Time Management Marvel

As an FFA state officer attending University of Idaho, Katie Hebdon spent about half of her freshman year off campus advocating for Idaho agriculture, traveling more than 20,000 miles during her first semester alone.

Still, Hebdon, of Nampa, graduates from U of I in May 2025 after four years in school — and with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, bachelor’s degrees in agricultural economics: agribusiness emphasis and animal and veterinary science: dairy option and a certificate in agricultural commodity risk management.

“My academic advisors were absolutely amazing helping me work with my class-load and schedule since I was gone traveling so much,” Hebdon said.

Thanks to the many college scholarships she earned, she’ll also be leaving U of I with no student debt.

Next August, Hebdon will start a graduate program in animal science and ruminant nutrition at Michigan State University, with plans to return to Idaho and offer ruminant nutritional consulting to the state’s large dairies and beef operations.

Hebdon believes the broad education she received through U of I’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), including in business and commodity risk management, will help her better serve future clients.

“Not only are you working with producers to formulate rations and do work on the animal husbandry and animal health side, but you also have to do it in a cost-effective way because at the end of the day, people have to make money,” Hebdon said. “The commodities and risk management side tied into that really nicely because I understand the markets, I understand hedging and futures, what’s going to happen with the corn markets and how that’s going to impact feeder cattle prices and fat cattle prices and class three milk.”

Hebdon solidified her interest in an agricultural career after working throughout high school as a ranch hand at a family friend’s small cow-calf operation in Marsing.

“I’ve always loved cattle,” Hebdon said. “Working at the ranch was a good opportunity to learn the ins and outs of what it’s like to be actively involved in the cow-calf sector.”

Also fostering her love of agriculture, she was active in UI Extension 4-H Youth Development and FFA, which is a national, agricultural-based youth leadership organization with more than 6,500 statewide members.

In April 2021, during her senior year in high school, she was elected to a one-year term as an FFA state officer. The position kept her constantly on the road, teaching leadership curriculum at middle schools and high schools and raising awareness to school superintendents, lobbyists and lawmakers about the importance of agricultural and career and technical education.

“We were traveling nationally to represent Idaho’s needs,” she said. “We were the face of young agriculturalists in the state of Idaho.”

CALS awarded Hebdon both college credits and scholarship money for her participation as an FFA state officer.

Hebdon initially considered pursuing a career as a large animal veterinarian. She chose ruminant nutrition instead, recognizing the opportunity to preventatively benefit animal health by designing balanced rations for them.

She shadowed industry feed representatives during her senior year of high school. During her sophomore year in college, she worked closely with a livestock nutritionist as an intern with a large dairy in Boardman, Oregon.

While at U of I, Hebdon has been active in campus activities and promoting her college. She participated in CALS ambassadors — a team comprising current CALS students who represent the college and its programs on and off campus.

Hebdon also served as the student representative on the search committee that selected Leslie Edgar as the next J.R. Simplot Endowed Dean of CALS.

“I care really deeply about CALS and I want to see it continue to be in good hands once I leave,” Hebdon said.

During her final semester, she served on U of I’s team at the National Dairy Challenge in Gainesville, Florida. Competitors were challenged to be consultants, identifying problems at a host dairy farm and presenting data in support of solutions they identified. U of I finished third in its bracket.

“I love animal science,” Hebdon said. “Animal science is my passion, but understanding economics and running a business is also something you need to know.”

Published in Catching Up with CALS