The Nation’s Highest Caliber Livestock Show Just Around the Corner!

In this episode of North American Ag Spotlight podcast, Chrissy Wozniak sits down with Matt Durian, the Livestock Event Manager at the American Royal, a Kansas City tradition that has been celebrating agriculture since 1899. The American Royal offers nearly half a million participants the opportunity to engage in high-quality events, including livestock shows, rodeos, and educational outreach programs. Matt shares his journey, from his beginnings in Paso Robles, California, to his current role managing the American Royal's livestock events.

With the 2024 American Royal Livestock Show scheduled from October 9-27, Matt discusses the exciting new additions to this year’s event, such as the introduction of the Supreme Bull and Supreme Open Female Heifer Show. He emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and innovation, which has allowed the American Royal to remain a vital part of the agricultural community for over a century.

Matt also highlights the educational programs designed to bring Kansas City students closer to agriculture. Through hands-on field trips during breeding cattle week, local students will have the chance to meet exhibitors and learn about food production and animal care. One of the show's most thrilling moments, the Royalty Drive on October 19th, brings together the top market animals in a spectacular competition that Matt describes as a "goosebump" moment for all involved.

For visitors attending the event from out of town, Matt recommends sampling some of Kansas City’s famous barbecue, including local favorites like Slabs BBQ. He also encourages a drive by the site of the new American Royal facility, currently under construction.

For those interested in attending or participating in the 2024 American Royal, registration and ticket information can be found at americanroyal.com. Entries for the livestock show are open until September 10th to avoid late fees, and all 17 days of events will be broadcast live via Walton Webcasting for those who can't attend in person.

Matt shares his passion for agriculture and his commitment to ensuring that the American Royal continues to leave a lasting impact on future generations. He also invites companies and individuals to get involved through sponsorships or partnerships. Whether attending in person or watching from home, the 2024 American Royal promises to be an unforgettable celebration of agriculture and community.

Learn more about American Royal at https://americanroyal.com/
#livestock #farming #agriculture

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Transcript

00:00:05:13 - 00:00:27:03
Chrissy Wozniak
I am welcome to North American Agriculture Spotlight Podcast. I'm Chrissy Wozniak. My guest today is the livestock manager at the American Royal. And the American royal has been a Kansas City tradition since 1899, and offers nearly half a million youth and adults from around the world the chance to participate in high quality events and experiences. And that includes nationally competitive livestock shows.

00:00:27:05 - 00:00:54:09
Chrissy Wozniak
The world's largest barbecue competition, which I need to get to someday. Regional and national equine shows youth and professional rodeo and educational outreach for elementary and secondary students. The 2024 American Royal Livestock Show will take place from October 9th to 27th this year at the American Royal Complex in Kansas City, Missouri. And so today we're going to talk about what's new at the show from Kansas City, Missouri.

00:00:54:09 - 00:01:01:07
Chrissy Wozniak
I'd like to welcome Matt Darion, livestock manager at the American Royal. Welcome, mat. And thank you so much for joining me today.

00:01:01:09 - 00:01:13:06
Matt Durian
Yeah, absolutely. And thank you. That was a great intro and I couldn't have said it better myself. But what the American royal stands for and our mission, purpose and vision of championing food and agriculture.

00:01:13:08 - 00:01:19:24
Chrissy Wozniak
Awesome. That's great. So do you want to start just by sharing a bit about your background and how you became involved with American Rule?

00:01:20:01 - 00:01:43:21
Matt Durian
Absolutely. My name is Matt Berry, and I am born and raised actually from the central coast of California. Went to a college out there where I got the honor to be a part of a jackpot livestock show called Western Bonanza. When I finished my time, in college in 2020, I decided to move out of California.

00:01:43:23 - 00:02:12:11
Matt Durian
Worked at a, county fair up in Iowa for a year until the American royal had a position open, which is actually when I moved down two years ago to Kansas City, Missouri. I've been working here since then. Started out as an event coordinator, working with our pro and youth rodeo, then got promoted to the livestock event manager, where I manage, our show that is 17 days long in the month of October, as well as our show that we just added this last year.

00:02:12:13 - 00:02:15:18
Matt Durian
The American Royal Spring youth livestock show.

00:02:15:20 - 00:02:40:12
Chrissy Wozniak
Wow. And I can't imagine how much work that is just for each, you know, our local four acres. Is is a much. And that's just, you know, our county. So that, it must be a really big endeavor. So can you tell me, more about American Royal, the organization? Maybe dive in a little bit more about the mission as well, and how it impacts the wider community.

00:02:40:14 - 00:03:01:02
Matt Durian
Yeah, absolutely. And and like you were talking about, I am a product of for and FFA and showing at a county fair level. And I think the American royal, our mission is to champion food and agriculture and, and really give the an opportunity for exhibitors from across the country the ability to show livestock at the highest level.

