You may get sick of reading it on here, but I am sick of dealing with it.  This wind has been absolutely relentless.  I feel sorry for the animals in it.  Trees, fences and roofs are taking a pounding.  The soil moisture is just being zapped from the ground.  I am thankful that we are not near the massive fires.  Hundreds of thousands of acres burnt.  Lots of dollars spent fighting them.  I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.  

Hopefully, we will get some doe kids and wethers clipped and photoed.  We won’t have a sale on April Fool’s Day this year.  It will be on March 31.  There will be bucks, does and wethers.  Have a good one and I hope the wind is calm.

      When the wind blows 35 mph or harder during the night, then you better hold on for the upcoming today.  It is already really windy today and it is supposed to get worse.  Ninety degrees and 50 mph wind kind of makes me think that I don’t want to be outside much.  

     Lots of online sales looked successful last night.  More to go tonight.  The season is upon us.  Have a good one.  And if you are in western OK or the TX panhandle, I recommend that you hold on!

The Okie and Texas majors are in the books as of last week.  Now, look at all of the online sales going on today.  It is a quick turn around getting rid of one set and starting on the next set.  Personally, I’m not in a big hurry.  I probably need to get some decisions made as to selling some bucks, does and maybe some wethers.  We’ve got an online sale on the 31st.  April Fool’s fell on a Friday this year, so I couldn’t do it then.  

Banners & Backdrops is only a few weeks away on April 9.  I did see the set that Seelke’s are taking to that sale.  A really cool pair of doe kids and a powerhouse Dec. wether.  I will take a few wethers, I just don’t know which ones yet.  

      I see these people with the 13.1 or 26.2 stickers on their car.  I understand that these numbers stand for miles run in a marathon.  I just completed the OYE marathon–Thursday AM of the 10th to Friday PM of the 18th.  Lots of miles logged.   

OYE was an event.  The quality of stock and showmen is better than ever.  I thought the grand steer was one of the best that I have ever seen.  The heifers were deep and good.  The sheep show was wicked.  The hog show was tough.  And then the goats….

This isn’t the same show compared to years past.  There were classes that were 25 deep of good ones…Does and Wethers.  It used to be an obvious top 3 or 5 in each class.  Not now.  Lots of people have learned to feed, fit, show and care for these critters.  You had to have a good one just to place and a DANG good one to be in the top 5.  I thought the judge, Marvin Ensor, nailed it when he commented that he has never seen a species improve so rapidly in such a short period of time.  

I will give you the quick Kelln thoughts on this year’s OYE goat show.  Ladies first.  The wether dam doe show was MUCH improved from last year.  The quality was extremely good on the top end.  I actually sat and watched this show from the first class to the last class.  This grand was cool and out there.  I probably should have bought her, but my experiences of buying does hasn’t been real good.  The reserve grand was a true breeding piece–Rumour Has It x 191/S100.  She was massive, square, yet smooth made.  She could be a tick longer and she is way parrot mouthed.  This one won a class in the wether show last fall at the State Fair of OK.  The slick doe show sale still needs improvement, but the goats were good.  I wouldn’t mind it if they slicked them all.  The breeding doe show was packed full of good ones.  Congrats to all of the winners.  Especially to Collin Ring with his class winner that was a Joe Dirt from Tyke.  I enjoyed watching Bronc Fleming sort the does.  I won’t say that I agreed with him on every placing, but I liked his reasons and felt like he sorted them as he saw them and he ended up with a consistent set of high quality females at the top of each class.  Good job of lining up goats.  

Then the wether show began.  Whew… it was wicked good.  I have lots of thoughts and little time.  Brief rundown—-The grand goat was probably not the crowd favorite, but this goat was hard to fault.  He balanced well, no structure problems, good bone structure, excellent muscle placement, well fed and well presented.  Very good goat that fit what the judge was looking for.  Huge congrats to that crew at Ft. Gibson.  There are a pair of really good livestock ag teachers at that school and some great kids and families.  They do an excellent job of feeding, fitting and showing goats.   I have no problems getting beat by a team like that.  They do it right and I applaud them.

The reserve grand was obviously one that I like.  This was the goat that I thought would win KC.  But, it didn’t happen.  TravASS and I aren’t afraid to hold a goat, so we did it again.  Hats off to the Schovanec Family.  In the past five years, they have shown a grand at OYE and 3 reserve grands.  Throw in some other wins like a grand at Tulsa and a reserve grand at Denver and it is hard to argue with the fact that they are on the short list of best goat showing families–EVER!  

