This year we took on a new challenge at the county fair…bringing one of our yearling heifers to show in the breeding classes. Even though we have had cattle on the ranch from the beginning, we do not follow or raise the kind of animals that place high in the show ring. Regardless, my husband decided that showing a heifer would be good for our oldest son and expose him to a wider chunk of the beef cattle industry than he gets to see here at home.
Here is a video of him showing his heifer at the fair. He received a blue in showmanship (not too bad for his first outing) and his heifer was named champion Angus breeding heifer (don’t ask how many registered Angus heifers were at the fair 🙂
I grew up on a diversified dairy farm in southeast South Dakota where I learned how to throw a hay bale, pull a calf, deal with death, and "name" the cows. I was in 4H and FFA, and was privileged to serve as a state FFA officer. In college, I studied animal science, focusing on beef cows, mostly because I figured they were less work than dairy cows....I ended up with a Masters Degree in ruminant nutrition and went to work for the University of Nebraska, first as a research tech coordinating data collection for a swine unit and beef feedlot on a research farm and then as an extension educator. In my current job, I focus on environmental issues related to animal agriculture (which is a nice way of saying I talk about manure alot).
My husband and I live and work on a seedstock cattle operation in northeast Nebraska. You can learn more about our cattle operation by visiting my husband's blog at http://aldersonangus.wordpress.com.
Congratulations!! Regardless of whether they are “home raised” or not, I admire every kid who gets in the ring.
Thanks! He is already talking about next year, so it must have been a good experience for him.