By most accounts, beef cattle production began in this country in the 1500s leading to countless generations of producers and continuing legacies that still exist today for many farm families. 

Today’s beef cattle producers can be found in all 50 states and all 120 Kentucky counties. In fact, the Commonwealth finds itself as the top cattle-producing state east of the Mississippi and, according to information from the USDA, it ranks 14th nationally in total number of cattle.

The Beckley family from Estill County is indicative of the more than 32,000 cattle producers in Kentucky creating a legacy of their own.  

l represents the third generation on the family farm. The 15-year-old high school student refers to himself as a farmer, agriculture advocate, and son to L.W. and Emily Beckley and leaves no doubt that being on the farm is a big part of the plan for his life.

“I couldn't live without being a farmer’, it's my lifestyle, and I've grown up on the farm,” he said. “I couldn't be without it, and I couldn't do anything else.”

With that mindset at such a young age, it’s apparent that Will is a natural when it comes to taking care of the more than 100 registered Polled Herefords on the farm to go along with the 220 acres of corn and soybeans.

As is the case with many young people who have grown up on a cattle farm, he is heavily involved in showing his animals, something he has been involved with for most of his life.

“I've grown up around this breed and I love them,” he said. “They're gentle, they're kindhearted, and they grow great. And the community around them is just amazing, especially the show community.”

Will said his earliest cattle-showing memory was with my dad walking me around the show ring at their county fair.

“I was probably six or seven years old, and he was leading the heifer and I was holding onto the end of the halter with a show stick,” he said. “It was one of the best heifers I ever had, and just walking around the ring with my dad, I remember it was a really good time.”

So often those who make a living on the farm are a close-knit group and Will refers to the people that are in his showing circle as family.

“We're kind of like a big family and we all take care of each other,” he said. “If somebody needs something, we'll give it to them, and if we need something, they'll do the same for us.”

Will’s most recent show occurred during the Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) Beef Expo where he participated in the Junior Showring. The Expo is an annual event in which he and many other young people have found success, especially with cattle that are making their ring debuts.

“The KFB Beef Expo is a great place to get young heifers and steers valuable experience in the show ring, along with their exhibitors," said KFB Livestock Marketing Specialist Donovan Pigg. “In addition to exhibiting their cattle, show attendees also have the opportunity to sell them during the auction portion of the Expo, something that is very important to all participants but especially the young people who are just getting started.” 

This year with 15 states represented and a total of 484 cattle shown at the Junior level (212 of those being Kentucky cattle), Will had a successful show especially on the sales side of the event selling two heifers well above the average for this year’s Expo.

“The Beef Expo and events like that are amazing opportunities for young people and it provides the chance to meet new people and make great connections,” Will said. “We also learn more of what this industry is about, and what leadership in this industry looks like.”

But getting to the Expo and shows like it, Will and other livestock exhibitors go through a lot of hard work during a season, both in the show ring and on the farm.

“It might seem strange to some people unfamiliar with agriculture, but farming is a way of life for me and my family,” he said. I mean, it's a struggle, yes, and there are definitely ups and downs, but the ups are amazing and it's still one of the most important things to me.”

While Will and his family cherish the “ups,” they have also experienced the difficulties. Two years ago, when historic flooding swept through many areas of the state, much of the Beckley Farm, which is bordered by the Kentucky River, was submerged under flood waters causing extensive damage to their farming infrastructure and loss of life for several of their cattle.

“They called it a 100-year flood and the river got up over a lot of our fences and in a lot of our pastures,” Will said. “It also got to some of our cattle. Sadly, we lost about 20 head.”

With mud and silt all over the farm damages mounted up not to mention the toll it took in losing their livestock. To say it was devastating is an understatement.

"It was terrible to watch and see the damage here and to our neighbors," Will said. "We tried to get to the cattle from our boats, but we just couldn't. There just really wasn't much we could do, and we tried everything."  

The destruction such an event causes is hard for anyone but for a young person, it is something that will stay with Will forever. But so will the response his family and others discovered from their farming family.

"The response was tremendous, and we were blessed for all the help and donations,” Will said. “We're very thankful for that. It's amazing to see what people will do for you and it just increases that feeling of family.”

With that disaster in the rearview mirror, it is hard to notice the damage on their farm caused by the flood. Their cattle herd has rebounded. Fences are in place once again, and show season is just beginning. 

Will looks forward to the future. He plans to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a veterinarian. The family has a practice in Estill County and his dad has served as the onsite vet for the KFB Beef Expo for the last 16 years. But he is also focused on his future on the family farm.

“We're the next generation, the future of this country, and the future of farming,” he said.