While the Coronavirus has brought many surprises, one of the best take-aways so far is reconnecting with friends, family and colleagues. My friends from outside the dairy industry refer to me as a ‘milkmaid,’ because of my career and my celebrated love of cheese. Thinking of this, I decided to look up the history of milkmaids.
It turns out that historically, women have been very involved in the dairy industry. Milkmaids were girls and women who were tasked with milking cows, as well as producing cheese, butter and cream in some large milking houses. References to milkmaids go as far back as 995 AD.
There is a legacy claim that in 1796 a milkmaid named Sarah Nelms played a role in the development of Edward Jenner’s vaccine for smallpox in England. Reportedly, fluid from her cowpox blister was injected into a young boy, thereby protecting him from a subsequent injection of the much more serious and potentially deadly smallpox virus. Thus, the first vaccination was born. Mr. Jenner deserved big credit for developing a vaccine that wiped out the dreaded disease, while Sarah’s contribution got little notice. It is not a story of collaboration.
Certainly, cultures and norms have changed drastically since the 18th century. This much is still true. Many women work in the dairy industry, serving in many capacities. This is also true. It is hard to escape some of the inherent challenges that women face across the various dairy-related industries. There are many women and men who recognize this and are actively working to promote collaboration and inclusion in the industry.
I want to highlight two women whom I admire for their expertise and proactive attitudes. They continue to teach me a lot about how to navigate this industry that I have grown to love.
Kirsten Howe, Executive Technical Support Specialist at Ecolab, one of the busiest people I know, opened her calendar every time I had questions about training opportunities or gram-positive vs. negative bacteria. You can see how much respect and fun she has with her work when you enter her office filled with photos of colleagues and a constantly ringing phone. I love hearing her stories about being one of the first women to carry a hard helmet on a plane and about entering dairy plants that didn’t have a women’s bathroom.
Deb Boyke, Outreach Program Manager at the Center for Dairy Research, is a master when it comes to understanding the industry’s needs and has an expansive network. She connected me with some of the industry’s experts when I was looking to build better partnerships. She has a keen understanding of the industry and can pull together the right people to come up with better opportunities. More importantly, she does it with a big smile. Her positive influence extends beyond dairy as she works in industry groups outside her normal arena.
Women have always played important, if often unsung roles, in the dairy industry. Working in a nurturing industry that provides so many opportunities, more than ever, men and women need to build on our commonalities. We can all reflect on history and then redefine how we choose to participate today.
Anne Bigalke is the VP of International Markets at QualiTru Sampling Systems. Find out a little more about her on QualiTru’s Our Team page. Visit Our Blog for other articles Anne has produced.
By Anne Bigalke
VP of International Markets, QualiTru Sampling Systems
anne@qualitru.com Follow Anne on LinkedIn