Junior Cattlemen Begins

The problem

Marion County Cattlemen Association is the third largest association in the state. There has been a long standing tradition of cattlemen and cattlewomen that attend monthly meetings. Over the years, the population of cattlemen have gotten older and no children were attending meetings. Former KCA president Kary King spoke about the Junior Cattlemen program at a monthly cattlemen meeting which sparked the interest of possibly starting a Junior chapter in Marion County.

The educational program response

I held an interest meeting in January 2024 for parents and kids. Over 50 people attended, with even more kids becoming members following the meeting. This program has received a lot of praise from both parents and kids. Parents feel more welcomed to bring their kids and have them learn something age appropriate while they attend the cattlemen meeting which is geared towards producers.

The participants/target audience

Kids ages 9-18. I currently have 35 kids enrolled as KJCA members in Marion County and have a regular number of 22-25 kids attending monthly meetings.

Other partners (if applicable)

Kentucky Cattlemen Association

Marion County Cattlemen Association

Program impact or participant response.

Since our first official meeting in February, I have had an overwhelming response and success with kids coming to Cattlemen meetings with their parents or grandparents and participating in Junior Cattlemen programming. I have also started to get junior cattlemen officers established. During the regular monthly meetings, kids meet with me upstairs at our office. They learn a new topic related to beef cattle each month and complete an activity with that lesson. This program has been a great success so far. I have plans to have Junior Cattlemen help the Cattlemen with Marion County Fair and Ham Days events as well as attend the Kentucky Cattlemen Convention. Junior Cattlemen will be able to meet more people and give back to our community by providing community service.