It is fall break in Oklahoma.  Which does not mean a day off?  Practice at the Ag Building, deliver some online goats, sent a few turds to the sale barn, back to Fargo to look at some wethers, drilled some triticale, sorted some goats, load the trailer and head to Pfeiffer’s to deliver a few more goats and maybe find a bargain.  

     Speaking of turds, I stopped in at Schovanec’s place on my way to the Perry sale barn.  I was greeted by the youngest Schoovy–Carson.  This is the clone of TravASS.  I had to answer a bunch of questions and then go look at Carson’s pigs.  If you are in KC this week, look for Carson in the pig barn.  I guarantee that he will talk to you.  

      Too many irons in the fire.  That would be me.  Tuesday was wicked busy as Blue & Gold/DJs money was coming in, we were hosting the Woodward PI group Opening Ceremonies/Greenhand Quiz contest.  The Woodward PI Group is  all of the FFA chapters in Woodward, Ellis, Harper and Dewey counties.  And in between, I took a group of kids to help cover silage pits at the feedlot north of town.  And some dumb ass scheduled an online sale to happen on the same day.  Intelligent.  

    It all went well.  One of our teams was first and qualified for the state contest.  The other was 3rd.  Most importantly, our kids looked sharp in official FFA dress.  I am a stickler for proper dress, but the Dragon Lady provides any ruling as to whether the shoes are right, skirts are the right length and if ties are tied right.  Sharp kids that also look sharp tend to do well.  However, we did have a first (for me) as we had to figure out how to cover up a tattoo on an ankle.  Not an inappropriate tatto, but a tat none-the-less.  A well placed band aid under the black pantyhose made it a not-noticeable object.  Welcome to the new world.   Who would have thought that a good kid that may or may not have a drivers license would have a tattoo?   

     The feedlot excursion was a good trip.  And the online sale went just fine as a couple of goats went to repeat buyers.  A couple went to new buyers that called and talked about the goats.  And a couple went to people that never called, texted or asked any questions.  Typical online sale.  

      Thanks to all of the bidders/buyers and anybody that watched the sale.  

      And in closing, I don’t know of any old proverbs that deal with all of the wasps that are out and about, but there ought to be something that sums up these insects.  Luckily, they don’t seem to want to inflict damage.  All I know is that there is a butt-load of wasps and I have yet to be stung.  

       It was a FUN day at Shattuck High School.  First, I’ve been in Tulsa for the past week.  Next, I realize now that there were 3 football games on this Monday night schedule.  And…And….and did I mention that this was Blue & Gold/DJs meat sales delivery day.  It wasn’t a fun day, but it actually went fairly smooth.  Great Help always makes things go better.  Tomorrow, opening ceremonies/greenhand quiz contests at Shattuck.  Not my scheduling, but we will deal with it.  Tyke is smoking briskets for the meal.  When we get this deal done, then Fall Break starts.   YES!!

      If you have any questions about the Duke’s Up online sale, feel free to call.  If I don’t answer, try again or text.  I will call back.  

     I’ve been away from the keyboard for almost a week.  The world is probably a smarter place as a result.   I have been at Tulsa since last Monday morning.  How did Tulsa go?

     Well, the Shattuck FFA faired well.  We did very well in the FFA exhibit building with grass boards, photography, news boards and horticulture type stuff.  Lots of grands and reserves.  

     The livestock judging contest was great, really good and not worth a dang.  Bree was high individual in the jr. division, Kaylee was 7th high and Duke must not have judged the same stock as the rest of the world, which cost the team.

     The hog show was just okay.  The sheep show wasn’t bad at all.  And the cattle show went real well.  

The wether goat show wasn’t bad.  I thought the quality, as a whole, was up.  Especially in the under 80 pounds divisions.  Kyle Smithwick had the honors of lining the goats up.  In my opinion, this was the best job of judging goats, from class 1 to class 18, that we have seen in Oklahoma.  Consistent in type and kind, efficient in his methods, timely and the reasons fit the animals.  I liked it.  I agreed with his grand and reserve.  Congrats to those families on a job well done.  I also liked the res. div. 3 wether.  If that wether had a tick more loin to him, the placings probably would have changed.  

       Now, you may be asking, “How did Duke get along?”  Not well at all.  The crazy wether got buried in class because of structure.  The other wether was on the premium sale line but did not make it.  I left hoping that we could get the Dumb A$$ wether shown properly.  Duke showed the wheels off of him.  The other wether just wasn’t good enough.  So, I am bragging about the judge, but we got our butts kicked.  Yep, that would be correct.  The judge did a good job.  Duke showed the goats properly.  We didn’t place like we are used to placing.  Where is the weak link?  Obviously the weak link was me.  But, I had patience with the goats and more importantly, with my son.  Duke and I had a good time together, even though there wasn’t much to cheer about.  Yes, we all want to win.  But no matter what, we have to remember that it is about the kids.  You can read this and think that this is an excuse.  Fine, I can give a rat’s donkey.  Tammy and I are focused on raising a kid more than we are trying to win a show.  It will be okay.  

