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Let’s hear the story of Nebraska, its communities, its number one industry Agriculture, and the people who make it happen. Sponsored by Nebraska's Law Firm® - Rembolt Ludtke.
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Allison Walbrecht--Livestock, Leadership, Legacy
In this episode we visit with Allison Walbrecht, a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who represents the very best of what Nebraska has to offer. She is the founder of Unified Showing, a non-profit dedicated to empowering youth with disabilities through hands-on livestock education that has garnered two Governor's Excellence in Agriculture Awards. She shares her story of being an ag kid attending high school in Lincoln, what happens when someone leads with heart and why "legacy" is the one word that to her best describes Nebraska.
Welcome to Ninety Three the Podcast. I'm Mark Falston, your host for today's episode, brought to you by Nebraska's law firm, Rumble Butcast. Today's guest is another example of why the future of Nebraska and the future of agriculture are so very bright. Our guest is Alison Wahbracht. Even though she's only 21 years old, she's already built a pretty amazing resume, including being the founder of Unified Showing, a nonprofit that creates opportunities for kids with disabilities to step into the show ring, to connect with livestock, and to feel the joy and confidence that go with it. Allison, thanks for joining us.
SPEAKER_02:I'm glad to be here.
SPEAKER_00:So give us your background. Who are you?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So I'm a senior animal science student at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, this year, which is so sad to say out loud.
SPEAKER_00:You want to stay in college forever?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, I do. And then I think about it and I'm like, no, I don't. But I'm a senior animal science student and I come from a fifth generation beef producing operation back home, right outside of Lincoln, actually. My dad currently farms that currently in the middle of harvest for him right now. So really proud to be from agriculture and going into agriculture and agriculture policy after I graduate.
SPEAKER_00:So where did you go to high school?
SPEAKER_02:I went, I went in city limits to Lincoln Southwest.
SPEAKER_00:How many other kids at Lincoln Southwest when you went there were also showing livestock and uh raising cattle and farming?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I was the only one. Um before me, there was my sister, and she was also the only one. And so it was it's very different, but I'm glad that I got pushed because like I had a teacher who thought that we brought our entire herd to every calf show. And that's what I meant when I said I was showing. And I'm like, no, that would be horrible. Um, but yeah, it really taught me to like explain agriculture more. So I'm grateful for it.
SPEAKER_00:So what age did you start showing livestock?
SPEAKER_02:I started at nine, which was really annoying for me because my sister, Caitlin, is four years older than me. And so she got a start when I was five. So I thought I should start when I'm five because she's already doing it, and I want to do it too. So I was at the farm a lot helping practice and getting them ready and then practicing in the pee-wee shows.
SPEAKER_00:So did you have some success showing?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I was I was pretty lucky. Um we got a show across the region, and there was a there was a few grand champions and some banners and some buckles that I'm really proud to wear still, and definitely memories that I take with me for for life.
SPEAKER_00:You show cattle, did you show any other species?
SPEAKER_02:I did well, so when I was younger, we showed hogs for two years, and that was just not what my family wanted to do. Um, I think my dad, we raised show cattle, and so it just made a lot of sense to show cattle as well, and then be able to put those heifers back into the herd. But with hogs, it was there wasn't really an end product other than the pork that we were getting. And so we decided to step away from that. Um, but yeah, really only showed cattle, and then with unified showing, I guess I kind of started showing sheep, which had I known what sheep were like, probably would not have done that. But yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, my dad uh would never let us have sheep. He said they were the dumbest animal alive, and there's a reason why the Bible refers to us as sheep. So there's this always. That was right. Yes, absolutely. So we were not allowed to have sheep.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, dad always joked. He said, I'm not a shepherd. I'm not doing it. And I never understood why he was so firmly against it until I bought sheep, and I'm like, okay.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, I get it. I get it.
SPEAKER_02:That was the right decision.
SPEAKER_00:So you how old are you?
SPEAKER_02:I'm 21.
