When talking labor and challenges ahead, it’s easy to worry about the future of the cattle business. But when listening to energetic, poised members of the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA), it’s easy to see tomorrow is in good hands. 

In July, The Angus Conversation listeners got a glimpse at six future leaders of the breed in a three-part special edition series dubbed the “Junior Takeover.” Recorded at the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), the episodes dropped in time for the drive home from Madison, Wis.

“There’s a book of wisdom coming out of this podcast,” said Mark McCully, CEO of the American Angus Association. “I’ve heard it said that the key to everything is being teachable, and that’s so true.” 

Meeting mentors

Guest co-host Avery Mather, National Junior Angus Board (NJAB) secretary, helped guide the discussions where juniors provided snapshots of how they got their start into the Angus business. For most, it was involvement from birth. However, they’ve taken the familial connection to the breed and made it their own, as they find contests and activities they’re most interested in.

“A hello and a handshake can get you a lot of places, but it can’t get you farther anywhere than it can in the Angus industry,” said Brenlen Humpert, Windthorst, Texas.

While he and his siblings have always been involved in the showring, Humpert takes advantage of the additional contests — competing in all but two at this year’s NJAS. Early success in public speaking and sales during Humpert’s first junior show in Tulsa encouraged him to keep chasing new experiences. 

“Before the week was even over, I knew that this was going to be something I did probably for the rest of my life, just because the people you meet, the opportunities you have and all the experiences that are truly irreplaceable,” Humpert said. “I knew it was going to be something that I wanted to become a cornerstone of me as a person.”

From parents and advisors to judges and other breeders, the juniors noted that although it’s a cattle show the people who invest time in them is one of the greatest benefits of the program. 

“Generally, people love teaching. They love sharing their knowledge,” said Paige Lemenager, Hudson, Ill. 

She’s learned from all the people she’s met, including other competitors. 

“I just firmly believe that if you challenge yourself to go and observe things that you like and what other people do, whether you like how people are getting their cattle presented, whether you like how their team skit went in Cook-Off or how they did in public speaking, ask them what they did,” Lemenager explained. “Ask them for those skills because you can improve yourself in a simple conversation.”

Creating Angus ambassadors

The junior program helps prepare young breeders to have conversations outside the ag industry, too. For Claire Murnin, Pompeys Pillar, Mont., that’s become a way she can share what she’s learned with a wider audience. 

“There has to be someone who’s willing to fight for the agriculture industry and just take that step because if not, we’re not going to have an agriculture industry.”

Murnin’s mom gave her those words of wisdom, and it’s a truth she’s taken to heart in everything from her prepared public speaking topics to her @365daysofagriculture social media campaign.  

“It’s definitely allowed me to learn a lot about the entire agriculture industry and fight for the industry that I believe so heavily in, and really be able to advocate for those farmers and ranchers who need a voice,” Murnin said. 

Being an ambassador is a task that takes time, patience and knowledge, and it’s a challenge that only grows as each generation in society becomes further removed from the farm. 

Lyle Perrier said in his rural high school in Eureka, Kan., he has plenty of friends without any ag background who give him the chance to practice his role.  

“I think the most challenging part is just sparking an interest and sparking a reason to care ... I think once you’ve done that, they become interested in what you’re doing and why you’re doing it,” he noted. “My favorite thing is just when students within our school are willing to learn about FFA or 4-H just like I’m willing to learn about their sports teams.” 

Perrier is optimistic about their ability to leave a positive, lasting impression on public perception.  

“I think that our generation is doing and will continue to do a better job of finding those people where they’re at and understanding that they truly don’t understand what we’re doing and just finding a way to bring them through that,” he said.  

Beginning breeders 

For all the contests and the conversations there are at NJAS, the common base is always good cattle. 

“I love the preparation and showing and everything, but definitely my favorite aspect of it is probably post-show career, when I get to go out and see what the cows can make for themselves,” said Alexandra Duckworth, Afton, Tenn.  “And one of my favorite things is our calving season when we can go out and just kind of sit in anticipation.” 

She said her family involved her in breeding decisions early on and that’s shaped her career aspirations of working as a beef geneticist 

“My dad was kind of explaining to me when I was really young the genomics and the EPDs (expected progeny differences) and everything, and I was just fascinated by it. So, it was just really big for me to understand it, and I wanted to understand every aspect of it.”

Allison Davis, Shelbyville, Tenn., said seeing her show animals become productive in their herd inspires her to want to create more of the same. 

“When we go out [in the pasture], they’re all so uniform and they all have a particular look that my family is striving for,” Davis said. “So, it’s nice to go out and see, ‘Wow, they did this in the showring,’ but then ... they have a calf on the side of them that looks like we want them to look.”  

Davis said going Angus was an easy choice, not only because the cattle would perform on their operation but also because they knew the quality they’d be up against in the ring.

“We just wanted to go where we knew it was the most competitive, and we really felt that the Angus breed was the most competitive,” she said. “Everyone’s striving to be Angus, so we wanted to have the most competition we could.”

Each episode highlighted what makes the NJAA unique in the industry and showcases the young people that will be leading the breed in the years to come. 

One of the most frequent questions McCully said he gets is, “What’s the future of the breed going to look like?”

“The glimpse that we saw in these episodes … if that doesn’t make you sleep really well at night, I don’t know what will because they’re just some fantastic young folks with some big aspirations and doing some great things,” he said.

The three-part series is available anywhere you listen to podcasts, or find it at TheAngusConversation.com.