As classes end for the day, Whitney Harrison heads to work at MFA in Cassville, Mo., where she'll spend the next few hours serving area farmers. After work, she'll head home to greet her two horses, Honey and Audrey, along with her herd of Braunvieh cows.
A high school graduate from Cassville High School, Whitney is currently attending Crowder College in Neosho, Mo., where she plans to obtain a General Agriculture degree. After Crowder, Whitney said she plans to attend a four year University to further study agriculture.
Whitney was an active member of the Cassville FFA and served in the leadership positions of Parliamentarian and Vice President. She was honored her senior year with the Delkalb Award for her outstanding leadership abilities and academics.
Through the state Braunvieh Association and her FFA chapter, she has developed her own herd of registered and commercial Braunvieh.
Whitney's parents, Mike and Teresa Harrison, have helped her develop her herd of six registered fullblood heifers into a successful program. The family farms consists of a total of 100 head of registered Braunvieh cow/calf operation, on roughly 217 acres.
“I started my herd with the help of my parents and a loan to purchase six registered fullblood heifers. My parents and I decided on the Braunvieh breed with the help of a flier that my grandfather picked up at Farmfest,” Whitney said.
Being involved in the beef industry and the Braunvieh Association gives Whitney the opportunity to show her herd to the rest of the beef community through exhibition. She competes with her Braunvieh seedstock on local, district, state and national levels.
“I enjoy showing cattle because it gives me the opportunity to meet new people and to make new friends, friends that will last you a lifetime,” she added.
Several shows the Harrisons exhibit at include; the Barry County Fair, the Ozark Empire Fair, the Missouri State Fair and the American Royal as well as the Braunvieh Junior Nationals.
When asked of her favorite thing to do while showing cattle Whitney replied, “To enjoy the company around me. I always enjoy talking to successful beef producers.”
