Pepperoni, Pepperjack, & Passion! With Paige Roberts

This episode is sponsored by Renaissance Ag!  www.renaissanceag.com Introduction: Host: Dairy Gal Val or Val Lavigne Guest: Paige Roberts Overview: Paige's current role: Herds Manager for a 150-cow dairy in central Minnesota. Transition to robotic milking: Recently installed four DeLaval milking robots. Other responsibilities: Overseeing herd health, calf care, on-farm creamery (10% milk turned into cheese), and conducting farm tours. Paige's Background: Grew up in central Minnesota, surrounded by farming. College: Initially a psychology major at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. Shift to agriculture: Discovered a passion for agriculture during an environmental science class in the College of Agriculture. Career Path: Post-college: Worked for a dairy veterinarian in Rochester, Minnesota, focusing on large animal vet tech work. Transition to on-farm creamery: Connected with Red Head Creamery, working for Lucas and Elise Salstrom. Eight years on the farm: Evolving from milking cows and creamery work to becoming the herd manager. Adoption of milking robots: Quick transition from discussing robots to implementing them due to challenges in finding labor for milking. Creamery Expansion: Creamery products: Initially started with cheddar cheese and cheese curds; expanded to seven consistent cheeses. Future plans: Doubling creamery space, adding a distillery for fermenting whey into a clear alcohol called raga. Personal Preferences: Go-to pizza order: Pepperoni with extra cheese. Drink of choice: Hot chocolate (non-caffeinated). Favorite cheese: Honey Chipotle or Pepper Jack. Inspirational Quote: "If you have to eat a frog, eat it for breakfast. If you have to eat two frogs, eat the big one first." - Mark Twain Guest Question: If Paige had to change her agriculture focus, she would choose row crop farming (corn and soybeans) for the enjoyment of tractor work and making hay. Social Media: Paige's Instagram: @Paige_Farms TikTok: Limited presence, primarily active on Instagram. Please subscribe to The Dairy Hour Podcast to get updated when new episodes release.  Also please leave us a review and share us with friends!