Hadley Hendrickson

Hadley Hendrickson: Leading The Industry With Faith

Hadley Hendrickson, is from Farmland, IN. She is wrapping up her show career. As Hadley has been a familiar face in all of the rings she has learned that work and passion is the only way to get where you want in life. She started showing sooner than she could, ever since then she worked for her spot in the industry. With her parents and support system by her side she has faced many big challenges and has created memories that will last a lifetime. Hadley knows that she would never be where she is today without God. Hadley makes sure that everyday she gives it all to him.“My name is Hadley Hendrickson. I am 18 years old, and I am from Farmland, Indiana. This fall I will be a freshman at Purdue University, majoring in Animal Science with a pathway in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. I am many things other than the livestock showman that many don’t see in the big ring. I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, an aspiring future veterinarian, among many other things, but most importantly I am a Christian.”Hadley Hendrickson is a known face in the ring as Hadley’s life has been focused around showing her journey is coming to an end. She has set new goals that shift away from her in the ring and starts somewhere else. “My new goal is to serve on the National Junior Swine Association Junior Board of Directors – with all of my heart and passion. Also I’m shifting to focus on my schooling at Purdue University, so I can apply to the veterinary school at Purdue. My long term goal is to serve the industry that has provided me with so much while sharing God to the industry and keeping him as my center focus.”Hadley’s journey in the industry began with a pig named “Harvey” at the 2009 North American International Livestock Exposition. This show started the journey that would bring Hadley closer to her family and God.“The 2009 North American International Livestock Exposition was my first pig show, where I showed my crossbred barrow with the help of Hank Pegg.” That was the start of Hadley’s long passion for the industry that the people helping on the sidelines created. “I was impacted by many people within the industry, and I would not be where I am today without each and everyone of them. But most importantly, I would not have been given these incredible opportunities – traveling the country doing what I love without my parents.” Daniel and Telynda have always been there for Hadley. Through every struggle and every heart ache. “They will forever be my biggest supporters and my loudest cheerleaders in and out of the show ring. I would also not be where I am today without my four other dads: Travis Platt, Todd Caldwell, Tim Schaeffer and Ian McKenzie. These four people gave me so many opportunities for success and ultimately made me a better human, despite sometimes questionable fathering methods. All jokes aside, I could never thank these people enough for being my rocks in my highest of highs and my lowest of lows.” -Thank You“The work that is done when no one is watching is what makes the wins so incredible and truly indescribable.” Passion and a goal is what leads a person to want to not only win, but to work, show up, and dedicate yourself every day. Hadley has done all of the work, and the passion, because that’s Hadley’s why. “When a person has a passion, they have to be willing to make sacrifices, so they can work towards the ultimate goal of being successful in what they love to do. Success can look very different for people, but for me, success looks like making my animals look to the best of their ability at home, enabling them to compete at the highest level in the showring. At the same time, I desire to make an impact on others through my show career by portraying a culture of hard work and a passion for what I love. The work at home looks like early mornings, late nights, and long days, which can be trying at times, but I am doing it with the people that I love and making memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Even though spending my entire summer walking pigs in the heat of the day or washing calves in the freezing cold cooler can be tiring, the bond and memories that are made in those moments are what make this industry so special and unlike any other. I have learned lessons and gained traits during those periods that will not only benefit me for my future career and goals, but I also now have the ability to mentor other future generations of livestock exhibitors.”There was not a specific moment when everything shifted for Hadley. She always knew the goal was to compete at the highest level and that’s just what she has continued to work for. “My goal has always been to exhibit and one day be successful at national shows and compete at the highest levels.” Hadley started her journey at NAILE on the green shavings and is what created Hadleys passion and love for the industry. “My very first show was at the North American International Livestock Exposition when I was two years old, and after that first show I absolutely loved competing at such a high level. At that point, I didn’t understand how competitive the national shows were, but I knew that is where I wanted to exhibit. As I got older and matured, I realized that not only did I want to exhibit on such a high level, but I wanted to have success. From then on, I set goals for myself to have success and win on such a high level, and I set those national shows as a priority to work everyday towards.”Hadley has had several surreal moments and wins. But winning the Supreme Overall Heifer, Reserve Supreme Overall Heifer, and Fourth Overall Heifer at the 2024 Indiana State Fair is definitely the win that hits the most for Hadley. “Prior to that event, I had many struggles occurring within my life. I had even thought about quitting my passion for showing because of the struggles that I was dealing with. My family and my faith was truly what kept me going during this time because they helped me realize that God has a plan for everyone.”Hadley fought through those times with God by her side. She knew she could continue on with the love from her parents and the love from God. “Even though the plan might be challenging at times, His plan is better than any plan you could ever have for yourself.”The journey with these three heifers healed Hadley and showed her that all of her hard work and effort was worth it! “These three heifers heeled me and my family. That year every moment in the barn with the people who loved us most reminded us that God is always there even in the most trying of times.”Hadley loves the pressure! She has set her goals higher and higher as she has become more competitive. “ I love the pressure that I get from other people and myself because it makes me work even harder and set my goals higher. If I come to a point in time where I am struggling to handle the pressure, I try to take time away from the barn whether it is just for 30 minutes to read a book or to run to our local ice cream shop to get a Jumbo Diet Marshmallow Coke with light ice. The livestock industry is an incredible opportunity for young kids, but sometimes as an industry we need to remember that kids have to be kids.”“It is so important for exhibitors to find a balance of pushing themselves to work harder in the barn while also taking time for themselves doing something outside of the industry. So handling the pressure of competing at such a high level is not so overbearing.”Not every day ends with a banner. What has losing taught Hadley that winning never could?