Tracy Porteous just started her new job last Monday and is already planning on travelling around the area educating residents about all things dairy.
Once the school year begins, Porteous will be available for school presentations — either class-by-class or for the whole school. The presentations are usually about 40 minutes long and can be customized. Porteous talks about nutrition, dairy farming, how important milk is to diets and even careers in the dairy industry.
In the meantime, Porteous won’t just be waiting around waiting for school to begin. Next weekend she will have a booth set up at the Avonmore Fair and will be around in many social venues throughout the summer.
«I’m looking forward to meeting with the public and talking about dairy,» she said.
Porteous will also be in the education tent during the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo in September. There she will be joined by Maple the Cow, a mechanical cow that allows the public to simulate milking the real thing.
Porteous seems to be an obvious choice as she is a life-long dairy farmer. She started out working the family farm with her father and brother until she married and now works with her husband.
Porteous has a master’s degree from the University of Guelph in agriculture and a degree in animal sciences.
The Porteous family farm raises Holsteins, Jerseys and Ayrshires. Porteous is also a long-time volunteer with the 4-H Club and once taught Sunday School.
«So I am used to working with children,» she said. She is also a soccer coach. Her kids go to Russell Public School where she also volunteers. Porteous said she has often been asked to give presentations to schools about dairy farming.
«It’s very important we focus on the iconic blue cow that symbolizes 100% Canadian milk,» said Porteous. «We want to get kids to recognize it so they will make that choice in the grocery store to buy Canadian.»
Source: Standard