Words and phrases that quickly come to mind after studying the resume of Katelyn Graye of St. Pierre-Jolys, Manitoba include: multi-talented; proficient at multi-tasking; passionate about agriculture; bright; continuous learner and giving.

Katelyn was recognized twice during the recent Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF) as being the 2009 recipient of the Nola Brown Continuous Achievement Award. The award takes the form of a $1500 annual scholarship presented in memory of the late Nola Brown. Brown was an outstanding staff member of Jersey Canada at Guelph, Ontario for nine years in the 1990s before her untimely passing in July 1999.

On Monday, November 9th, two of Nola’s daughters (Lindsay Taylor and Megan Brown) presented the award to Katelyn during the Classic Youth Show. Katelyn was participating in her sixth classic Youth Show since 2002 as a representative of either Manitoba or New Brunswick, her native province. On Saturday, November 14th, during the National Jersey Show, Katelyn’s parents Matthew and Debbie Graye were present to receive acknowledgement of their daughter’s ongoing successes!

Katelyn is a perfect recipient of this award. She exhibits the vivacious and well-organized nature of Nola Brown along with Nola’s intelligence, an ability to work on a diverse range of projects with competence and poise, and the helpful generosity of spirit that made Nola Brown beloved by all she met! This young woman was raised in central New Brunswick but moved to Manitoba in 2004 with her family. The Graye’s transitioned from a herd of 40 cows in a tie stall barn to a 100 cow free-stall milking operation south of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Katelyn has been an active and valued member of the farm team. A November 2006 A.I. course with Westgen gave her skills in both heat detection and breeding of cattle that she has utilized with the family’s Graylane herd and also as a technician with Express Genetics. Being a life-long learner, Graye has collected scores of ideas for possible implementation at Graylane while serving local dairy producers.

The career path to date of this third year International Agribusiness student at the University of Manitoba is instructive with regard to her diverse range of interests and skills. Summer roles have included technical positions with both the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute, work on water quality issues to agricultural production for the Seine-Rat River Conservation District, time spent as an informant on the dairy industry with Dairy Farmers of Manitoba along with the AI position and work as a full team member managing various aspects of the Graylane dairy operation. In these positions Katelyn has profited from abundant interaction with the general public. She notes that she learned a great deal about consumer impressions of the dairy and wider agricultural industries in the water quality and Dairy Farmers positions.

Katelyn and her family have a deep knowledge of managing a herd of companion dairy breeds as the family’s first Jersey was purchased shortly before her birth. She and her siblings are in the unusual position of being offspring of parents who have served on two National dairy breed association Boards. Their mother Debbie was Atlantic Director for Holstein Canada during the time the family lived in New Brunswick. In April of 2009 their father Matthew assumed the role of National Director for Manitoba with Jersey Canada.

For six of her eleven years in 4-H Katelyn worked with a Jersey calf project. In 2008, Katelyn received a Jersey Canada Youth Scholarship and in 2009 she was named winner of a Manitoba Holstein Scholarship. Highlights from more than a decade in the 4-H program include Katelyn’s participation in the Western Canada Classic Youth event on multiple occasions, the six years at the National Classic Youth Show in Ontario and her selection as a representative of Manitoba at the National 4-H Member’s Conference in 2006.

As a means of giving back to the local youth center that helped her transition from life in New Brunswick to life in Manitoba Katelyn has become a busy volunteer at the same center. She is also an involved member of the University of Manitoba’s Stockman’s Club. This bright and energetic young woman truly more than upholds the very high standards set by previous exemplary recipients of this prestigious award!