Getting to Know Me

Growing up: I was raised on a small cow/calf and club lamb operation in central West Virginia. As I grew up in 4-H and FFA, I integrated registered Limousin and registered Suffolk in to my herd and flock. The Limousin was because we had had success with the breed as a terminal cross and it was predominately what my cousin was raising at the time. We had used Suffolk rams in the past and I wanted to be able to show in the purebred show at the state fair. Suffolks were a good fit because they still had plenty of muscling to compete in the market lambs but they also didn't have the wooly heads and legs that Hampshires have. Since my Dad and I do the majority of the shearing, we didn't want to have to shear heads a whole lot. 
I was extremely active in 4-H with livestock judging and I even was top individual in a few contests. Notably, I scored a 397 out of 400 my last year at a sheep judging contest. I also have been relatively successful showing with having multiple breed champions at the state fair with both my sheep and Limousin with animals that I raised. I have also been in the masters division with my purebred sheep for many years and been in the top 10 in beef showmanship. Besides the livestock end of things, I have served in multiple leadership positions in my 4-H club such as President, Vice President, and Secretary. At 4-H camp I was the chief of my tribe and received the Heart H award. 
I was also very active in my FFA chapter and through high school the majority of my livestock projects were completed in FFA. I served as chapter secretary and treasurer as well as the financial and chapter outreach chairperson. I was successful at the state level in public speaking having been in the top 3 two years in a row. I also won the state proficiency award in diversified livestock production in 2014 and received a silver status nationally. I have received the state and American FFA degree as well. 
In my breed associations I have been more active with Limousin as I am the WV Limousin Breeders secretary and serve on the Board of Directors. I also serve as the treasurer for the junior association. I have been successful at junior nationals having a 1st place magazine ad in 2016 and 5th place in 2017. I also was 5th in the photo contest and 2nd in public speaking in 2016. In 2017 I was 1st place in sales talk. 

This is the group of kids that made the trek to Grand Island for the 2017 NJLSC. They're more important to me than the awards I received. It's the memories. 

 

College: I am a Senior at West Virginia University majoring in Agriculture and Extension Education. I plan to graduate in May 2018. I have had courses in livestock production, soils, forestry, agribusiness, computer skills, teaching, and livestock evaluation. I have been on both the President's and Dean's List.
I have served as the President of the WVU Block and Bridle and in 2015 attended the Midwest Quadrathlon where my team was 3rd in the quiz bowl portion of the contest. In 2016 I was a member of the WVU Livestock Judging team where we most notably was 3rd at the Keystone International Livestock Expo. I was 6th individual in beef and 9th in reasons. The judging team experience is something I will treasure and take with me forever. 

Community: I have helped in many volunteer projects with my organizations as well as my Church. I have been a 4-H camp counselor during my time in college as well as completed many volunteer hours with my club. In my church I serve as the Sunday School teacher for middle and high school. I have been able to help with our Christmas from the Heart project as well.  

Hobbies: Some people might say that showing livestock is a hobby, I see a hobby as something that you enjoy but still doesn't take over your life. It's something to do in your spare time. I've never met anyone who shows livestock who has a whole lot of spare time. However, my hobbies would include livestock photography, watching WVU football and basketball, creative writing, and reading a good book.

Telling my Story

4/15/2017 
I've recently attended two conferences with nearly the same message: Tell Your Ag Story. They said that the non-agriculture community wants to hear our story. But I also left wondering, "how do I tell my ag story?" In some ways, I feel like I've been doing it because of the posts that I make about my calves, lambs, and of course my pigs from last summer, Howard and Bernadette. Sometimes, though, I don't feel like I'm doing enough. I wonder if the fact that I ONLY share with my friends and family is enough. They pretty much knows what goes on because the majority of my friends and family are from agriculture backgrounds whether they actually grew up on a farm or not. The question is, how do I do more? 

10/11/2017
As you can see, it's been a while since I've looked at this post I began in April. From finals, to AI'ing in May, to Junior Nationals, and aging out of 4-H and FFA; it was a busy few months and I just now caught a break to look back!
When I think now about telling my ag story, I still think that posting photos, videos, etc. about life on the farm is incredibly important. I also think that (although I don't write near as much as I should) that this blog is a way for me to tell my ag story.
When I was in Washington, DC getting on the Metro, we (my Mom and I) had asked a woman to make sure we were getting on the right train. Afterwards, she asked what we were in town for. I told her that we were there for National Ag Day and I had been on Capitol Hill talking to representatives about why they should support agriculture. She then asked how I felt about GMO's. This was actually the first time I had been asked about them. Although I'm not a row crop farmer, I have a general understanding of the importance of GMO's. I went on to tell her why we need them and that they are going to be one of the ways that we "feed the 9."
This was a way to tell my ag story without really telling MY story. I was able to share my knowledge with someone who probably rarely sees a cow or cornfield. Now that I think back on this experience, I know that I can inform people about agriculture without really having an in-depth knowledge of the topic they are asking about. I know that I have many avenues of telling my Ag story whether it is online, writing, or through just common conversations on the Metro in DC.
I am going to try to post more and tell more about my story, and make it a goal to write about what we're doing on the farm so I, Jennifer Friend, can Tell my Ag Story.