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Horning to Return from College to Become Sixth Generation Dairy Farmer

by Kristy Smith

After four years studying at MSU, Katelyn Horning will return home to her family’s Manchester dairy farm, Horning Farms. Horning, 22, is completing her coursework with a double-major in animal science and agribusiness management and plans plan to ease her way into a permanent role in the family business by initially performing dairy duties where most needed.

In Lansing, Horning served as Senior Dairy Ambassador and belonged to the Dairy Club and Dairy Judging Team. She studied in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Vietnam — trips that deepened her appreciation for American sustainable agricultural practices. A third generation Spartan, Horning college career was steeped in family tradition, but her family encouraged her to try her hand elsewhere before committing to a return to the family farm. A speaker in one of Horning classes reinforced that, saying that doing something in life that you don’t want to do can be as instructive as doing something you want to do, because it helps to rule out what won’t work for a person.

Horning concurs. A summer spent interning in sales for an animal care product supplier was not for her; she missed the direct interaction with dairy cattle. That realization, perhaps more than anything, informed her decision to return home. “My mom says that when I’ve been home, the conversation is so much more about the cows,” Horning said. “Clearly, the family dairy tradition is something I want to carry on.”

Horning describes herself as very scientific and curious about the hows and whys of dairy issues. She hopes her sense of curiosity, attention to detail, and record-keeping abilities will serve her well back home, as part of the sixth generation to operate Horning Farms.

Cleaning her room at her childhood home recently in anticipation of her return from East Lansing, she came across a career essay she had written as a third-grader. “It said that when I grow up, I want to take over the family farm,” Horning laughed. “So I guess maybe coming home was my plan all along.”

Kristy Smith is an Industry Relations Specialist for the United Dairy Industry of Michigan. She works with dairy farmers across Michigan to help them tell their stories. She can be reached at (517) 349-8923 EXT 235 or at kristy@milkmeansmore.org.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.