get paid in. So we're looking at pounds as a dairy farmer. Now, a gallon of milk weighs 8.6 pounds. So if she's milking 80 pounds in a day, that's about nine gallons. So she's not
25:51
white as high of a producer as some of my Holsteins who could milk 100, 120 pounds a day. But ultimately the Swiss will have your higher butter fat and protein content. And those creamy, those creamy factors are actually a higher pay scale for the co-op because the co-op is going to pull that butter fat and protein out to make your cheese and your butter and your ice cream. So they, what they lack in quantity, they make up in quality. uh Absolutely. You've got this down, ma'am.
26:21
I'm so impressed with you. Well, I've done a lot of studying and I told myself if I'm going to do it, I've got to at least be somewhat prepared. em I understand I'm still learning every single day and I'm still calling my neighbor and saying, hey, this cow doesn't look right. This is when she calved. Her eyes are little sunken in though and she's not really milking right. You know, what would you recommend I give her?
26:45
and we'll go through the list of medications and treatment options. So there's still things I'm learning every single day. ultimately my goal is to have happy and healthy cows. Obviously I want them to milk as much as they can because that affects my milk check, but I do not push them beyond what their body is capable of. I'm a competitive person. I want to do well, but ultimately I love my animals and I want them to do the best that their health can allow. Yep. That's exactly the reason to do it.
27:15
You don't get into raising dairy cows for grins and giggles. That's correct. That's very correct. Okay. I don't really want to end this on a bad note, but I know that dairy farmers in America do not make a lot of money in their chosen profession. That's correct. So you guys do it because you love it. And that is fabulous. But I really, really hope that
27:45
The love of it makes up for the lack of income because I worry about you guys. We need milk and I worry that a lot of dairy farmers are just gonna go away because they just can't afford to stay in it. That's correct. And a lot of legislation, a lot of the rules and like I said, the co-ops, the bigger dog people don't care about the small farmer. They're always looking at the dollar and unfortunately the small farms are not being taken care of. So your options are get bigger.
28:13
or sell direct to the consumer or be done. I have to weigh my options as well moving forward and see what I can sustain. I love what I do. I will always milk cows. I just have to figure out what would be the best for both them and myself right now. Yeah. And it's a very fine line. And I really hope that you get to continue to do what you love with the cows. And if you don't, don't
28:41
look at it as a failure, please, because you are doing the best you possibly can. Thank you. Thank you. Like I said, I didn't want to end this on a bummer, but people need to know it's really hard being in agriculture and it's doubly hard being a woman in agriculture. Yes, that is 100 % true. I know this year they've delegated 2026 as the year of the woman in ag.
29:09
So I'm curious to see what programs and what they're able to provide for women in ag this upcoming season. Yeah, I'm just thrilled that there's finally a year of the woman farmer. Yes, yes. It's only taken till 2026 to make it happen. I know, I know people. We're a very reactive country. We are not proactive. And that is one of the things that's driving these small dairy farms into the dirt as well.
29:39
But unfortunately we cannot change the mentality of the masses, but those who see it, know, those are the people who can step up and make a difference for some of these small farms. Yep, absolutely. And I'm always saying on my podcast, know your local farmer, know your local producer, you know, gardener. Because if the shit hits the fan and our grocery system goes down,
30:08
it's gonna be really important. And it's important either way, but it's gonna be really important then. Correct. Everybody should have some type of garden and even like a goat or a sheep. That is a huge thing that I would love to see 90 % of the country, which I know populated cities isn't ideal, but I would love to see a higher percentage of the country have some type of animal more than just a dog or a cat to raise their kids to take care of.
30:35
It just teaches so much responsibility and caring for life and understanding death and everything that comes with it. Like you said, even just having that relationship with your local farmer or producer is golden for people now. It really is. It's so incredibly important. And important has become trite. That word has become so overused. And I don't have another one. So it's the one I'm going to use. All right, Haley, I tried to get these to half an hour. Where can people find you?
31:05
Sure, so you can find me on Facebook or Instagram. I post on both. Facebook is Wilton Dairy Farm MD. Right now I'm growing steadily, so hopefully I'll see some people's new faces here soon. Nice, okay, awesome. As always, people can find me at AtinyHolmsteadPodcast.com. If you'd like to support the podcast, you can go to AtinyHolmstead.com slash support. And there's a new podcast.