SPEAKER_00:21. So uh looking at your curriculum vitae, your resume in preparation for this, you have without a doubt the most impressive resume I think I've seen on any 21-year-old in my life. Uh, it's long, uh, exceptionally long, many, many pages. One of the things that jumped out at me was uh you were the founder, and you mentioned it a little bit ago. You are the founder of uh Unified Showing. What is Unified Showing?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so Unified Showing is a program I created seven years ago now that empowers youth with disabilities.
SPEAKER_00:When you were 14?
SPEAKER_02:15. 15, okay. 15, yep. So we empower youth with disabilities through learning about and showing livestock. And I laugh because when I was 15, I'd love to take credit. I'd love to sit here and say it was all me. But the reality is that when I started that, it was all because I grew up showing livestock, got involved with unified programs at my high school, was absolutely terrible at bowling. It was insane. Never got a strike in four years, very humbling. And then I went to the state fair, saw a showman with a disability exhibiting, and was like, I want to bring that home to my friends. And the night that I told my mom about it, my mom and I stayed up until probably one or two in the morning, working through everything. And it was really her because I didn't even know what questions to ask. I didn't know about insurance. I didn't know that like bringing so many people onto our operation was a huge liability risk. And she was thinking through those things and helping me through it. And so now we have over seven counties and have helped, you know, over 70 participants. And it's been so fun. Makes me fall back in love with agriculture because there's things when I was showing, like some days waking up and having to go wash calves and feed calves and do that, where some of my friends were sleeping till noon and then woke up, sat by the pool, tanned, and that was their day. But it makes you fall back in love with it because there's a kid who comes and he's so excited to open a gate and to feed lambs. And I'm like, wow, I really shouldn't be taking this for granted.
SPEAKER_00:Do you I realize you probably have a lot of really special moments that have come out of that program, but is there are there one or two that really stand out?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So unfortunately, this past year, um, we lost our sweet Olivia. Uh, she was one of the original showmen who started Unified Showing with me. And we were at the we were at the show and I was looking around and I knew, so I am actually selling Unified Showing right now. Um, getting kind of map passing that on so it is sustainable and it can continue to grow as I'm graduating and moving away and doing something else. It's just not realistic for me to continue it long term anymore. And so I was looking around that show and thinking, what a ride. And look at all the people who have been there for every year with me. And, you know, Olivia was so felt in that moment for me because there were kids who were so scared to be around a lamb. And Olivia was the one who was laughing and so excited to be there and kind of made them more excited to be there. And now they're three years into the program, and we're just absolutely rocking it in that show ring. And so I think that's a really special one to feel it and to know that she's still with me um in every moment and to get a think about it and think about how much they built me up. Definitely, I always say I've gotten much more out of the program than I could ever hope to give to any of those kids.
SPEAKER_00:So, what are the counties the program is currently in?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so it's in Lancaster, Odo, Gage, Nimahaw, um, oh my gosh, uh Saunders. And there's two more.
SPEAKER_00:It's all right.
SPEAKER_02:Um yeah, there's two more. I can't think of them though. That's terrible of me.
SPEAKER_00:That's all right. So that program, I believe, has won a few awards.
SPEAKER_02:It has, yes.
SPEAKER_00:What awards?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so we did win the Governor's Excellence of Agriculture Award um in 2021 and 2022. And that was that was really exciting. That was in the beginning early stages of it. And we started like our first full show season was in 2020, so peak COVID.
SPEAKER_00:Right.
SPEAKER_02:And for those of you who forgot about that little life showing outside with masks, exactly. Yes, yes. And so it was really cool to be able to win those awards. Um, and it kind of was the fuel to like keep going and keep doing this, and then yeah, just really got to be involved in it. And you know, National 4 H took a great interest in it, and they they flew me out to DC to be able to talk about it and to be able to say what I do currently with it. So it's been a great program that's really propelled me to be able to do more.
SPEAKER_00:In addition to attending the University of Nebraska and Lincoln, I believe you have also participated in the Ingler program, correct? Yes. What's the Ingler program?
SPEAKER_02:The best way that I can describe it, I guess, is it's entrepreneurship, but it's not the curriculum. It's what is your mindset and what is your why? And Tom always asks, what boat are you in? Who are you rowing it for? And where are you going?
SPEAKER_00:And it's Tom being Tom Field.
