our youth: AG STARS
Addy Hamilton —
Young Cattle Baroness Leading the Herd
Weatherford teen goes against the herd with her Longhorns
By MELISSA MOORMAN
A
ddy Hamilton is an unusual high
school sophomore. She’s unusual
because at the age of 15 she has her own
herd of Longhorn cattle. She didn’t plan
on going into the cattle business, but a
family friend told her about their experi-
ence showing these truly Texas beasts,
and after a little over a year, she has nine
head of cattle in her herd and is expecting
calves this spring from her own breeding
program.
According to the Texas Longhorn
Breeders Association, the Texas Longhorn
became the foundation of the American
cattle industry by claiming first rights in
the untamed, newly discovered Americas
more than 500 years ago. In 1690, the
first herd of cattle was driven north from
Mexico to land that would eventually
become Texas. Less than 40 years later,
the breed was on the brink of extinction
much like the buffalo. Congress stepped in
to save the Longhorns by assigning forest
service rangers to put together the first herd
in 1927. The need for private breeders
continues, with young people like Addy
helping to raise the value and awareness of
Texas Longhorns in the cattle industry.
According to her mom, Kati Hamilton,
the Longhorn community has just as much
to do with Addy showing the majestic
breed as anything else. “She was showing
goats first, but she just fell in love with the
Longhorns. We got to spend time in the
barns with the breeders. She has as many
adult friends in the industry as she does
teenagers. They see how hard she works
and they want to help her,” she shared.
The help has even included other breeders
gifting her with cattle.
Her oldest steer has amazing horns that
recently measured almost five feet across.
“They are almost like big puppy dogs.
Each of them has a particular way they
want to be loved,” Kati said. Happily, for
the family, the Parker County Livestock
Show and Sale has added Longhorns to
its annual events. This is only the second
year that Longhorns are a part of the event.
“Because of the horns, it’s too much liabil-
ity,” she explained.
Addy is showing not just at the Parker
County Livestock Show and the usual big
stock shows in Fort Worth, Houston and
100
San Antonio, but also has an opportunity
to show at different Longhorn breeder
affiliate shows, with all of them awarding
scholarships to the kids who are showing
animals. Kati also explained that Addy
has an opportunity to sell an animal her
senior year to add to her scholarship fund.
The funds are kept in Addy’s name by the
Longhorn Breeder’s Association until she
graduates from high school.
Addy works hard at school from
Monday through Thursday, spending
most Fridays traveling to Longhorn shows
with her family. “I show five cattle. They
keep me busy. It takes up a lot of my
time. That’s part of the reason I’m home-
schooled. It’s because the Longhorn
Association has a lot of shows during the
year,” she said. Her mom says she gets up
early to tend her herd, works hard at her
schoolwork during the rest of the day and
is back to the barn at night. “Once she
learned what needed to be done, she did
everything for them. They are her babies
and she wants to take care of them,” her
mother added.
Her first steer was purchased for $750,
but he’s aging out of the show arena his
year. “My bull is a lot bigger and older and
this is his last year to show. I have a little
heifer that has won quite a few shows.
They have both done really well,” said
Addy. She began working with her differ-
ent show animals when they were calves,
because they are more docile and easier to
work with. “My bull is a super sweet bull,
but he weighs between 1,500 and 1,600
pounds. It’s crazy standing next to him and
having to show him. You have to put a lot
of work into them,” she continued.
Addy plans to attend Tarleton State
University after graduation and major in
nursing with a minor in agricultural busi-
ness. “I would really like to go to Tarleton.
I kind of have my mind set on Tarleton. My
dad went to Tarleton; so did my granddad.
They have a great agriculture program.
I’m going to major in nursing. I haven’t
decided what kind yet,” she explained. She
wants to continue to work with Longhorns
and show them even after high school and
college, continuing her breeding program
to add to her herd.
It’s hard to believe that a 15-year-old
Weatherford girl has a herd of Longhorns
after just starting working with them in
August of last year. But Addy finds all
of the hard work is rewarding and it has
helped to shape what she wants to do
during college and after. “It’s hard work
and you have to be very responsible. You
have to learn to take care of things. You
learn about the history of the cattle. It’s a
lot of responsibility,” she concluded.