Stockman award recognizes three juniors’ outstanding performances across three contests.
Judge, meat scientist, nutritionist – cattlemen wear many hats, and the winners of the Minix Stockman Contest, exhibit some of the diverse skills needed to succeed in the cattle business. Lane Toledo of California, Titus Wynn of Wisconsin, and Creed Caldwell of Kansas earned the highest combined scores for each of the three age divisions at the 2024 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), held July 1-7 in Madison, Wisconsin.
“The Stockman Contest was designed to prepare juniors for the future with their overall knowledge of the beef industry and their ability in evaluating cattle,” said Caitlyn Brandt, director of events and junior activities. “They must participate in the quiz bowl written exam, the judging contest and skill-a-thon.”
Taking home the prestigious honor of senior stockman, Caldwell placed thirteenth in livestock judging, second in the skill-a-thon contest, and was on the champion quiz bowl team, earning 37 points for the senior division. He says his involvement in the cattle industry, alongside his experiences in 4-H and FFA, have helped prepare him for the variety of contests.
Of the three contests, Caldwell says quiz bowl is his favorite. “It tests more of my broader knowledge about the livestock industry and the buzzer rounds make it really exciting,” he said.
Although he has grown up within The Business Breed, Caldwell has been actively involved in contests since 2020, and he says he feels honored to receive this award. “It feels like my hard work throughout the years has paid off, and it means a lot to be one of those elite junior Angus members.”
In the intermediate age division, Wynn placed first in Intermediate A livestock judging, seventh in the skill-a-thon contest, and scored 26 points on the quiz bowl exam. (For livestock judging contests, Intermediate and Junior divisions are split into A and B groups based on age.)
“It was the best show I’ve ever been to!” said Wynn, who experienced the NJAS for the first time in 2024.
Throughout the competitions, he said he found livestock judging to be one of his favorites, as it allowed him to evaluate the cattle as he would for his own herd. “Hands-on experience is one of the best ways to learn,” he added.
Wynn also said he was grateful to receive the award. “It was very special and unexpected,” he said.
This year’s top junior stockman, Toledo placed first in Junior B livestock judging, first in the skill-a-thon contest, and scored 48 points on the quiz bowl exam for the junior division. Lane also won the contest at the 2023 NJAS!
In 2022, the contest was renamed to the Minix Stockman Contest to honor the late Ed and Wilma Minix who showed great passion for the livestock industry and emphasized the importance of youth involvement within it.
Each winner received a belt buckle, as well as cash awards: $750 for the senior division winner, $500 for the intermediate division winner, and $250 for the junior division winner.
Results of the 2024 NJAS, including shows, contests, awards and scholarships can be found at www.njas.info. Additional coverage is also available on the NJAA social media channels and in the September issue of the Angus Journal.
About the National Junior Angus Association
The NJAA promotes the involvement of young people in raising Angus cattle while also providing leadership and self-development opportunities for more than 4,500 active members nationwide.
About the Angus Foundation
Established as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1980, the Angus Foundation remains focused on its mission to support Angus education, youth, and research. The organization has distributed more than $4.9 million in youth scholarships since 1998 and has also invested more than $1.3 million in beef cattle research in the past decade.
For more information, contact the Angus Foundation at 816-383-5100.
ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS. The American Angus Association® is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving nearly 22,000 members across the United States, Canada and several other countries. It’s home to an extensive breed registry that grows by more than 300,000 animals each year. The Association also provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers and others who rely on Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers.
For more information about Angus cattle and the American Angus Association, visit www.angus.org.
