Interns Final Days

Our time here at the American Shorthorn Association has flown by and we’re sad to say goodbye, but so grateful for our time we have been in the office. We have all learned many new skills and are so happy to have had this adventure. Working in a breed association and the agricultural industry has allowed us real life experience and has given us a taste of future career possibilities. Although we all come from a different breed, the Shorthorn breed is something special to us now.

To say goodbye to the staff, we had a little potluck to celebrate our internship before we finished our final days. We took our favorite recipe from the NJSS beef-cook off contest and prepared it for the office as the main dish. We made grilled steak taco’s with poblano-mango salsa. Our apartment doesn’t have a grilled, so we improvised and cooked them stove top. After cooking, we cut them into bit size chunks that were great size to put in tortillas. We had all the “fixings” to build your own taco and the other staff made side dishes and desserts. We had an array of Mexican dishes that went along with the tacos perfectly. It was a great time to enjoy the company of the office. Below you can find the recipe for the steak taco’s!

As we say goodbye to the office, we would like to thank the staff for putting up with us and providing such a fun and enjoyable work atmosphere. As we part ways, Wade and Wyatt will head back to finish their senior year of college and Faith will move home and continue her search for her dream job. We thank the ASA and their members for having such an amazing association and wish you the best of luck in your future as you continue to build the success of the Shorthorn breed.

 

Grilled Steak Tacos with Poblano Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

1 pound of boneless steak

2 medium poblano peppers

1 medium onion, cut into 1/2” thick slices

2 cloves garlic- minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 medium mango

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

8 small corn tortillas (6-7 inch diameter)

Fresh Cilantro Sprigs & lime wedges (optional)

Instructions:

1) Grill peppers and onions over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, set aside

2) Combine cumin and garlic, press onto steaks. Place steak on grill over medium heat, cook for 8-13 minutes.

3) Remove and discard skins, stems and seeds from peppers when Coll enough to handle. Chop peppers and onions. Combine veggies, mango, chopped cilantro, lime juice and                              salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

4) Place Tortillas on grill. Grill for 30 seconds or until heated through and browned lightly.

5) Carve steak and season with additional salt. Top tortillas with equal amounts of beef and mango salsa. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges, if desired.

Interns Remarks from working at ASA

As the intern’s time slowly comes to an end, they looked back on our time here with ASA and want to give our thanks and remarks of this internship.

Wyatt

My time at the American Shorthorn Association has been nothing but remarkable. Taking on this position as the Communication Intern for the summer has been very rewarding. I have accomplished various career development skills and I am so grateful for all that I have learned. I can honestly say that this job has taught me many things that you can’t learn in a classroom. The staff at ASA is truly amazing and I am so glad I had the opportunity to work and get know to each of them. (Even though I might have annoyed them by playing my music too loud and sometimes bickering with the other interns about silly stuff.) I am also grateful for the networking and relationships I have built through this internship and really appreciate all the support and friendly conversations I’ve had with members, volunteers, and youth of this association. The people involved in this association were my favorite part of this internship and truly made my time here worth it. I hope the best for this association and anyone involved in it and hope to keep in contact in the future. Enjoy the rest of your summer and good luck with your involvement with ASA!

Faith

My time here with the American Shorthorn Association has been one of the most beneficial times. I will miss everyone in the office as my time ends. I enjoyed getting to work on tasks for junior nationals and loved the chance to help the youth here. This internship gave me a chance to work and develop more than just computer skills and I will be grateful for the things that I learned here as the Registration Intern. I think it is safe to say that I have learned, developed great friendships, and made many acquaintances that I hope to see develop into friendships later. Thank you to the other interns Wade and Wyatt Minihan for working with me and to Shelby for putting up with us this summer. Can’t wait to see where the American Shorthorn Association goes in the future!

