Randy was the parts guy that got beat by a milk crate.  To give you a bit of a backstory, when he was in high school, he worked for a Deere dealership.  In the shop, changing oil, filters and basic hydraulics on 20,30, 40 & 50 series tractors.  He knew what he was doing.  Then he moved to the parts counter after high school.  He had a photographic mind and knew all of the part #s for those bad-ass series Deere tractors.  Then he went to work for a custom cutter.  He ran Deere combines.  He also knew how to work on those machines.

In Woodward, OK, it is more important to know about 20,30, 40 & 50 series tractors than it is new ones.  Why?  This is the part of the world where tractors go to die.  Clientele is mostly cowmen that need a good baler tractor, something to pull some wheat drills and it better have a loader on it for moving round bales.

The owner of the custom crew that Randy worked for was a Western customer.  I got wind that Randy had gotten pissed and quit.  I needed a parts guy, so I went on the hunt for him.

From an equipment dealer perspective, a person that knows how these machines work, knows the parts, knows the mechanics and can talk the lingo….well, that is what you call a unicorn.  Hard to find.

One day, Randy showed up to the dealership.  “Heard you are looking for me?”

I replied, “Yes.  In 2010, it is hard to track somebody that doesn’t own a cell phone.”

He then said, “I’m in the process of moving to Fargo.  Here’s a number to reach me on.  I’ll be ready for some work in about 2 weeks.”

So, a week later, I went on a unicorn hunt.  No answer.  Next day, no answer.  Next day, no answer.  Now, I went to Fargo and started driving the streets.  Somebody told me that a couple of new families moved into trailer houses by the school.  I stopped at the first one and knocked on the door.  A young lady with a passle of diapered kids answered the door.

“Nope, no Randy here.  Might check next door.  They just moved in and they are loud.”

Check I did.  No answer. But as I was getting back in my pickup, Randy crawled out from under the trailer house.

I asked, “Working on some plumbing.”

“Nope, just hooking up a shitter line.”     Oh, ok.

Me–“What about that # you gave me?”

Him–“That’s my wife’s # and she left me.  I ain’t got no phone.”

We talked shop and agreed to terms.  He would start on Monday.  I was pumped to have this dude coming to work for us.

Well, that is enough back story for now.  Check the next post for more.

I did something that I have never done before.  I voted in an online forum for the show LAMB of the year.  I voted for a sheep that has NOT won a major show.  But I have seen this sheep and I would have used him to win a major show.  He is a speck wether (he’s a speck, at least in color, anyways).  I don’t care what color he is, he is good livestock.  They call him “Moo”.  I love the way the animal props up, he has plenty of muscle and he always looks wicked awesome on the move.  Great livestock!  Moo has won shows, a reserve grand at the OK state fair EYO show.  And like 19 breed champions.  Now, there was some racist head-up-his-own-ass that put him 4th in class at KC.  And of course, struggled with giving a good reason why.  I like looking at good livestock and Moo fits the bill.  You goaters need to go to championdrive.com and vote for Moo for man of the year.  This is a bad ass piece of livestock.

There is only one thing that I would change about Moo.  I wish that Clayton Washmon was the one that owned him.  Moo wasn’t cheap when he sold online.  I don’t know the family that has Moo but I have watched them work together at shows.  This is what they do and they are getting their money’s worth out of this animal.  And making lifelong memories.

Speaking of weird things, I stood in the kitchen as Tammy finished supper.  She had Alexa playing Christmas tunes.  We both like Christmas songs.  Bob Seger’s version of “Little Drummer Boy” is one that I will listen to year round.  And I really enjoy the video/song of Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas”.  Monkey wrench video.  Ooohhh!!   I digress.  A Jackson 5 song came on.  I don’t care if you liked him or not, one has to recognize the talent that Michael Jackson possessed.  I know he got weird later in life, but dang that dude was sooooo talented.

On a fairly regular occasion, I get asked if I miss working at Western Equipment.  For sure!  I miss a lot of the people and I dang sure miss some of the employee stories.

