Natalie Berry, Sherwood, Ore., has been crowned the 63rd National Jersey Queen.
Natalie was presented the Charlene Nardone Crown by 2019 National Jersey Queen Gracie Krahn on November 8, 2020, at the start of the National Jersey Jug Futurity.
She will represent Jersey breeders for the next year with her participation in events such as the 153rd Annual Meeting of the American Jersey Cattle Association, World Dairy Expo and The 69th All American Jersey Shows & Sales.
The National Jersey Queen contest lasted three days with 11 outstanding young women from across the country competing for the coveted crown.
Natalie is a sophomore at Washington State University studying nursing and minoring in psychology. Her goal is to become a pediatric nurse where she can advocate for the dairy industry to children and their families about the importance of having dairy in their diets. This plays into her platform of “choosing Jersey milk products and other milk products to have a well-balanced diet.”
“Being a college student, I now understand the importance of having a well-balanced nutritional diet while not trying to spend all of my money on groceries. Jersey milk and other milk products have seven (7) naturally occurring nutrients that help to maintain a healthy body. College is a time of discovering yourself and where you would like your life to lead.
Students tend to be influenced by those around them and this gives me a large audience to teach the importance that Jersey and dairy products can have on someone’s everyday life.”
Natalie is currently serving as the 2020 Western National Queen and the Western National Youth Achievement Award recipient. She was a member of Class VI of Jersey Youth Academy.
During the All American Junior Jersey Show on November 7, Natalie exhibited the Reserve Grand Champion – Triple-T-Heath Getaway to Cancun. On Monday, November 9, “Cancun” was named National Grand Champion of the 2020 All American Jersey Show for Berry and her sister, Mia. She finished out her 2020 show season being named Reserve Supreme Champion of the North American International Livestock Exposition.
Kylie Konyn Escondido, Calif., was named first alternate in the contest. She is a senior at Saint Joseph Academy and is also taking college courses through Modesto Junior College and Palomar Community College. Kylie has been active with local, state and national Jersey programs. Her platform as National Jersey Queen was, “The AJCA, providing for the Farmers of Today and Tomorrow.”
Her herd, Aspire Jerseys, is enrolled on REAP and utilize many programs provided by the AJCA. Kylie is active in 4-H and has held nearly every office available. She is currently serving as president of the California Junior Jersey Cattle Association. She was the 2019 Western National Jersey Queen and California Jersey Queen.
Caroline Arrowsmith, Peach Bottom, Pa., was the second alternate. She is a freshman at Penn State University majoring in animal science with a focus on dairy. Caroline’s platform is, “Jerseys Do More for Less.” Caroline states, “Not only can you earn more with Jerseys, but you can also pay less as Jerseys are more feed efficient and do many things better, helping the bottom line.”
She is a member of the Pennsylvania Jersey Cattle Association and the Penn State Dairy Science Club. She has held many leadership positions through the Lancaster County dairy 4-H program. She enjoys showing her registered Jerseys at the local, state and national levels. Caroline was a member of Class VI of Jersey Youth Academy.
The Queen and her court presented awards for the National Jersey Jug Futurity and The 68th All American Jersey Show, plus assisted with the clerking of The All American Jersey Sale.
The Charlene Nardone National Jersey Queen Fund provided scholarships of $500, $300 and $200 to the Queen and two alternates.
For more information, follow the National Jersey Queen program on Facebook @USJerseyQueen.