Pictured are (front row, L to R) Justine Johns, Minneapolis; Brooke Falk, Harveyville; Hannah Grund, Wallace; Teagan Sturdy-Milliken, Lyndon; Sierra Cargill, Medicine Lodge; Adalaide Kline, Colby; Baylee Shultz, Berryton; Taylee Velasquez, Hugoton; MaKala Fitzsimmons, Cunningham; Skye Schumaker, Pratt; (back row, L to R) Shane Flach, Manhattan; Jack Roenne, Great Bend; Luke Kaiser, Grinnell; David Cross; Gatlin Clawson, Meade; Nick Nowak, Ellis; Nick Higgason, Olmitz; Casey Giffing, Ulysses; Quinton Porter, Hays; and Brady McComb, Pratt.
For more information contact: Rachel Waggie or Ryan Higbie (785) 273-5115
(TOPEKA) – The 2026 Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) Young Stockmen’s Academy (YSA) met September 21-23 for their third seminar of the year, a bus tour of central and southwest Kansas beef and dairy operations. The YSA program is exclusively sponsored by Merck Animal Health.
Innovative Livestock Services hosted the group’s first tour stop near Larned, where the YSA class got to see the progress on and hear about the considerations for their new feedyard in Kansas. Then, the class continued west to Twin Circle Dairy near Lewis. The newly built dairy features a pair of 120-cow rotary parlors and milks 19,000 cows twice daily. Twin Circle Dairy is one of five area operations selected to supply milk to the Hilmar Cheese Company plant in Dodge City. Following the dairy stop, the group traveled a few miles down the road to Cross Ranch, owned by 2007 KLA President David Cross. In addition to a cow-calf herd, the ranch consists of a custom weaning and growing business. To round out the first day, the YSA class was joined by KLA members for dinner and networking at Prime on the Nine steakhouse in Dodge City.
Day two started at Dodge City Veterinary Clinic with a Beef Quality Assurance training and injection-site demonstration led by Tim Parks, DVM, with Merck. Clinic co-owner and veterinarian Chad Kerr joined the group for the visit and provided insight into the veterinary business and his experiences over 25-plus years of practice. After departing Dodge City, the tour headed to Scott City where they visited the KLA Environmental Services (ES) office for lunch and an overview of the business by KLA ES staff. Cobalt Cattle hosted the class at their Leoti feedyard location after lunch. Cobalt Chief Executive Officer Joel Jarnagin spoke about the cattle feeding industry in the region and led a tour of the operation’s new feed mill. For the final stop of the day, the YSA class visited Larson Ranch in Leoti, owned and operated by YSA alumni Brady and Kyla Larson. The Larsons raise Angus and Charolais seedstock and recently implemented Halter virtual fencing collars on the cowherd. They hosted the group and local KLA members for dinner and networking following a discussion and tour of their barns and feeding pens.
Hilmar Cheese Company in Dodge City was the final tour stop. Production shift manager Pablo Morales spent time with the class providing an overview of plant operations and the supply chain for Hilmar products. Then, the class adjourned until their final meeting during the 2026 KLA Convention in Manhattan November 18-20.
Members of the 2026 YSA class are James Brack, Moscow; Sierra Cargill, Medicine Lodge; Gatlin Clawson, Meade; Brooke Falk, Harveyville; MaKala Fitzsimmons, Cunningham; Shane Flach, Manhattan; Casey Giffing, Ulysses; Hannah Grund, Wallace; Nick Higgason, Olmitz; Justine Johns, Minneapolis; Luke Kaiser, Grinnell; Adalaide Kline, Colby; Brady McComb, Pratt; Nick Nowak, Ellis; Quinton Porter, Hays; Jack Roenne, Great Bend; Skye Schumaker, Pratt; Baylee Shultz, Berryton; Teagan Sturdy-Milliken, Lyndon; and Taylee Velasquez, Hugoton.
KLA is a trade organization representing the business interests of members at both the state and federal levels. Voluntary dues dollars paid by producers are used for programs that benefit KLA members in the areas of legislative representation, regulatory assistance, legal troubleshooting, communications and the advancement of youth.