A Thank You to Dairy Farm Employees
Dairy farms across the Southeast know how important their employees are to maintaining a successful business. Investing in their employees through on-farm training, employee appreciation events, and benefits such as housing or paid time off are just a few examples of current practices in place. Employee training typically includes proper animal care and handling, job-specific technical skills, people and animal safety, and a general orientation of how the farm operates. Let’s raise a glass to all the hardworking dairy farm employees who help keep that glass of milk on our tables! Below are just a few of the hardworking dairy employees who make a farm’s success possible.
R.M. Watkins and Sons
Amelia, Virginia
Dedicated employees are key to the success of R.M. Watkins and Sons Dairy, which was started over 75 years ago. From raising calves to harvesting crops to milking cows, there is plenty to do! The farm depends on its team every day of the year and is thankful to these employees dedicated to the dairy industry.
Hillcrest Farms
Dearing, Georgia
Reliable employees are essential to operating a successful dairy farm and Hillcrest Farms is no exception. Take Angel Ambs for example. At just 25 years old, she’s been employed with the farm for 6 years and is the herdsman for the dairy. Her love for herd health management, genetics, and working with the milking robotics allows her to excel in this position. Angel has been a great asset to the team, taking on many herd health duties and becoming more knowledgeable about the robotics part of the farm. She has learned to fix and do maintenance with robots.
Alongside Angel is Macy Lord, who has also been with Hillcrest Farms for 6 years at only 21 years old. Macy started part-time in high school and stayed with the farm after finishing school, becoming a full-time employee and learning everything she could. She mostly fed calves during school, so once she graduated she became the calf manager and oversees day-to-day calf health and management. She also helps with robotics and herd health. Her favorite thing to do on the farm is help bring newborn calves into the world.
And let us not forget the Queen of Hillcrest, Mrs. Loretta Rodgers. She has been in the milking herd for 3 months, she is truly the life of the farm, and her hobbies include eating robot pellets and receiving neck scratches from whoever is willing to give them!
Turner Dairy
Lebanon, Tennessee
Matthew Bass is the milker at Turner Dairy, and they are so thankful for his continued commitment to the farm, creamery, and milking herd. Dairy farming isn’t new to Matthew, as he grew up milking cows. He has a passion for dairy—especially Jersey cows, which he and his family raised. Matthew was instrumental in helping start the Shop Springs Creamery. Matthew leased his old facility to milk the creamery herd and provided all the labor for that herd until the farm had the creamery operation ready. Since then, he has milked at Turner Dairy. You’ll find Matthew at the barn at 3:00 am every morning and even a few evenings 7 days a week.
Matthew also runs his own business, so when he’s done milking the morning milking, he’s off to work in his own business. He’s known as “the hardest worker we know” on the farm and the surrounding community. His favorite part about milking cows is working with and handling the animals. He also enjoys the peacefulness of just him and the cows so early in the morning. Matthew loves traveling with his wife, Jessie. Turner Dairy is very thankful that Matthew loves to milk cows. He is an extremely valuable part of the operation.
NC State University Dairy
Raleigh, North Carolina
Milking cows and feeding calves aren’t typical jobs for most college students, unless you are one of the 20 student employees who work at NC State University’s dairy farm. The farm’s mission is to provide educational opportunities for students by exemplifying gold-standard animal welfare practices. According to student Vanessa Bigford. “It’s important to me that I pursue a career I genuinely enjoy and working in-person at the dairy led me right to it!” If you are interested in learning more about what farm employees do, check out this article for a closer look at the day in the life of a student employee.
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