Written By: Clayton Schowe, NALJA Ex-Officio

Hello all! Hopefully 2022 has been good to everyone so far. The start of a new year can mean a lot of things. Whether that is a new semester of school, turning another year older, or the start of a new calving season. No matter what will be different about 2022 for you, one thing is for certain, no two days will look the same. So, wake up and make the most of each day, because in the blink of an eye we will be talking about 2023.

Even though I’m fortunate enough to serve another year on the NALJA board, one thing that will be different for me in 2022 is not showing cattle as a junior. After many years showing in 4H and FFA, I am now merely a has been. Without a doubt in those years, I learned so much. Coming into the show cattle industry from square one presented plenty of challenges. My family and I had to learn what to look for in a prospective calf, feed rations, hair care, and the whole nine yards. With numerous bumps in the road, it could have been easy to just throw the towel in and give up. But from each bump we learned something knew, grew from those experiences, and continued to better ourselves and our knowledge of the industry. It was nice coming from a commercial cow/calf background just to have a “stock” sense, however learning the ropes of what it took to compete at a place like Junior Nationals was not in the same category.

Nevertheless, there are many instances in life where at first, we may not succeed but in a second, third, or fourth attempt we may see better results. Usually, those results are directly correlated to us learning from previous mistakes. So, while I may not be showing as a junior, now its challenges I face with work, graduate school, or breeding and raising cattle, just to name a few. And that is why I think it is important to be involved in a breed association and to exhibit livestock. It teaches us real life skills we can apply to scenarios far beyond just what goes on in a show barn or in the show ring. Therefore, when that day comes where you are no longer a junior, you too can be prepared to tackle any challenge that may be thrown your way.

Continually, on behalf of the NALJA Board, Mallory, and Taylor, we would just like to thank everyone who attended OKC or the NWSS. And specifically, I would like to thank those generous individuals who bought CornerPost tickets or contributed to the NALJA Genetics on Ice auction. Here in a few months the junior board will reconvene for our spring meeting and begin finalizing things for the Texas Two Step this summer. With all the momentum building around the breed, we have high hopes for this summer’s junior nationals to continue building on what has been accomplished in recent years.

I hope everyone can continue enjoying 2022. Spring will be here shortly, and I personally cannot wait for some warmer temperatures to hit. Be on the lookout for fall heifer sales starting to pop up, along with many bull sales happening across the country. It’s an exciting time to be apart of the Limousin breed. Stay healthy and attack each day!

“My hunger is not for success; it is for excellence. Because when you attain excellence, success just naturally follows.” – Coach K.