My grandparents had a dairy farm, but they made the difficult decision to sell it for financial reasons when I was three years old. Even after the farm was sold, my family remained closely connected to the dairy industry. My dad worked on a dairy farm as a feed manager and was also involved in agricultural advocacy. When I was eight years old, my grandparents bought me my first Holstein calf, and I have been breeding and showing dairy cattle ever since. Today, my brother and I have approximately 30 registered Holsteins that live at El-Vi Farms, a 2,500-cow dairy in Wayne County, New York. I now work for New York Farm Bureau, the largest general agricultural organization in the state, as a Policy Analyst and support lobbyist. I work on both state and federal policy issues, including apiary, farm beverage, animal welfare, rural broadband, soil and water conservation districts, labor, and dairy. I have loved every experience agriculture has given me, and I am especially grateful that my current role allows me to advocate for and support farmers across New York every day.
My involvement in agriculture stems from owning show cows. I love caring for them, showing them, and talking about them with consumers. There is something incredibly rewarding about working with an animal every day and seeing the results of the time, patience, and care you put into them. But over time, agriculture has given me so much more than my cows. It has given me a community. Agriculture is community at its core. It’s coming together with your neighbors, your employees, your friends, and your family to cultivate something that provides sustenance for someone in your community or even someone across the world. I love that the end product of all the hard work, long days, and early mornings is something that feeds people. Another incredible aspect of the agricultural community is how it extends beyond the farm and food. Farmers serve on boards, volunteer in the community, support their neighbors, and show up when their communities need them. They care deeply about the place they live in and the people around them. That’s why I love agriculture. It has given me animals to care for, a community to belong to, and a purpose bigger than myself.
Every decision farmers make is guided by care and consideration. Farmers rely on both science and years of experience to make the best decisions for their farm and their consumers. Farmers work every day to be good stewards of their land and animals, while providing consumers with safe, nutritious food. I also want people to recognize just how much agriculture touches our everyday lives. Agriculture is so much more than what we see on our plates. It provides our food, fuel, fiber, and so much of what we rely on every day. There is a tremendous amount of thought, work, and dedication behind every product that comes from a farm, and I think it is important for consumers to understand and appreciate that.