SPEAKER_02:Tom Field, yes, our director. And so I always think about it as what's my why? Where, where's my big dream that you know can sound really daunting and really scary, but what's the biggest dream I can think of? And then why am I chasing it so hard? Because there's so many days where you don't want to. And the Angler program is they're giving you the tools and the ore to be able to row there. And so that's that's how I would best describe it.
SPEAKER_00:So what is your big dream? Name name your dream. Like it, what's the end destination for Allison Walbrecht? What's what's the what's the dream?
SPEAKER_02:My biggest dream at the moment, I would love to be the USDA Secretary of Agriculture someday.
SPEAKER_00:And is it have you gone on Chat GPT and asked if I want to be Secretary of Ag, how I make that happen? Is there a game plan for making that happen?
SPEAKER_02:I should ask ChatGPT, but no, it's kind of just living the moments. I trying to say yes to the opportunities that are presented to me. Um, kind of the plan right now, after I graduate in May, is to move out to Washington, D.C., work on Capitol Hill, get some experience that way. Currently I work for the Nebraska governor, Jim Pillen. And so that's a really great opportunity as well to stay rooted in Nebraska, which is the epicenter of agriculture. So that's really great. Um, and kind of just seeing where life takes me, what happens, um, gaining some experiences in the real world of what agriculture is and what policy looks like for agriculturalists.
SPEAKER_00:If I'm not mistaken, you actually get to meet the current uh Secretary of Ag. Is that right?
SPEAKER_02:I did.
SPEAKER_00:Explain how that happened.
SPEAKER_02:Yes. So I'm really lucky to serve as a Nebraska Carrot delegate. So Carrot is the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching. So Senator Fisher actually put on an event at the feedlot at UNL and invited Secretary Rollins to it and the Carrot delegation and all of the Nebraska Federal Delegation, actually. And so I was really lucky that I got to be a part of that and was asked to help kind of show Secretary Rollins around the feedlot and talk about what Nebraska is doing in terms of research for students and for extension. And so that was really exciting. And then met her and she saw my NCBA pin, which is a cow with a flag in it, and she was headed to the Iowa State Fair, and so was I. And I said, Well, I guess I'll see you there, ma'am. And she said, Oh, can I borrow that pin on your lapel? And I go, absolutely take it, like have it. Um, so that was really exciting, and then got to see her again at the state fair. And so yeah, it was it was definitely a surreal moment to be able to say that I met somebody who's in a position that I someday hope to be in as well.
SPEAKER_00:Did you tell her you wanted your her job?
SPEAKER_02:No, I should have. Actually, the first time that I went to DC with the carrot delegation, Congressman Smith asked me what my dream was, and I said, I I want your job. And I was like, I never want to say that again. Um, but yeah, he laughed. He still still says it.
SPEAKER_00:So Adrian's got a good sense of humor. I'm sure he took that well. Yeah. So uh you again, your resume is very vast. One of the things on your resume was that you you interned for the Nebraska Cattlemen. What'd you do for them?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so that was early in my collegiate career. That was my freshman year, and then that summer in my sophomore year. Um, so for them, I was a communications intern. Kind of got to, I started on the communication side, really thought that's where I was gonna go into, you know, I wanted to advocate for agriculture in that way, and got exposed to policy as they're one of the main lobbying organizations. And I'm very excited and very proud that I got to do that because I saw so many different parts of the industry. Um, kind of did everything that an intern would do in terms of got to just be a part of every little project that they were kind of doing, got to see policy in real time for the legislature and what the federal delegation was doing and what that meant for Nebraska, but then also connecting with um producers in the state who were involved and getting to meet them and pushing out information to them and hopefully being an asset to the team.
