Beginning to Grand

As our family has made friends showing sheep, it is interesting to me to watch the interactions between the breeders of the animals and the exhibitors. Hewlett Farms is a local sheep farm.  They have helped us more than we ever could have imagined with sheep we have bought from them and with sheep we have bought from other breeders Ed and Connie (aka the Night Watchman) have been an incredible wealth of knowledge for the boys and the whole family. I asked Ed for a story about their farm and he shared how their youngest son got started in the sheep business himself.  You can find them on Facebook at Hewlett Farms Sheep.

 At the Black and White sheep show and sale 2005 in Oklahoma City. The beginning happened, the idea, thought,and or an inclination at least to be or do something different. Not by me, or the night watchman but rather 11 year old son Curtis. He, while checking out the stock, and wandering through the aisles of lambs, proposed the question. Mom why don't we buy a Dorset Ewe? 

When she presented the same question to me, I still remember the pride of owning my first 4-H project and in no way was I going to deny him of the same. So, the ground rules were laid and he was off to select the ewes he liked. The only real rule was that he had to pay for it with his own savings.

When his first choice hit the auction block and blew by his limit and so did number two, he came to me head down and discouraged. So doing what any good father would, we set out together to find another and as luck would have it choice three was the winner. After the show, enroute home, the night watchman proceeds to tell me her only experience with Dorset sheep is they had one as kids and she never lambed. Oh no! I thought Curtis has just bought one and now she is not going to breed, and that just wont do, so that was the beginng of phase two: Get more Dorset ewes. 

A call to Mr Ross owner of Curtis's new ewe and a road trip later his flock was now two . Feeling good about the project a few months later at the Midwest Stud Ram sale in Sedalia, Missouri, we ask Curtis about the idea of buying a ram and a couple more ewes. We thought he could be starting his own registered flock and not cross breeding them. He thought about it for a short time and then was off to select his new stud Ram and much like earlier at auction time his ram selection went out of sight he thought. He said, "Now what? I don't like any others!" 

By this time the night watchman was in the game and she had a young March ram in mind. With quick discussion and convincing he was to be the one and by the end of the auction Curtis had added a stud ram later named Polar Express and two more ewe lambs. He was set, and phase three was put in place. The plan was nothing short of Genius. Breed the four ewes and take those lambs back to Midwest ram sale the very next year. 

The year seem to fly by and Polar Express, though small, finally got the job done and lambing time was smooth. Praise the Lord! Curtis now had 5 lambs, 3 ewes and 2 rams. He decided that he would take Polar and 2 ram lambs to Sedalia and while there buy a new stud ram. It seems so simple.

During the show luck was with Curtis, and when judge Clay Elliott made the final selections. Curtis's little flock had the Res Grand Dorest ram, a second to him in class and the first place yearling with Polar Express. The phone call back to the Night Watchman was exciting and she couldn't believe it. All that was left to do was buy the new stud ram and wouldn't you know the only one he selected, was the one he couldn't beat. That's right the Grand ram bred by Slack was the one his sights were on. 

With great anticipation we could hardly wait for the auction. It was a tough fight and more than he wanted to invest but the gavel fall proved Curtis meant business. The only fitting name for the new stud was simply Grand. In all endeavors, there is always risk, and with that Curtis had put it all on the line. We encouraged him to buy more ewes to spread the risk, which he did adding three more. The plan had worked so why change it and year two was to be much the same. Save back a few ewe lambs and sell the ram lambs. 

To save you all the drama year two was incredible. Grand's first lamb to be offered won the Black and White Dorest ewe show and sold well. Then on to Sedalia, Curtis was loaded for bear. He took three each rams and ewes all lambs. With the judge favoring our style, the lambs were unbeatable. Curtis carried both the Grand ram and Grand ewe ribbons out of the ring. The sale went just as well and Curtis's second year endeavor was in the black with room to spare. From just a simple idea 24 months before to a winning, profitable, program all thanks to breeders offering good animals and a great ram called GRAND. 

Ed Hewlett 
Hewlett Farms Sheep

Hardwork ALWAYS wins over High Prices

Over the years that my kids have been in 4-H showing livestock, I have met some pretty well spoken young people. Caitlyn Carnahan a student at NEO shared this on her Facebook page the other day. I asked permission to repost for all of you to share.  I would echo many of her thoughts as we enter a new show season and are shopping for this year's new projects.

I recently saw someone say that money will get you success, specifically in the livestock showing industry. This is very false and also true in a way. It is not all about money, and HARDWORK conquers all. In the end hardwork will lead you to success. Hardwork may not necessarily reflect on your winning in the showring on that day but it will prepare you to be the successful adult that you will become. 

 

With being in the livestock industry and the show industry, hardwork has gotten me a lot farther than what money has. Yes money can get you that high dollar, flashy animal but what is that teaching you? 

In the end hardwork is going to get you a lot farther in life and the real world than what money will. Money is temporary and hardwork is infinite and will last you a life time. With going into my last and 11th year showing, the hardwork that it has set within me and the life skills it has taught me is going to allow me to get far in life to help me accomplish my life goals. 

