It was by chance that I found out about the internship with the California Milk Advisory Board.  At Fresno State, internship announcements within the dairy industry are rare, especially internships that are outside of production management.  So when Kris Costa at the CMAB ventured into our classroom and did a short presentation on the Career Internship Program, I looked it up that very night and applied shortly after.  I have never been the type of person to know exactly what I wanted to do in life or who I wanted to be.  I started my college career majoring in agriculture business and shortly thereafter transferred to the chemistry department, certain I wanted to be a pediatrician.  I quickly found out that I was more uncertain than ever about where I wanted to go in life.  The following semester, without changing my major, I filled my schedule with dairy science and animal science classes and began to feel a little less lost and a lot more comfortable with the path I was headed down.  Once again, I changed my major to animal science and now finally, I changed it one last time to dairy science.  In May 2010, I will graduate with a Bachelors of Science degree in Dairy Cattle Science Production.  Despite making this decision over a year ago with much certainty, I still had not the slightest clue where I wanted to go after college and this internship appeared to be the push I needed in choosing where to begin life after the B.S.  

What is funny is that in a million years I never thought I would be one of the two selected.  Why? Because even though I am a dairy science major and was raised on my family’s dairy, I was not raised to only do things that involved the dairy.  I showed cows and was a Junior Holstein Association member and now am involved in the CSU Fresno Dairy Club and I work part-time on my family’s dairy, but I did not travel across the country to show cattle or attend dairy conferences.  I did not work every day of my summer or any other available moment on the dairy.  Also, I have not always known that the dairy industry was where I wanted to be.  I wondered for a long time before figuring that part out.  For these reasons, I felt inadequate for such a prestigious position.  Looking back over the last six weeks, I know now that because I didn’t have a set path I wanted to follow (except for working in the dairy industry), this internship allowed me to take it for all that it’s worth and begin to see this industry as something incredible and unlike anything else.  During this internship I was given the opportunity to meet so many amazing people, each believing in what they do and fighting with all their might to ensure the future of dairying in the state of California is available for generations to come.  

Honestly, this was the part that I enjoyed the most, simply meeting people and having discussions.  I learned so much about our industry through listening.  I learned that the secret behind success is taking a proactive stance, educating yourself on what you are up against, networking all your resources and standing up for yourself and what you believe in.  I also learned throughout this internship, that our industry is evolving.  We were once able to go about our business as we please on our dairy farms.  However, this is no longer the case.  We are currently operating under a microscope and because we as an industry rely solely on the consumer to purchase our product this factor is not going away.  If anything, it will only intensify.  Also, during this internship I began to better understand the financial issues that are pressing California dairy farmers.  And as I travelled throughout the state, I began to realize that in reality there is no quick fix for any of it.  California dairies are more diverse than I could have ever imagined.  Not only do our geography and weather conditions vary, the management styles we implement could not be more different.  I now recognize the importance of developing long term solutions that involve everyone, not just solutions that focus on large Central Valley dairies or smaller Humboldt County dairies.  What I’ve learned is that our industry is moving in the right direction and every person I met in my six weeks has their boots dug in and are prepared for the future.  

And after six weeks of meeting people, venturing through processing plants of all sizes and product types and sitting down with various organizations that are a part of the dairy industry, I think I have a better idea of where I want to go after May 2010.  After numerous conversations with people in the industry, I am more convinced that there is a need for individuals who have a direct relationship to California dairies to represent and communicate on their behalf in order to keep the California dairy industry alive and prosperous.  For this reason law school is now a possibility, with the focus being on agricultural and environmental law; or an alternate option is to attend graduate school and study waste management and ruminant nutrition.  With the latter option being the more favorable one, I want to help dairies become more efficient places of business, but also help dairymen understand and take advantage of “going green.”  No matter what path I choose, I want to remain involved in the dairy industry and do what I can to ensure its future in California. Throughout my six-week internship experience I can honestly say that I love what this industry stands for and the people who are a part of it.  This internship opportunity has opened my eyes to what it truly means to dairy in California.  We are an industry where one size does not and cannot fit all.  We stand for what we believe in and will put it all on the line just to survive one more day.  The California dairy industry in unlike any other and it has been a privilege to be an intern with the California Milk Advisory Board.  Never will I forget the stories I heard, the words of inspiration that were shared or the process of blowing up a “Happy Meal” milk jug for McDonalds at the Foster Farms processing plant in Modesto.  Thank you so much for this opportunity, it truly was a once in a lifetime experience that has shaped my future in the dairy industry.

L to R: Lauren Reid, Hope Hanselman of Petaluma Creamery, Kate Rector