SPEAKER_00:You also interned for Keneely Angus. Hannah Keneally's been a past guest on this. What'd you do for Keneally?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Um, so Keneally, that's a little bit of a different one that I did. So I did there were two roles that I kind of did for them. So the first was I was a ranch intern, went out there for a summer, very different than home, but very interesting. My family were very lucky to have known them for a long time. My dad and Jed, Hannah's older brother, um, are good friends. And so the connection kind of kind of happened that way and got to see what the seed stock life was all about out there and what western Nebraska was like and being far, far away from um any other city. And so that was interesting, kind of gave me perspective. And then I also helped market Caneliangus beef um for the Ruralman's family. So they are a steakhouse and they had burger patties in different high-V locations across Nebraska and Iowa. And so it kind of helped manage that throughout my junior year. Um, and that was that was a pretty big on taking, but I loved every minute of it. Helped me figure out how to talk to different people, sell beef, um, gave me a lot of valuable skills that I'm really grateful for and use to this day.
SPEAKER_00:So if you are giving advice to someone who's going to intern or to a company or employer that's going to hire an intern, any recommendations on things to do, things not to do?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, lots. Um so I think the number one thing I would say if you are an intern, the number one thing that's helped me is just kind of going in with the I like the idea of knowing you don't know it all. You are new, you are an intern. It's okay that you don't know it all. The imposter syndrome as an intern can be out of this world insane because you want to walk in and hit the ground running. You want to be perfect, you want to be the biggest asset, but you don't. You don't know, even if you know the topic, you might not know how that specific place handles that topic and what they do about it. And so just going in wanting to learn, being ready to learn and telling people, I want to learn, show me how. And people will really take that on. And then for an employer, just honestly take advantage of the young people. I know in Nebraska we're so lucky that there's so many great young people who are so passionate and have such a great work ethic. And so being able to take advantage of that and teach them from the ground up, I know that every single internship that I've had, I really am so grateful for and will continue to look back on with so much, so much gratitude and fond memories and try to hopefully um pay it back to them someday.
SPEAKER_00:You are exceptionally driven. Where does that come from?
SPEAKER_02:I think my parents, um, my parents really bootstrapped it for a long time and they they just figured it out and made it work. And my dad, for example, like he I make fun of him sometimes because it's just so fun to do. But um, he he will really put his nose to the grindstone and just work and get it done. And time after time again, he's doing that. And my mom has a full-time job outside of the farm as well, and is helping him get it done too, and just seeing that from such a young age. And then my older sister really carved her own path very far and very different from what the rest of my family does, and never showed an ounce of fear to the outside world and kind of just watching all of them growing up, it it really pushed me to want to be be on the same level as them.
SPEAKER_00:So, again, the college students, they may see a potential internship that they say, I'm not qualified. That's certainly I'm not sure I could do that. They're looking for someone better than me. What do you tell that person to say, just go for it?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I've never been qualified for the internships that I have. I just kind of go and do it. Because the truth is if you wait to be ready, you're never gonna be ready. You're you're giving up so much valuable time and just go do it because you're gonna learn and they're gonna make you ready for it. And you can sit in a classroom all day and try and study a book and try to learn it, but until you do it, it doesn't mean anything. And so just go get those internships, make those connections and get the real world experience because it it'll help you out a lot.
SPEAKER_00:So going back to Angler, did you start a business?
SPEAKER_02:I did. I did. I came into Angler with Unified Showing already and then really wanted to grow that. So I came into college thinking honestly that I was gonna drop out and run a business full time. And so we had Unified Agriculture, which was gonna be a direct-to-consumer beef operation employing people from Unified Showing who had aged out of the program because it's ran in partnership with 4 H. And so when you age out of 4 H, you age out of Unified Showing. And so it was a great idea and I loved it so much and did it and kind of to prove a point, bought eight head of cattle because I wanted to say, look, I can do this. And didn't really think the logistics through that much, kind of just went in with the idea of, well, unified showing worked. And of course, you know, I'm out there every day feeding these cattle and working these cattle and marketing beef. Of course it's gonna work, and didn't really have some of the back end logistics figured out and it wasn't for me. Um, realized that the marketing of a direct-to-consumer operation wasn't really what I wanted to do full-time, anyways. And, you know, long term it wasn't gonna be realistic. I wasn't gonna come home to the operations. So kind of gave that up and am really grateful because I learned a lot from it. Like there are things I probably won't ever run a business again, but there are so many things that I know now of like, if I say I'm gonna do something, I have to have a plan and like a very well thought out plan. And so I'm really grateful um for it. And the Angler program was there to pick me up and say, Okay, it didn't work. Now what are we gonna do? And I didn't get to just sit in the in the sorrow of it. So that was really grateful.