I had parts guy that I could write a book about.  I mean stories that you cannot make up.  He was late to work one day.  When he got there, the parts manager and I pulled him aside to talk to him about his tardiness.  He was noticeably moving stiff.  Kind of like that dang good barrow that has yet to have his Banamine shot on show day.  I asked him why he was late.

He looked me square in the eye and said, “I got my ass beat by Ursula (his wife) this morning.”

Me—“What?!   RUSM?!”

Him–“Yeah boss.  She was pissed.  I told her that I didn’t want to listen to any of her shit this morning.  She left the room and came back with a milk crate and beat my ass.  I’m sorry but you don’t know how bad a swinging milk crate can hurt until you’ve been hit by one.”

Me–shaking my head, how, what—“A milk crate? Seriously?”

Him–He then turned his back towards me and pulled up his shirt.

Oh snap!!   There was ZERO doubt that he had been hit by a plastic milk crate at a high speed.  All of the little Xs were embedded right across the small of his back.   OOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!!

Eric, the parts manager, looked at me and said, “The only thing that is missing is for it to say Hiland Dairy just like all of the milk crates stacked in the lunch room when I was in school.”

Today is a good day.  Just be glad that you’ve never been beat with a milk crate.”

Here I go again.  Oh, that is a great song and a great video.

Lora Riley–Some of you may not remember the Riley sisters showing goats.  But for a 5 or 6 year period, they were a beast to try to beat.  And not just goat showing, those girls were good at everything.  Lora showed 2 Bronze wethers at OYE, a Res. grand at OYE, a Reserve grand at Tulsa, a reserve grand at State Fair and a pile of division and class winners at majors including Kansas City.  I honestly don’t remember if she won 4 or 5 district shows.  I vividly remember the great one that weighed out at OYE.  When the Riley’s were done, they were done.  Those girls went on to focus on athletics and did well.

Chance Greenroyd–If you want a history lesson in Oklahoma show goats, study his career.  LOTS of class winners and reserve divisions at state fair, Tulsa and OYE.  Consistent premium sale maker for years.  Hall of fame career AND then 2009 started–reserved grand at OYE, then grand at state fair, then grand at Tulsa and then grand at OYE 2010.  one of the best years of showing goats.  Chance had the single most dominant day of showing goats–Tulsa 2009–he won division 4, 5 & 6.  The judge had one decision–which goat of Chance’s was he going to use.  He comes from an ultra-competitive, multi-species stock show family but he put his mark in the goat ring.  He was one of the very best ever at showing each & every goat, exactly how that individual goat needed shown.  Throw in some Denver and Kansas City banners.

Tyler Boles–a grand and a reserve grand at OYE start a helluva resume.  Now, throw in possibly the most jackpot wins in OK history.  He showed every weekend and was always in the hunt at every show.  Lots of premium sale slots.  Wicked showman.  Yeah, he’s still at this goat game.

Halie Schovanec–the most natural goat showman that I have ever witnessed–anywhere.  Does or wethers–doesn’t matter.  A grand wether at Tulsa, two Reserve grand wethers at OYE, three grand wethers at Enid District and a pile of premium sale wethers.  Oh, now, throw in a grand doe at Tulsa.  Was never afraid to bark orders at TravASS, Braden or myself.  She knew what they needed to look like.

Braden Schovanec–diverse, but always successful.  A grand wether at OYE, a grand wether at the state fair,  a reserve grand wether at OYE, a reserve grand wether at Denver, a reserve grand wether at Lone Star Elite.  Add in a host of div & reserve divisions at Tulsa and OYE.  I’m not even going to list his wins in ABGA shows.  Or the fact that he has raised a bunch of good ones.  Or all of his showmanship wins.  This is a quote from myself as well as Milligan–“The very best at setting a goat for a photo, or taking the photo and helping to clip for photos is Braden Schovanec.”  He has been a part of all facets of the goat industry.  And is still going.   Teaching, coaching, raising goats.

That’s enough for tonight.  I’m enjoying reminiscing.  And yes, I can probably still remember the genetics of all the wethers that we listed tonight.  Better yet, I can remember how damn good these kids were at their craft.

