SG_Source_August_2023

JUNIOR VOICES • Madison Moran • President

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO IS JUST GETTING STARTED IN THE NATIONAL JUNIOR SANTA GERTRUDIS ASSOCIATION?

Q: A:

show and each year since, I’ve made more and more lifelong friends. Although that long and hot week in Gonzales, Texas, is over and you no longer have to worry about being the odd man out because you DID meet some new people and make some friends, major stock shows and other events are just around the corner. Believe me, they are so much more en joyable when you have that best buddy to hang out with. My advice for new junior members who maybe just joined our breed, just competed at our junior nationals or will be join ing in the major show circuit this fall or spring, get involved and meet people. I’ve met many of my closest friends through my time at nationals or at various major shows. Although we only see each other a few times a year, it is so nice to have some one to hang out with at these events. I feel that these are the people who understand the life that I live. So, get out of your comfort zone and next time you are at a cattle show, make a new friend or two to add to your Gert family.

I am Madison Moran, a 17-year-old incoming senior from Brenham, Texas. I have grown up in the Santa Gertrudis breed all of my life and am a proud member of the Mid-Coast Santa Gertrudis Association affiliate where I am also serving as associa tion president. My family owns and operates CF Cattle Company along with my grandparents, Curtis and Kathy Fuchs, and my relatives, the Mason family. I am a fifth-generation Santa Gertrudis exhibitor, so being a part of this breed and working in the cattle industry is truly a family legacy. Walking into the National Junior Santa Gertrudis Show for the first time can be very overwhelming. To the little guys, everyone is so big and looks so intimidating. As a little kid myself 10 years ago at my first nationals in Wichita Falls, Texas, I honestly felt the same way. I didn’t know who to talk to and I dang sure wasn’t going to go to any events that involved me being the center of at tention. But I did get pulled out on the dance floor and I did meet people and make friends that first year. Each

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AUGUST 2023