I get a subscription to the High Plains Journal at work.  Mandy, my secretary, immediately brings it to me on Tuesday mornings when it comes in.  She refers to it as my “weekly bible”.  I don’t sit at my desk in my east office and read it.  I take it to my west office, where I can sit and read it in peace and quiet.  I leave it by that throne so I can read it throughout the week.  We advertise in it some and I also look through the classifieds for equipment and what some things are priced at.  I mainly like reading the various articles.  I also always read the Cowpokes cartoon and Jerry Nine’s “Just a Scoop Full”. 

     Loos Tales is a weekly article written by Trent Loos.  He is a farmer/rancher and an agricultural advocate.  He is in tune to the politcal side of agriculture.  His article this week gives his opinion and facts about food stamps.  I agree with a lot of it.  Well, probably all of it.  I am in favor of food stamps/welfare when needed, but it shouldn’t be needed very often and you should have to pass a drug test to get any of it.  He has statistics about the number of legal NON-citizens who recieve food stamps–1.63 million people.  Why do they get any at all?  They don’t pay taxes, so why get benefits. 

     I could go on and on about my political views.  Point being, I don’t like anything going on in Washington D.C. and I will exercise my right to vote.  I will not vote for incumbents.  The whole system needs overhauled, but I am sure that it won’t happen anytime soon. 

     On another note, I drilled some triticale, Austrian winter peas and turnip mix into 25 acres to make for some doe grazing.  I’m thinking I may have put WAY too much turnip seed into the mix.  We’ll find out in a few weeks.

     The Tulsa premium sale was kind of a wreck due to a lot of different reasons.  The goats as a whole brought more on average than the other species, but it could have been better.  Tammy and I have consitently donated money, goats and time to help groups raise money to support the premium sales at OYE and Tulsa.  I don’t want to be the one gathering the money, so I am happy to give a goat and cash to the cause.  At times, I think that I could just do things on my own and buy a wether or two at the sales and call it good, but that is the wrong attitude.

     We have to work together to make this thing work.  We have to have the kids best interests at heart.  I understand and don’t necessarily disagree with the decision to not support non-member breeders at the same level as member breeders.  But, I don’t like that some kids feelings were hurt in order to try to get everybody on board.  That shouldn’t have to happen again.  If you are a breeder of show wethers and you sell any number of wethers for any amount of money to kids in Oklahoma, then you should be a member.  Period.  One, it is the right thing to do.  Two, it is tax deductible.  Three, I can piss away $350 on an average joyful event.  So can you.  This is money well spent.

     I don’t like the thought of having numerous groups trying to gather money for the same cause.  The old right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing kind of deal.  I understand if somebody has a personal opinion about individual(s) that raises money, but you have to put that aside and do the right thing.  I hear a lot of people say “I don’t write a check because of some person or some reason.”  That’s fine, but you still need to find a way to support the program.  I also notice that a lot of the people bitching have never donated money, time or goats to help the cause.  That isn’t fine. 

     As a breeder, it isn’t appropriate to wait to see if you have a wether make the sale before you write a check.  Do it up front and be done.  They had advertised since OYE what their intentions were.  To be honest, I knew about it, but I didn’t think about it until the sale was in process.  I’m still not sure if it was right or wrong.  But, I will still write a check for next year.  My showmen were covered. 

     Maybe, Tammy and I have a different mindset than most.  We don’t care if Duke brings $100 at a premium sale.  It won’t change what we show, how we show or where we show.  We don’t depend on a premium sale check to cash flow his operation.  It is what we do.  It isn’t about the money or the wins.  It is about the journey to get there, the thrill of the chase, and the time spent with family and friends. 

     Before you complain about some of these people that have worked to raise money, ask yourself “What have you done to help?”  Whether you are a fan of John Haffner or Lecil Church does not matter.  You have to respect the fact that they have spent several years, time, effort and their own money to make these fundraisers work.  Sometimes, we just need to say thanks, write a check, bid on the silent auction, whatever and go on.  Trust me.  I can be very vocal when I don’t like something.  I understand if you have a complaint, but check the mirror first and remember why we do this.  Kids. 

     I haven’t always understood how these fundraisers have worked, but I don’t question where the money is spent.  It has always ended up in the hands of kids.  I would also bet that they have used some of their own money to make things work.   They will also admit that some things could have been done different and some people have gotten pissed, but Oh Well, I’ve been known to piss people off myself.  I don’t always understand why John and Lecil work so hard at trying to make these things work.  But I do appreciate their efforts.  I remember when Tulsa only sold 10 wethers and OYE sold 15.  As a direct result of their efforts, these sales sell a lot more goats, which in turns means more money is needed to support the kids.

     I do think that the fundraising efforts need to be more streamlined.  I do think John and Lecil need to stay involved.  They have earned that right.  I think we all need to work together to support this program.  Instead of bitching and complaining next time, just walk up and say “Thank You” to those two guys and any others that work on behalf of our kids.  And no matter what, kids better be writing Thank You cards to all people that buy them at any premium sale or put add-ons.  Those that donate do notice Thank You cards.  Have a good day. 

