Paying it Forward

With your help and participation in our activities we are able to pay forward to this great industry with scholarships outlined below and with contributions to kids in AG in many counties across Texas. It is our honor to give back, it wouldnt happen without those folks that participate in our clinics and shows each year.

2019 Winner Brittney Haby

As a family we have one "WHY" and that is to serve by sharing and paying forward the blessings we recieve. Last year we were blessed to serve 65 families in our 2018 clinic and 80 entries in the next days goat show. It would not be possible without an awesome group of coaches, judges, and volunteers that helped us. It was an awesome turnout and experience for our first clinic. From this effort we were able to share blessings with over 20 families and kids in AG at various end of year auctions. In addition we funded our 1st MJL5 Scholarship at OConnor High School we had several applicants for that scholarship and I am proud to announce the winner Brittney Haby, we are beyond excited to be able to share our blessings with a true showman like Brittney and feel confident our country's future leadership will be better for having her in it!

Hungry, Humble, Smart Essay

“Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but the hours, weeks, months, and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.” -Alan Armstrong.

I wanted this opening of my story because I feel as if it pertains to my life so well. I often have many people ask what it takes to show livestock…the short answer, determination, dedication, a passion to succeed, and the will to give it your all day in and day out.

My name is Haley Hancock, and I am currently a Sophomore at Benton High School in Benton, LA. This is my seventh year to be in 4-H. In the organization, I am not only dedicated to my livestock project, but am also involved in Junior Leader activities, planning committees, and hold/have held multiple officer positions. In the past, I have been involved in shooting sports, photography, and competitive art exhibits, but have given that up so that I can expand my leadership activities and livestock career. Outside of 4-H, I am an FFA member at Bossier Parish School for Technology and Innovative Learning (BPSTIL), an FCA member at my school, as well as also being a member at my church, Word of God ministries. In my spare time, I absolutely love to hunt and fish.

I began my show career 5 years ago with market goats, and now exhibit both market and breeding sheep and goats at the local, state, and national levels. Since then, my view of the industry has changed drastically!

When I first started, all I had on my mind was winning. I was so discouraged when I didn’t get the placing I had hoped for, and I let that ruin my whole show experience. As I have aged, my perspective has changed for the better.

In order to succeed, you must have the drive, the passion, and the mindset to be able to outwork everyone else. We are true believers that success comes from work at home, it is just awarded in the ring! From the moment I wake up, to the second I lay my head down in the evening, all I think about is how to improve and better myself in the ring. I spend hours talking to breeders and feed reps to gain more knowledge about my show stock and how to feed them to their max potential. I watch recordings of state and national shows to listen to critiques on showmanship to improve my showmanship skills, and classes to improve my livestock judging and sorting skills. For the 2021-2022 show season I wrote down a list of things I wanted to accomplish. They followed as, win Sheep Showmanship at the LA State Fair, make the Final Drive for market goat show at the LA State Fair, win a big showmanship title outside of the Ark-La-Tex, and win Supreme Showman at the LSU Livestock Show, with my never ending determination, I was able to successfully achieve all of those titles! I then took this method and applied it to my 4-H activities and school. This is how I used being “hungry”, to better myself, not only in the livestock industry, but in other activities as well!

Recently, I have started coaching and counseling at various livestock clinics. Since I have many youth’s and other peers’ attention, I strive to be the best version of myself! Every show I attend, whether it be a jackpot or state show, I watch many of the younger showmanship classes and younger showmen. Even if it is not asked, I like to give my input and help them perfect their showing ability. When I was younger, I knew I needed help, but I didn’t want to ask so I went without, and that’s why I try to help out when I see a showman struggling! It brings me much more joy to watch the youth I coach succeed, rather than myself succeed. This is how I used being “humble” to better myself and others around me, around the ring!

With being an only child, all of the livestock chores are completed solely by myself. I wake up every morning, even on the weekends, at 5 am and weigh feed, hay, and water all of the animals in the barn. Livestock work better when things are consistent, so I keep them on a tight schedule. After I come home from school and work, I grab something to eat and go outside to the barn to get started. I hand walk all of the showstring and run them on the treadmill or track if needed. Then I work on showmanship with each animal 15-30 mins a day, as well as work hair every other day. I am out in the barn way past dark almost every day and my stock is always fed before I eat. I work myself back to the house for dinner and to get ready for bed, then wake up the next morning and do it all over again. I am so grateful to have grown up in the industry, I truly believe if every kid was raised in 4-H and FFA, the world would not be what it is today. Thanks to livestock, I never have time to get caught up in all of the problems normal teenagers get themselves into. This is how I used livestock to better myself and become more “smart” this past year.

