Livestock isn’t just her business. It’s her calling and her passion. Raising livestock is a way of life for Jennifer Houston of Sweetwater, Tennessee, who is the 2018 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President-Elect.

“I would like consumers to understand that producers care deeply about the animals we raise. We care about each animal’s welfare,” says Jennifer. “Producing a safe, wholesome product is top of mind. We feed what we raise to our own families, so I want consumers to feel good about feeding safe and wholesome beef to their children. Once consumers understand how hard we work to care for our livestock, it helps deepen their trust.”

As in any relationship, it takes time to earn trust. Jennifer has spent a lifetime earning the trust of fellow producers and consumers alike. She says she was raised to advocate as her father was Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Her father-in-law served as executive director of the Tennessee Livestock Association.

Jennifer credits her involvement in 4-H livestock judging and as a member of the University of Tennessee livestock judging team for helping her develop the confidence needed to defend her beliefs and to state the reasons why she made her decisions. These experiences undoubtedly helped her develop strong public speaking skills.

Those speaking skills have been used to represent the beef industry since Jennifer graduated from college and married Mark Houston, whom she met while they were both majoring in Animal Science at the University of Tennessee. After graduating from college, Mark returned home to help with the family’s livestock auction business that his father had formed in 1962. A few years into their marriage, Jennifer left her job with the USDA and joined Mark in the East Tennessee Livestock Center where a regular sale is still held every Wednesday. Graded feeder calf and Holstein steers sell on Fridays. They also have about 27 special Friday sales each year and offer video sales for producers, who can sell in tractor-trailer load lots.

In addition to the auction business, Jennifer and Mark also run stocker cattle and develop beef heifers.

“I enjoyed showing cattle when I was growing up, and we really had a lot of fun attending shows as a family. My husband didn’t grow up showing, but he really embraced it with our children. Our son and daughter both showed commercial heifers, and it was fun to watch them build a herd,” recalls Jennifer. “There were days when it was 100 degrees in the shade with 90 percent humidity, but our kids had to go out and work with their heifers and steers. They had to find time to get their chores done, even when they had ball practice or games. They learned the importance of keeping their animals properly fed and watered. I believe working together really builds close families.”

Jennifer has served as a tireless advocate for the beef industry while working in the family business, producing beef and raising a family. Jennifer credits her time management skills and work ethic to growing up on a cattle and hog farm. She feels called to serve agriculture and the beef industry that means so much to her.

“Not everyone has the opportunity to be involved in industry organizations because of their situation or their inclination. That’s why it’s so important for those of us who are willing and able to get out and represent our farmer-rancher friends,” explains Jennifer. “I’m involved because I hope to make a difference for the better.”

Jennifer has certainly made her mark throughout the years. In 1986, she became a member of the first Tennessee Beef Industry Council and has served twice as its chairman. Her national involvement began as she represented Tennessee on the Beef Industry Council of the National Livestock and Meat Board. She has been an NCBA board member since 1996, chairing the Foodservice, Advertising and New Product and Culinary Initiative committees. Jennifer has chaired the NCBA Policy Division. She also has served as chair of the Federation of State Beef Councils where she also served on the Beef Promotion Operating Committee and the Meat Export Federation executive committee. She served as Region II Vice-President and was a member of the NCBA executive committee from 1997 to 1999.

At the state level, Jennifer has chaired the Tennessee Livestock Network. She served as president of the Tennessee Cattlewomen’s Association and served on the Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association executive committee. She also active in the Tennessee Livestock Marketing Association and serves on the University of Tennessee Regional Advisory Board.

“I’ve been involved with cattle my whole life, so it’s the only way of life I know,” says Jennifer. “Whether you raise crops or livestock, there’s a way to get involved at some level: locally, regionally, state, national. Agriculture needs you! And you get back so much more than you give.”

Even if you don’t have time to get involved on an association board, Jennifer says you can advocate in so many ways: be active on social media, do interviews on radio and/or television, write articles, speak to Rotary or Kiwanis clubs or volunteer to speak in classrooms. Stories that resonate best with consumers are real-life examples of what happens on your farm or ranch.

Consumer also connect with producers through food. Today Jennifer is sharing with us one of her family’s favorite recipes for pan-seared steak in honor of June Steak Month.

Just three years ago Delaney Howell of Columbus Junction, Iowa, was attending Northwest Missouri State University and working as a summer intern on the Market to Market program at Iowa Public Television. On Feb. 16, 2018, she became the fourth host – and the first female host – in the 40-year history of this popular television program that airs weekly nationwide.