00:03:01:04 - 00:03:23:05
Matt Durian
Last year, our show, we had exhibitors from 46 different states and Canada. So being able to reach out and touch exhibitors, and give an impact on their life, that will last a lifetime. You know, what? They what they can do in this industry and what it offers for them is really what the American royal is about.

00:03:23:07 - 00:03:48:10
Matt Durian
There are countless scholarships that our livestock show alone gives out and, and help find a higher education for these exhibitors. So there's kids that that show from from 9 to 21, or even younger than nine as well, depending on what breed of cattle that they may exhibit. And, you know, they, they will be able to one day help pay for a future education from the American royal.

00:03:48:12 - 00:03:58:24
Matt Durian
We really just want to be able to impact the industry's leaders for the next. You know, we've done it for 125 years, and we'd like to keep doing it for 125 more.

00:03:59:01 - 00:04:10:14
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah, that's that's what a legacy. It's just amazing. And so as it the livestock show continues to grow. What are some of the new changes or improvements that you've added to this year's program?

00:04:10:16 - 00:04:29:14
Matt Durian
Yeah, we we always want to continue to improve and grow and, we never want to become complacent. Right. You would like to to always and, have something that if we want to keep this going for another hundred and 25 years, we can't do the same thing that we did in 1899 when we started out as just a Hereford show.

00:04:29:16 - 00:04:59:13
Matt Durian
So this year, we're really excited, to announce that we have actually added a supreme bull and a supreme open female heifer show. And so, you know, we have 17 different breeds of cattle that come here on the junior and on the open side. And the second to last day is the culmination of our Junior Heifer show, where we actually crown a champion supreme, a supreme champion junior heifer.

00:04:59:15 - 00:05:23:12
Matt Durian
We sat down and we're kind of thinking of different ways to grow and improve, and, and we decided that why don't we mimic what we do in our junior show on the open side? And not only do a supreme champion open female, but let's also add a supreme champion bull as well. Going to be able to give out and a perpetual trophy that will have the exhibitors name on their their location as well as what the animal is that they're showing.

00:05:23:13 - 00:05:28:21
Matt Durian
So that'll be really cool and and really exciting to start that tradition this year.

00:05:28:23 - 00:05:33:11
Chrissy Wozniak
You know that's great. And what are you the most excited about for the show?

00:05:33:13 - 00:05:55:21
Matt Durian
Yeah. I would say the thing that really kind of, we started calling them the goose. Both goose bump moments today. It's our royalty drive, which is, you know, like the supreme heifer. It's the culmination of our junior market week, which is on October 19th. That's when we get every division champion from all four of the major species.

00:05:55:21 - 00:06:23:10
Matt Durian
So you have your champion market steer, barrow, lamb and goat. They all show in the ring at the same time. And, you know, that night, just being able to create a moment that for our exhibitors, I mean, it makes the hair on the, you know, your on your arm stand up and and you get chills just thinking about, you know, being able to kind of turn the lights down and the music up and, and have all four of those species shown at the same time is really exciting.

00:06:23:12 - 00:06:26:06
Chrissy Wozniak
Oh, I love that. I've never seen a show like that.

00:06:26:08 - 00:06:27:18
Matt Durian
It's, it's it's great.

00:06:27:18 - 00:06:28:19
Chrissy Wozniak
Amazing.

00:06:28:21 - 00:06:46:17
Matt Durian
Yeah. We divide the ring into four and and, you know, you have steers right next to lambs and goats and pigs, and it's really bringing all those shows together that may have been in different barns throughout the week, but it's the best of the best for, for what we have that year. And it's it's something impressive.

00:06:46:19 - 00:06:55:20
Chrissy Wozniak
Wow. Oh I love that. And so I know you usually have educational elements as well. What's on the schedule for this year?

00:06:55:22 - 00:07:25:20
Matt Durian
Yeah, we are going to it's a tradition that we have two big educational components a year that we call our field trips, where we get to take folks from, the Kansas City School District. We invite them out, and they actually get to can walk through our barns during our fall show. So there will be two days during what we call of our week three breeding cattle, where we've opened up registration and our, you know, local Kansas City schools come out by the busload.

00:07:25:22 - 00:07:48:18
Matt Durian
They get to tour around some different educational exhibits, meet with some of the, breeding cattle exhibitors from that week three, and just get to learn about food and agriculture where their their beef comes from. And, and the folks that are out there trying to produce the highest quality animals that they can, whether they're from Texas or Oklahoma or right here in Kansas and Missouri.

00:07:48:20 - 00:08:07:21
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah. And especially with, you know, these kids coming in, this could be the only time they get to interact with livestock. That's that is, just a great addition to your community and, that kind of education is just priceless for kids, right? Yeah. Give. Yeah. And I'm so sorry right now.

