Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources

About this career cluster: Jobs in this cluster are related to animals, the environment, science, and improving the quality and safety of food.

Examples of jobs in this career cluster:
-Farmer
-Veterinarian
-Landscaper
-Environmental Engineer
-Water Treatment Plant Operator

Career Interview: Molly Kroiz, Farmer/Cheesemaker at Georges Mill Farm Artisan Cheese

What is your job?

I am a farmer and cheesemaker. My husband and I own 75 goats, we milk 40 of them and make cheese, gelato, soap, and caramel with the milk. We sell our products at our farm store and at local farmers markets and stores.

When you were in elementary school, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was in elementary school I wanted to be a veterinarian

What are some things you do in a day at work?

What I do caries a lot based on the time of year. In the winter we work on fixing things around the farm, planning for the coming season. In the spring I spend most of my days feeding baby goats, assisting with their births, and milking the mama goats. In the summer and fall I spend most of my days making cheese with the milk, packaging cheese for our farm store and farmers market, and moving our goats fence so that they always have fresh grass to eat

What is your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of my job is that I get to make food and watch people enjoy it! I love making something I know is good, healthy, delicious food, and knowing that people like to eat it.

What kind of training do you need to do your job?

There’s no formal training required for my job, but there are programs that can help train you to be a good cheesemaker. I am self taught- I have a BS in biology and a MS in aquatic and fisheries science, so nothing that is especially useful for being a goat farmer :)

What qualities do you need to be successful at your job?

Being a farmer requires a lot of resilience and flexibility and ability to roll with the punches. Things often don’t go as planned (goats escape, animals get sick, fences break, equipment malfunctions, the weather ruins a busy farmers market etc) and the best thing to have as a farmer is an ability to adapt!