Meet Mary, an upstate New York Dairy Farmer

She was born in the Adirondacks and is currently living at the mouth of the Catskill Mountains. She’s the manager of Family Farmstead Dairy in Worcester, New York. She is passionate about her mission and believes in what her team does. Farmstead believes that everything should be kept as natural as possible and is driven by the grace and love of God. It’s, literally, the building block of everything that they do. It is not a small operation either which means her and her team’s hands are full. You can find their products all over the Northeast and even in Virginia. Their products are carried in Whole Foods Markets, Adams Fairacre Farms, Fresh Direct and more. As a young girl, dairy farming was not something she ever thought she would be a part of. A couple of her siblings were working for the farm and said to her, “It’s a great place to work. You should come over and see what it’s about.” Some of those same siblings were here, visiting with her today, and said, “She is exactly where she supposed to be. She’s incredibly knowledgeable about the dairy industry and what she is doing. While she is new to management, she is definitely going to flourish.” She said, “It’s kind of funny that we all make plans with our lives, but then God hands us a different plan; one that is meant to be our purpose.” Dairy farming is not an easy industry. American dairy Farms have decreased 95% since the 1970’s. This is due to the fact that the cost of farming often supersedes the cost of profit. Family-run generational farming is a part of our American heritage and history and some farmers choose to tough it out. If you want to help farms like Family Farmstead, you can do so by simply keeping an eye out in the market and choosing to purchase and support small business and family-owned farms, when you have the opportunity. The one thing Mary wants to tell the world is, “For God so loved the world….You are loved.” Thank you so much for visiting and sharing your story!

Keep going, Mary! You’ve got this!