Good Times in
Springfield
From the Field
By Andy Rest, NALF regional manager
This year’s National Junior Limousin Show &
Congress is now history. For the fifth time,
Springfield, Missouri hosted this historic event that
saw exhibitors from 23 states enter over 300 head.
Both show days, Judges Ryan Haefner of
Clinton, Ill. and Tim Fitzgerald of West Grove,
Penn., commented on the extreme quality
to be found in every class. There were some
very good cattle that ended up standing
down the line throughout both shows.
As a new member of the Limousin Journal, I
had the opportunity to attend the very first
National Junior show held in Springfield in 1977.
At that first show a total of 63 entries from eight
states competed. Since that time, I’ve attended
approximately 25 “junior nationals” and it’s become
one of the events I truly look forward to each year.
Obviously, the shows are impressive but for
me the real highlights are walking through the
barns and watching the interaction between
the kids, their parents and many times the
grandparents. Over the years, it’s been fun to
watch kids go from “tenderfoots” at their first
show, to becoming seasoned veterans and
showman. Life-long friendships have been
formed and many of today’s adult leaders
in the Limousin business got their start and
developed their leadership skills at this event.
A tip of the hat to Katie Campbell, director of
activities; Randa Taylor, NALJA president; and
the entire NALJA board of directors for the
countless hours they put into making the show
run efficiently. In addition, the members of
the Missouri Limousin Association also did a
tremendous job hosting a long week of Limousin
activities. A special thanks to Ed Pinegar, Ty & Susie
Heavin, T.J. Callahan, Nathan and Rebecca Hunt,
and countless other MLA members I saw who
put in long hours before and after each show.
A special occasion during the week was the
induction of Gene Raymond, Garnett, Kan., into
the North American Limousin Hall of Fame.
As most of you know, Gene passed away in
January and is the seventh individual to receive
this prestigious honor joining Floyd McGown,
Dale Runnion, Leonard Wulf, Ken Holloway,
Herman Symens, and C.K. “Sonny” Booth.
A fitting conclusion to the week’s activities was the
34th annual All-American Limousin Futurity. Ken
and Sue Ann Holloway and the entire American
Cattle Service team always do an excellent job
with this show. Former NALJA member Jonathan
Perry, Fayetteville, Tenn. served as the judge
and again the quality ran extremely deep.
Hard to believe but by the time you read this
the majority of the state fair shows will be
finished and the fall show and sale season will
be just around the corner. I’ll hope to visit with
many of you down the Limousin road! LT
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