In today’s world, it seems that we are always asked to describe ourselves in two or three sentences, whether it is in the “About” section on our social media profile pages or the quick introduction we give to someone we meet.

Promoting the dairy industry has always been important to me. I was a dairy princess at heart long before I ever put on a crown and sash.

No, I don’t have the inside scoop on the next big reality TV series.

The author of this post, Raechel Kilgore Sattazahn, is a marketing officer with AgChoice Farm Credit and farms with her husband, Doug, and his family at Zahncroft Dairy in Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania. She blogs about ag issues at http://gobeyondthebarn.wordpress.com/ It’s an instantaneous reaction for those of us in agriculture. The minute someone says they are a farmer, we immediately begin questioning them about how many cows they have, how many acres they farm and all of the subsequent questions.

The following excerpt is from Raechel Kilgore Sattazahn’s blog. Sattazahn is a marketing officer with AgChoice Farm Credit and farms with her husband, Doug, and his family at Zahncroft Dairy in Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania. She blogs about ag issues at http://gobeyondthebarn.wordpress.com/ For those of you that know me, you know that Molly is our loveable, huggable one-year-old Newfoundland dog. Why am I clarifying that she is not a cow? Read on, and you’ll understand why our views on animals are increasingly blurred. I recently attended the final conference for Holstein Foundation’s Young Dairy Leaders Institute (YDLI). The conference was jam-packed with outstanding speakers, but the day-long conflict management and messaging seminar facilitated by Wes Jamison, president of Cornerstone Public Relations, LLC, had a message that hit home to me: Farm animals are not the same as companion animals.