First of all, thank you to all that inquired, bid and bought does tonight.  I haven’t seen a sale report yet, but judging from the calls and texts, these females are scattering across the country.   Thank you.  As we get into January, we will get the March/April bred does tested and offer them.

After the sale was posted, 3 out of every 4 calls consisted of “what will you be selling for bucks?”  The entire goat industry revolves around the bucks.  The does need name brand genetics but the sire is what drives the business.  The other calls/texts mainly consisted of “transportation” and “how long can you keep them?”  All valid questions.

I was honest.  Not in a hurry to have them gone, but I’m NOT kidding them out.

Here is a question that was posed to me a couple of weeks ago.  I think that it is a very valid question.

If the seller has to drive several hours to meet transportation, should there be a charge?

Here’s the deal.  If I have to meet a trailer at I35, that is a 5 hour round trip for me.  If I take a goat and leave at Bob May’s place in SW OK, that is a 6 hour round trip for me.  I have never charged for those deliveries, but I should.  This is just one more reason that I’m the dumbest in the goat industry, but I try to make things work.

HOWEVER, if you read the previous paragraph, you can understand why, when someone calls about transportation and I tell them, “I have a ride that will be to this destination.”   If they say, “That is over an hour from me, can they get closer?”  First off, I want to reach through the phone and do a Jedi force-choke on them.  Next, I will answer, “Yes, the hauler can deliver to your front door if you want, but that will cost $4 per loaded mile.”  All of a sudden, they become more complicit.

As a seller, I do think that it helps to accommodate deliveries.  One, if I help a buyer, hopefully they will buy again.  And two, which may be #1, if I can make it easy on the transportation, the haulers will throw me a bone and help me out when I need it.  And that may be first and foremost.

People, I will be honest.  I have mixed feelings about selling these does and the ones to come.  But tonight, as I was sorting cows in the dark and in the mud, I was glad that they weren’t female goats.

Speaking of being honest, I also will on occasion, listen to Pink, Lady Gaga and I enjoy music by Dolly Parton.  I don’t have any Pink or Lady Gaga downloaded but they make some good tunes.  No, I have never been in a drag bar but I do have a very straight friend (I think?) that has been known to emcee at one, on occasion.  Not judging him.  I also wish the Black Crowes could have made more music.  I saw them in 1990 when they opened for Aerosmith.  They were real good.

Last question but not the first, is the election over?  Asking for a friend.

Peace out!  Stay positive but test negative!

Years ago, we talked about adding a Hall of Fame section to Oklahomashowgoats.com.  Now, there is no longer an oklahomashowgoats.com but I think that there should still be a Hall of Fame.  Probably ought to be a HOF for people that posted on the message board as well.  Now, remember that this is an Oklahoma HOF.

First inductee–Kela Kelln–The OG of this show goat deal in Oklahoma.  Yeah, I’m partial but I am also right.  The original owner of the site that helped pull the goat industry onto the internet.  She put on show clinics all across Oklahoma.  She changed the way goats were shown as she added style and showmanship to a “chain” show yet she also succeeded at bracing shows.  There are numerous HOFers that learned by watching her.  The first ever to host an online goat sale.  The first ever to win the Woodward District wether show.  The first ever to win the Northwest District Show (Enid).   Throw in a state fair grand, OYE reserve grand, Phoenix reserve grand, numerous other division winners at Tulsa, OYE, KC, etc. and countless showmanship wins.  It is a direct line to others like the Schovanec’s, Mercedes Hardin, Bree Taylor, Chance Greenroyd, Lexi Vanderwork, Chesley Comstock, Duke Kelln, etc.  Yes, that was a different era & time, yet she would still be on top of the game.

Mercedes Hardin–the Babe Ruth of the Oklahoma show goat industry.  And she would be one of the all-time greats across the country.  2 grands and  a res. grand at OYE, a grand and reserve at Tulsa, a grand and reserve at the American Royal, a grand and reserve grand at Denver, a grand at the Lone Star Elite.  Throw in some state fair wins and other premium sale stuff.  This chick was tough to beat.

