Life on a Kansas Dairy Farm

MeLissa Dryzmalla is a Kansas girl through and through. When her husband suggested they move to his home state of Texas, she exclaimed, “I can’t leave Kansas!”

What does this dairy farmer from Newton love so much about the Sunflower State?

“Kansas is about faith, family and the values that our small, rural communities share,” she said. “Kansans appreciate and honor what agriculture contributes to our country. They know the hard work that goes into raising the food that ends up on their tables.”

MeLissa’s family has been raising food for generations. Her grandfather first introduced cows to the family homestead in the 1950s. In the 1970s, MeLissa’s father and uncle took over the operation and started a dairy, adding 75 Holstein cows and a milking parlor. When her uncle retired in 2016, MeLissa and her husband bought his share of the business.

“It’s a lifestyle that I loved growing up — being surrounded by nature, learning the values of hard work and dedication — that’s something we wanted to pass on to our three girls,” MeLissa said. “If we didn’t take it over, the legacy that my dad and uncle worked so hard for would have become a memory.”

Today, MeLissa, together with her parents and husband, runs Le-Dr Dairy, where they manage about 200 cows, raise their own calves, grow forage for the herd and farm a few cash crops. MeLissa’s dad handles the cows and heifers. MeLissa’s mother manages the calves. MeLissa oversees the yearlings. When her husband isn’t working as a police officer in town, he also helps out on the farm.

“It’s extremely family oriented. Everything revolves around cows and family. It’s all intertwined,” MeLissa said. “Farm time is family time.”

Her daughters — ages 3, 8 and 11 — also love farm life. Her youngest tags along everywhere. Her middle daughter loves to be outside and roam the farm. And her eldest loves driving the four-wheeler and showing calves in 4-H.

“I love that every single day I get to step out into what God has created, be with my family and watch the girls run across the hay bales,” she said.

MeLissa takes her role as a steward of the land and animals seriously. The family has worked hard to incorporate sustainable practices in their operation. They consulted with a nutritionist to optimize the butterfat content in their milk. They collaborated with a neighbor to change the way they harvest corn, which makes it easier for the cows to digest. They started recycling the water used to cool their tanks so the cows can drink it. They researched new forage varieties to determine what will work best on their land and for their cows.

“Farmers truly care down to their toes about community, tending God’s creation and being good stewards of the earth,” she said. “Our whole being cares about putting a good product out there for people to enjoy and consume.”

Theirs is one of two dairies in her county. Le-Dr Dairy produces milk for a nationwide cooperative that supplies dairy products to a variety of customers. The other dairy also works with a cooperative as well as produces its own cheese. Both are small operations compared with larger dairies that have thousands of cows.

“We all love what we do, but there’s a difference in how things are managed on a small dairy,” she said. “You have lots of irons in the fire. You don’t have one specific role. Your hands are in everything – nutrition, animal and herd health, genetics, breeding, being a manager, working with employees. On a large dairy, you tend to focus your talents in one area.”

MeLissa values the opportunity to learn from her parents and wishes more people understood the hard work that goes into dairy farming.

“Whether it’s -12 degrees or 100 degrees, we’re out there every day to produce a nourishing product. Every morning and every night, we pour passion into what we do,” she said.

That passion extends beyond the dairy. MeLissa, who serves on the board of her local food pantry, works hard to combat food insecurity in her community. She recently applied for a grant from Midwest Dairy to have a refrigeration unit installed there, which meant the food bank could provide dairy products to its customers.

“The feedback that we’ve received has been extremely positive. The milk and cheese have been a huge hit with everyone who comes in,” she said. “There’s an immense sense of satisfaction that our product is going to help nourish those in need.”

Caring for others by providing nourishing food is MeLissa’s passion. So, the next time you pick up a gallon of milk (or any other dairy product) from your local grocery store or enjoy some at your favorite restaurant, think of MeLissa and other dairy farmers like her who are working behind the scenes to produce a nutritious, sustaining food.