Carol Wagner Leader Correspondent
The third time was the charm for Kaila Wussow as she won the National Dairy Entrepreneurship Proficiency Award at the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, which was held Oct. 28-30.
“I am still in awe that I was chosen for this award,” Wussow said.
Now a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Wussow applied for the award as a sophomore at Bonduel High School, placing third in the state.
When she was a junior, Wussow updated her application and placed second.
“Finally, this year I redid and updated my information and was honored to place first within the state for the Dairy Entrepreneurship Award,” she said.
Then Wussow was one of four finalists at the national competition.
Her dairy career began when she was a year old and wanted an animal of her own as her parents, Ron and Nicole Wussow, only had Holsteins. They got a registered Jersey for her, and now she has a herd of 31 animals, 29 Jerseys and two Holsteins.
“My herd of Jerseys is unique in that most of the animals that I have today are from the original cow that I received when I was 1,” Wussow said.
The family, which includes younger brother Colin, owns and operates Milk-n-More Farms and Harvesting in Cecil. To be considered for the award Wussow had to fill out a lengthy application.
“Since I competed in the entrepreneurship section, I focused on the business that I have created with my dairy animals,” she said.
She started keeping records when she joined the FFA in the seventh grade, keeping track of all her animals, their production and breeding records, her business expenses, revenue, skills she learned by working with the animals, and her goals. Once chosen as a finalist, Wussow prepared for an intense interview.
“They want to know what your profits and losses are and other general questions they see in your application,” she said.
Over the years, Wussow said she tried to breed for animals that not only look good for showing but can milk and earn money for her business. Jerseys are known for their high fat and protein content in milk.
“It’s important to be profitable, and the only way for a dairy farmer to do this really is for her animals to produce milk,” she said.
Wussow is majoring in dairy science with a minor in agriculture business. She is adding agriculture marketing communications as a second major. After college she would like to work in the dairy industry either in marketing or journalism.
After 10 years, she would like to go back to the family farm and be the fifth generation to own and operate the dairy.
Wussow worked hard to get where she is but acknowledged the help and encouragement from her parents, brother, grandparents, friends, the dairy industry, FFA adviser Doug Raymakers, and the Bonduel FFA chapter and FFA Alumni.
“They always encourage me to do my best and helped me realize that hard work really does pay off in the end,” she said.
