The Future of Ag: In The Hands of Champions

As we celebrate National Ag Week, folks are worried about the future of agriculture. 

Worried about the future of our communities, our country, our world.

Social media is full of cancel culture, side part hate, and misinformation.

People shake their heads when they talk about “kids these days.”

And, I get it.

So let me introduce you to some kids I know:

It’s right there at the top of the banner, “Champions.”

Traditionally, the backdrop at this show says “Champion”. This year, there was an “s” at the end. 

I thought it was perfect!

Because that’s what these kids are: Champions. 

They’ve all had their turn in front of the backdrop, smiling with a champion banner they earned for their hard work showing or judging livestock. 

The picture at the top of this post was the weekend of their 2020 State Fair Livestock Shows.

A weekend they worked towards all year.

A weekend they love.

A weekend we weren’t sure would even happen.

Their families still purchased animals. They carried on with their breeding programs.

The kids still worked with their show animals. They still fed them a show ration. They still trained them. They worked hair, rinsed legs, perfected their fitting and clipping game.

They did all this keeping the faith that they would be able to show. Yet, not knowing for sure if they would.

Thanks to people who care about these kids and the livestock industry, who know the value of livestock shows, that weekend did happen.

It was a weekend when many of them won champion banners.

But really, it’s not the banners that make them champions.

The kid who won Champion Simmental Heifer. This steadfast kid, with a strong you-can-count-on-me-ness that is lacking in many adults, is a champion. 

A young lady who came to State Fair with one animal. Her lamb was injured a few weeks before the show. The lamb was treated by a veterinarian and cleared to participate. She knew the animal wasn’t going to be a champion. And knowing that, she still showed it with the drive to achieve her goal, bringing a summer’s worth of work and dedication to fruition. That young lady is a champion.

The girl who won Reserve Grand Champion with her Commercial Heifer. This kid 99% of the time has a huge smile on her face. An all-inclusive friend to everyone, she is a champion. 

A sister and brother who both earned banners that summer showing goats. Experienced showing cattle and sheep, they had the courage to try something new. They stepped out of their comfort zone to show, learn and achieve new goals with those goats. Sister, who has the same amount of sass (the good kind) as she does sweetness. Brother, who will fit any animal no matter what it is or who it belongs to. These two are champions.

A newcomer to showing cattle last year. She is eager to learn. Driven to improve. Her eagerness is a positive influence on her more veteran peers. That young lady is a champion. 

The Champion Junior Showman at the State Fair. This girl can tell a story in a way that makes her audience belly laugh. She, unintentionally funny and uplifting, is a champion.

An experienced showman who has spent a lot of time at the backdrop. She is much loved and adored by her younger counterparts. She can corral this crew in a way their parents envy. She, with a heart of gold, is a champion.

The Intermediate Premier Beef Exhibitor has always been one of the biggest supporters of all of his friends. He roots for them all, even when they are the competition. One of those people who remembers everything he sees and hears. He is a champion.

The Junior Premier Beef Exhibitor is eager to show anything: heifer, bull, lamb, goat, rabbit (though he hasn’t done that one yet). Always willing to show his peers extra or misbehaving animal, he’s sweet-hearted with a mischievous spirit. He’s a champion.

A girl who spent time in front of the backdrop with her home-raised heifer. She bravely tries new things, eager to participate in everything. She’s in charge of feeding the show stock because her precision is unmatched. She is a champion.

The youngest lady is a many-time lamb showmanship champion. She is bold, daring, and hilarious. She, who expects demands only the best from herself, is a champion.

A young man whose improvements in the show ring are inspiring. A kid who has an answer for everything and a question for most things. He takes being a good friend very seriously. He’s a champion.

These kids are a small representation of the kids out there doing great things.

Not just winning prizes or gaining glory. 

They are all knowledgeable agriculturalists.

They are all kind hearts. They are all firey spirits.

They are already advocates and educators.

They are fun, and serious, and determined to be their best.

These aren’t even all the kids in our “show family.” They’re just the ones we could corral for the picture. 

Not to mention the hundreds of stock show kids that were there that weekend. The thousands all over the country.

Kids who know the value of hard work. The sting of defeat. The art of losing gracefully.

Kids who rise early to take care of animals. 

Who must be concerned with something other than themselves.

Kids who know the feeling of working to achieve a goal.

Folks worry about the future of agriculture. 

Worry about the future of our communities, our country, our world.

Granted, those are valid concerns.

These kids, and many more like them, aren’t just champions. They are our future.

Is it fair to lay responsibility for the future on them? Probably not. But they have the mentors, the sense, the work ethic, the leadership and the intelligence to carry on. 

Who knows what the future will hold. Where pop culture, humanity and politics will lead.

I just know that for me, knowing kids like these are growing up to take their places in the world, I worry just a little less.

I believe in the future of agriculture.