When an animal’s well-being is being threatened, when disease or injury are too great, when quality of life has decreased dramatically – there’s often only one remaining option. The current pandemic has forced many farmers to make heartbreaking decisions.
Tara Vander Dussen, the New Mexico Milkmaid, is “udderly in love with dairy.” I was fortunate to meet Tara and witness her passion first–hand during a recent visit to her family farm, Rajen Dairy, in Eastern New Mexico. Tara is a fifth–generation Dutch dairy farmer who left the farm after high school to earn an environmental science degree from the University of Arizona. It wasn’t her plan to come back, but after marrying her husband Daniel, Tara returned to dairy. Now she works alongside Daniel, his parents…
One of my favorite things to do is to talk with people who aren’t connected to farms about where food comes from and how farmers care for their animals. Along the way, I have met many others who share this passion. I enjoy hearing their insights and have learned many things about different aspects of agriculture and the food system. Michelle Miller – also known as The Farm Babe – brings a unique perspective and voice to describe agriculture. Once a skeptic of today’s…