March 28, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact:
Clint Mefford, director of communications
816-383-5143
Junior Members Take on ‘Angus in the Little Apple’
Leadership event in Manhattan, Kan., brings together 67 junior Angus leaders.
Angus juniors have many opportunities to travel the country with the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) and learn from knowledgeable experts in the beef cattle business throughout the year. Most recently, NJAA members met March 21–24 in Manhattan, Kansas, to participate in a Raising the Bar conference.
“Kanas State University is a popular location for Angus juniors to continue their education,” said Jera Pipkin, NJAA Junior Board Membership Director and Raising the Bar facilitator. “I know quite a few junior members attended with the hope that Raising the Bar would help them make their college decision.”
Sponsored by the Angus Foundation, the conference hosted 67 Angus junior leaders from 23 state junior Angus associations. Participants toured the Kansas State University (KSU) campus, heard from industry experts, took part in leadership training workshops, participated in a challenge course and spent time networking with other participants.
“The Flint Hills is an area highly populated with Angus breeders, so taking the event to Manhattan was a must,” said Caitlyn Brandt, American Angus Association events and education coordinator. “Juniors were able to learn more about Angus cattle and agriculture as a whole while in Kansas.”
While at K-State, juniors members heard from faculty, toured Weber Arena, Kansas Artificial Breeding Service Unit (KABSU), K-State Purebred Beef Teaching Unit and the Hal Ross Flour Mill, as well as the O.H. Kruse Feed Technology Innovation Center.
“For the first time this year junior members had the opportunity to break out and personally learn from professors in different majors at the K-State College of Agriculture,” Brandt said. “Our hope is this opened soon-to-be college bound student’s eyes to all the different programs available to them.”
The group visited Fink Beef Genetics in Randolph and Sankey’s 6N Ranch in Council Grove. Raising the Bar participants also toured the Flint Hills Discovery Center and stepped up and tested their abilities to work as a team at the low ropes course at the K-State Challenge Course.
“As always, a special thank you to all of those who helped make this educational experience possible for Angus juniors,” Brandt said. “Raising the Bar conferences allow juniors the unique chance to prepare for the future by showcasing a land grant university while also networking with juniors from across the country and gaining leadership skills along the way.”
Now in its 12th year, Raising the Bar continues to foster the development of Angus youth by hosting events in regions across the country. The NJAA, with sponsorship from the Angus Foundation, has conducted Raising the Bar conferences in cities such as Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Ames, Iowa; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. To learn more about how to participate in an upcoming Raising the Bar conference, visit njaa.info.
A complete list of Kansas’ Raising the Bar participants follows.
— Written by Karen Hiltbrand, American Angus Association.
About the NJAA
The NJAA promotes the involvement of young people in raising Angus cattle, while also providing leadership and self-development opportunities for more than 5,000 active members nationwide.
About the Angus Foundation
Established as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1980, the Angus Foundation remains focused on its mission to support Angus education, youth and research. The organization has distributed more than $2.9 million in youth scholarships since 1998, and has also invested more than $1.3 million in beef cattle research throughout the past decade.
For more information, contact the Angus Foundation at 816-383-5100 or visit www.angusfoundation.org.
ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS. The American Angus Association is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving nearly 25,000 members across the United States and Canada. It provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers and others who rely on the power of Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers.
For more information about Angus cattle and the American Angus Association’s programs and services, visit www.angus.org.
###
Raising the Bar – Kansas
March 21-24, 2019
California
Kathryn Coleman
Dawson Dal Porto
Florida
Morgan Blommel
Idaho
Mackenzie Malson
Illinois
Lauren Wolter
Lindsey Decker
Indiana
Skyler Bennett
Brooke Davis
Jordyn Wickard
Skye Wimmer
Iowa
Andy Driscoll
Avery Mather
Carson Mather
Jordan Johnson
Lexi Knapp
Lucas Moser
Morgan Knapp
Walker McDermott
Kansas
Grady Dickerson
Jayce Dickerson
Ethan Dickerson
Kady Figge
Eva Hinrichsen
Ava Perrier
Kelsey Theis
Jacob Schmeidler
Abby Wood
Kentucky
Catherine Cowles
Louisiana
Lily Gisclair
Olivia Shepherd
Maryland
Avery Dull
Alyson Schulze
Kyle Schulze
Michigan
Kinsee Lettinga
Missouri
Levi Blankenship
Zoe Blankenship
Trey Conley
Sean Houston
Ella Jordan
Mason Mindrup
Lauren Parks
Jera Pipkin
Isaac Rhode
Garrett Shuering
Mississippi
Hannah Buse
Elizabeth Rone
Haley Walker
Nebraska
Kacey Dethlefs
Kyra Meyer
Reagan Skow
North Carolina
Taylor Glover
Mattie Harward
Macie Harward
Justin Wood
New York
Katharine Wesche
North Dakota
Madison Sundsbak
Oklahoma
Wren Cavins
Sydnee Gerkin
Blake Long
Pennsylvania
Daniel Rohrbaugh
Texas
Colter Pohlman
Cutter Pohlman
Karsen Smoot
Virginia
Gordon Clark
Suter Clark
West Virginia
Natalie Phillips
South Dakota
Tyler Bush