NMC webinar: Exploring careers in milk quality
Students attending earn free NMC membership
New Prague, MN (September 25, 2024) – Are you a student interested in a milk quality career but not sure which path to take? As someone interested in animal science and/or food science, maybe you haven’t considered exploring a milk quality career. With a plethora of milk quality careers available, National Mastitis Council (NMC) will feature a few professions and professionals during its Nov. 6 webinar, which starts at 4 p.m. Central time (USA/Canada). Any student who registers and attends the free webinar will receive one year of NMC membership for free.
Milk quality is a critical aspect of the dairy industry, affecting product safety, consumer satisfaction and overall dairy farm profitability. The “Exploring careers in milk quality” webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of various career paths within milk quality management, the skills required and how to get started in this rewarding field. The webinar panelists addressing these topics include Brian Grandaw, Valley Veterinary Clinic veterinarian, Shaun Hardtke, FutureCow director of milk quality, Michelle Kaufmann, CentralStar Cooperative customer solutions advisor, and Emma Swyers, AgroChem USA Northeast milk quality specialist.
To register for the webinar, go to: https://bit.ly/NMCCareersNov6.
Grandaw majored in dairy science while attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2007. As a veterinarian and partner at Valley Veterinary Clinic in Seymour, Wis., he is part of a 19-veterinarian practice that serves a large portion of Northeast Wisconsin. Grandaw focuses on herd health, production medicine, milk quality and ventilation.
Hardtke grew up on a 100-cow dairy in Northeast Wisconsin and started an internship with Kinnard Farms in 2005 – just before graduating high school. He earned an associate degree in dairy herd management from Lakeshore Technical College and returned to Kinnard Farms as the assistant herd manager and later became the herd manager. The dairy expanded from 1,200 to 8,500 cows and kept milk quality a high priority. With an interest in leaving his herd manager role, Hardtke contacted FutureCow and was hired. With FutureCow, he works with dairy producers across the United States and internationally – focusing on milk quality and farm management topics.
Kaufmann grew up in Northeast Michigan, spending much of her childhood on her grandparents’ dairy farm. She is a graduate of Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Her responsibilities at CentralStar Cooperative include educating team members about diagnostic testing, working with veterinarians to develop testing strategies, and helping producers understand results and apply management changes to improve overall herd health. With a background of 15 years in the veterinary industry, she understands how to apply diagnostic testing results to real-world problems and develop practical solutions. Kaufmann’s special interest in milk quality is driven by the desire to help provide the world with safe, healthy, nutritious food.
Swyers grew up on a 1,000-cow dairy farm in Western New York. Knowing that she wanted to pursue a dairy industry career, she studied animal science at Cornell University. During that time, she completed several internships that spurred her passion for milk quality. In her current role, Swyers focuses on troubleshooting milk quality issues, such as elevated somatic cell counts and elevated bacteria counts.
The National Mastitis Council is a professional organization devoted to reducing mastitis and enhancing milk quality. NMC promotes research and provides information to the dairy industry on udder health, milking management, milk quality and milk safety. Founded in 1961, NMC has about 900 members in more than 40 countries throughout the world. For more information, go to: www.nmconline.org.
