Brown Swiss USA > Youth > Youth Spotlight > 2023 Scholarship/Grant Winners

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2023 Scholarship Recipients 

Lynn Marie Tormoehlen, KY

My name is Lynne Marie Tormoehlen. I am from Springfield Kentucky and am the daughter of Greg Tormoehlen. My involvement with the Brown Swiss breed started at a very young age. My father was raised with Brown Swiss cows, so he raised me the same way. As a child I would always be outside helping my father feed the cows out in the field. When I started asking my father about a summer job, he suggested showing cattle. I thought he was crazy, but it included my two favorite things: my Brown Swiss cows and socializing with people. I decided to give it a shot for one summer and I loved every minute of it. I spent the next six summers rallying thirteen to fifteen head of dairy cattle (I expanded my breed interest to Guernsey and Milking Shorthorns) and traveling around the state of Kentucky to twenty or more county fairs, the state fair, and the North American. This experience really piqued my interest in Brown Swiss and the dairy industry. In high school, I took advantage of my 4-H ties and spent a year learning about the dairy industry through the Indiana Dairy Youth Academy. I learned so much from experiences with the Brown Swiss breed and the dairy industry as a whole. I decided an agriculture business major would make sense with my passion for agriculture and my business savvy. I am attending Dordt University for a Bachelor of Art in Agriculture Business with a minor in accounting. At Dordt I also am a member of the track and field team and the Agriculture Club. This summer I will be participating in an internship at Trans Ova Genetics in their accounting department to learn more about costs of genetic work in the dairy industry.

Abigail Wilber, CT

My name is Abigail Wilber and I am from Colebrook, Connecticut. I began showing Brown Swiss at the age of six, leasing from my great aunt and uncle, Trudy and Luke Tanner of Nutmeg Acres Farm. With the support of my family – including my grandfather, George Wilber of Beech Hill Farm and parents, Amy Bailey and Theodore Wilber – I grew my own herd of bred and owned Brown Swiss and continue to compete at the local, regional and national levels. In this past year I have been grateful to complete my time in 4-H as a member of the Connecticut State 4-H Dairy Judging Team, placing 23rd individually at the World Dairy Expo contest. I have also been fortunate to work with several show strings at the Northeast National Fall Shows and World Dairy Expo. I am currently completing an Associate’s degree in Animal Science at the University of Connecticut with the intention of pursuing a Bachelor’s in Agricultural Economics. I hope to one day work for an agricultural biotechnology or animal health related company. I enjoy working with youth through 4-H and participating in UConn Block & Bridle and Dairy Club events in my spare time.

Karrie Ayer, VT

My name is Karrie Ayer. I am currently a student at SUBY Cobleskill going into my Junior year. I am working on getting my Bachelor’s degree in Animal Sciece with a concentration in dairy. I am from Addison Vermont where my passion for the dairy industry started. Being born and raised in the dairy industry has opened up so many amazing opportunities for me, including: Vermont State FFA Officer for two terms, networking all across the country, working for ABS Global, and being on the 2022 SUNY Cobleskill Dairy Cattle Judging Team that were national champions at World Dairy Expo. I also have a passion for showing registered dairy cattle across different states. The love for Brown Swiss was passed down to me from my late grandmother, and I have taken on breeding my own to show. My goals after graduating are to succeed as a herdsman in the industry and continue to genetically grow my show string.