Built On A Dream

That translates into 10 hours and 47 minutes flight time. However, there were no straight-line flights that took Tara Vander Dussen’s grandparents on a non-stop flight such as that when they immigrated to the United States.

Tara and her husband Daniel Vander Dussen are both fifth-generation dairy farmers, running a cow calf operation in Eastern New Mexico. They have known one another since Tara was 3 and Daniel was 5. Tara didn’t have plans to return to the farm after college. Plans, however are not often set in stone or follow a simple and straight path. They now have two children Gwenevere and Anneliese Vander Dussen.

“When I went away to college ,I didn’t see myself coming back to the dairy.” Tara said. “But life had other plans for me. My now-husband and I started dating my junior year in college and after graduating and getting married I moved onto his dairy farm. It was then that I decided to use my degree in environmental science to consult for dairies on environmental regulations and permitting.”

Since then, days have been filled as a full-time mom and a full-time environmental consultant and agriculture advocate, as if any one of those “full-time” responsibilities were limited to “just” full-time. Still, they are all something Tara has an intense passion for a love of so time becomes nearly irrelevant. Her business New Mexico Milk Maid keeps her very busy.

“There’s not enough time in the day,” she joked. “A lot of moms would probably say that, but balancing motherhood and being all in on a business can be so hard. You never really ‘balance it.’ You give your all for motherhood and do the best you can for your business with the other time you have left. Honestly, I wouldn’t change that. I am so blessed to have the ability to spend the time I want and need with my girls.”

While every day is different, Tara has a routine, one with plenty of variety. She spends the majority of the day on her computer, reviewing sampling results, sending emails and putting together reports. That’s just a sampling in itself of what her day can include.

“I also get out in the field to sample wells,

lagoons and complete compliance inspections,” she said. “For advocating, I spent time sharing and posting to social media, speaking at conferences and just generally saying yes to whatever opportunities come my way to share about dairy farming.

Tara is quick to point out that the term dairy farming may bring about cliche-like images where people may thing that every dairy farm is the same. She said that it’s actually the opposite.

“In dairy faring, one of the coolest things is how unique every dairy farm is,” she said. “Sure, there are a lot of similarities but there are a lot of differences. For example, our dairy farm isn’t going to look like a dairy farm in Upstate New York. Also, our dairy farm isn’t the same as the dairy farm down the road.

“Every herd is different, every barn is different. We all have our own unique way of doing things that work for our farms.

Tara is also busy on her various social platforms, advocating for dairy farming. She said she enjoys communicating with people , whether that’s working with her dairy producers through environmental consulting or connecting with consumers about dairy farming. It’s the most rewarding part of my jobs. She said that a lot of the misconceptions wouldn’t exist if people “simply knew their farmers and the people producing their food a little better.”

“When it comes to sharing online about agriculture, my biggest piece of advice is to be you,” she said. “I shared about how every day is different and everyone’s story is different. Sharing that story can have such a powerful impact. We can all reach unique and different people.” “ So be authentic to you and however it is that you want to share.”