Jersey Juniors to Receive $31,600 in Scholarships

September 10, 2020November 17, 2020 mackerman@usjersey.com

The American Jersey Cattle Association will present scholarships totaling $31,600 to 12 Jersey youth continuing their education. These young people are pursuing higher education at universities and colleges in 10 states—Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. They are pursuing degrees in agricultural business, agricultural communications, agriculture science, animal science, dairy production and veterinary medicine.

These juniors will receive their awards at the Junior Banquet, which concludes events of Junior Day — November 7, 2020 — at The All American in Louisville, Ky.

Russell-Malnati Scholarship for Advanced Studies

Jessica Marie Hanson, Ulysses, Kan., is the recipient of the $5,000 scholarship for advanced studies. She earned her undergraduate degree from Kansas State University (KSU) in 2019 and is now enrolled in the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She plans to return to rural southwest Kansas and establish a clinic that offers affordable care for local dairies due to the shortage of large animal veterinarians in the area.

Jessica’s parents, Phil and Barbara Hanson, have been raising dairy cattle since the 1970s. She became involved with them early, showing Jerseys when she was just two. Though they initially farmed in Wisconsin, the family moved to the farm in Kansas when Jessica was nine.

Jessica’s herd of Registered Jerseys has grown to 10 head and is now enrolled on REAP.

In high school, Jessica was elected class secretary, vice president and president. She also served as treasurer and vice president for FFA and secretary and vice president for 4-H. She was a member of the 4-H dairy judging team that represented Kansas in national competitions in 2015.

Involvement with youth programs reinforced Jessica’s desire to pursue a career in agriculture. She attended Seward County Community College (SCCC) to complete general education classes, then transferred to KSU to earn a degree in animal science. She was treasurer of the Block and Bridle Club and Collegiate Farm Bureau at SCCC and judged livestock on the college team as well. She was in the honors program at KSU and belonged to the Dairy Science Club and Dairy Leaders of the Future. She was a member of the university’s dairy judging team too.

Jessica is a veterinary assistant at the Konza Veterinary Clinic in Manhattan, Kan., and has fulfilled internships with the Kansas Department of Agriculture and the veterinary hospital in Ulysess, Kan. She has farm experience at Sun-E-View Farm and Noble Dairy.

William A. Russell Memorial Scholarship

Caroline C. Arrowsmith, Peach Bottom, Pa., has been named winner of the William A. Russell Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $2,750.

The daughter of Thomas and Amanda Arrowsmith is a freshman at Pennsylvania State University, majoring in animal science with a dairy focus. She plans to pursue a master’s degree related to dairy science at an accredited university after earning her undergraduate degree.

Caroline grew up on Hillacres Jersey Farm, a 65-cow Registered Jersey farm operated by her family in the southeast corner of the state.

Her early involvement with cattle focused on showing, from the time she was five, at the halter of Hillacres Vavoom Vogue. Caroline’s responsibilities grew as she did, starting as help for her father with milking, to feeding calves, to milking and feeding cows on her own and daily maintenance of the farm.

She is president of her local 4-H club and has also served the club as social chairman, secretary and treasurer. She also presides over the county junior Holstein club and has been club vice president and secretary.

Her service to school was equally broad as she is a former treasurer of the drama club, secretary of the Spanish Honor Society and student senate executive board, philanthropist of National Honor Society and dance captain of the school’s musicals.

In addition to the Russell Memorial Scholarship from the AJCA, Caroline has received scholarships from Solanco High School, the Lenfest Foundation, the Lancaster Farm and Home Foundation and the Penn State College of Agriculture.

Jack C. Nisbet Scholarship

This year, the $2,750 award will be presented to Lydia Rose Chittenden, Schodack Landing, N.Y. The daughter of Alan and Donna Chittenden is a sophomore at State University of New York (SUNY)-Cobleskill. She is majoring in animal science major with a focus on dairy. She plans to transfer to Cornell University next fall to earn her bachelor’s degree.

She placed fifth in this year’s National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest. She attended Jersey Youth Academy in 2019 and received the William A. Russell Memorial Scholarship that year as well.

