Farming is a year-round, full-time job. Even when the fields are buried under 12 inches of snow, there is plenty to keep a farm family busy.

Ken Nobis has been a dairy farmer all his life. He grew up on the dairy farm he now co-owns with his brother, Larry, in St. Johns. Today, the farm consists of an 800-head dairy herd, 1,100 acres of corn and 550 acres of alfalfa (used for animal feed), and 1,000 acres of soybeans and 100 acres of wheat, sold as cash crops. Almost all of the feed for the animals is grown and stored on the farm. Ken's son, Kerry, is also involved in the family's farming operation.

It takes 20 employees to run this 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week operation, and milking the cows is only one of the many chores necessary to manage this well-run farm. There are about 700 cows in the milking herd at any one time. The cows are milked twice every day, at 2:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. It takes about nine hours to milk all the cows. The average cow in the milking herd weighs 1,400 pounds and produces 75-80 pounds of milk for a total of 53,000 to 55,000 pounds each day.

In addition to milking, the animals need to be fed and watered. There are six groups of cows on the farm, each in a different stage of lactation; they're fed a total mixed ration, based on their stage of milk production. The feed is a mixture of corn, soybeans and hay, with added vitamins and minerals. Ken uses computer software developed at Michigan State University to formulate rations specific to the needs of each group.

The Nobis farm prides itself on maintaining a healthy herd. Ken knows this is just good business. If the animals are healthy, they produce more milk. Daily health checks help maintain herd health. This task takes about two hours a day, but Ken is willing to invest the time. His philosophy is that it costs less time and money to catch an animal as it becomes sick, than to wait until the cow is very sick. Medicine is expensive, and because animals being treated with medications must be kept separate from the milking herd, there's also a loss in production while the cow is being treated. When it's necessary, antibiotics are used at a minimum dosage.

The farm maintains separate areas for sick cows, maternity pens for cows who are about to calf or have just calved, heifer pens for the young female cows who have not yet entered the milking herd, and an area with calf hutches for newborn calves. Ken also keeps a few bulls as "clean-up" bulls, used when cows do not become pregnant through artificial insemination. Otherwise, artificial insemination is the main method of impregnating the cows. Gestation in cows is about 9 months -- the same as humans. Two to three calves are born each day all year long.

Other chores on the Nobis farm include cleaning and sanitizing the milking equipment every day, checking and repairing fences, and driving into town to get necessary supplies. Farm hands also scrape the alleys and free-stall barns four times a day. Manure management is always a concern for farm operations, but it's even more difficult in winter. The manure is spread on flat fields away from water sources, according to Generally Accepted Agricultural Management Practices.

Manure management is difficult, but ice storms and blizzards are the worst part of winter on a dairy farm. It's hard for farm hands to get around when everything is covered with ice, but there is also a greater risk that an animal could be injured by falling on the ice. Power outages make it necessary to run the farm on a generator. The cows still need to be milked, and milking 700 head of animals in the frigid cold twice a day would be nearly impossible.

Just about everything takes longer in the winter, and there are additional tasks to ensure the animals are kept warm and healthy -- like keeping waterers from freezing, and plowing snow. The Nobises have three heifer barns located away from the main farm, plus they need to make sure all their farm hands can make it to work every day. So, when it snows, they plow about nine miles of road near their farm.

Ken says planning is the key to successful farming, and he uses the winter months to catch up on this essential element of his farm business. He reviews the past year's financial and operational records, and does financial planning for the upcoming year. Ken and his staff often attend training seminars and conferences in January and February to keep up on the latest industry trends and technology.

Because the Nobises do all their own farming and field work, they own a lot of tillage and harvesting equipment that requires constant upkeep. Ken uses the winter months to plan extensive repairs on that equipment, as well as on barns and other farm buildings.

Maintaining a dairy farm year-round can be challenging ... physically, financially and mentally. Families like the Nobises help to keep Michigan's agricultural heritage alive, while providing a much-needed local source for safe, healthy dairy products.

For more information about how milk is made, including a Virtual Tour: "The Story of Milk," and an extensive list of dairy-related links, visit www.moomilk.com.