      I actually got more than 4 hours of sleep last night, which means that I am dragging ass today.  The temp was a little brisk this morning.  If you aren’t blanketing your wethers by now, you are already behind the proverbial eight ball.

     Taking care of wethers in cold temps is a time consuming deal, but it seperates the good feeders from the bad.  Tulsa is a different show from any other as the majority of the wethers weight under 70 pounds.  They come in there still cute and bloomy.  Most of these wethers are only about five months old.  The weather has been good so there hasn’t had to be a lot of management to keep these little guys fresh.  Anybody can do it.  The 80 pounders and up are starting to show some maturity.  Their hide is a little thicker, their chest floor and necks start to appear older.  These wethers are 8-10 months old.  This is the natural progression, but there is a big disparity at Tulsa because of so many little ones. 

     Now fast forward to March, most of the light weights were born in June.  They will be 9 months old.  Throw in the fact, that a lot of people mismanage blankets.  Then, most of the goats will have been sheared for the local, county, district and once again for the state show.  It is hard to keep them fresh.  Not as big of a disparity between the lightweights and heavyweights in March as there is at Tulsa. 

     Really, the question is why would anybody take a 75 pounder or less to Tulsa unless you know he has a chance to win it?  The sale is horrible (lots of reasons why), you can’t replace the quality with anything that will be sold at sales the next week or two and the decent ones at these sales will be way over-valued because there is a small supply and a high demand.  Most of our crew left their little wethers at home this past week.  I’ve been down this road trying to replace wethers lost at Tulsa and it has very rarely worked out for the better.  Thus, the reason Duke showed one big goat at Tulsa. 

     I’m finally finished with Tulsa.  Tyke and I went back Saturday afternoon.  We each sold a pair of does in the Best of Both Worlds sale.  Then, I got up this morning and got Tori’s does ready.  She won division one with a Rainman. 

     My schedule is screwed up the next couple of weeks.  Therefore, I don’t have time to do the Duke’s Up sale, so it will basically be a private treaty deal.  Duke is keeping three wethers and the others are for sale.  There are a couple of 191/100 Helms wethers that are way good.  There is a Sanders goat that is a bonafide div. 1 contender.  Those won’t be cheap goats.  They are good.  

     At Seelke’s there is a couple of Fade2Black wethers that have a chance of being dang good.  Tag 1249 is a blackheaded Fade2Black wether out of a 191 doe.  He has got a monster ass, big rack, posts for bone, paper thin hide and tracks out wide.  The first $1,500 will own him.  He is an end of June wether that is growing good.  I don’t have time to be buying any more goats, but he needs fed.  There are several other wethers there ranging from $300 to $800.  Don’t ask about the bottle baby doe kid.  She is a Fade2Black on a Smokin’ Hot Ruger daughter.  She is cool and I don’t think you can talk Jodi out of her.  Give Jodi a call about the wethers  580-541-1911.

     Made it home from the Tulsa wether show 2012 edition.  Had a successful trip although we didn’t have grand or reserve.  You won’t hear me whine about not winning if I respect the animal and/or people that beat us.  The grand wether was a cool made dude that had a lot of positives.  More imporantly the Boles family has been a mainstay on the Oklahoma goat scene from the beginning.  That family has worked hard and consistently been in the hunt for a lot of years.  Pretty cool way to go out–on top.  Congrats to the Boles family.

     Our crew had a very successful trip.  Duke won div. 6 with a Rainman sired wether from Poe.  Rainman also sired another premium sale wether.  Bree had div. 3 champ with a wether from Robert Ashley and res. div. 2 with a Helm’s wether.  Fade2Black sired the div. 5 champ and another class winner.  Joe Dirt sired the res. div. 4 wether that Darcy Peach showed.  Dirt also sired two other premium sale wethers.  All in all 7 premium sale wethers were sired by our bucks.

     Rhyli Powell had the res. div. 1 wether with a goat I bought from Cecil Book on the Champion’s Choice online sale.  Really good goat that was an absolute dumb bastard.  To handle the goat, I wanted to keep him for spring.  To deal with him, I was glad to see him go through the sale.  Britt and Chesley were in the sale with Helms wethers.  Braden had the res. div 6 wether with a Kelly wether that was going on two years old.  That goat was bought to win Tulsa last year, but he had numerous stone problems and didn’t get shown until OYE 2012.  He won a class this spring and we decided to hold him.  He handled very good, he just needed more lower 1/3 in his brithces and therefore, needed to track wider.  Oh well, what might have been.

     Made it to El Reno on Saturday.  Had a chaffeur for the trip.  Tyke got a newer set of wheels and he actually drove somewhere outside of Ellis County.  We peddled a few goats and then headed to Okarche to Eischen’s.  I don’t eat a lot of chicken, but I will eat it there.  Tyke, Nip and Tyler ate a pile of okra to go along with the chicken.  Okra is on my list of don’t eat it unless my life depends on it and then I would have to think about it.

     We stopped at Allen Miller’s to swap bucks.  Saw an intersting young buck prospect that they raised.  It will be interesting to see some kids out of him next year.

