Hill Family Farm, a fifth-generation farm with 130 milking cows located in Maple Park, Illinois, is owned and operated by Nate Hill and his father. Hill and his wife have three children, aged 7, 5, and 3. They love to help their dad and grandpa on the farm, riding around in the UTV, as cows are moved from barn to barn and chores are completed.
Hill graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 2006 with a degree in Animal Science and a dairy emphasis. During his studies, he played four years of college football and worked at a 35-cow organic dairy farm. While gaining first-time experience on an organic farm, Hill was exposed to a step-up parlor and a pit parlor. He planned to work away from his home farm for a brief period before returning, which led him to move to California ten days after graduation for a position with ABS Global.
His time with ABS opened opportunities for Hill to learn what it takes to manage a larger-scale farm. From working as a technician breeding cows to becoming a sales manager and eventually an account manager, he gained knowledge about artificial insemination, synchronization protocols, and what it takes to make it through each day on such a large scale. He discovered the farm’s quick adaptability to progressive ideas and change, allowing for more efficient practices. Hill was even able to implement some of these practices back on his farm at home as they now calve heifers at two years of age. He was also able to discover and utilize the most effective voluntary waiting period for cows and heat detection with tail chalking. With this experience, he returned to his family farm with a mindset focused on efficiency, aiming to save time and money.
An advancement at the Hill farm is their use of a hired custom chopper. This allows someone to come in and chop their corn all in one day rather than the typical three weeks that it would take for Hill and his father. This results in a more consistent corn product, which is a better food source for the cows and is completed in a shorter time frame. Another exciting the Hills have added to their farm is the robotic milking system. In 2013, they began the process of building two robotic milkers that created more time and freedom for Hill and his father to be active participants in his kids’ lives. This also relieved them from the stress of job turnover caused by college student workers being home for the summer, getting other internships, or graduating. Through the pedometer on each cow’s collar, the robots give the cow’s information on daily activity, estrus and heat cycles, temperature of the cow and her milk, milk quality, detections of mastitis or blood in the milk, and sickness even before the signs of illness are detectable to the eye. Ultimately, this technology provides more information for each cow than they could ever need, providing an extraordinary advancement for their farm.
Through each experience that led Hill to where he is today, he advises young dairy farmers to become well-versed in agricultural business and economics in college. He also recommends participating in internships and gaining experiences that bring new, versatile perspectives back to the family farm.
Hill’s journey from a college football player to a sophisticated dairy farmer exemplifies the benefits of combining education, hands-on experience, and technological innovation to drive success in modern agriculture, all while maintaining a strong connection with family and farm traditions.