Jennrich takes Wisconsin Guernsey roots to national stage

NEW GLARUS, Wis. — While Olivia Jennrich grew up within the city limits of Jefferson, her connection to Guernseys began on her grandparents’ dairy farm in New Glarus about an hour away. The family milks 70 registered Guernseys at Kadence Farm and Gold Rush Guernseys. 

What started with weekends and summers at the farm grew into involvement with Guernseys at the state and national levels. Today, Jennrich serves as the 2026 National Guernsey Queen, promoting the breed and encouraging other young people to become involved with the breed as well.

“Connecting with people who share my same passion is what I’m most looking forward to,” Jennrich said. “(I enjoy) having a community all be in one place at the same time, where we’re all there for Guernseys, especially people my age who have this similar interest.”

Jennrich was crowned July 4 at the National Guernsey Convention in Syracuse, New York. Her duties include attending shows and events as an ambassador for the breed and its youth programs, including World Dairy Expo and the All-American Dairy Show. She also uses social media to reach people who may not have a connection to dairy farming and Guernseys. 

Her family has deep ties to the breed. Both of her parents, Heidi and Dave, grew up on dairy farms before moving to Jefferson. Her mother was the 1994 Wisconsin Guernsey Princess while her aunt, Kami Dorn, held the state title in 2014 and was national queen a year later.

Jennrich began showing Guernseys at the Jefferson County Fair when she was 10. She saved money from babysitting and birthday gifts for three years before purchasing her first Guernsey, a heifer named Legend.

Legend was a maternal sister to Kadence Fames Lovely EX-96, grand champion of the 2025 International Guernsey Show. But Jennrich’s first experience with cattle was not as successful. Legend developed mastitis as a young cow, so she did not give birth to the healthy heifer calves Jennrich had hoped for.

“Ultimately, we had to ship her, so my dreams kind of temporarily went down the drain, and I had to start all over,” Jennrich said.

Her mother encouraged her to enter an essay contest through the Wisconsin Guernsey Breeders’ Association, which awarded a Guernsey calf to the winner. 

After entering three times, Jennrich won in 2023 and read her essay at the association’s annual meeting.

“I hadn’t really done any public speaking before that, and obviously I was very nervous,” Jennrich said. “But I got up there and it just kind of flowed, and I enjoyed it.”

The experience encouraged her to become more involved. She began attending more shows, fitting her own animals and purchasing cattle alongside her sister and cousin.

Jennrich also marketed her genetics through a bull she bred, Kadence Sparta Lottery-ETV, out of one of her grandparents cows. Lottery was eventually sold to an A.I. company, giving Jennrich a direct connection to genetic progress of the breed.

“It’s pretty cool to be a part of Guernsey genetic progress,” Jennrich said. “I feel like that was my real ticket into the breed. It was affirming for me to have a part of Guernsey genetics, with his semen being sold in the U.S. and now in Australia and across the world.”

Those experiences have reinforced the family legacy Jennrich hopes to carry forward.

“I will always be faithful to the Guernsey breed because of the experiences, the memories, being a fifth-generation owner of Guernseys, and because of the legacy I’m carrying on,” she said.

Jennrich launched the queen journey when she was crowned Wisconsin Guernsey Princess in 2025 and then ran for the national position this past summer. She said her focus has always been on encouraging youth involvement.

Whether crowned queen or not, bringing in people who might not already be a part of the association is a passion for her, Jennrich said. She sees the breed’s diversity as another way to connect with people.

“There are so many different ways, management styles and things that dairy farmers breed for,” she said. “There’s no right or wrong way to use Guernseys, whether that’s homesteading, commercial dairies, having a few, having a bunch, all registered, having show cattle, not showing at all, being registered or not.”

Some breeders prioritize production, while others focus on show type, butterfat or protein, she said.

“When you ask, ‘Why Guernseys?’ I would say it’s because there are so many different ways that you can have them,” Jennrich said.

Jennrich is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Although she initially thought her career path would lead elsewhere, building a herd of Guernseys has redirected her compass.

“I didn’t originally think that my career path would be within the dairy industry,” she said. “I’ve always kind of been science oriented. But … the past three or four years were when I realized … I wanted to be a part of genetic progress.”

Her long-term goal is to work in dairy genetics, though she is still determining the specifics.

For now, the national queen role is giving her a chance to learn more about the industry while connecting with people at shows and trade events.

“I want to take the opportunity at these national shows to go to the trade booths or the trade shows and interact with people in the industry,” Jennrich said.