AJSA Hotwire March 2018

2018AJSA AJSAEvents Events 2018

2018 AJSA Classic Dates

April 1 – AJSA Classic Entries Open

April 15 – Hotel scholarship deadline. Application available at juniorsimmental.org May 7 – Regional Classic registration entry and ownership deadline, 4:30 pm MST. Event registration fees double between May 7, 2018, 4:31 pm, and May 14, 4:30 pm. MST May 14 – Regional Classic final event registration deadline, 4:30 pm.

May 14 – National Classic registration entry and ownership deadline, 4:30 pm. MST. Event registration fees double between May 14, 4:31 pm, and May 21, 4:30 pm MST. May 21 – National Classic final event registration deadline, 4:30 pm.

June 1 – Silver and Gold Merit Award Applications, Photography Contest, Interview Contest, Trustee Applications Due. June 12-16 – AJSA North Central Regional Classic, Springfield, IL

June 13-16 – AJSA South Central Regional Classic, Fayetteville, AR

June 20-23 – AJSA Eastern Regional Classic, West Springfield, MA June 20-23 – AJSA Western Regional Classic, Yreka, CA

AJSA 2017-2018 Board of Directors President Jordan Cowger 816.916.3329 jordancowger@gmail.com Vice President of Communications Michelle Helm 405.368.3180 michelle.l.helm@okstate.edu Vice President of Leadership Lily Swain 270.293.4094 lswain1@murraystate.edu Vice President of Finance Kiersten Jass 515.408.4918 KierstenJass@gmail.com Vice President of Marketing Cade Bracker 712.310.1082 cmbracker@gmail.com Eastern Regional Trustees Cole Liggett 330.440.5580 cliggett77@aol.com

July 1 – Deadline for Summit Leadership Conference Registration

Garrett Stanfield 606.375.2794 stanfield40@buckeyemail.osu.edu

September 28 – AJSA Steer Profitabliity Competition entry deadline.

Emily Ivey 865.254.2998 showcattle13@gmail.com

July 2-7 – AJSA National Classic, St Paul, MN AJSA Summit TBA

*All deadlines are Mountain Daylight Time

2018 AJSA National Classic

South Central Region Trustees Joel Mackey 512.988.6794 joel.mackey12@gmail.com Teegan Mackey 512.718.3165 tteeeeegan@gmail.com North Central Region Trustees Kaylie Huizenga 815.535.3185 khuiz@ymail.com Clay Sundberg 815.878.6758 csundberg@live.com Western Region Trustees Keanna Smith 970.769.0357 keannasmith2@gmail.com

The Minnesota Junior Simmental Association and Minnesota Simmental Association are pleased to host the

Zach Wilson 360.941.8020 Zach.Wilson1211@gmail.com

2018 AJSA National Classic Minnesota State Fairgrounds AJSA Headquarters Hotel Radisson Hotel Roseville, MN 800-333-333

www.juniorsimmental.org

Endecott Hired as Director of Youth and Developement and Special Projects March 2018

By Clay Sundberg South Central Trustee

As everyone gets ready to attend this year’s Classics, I hope you get the opportunity to meet Dr. Rachel Endecott. Endecott has been hired as the Director of Youth Development and Special Projects and has been very active already this year with youth projects and working with the AJSA Board of Trustees. She grew up on her family’s cow-calf operation in Ennis, MT, where she still has a vital role in the operation. She attended Montana State University where she received her B.S. in Animal Science. From there she completed her M.S. and Ph.D. in Ruminant Nutrition at New Mexico State University.

Upon coming back to Montana, Endecott served as the Montana State University (MSU) Extension Beef Cattle Specialist. While with MSU Extension, she managed the state 4H/FFA Steer of Merit Carcass Contest and brings plenty of knowledge to help continue to make our Steer Profitability Contest (SPC)SPC the best it can possibly be. Along with her work with Extension, Endecott also

taught beef cattle management and livestock feeding classes at MSU. She also advised both the Collegiate Stockg r o w e r s a n d Ac a demic Quadrathlon team. “I look forward to meeting many of our junior members throughout Dr. Rachel Endecott the next year and am excited to help grow and develop future leaders in the livestock industry,” Endecott says. With her added knowledge and work experience, it will surely be exciting to watch the junior program grow and excel over the years to come.

Prioritize the AJSA Facebook Page in Your News Feed!

Facebook is making changes to what you see in your News Feed, but you can adjust your News Feed preferences to make sure you see AJSA and ASA posts.

