Esther McCabe is Miss American Angus "Will the Circle be Unbroken" By Esther McCabe, Speech presented in Miss American Angus competition.
Lets take a step back in time to 1951. Lucille Ball and Arthur Godfry were the television celebrities of the day. The average home cost $9,000 and the average income was $3,500. However, maybe more important to all of us here today is the fact that the American Angus Association issued the very first junior membership in 1951. Of course at that time, there was not a Junior Activities Department and certainly not a National Junior Angus Show or LEAD conference for these new members to attend; but for a $5 membership these juniors were allowed to own and transfer cattle into their name just like members of the regular American Angus Association. Since that first membership, nearly 80,000 have been issued. To put that into perspective, that is enough people to fill two average sized football stadiums! Even without the advantages and opportunities that come with belonging to the National Junior Angus Association that we often take for granted today, these juniors would have the hands-on experience and education to be ambassadors for the beef industry regardless of the profession or vocation that they chose. As we bring this same principle into modern times, the possibilities and opportunities are much more exciting. Thankfully, the American Angus Association viewed “their collective responsibility” to the Junior Angus program and more opportunities were added. In addition to the show ring, today we learn Angus history, animal science and agricultural facts to compete in quiz bowls. We stand up in front of adults who are the leaders of our breed and are very successful in their own lives to give speeches and sales talks. We have experience with real life events from interviews and resumes to how to prepare different cuts of meat to their full potential. We see the results of carcass evaluations and how they are relevant to the industry. We also make friends with people from all over the country and have the opportunity to know some of the most successful people in the Angus breed. From the age of nine throughout our teenage years, we stay in high gear looking forward to the next event and how we can be more involved. Then the sun comes up one morning, just like any other day but a major change takes place. Because of our twenty-first birthday, we can no longer participate in the junior program. But because of the junior program, we are armed to go forward into whatever our chosen field may be. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” This means that the values, morals, core beliefs, and knowledge that we gain when we are young will carry us forward. Through out the Junior Angus experience, we are preparing for our future and the challenges that it will bring to utilize “our collective responsibility” in everyday life. Just think of the doctor in New York City or the lawyer in Los Angeles who went through the Junior Angus program experience and how different their circle of acquaintances would be from most of us in telling about their beef story or defending the industry from inaccurate accusations from media or welfare groups. Former South African President, Nelson Mandela, who is considered to be one of the most influential statesmen of all time is quoted as saying, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” How about the incredible influence a schoolteacher could have on a classroom after going through the junior program; what a ripple effect might that teacher have in the span his or her career. We are blessed to have the largest, most progressive beef breed association in the world coupled with the strength of Angus Productions Incorporated, Angus Genetics Inc., and Certified Angus Beef. In addition, we have the American Angus Auxiliary and the Angus Foundation who have made available incredible scholarships to help many of us prepare for our future. One gets the feeling that when you are involved with “Team Angus” you are only limited by your dreams. Each one of these entities plays a critical part on the ultimate success of the breed. Albert Einstein once said, “One should never expect to take more from life than they are willing to give.” I believe it is “our collective responsibility” to make sure this incredible experience can continue for generations to come and that they are prepared for the challenges they will face. Each one of us in this have benefited in some way from the junior program. I seriously doubt when the first American Angus Association junior membership was issued in 1951, anyone could have predicted the influence that decision would eventually have across our nation and even around the world. Many of our lives here today would be very different without the National Junior Angus Association and the programs
that support it. I am proud to be from a very small town in southeast Kansas that is full of salt of the earth kind of people that would do anything they could for someone. I will have lifelong friends from my hometown. However, because of the National Junior Angus Association, I have a much larger circle. I have had the privilege to travel from California to Pennsylvania and from Wisconsin to Georgia. I have had the opportunity to stand in front of an audience and speak about our industry. I have also received significant financial support to further my education. All of this and much more have been provided by my involvement National Junior Angus Association. One of my favorite quotes is by Abraham Lincoln but it is so simple, is almost seems childish is. “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Whatever that maybe in my case, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the National Junior Angus Association to do my part in “our collective responsibility.” Editor’s note: each contestant presented a speech in the competition with same the topic “our collective responsibility.”
2013 Miss American Angus Crowned
Esther McCabe, Kansas, to serve the Angus breed throughout the upcoming year. In the showring there are several things to capture the crowd’s attention —wellgroomed cattle, the judge's pace, green jackets and Angus royalty. But, there is one that stands out from the rest, literally. The 2013 Miss American Angus, with her sparkling crown and poised stance, measures up to 6’3”; taller than many showmen. Although height is not all that sets her apart, it’s also her indisputable enthusiasm for the Angus industry and laid back, but confident attitude. Esther McCabe, Elk City, Kan., was crowned as the 2013 Miss American Angus Monday, Nov. 12 during the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) in Louisville, Ky. She succeeds 2012 Miss American Angus Brooke Harward, Richfield, N.C. A sophomore at Butler Community College, McCabe is pursuing a career in pharmacy. She will transfer to Kansas State University next fall to complete her degree in food science and minor in animal sciences and industry. “While filling out the Miss American Angus application form, I realized that the person I am today is because of the opportunities the American Angus Association® and National Junior Angus Association has given me,” McCabe says. “Serving as Miss American Angus is a way to give back and make a difference, especially in the lives of younger women in the breed so they too can become more involved.” Hosted by the American Angus Auxiliary, the annual Miss American Angus contest provides one Angus junior an opportunity to serve as a breed ambassador and assist with shows, educational events, and field days to educate others about the beef industry, and benefits of Angus genetics. Five young women vying for the crown completed a written test, delivered a prepared speech, completed an interview and answered impromptu questions from a panel of judges. Competing this year were Esther McCabe, Elk City, Kan.; Kendra Merriman, Lowell, Mich.; Kayla Widerman, Good Hope, Ill.; Tylee Williams, Clarendon, Texas, and Emily Velisek, Gaithersburg, Md. McCabe was crowned prior to the announcement of grand champion bull during the Super-Point Roll of Victory (ROV) Angus Bull Show at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center (KFEC). McCabe is the daughter of Randel and Varee McCabe, and is the youngest of four children, Flinton, Ethan and Hannah, who are all involved in the day-to-day operations of McCabe Genetics. “Each one of us has our strengths and weaknesses while working on the farm,” McCabe says. “It makes us all work together in order to get everything done.” During her year of service, McCabe hopes to become acquainted with more people involved in the Angus breed and to broaden her industry knowledge: “I hope to represent the breed in a way that people from other breeds and consumers are intrigued and want to learn more,” McCabe says. Juges for the Miss American Angus contest were Susan Rhode, Gower, Mo.; Bud Smith, Russell Springs, Ky.; and Heather Shultz, Jefferson, Ga. Photos: top -Esther and 2012 Miss American Angus, Brooke Harward just after crowning . Top inset– Receiving the official crown pin. Right– Randy, Hannah, Esther and Varee McCabe. Photos by Anne Lampe
8 ▪ January 2013 ▪ Kansas Angus News