H ello, my name is Garrett Jones, and I am from Anna, Texas. My family lives about twenty minutes away from our small cattle operation, Jones Simmentals, that is due south of a town you likely have never heard of—Tom Bean, Texas. In addition to our show heifers, we have commercial cattle. In my family’s operation, I am a decision maker in terms of strategies for selecting cattle and sires. Given my love for the genetics side of the industry and my strong memory for animal pedigrees, these aspects of our cattle operation are my favorite. Some of my hands-on tasks are feeding and daily care the show cattle, as well as our commercial cattle. For example, I assist with ear tagging, administering vaccinations, fly medicine, and worming. I also help with fencing, both electric and barbed wire. I have been a part of the American Junior Simmental Association (AJSA) and the Texas Junior Simmental Simbrah Association (TJSSA) since I was nine years old. In fact, this summer I was elected to a TJSSA Board position, representing the East Region of Texas. I have attended three South Central Regional Classics and three National Classics. This year
was my first time competing in the Intermediate division at the AJSA National Classic, where I was the 8th Overall Intermediate. I was honored to earn 3rd place in the Cattlemen’s Quiz, 5th place in the Calvin Drake Genetic Evaluation Quiz, and win Grand Champion Owned Fullblood Heifer. This was my first time winning my class at the National Classic, and I accomplished this with my percentage heifer as well. I was especially honored to be named AJSA Junior Member of the Year. Being able to build on my success at last year's National Classic was thrilling by itself but doing it while being recognized for overcoming numerous obstacles is extra special. I say this not to brag, but to emphasize the challenges I had to face to be successful. I have a visual impairment, due to optic nerve atrophy, that limits me to approximately 20/700 vision. This means what normally sighted people can see from 700 feet, I can only see from 20 feet. To give you an idea of how severe my vision loss is, I can only see about 2/3 of the way down my show stick, much less my animal’s back feet or the judges in the arena. I have taken measures to problem-solve the challenges my vision presents. For example, I have learned to put a zip tie on the handle of my show stick so
I will know where the hook on the show stick is in relation to my hand. Besides my activities in the cattle industry, my other interests include computer science, mathematics, and investing. Recently, I obtained my Fundamentals of Information Technology certificate. This past fall, after receiving a full scholarship, I attended Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students (SCIVIS) in Huntsville, Alabama. It was truly amazing to spend a week with other students with visual impairments that could truly understand each other. These experiences have allowed me to learn a lot-- not only about cattle, but also about myself and some of the gifts that the good Lord blessed me with. I am currently planning to attend Texas A&M University to get an undergraduate in Agribusiness and then hope to go on for a Master of Business Administration. Finally, I would like to thank people who have given me reading help, ring assistance and/or mentorship. In particular, I would like to recognize: the Mackey Family, Kiersten Priddy, Hallie Hackett, Briana Hicks, JadaLea Isles, the Sansom family, the Shipman Family, Reba Prather, Keagen Skipper, and anyone else I forgot. ■
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