The only dumb question is the one that never gets asked, says the winner of this year’s inaugural winner of the Richard Caverly Memorial Dairy Award.
Katie Schulz has had the distinction of being mentored by some of the best in the business, and today she was recognised for how she’s taken those experiences and transformed into a mentor herself.
The award is presented to an individual, aged 18-30 (on Jan. 1 of the award year), who exemplifies the qualities that Richard is remembered for – great cow sense, a deep love of dairy cattle breeding and husbandry, and a strong belief in the importance of training and guiding dairy youth.
“My biggest thing for kids is don’t be afraid to ask your questions,” Katie said after the presentation under the globe at WDE. “Especially at demos. I always tell them, there are probably three other people with the exact same question, and the only dumb one is the one that doesn’t get asked.
Katie maintains a small herd of Ayrshires and Milking Shorthorns in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania with her partner, Dr. Jeffrey McKissick under the prefix, Shocking Genetics. She works with all breeds, but Ayrshires “have her heart.”
She has won 32 Junior and Open All-American nominations and showed her first Ayrshire at World Dairy Expo in 2014. In the decade since, she has worked as a cattle fitter doing sales, shows, and barn clipping.
Shultz was mentored by Micheal Heath – who has also been a tough loss for the industry –absorbing everything she could about breeding, developing, and showing the great ones. She remembers Michael teasing her about the name of her prefix.
“Mike used to always say, ‘It’s shocking. Nothing you do shocks me anymore’,” Katie said.
She added that he never joked about developing cattle, marketing them, and finding them new homes through the show season. It taught her that it’s a business.
“She now works for Cowbuyer doing internet marketing, working with herds across the country. Her memory for cows, detail-orientated work ethic, and respect for genomics were highlighted by the people who spoke to her nomination. She and her fiancée, Brian Reichard, have a son, Brock.
She said she’d had a great week at WDE, and that the best result was achieved after she sold her Ayrshire heifer to Kueffner Holsteins and Jerseys.
Palmyra Magellan Gigi-ET won a class of 48-head of winter heifer calves – the biggest Ayrshire class in five decades – in the breed’s junior show under judge Brandon Ferry, earlier in the week.
