The 41-year-old widow could sell the farm and move to town with her five children. The oldest was 21, and the youngest child was just 9 weeks old.

But Betty Rose was a child of the Great Depression. She knew that land provided security, and she knew it was the only home her children had ever known. So she turned in and learned the dairy business amidst her own grief.

This profile was a true labor of love written in honor of my mother-in-law. She served as the inspiration for the feature article “It Wasn’t Easy:  How Dairywomen Spanning Generations and Geography Have Made Their Mark on the Industry.”  The feature article was published in the November 23, 2016 issue of Progressive Dairyman magazine and the profile appeared on the magazine’s web site December 13, 2016.  Since that time, it has received more than 3,600 shares on Facebook.  The full profile may be read at http://www.progressivedairy.com/topics/people/kentucky-farm-widow-spent-30-years-dairy-farming-solo