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“We don’t take milk from the cow, we let the cow give her milk to us.”

Linda Drendel
Dairy Farmer

Name: Linda Drendel
Location: Hampshire, Illinois
Years farming: I am a seventh-generation farmer and my husband Dale is a fifth-generation farmer. We began dairying together here at our present location after we got married in 1974.
My family: Our oldest daughter Carrie lives in Normal, Ill., with her husband Ryan and their five-year-old daughter Olivia. Our son Jeff farms with us. Our youngest daughter Julie is currently editor of the Illinois Holstein Herald and will be getting married soon.
How I came to be a farmer: We farmed in partnership with Dale’s parents for years and then took on the farming completely in 2009 as Lindale Holsteins. I’ve also been a middle school and high school teacher for 25 years, so my schedule is pretty busy.
The best thing about being a farmer: Working in the outdoors, being one’s own boss, and the fact that no two days are ever the same. There also is a great sense of pride in helping to feed the world.
My personal philosophy on farming: Farming is more about who we are rather than what we do. There is more to our family, however, than providing a quality product, breeding good cows and winning in the show ring. We are also committed to showcasing our farm as an example of good agriculture and inviting our neighbors and others on our farm to see it for themselves.

Dairy Production in Illinois and the United States

• Milk from Illinois dairies is processed into fluid milk, cheese, ice cream, butter, and just about every other dairy-based product you enjoy.
• There are approximately 900 Illinois dairy farms.
• The average Illinois dairy cow will produce six gallons of milk per day. That's more than 2,195 gallons per year, and 223 million gallons annually.
• Cows eat about 100 pounds of feed every day and drink about a bath tub (50 gallons) of water.
• Cows chew at least 50 times per minute and spend 10 hours per day chewing their cud in order to aid digestion.
• You'll find a container of milk in the refrigerator of 96 percent of U.S. households. You'll find cheese in 94 percent of them.
• It takes 12 pounds of whole milk to make one gallon of ice cream.
• It would take 3.5 pounds of peas, 27 oranges, 50 tomatoes, or 50 slices of wheat bread to equal the calcium content of a single quart of milk.
• There are more than 400 different varieties of cheese and many are named for their place of origin. For example, Cheddar cheese originated in Cheddar, England.

For more information about dairy farming in Illinois, visit the Illinois Farm Bureau Federation.

Ask your questions or start a conversation with Illinois Farm Families at www.watchusgrow.org

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