My sweet sister...Many of you know that Melissa has always been crazy about animals, but I'm not sure that many of you realize how "crazy" she really is.
Thursday through Sunday, ten hours per day, Melissa serves as the Lead Milker at the UC Davis Dairy. She rises before the sun and is milking cows by 3:30AM. She finishes milking 108 heifers, cows, and research animals by 9AM or so and then goes home to do what the rest of us do when we get off work. Then, after cooking and cleaning and taking care of her own brood of animals (now including Rusty the Australian Cattle Dog, Abigail the calico cat, Ursula the Plecostamous, and Honey Bunns the Rex/Dwarf Lions rabbit), she returns to work at 3:30PM and milks the herd all over again.
Each cow has its own distinct personality. Melissa knows them by name and their ear tag number, and she can give you a complete run-down of each cow's idiosyncrasies. She knows which ones kick, which ones are calm, which ones like to be rubbed, and which ones will flip you over a barrel if you look at them cross-eyed. It's a good thing she does because milking is a rough business. She's had her hand and multiple fingers broken multiple times. She's come home with bruises the size of grapefruits and welts that only the hoof of a 2000 pound animal can leave on one's hand. She's even been on high-powered antibiotics to rid her body of bacterial infections acquired from the filthy beasts.
The dairy has benefited greatly from Melissa's patience, dedication, and muscle mass (this girl gots guns!!!). She joined the dairy in 2004 as an undergraduate resident. In exchange for 20 hours of labor a week (it turned out to be much more than that), she lived in the residence barn on the dairy grounds. Every day, she helped milk cows, feed cows, bottle feed calves, birth heifers, and maintain the dairy. She learned to drive a tractor and can drive a third axle better than anyone I've ever seen. In 2006 she applied for and became one of two student herd managers, a very prestigious position at the dairy. As the herd manager, she learned how to artificially inseminate cows, give IVs and injections, and she was responsible for selecting, grooming, and showing the university's cows at the California State Fair (where she won 4th place in both 2004 and 2005) and the Yolo County Fair (where she won 3rd place in 2004).
As the lead milker, she was recently honored by the Hilmar Cheese Company with the Cream of the Crop Award. Each year, Hilmar selects the California dairies that maintain the highest standards of milk quality (judged by protein concentration, fat content, cell counts, etc...all factors directly influenced by the skill, observations, and vigilance of the milker) and facility cleanliness. UC Davis had previously placed 7th in the state. In 2006, after Melissa assumed the responsibilities of the lead milker, UC Davis placed 3rd out of 275 dairies in the state of California.
In many ways, my baby sister is my hero. Prior to going to UCD, the largest animal she had ever worked with was our German Shepherd, Kodie. She got to UCD, after transferring from American River College, and decided to sign-up for a milking internship...and the rest in history. She has had many ups and downs in school but, through it all, she has persevered. She's had people tell her that she wouldn't be able to make it, and she's proven them all wrong. She works harder than anyone I know to learn what she's asked to learn, and she works diligently and without complaint to get the job done right. She's gentle and kind to the animals AND the people (ahhhh, university politics) that push her around every day.
More than anything, my sister is a fighter. She has persevered and taught me so very much in the process. If she weren't my sister, and I were to know her as an acquaintance, I'd wish with all my might that SHE would want to be MY friend. There isn't a luckier soul on this planet than the one who can count her among their loyal friends.
I love you, Missy!
No comments:
Post a Comment