Kaitlyn Merriman–the original dominant force in the Oklahoma doe showing scene.  Won Tulsa, won OYE a couple of times.  Oh, she also won several wether shows.

Stasha Harp–Was not a factor at every show, but she always seemed to find magic in that OYE ring.  One does not have to have huge success when they have had two grand wethers and a reserve grand wether at OYE.  That is a resume unto itself.

There is your inaugural class.  This will be an ongoing project.

Why?

Why not?

I’ve written on here before about filling out surveys.  Well, I still recommend filling those things out.  Over the years, I’ve gotten John Deere toys, John Deere caps, free oil changes from the auto dealer, hotel bonus points and other obscure crap.

A couple of months ago, I filled out a written survey for some Texas Tech student doing graduate work.  The survey was a butt load of questions about ag-ed/FFA in our school.  It probably took me 5 minutes to fill out.  I put it in the postage paid envelope and mailed it back.  Done.

This week, I received a letter that explained the survey.  They weren’t just surveying ag teachers, they were also surveying responses online versus mail.  AND if survey response rates increased by being offered $2.  What?  Wait?  $2?

I did the mail in deal for free.  Who gives a rat’s ass about $2?  Obviously a higher percentage of people.  The letter showed that Survey return rates were higher for the ones that were offered $2.  Mail-in vs. online results were similar.

To keep all things equal, since I did the survey for free, they sent me (and others) a $2 bill in the mail for the effort.  Cool!  It’s been a year or two since I saw a $2 bill in circulation.

Several decades ago, I judged a county hog show.  It was a bad-ass show.  Lots of OKC premium sale pigs in the show.  At the end of the show, the county agent asked me if I was fine with a cash payment for judging.  “Sure.”  He then handed me the damndest roll of $2 bills.  I forget the actual story but it was something along the lines that between the county commissioners and the fairboard, nobody trusted anybody to sign a check, so they did everything in $2 bills.  Whatever works.

It was fun to open a letter with a $2 bill.  At least it wasn’t a $3 bill.  I’ve never seen one but…..I guess they are different.

At 8:53 am, I finished up this mornings’ ass-kicking.  My ass was the one donated for the kicking.  Snow & then winds made some drifts.  I had to first thaw out the intake line for our tankless water-heater.  Then, I had to dig pathways through drifts for doe goats to get to feed/hay and water.  Then deal with a bull that doesn’t care what the weather is doing, he was out and didn’t want to go back in.

Survey says….I should have had a dispersal earlier in the year.

Happening by chance rather than design.  Nope.  Not here. Random, maybe.  This dispersal has been on my mind for awhile.  It was not a last minute, get pissed kind of emotional response.  There are a lot of factors.  Simply put, I have too many irons in the fire.  And NOBODY here enjoys dealing with the doe goats.  We like the babies, I like the bucks.  I like selling good wethers.  Tammy has a good job.  I have a good job.  Nobody is in a bad mood feeding cattle.  I am in a bad mood farming, yet it feeds the cattle and the goats.  Every direction, none of us are in a good mood dealing with doe goats.  It’s that simple.

This isn’t written in stone.  The plan(s) are to offer April due bred does in late Jan. or Feb.  We will offer a set of February-born buck prospects towards the first of Feb.  There will be a semen sale, it could be a sizable sale.  There will also be a set of June-born buck kids.  At some time, there will be a set of coming yearling doe kids.  And then the bred does that are due in May.  Maybe there will be an equipment sale. IDK.  I need panels, feeders and such until all the goats are gone.  We’ll cross that bridge later.  That is the basic plan.  But, I’m not married to anything (other than a Dragon Lady).  Basically, if the right deal comes along, I’ll listen.

If we do have an equipment sale, there may be some really cool old-school type of stuff.

DO NOT call and ask for pictures or videos of buck(s).  If we take the time to wash/clip/photo a goat, that thing is going to be sold online.  If you want a bargain, come look at them BEFORE we photo.

