This love story may not have started in the Hoard's Dairyman, but the happy couple is no stranger to the magazine. Growing up on farms, the Dairyman often graced the family dinner table at both Ashley and Phil's childhood homes, so adding the magazine into their save the date photo (pictured above) for their upcoming wedding was natural.
Phil Frericks is from Melrose, Minn., and Ashley Dretsch is from Frazee, Minn. Farming is in their blood. With Ashley's beef background and Phil's roots in dairy and crops, these two are a perfect match. Phil and Ashley currently live on the Frerick's family farm, which has been in the family for over four generations. They help run the farm along with Phil's parents, Vernon and Doreen, and plan to take it over in the coming years, hopefully operating the farm full time.
Despite Phil being 45 minutes late for their first date from taking a wrong exit, and Ashley's children, from a former relationship, being covered in food coloring the first time she introduced them to Phil, the couple found true love. After a year and a half of dating long distance, Phil popped the question and Ashley happily accepted his proposal.
The couple currently supplements their farming endeavors with off-farm careers; Ashley is a behavioral therapist for autistic children and Phil travels to mine rock in quarries using explosives. Both hope to pursue farming full-time in the future, hopefully adding some livestock back onto the 400-acre crop farm.
The wedding will take place January 17, 2015, in Frazee. Ashley said she couldn't get Phil to go to Vegas, so they are having a big, traditional wedding. With large families on both sides, the guest list is set around 450 people. Ashley will bake all of the cake for her own wedding, since she does some catering on the side, as well. And the guests are excited about the meal because her older brother, who owns a supper club, is preparing the food.
Phil and Ashley are looking forward to carrying on the Frerick family farm with their future children. Last summer was Ashley's kids' first year of 4-H and she said they jumped right in with taking cattle their very first year. From the sounds of it, farming will remain in this family's blood.
The author is the special publications editor, responsible for books, plans, distribution of the e-newsletter and various internal communication pieces. She grew up on a 60-cow dairy in northwest Wisconsin, and is a graduate of University of Wisconsin–Madison with a degree in life sciences communications.
