So first off, I am so sorry for all 500some of you who have been visiting my page and have been disapointed to see that I have not posted a new blog since May, my bad.
To fill you in my summer has been very.... show should I say hectic. In the past two months I have basically been working my tail off in my internship collecting data for research and more recently spending all of my day feeding sows. Along with that I have been doing quite a bit of traveling I was in Ames, IA for 3weeks at the end of May and into the begining of June for some training with my internship and then I was able to attend The World Pork Expo with the rest of the NJSA Jr. Board and where I also happend to flood my poor poor car. Looking back it was quite a funny story. The whole experience was quite scary but during the tow, cab ride, rental car process, and traveling I handled the situation very calmly and in a very mature manner, and surprisingly I was able to change one Des Moines taxi cab driver's opinion about modern livestock production. Since then I have been back at work for the majority of my time except for the week of the NJSA Summer Spectular!
It was so good to get away for a while and see my friends at Louisville but it w
as also so bittersweet since this was my last show as an NJSA Jr. Board Director. The show as always was the Greatest Show on Earth and aside from the pain in my feet after the week was done I had an absolute blast and I walked away with a super cool belt buckle for being on the board and of coarse too many friendships to count. Looking back I remember saying that I would never run for the Jr. Board of Directors and now I am soo happy that I did as it has been such a defining experience in my life and I have grown so much as a leader, pork producer, and as a person. The NJSA made me realize where my true passions lie in life and I can only hope to one day combine my love for hogs, animal health, livestock producers, and youth into the career of my dreams! I am so blessed to have been involved in this organization as I have meet some of my best friends and roommates.
as also so bittersweet since this was my last show as an NJSA Jr. Board Director. The show as always was the Greatest Show on Earth and aside from the pain in my feet after the week was done I had an absolute blast and I walked away with a super cool belt buckle for being on the board and of coarse too many friendships to count. Looking back I remember saying that I would never run for the Jr. Board of Directors and now I am soo happy that I did as it has been such a defining experience in my life and I have grown so much as a leader, pork producer, and as a person. The NJSA made me realize where my true passions lie in life and I can only hope to one day combine my love for hogs, animal health, livestock producers, and youth into the career of my dreams! I am so blessed to have been involved in this organization as I have meet some of my best friends and roommates. 
Since the show I have been back to the grind at work and I am currently having the chance to attend some local shows in Illinois. Oh, and I have my car back!
This summer I have learned that first off don't drive your car through puddles, especially at night. That some great things must come to an end to give you your next opportunity in life and that God only gives you so much that you can handle. I have learned so much this summer about life and hogs and those people involved in pork production and even though my experiences have been hard and have pushed me to see the good in negative situations I have been lucky to have them. I am ready to head home soon to help my family with our county and state fairs and then head back to Stillwater for my last year of school and for the next chapter to begin.
Keep Pork on Your Fork, Make Beef your Meat, and have an Eggcelent Day!
