Santa Gertrudis Source June/July 2024

JUNIOR VOICES • Savannah Roessler, District 1 Director WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGH LIGHT OF YOUR NJSGA MEMBERSHIP EXPERIENCE? Q: A: Hello, my name is Savannah Roessler and I am en tering my junior year at Gainesville High School. My personal herd of cattle started with a gifted show heifer from my aunt on my eighth birthday. My herd now includes two scramble calves, some females (sent back to my aunt’s herd once they age out of the show circuit) and bulls. I plan to go to vet school eventually and would like to take some ranch man agement courses as I study so that I understand every type of cattle operation I may have the potential of working on. The highlight of my National Junior Santa Gertrudis As sociation (NJSGA) membership experience has been at tending the National Junior Santa Gertrudis Show (NJSGS) every year. Last year’s event was extra special because I was elected to the NJSGA Board of Directors as a District 1 rep resentative. One of the best things about the NJSGS is that there is a bull show where I and others have the opportu nity to show bulls at our national forum. Another wonderful thing about the NJSGS is the abundance of people – many of whom we met throughout the year at other shows and now get to reconvene with. There are many other competitions that juniors can participate in as well, such as photography, public speaking and sales talk, just to name a few. My abso lute favorite contest is Brain Bowl. For me, the NJSGS is the highlight of my summer because it is like a vacation (with an extreme amount of work) that’s filled with the best kind of people – the people of the Santa Gertrudis breed!

JUNIOR VOICES • Audrey Jones, District 4 Director Q: A:

WHY IS BEING AN NJSGA MEMBER IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Hey y’all! My name is Audrey Jones. I’m from Lake City, Fla., and am a senior at Santa Fe High School. I have been showing Santa Gertrudis cattle since I was 8 years old. We have a small family farm of about 30 head of Santa Gertrudis cattle. This is my second year as a Dis trict 4 director on the National Junior Santa Gertrudis Association (NJSGA) Board of Directors. Being an NJS GA member is very important to me, and showing Gerts is somewhat of a family legacy. My dad and his brother grew up showing Santa Gertrudis cattle and showed them until they aged out. I felt it was important to hold on to that and do what they did growing up because they always talked about all the memories they made and how fun it was showing Gerts and going to the National Junior Santa Gertrudis Show (NJSGS) every year. When it came time for me to get my first show heifer, of course I wanted to get a Santa Gertrudis. My experience has been noth ing short of amazing. I have learned so much and grown from the opportunities that being a member has given me, including making friends from across the United States, and attending the NJSGS and Gerts Ongoing Ad vanced Leadership Summit. If you’re considering joining, DO IT!

E

R

G

T

R

A

U

T

EVENT CALENDAR

NEW MEMBERS

D

N

I

A

S

S

June

Active Members Castillo De Saladna Cattle Co., Austin, Texas L & L Cattle, Ennis, Texas Jeffery Banfield, Aberdeen, N.C. Commercial Members Clayton Osburn, Rosharon, Texas David Yawn, Rusk, Texas Jose Raya, Kingsville, Texas Junior Members Brandin Jimenez, Rosenberg, Texas Brisa Martinez, San Perlita, Texas Brooklynn Hardy, Santa Fe, Texas Courtney Claude, Nacogdoches, Texas Ella Sparkman, Forestburg, Texas

13-14

District 6 Haltered Heifer Show & Sale, Corydon, Ind. Reese Ranch Annual Red Dirt Gert Sale and Field Day, Encinal, Texas

10-13

Beef Improvement Federation Annual Symposium, Knoxville, Tenn.

B

L

R

A

E

13-14

N

E

D

O

I

E

T

R

A

S

N

I

R

N

E

T

Hattie Bland, Bagwell, Texas Ira Richmond, Eustace, Texas Joselynn Garza, Alamo, Texas Julieta Velazquez, Needville, Texas Madiana Fuentes, Robstown, Texas Mary Catherine Smith, Brookshire, Texas Olivia Goff, Angleton, Texas Peyton Smith, Alvin, Texas Rylee Ruddick, Alvord, Texas Cooper Plyler, Hope, Ark, Jackson Barber, Austin, Ark. Julieann Stacks, Taylor, Ark. Kara Sledge, Magnolia, Ark. Cade Scalisi, Abbeville, L.a. Tate King, Altha, Fla. Natalie Lester, Williford, Ariz.

16-22

National Junior Santa Gertrudis Show, Little Rock, Ark.

16

Southeastern Empire Livestock Show, Lawrenceville, Ga.

July 19-20 Kentucky National Show & Sale, Bowling Green, Ky. August 27 Wendt’s Baby Doll Sale, Bay City, Texas September 3 Reds to Die For: Volume IV, steerbidder.com 7 Creech Farms Field Day, Zebulon, N.C. 11 Proud to Be American Sale, Shidler, Okla.

22

B Square “The Commitment” Production Sale, sconlinesales.com

October

5

Alabama Connection Sale, Cullman, Ala. Red Royalty Elite Halted Heifer Sale, sconlinesales.com Strait-Hefte Tried & True Production Sale, Streetman, Texas

8

18-19

25

Tri Star Sale, Bloomington, Texas

26

Briggs Ranches Annual Bull & Commercial Female Sale, Bloomington, Texas

20

SANTA GERTRUDIS SOURCE

JUNE/JULY 2024