Grandview FFA Member Honored as One of the Top Production Agriculture SAE in the Nation
Wednesday, November 8, 2023 | Author: Kyle Hampel, National FFA
While most people tend to say that dogs or cats are their favorite animals, Callie Welty knew from a young age that her favorite animals are Brahman cattle.
“I fell in love with Brahman cattle when I was little, and so I just kind of built on that love as I grew up,” Welty said. “Brahman cattle are very intelligent and they definitely have a personality. … When I was in third grade, I had one that actually played hide and seek with me.”
Welty was born into a cattle ranching family, and she said her mother and aunt introduced her to the Brahman — a breed known for distinctive humpbacks and long, floppy ears.
Before she was a member of Grandview FFA in Texas, Welty began raising a Brahman herd when she was in third grade. Welty said she has been maintaining her herd with the help of her family for over a decade, and she has no plans to stop.
But Welty has a second passion that forms the other half of her supervised agricultural experience (SAE): public speaking.
“When I started doing 4-H and FFA, I kind of decided I don’t get nervous talking to people,” Welty said. “Being in front of a crowd actually excites me.”
In addition to raising her own Brahman cattle, Welty also does social media management, livestock photography, marketing and other public-facing services for fellow Brahman breeders around the world. Her media and industry outreach work has taken her to Asia, South America, Europe and various parts of the U.S. She also does interviews for the Cowboy Channel as a summer job.
“As an only child, I love to have my fingers in everything and I like to try everything,” Welty said.
Welty is currently majoring in agricultural communications and journalism at Texas A&M University. She said she’d like to get a job in agricultural media or public relations someday, but she’ll always want to maintain her Brahman herd on the side.
For FFA members wanting to start an SAE, Welty said her best advice is to keep an open mind and turn whatever you’re passionate about into an SAE.
“I’ve seen lots of people start their own SAEs through raising dogs or raising cats,” Welty said. “I think there’s an opportunity for every FFA member no matter where you live or where you are.”
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