Better Together

How a dairy farm family with four growing children makes the most out of every moment.

Many parents start their day with a routine of getting the kids ready for school and out the door. Similarly, most dairy farmers wake up to a routine of morning chores to complete. For Sarah Honkomp, her mornings start with both. As a mother of four and the primary milker on her family’s farm, Honkomp Dairy in eastern Iowa, Sarah’s day may look less traditional than the average mom’s or dairy farmer’s.

“I milk a lot later than your normal person because I have to get the kids ready and wherever they need to be, whether it be weightlifting or on the bus to school,” Sarah says. “But by eight o'clock in the morning I'm outside, and I start milking and doing all of my other chores.”

Much like her mornings, Sarah’s evening routine is centered on her kids just as much as it is her cows. Once the kids are back home, she brings them together to do all their after-school activities like homework, dinner and the occasional sporting event. After the kids are taken care of, she returns to the barn to take care of her second set of children — her cows.

“These animals are so loved and well taken care of; they're treated like our own children,” Sarah says. “We are so careful and precise with everything because the children have been raised in the barn and around our cows. The cows are so calm that our 6-year old daughter can put them in the pen and milk them without assistance; the kids even hug them like pets.”

While hugging and cuddling isn’t their main job, each of the kids — Nolan, 14; Griffin, 13; Linkin, 10; and Aspen, 6 — have a role to play on the farm. Sarah savors the moments in the evenings and during summer break when she has extra sets of hands to help.

“We don’t hire any help, it’s just Curt, the kids and I that run the entire operation. Aside from Curt’s dad stopping by occasionally to lend a hand with field and handy work. Curt handles all the feed mixing, scraping and bedding yards and tends to the crops. And then the kids and I are in charge of the barn. So, we do all the milking, vaccinating, breeding and we take care of all the bottled and weaned calves,” Sarah says. “We previously used robots to milk, but they’re just not for me. I like the ease and reliability of our family running it together.”

A family affair

The farm has been passed down from generation to generation through Sarah’s husband’s family. Curt’s great-grandfather originally bought the farm in 1936. Today, they tend to a herd of about 100 Holsteins and farm 600 acres of crops. Sarah and Curt work hard to involve their children as much as possible on the farm, instilling valuable life lessons and sharing operational advice, so one day they can pass the farm down to them as well.

“One of my favorite things is knowing that I have not missed out on any of my children’s upbringing. Although at times we had to get resourceful and figure out how to get the job done with a baby or toddler, we found that if there’s a will, there’s a way,” Sarah says. “I also enjoy teaching them how the farm runs, so they have the opportunity to carry it on like we have had — with a good work ethic.”

It’s no secret being a dairy farmer takes diligence and ingenuity, and the Honkomps have both. In their earlier years running the farm, Sarah and Curt had to be resourceful to make sure their kids could spend as much time as possible on the farm with them.

“One of my favorite memories is when the kids were babies and all the creative ways we came up with to bring them into the parlor with us. I remember we fashioned a swing that would hang from the pipeline in the parlor, and they would just take a nap and hang out in the barn the whole time we worked,” Sarah says. “It was entertaining every day to see how we were going to do it next, but we managed to make it all work and now we can look back and tell the kids. They just can't believe it.”

Sarah and Curt’s creativity paid off; growing up on the farm shapes the Honkomp kids’ lives every day.

“They love to remind everybody how hard they work, but they also love to talk about all the freedom they have with the farm life,” Sarah says. “They tell their friends about how they get to ride four-wheelers, skidloaders and tractors. They have the freedom to roam around hundreds of acres, and it brings a lot of opportunities the kids in towns don't have.”

Connecting us all

While the Honkomp kids love to share the perks of growing up on a dairy with their friends, Sarah shares the benefits of dairy with those close to her as well.

“I tell my sisters how dairy supports your immune system all the time,” Sarah says. “They don’t understand why their kids keep getting sick and I tell them to let their kids drink their milk and get dirty so they can build up immunity. It provides so many essential vitamins and nutrients that a body needs to be strong, healthy and develop properly.”

The Honkomp family drinks eight gallons of whole milk every week, and even then, it’s not always enough for them. For Sarah and her kids, the benefits go far beyond the great taste of milk, and she enjoys sharing about why milk is good for you from her perspective as a dairy farmer and mom.

“I think it is important to share how beneficial milk can be for athletes. With raising teenage boys who are involved in sports, we have found that the best way to rehydrate and refuel for practice, games or lifting is to chug some milk,” Sarah says. “I have even brought coolers of individual bottles for their teams, and the boys are always so thankful because concession stands don’t sell it, and it really is the best to coat your stomach and give you the boost you need to compete.”

For Sarah and Curt, the early mornings and long hours they face raising cows, crops and children are worth it to share lifelong industry knowledge with their loved ones and community.