Pull Up a Bale with Renee Hamilton – Tough Love, Farming and Finding Your Path
Dairygalval
This episode of Pull Up a Bale, hosted by Val Lavigne (@DairyGalVal), brings an inspiring conversation with Renee Hamilton about tough love, farming and finding your path. Renee is a farmer, entrepreneur, substitute teacher, and the force behind Rustic Violet Boutique and Violet View Farms. Renee’s journey is a testament to adaptability, resilience, and the power of tough love in shaping success.
This episode of Pull Up a Bale, hosted by Val Lavigne (@DairyGalVal), is about finding your path. This episode brings an inspiring conversation with Renee Hamilton about tough love, farming and finding your path. Renee is a farmer, entrepreneur, substitute teacher, and the force behind Rustic Violet Boutique and Violet View Farms. Renee’s journey is a testament to adaptability, resilience, and the power of tough love in shaping success.
Pull Up a Bale Podcast is hosted by dairy farmer, homeschooling mom, and agvocate Val Lavigne. This podcast invites farmers, ranchers, educators, and everyday rural changemakers to pull up a bale and share what’s really going on, the challenges, the purpose, the grit, and the heart behind the work. From legacy and leadership to motherhood, mental health, and the power of storytelling, this show is a seat at the table for voices that often go unheard — and it’s all about building community through conversation. Listen to Pull Up a Bale Podcast now on your favorite podcast player or watch on YouTube!
Pull Up a Bale with with Renee Hamilton – Tough Love, Farming and Finding Your Path
Powered by the 1st American Dairy XPO! November 5th & 6th | Champlain Valley Exposition, Vermont Free breakfast • 200-company dairy innovation tradeshow • Meet Olympian & dairy producer Elle St. Pierre • Dairy Delivers Classroom Full details, discount coupon & pre-XPO tickets at AmericanDairyXPO.com
This episode of Pull Up a Bale, hosted by Val Lavigne (@DairyGalVal), brings an inspiring conversation with Renee Hamilton—a farmer, entrepreneur, substitute teacher, and the force behind Rustic Violet Boutique and Violet View Farms. Renee’s journey is a testament to adaptability, resilience, and the power of tough love in shaping success.
From her start in beef genetics to building a thriving boutique business, Renee shares how career shifts often lead to surprising opportunities. She opens up about the challenges and rewards of running a farm, the realities of entrepreneurship, and why constructive criticism and community support have been key to her growth.
Listeners will hear stories of how feedback fuels personal development, how confidence can sometimes be “borrowed” from others, and how pursuing passions—no matter how they evolve—leads to unexpected fulfillment. Whether managing a farm, teaching in the classroom, or running a boutique, Renee’s path highlights that life doesn’t have to follow a straight line to be meaningful.
Episode Highlights
Tough love and constructive feedback are powerful tools for growth
Career transitions can open new doors and passions
Flexibility and creativity are essential in farming and business
Community support makes challenges easier to navigate
Confidence often comes from believing in yourself—and others believing in you
Tune in to this episode and discover why embracing tough love, adaptability, and community can transform the way we approach farming, entrepreneurship, and life.
This episode runs on @WonderCowColostrum — shop at WonderCow and use code DAIRYGALVAL to save!
Grab your favorite drink, Pull Up a Bale, and listen in to this real, raw, and inspiring conversation.
Listen now atwww.pullupabale.com or wherever you get your podcasts and don’t forget to subscribe and share with a friend who loves agriculture stories!
Whether you’re in the barn, in the cab, or taking a break between chores, you’ll feel right at home.
Want to start sharing your own ag story? Visit dairygalval.com join the email list and grab Val’s free download: “Top 10 Ideas for Sharing Your Story.”
On this week’s episode of the Pull Up A Bale Podcast, host Val Lavigne (@DairyGalVal) sits down with California dairy farmer Justin Leyendekker, known on Instagram as @jfley1287. Justin brings a powerful blend of family legacy, innovation, and agricultural passion to the mic as he shares the story behind his 2,000-cow operation and the meaning behind the memorable name, Hoppy Cows Dairy.
In this episode of Pull Up a Bale Podcast, host Val Lavigne sits down with Samantha Allen to talk Farming, Flowers, Family and Faith. Samantha is the farmer, mom and creative force behind Lane House Florals.
November 5th & 6th | Champlain Valley Exposition, Vermont
Free breakfast •
200-company dairy innovation tradeshow •
Meet Olympian & dairy producer Elle St. Pierre •
Dairy Delivers Classroom
Full details, discount coupon & pre-XPO tickets at AmericanDairyXPO.com
@Renee__Hamilton | TikTok: @Renee_Hamilton
Rustic Violet Boutique | IG: @RusticVioletBoutique | FB: Rustic Violet Boutique
Farm IG: @VioletViewFarms | FB: Violet View Farms
Tune in to this episode and discover why embracing tough love, adaptability, and community can transform the way we approach farming, entrepreneurship, and life.
Want to start sharing your own ag story? Visit dairygalval.com join the email list and grab Val’s free download: “Top 10 Ideas for Sharing Your Story.”
