10/21/2026
Lexi and I traveled to the Minnesota Beef Expo over the weekend and came home with her new Red Angus heifer. Lexi filled out the application for the and received a call a couple weeks ago with news that she was one of 9 lucky recipients this year. MYBEP stands for Minnesota Youth Beef Experience Program. Youth are awarded a heifer (young female cow) and a mentor for a year to learn from. It's an absolutely amazing program dedicated to the future of the beef industry. The next generation ❤️
Lexi's emotions during that phone call (& admittedly the last couple weeks) has been pure excitement and validation that her dedication is worth it. This girl will talk cattle from 5 am to midnight and probably in her sleep. She'll talk feed rations, she'll talk genetics, she'll eat steak with her fingers while talking about her evening plans with her calves. And she's always watching online auctions.
The family farm the heifer was bred by, Bjorklund Farms took Lexi as one of their own for the weekend. They helped fit the heifer for show on Sunday and Lexi showed her new heifer. I was hoping for a placing in the top half of the class and well...they won First 🥇 . That's when the tears filled my eyes and Dad's. As a parent, it's absolutely rewarding to know your child has found her passion. I'm astounded at the generosity of this program ...generosity from families, farms, mentors, coordinators, and everyone in between to make the program successful.
Along with a new heifer, Lexi has a mentor built in for a year. This heifer was purchased and donated by Compeer. She has reports to work on regularly to update the program coordinators on the progress she is learning or working on this year. She has thank yous to write and a scrapbook to work on for display next year at the MN Beef Expo. She will be taking the heifer back next year to show again. And I'm sure we will add more shows to our calendar.
