How many years have you been showing/raising

[DCC_Cattle]

I have been showing since I was 6 years old (14 years) and raising my own for about 10 years.

 

[frostback]

Bought my first two shorthorns in my teens and have shown something or other since then too, so 23 years.

 

[Davis Shorthorns]

I have been raising for 4 years now.

 

[Lindsey Farms]

I showed  steers and heifers for 8 years, then my senior year i bought some heifers and started rasing so that would be another 3 years. 11 total

 

[doubled]

Lets see Im kinda old so started showing when I was 8, so 42 years.

 

[frm_girl]

i started showing cattle four years ago and have been around them and had many bottle babies throughout my life.  so..almost 16 years... <cowboy>

 

[cattlejunky]

Lets see Im kinda old so started showing when I was 8, so 42 years.

Your not old your seasoned.

I just figured it up 29 years.  My 12 year old has 6 more years and I have a 5 year old coming up.  So when he is done I'll be walking with cane.  haha

 

[olsun]

I believe that my first show was a county fair in about 1957. I showed a grade Brown Swiss heifer that my Grandfather gave me. We later got into beef, and I assisted my younger brothers and sisters in showing.We used AI on the dairy cows in the 50's and when we switched to beef the AI came with it. We used a lot of the first imports of the Maines, chis, simmental and charolais. Still have some of that old stuff in the tank. Sorry, no Cunia , we used it all up. I have been involved in the show ring on and off since the start, my start I mean. I believe that I have seen almost the full cycle, from the 1950's puds to almost back again. I feel that I have learned a lot, but each time the industry changes, I realize how much I still have to learn. This board has been a great source of wisdom, and I thank you all for it. Keep up with the good topics and information. (clapping) (clapping)

 

[oakview]

We showed at our first county fair in 1965 and have shown continuously at the state fair since 1967.  Our first Shorthorn was purchased in 1963 and I still have a few descendants. 

 

[Ruebush Shorthorns]

My family has raised commercial cattle ever since I was born.  I bought my first steer when I was 9 and just kept adding them up, selling and buying at market.  Started showing steers at 14.  Sold some commercial animals and started into shorthorns about 4 years ago.  So on the farm for 23 years and showing for 9.  Raising show pigs now too for about 7 years.

 

[red]

so far we're to about 560 years. am sure it will be a whole lot higher since many haven't posted!

(welcome)

Red

 

[blue]

I have been around cattle all my life, so 27 years.  I have showed for 19 of those years.

 

[Ruchian]

I've been around cattle my entire life, 18 years, and have shown for 9.

 

[chambero]

Bought my first show steer in 1985 when I was 14.  I graduated high school in 89.  Showed Herefords every year and a crossbred.  Best I ever did with a steer with a major was second place exotic at Fort Worth behind the Reserve Grand in 89.  Don't think I ever missed making the sale at a major.  Boy have times changed there.  I didn't realize how much lighter the competetion was back then.

Kid sister started showing in 89 and I helped her till she graduated in 99.  We had the Champion Maine steer at Houston in 93.  Lots of other higher placing steers at majors (lots of 2-6s), but we never spent enough money to win big consistently.

My mentor on showing cattle always had some cows that helped with some, but I really got into raising them when I met my wife and began helping her dad in 93.  Bought our first Maine bulls in 95 I guess.  My wife and I bought our own cows (15 bred heifers at an average of around $550 a head back then) for the first time in 96, actually a month before we were married.  Had to have those priorities straight.  Haven't slowed down since.  And we still have seven of those original 15 cows, although they are are little short in the tooth now.  But they sure helped paid their way and a bunch of other bills over the years!

 

[justintime]

Our purebred Shorthorn herd was started in 1917,so it is kinda in my blood. I can remember helping my dad drag some cattle around to summer shows when I was about 6 years old and cannot remember a year since that I have not shown cattle since. I got my first purebred female when I was 7 years old and have had always had some since. So... seeing I am older than dirt, I have been showing and raising cattle for 51 years.

 

[Show Heifer]

Congrats GRsimm.....I was just awarded the Heritage Farm, which is 150 years.... in the family name since 1843.
Probably the most proud of that accomplishment.
Raising cattle since Dad could take me to the barns. "Bought" my first one at age 5, when I paid $1 for a bottle calf. Never bought a show calf, always raised my own. I just take it more seriously now. My cows are my employees, and I run (or try to)  a tight ship. Still don't care if I win or not, as long as I can pay my bills, and I enjoy what I see in my pastures and so far, I can do both.

