THE National Junior Angus Show!

For most people summer time means days at the pool, trips to the beach, and sleeping in while kids do not have school. For me and my family it means preparing for shows that will start in July and continue through our State Fair in October. This means that not only do we continue to feed our cattle every day-two times a day-but we must also work with our cattle daily. Working with our cattle includes rinsing the calves (giving them a "bath"), combing their hair, leading them on the halter, working with a "showstick" to work on setting their feet in the "correct" position (more on that in a later post), and more. We work on all of this throughout the summer to get them prepared for the shows, and most specifically, the National Junior Angus Show! This year, Catherine had to stay home to work at the farm, but myself (Brooke), LeAnn, Marcie, and Mattie attended the show with our heifers Corrie, Laila, Panda, and Diamond.

One of our favorite shows of the year is the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), one of the largest single beef breed shows in the world. The NJAS is held for one week during July and varies from place to place across the United States. This year it was held in Kansas City, MO from July 5-July 11 and kids from California, New York, and everywhere in between were in attendance. My sisters and I were some of those kids and, as always, we claim it as one of the most exciting weeks of our summer.

During the week we showed our cattle but we also participated in a multitude of contests and other activities. These included public speaking, a cook-off contest, a mentoring program, career development, photography, and more. We also had the chance to be on TV promoting Certified Angus Beef!

Over the next few days I will tell stories and pictures from what my sisters and I were able to see and do over the 9 day trip to Kansas City and back. For now here are some snap shots of our week at the National Junior Angus Show in Kansas City, MO. Come back over the next couple of days to hear the full stories of these pictures!

Come back soon!!

-Brooke