Episode 38 Jessamine County Fair
Join Ag Credit Intern Weston Wolf as he speaks with Jay Bruns, President of the Jessamine County Fair, Ali Myers, Jessamine County FFA Advisor, and some junior beef exhibitors. They cover topics related to serving on the board, the impact of agriculture in their lives, and the importance of involving youth in agriculture, even if they ultimately work outside the ag industry.
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(00:01)
Welcome to Beyond Agriculture, the podcast that takes you beyond the scope of ag and into the real life.Stories, conversations, and events taking place in our community.Who we are and what we do is beyond agriculture.
Weston Wolf (00:22)
We're back here at the Jessamine County Fair. We're here with Jay Bruner. Jay, what is it that you're doing here?
Jay Bruner (00:28)
I am the president of the Fair board, trying to pull it all together for a start night.
Weston Wolf (00:33)
Yeah, yeah, I know we got you on a pretty busy time, so we'll try to make this a fairly quick for you. What made you decide to run for the fair board?
Jay Bruner (00:43)
I guess it's the love of the people wanting to help the community. And I worked as a fair board member for several years and just got more and more involved in it and started to love it and started liking to do things for the people.
Weston Wolf (01:01)
Yeah, yeah. And what did you do before you were president of the board?
Jay Bruner (01:05)
I've been in sales for 32 years. Heavy Duty truck sales.
Weston Wolf (01:09)
Oh, okay. How did you get involved in the ag industry?
Jay Bruner (01:12)
Well, as a kid, I grew up on a farm. We had a small farm, 10 acres, and worked for all the neighbors around, you know.
Weston Wolf (01:20)
Yeah.
Jay Bruner (01:21)
And just grew up on the farm.
Weston Wolf (01:23)
How many years have you been involved here at the Jessamine County Fair? You said you were on the board beforehand before you're president.
Jay Bruner (01:29)
Yeah, I'd say probably close to 30 years.
Weston Wolf (01:33)
So you've been here for quite a few of the Jessamine county fairs. What do you think differentiates the Jessamine County Fair from in comparison to other fairs?
Jay Bruner (01:45)
I think the events that we have stand out. We try to fill every corner that we have with an event going. Several events going on at one time. And I think people like that because if they don't like this event, they go to the next event. And so if that doesn't satisfy them, they go to the next event. So it seems to work really great for us.
Weston Wolf (02:08)
Yeah. Yeah. It is definitely good to differentiate what you're doing. And it looks like just by. This is my first time here at this fair, it looks like y' all are doing a heck of a job.
Jay Bruner (02:19)
We sure try.
Weston Wolf (02:20)
Yeah. A good opening night. What is the most rewarding part of being president of the fair board?
Jay Bruner (02:27)
I'm not sure there is a rewarding part.
Weston Wolf (02:29)
Just a lot of stress.
Jay Bruner (02:30)
A lot of stress. But it's good. And people are really nice, good people to work with. So it's rewarding.
Weston Wolf (02:38)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then to wrap up, could you tell us just how much the ag industry has Impacted your life as a whole?
Jay Bruner (02:49)
Well, it's showed me a lot of different venues of what goes on in the ag that I did not know about. But it's been very interesting.
Weston Wolf (03:00)
I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day for us to ask you a few questions. And I do. I really appreciate what you're doing for everybody in this community. Everybody here at the show, all the youth. I mean, it's very impactful and it all starts with your fair board. So I really appreciate you and thank you a lot.
Jay Bruner (03:21)
Appreciate you guys coming down.
Weston Wolf (03:25)
I'm here with Allie Myers. Why don't you tell us why you're here tonight?
Ali Myers (03:29)
Well, I am an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor here in Jessamine county, so. So one of my favorite portions of my job is getting to help run the livestock shows at our county fair each year.
Weston Wolf (03:40)
Alrighty. And how many years have you been an ag teacher?
Ali Myers (03:43)
This is my ninth year teaching in Jessamine County. I have been at the Jessamine Career and Technology Center since I graduated from college. And I tell people all the time, you know, it would be hard to leave such a good thing. I really enjoy the people that I work with. Our principals are actually former ag teachers, which makes for a fun dynamic. And I have wonderful co- teachers that I get to work with throughout the year.
