JT Keith
Kyle Bean did not know that quitting band would change his life.
The Artesia football player found his place in agriculture through 4-H and later FFA, where showing dairy heifers became more than an activity. It became part of who he is.
A creed to live by
“I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds,” E.M. Tiffany wrote in the FFA Creed. “Achievements won by the present and past generations of agriculturists; in the promise of better days through better ways, even as the better things we now enjoy have come to us from the struggles of former years.”
The FFA Creed, written by Tiffany in 1928, is a five-paragraph statement that has helped guide generations of FFA members. Bean said it also shapes the way he tries to live. He does not call himself a farmer. He calls himself an agriculturist.
Bean said farming and agriculture are connected but not the same. A farmer plows land, grows crops, harvests them and sells what is produced.
Agriculture, he said, is broader. It includes animals, farming, teaching, and the work that connects them.
The switch that stuck
Bean, 18, has shown dairy heifers since he was 9. Before that, he was in band. He quickly learned it was not for him, but 4-H was.
“I went into PowerSchool and changed from band to agriculture for the next year,” Bean said. “That was the best decision I ever made.”
When he joined FFA, Bean said, he learned far more than he expected.
Football and fair season
Bean is a member of Artesia’s 2025 Class 4A state championship football team. He said head coach Jeremy Maupin has worked with his schedule when livestock shows conflict with practice, including a show in Roswell. Bean said he may have to miss practice twice this year if he goes to the state fair.
“He is very understanding of what I do,” Bean said. “He understands that this is a big part of my life as a football player, and he is willing to work with me.”
Building trust in the barn
Bean is preparing for the Eddy County Fair. He started the year by traveling with his father to Minnesota to pick up six dairy heifers. He also has two older heifers from last year.
For Bean, success starts with trust. He works to build confidence with each animal from the start, and he wants them to trust him in return.
“It starts the day they get out of the trailer,” Bean said. “We are hand-walking them. We are getting them halter-broke to lead them around and walk them.” Bean compares the halter to putting a leash on a dog. The goal is to make sure the heifers are not easily spooked on show day.
Controlling what he can
Bean said dairy heifers will become milk cows one day, but a cow must have a calf before producing milk. He said it usually takes about two years for a heifer to conceive.
“There is a lot of competition in the dairy heifer,” Bean said. “There are a lot of families in Eddy County that bring very good, high-quality animals. I try not to worry about what other people are doing, because at the end of the day, it is one judge’s opinion on one given day. I can only control what I can control, and that is getting my animals to look the best they can that day.”
Editor’s note: This story is scheduled to publish online Thursday and in print Wednesday. Artesia Daily Press reporter JT Keith will follow Swayzee Folmar and Kyle Bean each week through the Eddy County Fair, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at FFA and the competition leading up to the fair.