“Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” —Winston Churchill

For more than 16 years, Laurie Fischer walked the halls of Wisconsin’s capitol building, lobbying for legislation that favored the state’s dairy farmers.

“Not only do I know how to milk a cow, but I know how to herd a bunch of cows, too, which is a life skill that I think may come in handy someday.” —Martina McBride

Women in dairy are a diverse group with one common passion: dairy. These women are leaders and, like every good leader, they have people they look up to who challenged and inspired them to be who they are today.

Some little girls grow up playing house and dreaming of their wedding day. But not Cassie Zirbel. She was much too busy making up charts and breeding dates for her herd of imaginary cows.

Dodge wowed the nation two-and-a-half years ago with its Super Bowl commercial “So God made a farmer.” While many producers appreciated the recognition for the hard work and dedication they put into their profession, this salute to American agriculture showed only a few female producers.

It was a different era in 1956 when a young couple from Brome, Quebec, pulled up stakes and moved to Illinois to begin a career in the dairy business.

Successful heifer-rearing programs are often only judged by high growth rates to weaning and average ages at first calving. However, heifer management during weaning, transition and immediately post-weaning is often overlooked.

Delivering fresh, clean air for young calves to breathe is important for both health and welfare. It can also be a challenge, depending on housing situations.

The interest in accelerated heifer-feeding programs, specifically pre-weaning, has garnered much attention during the past 10 to 15 years.