Emilie StrandHuman Resources ConsultantCentral Wisconsin Ag ServicesBlack River Falls, Wisconsin

What education are you bringing with you to this position?
After graduating from El Molino High School in 2010, I attended Santa Rosa Junior College and Modesto Junior College prior to transferring to Cornell University in 2012. While at Cornell, I was very active in Dairy Fellows, the Cornell University dairy science club (CUDS), and was a member on the 2013 dairy judging team. I graduated from Cornell in 2014 with a bachelor’s in animal science, emphasizing in dairy business management.

Please describe your agricultural background.
Originally from Cazadero, California, I was very active in high school rodeo and both 4-H and FFA showing market sheep, market goats, dairy cattle and horses. In addition, I had the opportunity to serve as the District 3 dairy princess and heavily participate in the California Junior Holstein Association. Throughout high school and college, I was a strong member of dairy judging teams at El Molino, Modesto Junior College and Cornell University, placing high overall individual at the All American contest in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 2013, and I stood as an All American at World Dairy Expo in 2013 with Cornell.

What territory will you cover?
Being a consultant with Central Wisconsin Ag Services (CWAS), my position is available across the country. As a start-up company, we intend on being active in all of our services across state lines and eventually overseas.

What are your new responsibilities?
My responsibilities include collaborating with new and existing customers on employee communication, labor efficiency and turnover solutions. This includes job descriptions, standard operating procedures (SOPs), OSHA inspection preparation and training, and developing communication strategies between management and employees.

I am responsible for mediating management strategies and improving transparencies with employee expectations. This may include knowing when to use in-house Hispanic consultants and mediating employee meetings. Moreover, I am also developing a large portion of the marketing division of the company.

What previous positions have you held?
Other positions I have held prior to arriving at this company include working on multiple dairy farms in both California and New York, working as an administrative intern with the Sonoma County Farm Bureau and a summer with Alta Genetics as a genetics intern.

After graduating from Cornell, I spent a summer in Washington DC as an information assistant to the press secretary and the deputy press secretary at the USDA Office of Communications. I then took a position as a credit representative for Farm Credit East for just over a year prior to my move to Wisconsin to become more involved in the dairy industry.

Who has made the biggest impact on your career?
My parents and my college advisor, Mike Van Amburgh, have made the biggest impact on my career. They have all served as a strong consultative resource for many of my major decisions and network connections. I value their opinions and perspectives, and can comfortably say that I would not have been able to make as many significant moves in my career, and around the country, as I would have without them.

How will you be of most help to producers in your region or area of expertise?
I will be the most help to the producers in my region through my strong listening skills, communication abilities, personality assessments and ability to understand the industry they work in through my vast experiences. Our goal is to provide a holistic service that increases profits through the investment of training and working with the people on farms.

Why did you choose this company?
There are multiple reasons why I chose to work for CWAS, but a primary reason is the excitement of working with a start-up company. The company began with veterinary services in 2014 and is expanding into consulting with my position. The ability to define and build my role within the company is exhilarating and an opportunity that does not come around often.

What goals would you like to accomplish while in this position?
While in this position, I would like to expand my services throughout the primary regions in the country and overseas. As the dairy industry continues to grow into other regions of the world, it is important to build from within through the training of people.  PD