SPEAKER_00:Outside of the Angler program, uh, what what's the favorite class? What's the Best class you think you've uh taken at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Um, my sophomore year, I'm in the beef scholars program. And what is that? Yeah. So it's a minor program, the Kreutzinger, Nebraska Beef Industry Scholars Program. And it's a cohort of us who really want to focus on beef cattle and the entire industry. So everything from, you know, a seed stock to cow calf, yearling operation, uh feedlot, the meat side of it, the policy side, everything. Um, and we just take classes together for four years and learn all about the beef industry. We get to go on beef industry tours, we get to go to NCBA this coming year. So that's really nice. Um, but my sophomore year, we had a class and it was all about policy and issues. And so the first half, you learned about all the different, like hard-hitting big issues facing the industry today. And then the second half, you got to do your own research on a topic that you were passionate about and present it to the class.
SPEAKER_00:What what topic did you present?
SPEAKER_02:I did beef labeling. So, kind of how a consumer views a beef label. I grew up on a beef cattle operation, but then also came to school in Lincoln and so had seen how both sides, like I know how I view a beef product of, oh, I just go out to my deep freeze and grab it. Right. Whereas so many others have to go to a grocery store each and every day to buy that product and what the different mindset is and how they view. If you look at a beef label anymore, there's a lot of stuff on there and like you know, ethically raised and grass-fed, grain-fed.
SPEAKER_00:So it's also organic. Yeah, that's my favorite.
SPEAKER_02:Or gluten-free. That's a good one too. And so there's just so many different ways that they view it. And it was all about okay, what are they confused on? What do we need to do better as an industry? Because we need to stop confusing the consumer, honestly, and just let them be able to experience the beef. And I loved doing that. It set me up really well to be able to go market caneliangus beef, actually. And that's actually how I got the job was I told them about this project. And that kind of just propelled me to go on and continue wanting to do what I do now.
SPEAKER_00:What do you see as the biggest challenges ahead for uh production egg in the US, Nebraska and the US?
SPEAKER_02:I think the biggest issue, and I it's my entire reason for wanting to go into policy. There was a pretty big, a pretty big pivot for me, I would say, in my collegiate career of thinking, okay, I was gonna be marketing beef and doing that, to now wanting to do policy. And the entire reason why I talk about it a lot when I went to DC the first time with National 4-H, there was a gentleman who came and he said, it's really important that all young people are involved in agriculture or involved in policy. But it's vital that young people in agriculture are involved in policy because the policy is being written either way, but it all depends on if somebody who understands the impact it's gonna have on agriculturalists are in the room and being able to inform that policy. And I don't have the opportunity to return home. We're the exact borders of Lincoln. And so every time Lincoln grows, our farm kind of shrinks. And so it's just not realistic for me to be able to return home to that operation, which is something that I've you know had to learn and grow up with knowing. And but my entire reason why is I don't ever want another young person to have to face that reality. If a young person wants to return home and provide for this country and feed the world, then they should be able to. They should have every right and every chance and every opportunity to have that be a sustainable, long-lasting career. And it's a great career. It's what we all want to do. And so I want them to be able to have that. And I want to be the person fighting to ensure that. And so I don't know. I just I think there's so much to be done in terms of making sure we can stay profitable to let the next generation come home. Because in my classes, I look out and there's so many young people who want to return home and are really scared about yeah, I want to return home. This is what I want to do. But if I can't make a living, then I can't do it. And so I think that's probably the number one issue, and we're seeing it play out. You know, we have really great cattle prices, and then you look at soybean prices, and a lot of us are diversified operations and kind of figuring out how we balance that and what that looks like.
SPEAKER_00:Let's go back to your showing days. What uh what livestock shows did you show cattle at?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so we the Lancaster County Super Fair, as you know, uh showed with your girls, and then the state fair, Exarbon, a lot of different jackpots um throughout the Southern Winters. The state fair, actually. My dad always said, we always joked. I said, so many of my friends they get to go on like fun vacations. Their parents take them to an island. Like they go to Hawaii.
