The NJSA would like to recognize Gavin Livingston of Greenwood, Missouri as a youth spotlight.  The son of Mark and Cindy Livingston, Gavin has one brother, Connor.  Gavin is a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Central Missouri.  He is involved in Drama Club and enjoys raising exotic animals and showing pigs and llamas. 

Gavin is a fairly new member of the NJSA, having just started showing pigs this year.  He grew up in the llama business where he has known Darrell Anderson since he was very young.  Darrell had always told Gavin about the wonderful things NJSA had to offer, so he decided to give it a try and has loved every minute of it!  When asked why he shows pigs, Gavin responded, “I show pigs because I love working with them.  They each have an individual personality and are so much fun to work with.  I also chose to show pigs largely in part because of what the NJSA has to offer.”  The thing he enjoys most about showing pigs is going to the shows and seeing all of his friends, while talking to the older, more experienced breeders about the hog business.  Gavin’s favorite shows are the World Pork Expo and the American Royal, because he had a blast at WPX this past year and has so many wonderful memories of showing livestock at the Royal throughout the years. 

The NJSA National Youth Leadership Conference in Memphis, Tenn. Was Gavin’s most memorable moment in the NJSA.  Gavin said, “I had an amazing time and made so many wonderful friends.  It was a total blast and I learned so much from the workshops and when we visited Cobb’s Farm.  The entire conference was a blast, and as a new member and a first time attendee, I was greeted with open arms by the entire junior board and all of the attendees.  It is definitely a trip that I will never forget, even though we almost floated away with all the Tennessee flooding!”

About the NJSA, Gavin would to tell younger members, “to be sure and take advantage of every opportunity that this great organization has to offer.  Don’t let being afraid hold you back from trying something new or even attending a leadership conference.  I truly believe that there is no finer junior livestock association for young people to be apart of.”

An Agriculture Business major at UCM, Gavin plans to go to law school at the University of Arkansas and specialize in Agricultural Law, hoping to become a lawyer for a large meat packing company, such as Tyson Foods.  He plans to continue to show pigs until he is out of college and hopes that someday his kids will also become NJSA members and show pigs themselves.

The NJSA would like to congratulate Gavin on being such an outstanding role model and NJSA member, and wish him the best of luck in all of his future endeavors!

Submitted by Cally Hass, 2010 NJSA Intern