edible notables
A MOO-VING STORY
4-H powerhouse #1 dairy handler in Nevada.
WRITTEN BY BARBARA TWITCHELL
PHOTOS BY CANDICE NYANDO
Don’t let her fool you. Mikayla Story is not what she seems. This lovely, delicate-looking wisp of a girl really is a powerhouse in disguise.
Or, as her mother, Sheila, puts it, “She’s one tough cookie! She’s a very, very strong girl who actually holds school weight-lifting records.”
Who would have guessed?
But perhaps that explains how this willowy Carson High School senior ended up being named the #1 dairy handler in Nevada in 2012 through her Capitol chapter of Future Farmers of America, which earned her a spot in FFA Nationals in Indianapolis, where she was awarded a Silver Emblem.
Mikayla has been involved with Arrowhead 4-H Livestock Club in Carson City since age 9, but is one of few in the club — or the state — to choose to raise dairy cattle. Most youths prefer market (meat) animals such as sheep or pigs, according to Marena Works, leader of the Arrowhead 4-H club. Those animals are easier, more profitable, and much less of a time commitment (usually only three to four months).
But easy is not in Mikayla’s vocabulary. Early on, she decided that raising and breeding dairy cattle and trying to improve the line was the direction she preferred to go, despite the lengthy process of raising cattle from calf to cow.
“You really have to be more patient and committed to do the dairy animals, but it’s definitely worth it. You get more out of it,” Mikayla says. “You get that discipline throughout the whole year, and you get that deeper relationship with your animal.”
She says this discipline will serve her well in the future as she follows in the footsteps of her father, a geologist, and pursues a career in the geosciences. In fact, she believes that her involvement in 4-H and FFA have taught her many valuable life lessons and honed her leadership skills. The evidence already is there. At 17, she has an enviable resumé of success: She is an honors and advanced placement student; her current schedule includes college classes at Western Nevada College; she’s captain of the CHS cheer team; and she is the president of the Carson High FFA Chapter, which she helped form.
Mikayla currently has two, soon to be three, head of cattle. There’s 3-year-old Tessa, whom Mikayla has raised and bred, and there’s Tessa’s 1-year-old calf, Amelia. Tessa is expecting another calf this spring. Tessa and Amelia took first place in the Progeny category at the 2012 Nevada Junior Livestock Show. Mikayla is hoping to repeat that win and perhaps take the Grand Champion award this year.
She’s invested a lot of time and energy in her line of cattle and is hoping that one of her younger brothers, Hayden or Parker, will assume the project when she leaves for college.
But then, that’s another Story …
Barbara Twitchell is a Reno-based freelance writer. Her knowledge of dairy cattle didn’t go beyond the milk in her morning cereal. Thanks to Mikayla, she now has a lot more respect for the original container.
More Information
Nevada Junior Livestock Show runs Wed. – Sun., May 15 – 19 at the Reno Livestock Events Center in Reno
To find out what types of 4-H clubs and groups are offered in your area, visit the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension at http://Www.unce.unr.edu/4H or contact the UNCE office in your county:
Carson City/Storey County 775-887-2252, http://Www.unce.unr.edu/counties/carson-storey
Churchill County 775-423-5121, http://Www.unce.unr.edu/4H/counties/churchill
Douglas County 775-782-9960, http://Www.unce.unr.edu/counties/douglas
Reno/Washoe County 775-784-4848, http://Www.unce.unr.edu/counties/washoe/reno