SPEAKER_00:And he goes, It's Grand Island.
SPEAKER_02:That was exactly what he said. That was exactly his words. I'm like, no, it's Grand Island, Nebraska. But did all those. Um, used to show at Hutchinson, Kansas, just a variety of different shows that we could do. That was that was what I really loved. Gave up actually sports in high school to be able to focus on showing livestock and got to kind of focus on it a lot more because I devoted so much of my time to it and loved trying to fill every weekend with going to different cattle shows.
SPEAKER_00:Do you have a favorite calf you showed?
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. So Rhea is her name.
SPEAKER_00:You named him. I always told my kids not to name their calves.
SPEAKER_02:Yes. We uh we showed heifers a lot though. So I I still get a seam in the pasture, which is really nice. Um, Rhea, and it's so funny. When we bought her, I first named her hamburger. Because I was like, I hate you. Hate you. I'm like, what is not catching on? Like this calf was not figuring out the program, not understanding, hey, don't try to kill me every time you see me and you're on a halter. And she didn't get it. And then she just got it one day. And I was like, oh, this is so nice. This is so wonderful. And we she was really the first calf that really pushed me to have to try to figure something out and really, really work hard at winning and winning the moment of okay, I can not be tossed around like a ragdoll by this calf. And so I'm really grateful for her. And you know, she she's still out in our herd and has a pretty great calf this year. So it's always fun to get a seer still, and that's why I'm so grateful that I showed heifers for as long as I did, because it's fun to get a walk out there and still see the little show babies with their new babies.
SPEAKER_00:So showing livestock, there's obviously a lot of what I'll call fitting that goes into that. Was there a part of fitting a calf for a show that you liked and were there things that you despised?
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I loved fitting a front leg, loved it. It was so funny.
SPEAKER_00:Why a front leg as opposed to hind leg?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I feel like you get kicked once when you're fitting a back leg and you're like, wow, this is maybe maybe I want to move up a little bit.
SPEAKER_00:Dad, you go back there, I'll get the front legs.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I'm like, we'll just flip and it'll be fine. Um, but I also just love the front leg because the front leg doesn't take near as long as the back leg, I feel like. And so then I got to be able to also do the tail and the tailhead and things like that, and get to be more involved in all the different projects. And so it was really fun. I loved fitting. I'm a big advocate for let's get the state fair both weekends fitted because I just I think it's so fun and a great way to teach kids to do it and makes the cattle look so good. And so it I don't know. I I loved the fitting, wasn't the best at it by any means, but it was definitely something that I'm glad I know the basics of for sure.
SPEAKER_00:Did you win any showmanship contests?
SPEAKER_02:I did. I won a few, um, but not Brett Heinrich. I grew up with him showing, and as I'm sure you remember, that was a pretty, pretty intense rivalry between us. Love him, but I was like, gosh, getting second to the show.
SPEAKER_00:In the ring, he is not your friend.
SPEAKER_02:No, I was like, getting second to you is just terrible. I'm like, I want to win. Um, so that was always pretty much my goal. All of all of showing livestock was just just beat beat the people that I'm growing up with in showmanship.
SPEAKER_00:So your future, when do you graduate?
SPEAKER_02:I'm graduate in May 2026.
SPEAKER_00:Do you already have your next job, DC job lined up?
SPEAKER_02:I do not.
SPEAKER_00:I do so those members of the Nebraska delegation who might be listening to this, here's a great opportunity to latch on to somebody. You want to do ag policy, right?
SPEAKER_02:I do, yes. That's the the dream.
SPEAKER_00:And how many times have you been to DC?
SPEAKER_02:I've been to DC probably about eight times now.
SPEAKER_00:And favorite thing to go see? Like everyone has, at least I do. I have things every time I'm in DC, there's two things I always go see.
SPEAKER_02:Now I have to ask what your favorite things are.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so two things I always go, and one is off the beaten path, because not too many people go there is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Uh, because everyone goes to Lincoln or Washington, but few go to Jefferson. Go there, read the inscription on the inside, which I've memorized, but won't give you here now. Second is this is a little different. I always go to the National Gallery of Art. Uh, it is amazing the works of art that are in there. And there's a couple paintings that I make sure that I go see each time I'm there. Every time I go to DC, I never miss those two things. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_02:I think my favorite thing to do is just to go to Capitol Hill and just find the time, which is really hard out there because everything is so fast moving, but just to like stop and look around at all the people who are there.