31:32
that I am doing with a co-host. Her name is Leah and she's from Clear Creek Ranch Mom on Facebook. And um there's two episodes out already, third one on Monday and the website's being built right now and the first three pages are up. oh The website is Grit and Grace in the Heartland and the podcast is Grit and Grace in the Heartland Women in Agriculture.
31:59
Haley, this was great. Thank you for filling me in on dairy and cows and how hard it is and how much you love it. I so appreciate it. Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me on today. Thank you. Bye.
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By Mary E LewisToday I'm talking with Haley at Wilson Dairy Farm MD. You can also follow on Facebook.
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00:00
You're listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters. I'm your host, Mary Lewis. Today I'm talking with Haley at Wilson Dairy Farm in Maryland, I think it is. Good afternoon, Hayley, how are you? Good afternoon, I'm great. And yes, you're right, we are in Maryland here, Baltimore County. All right, and you guys are a dairy farm and
00:27
I've actually been really looking forward to this because I don't talk to people who do dairy. I talk to people who do cattle for eating the meat more often. So, uh number one, how's the weather in Maryland today? Today is absolutely gorgeous. We hit 50 degrees and it's been sunny and just a light breeze and it feels like a nice spring day in January. Yeah, oh in Minnesota it is pushing 40 degrees. Everything is melting. There's no wind.
00:56
It's sunny, it's gorgeous. It feels like April, not January. Yes, I'll take it though. Yeah, me too, because I figure two weeks from now it'll be minus 20 with a wind chill of minus 40. Exactly, we don't quite get that cold, but anything under 30 degrees is cold for me. Yeah, it definitely gets cold here in Minnesota for sure.
01:21
We had a night last winter that was pushing minus 50 windchill and I thought you know, maybe the northern tier states aren't as much fun as I as I think they are so I bet All right. So tell me about yourself and about your dairy farm because I am so excited to hear your story Sure. So my name is Haley Wilson. I grew up on a commercial dairy farm My dad milked around 220 Holsteins at our biggest
01:50
So we were a small commercial dairy farm because there are a thousand head dairy farms out west. There's much bigger farms than that. for us, that was a lot. We milked 200 cows a day. It was about three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening. We had some family trouble over the property about six years ago. My dad's siblings had all left the farm when they were young.
02:15
like a lot of small family farm disputes go, they came back and they wanted their inheritance. we were in a lawsuit during the COVID timeframe between 2018 and 2021. And um because of COVID, we actually never got to see a jury trial. We had a judge who just decided everything. And because my grandfather's notes that said what he wanted to happen with the land were not notarized, he said none of them could be
02:43
admitted as evidence. So we actually ended up losing everything. had around 350 acres. it was all, yeah, it was all gone to my aunt and uncle who live in Virginia. They're not even local. So that was something we went through a couple of years ago that was really heartbreaking. And there were a lot of emotions surrounding the lawsuit, know, anger, frustration, just disappointment all around. My dad really took it hard.
03:09
And my sister and I kind of felt the weight of the family and we kind of had to figure out how to keep things moving. As far as the dairy cows go, I was able to keep a couple of my nice show animals. I just kind of took them to different dairy farms around the state of Maryland, actually. People were very generous and would house them for me. Just last year, I found this farm about 10 minutes away from my home farm where I grew up.
03:33
and the people who own it were renting it out to a family who were moving and I reached out and everything worked out perfectly. I was able to move in last fall. I brought all of my young animals, so like my little calves and my breeding age heifers, no one who's in milk yet. I brought all them home here about a year ago. And for the last year, I've been working on fixing up the farm and getting a parlor built.
03:58
When you're going to milk more than just two or three cows, you've really got to have the facility for it. And since I planned on shipping milk grade A to a cooperative, like my dad did, I had to have the facility to match their standards. So I just accomplished that here in November, and I'm shipping milk for 25 cows for the last 60 days. So that's catch up to where I'm at. Is it just you? It's just me.
04:24
Yeah, it's just me. My parents live in a house that they rent down the road. My sister has a little farm she does ag tourism business with, but I'm the only one that lives here. So whenever I say we, I mean me and the dogs, me and the animals. We is a me and my animals concept. I um don't have anybody that lives with me or helps me. It's just me. Wow. Haley, I am so impressed and so proud of you. Thank you.
