“Our goal is to arm women with information, connections and resources so they have the confidence to take their seat at the table.”
Laura Daniels, founder and president of the Dairy Girl Network (DGN), truly lives this mission of the network she has spent almost a decade cultivating and growing for women in the dairy community.
Humble beginnings
Founded in 2013, the non-profit organization started by accident through inspiration Daniels gathered from attending a trade show.
“I got there and did not know anyone,” Daniels says. “I went to a networking event and no one talked to me, and it got me thinking about World Dairy Expo and how many hundreds of women head into Madison excited to be at the event, work in their booth all day or go to the show, and then go sit in their hotel rooms at night.”
Six weeks prior to the 2013 World Dairy Expo (WDE), Daniels developed the idea for a networking event during the show, planning to make a reservation at a local restaurant for a small group. Daniels created a Facebook event and reserved a venue a week prior to WDE as the group had grown to 45 attendees. The night was a success.
“That night was so instrumental because there were women who never really connected in the industry before,” Daniels says. “There were people who changed careers and found a new path that night through really important conversations.”
Lightbulb moments
The following year, the Dairy Girl Network again hosted this networking event at the Monona Terrace with 165 women in attendance. After the second event, DGN moved forward with creating a board of directors and establishing itself as a non-profit. In year three, the mission of Dairy Girl Network became something even greater through a conversation Daniels had with current DGN financial officer LuAnn Troxel.
“LuAnn said to me, ‘If this is going to be important, this organization cannot just meet in person. We have to find a way to reach the women who are isolated. We need to reach the women who will never step foot inside one of our events,’” Daniels recalls. “That is the reality – women who are working hard at growing a business, raising a family, being a stakeholder in their community and educating themselves; those women are so busy and are incredibly more isolated from one another as the industry changes. That is what we wanted to do: connect them.”
The shared connections, inspiration and educational opportunities are all impactful benefits of DGN. Photo courtesy of Dairy Girl Network.A solid impact
Daniels credits individuals such as Kristy Pagel, DGN vice president; and Carrie Mess, a dairy producer from Milford, Wisconsin, who have supported her as Dairy Girl Network has developed into the premier resource for women in the dairy industry. Daniels is also appreciative of the talented staff members who are a vital part of spearheading and maintaining initiatives of the organization.
Today, the Dairy Girl Network is proud to impact thousands of women. There are two ways to become involved – through completing registration on the website or involvement in the private Facebook group, Exchange by Dairy Girl Network. Approximately 2,700 members are through the website, and 5,500 women are part of the high-engagement Facebook group. The network continues to grow from coast to coast.
Since almost 50% of DGN members are involved on dairy farms, herds of all sizes help to form the Dairy Girl Network. The educational content for DGN is balanced between technical topics and leadership development, ranging from management of somatic cell counts to inclusion in the dairy community.
“We have a full gamut of representation from the smallest to the largest herds in the U.S., and the average herd size is about 400 cows,” Daniels says. “Many other organizations are heavy on industry, and we are heavily focused on information at the farm level.”
Laura Daniels truly lives the mission of Dairy Girl Network by helping others to feel confident both in and out of the dairy industry. Photo courtesy of Dairy Girl Network. DGN program areas
The Dairy Girl Network offers resources and educational opportunities focused not only on women empowering themselves, but also to shift the overall dairy industry perspective. DGN is bringing to attention how many talented women there are through sharing job postings, online discussion platforms and opportunities to connect with over 25 industry partners.
“Women are great taskmasters, parlor managers and great at running the books,” Daniels says. “They are also incredible leaders, owners, mechanics, veterinarians, CEOs, shop managers, dairy equipment salespeople and IT specialists. All these places where we maybe do not see as many women, let’s keep looking.”
DGN program offerings include a monthly educational webinar series called Enhance and Sharing Wisdom, which are mini-conferences to dive deeper into industry topics. Forward TogetHER is the national, annual conference focused on personal and professional development. In-person networking events take place across the country at events like WDE, World Ag Expo and annual state dairy events.
Other initiatives, such as Include, focus on topics like diversity, equity and inclusion, especially related to gender in the dairy community. Stronger Together fosters discussions about mental and behavioral health.
“We have had so many important discussions about these topics and our individual members sharing personal stories of struggle and triumph related to mental health,” Daniels says. “The amount of vulnerability it takes for someone to put their story out there, knowing that 5,000 people can learn and understand, is incredible. These are brave and honest people.”
Dairy Girl Network hosts events throughout the country, reaching dairywomen where they are. Photo courtesy of Dairy Girl Network.
Rewards and opportunities
For Daniels, there is one reward that stands out with the role of leading DGN.
“It is all about seeing individual women find confidence and seeing women make decisions that move them forward,” Daniels says.
There are also opportunities for improvement when leading an organization focused largely on female empowerment, and Daniels continually finds ways to enhance her ability to positively impact others.
“Right now, I am very focused on helping other people and growing my skills so I can be an asset to the new realms of top performers, especially in dairy,” Daniels says. “Coaching the ones who are ready to have a significant impact on their company and industry and how to get out of their own way to do that.”
Next steps
As Daniels completes her last three-year term on the DGN board of directors, she is excited for the new energy, input and direction of the organization. After she completes her term, Daniels will continue to support DGN efforts while trying some new things in the industry.
“After owning and being at the helm of my own dairy herd for 15 years, I recently transitioned the farm to a crop and beef operation. The selling of our herd of Jerseys was so hard, but that dream was complete,” Daniels says. “Now I am working to grow my new businesses, Hitch Pin Consulting and a residential cleaning business with some of the women who used to milk my cows.”
There is one piece of advice Daniels wants to share with all people involved in the dairy industry.
“Arm yourself with information so that you can ask great questions in every room you find yourself in,” Daniels says. “Great questions give you power in the room in a way that is sometimes underestimated.”
