I have had my faith shaken really bad over the past few years. \u00a0Not my faith in GOD, (NEVER) but my faith in the jr. livestock show program. \u00a0I’ve been led behind the curtain and didn’t like what I saw. \u00a0However, there have been moments lately that give me a warm and fuzzy feeling about the industry as a whole that makes me happy to be a part of it.<\/p>\n
To start with, I spent this wet (YES!) saturday on the road with a dad and a student. \u00a0We started the day eating breakfast at the PollyAnna Cafe in Woodward (YES!). \u00a0Then we ventured out to pickup a lamb (yes, a lamb) for a student. \u00a0Rodney Washmon is a damn good hand with these show lambs. \u00a0And these kids of his can flat ass outwork and out show most. \u00a0And these kids are fun. \u00a0Washmon was doing me and more importantly a student a favor in order to get a top shelf sheep for reasonable money. \u00a0The breeder was great to deal with as well. \u00a0We then stopped at another big name farm. \u00a0Great FFA\/stock show family. \u00a0I left there the first time today, really liking what we had gotten done there. \u00a0Then, we got a call to come back. \u00a0And I REALLY liked what happened then. \u00a0All involved in this paragraph are stock show junkies that like to see hard working kids have a chance. \u00a0Dollars were left on the table compared to an auction, but it is fun to see breeders make sure good stock end up in the hands of great kids. \u00a0It is a great practice that pays off for all involved.<\/p>\n
Then, I got home and dealt with ear tagging, vaccinating and horn burning. \u00a0Not fun, but it went well.<\/p>\n
And now, I am inside, checking this book of faces when I see that a bonafide good one is having a birthday. \u00a0It is a known fact that I put more value on the kid than I do the animal. \u00a0Here’s the story.<\/p>\n
At the 2014 Tulsa show, I was in a foul mood. \u00a0At least that is my excuse for my mistake with this kid. \u00a0I was standing near the show ring talking. \u00a0In front of me was a great kid that was in junior college at the time. \u00a0He was watching his sister show. \u00a0I wanted to know what the goat was that she was showing. \u00a0So, I hollered at him. \u00a0“Hey Kody!”<\/p>\n
He didn’t turn around and acknowledge me. \u00a0So, I said LOUDER “Hey, Kody!” \u00a0He kind of turned and looked, like Who.I.T.H.?! are you talking to? \u00a0But, he acted like I was talking to somebody else. \u00a0So\u2026..<\/p>\n
I now said, “Damn, Dietz!” \u00a0He turned around and squared up to me like WTF?! Dude!<\/p>\n
Schneberger was standing next to me, now laughing like a hyena that enjoyed getting kicked in the nuts. \u00a0“Why are you calling him Kody?”<\/p>\n
What? When? \u00a0Oh hell! \u00a0 I don’t know. \u00a0I’m a dumbass. RUSM?!<\/p>\n
For some reason, I had it in my head that Kory Dietz was Kody\u2026..not Kory. \u00a0That deal has haunted me for years. \u00a0I can’t explain how I screwed that name up. \u00a0It isn’t like me to screw up a name. \u00a0Especially a kid that I have known for years.<\/p>\n
Let me fill in the blanks. \u00a0Kory Dietz grew up in Alva. \u00a0He wasn’t a known stock show kid when he was younger. \u00a0He was THAT kid that followed Mr. Staats and Mr. Nation anywhere that they would take him. \u00a0He bought cheap goats and made them good, real good. \u00a0He was an addict to studying livestock. \u00a0Nation scooped Dietz up into the livestock judging contests. \u00a0And they won. \u00a0Won state titles, then went to some national contests then went and judged overseas. \u00a0They won a lot. \u00a0This kid has an eye for stock.<\/p>\n
Staats moved to the state office so then Lastly started hauling Dietz around showing does. \u00a0That pair was doing WAY good together. \u00a0But Jon then moved to Georgia. \u00a0This left Dietz with some dang nice does. \u00a0He needed some help and a buck to use. \u00a0Poe Cat and Dietz started showing goats together. \u00a0This pair worked well together. \u00a0Are you noticing a trend? \u00a0Everybody that deals with Dietz has a good run.<\/p>\n