04:53
That is a lot to take on as one person. It is definitely a lot. Once I got a routine, know, things have, it's like anything, you know, once you get a system down, it becomes a little bit easier, but there, you know, there's definitely tasks out there that I have to wait until I can call my dad or somebody to swing by and help me. It's just not possible to do some jobs by yourself. So I do my best, but I do have an intern that sometimes will come down from Penn State when she's on her breaks and she'll help me occasionally. So.
05:21
People are very generous. Our community being in Baltimore, it is a big city below us, but ultimately the area that I'm in in the county, the community members are great. If I need help fixing the manure spreader or fixing the tractor, there's people I can call that'll run over and just do me a favor and they'll help me out, which has been life-changing. Yeah, community is so important, especially when it's just one person trying to do what you're doing. Yes, absolutely, yes.
05:51
I mean, community is important anyway, but boy, you are really fortunate that you have people around you who are more than willing to help. That is fantastic. So how many cows do you have? So I'm currently milking 25. Now with the whole community concept, they're not all my milk cows. I only owned about 13 milk cows. So the other cows are actually from three other neighboring farms who said, hey, this young girl is trying to get started.
06:19
go ahead, you can take a couple of our cows because I have to have enough milk to reach the agitator in my tank. They were willing to give me their money producing asset because they believed in helping a young person get started in the dairy industry. So I actually only own 12, I think it's 13 now, I just had one calf, 13 of my 25. I own them, they're registered in my name, but the other half of my milk cows are actually belonging to neighborhood farms who are trying to help me.
06:47
get my feet under me and get started here. Because the rule is when the milk goes in the tank, you have to have enough milk in it to reach the little agitation stick that's in the tank. And if I didn't ship enough milk, it wouldn't stir and it would create bacteria. So there's lots of regulations around that. So I own about 13 of my milk cows and then I actually have another 13 of the younger stock, which would be the calves and heifers that are not milking yet. So I own about 30.
07:17
Wow. Oh my God, Haley. I'm so blown away by everything you've just said. There's a lot to it and it can be very overwhelming. It should throw at you all at once. So if I have to repeat anything, if you have further questions, feel free to stop me. No, I just, can't believe how everything is coming together for you to do this. Yes. Nope. I don't believe it some days either, but I have to say I have faith.
07:44
And not just religious faith, but faith in myself, faith in the goodness of the world, faith in just things working out. And I hate to say it, but if I wanted to get this far or to even go further, I have to have that kind of just belief that things will work out because there are days, there are really cold days when equipment won't start or the days where maybe a cow is sick or if I lose a calf, they're really tough. And the only way to get through them for me is to have faith that things will work out the way they're supposed to.
08:14
Yes, and things do work out the way they're supposed to. The problem is sometimes the supposed to part isn't the way you wanted it to work out. Very true, very true. I understand that completely. I've had a lot of those moments in my life, but I'm 56 years old. I have lived a great life so far and it all does kind of come out in the wash. There's some really terrible things that happen.
08:42
And there's some really fabulous things that happen that offset the terrible things. yeah. Just keep moving. Just keep going. It's all perspective. It really is. Yes, exactly. Wow. I am just sitting here dumbfounded. I cannot believe all the stars that had to align for you to get where you are.
09:03
Me as well. definitely, this fall as things were coming together, I, you things fell together and people offered, whether it's a manure spreader to borrow or coming to chop the corn. So I'd have feed in my trench for this winter to milk the cows, all those little things. I say little, they're big things, but like you said, everything just fell together so great. I will forever be in debt to lots of people around here. Well, I'm sure that if they needed something, you would be right there for them too.
09:32
Yes, absolutely. Yep, because that's how this works. You don't receive the kind of blessings that you're receiving on this without giving some back. Correct. And if you own animals, if there's people who have homesteads and they have any type of sick livestock where they need medication and it's nine o'clock at night, you're calling your neighbor who maybe also has animals and has something in stock. So that's just how it works when you have animals and have to take care of everybody.