       I can’t brag on my own kid this time, so I am going to brag on some other stellar kids.   

Lexi Vanderwork– showed the Res. Div. 5 wether (sired by Fade2Black) and—AND was also the champion OVERALL wether goat showman.  Congrats!

Gatlin Goodson–champion chi heifer and reserve grand overall.  He’s had a good year in the cattle ring.

Bree Taylor–division champion wether goat, high individual in the Jr. FFA livestock judging contest, Grand Champion FFA Photography contest and Champion Plant Life Cycle Display in the horticulture division.  That’s a pretty good Tulsa State Fair.  

     I also had the honor of working the Collegiate Livestock judging contest.  Wow! That was fun.  Great stock.  Excellent set of industry professionals to work alongside.  And I loved listening to reasons.  Especially, the young lady that told me and I quote, “the #1 doe would have to be bred to a super salty stud buck in order to make profitable progeny in any succesful wether goat producing operation.”  It wasn’t the best set that I heard, but it was the most memorable.  

        And speaking of reasons, if you have not heard, or for that matter, watched Ryan Rash judge a heifer show, then you need to.  Flamboyant is a term that was associated with him.  But, no matter what, that dude sees cattle and can talk them–like no other.  

       Here’s the really important part of this blog.  I ate at a “new” restaurant this week.  Well, new to me.  I have driven past it for over two decades.  I finally went to Tally’s Cafe.  Then, I went again and again.  I have now eaten a chicken fried steak, Rueben sandwich and breakfast there.  All were stellar.  The absolute best french toast that I have ever eaten.  The chicken fry was fork tender.  The hot rolls are HUGE!  And speaking of huge, I am pretty sure that the waitresses all used to work as Hooter’s employees.  I wasn’t looking, but you couldn’t miss them, those, whatever.  Regardless, the food was excellent and the service was too.  The only thing better than the food was the company that I had while eating. 

       On to the next deal.  

     This has NOT been a fun weekend, although there were some highlights.  I woke up about 1 am on Friday morning and hurt all over.  I felt like stomped dog crap.  I wasn’t sick to my stomach and no headache.  I just hurt.  I stumbled through Friday and then crashed on the couch Friday about 3:45pm  till Saturday morning.  This meant that I missed steaks and good times at Charlie’s with friends and family.  And If I miss out on steaks and good times, then I am obviously not well.  

      Saturday brought a funeral.  Not fun.  But I did get to see some really good people.  

Saturday afternoon was our only time to picture goats for the Duke’s Up online sale.  Guess what?  It was raining here in paradise on Saturday afternoon.  Braden and the Bruce’s did my work washing and drying goats.  As the rain let up, we took a few pics.  The pics aren’t as good as they could be, but it happens.  We’ll take the rain.  Call me about the goats.  There is some good stuff in the sale regardless of the pics.  I hate does and doe kids but there is a bonafide good one in this sale.  I’m retarded for selling her, but I need to clear the slate.

        A couple of weeks ago, I bragged about the Foraker family in Kansas.  Well, it ain’t bragging if you can back it up.  They went to the Kansas Jr. Livestock Show on Saturday.  They not only had the grand champion lamb but also had the Grand Champion Market Goat with a Joe Dirt sired wether that was sold by Tyke at the Banner’s and Backdrops sale.  Oh, throw in the fact that that they also had the 5th overall doe with a kid that they raised.  Congrats to the Foraker family on a job well done and goals accomplished.  

      Tulsa move in is tomorrow.  Duke is taking a pair of wethers.  I have high hopes–I hope that Duke and I have fun together.  I hope that he shows well, places well and learns from this show.  No matter what, I will GUARANTEE that Duke will be showing the dumbest damn wether at the Tulsa State Fair.  It isn’t about placing high this trip.  It is all about personal discovery.  The theme song for Duke and I on this trip will be a Guns N Roses tune called “Patience”.  I am trying to discover some patience.  If you see me whistling, just let me be.  There is a reason this wether was castrated.  At the time, it hurt (me and the goat) but I did the right thing.  

     Good luck to all.  

The following words are not mine.   I saw this on facebook and I appreciate what the author is saying.  I think it applies to all species of livestock.

