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. 

A prime example is this month’s Herd Pick, Kayden Nowatzke. Growing up in Michigan City, Ind., Nowatzke found his footing in the Angus world early, stepping into the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) ring for the first time in 2015 in Tulsa. That experience sparked a journey that would shape his youth, his goals and his future. 

Over the years, Nowatzke has built memories at shows and events across the country, but he shares one NJAS memory that stands above the rest.

“My favorite NJAS has to be winning grand champion bull with my brother, winning reserve grand at Grand Island, Nebraska, in 2023,” Nowatzke says.

It was a moment that blended family, hard work and accomplishment — everything the NJAA proudly represents.

When he’s not in the show ring, Nowatzke can be found participating in other contests at the NJAS. He’s tried a few, but Nowatzke says his favorite is one that involves a team, a cow and a sales pitch. 

“Team sales,” he says. “That’s where my greatest memories at National Junior Angus Shows are from.”

For Nowatzke, the contest is more than something to win; it’s a place where friendships form, confidence grows and the best stories are made. 

Through it all, one thing has remained constant: the people around him. 

Nowatzke says, “I like the community that the NJAA creates and how it connects others.”

That sense of belonging has shaped his experience as much as the cattle themselves. At the center of that support system stands his greatest mentor. 
“My dad was always there for me ringside, coaching me on and cheering for me. Anytime I was showing,” he shares.

Those moments of quiet encouragement and steady guidance have helped shape Nowatzke into the showman he is today.

For new NJAA members, Nowatzke offers simple, but powerful, advice: “Hard work always pays off, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first.”

It’s a mindset that has carried him from his first NJAS in Tulsa to the championship backdrop in Grand Island.

His future plans? Nowatzke plans to finish his degree at Oklahoma State University before heading back to Indiana to work on the family farm. 

But that doesn’t mean his life is all work and no play. Outside the barn, he keeps busy with soccer, guitar and an especially unique pursuit — earning his professional pilot’s license in Oklahoma.

Nowatzke has a bright future ahead of him. He represents the dedication and spirit that define the best of the NJAA.