Growing up raising and showing sheep and goats has taught me the most valuable life lessons. While there are many fond memories of fun and success, there are also some not-so-pleasant instances that I often recall. I whole-heartedly believe that my involvement within the livestock industry has shaped me into the person who I am today. I have learned to get back up when I fall, try again when I fail, and put my best foot forward in all that I do. Our livestock teach us more than we may realize – both emotionally and physically. You learn to take your time and do things the right way. Putting half the effort into a job will always yield half of the intended results. You and your livestock are a team, and can be a winning team if you put forth the time and work. Our livestock may not always cooperate, but giving up will not get you any further in the race.

2021 Essay Contest Winner

Congratulations to Adysen Janacek she is the winner of our essay contest, she has won a complimentary entry to our Goat Showmanship Clinic, a $300 credit towards a goat purchase, and a cool MJL5 Hat.

Read her Essay below!

Hungry, Humble, and Smart

Well, how do you even start a story about showing during the 2020-2021 season? My show season runs from August until March. When I completed my second year of showing. I wasn’t even sure there would be the next year for me. There were so many uncertainties with COVID just coming out. I kept in contact with my breeder and took a leap of faith that I would get to show. I got my best goat to date, a little red wether I named Iceman. So, as you are reading this might be thinking, how does this fit into hungry, humble, and smart? I hope you are ready for this. Oh, hungry doesn’t even begin to describe what I felt this year. You see, this all started two years ago. I had lost at our county show to the same two boys in showmanship. I wanted to do everything in my power to overcome that losing streak. I attended many prospect shows but never won. I heard things from the judges like you are too small or too young, and you have many more years ahead of you. This created a fire, a HUNGER. I wanted to win showmanship. So, I began searching my mom's Facebook page for showmanship clinics that I heard other showmen talking about. I attended one in November that helped me get a better start, but it wasn’t the experience I was looking for. I stumbled across a clinic I thought would be too far of a drive. However, my parents agreed to take me not only to one of the clinics but two! During the clinic, I realized, while I was working hard already. I needed to push myself harder. I learned I must set a goal; then, I had to tell people my goal. The goal I set was to win junior showmanship at our county show. By telling people my goal, they began to watch me. This pushed me to be even better, to go get my goat and work him when others were not watching me. I knew my goal was going to be hard to achieve. As my competitors were working just as hard as I was. During these clinics, I also learned that I must be humble as a winner. My mom has always told me that I could not show off if I had won. I never really understood why until now. I learned that for me to win, the others had to lose! I had never thought about it that way before. You see, I was always on the losing side. No one ever came up to me, shook my hand, and said thank you for doing your best and pushing me to show better. I knew if I would ever win, I must shake not only the judge’s hand but the showers too because they pushed me to be better and to try hard. So, after the clinics were over, I began practicing what I was taught. The hunger to win was driving me each day. The closer the show got, the more I practiced. Iceman knew what I expected him to do, and it almost seemed natural for him. The day of the show was finally here. As I was making some final adjustments, a boy I would be showing against walked by and said, wow, I wish my goat would brace like that. Before I knew it, my mom said Adysen could help show you how. I thought to myself, why would my mom want me to help someone in my same class! But before I could even second guess myself, I had already taken his goat from him to see how it was bracing. It didn’t take long, and I had his goat bracing great. Then, I showed him how to put his hands, legs, body position and even worked on helping him lead better. I saw my mom smiling at me. She asked why did you go through all of that with him when all he wanted was to have him bracing better. I smiled back said I want to win, but I want to win because everyone showed the best they could. That meant I wanted to help make him better. It was finally time for our class to show. It was the largest showmanship class of the day. I had to stay smart and not focus on what everyone was doing. Iceman worked like a dream! I could tell the judge was having a hard time picking a winner. We did several laps around the ring before he shook MY hand. I had done it; I had met my goal! I wanted to scream. I was so happy. Then, I remember all those other showmen had just lost, and I remember what that felt like. To give it everything you had and to lose. While most walked out of the ring before I could tell them how good they did. I made sure I found them and thank them for showing as well as they did. You see, losing can make you better, well, at least it did for me. It also makes winning that much more special. You will always need hunger to push you. Humble to remind you what it feels like to lose and smart to better yourself and those around you.

Senior Showmanship Scholarship Winner 2021