It has officially begun.  Duke and I skipped over to Wolf Creek and went fishing on Sunday afternoon.  There aren’t any big fish there, but we did catch fish, which is all that matters.  Depending on the weather the rest of this week, there is a pond in danger this week.  

     Speaking of fishing, it is about time to start sorting through goats and hopefully, we can catch a great one or two.  I have seen a couple of sets.  There is a decision or two that needs to be made about whether a couple of them keep their nuts or not.  

     I had goat royalty in my barn on this beautiful OK evening.  The breeder of the grand wether at OYE 2013 graced my barn.  Actually, he also raised the grand at some show in Kansas this past year.  I was honored by his presence.  Jared Schneberger.  He walked in (maybe he floated), surveyed the does and kids and turned to speak.  I was hoping for something that was from Star Wars–May the force be with these goats.  Or even something a little POPE like–In the name of the FATHER, the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT and may these be healthy, banner winning goats.  (Yes, I know this may be a little bit sacrilegious, but I’ve been dodging lightning bolts for a long time.  Please forgive me.)

     No!!!  What does the man with the golden touch say.  And I quote, “HAAAA!!!  Your best does have doe kids on them!”  Gee, thanks for reminding me.  I’ve had people ask me about Jared raising the grand goat at OYE.  I’m stoked for him and his crew.  I love seeing the “good” guys get a piece of the pie.  Heck, it’s what we are all after.  Could it be an accident?  Sure.  But I will bet that it wasn’t.  He will raise more good ones out of doe kids bred like that wether.  There is a plan and a desire.  That deal will be good.  I will bet on it.  

     I have a plan and it happens to not involve goats.   I’ve already decided that this doe kid epidemic happened for a reason. I get the message.  It is time to get serious about raising goats or we are going to have a dispersal sale and then I’m going fishing.  

     Wait.  What?  Oh yeah, I’m going to go fishing this year.  A lot!!  That is the plan.  Duke and I have already voted and 2013 is the year of going fishing.  I thoroughly enjoy shopping for goats.  I might even be addicted to the hunt.  A wether with a story?  Oh yeah!! I’m in.  I love driving out of the way for a killer good meal.  I could sit in Busch Stadium on any given day and watch some baseball. But, if you want me to BEhave, BE quiet and BE happy…well, send me fishing.  Doesn’t matter where or for what as long as I catch something.  I can just BE me.  I’ve caught big fish, but I am always in a good mood if I am catching anything.  Give me a choice–show the grand wether at OYE or go back to Costa Rica and catch sailfish.  Book me a flight for mid-March because I’m not going to be in OKC. 

      There was no fishing in my life last year, due to drought, moving ,etc.  The year before, Duke and I slayed several ponds around Fairview before they went dry.  We are due this year.  

     We are going to enjoy the good stuff.  Catch a fish.  Enjoy life.  Maybe even keep a pile of doe kids, just to see how they grow out.  Maybe, I can find a buck to turn in with them next winter.  Maybe, just maybe, I will manage to find time to organize, manage and flush some of these does.  Maybe not?  If you show up here this year and wonder what we’ve been doing;  I bet we’ve been fishing.  Maybe, I need Schneberger to go fishing with us so that we can catch the big one.  

p.s  We might help with goats for good fishing.  

     Everyday holds a new surprise in the goat world.  

     One–you find a month old kid in a dry shed, almost dead.  He is dry.  The other 3 kids have been outside and are damp & chilled, but not the one acting like he is all but dead.  Don’t know WTH.  He was fine.  But surprise, not now.  The Dragon Lady is on the job trying to save him.  She saved him when he was born, we’ll see if she can do it again.  I recommended a shot of Crown.  It always brings Bill back to life.  I’ve seen caro syrup, milk from Verlin, water, heating pads, heater, towels, etc.  No Crown for the goat…alright, I’ll surprise everyone and have a shot for him.  Just trying to be a team player.   

     Two–Had a doe kid that was due last Friday.  I didn’t pen her up.  I left her out in the pasture with the rest of the brombies grazing the triticale.  Why?  She didn’t look bred.  Maybe due in mid-may with the next round.  But not now.  No bag.  No swelling.  I even looked at her again on Saturday, Sunday and Monday just to make sure.  The Dragon Lady even thought that she didn’t look like she was due until  mid May or later.  Guess what?  There was a surprise today.  Six days past her due date and no physical signs of getting ready to kid.  I counted the does in the corral and just happened to hear a sqwuack from the barn (you know, that sound that only a baby goat or a beaver with his nuts in a trap makes).  There was a live kid in the basement of the big red barn.  She had done a nice job of dropping a kid and nursing it already in the warmest, driest place she could find.  The only problem…another doe kid.  But it’s alive, so we’ll gladly take it.

