Meet Kristi Keilen, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, who milks 450 cows three times a day and raises crops like corn, soybeans and wheat, with her husband and their three-year-old son. Kristi and Carla have a fast-paced conversation about:

• How much help is a three-year-old on the farm?
• What cows eat, straight from a dairy nutritionist
• What she does for fun
• Outfits she and her son live in
• Home architecture that keeps the mess out of sight and out of foot-traffic
• Being employers in a non-glamorous setting and in tough economic times
• Her favorite Sunday morning tradition
• The farthest she’s traveled away from home and her family’s favorite Michigan beach spots
• The most interesting thing she’s served in a bun
• A philosophical question answered matter-of-factly: What is a GMO?

Sites mentioned in this podcast:

• Once Upon a Dairy: https://www.facebook.com/onceuponadairy1/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/KristiKeilen
• Family fun at the farm: https://www.facebook.com/FamilyFunAtTheFarm/
• UDIM & Great Dairy Adventure: https://www.milkmeansmore.org/great-dairy-adventure/

Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
• Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!

Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!

Meet Maria Brown, a writer for a local newspaper and a magazine freelancer, plus a grain farmer with her husband and kids. She visits with us about:

• What she enjoys writing about
• Additional things she and her husband grow beyond corn, soybeans and wheat
• A blossoming career writing about moderately successful gardening
• Other jobs she would consider dabbling in
• The food their household agrees on
• Where she learned how to deadhead flowers
• What it was like studying for a semester in Washington, D.C.
• What energizes her and allows her to dream a little
• Someone she’d like to job-shadow
• Places she’d like to travel and other goals
• The things she’s most thankful for in life

Sites mentioned in this podcast:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariabbrown
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariabethbrown/

Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
• Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!

Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!

Meet Kyle McCarty, a technical fourth-generation farmer who works alongside his dad and uncle on 400 acres. Aside from working fulltime and completing wood projects, he talks with us about:

• A look-back at analyzing business options like when to sell their dairy cows
• Bringing new life to the farm with their mom-and-baby-cow-pair (cow/calf) business venture
• An explanation of greenchop, fresh food at its finest
• Working with a team of five people for the state’s Right to Farm program
• The challenge of hunting with a non-cheater bow and dock-fishing
• Rural romance at county fairs
• Using high school wood shop skills to build wood projects
• A fascination with entomology and its tie to food health
• Dirty – and dangerous – jobs on his farm
• Great festivals and events he enjoys
• Uncle vs. nephews: Little pranks that didn’t stand a chance

Sites mentioned in this podcast:

• Michigan Right to Farm: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/0,4610,7-125-1599_1605---,00.html
• MSU Extension: http://www.canr.msu.edu/outreach/
• Michigan FFA: http://www.michiganffa.com/

Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
• Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!

Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!

Meet Amanda Carey Goodfellow, a farmer who works alongside her dad and grandfather on about 1,000 acres and who milks 180 cows using robot milking machines. She takes a break in the field with us and talks about:

• An in-depth visual description of her robots that milk cows
• Remodeling a home and barn and getting married all in a year
• How she blows of steam when the day’s work is stressful
• What a fun day on the farm looks like for three peas in a pod
• The age she knew she didn’t want to be a lawyer
• The No. 1 thing she worried about looking good on her wedding day
• A realistic viewpoint of what success means to her
• How she convinced her dad that she was dedicated to farming
• Being involved in Farm Bureau, Michigan Milk Producers Association and local 4-H
• Some similarities and differences between her farm and one she interned with

Sites mentioned in this podcast:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mooovingthroughlife/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandajocarey/
• Michigan Farm Bureau: https://www.michfb.com/mi/
• Michigan Milk Producers Association: https://www.mimilk.com/
• Michigan 4-H: https://www.canr.msu.edu/4h/

Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
• Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!

Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!

Meet Julie Darnton, an MSU Extension educator who works in community food systems, interfacing with community members to recognize the value of buying local products. Julie works with farmers markets, institutions and the public. She tempts your tastebuds in this interview and enthusiastically covers:

• Food choices that exist through simply purchasing options
• Being prideful of our Michigan hometeam
• Getting closer to agriculture as she worked to grow and develop communities
• Why farmers market hours are limited
• Global market options and food safety systems that are in place
• What foods she couldn’t go without
• Foods on her cooking and baking bucket list
• Social gardening and learning best practices to battle woodchucks
• The best places to visit in Michigan and making milestone trips
• Thanksgiving innovation for the ultimate stuffing crustiness

Sites mentioned in this podcast:

MSU Extension: http://www.canr.msu.edu/people/julia_darnton

Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
• Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!

Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!

