2024 Youth Achievement Winner
The National Youth Achievement winner is an individual who does outstanding work in the Brown Swiss breed. An Achievement winner will be chosen at the National Convention.
Youth Achievement Finalist: Alexis Blankenberg, WI
Hello, my name is Alexis Blankenberg, and I am the eighteenyear-old daughter of Bill Blankenberg and Angela Thoma from Platteville, Wisconsin. I am currently a freshman at the University of Wisconsin- Platteville majoring in Dairy Science with a minor in Agriculture Business. Although I wish I could say that my journey in agriculture has been easy, because of my parents’ separation, my experience within the Dairy industry has been truly unique. In my earliest years, I spent only the weekends with my father on the farm and quickly developed a passion for the industry that has only been strengthened by the induction of Brown Swiss within our herd. Since the development of my love for the big brown cow, I have undergone several custody changes in order to give me the largest opportunity to expand my efforts in developing my herd.
Since those changes, about eleven years have gone by and I have had the opportunity to become involved in various organizations throughout agriculture such as 4H. I have been a member since and have served as the club’s president from 202l to 2023 and am now currently serving as the club’s vice president. In addition to 4H, I became very involved within the National FFA organization, where I served as the Iowa-Grant FFA chapter secretary for two years, participated in Leadership Development Events, the Dairy Cattle Evaluation Career Development Event, and have submitted Proficiency Applications for Dairy Production Entrepreneurship. At the 2023 Wisconsin State FFA Convention, I was chosen as the state winner and in addition received my State FFA Degree. My proficiency then went on to be rated gold at the national level. I am currently very involved within the National Brown Swiss Junior Association and the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Junior Association where I have held a leadership position and have taken on many roles to ensure the success of the organization. Throughout high school I was involved in various other activities including, forensics, academic decathlon, LEO club, drama, and music. At UW-Platteville, I am involved in the Pioneer Dairy Club and Platteville’s collegiate dairy judging team.
Without a doubt, I am very passionate about the Brown Swiss breed and am very proud of my herd, which started from nothing and is now a herd of over 100, containing eight excellent cows, twenty-one very good cows, and twelve good plus young cows, with an average herd score of 87.9 points. Although I do not exactly know what the future holds in regards to a career, I certainly hope that I can continue to be surrounded by Brown Swiss throughout it.
Youth Achievement Finalist: Natalie Roe
My name is Natalie Roe, and I am a junior currently attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a double major in Dairy Science and Life Science Communications. I am originally from Monticello, WI, where my parents, Dan and Sally Roe, own and operate a cash crop farm, Roe Farms Partnership. They also own and operate a commercial grain elevator, Pleasant Grain LLC. My brothers, Nick and Alex, and I grew up helping on the farm in any way possible.
I got my interest in Brown Swiss Cattle from 4-H, starting with a 4-H project calf from Voegeli Farms Inc. when I was in 4th grade. From there, my interest blossomed, and my brothers and I started our herd, Top Line Swiss. We show these heifers across the Midwest. I am active within the Wisconsin Brown Swiss Juniors Association, as well as many other dairy activities in my county and at college. At the collegiate level, I am currently involved in the Association of Women in Agriculture, Badger Dairy Club, the UW-Madison Dairy Judging Team, and more. When I graduate in the Fall of 2024, I hope to go into the dairy industry with a communications or marketing position.