     Three–The $ doe has decided to eat and start to milk.  We’ve got a chance.  Schneberger was bringing a dairy doe on Thursday, but $ surprised me and decided to make a hand.  I DO NOT want any bottle babies  (let me reiterate the fact that I DO NOT WANT ANY bottle babies), so I am happy, happy, happy that she is going to make an effort.  Maybe we can still make a $.

     Four–Big I called me tonight to tell me about his physical.  No surprise that there is a story to go along with the physical.  The big surprise….he is healthy!!  The Doc told him to keep doing whatever it is that he is doing.  What??!!  

     We haven’t got a lot of measureable moisture, but what we got has gone straight down.  We’ll take it.  The ground was covered white with snow today.  Surprise!! It’s April, but we still live in NW Oklahoma.  We’ve got barns and good facilities as a whole around here, but it is hard to deal with these kind of weather extremes.  70 on Sunday and will be 70 again on Friday with freezing temps and snow, sleet & drizzle in between.  That, my friends, is why they make Draxxin, Baytril  and Excede.

Stay flexible but not limp.  

     Sometimes, the good Lord has a way of making things happen.  No miracles here.  Just real life.  I’ve been counting on a set of does to kid any day and drop a pile of buck kids.  But, as everybody knows, I don’t like does.  Guess what?  I’ve got piles of doe kids out of my best wether producing does.  What does this mean?

     Well, if I have any brains at all, I’m going to be keeping a bunch of doe kids this year.  Especially, considering their mommas.  What’s the saying, when life gives you lemons…..  I like lemonade.  It just isn’t what I would normally order.  Sometimes, you need a change of pace.

      So, while we were at OYE, we had a goat roping.  No I’m not bashing a judge or anything like that.  We literally had a goat roping.  Bree Taylor was walking one of her wethers outside, on the street that runs in between the cattle/goat barns and the hog barns.  She was just airing this goat out.  There was a bunch of ne’er do wells sitting on the street curb with their lariats.  These derelict, mental midget, smart ass, mouth breathing little fatherless children decided to heel her wether.  I didn’t see it, but witnesses tell us that they literally stetched the goat.  She was upset.  

     When I found out about it, I kind of shot out of the barn, into the street like a missile aiming for a pile of crayon munching retards.  I do remember seeing Big Bill and Brooke talking to these morons.  But, I didn’t care.  One of the kids admitted to the sin.  However, another couldn’t keep his mouth shut.  I told him where to go and he left.  

     As I walked back across the street, I heard the mouthy, future politician say “Nobody talks to me like that.  I don’t have to take that from that old son-of-‘female dog'”.  I stopped, turned towards the sound of him wasting oxygen, made eye contact, noticed that he was real tough in the middle of his fan club and I then walked right into the middle of his harem.  He did take a worse talking to and he wasn’t as tough or cool as he thought he was. He left.  

     There are numerous amazing things with this encounter.  1–These dip-shit kids were mouthy when Big Bill was standing over them.  2–They were dumb enough to be at the world’s largest stock show roping show animals.  3–I didn’t have to go to jail.  

     Now, my question, why in the hell were these kids allowed to sit there and rope passer-bys? What happens if they hurt an animal?  Kid?  etc.  Come on!! A little common sense please.  As it turns out, they had been sitting there roping people and animals for almost an hour.  Did anybody stop them?  Not until Bill and I got wind of it.  Several people thanked us for stopping them.  The first loop thrown should have caused somebody to make threats.  The first actual catch should have caused somebody to come uncorked.  Go practice your craft where it belongs.  Not at a stock show with kids that have a pile of money and countless hours tied up in their animals.  Ag teachers, parents, whoever, tell the kids (even if they are 17 or 18) to leave their ropes at home.  It isn’t the time or place.  

     Kind of like taking your dog to the show.  No need.  Leave it at home.  

