Page 16 Stories of the Heartland • Sunday, April 19, 2026 hometownsource. com / heartland /
Growing up on a farm, Holly Saehr decided to make farming her career. Now working together with her parents, Darrel and Amy Saehr, and her brother, Randy Saehr, they milk about 185 Holstein cows and each has a 2,000-head hog facility.
Lifetime membership on the family farm
BY SHEILA MCCOY STORIES OF THE HEARTLAND
PIERZ – Some of Holly Saehr’ s earliest memories of growing up on a dairy farm in Pierz both involve the farm animals. One is the sound the snaps of the grounding chains made when each snap was attached to the ring on a cow’ s collar back when the cows were milked in a tiestall barn. Other memories are of feeding the calves and the excitement in her parents’ voices and faces when she was driving the tractor at age 5 or 6.
“ It just made it all the more exciting. It made you feel like you had achieved a goal,” she said.
Reminiscing, Saehr said she has always liked being around the cattle. It is a special feeling seeing a calf she bottle-fed become stronger and overtime, watching her grow into an adult and eventually having her own calf.
While some tasks on the farm are routine chores and are seen just as that, Saehr said feeding the calves and just working with the cattle rarely ever felt like a chore. She believes it ties perfectly in with what her parents, Darrel and Amy, instilled in her and her brother, Randy.
“ Their comment was that‘ If you enjoy what you do, you never have to work a day in your life,’” she said.
Back in the day when the family milked in a tie stall barn, Saehr said they had to carry the milk machines to each cow to be milked. While it was hard work, what was what they knew and adapted to. However, in 2012, the family converted the tie stall barn into a parlor and as a result, went from having eight units to having 24.
“ It sped things up and we don’ t have to manually move the units. The cows come into us, we milk them and release them, and then, in comes the next 24. Technology has come a long way with the ease of everything,” she said.
Besides she and Randy working with their parents in the milk barn, they each also have a 2,000-head hog facility. Recognized for her leadership role and making agriculture her career, Saehr was named 2025 Morrison County Female Farmer of the Year by the Morrison Soil & Water Conservation District. She was also one of five finalists to be chosen as Minnesota Female Farmer of the Year, who were celebrated at FarmFest in 2025.
When asked what inspired her to step into such a leadership role on the farm, Saehr said part of it was that she always wanted to keep up with her brother.
“ I always wanted to do what he was doing, so when I was little, I always thought I could do everything he did, but more so, the fact that we want to keep the farm in the family. So we had to grow up at a pretty early age, knowing what all this would entail. It’ s a lot of work and you have to be very dedicated to it” she said.
Encouraged by their parents to work together, Saehr said it was one thing their dad stressed continuously-