Hometown: Pleasant Hope, Mo.
In Town: Cindy Wilson has been a nurse for 19 years.
“Being around animals my whole life, everyone thought I would be a vet like Dad (Dr. Dalyn Wilson), but I decided to do more of the human side of medicine,” Cindy said.
Cindy has been at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Mo., for a year and a half.
“It’s a different side of nursing,” Cindy said. “I enjoy correctional nursing; it’s very black and white. There are also a lot of opportunities within the prison for nurses in other areas.”
In the Country: Cindy’s family has bred registered Guernsey dairy cattle for decades in the Pleasant Hope, Mo., area. While the family no longer milks full time, Cindy has continued her passion for the industry.
“I have one that I milk here at the farm, and I have a couple of milk customers, but my other cows are milking at Jesse and Brett Dixon’s (near Conway, Mo.).”
In all, Cindy has about 10 head, including lactating and dry cows, and younger animals.
The Wilson family has participated in the Missouri State Fair Guernsey Show for 31 years.
“Ever since I was 8 years old,” Cindy said. “We’ve even been in the same place in the barn for 20 years, so it’s pretty nifty.”
The Guernsey bred, Cindy said, is becoming very scarce in Missouri, so she feels it’s imperative to continue to promote the breed.
“Guernseys have a docile personality, high components, and they are easy breeding; they calve back in better intervals than some other breeds,” Cindy explained. “They also do better just grazing as well; they are easy keepers. They also adapt very well.”
Future plans: While Cindy has a busy career in the medical field, she said the dairy industry and Guernsey cattle will always be a part of her life.
“I really would like to do a farm store,” she said, adding that the dream will have to be on hold for a few years. “It would be an awesome retirement thing. I want to work my way up (in the prison system), have everything paid for when I retire and have things ready to go.
“As many times as I have almost completely gotten out of the industry, I still keep coming back to it. My life is work and farm, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t see myself doing anything much different. I’m lucky in that I can have it both ways.”
