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!

Top 15 Show Essentials that often get forgotten- Don’t forget these!

As we pack and get ready to leave for the National Junior Shorthorn Show, we thought it would be a good idea to put together a list of items that often get forgotten. Below is the Top 15 items that we have forgotten and we don’t want you to make the same mistake!

  1. Show Stick
  • This may seem like a “no duh,” but we can’t name the amount of times that we had to borrow a show stick.
  1. Extra Socks and Shoes
  • You don’t want wet shoes all day after washing!
  1. Registration Papers & Health Papers
  1. Speakers/Headphones
  • Who doesn’t love some good tunes at a show?! But remember your surrounding and your audience, you’re a role model for your fellow members.
  1. Favorite Food/Snacks
  • Although fair and concession food is delicious, it can get tiring after a few days. Make sure to bring some of your favorite snacks! Below is a couple of our favorite food while attending shows!

Wyatt: crockpot cheesy potatoes, cake cookies, and hobo sandwiches

Faith: Chips, summer sausage & cheese, and sweet tea

Wade: crockpot breakfast burritos, peanut butter cornflake bars, and cinnamon rolls

  1. Lawn Chairs, Coolers, & Crockpots
  • Lawn chair for naps, cooler for drinks and food, and crockpots for cooking.
  1. Contest materials
  1. Boots
  • You don’t want to show in your barn shoes.
  1. Favorite Starched Show Jeans
  • You also don’t want to show in your barn jeans.
  1. Revive, Hocus Pocus, Tall Adhesive, & Paint
  • Although you can buy these at many shows, it’s easy to spend some big bucks if you forget these.
  1. Clippers
  • These are crucial in preparation for the showring.
  1. Extensions Cords
  • Clipper and blower cords are only so long….
  1. Wash Bucket, water hose, and foamer
  • You ever tried washing an animal without these? Good luck.
  1. Fans
  • Remember, “No Butt Fans in the Barn.” But they are allowed in tie outs
  1. Show Halters
  • It happens to everyone, double check before you leave!

We are 3 DAYS from Junior Nationals! We can’t wait to see you all 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

Summer 2016 Internships Announced

We would like to welcome to the ASA/AJSA team our summer 2016 interns, Abbey Martin and Taylor Wilkinds.

Abbey Martin of Rocky Ford, Colorado is attending Oklahoma State University with a major in Agricultural Communications and a minor in Agribusiness. She will be receiving her diploma upon Abbeycompletion of her internship here at ASA. She is most excited about working with professionals in the industry and improving her skills in a true work environment. She hopes to learn some of the ins and out of what a breed association does on a day to day basis and how she can improve and progress in the industry. Martin’s livestock background consists of helping her parents with their 40 head herd, showing steers in 4-H for nine years, along with her experience of being a carcass data collector on the end of the production side.

 

 

Taylor Wilkins comes to us from Brooker, Florida. She is from a small rural county where she grew up raising and showing market steers, as well as purebred Angus heifers. She is attending Iowa TaylorState University majoring in Agricultural & Life Sciences Education. Wilkin’s is looking forward to being surrounded by professionals/experts in the industry and is excited to work with a group of individuals who share similar passions as her. She is thrilled about the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience, and is excited to learn how the association functions on a daily basis. In addition, she hopes to learn more about the Shorthorn breed itself and the impact it has on the cattle market.

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.

SPONSORSHIP Opportunities Available At The NJSS, July 2-7

SPONSORSHIP MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

2016 National Junior Shorthorn Show & Youth Conference, July 2-7, St. Paul, MN

njss_2016_logo 2Each summer, over 400 members of the American Junior Shorthorn Association make their annual trip to the National Junior Shorthorn Show and Youth Conference. Youth are able to showcase their talents during the week’s events through educational contests, cattle shows, scholarships, and many fun activities to build friendships with other young Shorthorn enthusiasts!

Sponsorship Marketing Opportunities Include:

Title Sponsor: $10,000

  • Arena Sponsorship:
    • An extra large, dominant banner advertisement in show arena
    • Your signage will be featured prominently on the arena announcer’s stand and an additional banner in the show arena
    • Additional banner at high traffic location
  • Logo placement on Exhibitor T-Shirt
  • Trade Show Booth space in show arena
  • Every Champion will be pictured with your company’s logo
  • NEW! 1 Year Contract Digital Advertising on the New ASA Website
  • Jumbotron Advertising throughout the Week
  • Sponsor One Contest
  • Full Page Color Ad in Exhibitor Book
  • Access to Show Ring for Photography/Video
  • Engagement opportunity
    • Opportunity for your company to make a presentation or demonstrate product use to junior exhibitors
  • Recognition as Title Sponsor in Press Releases

Contest Sponsor: $500

Contest will be named after the company/person sponsoring.

  • Examples: Stock Show University Team Fitting Contest; Sure Champ Showmanship Contest
  • Anywhere contest is listed sponsors name will appear
  • Anytime contest is announced it will be announced with sponsors name in show arena

Arena Sponsorship-$2,500

  • Banner with your logo in Arena
  • Jumbotron Advertisement
  • Half-Price Trade Show Booth Space
  • Exhibitor Book Listing (Full Page Ad)

Aisle Sponsorship-$1,000

  • Banner with your logo on Aisle
  • Jumbotron Sponsor Name Listing
  • Half-Price Trade Show Booth Space
  • Exhibitor Book Listing (1/4 Page Ad)

Champion Sponsorship
Supreme Champion Sponsor-$750
Champion Sponsor-$500

  • Sponsor can be in animal’s Championship photo
  • Sponsor will be recognized during the show

Legacy Sponsor- $100

  • Your donation sponsors one junior’s participation in all activities at the Junior National and Youth Conference
  • Sponsor will receive communication from junior sponsored

Click here to download and complete the sponsorship registration form.

Click here to download the full 2016 SPONSORSHIP MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES packet.

For Additional Information, Contact:
Gwen Crawford • 816 -599-7777 • gwen@shorthorn.org 

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.

What Can Performance Data Do for You?

With added emphasis being place on today’s cattle producers to utilize performance data within their operations, many may be left wondering what the benefits will be. Sometimes as a small breeder it is easy to ask “what does my data really matter, if any, besides-I only want to register a few head this year.”

Performance should matter to all breeders; no matter how big or how small. Performance data relies on the submission of data from all breeders and cattle. When considering how EPD’s work, all data is averaged to give indicators of genetic performance. When only cattle to be registered have data submitted, it skews the accuracy of all EPD’s.  The concept is simple; we need all the data we can get for the most accurate EPD’s possible.

Some beneficial thoughts about submitting and utilizing performance data:

  • EPD’s are a common sense approach to competing with other breeds in a factual, easy to compare manner. When the ASA completes its transition to the Multi-Breed EPD system, breeders will receive EPD’s that compare to the largest genetic evaluation system in the industry.
  • Improved marketing opportunities will result for cattle with EPD data to back their genetics. Cattle that are proven with accurate EPD results will be more appealing to customers who want to keep performance in check.
  • The breed will experience long term improvement through better data records.  Performance records take the effort of all breeders submitting data for the good of the whole breed to be of great use.

The Shorthorn breed has a decision to make as the ASA transitions to the Multi-breed EPD evaluation system. Will the Shorthorn breed utilize performance data to its full potential? Please take time to consider the impact your herd’s data can play in the enhancement of the whole breed.