“Long-Necked, Freaky-Fronted Females Need Not Apply

In 1971 the Canadian Rock Group, Five Man Electrical Band, released the song “Signs” which popularized the line “Long Haired Freaky People Need Not Apply”. While this song was fighting the “establishment”, I feel the show ring of today is establishing, and ultimately promoting, a type of cattle that are not sustainable as a model for seedstock producers, and ultimately, the commercial cattle producers that we are selling our genetics to.

I am talking about the giraffe-necked, freaky-fronted, finer-boned, narrower-chested, weaker-hearted cattle that seem to be popular in today’s jackpots and fairs. While the best of these cattle can be made to look respectable in a show ring, they must have four inches of hair and be fed like a market steer to achieve that result. In my opinion, a cattle show — especially a breed show — should be about finding the individuals that will someday make the ultimate cow or herdsire for that particular breed. In my experience, the deep-bodied, wide-chested, full-hearted cattle tend to be easier fleshing, more structurally correct, and have some front end while maintaining their femininity. I would argue that a much higher percentage of 2-year-old females are “too pretty”, rather than “too ugly”. Under normal range conditions the sharp-fronted, tight-hearted cattle tend to be too hard on themselves, bring in an inferior calf, and ultimately, a higher percentage come up open.

So where does this leave us as a purebred cattle community? We seem to be encouraging our junior exhibitors to go after a style of cattle that, while are exciting and fun, have a limited place in the cattle industry as a whole. Are we preparing our kids to be “real world cattle breeders”? Or are we teaching them how to find the longest neck, and to heck with evaluating and someday being able to recognize what kind of females and bulls they need to build a herd? I hope my kids will be involved with Junior Shows and 4-H for many years to come. We feel as parents that there is no better environment to teach kids the values of hard work, sportsmanship, and communication skills. The group of parents and kids at these shows are of the best character and an example I would put in front of any group; I just wish we would focus on more functional cattle.

Giraffes have really long, slender necks, but last time I checked they get most of their feed from tall trees and need to be able to see a long distance to get a head start on predators. Last time I checked, beef cattle get most of their feed from ground level and predation isn’t much of an issue. So … if anyone can come up with a reason for a beef animal to have a “freaky front end”, I welcome your comments.”

(My words) Here’s what I know from my personal experiences.  Do NOT select a female according to her showring placement.  Purebred, crossbred, commercial, whatever.  Use sound livestock selection practices, proper breeding management and common sense.  If your common sense radar alerts you that there might be a boiled stuffed rabbit in the future, slowly back away. (Remember the movie Fatal Attraction?)  Humans included.  If they are batt $h!t crazy, then you probably don’t want them to reproduce.  Which includes recips.  If they are nuts, they will end up hurting a kid or at the very least, teach them to act like bat-crap crazy individual.  

Trivia–What band remade the song “Signs”?  

     Yes, we had a flush today.  I traveled to Schneberger’s. It was good.  The flushes….not so good.  

       But it was still good.  I took two older, proven does.  You know, the kind that should be flushed.  Sure, they are 8 years old.  I got a bit of a lecture during the first flush, that it is a waste of time to flush a doe older than 5 years of age.  Okay.  But she flushed back in June.  So, whatever.  Then, we rolled the next doe into position.  They started on her and it didn’t look good.  But, then they counted embryos and there was 17.  How many were freezable you ask?  All 17.  How old was this doe?  One week older than the first one.  Which is further proof that this flushing business is NOT an exact science.  

      Then we started dealing with recips.  I didn’t program enough.  But Schneberger had programmed a pile.  But then, we realized quickly that almost 1/2 of the recips had regressed.  So, we both froze a pile of embryos.  Nobody has an explanation for a recip regressing.  It happens.  

       Now, let me tell you about the rest of the flush.  There was a PILE of help.  Chris McGolden brought a crew of ag boys on field trip.  They were great help.  Kory (call me Cody) Dietz and a buddy of his from Redlands were professional help.  They judged every donor, recip and then, Jared’s keeper kids.  We even had sheep royalty as Jen Meyer and Kamden Urban were there taking care of business.  Jen made a dash to get more liquid nitrogen for us to freeze embryos.  This was an ACTUAL OFFICIAL ag event as Mr. Ag Youth himself was there to monitor the activities.  Yes, Mr. Larry Peck was present to document, direct and tell us derelicts (Jared and myself) what needed to happen.  Several of Jared’s co-workers came to help.  They worked like they knew what they were doing.  And they didn’t.  But they knew more than me.  I love good work ethic.  The whole crew was great.  

       Mr. Schneberger had LOTS of GREAT help.  The flushes weren’t a trainwreck.  I appreciate all the help, the opportunity to write another check and the good times.  Of course, it would have been fun to have Addison and her two brothers there to provide commentary.  Thanks to all.  

