August 2021 State Fair Edition

Maryland? Yes, Maryland. The state known for its crab cakes and for being deeply rooted in American history. When meeting new folks, I am always met with the “where are you from?” question. It’s one I an- swer proudly. I am a native of New Windsor, Maryland, originally. I was raised on our Sim-Angus cow calf operation and my show career started like many others, on the county level. I dove headfirst into the show ring by exhibiting steers, market hog and both market lambs and breeding ewes, right out of the gate. It didn’t take long for me to catch the stock show bug, as my family immediately bought a set of ewes and began a small flock of Hampshire and Suffolk sheep with the focus on raising club lambs for us to show. To be honest, I never had the opportunity to show an elite one of any species or even a good one for that matter, so I found my opportunity to find success through the livestock judging program. I started judging livestock when I began my show ca- reer and continued it throughout my 10-year show career. I was extremely fortunate to be a part of one of the most dominant teams in the state of Maryland and had the opportunity to win the state contest and compete at Louisville. My 4-H team went on to place 3rd in the nation which earned us the opportunity to travel to Europe to compete at the Royal Highland

in Edinburgh Scotland. There, I met many young livestock people who are great friends to this day. While in Europe, I had met the team from Lubbock, Texas and they introduced me to a place called Texas Tech Uni- versity. I opted to go a different route than many Maryland natives before me and head directly to Texas Tech instead of pursuing a junior college judging career. While at Texas Tech I had the opportunity to be a part of the wool and meat judging programs before reigniting my livestock judging career. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the 2015 National Champion Livestock Judging Team for Tex- as Tech alongside some of my now lifelong friends who are making an impact in the industry. After my time in college had ended, my passion for collegiate livestock judging remained. I began my career as a judging coach at West Virginia University before moving back to Texas to coach at to Clarendon College. I was fortunate to work with a phenomenal group of young people for several years. I have never been afraid of a challenge and I am always willing to step outside of my comfort zone, so I moved across the country to pursue a career with the National Swine Registry as a Field Representative. During my time with the NSR I got to learn a tremendous amount about the swine industry and form strong bonds with many breed-

ers and exhibitors in the show pig community. The NSR also gave me my first taste of show management, hav- ing the opportunity to help put on The Exposition, Summer Spectacular, Fall Classic, among many other regional and national swine shows. This taste of show management gave me the motivation to pursue my current role as Livestock Manager at the Indiana State Fair. During my brief tenure at the Indiana State Fair, I have had the opportunity to facilitate The Exposi- tion in June and manage our entries, all while preparing for our state fair in August. I have a variety of roles at the state fair. From judge selection to trailer parking and everything in between, it’s an honor to be in this po- sition. This new venture has been a big undertaking and is full of many days where I question my sanity, but I have a passion for livestock shows and a passion for the impact it has on young people. One of the most exciting new responsibilities is being able to oversee the construction of the new Fall Creek Pavilion which is the fairgrounds new 50-million-dollar swine barn project that will begin following this year’s fair. Despite the stress and headaches that come with it, being able to pro- vide an opportunity for the youth of this industry to exhibit their livestock and have the same opportunities I had when I was young makes everything worth it! •

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