Kim Wilson’s summer pastures

She and her younger brother Scott were members of a Neosho High School state and national dairy judging championship team. That team had the honor of traveling to the British Isles to compete in international competition.

Now Wilson, who lives near Neosho, is a fifth year senior at Oklahoma State University. Before she finishes her education, she will have a bachelor's degree in animal science with an emphasis in livestock merchandizing.
But before she starts that final year, Wilson will probably spend some time reflecting on what turned out to be an interesting summer. For eight weeks, she held an internship with the Jersey Marketing Service, which is part of the American Jersey Cattle Association, based in Ohio. The program she was in is called the "Fred Stout Experience Award" and is a combination scholarship and internship.

Fred Stout was an Illinois Jersey breeder and member of the Jersey Marketing Service for 20 years. He believed in "hands-on" learning experiences, and that's what the award is all about. They are not easily won. Only two awards were given this year. One to Kim Wilson and one to Ivy Roberts, from Mt. Berry, Georgia.

Wilson found the experiences exactly what she is looking for in life. "This internship would be the absolutely perfect job for me," she said.

During the eight weeks, Wilson spent time in the field at farms and cattle shows, but also served in the headquarters in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. There, she designed and created promotional materials, sale flyers and signs, and also proof read and edited Jersey sale catalogs. Wilson was surprised by how much she enjoyed the office work.

But she also liked her field experiences. Her field duties included helping prepare cattle for a Jersey sale near Greenview, Illinois. She also went on two herd visits in Indiana.

On one occasion, she was sent to Oregon where she worked with a crew at the 53rd National Jersey Heifer Sale. Much of this work was similar to what she had done at fairs all her life—clipping, cleaning, brushing, etc. During the Oregon stay, she also accompanied three appraisers and helped value about 800 head of Jerseys on a large dairy farm.

Dairy cattle have always been part of Kim Wilson's life. She began showing dairy cattle in 4-H events many years ago. All her life, her family has shown dairy cattle at the Missouri State Fair and she cannot remember a year when she did not go along.

She and her younger brother Scott were members of a Neosho High School state and national dairy judging championship team. That team had the honor of traveling to the British Isles to compete in international competition.

Now Wilson, who lives near Neosho, is a fifth year senior at Oklahoma State University. Before she finishes her education, she will have a bachelor's degree in animal science with an emphasis in livestock merchandizing.
But before she starts that final year, Wilson will probably spend some time reflecting on what turned out to be an interesting summer. For eight weeks, she held an internship with the Jersey Marketing Service, which is part of the American Jersey Cattle Association, based in Ohio. The program she was in is called the "Fred Stout Experience Award" and is a combination scholarship and internship.

Fred Stout was an Illinois Jersey breeder and member of the Jersey Marketing Service for 20 years. He believed in "hands-on" learning experiences, and that's what the award is all about. They are not easily won. Only two awards were given this year. One to Kim Wilson and one to Ivy Roberts, from Mt. Berry, Georgia.

Wilson found the experiences exactly what she is looking for in life. "This internship would be the absolutely perfect job for me," she said.

During the eight weeks, Wilson spent time in the field at farms and cattle shows, but also served in the headquarters in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. There, she designed and created promotional materials, sale flyers and signs, and also proof read and edited Jersey sale catalogs. Wilson was surprised by how much she enjoyed the office work.

But she also liked her field experiences. Her field duties included helping prepare cattle for a Jersey sale near Greenview, Illinois. She also went on two herd visits in Indiana.

On one occasion, she was sent to Oregon where she worked with a crew at the 53rd National Jersey Heifer Sale. Much of this work was similar to what she had done at fairs all her life—clipping, cleaning, brushing, etc. During the Oregon stay, she also accompanied three appraisers and helped value about 800 head of Jerseys on a large dairy farm.

One of the things she did discover was how important the pedigree is to some Jersey cattle producers. She learned by heart the names of several famous cow families.

The last requirement for her internship was a power point presentation about her experiences. After the presentation she answered questions about the program and about her own future plans.

In spite of all she has done, Kim gives much credit for what she has achieved to her family—at least three generations of them.

Currently, she is back at Oklahoma State University, and this year her brother Scott will also be at school there. As she has done for the last two years, she will once again be working part-time for the university in the dairy cattle center, milking and doing other chores dairymen and women do every day—but that is simply a major part of her life.

But she will have some time to reflect on the time she spent in some interesting "Summer Pastures."