Kleffner and Walters awarded dairy scholarships
The 2024 first ever Rex Rickett Memorial Scholarship recipient is Caitlyn Kleffner of Rolla, Missouri, where she graduated from Rolla Senior High School in 2021. In December, she received her bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Missouri Columbia and will now be starting a master’s degree in animal science from the Oklahoma State University. She grew up surrounded by Katahdin hair sheep and chickens in Rolla on a crossbred cow-calf operation alongside her mother. With her father, she helped manage a cow-calf to feedlot operation in the small town of Brinktown. Caitlyn showed cattle on a county level and sheep both locally and nationally.
During her freshman year at MU, Caitlyn also had the opportunity to serve as a Missouri FFA State Vice President. In the beginning she wanted to study ruminant nutrition, but after working at the Foremost Dairy for a year and starting her new research assistant position under Dr. Harley Naumann, Caitlyn’s love for forage production began to flourish. To help prepare herself for graduate school, Caitlyn was in charge of an undergraduate research project looking at sunn hemp production in a silvo pasture setting. Outside of forage research, Caitlyn has also assisted a master’s student with her dairy nutrition study conducted at the Foremost Dairy. When considering a future career, she has settled on the idea of extension, working in a research lab, or becoming an instructor at a smaller university such as Lincoln University or State Tech.
The Campbell-Vieten Scholarship recipient is Danielle Walters of Alton, Missouri. Danielle was raised on a beef and dairy cattle farm and is currently a senior majoring in agriculture education at the College of the Ozarks, with plans to graduate in May 2025.
During college, she worked at the W. Alton Jones Dairy for two years. She also participated in the North American Intercollegiate Diary Challenge, where her team placed second. Danielle is currently serving the state of Missouri and the Missouri FFA Foundation as one of the 2024-2025 Missouri Teach Agriculture Ambassadors. While also having the opportunity to speak at Missouri State FFA Convention and Camp Rising Sun. Danielle also worked in the milking parlor at the Missouri State Fair for the past three years.
Danielle is the daughter of John Walters Jr. After graduation, she hopes to teach agriculture education at a high school in Missouri while pursuing a masters in agriculture education and minor studies in animal science at the University of Missouri.
The Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors Foundation annually presents this scholarship of up to $2,500 to encourage one or more upper class Missouri college students who have demonstrated the potential to become future leaders and contributors to the Missouri dairy industry. This scholarship is funded by the generosity of the Emory Vieten and Dr. John Campbell families.
The Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors Foundation was established in 1988 to recognize and honor individuals whose leadership and outstanding contributions over their lifetime have significantly improved the Missouri dairy industry.