10:00
So if it's just you, do you manage to get any sleep at any point in time? I do. So I try to go to bed by 9.30 and I get up around five. So I do get some hours of sleep. uh I do work a day job also away from the farm. And as sad as that sounds, I can't afford to pay my bills if I don't do it. So I wake up at five and I'm usually working outside until about eight or 8.30, depending if anybody needs to be bedded up or if I have to restock any hay or feed.
10:29
and then I'll eat breakfast and I'll go to a day job from about nine to one. And then from one to three, I either run some errands or I come home and just try to relax. And then I'll feed the cows and do some afternoon projects and start my feedings again. And I'm usually finished by about six, 30 or seven at night. And then I have about two hours to do whatever inside I might want to do. Sometimes it's just hanging out, but.
10:55
Sitting still is not something I do well. So it's almost good that I'm this busy. Okay, tell me again how old you are, Hayley. I'm 29. Okay, so you're still in the, the, I'll sleep when I'm dead, 20s phase. Yes, yes. Yeah, I was raising kids in that timeframe and uh I was busy from, oh my God, two o'clock in the morning until 11 o'clock at night because, because kids, you know. Yeah.
11:25
Kids don't necessarily sleep from eight o'clock at night until six o'clock in the morning. And I had four kids. And my youngest didn't sleep through the night until he hit kindergarten. So that was a rough five and a half years. bet. I can't imagine. So when you're talking about all the stuff that you're doing, I am absolutely blown away.
11:52
But I also know what I was doing when I was your age and people were like, I don't know how you do it.
11:59
Yes, yes. It has its perks. I do feel tired more so than others other days, but that's usually in response to like mental exhaustion. Like you said, the physical exhaustion, I can get through it, can push through it. But usually if I'm very stressed, if something takes a toll on me mentally, those are the days that it can get to me and get caught up on it. Yeah, for sure.
12:29
brain is good when your mental health is good, you can go without sleep for a while. But you get that mental health thing dragging you down and you're not sleeping, it's not gonna go well. Exactly, and I think that's very important to mention. In the dairy industry in general, they talk about dairy farmers having a suicide rate higher than any other occupation, even above veterans. And that's one of those things that it speaks to you, just about how much of a toll that these people go through. uh
12:58
you know, and there's nobody there speaking for them and the number of dairy farms is shrinking and there's so many people who just don't relate to what they go through. And that's one of the reasons why I wanted to do this as well is having a social media presence and sharing the problems and the challenges with the dairy industry. I love what I do, but even in the last 60 days, I have learned so much of how much these industry
13:25
cooperatives that I am tied to, you I'm under their thumb because they are the ones hauling my milk. They're the ones finding a market for my milk. So I'm at their mercy when they want to change prices, when they want to change my hauling price, ah the flexibility of their hauler or lack of thereof. I've had to take buildings down. I've had to move my driveway. I have no choice. And most industries are not like that. You have some say or at least you get a day or two off here or there.
13:54
As a dairy farmer, you don't have a say and you don't get a day off. So it does become exhausting. absolutely. Okay. So I have a question for you that might be touchy. Is raw milk illegal in Maryland? It is. Raw milk is illegal for human consumption in the state of Maryland. It can only be sold from a farm if it's labeled as pet consumption only. That's correct. So if somebody buys it under that label,
14:22
and they choose to use it for themselves to drink. Is that okay? Yes. Yep. I know lots of farms who have said, know what, forget the co-op that I'm signed with. They're not doing anything to help me. Instead of getting 40 cents per gallon of milk from the grocery store, I'm going to sell directly to the customer, whether that's listed as raw milk or actually getting a grade A permit to process their own milk, either way.
14:47
They'll sell directly to the customer and get three, four, five dollars per gallon in their pocket. So people can do what they wish with whatever they buy as long as the label meets the standards of the state and the federal government, the farmers in the clear. Good. I haven't had raw milk in Minnesota in years, and part of that is because I can't afford it anymore. I looked the other day.
15:14
I was just curious to see what some of the local farms were selling raw milk at. Over $10 for a half gallon. Oh my gosh. I was like, yeah, that's too rich for my blood. That champagne taste on a beer budget. I can't do it. That's very true. And I think maybe some farms have gotten a little aggressive with it. I have not gone down that route yet, but...