     North Korea?  RUSM?!  Sometimes you feel a pain.  Other times it doesn’t feel like much and then you realize there is a stain in your drawers.  I guess we probably need to take this skidmark seriously.  There has been smaller nations with far less technology wreak havoc on the world than what north korea is capable–see World War II.  There is plenty of evil in this great world of ours.  With the current leadership (or lack thereof) of the U.S.A, now might be a good time for a piss ant country to pick a fight.  I mean, Dennis Rodman went as an ambassador to have a sit-down with this commie dictator.  How does that look for the once, all-powerful United States?  

     Speaking of evil, I have does in the barn.  $ doesn’t milk for crap.  No matter what they cost, dollars don’t buy a good momma.  I was hoping that Verlin would kid and I could move $’s kids to her.  But NO!!!  There were 8 does due to kid by Saturday.  Four have dominoed.  One of which had five.  That would be 5, cinco, funf (that would be German for FIVE).  Five kids out of one momma.  The good news, one was born dead and Verlin the dairy doe kidded an hour later.  However, Verlin has turned into an evil “female dog” and doesn’t want to claim one of them.  I’ve got a doe kid nursing off of Verlin, but she hasn’t claimed it, YET!!  So, in the mean time, B22 is raising 3 kids and Verlin is getting ready to add to her litter.

     The other four does that haven’t jackpotted yet, sound like a bunch of sows with all of the groaning and expanding.  I am afraid that a couple of them look like they could have a litter.  I’m not prepared.

     I was in shorts yesterday.  Today, quite a bit colder, windier and there is a dampness to the air.  Hopefully, we get more moisture out of this cold front.  

     We had a wonderful Easter Sunday.  The only eggs I hunted were some top notch deviled eggs (hhmm, deviled eggs on Easter?).  They were good, but my pickup stinks today.  Mom made a feast–prime rib, twice baked taters, salad, green beans, lemon mirangue (I don’t know how to spell it) pie, hot rolls, frog eye salad, and too much more to list.  My pants were at maximum capacity.  

We had quite the event here on Saturday evening.  My dad was homeless for the evening so he showed up for a meal.  My brother Jake and his tribe stopped in for a visit.  Uncle Jim came over.  Kela was home.  Then to top it off, two old Ellis county outlaws came by.  Johnny File and John Rakestraw came in and sat at the dinner table.  Considering that John Kelln, John Rakestraw and Johnny File were all together, I was pretty sure that there was an outstanding warrant from 1969 with these three hoodlums name on it.  Johnny File assured me that the statute of limitations had run out by now.  

      We have a new state champion at the Kelln Kartel.  Duke and a classmate won a state TSA meet this past week.  They have now qualified to attend national’s to be held in Orlando the end of June.  I don’t care where a kid finds success, just as long as they find it.  

     Today was good, but tomorrow will be better.  

     Got home from the store last night and I could hear the squawking sound of newborn goats in the barn.  The anticipation heightened as there are 8 does in the barn due any day.  Six of these does are bonafide producers, plus Verlin the dairy goat.  Which one could it be?  It was none of the proven does that had kidded.  It was $.  $ is the highest priced female that I have ever purchased.  She was purchased in an online auction in the fall of 2011.  I grew her out last year and then bred her.  She had a pair of twins.  $ was mated to Rumour Has It.  These would be mating $ to even bigger $ investment.  We will see if $ plus $s, works to make lots of $s.  The rest of the mob continued to lay around, groaning, throughout the night.  I don’t know if they will pop today or tomorrow, but several of these does look and sound like they are going to have a litter.

    Last night was eventful as we had a visitor.  A Yankee drove up from Amarillo, since he was in the neighborhood, just to look at goats and talk livestock.  I guess 2 1/2 hours is a lot closer to the neighborhood than Indiana.  Good visit.  We did get interupted from in-depth genetic discussions as I was trying to buy some bulls in an online auction for a customer.  We got the two bulls that we wanted, but that dang extended time caused me to lose an hour of my life.  I told him to stop back south of Shattuck on his way back to Amarillo.  I hope that went well since Tyke is under-rested and Big Bill was in the vicinity playing on a tractor.  Who knows what kind of mischief could be going on over there?

     I’ve turned the first of march born kids and their moms out of the barn this week, now that the weather appears to be okay.  As a result of living in the barn since before the blizzard, the does hooves are incredibly long.  I’m going to have to trim some hooves this weekend.  