Weston Wolf (04:06)
Right, right. And then what made you decide to become an ag teacher?
Ali Myers (04:13)
Well, you know, becoming an ag teacher was not my first choice out of high school. I really, you know, like most high school seniors, was not sure what I wanted to do. You always feel that pressure of you need to come up with something to tell everybody when you're graduating and, you know, and to put in those college essays. I knew that I wanted to do something in agriculture. My agriculture teachers, J.R. zenner and Ms. Christina Thomas had a huge impact on my life and helping me to develop a passion for agriculture. But I wasn't sure exactly what that was. It wasn't until I was in college and I had the fortunate opportunity to serve as a Kentucky FFA State officer that I realized that my passion was in teaching agriculture and being the person who communicated about agriculture to youth, to the public in any sort of fashion. And I landed in the classroom and I enjoy being able to help students find their passion in ag every day.
Weston Wolf (05:08)
Right, right. Yeah, I definitely agree with you. If it wasn't for my ag teachers, I definitely don't know. I don't think I would have went to college. And they were really a big deciding factor that pushed me to go take that Extra step. And to really pursue higher education along with the lines of ag. So do you have any students exhibiting here at the fair tonight?
Ali Myers (05:29)
I do. We have a handful of students who only exhibit beef cattle, but also some who exhibit multiple species. And so they'll be here throughout the week. So that's fun to catch up with them. Since we've been out of school for a few months, some of them have graduated. And so it's just good to talk to them about, you know, what, what life after high school has been like so far before they head off to their next chapter.
Weston Wolf (05:51)
Yeah, yeah, of course, of course. And then. So could you tell us more about what it's been like working with the next generation of agriculturalists?
Ali Myers (06:01)
Well, I, I laugh a little when you asked that question because I just flashback to so many memories and moments with, with my ag teachers in high school and how, you know, it was those little moments, those life lessons that have stuck with me for a long time. And I think that that's what I love about my job. It is different every day. When you teach 150 high school, you can never predict what they're going to say, what they're going to do for better or for worse some days. But working with the youth is refreshing, it really is. They are always surprising you with what is interesting to them, what questions that they have, what information they come in with and how we can help them to explore that a little bit deeper. But it gives me something to say when folks say, well, I'm just not sure about this next generation, or I'm just not sure who's going to carry on the legacy of X, Y and Z. And I'm confidently able to tell them that they are in my classroom. You know, sometimes you do have to give them a little time to mature from being a 14 year old freshman and get to that point.
Ali Myers (07:02)
But it's fun to watch them come in excited about ag and FFA or even some of the ones that come in and are reluctant, you know, they weren't rooted in agriculture and I share that experience with them. I actually, I grew up in a neighborhood, my family had agricultural ties, but I did not get directly involved in it until I started showing livestock as a middle school student. And so I can relate to some of those students. And so it's fun to help them figure out, okay, you like ag, how can we get you plugged in? But also fun to help the ones similar to our beef cattle showmen that have been in it for generations to help them expand on what they already know about ag and what they want to turn their projects or their passions into.
Weston Wolf (07:43)
Right, right. And it sounds like you have a lot of faith in the next generation and that's what you need to have when you're an ag teacher. And that is very inspirational. And it's nice to hear that some people have faith. I still consider myself in that generation, so it's nice to hear that people have faith in us. So what are some things or events that your FFA chapter participates in?
Ali Myers (08:05)
Well, I feel lucky to be teaching in a program and an FFA chapter that has a long legacy in our state. It's been established for many, many years. And lots of really great ag teachers and great students have, have come before me. And so some of the events that we do that have been long standing. An example is our FFA Thanksgiving food drive. It is the longest standing community service project in Kentucky FFA history. And that is one that students really get behind every year. And it is throughout all of the schools in Jessamine county collecting food, collecting donations, and then hand delivering those food boxes to the doorsteps of our people in our community that are in need. So that's one of our service activities. I'm trying to think of some of the other activities that we do in FFA that are hits with our students. A newer one we call Farmer for a Day. So we're in a community that is a mix of urban and rural. We have some large farms that are left here in Jessamine county, but we also have a lot of students that live in a really urban area as Lexington and Jessamine kind of become one, or Nicholasville and Jessamine kind of become one.
