Ellen Kok

Photographer and Writer

netherlight.org

You Are a Girl and You Want to Milk Cows

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Mirjam wants to become a farmer...The Netherlands. February 1995.

1 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Mirjam wants to become a farmer and milk cows. She is a student at the agricultural school. During her weekly apprenticeship she is learning the milking process on the farm of Piet Verhoef.
Nieuwerbrug, The Netherlands. February 1995.

Mirjam works in the barn during...The Netherlands. February 1995.

2 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Mirjam works in the barn during her weekly apprenticeship for the agricultural school on the dairy farm of Piet Verhoef.
Nieuwerbrug, The Netherlands. February 1995.

Mirjam attends a biology lesson...a, The Netherlands. March 1995.

3 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Mirjam attends a biology lesson at the agricultural school.
Gouda, The Netherlands. March 1995.

One of Mirjam’s hobbi...k, The Netherlands. March 1995.

4 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

One of Mirjam’s hobbies is the martial art kempo. Here she takes the exam for the brown belt.
Reeuwijk, The Netherlands. March 1995.

To make money to be able to tra...e. The Netherlands. April 1995.

5 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

To make money to be able to travel to New Zealand for an apprenticeship at a dairy farm, Mirjam has found a Saturday job at the cemetery in the Dutch town of Reeuwijk. She works as a gardener, but sometimes also helps to dig a grave.
The Netherlands. April 1995.

Mirjam is trimming the hoofs of...en, The Netherlands. June 1995.

6 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Mirjam is trimming the hoofs of a cow on the dairy farm of Arnold van Os in the Dutch province of Groningen, where she works as an apprentice for six weeks, as part of her education at the agricultural school.
Zevenhuizen, The Netherlands. June 1995.

Mirjam is drawing a building pl...en, The Netherlands. June 1995.

7 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Mirjam is drawing a building plan for a barn, a school project, during an apprenticeship of six weeks on the dairy farm of Arnold van Os, in the Dutch province of Groningen. Next to her one of the farmer’s daughters.
Zevenhuizen, The Netherlands. June 1995.

Mirjam feeds the calves on her ... The Netherlands. October 1995.

8 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Mirjam feeds the calves on her father’s farm, which is just a small enterprise. She will not be able to make her future there as well, she will have to find her place as a farmer elsewhere.
Waarder, The Netherlands. October 1995.

Standing on their farmland in W... The Netherlands. October 1995.

9 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Standing on their farmland in Waarder, Mirjam and her father, Arie, are looking out over the polder, trying to figure out the best way to retrieve their bull, which has just crossed a ditch to visit the cows in the pasture of a neighbor.
Waarder, The Netherlands. October 1995.

Mirjam and her classmates from ... The Netherlands. October 1995.

10 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Mirjam and her classmates from the agricultural school have to determine the condition of a sheep during a week of practical training at the school for livestock farming in the Dutch province of Friesland.
Oenkerk, The Netherlands. October 1995.

Together with her classmates fr... The Netherlands. October 1995.

11 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Together with her classmates from the agricultural school Mirjam enjoys a week of practical training at the school for livestock farming in the Dutch province of Friesland.
Oenkerk, The Netherlands. October 1995.

In the evening, Mirjam does her...The Netherlands. November 1995.

12 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

In the evening, Mirjam does her homework for the agricultural school in her attic room under a thatched roof.
Waarder, The Netherlands. November 1995.

Since the cows on the farm of h...The Netherlands. December 1995.

13 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Since the cows on the farm of her father stay in the barn all winter long, Mirjam shaves their thick winter coats. They are too warm for indoors and can become a hotbed for bacteria.
Waarder, The Netherlands. December 1995.

On the dairy farm in Australia,...ictoria, Australia. March 1997.

14 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

On the dairy farm in Australia, Mirjam milks 350 cows twice a day. Seated on a quad she drives the cows toward the milk parlor. The animals stay outside year round.
Garvoc, Victoria, Australia. March 1997.

There are many flies on the Aus...ictoria, Australia. March 1997.

15 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

There are many flies on the Australian dairy farm, especially when the weather is warm. For the sake of hygiene the equipment and the milking parlor are hosed down with water during and after milking.
Garvoc, Victoria, Australia. March 1997.

Australian cows are always outs...ictoria, Australia. March 1997.

16 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Australian cows are always outside and have less contact with humans than Dutch cows. That makes them more unruly. Sometimes they have to be convinced with some force to walk toward the milking parlor. Mirjam and her co-worker Gareth herd some stragglers.
Garvoc, Victoria, Australia. March 1997.

Hot weather makes the work hard...ictoria, Australia. March 1997.

17 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

Hot weather makes the work harder. Once the milking is done, Mirjam only longs for the shower in the farmhouse.
Garvoc, Victoria, Australia. March 1997.

In the evening, after a long wo...ictoria, Australia. March 1997.

18 of 18 © 2024 Ellen Kok

In the evening, after a long workday, Mirjam polishes her nails with nail hardener. On the couch her co-worker Gareth.
Garvoc, Victoria, Australia. March 1997.

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Thumbnail of Mirjam wants to become a farmer _ The Netherlands. February 1995.

Thumbnail of Mirjam works in the barn during _ The Netherlands. February 1995.

Thumbnail of Mirjam attends a biology lesson _da, The Netherlands. March 1995.

Thumbnail of One of Mirjam’s hobbie_jk, The Netherlands. March 1995.

Thumbnail of To make money to be able to trav_ve. The Netherlands. April 1995.

Thumbnail of Mirjam is trimming the hoofs of _zen, The Netherlands. June 1995.

Thumbnail of Mirjam is drawing a building pla_zen, The Netherlands. June 1995.

Thumbnail of Mirjam feeds the calves on her f_, The Netherlands. October 1995.

Thumbnail of Standing on their farmland in Wa_, The Netherlands. October 1995.

Thumbnail of Mirjam and her classmates from t_, The Netherlands. October 1995.

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Thumbnail of In the evening, Mirjam does her _ The Netherlands. November 1995.

Thumbnail of Since the cows on the farm of he_ The Netherlands. December 1995.

Thumbnail of On the dairy farm in Australia, _Victoria, Australia. March 1997.

Thumbnail of There are many flies on the Aust_Victoria, Australia. March 1997.

Thumbnail of Australian cows are always outsi_Victoria, Australia. March 1997.

Thumbnail of Hot weather makes the work harde_Victoria, Australia. March 1997.

Thumbnail of In the evening, after a long wor_Victoria, Australia. March 1997.

Public Project

You Are a Girl and You Want to Milk Cows

Copyright Ellen Kok 2024

Date of Work Jan 1995 - Jan 2005

Updated Mar 2021

Location The Netherlands

Topics Adolescence, Agriculture, Black and White, Documentary, Dreams, Education, Feminism, Migration, Photography, Youth

Mirjam (19) from the village of Waarder in the Netherlands, wants to become a dairy farmer. However, her father’s farm is just a small enterprise, she won’t be able to make her future there as well. Mirjam will have to find her place as a farmer elsewhere.

After graduating from the agricultural school, she wants to get more work experience. She travels to New Zealand to work on the dairy farm of a Dutch emigrant. She plans to attend the agricultural college when she returns. But Mirjam enjoys the adventure of working in a faraway foreign country. When a friend of her New Zealand boss invites her to come to Australia to milk his cows for a few months as well, she doesn’t hesitate. And now that she is used to the space of another continent, she actually doesn’t want to go back to the Netherlands.

On the dairy farm in Australia, in the state of Victoria, Mirjam milks 350 cows twice a day.

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