But for Marko & I, summer equals cattle shows. It kind of makes me laugh how accustomed our friends our to us being MIA nearly every Saturday from June to August.
OK, I'll admit, it's not every Saturday. In fact, I have an empty Saturday in my planner as early as next week, but I promise you, this summer I will be spending a lot of time on the wash rack and a lot of quality time with my husband behind the wheel of a truck hauling a trailer. But really, we don't mind. This is our thing.
Do I have to get sappy and remind you that our love story started at a cattle show?
We kicked off our "show season" last weekend at a two-day show in Preston, MN. Two days means double the work and double the fun. :)
Saturday morning started at 4 am. Besides a quick freakout when a classic case of miscommunication resulted in us almost losing the back end of the Jeep (not a scratch, thank goodness) and a mild setback waking up our third wheel, the commute went pretty well.
As soon as we got there, though, it was go, go, go, go, go, go...do I need to continue? The point is, we were busy. And I was a sweaty, hot mess, but folks, you don't go to a cattle show to look pretty.
Jason is showing a Style daughter this summer for Mark & I. You might have seen some pictures of her on the blog before – she's my wedding present from Mark. Yes, my husband gave me a heifer for a wedding present. Yes, I gave him a decanter. Yes, it wasn't a fair gift exchange. Don't remind me.
Matt is showing a Saugahatchee heifer our of our donor cow Molly. Jason & Matt's heifers are half-sisters and I promise you they couldn't be more different. Scarface (notice the birthmark on her face) is tiny, big-bodied, and a baby to work with. #1 (creative name huh?) is maternal, extended and crrrazzy. But in the end, we are pretty confident they are going to be really good cows and that is what matters. They are also both half-sibs to these calves I posted about before.
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| {Jason} |
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| {Matt} |
Saturday took forever. Let me slow it down and say it in Sandlot style...FOORREEVVERR.
I snapped this picture at 9:30 pm when the kids were just finishing up the judging contest portion of the show. At 10 pm when it finally wrapped up, we piled in the truck to grab some food...to find the only place open in town was the Casey's gas station. Jackpot!
And then, we got up at 6 am and started it again all over again on Sunday.
And of course, we are doing it all again this Saturday and Sunday. :)
XOXO,
I might sound totally crazy but what are they judging you on? Best cow? Prettiest cow? Biggest cow? Is this like a dog show on TV? Sorry-- Im such a city girl...
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Athomewhenimwithyou.blogspot.com
Good questions - I definitely should have explained! Sorry!
ReplyDeleteCattle are judged on their physical features, so a combination of all 3. :) Basically, the judge is looking for an animal that is built correctly so it can go out and do what it was intended to do - be a cow, raise meat, breed cattle, ect. So for example, if it's a steer (which is castrated male) that will eventually go to market for meat, we want plenty of muscle and enough fat so the meat tastes good, plus it's a bonus if he stands square on his feet & legs, moves well and looks good. For a heifer, which will go on an be a cow, we want her to be big bodied so she will be able to carry a calf some day, structurally correct so she will last a long time in the herd, and have some growth to pass on to her offspring...because in the end we always want pounds of product for people to eat. Plus, there are some slightly unpractical things they are judged on, like if they are pretty fronted, ect. But big picture, it's all so we can pick the best animal for our cowherd to pass on good genetics and pieces.
So, yes, it's a bit like a dog show...maybe one day they will put a cow show on TV, I think we could make a ridiculous reality TV show. :) It's important to remember that the show industry is an extremely small niche of the beef industry, but in the end we all have the same goals! Good cattle & great beef!
By the way, you need to add an email to your profile so I can email you directly! Hopefully I am teaching you a thing or two about the beef industry and you can motivate to get my butt in gear with some of my DIY projects! I have been loving your posts lately.:) Let me know if you have any other questions!
Jamie
Hey there! Did you ever get involved into a position when a complete stranger has stolen any of your personal ideas? Waiting forward to hear your answer.
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