The National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) has members across the United States, young cattlemen and women dedicated to furthering The Business Breed for generations to come. 

For members like Jillian Moffitt, Colfax, Iowa, involvement in the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) wasn’t a choice. It was something she was born into — a family affair.

“I’ve been to every National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) since I was born, so my first one was Louisville in 2012,” she says. 

Moffitt was finally able compete in the contest herself in 2020; and since then, she has been hooked. She says her favorite show so far is the 2025 NJAS in Tulsa, where she took home top 10 in the first-ever showmanship contest for her age group. 

“I worked really hard for that and picked my heifer, Sparkles, just for showmanship. We were such a good team,” Moffitt shares. 

While she’s proud to have found personal success in the ring, Moffitt says the best part is sharing those wins with the ones who help make it possible.

“We do it as a family,” she says. “I show and do contests by myself, but everything else — working at home, traveling, making friends, learning to lose and celebrating wins — we do together.”

Beyond her family, Moffitt has also found friends and advice in other NJAA members. She names Ella Jordan, Savannah, Mo., as someone who has helped her progress in her junior career.

“I can always ask her for help or advice, and she works so hard,” she says. “Ella is always standing ringside cheering me on. I’m so thankful for her friendship.” 

When she’s not in the show ring at the NJAS, Moffitt is seeking success in the various contests the NJAA offers. She says her favorite to compete in is the Auxiliary-sponsored All-American Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Cook-off. Even though it’s a lot of work to develop the recipe, props and skit, Moffitt says the fun makes it worth it.

“You get to dress up, act silly, show off what you know about CAB and taste recipes,” she says. “Things never go exactly as planned, but no one knows except us.”

Moffitt expanded her NJAA involvement in the summer of 2025, when she attended her first ever leadership conference, Leaders Engaged in Angus Development (LEAD), in Washington, D.C. While in the nation’s capital, Moffitt and other NJAA members learned about agriculture in a different part of the country by visiting local Angus operations Audley Farm and Whitestone Farm.

“Both farms were so different than the farms we have in Iowa,” she shares.

Similar to many of the other NJAA Herd Picks’, Moffitt’s advice for other members is to jump into the organization headfirst.

She says, “If you’re nervous to try a contest, go to a conference or talk to someone new, just do it!”

Moffitt is finishing her 8th grade year, so she’s not sure what the long-term future holds for her, but she’s got a few ideas. 

She puts it like this: “My parents say every cattle farm needs a vet, a lawyer and an accountant. So maybe one of those.”