The Herd

What is The Herd?

The Herd is for members ages 18-23 who enjoy social media and want to share their love of agriculture with the world. Members gain valuable skills in agriculture communication by learning from industry professionals and through hands-on experiences. Herd members are selected in the spring and participate in the program for one year.

Learn more about the 2024-25 class: Aly Dieball, Katelyn Kobbermann, Lily Krona, and Mary Lanoue.

Aly is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville studying dairy science with a minor in agriculture business. Aly enjoys staying active on campus by being a member of the Association of Women in Agriculture as well as the Pioneer Dairy Club. Aly is a past Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalist, Minnesota State 4-H Ambassador and Minnesota State 4-H Agriculture Ambassador. 

Aly comes from Green Isle, where she was heavily involved in 4-H and FFA. Her involvement in those organizations ranged from public speaking events to showing dairy cattle. Aly was introduced to agriculture at a young age, where she now holds an active role on her family’s robotic dairy farm. 

Follow her agriculture story on Facebook and Instagram,  @dieball_dairy_llc.

Katelyn grew up on a farm in Pope County where they raise beef cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, and crops. She will be starting her second year at Mitchell Technical College this fall studying animal science. She plans on continuing her education after graduating Mitchell Tech to get an ag business degree.

Katelyn was active in 4-H and FFA throughout high school. Katelyn’s passion for agriculture began at a young age but throughout high school it grew immensely. She found her love for agriculture through her ag teacher/FFA advisor, who helped her learn more about the industry. Katelyn found her interest in Farm Bureau when she attended MFBF's Day on the Hill and she has been active ever since! She loves continuing to learn and expanding her knowledge of the industry and hopes to share her knowledge!

Follow her agriculture story on Instagram, @katelynkobbermann


Lily is a University of Minnesota - Crookston senior majoring in agricultural education. Her passion is educating the next generation in the world of agriculture. She stays busy on campus by having active leadership roles in the agricultural clubs on campus, including: U of M Crookston Farm Bureau Club, the Crookston Collegiate FFA Chapter and other organizations. She also shoots for the University of Minnesota - Crookston’s trap team.

Originally from Bemidji, Lily was part of Team Future Generation where she and two others developed curriculum on GMOs for 3rd-5th grade students and competed at the Minnesota 4-H Science of Agriculture Challenge in 2018 and 2019. Through this project, Lily developed a passion for teaching young people about agriculture and hopes to inspire others to choose career paths in the agricultural sectors.  

Follow her agriculture story in Facebook and Instagram, @experiencingagwithlily


Mary is a freshman at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, pursuing a degree in agriculture communications and marketing.

Originally from Marshall, Mary grew up on a cow/calf operation where she quickly found a passion for agricultural advocacy through programs like FFA and 4-H. Though her passion is advocacy, she also enjoys managing her herd of market goats and speaking in classroom settings about the basics of agriculture.

Throughout her years in college, Mary aims to  connect with others who are passionate about agriculture and find agriculturally-based organizations who can support her goals and aspirations.

Follow her agriculture journey on Facebook, @Ag Essentials, and Instagram, @the_ag_essentials