RITZVILLE, Wash. — Alyssa Williams’ earliest memory is sitting on her father’s shoulders overlooking a pen of bred heifers.

“My parents asked me which one was my favorite and I am sure as any 4-year-old would, I pointed out the only red heifer,” Williams said. “To me, this is a very special memory because it was where my family selected the first five heifers that started our herd.”

Williams, 18, a senior at Lind-Ritzville High School, is the president of both the Lind-Ritzville FFA chapter and Washington FFA District 9. Her year as an ambassador for the Junior Livestock Show of Spokane concludes during the show.

She recently received a Livestock Marketing Association scholarship, among other honors.

She will start studies Texas Tech University in the fall, where she plans to study to be an animal scientist.

Her mother is Lori Williams, executive director of the Junior Livestock Show of Spokane. Her father is Andy Williams, longtime Lind-Ritzville FFA advisor.

Williams said her love for the industry grew through watching her parents and taking part in the family’s growing cow herd.

“I was born into this life, and I certainly wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.

In 2019, she bought her first five cows; her herd has grown to 27 head, which she runs with her family’s herd. She also started a ewe flock around the same time.

“My goal for both of these was to provide functional livestock projects for youth showmen in the area,” she said. She puts on judging clinics and career development event clinics at various 4-H clubs.

She has continued to show cattle at local and national level shows and plans to continue to raise cattle in the future.

Setting the world on fire

Jesse Taylor, Washington FFA Foundation executive director, estimated that Williams has won 13 state individual titles between FFA and 4-H, including four consecutive years as state champion in agronomy. She has also been on 17 state championship teams and competed at nine national-level contests between FFA and 4-H.

“Alyssa set out as a freshman to set the world on fire, and has spent four years just dominating Washington FFA, and it’s been an absolute joy,” Taylor said. “She has an inner confidence in a high-schooler like I have never seen.”

“Alyssa’s got a very intense personality and approaches things with a mindset of a champion,” said Blake Foraker, Texas Tech meat science assistant professor, who worked with the Williams family during his time at Washington State University Extension. “What sets her apart is her drive, intellect, ability and want to succeed.”

Public perception

“Public perception is a big issue with agriculture that we’re facing,” Williams said. “So many people are really disconnected from where their food comes from, but they all get to vote on stuff that impacts us.

“The agriculture industry is an absolute necessity for humanity, but it is under constant strife due to negative public perception, stemming from misinformation,” she said.

Williams believes the best impact she can have on the future of livestock production is to help improve efficiency and sustainability of livestock production, while providing fact-based data that proves the environmental stewardship of livestock producers.

She points to Washington House Bill 1630, or “the Cow Fart Bill,” which would have required cattle operations to report methane emissions. The bill died in February, but Williams blames public misunderstanding of the industry for its introduction.

“I believe that bills like this help contribute to poor public perception while making it more challenging for cattlemen to produce the most nutrient dense food available to humans,” she said. “It is also my belief that us as agriculturists can make technological advancements to help combat these negative viewpoints.”

Cattle efficiency research

While at Texas Tech, Williams will compete in agricultural competitive events, including livestock judging, meats judging and meat animal evaluation.

She will study cattle growth efficiency and sustainability.

”To feed our ever-growing population, we must make our cattle more efficient, while providing research-based data that proves the environmental sustainability of cattle production,” she said. “My ultimate goal is to provide the research and development needed to continue to provide industry-leading technologies that provide innovative solutions to the most pressing issues facing agriculture production.”