Kendall Nelson of Illinois received the most rewarding handshake yesterday at the 2018 National Jr. Shorthorn Show in Madison, Wisconsin by being selected as the Grand Champion Bred & Owned Female. We sat down with Kendall and asked him what this honor meant to him.
How many years have you been involved in the Shorthorn Industry and what does it mean to you?
I’ve been showing cattle since I was 8 years old, and we’ve been breeding shorthorns since I was 9 years old. The cattle Industry has instilled a work ethic into me that I could not build anywhere else, by having to do daily routines such as feeding and working on my show strings I learned responsibility and time management. Yearly routines such as calving and breeding helped me learn the breed and what is needed to build your genetics. The work ethic I’ve learned over the years has helped show me hard work is need to succeed inside the show ring, and outside of it as well.
What are you looking for when you are building your cow herd?
When I started showing, we started with elite pedigrees that were backed by a cow base that has won in the show ring at a national level. From there, we used top breeders in the shorthorn industry to find more of those genetics we were showing, and gain knowledge on those mating to help us further to be successful.
What is your favorite part of the Shorthorn Industry?
I love attending the national shows such as Louisville and the Junior National. I also love seeing familiar faces, spending time with industry friends, and seeing all the different livestock shown by different family’s from around the country.
What was does it mean to you, being selected as the Grand Champion Bred & Owned Female?
It was a very rewarding experience, because I selected a bull to meet her mother’s flaws and I have been working with this heifer everyday since June of last year. She has a mind of her and has a unique personality, and to finally be successful with her really meant a lot to my whole show career, because it showed my dedication to her paying off.
Where do you see yourself in this industry in the future?
I’d like to see myself running my own show cattle herd, and contuning to sell offspring to the youth families to be exhibited at a local and national level, and to promote my genetics nation wide.
I would like to thank every one that has been influential to my show career to help me get to where I am today, without all the love and support from my family and friends, I believe my success would not have been possible.