Helping build young industry leaders is vitally important to BioZyme® Inc’s mission of “care that comes full circle.” This marks the second year for the Sure Champ® Leadership Team, a group of outstanding youth selected to receive scholarships to attend one of four leadership conferences. In return for their scholarship, these youth will help promote how they #pretowin in the show ring and in life by using various Sure Champ and Vita Charge® products on their cattle.
“Last year we launched the Sure Champ Leadership Team scholarship program in an effort to expand our reach to young people who take the initiative to broaden and strengthen their leadership and networking skills. This program financially supports livestock youth who plan to attend a leadership conference facilitated by one of our breed partners: Hereford, Simmental, Angus and Maine/Chi. Last year we awarded nine scholarships and in year two, we are excited to be awarding 10 scholarships to students representing 10 different states! We look forward to working with the 2021 team on social media content and ways to share their leadership experiences with their peers,” said Jessie Judge, who coordinates the program as the Marketing Brand Manager for Sure Champ and Vita Charge.
BioZyme will present each youth a $500 scholarship to attend the junior breed association leadership conference that he or she is affiliated with. This year BioZyme partnered with the Angus, Hereford, Maine-Anjou and Simmental Associations.
Youth selected to attend the National Junior Hereford Association Faces of Leadership Conference, July 28 – 31 in Columbus, Ohio include:Sarah Beth Callicott, Only, Tennessee; Alisha Klemme, Plymouth, Wisconsin; Haley Mouser, Testrike, Minnesota; and Dellana Muck, Caledonia, Illinois
Two young ladies will attend the National Junior Angus Association Leaders Engaged in Angus Development Conference, July 28 – August 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana and include:Brooke Davis, Lowell, Indiana, and Rachel Smith, Osceola, Nebraska
Hallie Hackett, Texarkana, Texas, will attend the American Junior Simmental Association IGS Youth Leadership Conference, July 26-29 in Canyon, Texas.
Three young people includingTyler Loudon, Creston, Iowa; Mikayla McDonald, Perry, Georgia; and Devin Morton, Stratford, Oklahoma, will attend the American Junior Maine-Anjou Association National Youth Leadership Conference, in early fall in Kansas City.
A brief biographical sketch of each scholarship recipient follows.
Sarah Beth Callicott, Only, Tennessee
Sarah Beth Callicott is active in 4-H, FFA and her local cattlemen’s association. She has been involved with the Hereford breed for four years and is looking forward to attending the Faces of Leadership Conference to meet others that share her passion and strengthen her public speaking skills. As a member of the SCLT, she is looking forward to promoting what she learns on her own social media as well as sharing it with others.
“We are the future of the breed, so we need to learn how to make it better and be good leaders,” she said.
Callicot’s favorite leadership quote is, “leadership is about being a service to others, not being served by others. Be a mentor not a boss.” She hopes to live by that quote by returning to her local community after she studies agriculture in college and working as an ag teacher and giving back to the community that has helped shape her youth.
Alisha Klemme, Plymouth, Wisconsin
Alisha Klemme has been active in the Wisconsin Junior Hereford Association for six years and is currently serving as the Member Secretary. She has also been involved in various leadership roles in her local 4-H and FFA organizations. She is looking forward to meeting other youth who share a passion for the beef industry and agriculture at the Faces of Leadership event.
“Leadership can benefit every aspect of your life. Attendance at this leadership conference will continue to build upon my skills as a leader allowing me to have a positive impact in the agriculture industry in the future,” she said.
Klemme holds great respect for Temple Grandin and looks to her quote for inspiration, “Interests and talents can turn into careers.” This quote is important to her because growing up on a small, hobby farm she received her first heifer when she was 3 and has grown her herd to 12 head over time. She is looking forward to a career as a large animal veterinarian.
Haley Mouser, Tenstrike, Minnesota
Haley Mouser is a first-generation beef producer who has taken advantage of the numerous opportunities that have come her way. She is a five-year member of the National Junior Hereford Association and has participated in many of its programs, including attending a past Faces of Leadership, two Junior National Hereford Expos and the NJHA Fed-Steer Shootout. She is currently Vice President of the Minnesota Junior Hereford Breeders Association.
“The NJHA has provided opportunities for me to discover my passion, develop my strengths, and shape my future goals as part of the beef industry and agriculture as a whole,” said Mouser, who hopes to earn a master’s in Ruminant Nutrition and help producers make profitable feeding decisions.
Her favorite leadership quote comes from Earl Nightingale, “People with goals succeed because they know where they are going.” That seems fitting for a young lady who has set her goals high and goes after what she wants to achieve in life.
Dellana Muck, Caledonia, Illinois
Dellana Muck has been active in the National Junior Hereford Association for five years, where she has had many positive experiences with fellow members, leaders and mentors, including attending previous Faces of Leadership events. She is active in 4-H and FFA and has served as the FFA Section Reporter and Chapter President.
“Leadership and education are inseparable from each other. A strong leader must continue to learn and grow. Attending the NJHA Faces of Leadership Conference will allow me to gain further knowledge in the industry I love so much,” said the young lady who aspires to mentor other livestock enthusiasts when it comes to showing and judging.
