Running a dairy farm means wearing a lot of hats.
Female farmers know this well. They lead teams, make business decisions, care for their families and help determine what comes next for their farms, bringing their own strengths and ideas to the work every day.
A new Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) campaign, Portraits of Modern Dairy, is shining light on seven women from six dairy farms, sharing the people, expertise and decisions shaping modern dairy farming. Launched Oct. 12 in partnership with Good Morning America, the campaign coincides with National Farmers Day and the United Nations’ International Year of the Woman Farmer.
“Consumers want to know more about where their food comes from, but most will never have the opportunity to spend time on a dairy farm,” says Caroline Krajewski, DMI senior vice president of communications. “Portraits of Modern Dairy gives us a powerful way to bring the farm to them. These farmers have remarkable stories, and we’re showing the care, expertise and decision-making that happen every day in a way that is authentic and relatable.”
Bringing Her Own Perspective
Kyndra Brown grew up doing chores on her family’s Texas dairy, but it took time away from the farm for her to realize how much she wanted to be there.
A fourth-generation dairy farmer and the youngest of four daughters, Brown returned to Moo-View Dairy after spending time away. Now, she pays close attention to the cows, watching how they eat, drink and rest and noticing when something seems off.
Her dad, Joe, still keeps much of his cow information in a paper notebook. But Brown uses new technology to pull up records on her phone, bringing the information she needs closer at hand.
She also takes pride in the farm itself. Her dad passed along his passion for the cows, while her mom, Debra, taught her to care about the details, from keeping things organized to planting flowers around the farm.
“If this is the place that I love to come to work and the animals I love, I want it to look like I love it,” Brown says.
Now raising her four-year-old son on the dairy, Brown hopes he and the other children in the family learn to take pride in their work, wherever life leads them.
“I want them to see that hard work can be enjoyable, and you can be proud about working hard,” she says.
Brown will bring her experience as a fourth-generation dairy farmer to this year’s MILK Business Conference, joining the panel “Leading the Way: Women Driving Dairy Forward.” The conversation will highlight the women helping move dairy forward, the challenges they face and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Carrying on a Family Tradition
At Way-Har Farms in southeastern Pennsylvania, Lolly and William Lesher have spent nearly 75 years building a dairy business with deep family and community ties. Their daughter, Jaylene, represents the next generation.
Jaylene grew up milking cows, raising calves and working at the family’s retail store. After college and several years at another dairy, she returned to the farm and now helps guide its genetics and breeding program.
The herd includes about 350 cows, with pedigrees tracing back nearly 20 generations. Activity monitors provide additional information for breeding and management decisions.
“It’s a lifestyle, but it’s also our career,” Lolly says. “It’s what we chose to do professionally.”
The family opened its store in 1970, selling milk, ice cream and baked goods. Generations of customers have continued to visit, and some employees have returned to work there or sent their own children to join the team.
“I think it speaks volumes that people want to come back and work for us – or that now their grandchildren are working for us,” Lolly says. “I am just so proud of my family. We’re doing great things for our community and for our family.”
The Leshers are planning a new milking parlor while continuing to invest in genetics, keeping the operation moving forward without losing sight of its roots.
Building a Farm for the Next Generation
At Long Green Farms in Rising Sun, Maryland, Alice Crothers brings experience in health care administration, business strategy and operations to an eighth-generation family farm. Her husband, Caleb, returned to the operation in 2015.
The farm, in business since 1759, includes 160 milking cows and 580 acres. Its environmental practices include a methane digester that generates renewable electricity, cover crops and improved manure management to protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The farm also recycles more than 90% of its sand bedding.
“Although we have ownership of the farm, we view ourselves as the generational caretakers for our children,” Alice says.
“If it benefits the land, soil and water, it ultimately benefits our business.”
Technology supports the family’s management decisions, and the farm is considering robotic milking. For Alice, though, equipment and data support the people making decisions rather than replacing their judgment.
“Technology doesn’t replace a human,” she says. “It enhances our decision making.”
Alice and Caleb are raising three daughters, each with her own interests, from business analytics to outdoor work and animal care. Alice hopes they will have the freedom to decide whether dairy farming fits their lives.
“I hope to see the next generation choose this life, not out of guilt, but for the lifestyle that it can provide,” she says. “I want to gift our daughters a sustainable lifestyle.”
Finding Her Place in Dairy
Emily Schaapman grew up around dairy in Pennsylvania, showing heifers and participating in 4-H and Future Farmers of America before studying agricultural business management at Penn State University. Still, finding her own place in the industry took time.
After graduating, she moved to Georgia, where her now-husband, Ruben, grew up on his family’s dairy. The couple later worked around different dairy farms in Florida, where Emily began looking for a career combining her interests in agriculture, health and wellness.
“I felt a little lost in what I was trying to do,” she says.
In 2018, Emily launched Dairy Girl Fitness as an Instagram page combining those interests. It grew into a community offering fitness and nutrition coaching to help women in agriculture prioritize their health.
“We do a lot to help take care of these animals to feed the world,” Emily says. “But the women need to make sure they’re taking care of themselves as well.”
Her work also gave her a platform to tell agriculture’s story.
“The more social media keeps growing, the more we need to keep telling our story, or someone else will.”
