January 2022 Brangus Journal

Page 42

FEATURE ARTICLE

A Rising Star

by Darrell Wilkes, Ph.D., International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) executive vice president This is the last issue of the Brangus Journal that will list Emily Lochner as the editor. She has been serving in this capacity for the past two years on a contract basis and, since then, has accepted a full-time position with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA). For the past year, she has done both – along with many other activities – and although she has a world of natural talent and an incomparable work ethic, there comes a time when even an energetic and ambitious person must admit that they simply have too many irons in the fire. The entire team at International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) wishes to thank her for all that she has done to move the products of Brangus Publications, Inc. to a new level of quality. IBBA was fortunate to find someone with such talent and such deep roots in the Brangus breed. Normally, a change like this would not warrant a full page in the Journal, but in this case it does because Lochner is someone to keep your eye on. In this author’s humble opinion, she will make some pretty large footprints in the beef industry – within and outside of her home state of Texas. A fourth generation Brangus breeder growing up on Jackson’s Family Brangus near Waco, Texas, 10-year old Emily Jackson got her first show heifer and her first taste of competition as a member of the International Junior Brangus Breeders Association (IJBBA) and the Texas Junior Brangus Breeders Association (TJBBA). Surrounded by and challenged by other talented juniors, she competed for nine years in the show ring and in every contest that the junior associations developed. Public speaking came naturally for her, and she was a frequent winner of the speech contests at the National Junior Brangus Show. She won the all-around high point

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competition numerous times at both IJBBA and TJBBA contests. Aside from her speaking skills, she obviously has a keen eye for livestock. She was the high individual at the 2009 Texas 4-H Roundup Livestock Judging Contest and was a member of the 2013 Senior College All American Livestock Judging team. Lochner graduated high school as the valedictorian and attended the notorious Butler Community College in Kansas before enrolling and earning a degree in animal science at Texas Tech University. She is currently enrolled in the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership (TALL) program. This is an intense two-year program with 455 hours of seminars and workshops, plus domestic and international travel to learn about all things agriculture. She serves as executive director of engagement and education for TSCRA and, in her spare time, coaches a very competitive 4-H livestock judging team. It is often said that the future success of our breed depends on our junior members. In fact, we say it so often that it almost seems trite. Lochner is evidence that an investment in our junior program pays dividends. That’s how she got started. IJBBA and TJBBA provided the stage for Emily to develop a deep-rooted passion for agriculture and, in particular, for Brangus. Emily (Jackson) Lochner is an example of the kind of talented person that we absolutely must keep in agriculture and, more specifically, in the Brangus family. Emily and her husband, Garrett Lochner, make their home near Waco, Texas.


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