Brush Up Your Beef Advocacy Skills for Junior Classic by Jesse Henson

First off I just want to say that I hope everyone is having a good spring. There are a lot of events coming up in the American Gelbvieh Junior Association (AGJA) to be excited about! Western and Eastern regionals will kick the summer off, both are on June 2-4, with the Western Regional to be held in Las Animas, Colorado, and the Eastern Regional will be held in Batesville, Mississippi. I know both states are excited and working hard to make this year’s regional shows great. Following this, on the week of June 25-30, the AGJA Big Red Classic will be held in Grand Island, Nebraska. Not only are the facilities on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds exceptionally nice, but the junior board along with the Nebraska Gelbvieh Association have been working diligently to make this one of the best junior nationals so far. We really hope you plan to attend!

What I want to talk about though is a little different spin to this year’s Junior Classic. May is Beef Month and one thing I’m reminded of during Beef Month is the fact that we need to be advocates for the beef industry. This means that anytime the opportunity arises we need to promote—or even stick up for— the beef industry. What’s unique about Junior Classic this year is that the 4-H Shooting Sports National Championships will be help on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds the same week that we will be there. This means that throughout the week there will be visitors coming through our barns. This is the perfect time for young advocates of the industry to step up. I’m sure these visitors will be asking questions about what you are doing, or why you are doing some of the things that you are. This is the time where positive responses as well as positive actions go a long way.

Finally, the IGS youth leadership conference will wrap the summer up on August 3-6 in Lincoln, Nebraksa. This is a conference that the American Junior Gelbvieh, Simmental, and Shorthorn Associations teamed up for, with the thought that it would be a great opportunity for our youth to not only learn more about the industry through classes and workshops, but it will also be a chance to be equipped with the skills to become future leaders. It’s no secret that we as juniors are the future of the industry. Opportunities such as this leadership conference is how we will develop into the best leaders we can be.

I hope everyone is looking forward toward summer and all the activities that will be taking place. Hope to see you there!