15:39
I know around here people will pay double digits for a good raw gallon of milk. And maybe that's because where we live, cost of living in Maryland is extremely high, but their incomes is reflective of that for the most part, so they can swing it. But most parts in the country are not gonna pay 10, 12, $14 for a gallon or even a half gallon. That's crazy to me to hear as a farmer who produces milk. Yeah, I...
16:08
I want to be able to pay it because I think that anyone who takes care of cows earns every penny. But I just can't. I just can't do it. Of course, of course. So, and I love raw milk. It is one of my favorite, favorite things for coffee in the morning because it is so good. Yes, I love raw milk. I have been drinking raw milk my whole life and I'm happy to share it with people who ask. It's just one of those things that I just do it quietly.
16:37
If people ask, we're like, yeah, bring a container over, I'll get you what you need. But it's not one of those things I'm allowed to sell for a profit. Right, yes. And I'm going to tell the story again. I've told it like five times in two years on the podcast. We drove home to Maine. I grew up in Maine. And milk is actually allowed to be sold in grocery stores in Maine. That's raw milk. And I didn't know that. That was not the case when I lived there.
17:06
And we went to the little general store down the road from my parents and they had glass bottles of raw milk. And I took a bottle up to the counter and the girl behind the counter, said, how long has it been legal to sell raw milk? And she was like, I don't know where you from. I said, well, my parents live up the road. I grew up in Steep Falls, Maine.
17:30
I said, but I live in Minnesota now and it's, don't find raw milk in a store. You have to get it from the farmer at the farm. And usually you have to bring your own container. And she was like, oh man, I knew you weren't from Maine, but I didn't know you grew up here. I said, yes, I did. She said, I don't know how long it's been legal to sell it in Maine, but it's been a while. She said, cause we've been doing it for a while. She said, we're not allowed.
17:58
She said, it is frowned upon to advertise that you're doing it. And I said, frowned upon. And she said, yeah, the state of Maine doesn't really like us to promote it. And I said, okay, so every state has different laws about this. She said, they absolutely do.
18:21
Yep, yes, that's correct. So yeah, it's crazy. I... People drink raw milk for a very long time before we've got into the pasteurizing and putting parameters on what we as humans get to choose to drink. it bothers me to no end, but I always have to ask if somebody's in the industry. Sure, absolutely.
18:48
And two, with pasteurization, know, back 100, 150 years ago, 200 years ago, when people were getting sick from raw milk, they did not have the regulations that we have now with the stainless material of the pipeline, the cleaning regimen, whatever it is that the state requires. Each state's a little bit different. But I know the crucial testing that I had to go through, and I get test results every single week from my co-op. And I will tell you that our milk, whether it's, I say our milk, the girls' milk, my milk here,
19:17
is cleaner than anything else you're ever going to get. I believe it. And the other thing that a lot of people don't know is that if you sell your milk to whoever the hauler comes and your milk is tested, the whole truck gets thrown out if something's wrong with the milk, right? Correct. Yeah. If you test positive for antibiotics, if a cow is sick and I have to treat her just like we would treat our children or ourselves, you go to the doctor and you get antibiotics because you have to kill.
19:47
that bacteria, whatever's growing, you've got to get ahead of it or it could kill you. It's the same with the animals. They have to be treated. And then that milk has to be dumped appropriately for the right amount of time. And I have snap tests here. If anybody works in a vet office or even a doctor's office, they might've heard of a snap test. You can test milk, you can test blood with them. And my test specifically tests for antibiotics. And if I mess it up and I ship it, I have to pay for the whole truckload. Yeah.
20:13
does that whole truckload get dumped? It's useless? that's I thought. that's correct. They can't do anything with it and they don't want us to contaminate any other milk at the processing plant. Yeah, that's what I thought because that's how it is here too. Yep. And it's really important that that's the way it is because, you know, we've got to have safe food. It's just really unfortunate that things like that happen. And I'm guessing it hasn't happened to you yet.
20:42
Not yet. Knock on wood. I am very adamant. I try to use leg bands to mark the cows if they need to be treated. I put it in my phone as constant reminders as to when was the last treatment date. I will test once in the morning and if it's questionable, I'll test again in the evening. It's just one of those things I'd rather be safe than sorry. I can't afford to make the mistake. So fingers crossed I never have to do that, but I know new accidents happen and it's just a good thing there's so many checks along the way to catch it.
