Brenda O’Brien was born and raised on a large dairy farm in Central New York. She worked side by side with her father and learned about the farm finances. While she was earning a Bachelor’s in Economics and Management Science from the State University of New York at Cortland, she began managing the farm finances, human resources, and herd management aspects of the farm business. She later moved to Northern Virginia where she worked for the United States Department of Agriculture and then for the Maryland & Virginia Milk Cooperative. Brenda continued her education, earning her Master’s degree in Counseling, which has proven to be invaluable with her work for more than 20 years in her church community and adult education. She is a trained facilitator in both Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid. With her lifelong experience in agriculture, working on the family farm, and caring for her five children, Brenda brings a unique and valuable perspective to NY FarmNet.