 

I have always had to do my own work with my show animals, from my first year showing a pig to my last showing sheep and cattle. Along this journey there have been people that have accused my family of not doing our own work, especially me myself. At my barn it has always been a group effort, however if my brother or I were not out in the barn my parents were not. Because of them I want to do all of my work with my animals so in the end if I do get the purple ribbon and get to stand in the winners circle I can say that I did my OWN work MYSELF. 

 

To me that is a big deal because my family did not have to pay someone to do the work I am very capable of doing. This following fall I started college at NEO and still had show animals at home. Yes, I was not there every single day to feed them or work with them. However, I made an effort to drive an hour one way every other day throughout the week and every weekend to just be home for 3 or 4 hours so I could get work in with my animals. After I would get finished I would drive back to Miami, Oklahoma to school. While all of this, I was one of the baton twirlers at NEO, having practice daily. And that fall at the Kansas State Fair I achieved one of my goals to get into the top five in showmanship.

 

 I was able to achieve this with my own hardwork, not with money or having the right name or because I knew a certain person. In college everyone pays the same amount, and those who have went above and beyond with their own hardwork were awarded scholarships. But in college if you do not have a drive and do not work hard then you will not be successful. So before you think that money will buy you success, go out and achieve your goals with hardwork so you can say, "THAT WAS ALL ME.

Junior Nationals Hang Over

Not a literal hang over but truly it has taken a little more than a week to recover from the eight day circus known as Junior Nationals.  It was our fourth trip to a Junior National and our one of choice is the combined Maine Anjou/Chi Junior National although there a variety to choose from.  Lucky for us it was our second adventure back to Grand Island, Nebraska and folks I could write a whole book about those facilities.  If you want to see a barn done right for cattle, the Nebraska State Fairgrounds Beef Barn is my pick!

Junior Nationals is our summer family trip and by time the week is over I am wondering if I need my head examined.  We get up every day around 6:30 am or earlier on some show days, and we rarely leave the barns before 9 pm.  The heat and other factors require us to spend pretty much all day in the barns with the few head we’ve taken.  So life revolves around the cattle and whatever kid activity is designated for that day.  In many ways, a way slower pace than most other days for us.  So we get plenty of QTT (quality time together) and enjoy the week with each other and other show families we've met along the way.

So why a working vacation for us?  The answer for me is three part.

#1  The learning opportunity-We tell the kids, how else do you learn from the best in the business but to go hang out and watch the best in the business.  Keith and I didn’t grow up showing cattle like this.  We started out behind the power curve.  All five of us learn something(s) that we did not know before we got there.  Each year we get a little more under our belt and each year I feel like we tackle something new that one of the “old pros” taught us.  My kids will know way more about this industry by the time they graduate high school then I do today, and that is awesome!  By then, I'll be in a lawn chair full-time watching them work, I hope.

#2  The Contests-Junior Nationals is about so much more than just showing the cattle.  The kids get the chance to participate i

n Showmanship, Quiz Bowl, Livestock Judging, Fitting Contests and many more contests that enhance their knowledge about our industry.  I can’t tell you how much they have learned but I learn each time I sit through a Quiz Bowl match or read over their Stockman’s Challenge test.

#3  The People-And I would say that this is by far my favorite reason for going to Junior Nationals.  Each year we meet at least two or three new families that enjoy ranching or showing cattle as much as we do.  We have met people from across the country and all over our state that make the annual trip hard to miss.  We hang out with other people from our state that we see at other shows but rarely have time to visit with.  We get to know other good kids and are amazed at how much they grow in knowledge and skill each year as we come back together.  We laugh together and lean on each other when we need too and I have another network of friends through out the country.

So highlights from this year included driving all night because of the heat, a blown tire on the stock trailer on I-35, the hubby leaving me for two days to fly out for a work ‘thing’, a heifer with a serious attitude and YES we’ll do it all over again the next chance we get!  

If You Give a 4-H'er a Calf...

If you let your 4-H'er get a calf, they will fall in love with it.

If your 4-H'er falls in love with it, they'll want to spend lots of time with it.

If they want to spend lots of time with her, they'll get up at 5:55 am to go to feed her.

If they go to feed her, they'll want to brush her.

If they brush her, they'll think she needs a bath.

If she gets a bath once, they'll think she needs a bath every morning.

If they give her a bath, they'll want to blow dry her.

 

If you let them blow dry her, they will want a fan hung in the barn to keep her cool while they are at school.

If they get up to feed her to keep clean they will wear wind pants and a hoodie over school clothes.

If they wear clothes over their school clothes, you will have to pick them up at the barn because they won't come back to the house until they need to go to school.

If you pick them up at the barn, they will strip off the top layer of clothes as you drive them to school.

If they strip off the clothes, your truck will be full of clothes.

 

If  your truck is still full of clothes when he gets in after school, they will want to go back to the barn.

If they want to go back to the barn, you can make them do their homework before they visit the barn.  Homework will be done the fastest ever!

 

If they are more motivated to do their homework, they might reach their reading goal for the month before the last day of the month.

If they get their reading goal done before the last day of the month, you might let them show the calf at some shows.

If they make friends at the shows, they will want to go to more shows.

If they want to go to more shows, they will find there are other things to show other than cattle.

If they find there are other things to show, they will want another animal.

If they keep doing their homework, feeding and grooming the calf, you will let them them have a lamb and then you will find out what happens when you give a 4-H'er a lamb.