Speaking of which, it should be a highly punishable offense to call/text a breeder and ask for photos of a goat, if you have never done business with that breeder.  Of all the changes that I have witnessed in the goat industry in the past 18 years, this is the one of the top 2 offenses.  I hate the general publics’ dependence on pictures.  I value a breeder’s word more than a damn picture.  I guess that makes me old school.  It also makes me right.  No matter what I am selling–goats, cattle, pigs, welding projects, ag equipment–(i’ve sold a lot of stuff!)–I will always be more honest than you want.  I’m proud of my kids, my wife, my family and I can give a rat’s ass what you think about me.  But no matter what, if you ask, I’ll tell you everything about something I’m selling.  If a doe is a bad momma, she has either already caught a ride to a sale barn or somehow ended up in a canyon. (of natural causes)

We are 18 years into the goat business.  I know more than most, yet still don’t know enough.  I know that I value a momma goat that will breed, have babies and raise them in a healthy manner.  Please call with any questions.  I will be more honest than any when it comes to my own stock.  I’ll tell it like it is.

Now, on a more positive note.  Tammy and I watched the timeless clay-mation classic–Rudolph.  I love it, but I mocked it as we watched it.  Why are there flowers growing in the windowbox, in the snow, close to Christmas, near the north pole?

Also, are the toys from Misfit Island from china?  Was this the beginning of the indoctrination to use cheap shitty toys from china?  Have I ever mentioned that I have questions about politics, our government and the media?  No?  Well, maybe, someday, I will talk about it.

Nonetheless, I still enjoy watching this timeless classic.  “Bumbles bounce!”  Yukon Cornelius is a stud.  I still have doubts about Hermie the elf. What?  Wait.  You don’t?  I don’t trust dentists.

Lots of snow here in NW OK.  Supposed to get more tonight.  It’s a PITA but it’s moisture.

Stay positive yet test negative.  Have a good one today and a better one tomorrow.

Tammy and I no longer have a teenager.  Duke turns 20 years old today.  This year has probably aged him more than all of the previous years combined.

And just like when the kids had birthdays during grade school, his mom is making “treats” for his class at school.  Except now it is biscuits & sausage gravy and sausage rolls.  The wind energy class at High Plains Technology Center will be eating well this morning.

And just like that, we have a 20 year old and a 30 year old.  Both kids made it through their teens years without a pregnancy.

Have a good one and a better tomorrow.

During Christmas 2019, my brothers and I were discussing a wicked 50th wedding anniversary for our parents.  Thanksgiving 2020 showed us that we were just lucky to get the immediate family together.  It was good, just not as good as it might have been.  I am so proud of my parents and my brothers.

John Q. & Debbie Kelln– 50 years of marriage.

3 sons. No divorces.

3 hot daughter-in-laws

3 granddaughters

3 grandsons

Job well done.

We are not the only ones singing the 2020 bs  tune.  Countless others have been kicked in the crotch.   2020 has sucked rhinoceros balls for so many reasons.

January of 2020 found me trying to hire the Oak Ridge Boys to play this gig.  Who knew that they were doing so well that they didn’t really want to play a gig in Shattuck, OK on Thanksgiving night.  Oh well.  I’ve been turned down many other times.  But, if you don’t ask…….you never know.  And for those that don’t know me or my brothers, this would explain a lot.  And those that do know us, well, you already knew that asking the question wasn’t the hard part.

A lot has changed this year.  And I can see the end of me dealing with doe goats. I’ve had enough. Things change and the end is near.  Stay tuned.

Here’s to hoping that all of you stay positive yet test negative.  Well, that is,  if you test.

Fifty years ago, this day of the Lord, November 26, John Q. & Deborah A. Schneider were married.  Now, 50 years later, John & Debbie Kelln are getting ready to re-do their vows, in the same church, with their 3 sons, 3 daughter in laws and 5 of the 6 grandkids in attendance.  Kela is stuck in California (work not covid).

In true 2020 form, we are dealing with some covid crap in order to hold this celebration.

No matter.  Our parents have shown us how to be parents.  FIFTY years!

Obviously, all three sons paid attention.  We did as Dad did.  We all 3 married way above our pay-grade.  And all three house-holds understand the power of GOD.

Congrats Mom & Dad!  Outstanding job.  Proud to be  your son.

Horseshoes & shamrocks!