      I’m a little bit pissed tonight.  I saw a t-shirt that I wanted, but NOOO!!  Sold out!  Limited supply, will be available at a later date.  What if somebody did that with dang good goats.  First of all, they would have added feed, wormer and vet costs.  Second, they have a risk of death and injury loss.  A t-shirt doesn’t die, actually some live forever. I’m currently wearing a t-shirt that has an outdated OSU logo.  It’s a high quality shirt.  Unlike most ou shirts, it didn’t come from wal-mart or a quick stop. 

  TACO CAT  Spell it backwards.   I love it.   It’s like having a letter B tattooed on both butt checks.  Moon somebody and it spells bob.  Doesn’t matter which direction, it still spells BOB.  3 letters for the price of 2.  

      Wierd evening.  First, it was beautiful outside.  Second, it was just me and the Dragon Lady at home.  Duke is in Stillwater at a state TSA contest.  Okay, think clean.  She is borderline sick (as in not feeling well), so no fun for me.  But we did sit at the dining room table together and eat meat nachos and talk like people that kind of like each other.  It was plum enjoyable.  I don’t know if I am capable of doing this two nights in a row, but it was, hhmm, nice.  

      Had calls, texts and emails wanting to know if Milligan and I were in a pissing match.  NOPE.  I look forward to the word of the day. Sometimes, I respond on here.  Sometime, I leave it alone.  And sometimes, I respond on the message board.  One thing about both of us that are HUGE in stature, we have a comment/opinion and we will stand behind it.  I don’t always agree with him and vice versa.  But when we agree, well, then that means that we are right and the rest of the world is wrong.  

     On a high note, I got home from the store, and pulled on a pair of camo shorts, socks, shoes, cap and nothing else.  For 2 hours, it was like I wrote the script for this afternoon’s weather.  It was top shelf.  

     It was 14 degrees Tuesday morning.  It is supposed to get to 70 degrees today.  And would somebody please find the switch to shut this dang wind off.  

     I realized that I was getting a little long winded on the chatter post on the message board.  Now, I can be here, without limitations.  Sort of.

 Since, we are on a roll.  Let’s get rid of the showmanship contest at OYE.  It isn’t a true showmanship contest anyway.  Does and wethers are shown differently.  Therefore, they should be judged differently.  But I don’t want to add to the schedule so just get rid of it.  As a venerable Jedi warrior of the Okie goat scene put it, “Set a box of showmanship buttons on the bleachers and say, ‘come and get you one’ and then let the real showmen go win classes in the real show.”  I agree.  The best TRUE showmen don’t win contests, they win shows.  

     What is showmanship?  It is about making your animal looking the best that it can be.  Hide the flaws, accentuate the positives.  Too many worry about the flair of what a showmen looks like.  The good showmen only have flair because they hid the flaws and accentuated the positives–OF the animal.  Too many mimic the wrong part.  Look at  what good showmen are doing with the animal.  Not how the showman walks or holds their hand or head or dresses.  Flair can only be added as the animal is presented appropriately.  I see most kids show.  There are very few that can add the flair.  Duke can’t, yet.  But Kela could.  But there are a lot that try to be flamboyant.  

      Show like you are trying to win a show when you are in class.  Not in the showmanship contest.  Most of our kids don’t enter showmanship contests at OYE or Tulsa.  Why?  Because we are trying to win classes, divisions and more.  The shomwanship will take care of itself.  

     Tammy loves to help kids work on showmanship.  I enjoy polishing good showmen into great showmen.  Sometimes, its more about teaching the kid how to look and feel natural in the ring.  Too many are fighting themselves and what their mental image of a showman is.  They need a clean slate, confidence and work on making the animal look right.  Then the rest will take care of itself.  Sometimes, a really good showmanship job is judged by NOT making a great one look common.  Sometimes, it is about making a common animal look uncommon.  It is all relative.  And it all takes work at home.  With help.  Not every kid has the right body build, strength or coordination to look good showing goats.  But I am a believer that every kid, no matter what, can make a goat look good in the showring.  

     I know that I can sound and act like a crabby, old SOB, most of the time.  But, I am actually a glass half-full kind of guy.  I believe that OSU athletics will be better next year. This little green goat is the “one” with proper feeding and showmanship.  And that all kids are good and want to do good.  But I am also a realist.  Those that work at it, will do good.  The others, probably not.  In order to be a good showman, a kid must be coachable.  Some are, some–not so much.  It depends.  

     This show year is done and in the books.  There were a lot changes and trends this past year in the goat world.

