Creeping across the pasture land. Got dirt on
the boots and a working hand. From the milk house
home to the auction call. These are the folks
standing strong and tall. Yeah, this is... Hey
dairy folks, and welcome back to the Bullvine
Podcast. I'm your host, and today I've got a
story that's going to blow your mind. It's about
a woman who literally raced for chocolate milk
as a kid and ended up revolutionizing milk quality
research across Canada. Meet Hannah Woodhouse,
the Dairy Queen herself. And trust me, by the
end of this episode, you're going to understand
why her story is everything we love about this
industry. So picture this. Hannah grows up as
the oldest of four sisters on a family dairy
farm in Ontario. But here's the kicker. Her mom's
a veterinarian who met her farmer dad during
a herd check. Hannah jokes it was love at first
sight. And honestly, is there a more perfect
dairy love story than that? From day one, Hannah
was completely immersed in farm life. We're talking
11 years in 4 -H. Involvement with Gay Lee Foods.
participating in agricultural societies. This
girl was dairy through and through. She loved
those evening chores after school, feeding calves
and eventually milking. With her mom being a
vet, she got to watch her care for the herd and
learn about all the treatments. But here's what
really gets me. Their farm would host a day at
the farm trips for grade two classes from her
school. Can you imagine little Hannah showing
off the farm to her classmates, teaching them
where their milk comes from? She'd take cows
to local events with her dad, educating the public
about our industry. That pride in what we do,
that's what this industry is all about. Now,
here's where the story gets absolutely fantastic.
In grade 8, Hannah discovered competitive running,
but not in the way you'd expect. Each year, the
dairy farmers in the Gray -Bruce County area
would sponsor a school run, giving chocolate
milk to all the finishers. Hannah's parents always
volunteered, helping hand out that precious chocolate
milk. Hannah would participate for fun, usually
running and walking with her friends. But then
came grade 8. Her parents approached her before
the race with some devastating news. They were
running out of chocolate milk, and only the top
10 finishers out of about 100 kids would get
one. Hannah wanted that chocolate milk badly.
So instead of her usual casual approach, she
actually raced this time. And guess what? She
finished fourth. Her parents were shocked. She
was shocked. But she got her chocolate milk,
and that moment launched an incredible running
career that would take her to represent Canada
internationally. To this day, chocolate milk
is still her go -to recovery drink. I mean, come
on, you can't make this stuff up. Hannah was
always athletic. Swimming, gymnastics, horseback
riding. figure skating, hockey, shooting, you
name it. But she focused on running in high school,
and get this, part of her training involved running
up the hill behind their barn in heavy rubber
boots to fetch cows for milking. She quickly
improved, making it to provincials, then nationals
within a year. By grade 11, she made her first
Canadian team and competed in Colombia and China
for the World Cross Country Championships. Throughout
all this heavy training and competition, she
still made time for training her 4 -H calf and
helping at the barn. That was her happy place.
Now here's where the story takes an interesting
turn. Hannah was serious about academics because
universities were recruiting her. She thought
medical sciences would best fit her running aspirations,
so she headed to the University of Guelph for
biomedical sciences, basically pre -med. But
you know what happened? After just a month or
two away from the farm, She missed agriculture
desperately. The pull was just too strong. As
part of her academic scholarship, Hannah had
a paid summer research position. She decided
to approach Dr. David Kelton, this renowned dairy
professor, and ask if he had a project for her.
Picture this scene. She walks into his office
at the Ontario Veterinary College building, and
there are cows at the research barn just outside,
vet students walking around in coveralls and
boots. She knew she was in the right place. Dave
told her about this issue of non -foaming milk
in BC coffee shops. Hannah was doing a nutrition
minor at the time, and this was intriguing. The
perfect fit. That conversation launched her dairy
research journey that would lead to her master's
and PhD. So what exactly was Hannah researching?
She tackled this fascinating problem in Canada's
dairy industry. Elevated free fatty acids, or
FFAs, in milk. These compounds form when milk
fat breaks down and cause all sorts of quality
headaches. As Hannah put it to me, if you're
paying good money for your fancy Starbucks latte
with that perfect milk foam, it's a big deal.
When consumers want froth and you deliver milk
that doesn't foam properly, they immediately
call their supplier to complain. But it's not
just about frothing. High FFA levels can make
cheese coagulation go wonky, cause rancid flavors,
and shorten shelf life. in canada's supply managed
dairy industry where we live and die by consumer
satisfaction this is critical stuff here's what
i love about hannah's approach she didn't just
sit in a lab she visited 300 dairy farms across
ontario and british columbia 300. she was incredibly
thorough measuring every inch of pipeline looking
at all the turns and elevated sections analyzing
milk flow examining countless farm factors Her
dedication went beyond just the fieldwork, though.