00:08:07:23 - 00:08:38:14
Matt Durian
Yeah. My, from my time in college, we used to quote that, you know, the 2% of the population is directly involved in food and agriculture and and that number is dwindling. So these folks and these kids, they may not have ever seen cattle except when they drive down a highway and they see them in a field and getting them up close and personal with folks that really care about the industry and care about food and agriculture, it's what we're all about trying to bridge that gap and make people understand that, you know, this is what we do and this is why we do it.

00:08:38:14 - 00:08:57:03
Matt Durian
And it's because we care and we love it. You know, there's not people that love these animals more than the ones that are raising them day in and day out and and just trying to bridge that, that gap and allow these youth, youth from the city see what we're doing on the rural side of things.

00:08:57:05 - 00:09:22:02
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah. That's great. Now, a challenge that is faced by a lot of shows across the country is this increasing number of animal activists that own the property. And I know a lot of shows have had to prepare exhibitors for that. Have you thought of that? Do you prepare your exhibitors for the in case that there's something that comes up that you know how to react to those, those, potential conflicts?

00:09:22:04 - 00:09:46:24
Matt Durian
You know, we do not as of right now, you know, like I said at the beginning, I was born and raised in California. Growing up showing at County fair, we had to deal a lot with that. Our four agent FFA chapter advisors, leaders, they were always really good. And so our exhibitors, they go through, I mean, they work day in and day out with these animals.

00:09:46:24 - 00:10:17:11
Matt Durian
And so we require all of our junior market exhibitors to participate in a quality assurance program. Whether that's, you know, the youth for the quality Care of Animals or Missouri has one that's show me quality assurance. It just goes into, the best practices when it comes to animal welfare and animal care. And so by requiring our exhibitors to go through those programs, they really learn about the best practices that they can be doing, whether it's at home or at the American royal.

00:10:17:13 - 00:10:36:23
Matt Durian
But no, there's not anything specific that we've done to prepare them. You know, these kids are they're well educated. They understand how to speak and how to present their livestock as well as themselves. And so I've never had a concern with any of our youth exhibitors when it comes to animal welfare groups or animal activists and of that nature.

00:10:37:00 - 00:10:59:13
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah, that's really good to know. And I also for youth that can be listening, I like to highlight unique roles in agriculture. And your job is something that a guidance counselor would probably never say, hey, go, you know, could be a let's talk manager. So can you tell me about your role and and then what choices you had to make to get there for sure.

00:10:59:13 - 00:11:23:01
Matt Durian
And it does take a special breed of person to want to, to run livestock shows. There are early mornings and late nights and, I would say that everyone loves attending that livestock show. They love being in the barns and showing cattle or sheep and goats, but being on the other side of it and getting to facilitate running an event at this level is is so rewarding.

00:11:23:03 - 00:11:45:16
Matt Durian
You know, day in and day out, it's just a lot of preparation and logistical work for getting those 17 days in October as perfect and as great as we can make them. You know, I would say the choices that I had to make, I was very fortunate that I didn't graduate high school thinking that this is what I wanted to do for a career.

00:11:45:18 - 00:12:06:22
Matt Durian
Until I ran that jackpot show through my college. There's a lot of, you know, depending on where you go to school, they all try to post something at a certain level. And I'd say just getting involved with shows, whether it's through your college, the American Royal, we offer an internship program, as I'm sure a lot of other shows across the country do.

00:12:06:24 - 00:12:34:08
Matt Durian
You know, I participated in those growing up. Livestock judging would be the same thing. I had the opportunity to compete in livestock judging in 2017. Five years later, not only was I competing at the same show in 2017, I got to run it five years later. So that was a pretty special night to looking back through, you know, old social media pictures and seeing a photo of me judging five years to the day.

00:12:34:08 - 00:12:54:03
Matt Durian
And I was on the other side of things. It was really, really special. You know, when I was in college and I didn't have any facial hair and, and I look entirely different and I'm a different person than I was then. Was was nice to see. And it felt like the culmination of a lot of work and hours put in.

00:12:54:05 - 00:13:03:21
Chrissy Wozniak
That's really cool. And for those traveling to the show from out of town, what what are some must sees in Kansas City while they're there?

00:13:03:23 - 00:13:26:22
Matt Durian
Yeah. You know, I would encourage everyone that doesn't already know is that we're building a new facility. We're going over onto the Kansas side of things, and that's been a long coming project and encouraging our exhibitors. Hey, go drive by and see the progress that we're making and and know what we're trying to work towards on the horizon.

00:13:26:24 - 00:13:51:10
Matt Durian
On a more fun note, you know, there are a lot of amazing places in Kansas City to eat. There is a place just three minutes down the road called Slabs Barbecue, which not that we need the lines there any longer than they already are. But if you want to talk about just phenomenal food and a true experience of Kansas City barbecue, that would be the place to go.

