
By Amber Friedrichsen
To Lauren Mosher, serving others is about fostering opportunities for her peers to grow and prosper. It is this perspective that earned her the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council Distinguished Service Award for fall 2022.
Mosher, a senior in agricultural and life sciences education — communication option, grew up on a diversified crop, sheep and cattle operation in Liscomb, Iowa. In a town where cows outnumber people, she took an interest in advocating for the beef industry from a young age. This led her to be an active member in 4-H, FFA and the Mid-Iowa Youth Beef Team.
As a freshman at Iowa State, Mosher quickly joined various student organizations, including the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow Club and the National Agri-Marketing Association Student Chapter. She served two terms as the CALS Council representative for the former, as well as the student liaison for the latter, developing a mentorship program between club members and agricultural marketing professionals.

Mosher has also been a part of Collegiate Cattlemen at Iowa State since her first semester on campus and currently serves as the club’s public relations chair. In this position, she maintains its social media and relay meeting information to members. Further, she has played an integral part in the organization’s recent rebrand.
“This past year, we have really homed in on our mission, which is to educate, promote and grow the next generation of Iowa’s beef producers,” Mosher said. “Not only are we doing that on campus, but we are infiltrating that message down to high school students, too.”
Mosher was also a large proponent in planning Collegiate Cattlemen’s first Beef Education Day, which took place at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center on November 26. Youth from across the state learned about topics such as animal nutrition, livestock reproduction, farm business management and job interview skills.
“Lauren is passionate about beef,” said Sherry Olsen, associate teaching professor of animal science, and an advisor for Collegiate Cattlemen. “She is very outgoing and has such a caring personality. She has done an excellent job at taking on different projects and educating others about the industry and how important it is to the economy of Iowa and across the United States.”
Mosher was also on the planning committee for the club’s fall industry tour this year, which took member to beef farms and processing facilities in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
“The fall industry tour has always been one of my favorite parts of Collegiate Cattlemen because it’s a way for members to gain practical experience in the real world,” Mosher said. “It’s a tangible way to go see different operations and meet some of the folks who are behind them.”
In addition to creating learning opportunities for high school and college students, Mosher has applied her background in agricultural communications to serve beef producers as well. Last summer, she was the communications intern for Certified Angus Beef in Wooster, Ohio. There, she wrote feature articles about farmers across the country, captured their careers in photos, and published content online and in print.
“I love sharing producers’ stories because I think every producer has a unique story to tell,” Mosher said.
She also shines light on the beef industry through her work as the data manager at the Iowa State Beef Teaching Farm. She takes pictures and makes videos to post on social media to keep students, faculty and producers updated on recent endeavors on the farm. This is essentially the type of work she hopes to pursue post-graduation — after she lives out her dream of working on a cattle ranch in Montana.
This dream stems from her experience attending Montana State University during the fall 2021 semester through Iowa State’s National Student Exchange Program. While there, she developed an appreciation for beef production in the West and made connections with producers in the area. She will be moving back to Bozeman, Montana, in January to assist with calving season at Sitz Angus Ranch until mid-March.
Once Mosher checks this item off her bucket list, she plans on working in the industry as communications professional before eventually returning to her family farm. She is grateful for the knowledge and wisdom she has acquired from the people she has served in the past, and she hopes to continue serving beef producers in the future.