Youth Take Leadership Positions in Mississippi Agriculture
In partnership with: Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce
Youth programs such as 4-H and FFA help educate the future leaders of agriculture by introducing students to different facets of agriculture, such as animal science, horticulture, technology and more. While many people assume that 4-H and FFA are only for students who have grown up on farms, that’s not the case, as illustrated by these outstanding young leaders.
New to Agriculture
High school senior Leighton Horton was a Premier Exhibitor in the lamb division at the 2022 Dixie National show and has won numerous livestock awards at the Mississippi State Fair, including Reserve State Bred Champion in market lambs and Reserve Grand Champion and State Bred Grand Champion in wether dams, which are females who will produce market-type lambs in the future.
Impressive results for a student who’d never been involved in agriculture until she joined Tippah County 4-H when she was 10 years old.
See more: Educating the Future of Agriculture
“My mom grew up on a cattle farm, but my immediate family didn’t get involved in agriculture until I joined 4-H,” Horton says.
Along with her younger sister Lara, Horton became interested in showing lambs.
“We just researched and every time we went somewhere that involved lambs, we asked a thousand questions and just learned from there,” says Horton, who now raises market goats and market lambs. “We’re pretty competitive in both categories.”
Her experiences showing livestock have been so formative Horton decided to apply for the Mississippi Agriculture Youth Council (MAYC). Composed of 12 high school seniors with an interest in ag, MAYC’s goal is to expose students to a variety of ag-related career fields and teach them to advocate for various aspects of the ag industry.
See more: Innovative Ag Education Programs Prepare Youth for the Future
“I wanted to do it because I want a job in agriculture after college and to get involved with the people in agriculture in my state,” Horton says.
She believes it’s important for MAYC members to come from a variety of backgrounds. “Agriculture isn’t just chickens, cows and mud,” Horton says. “4-H has helped me realize the various aspects of agriculture, from robotics to row cropping. Agriculture has a place for everyone.”
Shining at Dixie National
Holmes County 4-H member Jordan Brooks was already surrounded by successful showmen when he began showing Boer goats at 8 years old. One cousin raised goats while another cousin showed cattle. Though not a traditional farming operation, Brooks and his family buy young goats (called kids) from local breeders, and Brooks raises them until they are ready for sale.
“Raising goats teaches me responsibility,” says Brooks, a freshman at Holmes County Central High School. “It shows me how to take care of animals by feeding and watering them every day.”
See more: 5 Goat Breeds You May Not Be Familiar With
The culmination of Brooks’ showmanship was the 2021 Dixie National Junior Round-Up Livestock Show. This annual event is the showcase for youth who participate in 4-H and FFA livestock programs in Mississippi. Youth receiving a blue ribbon on their animal at one of five district shows can participate in the Dixie National, where they compete in the championships
of their individual categories.
Brooks remembers the Dixie show very well, where his goat, Sam, won the title of Reserve Champion Mississippi-bred in
the Heavyweight Goat division.
“It was a really tough class, and I was nervous,” he says. “I remember walking out of the ring saying to myself, ‘I did it’ because I was really hoping I would be able to go to the Sale of Champions one year. And then that was the year I won it.”
See more: 4-H and FFA Set Youth Up for Success
The victory was extra special because Sam was named in honor of Brooks’ father, who had passed away recently.
“I’ve made a lot of great friendships with others I’ve met in the industry,” says Brooks, who’s raised more than 10 goats, noting “they’re my friends, too.”