MT. VERNON — Juliana LeClare knows farming is in her blood.

“I grew up on a dairy farm in Mt. Vernon, the youngest of four with three older brothers, and I spent a lot of time working on the farm,” the recent Washington State University graduate said. “It was a great way of growing up.”

LeClare said she did what a lot of farm kids do — joined 4-H, raised cows, was a county dairy ambassador for Skagit County when she was 17, and then an alternate dairy ambassador during her freshman year of college.

“It was a really good opportunity,” LeClare said of growing up on the farm. “It gave me an ability to think critically and solve problems, and a work ethic.”

It’s a cliche, LeClare added, that work ethic so many farm kids acquire as they grow up, but it’s talked about so much “because it’s so true.”

And it’s one of the reasons why LeClare was named Aggie of the Year for 2021 by WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS).

“I really felt she was a leader in spirit, experience and skill,” said Colette Casavant, CAHNRS director of student success, who noted during her time at WSU, LaClare led the CAHNRS student senate, was a regents scholar and earned “at least” 17 scholarships.

“It is very impressive. People don’t just give those to you. You have to earn them,” Casavant said.

LeClare said she earned her degree in agricultural and food systems while minoring in animal science and Spanish, and also took a number of honors courses. She most enjoyed the hands-on part of her education, LaClare said, until the outbreak of COVID-19 prompted all classes to go online.

“Online was a disappointment. The hands-on courses were not so hands-on anymore,” she said.

LeClare said of the courses she took, she most enjoyed studying ruminant nutrition, and was able to connect what she learned in class to what her family did on their dairy farm.

And while she hopes someday to have her own farm, for now, LeClare said she is going to work for Northwest Farm Credit Services in Wenatchee to learn more about the business end of farming.

“I’m hoping to learn what it takes to be successful financially,” she said. “I want to provide support to farmers in Washington. I love agriculture.”

Casavant described LeClare as a “warm, encouraging and confident student” with a great deal of integrity, who will have a positive effect no matter where she goes because LeClare clearly understood what it takes to be a leader.

“She wrote that successful leaders help groups achieve their goal. It’s so simple, but it’s so true,” Casavant said. “She wants to be a leader not just for the prestige, but to give back and make change.”

LaClare said she was flattered to be nominated and shocked to win, and learned she won the award right after coming in from feeding dairy cows on the family farm, where she was studying remotely.

“It felt appropriate that I was Aggie of the Year working on the farm,” she said. “It is an honor, a neat way to finish off my time at WSU, and I’m honored to finish out that legacy.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].