The bronze wether was a wildly cool light weight paint goat.  Going into the grand drive, I didn’t think that this one would be grand, but I was sure that he would get a piece of it.  This young lady has already seen success in her short career and will continue to be a player for years to come.  

And since this is my blog, it is time for me to brag a bit.  Darci Peach showed the class 12 winner.  This was a Rumour Has It x 191/s100 that I sold at the Labor Day sale.  This goat was 3rd out in Div. 3.  Then she showed a class winner in Class 13.  This was a Joe Dirt x Goofy kid that I sold at Norman last June.  This wether ended up 3rd out in Div. 4 and 9th overall.  This was the wether that was grand at Woodward District.  Darci also showed a 3rd place in class 9 with a Deuce x Rumour Has It wether.  Yeah, Darci had a good day.  Then Halie Schovanec won class 16 with a Rumour Has It x Blindside.  This was the yellow paint wether that Braden won a class at KC with.  He ended up winning Div. 4 and then reserve grand at OYE.  Lexi Vanderwork had a 4th in a wicked tough class with her Rumour Has It wether.  

Joe Dirt sired a class winning doe and a class winning wether.

Rumour Has It sired the Reserve Grand wether dam and the Reserve Grand wether at the 2016 OYE.  Both were raised by Seelke’s.  Two class winning wethers were sired by Rumour Has It.  

And then there was Duke.  He showed Blonde Bob to a 2nd place in class 9 (2009 Helms from Bob Allen).  Then he showed Yeti to a 3rd in class 13 (Smurf from Gallagher).  And then he showed Big Kenny to a 1st place in class 14 (191 from Helms).  Yes, he made the sale.  Yes, I had great enjoyment working side by side fitting goats with Duke.  I took great pride in people telling me how good Duke showed.  I’ll keep it short–his mother and I are pretty pleased with this offspring.  

I am sad to see the end of several showing careers.  Chesley Comstock, Chancery Bruce and Sarah Murphy will graduate.  Great kids with huge futures.  Jill Scott and Montana Newell have had great careers.  Blake Kennedy is another one that is done.  I will miss watching these kids show.  But, there are already young ones ready to fill their shoes–Ava Bogdahn and Addie Schneberger. 

This post is getting long.  I thought both judges did a really good job of lining up stock.  I thought the quality was awesome.  Thumbs up to the OYE crew for running such a huge event.  Huge congrats to the Seelke’s on raising a reserve grand wether doe and a reserve grand wether.  Cheers!  Shamrocks and Horseshoes to all.

And yes, I did have a bit of fun on St. Patrick’s Day.  Just not as much as I would have liked.  

This isn’t a top 10 list.  We can even kind of skip the obvious things such as my wife, kids, family, etc.  That part of the list are what makes life worth living.  Here is the dumbed down version of the list.

A day with little wind and good temps.  

Watching young animals when they first hit soil and see sunlight.  Regardless of a calf, piglet, lamb or goat;  if you aren’t in a great mood watching a baby animal, well, something just ain’t right with you.  

A broke-in cap cap that just feels natural.  A good fitting t shirt.  Shoes/Boots that fit perfectly are absolutely priceless.  

The sound of a light saber or a wookie growl. 

Great tunes.  Especially, that moment when flipping radio stations and you realize that is a song worth stopping, cranking the volume and just getting in a happy place.  

Trips in the Ag pickup.  

Catching a fish.  Any fish. 

Seeing a good show project turn out like you thought it would.  

Going hunting, but not worried about shooting as you realize that sometimes, it is better to be able to sit back and let the kids have the fun.  

Talking to other livestock people that have similar goals in mind.

Worrying about your kids, but also knowing that you really don’t have anything to worry about.  

Being able to cut in line without upsetting anybody.  

Not really wanting to go to OYE, but realizing that this will be some kids most memorable moment.  In other words, being humbled and reminded why we do this stuff.  

Good luck.  Good day.  And we are getting close to March 17th.  