“I grew up watching Market to Market,” says Delaney in an Iowa Public Television interview posted on YouTube. Her parents raised their three kids on a diversified row crop and livestock farm where they raised everything from corn and soybeans to cattle, pigs, goats and chickens. “My dad would turn on [Market to Market] every Friday night. It was like church—you didn’t miss it. And if you wanted to watch, you could watch, otherwise leave the room or be quiet.”

It’s such an honor to report the news that affects people’s livelihoods, adds Howell. “I’m the first female host, and the youngest by far, but I’m so excited to embrace the role and connect the older generations and younger generations to come. We are at a pivotal point in agriculture, and I’m excited to be at the forefront of it all!”

She’s not just on the forefront of television news. Delaney is taking agricultural communications into unchartered territory. Her business, AgCulture Media LLC, specializes in video production for technologically savvy agricultural companies. She freelances for This Week in Agribusiness and Agri-Pulse. She also hosts a radio program on Your Ag Network. In addition, she and Mike Pearson recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of their Ag News Daily (AND) podcast of which Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds is a proud sponsor. You can follow @agnewsdaily on social media.

“Mike and I started kicking around the idea of starting a business in October of 2016, but it wasn’t until I attended Commodity Classic in March of 2017 that we really had a concrete idea of what we wanted to do. It was there that Rob Sharkey from the Shark Farmer podcast said, “Hey, why don’t you guys start a podcast?” It was like a lightbulb went on and like a week later, we launched our daily podcast. We have styled it to be a supplement to the news or markets that you hear on the radio.”

“Mike and I like to make news about agriculture fun!” adds Delaney. “We try to mix up each day’s interviews to give all people involved in the industry something interesting, relevant, and timely to listen to. But we aren’t experts in everything, so we appreciate people’s ideas, comments, and suggestions!”

Involvement in the FFA fueled Delaney’s passions for agriculture, communications and international travel. She joined the FFA in middle school and says her advisor, Katie McWhirter (who was Ms. Lewis at the time), was an inspiration to all her students.

“She challenged us which is why I think I fell in love with agriculture all over again. I loved her so much as a teacher that I thought I wanted to be the next Katie McWhirter, but after I attended college for a few years and studied abroad, I realized teaching wasn’t my true passion,” explains Delaney, who took a 10-day tour of Japan through the FFA’s 2014 International Collegiate Agricultural Leadership program. “I ‘checked off’ 16 countries on my world map and realized how important agriculture is across the globe. I decided to switch my major to agricultural sciences with minors in broadcasting and international studies.”

Both of Delaney’s parents have college degrees. Her mom also has her MBA, so Delaney grew up with a desire to continually learn and grow. In addition to working full time, Delaney is working on a master’s degree in agricultural communications from Texas Tech. She is a student member of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) organization. She also is a member of the Iowa Cattleman’s Association and was one of just 28 members selected as part of the 2017 Young Cattlemen’s Leadership Program (YCLP).

“I have so much love and adoration for the people who grow and raise our food,” says Delaney. “Growing up on a farm taught me so much about hard work, dedication to the land, and ultimately through the eyes of my dad, I was able to see why so many people choose to live the rural lifestyle. During the summers, I spent SO much time with my dad. I loved just being outside with him. I have many memories of being right by his side, holding his hand while we were checking cattle. He was always the first to comfort me and to also give me tough love.

Delaney’s mom instilled within her a love of delicious foods by teaching her how to bake and cook at a young age. That’s why today Delaney is sharing her pumpkin bread recipe, which was selected to advance from the county level to the Iowa State Fair where she earned a blue ribbon.

“I LOVE pumpkin bread! The smell of this bread baking reminds me of football and the fall season, which is my favorite time of year. I’m also that girl who loves everything pumpkin spice.”

Like Delaney, fall is my favorite time of year. I also adore pumpkin spice. Why not bake homemade pumpkin bread this weekend? There’s no rule that says something like delicious shouldn’t be enjoyed in the spring!

Like many rural communities across North Iowa and the Midwest, Sheffield has a population of approximately 1,200. The community is bordered by productive farmland. The north side of town also is home to Sukup Manufacturing.

You’d expected this rural community to have a strong and growing agricultural education program, but membership in the West Fork FFA Chapter might surprise you. Half of the chapter’s 37 members live in town, and many of them are interested in raising livestock.

Fortunately for these students, they have the opportunity to learn from a passionate agricultural education instructor both inside the classroom and outside in their Animal Learning Facility. This late 1800s barn has been renovated thanks to the generosity of the Sukup family and with help from their employees.

“During the 2017-18 school year, we had two gilts farrow their first litters in the Animal Learning Facility. They were both a student’s gilts from last year, and he chose to breed and farrow them. It was an excellent opportunity for him to learn a little bit about genetics, how to artificially inseminate, and how the farrowing process works,” says West Fork FFA Advisor Kaitlyn Bonzer. “Livestock births don’t always go according to plan, but we’ve had great support from our community members. Local livestock producers have been a Godsend when some of these gilts have had trouble farrowing. It’s great to have interaction between community members and students because that provides more learning opportunities.”

