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Becky Collins Brooks
Writer and Co-Owner of Catskill Wagyu at Hilltop Farm
Founder of Meeting of the Milkmaids
Accord, New York
Years ago, when first dating, Becky Collins Brooks and her dairy farmer husband spent their date nights making cheese together—a fun pastime that sparked a lifelong passion in Collins Brooks. It led her to formalize her training at Penn State University, studying under renowned experts like US cheese judge Dr. Kerry Kaylegian and Dairy Connection’s Dave Potter. Since then, Collins Brooks has crafted cheese from the milk of their Holstein herd on their farm in the Catskills. In 2023, at the farm store she and her husband built, she hosted the first gathering of Meeting of the Milkmaids, an organization she founded to connect women in the dairy industry to share knowledge, foster community, and celebrate their work.
Who is your biggest inspiration in the cheese world?
I’m inspired by the anonymous women working on small farms around the world, keeping the traditions of farmstead dairying and cheesemaking alive. They create cheeses using natural cultures unique to their farms, and often practice transhumance with their animals. These women aren’t just making cheese—they’re preserving a rural way of life threatened by globalization and gentrification. I’m also endlessly inspired by my Milkmaids team—a crazy-smart, creative, kind group doing amazing things while uplifting other women in cheese.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve experienced or overcome in this industry?
Imposter syndrome. I carried a deep sense that I wasn’t good enough or didn’t belong, shaped by years of listening to the wrong voices. Farming with my husband and working with our cows changed that. Cows are honest creatures, and caring for them has brought me a quiet confidence. These days, when doubt creeps in, I get to work—writing, tending cows, or making cheese. Focusing on my craft silences both the naysayers and my own inner critic.
What’s Next?
My goals keep me motivated (along with the cows, of course)! I want to build a strong future for the Milkmaids that reaches and serves even more women in cheese. On the farm, we’re working hard to get our micro-dairy licensed and running. It’s daunting and expensive, but the dream is alive. Our cows produce incredible A2 milk, and the cheeses I make from it are delicious. I can’t wait to share more of it with our community.
Pair a song with cheese: Listen to the entire cheese pairing playlist on Spotify!
Meadow Creek Dairy Appalachian + “Baba O’Riley” by The Who
What’s the cheese you’re raving to your friends about right now?
It’s a tie! I eat a lot of Prairie Breeze from Milton Creamery (can’t resist those tyrosine crystals). And I really love Shabby Shoe, made by one of my dear Milkmaids, Lily Orr, from Blakesville Creamery.
If you weren’t in the cheese industry, what would your career be?
I’d still be on the farm, raising high-quality Wagyu beef and keeping dairy cows for our own use. And I’d still be writing about the vital role small farms play in local economies and rural culture.
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