A guest blog post by 2019 Emerald Winner and 2019 Kentucky 4-H Livestock Judging Team Member Will Banks
4-H to some is just a four-leaf clover, 4-H to some is just reciting the pledge, however through my many years, 4-H has become a family. Ever since I can remember, I have been involved with just about everything 4-H has had to offer. From woodworking and electricity, to exhibiting cattle on the national level, 4-H has grown into a lifestyle for me. Though my programs have changed, the one thing that has remained constant is the family-like atmosphere that has been provided.
It didn’t matter if you walked into Teen Conference for the first time not knowing a soul, by the time you left that week you may know 100 new people that you now communicate with on the daily. But it doesn’t just stop there, the 4-H family continues even further past the boundaries of the state. Going to events such as SRTLC introduced me to delegates from many states, such as Texas and Louisiana. Showing livestock nationally is another great way I’ve met 4-H members from across the country. 
The best example of what 4-H Family has looked like in my life, is the story of my experience on the 2019 Kentucky 4-H Livestock Judging Team.
Where to begin… Seven years old, picking cattle off color. Classic move – right? At that stage in the game I had no clue where I was going or what was in front of me. As I matured, I knew this industry was my place. The livestock industry is first class, it is been embedded into myself and my brother ever since we could talk. Good news for my mother – I didn’t talk until I was 5, bad news is I haven’t shut up since.
Fast forward to June 2019, the state contest treated me good and I got the opportunity to go back to my 3rd and final top 12 week. My friends Kasey, Chevy, Lydia, and myself all committed to the 2019 Kentucky State 4-H livestock judging team. We set a goal: Win the National Contest. Every time we stepped in the judging van, it was pedal to the floor, and we pushed, both ourselves and each other. Every day we got better, and kept it rolling. November 19th came around, we did our job, and waited in suspense for the morning of the banquet. When Kentucky was announced for the High Team Overall for the 2019 National Contest, an overwhelming mixture of emotions came over us, for we knew history had just been made.
I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to be on a team with my best friends who became family. Our coaches and mentors Steve, Holly, Kane, Adrian, spent countless hours, conversations, and more to support myself and this team. My teammates: the laughs, the cries, the best or the worst, we have been through so much. 
It has brought me closer to my own family too. I know I have given my mom grey hairs, making her listen to multiple sets, or coming in at hours after a practice that were a wee bit past her bedtime. It didn’t matter though; she was there, and she wanted to be. My brother, Wyatt, has always pushed me and done so many things to help me out, he’s one of a kind.
This 4-H family also includes our biggest supporters who believed in us, and everyone who let us workout on their stock last fall, they were key to our preparation.
And I’m grateful for Louisville and its role in this 4-H Family – for teaching me that green chips and a short walk down the ramp in Freedom Hall is absolutely breathtaking. There’s no other place like it, so many great cattle, people, and industry leaders have exemplified what Louisville really is.
4-H is something very special to me. I’m not only a 5th generation 4-H member, but a 5th generation farmer. Some of the agriculture community’s most successful leaders were brought up in 4-H. It’s quite evident that both have played a major role in impacting this nation. I consider both to be what’s molded me into who I am today. I can’t thank my family, volunteers and agent enough for encouraging my involvement and providing me these opportunities over the years! 