Poe bought a cheap, skinny goat from me one summer. \u00a0It was the classic “Hey, what do you want for that skinny bastard?”<\/p>\n
My reply, “Dang. \u00a0That’s out of a wicked good doe that had triplets. \u00a0He’s just skinny. \u00a0Who is it for?” \u00a0Poe replied, “Ah heck, that Dietz boy needs one that will feed.” \u00a0My reply, “What do you have to spend?” \u00a0 He replied, “Not much, but I got it in cash.” \u00a0Done. \u00a0Well, Kory took that little, skinny goat and cashed a few checks. \u00a0He ended up reserve grand at Woodward District (behind Bree and right ahead of Duke) and then made the sale at OYE. \u00a0The next year, I let Kory and Bree Taylor have pick of the wethers at our place. \u00a0Kory won a class at OYE with his goat.<\/p>\n
Now, Kory is getting ready to graduate the great college in Stillwater–OSU. \u00a0He has helped his sister to success. \u00a0He has raised good goats. \u00a0He still helps Poe, goes to Georgia to help Lastly and follows good livestock. \u00a0And he is literally, the story of why livestock exhibition is a great thing. \u00a0His parents have been very involved and are great to be around at shows. \u00a0GREAT people! \u00a0And to this day, it still pisses me off at myself that I called him Kody. \u00a0One of my few regrets! \u00a0To this day, I truly cannot explain my mistake that day. \u00a0I can blame it on the fact that I normally called him Dietz. \u00a0But I screwed up and it burns my ass.<\/p>\n
So, when I saw on the socially transmitted disease known as Facebook that Kory Dietz was having a birthday, I had to text him “Hey Kody! \u00a0Kody! \u00a0Hey Kody, tell Kory Dietz happy birthday!” \u00a0And he replied in appropriate fashion–better than I would have.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Basically, it was good to see that it rained more on the burnt areas of NW OK. \u00a0Thank GOD! \u00a0I saw some good livestock today. \u00a0Dealt with some even better people. \u00a0Got in a better mood. \u00a0Was reminded of one of my biggest mistakes. \u00a0Remembered why we do what we do. \u00a0Happy birthday to Kory Dietz. \u00a0And all of those like him that bring the positives of livestock showing to the forefront. \u00a0We can get caught up in the dollars, the politics, theBS or whatever. \u00a0But in the end, it all comes back to the basics. \u00a0A kid, now adult, like Kory Dietz is EXACTLY what the stock show program is about. \u00a0Oh, and I have met his girl. \u00a0I will gladly speak for Staats, Nation, Poe and myself and allow that this kid is following suit and is looking to do as we all did and improve the gene pool by marrying higher quality.<\/p>\n
Everyone of us in this industry needs to step back, realize the true value of a dollar and remember why it is what we do. \u00a0I’ve been guilty. \u00a0We all have. \u00a0We need to celebrate success stories and condemn wrong doings. \u00a0We don’t need crooks and lawyers. \u00a0We need success stories and yet we have plenty of these happy stories amongst us. \u00a0Regardless of their name. \u00a0Kody or Kory. \u00a0They are right there in front of us.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
p.s. \u00a0Yes, this is one of the few times that I have admitted that I was a not smart person.<\/p>\n
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p.s.s. \u00a0And for those of you that text wanting to know when I was going to write some stuff\u2026.here you go.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have had my faith shaken really bad over the past few years. \u00a0Not my faith in GOD, (NEVER) but my faith in the jr. livestock show program. \u00a0I’ve been led behind the curtain and didn’t like what I saw. \u00a0However, there have been moments lately that give me a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2207"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2210,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2207\/revisions\/2210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kellnlivestock.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}