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Kristi Dinderman
Orangeville, Illinois
Stephenson County
80 cows

Family: Husband, Brian, and children, Alaina, 13, and Amery and Aidan, 11.

Tell us about your farm. Brian and I both grew up on dairy farms. His family had Guernseys and my family had Holsteins and Ayrshires. We have all three of those breeds with a few Brown Swiss. We raise our heifer replacements and crop 150 acres, primarily corn and alfalfa. Our family provides all the labor.
 
What is the busiest time of day for you? The mornings are busiest with trying to finish milking and chores, and getting the kids off to school.

When you get a spare moment, what do you do? I enjoy watching the kids’ sporting events, reading, taking a walk or catching up with friends.

Tell us about your most memorable experience working on the farm. The most memorable day on the farm would definitely be this past January when the classification committee made Hi Guern View Dancing Diva EX-96.

What have you enjoyed most about dairy farming or your tie to the dairy industry? The people. The dairy industry provides a vast network of people who understand the daily life of farming. The support can come in the form of animal care, crop services or just friendships.

How do you stay connected with others in the industry? We attend many local meetings and customer appreciation days in addition to activities related to registered breed associations. We also enjoy exhibiting our cattle at shows. There is nothing better than getting together for days at a show to be with cow people, especially this year.
 
Who is someone in the industry who has inspired you? My sister, Lisa. She was the one who pushed me to get involved in junior activities in my younger years, especially dairy bowl and dairy judging. Those activities helped me gain a lot of knowledge and more importantly some of my best friends. I also can thank her for giving me the show bug. She used a lot of vacation days to help me at multiple fairs each year throughout my junior years. Now she can almost always be found helping milk at home for us when we are at a show.

If you could give a tour of your farm to a prominent woman in today’s society, who would it be? Ellen DeGeneres. I would love to meet Ellen, but more importantly with her huge media platform, it would be awesome for her to learn about the dairy industry and hopefully have a positive influence on many.
 
What is the best vacation you have ever taken? It is very rare for Brian and I to leave at the same time, but it has happened a couple times. The best vacation was a family trip to Tennessee where we stayed in a cabin and took in the mountains and many activities in Gatlinburg.

What are some words you like to live by? Hard work pays off. When I doubt myself or become super stressed, I remind myself of the verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

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