For #InternationalYearOfTheWomanFarmer, Dairy Farmers of America is honoring women who farm because it’s what they love. Arlene Vander Eyk says that growing up on a dairy farm has made her who she is. “It just embedded a love of cows and dairy in me that I’ve carried with me ever since.” Raised in Southern California, part of a Dutch farming family and a rich dairy community, Arlene has been farming since she could walk.
Arlene Vander Eyk says that growing up on a dairy farm has made her who she is. “It just embedded a love of cows and dairy in me that I’ve carried with me ever since.”
“I loved walking right behind my dad all the time,” she says. “Bottle feeding the calves is how you fall in love with it.”
As we celebrate the hashtagInternationalYearOfTheWomanFarmer, we’re honoring women like Arlene who farm because it’s what they love. Arlene embodies everything the International Year of the Woman Farmer celebrates — resilience, compassion, innovation, and the belief that farming thrives when women lead boldly, in the barn and beyond it.
Arlene married another multi‑generational dairy farmer, Bob, who grew up on the same street and attended the same church. Today, she and her family operate a 3,000‑cow, 1,100‑acre dairy in Pixley, Calif., where two of her four children now serve as partners.
“Farming as a family is just the best,” she says. “Our kids learned responsibility and have always been such a huge help. If we ever had a need, they are there.”
“Moms nurture,” Arlene says. “We care for our kids, our animals, and the people who work beside us. It creates a sense of family on the farm.”
Her experience on the farm gave Arlene the confidence and skill to serve in leadership roles across the dairy industry. She was nominated by DFA to serve on the National Dairy Board. That nomination has given her the opportunity to serve on the board of directors for Dairy Management Inc.., California Milk Advisory Board, and the California Dairy Council.
She represents our Cooperative and uses her voice as part of DFA’s grassroots governance process by serving as a delegate for DFA’s Western Area, the council that governs DFA in her region. She says it’s important to bring the voice of women farmers into the rooms where decisions shape the future of dairy. She’s a champion for sustainability, cow care, dairy promotion, and preparing the next generation of farmers.
She says the women she’s served with have helped her feel seen and supported. And now she pays that forward by encouraging young women — especially those in DFA’s Young Cooperator (YC) program, which gives farmers ages 18–45 a welcoming space to learn, grow, and connect with peers across the Cooperative — to step into leadership early.
“We need women in these conversations,” she says. “Our perspective matters and our farms are stronger because of it.”.
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