Hello one and all!

Just last week several AJSA trustees traveled to St. Louis, Missouri to the Youth Beef Industry Congress to represent the AJSA, its members, and to learn from other junior association boards how we can improve upon our junior program.

Just to give you an update on how things went, I am extremely excited to report that it went really well! We were able to take a tour of Purina Land O' Lakes Farm, participate in a marketing and industry panel, listen to several key beef industry speakers, and discuss current key issues that are or will be affecting the beef industry with other junior association members.

I can honestly say that I know I took a great deal away from this experience. Not only did we get to learn from key speakers such as Mark Wellman from the NCBA, but we also were able to sit down with other junior breed associations and bounce ideas off of each other and really compare and contrast the different junior programs.

After doing so, it just re-emphasized for me how wonderful the AJSA program is and that our focus on education and leadership skills puts our junior member’s leaps and bounds in front of the competition!!!

I truly hope that with the knowledge we have gained, we will be able to take this back to you the members to improve our junior association.

If any member would like further information on our trip to YBIC, please feel free to contact me or the trustees in your respective regions. Also, if anyone has any questions regarding the AJSA and its activities, please don't hesitate to call me. I look forward to hearing from you all, and I will see you this summer at the regionals and then on to WITCHITA FALLS!!!!

Thanks!

Katie