Meet The Speakers

Hoffelmeyer is an assistant professor of public engagement in agriculture. She conducts dairy-related research on topics such as robotics, labor, market concentration, and alternative farm models. Hoffelmeyer’s position is funded by the Dairy Innovation Hub

Fisher is a PhD student in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at UW–Madison. She holds a Master of Public Policy and a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, and a BA from UCLA.

Talk summary: Labor shortages, tightening profit margins, and aging farm populations motivate farmers, practitioners, and policymakers to identify new labor streams and increase long-term farm viability.To explore the future of agricultural labor as related to farm viability, I propose two projects. The first project investigates if and how childcare, as a form of carework, is viewed as part of agricultural labor. Children are viewed as an opportunity to renew future generations’ interest in farming and, eventually, an essential source of labor for family farms. However, when separated as a household issue rather than a farm issue, the need for appropriate childcare can undermine farmer households’ ability to operate viable farms and invest in potential future farmers.

This is part of a larger project entitled “Linking childcare to farm children safety,” funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Lewis is an assistant professor of animal and food science at UW–River Falls who specializes in dairy processing. Her research interests include processing interventions to improve dairy protein functionality, dairy food byproduct enhancement and utilization, high-pressure technologies, and nanoparticles, emulsions and foams. Lewis’s position is funded by the Dairy Innovation Hub.

Talk summary: To properly digest lactose, the enzymes β-galactosidase or lactase must break lactose into its components, glucose and galactose, in the small intestine. Around 65% of the world’s population has some form of lactose intolerance, in which they stop producing lactase around the age of 2, causing them to experience a variety of uncomfortable side effects after consuming dairy. However, lactose-free dairy products can be produced by adding lactase during the manufacturing procedure, and there has been a growing demand for these products.

Considering this, a collaborative study between UW–River Falls and UW–Madison is evaluating the processing parameters and economic feasibility of producing lactose-free ice cream. Grace Lewis is the PI on the UW–RF side and Chuck Nicholson and Scott Rankin are co-PIs on the UW side — both Lewis and Nicholson’s faculty positions are funded by the Hub. This project was funded by the Consortium for Extension and Research in Ag and Natural Resources. 

Wellnitz is an assistant professor of animal and dairy science at UW–Platteville. Her research interests include impacts of heifer post-weaning intake on lifetime productivity, impact of management on health and performance of beef calves, supplementation strategies for improved animal health and productivity, and weaning management strategies.

Isbister is an associate professor of Women's and Gender Studies and coordinates the program at UW–Platteville. 

Talk summary: The goals of this project are to evaluate trends in female to male ratios in dairy science, animal science and agribusiness at UW–Platteville over the past 10 -15 years. In addition, researchers will compare this information to other major state and regional agricultural universities and technical institutions.

Through this project, faculty hope to begin to understand how the female to male ratios in the university classroom translate into positions within the agriculture industry after graduation. And finally, if students are not pursuing agriculture related careers post-graduation, what careers are those female graduates pursuing and why?

Pinzon holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and a master’s degree in Dairy Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining extension, Carolina gained valuable experience working in various roles within the dairy industry, including coordinating global training programs, providing bilingual support as a training specialist, and offering customized training programs as an independent consultant. When Carolina was an outreach specialist at Michigan State University, she collaborated on the development of an online antibiotic benchmark tool and created educational videos as part of the Antibiotic Stewardship Project.

Talk summary: The dairy industry is evolving, creating a demand for research-based educational materials that promote best practices and support workforce development on dairy farms. Despite abundant research on milk quality and udder health, there remains a gap in disseminating this knowledge to the dairy workforce. Training the dairy workforce presents unique challenges, including low literacy levels, a predominantly non-English speaking workforce, limited agricultural experience, and varying education levels.

The project aims to address these gaps by transforming existing research into practical, accessible content. By creating an online course utilizing a multimedia approach (articles, infographics, and videos) and ensuring bilingual accessibility, the course will serve as valuable resources for dairy farmers, managers, professionals, and consultants, facilitating workforce training. The course modules will cover essential topics related to udder health programs, including mastitis prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and safe practices in the milking parlor.

McGuire received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture education and technology education from UW–Platteville. As an undergraduate, McGuire provided agriculture education to the public as well as aided in establishing UW–Platteville’s Association of Women in Agriculture. McGuire is currently pursuing a master’s degree in dairy welfare and management co-mentored by Jennifer Van Os, Ryan Pralle, and Kate Creutzinger. McGuire’s position is funded by the Dairy Innovation Hub.

Talk summary: The abrupt cessation of milking is a well-established dairy management practice used to begin the dry period, but few studies have investigated the impact of abruptly ending milking on dairy cow welfare. After dry-off, milk accumulates in the udder and leaks from teat ends, which increases the risk of cow discomfort and intramammary infection. This project investigates the use of automatic milking systems to characterize self dry-off and gradual dry off of late lactation cows.