Something I never thought I would do: judge a llama show.
When my former boss, Darrell Anderson, asked me to judge at one of the country’s largest llama expositions with Kade Hummel, my old partner in crime at the National Swine Registry, I didn’t want to say no. When I found out this would be the last March Llama Madness that the Andersons would organize, I couldn’t say no. But I had to be honest with myself; my llama experience was limited to say the least.
The show was set up “Olympic-style” with five judges ranking each llama on a score of 1–10. It was intimidating at first, but I quickly found my rhythm drawing upon both my livestock and horse judging backgrounds. Good stock are good stock.
I was reminded of how important it is to get a little uncomfortable in an attempt to learn, and to prioritize people. I laughed, I even cried a little and I savored every minute.
The older you get, the more you realize how fast life goes. As a mom who doesn’t make much time for herself, I needed that day more than I realized.
Farm Journal’s PORK continually features stories that emphasize time and time again how important it is to stretch yourself and try new things — and the May issue is no exception! From Scott Dee stepping out of his comfort zone to make groundbreaking discoveries in swine health to Lexi Ammann’s decision to show a pig and then pursue a career in production animal agriculture, it all starts when we get a little uncomfortable in our status quo.
One of my favorite stories of the spring was of Caroline Gaye reminding us there will be days we don’t feel like doing the hard work to make ourselves better, but we’ve got to keep going.
A quick picture after the March Llama Madness with my first boss and former CEO of the National Swine Registry, Darrell Anderson, and my former co-worker Kade Hummel.
Your Role in Pork’s Future
As an industry, we’ve had to fight a lot of battles lately, and you’ll find those stories on PorkBusiness.com as well. It’s tempting to want a time out to catch our breath, but our future generations need us to keep forging ahead making new discoveries, incorporating more technology and doing whatever we can to make pork production better.
Economist Dennis DiPietre is one of many outstanding leaders in the global pork industry who will discuss ways the industry can get a little uncomfortable and pursue improvement during United Pork Americas in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 7–9. Register now at UnitedPorkAmericas.com.
Pay attention to PORK Daily, our eNewsletter, for details on the United Pork Americas Symposium Series that will kick off on May 25. The first webinar will delve into global markets and opportunities for advancement.
It’s a great time to push forward!
Check out the May issue of PORK online.
More from Jennifer Shike:
Look at the Person, Not the Mistakes: Tosh Farms Opens New Doors for Women in Ag
