McCann makes legacy at DFA

Some farm kids grow up to take over the family business. Others take jobs that ensure all family farms can thrive for generations to come. They are both crucial to the success of dairy legacies, and Heather McCann chose the latter.

27 years ago, Heather started as a Member Programs Associate at DFA and today she is the Senior Director of Industry Affairs in DFA’s Mideast Area, in Medina, Ohio, where she oversees communications, legislation, human resources, farmer governance, information technology, office services, and even a milk testing lab.

Her family’s farm took root in 1892, and while it’s no longer a dairy operation, Heather’s dedication to the dairy industry remains.

“Growing up, my mom gave me the prestigious title of Director of Primary Replacement Management,” she says. “It was a clever name for calf feeding. But it was an important job, and she wanted me to know that.”

Aside from her calf feeding duties, Heather pushed feed, raked hay, and drove the smallest tractor on the farm, all while learning lessons that would shape her work ethic for life. Today, Heather jokes that the biggest piece of machinery she operates is a computer mouse, but she knows that her job is still just as important as it was on the farm.

“There’s a pride I have in knowing that if I do my job well, our farmer-owners’ lives are just a little bit easier,” she says. “That’s what keeps me striving every day.”

Even though Heather’s background on the farm shaped her career, she wants others to know that it’s not required.

“I love that DFA celebrates those who came from farm backgrounds,” she says. “But I think we’re a better organization because we also include those who didn’t. Everyone who cares about farmers has a place here.”

Of her 27-year career, Heather finds it easy to recount her most rewarding project to date. In 2024, she visited all 11 plants in DFA’s Mideast Area, connecting 1,600 DFA employees with the farmer-owners they work for, most of them for the very first time.

“When you hear someone say, they’ve worked a lot of places and never met an owner until today, you know you made a difference,” she says.

NationalCooperativeMonth, and we’re proud to recognize all the roles that help our Cooperative and our farmer-owners succeed. At its simplest, a cooperative is a group of people working together, and at DFA, it takes every kind of job to make dairy possible. We couldn’t do it without you!