Marcia Itle O’Connor stands today with one foot in her family’s fourth-generation Pennsylvania dairy farm and one foot in the dairy sales industry. As a young professional, she is building on proud traditions while carving out her own future success.

Fifty years ago, Betty Rose Elliott could sign the checks, but she had to send a man to pick up parts at the local implement dealership because they refused to sell to a woman.

After seeing how popular his daughters’ (Anne Doe and Susan Blouin) maple products and goats’ milk soap were at the local Vermont farmers’ markets, Robert Gervais joked with them that they needed to open their own store. They responded, “Yeah, right.”

The greatest spectacle in racing – the Indianapolis 500 – has a unique tie to the dairy industry. As the winning driver completes the 200 laps and pulls into Victory Circle, two Indiana dairy farmers are waiting for that winner with the famous bottle of milk.

Fluctuating milk prices, long hours, last-minute emergencies, unpredictable weather – these are just a few of the many challenges dairy farmers face every single day. When you grow up in the industry, these are part of normal life, but for people joining the dairy industry, they can be a huge learning experience and adjustment.

I have been active on the Veterinary Practice Sustainability Committee of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) for the past five years. The members of the committee have been great to work with and are very proactive on tackling issues in the workplace.

Parade goers can expect a real treat anytime Tom Konz and his “candy combine” come to town.

Dr. Ellen Jordan grew up working with Holstein heifers, beef cattle, poultry and horses, as well as showing Guernsey dairy cattle and purebred swine. But it still took two years of convincing before her high school would allow her to take FFA classes.

The commandment “love thy neighbor” is a fixed part of the farmer’s creed, and Illinois farmer Bill Halpin is living out every word.

“Be willing to take risks,” Linda Keene Hodorff advises. As chief financial officer and assistant chief executive officer of Hodorff Enterprises, her career in the dairy industry stands as a testimony to taking advantage of opportunities and embracing risk.