It is a known fact that I don’t like texting, but that I also understand the value of using text messaging.  I am not opposed to using the written word (obviously) and that proper writing is a problem texting.  HOWEVER, in the past hour, I have dealt with several people VIA text messages.  After the 6th one, I noticed that 5 out of the 6 had replied with the same final reply–THANKS.  These weren’t necessarily goat people.  These were all over 40 years old, business minded people–oil, ag, website, etc.  It may be a generational deal, but it shouldn’t be.  If a question is aked, then answered, there is nothing wrong with a proper reply of THANKS.  And yes, I made sure that I replied with a proper THANKS.  As I am still in the kid raising business, I will gladly trade purple banners for a kid that knows how to say thanks as well as give thanks.  Tammy and I did right on the first one and we are liking what we see with the next one.  

On that note, I am well aware that on any given day, I can act/sound like/actually be the most growly son-of-a—- that you can encounter.  However, I make sure and give thanks and ask for help everyday.  I can look & act mean ( most will tell you that I can back it up properly), but inside, I have good music rolling through my skull and that I actually think positive.  It is hard to be in the ag business and kid business and NOT be positive.  Otherwise, why do it?  I don’t care who you are, or what your resume looks like, thanks is owed to somebody, somewhere.  

Give Thanks, Say Thanks and be Thankful.  Have a great day and a better tomorrow.  

P.S.  Remember when television newsfeeds would be labeled VIA Satellite.  I’m getting old.  

       I am just baffled.  I guess that I am dumber than the rest.  Hang around me a bit and I can prove that previous statement.  Over the past year, I have noticed a new trend.  This trend is breeders “selling” caps, t shirts, hoodies, koozies, etc. with their logo on it.  I’ve seen it done at live auctions and online sales.   I don’t blame the breeders even though I don’t understand it.  I always thought that it was an advertising thing to make caps or stuff with a logo on it.  It never occured to me that it could be a source of revenue.  I don’t have a problem with a breeder selling this stuff, I’m just dumbfounded that people will pay for it.  The world is always changing.  Have a good day.  

On Thursday, I went to the NW District Stock Show in Enid to watch the goat show.  This is a show that brings me happy memories.  I remember the days when the Fairview and Hennessey kids battled it out as if it was an OYE preview (which it was for years).  I saw a WAY, WAY good doe show and a wether show that left me dissappointed.  The does were good and deep.  The quality, showmanship and presentation of the top end does were killer good. Congrats to Taylor Parrish and her family on the grand doe.  This is a Helms doe that won the Champions Choice show and now Enid.  This one is good.  And as good as the doe is, the showman is better.  This chick can get it done.  Likewise with the reserve grand.  I have no connections to this showman other than I like watching good kids who work hard.  Jett Smith is a kid that you need to meet if you are in the industry.  Steve & Gay Simpson have helped Jett get going and now ol Steve can hook his thumbs in his leather suspenders and watch Jett go gather banners.  Real Cool Deal.  Family and friends working together to do well.  I’m pretty sure that this is how these livestock projects are supposed to work.  Both sets of parents allow that they just chaffeur from show to show.  Cool deal!

This was Tori Sessions last district show.  Tori has had a great career showing does.  She has won multiple divisions at OYE and Tulsa, won Enid district and the Champions Choice jackpot as well as numerous other shows.  Great goats and an even better kid and family.  The completion of this career makes me feel old.  

The wether show was good on the top end and then fell off real quick.  The top end of the wethers were well shown, well presented and looked the part.  The grand was easy.  Personally, I really liked the reserve division 1 wether to be in the hunt.  The top 12 or 14 wethers were very good.  After that, I think that I will just…

I do NOT like the crap storm surrounding the wether show.  The goat was good.  The judge was clean.  I just don’t like the kind of stuff that can happen in the stock show game.  Adults can screw stuff up for everybody; all in the name of a win.  Almost all of the problems that I deal with in the show barns are caused by parents.  At times, I just want to find two bricks.

On a positive note, I had a voicemail on Thursday night from Buford T. Hill from Texas.  He wanted to buy some meat goats.  This voicemail was off the hook.  I did not return the call that night.  Friday afternoon, I replayed the voicemail.  I shook my head and thought to myself, “This is either a legit deal or a Ritson Urban kind of deal.”  So I called back and left a voicemail.  

Later in the evening, my phone rang and it was a central Texas area code–same phone #.  I groaned to Tammy as I answered, “Here we go.”  Sure enough, the caller sounded legit.  Had a great story that tied to me and how he came across my name in his search for meat goats.  Finally, the truth came out.  It was a former student of mine that graduated from Waynoka in 1996.  Man alive, I was in a good mood when I finally realized who it was.  Classic!  I hadn’t talked to him in years.  It just put me in a Happy Gilmore movie.  Go to your Happy place.  

