Cows. It’s all about the cows.

My whole life has been focused around them and I know for a fact that the rest of my life will be too. Dairy cattle have been a basis for my family for generations and it would be a lie to say that they’re not a part of me.

Now I am entering my final years of showing dairy cattle, which makes it even harder and harder to accept growing up. I am constantly being reminded that some of the best, most memorable parts of my childhood are slowly coming to an end. I have come to dedicate this beautiful willow tree in remembrance and gratitude towards this dairy for the memories it has given me and the life lessons it has taught me. It is very important to me that I conserve my past in order to prepare myself for the future.

But, in a way, I can’t just dedicate the dairy. There are way too many people who have positively influenced me in my journey to becoming an adult. Each and every one of them deserves their own special dedication for the way they have benefited my life. And of course, I wouldn't be where I am today without my beloved cows. The mean, the crazy, the favorites, all of them have paved the way for my success and have shaped my life into what it is today. The world may not understand my gratitude - my appreciation - my dedication for this dairy and the dairy industry, but I do. I believe that it is my job to show the world the importance this dairy has to me and the opportunities I have been blessed with because of it. It is after all, because of this dairy, that I have the life I live today.

Thank you.