Lydia’s current herd of 59 Registered Jerseys is managed with the herd at Dutch Hollow Farm LLC, a 750-cow dairy owned and operated by her extended family. She takes a special interest in calf management and genetics, gaining valuable hands-on mating experience with her own cattle and the embryo transfer program at Dutch Hollow.

Lydia has also held leadership roles in school. She was captain of the varsity soccer team and basketball teams. The role with the basketball team led to work with the Miracle League Challenger Basketball Program for special needs children at the Rensselaer Boys and Girls Club. She was also a member of National Honor Society.

She was treasurer of her 4-H club and a member of teams that represented New York at dairy judging contests held with the Pennsylvania All-American Dairy Show and World Dairy Expo. She was involved with Cornell University’s PRO-DAIRY program as a high school sophomore and junior and representing her state at the National 4-H Dairy Conference in 2017.

Lydia earned a spot on the dean’s list at SUNY-Cobleskill during her first semester and the president’s list the second semester, all while playing with the university’s women’s basketball team too. She also belongs to the SUNY-Cobleskill Dairy Club.

V. L. Peterson Scholarship

This year, the $2,750 scholarship will be awarded to Colin R. Wussow, Cecil, Wis. The son of Ron and Nicolle Wussow is a junior at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-River Falls. He is majoring in agriculture business and minoring in dairy science and crop science.

Colin and his family operate Milk-n-More Farms LLC. The Wussows milk a mixed herd of Jerseys and Holsteins and operate a custom farm business. He began working with the cattle when he was five and is now an integral part of the family business.

Colin has been very active in youth organizations. He held the offices of president, vice president, secretary and activities director and chaired many committees for his local 4-H club. In 2018, he received the James Crowley Scholarship Award.

For his local FFA chapter, Colin served as vice president and helped to establish an annual supper to honor public service workers. He was named the Wisconsin Star Farmer in 2018 and winner of the Wisconsin Dairy Entrepreneurship Proficiency Award and a National Dairy Entrepreneurship Finalist in 2019.

Colin placed sixth in the 2019 National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest. He has been an escort for the National Jersey Queen contest and served his state junior Jersey association as president and vice president. He attended Jersey Youth Academy in 2019.

He topped the 2009 National Jersey Youth Production Contest with Michael Centurion Darla, a cow owned in partnership with his sister, Kaila, and placed second in the 2019 Pot O’Gold Production Contest.

At UW-River Falls, he is active with the Dairy Club, the Agricultural Business Management Society and Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. He was a member of the sale selection committee for the bi-annual Falcon Premier sale held in March 2020. He also plays offensive lineman for the university’s football team.

During the summer of 2019, Colin interned with Frontier Ag and Turf in New Richmond, Wis. This past summer, he was a crop scout for Stern Crop Consulting in Bonduel, Wis.

Colin plans to pursue a career in the agriculture industry after graduation. His long-term goal is to return to the family Jersey and crop farm.

Paul Jackson Memorial Scholarship

Meghan Jo Hettinga, Orange City, Iowa, has been named winner of this year’s $2,000 scholarship award. The daughter of Jason and Mary Hettinga is a junior at South Dakota State University (SDSU), with a major in dairy production and a minor in communications. She attended Jersey Youth Academy in 2019.

Meghan grew up on the 150-cow Registered Jersey dairy operated by her family.

The Iowa junior has been very active in state youth programs. She purchased two heifers through Iowa Pot of Gold program. Her first heifer, JX Hei-Bri Gannon Dixie {3}, won the ensuing production contest in 2011. The other, Hei-Bri Action Espn, placed second in the 2017 contest. Meghan received the Iowa Jersey Cattle Club Memorial Scholarship in 2018 and was crowned Iowa Jersey Princess in 2019 and 2020.

Meghan has also been active with FFA. She is a former president, vice president and chaplain for the Holland FFA chapter. She placed third place in the state competition for dairy supervised agricultural experience projects in 2017 and 2018.

She is a member of the dairy products judging team and the dairy club at SDSU and an ambassador for the College of Agriculture Food and Environmental Sciences. She runs for the track team, is on the leadership team for Oasis, a campus ministry organization, and leads weekly Bible studies. She also belongs to Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Jackrabbit Track and Field Program.

