It was a few years into Kallie Knott’s Angus career that the letter arrived in the mail. Her mom, Rebecca, saw the American Angus Auxiliary’s name on the upper left corner of the envelope and then took on the role of deliverer. 

“We were working on the show calves in the show barn, and I took it out to her,” Rebecca recalls. “‘Are you going to sign this?’”

For Kallie, it was a big question. While she had enjoyed every second of her time in the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA), the Indiana local didn’t know if she was ready to run for the title of Miss American Angus. In her mind, the heels and hose might not fit her quite as well as the jeans and boots. 

Eventually, however, friends and family convinced her to try her hand. Kallie signed the letter and began to prepare herself to compete for her chance to wear the famous red coat.

I’ll be honest, [Miss American Angus] was probably the biggest highlight for me. The whole year was amazing, but the actual Miss American Angus contest was probably one of my favorite things. It got me out of my comfort zone.” — Kallie Knott 

It was a transformative year for Kallie and her family. Rebecca says her daughter had always loved to learn, and the new role gave her the platform to do just that. 

“Just to see her whole confidence — it went through the roof,” her dad, Robert, adds. “It was an exciting time for us, and we still talk about that to this day.” 

Though 5-year-old Kallie would likely never have guessed she’d one day wear a crown in the show ring, she wouldn’t be surprised to see the older version of herself in love with the cattle business. 

Stories from both her parents of their own childhood spent showing sheep and cattle sparked Kallie’s initial interest, but she says it was her uncles and grandpa’s work as herdsmen that truly cinched the deal. 

“I just grew up on the farm with them, and my grandpa is one of my biggest role models,” she explains. 

She and her older sister, Kate, would trail behind Grandpa Ward at Maple Lane Angus, watching the way he interacted with both the animals and the people. Kallie remembers him as a steward, calm and collected in the pasture. 

After her grandpa passed away, Kallie took it upon herself to continue the family tradition. 

“I wanted to continue his way of ranching and his way of being in the livestock industry,” Kallie says. “I really, really loved my time with him. Just being with him and watching him on the farm kind of gave me that instant moment that I wanted to stay in the livestock industry.” 

4-H became the perfect place to chase that dream, and Kallie and Kate showed both Charolais and Angus cattle. Rebecca says it was a family affair — the four of them worked in the barn together from the start. But as time passed, she watched as Kallie took on more and more responsibility. 

“[Rob and I] always made sure that we included her in the decision-making,” Rebecca says.
“What do you think we should use on this hair? Or what do you think we should add to give more belly?”

Empowered by the deeper involvement, Kallie also embraced some of her first leadership roles in 4-H, but it was that leap with Miss American Angus that truly took things to the next level. 

She took to the red coat with all that she had and found a love for the chance to become a role model for other young Angus breeders. 

“I gave 100%, and you just learn it’s more about the journey,” Kallie says. “I just met so many more people and learned more about the industry.” 

Whether it was those new roles in 4-H or her time in the crown and sash, Kallie discovered how important communication was. That interest in successfully connecting with others, combined with Kallie’s original love for the industry she inherited from her grandpa, reaffirmed her childhood desires to become a veterinarian. 

Kallie enrolled at Purdue University, and this May, she’ll graduate from veterinary school, taking on the new title of “Dr. Knott.” She has hopes of focusing on embryo services in large animals after graduation, but she says the biggest excitement is the chance to give back to the industry that helped shape her into the young woman she is today. 

“A lot of people say they want to be a vet because you deal with animals, but actually you deal with animals and people. I actually enjoy [the people side a lot],” the 26-year-old adds. “A big part of it is having a relationship with your client, and that includes … empathy, as well as giving medical advice.” 

Back to the beginning 

Vet school was a challenge in itself, but Kallie says there’s more to consider with the commitment than just the workload. The harsh reality is college comes with a price tag; but thanks to the Angus family she’d become a part of, some of that burden disappeared. 

As a member of the NJAA, Kallie was the recipient of a couple scholarships that were renewable each year as long as she maintained a specific GPA. 
“That just really helped take off the financial stress that a college student could feel,” she says. “I’ve been blessed by the Angus Foundation. I’m just really thankful to have these opportunities and scholarships to help me continue my education.” 

With the reassurance of some tuition being covered, Kallie was able to embrace new opportunities. She traveled to other clinics and events off-campus — experiences she says she wouldn’t have been able to say yes to if she hadn’t received those scholarships. 

“There is an immense amount of help through the Association, and we are forever grateful,” Robert adds. 

Despite classifying themselves as a smaller Angus program, Rebecca says Kallie was offered the same amount of help as any other NJAA member.

“We’re just very, very thankful,” she confirms. “It helped alleviate that financial stress during college and the doctorate program. I think that was good for her well-being going through that program.” 

It was that sense of gratitude that first led the family back to the Angus Foundation’s Fund the Future as potential donors. A flyer arrived in the mail, and Kallie says she took it to her parents. 

The program donates the proceeds of a chosen sale lot to the Angus Foundation, so the dollars raised can support the Angus Foundation’s mission of supporting education, youth and research. 

The family’s operation, Knott’s Landing, hosted their third online sale this past September, and 2023 was the year they first designated a lot for the Angus Foundation. 

Rebecca admits she wasn’t sure if they were “big enough” to contribute at first. But when Kallie pressed for the investment, she and Robert agreed it was their time as a family to give back to the Angus family. 

“Kallie had received so much help through that, she wanted to give back, and it was a no-brainer for us,” Robert says. “We’re forever fond of the American Angus Association.” 

For that initial donation, Kallie selected a lot from a cow family near and dear to her heart — the Eventress line. It was one of the first genetics she invested in for her own herd when she was starting in the Angus breed, and today, three lines of the cow family are still a big part of the operation. 

“We did have other cows and other donors … but I thought it’d be special to do the lot that highlighted the cow family that kind of started the expansion of my own herd,” Kallie says. 

The lot ended up going to a family local to Indiana. The mother of the junior who bought the female emailed Rebecca after the sale to say thank you. Their family had watched Kallie grow up in the Angus industry, and she was excited for her son to start his own Angus journey. 

“It was just fitting because I wanted to incorporate genetics into my herd and start my herd, and I was able to do that throughout these past few years because of the opportunities that the Angus Foundation and the Angus Association itself gives to juniors and youth,” Kallie says. “It was just a great opportunity for us to participate.” 

Much like the passion for livestock, the Knotts are eager to make their Fund the Future donations a family tradition. 

“We will definitely always try to give back,” Rebecca says. “We want to support the association that has really helped shape who honestly we are, not just as a family, but as Kallie and her going on to be a doctor in veterinary medicine.” 

For Kallie, it’s an amazing feeling to now be a donor to the Angus Foundation rather than a recipient. 

“It just feels good because I was once that junior that wanted to start my own herd,” she explains. “We’re going to keep doing that, so we can continue to give back to the foundation that’s helped me build my foundation.”