She did these adorable amateur experiments using
milk from her family's farm, testing samples
in her frother at home to see which cows produced
the best frothy milk. Her friends started calling
her the Dairy Queen, and every Christmas they'd
give her new frothing gadgets. I mean, how perfect
is that? Hannah's research revealed that FFA
issues come from multiple factors. She found
that organic and grass -fed herds typically have
higher FFA levels than conventional farms. There
are interesting seasonal patterns, too. FFA concentrations
peak in late summer and fall compared to spring
and winter. Improperly maintained milking systems,
especially in automated operations with high
milking frequencies, often contributed to elevated
problems. Farms with automated milking systems
milking cows three times daily showed substantial
increases in FFAs. But here's the great news
Hannah emphasized. These farms can manage most
of these factors with relatively quick and easy
fixes. Hannah developed this really practical
set of recommendations. She suggests limiting
late lactation cows' visits to robotic milkers,
ensuring proper plate cooler installation, especially
in tie stall operations, and changing milk filters
at every milking. As she explained, a dirty filter
not only creates a breeding ground for bacteria,
but also puts more stress on the milk trying
to pass through. Her research found a significant
increase in free fatty acids for farms that milk
frequently, but change filters infrequently.
And here's a critical point. Maintaining proper
milk temperature. Freezing and thawing milk can
substantially increase FFAs. Temperature fluctuations
damage the milk fat globule membrane. allowing
lipase enzymes to break down fat into free fatty
acids that's why consistent cooling to four degrees
celsius without freezing is essential her work
didn't go unnoticed hannah won the top student
poster award at the 2023 international dairy
federation's world forum in chicago beating out
89 submissions from over 20 countries when i
asked her what made her research stand out globally
she said milk quality is a common concern no
matter where you're producing milk around the
world. High levels of free fatty acids impact
everyone. Producers can receive penalties, processors
get complaints, distributors hear from unhappy
customers, and consumers aren't satisfied with
the products. The fact that Europe and Canada
are the only ones testing and reporting this
to farmers made her work particularly valuable
internationally. What makes Hannah's story even
more remarkable is how she balanced everything.
While pursuing her PhD, she continued representing
Canada internationally. She made the national
team again in 2019 and still runs competitively
today, though she took some time to focus on
academics during her studies. Her athletic background
shaped her methodical approach to research. That
discipline from training, including those runs
up the barnhill in rubber boots, translated directly
into her systematic research methodology that
earned international recognition hannah completed
her phd in september 2024 and immediately moved
into the next chapter as a contractor for dairy
farmers of canada in sustainable production she's
integrating her passions academic research and
writing skills to make a difference on a broader
scale Her role aligns perfectly with Dairy Farmers
of Canada's ambitious goal of working toward
net -zero greenhouse gas emissions from farm
-level dairy production by 2050. As Hannah notes,
farmers are the most practical people, and implementing
science -based solutions requires clear communication
and practical applications. Hannah represented
Canadian dairy on a Young Producers panel discussing
future of dairy farming around the globe at that
International Dairy Federation Summit. She highlighted
DFC's initiatives to improve sustainability,
engage young producers, and enhance consumer
awareness of high -quality dairy products. What
makes her so valuable is her ability to bridge
scientific research with practical farm implementation.
By improving milk quality and addressing consumer
preferences, her work directly contributes to
the sustainability and marketability of Canadian
dairy products. Aside from her work with DFC,
Hannah continues writing both scientific and
producer -friendly articles about FFA control.
She gives presentations nationwide, passionate
about speaking and engaging directly with producers
at various events. But here's what really excites
her. mentoring the younger generation in the
dairy industry that's where i see my role as
an academic advisor or professor coming into
play one day she told me she envisions guiding
students through their own agricultural research
journeys she also continues advocating for dairy
in the sports industry promoting milk's nutritional
benefits for athletic recovery Her personal experience
with chocolate milk as both her running origin
story and current recovery drink makes her a
genuine ambassador for dairy nutrition in sports.
As Hannah puts it, you can have a state -of -the
-art lab with the most precise methodological
practices and generate interesting results, but
that research will not be useful unless it can
be applied. This is why understanding the dairy
industry from a practical lens is so important.
For Hannah Woodhouse, those childhood chores
on the family farm have evolved into a career
dedicated to advancing an industry she deeply
loves. She's proving that when science meets
practical farming knowledge, both the industry
and consumers benefit. Let me leave you with
these incredible facts about Hannah. She started
competitive running after being bribed with chocolate
milk at a school race. finished fourth out of
100 runners, and went on to represent Canada
at World Cross Country Championships, still using
chocolate milk as her recovery drink. This oldest
of four sisters completed over 30 different 4
-H clubs in 11 years while maintaining a 95 %
plus academic average and earning a $60 ,000
plus University of Guelph President's Scholarship.
Unlike typical academic researchers, Hannah conducted
her PhD fieldwork on 300 actual farms across
Ontario and BC. Her findings helped dairy farmers
avoid processor penalties averaging $15 ,000
annually through simple management changes. Her
methodical training approach, including running
up the barn hill in rubber boots to fetch cows,
shaped her systematic research methodology that
earned top international recognition against
89 global submissions. Hannah Woodhouse embodies
what happens when farm -raised intuition meets
world -class science. Her journey from 4 -H president
to PhD proves that sometimes the best agricultural
innovators are the ones who never really left
the barn. They just brought the lab to the farmyard.
That's our show for today, folks. Hannah's story
reminds us that the future of our industry lies
in people who understand both the dirt under
their fingernails and the science in their toolkit.
Thanks for tuning in to the Bullvine Podcast.
Until next time, keep innovating, keep improving,
and keep that passion for dairy burning bright.