Ashley Messing-Kennedy is a mother, wife, millennial, dairy farmer, blogger, agricultural advocate and owner of several Lely robots. Kennedy, along with her husband and daughter, are the third generation on their family’s dairy farm near Bad Axe, Michigan.
Kennedy grew up on the farm and participated in 4-H. She attended Michigan State University and obtained a short course degree in Dairy Management and a bachelor’s degree in animal science.
In her blog, she writes about the importance of producing quality food for consumers and her everyday life as a dairy farmer, wife and mother.
She has written frequently about the technology they use on the farm, including the use of Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking systems and a video of the Lely Calm in use by her calves.
“More than 4 years ago, when our family decided to install our four Lely A4 robots, we knew our life would change,” Kennedy said. “The robots changed our lives in ways we couldn’t imagine at the time. What I didn’t expect is the extremely positive feedback we get from consumers. Through the years, my parents always found it important to invite consumers to the farm. We have always had an open door policy for anyone that whoever wanted to visit. When we explain that the robots help us keep our cows healthier and allows them to choose their own schedule, they are blown away. When you start looking at dairy farming through the consumers eyes, you see robotic milking systems from a unique perspective.”
Follow her on Facebook at @MessyKennedy or read her blog at www.messykennedy.com.