Coley Jones Drinkwater belongs to a third-generation family of farmers who tend to and sustain the Richlands Dairy Farm in Blackstone, Virginia. Richlands Farm has been a dairy farm since the 1950s. Coley’s story makes you see life in agriculture from different perspectives - a multigenerational angle, a sustainability angle, and an entrepreneurship angle.

On today’s episode, Coley talks about the inspiring story of how her grandparents started and pursued the farm as they relied on agriculture in raising and sending their five children to college. She also explains how she and her family decided not to sell the farm during one of its trying times with the challenges, pressures, and sacrifices she and her family made to keep the farm and pursue their own creamery in spite of the denial of her initial proposal.

“I hope in building the creamery that maybe that is something that I can do for someone else’s family as well where you can just come, get some ice cream. Sit on the porch. Just breathe and take a moment to be together as a family because that to me is really what makes farming worth all the sacrifice.”  – Coley Jones Drinkwater

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• The crops that Coley and her family grow on the farm
• What to expect during the farm’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze Fall Festivals
• The farm’s first ever “Dinner on the Dairy” that’s happening on June 23
• Why the first ice cream flavor gives honor to Coley’s grandmother
• Coley’s frustration about misleading labels and marketing strategies concerning truth and honesty
• The hardest part in farming for Coley since she came back to the farm full-time
• What gives Coley hope and purpose in life

Check Out Coley Jones Drinkwater Across the Net:

• Richlands Dairy Farm Website
• Richlands Dairy Farm on Facebook

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