21:11
Yes, exactly. And I'm going to say this too. I was talking with Joel Salatin back a year ago for the podcast. You know who he is, right? The name sounds familiar, but place him for me. Okay. He has Polyphase Farm in, I think it's Virginia or West Virginia. And he's big in the homesteading uh realm. And he raises cattle and pigs and chickens and
21:40
He's just really famous in this circle. And he was saying that when he went to college, he went to college for becoming a journalist. And uh when he told somebody he was going back to the family farm, they said to him, you're way too smart to just go be a farmer. And the reason I share this is because from what you just told me, you are incredibly smart. You have to be.
22:10
to be doing what you're doing. Farmers are smart. They have to be. I agree with that. And I feel like farmers are smart in a funny sense. And when it comes to troubleshooting and trying to solve problems, a lot of people think, well, I'll just call the plumber to fix it. I'll just call the electrician. As a farmer, can afford $180 emergency call for the plumber. So guess who's just going to figure it out? You know, we're smart along the sense of being, I don't know, personal,
22:41
as troubleshooters. You know, we're always trying to find solutions. So we're forced to think outside the box when it comes to solving things. Well, the other reason I said that you're smart is because you have a lot of things you have to keep track of. And you have to be organized and you have to understand why you're doing the things that you're doing. That's correct. Yes, that's true. So I bet you're smart as a whip.
23:05
Ma'am? try to be pretty quick. You know, you to stay on my toes. And I think a lot of dairy farmers are like that. So that's a good uh analogy. Dairy farmers are pretty quick. And if they're not, you'll see which farms maybe struggle. You've got to be able to stay on top of it. And you've got six million things going on at once, just like a mom, just like a parent. You've got so many things moving at once. You've got to stay on top of it or things get dropped. Yeah, absolutely. So are your cows Holsteins? Because you mentioned Holsteins in the beginning.
23:34
I do have a couple Holsteins, that's what we milked growing up. So I kept a couple from my original family line. My dad did buy me a Brown Swiss when I was eight years old. So I have actually transitioned primarily to my Brown Swiss. So my herd of my 13 or 30, if you want to look comprehensively, is probably 80 % Brown Swiss. And then the last couple will be my Holsteins. Okay, I've never heard of a Brown Swiss. Tell me what's special about that breed.
24:02
So the Brown Swiss are from Switzerland. They are one of the main seven dairy breeds in the world. They have the high butterfat content similar to a Jersey or a Guernsey. So they're a color breed is what they're called. They have big white fluffy ears and a nice dark gray coat. I just I love my Swiss. They're like big puppy dogs and they are a bigger breed. So they're going to grow to be some of the biggest in my herd.
24:27
but they're so docile and so slow moving. I just love the personality of my swiss. They're super sweet and loving and like a lot of animals, any breed can be that, but every single one of my swiss has been great to deal with. I can hear the love in your voice and I am like that about the Jersey cows. I love them so much. Yep. They are my favorite cow to look at. They are my favorite cow.
24:56
to actually go up to and pet if I'm allowed to. Yep. They're gorgeous. So I get it. Everyone has their own favorite animal. Yes, that speaks to you. It speaks to you in a way that just touches your heart. And my Swiss, I love them to death. They're great. Uh-huh, absolutely. um So how many gallons of milk does a um brown Swiss? Is that what you said? That's correct, yep.
25:24
How many gallons of milk on average does a brown Swiss give a day? So it depends on what stage of lactation she's in. Most of my brown Swiss are going to peak around 70 or 80 pounds a day. And when I say pounds, that's what we get paid in. So we're looking at pounds as a dairy farmer. Now, a gallon of milk weighs 8.6 pounds. So if she's milking 80 pounds in a day, that's about nine gallons. So she's not
25:51
white as high of a producer as some of my Holsteins who could milk 100, 120 pounds a day. But ultimately the Swiss will have your higher butter fat and protein content. And those creamy, those creamy factors are actually a higher pay scale for the co-op because the co-op is going to pull that butter fat and protein out to make your cheese and your butter and your ice cream. So they, what they lack in quantity, they make up in quality. uh Absolutely. You've got this down, ma'am.