       Monday will be a busy day as I am not only trying to get work caught up before I leave for several days, but I also have a pile of wethers to shear, clip and fit on tonight and in the morning.  Tulsa doesn’t allow stands or clippers, so you better have crap together before you head that way.  SInce, you can’t clip at Tulsa, it allows for some spare time.  Probably helps beer sales.

     The Dragon Lady grilled pork chops last night along with rice, green beans, rolls and HONEY! Duke and I both like that meal.  After supper, I chose to watch a concert on TV.  It was either that or listen to the homework squabble between Duke and the Dragon Lady.  Guess who won that fight? 

A Fleetwood Mac concert was on some music channel on DISH.  That is still a heckuva band.  Lyndsey Buckingham can wail on a guitar and Mick Fleetwood can pound the skins.  It was a good concert to watch.

     What to do with the handful of goats that I have at the house?  I’ve got several doe kids and I can’t keep them all.  I’m going to take 3 or 4 to the Ag Youth sale tomorrow.  I’ve got a pair of Goofy wethers that need a home.  They weren’t ready for the labor day sale.  So, I’m going to take them to the Ag Youth sale as well.  We’ll just have to see how things go tomorrow.  I’m also going to take a pair of does to the Tulsa Best of Both Worlds sale.

     We have 9 wethers in Duke’s pen.  That number is going to be down to 3 by nomination date.  There are Helms, Sanders and Gallagher wethers in this deal.  I don’t know if we will do a Duke’s Up sale or just sell them private treaty.  Either way, we will make up our mind after Tulsa. 

     I got wet doing chores this morning.  Had about a half inch of rain in the gauge.  Nice, easy rain that will make this small wheat jump out of the ground and the rest of us that haven’t drilled will have enough moisture to do so.

     I’ve seen a pile of goats the past few nights.  Everybody is getting dialed in for Tulsa.  A common question is “Who is going to win Tulsa?”  I don’t know, but I can tell you this, the best goats in OK won’t be at Tulsa next week.  They will be at home waiting for spring shows.  Lots of people are leaving them at home because the good ones cost so dang much, and they are hard to find to replace this time of year.

     Fall is finally here.  The thermostat may still read above 90 degrees, but officially fall is here.  This means that my summer of hell is over.  It may also mean that Fred’s summer of fun is over, but he will find another season to have fun.  He always does.  No, I’m not done with all of the projects at the new place, but with the arrival of fall, that means I will have more time to work on them.  One state fair is done and another will be done next week.  There aren’t many goats left to look at or sell.  Dark will come earlier.  No more wasps, poison oak, 115 degree weeks, fences to be built, furniture to be moved, etc, etc.  And it may start raining.  Watching the weather on tv right now is kind of like Lloyd Christmas on Dumb & Dumber, “So you’re saying there’s a chance?!”

     The first day of fall was Saturday and it was a nice day.  We had a big win on our team as Chesley Comstock showed the grand wether at the State Fair of OK.  This was a little shitty assed wether when I bought him, but he is going to make a nice goat.  She and her dad have worked hard to get to this point.  They have a great attitude and are team players.  As Schoovy said Saturday after the grand drive, “Seeing that big smile of hers makes it all worthwhile.  Priceless.”  I hate to admit that Schoovy is right, but he is.  That is why we do what we do.  I would watch for this girl a lot in the next few years.  If you haven’t met Chesley or Scott, then you need to.  They are the nice ones in our kartel.  Not the mouthy, grouchy or scowling ones like some of the rest of our staff.  No names mentioned as some of us fit all three criteria.  Duke, Braden and Darcy Peach also had a pretty good day. 

     The Cleo Goat Queen had a good Sunday as Tori won Div. 2  in the doe show.  Tori has learned to bake pies this summer.  She can make a dang good cherry and a peach pie.  This was part of the trade for using Joe Dirt.  She made Tyke and I pies.  We can be hard to deal with at times.  Some things are more important than money.

     Let the fall festivities begin.

     Sometimes, a person can do too much.  Take kidney stones for example.  I watch some people that check their feed, use additives to prevent stones, add stuff to their water to dissolve stones, change water daily and they drench their wethers to prevent stones.  They get to take goats to OSU Vet Med. 

     Then, I see others that have algae growing in their water, never think about preventing stones, wouldn’t know until it was too late if they had stones and they never have any problems. 

      Sometimes, you can try to hard and you just have to let an animal be an animal.  I am guilty of doing too much with our show animals.  I want everything right.  And we will have some bad luck every now and then.  I have caused problems by trying to prevent problems.  I will see a problem with something and then a knee jerk reaction later and I have a goat spending a week at OSU.  ( Some of you will remember Kela’s last wether named “Orange Power”.  I drenched him with apple cider vinegar and aspirated him with it.  It burnt his lungs, but he lived and was res. div.4 at 2009 OYE, 3 weeks after getting out of the hospital.)

     Basically, a person needs to pay attention.  Take care of the basics and not try to over do things.  However, I am sure that I will screw one up again.