Celebrating Women in Dairy
This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the women who work day in and day out to produce the cheeses we all know and love. Join us as we chat with Erin, a Master Cheesemaker Apprentice, and Carla, a dairy farmer with a passion for innovation, about their careers in the cheesemaking and agriculture industries.
Meet Erin
Erin, an Antigo, Wisconsin native, shared fond memories of riding her bike around the block and over the Sartori milk truck scale. Having such a close physical connection to the industry lent itself to her decision to pursue a career as a Master Cheesemaker as an adult, putting her well on her way to becoming one of the world’s only females to hold the title. Before embarking on that venture, however, Erin first worked as a relief operator and then a team leader as one of few women on the team.
Erin stands firm in her belief that women bring a unique set of attributes to their work in the industry, making them pivotal to the advancement of the practice.
“Women have not always had a chance to work in cheesemaking roles,” Erin explained. “I think we bring extra attention to detail and focus on how the job can be done efficiently.”
To women interested in pursuing their own career in cheesemaking, Erin encourages them to follow their passions. In her own career, Erin has found pride in working alongside a great team that strives each day to make the best cheese in the world.
“The whole journey to become a Master Cheesemaker has been challenging and rewarding,” Erin said. “Cheesemaking is a great career.”
The path to Master Cheesemaker is not one that has been taken by many women, but Erin encourages women interested in pursuing their own career in cheesemaking to follow their passion.
Meet Carla
As the daughter of a dairy farmer, Carla grew up in and around the agricultural industry. Whether she was helping her parents out around the farm or dedicating her time to farming extracurriculars with her friends, she always felt a deep connection to agriculture, which would eventually become her career. And being a female farmer has shown her firsthand the integral role women play in the field.
“Women play a huge role in agriculture,” said Carla. “I think women are more involved in agriculture than ever before, and I see that trend continuing over the next decade and beyond.”
Carla also prioritizes staying ahead of the technological curve by implementing automated practices and new technological developments whenever applicable on her farm.
“Our cows are milked with robots,” Carla explained. “They get to choose when to be milked and spend the rest of their time eating or relaxing. We also have two [automated] feed pushers. They each have a route around the barn so that they have access to fresh feed 24/7.”
As a woman on the cutting edge of the agricultural industry, Carla is a role model to women interested in pursuing a career in farming. She said that opportunities within the field are vast, and that she would encourage any woman seeking this path to find a mentor and get involved in any way that they can.
“People are always willing to help other people gain knowledge and skills within the industry. It is rare to go to an agriculture-related business now and not see a woman involved, so I think the career opportunities are really endless,” said Carla.
Celebrating Women's History Month
Without Master Cheesemakers and dairy farmers like Erin and Carla, our flavorful artisan cheeses wouldn’t exist. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we will continue to honor women’s contributions to the cheesemaking industry as more doors are opened for those choosing to follow that path.
Keep exploring our website and stay connected with us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok to learn more about the people behind the cheese and the art that is cheesemaking.