26:21
I'm so impressed with you. Well, I've done a lot of studying and I told myself if I'm going to do it, I've got to at least be somewhat prepared. em I understand I'm still learning every single day and I'm still calling my neighbor and saying, hey, this cow doesn't look right. This is when she calved. Her eyes are little sunken in though and she's not really milking right. You know, what would you recommend I give her?
26:45
and we'll go through the list of medications and treatment options. So there's still things I'm learning every single day. ultimately my goal is to have happy and healthy cows. Obviously I want them to milk as much as they can because that affects my milk check, but I do not push them beyond what their body is capable of. I'm a competitive person. I want to do well, but ultimately I love my animals and I want them to do the best that their health can allow. Yep. That's exactly the reason to do it.
27:15
You don't get into raising dairy cows for grins and giggles. That's correct. That's very correct. Okay. I don't really want to end this on a bad note, but I know that dairy farmers in America do not make a lot of money in their chosen profession. That's correct. So you guys do it because you love it. And that is fabulous. But I really, really hope that
27:45
The love of it makes up for the lack of income because I worry about you guys. We need milk and I worry that a lot of dairy farmers are just gonna go away because they just can't afford to stay in it. That's correct. And a lot of legislation, a lot of the rules and like I said, the co-ops, the bigger dog people don't care about the small farmer. They're always looking at the dollar and unfortunately the small farms are not being taken care of. So your options are get bigger.
28:13
or sell direct to the consumer or be done. I have to weigh my options as well moving forward and see what I can sustain. I love what I do. I will always milk cows. I just have to figure out what would be the best for both them and myself right now. Yeah. And it's a very fine line. And I really hope that you get to continue to do what you love with the cows. And if you don't, don't
28:41
look at it as a failure, please, because you are doing the best you possibly can. Thank you. Thank you. Like I said, I didn't want to end this on a bummer, but people need to know it's really hard being in agriculture and it's doubly hard being a woman in agriculture. Yes, that is 100 % true. I know this year they've delegated 2026 as the year of the woman in ag.
29:09
So I'm curious to see what programs and what they're able to provide for women in ag this upcoming season. Yeah, I'm just thrilled that there's finally a year of the woman farmer. Yes, yes. It's only taken till 2026 to make it happen. I know, I know people. We're a very reactive country. We are not proactive. And that is one of the things that's driving these small dairy farms into the dirt as well.
29:39
But unfortunately we cannot change the mentality of the masses, but those who see it, know, those are the people who can step up and make a difference for some of these small farms. Yep, absolutely. And I'm always saying on my podcast, know your local farmer, know your local producer, you know, gardener. Because if the shit hits the fan and our grocery system goes down,
30:08
it's gonna be really important. And it's important either way, but it's gonna be really important then. Correct. Everybody should have some type of garden and even like a goat or a sheep. That is a huge thing that I would love to see 90 % of the country, which I know populated cities isn't ideal, but I would love to see a higher percentage of the country have some type of animal more than just a dog or a cat to raise their kids to take care of.
30:35
It just teaches so much responsibility and caring for life and understanding death and everything that comes with it. Like you said, even just having that relationship with your local farmer or producer is golden for people now. It really is. It's so incredibly important. And important has become trite. That word has become so overused. And I don't have another one. So it's the one I'm going to use. All right, Haley, I tried to get these to half an hour. Where can people find you?
31:05
Sure, so you can find me on Facebook or Instagram. I post on both. Facebook is Wilton Dairy Farm MD. Right now I'm growing steadily, so hopefully I'll see some people's new faces here soon. Nice, okay, awesome. As always, people can find me at AtinyHolmsteadPodcast.com. If you'd like to support the podcast, you can go to AtinyHolmstead.com slash support. And there's a new podcast.
31:32
that I am doing with a co-host. Her name is Leah and she's from Clear Creek Ranch Mom on Facebook. And um there's two episodes out already, third one on Monday and the website's being built right now and the first three pages are up. oh The website is Grit and Grace in the Heartland and the podcast is Grit and Grace in the Heartland Women in Agriculture.
31:59
Haley, this was great. Thank you for filling me in on dairy and cows and how hard it is and how much you love it. I so appreciate it. Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me on today. Thank you. Bye.