Crawford County Farm Bureau member Kaitlyn Riley is a true example of an individual who is willing to go the extra mile to advocate for the future of agriculture.
Kaitlyn’s story starts back on her family’s dairy farm in Crawford County where they raised Jersey cows and ran about 200 tillable acres. Kaitlyn enjoyed her time on the farm and especially loved showing cattle at the county fair and World Dairy Expo with her brother.
When it was time to go to college, Kaitlyn realized she had an interest in agricultural communications through her experiences growing up on the farm. Many of her professors who didn’t have an agricultural background were amazed by all her farming stories.
After college, Kaitlyn started her career by hosting the morning show and farm news update on a radio station in Prairie Du Chien. Since then, Kaitlyn has transitioned to working in television, to becoming the 71st Alice in Dairyland and now working as the Director of Communications and Outreach at Wisconsin Beef Council.
While Kaitlyn stays very busy nowadays, she still returns to the family farm to help whenever she can. In 2021 her parents decided to sell the Jerseys and transitioned to beef cattle.
“My parents always kept an open mind about the farm,” said Kaitlyn. “It was a hard transition, but we learned a lot about the beef industry from other beef cattle producers and by attending workshops and meetings.”
With her current work with Wisconsin Beef Council, Kaitlyn is focused on driving the demand for beef that is sustainable for future generations.
Farm Bureau plays a key role in Kaitlyn’s life. When she became a member, her county Farm Bureau was very supportive in getting her involved in the organization. One of her favorite events is the annual Young Farmer and Agriculturists Conference held in Wisconsin Dells. She loves listening to the speakers, gaining more agricultural tools and resources, and networking with Farm Bureau members. She even met her fiancé at the YFA Conference in 2019!
The 2022 YFA Conference was very special for Kaitlyn. She was a part of the 35 Under 35 recognition program and was ultimately named the top individual in the Sustainable Storytelling category. To tell the story of agriculture, Kaitlyn creates engaging and relatable content on social media. Her goal is to create consumer confidence and share stories of farmers and industry leaders. Kaitlyn also manages a page on Wisconsin Beef Council’s website called “Raising Beef”. Here, information can be found about raising beef cattle in Wisconsin.
All of Kaitlyn’s advocacy efforts were taken into consideration for the application process. “The process really helped me reevaluate my goals and motivated me to keep doing more. In the end, it was my name on the award, but it was Wisconsin Beef Council that won,” Kaitlyn said.
She is very excited to see the program continue and grow. Currently, Kaitlyn is participating in WFBF’s year-long, premier leadership training course, the Leadership Institute.
When asked why she’s Farm Bureau proud, Kaitlyn says, “Because the opportunities we have today are shaping the leaders we have tomorrow.”
When it comes to telling the story of agriculture, Kaitlyn goes the extra mile to reach consumers and share stories of many Wisconsin agriculturists. She is a driven individual who is paving the way for the future of agriculture.
Watch Kaitlyn’s application video to learn more about her Sustainable Storytelling efforts.
Heidi Strey is Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Communications Intern. She is currently attending the University of Wisconsin River Falls and is involved in her family’s beef farm near Osseo.
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