380 | From Vegetarian to Dairy Advocate: How Jill Houin Found Her Place in Dairy
Peggy Coffeen interviews Jill Houin at Homestead Dairy in Plymouth, Indiana, where the family milks 5,000 cows across three sites, including a 2,200-cow robotic dairy with 36 robots and a semi-automatic feed system. Jill, a former New Jersey teacher and vegetarian who married into the dairy, describes learning farm life, becoming the farm’s tour guide and key messenger, and using truthful, practical explanations to convert skeptics.
She shares how community tours brought 1,000 visitors in three hours, and highlights sustainability stories like generating electricity from manure and Notre Dame food waste to power about 1,000 homes an hour. Jill also discusses taking on farm bookkeeping, mediating family perspectives, working with Spanish-speaking staff and interns from Mexico, and launching The Break Room Meat Market restaurant featuring the farm’s beef and other local products.
This episode is brought to you by Zoetis. As the world’s leading animal health company, Zoetis is dedicated to helping producers achieve healthy animals, healthy dairies and healthy food through their world-class portfolio. For more information, visit DairyWellness.com.
00:00 Meet Jill Houin
01:47 Robotic Dairy Updates
02:35 From Jersey to Dairy
05:40 Vegetarian to Advocate
07:21 Tours and Key Messages
11:59 Handling Tough Questions
15:41 Books and Office Role
19:31 Delegation and Hiring
21:50 Culture and Worker Respect
23:09 Restaurant Origin Story
23:45 Local Meat Market Vision
24:29 Farm Story Branding
25:00 COVID Hug To Deal
26:46 Buying And Expanding
27:24 Naming The Break Room
27:46 Crystal Mess Challenge
28:33 Menu And Accommodations
29:29 Ownership And Creativity
30:19 Dreams And Travel
31:34 Meaning And Mission
