Sweet Tea and Southern Hospitality

GW GW JUNIOR NEWS

Sweet Tea and Southern Hospitality

by Jake W. Renner, M.S.

The American Gelbvieh Junior Association (AGJA) and its members headed south to Batesville, Mississippi, for the 2021 AGJA Southern Hospitality Classic. Countless hours in conversation with the 10-member board of directors, sponsors, families, our generous host state and other supporters led to another successful year for our junior association. I am again reminded of the blessings that surround our junior members and their families. We came with hopeful hearts and goals set long before arriving in Batesville and left with memories to last a lifetime.

It is hard to believe that this was my third junior classic as the American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) member and youth activities coordinator. is role is not a job but an opportunity to continue sharing my passion for youth development, leadership and cattle with incredible young leaders. It is not a responsibility that I take lightly. Regardless of how many times I have done this, each year is di erent. I adjust and adapt to new situations, people and the inevitable obstacles. e AGJA board members and the team supporting them continue to lean on each other for advice and recognize the importance of putting the membership rst. We o en talk in our meetings about the ability to look beyond ourselves and do what’s best for the membership. Discussions are always a re ection of where improvements can be made, along with our successes and our failures. Above all, our mission as members of this association, volunteers, advisors and even the AGA sta is to unify, educate and develop leaders of the beef industry.

We continue to stand strong in membership and as a breed because of our innate ability to see the best in others and provide an atmosphere of inclusion. In my time as the junior coordinator, I’ve not seen as many rookies ( rst-time classic attendees) as I did in Batesville. We hope that all new members in attendance felt welcome and appreciated through activities like the mentor/protégé program, opening ceremonies, during meals and the dance. I can tell you from personal experience, once you have gotten a taste of the Gelbvieh junior classic, you will never want to miss one. ere is a sense of belonging and family during this event each summer, and it is a feeling not found at most events of this size. e junior classic is a place where members from all over the country come to share their ideas and passion for this versatile breed and the men and women who continue to choose Gelbvieh and Balancer® genetics. ank you to those who continue to support the future of this breed through its junior members and the events that take place on their behalf. We could not make events like this happen without the generous donations, sponsorships, volunteer time and dedication of our sponsors and host state. e AGJA board of directors, with support from the AGJA advisors, put in countless hours of preparation. It takes us all to make the classic possible each year. ank you to our host state, the Mississippi Gelbvieh Association (MGA), for showing our exhibitors and families the true meaning of Southern hospitality. MGA members never failed to ask, even in the months leading up to the show, “How can I help?” “Do you need anything?” and, in doing so, reminded us with a humble heart and smile how appreciative the MGA was that we were visiting Mississippi this year.

I hope the week ended the way you hoped it would in the contest classrooms, at the backdrop or just in making new friends. If it didn’t, I challenge you to make a goal to achieve just that in Kansas next summer at the 2022 AGJA Crossroads Classic in Salina, Kansas, July 3-8, 2022. Maybe the goals you set need a slight adjustment or possibly even set higher. Set your goals high enough that they require a genuine e ort but not so high they seem unattainable. I choose to live by the following saying in an attempt to keep myself grounded yet driven for more: “If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.” Focus on the future and give yourself grace as you chase those dreams. is year may not have ended the way you had hoped, but in that re ection, nd the factor within your power to improve. Study longer on those quiz bowl statements, practice showmanship an hour longer each night, make sound decisions as you judge cattle throughout the year or ask more questions to your peers; you have plenty of in uential mentors at your disposal within the AGJA.

To my retiring board members, it has been my greatest honor to work alongside each of you. Each year, I learn something new about myself as a mentor and