As a ninth-generation farmer who grew up working on her family’s commercial beef cattle farm, Ashlyn Clemmer always knew she wanted to make a positive impact in the beef industry one day. A college capstone course in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences presented the opportunity to do it while still a student.
Clemmer, who will be the first in her family to graduate from college in May with a bachelor’s degree in animal and poultry sciences, worked with the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association to identify and create a whole new category of membership for the organization: youth.
“This was an opportunity for me to give back to the agriculture community and help encourage the next generation of farmers,” she said. “There really aren’t any organizations for young commercial cattle producers – they’re all purebred associations – and the news…