Melissa Pietig

Sleepy Eye, MN

Family farmer, wife and mother

I love to talk about our farm because it is very unique. We are very family-oriented and diversified. We milk 275 Holsteins with my family and raise feedlot cattle with my husband’s uncle. We recently built a commercial wean-finish nutrition research barn and became pig farmers too. We also grow corn, soybeans and alfalfa and raise both dairy and beef cattle.

Our farm

Corn
Soybeans
Alfalfa
Dairy
Beef Cattle
Hog

Yes, my husband and I grew up about 2 miles apart near Sleepy Eye. I was raised on a dairy farm. My husbands parents parents didn't farm, but he was very involved on his uncle's farm when he was young. His uncle never married or had children of his own, so when the time was right, my husband partnered with his uncle to raise cattle and crops on the 200 acre farm where we live today. Uncle Dave is still very active in our beef operation, even at age 76. In my family, one of my older brothers moved home to grow the dairy operation. I joined in 2017, as both the dairy and new hog operation have been growing. My mom does daycare on the farm, so even my kids and my niece get to see the cows every day!

Baking, Cooking, Writing, Arts and Crafts, Sewing, Camping, Family Time

In recent years, technology has given us some great ways to connect with people. t has never been easier to Google something and find people and ideas about agriculture, some great and some not so great. Growing up in agriculture and raising my kids on our farm gives us a front row ticket to food production. We've got corn right outside one window and cattle out the other. Farmers make up a very small portion of the overall population and we have a big responsibility to share what we do with others. Farming is hard work, it's not always easy, but I can't imagine what it would be like to never smell fresh cut alfalfa or see baby pigs playing together. It's part of who we are, but it's not the only thing we are. I'm a mom. I change diapers and put Band-aids on skinned knees. I try to work out. I love a good Target trip and taking my kids to the pool. We live here and raise our families here too. It's just that my day job involves animals and getting dirty and doesn't always fit in the hours of 8am-5pm. I want to share those experiences and explain why we do the things we do. It's actually really pretty interesting!

I love to share about our farm. We milk 275 Holsteins with my family and raise feedlot cattle with my husband's uncle. We also recently built a commercial wean-finish nutrition research barn and became pig farmers! The hog barn is something my husband and I chose to do to and it really is a neat addition to our farm. We operate the barn and conduct feed trials with an international feed company. Through the work we do here, we are finding new ways to help pork producers improve feed efficiency and pig health, maximize genetics, reduce cost, and ultimately deliver the best quality product to the consumer, We are so humbled to be partnered with some great people in the ag industry!