Written By: Colton Barton, NALJA Director

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well and staying busy. As for myself, it seems like I’m home one week, and traveling the next to help others; continually staying busy. As the wise older men always say, “busy is good,” and I’m very fortunate to have what seems like a full schedule all the time. Though this time of year seems crazy, it’s one of my favorite times. Most of us have wrapped up calving and are breeding or planning to breed what are hopefully the next best set we’ve ever had. At the same time, you’re probably gearing up for your state Limousin show, which means Junior Nationals will be here before you know it! 

I think many stock show families could agree that the National Junior Show is their family vacation, it seems that way every year for mine at least. If you’re a Junior Limousin exhibitor, and the 2022 NJLSC is your vacation this summer, I highly encourage you to get involved as much as you can. As this will be my 7th consecutive Limousin Junior National, I can tell you from personal experience that being involved in the various satellite events that are offered is a great way to get out there, make friends, and get the feel for all the great things our breed has to offer! 

If you’re a young exhibitor, the tenderfoot social is a great activity to get involved in. Here, you’ll be paired with an older Limousin exhibitor, and you’ll get to be involved in fun games and meet a new friend and mentor, which can often give you someone to look up to. 

If showing your true cattle knowledge is your thing, the cow camp and public speaking events should be a perfect activity to get involved in! For the cow camp contest, you’ll get to work as a team of three or four and be tested on your ability in several cattle production areas. Team building is always a good activity to be a part of. For public speaking, you’ll get to combine your knowledge of the cattle industry with your public speaking skills and showcase to to a panel of judges and hope to gain their attention with your speaking abilities. As someone that makes their living in the show cattle industry, I thoroughly enjoyed the satellite events as a Junior, and truly believe it prepared me for the career path that I chose!

Want to put your fitting skills to the test? The team fitting contest is another one that I’ve always enjoyed. Here, you and three other teammates of various age groups will be given 30 minutes to fit your animal to the best of your ability against other teams, where a judge will decide who suits them best in terms of animal presentation, teamwork, and various other critiques! 

There are many different satellite events that your Junior Board offers at the NJLSC, whichever ones you choose, I hope that you have a fun week on your family vacation in Amarillo, Texas this summer. Every year, we strive to make it the best that it can be with the exhibitors being our first thought in mind. As an exhibitor myself, I truly feel that being involved as much as I can he has led me to be the person I am today. I can’t wait to see you in Amarillo this summer!