Zoey Justus had never entered a cow-calf pair at the Western National Angus Futurity show in Reno, Nevada.

She’s glad she finally decided to do so.

Justus, 18, who grew up and lives on her family’s Baker Valley cattle ranch, won grand champion for her black Angus cow-calf pair at the annual competition March 30.

“It’s the biggest show I’ve been to,” Justus said.

She had entered animals in the competition the previous three years, including the cow, then a heifer, that was half of the winning pair.

The cow was born in January 2022, and her calf in June 2024.

Justus said that in addition to the annual Reno show, she also competes occasionally in “jackpot” shows that take place in different places around Oregon, Washington and Idaho each year.

The daughter of Kody and Heidi Justus, Zoey said she got her first cow when she was 6.

“It was a bottle calf,” she said.

Two years later a neighbor who raises registered black Angus told her that if she took one of his heifers to the Baker County Fair, she could keep the animal.

She agreed.

It was a challenge, though.

“That was one of the worst cows I’ve ever shown,” Justus said with a laugh. “Her temper was so bad.”

In the decade since, Justus has expanded her herd, which now numbers 14, including cows and calves and one breeding bull.

She said she sells steers occasionally, as well as a few heifers.

Justus, who said she was homeschooled starting in third grade, said that when she was 12 or 13 her parents told her that if she wanted to continue managing her own cattle herd, “you have to work for it.”

She said she works for her parents on the ranch, and pays a lease fee for the pasture that her cattle use.

Justus said she wants to continue working on her parents’ ranch, and to stay in the livestock business.

Although she enjoys learning — she attended a course when she was 15 to learn about artificial insemination — Justus said she doesn’t plan to attend college.

“I like having experiences in person rather than reading them from a book,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed working with cows. There’s always something different. I really enjoy being a problem solver.”