IBBA CONNECTION Our Future is in Good Hands
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ach year for about the past 12 years, the biggest event of my summers has been the National Junior Brangus Show (NJBS). A substantial number of those years, I was a member of the IJBBA Board of Directors and for the past four years I have been lucky enough to be the Coordinator/Director of Youth Activities. Without question the NJBS is something I look forward to beginning as early as August! The planning and execution is something I thoroughly enjoy and thrive on! This year, I was dealt a huge blow in the weeks leading up to NJBS. My prep time and ability to follow through on last minute things was shattered, and I was left driving to West Monroe having Jessica transcribe my list of “MUST-DO’S” for the week to merely run – much less be the memorable event NJBS is known to be. I must admit, on the trip to NJBS, the MUST-DO list seemed insurmountable! What awaited me at NJBS was nothing less than unimaginable. Immediately upon pulling into the IKE facility, I was greeted by families and offered assistance with any and everything. It started with helping unload the tack and equipment we brought for Levi to show. It continued with help on stalling assignments and understanding as to why they were not already completed! It gained momentum every time I stepped foot in the barn as someone was constantly asking what they could do to help out. I think we
by Tyler DEAN IBBA DIRECTOR OF SHOWS & YOUTH PROGRAMS
stuffed a record number of exhibitor packets in a record amount of time with about 20 different people forming an assembly line and sending packets around the room faster than most commercial conveyor belts. But, it didn’t stop on Monday when the NJBS activities started. Families worked together and took over lunches so that I never had to give them another thought – well, except when it was time to go get a box and eat, of course! Other families took over getting the backdrop up and ready for pictures on Wednesday while others manned the show office so that I could work on class postings, “Source of Champions” Sale finalization and helping the IJBBA Directors run their contests. Still others took charge on Thursday and made sure the Futurity cattle check-in ran smoothly and that bulls were weighed and measured. It was a very humbling experience to say the least. I outline all this because, to me, it says and shows a lot about the families involved in our Junior Association. It shows the dedication and commitment these families have to their children, each other and to the Brangus breed as a whole. It shows the compassion each family has to EVERY single person in the barns that week. It proves there is one “Brangus” family and that each and EVERY family that attends NJBS is welcomed into that family. It proves that families pull together when needed to accomplish any task. Lastly, it proves our Brangus family is the kind of family who is raising the right kind of kids that can and will lead our association for years to come. OUR FUTURE IS IN GREAT HANDS. Words cannot express the appreciation and gratitude I and my family have toward every single person who helped and contributed to the success of this year’s NJBS. BJ ABOUT THE AUTHOR: As a third generation Brangus breeder, Tyler Dean grew up believing in Brangus cattle. At the age of eight, Dean joined the IJBBA to show Brangus heifers and asended the ranks to serve as President of the Board of Directors in 2004-2005. Professionally, Dean oversaw operations as ranch manager of a growing commercially focused Brangus operation. Under Dean’s guidance the ranch grew to be the largest source of Brangus bulls in the state of Oklahoma. Additionally, Dean has worked with a large scale commercial ranch in the Oklahoma Panhandle on genetics and management. Before joining IBBA, Dean worked independently managing sales as well as doing independent advertising and catalog design and production. As the Director of Shows and Youth Programs, Dean coordinates IBBA’s four National and four Regional Shows along with coordinating and executing all IJBBA activities. Additionally, as the Brangus Publications Representative, Dean works on layout and production of all Brangus print media as well as coordinates advertising sales and publication content for Brangus Publications, Inc.
12 | AUGUST 2013
BRANGUS JOURNAL