Ali Myers (09:13)
And so we give them an opportunity on a Saturday that they can come in and we all meet together in the morning, and then we divide out and go to different farms or agribusinesses and they literally do whatever that farm or business is doing for the morning. So that might be chores, that might be feeding, that might be cleaning, that may be, you know, maintenance around the farm. But they do whatever that person was going to be doing that day anyway. And it gives them a real life farm experience. Not a tour, not a guest speaker. Those things are always great too. But this is a truly, hey, here's what it looks like every Saturday morning for us. And that is one that they always come back smiling from. We meet back together and eat lunch and share about our experiences there. And so that's just one of the few FFA events that we get to do. But we are hoping you know, this year to kind of switch it up. We've been doing some of the same events for many years, and last week we're at FFA camp and our students vocalized, hey, you know, let's try something new this year, see if we can get some different people involved in our chapter.
Weston Wolf (10:08)
Yeah, yeah, I know that was kind of a loaded question. I know FFA chapters all over the state do a lot of things throughout the year, but no, it is very important to be giving back to the community and to get FFA's name out there giving back to the community on both ends of urban or rural. And it's very impressive to hear that that's what you guys are doing and incorporating so many different people, so many different lives to get them included in the ag world. I mean, it's. It's impressive to hear. So to wrap us up, could you tell us just how much the ag industry has impacted your life as a whole? It's a big question too.
Ali Myers (10:42)
It's a huge question. I was involved growing up in a lot of different activities, very, very diverse. I was on dance teams, involved with church, involved with scouts, AP classes, showing livestock, and I really enjoyed all of those things. But I can't say that until I really got involved in agriculture and deeply involved in FFA that I found what my real, my passion was. And so I have to credit the ag industry with being the thing that helped me get plugged in. You know, beyond that, though, I. I think that I appreciate the ag industry for all that it does for us on a daily basis. And I think my favorite part of my job is exposing students to how broad the ag industry is. If there is an area that you're interested in, it's probably, probably tied to agriculture in some way. And there is, there's some sort of job that you could, could have that was associated with it. Something that comes to mind is this year, before National FFA Convention, we were able to take students to a part of our state that most had never visited. So we went. We went west, and not completely, you know, to the.
Ali Myers (11:49)
To the western tip of Kentucky, but we went to the Owensboro, Bowling Green area and were able to show some of our students how agriculture looks a lot different there, you know, on the river with the barges, with row crops, then it. And we were even able to take students inside of a turkey house. Operating turkey house. Some were traumatized by that, others of them, which I can say that I was with them. I'm not a fan of full grown turkeys. But yes, but others of them thought, like, this is the coolest thing I've ever seen, you know, because they've only been around, you know, chickens on a smaller scale. And so just being able to appreciate all that agriculture brings to the table and. And serves us as. As humans is. Is what I owe to the agriculture industry. So. Huge question. But ag helped me find my place, and that's what I feel like my job is every day is to help students find that as well. But, you know, on the flip side, I have some students that sometimes they'll graduate, and I can hear it in their voice when they say, well, I think I'm going to go to nursing school, or I think I'm gonna go to law school, or I'm gonna be a firefighter.
Ali Myers (12:54)
I can. I can hear them almost want to say to me, I know that's not an Ag, Ms. Myers, but. And I want to say to them, you know, we need you, too. You're still going to be involved in ag. You're still going to be spreading the message that ag is important and taking those skills that they learned in FFA with them into those industries. I can't tell you the number of times I've been in, you know, a doctor's office or just a public setting and had an FFA T shirt on and connected with someone who also had experiences in ag. So I just. I could go on and on about that. I'm not even sure what the question was anymore, but I just. I owe it to ag. And I love to see students be able to say that by the end of their high school careers as well, that it's kind of helped them find their place.
