Latest News From Young Farmers

NBA superstars Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith learned how to hand milk a cow on live television thanks to a Madison, Georgia dairy farm, Big Sandy Creek Farm.

The best day of his judging career, only four points shy of a 50-year-old record, will be how John Reaves of Spring, Texas, remembers being named high individual at the National Collegiate Livestock Judging Contest.

The Butler Community College Livestock Judging team was named high team overall in a tight to the top of the junior collegiate contest at the 2023 North American International Livestock Exposition.

A large crowd gathered for the 4-H Livestock Contests results at the North American International Livestock Exposition on Nov. 15 in Louisville, Ky. Here are the winners in livestock judging, skillathon and quiz bowl.

Livestock judging changed the direction of Dale Hummel and Ryan Rash's lives, opening up opportunities they never saw coming. They share 5 tips on how to score better in the reasons room.

In a world where more and more young people are glued to electronic devices and missing out on community, FFA offers connection, hands-on learning and adult mentors to invest in their lives. 

Although there’s nothing like getting the grand champion slap in front of a huge crowd in the coliseum, youth livestock exhibitors point out that a lot of hard work and tough lessons were learned behind the scenes first.

One may argue teenagers have a lot of learning left to do, but I could argue they are wiser than they get credit for. After all, they are in a period of life where they hear a lot of advice from well-meaning people.

“Is this a buffalo?” asked a young 20-ish fairgoer as he stood before the Grand Champion Market Steer in the Hall of Champions at the Illinois State Fair. He looked at me – dead serious – awaiting my response.

Certified Angus Beef awards 23 recipients $81,500 in pursuit of a career in agriculture through the Colvin Scholarship Fund.

We try to be good parents by setting boundaries for our kids. We want to raise decent humans who are kind, make good choices and respect others. But let’s be real. During fair week, that all goes out the window.

Just in time for school to start, in the midst of the Illinois State Fair, students across the state will no longer be penalized for participating in a 4-H or FFA event.

If we are being honest, showing livestock is for crazy people. Late nights, early mornings and little time for social lives. But I think most stock show families would agree they live for summer to do just that.

“I want you to know the importance of the people you allow into your life,” Ray Perryman said. “The company you keep has absolutely everything to do with where you end up. Be careful who you allow into your life.”

"Go down your own road. Keep your goals to yourself and do exactly what you want to do — you’ll be happy with the results,” says Logan Yancey, first-generation cattle rancher and business owner near Ripley, Miss.

With a slogan of "raised, not sourced," Tim Haer had a wild idea to differentiate their business: create a vending machine to sell meat produced on their family's farm, an idea he says that's been wildly successful.

It’s one thing to tell students about livestock production; it’s another thing to show them. Here's why one Iowa school is turning heads and opening people's eyes to the opportunities in livestock production.

As exhibitors prepare for show season, it's important to develop a plan for how to handle livestock emergencies. Having a plan in place prior to the show ensures quick action and timely care should an emergency happen.

Liz Hayden, a freshman at Lincoln Land Community College and a former Section 12 Illinois FFA president, recently voiced her opinion on Senate Bill 2132 during a testimony in front of an Illinois Senate committee.

From beginning their cow-calf herd to selling a majority of their beef in their own retail store in just over a decade, first-generation ranchers, Ben and Lauren Neale, have built their business piece by piece.

Records were smashed for a second consecutive year at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Jr. Sale of Champions. Since the 2020 auction, the Jr. Sale of Champions revenues have increased by more than 35%.

Trey Wasserburger, the 2023 Tomorrow’s Top Producer Horizon Award winner, is redefining the conception-to-consumer beef model to live out his dream of being a cowboy.

A truck and trailer with two show pigs has been found Tuesday morning after they were stolen sometime between 8 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday from a hotel parking lot in Denver, Colo. 

Sometimes the greatest lesson we can learn in life is how to not see a setback as a failure. Here's how five FFA members are discovering challenges are never the end of the road, but rather the beginning.

Tyler and Amanda Radke have three goals on the farm: provide peace with a place to heal, experience a family full of love and introduce them to a household strong in faith; a recipe that’s filled with grit and grace.

The NY Farm Girls have become a social media sensation. With nearly 645,000 followers on TikTok, the three sisters share the truth about dairy farming, even when faced with negativity that can sprout on social media.

Kristen Clenney recently earned the title of 'cancer survivor'. The wife, mother and veterinarian says it's a title she feels fortunate to have after her year long journey during the pandemic took grit and grace.