GREENWICH, N.Y. — For Jill Gillis, it all started when a farmer moved to town. Growing up in Pawlet, Vermont, Jill shared, “A local farmer moved into our town and decided to start a Dairy 4-H club with another local farmer. They called around to the 4-H age youth in the community to see if they would like to join. Although I was not raised on a farm, I was interested and joined. I guess you could say I was immediately hooked on the dairy industry.”
From then on Jill was highly involved in her local 4-H and Holstein Clubs. She did not own any cattle herself but was able to show cows through a leasing program. In addition to showing cows Jill participated in dairy judging, dairy bowl, and held leadership positions in the 4-H and Holstein clubs.
Jill was fashioned by these organizations in a profound way as they taught her not just dairy knowledge and skills like showing and judging, but also life skills and character traits. “I firmly believe these organizations changed the trajectory of my life. I doubt that I would have become involved in agriculture had it not been for these organizations and the two wonderful people that were our leaders,” said Jill. “Undoubtedly, these organizations were a driver in learning to work hard, have confidence and be patient. Whether it was giving reasons in front of a group, training a show heifer to flow like water, or studying for dairy bowl; there was always a life lesson learned. We also gained skills in being part of a team, an encourager and how to be respectful.”
Jill took her interest in and love of the dairy industry to Vermont Technical College and after graduating she became a herd manager for many years. She greatly enjoyed this position and found that her experiences in the dairy world growing up gave her a head start in the knowledge needed to be a herd manager.
Nowadays, Jill is a Field Representative in the Southeast for Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a national milk marketing cooperative. Jill also serves as a trainer for the National Dairy FARM (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) program for the Southeast DFA field staff. FARM is a program that helps ensure dairy farmers produce milk in a responsible way and covers all aspects of a dairy operation from animal care to environmental stewardship to biosecurity and more. Jill performs many different tasks in this role, many of which involve working with and advocating for dairy farmers to help them achieve their goals. Some of her duties include helping farmer-owners work through quality issues, performing animal care evaluations, shadowing other DFA evaluators, educating farmer-owners on DFA’s programs and services, and serving as a liaison between farmer-owners and haulers. She is also certified to complete Environmental Stewardship and Workforce Development evaluations.
Jill finds her experience as a herd manager to beneficial in the career she has today. “I use my experience from being a herd manager in my current career almost daily,” she said. “I can relate to my farmer-owners and what happens on their farms due to my experience as a herd manager. It has equipped me to be a FARM animal care evaluator and to be able to help with animal care protocol development. I also have a good understanding of milk quality and how to develop plans to improve quality.”
She also still benefits from the skills she learned from days in the 4-H and Holstein Clubs saying, “Confidence, respect and work ethic are skills that are needed no matter your career. I learned so much through dairy bowl that helped me with my previous career as a herd manager as well as my current career as a field rep…Having a background in dairy is very helpful when one of our farmer-owners asks for help in achieving their goals.”
Jill’s wide range of activities reflect the variety of services that Dairy Farmers of America offers. Jill explained, “DFA works hard to create opportunities for our farmer-owners and the dairy industry in general. Although marketing our farmer-owners’ milk is a huge part of what we do, there is so much more. We continually seek new ways to bring value to our farmer-owners through DFA’s Farm Services and member savings networks. Our legislative team is constantly working to bring farmer issues to the forefront, and to offer clarity in what our farmer-owners face as an industry. We continue to develop new ways to market milk while bringing value to our farmer-owners.”
For anyone interested in pursuing a career as a milk cooperative field representative, Jill says to let your passion for the dairy industry show. “Let your farmer-owners see that you love what they do as much as they do. Work hard for them and be respectful and let them know you want to help them achieve their goals,” she said. Jill also advises everyone to always challenge themselves. “You learn and grow by constantly pushing yourself to continue to learn and be better than you were a year ago,” said Jill.
For anyone who has questions for Jill about her career or the dairy industry, she can be reached at jgillis@dfamilk.com.
A new column from Morning Ag Clips, “Cultivating Ag Careers” introduces agriculture students and FFAers to the wide variety of careers that exist in agriculture. Each week a new individual will be introduced, who will share their journey: their educational experiences, their work, and what role their job plays in the wide world of agriculture.
Tune in each Wednesday to learn more about the different jobs and personalities that make up the ag industry!
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