For five summers, Meghan worked as a pollinator for Dupont Pioneer. She also has experience as an animal health technician for RTI LLC in Brookings, S.D., and was an intern for Riverview LLP, a large commercial dairy in Veblen, S.D., this past summer.

Megan’s goal is to pursue an occupation that helps dairy producers unite to share their message with consumers, be that a career in production agriculture or one in the area communications.

Cedarcrest Farms Scholarship

The Cedarcrest Farms Scholarship of $2,250 will be presented to Mary Elizabeth Holtz, Maquoketa, Iowa. The daughter of Jeff and Lisa Holtz is enrolled at Iowa State University (ISU) this fall as a freshman, but earned many general education credits through a pair of associate’s degrees from Clinton Community College upon high school graduation in 2020. Long term, she plans to become a large animal veterinarian.

A second-generation Jersey breeder, she grew up on Holtz View Farms, owned by her family, and became involved with the business at an early age. Her herd of Registered Jerseys has grown to 60 cows and 50-plus heifers. Mary is in charge of herd management records and helps with milking twice a day, prepares rations, feeds cows and assists with matings. She attended Jersey Youth Academy in 2019.

Mary has been a dairy advocate for a good portion of her young life. She was crowned Jackson/Clinton County Little Miss Dairymaid in 2006 when she was five―the start of her involvement with the county dairy board―and earned the title of Jackson/Clinton County Dairy Princess in 2019. Mary has also served as the junior member on the dairy board for the Jackson County 4-H Fair.

She was crowned as the Iowa Jersey Princess in 2018 and the Iowa Ayrshire Princess in 2019. She takes photographs for the Iowa Jersey Today, the official publication of the Iowa Jersey Cattle Club.

Mary has been involved with 4-H since 2009. She has held offices in her local club as president, vice president, secretary and reporter and been involved with the Young Leaders Council. She has also been active with the County Council.

With FFA, she has held offices as chapter reporter and volunteered time for many service and fundraising efforts. She was a member of the dairy judging team that competed at World Dairy Expo in 2017, where she placed 25^th among nearly 400 competitors.

Mary was a member of National Honor Society and section leader and first chair for the woodwind section of her high school’s concert and marching bands. She bowled with the junior varsity and varsity teams, including the team that advanced to state competition in 2018-2019. She also played on the junior varsity soccer team for three years.

Bob Toole Youth Award

Gracelyn “Gracie” Jane Krahn, Albany, Ore., will receive the $2,000 award this year. The daughter of Ben and Amy Krahn is a freshman at Linn Benton Community College in Albany, where she will take general education classes. She then plans to transfer to Oklahoma State University, where she will double major in agricultural communications and animal sciences with a dairy emphasis and minor in agriculture business.

Gracie is the reigning National Jersey Queen and placed third in the 2019 National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest. She serves on the AJCA Junior Activities Committee.

She and her family operate Royal Riverside Farm, where they milk Registered Jerseys and bottle their own milk and distribute it to 35 stores and coffee shops in Oregon.

Among Gracie’s favorite youth activities is exhibiting cattle at local, state and national shows. She has exhibited at the Western National Jersey Show for 14 years, earning Junior and Senior Champion and Grand Champion Showman laurels. A career highlight was showing the Reserve Junior Champion of the open and junior shows at the 2013 All American Jersey Show.

Gracie has been very active with FFA, serving as president of the Santiam Christian FFA Chapter and the Upper Willamette FFA District. She was a member of teams that topped state competitions for dairy judging and milk quality evaluation. She competed in employment skills and public speaking contests nationally after winning at the state level and represented her state as a delegate at the FFA Leadership Conference in Washington D.C. in 2018. She earned the Oregon Dairy Cattle Production Proficiency Award and the Star State Farmer in 2020.

She is a past president of her local 4-H club and the Oregon Junior Jersey Breeders Association.

Gracie was a four-year member of the varsity cheerleading squad, serving as captain her senior year. She was class council vice president as a freshman and a member of National Honor Society as well.