1. Click the “Home” button at the top of any Facebook page.

2. Click on the dots next to the “News Feed” menu item on the left side of the page.

3. Click “Edit Preferences”.

4. Click “Prioritize who to see first” to choose Pages and people whose posts will appear at the top of your News Feed.

Our Facebook pages to add to your feed: www.facebook.com/AmericanJuniorSimmental www.facebook.com/AmericanSimmentalAssociation www.facebook.com/InternationalGeneticSolutions www.facebook.com/AmericanSF

2018 Regional Classics June 12–16

North Central Regional Classic, Springfield, IL

June 13–16

South Central Regional Classic, Fayetteville, AR

June 20–23

Eastern Regional Classic, West Springfield, MA

June 20–23

Western Regional Classic, Yreka, CA

“Funded in part by the American Simmental-Simbrah Foundation”

President’s Update Jordan Cowger, AJSA President Hello fellow AJSA members! I hope you all had a relaxing holiday season spent with your families. Your AJSA Trustees have loved getting to see and serve you all at the PTP shows. However, whether you spent your fall dragging your Simmental to the NAILE, local jackpots, or to the feedlot, know that the AJSA Board of Trustees have been working hard to prepare for all the exciting things coming in 2018! As a Board, we will be gathering at the ASA headquarters in Bozeman, at the beginning of March to plan for the summer and continue working to improve the Association that you all serve such an important role in! We are also excited to unite with many other junior breed association boards in April at the Youth Beef Industry Congress at Weaver Livestock in Ohio. We are excited to connect with other breeds and continue learning more about how to make our breed more competitive!

As a Junior Board we are excited to be planning another IGS Youth Leadership Summit Jordan Cowger with the American Junior Shorthorn and Gelbvieh Associations. Be sure to keep following AJSA social media and publications for more details soon! Additionally, we are excited about the many changes coming to our Regional and What’s Inside National Classics this summer. If you’re planning to join the AJSA in Massachusetts, Illinois, Arkansas, California, or Minnesota this summer be sure Simmental Named Hottest Breed to check out our updated rules for 2018. Some of the highlights include the of 2017 addition of an educational contest, the Genetic Evaluation quiz, which will help junior members learn the importance of making informed herd National Western Stock decisions combining practical and scientific components. The addition of a Show Recap Bred & Owned Bull Class is another component we are most excited about!

The time to showcase the other side of your up and coming herd is now, so Who’s Ready for the 2018 be sure to check out the rule book on the specifics required to show your National Classic bull calf this summer. We are also excited to be including the Steer Profitability Contest (SPC) in the overall points calculation at the National ASA Celebrates 50th Anniversary Classic, as an additional cattle competition.

Experiences from the Judging Van After coming off of an incredible year as a part of the “Hottest Breed” for three years running, we hope that as your representatives we are able to California to Host 2018 continue making this breed and this organization the best it can be. We Western Regional have made a lot of changes but will be together several times this spring to continue working for you all, the members. If you ever have any questions Endicott Hired as Director of or concerns, feel free to reach out to any junior board member. We wish Youth and Developement you a safe and happy calving and jackpot season and cannot wait to spend this summer with you! and Special Projects

–

–

Prioritize the AJSA Facebook Page in Your News Feed

Simmental Named Hottest Breed of 2017

Who’s Ready for the 2018 National Classic?

By Kaylie Huizenga North Central Trustee

By Emily Ivey Eastern Trustee

The Hottest Breed of 2017 is Simmental! This marks the third year in a row our breed has received the Best of the Barns prestigious award. The Pulse states, “Best of the Barns is a nationwide awards program, held annually to recognize leading businesses and individuals in the livestock industry.” Voting was held January 3 – January 16, 2018, with the winners being chosen by the people in the livestock industry. Winners are considered, by their peers, to be the best in their field. Thanks to all the hard work of everyone involved in the Simmental breed for making Simmental the Hottest Breed once again!

National Western Stock Show Recap

Who’s ready to chill in St. Paul, Minnesota, this year for the 2018 AJSA National Classic? Not only will St. Paul be home to the coolest show in the nation this summer, but it will also be full of activities and tourist attractions for you and your family to enjoy. According to visitstpaul.com, the number one thing to do in St. Paul is visit the Como Zoo. Public admission is free for you to enjoy a day walking around the grounds and observing the many animals. Love the water? The Padelford Riverboat Cruise takes you down either a 1.5hour sightseeing cruise or the 4-hour Lock and Lunch Cruise. The cruises all provide viewing of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a

By Cole Liggett Eastern Trustee national park that runs through the city. Love outdoor music festivals? St. Paul is full of live, outdoor music in the summertime. You can visit Como Zoo, Rice Park, or Mears Park for these free live concerts. Finally, one last thing that is unique to St. Paul is the Wabasha Street Caves. The Caves were transformed into a nightclub in 1933 called the 'Castle Royal'. Today, this event venue offers historic cave tours that talk of mushrooms and mining, gangsters and ghosts. Find some time this summer to get away from the barns for a few hours and enjoy St. Paul, Minnesota!

