Hello all!
If you are anything like me, getting back into a schedule with school has been refreshing. Hopefully, the beginning of everyone’s school year is going well. I know for me, at Iowa State, things are looking different than in the past because of COVID-19 and I have a schedule that is mixed with in person classes, hybrid classes and all online classes at the moment. Beyond school, I am excited to be traveling around sorting through livestock with the judging team as we prepare for the National Barrow Show, along with the rest of our fall schedule. Tentatively, we have a full slate of contests for the fall, so I am maintaining a positive mindset and looking forward to the rest of the semester. Unfortunately, as we all know, things nowadays never seem to be set in stone but being able to adapt and overcome adversity is very important in today’s crazy world, and I think it is something we, as a breed, have to continue to do as well.
Reflecting on the summer, I would like to thank the Gulotta family, my fellow junior board members (both current and past), Katie Campbell, and of course, all the juniors and breeders for making our 2020 Junior National “The Party of the Century” a spectacular event. The perseverance the breed showed certainly paid off. Not only did we have to be resilient to all the COVID guidelines, but I think we all deserve an award for surviving the heat and humidity of lovely West Monroe, La. Being a Missouri native, I thought I knew what humidity was, and for those of you who have attended the Junior Nationals in Springfield, Mo., know it can be warm, but West Monroe took humidity to a whole new level. All jokes aside, I am certainly thankful to be a part of a breed that was able to stand strong and maneuver all tasks to be able to host our Junior Nationals where it was initially planned to be, and moreover to have the show ran as normal as we could make it.
Moving forward, things may look slightly different for the breed as we welcome Mallory Blunier into her new dual role as Director of Media and Activities. After conversing with her, I know she’s just as eager as myself and the rest of the board to continue moving things in the right direction. I can assure you that I’m extremely passionate about not only the Limousin breed but agriculture in general and even more thankful to be able to serve as the 2020-2021 NALJA President. Our annual fall board meeting is coming up in the middle of September and we will line out things for this next year to make it the best one to date. Aside from that, be on the lookout for some new and exciting fundraising opportunities that have been put together by many integral members of our association.
As we continue, just remember to stay resilient, be willing to accept change and make the most of it, and most importantly keep a positive mindset. Again, I look forward to this next year and know that there are many awesome things we have in store for the future. Let’s continue making NALJA and the Limousin breed great!
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. -John Wooden
Limousin cattle deliver to your bottom line. With superior genetics, a simple crossbreeding plan and state-of-the-art selection tools, the Limousin breed will serve profit-minded cow/calf producers. In today’s competitive markets, taking advantage of all available opportunities is key. The Limousin breed offers a variety of options from Fullblood to Purebred to the Lim-Flex® hybrid (Limousin x Angus cross) to match your program’s needs and market goals. Crossbreeding for the right blend of muscle, maternal ability and profit is easy with Limousin seedstock.