00:13:51:12 - 00:14:09:12
Chrissy Wozniak
Oh, that sounds awesome. I know I was briefly in Kansas City in the springtime, just kind of landing and then driving through, headed to Manhattan, Kansas. But just the flights didn't line up right at a meal time. So I was that next time I'm definitely gonna have to stop for a barbecue for sure.

00:14:09:14 - 00:14:21:16
Matt Durian
Yeah, there's obviously there's not a lot of places that you can go wrong around here. Yeah. Whether it's, you know, slabs or gates or Joes, I mean, they're they're all just phenomenal places to eat.

00:14:21:18 - 00:14:35:23
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah. So I. Yeah. Where can people go to register whether they're participating? And, whether they just want to purchase tickets or parking passes or whatever so they can attend.

00:14:36:00 - 00:15:03:21
Matt Durian
Yeah. Our communications team here at the American Royal has done a phenomenal job actually building a new website. Same link as old. It's the American royal.com. There's a follow livestock tab that will have spots to register if you're showing livestock. That'll walk you through all the information that we'll need. But on the same note, it would be the ability to go in there and purchase a parking pass or a day pass and and then come on down to the American Royal October.

00:15:03:21 - 00:15:14:09
Matt Durian
Whether you're showing or not, just being a part of our 125th year and the legacy that we're leaving. I think it's going to be an extremely special year this year.

00:15:14:11 - 00:15:27:18
Chrissy Wozniak
Amazing. Yeah, it sounds like and, how can listeners who maybe can't attend or companies that are listening, how can they get involved? Do you welcome donations or sponsorships through the show as well?

00:15:27:20 - 00:15:53:04
Matt Durian
Absolutely. We're always looking for potential partnerships and folks to work with. And, I would say that our phones are always open. Our emails are always available. It's one of those deals that if you have whether it's a specific niche or the, part of the industry that you want to either promote or if there's something that we can do to partner together, that's always an option.

00:15:53:04 - 00:16:13:05
Matt Durian
And for the folks that can't make it to the show. We have a wonderful partnership with a company called Walton Webcasting that we use that broadcasts every show for all 17 days. Being able to to tune in at any time and, and to watch that show from any point in the country. It's phenomenal where we are in the world.

00:16:13:05 - 00:16:23:08
Matt Durian
And to think that that's what, you know, all of the years, and this is one we get to exist where you can watch a show in 50 states at any point, wherever you are.

00:16:23:10 - 00:16:33:24
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah, that's incredible, isn't it? And lastly, what drives your passion for the industry? Why do you wake up every day and serve in the way you do?

00:16:34:01 - 00:16:59:22
Matt Durian
That's a great question. You know, I really think it's because of the folks that that had an impact on me. The, my, my college advisor who was in charge of leading us through that, that Western Bonanza program. To this day, she's still a great, great friend of mine. And actually, she's at the point where her daughter is now going to be coming and showing at the American royal for the first time.

00:16:59:24 - 00:17:25:18
Matt Durian
And I think I just want to be able to, to leave an impact on our exhibitors and, and the amount of people that you just talk to. And when they ask what you do for work and you say you work for the American royal, and they have some story about when they showed here and they were pulling trailers through the West Bottoms, or they were, you know, showing cattle underneath the flags of American Royal, Hail Arena and it's just really special to be a part of that.

00:17:25:20 - 00:17:47:23
Matt Durian
And I just want to make sure that I can do everything in my power to, to create a lasting impression for anyone that walks through our doors or brings cattle through our barns, or sheep and goats or pigs and just trying to to wake up each morning to improve our show, to improve what we can do and really, really create an impact on these youth exhibitors.

00:17:48:00 - 00:18:00:12
Chrissy Wozniak
Yeah, that's a that's a legacy to be proud of, for sure. The same same with the show. Just an incredible legacy of service to to our communities and to our industry, which is great. So thank you for what you do.

00:18:00:14 - 00:18:29:22
Matt Durian
Yeah. Well I appreciate it. And and I days it is a thankless job. And you know when you come leave here at 11 p.m. midnight and you're back at 435 the next morning. I don't want to say you regret your decisions, but, you know, the days get long and the hours are are arduous. But it really is rewarding when, you know, I look back on photos of a nine year old girl from Oregon smiling from ear to ear because she just got crowned the champion market goat right?

00:18:29:24 - 00:18:35:07
Matt Durian
And it really, it is rewarding. And I love what I do each and every day.

00:18:35:09 - 00:18:56:09
Chrissy Wozniak
That is great. Well, thank you so much for joining me today. And yeah, thanks to all who are watching or listening. If you want to learn more. Links are provided in the show notes. Don't forget to subscribe to North American Egg Spotlight podcast on, Rumble, telegram, Apple, Spotify, Amazon, wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you like the episode, I would love it if you shared it and have a great day.