Throughout her childhood, Stefanie Kappes grew up helping out on her family’s dairy farm in rural Cresco.
    She had many jobs on the farm. She helped feed calves, bale hay, feed hay to cows, clean the barn and do other chores around the farm that her parents, Steve and Brenda Kappes, owned.
    While she was growing up, she knew she wanted to be a veterinarian or a dairy farmer. Eventually, dairy farming won.
    After graduating from Crestwood High School in 2006, Kappes decided to further her dairy farming experience by enrolling in  Northeast Iowa Community College’s Dairy Science program.
    The two-year program, based in Calmar, mixes classroom learning with hands-on experience. The campus owns a large farm complete with a barn so the students can practice what they learn in the classroom.
    “I really liked it. I had a lot of fun, met a lot of people,” Kappes said, of the program.
    One of her favorite parts of the program was learning how to breed cows, Kappes said. She has since used her new skill to breed cows on her parents’ farm, and even successfully got a cow pregnant on her first try at breeding.
    As part of her coursework at NICC, 19-year-old Kappes was required to complete an internship. She decided to complete her internship at Courtlane Holsteins, a dairy farm with about 60 cows, not far from her family’s home. She spent five nights per week milking cows and doing other jobs around the farm as needed.
    Her favorite parts about dairy science are milking cows and learning about genetics. Kappes said she finds milking cows relaxing, and she thinks cow genetics are intriguing.
    She enjoys spending time with the cows, and will get attached to a particular cow every once in a while.
    “When we have to sell them sometimes I want to cry,” Kappes said.
    One in particular is Lee. The 15-year-old cow is the only one left from the Kappes family’s original herd.
    Kappes is also fond of Stefanie, a cow that was named after her. Stefanie is the first cow Kappes ever bred.
    This summer, Kappes plans to show a cow at the Mighty Howard County Fair with her sister, Shannon, a junior at Crestwood High School.
    This fall, Kappes will continue her education at Iowa State University. Because her NICC credits will transfer, she will enter the school’s dairy science degree program as a junior.
    Although she hasn’t decided exactly what she wants to do after she graduates from Iowa State, Kappes is considering looking for work with a dairy company or as a herd manager. Someday, she could see herself using the skills she has acquired in school and at home to run her own farm.