Everyone wants to see their hard work and dedication to something they love pay off. For senior Loganne Barta, this hard work paid off in a state—and even nationally—recognized way.

Each year, the Nebraska Angus Queen Association holds a competition that searches for someone involved in the Nebraska Angus Association who would be a fitting role model and spokesperson within the Angus industry, and Barta was crowned this year’s queen.

“I’ve always really shown just purely Angus cattle, so I’ve heard about the Nebraska Angus Queen for the past couple of years, and I decided that I wanted to run for it my senior year,” Barta said. “Getting this title was such an honor to me.”

The process included an application that candidates filled out in the fall, followed by an event in December where the queen would be chosen. Each candidate gave an introduction and was interviewed by two judges, and the competition ended with an eight-minute speech by each candidate. The judges were looking for why each candidate wanted to be queen and what they hoped to accomplish.

“I kind of explained how I’ve been in the Angus industry for so long and how it impacts me. I think I got more personal than the other candidates did, and I think that really helped me,” Barta said.

When Barta learned she was chosen at the ceremony, the news had a big impact not just on her but on her family as well.

“I am so very proud of Loganne; it takes a lot of work and determination to be so involved in agriculture,” Loganne’s mom, Kristan Barta, said. “It’s not always easy to break away from the norm and do something so different than her peers, but she does it full speed ahead and with a lot of passion.”

As queen, Barta will have opportunities to be involved in the Angus industry all over the country.

“Each queen gets a year term to go around the country and help out with shows, sales and speak to the community,” Barta said. “Being able to go to all these big shows and sales and all that stuff, where I’m getting invited by people to go to their events, is also really cool.”

Throughout these events, Barta said her role is “a face of the Angus industry.”

“Then at the end of my term…we do an Angus tour, so we take a bus for three days across the state of Nebraska and tour the really big operations, so I get to help be a spokesperson for that as well,” Barta said.

For one of the first events of her term, Barta went to Denver, Col., for the Angus Junior Show at the National Western Stock Show. There, she was able to meet with other state queens and the national queen to hand out the awards.

“I was very excited to meet the national queen for the first time and be around the other states’ queens. We had a lot in common, as we both have been part of the Angus breed our whole lives,” Barta said.

Barta not only has chances to help with shows through the Nebraska Angus Association, but she is also able to become a role model for the next generation of kids in the Angus industry.

“I think that it does mean a lot, especially that a whole bunch of younger girls that also are in the Angus Association look up to me now too,” Barta said.

This was one of the main reasons Barta was inspired to apply for this honor.

“Ever since I was little and in the Angus Association, I always looked up to the queens,” Barta said. “They were really nice to me, and that kind of is what influenced me to want to be queen when I was older.”

As she starts her year-long term, this inspiration makes Barta ready to take on the responsibilities and opportunities she has as the Nebraska Angus Queen.

“I’m so excited to make an impact on both the organization and my state during this term,” Barta said.