Erika was born and raised in a cattle ranching family in South Africa. She attended the University of the Freestate, where she graduated with a degree in agriculture. After graduation, Erika was employed by the Department of Animal Health, before joining her father on the family ranch. Erika’s first experience with the dairy industry was at her grandfather’s dairy. Though the dairy was small, milking only 20 cows, this experience initiated her interest in the dairy industry. After arriving in the US, Erika quickly became involved in today’s modern dairy industry. She began on a 2600 cow dairy, where she was exposed to all aspects of the operation. This herd expanded during her employment to milk 4,000 cows. The next step for Erika was the chance to be the overall herd manager of a 1,000 cow dairy. In both of these roles, Erika became proficient in the use of several types of dairy herd management and feeding software programs. She offers support to DNMC clients in the areas of feed program management, ration implementation, dairy management software and numerous dairy spreadsheet applications. Her dairy management experience is a great “real world” asset for the group. Erika manages the Feed and Milk Model application for DNMC’s clients. Now located back at home in South Africa, Erika is a significant asset to the group.