Just five years ago, Justine Holland’s days revolved around her clients: formulating the perfect colors, artfully styling hair, and intently listening like a therapist. Today, her “clients” are 650 cows on a dairy in central Michigan. She still practices science, art, and intentional care. It just looks a little different now, and in her words, it’s “a lot better.”
Holland grew up around the corner from Sanborn and Sons Dairy in Hubbardston, Michigan. Throughout high school, two things that occupied a lot of her time were sports, including braiding hair for her teammates, and picking rocks.
“I went on to hair school,” Holland recalls. “I did that, and I liked it, but did I love it? No. I looked at hair as not really a full-time job, and I always wanted to do something extra.”
She found her way back to the farm by asking the owner if there was anything available. At first, it was washing equipment and getting ready for field work. “I just loved that more than my hair job,” she says. “But I still did hair for a few years, and then I started walking the barns.”
She went back to the owner. “Is there a position for this? Can I learn about cows?”, she asked. And by the time Holland’s first child was born, she walked away from the cosmetology industry to focus on her daughter and the dairy.
Holland’s drive and eagerness to learn led to a full-time position as the herd manager. With on-the-job training and an inquisitive nature as her primary source of education, she now does everything from herd health to computer work and payroll and helps in the field if needed.
“My passion for cows and learning about these creatures – they’re just remarkable. I could talk about them for days,” Holland says. “So I really switched roles and people crack up when they hear it. They say, ‘You’re a hair person, you look great, we can’t even believe you work on a dairy.’”
But it’s true. Holland says she’s deeply invested in the entire cycle of life, from manure hitting the field to her role in a long and healthy life for each cow. Her local vet knows it’s serious when she calls, because there’s so much she can – and loves to – handle on her own.
The progress around the farm is a product of that passion. “I’m interested in sustainability and finding ways the dairy can do better,” Holland says. “And I’ve been able to make a lot of changes for the better.”
Having someone who truly loves working with cows allowed those who had seen it as a chore to focus on their own strengths in the field and shop. The whole operation has benefitted.
Holland also dove into the systems the farm was using. She completed courses and trainings to make sure they were getting the maximum benefit from programs like PcDart and CowManager.
She noticed that the cows were at their best in a quiet barn where they could relax, so she reduced commotion and extra staff around the cows. Once-a-week bedding changes and storing the sand on concrete directly influenced both production and milk quality. Calf health was improved when she suggested transitioning from indoor housing to hutches.
“I always tell myself how thankful I am that my boss lets me do all these things,” Holland says. “He’s always telling me to run the dairy as if it were my own.”
One of the best contrasts from the hair stylist days for Justine is that she’s no longer the therapist. “I will talk to the gals, and they just listen,” Holland says. “I’m just out here trying to give my cows a healthy life and get healthy dairy products. Our cows are so comfortable and are literally spoiled. There might be bad things that happen, but the days are not bad at all.”