So I guess call me a lifer....or roughly 35 years. But is it the years that count or the miles.....

 

[DLD]

Guess I'm a lifer, too. That'd be 42+ years. My family raised Polled Herefords, and most of my earliest memories are from shows when my brother was in high school or open shows for the first few years after he graduated. I showed (2 Hereford steers) at our county show when I was in kindergarten. I had several blacks and a Shorthorn through the years, but my biggest success's were still with Herefords - I had champion Polled Hereford steer at Denver and reserve champion Hereford steer at OKC in '83.

I had a neice and several nephews that started showing about the time I graduated and had at least one showing pretty much ever since. Also had a few neighboring families I helped along the way, and of course  have been raising and selling (and trading) them all along the way. Among them all, I can count premium sale steers at every OK and TX major and Kansas City, Denver and Phoenix, including a few breed champions and reserves, and several class winning and division champion and reserve heifers, too.

Now I have my own kids showing, and we're still loving every minute of it. We've done some winning at county and district levels and stayed in the top end of our classes at the bigger shows. Sometimes I wonder where all that experience went, 'cause it's not gettin' any easier out there, but if there's one thing I've learned it's that if you quit learning as you go, you're gonna get left behind.

 

[AAOK]

Certainly NOT a lifer!  Raised in Ada, OK where Football is King, and there was no type of an Ag program, I was completely unaware of Livestock Shows.  My wife and I had been married about 4 years when her brother showed a pig at his county fair.  We went to watch, and I was impressed, but also confused as to why someone would want to chase a pig around a little ring full of other pigs.  The next year he showed a steer which was purchased from a man I knew, so I asked him about this show thing, and learned he made quite a big profit from selling "Show Stock".  This was right about the time we bought some land outside of town, and built our house.  Our fist daughter had just turned 1.

We decided to send out girls to the school district we lived in instead of transfering into the City.  My wife had been big in 4-H when she was in school (another thing I hadn't heard of), and started both girls as soon as they could.  Some of their friends were showing pigs, and in 1987. we had our first show pig.  Our Younger daughter's best friend had a Show Heifer her first year, and Missy wanted one too.  My Father-in-law gave her a little Polled Hereford heifer in 1989.  She didn't do to well, but we all had fun with the project.  We started going to some shows just to watch, and decided we would get inot the breeding end of the business with some Maine-Anjou because they were "pretty", and competition was ZERO.

In 1990 we purchased our first Maine-Anjou, a bred heifer, and a cow-calf pair.  The little heifer of the pair was too much for our Mandy to handle, and we got a high school boy to show her.  Our first two Bred and Owned MA heifers went with us to the 1991 Jr National show in Kearny, NE.  Our girls showed at County, State, Jackpots, and the Jr. National shows through 2000.  We had the Supreme and Reserve MA heifer at our County six of the ten years we showed.  Our county averages about 70 head of heifers.  We won at both OKC and Tulsa, as well as having many victories at the AJMAA Shows; the greatest being Res. Grand high % Female at the 1998 show in SD.

Our younger daughter Missy, received both her State and American FFA degrees, as well as winning the Star Farmer award for her District in OK.  Our family is proof that you CAN start clueless, and succeed; but more importantly, you DO NOT have to go out and buy ridiculously expensive calves or donor cows.  You just have to work harder, and work smarter than the rest of the crowd.

Since selling out to the Blackwell family last year, we were looking forward to watching the DCA calves show in Kansas City, but we have for several years, had a family reunion the weekend closest to July 4th.  I hope they get the date for the show next year back into June.  For more about our History please look at: www.clubcalves.com/asklundhistory.htm

 

[doubled]

Lets see Im kinda old so started showing when I was 8, so 42 years.

Your not old your seasoned.

I just figured it up 29 years.  My 12 year old has 6 more years and I have a 5 year old coming up.  So when he is done I'll be walking with cane.  haha

I like that, true I am seasoned, or sometimes maybe pickled hehe - thanks all I know is that when its in your blood it never leaves <party>

 

[kanshow]

Lifer, pickled, seasoned...  whatever!!    Add another 40 years to the count.    My family has been in the cattle business since late 1800's - I can't be sure of when it all started.    We have one piece of land that has been in the family for over 100 years.    Hubby's family has been at it at least 3 generations as well.