Fifth-generation dairy farmer, Tara Vander Dussen, also known as the New Mexico Milkmaid from eastern New Mexico, was the keynote closing speaker at the Maryland & Virginia’s Milk Producer Cooperative Association’s (MDVA) first-ever Leadership Conference. The event united more than 150 MDVA member-owners to learn from dairy industry experts.
“When it comes to that old red barn, today the barn may be different, but the families behind the barn are the same,” Vander Dussen told members during her keynote address. “Now more than ever is the time for us as farmers to say ‘We’re here and we’re your farmers. What questions do you have for us?’”
The New Mexico Milkmaid is also an environmental scientist. When she married her husband Daniel, she joined his dairy operation in Eastern New Mexico. The farm, which is a family business run in collaboration with Daniel’s parents and brothers, has over 10,000 cows.
Known for her social presence, including her blog, Vander Dussen started the New Mexico Milk Maid in 2015 to share her farm’s story.
“I just didn’t really feel like anyone was telling what I saw from the dairy industry,” Vander Dussen shared on an episode of the Field Work podcast where she spoke on why she began blogging.
Today, her message has reached people around the world. Thousands keep up with her on her social channels which have launched her to tell her story all over the world. Tara had the opportunity to represent dairy farmers at the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization’s Committee on World Food Security in Rome.
“It feels pretty cool to be a small-town kid that gets to go talk at the U.N. about what’s happening on your family farm. But I think that’s like the magical world of social media,” she said.
Before leaving New Mexico and heading to the east coast for her recent keynote speech at MDVA, Vander Dussen posted on Instagram, stating that her two daughters get to see their mom chasing her dreams and doing something that she loves and is proud of.
MDVA is not only proud of having Vander Dussen close their inaugural leadership event, but of the overall success the event had.
“Our first-ever Leadership Conference was a success,” Executive Vice President for Sustainability and External Relations Lindsay Reames says. “We strive to bring added value to our members and opportunities like the ones here today to hear from well-respected industry professionals, including our own members and employees, allow our members to understand their business and the entire dairy supply chain.”
The Leadership Conference is part of the cooperative’s 102nd Annual Meeting.