1–Best of the West Labor Day sale.  I said that this was the best sale in Oklahoma in terms of overall quality.  Was I right?  Yes.  Reserve grand at OYE–Helms, reserve grand at Enid–GT and class winning premium sale wether at OYE–Kelln.  Plus, numerous county winners, Woodward and Enid premium sale wethers and numerous high placers at OYE sold through this sale.  What about the two high $ wethers that I sold?  One was 3rd in class at OYE and the other got shot full of holes due to unforeseen circumstances and lack of management.  But that wether still managed to place at OYE.  This sale was way good this past year.  It will be even better in 2013.  Helms will bring a set.  Tyke’s breeding program keeps getting better (see twins–kids and goats).  Ralph and Steve will have a set and Rumour Has It that I will have a goat or two.  You better put this sale on your calendar.  

2–Helms trip–Lots of discussion about me buying so many goats on one trip.  Was it worth it?  Well, it hurt to write a check for that many goats at that price, but let’s look at the results.  Grand & Res. grand at OK State Fair, div. 2 ch. & res. wethers at OK State Fair, div. 2 ch. doe kid at Ok State Fair, premium sale wethers at Tulsa, Res. grand at Lone Star Elite, Grand doe at Champion’s Choice, Grand wether at Woodward, Grand wether at Enid, 3rd overall doe at Enid, res. div. 2 wether at OYE, numerous class winners & premium sale wethers at OYE.  Not to mention a buck.  Throw in an “imaginary” hog hunting trip where we managed to find 4 wethers (3 premium sale wethers at Tulsa & 1 at Woodward).  I think we found these goats because we didn’t use dogs and a guide.  

Listen, Listen….

3–Quality–I thought the overall quality of goats was deeper top to bottom.  There were a lot of good goats getting Easter colored ribbons.  They were good, there were just better ones there.  However, I didn’t see that magical wether that made you go WOW!  The goat that won the Lone Star Elite, Champion’s Choice and San Antonio was obviously a good one, but you could nickel and dime him if you wanted to.  In terms of cash flow generated, that one was a great one.  Why do I think that top shelf wether wasn’t around?  They got their nuts left in them.  A lot of breeders kept bucks for financial reasons.  Look for more of that in 2013.

4–Champion’s Choice Jackpot–This show was top notch in terms of quality this past year.  The grand wether at OK state fair, Grand & Res. Grand wethers at Lone Star Elite, Grand at San Antonio, Grand & Res. Grand at Enid, Grand & Res. Grand at Woodward and the Grand & Res. Grand at OYE were all at this show.  Plus numerous other premium sale goats.  The doe show was wicked good.  There will be improvements, added money and added breeders in 2013.  This show will be way good.  Plus, every breeder will be selling a goat in the Champion’s Choice Jackpot online sale in June.  What did this little, first time online sale produce last year?  Res. div. 1 wether at Tulsa (Book), res. div. 4 wether at Tulsa (Kelln) and res. div. 4 wether at OYE (Kelln).  

5–Kelln Bucks–Bucks that I own, sold, or own part of produced all year long.  Joe Dirt proved himself as the most consistent wether sire in Oklahoma with grands at Enid & Woodward and wethers in the grand drive at Tulsa & OYE.  Rainman had division champs at Tulsa and OYE, wethers and does.  Freak On A Leash sired the grand at OYE.  Black Jack had a res. div. doe at Tulsa and Pocket had a div. champion doe at OYE.  Fade2Black had numerous premium sale wethers at Tulsa, Woodward and Enid.  Look for more of this in 2013.

6–Online Sales–This form of marketing came to the forefront this past year and will continue to evolve.  To be successful, a breeder must have good photos of good animals.  The animals must be well presented, but not fake.  It takes work to get these little goats broke to show for a photo/video.  A suitable backdrop is a must.  A quality photographer is a requirement.  The animals must be quality in order to generate repeat customers.  It is best if the animals are better in real life than what is in the picture.  Those that offer animals that feed will love the online option.  If they don’t produce, this might not be the sale for you.  It takes as much work to hold an online sale as it does a live auction.  But you can reach new customers via this option.  Even if they don’t buy a goat, people are clicking on those banners and looking.  

