During the second weekend in April, the 2016 NJSA National Youth Leadership Conference (NYLC) was held in Louisville, Kentucky, in conjunction with The University of Kentucky.  NJSA members from all across the country were in attendance.  As a junior board member who has attended the last three consecutive NYLCs, this conference certainly ranked as one of the top ones, for me.  I thought the speakers we had this year were unmatched.  The three presentations that specifically stand out to me were those done by Brian Arnold, NSR Vice President of Youth Development and Member Outreach, Warren Beeler, Director of Ag Policy in Kentucky, and Dr. Brett Kaysen, dairy production specialist with Zoetis.  All three of these men did an outstanding job of motivating the youth (and adults) that attended the conference, and their words of encouragement inspired attendees to always do what is right, even when it may not be what everyone else is doing.

To go along with the awesome speakers, there were many great tours, including Finchville Farms Country Hams plant, Kentucky Horse Park and a campus tour of The University of Kentucky. These tours were full of information, and the museum at the Horse Park is something I could have spent hours upon hours learning about the history of the horse.  In the evenings, attendees sure had plenty of fun.  The group attended SkyZone Trampoline Park in Louisville, on Friday evening. There was an epic lip-sync/karaoke battle on Saturday night that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Once the conference was over and all the attendees had left, I took a moment to read through some of the “Thank You” notes the young people wrote to the sponsors of the NJSA.  I was blown away by the professionalism and the genuine thankfulness NJSA members have for the opportunities within this organization.  In the days that have passed since the conference, I have seen many NJSA members post very positive remarks about NYLC on different social media accounts.  This makes me extremely proud to have had the opportunity to serve as an NJSA Junior Board member over the past three years.  It has dawned on me that I have attended my final NYLC as a board member, and it’s a truly bittersweet fact.  I am very thankful for the opportunities, and I encourage each and every member in the NJSA to attend NYLC at least once.  I promise you will not regret it!