In addition to farrowing sows, the Animal Learning Facility provides real-world supervised agricultural experiences (SAE) for other students interested in raising laying hens and bees. Students who house their SAE projects inside the Animal al Learning Facility are asked to sign a contract to ensure they take responsibility in their learning. When school isn’t in session, a student is chosen to take care of the barn and earns hours towards his/her Iowa Degree.

West Fork FFA members have been involved in a variety of contests and learning experiences since Ms. Bonzer joined the faculty. Most recently, four teams competed in the North Central District Soils contest and one team advanced to the state competition.

“This is the first year I’ve had a team advance to state, so it was pretty exciting,” said Ms. Bonzer. “The kids were very excited, and I’m proud of their work.”

In May, the West Fork FFA will hold its annual sale of vegetable garden starter plants, hanging baskets, and flower bed plants.

Plans also are underway for the third annual West Fork Summer Classic the first weekend in June at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Hampton. The show began as a way to get students more involved in the swine industry, as well as to raise funds for the chapter. The show is an Iowa Swine Jackpot Series (ISJS) sanctioned show, so for those circuit showers, registration will open online for the show. All youth are eligible for this show, however. Registration will take place the day of the show for those who are not an ISJS member.

“I enjoy watching students experience agriculture in so many facets,” says Ms. Bonzer. “Some kids have little farm experience prior to taking class with me, so they get really excited about experiencing things that many typical ‘farm kids’ have been doing their entire lives like watching livestock give birth. Other kids that have been involved with agriculture for longer periods of time, and I really enjoy the challenge of teaching them new things. Seeing kids enjoy learning makes my job so rewarding!”

Ms. Bonzer grew up on a small stock farm outside of Nashua, which is about 40 miles from Sheffield, and both schools are part of the Top of Iowa Conference. She gained 4-H experience with cattle, hogs, sheep, and chickens on her family’s farm. She joined FFA in middle school and learned about crop production through her SAE.

“My Supervised Agricultural Experience was originally in Diversified Livestock Production. Then it expanded into Diversified Crop Production Placement where I worked for a local organic vegetable producer. I’d always gardened with my grandmothers, but going large scale really opened my eyes and taught me a lot more about technique. That SAE experience really grew my love of gardening and food production.”

Her positive FFA experience prompted Ms. Bonzer to enroll at Iowa State University and major in agricultural education.

“I had an excellent role model and FFA Advisor, Mr. Ronald Zelle. I knew I wanted to teach from an early age. As I got older, my passion grew for agriculture. What better way than to combine teaching with agriculture? I get to pump up kids about agriculture and watch them become passionate about the same things I am!” says Ms. Bonzer, who was awarded the North Central District Young Teacher of the Year in 2016 at the Iowa Association of Ag Educators (IAAE) Conference.

“This was such an honor to me because it recognizes the up and coming teachers around the state for their work throughout the year,” says Ms. Bonzer, who began teaching in 2014 at North Union Community School District and came to West Fork in 2016. “I owe it to the kids, however. They’re the ones who go along with some of my crazy ideas, and they really put in the man hours to do much of what happens within the chapter.”

While I appreciate Ms. Bonzer’s humble acceptance of her Young Teacher of the Year award, I also know outstanding teachers put in extra hours and work extra hard to develop notable FFA Chapters and to inspire their students. The best teachers and FFA advisors motivate students to reach for their dreams, no matter where their career path leads. (Like Ms. Bonzer, my FFA advisor inspired me to pursue an ag career. Attending FFA career fairs and then a tour of Iowa State University with Mr. Jorgenson greatly influenced my career path. FFA speaking contests also helped prepare me for a career in communications.)

Certain school districts earn a reputation for developing leaders into district, state and national FFA officers. Certain schools earn a reputation for being formidable opponents in Career Development Events (CDEs) that help students hone critical thinking and communication skills. As a member of the West Fork FFA Advisory Committee, I’m encouraged by the plans Ms. Bonzer has for our chapter.

“The potential sitting in this community and with these students is outstanding! While some of my short-term goals include increasing the size of the chapter and the involvement of its membership in our community, I hope someday to establish a West Fork Alumni Chapter for the supporters of our FFA chapter,” says Ms. Bonzer. “I also see potential in some of our current members to someday become district and state officer candidates, American Degree recipients, and possibly National Proficiency Award winners, which is something that hasn’t been accomplished for this chapter in years. There are big things in store for the near future!”

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