SPEAKER_00:Young people. Young people.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, I know.
SPEAKER_00:Our country is run by like 24-year-olds.
SPEAKER_02:I know. I'm like, wait, they're everyone's like my age now, which is so crazy. But there's so many different like groups that are there all the time. And I love getting to see all of it and be a part of it and to see the history of our country. But I also, every single time that I go, we eat at the one farmers restaurant. I forget what it's fully called. It's like farmers and something. And they have like 12 locations in DC and we eat at it every time. And I love it. It's so good.
SPEAKER_00:So something on the menu you always get?
SPEAKER_02:No, I try something different every time because I'm like, oh, how fun. Like if I'm gonna eat the same thing every time, I want to try something new. But I like I love that there's the word farmer in DC at all, but that they have like the farm to table idea and putting it in DC's head.
SPEAKER_00:So graduated May. Do you think you'll go on for any type of uh post-undergrad education, law school, master's degree, something like that?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So that's kind of so I'm gonna go to DC. I'm thinking three, five years, maybe a little longer, um, and then come back and trying to hopefully when I'm out there, I decide if I want to focus on law school or getting my master's in ag economics. Hopefully it shows me which one I want, or if I just want to continue working, um, but hoping to get a little bit of insight of what I what I think will be the best path for me forward.
SPEAKER_00:So being involved in production agriculture, what are the biggest lessons you've learned? What do you think it's taught you?
SPEAKER_02:I think the biggest lesson it taught me was if I don't do it, no one's doing it. And the work ethic that comes with knowing I am responsible for these cattle and I am responsible for how these things go on the operation was very big. And yes, when I was young, and sometimes I didn't want to do that, like being scared of like my dad and mom yelling at me, that helps me.
SPEAKER_00:Well, your parents never yelled at you, did they?
SPEAKER_02:No, never, never. Um, like yeah, that did help me, but now it's like it's I don't even have to rely on my parents. I am doing it. And there are some people in college who like they they don't care. They're like, well, if my grades aren't so bad that my parents find out about them, and I'm like, oh my gosh, like I don't even care if my parents find out I care. And it really built me up to take ownership of my life. That was a big skill. And the fact of I want to be a reliable person, I want to be somebody that people know. Hey, she has work ethics, she's doing things every moment of every day and trying to get ahead and get better, 1% better every day. It really taught me to do that.
SPEAKER_00:In your various jobs, you've had a chance to visit or travel to most parts of Nebraska. Would that be correct? Yeah, that's correct. Any favorite sort of Nebraska gyms that outside of Lincoln that you would say that's something that every Nebraskan needs to go see or visit?
SPEAKER_02:The sand hills. Okay. In general. When I worked for Ceneliangus in Whitman, Nebraska, so right outside of Mullen, I was in awe. I mean, there was so many times I was just looking up and looking around and seeing it, and just your breath catches.
SPEAKER_00:Like it's so describe it. So for someone who's never been there.
SPEAKER_02:It's just so vast and open and rolling hills and cattle and people who love the ground and love the cattle and love this life and love the Lord, and you see it in every single thing that they do, and then you're just engrossed in it. And every like out there, they're like, There's nothing to do out there, but there's so much to do because you just you honor what you have and you get to do it every day and be surrounded by people who you know they're five to six generations deep there too, and they want to continue doing it. And yeah, go to the sand hills, watch, watch people work cattle out there, and then at night have a one of the best dinners that you're ever gonna have. Because every single woman out there, I swear, and it is the best cook in the world. And, you know, have a meal with them. And then when it's dark, just look up and see every star known to man up. And you know, I saw the Milky Way for the first time out there and was like, oh my gosh, look at look at that. It's something that you don't see right outside of Lincoln, but I I miss it.
