You only have to look back in history at the role of women at work to understand the strength and value women bring to the workforce. Think back to 1940, when World War II drove women out of their homes or traditional female work to enter occupations generally filled by men. Jobs once closed to women were suddenly available, and the “gender” roadblock appeared to be lifted.

FROM dairyeditor’s BLOG • April 13, 2009

The dairy outlook presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of its annual Agricultural Outlook Forum in late February contained some dismal forecasts. “This is a challenging time for the dairy sector,” said Dairy Analyst Roger Hoskin of USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).

The Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin’s (PDPW) Annual Business Conference, March 17-18, in Madison, Wisconsin, fulfilled its theme by “Adding Passion, Multiplying Profits.” More than 1,100 producers gathered from across the U.S. for the two-day event. Together they faced their challenges head-on, discussed solutions and walked away with a proactive approach to the future.

Producers who made the trip to the bi-annual Western Dairy Management Conference in Reno, Nevada, last month had two things on their minds – depressed milk prices and how long they would last. More than 25 presenters addressed visitors during the three-day conference, and in one way or another, each spoke to producers’ economic concerns during presentations or after while fielding their questions.

On March 27-28, the Empire State hosted 124 students from the top dairy programs in the U.S. and Canada as they competed in the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. The 31 schools were divided up on four dairies in the Finger Lakes region: Elmer Richards and Sons Farm, Twin Birch Dairy, Venture Farms and Currie Valley Dairy.

Marion Barlass and her husband, Bill, operate Barlass Jerseys near Janesville, Wisconsin, with two of their three children. They milk 420 registered Jerseys and grow alfalfa, corn, soybeans, wheat and canning crops on 1,000 acres. The Barlass herd is among the top-producing Jersey herds in the U.S. with a rolling herd average of 18,000 pounds, more than 900 pounds of fat and 770 pounds of protein. Last fall, World Dairy Expo honored Barlass as the 2008 Dairy Woman of the Year.

“Activist” can be a scary word for many in the dairy industry. Producers live in fear of the power and abilities of environmental and animal rights activist organizations. However, Deb Reinhart, one of dairy’s own, could easily be referred to as an activist – a dairy activist. “I want to make a difference in this world,” Reinhart says of why she’s devoted countless hours to various organizations and causes.

For Loretta Lyons and her husband, dairying was “a way of making a living and wanting to farm.” Loretta certainly never expected her passion for agriculture to lead to a national competition. Loretta and Hade Lyons purchased their first 150 acres in 1961, a year after they married. Less than three years later, they were milking about 30 head, while finishing their college degrees. Throughout the next several years, the Lyons milked cows, worked full-time as schoolteachers and raised three children.

Aged raw-milk cheeses and a niche market have made Liz McAlister a successful dairy farmer in Colchester, Connecticut. Liz realized in the mid-’90s that if she was going to make it in the dairy business with a small herd of cows in New England, she must concentrate on the retail market for dairy products.