By SARAH B. AUBREY
Indiana Correspondent LOUISVILLE, Ky. — By mid-July, the summer show season is in full swing, and among the many organizations that offer a national junior show experience each year is one for Simmental cattle.
This year’s American Junior Simmental Assoc. (AJSA) National Classic event was held July 9-15 in Louisville, in conjunction with the annual Simmental Breeders Sweepstakes. A large showing was recorded – reportedly, more than 400 head competed.
Junior exhibitors under age 21 participated in numerous events from cook-offs to fun mixers, and in shows for purebred and percentage females, cow-calf pairs and steers. Additional activities included livestock and meats judging, a public speaking and interview contest, showmanship, team fitting and team cook-off.
One annual event of special prestige is the sales talk contest. Lauren Hobbs, 18, of Atlanta, Ind., attended her third National Classic Show. A regular competitor in sales talks at the regional and state levels, she considers the national-level sales talk contest to be one of the most valuable competitions of the event.
“The object (of the contest) is to test your knowledge of your heifer.
You need to point out what you like; it’s one of the events you can definitely use in real life,” Hobbs said.
She and her brother, John, 19, also of Atlanta, worked together in the contest where one person displays the calf and the other talks with the panel of two judges using all means available to attempt to “sell” the animal to the judges.
“It uses public speaking and your ability to interact with people and build a relationship with a potential customer,” Hobbs said, adding the contest is always a rewarding challenge.
Courtney Wesner, 17, of Chalmers, Ind., also entered the contest with Will Foster of Lockney, Texas. The contest was broken down into divisions; Foster and Wesner competed against other exhibitors ages 14-17 in the intermediate division.
“We come into the ring, introduce ourselves to the judge, hand them our heifer’s registration certificate and basically explain as many positive attributes as we can about the calf,” Wesner said. She used her calf’s Expected Progeny Differences, or EPDs, along with her own visual appraisal, to promote the animal to the judges.
Exhibitors not only gain real-life sales experience when competing in the sales talk contest, they also receive a formal critique from their judges.
“It depends on the judge, if they’ll tell you the animal is sold when you finish talking or not. Either way, you get back a (written critique) of what you did well and what you need to work on,” Wesner said.
The sales talk contest, like other events, can be lucrative for successful exhibitors. High quality and useful prizes are awarded, such as show boxes and grooming chutes.
For more information about Simmental breed events, visit www.simmental.org
This farm news was published in the Aug. 1, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. |