He made me laugh as he reminded me of a saying that I have used on occassion.  That saying goes something like this “You boys would be money and heartache ahead if you just took two bricks and smashed your nuts in between them.”  I apologize to any readers offended by this.  But, MOM, I think the first time I used this advice was with the middle brother.  

Now, an hour later as I write this crap, I find myself with a stupid grin on my face as I think about the voicemail/returned call/conversation.  It doesn’t matter the business or industry, people will make it good or wreck it for others.  I loved hearing from this “kid”.  THAT is what this industry is about.  Twenty years later and a simple phone call can put me in a lgiht hearted humour.  On the other hand, as for those that want to play those scoured-ass, crooked games just to win a show–well, I wish their dad would have just used two bricks and smashed his nuts in between them.  

Here’s to being glad that your dad didn’t have two bricks.  

      I do have the desire, but I don’t have the time to go in depth tonight on the Woodward District Livestock Show.  I just want to thank all those involved for putting on a top shelf show.  Excellent show, great facilties, elite judges and most importantly great kids with wicked good stock.  The quality of livestock and kids at this show is fun to watch.  

     Tip of the cap to the Shattuck show crew.  They did not disappoint.  Lots of premium sale slots, lots of winners and lots of super showmanships in ALL 4 species.  It is fun to see what great kids with supportive parents can accomplish.  I know I can burn some people when I brag about kids, but Shattuck has a fleet of great kids.  

On that note, two of the best kids that you will ever find are getting scholarships at the premium sale.  Logan Holt and Becky Kelln are both recieving scholarships.  And both of these two ladies are selling animals in the premium sale.  I’ve taught for a number of years and have been involved with this industry for decades and I am honored to say that Logan Holt and Becky Kelln are two of the best that I have ever had the privilege to work with.  As a teacher, I will take this pair of girls and you can have the rest of the field in any event and I like our chances.  They just get things done.  As a parent, I am glad that I have a son that has gotten the opportunity to work alongside these two to build a successful chapter.  This pair of chicks are what the industry would term as “GREAT ONES”.  These two will be successful in any endeavor that they pursue.  These are the type of young people that make us do what we do to help and know that the next generation will be fine.  Congrats to Logan and Becky!   And don’t hold Becky’s last name against her.  As Becky constantly reminds me, she comes from the well behaved, good side of the Kelln family.  For that matter, that Holt girl has outdone her genetics as well.  If you can’t tell, this is a pair of good kids.  The Dragon Lady likes them even more than I do.   

Now, I head to Enid for the NW District show on Thursday.  I hope to make it back to Woodward for the Premium Sale supper.  Yeah, Woodward kind of does the premium sale right as they serve a ribeye steak dinner for the sale.  

P.S.  HUGE thanks to Julie Milligan for the last minute technical (and saving a marriage) kind of help with Duke’s project.  

Today was move in day for cattle at Woodward.  Typcial cattle show–get there early, wait a couple of hours, unload a pile of equipment, build stalls then bring in the calves.  It is staggering to think about the amount of $s spent on wood pellets, cedar fiber and wood chips for the stock show industry.  

Anyways–While building stalls, one of our families were working on packing bedding.  Several of the kids, parents and even the old, fat ag teacher was diligently working.  One kid wasn’t.  He is about 10 and a funny kid.  He had his hands in his pockets and was just watching the rest of us work.  His dad said, “Son, you are looking at a prosperous career working at the county.”  The boy replied, “I know, Dad.”  

The dad then looked at me and said, “That boy is absolutley fascinated by work.  He just loves to WATCH others work.”  I love to laugh and I did laugh at that statement.  Come find me during the doe or heifer show at OYE and I will gladly introduce you to this young specimen. 

Lots of presidential type of crap going on.  I don’t care who you vote for as long as it is the right one.  I promise you that neither democratic candidate is the right one.  I’m not against having a female president, but I dang sure don’t want that hillary crap.  

Just remember that Bill Clinton chose other women over Hillary.  You should too.

Did I ever mention that I like Kenny Rogers’s music?  Especially—–wait—-wait–for—it—-The Gambler.  Oh, you too?  Everybody likes The Gambler.