“As a high school kid, I didn’t really know the opportunities that came along with collegiate livestock judging, but then I went to camp and realized that was exactly where I wanted to be and exactly what I wanted to do,” said Grellner.
Growing up in the small town of Rosebud, Missouri, Dakota Grellner was familiar with the world of agriculture and livestock. While she competed on her high school FFA Chapter’s dairy cattle and livestock judging teams, she didn’t realize judging was her passion until she attended a camp at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College.
After completing her associate’s degree in agribusiness management and judging at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Grellner transferred to Mizzou, where she joined the livestock judging team and completed her animal sciences’ degree in 2018. After graduation, she worked for Purina, followed by a position as a Youth Program Associate with MU Extension in Osage and Cole counties. When she saw that the livestock team coaching position was open at Mizzou, she took it as a sign to jump back into her passion. While she is glad she took some time away from Mizzou to pursue other professional interests and learning experiences, she also is glad to be back.
“I felt like I kind of lost myself a little bit, not being in the livestock judging world anymore,” said Grellner. “Now getting back to it, everyday I wake up and I’m exactly where I want to be — even if the wakeup call is super early. Even when we have stressful times preparing for events, I’m still looking forward to what the team has going on the next month and the next month. I just feel like I’m back home again.”
In addition to coaching the Mizzou team and helping teach the livestock evaluation class, Grellner hosts the livestock judging contest for Missouri FFA State Convention, as well as a livestock judging camp on campus. Each of these events helps recruit and rebuild the Mizzou team.
“I’ve got a lot of ideas on how to ramp up the program, but first we have to build back some of our student and alumni involvement,” said Grellner. “If we win championships, if we get top 10, if we win banners, that’s great, but that’s not my main goal right now. My main goal is to get people involved, get the team rebuilt and regrouped, and get our recruitment up.”
Grellner is quick to encourage interested students to try livestock judging, regardless of their major or background.
“Even if you don’t plan to go into livestock production, you can gain so many soft skills from being on the judging team,” Grellner said. “You get oral presentation skills from giving reasons, and that ability to defend your answer might one day help you in an office setting. You get critical thinking skills, decision making skills, and the opportunity to connect with other people in the agriculture industry across the country. You can talk about these things in the classroom, but the travel you do on a livestock judging team allows you to see different agricultural practices all over America first-hand and practice those soft skills. It’s a lot of time in a 15-passenger van, but that’s where you can make lifelong friends as well.”
If you’re interested in joining the Mizzou Livestock Judging Team, contact Dakota Grellner at soudersd@missouri.edu.
To see photos of the previous Mizzou Livestock Judging Teams, visit University of Missouri Livestock Judging Team 1928-2024 | Flickr.