My name is Addison Bartlow, and I exhibited the 2024 Supreme Champion Junior Breeding Heifer at the American Royal. I am currently a sophomore at Lake Land College, where I am earning my degree as an ag transfer student. Next year, I plan to transfer to Iowa State University to finish my degree in ag business. I started showing just 8 years ago, so it is quite surreal to say I just was named Supreme Champion Junior Heifer at the American Royal. When I started showing at 12 years old, my family and I had no clue what we were doing. My dad had grown up showing steers at the county fair level but stopped once he got to college. My very first cattle show was in 2017 at the Illinois Beef Expo, where I was second in class. Everyone kept saying how that was an incredible first start and that I wouldn’t be as lucky every time. I came to find that saying true as we had our fair share of last in class. Every year since then my family and I have strived to be better than the year before, making sure we had the right people in our corner to make our goals a reality. My family started solely in the Angus breed, and as our journey has unfolded we have branched out into several breeds but stayed true to our roots. I found a second family in the Simmental breed and became just as involved as I was in the Angus breed. My story is proof that with the right team, hard work, and the right vision anyone can have success in the show ring.
After such an incredible week in Kansas City, it still hasn’t quite set in what my family and I have accomplished. Having the opportunity to get to show in the supreme drive with my sister, Brenna, right alongside me is something I will never forget. The moment when the judge stepped back taking a final look and walking over, my heart sank as he went in for the supreme slap. Hearing the cheers of my family and crew in the stands will forever be a core memory burned into my brain. However, the cherry on top was getting to share a special hug with my sister who was in the show ring with her champion Angus Heifer. My sister also found success with her Percentage Simmental heifer being Reserve Champion in the junior show and getting to compete in the Open Show Supreme drive after being selected Champion in the Open Show. A wild weekend, that will live as a special memory for us for so long. I just wish my little brother would have been there, but he was attending the National FFA Convention. Every year my family and I set goals for the upcoming show year. We always strive to be competitive but most importantly buy cattle from the people we love working with. While winning is fun it’s the people who make all the hard work well worth it. I can’t thank the Adcock family enough for everything they do for me and a special shoutout to Sherry Adcock for getting my girl Rue ready. Also to Jeff Paulsen, for his continued
guidance and feeding advice with Rue. When we picked out my heifer last year in Paulsen’s sale, I knew she was bound for greatness. With her kind and loving personality the name Rue struck a cord after the new Hunger Games movie came out. We showed Rue at several jackpot shows in the winter where she made top 5 at just about all of them. My team made some management calls after the winter jackpot season so that Rue could make it for the long haul. We decided to hold her from attending many summer shows so that we could have her look her best for the fall/ winter majors. Our family had a great summer with several other animals in our show string, but I was excited to get Rue out at Kansas City. I felt she looked great, but was hoping the judges would feel the same. The stars seemed to align, our family and crew had the heifer presented to her very best and we went out and gave it our all. Honestly, I still think I am dreaming. Thank you doesn’t seem to be enough but thank you to my parents, my siblings, family, friends that have become family, and any person who has had a hand in my journey to this point. I know my time as a junior will be over before I know it, so I am doing my best to give it everything I got until then. New goals are set, more work to be put in, but for now I am going to soak in and live in this moment right here. ●
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