Your age: 59 Your location: Seneca, Kansas My dairy’s history: Sue and I started milking 20 Jerseys in 1988 and have grown our dairy (Heartland Jerseys) to 470 cows, 370 heifers and 230 bulls and steers. We have one of the higher GJPI and JPI herds in the nation. We have bred for production and type and have been progressive in the things we do on our dairy.

Your age: 24 Your location: Jefferson, Oregon My dairy’s history: Desert Park is a registered Jersey farm established in 1983. My dad started out milking 350 cows on a dairy he leased in Mesa, Arizona. He expanded and bought a dairy west of Phoenix in 1993 where we milked 1,300 cows. Later, we downsized the dairy to make it more family-oriented and moved to where we are today, in Oregon, where we milk 450 registered Jerseys.

The May 1, 2012 issue of Progressive Dairyman featured an article about dairy operations involved in agritourism through pumpkin patches. Click here to read it. While the idea of agritourism isn't exactly new, the need for a story developed when our editorial team began to realize nearly all of the people featured in "Meet your dairy consumer" last visited a farm by way of a pumpkin patch. Click here to read PD Editor Walt Cooley's explanation. The article highlighted the operations of Carlton Dairy Farm in Georgia, Oma's Pumpkin Patch in California and the Maris family in Oregon. Photos used in the article came from Kelsay Farms in Indiana and Stoner's Dairy Farm in Pennsylvania.

Age: 46 Location: St. Paul, at the Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota Your dairy industry background: I grew up on an 80-cow Holstein dairy farm on the Trent River, just outside of Campbellford, Ontario. The farm was originally established in 1835 and purchased by my great grandfather in 1922. The deed describes the transfer of “Blackie” and “Marigold,” the cows. My cousin and his wife, Ben and Lori Godden, currently operate the farm.

Age: 49 Location: Mesa, Arizona My background in the dairy industry: I was born and raised on a 50-cow dairy, hog and beef farm in southwest Wisconsin. Through college I continued to work on the family farm and in 1989 purchased the dairy and hog farm from my parents.

Age: 51 Location: Ancramdale, New York My dairy’s history: Tollgate Holsteins started shipping milk in 1986. We’ve belonged to Agri-mark Co-op from the beginning. We ship 1.7 million pounds per year and milk 60 cows and have won the Platinum National Dairy Quality Award three times.

HOW WE MET: Jessie and I met in college. We were both members of the Association of Women in Agriculture, lived in the association’s house and became close friends. After college, we tried to stay in touch but with starting careers and families, life never left enough room for everything. Recently we’ve been able to get in some phone calls with one another and I took an opportunity to find out her viewpoints on the dairy industry and its products.

Shelley Colson didn’t grow up on a farm, but when her now-husband, Matt, took her to his family’s 65-cow operation on their first date, she knew she was in for an education. “I had never been around cows – or even on a four-wheeler – before,” she laughs. “I’ve learned a lot over the past few years.” The farm, located in Dry Ridge, Kentucky, is run entirely by family members. Matt’s parents, Dean and Debbie, took over the farm from Dean’s father, Joe. Matt’s brother, Daniel, is taking an off-the-farm job but will continue to help out when he can.

HOW WE MET: Laura and I actually haven’t met in person, but we’ve been exchanging emails for about three months. I volunteered to help with alumni communications and fundraising for Alpha Zeta Fraternity, a co-ed, professional agricultural group that I was involved in during my time at Penn State University. With more than a decade of marketing/communications experience, Laura seemed like someone who could give an expert’s opinion on how the dairy industry is performing in the area of public relations.

Junior, Penn State University Intern with Center for Dairy Excellence Based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Background Q. In what area are you pursuing a degree? I'm majoring in agribusiness management with an international agriculture minor. Q. What is your dairy background? I grew up helping at my grandparents’ farm, doing tasks such as feeding calves and milking. Though my immediate family does not have a farm of our own, we were (and still are) heavily involved in raising heifers as well as breeding and showing dairy cows.