During National Dairy Month, five local Gen Z students share with us their aspirations to continue in the family footsteps and carry on the tradition of dairy farming.
Tori Reese – Horseheads, New York
Tori Reese feels right at home at the milking parlor at Lantland Farms. She enjoys milking cows because it keeps her connected to the animals and she gets a daily reminder as to where milk comes from. A junior at Cornell University, Tori is studying Agricultural Sciences.
Connor Ranck – Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
A senior at Cornell University, Connor Ranck says caring for the land and working with crops to feed cows sustainably is a dream! So now he’s working toward that goal pursuing a degree in Agricultural Sciences.
Lainey Koval – Stillwater, New York
Feeding dairy cows and sustainability go hand-in-hand. Watch Lainey Koval’s guide to these agricultural wonders. This sophomore at Cornell University hopes to be a part of America’s farming future someday at her family farm, Koval Brothers Dairy, LLC.
Kara Stultz – Belleville, Pennsylvania
Former Pennsylvania Alternate Dairy Princess (2018-2019) Kara Stultz has been active on the family farm from an early age. Dairy farming has helped shape her into the person she is today! In between pursuing a degree in Animal Sciences with a minor in Agronomy, this Penn State senior can be found at Hike ‘Em Up Holsteins in Belleville, Pa., feeding calves and milking cows.
Gabby Taylor – Newark, New York
At 8-years-old, Gabby Taylor got her first show calf. She’s been raising and showing her own dairy cattle ever since! As our 2022 New York State Dairy Ambassador, Gabby regularly shares information on how dairy farmers care for their land and animals, while producing milk, through her social media channels on Instagram and Facebook. Gabby is starting her freshman year at St. Bonaventure this fall, pursuing a degree in Communications.
Ania Stilwell is a digital marketing specialist with American Dairy Association North East. Her blogs focus on farm life, animal care, and sustainability. Prior to joining the dairy industry in 2013, Stilwell served 17 years in communications, mostly as a broadcast news producer at the ABC-affiliate television station in Syracuse, New York, and managed communication, marketing and public relations at not-for-profit organizations in the Finger Lakes and Central New York regions, including a local food bank. She lives in New York with her husband.