“As a very competitive person, it can be difficult to learn that losing is just as important as winning for character building in a young person. Losing does not feel as warm and fuzzy as winning, but the lessons that a young exhibitor learns from those experiences are even more important. In my lowest moments when I thought that all the long days and nights in the barn were not worth the losses, my closest mentors taught me that you can work as hard as any other person in the world and still end a day with losses because it was not your time in God’s plan. This can be a hard lesson to learn for young people. When they do, it will push them to work even harder, so when they have success, they give all the glory to God and stay humble in both the lows and highs throughout their life.”Hadley has nerves like any other person. Before she hits the ring she has had to learn how to focus on her and her animal. Hadley has found that no nerve tricks, pep talks, or songs can help her; the only thing that helps is a prayer.“When I am about to walk into the ring, I say a prayer to thank God for bringing me and my animal this far and to help us do the best we possibly can inside the ring. I then reflect on the journey that me and my family have taken to get this far. That moment right before I walk through the gates into the ring is worth every moment that I have spent in the barn with my family because I realize the entire journey with that animal has led to that very moment, and it all comes down to this: Me, The animal, And the judge.”The industry requires time, commitment, and the ability to work every day. What most of the industry doesn’t realize is the world’s “Normal” doesn’t have any of that. “The biggest thing that I have given up is being a normal teenage girl. I think it was more difficult to understand when I was in elementary because my friends would be having sleepovers or going shopping, and I would have to miss it because I was at a livestock show across the country.”Oftentimes you may feel like an outsider or wonder why can’t I go. Hadley has faced this but has learned just how much she enjoys not having a quote, “Normal Life.” “That aspect of my life made it really hard for me to feel normal or “fit in” with the other girls in my class. As I got older, my mindset shifted about how I should perceive the opportunities to travel. Yes, I did miss out on some things with my friends in my hometown, but in return, I made so many new connections and memories with people from all over the country. I was able to see places and have experiences that a lot of people will never get to see or have. As I reflect back on my show career, I understand that the livestock industry is another world that many don’t understand or know about, but if you are one of the few out of billions of people on the planet who gets to be a part of it. Give thanks to God because those experiences are worth every sacrifice made.” Hadley’s faith is such an important aspect of who she is today. It has led to her values and how she tries to represent the industry, as a leader, an exhibitor, and show her faith to other people. “I believe that trying to base your actions off of what would please God instead of what would please the world around you is so important. The world and industry we live in can be really impressionable towards young minds, and sometimes, those actions are not the way God would want us to be living out our lives. I saw this quote in a movie and before I make an important decision it runs through my mind: “I would rather stand with God and be judged by the world, then stand with the world and be judged by God.” It can be so difficult to follow those guidelines because peer pressure makes people feel as though they are not enough or are not cool enough unless they follow the popular way of doing things, which at times is not right based upon Christianity… As an industry, it is of utmost importance that we keep our faith and the love of God at the center, so it will spread to exhibitors and their families. Then, in the future they will not succumb to the pressures of worldly things.”Hadley is looking forward to this fall,as she is still grinding each day. “I am currently still working towards some of my goals for this fall within the exhibitor aspect of the livestock industry, but I believe now my goals are starting to shift towards my other passion that I will pursue for the rest of my life.” Hadley’s biggest goal she is currently working toward is her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree at Purdue University.“My greatest goal is to attain my (DVM) at Purdue University and return home to give back to my community and the livestock industry that has provided me so much by serving as a swine veterinarian at my family owned practice. I understand that I would not be where I am today without people within the industry giving back to younger exhibitors, so as I transition from being an exhibitor, I want to be that mentor that young exhibitors look up to and stay involved within the industry.”Through the wins and loses Hadley has had a group behind her lifting her up every step of the way. From her parents and support system Hadley has learned that the people by her have made her journey. But more than even her parents, God has made the biggest impact on Hadley’s life. “There are so many people in my life that have made such an impact on me and have helped me become who I am today – both inside and outside of the ring. Ultimately, God deserves the most credit for helping me get to where I am today. He is the reason I have the opportunity to be here in this life and try to make an impact on the world through my faith and passions. Understanding that God has a plan for me has been a challenge, but it has been the greatest triumph of being involved in our industry. I give all the thanks to my Lord and Savior that I had the opportunity to grow up in the best industry and be surrounded by the best people and mentors.”“The most important thing that a showman needs to understand about the journey to having success in and out of the showring is you are going to have to make sacrifices for your passion.”“If you want to do something extremely well, then focus on it with all of your heart, soul, and mind. I still was able to diversify myself and do things outside of the livestock industry, but I had to make difficult decisions sometimes like deciding between whether I would go hang out with my friends or stay home and walk my pigs and wash my calves. Making decisions to prioritize your passion can sometimes be really tough in the moment, but in the end, it is worth all of it to be able to experience a moment of success with your family. Ultimately, it is the little things and the behind the scenes work that make all of the difference when it comes to show day.”“Years from now, I hope people see me as a person that was successful in what I was passionate about because I worked hard, stayed humble, and loved the Lord. I hope people see me as someone their children could look up to because I mentored the new generations of industry leaders. I hope they see me as a livestock showman who came back to serve the industry for the rest of my life because the people within the industry are what drive me to reach my goals and want to make the industry the best it can be. Finally, I hope people see me as a trustworthy friend and Christian that they can come to about anything they may need.” -Hadley Hendrickson