I am a current sheep and meat goat superintendent for Jackson County, where I grew up. Through this experience, I am able to provide guidance for 4-Hers within the sheep and meat goat projects. I am also present at spring weigh in and am present for county check in as well as the night of the show to assist with the show.

I grew up on a family farm that consists of about 200 head of cattle, 30 head of goats, about 200 dogs, 7 horses, 9 llamas, and about 15 cats. Through this experience, I have learned the day in and day out work of living on a ranch. I have learned proper animal handling to ensure limited stress on cattle, goats, dogs, horses, llamas, and cats. While doing this, I have helped tattoo and re-tag bulls to market for sales and also helped move them to pasture when needed. I observed artificial insemination of cattle, goats, and dogs to use in my future. I have also assisted with general maintenance on the ranch such as building fence. In addition to this I maintain feed and medication inventories. During calving and kidding season, I also monitor the stock and assist with birth if needed. I do this with dogs as well. In addition to all of this, I have sheered llamas in the summer months to ensure that they do not get too hot.

I was raised in a household with both parents as veterinarians, therefore I had the opportunity to be a part of the veterinary industry starting at a very young age. I was able to help at the veterinary clinic, and it inspired me to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine. While working at the veterinary clinic, I was able to utilize proper handling techniques for species during exams and procedures. I assisted with spays, neuters, and c-sections, and monitored the animals post-surgery. I also performed procedures such as giving shots, castration, and pregnancy checking. I was also able to help with CIDR protocols for goats and cattle for artificial insemination. Before we would artificially inseminate the goats or cattle, I would evaluate semen motility and morphology to ensure that semen quality was good enough to continue. In addition to all of this, I assisted with scheduling appointments for clients and then communicated with them during their visit. Being raised in a veterinary household has allowed me to have a hand in the real-world practices of veterinary medicine and will be valuable moving forward in my career path.

I worked in the shipping and receiving department at KABSU. I take inventories of semen as well as keep accurate records for all of the customers.