Bittersweet isn’t often a word that comes to mind when one thinks of Baldridge family and their seasonings, but moving forward from the 2026 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), it’s the new truth for Rosalind Kidwell. Achieving one of her biggest goals as a member of National Junior Angus Association (NJAA), Kidwell was named this year’s Jim Baldridge Outstanding Leadership Award winner.
“It’s a big honor, especially from the Baldridge family. Their seasoning was always in our cabinet at home, and we always knew who Jim Baldridge was,” Kidwell said. “Being able to win this award is the perfect way to cap off my junior career. It’s my last year at nationals, my last time being a junior member, and it’s extremely bittersweet.”
Kidwell’s pride for the industry isn’t just the passion of a junior showman, however. She carries the extra weight of pride that comes with being a fifth-generation cattle producer.Through newspaper clippings and old photographers kept at home, Kidwell can recite her family history with pride. Her great, great, great-grandpa was a member of the Indiana Junior Angus Association and the American Aberdeen Breeders Association. He also was one of the first people to exhibit the champion bred-and-owned heifer and champion bull at the Chicago Stock Exchange.
Although Kidwell took on the challenge of upholding that same level of excellence, she found her own niche in the industry.
“I’m a people person,” she said. “I just kind of enjoy the leadership and the camaraderie and the community that comes with being a leader. So, I think for me, it’s always going to be involved in my life no matter where I’m at.”
It’s a truth reflected in both her past and present. Kidwell wore the iconic red coat of Miss American Angus from 2024-2025, and while attending Purdue University, she’s found a new way to give back to the community.
When she first started her journey in higher education, Kidwell admits being on a campus of 50,000 felt almost overwhelming Today, she’s currently serving on the Purdue College of Ag Student Council while pursuing her degree in biochemistry on the pre-pharmacy track with a minor in animal science.
“So being able to be a part of leadership that’s bringing kids together and giving them professional opportunities and things like that is something that I think is really cool,” Kidwell said.
As she looks beyond graduation, Kidwell plans to take on new roles with both the American Angus Auxiliary and the Indiana Angus Association, preparing for when their organization hosts Eastern Regionals.
And yet, none of that involvement is something Kidwell seeks recognition for.
“[Leadership is] something you’re not always going to get recognized for and that’s okay because at the end of the day, I know I did something right and I know I feel good about what I did and how I represented myself.”
In Louisville this July, that’s what Kidwell kept reminding herself. Even if she didn’t come out holding that prestigious eagle trophy, there was still a sense of humble pride in what she’d accomplished during her time in the NJAA.
Standing on those green shavings, waiting for the announcement during the closing ceremonies of the NJAS, she reflected on all that she’d been able to experience.
Kidwell said, “I’ve felt so fulfilled in everything I’ve done in the Angus Association that even if I didn’t get [the Jim Baldridge Outstanding Leadership award], I came for two days. I got to see my friends. I got to hug all the people and get to have really good conversations, whether it be about cows, whether it be about school, whether it be about clothes that I went and bought or just general conversation.”
That sense of gratitude burned brighter as a few key points of her application were read out on the loudspeaker before she was recognized.
“But they said it when they recognized me that leadership is something that you aren’t recognized for and that’s what spoke out to them and me,” Kidwell said. “And I didn’t really realize that that was something that even showed in how I led, but it’s one of the things that I stick true to. You never know who’s watching. You never know who’s around the corner talking to a friend and they see you being a strong leader.”
Kidwell also believes that strong leadership doesn’t have to be loud.
“You don’t always have to be the one who has the answers in the room. But being able to be that consistent kind of like steady rock for everybody that binds everybody together is something that’s really important to me in leadership,” she said. “So hearing that is how I was described. It kind of gave me chills because it’s how I try to lead and how I try to be as a person.”
Looking forward, Kidwell promises to hold tight to one of the best pieces of advice she’s received, a tidbit Lauren Wolter passed on after Kidwell took up the crown of Miss American Angus for the first time.
“She said, ‘It is your year, make it yours and nobody else gets to decide it,’” Kidwell recited. “And I think that carries into every single facet of what we do here in the National Junior Angus Association and even the American Angus Association itself. It is your role, do what you want and fulfill it how you want.”
This award is in tribute to the late Jim Baldridge and his devotion to helping Angus youth through the NJAA. Bill and Betty Werner of Werner Angus in Cordova, Illinois, donated $50,000 to the Angus Foundation in 2013. Their donation created a permanent fund that awards a $5,000 scholarship each year to the winner of the NJAA’s Outstanding Leadership Award. This award, first established in 1998, recognizes one exceptional NJAA member each year for their leadership in Angus.
Results of the 2026 NJAS, including shows, contests, awards and scholarships, can be found at www.njas.info. Additional coverage is also available on the NJAA social media channels and in the September issue of the Angus Journal.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL JUNIOR ANGUS ASSOCIATION. The National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) promotes the involvement of young people in raising Angus cattle while also providing leadership and self-development opportunities for more than 4,500 active members nationwide.