By Michelle Helm Vice President of Communications

2018 is finally here and what better way to start off the year than at livestock’s biggest event, the NWSS. AJSA Trustees kicked off the week in Denver with a meet-andgreet in the yards with Simmental breeders and exhibitors. It was great to catch up with old friends and meet new ones while enjoying the history and sights of being in the yards.

The next day brought the bull pen show, held in the yards. This show is unique to Denver, as it is the only show in the nation with a pen show.

If you have never had the chance to experience this, put it on your bucket list. Breeders showcase either three or five of their best bulls and go head to head with other breeders from across the nation.

That night the ASA Foundation Gala and Auction was held at the Doubletree hotel. Here Golden Book recipients were awarded for their contribution and hard work to advance the Simmental breed. Kevin Ochsner, host of

Cattlemen to Cattlemen, also talked about how to become better advocates for the beef industry. To view his whole speech, check out the American SimmentalSimbrah Foundation Facebook page.

Monday brought the female pen show as well as the “The One” sale, both held in the yards. “The One” sale had a total of 52 live lots averaging $9,056. A big thank you to Circle M Farms for providing the donation lot and all of the families and breeders responsible for raising $31,000 for Silver and Gold Merit Awards!

Tuesday started the first of two show days on the hill with junior cattle being evaluated

by Chris Mullinix, and open cattle sorted by Lead Judge Jim Grimes and his associate judge, Lindsey Grimes-Hall.

On behalf of the Junior Board I would like to thank everyone who donated lots, purchased items, or volunteered your time to make Denver better than ever!

ASA Celebrates 50th Anniversary

By Michelle Helm Vice President of Communications

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the American Simmental Association. ASA was founded in October of 1968. Since then, ASA has continued to push the Simmental breed by highlighting the versatility and performance of the cattle. This Association pioneered numerous databases such as the first beef breed sire summary published in 1971 and were the first to develop multiple

Experiences fromUNLtheFootball Judging Summit Tour: Stadium Van

Embrace the Past, Imagine the Future breed EPDs. Join the fun and post some of your favorite memories of the Simmental breed by using the hashtag #mysimmentalstory and #fiftyyearsofsimmental on Facebook or Instagram. In addition, be sure to check out the #ThrowbackThursday series on the AJSA Facebook page and submit photos to ajsa@simmgene.com for consideration!

Hours and hours spent in the van and packing plants, the memories made and stories will last a lifetime, like getting hit by a beef carcass the first time walking into the packing plant. I am now on my second judging team and have been able to broaden my horizons through my involvement on these different judging teams. Joining the meat judging team has opened doors to a different segment of the industry for me.

Many of us, including myself, have judged livestock our whole life and plan to continue our judging career in college. Before going to college, I didn’t know about the different judging team opportunities like wool, dairy, or meat judging teams. I am glad I have had the opportunity to join both the dairy and meat judging teams. I believe it is important to learn about different parts of the industry to be a good agricultural enthusiast. Fur-

"We started the season off with a bang, having the high individual, winning two categories including specifications and reasons, and finishing high team overall at the 2018 National Western Stock Show."

YREKA

thermore, learning about these different parts of the industry can allow new job opportunities to arise. Joining the meat judging team has allowed me to see animals at their endpoint, beyond the pasture setting. This has also allowed me to see how different practices used on the animals will affect them at their endpoint. I have learned about the many jobs offered in that part of the industry as well.

It is important to step out of your comfort zone and try new things because it will make you a well-rounded person in the end. I am grateful for all the opportunities brought by joining different judging teams, and I encourage many of you to try different things.

The friends and memories made will last a lifetime. Therefore, if the opportunity arises to try something new, do it!

California to Host 2018 Western Regional

By Keanna Smith Western Trustee Some exciting news has come to the Western Region for the 2018 Western Regional Classic. For the first time in AJSA history, California is hosting the Western Regional Classic, to be held in Yreka. We are happy that the California group took the leap to host Western Regional. Some fun things to do in Yreka are to visit the Chocolate Emporium, Green Horn Park, and Siskiyou County Museum. We are excited to invite everyone to Yreka, for the Western Regional Classic.