I’m a non-traditional farm wife raising kids on a sixth-generation dairy farm. By non-traditional I mean that I am a working mom and we live three miles down the road from the dairy farm. I love to share about the farm-to-table journey our food takes, raising my family, and building confidence within women in rural America.
Having grown up in north-central Wisconsin, the rural, agricultural lifestyle was always in my blood. I spent years in 4-H participating in the clothing, flowers, foods, and livestock projects. Volunteerism and community was a family affair growing up, Therefore I was active volunteering in the livestock project, 4-H club community service projects, church group, and youth sports. My drive to be more involved in the agricultural lifestyle started as a chorehand to my grandpa on his hog and crop farm. I didn’t mind picking rock or shoveling manure by hand. However, I also enjoyed getting ‘cleaned up’ and trying out a new beauty product.
Knowing I somehow wanted to be involved in agriculture I chose to pursue a degree in Agricultural Marketing Communications from UW-River Falls. My husband and I met there through mutual friends he milked on a local dairy with. That’s how I ended up in beautiful Durand, Wis. My husband, Noah, grew up farming here. We now farm with his family on our 950 cow dairy.
The combination of childhood experiences, marrying a dairy farmer, working professionally in agriculture, and working alongside my grandpa have led me to where I am today: sharing my story to help build confident, caring women in ag who juggle the many balls of parenthood, marriage, careers, and farming.
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