AJCA Directors’ Scholarship

Joshua “Josh” David Seals, Tillamook, Ore., will receive the $2,500 scholarship this year. The son of Dave and Kim Seals is a sophomore at Eastern Oregon University (EOU) in La Grande. He is majoring in agriculture science and animal science.

Josh placed eighth in the 2019 National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest and was a member of the sixth class of Jersey Youth Academy.

A third-generation Jersey breeder, Josh has lived his entire life a Jersey farm, be that Sunny Ridge Dairy, owned by his parents, or Sun Valley Jerseys of Cloverdale, Ore., owned by his grandparents and uncle.

Josh takes a special interest in genetics, with a short-term goal of consigning a heifer to the 2022 National Heifer Sale, to be hosted by his home state in Portland.

He has been active in Jersey youth production contests on the state and national levels and a regular exhibitor at the Tillamook County Fair and the Western National Jersey Show. He served his 4-H club as president and his local FFA chapter as president and vice president. He placed among the top 10 in the national FFA dairy judging contest and was named champion dairy showman at the Tillamook County Fair in 2019.

In high school, Josh was captain of the football team for two years and wrestled for the school as well. A skilled welder, he led multiple large projects for the school shop.

He was elected treasurer of the EOU Trap Club and nominated by this club and the Agriculture Club to represent the ag community on the EOU university council. He also plays football for his college team.

Morris B. Ewing ABS Global Genetic Performance Scholarship

The recipient of the $3,250 award is Katarina Lee Emerich, Mooers, N.Y. The daughter of Jerry and Wanda Emerich is a junior at Purdue University. She has a major in agribusiness with a concentration in agribusiness marketing and a minor in animal science.

Katarina is the winner of the 2019 National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest. She attended Jersey Youth Academy in 2017. She received the William A. Russell Memorial Scholarship in 2018 and was named first alternate in the National Jersey Queen Contest in 2019.

She and her family operate Dorado Jerseys. Cattle are managed with the Registered Jersey herd at Crescent Farm in Walpole, N.H.

Katarina has exhibited cattle since she was four. She showed the Junior Champion at the county fair six years straight and took home Supreme Champion honors twice. As well, she exhibited Junior Champions at the Vermont State Show and the New York Spring Carousel Show. A national standout was Kellogg Bay Silly Response-ET, who was named Reserve Junior All American Intermediate Calf in 2015.

Katarina’s cattle have also fared well in youth production contests at the state and national level. She placed second in Division I of the National Youth Production Contest in 2017 and seventh in Division II with Dorado-K Prescott Ophelia, who traces to her first Jersey, a gift from her father, purchased at the 2010 National Heifer Sale.

Continuing her agriculture involvement at Purdue, she is a member of the Purdue Dairy Club and co-chaired the 2020 Boilermaker Legacy Sale. Katarina was a member of the university’s dairy judging team that competed at the Pennsylvania All-American Dairy Show, World Dairy Expo and the Fort Worth Stock Show in 2019. She is an envoy for the agricultural economics department and has been a teaching assistant for an ag economics class. She also is first vice president of the Midwest Regional American Dairy Science Association (ADSA)-Student Affiliate Division (SAD).

At World Dairy Expo in 2019, Katarina was an intern with the ethics committee. She also has experience with research projects at the W.H. Miner Institute and Purdue University and worked at Hidden View Farm of Champlain, N.Y., as a milker and calf feeder.

The Lineweaver Scholarship

Kathryn Marie Bosley, Malone, N.Y., will receive the scholarship. The amount of this year’s award is $3,500. The daughter of Jennifer and Charles Bosley is a senior at SUNY-Cobleskill. She plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in animal science and an associate’s degree in dairy production and management.

She placed second in the 2019 National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest and was awarded the V.L. Peterson Scholarship in 2019. She attended Jersey Youth Academy in 2017.

Growing up on a 50-cow Registered Jersey dairy, she worked alongside her family at Tierney Farm.

She was a member of the team that competed at the National 4-H Dairy Judging Contest in 2017. She was crowned Franklin County Dairy Princess in 2017 and represented her county at the New York State 4-H Capital Days Conference in Albany in 2019. This past November, she was elected secretary of the New York Jersey Cattle Club.