In 2025, Emily and Ruben returned to Schaapman Holsteins in Georgia, the dairy Ruben’s parents, Harry and Ailene, started after immigrating from Holland. The farm has grown from about 80 cows in 1995 to approximately 1,200 milking cows.
Family members bring different expertise to the operation. Emily’s sister-in-law, Monica, focuses on herd health; Ailene cares for calves; Thomas handles maintenance; and Harry oversees daily operations. Ruben works as a dairy nutritionist, while Emily helps around the farm and continues her storytelling work. She and Ruben are also raising their young son, Teddy, there.
“When you take a step back, you realize how incredible it is to get to be a part of feeding the world,” Emily says.
She values having women nearby who understand the demands of dairy farming and who are also family.
“I know I’m very lucky to have family surrounding me, and to be able to have other strong women to look up to,” she says.
Looking back, Emily sees how her uncertain years helped lead her to work she enjoys.
“Everything that maybe felt like a no or a closed door or just figuring out life is what led us to here,” she says.
“We get to do this with our family,” she adds. “That’s also not something that many people get to do.”
Choosing a Life in Ag
Margaret Johnson grew up on a multigenerational dairy farm in southeast Minnesota, where her family milked 27 cows. After studying agricultural communications and completing an internship, she expected her career might take her away from the farm. Working on a larger dairy during college helped her realize how much she missed farming.
“I think one of the things I wish people understood more is that dairy farmers have educations, and many of us had other options and opportunities,” Margaret says. “We chose to be dairy farmers.”
Today, she farms alongside her husband, Michael, and father-in-law, Jon, at Trailside Holsteins. Her master’s degree in agronomy helps inform decisions about soil, crops and water.
Margaret describes modern dairy farming as an ongoing process of learning and improvement.
“I think modern dairy farming is constantly embracing change and moving forward with a purpose,” she says.
Each cow wears a monitoring tag that tracks activity and other indicators, helping the family spot animals that may need attention. Cameras monitor feed areas and calving spaces, while automated bulk tanks help maintain milk temperature.
“Technology has been able to give us peace of mind knowing that every individual cow has essentially a way to communicate with us,” Margaret says.
The family also works with veterinarians, nutritionists and other specialists to evaluate herd management and identify improvements.
That attention extends to the land. The farm sits in an area known for karst topography, where sinkholes and underground geological features can create direct connections to groundwater. The family grows its own crops, raises heifers and returns manure to the land to supply nutrients for future crops.
Margaret credits her father-in-law, who started the farm in 1978, with establishing the family’s approach to stewardship.
“My father-in-law always says, ‘If you take care of the cows, they will take care of you,’” she says.
“We get to see everything come full circle on our farm.”
Margaret and Michael are raising their children on the farm, where their oldest son, Sawyer, already recognizes individual cows and knows details about their health and lineage.
“Raising my kids on our farm means everything to me,” Margaret says. “It’s having a different level of responsibility that they wouldn’t otherwise have.”
She doesn’t assume her children will become dairy farmers, but hopes the industry will offer opportunities if they choose that path.
“In 20 years, my kids will be young adults,” she says. “If they want to be a part of the dairy community, then I hope there’s a place for them.”
As she and Michael consider succession, Margaret hopes people who see the campaign’s images recognize what keeps their farm going.
“I want them to see commitment,” she says. “I want them to see family.”
Making Room for Family and the Future
Meagan Hempfling represents the sixth generation of her family’s dairy farm in Delphos, Ohio, where relatives have farmed since 1862. She works alongside her grandfather, father and brother at Hemsteads Holsteins, where technology has changed how they care for about 250 Holstein cows.
“Technology gives us more time to focus on what matters most, caring for our cows, and caring for our family, creating the best life we can,” Meagan says.
The farm has used robotic milking for about 12 years. Four robots allow cows to choose when they are milked, replacing the hours the family once spent milking twice daily in a traditional parlor.
The systems collect information on milk production, milking speed and body temperature. Meagan checks the data several times throughout the day, watching for changes that could signal a health concern.
“Technology is giving us data to better help the animal,” she says.
An automated feed pusher also helps keep fresh feed in front of the cows while reducing physical labor. The technology gives the family more time to focus on individual animals and other farm work.
It also offers flexibility around family activities and fieldwork.
“If we are doing something in the fields, or we want to go watch the kids in our family play football, we are allowed to adjust the times a little bit,” Meagan says.
She starts her mornings caring for calves before monitoring the milking herd and reviewing data from the robots. Working with family remains one of the most rewarding parts of the job.
“What makes me proud of farming with my family is being with them throughout the day and being able to lean on each other during the good and hard times,” she says.
As she prepares to get married, Meagan is thinking about the future of the farm and what technology could offer the next generation.
“It will help them have a better work-life balance,” she says, “and it will also help them to better manage the cows overall.”
Showing the People Behind Dairy
DMI chair Marilyn Hershey says the campaign offers consumers a closer look at the decisions involved in modern dairy farming.
“Farmers know how much dairy farming has changed and how much thought goes into the decisions we make every day, but consumers don’t always have a chance to see that,” Hershey says. “This initiative allows us to open our doors in a different way and show people what dairy farming really looks like today.”
Together, the women’s experiences show the many ways women contribute to dairy, from genetics and technology to animal care, environmental stewardship and consumer outreach. Each brings her own expertise to the farm while helping build an operation the next generation can choose to carry forward.
