Leadership Series Guest Blogger: Katelyn Dynneson

Leadership Series Guest Blogger: Katelyn Dynneson

The Leadership Series was challenged this month to write a blog post that shares their personal leadership story and why they’re stepping up to live LARGER by being a part of this program. Below we are sharing Katelyn Dynneson’s blog post. Katelyn is the 4th generation on her family’s operation where they run a custom back-grounding feedlot, cow-calf operation and farm. She attended Montana State University and received a BS in Agricultural Business with a second major in Economics. Katelyn returned to the farm full-time after college and I have been loving every minute of it.

Thanks for sharing this with us Katelyn!

“I am incredibly honored to be a part of the inaugural Montana Stockgrowers Association Leadership Series. I applied to be a part of this program because I am truly passionate about my agriculture community and I want to learn how to be a great rancher and the best advocate I can be.

Throughout the program I have been learning more about my personal leadership brand. It has really opened up my eyes to who I am and what I enjoy doing. It has made me realize how dedicated I am to promoting what my family and other farmers and ranchers do in agriculture. For the past few years, I have been sharing my family’s story on our ranch’s Facebook page. I love connecting with consumers and sharing what my family does day to day. Part of the reason I joined the program was to improve on my skills and hopefully encourage others to share their stories as well.

The most valuable lesson I have learned from this program is that I need to do things that align with my leadership brand. I cannot give my all if I do not fully believe in what I am doing. It is okay to not be involved in every single thing. Instead, I need to focus my energy and my talents on the things that I am best at and truly care about. This is why I serve on the board of the MonDak Area Stockgrowers and am an active 4-H leader. I try to find programs and organizations that follow my leadership brand.

Thanks to our coaches, Ryan and Sarah, I continue to learn more about myself and my leadership brand. So far I have learned that I will fight tooth and nail for our agriculture community. I’m not afraid to talk about a controversial topic and I try my best to be well educated on the issues facing our community. I am also not afraid to jump into a task and get things done. Organizations are run by those who show up and voice their opinions, and I am one of those people that is willing to do what it takes to make a difference. I am not easily intimidated by new or different challenges and I love to learn. I am proud to be a face for agriculture.

This program has already given me numerous invaluable skills and experiences. I have the pleasure of working with an outstanding group of individuals that share my passion for agriculture. My improved communication and advocating skills have already helped with connecting with consumers and fellow ranchers. Not to mention the skills we have learned to make us better ranchers. This program has been amazing thus far and I cannot wait to see what else it has in store for us. I hope this program continues for many years and future groups gain as much as I have. Thank you Montana Stockgrowers, Ryan and Sarah for allowing me this opportunity to better myself. I truly appreciate it.”

Interested in connecting with Katelyn? You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!