Tell us about your farm and family. I am the fifth-generation farmer to own and operate my family’s 1,100-cow dairy farm, Second Look Holsteins LLC. Along with my two older sisters, Kalista and Kaianne, we manage the day-to-day tasks on the farm. Our farm has switched from raising dairy replacement heifers to buying fresh or pre-fresh heifers. We mainly breed to Angus and will raise a few each month.
Why did you join FFA? I joined FFA to improve my communication and leadership skills, gain valuable friendships and mentors, improve my knowledge of the agriculture industry with specifics in the dairy industry, and participate in community service activities.
What is your role in the chapter? I help organize activities and delegate those activities to my fellow officers. I also run our chapter meetings and encourage participation for chapter and state events.
What FFA contests do you compete in? I participate in the dairy evaluation Career Development Event, the employability skills Leadership Development Event and the parliamentary procedures LDE.
What do you look forward to most in the upcoming FFA year? I look forward to continuing my knowledge of the dairy industry, participating in numerous events and conferences, and making friendships in and out of my chapter.
How has FFA shaped you as a person? My participation in FFA has helped me enhance my leadership and communication skills. Numerous conferences held by the state FFA organization have allowed me to continue to improve my skills throughout the years. Participation in LDEs and CDEs has allowed me to gain valuable experiences to build on these skills.
What are your duties on the farm? My duties mainly include the day-to-day tasks. My main task is feeding calves. I give them milk until they are 3 months old and start the weaning process. Moreover, I train others on how to feed calves. I assist in giving reproduction shots to our lactating cows. I also treat the cows in our fresh pen to ensure they have a great start to their lactation. I administer Endovac to our dry cows and move them to the pre-fresh pen when they get within two weeks of calving. Recently, I have been assisting in the maternity department. I aid in calvings when needed, feed newborn calves, milk the cow and give her our farm’s vaccinations for fresh animals.
What are your future plans? After high school, I plan on returning to my family’s dairy farm. I plan on taking numerous courses provided by Professional Dairy Producers to expand my knowledge of fundamental aspects of dairy farm operations. With the help of these courses, I will be able to grow my family’s farm, allow it to become more efficient with milking and hopefully increase our fresh cow milk production.
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