Weston Wolf (13:34)
Yeah, for sure. It is definitely important. Like, FFA instills so many important values and things that make you. Yes. Skills that make you succeed in life. And even if you don't end up in the ag industry, at the end of the day, it's those moments throughout FFA and high school that you're going to look back on and be like, you know, the ag industry is out there still, even though I'm not a part of it and that I respect and love the people that are in that industry. So it is very important. And I'd give. I'd give one of the students some flack about being an ag ed major, but who we're interviewing just before, but I know it's so important. And it's ag Ed teacher. It's ag teachers that are what gets these kids to where they're at. Today, and it sounds like you're doing an amazing job. And thank you so much for taking the time out of your day. I know you're very important to this fair, but thank you for taking so much time out of your day to have us interview you with these few questions.
Ali Myers (14:32)
Well, absolutely. And I would echo that. We appreciate what Ag Credit does in the lives of our students, whether it is having someone come in to be, you know, a guest speaker to talk about, you know, what are the Cs of credit and helping them understand some of those life skills to sponsoring, you know, purchasing one of. One of the students that you interviewed. Agcredit purchases steer this past year at the Investment Youth livestock sale. And just how involved agcredit is in communities. You're not just a lender. You're also, you know, your lenders and your employees are part of the communities and involved in the communities that they live and work in, and we really appreciate that as well.
Weston Wolf (15:07)
Yeah. Thank you. Hi, I'm Weston Wolf, and we're here with Central Kentucky Ag Credit at the Jessamine County Fair. We're here with Danielle Taylor, Ryland Bowman, Owen Adams. All y' all are involved in 4H and FFA, right? Are you guys officers in FFA? Okay, so what was your position? I was vice president my senior year. What are some of the. What are some of the best experiences you guys have had in this. In these organizations?
(15:38)
Just meeting people and being more involved in, like, the agriculture community and knowing.
(15:45)
More about it, connecting with leaders throughout the ag industry and growing myself as a person.
(15:52)
Yeah, probably just meeting a bunch of. A lot of people, a lot of nice people and just having fun really?
(15:59)
Yeah.
Weston Wolf (16:00)
Yeah. Great. Great. What exactly are you guys doing at the fair this week? Are you just here to show cattle today, or are you gonna be here for other days, other events?
(16:08)
I'm just showing cows.
(16:09)
Okay. I'm showing cattle tonight and sheep tomorrow. Fun.
(16:13)
I'm just showing cattle tonight.
Weston Wolf (16:14)
Alrighty. What kind of steps did y' all take at home to prepare for this point?
(16:20)
Well, we feed them to get them prepared for. Usually our end goal is state fair, so they're kind of in the end of that. And then we rinse them and wash them every day and walk them and practice with them and knowing what they're doing in the show ring.
Weston Wolf (16:35)
Yeah. Okay. And you can talk about your sheep as well here if you want to.
Weston Wolf (16:39)
It's really similar, the cattle feeding twice a day and working with them. They get ranched often, but not quite as often as our cattle do. Yeah. Okay. All right. And then you. So we kind of like feed them.
(16:54)
Wash them, rinse them, have to work their hair. And also I'm gonna here in September, I'm gonna sell my steer here.
Weston Wolf (17:04)
Okay. Yeah, there you guys have it. To wrap us up here. What do you guys look forward to the most when showing at the fair?
(17:12)
I look forward most just having fun and getting out there and doing what I love.
(17:17)
Just showing in front of the community, community people I've met throughout the years and just showing how I progressed in my community and the connections I've made.
(17:27)
Probably just getting out and having fun and showing, you know. I don't know.
Weston Wolf (17:33)
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I thank you guys for allowing us to have the time to interview you guys. I know that if somebody were to approach me moments before I went into the show ring, I'd be. I would have said no because I'd have been so nervous before showing. And that's just me. So I really appreciate you guys taking the time, the last minute, taking the time out of the last minute preparations before you go on the show ring to talk to us. Yeah. Thank you.
(17:59)
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