Show Dad
Well-known member
AAOK - That premium auction short change is a real bad thing. I for one work to have a few buyers clued in on who needs support at the auction. There is always a kid who's family doesn't have the money to do that or isn't connected to the right people. And this group of supporters makes sure it gets spread around.
We have one girl who started showing when she was young. Her grandfather helped buy the heifer. He died that same year. She comes from a family that works hard but doesn't have much. She pays for all the feed herself. But from that one heifer she has shown steers, bulls, cow/calf and more heifers. Built up a nice little herd. She is always talking to someone about her plans. And because of her enthusiasm she has gotten help from some good people and obtained embryos and semen of some really nice cattle. She is competitive on a shoe string. This will be her last year to show at the fair but every year she has trouble at the auctions. She got Res. Champ last year and was having trouble finding anyone to bid when one of these fine gents from a local business just up and bid the same as the Champ got. Boy did that get the whiners crying. Most said she had it rigged, blah blah. But she could hardly contain herself. It's nice to see it work for everyone. But it takes work.
We have one girl who started showing when she was young. Her grandfather helped buy the heifer. He died that same year. She comes from a family that works hard but doesn't have much. She pays for all the feed herself. But from that one heifer she has shown steers, bulls, cow/calf and more heifers. Built up a nice little herd. She is always talking to someone about her plans. And because of her enthusiasm she has gotten help from some good people and obtained embryos and semen of some really nice cattle. She is competitive on a shoe string. This will be her last year to show at the fair but every year she has trouble at the auctions. She got Res. Champ last year and was having trouble finding anyone to bid when one of these fine gents from a local business just up and bid the same as the Champ got. Boy did that get the whiners crying. Most said she had it rigged, blah blah. But she could hardly contain herself. It's nice to see it work for everyone. But it takes work.
He picked the top two kids out of every class, penned them and told the rest to leave, not even telling them what they did right or wrong just leave. I'm not kidding. One class of AOB, he said there really wasn't anything out there that fit an exceptional pig but he'd try hard to find a close second. We almost died! Talk about kicking kids down in the dirt!!! Oh, well, we're off to chickens tomorrow and goats on later in the week. The cattle decided they didn't want to load in the trailer today for some strange reason so they are in the pasture. Horses at the end of the week also. 
