What Does it Take to be a Dairy Farmer ???!
Answers: What Type of eduacation do you need and what if any courses do you need to take ??
I grew up on a dairy farm and I am so glad I'm not there anymore. It was a lot of physical labor and your life is not your own. Cows have to be milked twice a day and there is very little time between milkings to get your other work done. A social life is rarely possible unless you have many people helping you. My Dad usually had help, Mom and us 4 kids. Later when we started to college, he hired families to help with all the work. We also had beef cattle to look after as well as growing wheat and hay crops. Mom also had a huge garden, so we had to do our time tending the veggie patch and gathering and freezing the produce. As far as education, study agriculture and business, certainly some accounting courses. Agriculture is a big area, so many study Agriculture education, ag communication, ag marketing and so on.
Alot of hard work and dedication.
You need grazing land, barns, milking machines, financing, cows, customers. A working knowledge of cattle and their behavior, what your county or city permits, how to keep a sterile area, how to process the milk and store it, how to treat your animals, how to get a business license, how to do your own accounting, and most importantly--is there a market for your product in your area?
Your local County Agriculture Center is a good place to start to get information and Junior colleges in agricultural areas often offer courses on animal husbandry, raising bovines and their care, how to grow your own silage as well as what you will need to provide in the way of labor for the successful maintenance and upkeep of your dairy.
It's a tough business to be in with long hard hours so you will need to be physically fit and have the desire and energy for such an undertaking. I wish you the best.