Wade

Although my time at the American Shorthorn Association has been short, it has been great. From the first day, the staff has been nothing but welcoming and helpful. Through this internship, I have learned so much, met many new faces, and have a gained numerous skill that I will be able to take with me, as I continue on down the road in life. I very much enjoyed preparing all the contest materials for junior nationals and hope I was able to leave an impact on those junior members. I would like to thank all the staff, and volunteers that helped pull of a successful junior national. You never realize all the work and dedication that is put into a show, until you’re in those shoes. I’m walking away from this internship feeling blessed and honored to have been able to serve as the Youth Activities Internship this summer. A special thanks to Shelby Rogers, Wyatt Minihan and Faith Massingill for all their time and dedication they put in at the ASA. The Shorthorn breed is growing and look forward to watching the breeds growth and development in the years to come.

Thank you from all of us for welcoming us into the family-friendly breed. We are sad the summer is over but look forward to seeing everyone down the road!

Interns Views on NJSS


As we unpack and recover from the busy and fun week in Lebanon, Tennessee, the interns wanted to give our views on NJSS.

Wyatt

Attending Shorthorn Junior Nationals was a different experience for myself in many ways. It was rewarding to see all the hard work come together. This great week of fun made memories for the youth and their families. Although, I am used to attending Hereford Junior Nationals, the dedication and passion the youth have for the Shorthorn breed is similar and was rewarding to encounter. I was able to spend most of my time capturing photos of the exhibitors and their animals. I know the time and dedication it takes and it’s fulfilling to be able to capture their success through a lens. Be sure to check out the AJSA Facebook page in the next few days for all the photos I captured at the 2019 NJSS in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Faith

Wow! Junior Nationals is done and it’s hard to believe that it is already over! I had such a great time getting to meet the juniors and parents involved with the Shorthorn association. Overall, this was one of my favorite shows to attend and work as an intern. I had fun helping wherever I was needed and hope the juniors had a blast at the 2019 NJSS in Tennessee. Congratulations to everyone who participated in Lebanon, I wish you luck for the upcoming show season. Get out there and show off the great breed of Shorthorns!

Wade

NJSS was a different experience for me, as I grew up going to Hereford Junior Nationals. As the youth activities intern, I had the opportunity to prepare all the contests, scripts, organize awards and help with many other tasks. Until you are actually in those shoes, you never realize all the work behind the scenes to make a junior national successful. I have a new-found respect for all those hard-working individuals who help make a show happen without any major issues. I really enjoyed all the task my internship gave this year. While in Lebanon, Tennessee I was able to match a name to a face at the end of the week and look forward to seeing those familiar face at other shows. The Shorthorn breed, as a whole, welcomed us with smiling faces and great personalities. Overall, the NJSS was an awesome experience and, although I may be a Hereford kid, look out for me at future Shorthorn Junior Nationals.

ASA Members, welcome the newly formed band, “The Red Roans”

Our names are Wade, Wyatt, and Faith and we will be your entertainment (interns) for this summer’s tour. The biggest show of the year is scheduled in Lebanon, Tennessee, on June 17. We have been very busy preparing for the performance of the year and we’re ready for a week of “Strumming a Shorthorn Tune!” Our band members and stage crew here at ASA are excited for a fun filled week and can’t wait for the final performance!

Keyboard Player Wyatt

Is everyone ready for a good time?!? This past week in the office has been very busy but also very enjoyable! My main focus has been preparing the set list (exhibitor folders), designing graphics and preparing content for our social media pages. I have really enjoyed meeting my fellow band members (other interns, well only one of the interns since the one of them is my twin brother) and the stage crew (ASA staff) as we prepare for this great performance! I have really enjoyed Kansas City and look forward to exploring more! I’m very excited to meet you all in Tennessee!

