BELOIT, Wisc. — The National Brown Swiss Association has selected the 2019-2020 National Brown Swiss Youth Ambassadors. Sarah Lehner, Delaware, Ohio, and Alternate Kaylen Miller, Orangeville, Illinois, were chosen at the National Brown Swiss Convention in Buffalo, New York, July 2-5.
The national ambassadors are the spokespersons for the National Brown Swiss Association and will represent the breed at local, state, and national event,s including World Dairy Expo, National Convention and other national shows. They promote the Brown Swiss breed and the dairy industry.
Sarah Lehner is the 19-year-old daughter of Earl and Beth Lehner of Delaware, Ohio. She manages breeding, genetics, and record keeping for her family’s herd and has exhibited her Brown Swiss at local, state, and national levels. She is currently a sophomore at The Ohio State University, where she is double majoring in Animal Sciences and Agribusiness and Applied Economics. Lehner served as the 2017 Ohio Brown Swiss Queen and is an active member of the Ohio State University Dairy Judging Team and Buckeye Dairy Club. Upon graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in the dairy genetics industry while remaining active on her family’s farm.
Kaylen Miller is the 20-year-old daughter of Craig & Bev Miller. Her family owns Mil-K Valley in Orangeville, Illinois, where they milk 45 Brown Swiss and Holsteins. Miller served as the 2015 and 2016 Illinois State Swiss Miss, where she enjoyed educating the public about the dairy and agriculture industry. She has shown at the local, state, and national level with her Brown Swiss. Through all of these events, activities, and time spent on the farm she began to develop her passion for the dairy industry and gained valuable skills in public speaking and advocacy. Miller has been involved in Dairy Quiz Bowl and Dairy Judging competing at the state and national level. Miller is continuously promoting the dairy industry and educating the public on agriculture whether it be via social media or in person. She is currently a junior at Iowa State University majoring in Agricultural Business and International Agriculture with a minor in Animal Science. After graduating college, she plans on exploring jobs related to the dairy industry with a desire to be overseas for a few years before coming home and taking over her family farm.
Lehner and Miller are looking forward to connecting with as many Brown Swiss breeders and enthusiasts as possible to promote the Big Brown Cow. They truly believe that we have the most profitable breed of dairy cow. They hope to spread awareness about the tremendous benefits Brown Swiss have to offer along with the advantages of taking part in Brown Swiss Association programs. They will be doing spotlights and other promotions on the Brown Swiss Youth Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as in the Brown Swiss Bulletin, so make sure you give them a follow to check in on what they are doing throughout the year!