Meet Katie Eisenberger, a teacher and budding farmer who was raised on a dairy farm who’s now helping students and her own family discover the wide world of agricultural careers. Join us as we talk about:

• A career with many twists and turns with one true foundation
• Guiding rural students to solve problems in their field and be responsible
• The difference of commitment and involvement
• Converting a pole barn to a home for her five-person family
• Using technology for an ADHD organizer tool
• An explanation of modern and old-school meshing together on farms
• The reason she’ll never want to use a camper again
• Making connections for students to take their work to the next level in life
• Favorite seasons & trudging through the season of life raising little adults
• The things in life she’s most thankful…and maybe a bit teary…for

Sites mentioned in this podcast:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katieeisenberger/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreckenridgeFFAChapter/
• Michigan FFA: http://www.michiganffa.com/

Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
• Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!

Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!

Meet Dr. Marissa Hake, a veterinarian who drives 4-6,000 miles each month to work with farmers and their animals throughout three states. She and her husband also farm just a few miles outside of Michigan. Hear her “tails” covering:

• What it’s like to oversee the health and wellness of 30,000 veal calves in a three-state region
• The things she does when she’s not working with farmers and their animals
• How the scope of a veterinarian’s role has changed on farms since the 80’s
• The job she hated in college
• How each dream day starts and ends
• A favorite tradition involving the Mackinac Bridge
• What’s on her musical playlist and audiobook list
• Her best fitness advice
• What her biggest financial goal is at this time and how she defines success
• The biggest risks she’s taken in life and her greatest influence
• A discussion of fashion

Sites mentioned in this podcast:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calfvet/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vealvet/
• Antique tractor drive: http://www.mackinacbridgecrossing.com/

Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
• Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!

Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!

Meet Matt Schaller, leader for Ag Community Relief, an association helping communities struggling through natural disasters. He makes time to talk about the efforts with us and touches on:

• Stepping up for farmers beyond FEMA and American Red Cross efforts
• What it’s like to show up with a handshake and a smile to make a difference in people’s lives
• Addressing needs as they come – from largescale to local, small disasters
• Utilizing others’ specialties
• How some farmers might prepare for worsening weather conditions
• The reason Matt is involved in Ag Community Relief
• Ways people can help rural people in need after a natural disaster
• Building a network of individuals and resources through leadership and non-traditional media

Sites mentioned in this podcast:

• https://www.agcommunityrelief.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agcommunityrelief/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AgComRelief

Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
• Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!

Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!

Meet Andrea Jorgensen, an artist who knew nothing about cows until meeting her husband. The couple owns a dairy farm in mid-Michigan. Andrea shares some great tidbits about life including:

• Transitioning from drawing to a surprise painting being a successful start to her business
• What balancing time is like between painting, parenting and farming
• Find out what her second-favorite animal to paint is
• After four years of living on the farm, the No. 1 thing that’s still surprising
• Her favorite food (hint: it’s a beverage!) that she’d choose every day for the rest of her life
• Making a vacation out of a 30-minute drive or traveling to cow sales across the world
• Starting something that makes you nervous and getting better in the process
• A secret talent that earned her a national team award
• The best advice she’s ever been given to keep things in perspective
• A whirlwind romance thanks to Mark Zuckerberg
• Who to believe when it comes to farm information

Sites mentioned in this podcast:

• https://www.artworkbyapj.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/artworkbyapj/
• https://www.facebook.com/artworkbyapj

Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
• Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!

Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!

Meet Ashley Messing-Kennedy, a dairy farmer who is raising her family on the farm where she grew up, and using new technologies to do so! Find out what’s on a modern farmer’s mind including:

• Having a baby in November while farmers are in the field
• What makes up a cow casserole
• The struggle of standing in front of the fridge waiting for inspiration
• How it’s working to be married AND be co-workers
• Cheeseburgers in paradise
• Running for Team Chocolate Milk
• Covering the bills and making assessments in business as new, young farmers
• Charitable giving to local and regional food pantries in the 10 Gallon Challenge
• Themed weddings and nurseries
• Making time to blog…and go to doctor appointments
• Raising strong willed children on the farm…with daycare assistance

Sites mentioned in this podcast:

• Messy Kennedy: http://www.messykennedy.com/
• Team Chocolate Milk: https://www.milkmeansmore.org/team-chocolate-milk/
• 10 Gallon Challenge: https://www.dairyherd.com/article/dairy-friendly-social-media-challenge-10gallonchallenge

Connect with Michigan GROWN, Michigan GREAT:

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
• Checkout our website at MichiganGrown.org
• Want to be featured as a Michigan AF business? Email us!

Thanks for listening and come back soon to hear about more people, foods and places that are Michigan AF!