Rylee Fuller grew up raising dairy-beef steers and participating in FFA, but she didn’t have much experience in the dairy industry. During her junior year of high school, her path led her to Laurel Grove Farm, a dairy operation in Perry County, Pennsylvania. The Comp family took Rylee under their wing and helped her realize how rewarding a career in dairy farming could be.
“During my junior year of high school, I was looking for a job. Living in a small town, there’s only so much opportunity without having to drive 30-45 minutes away. One of my friends worked at a dairy farm, and they were looking for help,” Rylee shared. “I called the Comp family and said, ‘I’ve never milked a cow before, but I want to try. This is what I want to do.’ They showed me the ropes and then I started milking there.”
Soon, the family began inviting Rylee to do more than milk cows. They let her learn alongside them, teaching her the process for drawing blood, performing pregnancy checks, and more.
“Cindy, my boss and farm employer, would invite me to go along to do things with her. For example, she used to take blood for pregnancy checks. She asked if I wanted to watch and learn how to do it,” she added. “As they included me in the daily operations, I really liked seeing all the extra things you could do [on a farm] other than milking – and how many people it takes to keep it going. That kind of sparked my interest. I started picking up some of those responsibilities.”
Rylee was just diving into this experience, finding her passion for dairy, and taking on some new responsibilities when CareerLink visited her high school. They shared information about paid placements on dairy farms and helped her realize this could be a career option after graduation. She decided to start with the Center for Dairy Excellence’s Dairy Laborer Pre-Apprenticeship for high school students, where she completed OSHA 10 training and gained a solid foundation for the Center’s Dairy Herd Manager Apprenticeship program. After graduating in June 2024, she began the Dairy Herd Manager Apprenticeship program, where she’s required to complete 3,020 hours of paid, on-the-job training and 216 hours of unpaid technical training.
Throughout the apprenticeship, Rylee’s responsibilities have grown and evolved.
“I milk every day, sometimes twice a day, and I also feed our calves and cows. Our dry cows have a vaccine program, so I’m in charge of keeping track of those protocols and making sure they get their vaccines on time. I’m in charge of our Estrus Synchronization protocols to help us breed cows when we want to at a certain time. And now, it’s my job to take those blood samples for pregnancy checks,” Rylee shared.
Her favorite learning experience has been working closely with the veterinarian to run IVs and treat sick animals. Rylee likes the detailed, step-by-step nature of treating cows – and the fulfillment she gets from treating them to the best extent possible and making sure they’re healthy.
“I like the process and the steps you have to take when you have a sick animal. Did you take her temperature? Are her eyes sunken in? Is she ketotic? What do you do from there?” Rylee explained. “I don’t like having sick cows, but I like the aspect of learning what to do and acting quick. Every cow is different, so every case seems to be vastly different. It’s not always the same.”
Rylee has also enjoyed the professional development opportunities and technical training she has received so far, giving her the chance to learn alongside the Comp family, work with veterinarians, attend Penn State Extension and Center for Dairy Excellence workshops, and more.
“I enjoy being able to learn on the farm and have people around me who also give me opportunities to go to different workshops, so I can continue to further my education that way. This apprenticeship is a great experience and I feel like I’m furthering my education without going to college,” she added.
Now that she’s almost halfway through her apprenticeship, Rylee says the experience has helped her narrow down what she wants to do. Her goal is to work in the dairy industry in some way, ideally as a herd manager in the future. After receiving some pressure to attend college back when she was in high school, Rylee encourages other students to stay true to themselves and the path that’s right for them.
“Don’t let anybody else change your mind about what you want to do. Follow your dreams, because it’s your life. I had a lot of pressure on me to go to college, but there are plenty of careers in the industry that do not require a college degree,” Rylee said. “At the end of this apprenticeship program, we’ll get a certificate saying we know all the hands-on skills we need to be a dairy herd manager. We may not have the sit-down class instruction, but we have really important hands-on skills. There’s nothing wrong with going back to college if you think maybe you should have went, but don’t let anybody else decide what makes you happy.”
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The Center has a registered Dairy Herd Manager Apprenticeship with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The Center is looking for employer dairy farms to host apprentices and serve as employers for the Dairy Herd Manager Apprenticeship Program. We have a rolling admission basis. Click here to learn more.