The couple now has two young children and cite perseverance as a quality that helps them balance it all. Alex took over the farm’s operation at the same time the couple got engaged in 2018, which was followed by a major dairy industry disruption when a big user of milk went bankrupt in 2019. Then the pandemic of 2020 happened. “Alex was amazing during all that stress leading the dairy to remain successful,” Abby says, who says she serves as the support system.
The pandemic was a pivotal moment for the dairy industry, with too much milk on the market when schools closed. During the early days working at home for her off farm job, Abby investigated how the dairy industry could respond. “I reached out to Jenni Browning of the American Dairy Association of Indiana to see how we could help, and I started talking to local food banks.” Her efforts led to milk flowing to those in need.
The pandemic was also the start of a reading program that took off. “I believe every parent and Ag teacher should use the book “Tales of a Dairy Godmother – Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish,” Abby says. Her love of that book led to her reading it on Facebook, so kids stuck at home could listen along and give parents a moment to breathe. This led to her reading almost 50 books on Facebook and garnering a large following.
Abby’s passion for telling dairy’s story has also led to involvement with outreach events and even instigating a “ Discover Dairy Day” in conjunction with the Dubois County Museum. “There used to be 74 dairies in our county, and now we are down to five. Dairying is important to our county’s history, so I thought about what might make a memorable event,” she says. Jumping in corn pits, petting animals and crawling on tractors were just some of the activities for kids, led by volunteers Abby rounded up. The event was a huge success attended by 1,400! “We hope to make this an annual event, bringing the farm to people up close and personal,” she says.
Being part of the “Adopt a Cow” program is yet another way the farm shares the dairy story. This program sponsored by the American Dairy Association of Indiana pairs dairy farms with classrooms in a pen pal sort of relationship. During the school year, Abby provides updates on the cows and answers student questions. “There is one class of students in particular from Winchester who are so interested in the farm. They send an email every week with questions about the cows – and me,” Abby says, smiling as she says the kids wanted to know if she was a Taylor Swift fan.
The milk from the Lueken primarily goes to be bottled as fluid milk, which just might reach the classrooms they are educating on dairy. Alex is also involved in the industry, serving on the Indiana Dairy Producers Board of Directors to advocate for dairy farming in the state.
From taking care of cows to telling students about where chocolate milk comes from, the Lueken family is truly helping the people of Indiana discover dairy.