Tenino High School senior Baylee Ahrens has compiled quite the trophy case in her journey raising and showing livestock, as well as in FFA.
She’s won awards like grand champion senior showman at the Washington State Fair, Southwest Washington Fair FFA master showman, and reserve champion in senior showmanship at the Thurston County Fair, among others.
But perhaps Ahrens’ proudest achievement is teaching the next generation of showmen the ropes, while at the same time raising her own livestock and preparing them for market and showing.
Because of that leadership, Ahrens received the Walt Bergman Award, which goes to the individual who shows citizenship, dedication, character and concern for others, while at last month’s Northwest Junior Livestock Show in Puyallup.
Ahrens was nominated by fellow showmen for her mentorship and humility during the livestock season.
“That’s the thing that really means the most to me because my biggest thing with raising livestock is being an older mentor to the younger kids,” she said. “I love showing, but I also love being there for the younger generation. That really meant a lot when I received that award.”
The Northwest Junior Livestock Show presented a couple of firsts for Ahrens. It was the first time she had participated in the event, and it also marked a big victory in her first year ever showing and raising goats. Ahrens, experienced in raising sheep and steers, decided to conclude her high school career by trying a new challenge in raising a goat.
She proved that her showmanship skills transcend all kinds of livestock, as she earned grand champion senior in showmanship and reserve champion in the mid-weight goat category in her market class.
“Winning the grand champion senior showmanship [award] was honestly really surprising for me because this is my first year raising goats,” Ahrens said. “My 4-H leaders actually bought the goat for me and gave him to me as a senior graduation gift. They are a little bit different from sheep. They’re a lot more stubborn. He had some personality to him. But it was really fun being able to learn about working with a goat.”
Ahrens got her 82-pound goat named Frederick in October and sold him at the show for $4 per pound. Despite the differences in personalities between the animals she raises and shows, Ahrens has long been told that she had a “natural showmanship ability” since she started showing as an eighth grader and has grown to have a calm demeanor around animals.
“I know how to read them. I’m not super jittery around them or really harsh, so they can trust me,” she said. “I’m not gonna come at them or attack them. I’m gonna be their friend.”
For Ahrens, being a mentor to young showmen during the Northwest Junior Livestock Show surpassed her own goals of personal success. This year is the first that Ahrens has her own set of lambs to sell to young showmen, and she often assists them in the show ring.
“I make sure I’m working with my livestock, but I do prioritize the younger showmen’s livestock before I do mine because I want to make sure that those sheep are 100% ready to go,” she said. “Once I sell them and they’re out of my possession, then I can focus on my sheep. One of the first questions I ask the younger kids is if I can give them advice. I tell them to stay calm. I tell them to make sure to breathe if the animal is starting to fidget. I always walk them through while we’re in the show ring, and I’m by their side to make sure that they breathe because the animals can sense when you are getting upset or scared or nervous.”
In addition to her success in the show ring, Ahrens is a top-four finalist for the Washington State Star Farmer Award in FFA, awarded to the FFA member that demonstrates the top production agriculture supervised agricultural experience in the nation. The member must demonstrate outstanding achievement, active FFA participation and an exemplary scholastic record, according to the National FFA Organization.
Ahrens, the only finalist from the western side of the state, will learn if she wins the Star Farmer Award at the Washington State FFA Convention this weekend. She was also the third-place finisher in FFA sheep proficiency in entrepreneurship, and she will be competing at the FFA state convention in the employment skills competition.
After high school, Ahrens plans to attend Montana State University to pursue a degree in animal science with a focus on livestock management industry. She thanked her family, including her mother Kari Ahrens and her grandparents for their support in her livestock success and through her previous struggles with showing animals.
“My mom has definitely been one of my biggest supporters through it all. She helps me financially, emotionally and mentally,” Ahrens said. “My Grammy and Papa have also been a huge part of that. My Papa takes me to all my shows. They allow me to keep my animals at their property. They’ve always been there, even through my highest highs and my lowest lows. I’ve gone through a little slump of showing, and they’ve pushed me to do better. Last year, I wasn’t performing my best. I was so burnt out. I wanted to be done with livestock, but they pushed me to get out of it and told me that my livestock can’t help itself.”
