Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance Vice President Danielle Penny-Stroop grew up with dairy on her mind. “Growing up in Orange County, I immersed myself completely in the local 4-H dairy program,” Said Penny-Stroop. “My school didn’t have a FFA program, so 4-H was my catapult into the agricultural business. It’s s an industry that gave me a foundation and a passion and I want that to continue for others. I was at a crossroads as a teenager, and it was the families that leased cows to me and the 4-H leaders that kept me going. That guidance gave me the life that I have now. I enjoy giving back to the industry by working with the Farm Bureau, NEAFA, my local FFA in Grahamsville, NY, and I am currently building a barn to have beef cattle with my husband and our three children.”
Penny-Stroop continued her focus on agriculture after high school with an Associates Degree from SUNY Cobleskill in Animal Science and Agricultural Business. She continued on to receive her BA in Animal Science focused on Dairy from the same institution. From there, Penny-Stroop went on to work for Blue Seal Feeds, Adirondack Dairy, Green Mountain Feeds, Monsanto, Old Mill Troy and Nutriblend before landing at Novus International where she currently works on their C.O.W.S. (Cow Comfort, Oxidative Balance, Well-being and Sustainability) program. “We market methionine and organic trace minerals (otms),” said Penny-Stroop. “I manage accounts and oversee the region, working as the point person to keep everything coordinated and on track.”
At NEAFA, Penny-Stroop is currently in her third term, and serving her first term as Vice President on the Executive Committee. “I’m thrilled to be doing advocacy with NEAFA. I think that the amount of lobbying we do is critical for our members - quite often they have no time to speak to politicians or lobby for the issues that affect them. I think that’s one of the main value propositions for our organization.” Penny-Stroop also believes that collaboration with other organizations is key for the industry’s future. “We have to keep moving forward,” said Penny-Stroop. “Beyond the consolidation factor that has occurred in the industry, we need to take a hard look at the age demographics of those in agriculture. In the next five years there are going to be a lot of individuals exiting the industry, and we’ll have employment and knowledge gaps. The smallest group of people currently working in the industry are those between thirty and fifty. We have plenty under 25 and over 50 but we’ll have that gap. In order for us to continue to show the value of northeast agriculture, we’re going to have to evolve and change and communicate with a wider group of people and other industries.”
Danielle Penny-Stroop at Kenya's International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).
Embracing that mantra, Penny-Stroop was accepted in class 17 of LEAD New York, a two year intensive leadership training program for agricultural professionals through Cornell University. “The experience was amazing,” said Penny-Stroop. “I gained a lot of personal growth and was exposed to all of the different facets of the New York agriculture. It truly was a path of self discovery. It provides different types of training to help grow your strengths and recognizing your weaknesses. There’s a lot of work involved to it though. For work I was traveling during the week, and then taking some weekends for LEAD. Everyone in my personal and business lives made sacrifices so I could do this, and I’m grateful for that. Without my husband and his support, I would not have achieved a quarter of what I have without him, he covers a lot of bases. The twelve day out of country experience to Kenya was stressful to manage, but was well worth it. It was so interesting to see the positives and negatives compared to what we have here. They had better wifi and cell service than Upstate New York and Vermont for example, and a digital monetary system that works extremely well. Yet water conservation and other areas were lacking. Coming back and looking at our own agriculture, it’s interesting to see what works there and what can we implement, to see how we can become better stewards and also consider what can we share with them.”
Looking back at the history of NEAFA and the associations that it has evolved from, Penny-Stroop believes she may be the first female vice president in at least twenty years, if not the entirety of the 100 year history of the organization. “There’s more women in the industry on the agribusiness side, and they’re being recognized more,” said Penny-Stroop. “They’ve been a bit in the shadows, doing books or calf feeding, human resources, really consulting and advising from behind the scenes. Today it’s much more apparent and recognized what they’re doing. And it’s a hard position when you’re raising a family and traveling every week. You need to have a good support system at home. It’s definitely a challenge to be the best wife, best mother, best employee. It’s hard to be all three every day. You have to find time for yourself as well, and having a solid support system and understanding from everyone makes a huge difference. That’s why building teams - whether they be from coworkers, organizations, family, etc., is so important. Having someone that can pick up when you’re falling short. And that’s why NEAFA is such a great asset to have. They do their best to step up when needed, to keep the industry growing, thriving, and moving forward.”