rship Competition. The Association sponsors two $1000 scholarships and Brown Swiss breeders and industry sponsor three $500 scholarships. The scholarship recipients will be recognized at the National Convention in East Peoria, Ill. on June 25 during the youth awards banquet. There were 10 applicants for the 2014 Scholarship Contest.
Annie Achen of Warner, South Dakota has received a $1000 Brown Swiss Association Scholarship. Achen has held many leadership positions in FFA and was the National Brown Swiss Speech Winner in 2012 with her speech, “Big Brown Polled Cow.” Achen hopes to work for an agriculture-related company in public relations upon graduation from Purdue University. She also hopes to work as an EMT at some point in her career. Annie plans to hold an internship each summer through college.
Michael Barton of Ancramdale, New York has received the $500 New Generation Genetics Scholarship. Barton became involved in the dairy industry when his grandfather started their Brown Swiss farm, Elite Dairy in 2003. He shows and fits his own cattle at local and national shows. Looking at his future, Barton says his main focus is happiness but he will not allow the family farm to be extinct “If it is necessary, I will drop everything in life and take over the operation. I know my grandfather would not want all of his hard work to end suddenly and I would not let it either.”
Sara Harn of Brooklyn, Wisconsin has received a $1000 Brown Swiss Association Scholarship. Harn is double majoring in Dairy Science and Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sara shows her Brown Swiss cattle under the Kalos prefix. In the past, Sara has been very involved in Dairy Judging through 4-H and has been on National Championship teams. Sara is currently the 2013 National Brown Swiss Youth Ambassador; a role she says has only confirmed her passion for the Brown Swiss breed. After graduation, Sara plans to have a career marketing dairy cattle genetics internationally.
Robin Muenzenberger, Coon Valley, Wisconsin is the recipient of the $500 Howard Voegeli Memorial Scholarship. Muenzenberger is active in 4-H, FFA and currently owns 16 Brown Swiss animals. He became involved with Brown Swiss, having grown up with them on his parent’s dairy farm, Bo-Valley Swiss and says “the highlight” of his showing career was when his cow Bo-Valley Agenda Spree won Reserve Grand Champion at Wisconsin State Fair. This fall, Muenzenberger will finish his Agriculture Engineering and Technology Degree at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Chelsea Skidmore, Union City, Ohio has received the $500 Pixie Knoll Scholarship. The Pixie Knoll Scholarship is sponsored by John and Constance Anderson of Modesto, California. Skidmore owns 16 Brown Swiss, which she houses at North Lane Farm, owned by her step father John Powell. She markets her cows’ milk through Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), being involved in the dairy industry as an active dairy producer. Skidmore’s future plans involve obtaining a dairy science degree from Ohio State University (OSU) or OSU-Agricultural Technical Institute and eventually returning to take over North Lane Farm to expand the herd to around 150-200 cows.
To participate in the Youth Scholarship Program, a youth must be a Brown Swiss National Junior member and be 9-21 years of age as of January 1 of the current year. For more information on this or other Association Youth Programs contact Junior Advisor Charlotte Muenzenberger at cmuenzenberger@brownswissusa.com, call the Brown Swiss Association at 608-365-4474 or visit the website: www.brownswissusa.com.
The Brown Swiss Association was established in 1880, registers about 10,000 animals per year and serves about 1800 combined Adult and Junior Members.
BSCBA * 800 Pleasant Street * Beloit, WI 53511
