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My name is Jacob Klaudt, and I am a senior majoring in animal sciences and industry at Kansas State University. I call the northern Great Plains home – specifically, Beulah, North Dakota – and grew up around Simmental and Angus cattle. In 2019, I was awarded a NILE Merit Heifer from Bar JV Angus, which helped me get my foot in the door of the purebred cattle business. Going out on top and winning the senior college contest at the North American International Livestock Exposition means a great deal to me. I feel extremely thankful to stand among many other great stockmen before me who have also won the Robert Hall, Jr. Challenge Trophy. I will be able to recall this contest in great detail for a long time to come because it was the most enjoyable one I ever competed in. I wholeheartedly thank those responsible for organizing a contest which had classes that reflected logic and quality to the highest degree. I will admit, though, nerves set in when I turned to the first class of the day, which happened to be the Performance Simmental Bulls. My mind began racing, and the pressure to perform well intensified. At the five-minute remaining mark of that rotation, I had a relieving epiphany, however, that is worth sharing. As I paced back and forth in front of those yellow curtains that surround the classes, I thought, “This is the beginning of the last time I will ever be able to mark a card, ‘Why be so worried?’” For some, this isn’t groundbreaking, but personally, this self-assurance – instilled in me by the Good Lord – carried me through the day. I emerged from the contest that evening dropping 12 points, which is a personal best. Peaking and achieving that at my final outing is a blessing greater than I deserve. It shows that
we never truly know when we will attain success or fall victim to failure, so I say, “Why be so worried?” A prompt that encourages me to work hard and place faith in the One True God. These are two actions we all can control and will lead to deeds and achievements greater than ourselves. Speaking of significant things, all my accomplishments in livestock judging were only attainable through the Lord God Almighty. Additionally, I owe immense gratitude to my parents, who have sacrificed significantly to help me reach all of my goals. Not mentioning these two parties would be a great disservice to the most prominent contributors to all my success. Looking back, my livestock judging journey began in the sixth grade. After competing in my first contest at 11 years old and feeling the thrill of being called as the second high individual, I knew this activity would play a significant role in my life for a long time. I spent the rest of my time in 4-H and FFA, attending as many livestock judging contests and camps as possible while participating in other events like meats, dairy cattle, range and horse judging to strengthen my skills. Ultimately my deep passion for evaluation developed in those youth programs, and my love of competition led to enrolling at Casper College as a member of the 2022-2023 livestock judging team. At Casper College, I had the privilege of judging alongside many talented individuals and was coached by two exceptional evaluators: Dr. Jeremy Burkett and Colby Hales. I spent countless hours pacing around the Grace Warner Agriculture Pavilion, practicing extra sets of reasons, discussing contests, and analyzing classes with my coaches and teammates.
All that dedication culminated in Houston when I was named a 2023 All-American Junior College Livestock Judge – an accolade I hold dear and one feasible through the aid of my teammates and coaches. I can’t thank both groups enough for providing an outstanding junior college experience and positioning me for a successful senior college run at Kansas State University. As soon as I arrived on K-State’s campus during the spring semester of my sophomore year on my recruitment visit, I knew I was home. The people, tradition and curriculum drew me in initially and make it currently one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve spent the past year and a half with some of the finest young stockmen and individuals I have ever had the honor of knowing as a member of this team. Beyond teammates, my coaches Dr. Payton Dahmer, Brody Nemecek, and Jentry Squires helped me tremendously as a person both inside and outside the sport – to each of them, I express the sincerest thanks possible. I concluded my time in livestock judging on a team that achieved major victories at the American Royal and the NAILE; these triumphs matter to me more than any individual accolades because I got to share them with a remarkable group of people. Furthermore, being a two- time national champion on the livestock judging and meat animal evaluation teams at K-State makes me indefinitely indebted to the first and best land-grant university that provided me with experiences unlike any other. All thanks be to God. ●
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