Teaching kids valuable life skills

This weekend I had the privilege of judging the Montgomery Co. Livestock Show in Winona, MS. This was my first show to judge in the South and I had a BLAST! From the moment I arrived I was blown away by the nice families, how welcoming everyone was, and how polite the kids were! Before the show started I was "observing" the families and all of them were working together to get their animals ready and laughing and having a good time! I was very obvious that the kids were excited, happy to be there, and loved every minute of what they were doing! The kids did an awesome job showing and had done really well working with and preparing their animals prior to the show.

After the show I had the opportunity to visit with one of the Moms. She was sharing with me why she felt that 4-H, agriculture, and livestock were so important for her kids and their family. Showing livestock is a great opportunity for families to spend time together. In today's time, as sad as it is, this is becoming a rarity. The kids are responsible for getting up before school every morning to feed their animals and then as one little boy put it, "When I get off the bus from school, I got outside to my lambs so that I can exercise them, work with them to get ready for the shows, and feed them." During showmanship I asked the kids a variety of questions and one of them being, "Tell me about your lamb (or goat, heifer, etc.)". Every one of these kids could tell me in detail what they were doing at home to properly take care of and manage their animals. This teaches kids responsibility and a work ethic at a young age. It also teaches them how to care for livestock.  Most of these kids also had a lot of self confidence and weren't shy while I was asking them questions. They have to think on their feet while in the show ring and this will translate to job interviews many years down the road. These kids are learning life skills as early as 5-7 years of age that are irreplaceable. When they are grown and mature they will know how to work, obtain and hold a job, and how to be professional in business settings.
I was very proud of all these kids. They did an awesome job and should be commended for all their time and effort they have put into their projects!

The kids and I after the show!

The extent of drought conditions in Texas and surrounding states

Hello everyone! I wanted to share some photos that I found on the Beef Magazine website this week. We all hear on the news of the extreme drought occurring in Texas but it's hard to fathom the extent of the devastation. Being from Southwest Kansas, we are most generally dry or very dry. It's a rarity when we receive rain. In fact, we get excited over a sprinkle! Farmers in our area had to divert water this year on their crops. This means that if they had a well that was running irrigation (sprinklers) on three circles of corn, they had to divert the water over to only 25-50% of the crop. This way they could ensure that a portion of the crop would produce a successful product in spite of the drought.
When I came across these pictures (at the conclusion of this post!) it was an eye-opener. It made our conditions seem mild compared to what the people in south Texes around Wichita Falls and Boling are experiencing.  Last night, I attended the Mississippi State University Collegiate Cattleman's meeting. Mrs. LeAnne Peters, Director of Communications from the Mississippi Cattleman's Association, was there to speak to us about the Check Off program and  fill us in on what they are currently working on in the cattle industry across the state and nationally.  She said that her office had talked to cattle producers in Texas that had been buying water to haul to their cattle for the past 3 weeks. They have also talked to farmers and ranchers from Mississippi that want to donate hay to the Texas ranchers and need to know how to get in contact with them. That is why I lover our industry. People are always willing to lend a hand to others in need from across the states. Please remember to keep the farmers and ranchers in these areas in your thoughts and prayers.
If you have ways you would like to help, contact the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Click here to visit their website. You can find links for the hay hotline as well as drought and wildfire resources.
When I came across these pictures it was an eye-opener. It made our conditions seem mild compared to what the people in south Texes around Wichita Falls and Boling are experiencing.

This crack in the soil is nearly 27 inches deep.

And measures nearly 10 inches wide.

Cracks along a fence line. You can see here how dry it is, the pasture is almost bare dirt. 

This photo is of a farmer near Wichita Falls who had to put up a solar panel in order to pump water for his cows. 

Here is the a map of the drought conditions across the US and is current as of September 1, 2011. You can click on the map to go to a larger picture that will be easier to read!

Today's Youth = Tomorrow's Producers

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to a livestock show with a friend in Cullman Co., Alabama! While I was there, I met up with an old buddy of mine that I livestock judged with in junior college. It had been about a year and a half since I had seen Ethan so I it was past due time to catch up! He showed me around the fair and I saw everything from gigantic watermelons to cattle and local kids taking in the exhibits.  I noticed that there were many local kids roaming around looking at the gigantic watermelon and pumpkin display and even petting the cattle. The county fair is a great place for kids who aren't familiar with agriculture to learn about crops and livestock.  I always enjoy seeing this and think that it's critical we keep programs like 4-H and FFA up and going.

 Ethan with the giant pumpkin display...I made him take a picture for the blog!

Growing up I was very involved in 4-H. Starting at the age of 5, I began showing sheep and entering cakes in the open class foods contest.  The first year I brought a cake to the fair, I entered my Granny's chocolate cake recipe.  In open class, all the age groups compete against each other. I won grand champion with Granny's cake and I was SO excited...the older ladies weren't very impressed that they got beat by a five year old! Boy was I proud though.  As I got older, I learned how to sew and started showing calves.  At the time it seemed like I worked and worked and when I would get frustrated I didn't understand what I was gaining. Looking back, all those experiences are priceless.  Through  all those experiences, trials, and successes, I learned valuable skills like responsibility, leadership and developed a good work ethic. I also increased my knowledge about agriculture and became eager to share my story with those who may not be in touch with agriculture.

Once I arrived at KSU, I found the Collegiate CattleWomen club. This opened up a whole new world of opportunity. I was able to network with producers from across the country, broadening my horizons about agriculture and for the first time fully understanding how incredibly critical connecting with consumers is. The future of our industry lies in the consumers hands and I firmly believe as producers, it is our responsibility to help educate others by sharing out stories.

Now that I have rambled for a few paragraphs, what does all this have to do with visiting the Cullman Co. Fair? Those youngsters in the show ring are the next generation that will be responsible for telling their story. It's important that we set a good example and do our part bridging the gap between production agriculture and the consumer.  How do we do this? We can do this through mentoring those young 4-H and FFA members.  Encourage them to give presentations about their experiences to groups, write guest blog posts for producers, share what they are doing with their classrooms at school.
It made me really happy to see the kids walking around the fair that were maybe petting a calf, seeing a giant watermelon, or a soybean plant for the first time. This is a good start!

Some local kiddos taking in the watermelons...

Eggplant

Soybeans

Cotton

Peppers! My favorite....I love all the bright colors!