SPEAKER_00:My favorite thing about the Sand Hills, among others, is watching a thunderstorm roll in from the distance. I and I got to experience it again a couple weeks ago. I was out in the Cody area, and this you could see in the distance this thunderstorm building up and slowly rolling in. It's amazing to see it so far off and just see it build and just come right towards you.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. When I when I was working for Keneali's, I was out there actually taking pictures um in one of their pastures and saw a storm and didn't really think anything of it, and then saw a final cloud and I'm like, I think I'm gonna head back. But yeah, you can really see miles and miles and miles and miles. My sister went to North Carolina, now lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and some of her friends like grew up in major cities, you know, Chicago, New York, things like that. And they are like, oh my gosh, in North Carolina and Madison, Wisconsin, we can see for a long time. And I'm like, Are you kidding? Right. I'm like, you can't see anything. And then you come here and you can see everything forever and ever. And you can almost see the curve of the earth if you look far enough.
SPEAKER_00:Do you listen to a lot of podcasts? Do you are there some that you are your go-to's?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I try to listen to podcasts every once in a while. Um, the Discover Ag podcast, actually a Nebraska native. Yeah. Uh or she's not native, but she's we claim her now. Yeah. Um, Natalie, she she hosts that one. And that's really interesting because it just covers all of agriculture, which I really like. Um, and then I listen to the trade guys. That's another good one.
SPEAKER_00:What's that one about?
SPEAKER_02:It's all about trade and trade policy. Um sounds kind of nerdy. It is. It is. Um, I'm a Yiter fellow this year, a Yiter trade fellow at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and am really getting like a crash course in everything trade and trade policy. And now's a really great time to be learning it. And I just love it. I think it's so interesting to see, like, for example, my dad's harvesting right now, trying to make sure that we have an international market to export that so that we can remain profitable is a huge thing. And I see it more as like this trade and ag trade policy, being able to combine the skills that I learned, marketing beef and growing up on ag, and then also this love of policy and wanting to continue to make sure that farmers and ranchers can be profitable.
SPEAKER_00:So the Yider Institute, named after Clayton Yider, you know what job he held at one point in his life, don't you? Secretary of Ag.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. He he's a I mean, that guy was like doing things. I am in awe. When they read off his list of accomplishments, I'm like, when did he sleep?
SPEAKER_00:Right. But grew up in southwest Nebraska, graduated from the University of Nebraska. He was an amazing man. He's the only Secretary of Ag that I've actually ever met in person.
SPEAKER_02:Really?
SPEAKER_00:So wonderful man. So, Allison, one question we ask all of our guests, and you get one word. What is your one word that to you best describes this place in which you were born and raised? Uh, where you've showed cattle, where you're attending the University of Nebraska and Lincoln, and where you've done so many wonderful things. What is your one word for Nebraska?
SPEAKER_02:I think the best word I can use to describe Nebraska is legacy. And when I think about legacy, I think about it really far of, you know, when my family came to Nebraska, there wasn't a lot here. And that's the way for many Nebraskans. They settled and it took a lot of grit and resilience to be able to stay, and they turned nothing into something. And each generation in my family, I can really see that there was we got built up because people kept working hard and keep kept doing things, and there's a legacy of greatness. Look at our football team. You know, today they're gonna go play and hopefully beat Maryland. That's my prediction. So put that down. But there's a legacy of greatness here that you you don't get to just sit around and do nothing, you have to continue working, and you you put your nose to the grindstone and you just make it work and you bootstrap it and you make you make the most of every minute. And there's so much history in Nebraska, and we've been able to preserve that way of life so much, but also looking to the future. And when I think of myself, I know that I'm doing I'm doing all these things, but I want to make sure that there's someone to take it over to. So unified showing, making sure there's a way for those kids to continue in agriculture past me and trying to make a legacy for myself now.
SPEAKER_00:Awesome. Thanks for joining us. If you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing on Spotify, Apple, or wherever it is you get your favorite podcast at, and be certain to share it with someone who might find it of interest. And please keep on listening as we release additional episodes on Nebraska, its great communities, Nebraska's number one industry, agriculture, and the folks who make it happen.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks. This has been Nighty Three, the podcast, sponsored by Nebraska's law firm, Rembolt Ludke.
