Kristina Quinn grew up with family ties to poultry, swine and dairy farms, but when she started working at Zahncroft Dairy in Berks County, PA during her freshman year of high school, she discovered her love for working with cows.
“There’s something about cows that just calms me down a bit. My cousin referred me to this farm [in high school] and I’ve been here ever since. They’re great people,” Kristina shared.
After graduating from high school, Kristina knew she wanted to find some sort of career working with cattle. She debated about whether to attend a technical school or pursue a bachelor’s degree. When her employers at Zahncroft Dairy told her about the Dairy Herd Manager Apprenticeship program through the Center for Dairy Excellence, she knew it would give her the opportunity to grow her skills while helping to solidify her career path. Kristina began the apprenticeship in June of 2024.
“I thought the apprenticeship could give me a better overview of what I want to do. If I decide to go to college, hopefully this experience will give me a better idea of what I want to go for. I’m a lot more hands-on and I learn better by doing versus just reading a book or going through it in a classroom,” she added.
Kristina was a milker for the first three years at the farm, and eventually, she took over the management role for the milking shifts after the farm switched to milking three times a day. During the spring of her senior year, Kristina completed a Dairy Laborer Pre-Apprenticeship with her high school and began taking on additional responsibilities. She learned how to feed calves, ultrasound, and breed cows. She also completed the OSHA 10 training. This experience prepared her and gave her a solid foundation for the apprenticeship program that she’s completing now.
“They taught me about treatments for sick cows and other protocols. I’ve expanded upon that over time. Since starting my apprenticeship, it’s been a lot of growing so far,” she said.
One of her favorite parts of working with cows is ultrasounding and breeding – and the rewarding feeling of watching breeding rates get higher to help impact the farm’s production and profitability.
“I’ve been a major part of our breeding rates going up. With ultrasounding, it’s easier for them to start breeding more cows and everything. I really like that side,” Kristina shared. “The treatment side is also really interesting to me because that’s completely new to me and it’s always different case by case.”
Kristina is still considering what her future career might look like, whether she stays at the farm level as a herd manager or pursues a career as a veterinary technician. No matter what she decides, the skills she is gaining through this apprenticeship are helping build her confidence and passion for the dairy industry.
Being matched with her host farm is also an important part of the Dairy Herd Manager Apprenticeship program. Kristina values how invested Zahncroft Dairy is in her. Their ongoing support and willingness to give her responsibilities makes the apprenticeship that much more meaningful to her.
“My host farm is a big part of it. If I didn’t have them helping me through it and encouraging me, the experience probably wouldn’t be as nice as it is. Once I have something down, they just let me do it,” Kristina added. ““They’re very kind people and very understanding. It’s just small stuff, but it makes it so much better when they care about you as a person.”
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The Center has registered a Dairy Herd Manager Apprenticeship with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The Center is looking for host farms to serve as an employer for the Dairy Herd Manager Apprenticeship Program. We have a rolling admission basis. Click here to learn more.