Jessica Matthews grew up in Delaware County so her exposure to dairy cows was non-existent.

Today, she’s at the Hameau Farm in central Pennsylvania, in a field of red and white dairy cows, writes Rachel Wagoner for farmdairy.com.

Matthews was a psychologist by trade, but became fascinated by the food system.  In 2017, she started a dairy grazing apprenticeship through the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture.

She’ll end up as a certified journey dairy grazier, qualified to work as a herd manager on a farm.

The apprenticeship has been the bridge between her old career and new.

“You could put a couple chickens in your backyard or grow a small garden. But dairy isn’t something you can step gently into,” she said.

Her mentor on the farm is Audrey “Gay” Rodgers, owner of Hameau Farm in Mifflin County, who has a small herd of registered Ayrshires.

Matthews said she was overwhelmed at first. Luckily, Rodgers has been a patient teacher.

Rodgers said Matthews was instrumental in helping the farm get its license to sell raw milk. She also helped with a soil health benchmark study on the farm.

Read more about Jessica Matthews’ dairy farm apprenticeship experience here.

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