Dairy Farm Moms are Unstoppable

Monday, March 18th, 2013

Mary Lou King winning LIVE with Kelly and Michael’s Search for Unstoppable Moms contest

Mary Lou King looks like a typical, loving dairy farm mother, but she is anything but ordinary. Like most of her peers she has unrelenting dedication to her family and farm. What does make her extra special is that she is grand prizewinner of an “Unstoppable Mom” contest run by the national morning television show “LIVE with Kelly and Michael” (Formally known as Live! With Regis and KathieLee).

Her daughter nominated Mary Lou King, of Cochranville Pennsylvania, with the following letter being sent into the show:

Dear Kelly & Michael,

My mom is the most amazing woman in the whole entire world! I’m sure everyone claims this title for their mother, but I guarantee you have never met someone as special as my mom. Being 21, and the oldest of 4 kids, my mom has been the one and only role model of my life. My family all grew up on our 300 cow dairy farm in PA. My mom has been milking the cows at 4:00am and 4:00pm every day with my dad ever since they were married back in 88′. She never has off weekends, holidays, and VERY rarely goes on vacation, but this doesn’t phase her at all. My parents have been married for 24 years and are still head over heels in love. I mean, us kids still catch them making out in the barn! Their constant love and joy for each other has been the best model for me and my new husband of 4 months. I just admire how after 24 years and 4 kids, my parents are still so close. My mom is also a nurse. She went to school and received her degree right after high school, which inspired me to do the same thing, and my 18 year old sister now as well, who is starting nursing school this fall. My mom’s nursing degree also helped her when my youngest sister, Kandy, was born mentally handicapped.

My Mom is the most amazing, selfless, inspiring, and uplifting woman in this entire world. She is defiantly unstoppable and will forever be the best mom ever!

Like most dairy farm moms, Mary Lou’s day starts at 4am milking cows and then a very full day of working on the farm and taking care of her family. She and her husband of almost 25 years, Neil, own a 300-cow dairy farm in rural Pennsylvania, where Mary Lou seamlessly juggles the responsibilities of running the farm, while also raising their four children.

Even though her day starts before sunrise and ends well after sunset, Mary Lou still finds the time to serve a family dinner every night. She’s in the barn with the cows for a good chunk of the day, also spending her mornings and nights caring for their youngest daughter, Kandy, who was born with a mental handicap. King’s day lasts late into the evening, only to have her rise the next morning and start all over again. Trained as a nurse, this hard-working and selfless woman inspired both of her daughters to attend nursing school as well.

In addition to the $100,000 grand prize presented to Mary Lou, each finalist received a surprise gift from “LIVE” – ranging from a cruise, to a $5,000 shopping spree, to a resort vacation – plus an additional $10,000 for each mom as a ‘thank you’ for all they do.

The Bullvine Bottom Line

Mary Lou has been cast into the national spotlight and like “The Farmer” Super Bowl commercial (Read more: Agriculture Takes Center Stage at the largest TV event of the year!) her story has done wonders to portray the dairy industry in a great light. Mary Lou is a humble, compassionate woman and I cannot think of anyone more deserving than her to win. You can easily see the love she has for her family and the admiration her family shares for her. Mary Lou is a shining example of what makes Dairy Farm moms so unstoppable.