Reluctant princess becomes proud Missouri Angus Queen
by Courtney Leeper, posted Dec. 7, 2011
Most little girls dream of being princesses with fine gowns and tiaras, ballroom dances and tea parties. One little girl, Kathryn Coon, preferred cattle sale barns to castles and spent her free time outdoors with her dad and grandpa around the farm. Unbeknownst to her, a queen’s tiara was in her future.
Each year during the Missouri Angus Preview Show, the Missouri Angus Auxiliary selects a young woman in the Missouri Junior Angus Association (MJAA) to represent the breed as Missouri Angus Queen. Kathryn Coon, a freshman majoring in agricultural education and agricultural business management at the University of Missouri was selected for this honor for the 2011-2012 term.
Kathryn’s passion for the cattle industry stems from her background growing up on an angus cattle ranch. This also led to her involvement in the MJAA.
According to Kathryn, angus cattle have been in her family for about a hundred years. Today, the family operation covers approximately 600 acres in Bethel, Mo., and maintains around 300 head of purebred angus cattle, including 150 cows along with bulls and calves.
Angus became something more than just what the family did when she was just a youngster.
“She started showing at 8 years old, and I think that’s when her love of the cattle really began,” said Susan Coon, Kathryn’s mother.
Even with her love of angus cattle, becoming the Missouri Angus Queen wasn’t something Kathryn planned on doing.
“I had hoped she would compete in the Missouri Angus Queen contest, but I didn’t know if she would want to because she was never the little girl who liked being a princess,” Susan said.
Susan saw the potential in Kathryn and encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone and enter the Missouri Angus Princess contest.
“She’s always been around the cattle industry,” Susan said. “Her aunt is the editor of the Angus Journal, and so when we would sit around the dinner table at family gatherings we’d discuss cattle.” Susan also credited the people of the angus industry.
“There’s been a lot of people in the angus industry encourage her and offer her advice,” Susan said. “They’ve been like a second family. Competing just seemed like a natural fit.”
Compete Kathryn did, and her experience as princess opened her eyes to new possibilities.
“I was the Missouri Angus Princess from 2007-2008. I got to know the queen, Rachel Bartholemew, now Kagay, well and enjoyed my time with her. From there I knew I wanted to be Angus Queen,” Kathryn said.
Shannon Yokley, a freshman science and agricultural journalism major at MU, knew Kathryn would make a great queen. Kathryn and Yokley both serve on the Missouri Junior Angus Association officer team, Kathryn as assistant secretary and Yokley as treasurer. They serve together as co-reporters and scrapbookers.
“When it comes to someone who is most eligible for queen, Kathryn is the first person who comes to mind,” Yokley said. “She knows her stuff about cattle and about the angus industry. She also is such a sweet young lady and always willing to help anyone. She has a great smile and wonderful personality, which definitely makes her stand out.”
Kathryn’s past experiences helped prepare her for the competition as Susan pointed out.
“She developed her leadership and public speaking skills through 4-H. As she got older, her experiences through FFA gave her additional experiences in these areas as well as the confidence to interview,” Susan said. “I think these experiences are really what led up to her winning the Angus Queen Contest.
Kathryn was crowned as the Missouri Angus Queen in June 2011.
“I was pretty ecstatic when I found out. I think the support of my family made me even happier because they were so happy for me,” Kathryn said.
By the time she turns over her sash at next year’s preview show, Kathryn will have worked six shows: both the 2011 and 2012 Missouri Angus Previews, Ozark Empire Fair, Missouri State Fair, American Royal Livestock Show and Missouri Angus Futurity. It hasn’t been a burden for this cattlewoman though.
“The whole atmosphere is wonderful. It’s down to earth and full of hard working people. Getting to know them and hearing their perspective has been great,” Kathryn said.
Kathryn said she holds a lot of respect for people in the agricultural industry, and getting to know them on a personal level is her favorite part of being queen. One story she recounted, in her words, “was one of those moments that pull on your heartstrings.”
“When taking pictures of champions, the queen stands with the ribbons and trophy next to the animal, which can get interesting. For safety’s sake, it’s best to be taller so that if the animal does kick, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Sometimes, the owner’s small children get in the picture and it is the queen’s responsibility to watch out for them,” Kathryn said. “In one instance, an 8- or 9-year old boy was in the picture. The American Angus Queen and I were standing between him and the hind side of the bull, which probably weighed about 1,600 pounds, with me being closest to him. Every time we needed to move, I would try to guide the boy out of the way. He took hold of my hand and we had a nice little chat until we were ready to take the next picture.”
Moments like this expose her desire to make a difference in the lives of future agriculturalists. Kathryn is studying to become an agricultural education instructor.
“She would do anything to help the youth in the MJAA and I know she’ll make a great ag teacher,” Yokley said.
Anna Henry, associate professor and Kathryn’s orientation to agricultural education instructor, said the experience of Missouri Angus Queen will benefit Kathryn in her future career.
“She will gain some very valuable knowledge and experience in one of our most important commodities, and she will build a network of professional connections that will serve her and her future students well in terms of potential guest speakers, field trips, or classroom curriculum materials,” Henry said.
Susan sees great things in Kathryn’s future but doesn’t limit them to teaching agricultural education in a school setting.
“I can definitely see her as a vo-ag instructor teaching the youth, but I could also see her in other positions supporting the cattle industry,” Susan said. “I also think she’ll always be connected to the family farm somehow, some way.”
Wherever Kathryn Coon ends up, she will take her experiences of being the Missouri Angus Queen, and the experiences that have led up to that, with her.
“I think it’s a really great honor to represent the industry and the breed,” Kathryn said. “It’s been a great experience meeting people and representing the breed.”
According to Yokley, “The tiara shows what she has worked for, but how she carries herself and cares for others is why she is the perfect person to wear it.”
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