Muck is truly a person who leads by example, and she said her favorite quote is, “True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leader.” As someone destined to help younger members, she is a genuine leader.
Brooke Davis, Lowell, Indiana
Brooke Davis has been active in both the Wisconsin and Indiana Junior Angus Associations. She is serving as the Membership Director and a voting delegate to the National Junior Angus Association for the Indiana Junior Angus Association. She enjoys volunteering for the association for a variety of activities from set up and tear down at shows to helping organize the silent auction, a major fundraiser.
As a past attendee of the LEAD Conference, Davis said, “I love hearing from some of the best leaders in the cattle business as well as the educational opportunities that take place during this event. I always look forward to meeting new people and will continue to bring back great knowledge of the Angus industry and how agriculture is so vital in our day-to-day world.”
Theodore Roosevelt is the author of one of her favorite quotes: “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” With aspirations of joining her dad and owning a registered Angus operation, along with a small boutique in the future, this talented young lady is already halfway there.
Rachel Smith, Osceola, Nebraska
Rachel Smith is a life-long member of the National and Nebraska Junior Angus Associations who is passionate about sharing the message of how important agriculture is. She has served as the Vice President of both the Nebraska Junior Angus Association and her FFA chapter. She appreciates LEAD and the networking opportunities it has provided her to make friends from across the United States.
“We are the future of Agriculture. It is our responsibility to help keep the bridge between the producer and the consumer wide open. It is my job to advocate for our industry and help those who are far removed from agriculture to understand why we do what we do. These leadership conferences help to give me the tools to advocate in a productive way,” Smith said.
“Do your best and let God do the rest,” a quote by former National Junior Angus Board Chairman Cory Watt, is one that resonates with Smith. Regardless of if it is making breeding decisions, preparing for a contests or helping young people, she’s always doing her best!
Hallie Hackett, Texarkana, Texas
Hallie Hackett is a seven-year member of the American Junior Simmental Association. While involved with the Simmental breed, she has shown her cattle across Texas and at national shows while competing in various contests, earning several honors and awards. However, she says her biggest accomplishments are the self-confidence she has gained along with her knowledge of and passion for the ag industry.
Hackett is looking forward to attending the IGS Summit, meeting people and expanding her knowledge. “I hope to learn better leadership skills and valuable knowledge about the cattle industry and current events facing cattlemen today. I hope that I can create lasting friendships that bring new knowledge and bonds,” she said.
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things,” by Ronald Reagan is her favorite quote. She looks forward to a future that includes becoming a veterinarian and raising her own Simmental and Simbrah cattle.
Tyler Loudon, Creston, Iowa
Tyler Loudon knows the meaning of involvement. He’s been active in the American Junior Maine-Anjou Association for 10 years, is active in the Iowa Junior Maine-Anjou and Simmental Associations as well as the Iowa Junior Beef Breed Board. He has also taken active leadership roles in 4-H and FFA at the local and state levels.
“I think that it is important that youth take the initiative to get involved in leadership events such as this, as I am looking forward to college and a career past my time in the junior show ring,” Loudon said of attending the National Youth Leadership Conference.
He is looking forward to college and eventually owning his own ranch either in southern Oklahoma or back home in southwest Iowa, raising and selling cattle and helping others with their marketing needs. He also has another goal of qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series since being a professional fisherman and cattleman has been a lifelong dream of his. A favorite quote is one of his own that he has said many times before, “People hate on being different because they are too afraid to be different.”
Mikayla McDonald, Perry, Georgia
Mikayla McDonald is relatively new to the Maine-Anjou breed, but is enthusiastic to get involved in the state and national association and show her steer at the American Junior Maine-Anjou National Junior Show this summer. In addition, she has been active in her local and section FFA and served as the Perry Middle School FFA President.
McDonald would like to stay involved in the agriculture industry and hopes to strengthen her industry knowledge and network this summer. “My hopes while at NYLC are to meet new people and grow my leadership skills as an individual,” she said.
“Those who go with the crowd get no further than the crowd, but those who walk alone get places no one has ever seen,” is her favorite leadership quote. She said she would like to attend Oklahoma State University to study livestock embryology and continue to pursue a life in the cattle industry.
Devin Morton, Stratford, Oklahoma
Devin Morton has been a member of the American Junior Maine-Anjou Association for 10 years and has had numerous successes in the show ring. He is also active in his local FFA chapter and school government, having served as an FFA officer and as President of the Student Council.
“This opportunity would help me form connections and become a role model to the youth involved in this industry. I would also use this opportunity to help start new leadership activities at my local level,” Morton said about attending the National Youth Leadership Conference.
As a servant leader who has done much to give back to his school and community, his favorite quote seems appropriate. “A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, and a little less than his share of the credit,” said by Arnold H. Glasgow. After college, Morton hopes to have a good job as an agricultural engineer.
Through the program, Judge works with the Team to demonstrate to them ways to use social media as a useful marketing tool, while promoting the brands. Many of the young people are active on multiple platforms and can share the Sure Champ message with their peers who have the potential to become new customers. The SCLT is just one way that Sure Champ helps young people #preptowin in life. To follow these leaders’ journeys, stay tuned to the Sure Champ Facebook and Instagram accounts this summer.
