Outstanding in her field

SARTELL, Minn. — Being awarded for the work Kirsten Udermann does on a daily basis is not something she expected to happen.

Udermann was recognized Aug. 8 at Farmfest located in Morgan as the Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year.

“I was definitely surprised and happy,” Kirsten said. “It is still settling in. All of the women sounded impressive, they all could have won.”

According to Farmfest, the Woman Farmer of the Year award honors the hard-working female farmers across Minnesota who devote their time to raising crops, livestock and their families. Five finalists were up for the annual award.

Kirsten, her husband, Alex, and his brother, Jake, and their parents, John and Mary Lou Udermann, operate Meadowbrook Dairy near Sartell. The family milks 80 cows in a tiestall barn along with raising replacements, 300 steers and 1,000 acres of crops. They also do custom manure hauling and custom no-till planting.

Kirsten’s main duties on the farm are feeding the calves, milking cows and overseeing the vaccination and breeding program.

“Pretty much anything that has two or four legs around here Kirsten takes care of,” Alex said.

Kirsten and Alex have three children, Kallie, Zoey and Aubrey, and baby number four is due in October.

Kirsten said she was nominated by Danielle Isaacson from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture in May. Kirsten then had to fill out an application about her involvement on the farm and in her community. In June it was announced that Kirsten was named one of the top five finalists.

“They liked that we are water-quality certified and have all five endorsements,” Kirsten said.

Kirsten received a $1,000 prize for being selected as the winner.

The Udermanns are also involved with the young cooperative board with their milk cooperative, volunteer with their county fair, donate meat to their church festival and host field days on their farm, where they focus on regenerative practices.

“It’s hard to get away with the kids and the cows but we do what we can,” Kirsten said.

Alex agreed.

“I’m a big believer in doing the right thing and helping when we can,” he said. “It doesn’t cost anything to be a nice person and volunteer and to put a smile on someone’s face.”

The young couple agrees that there are a lot of women in agriculture that deserve this award.

“Nowadays, everywhere you go in agriculture, there are women that are behind the scenes or on the front lines working in agriculture,” Alex said. “There are a lot of women in ag that don’t get the recognition they should.”

It takes a strong woman to raise a family and a farm, Alex said.

“I really appreciate the fact that Kirsten is the best mom for our kids and calves,” Alex said. “The level of patience and desire to raise good healthy children and calves is something that is beyond my words to describe.”

Kirsten said she is proud of her success as well as the farm’s success.

“(To be Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year) is a great accomplishment,” Kirsten said. “It’s fun to be part of the backbone of agriculture and to keep things running smooth in the home and at the farm.”