Guitarist Faith

How’s everyone doing?! I have been Strumming a Shorthorn Tune all week as my band members (other interns) and I prepare for our upcoming concert! I have been working hard on ticket orders (entries) to make sure that you have all the correct information and payments to attend this great performance that you don’t want to miss. I’m excited to be here and can’t wait to learn more about Kansas City and the Shorthorn breed. Hope you’re ready to rock out and strum along with my crew and me! If you have any questions about your tickets (entries) make sure to contact me or our lead singer (Shelby Rogers) at any time!

Drummer Wade

Who’s ready to have some fun?! Hope you’re all ready to pack the seats and tap along to the best hits at the greatest concert of the summer. I have been incredibly busy preparing contests for our audience (Junior members) and making sure the week is filled with exciting and competitive activities. The fellow band members and set crew have enjoyed the last week of getting to know each other and we are looking forward for the final performance in Tennessee. Kansas City has been a good time and I’m excited for more adventures in the near future. Make sure to get your tickets booked and get ready to jam along to the newest and hottest hit of the summer!

 

We are 18 days away from the biggest concert of the summer and can’t wait to enjoy the fun filled week in Tennessee!

Intern Update: Favorite Beef Recipes

Hey there!

Abbey and Taylor again. We are officially in the month of June and less than a month out from Junior Nationals.  We’re so excited to be there and get to meet all of you. Entering entries to the computer and contacting members for exhibitor packet information makes us feel like we almost know you a bit. (Does that sound creepy? It might be.)

Today instead of giving you an update on our lives as interns (because really the only update is that we are working hard to have everything ready for Junior Nationals), we are going to share our favorite beef recipes. We were inspired to write this post after finding some AJSA aprons in a very cold storage room that Abbey dubbed as the ‘meat locker’.

Abbey’s recipe ­– There is this amazing little taco truck a couple towns over from where I went to high school in Colorado called Lucy’s Tacos. After trying many different items on their menu with at least 50 different options, I discovered their Carne Asada Fries.  When I moved 10 hours away to Oklahoma for college I had to find a way to keep these fries in my life, so I developed my own recipe.

AbCarne-asada-friesbey’s Carne Asada Fries

Prep time- 45 min. to an hour. (Most of this is down time letting the fries soak)

Cook Time-45 min. to an hour.

Total time- 1.5 to 2 hours.

Serving size – 4 people

Ingredients – Fries

  • 4 large russet potatoes
  • 2-3 tablespoon olive oil, or preferred cooking oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste (most days I like to add in a little garlic salt)

Ingredients – Toppings

  • Half pound to a pound of steak – depends on how much meat you want. I prefer a nice marble tri-tip steak for some extra flavor, but you can also use skirt steak of steak you want.
  • Weber Steak and Chop seasoning to taste
  • Shredded cheese – I like a three cheese Mexican blend, but from here on out the ingredients are all personal preference
  • Sour Cream
  • Avocado or guacamole
  • Salsa
  • Shredded lettuce

Instructions

  1. Cut the potatoes into sticks, about a quarter inch to half inch thick depending on how you like your fries. Then place the fries into a bowl of ice water and soak for 30 min. to an hour. This will help the fries to be nice and crunchy.
  2. Preheat oven to 425F
  3. After the fries have soaked, rinse and dry them thoroughly. Use 1 tablespoon of the oil to coat a baking sheet then toss the fries in the rest and season to taste. Spread the fries even over the baking sheet and cook at 425F for 45 min to an hour until nice and golden. Turn the fries about halfway through.
  4. After the fries are in the oven cut the steak into half inch cubes and coat the cubes in the Weber’s seasoning and let sit at room temperature until ready to cook.
  5. When the fries have about 15 min. left cook the meat in a skillet on medium0high heat. I like to use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or a griddle for a nice sear but any skillet will work. If needed add a little bit of olive oil to keep the meat from sticking and burning.
  6. When the fries are nice and golden turn the oven off and remove them. I like to layer on some cheese and place the fries back in the still warm oven to melt the cheese.
  7. Plate the fries and add toping as desired.
  8. Enjoy!

Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of my Carne Asada fries, but I have provided one I found from www.carlsbadcraving.com that is similar to what I based my recipe off.

stuffed peppers

Taylor’s Recipe:

As we all know, nothing beats Grandma’s cooking and I am pretty much certain my granny is the best cook of all! Growing up just a hop, skip, and a jump away from her house, I spent many days learning all the tricks to making the perfect dish. Moving 1,300 miles provided me with the chance to practice all that she taught me. Although, I will never be the cook she is, I think I have done a good job of perfecting a few recipes.  One of my all-time favorites to make is stuff bell peppers. Especially if they are fresh peppers straight out of Papa’s garden! With little preparation time, this is the perfect meal to toss in the oven on a busy night.

Prep time: 15-20 minutes

Cook time: 30-45 minutes

Total time:  45-65 minutes

Serving size: 6-8 peppers

Ingredients:

  • 6-8 bell peppers
  • 1 box New Orleans dirty rice
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 1 can of tomato sauce (8 oz.)
  • Shredded Mozzarella cheese

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Brown the ground beef in a large frying pan and add in the chopped onion, cooking until the vegetable is softened.
  3. Next, add salt and pepper to taste, and then add the can of tomato sauce.
  4. Stir in cooked rice and cook for another 5 minutes or until the rice is warm. (Meanwhile, cut the tops of the peppers off and spoon out the rubs and seeds. Rinse.)
  5. Lightly, sprinkle the inside of the pepper with salt and fill the peppers with the hot meat and rice mixture.
  6. In the bottom of a 3 quart baking dish, put a ¼ cup of water (so you can steam the peppers while they are cooking).
  7. Place peppers in baking dish and top with shredded cheese.
  8. Bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees until the peppers are tender and the cheese is brown.
  9. Serve hot & enjoy!

apronsHope you have been practicing your beef cook-off recipes! It will be time to show those cooking skills off before you know it!

Shorthorn love,

Abbey & Taylor

The Intern Update: Our First Week

IMG_1829Hello AJSA members, Abbey and Taylor here, giving a little update of our first week and a half as interns!

Though the hours from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. seem to drag on every day with repetitive Junior National’s entries on Taylor’s part and going back and forth between design and updates for Abbey, the week as a whole has passed by fast.

Each day we start by going over our six most important things to accomplish. We compile these lists at the end of the previous work day. Scheduling and prioritizing is key for us to accomplish all our tasks in time for the National Junior Shorthorn Show. But we can and are excited to do our jobs!

Abbeys perspective: I’m usually a person that likes to sit down and get as much of a project done at once. However, that is so not possible with this position. I have many different tasks to work on and accomplish in hopes to help make this year’s NJSS one of the best yet.  So with that I am having to force myself to space out my time and work on items just a little bit. This fact excites me for one (probably a little nerdy) reason: I love to learn! Even if it’s something simple like a new way to manage my time and work. That’s what this internship is for, to build on my knowledge as an agricultural communicator and better all my skills. It also helps to have a boss as awesome as Gwen and all the other great people in the office. Getting settled in has been a breeze.IMG_1858

Taylor’s Perspective: It is hard to believe we are getting ready to wrap up our second week here at ASA. I have never visited Kansas City before, so I have been spending some time sightseeing on the weekends. This past Saturday I ate at Joe’s Kansas City barbeque and I can definitely say it was worth all the fuss. I’ve never had better gas station BBQ in my life! J  It has been a few long and tiresome days getting all of you guys Jr. National’s entry forms in, but gladly I am no longer buried underneath paperwork. It may have been with some help of a few Starbucks coffees, but I managed to get everyone entered.  After typing the same name multiple times, I feel like I personally know each of you!

