My name is Katrina Hoesly and I will be a senior at Denmark High School next year!

 

Involvement in the dairy industry has been ongoing and extremely important in my life. I am a member of the Wisconsin Holstein Association and the American Jersey Cattle Association, as well as the Brown County Jr. Holstein Breeders. I am notably engaged in the Denmark FFA Chapter, as I have been a member since 2016 and have held officer positions such as the 2017-2018 Secretary, 2018-2019 Vice President, and President for 2019-2020! FFA has expanded my involvement by offering many opportunities such as dairy judging contests, speaking contests, and chances to develop leadership qualities.

 

My dad and grandpa are my biggest inspiration as they sparked my love for the dairy industry at such a young age. I used to help my grandpa feed calves milk every night as well as bring the cows in from the pasture. My dad continued to inspire me after my grandpa's passing as he taught me how to mix feed rations, give vaccinations, determine illnesses, feed calves, and much more. I worked with my dad on Burrodz Registered Holsteins until my parents' divorce, which caused me to move to the Green Bay area. Despite the drastic change of moving into the town of Denmark, I found ways to connect to the dairy industry. I received a job at Kvitek Dairy where I was given the chance to work with dairy cattle again. Being employed at Kvitek Dairy continuously strengthens my knowledge of dairy cattle and better prepares me for my career as a veterinarian. I accepted another job at Baycroft Cattle Co., where I remain to work with Wagyu beef cattle. Even though it is a beef farm, the owners, Jim Hoskens and Jill Stump, have a strong background in the dairy industry and help me increase my involvement. They have gotten me involved in dairy judging and dairy quiz bowl in Brown County! The transition of working with beef cattle seemed to be hard, but turned out to be relatively easy as the care of the cattle is similar to dairy. At Baycroft Cattle Co. I have learned many new ways of treatment, feeding rations, and much more which I can carry with me.

 

After graduation, I plan on attending the University of Wisconsin - Platteville in the fall of 2020 where I will major in Dairy Science with an emphasis in Pre-Vet. After receiving a bachelor's at Platteville, I plan to attend the School of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University. My career goals as a Veterinarian include caring for the health of animals and working to improve public health, as well as diagnosing, treating, and researching medical conditions and diseases of pets, livestock, and other animals. The job also includes performing surgeries, dressing wounds, prescribing medications, taking X-rays, and much more.