Strathmore teen wins big in the ring

By Barbara Duckworth, Reprinted with permission of The Western Producer

A growing trend at many agricultural exhibitions is the presence of juniors at the halter showing prime beef cattle.
Jacey Massey of Strathmore has been one of those people showing cattle since she was five. Winning at 4-H, junior and open shows takes confidence and hard work, but she has prevailed.
This year at Farmfair International, held in Edmonton from Nov. 6-11, she showed the grand champion Simmental female with her parents, Tim and Derri, and had the grand champion Hereford female. The Simmental female made the top five at Farmfair’s supreme championship.
She jointly owns the Simmental, New Trend Class Act 3E, with her parents, while the Hereford, Ms 20R Victor 33Z 55D ET, is part of the herd she is building.
At 17 years old, she has purchased cattle from the United States to build up her string. One female came from Minnesota and another from Hoffman Herefords of Nebraska. She particularly liked what the Hoffmans had to offer.
“They are functional cattle and they have bred and raised many national champions, so that sparked my interest to invest in something like that in the Herefords,” she said.
Maintaining two breeds on the farm works well.
“Both have their attributes,” she said. “I personally like my Herefords the best, but I still really like my Simmies.”
She graduates from high school this year and at the end of June she is attending a national junior Angus event in Wisconsin with the folks from Six Mile Red Angus. Right after that she goes to the Hereford junior national event in Louisville, Kentucky.
Next fall she is enrolled at Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas, where she will be part of the livestock judging team and will learn about hogs, sheep, goats and cattle.
Her plan is to major in agriculture communications and minor in animal science and then transfer to university.
There has been plenty of family support as she advances her career in the livestock business.
“I’m happy because I know what I want to do,” she said.
She has come along at the right time, considering the increased support for young people and women in agriculture as ranchers and judges.
“I definitely feel women in agriculture are starting to push forward and be involved actively and be successful,” she said.
She competes against other dedicated teenagers like herself who have been involved since they were preschoolers.
“I think that’s good because the beef and agriculture industry will be in real good hands when young people are so successful today exhibiting at the shows,” she said.