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September 2004 Issue

 
It's the people
by Darrell Anderson



It is the most-competitive senior swine showmanship contest in America. Young adults from coast to coast have competed, and many state fair champions have been eliminated. It is now down to the top five.

Kim Brock, one of the few judges willing and qualified to sort through this incredible group of young people, takes the microphone and asks one of the five finalists this question:

“The National Junior Summer Spectacular has earned the reputation of being one of the premier livestock events in the country, and there are other shows and other species that are trying to emulate this event. In two or three sentences, summarize why you think this show has earned such a reputation and why it has set itself apart from other events.” 

Doug Albright, an articulate young man from Coldwater, Mich., took the microphone. Without missing a beat, he said, "I can sum it up in one word — it's the people."

Now, I’m not sure how much that statement helped Kim decide that Doug would earn the title of Champion Senior Showman, but I do know how it impacted my thoughts during the rest of the week in Louisville , Ky. In fact, I have thought about that statement nearly every day since that week in early July.

The National Junior Summer Spectacular is truly an incredible event held each year. To those that have never attended – make plans now to work it into your schedule next year. You won’t regret it.

If you attended this year, you had the opportunity to watch nearly 600 young people from 25 states compete in contests including speech, photography, skillathon, judging, showmanship and the gilt show.

The gilt show was very competitive. Even so, this event is still all about the “people.” The main focus is the hundreds of young “people” who travel to Louisville , meet new friends and establish life-long relationships. They learn from competing against the best in the land, and they are afforded some quality time with their families. These families are made up of some of the most incredible “people,” often referred to as parents, who have made enormous sacrifices to allow their kids this chance to expand their horizons.

The show requires an enormous amount of volunteer help. It is, once again, a very special group of “people” that makes it possible to host this sea of youth as they participate in the variety of activities. Jennifer has told me that there were more than 150 volunteers who were willing to offer their assistance, and in many cases, traveling to Louisville just to help with the show.

There is another most-generous group of “people” who have given so much financial support to make this event happen. They are the various sponsors and donors that have allowed the NJSA to grow each year and have funded all the new activities. We might think of some of these as companies and allied industry, but it is really the “people” behind these corporate banners that have made the difference.

There is also a very special group of “people” who put in countless hours of hard work and preparation before and during this incredible event – they are the NSR staff, and I am so very proud of this group, as well. Most observers could never understand the stress and workload carried by our staff during this event. If it wasn’t for an enormous level of personal commitment and dedication to the success of this activity, we couldn’t possibly hold such a conference.

Then there is a unique group of “people” who truly have laid the foundation and groundwork for this event to happen. They are the NSR members who have put together the genetic base to allow purebred hogs to continue to lead the way in our industry. They have inspired young people to follow in their footsteps, and they have provided support and leadership to all phases of our industry.

Nothing exemplifies that dedication and commitment better than the story behind this year’s Grand Champion Gilt. Darrell Epp was one of the very special “people” who laid a big chunk of that genetic foundation I referred to above. He was a member of the American Yorkshire Club Board of Directors, and during that time, I soon realized what a special person he was, as evidenced by his passion for this business. 

Darrell passed away last year after a courageous battle with cancer. To honor his memory, his wife Ardith asked about sponsoring a special award. After some discussion, we agreed that he would be most excited about sponsoring the Champion Yorkshire Gilt award at the NJSS. There were more than 300 Yorkshire gilts in contention for the prestigious honor of champion female. The winner was Mackenzie Langemeier from Illinois with a gilt she purchased from Lorenzen Farms.

But what made this accomplishment even more meaningful to me: this gilt was sired by DGE0 First Rate 36-9, the last great breeding boar bred by Darrell Epp. It was a special ending to a special event, and it reinforced Doug’s comment, “It’s the people.”