Gwen, Montie and the rest of the staff have been awesome! Each one willing to offer help whenever needed and give a little wisdom here and there.  I think I can speak for Abbey as well, when I say that I find myself fortunate to have an internship with people who are willing to help prepare me for my future.  I am really excited to learn and grow as a person this summer and know that this experience will be one for the books. Stay tuned for more updates as the weeks progress!IMG_1859

The countdown to Jr. National’s is on and we cannot wait to meet you all!

-Abbey & Taylor

Reserve Your NJSS Booth Today!

Reserve Your Booth Today!

njss_2016_logo 2The Trade Show at the NJSS is a top networking event each year. Why should you have a booth at the 2016 NJSS in St Paul, Minnesota, July 2-7 this year? The numbers speak for themselves. This is a ‘must attend’ event for anyone in the business!

Event Demographics

  • 400+ Youth Exhibitors
  • 5 Days of upbeat, action-packed, competitive & educational youth
  • 2,000+ Parents, Family, Professional Crew & Seedstock Breeders

Click here to fill out the booth registration form.

Booth Options & Prices Include: 

  • 10 x 10 Inside Booth – $300
  • 10 x 20 Inside Booth – $600
  • 10 x 30 Inside Booth – $1,000
  • 20 x 20 Inside Booth – $1,150
  • 20 x 30 Inside OR Outside Booth – $1,600
  • Electrical Hookup or Internet – $50 OR Both for $75

Please send payment and contract to:
AJSA, Attn: Trade Show 7607 NW Platte View Road, Kansas City, MO 64151.

For more information about the trade show please contact Kathy Heise at 651-345-4997 or Gwen Crawford at 816.599.7777.

2016 Junior National

The 2016 NJSS will be held July 2-7 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Find all of the new and updated information about the 2016 Junior National Shorthorn Show here!

The Edge Goes Digital

The Edge Newsletter, your reliable guide to all things NJSS, is now available in electronic format only. Read it on the AJSA or ASA website, find a link on our ASA Facebook page OR download and print it out at home.  Just don’t wait for your mail carrier to deliver it, because it’s ONLINE ONLY in 2016! Click here to read the Edge 2016 Newsletter.

Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance

“Remember, prior planning prevents poor performance.” These were the words of a wise college accounting professor I was given the opportunity to learn many things from. At the beginning of the course’s first semester, I comprehended the scope of the quote to apply only to class materials and the importance of studying for exams. However, as the year progressed, I began to understand that the concept of prior planning encompassed far more than my accounting homework.

Today, as I continue to think about the significance of this saying, its importance in the cattle business becomes clear.  So oftentimes, in the hectic nature of our day to day activities at a cattle operation, future planning becomes tossed aside in lieu of more pressing tasks at hand. However, to ensure our future success, planning for the future is of utmost importance.

Do you know where you want your operation to be in the future? Today is the best day to set goals for tomorrow. Be proactive in making your operation even better than it is now. Learn more about a topic that could help improve your bottom line, try a new idea, the opportunities are endless. Today’s beef cattle market is the highest on record. How can you plan ahead to make sure your operation is profitable when markets become narrow?

  • Establish an effective record keeping system. Incorporating a system that accurately records expenses and profits will be a valuable decision making tool. Decisions can be made with real world numbers, in turn helping to increase productivity and profitability.  Are your cattle performance records up to date? Do you have a performance record keeping system in place? If not, take the time to learn more about record keeping and to find a system that best meets your herd’s needs.
  • Gain knowledge about industry trends and technology. Today’s fast paced, technology based world has not overlooked the cattle industry. Today, there are many products, innovations, and technology available that can help your herd and operation improve. Areas that technology continues to touch include: reproductive, feed efficiency, and herd health technology.

 

Oftentimes, looking to the future can be overwhelming; however, the task today will reap benefits over and over in tomorrow’s world. ­Agricultural producers have a multitude of resources available to help answer questions and provide educational materials. State extension services are a great place for producers looking for useful information. As you transition and prepare for the future, I hope you too will remember that “prior planning prevents poor performance.”

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