In the heart of Pennsylvania’s dairy industry, Katie Dotterer represents the embodiment of resilience and unity in agriculture. For more than three decades, Dotterer dedicated her life to dairy farming, nurturing both animals and a fascination with languages. This passion has since evolved into a significant mission —bridging communication gaps within the agricultural sector.
Dotterer recently joined Farm Journal’s Grow Getters podcast to talk about growing up on her family’s Pennsylvania dairy farm where today three generations work together. She also shared her deep passion to bridge communication gaps in the agricultural industry.
“A lot of people ask me, do you miss the farm?” she told Grow Getters host, Davis Michaelson. “I wouldn’t be where I’m at today had I not had the upbringing that I did on the farm.”
Dotterer’s journey began on a multi-generational family farm, where her experiences deeply rooted her understanding of the agricultural world and its people. Her insight is now used to teach Spanish and English as a second language, maximizing potential within farm teams and ag service providers.
“That lifelong experience gives me a deep understanding of the ag industry and the people who power it,” she says. “Now, I use that knowledge to teach Spanish and English as a second language to help farm teams and ag service providers connect, collaborate and thrive — in the field and in the barn.”
From Field to Classroom
Dotterer used to teach high school Spanish during the day and then return home to focus on being a dairy farmer.
“I was not just a schoolteacher, as I was literally teaching, coming home and farming,” she says. “I would feed calves, do herd health work in the afternoon and on weekends. I also had an ice cream business that I started on the farm. At one point, I had like five different things going.”
Dotterer’s childhood fascination with Spanish — sparked by a Christmas gift of a Spanish book in the third grade — eventually blossomed into a teaching career when her high school Spanish class wasn’t what she had expected.
“I signed up and I hated it,” she says. “My teacher was a great person, but not a great teacher. You could just tell that passion wasn’t there. And then also, the Spanish we were learning was not applicable to me on the farm.”
The birth of “AdvoKate,” followed by a divorce in 2021, transformed her side pursuit into a full-fledged vocation. Today, “AdvoKate” extends beyond dairy — reaching sectors such as poultry and swine — and enables Dotterer to build meaningful connections within these communities.
A Viral Movement and Trusted Advocacy
Motivated by the desire to empower others and foster understanding, Dotterer became a trusted figure within the farming community, reinforcing the importance of direct knowledge from farmers. Her widely recognized hashtag, “Ask Farmers, Not Google,” embodies her commitment to authentic communication.
“I get to meet a lot of really great people,” she says, sharing that building trust with others to go to farmers as a source is what drives her.
Dotterer says her family hired their first Spanish speaking employee decades ago, and she knew then learning Spanish and being able to communicate would be highly beneficial. Today, her work emphasizes the vital importance of cultural and linguistic literacy in agriculture — a sector where collaboration is key to sustainability and growth
To learn more about Dotterer, go to: Advocate | AgvoKate | Gettysburg and sign up for a class to meet your needs.
To listen to the entire conversation between Dotterer and Michaelson on Grow Getters, go to: Grow Getters: “Ask Farmers, Not Google” — Katie Dotterer’s Mission to Unite Agriculture and Culture
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