CASNR sophomore is Angus Ambassador for National Junior Angus Association

One of her earliest memories was showing Angus around in her family's living room, pretending to be a cattle auctioneer. No, not Angus cattle. Angus the black lab puppy.

It was this early experience that got Maci Lienemann of Princeton, Neb. interested in the real deal. Lienemann, an animal science major, will be a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this fall.

She received her first Angus heifer at age 10, her father's way of paying her back for the help she had provided him over the years on the family farm. She now owns her own small herd of 20 Registered Angus cattle. Lienemann said that she believes that the Angus breed is the most practical, efficient and economical breed of cattle today.

Lienemann has recently been chosen as the Angus Ambassador for 2013-2014 for the American Angus and National Junior Angus Association. She will serve as a spokesperson for nearly 6,000 Junior Angus Association members at industry events in the U.S. and Canada.

She was named July 25 at the American Angus Association headquarters in Saint Joseph, Mo.

"I was just ecstatic," said Lienemann, 19, on her reaction to being chosen. "I still can hardly believe it."

Candidates submitted a cover letter and resume to the association. Lienemann was one of five top candidates selected to present a 15-minute presentation to a panel of judges about current beef industry challenges.

Her presentation, "Cattle by the Numbers," discussed the current U.S. cattle inventory and its impacts on the beef industry as a whole.

"I believe that producing beef will be crucial to our nation and the world's future," Lienemann said.

The beef industry has enacted several short-term solutions to sustain beef production despite decreasing cattle numbers, Lienemann said. These temporary solutions include continually increasing carcass weights and placing younger calves on feed.

Lienemann wants to offer long-term solutions to these issues.

"I personally believe that if you are going to complain about something that you should have a solution in mind," she said.

The most obvious solution to decreasing cattle inventory would be more rainfall, Lienemann said. But because rainfall is impossible to control, she offered other solutions.

Her other possible solutions include developing advocates for the beef industry, encouraging young people to get involved, creating better relationships and increasing communication throughout all industry segments, as well as continuing to make progress in genetic research.

"That's where my heart lies," Lienemann said. "I intend to go on to graduate school and study beef genetics."

She looks forward to her ambassador position.

"I look forward to getting to interact with industry leaders and professionals and everything I can learn with them, along with the networking possibilities and the doors that may open in the future," Lienemann said.