      Everybody has a loss.  It is a part of life.  I can’t explain it nor can you.  It happens.  We don’t have to like it and we can’t change it, but it still happens.  I lost a cousin.  He was also a trusted advisor as he was one of the best welders in this part of the world.  I lost a friend that I liked to BS with about things, nothing, everything.  Sure, I feel this loss.  It is a great loss.  But others lost more.  

      There is a mom and dad that lost yet another son.  No parent should out live a child.  And they dang sure shouldn’t have to lose two.  Throw in some health concerns and other issues and it makes one weak at the knees to see how a set of parents can withstand so much, yet still keep going forward.  I am in awe of people with such strong resilience.  Faith in GOD.  You better have faith that there is a higher plan.  

      Brothers and a sister that have lost another sibling.  Sacrifices have been made to deal with earlier losses, yet previous practice hasn’t made this one easier.  Nieces that looked up to him as a father figure.  A daughter and a son that no longer have a father.  Loved ones that just want their friend back.  The family losses are almost indescribable.  But it goes deeper than that.

      A community lost a valuable member.  Young people lost a mentor.  Employees that no longer have a boss/job.  

For some reason, the screen is blurry.  I have things to say, but the words seem to get tangled up in the keyboard.  There are emotions–anger, despair, dis-belief, hope, even joy knowing that he is in a good place and that he did leave behind a legacy.  I don’t understand why, nor do I have to like it.  But I can hope and pray.  

     I got word from favorite Nebraskan that Big Rumour had sired the res. grand market doe at the Ak-Sar-Ben show.  Ron Simonson has had a banner year with the Big Rumour kids.  I got word today that a Rumour Has It x Joe Dirt wether named “Mike” was grand at the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair in Ft. Smith.

      This past Saturday was the State Fair of Oklahoma.  This isn’t a true market show as most of the good big ones stay at home until Tulsa.  This is really a preview show.  I can name numerous goats that have won this show that went on to win OYE.   The quality at this years show was real good.  The grand was a Helms goat shown by the Isbell family of Ft. Gibson.  As most of you know, I’m not opinionated, I’m just always right.  And I am right in saying that this family is good at showing wethers.  Real good.  In my opinion, that was the best goat at the State Fair of OK.  She also had him shown the best and this was the best presented goat in the ring that day.  I have no complaints with the judge using this goat to win.  The reserve grand was a cool little goat (55 lbs) shown by Jett Smith.  This young man had him presented well and is a stellar showman in his own right.  I like watching good showman with good animals.  Hats off to these two.  

      There was also some controversy as there was a doe shown with the wethers at the great state fair of OK.  She’s pretty good.  Good enough to win class 8.  The Oller family showed this Rumour Has It doe kid.  This chick handles like a wether.  I didn’t write the rules, but if it is out of one of our bucks, I’m real cool with it. 

      The heavy division champion wether was a Blood Pressure sired wether shown by Ty Goss.  This goat will get a look come Tulsa.  This is another showman that does a stellar job.  This kid might come from one of the true great livestock families in the U.S.  Yeah, that Goss family.  

       And, Darcy Peach had the res. div. 2 wether behind the grand with a Joe Dirt x Goofy.  This was a wether that I sold at Norman that I should have kept the nuts intact.  However, I am glad that Darcy and her family got him.  I like his future.  

       There was a lot of really good animals shown in this show.  A lot of future banner hangers and premium sale goats that stood 3rd, 4th or so.  I didn’t stay for the doe show.  Why?  Because it was a doe show.  

      And in the open show, Braden Schovanec showed the Grand Champion % doe.  Congrats to Braden.  

       And the big excitement of the great state fair of OK…..for most….the Trumpster made an appearance.  I had more fun listening to Bob Seelke.  I would vote for Bob.

     We are outside watching this supermoon total eclipse of a blood moon that hasn’t happened since 1982 and won’t happen again until 2033 or something like that.  I’ve been watching through some hi-end binoculars that I got for Christmas several years ago. Tammy has her camera out.  And Duke….well, Duke has a .22 rifle with a tactical light shining into the night looking for the big skunk.  He isn’t happy with the two that we got out of the grainary earlier today.  There has to be a big one somewhere.        This eclipse is fun to watch.  And I bet that the Kelln Klan is doing it in better style than most.  We have Bonnie Tyler playing on the iTunes.  And yes, in true early 80s fashion, she is singing “Total Eclipse of the Heart”.  I like a good soundtrak. 

       The weather is perfect.  Makes you kind of wonder if the good LORD ordered this good weather so that more people would leave their phones, computers, tvs, etc. and actually go outside and witness perfection.  It’s all good.