HUTCHINSON — Rep. Brooklynne Mosley stepped into the Prairie Pavilion arena at the Kansas State Fair Saturday, leading a heifer around the ring while smiling broadly
Mosley, a Lawrence Democrat, had never spent time with cattle until she began working with two 4-H participants, Genayla Warnken of Manhattan and Makenzie Fishburn of Lawrence to learn about how to show a halter-broken heifer.
Mosley and four other Kansas legislators were participants in the annual Legislative Showmanship competition.
“This is the closest I’ve ever been to cattle in my whole life,” Mosley said. “I was really looking forward to doing this as something different. I had great teachers, Makenzie and then Genayla. They were really patient, and they taught me everything that I know. Literally.”
WARNKEN SAID they begin working with cows when they are young, teaching them to adjust to wearing a halter.
“That can take some time because they’re pretty stubborn,” she said. “We start getting them on a regular feed diet, and then working with their hair, which makes them look really big and fluffy.”
Fishburn said she loves being part of 4-H because the community is large and she can meet people from across the state.
Their work with Mosley paid off, as she took first place and earned a traveling trophy that will be engraved with her name. Competing against Mosley were Sen. Cindy Holscher, Rep. Mike King, Rep. Heather Meyer and Rep. Gary White. Meyer, who was also handling a cow for the first time, won second place.
MONTE BALL, a third-generation rancher, and Rylee Hayes, of Jacam Catalyst, judged the event. They examined how well the legislators handled the cows and asked questions about general beef animal knowledge.
While legislators walked the heifers around the arena, Ball spoke about the event, which he said gives Kansas leaders a chance to learn about the field.
“These are exciting times in the ag industry right now, particularly in the beef industry,” he said.
“We’re experiencing record high prices. Unfortunately, we’re also experiencing record high inputs. So these are very stressful times for farmers and ranchers. “We need our legislators to understand what the beef industry means to us and what it means to Kansas,” he added.
Ball said young 4-H members represent the future of the beef industry, and the program prepares them for the future.
“They’re learning about taking care of an animal and being responsible for that animal,” he said.
Ball described himself as a “leadership junkie,” pointing to 28 years in public education as a teacher and coach and then in his current position heading up human resources at Conklin Automotive Group.
“I thought I knew what leadership was. I thought leadership was having titles. I thought leadership was about position, having people in your charge,” he said. “What I’ve learned is leadership is a long way from that. Leadership is about doing hard things and building relationships, and getting other people to buy in and invest in the places that you want to go.”
