Sept. 6, 2018

Northwest student wins Miss United States Agriculture 2018

By Tara Garcia, communication assistant

Northwest student Holly Hatfield shows her Bearcat pride after being crowned Miss United States Agriculture in June. (Submitted photo)

A Northwest Missouri State University student brought home another national title in June by winning the Miss United States Agriculture crown in Birmingham, Alabama.

Holly Hatfield, a junior agriculture education, horticulture and agronomy major from Kirksville, Missouri, plans to use her title as Miss United States Agriculture to advocate for micro-industries and sustainability. She will spend a year learning about agriculture in other states, attending events and speaking to youth about the importance of the agriculture industry.

“A lot of people have misconceptions about the Miss United States organization,” Hatfield said. “The goal is to inspire young women to become passionate about advocating for the industry to make sure it stays alive.”

So far, Hatfield has traveled to nine state fairs. Hatfield will travel to the East and West coasts, and she will travel to Alaska. Hatfield also will travel to Savannah, Missouri, to read books to elementary school students for National Read a Book Day while representing the National Farm Bureau.

“I get to stay with the National Cover Miss in Alaska, and she is going to take me on an agriculture tour,” Hatfield said. “We are going to watch wheat physically grow and it’s going to be a blast.”

Women represent each state in the Miss United States Agriculture competition, which evaluates how each woman can portray her state while learning about other states. Hatfield competed against 27 women in her 17 to 21-year-old division.

“On the first night of the competition we did a meet and greet,” Hatfield said. “I sat down and met the all women I was competing against. I thought it was going to be very tense and no one would like each other. We started talking about the different agriculture in our states and we all bonded.”

Hatfield used the competition not only to learn about agriculture but to build connections.

“I saw this experience more as a networking opportunity rather than a pageant,” Hatfield said. “One of the judges gave me a job offer after the competition, which was awesome. You have to go in prepared for what could happen in the end.”

Hatfield says Northwest prepared her for the competition and related experiences through her coursework. She came to Northwest because Maryville’s small town atmosphere and Northwest’s agriculture program – which provides students with a multitude of profession-based experiences – appealed to her.

“I believe that the classes I took helped me prepare for this experience, especially the interview part,” Hatfield said. “I got asked a question about soils, and learning about soils was one of my favorite classes. The judge asked me a question and I immediately thought back to my class at Northwest.”

She added, “I get to do what I love every day. I came to Northwest wanting to be an agriculture education major because I want to spread positivity.”

At Northwest, Hatfield also is president of Sigma Society and a choreographer for Northwest Dance Company.