Kathryn was instrumental in the founding of Sigma Alpha Gamma Delta, a national agricultural sorority, at SUNY-Cobleskill. She is the current first vice president and has also served as secretary. She is a member of the honors program at SUNY-Cobleskill and was a teaching assistant for an introductory genetics class. She is also a student ambassador for the Office of Admissions and an academic peer advocate. She received the Excellence in Student Leadership Award from the university in 2020.

She is a member of the Dairy Club and competed on the dairy judging team that took top honors among post-secondary schools at World Dairy Expo in 2019. She is also a member of the Pre-Vet Club and a student affiliate member of the American Dairy Science Association. She belongs to Tri Beta Biological Honor Society and the Epsilon Pi Tau Technical Honor Society and is working to be inducted in the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Anne E. Perchard Challenge Award

Catherine Tess Savage, Dickerson, Md., is the recipient of this year’s award. The daughter of Kevin and Laurie Savage is a senior at Virginia Polytechnic State University, with a major in dairy science and dual minors of agribusiness and animal and poultry sciences.

She won the 2018 National Jersey Youth Achievement Contest and attended Jersey Youth Academy in 2017. She received the Cedarcrest Farms Scholarship in 2018 and The Lineweaver Scholarship last year.

Twice, Catherine received the John D. Stiles Memorial Award for service to the Maryland Junior Jersey Cattle Club. She has promoted agriculture and dairy as the Maryland Jersey Queen, the alternate Maryland Dairy Princess and the first runner-up Miss Montgomery County Farm Bureau.

She obtained Emerald (level five) status with Maryland 4-H and was a member of teams that represented Maryland in national dairy judging and dairy quiz bowl competitions. She also earned awards in dairy promotion and dairy jeopardy contests. Among other positions, Catherine served her local 4-H club and county Holstein club as president. She is active with the dairy goat industry as well, operating CNGF Boer Goat Farm.

She is program coordinator for the Virginia Tech Dairy Club and helps to raise funds for the club selling milkshakes at football and basketball games. She has also been advertising chair for the Milky Way yearbook and competed with the dairy judging team in national contests in 2018. She belongs to Virginia Tech Young Farmers and was elected third vice president of the ADSA-SAD southern region and officer-at-large at the national level.

On schedule to graduate early in December 2020, Catherine is keeping her career path options open. She is considering work in the areas of reproduction, extension or herd management. She has a special place for 4-H in her heart, so plans to also continue to volunteer with the organization and mentor young people.

Reuben R. Cowles Youth Educational Award

Sydney Renee Brady, Cleveland, Tenn., will receive the scholarship in the amount of $2,500. She is a freshman at Middle State University majoring in animal science and agriculture. She and her family operate Triple J Farm.

She was crowned as the Tennessee Jersey Queen and represented her state in the National Jersey Queen Contest in 2018. She was named Outstanding Girl by the Tennessee Jersey Breeders Association in 2011 and recently elected east vice president of the junior club.

Sydney has exhibited cattle at various shows since 2008. She earned the Ida Mae Brady Award for Grand Champion in 2008 and exhibited the Grand Champion of the Tennessee Valley Fair in 2013. She also showed the protein award winner of the junior three-year-old class at the 2013 All American Junior Jersey Show, Smith Bros Saber Jo.

Active with FFA as well, she has served as president and vice president of her local chapter and earned her State FFA Degree in 2019.

Awards for 2020-2021

Applications for 2021-2022 Jersey Youth Scholarships will be accepted from April 1 through July 1, 2021, and forms will be available closer to deadline at www.USJersey.com/YouthProgram/scholarshipinfo.html.

For more information, contact Kim Billman, Director of Communications for the American Jersey Cattle Association, by mail at 6486 E. Main St., Reynoldsburg, OH 43068-2362, or by email at kbillman@usjersey.com.

Support for the AJCA scholarship program comes from eight different funds managed in perpetuity by the AJCA. In order to make available larger scholarship amounts, Jersey breeders can contribute to the funds at any time by contacting the AJCA at 614/322-4451.