8 minute read
Heart, Hustle, and Heifers
Jemma Dorsey’s road to becoming the heifer division winner in the 2024 IBA Points Show Program.
By Molly Biggs
Never quit at quitting time. Quit when the job is done.” A small, motivational sentiment from a close friend that 14-year-old Jemma Dorsey embraces. For many busy middle schoolers, quitting time comes when supper is ready or it’s time to head to sports practice. For Jemma, quitting early is not the way she earned the 2024 Illinois Junior Beef Association High Point Individual in the heifer division.
Jemma is from Moro, in Madison County, and is the daughter of Brad and Beth Dorsey, and sister to Drew DeClerk and Claire Dorsey. She is currently an eighth grader at Our Lady Queen of Peace where she stays active in soccer, basketball and volleyball.
Alongside her family, Jemma is actively involved in their operation, Homeland Farms, a diversified livestock and crop family farm. They focus on raising registered Simmental and Sim-Angus cattle and grow corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa, along with a bustling freezer beef business.
Starting Young
Like many youngest siblings, Jemma grew up going to shows, watching her siblings from ringside and participating in pee-wee showmanship contest any chance she could. From these initial moments, a young love for showing sparked. Jemma officially got to step into the ring as a junior member in 2020 and recalls her first heifer, Nikki J.
The heifer found her name with the help of Jemma’s teacher, after both her dam, Nicolette, and a third grader with a name that starts with a ‘J,” Nikki J stuck. Jemma reminisces on this first year and notes that she was the perfect first show heifer.
“During the year of COVID, I went to my first junior nationals,” she says. “I am not going to say she was the best heifer I have ever shown, but she was definitely a great heifer for any first-year showman. She was my buddy, and I just had fun with her. She was the first one that made me think, ‘I want to do this.’”
She adds, “The only time she would ever run is whenever you shook her feed pan. That was her weakness.”
As a young showman, many can relate to maybe not having the best heifer in the barn, especially compared to their older siblings. As an eight-year-old, this dynamic can be challenging to comprehend, especially for any good-hearted sibling rivalry and a junior with a desire to achieve.
“I think when you are little and have an older sibling that show, it can be a challenge to understand who gets the better show heifers,” Jemma explains. “You do not realize yet, that they have more experience and fewer years to show, so that can be hard starting out.”
As she has gotten older and more experienced on the end of a halter, Jemma now realizes that her day is coming.
Her Proudest Moment
Although Jemma remembers starting out and perhaps not having the heifer to win it all, she looks back on her years of learning and growth as a showman with pride.
“I think my parents did a good job of picking who gets which heifer to show,” Jemma says, “When you are itty bitty you may not quite be there in showmanship or be able to show the heifer off to the best of your ability, but when you grow up you realize it was best for you to have a more mellow heifer to help you learn and become better.”
This period of patience and learning the tricks of the trade as a showman eventually led Jemma to one of her proudest moments—winning showmanship at the Illinois State Fair.
“It was a really cool moment because there are a lot of good showmen in Illinois,” Jemma exclaims. “It was just simply one of those ‘wow’ moments.”
She attributes consistency and practice to achieving these milestones — whether it’s rinsing and working with your heifer or practicing showmanship whenever possible. As she puts it, consistency is key.
Working and Winning Together
Jemma often reflects on how she grew up watching her older siblings show, particularly her older sister, Claire. Jemma calls her the ‘main DJ in the barn,’ and her biggest role model. Crediting her wide variety of music to helping make the long hours pass by faster, while her mentorship — from working hair to showmanship — was crucial in helping Jemma reach where she is today in the ring.
Some of Jemma’s favorite memories are spending the summers in the barn, together. These special moments and hours of hard work paid off this summer when Jemma’s sister exhibited the Reserve Champion Female at the American Junior Simmental Association National Classic.
“It was really cool being a part of that and knowing that me and her, we push each other to be better,” Jemma says. “We are a team, and it is not just one of us winning, but both of us winning together.”
Although Jemma’s sister showed Dot, as they call her, Jemma emphasizes that it’s a team effort between the two of them. They work together on each other’s animals, learning each of their unique personalities.
“Though she (the heifer) can be a bit of a brat sometimes, she is really a sweet girl,” Jemma says. “We are really proud of her, but we are really excited to see her calve out and become a cow in our herd.”
Achieving the Highest
It takes a village to show cattle at the highest level, and Jemma is no stranger to that, as she knows she would not be where she is today without those beside her. Earning the recognition as the 2024 IJBA Top Points in the heifer division is no small feat and most definitely would not be possible without many helping hands. Winning this award runs in Jemma’s family as both her brother and sister have won the award multiple times. This year Jemma adds her name to the list of recipients.
She says she always thought it was a unique award to win and was always a goal of hers in the back of her mind but was not necessarily her primary goal. It was not until this early summer when she checked in on the point standings that she realized she was in the top 10.
“This summer I checked the points and realized I might have a chance at winning,” Jemma says. “At that point, I wanted to go to more shows.”
She continued, “I think around fall time I looked online with my parents and saw that I was in first place and was just really proud of myself.”
Never Give Up
As Jemma reflects on her journey showing cattle, she always comes back to the quote, “Never quit at quitting time. Quit when the job is done.” This mantra resonates with her and is her biggest piece of advice to other junior members.
“Never quit, never give up,” she says. “One day, you are going to see your hard work pay off in the ring or at home when your heifer calves. The most rewarding part is seeing your hard work pay off in the ring or the pasture.”
Jemma makes it clear that it’s not just about personal success, but working together as a family or helping others along the way these moments are key.
“If anybody needs help, if their heifer is not moving or they need help getting to wash rack, just help everyone,” she says. “You’re not going to get anywhere in life if you have any enemies.”
In the end, Jemma’s story is one of teamwork and a belief that success doesn’t come from quitting early, but from pushing through until the job is done. For her, the real reward isn’t just the ribbons—it’s the satisfaction of knowing that hard work pays off and that she accomplished it with her family.
FAST FACTS WITH JEMMA
Q: What is your favorite show day product?
A: “Definitely Flare. At junior nationals, before everyone went into the ring, I sprayed them all with Flare for good luck.”
Q: Do you have any show day superstitions?
A: “Number cards in our harness. My sister needs a three in hers and I need a two in mine, or a sum of numbers because my sister’s lucky number is 13 and mine is 22”
Q: What is your favorite show to go to?
A: “The North American in Louisville, Kentucky.”
Q: What is your favorite breed to show?
A: “Simmis all the way. I love my Simmentals.”
Q: What is your favorite hobby when you are not showing?
A: “Playing sports. I love to play all different sports, but particularly either basketball or volleyball.”
Q: Do you have a favorite road trip snack?
A: “Dots Pretzels.”
Q: What are you most frequently found listening to in the barn?
A: “Whatever my sister plays, but she really likes rock.”
