Stephanie Meyers brings experience, passion and vision to her new role

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Cattle, competition, friendships, and tanbark tales may draw young people to the All-American Dairy Show, but Stephanie Meyers sees what happens there as the beginning, not the end.

“The impact reaches far beyond the show ring, building confidence, skills, connections, and relationships that last a lifetime,” Meyers said during a Farmshine interview at the All-American Dairy Foundation (AADF) booth in September during the 62nd All-American Dairy Show in Harrisburg.

Meyers knows that path. She showed here as a youth, grew up showing dairy cattle through 4-H, served as a county dairy princess, and competed on Virginia Tech’s Dairy Judging Team. She was also Farmshine editor Dieter Krieg’s first intern in 1989.

Those experiences helped launch her career in dairy and ag science, marketing and communications, eventually taking Meyers to live and work in Kansas City for an ad agency and in other roles before her many years with Merck Animal Health. There, she progressed to work with global ruminant teams, designing displays and communications materials, traveling across the U.S. and around the world.

Two years ago, she came back to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Her friends, Dr. Jim and Irene Osborne of Millerstown urged her to get involved on the AADF Board, where she served as secretary before being selected in September to run the Foundation as its new executive director.

Her work over the past year led to the roll-out of a new logo, visual identity, and theme: “Investing in Today’s Dairy Youth, Strengthening Tomorrow’s Dairy Industry.”

The fresh look builds on the core mission of creating educational opportunities for young people who come to the All-American to compete, show cattle, judge cows, test their dairy-management knowledge, and build relationships.

In addition to scholarships and achievement awards, AADF supports youth competitions, especially the national invitational dairy judging and junior dairy management contests.

Where are they now?

Recently, AADF brought together 15 “Where are they now?” stories from former scholarship and award winners, and others who participated in AADF sponsored competitions.

“It really speaks to the benefits that they had here as a youth and how that’s impacting them now in their personal and professional life,” Meyers said.

Some remain directly involved with cattle. Many have built careers in the dairy industry and beyond.

Jordan Anderson, of Centre Hall, was the AADF 2022 Arthur W. Nesbitt Scholarship recipient. She participated at the All-American beginning in 2013 and graduated in ag communications and business from the University of Wyoming in 2025. She had interned with the Center for Dairy Excellence and returned to join the Center full-time as communications and marketing specialist.

Anderson didn’t grow up on a milking dairy. She raised and showed cattle with her family, cared for her own heifers and gained experience helping on neighboring farms.

Spencer Weimer grew up on a dairy farm near Emlenton in Cambria County. Today, he leads an engineering team in a career outside of agriculture but said he still draws on lessons learned exhibiting cattle.

“The dairy community has tremendously shaped my life, including introducing me to my wife, Brooke,” Weimer wrote. “We’re excited to involve and support our children in showing dairy cattle, carrying these traditions forward.”

Meyers’ own career path is an example too. “I wanted to give back to an industry that has supported me and got me started,” she said, noting her work on the new AADF display, branding, and marketing materials “really just kind of ignited a passion for this and seeing how much more work there is to do and the potential.”

Building on basics

AADF has distributed more than $268,000 during the past 10 years. Its direct awards include the annual $2000 Arthur W. Nesbitt Scholarship and $500 Robert D. Heilman Youth Achievement Award. As a 501(c)(3), it also provides grants for educational activities at the All-American, including dairy judging and junior dairy management.

Meyers sees potential to look at where those dollars can have the greatest impact. “Maybe it’s more scholarships, maybe it’s more achievement awards,” she said. “I’m looking forward to exploring where the opportunities are, and where’s our money best spent to support the youth.”

During the interview, Meyers and Farmshine discussed how larger farms with employees can mean fewer traditional daily chores for farm children, while other young people interested in dairy have no farm at all. A show animal — sometimes leased or owned and housed on someone else’s dairy — can expand opportunities for young people. Expanding those opportunities connects more people to dairy, and that is a good thing, no matter where their future paths lead.

Meyers highlighted AADF’s 2026 Heilman Youth Achievement Award recipient Elyse Mead, a Biglerville High School junior who does not have a dairy farm of her own but keeps animals with other farms and has built what Meyers called an “incredible” community around her. Mead has exhibited Holsteins, Guernseys and Brown Swiss at the All-American since 2021.

This year’s Arthur W. Nesbitt Scholarship recipient, Natalie Yoder of Belleville, is another example. She is further on that educational path as a Penn State senior majoring in agribusiness management and has interned with Horizon Farm Credit and Syngenta Crop Protection, planning to pursue dairy-industry marketing or sales.

Beyond competitions

Asked what these experiences provide, Meyers observed “the camaraderie among their fellow peers. It’s those hands-on experiences that really generate that passion in them to inspire them to go on and study agriculture, study dairy science.”

Then there is exposure to future careers. “You look at those sponsor lists,” Meyers said. “It really can open the youth’s eyes to all the possibilities in their future.”

That has her thinking about career exploration, mentoring, internships, and partnerships with other dairy and agricultural organizations.

“Maybe we could have something here at the show for the kids to learn about different careers in the dairy industry,” she suggested. “I love the idea of collaborating with other organizations that are like-minded and have a similar mission to support youth and education.”

These are possibilities to explore, not programs decided. She plans to use other upcoming events to look for organizations and potential collaborations as the reach of both the show and the Foundation extends well beyond Pennsylvania.

“I talked to kids at the booth this year from Idaho,” she pointed out.

In fact, the invitational dairy judging contest drew 39 university, two-year college, 4-H, and FFA teams to Harrisburg from across the country. The junior dairy management competition, started by Dr. Carl Brown and also supported by AADF, had winners this year from New York to Idaho. It has drawn 4-H and FFA teams from across Pennsylvania and from Wisconsin to Florida, as far west as California, and north to Maine.

These educational contests are less visible than the show ring, but they are part of what distinguishes the All-American and part of the AADF 501(c)(3) mission.

Fresh ways to connect

AADF is reaching out in fun ways too. About 50 people, most of them youth, participated in dairy trivia at their booth this year. During “snacking with the vendors,” board members Jeremy Daubert, Jim Osborne, and Patty McMurray made trendy “dirty-sodas” with flavored syrup and real dairy half-and-half — a hit with the young people.

As the new executive director, Meyers wants to further awareness of AADF among youths and the dairy community. To further the organization’s impact, she wants to first understand its donor history — who has supported it, why they have supported it, and how Foundation fundraising can complement rather than repeatedly return to businesses already sponsoring the All-American Dairy Show. She also plans to explore grant opportunities.

That brings her back to the 15 “Where are they now?” stories. “When we talk to potential donors, this will be one of our driving messages as to our why,” she said.

AADF is inviting more former youths to share their own stories. Go to allamericandairyfoundation.com and look on the left for the ‘Where are they now?’ tab.

Tax deductible donations can also be made at the website to support tomorrow’s leaders through activities, awards, and scholarships tied to the All-American Dairy Show today.

“There’s an unlimited number of ways that we can support dairy youths beyond the show ring, to connect them through education and in future opportunities,” Meyers said, calling this “the very beginning of the possibilities ahead.”