Welcome to the Crusader Crux where we get to check into the lives of Mayer Lutheran High School alumni and see firsthand what God is up to in their lives. Today’s alumna is Paige Roberts. She is a 2011 graduate of Mayer Lutheran High School. She currently lives in New London, MN where she is a herdsman for Jer-Lindy Farms in Brooten. Her parents are Tom and Robin Roberts.
With her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Studies with an emphasis in Animal Science from the University of Wisconsin River Falls, Paige Works with all things dairy at the farm. One of the many important skills that God has graced her with is the ability to care for the cows.
| “I really enjoy the fact that am helping feed the world by providing a wholesome nutritious product. It could be cheese I helped make or the milk we drink! I also like working with the cows. They are very friendly and entertaining creatures and it’s amazing to see how they can produce a valuable food product for us! The hardest part is when a cow or calf is sick and you do everything in your power to help her feel better but nothing you do works. | |
Although Paige has only been working at this job for eight months, she was part of the hard workers that achieved the 2016 U.S. Dairy Sustainability award for outstanding dairy. Here is just a sketch of all God’s gifts that she contributes to:
“My day starts at 5 am when I walk in on the barn to get ready to milk the cows. We milk about 180 Holstein and Brown Swiss cows. On days we are making cheese the milk is taken straight from the cow and piped to the on farm cheese plant. Milking is usually over around 8am when I move onto my next task for the day, which could involve anything from feeding baby calves, taking care of sick cows, walking pens to do a quick check up on all the cows, giving vaccines, working with the vet, or operating machinery.
After I get done on the farm I take a shower and head over to the cheese plant. We make a few different kinds of cheeses including Aged Cheddar, Garlic Cheddar, Red Temper Cheddar which is a spicy cheese, Whiskey Washed Munster, Brie, and Cheese Curds. My time in the cheese plant could involve anything from making cheese which could include anything from flipping, cutting, pressing, pouring, salting, and much more. It’s a lot more physical work than people assume, I could also spend time in the plant wrapping cheese or, work in our farm shop with customers..”
Clearly, Paige is a busy servant. Mayer Lutheran High School has helped in preparing her faith and mind for truly unique work.
“MLHS prepared me by giving me the faith and strength to not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone and do something I never expected I could do. I never imagined I would be working on a dairy farm and make cheese but here I am! I had a lot of great influences at Mayer who told me to never give up and keep faith that God has bigger plans for us than we can ever imagine.”
Attending Mayer Lutheran High School really shaped Paige into the helpful person she is today and she gives God the Glory to have the opportunities that she has to take care of His creatures. A favorite quote from Sylvain Reynard gives her the courage to keep up the hard work; “You know feeding someone is the ultimate act of care”. Thank you, Paige, for showing us how to put God’s work first in our lives.