"Network, network, network! There are so many industry professionals who want to help you, so never be afraid to reach out to them! I would also suggest to never stop learning. There are always people who have more knowledge and experience, so learn from them, take those life lessons, and apply them to your journey!"

Bradon Burks is the Director of Education at the Kentucky Cattlemen's Association and has been with KCA since December 2021. Prior to that, Bradon worked as a Leadership Consultant for a nonprofit and attended Western Kentucky University and majored in Agricultural Education and Sales.

Bradon's journey in agriculture started when he was growing up on his family's Angus and Hereford cattle operation in south central Kentucky. As he grew up, Bradon became involved in livestock exhibitions across the country and the state. He met several of his closest friends during this time and began developing as a leader. When he started high school in 2013, Bradon was well-equipped to become involved in FFA and the Kentucky Junior Cattlemen's Association. Through those organizations, Bradon was made aware of all the amazing opportunities the agriculture industry had in store. He continued growing as a leader, communicator, and teammate while crediting God for opening up the doors in his life that led him down his current path.

We asked Bradon what his job duties consisted of:

"I get the opportunity to focus on KCA's beef education and youth programming. I focus on sharing the beef farm family message with producers, consumers, and youth across the state of Kentucky. There are many weeks where you can find me teaching inside agriculture and family consumer science classes, sharing how to become a knowledgeable beef consumer and beef advocate. I also work to train our trainers in the state by hosting professional development for teachers who want to become more aware of the new and innovative beef curriculum. For our youth programs, I host several trips, such as the KBC Youth Leadership Program and the Nebraska Youth Beef Leadership Symposium, where youth are able to become immersed within the industry in hands-on experiences. I also host the KJCA Fall Classic, where our youth are able to not only exhibit their cattle projects but also compete in various contests such as judging and sales."

If Bradon could've done anything differently, what would it have been? Bradon says he would've networked with more industry professionals because everyone is willing to lend a helping hand!