7–Pancho Gunsaulis

8–Fitting/Showmanship–I like a show animal.  No matter the species, I want the hair/hide right.  I want them to shine.  I want them well presented.  A quality showmanship job goes a long ways in my book.  I don’t like seeing a judge help a kid show their animal.  If they can’t show it, then they DO NOT deserve to win.  I don’t like dirty animals with wood chips in their legs or on their bellies.  Sometimes, I am guilty of having the animals looking to good, but that is part of it.  The Okies are the best at showing and fitting animals.  Like the Dos Equis most interesting man in the world, “when I want to see a good livestock show, I watch an Oklahoma stock show.”

9–Spare Tires–It seems that there are a lot of spare tires left in houses and goat barns across NW Oklahoma.  Hhmm?!

10–Next Step–I like watching kids take that next step that is required to win.  Chesley Comstock and Lexi Vanderwork did it this past year and their hard work paid off as they realized some of their goals.  Bree Taylor has become money.  Darcy Peach continues to weigh about 60 pounds and she wins classes with 120# wethers.  Chanse Alexander can show with any of them.  Braden and Halie Schovanec have taken goat showmanship to a whole NOTHER level.  It was fun to see Tanner Miller, Tyler Lenhart and Kory Dietz excel this spring.  Duke works as hard or harder than anybody.  He has to, he lives with me.  Duke can get a wether shown.  Of course, he might rather be out hunting sasquatch than in the show ring.  Of course, I would too.  I want to catch that dang squatch because then I could find that ever-elusive grand at OYE trophy, a unicorn, a pot-of-gold and Nessie.  That would be worth some jack.

10–Happy Dance–We all need a happy dance.  We need to have fun, otherwise we need to go do something else.  Britt Taylor has a happy dance.  She always puts everybody else in a good mood.  She doesn’t win a class, its okay.  “I didn’t have a ribbon this color.”  Her sister wins Woodward, Britt about lets go of her goat in the grand drive jumping for joy.  The only time that I have been upset with her was at Woodward, as we were getting goats ready to go, she wanted Brooke to go to wal-mart and get Reeses’ Easter eggs.  It was time to be focused.  Not send the moms on a mission for chocolatey/peanut butter Easter eggs.  I said, “No.”  However,I love those dang eggs.  They are way good. Maybe, we need to slow down and eat a Reeses’ Easter egg.  I don’t remember ever being in a bad mood when eating those things.

11–Judges–I’m not going to bash any judges on here.  We saw some good ones this past year and we saw some inconsistent judges.  We saw some that were as expected and others that I hadn’t seen before and don’t really care to see again.  I just want a judge to be consistent in type and kind in class, from class to class and in the final drive.  I want the reasons to match the animal.  It seems like there is a limited pool of good judges in the goat world.  I do think there needs to be new ones tried, but they need to be tried at district or jackpot levels before they end up at a big show.  I didn’t hear many conspiracy theories surrounding wether shows this past year.  They all seemed pretty straight up.  The doe shows, however, that is an entirely different discussion.  

12–Doe shows–This past year proved to me why I don’t enjoy showing does.  The judging is so insconsistent from one show to the next.  A good goat should be a good goat.  Grand one show, sift the next.  Plus, it seems like there is a stench that comes from the politics involved in the doe show.  I don’t mind getting beat by a good one, but I don’t like playing dirty pool.  I would rather slam my head in a car door than show a doe.  If you see Duke showing a doe, then one of two things happened–1)Dad, I want to show a doe  (ERNGH!?!)  or 2) Somebody, pissed me off.  Really pissed me off.  Our crew had two good does at OYE.  Weighed them both out.  One we didn’t see coming, she only needed to drop one pound over two days.  Never happened.  And Braden’s, well, we got caught speeding.  Only missed it by one pound.  Unlike horseshoes and hand grenades, close doesn’t count.  Looking back, I’m glad they weighed out because I would have been upset when they were 3rd in class.  Plus, I really llike does fitted to show.  Not very many make them look right in my opinion.  It takes work and skill, but it can be done.  More people should spend time working hair and showmanship on does.  

13–2013–It’s here.  Online sales are already going on.  We are already seeing online sales being taken to the next level.  People are planning on where to go look for their next champion.  How much do we spend?  Will they cost more this year?  Prices are going to be high, but there will be some bargains out there.  But I plan on finding the bargains.  Study your genetics.  Ask questions.  Then, most importantly feed, work and care for those animals better than you did last year.  It is 2013 and like OSU football, it will always be better next year.  Learn from this past year, but don’t look back anymore.  It is time to look forward.  And don’t forget to bust out your own happy dance.  Good day.