Only 5 days left before Christmas!

Are you looking for that great last minute stocking stuffer for a show sheep addicted friend or family member? The New Honor Show Chow Winning Matrix:Show Lamb Edition DVD is now available on www.honorshowchow.com. It is like a greatest hits CD for winning in the show ring. The cast of charcters features Dr Kevin Burgoon, Mike Harbour, Taw Wayne Dunham and Mark Johnson. We have it on reasonably good authority, that all four of the stars of this DVD will be appearing for the first time together in 2011 at the San Antonio Livestock Show in Feb. These guys will continue to work on solo projects throughout the year, but may appear together again in June in MO. Check the Honor Show Chow Events Calendar to find who and when one or more of the Honor Show Chow Ambassadors is appearing at venue near you. Happy Holidays!

Southdowns took over the 2010 North American international Livestock Exposition. It never ceases to amaze me how much effort so many people put into that one week in Nov. It is always an impressive event. Breeders, exhibitors, and NAILE staff put a year’s worth of effort into an activity that for some, may only last a few minutes. Every bit of it is worth it.

The Southdown activities started out with bang at the Annual Stars of Louisville Sale. The standing room only crowd was treated to terrific offering of Southdown females. New and veteran breeders brought out some of their best and they were well received by the large crowd as nearly forty head averaged just under $1000. The sale was soon followed by the Southdown portion of the NAILE Market Lamb Show. Two large classes of Southdown wethers made up fifty head of Southdown lambs exhibited. It was a lineup that truly turned heads. Saturday night concluded with annual ASBA banquet. Once again the room was packed with Southdown enthusiasts from across the United States. The food was actually really good. As I said at the time, “I went to a banquet and a Southdown party broke out.”

Sunday, 8:00 a.m., began the large NAILE Junior breeding sheep. This year’s show featured 18 breeds and over 1600 head. That was the largest junior breeding sheep show in the history of the North American. The recent trend has been to save the best for last and the Southdown Junior exhibitors took center stage at about 6:30 p.m. When the dust finally settled and the last Showmanship class was placed it was after 12:30a.m. Monday morning. No problem, the National Southdown Show started Monday morning and we were all already there. So at 8:00 a.m. the show began and I placed my last class at about 2:30p.m. The Southdown breed owned the show ring at the NAILE for 12 ½ hours! For twelve and one-half hours Southdown exhibitors brought out their best, Southdown enthusiast filled the seats, and judges deliberated the impressive display. Southdown breeders, Southdown youth and Southdown sheep truly at their best.

The crew at A&M Ranch was blessed with busy and successful fall. We participated in our second On-Line Southdown Spectacular Sale. Thanks to everyone who made that such a great sale. We started participating in the on-line sales after listening to fellow HSC Ambassador Kent Bennington at one of the HSC Show Clinics. We were also busy at the North American International. Congrats to Sarah Kennedy, who exhibited the Res. Ch Southdown wether at the NAILE on her A&M lamb. The ASBA Southdown Ewe Lamb Futurity was won by Adrianna Wendland with her A&M Ranch ewe lamb she selected at Sedalia. Darcy Long, MO placed in the top five of both the ewe lamb and yearling ewe futurity with her ewes she selected from A&M Ranch. Darcy is also an ASBA Southdown JR Ambassador. Clifton McClintock also placed near the top of the ewe lamb futurity and was a Rookie of the year winner at the NAILE. Clifton showed his A&M Ranch ewe he selected at Ohio. I am really proud of the all of the Junior Southdown exhibitors, but especially my daughter Emily. She was selected Champion Southdown Senior Showmanship winner. That was more fun for me than her, as I won the same honor twenty five years earlier. That means I am really getting OLD! I know, I know, “Dad, don’t be gay.” The A&M Ranch Road Crew (Emily, Kyle and Mellissa) took a nice set of sheep to the Illini Fall Sale over Thanksgiving. That allowed me to visit the “Shoe” with my Dad and watch the Buckeyes destroy Mich. We appreciate the reception of all of those entries.

Lambing season has started for a few and about six weeks away for us. The Honor Show Chow Ewe Pellet has worked very well for us and we are using it again. Many dealers do not stock this product, so let them know early if you need it. While you’re there, talk to your dealer about your need for creep feed. The Honor Show Chow lamb started is the creep feed all of the others are now compared to. We recommend and use both the HSC Ewe Pellet and the HSC Show Lamb Starter. It is amazing how many of those purple bags could be seen in the tack pens of the winners at the North American. Coincidence, I think not.

Go OSU! Go Bears! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Whether you call it Looville, Loovuhl, Lville, or simply the North American, entry deadlines for the North American International Livestock Livestock Expo are fast approaching. Entries for Beef, Sheep, Boer goats, wool, and swine are OCT.1, 2010. Honor Show Chow fed entries often find their way to the top of the most prestigious event. Don’t miss your chance to compete with some of the best stockman from across the United States. Hope to see you there! For more info click here.

We just got home from spending the better of part of ten days at the Illinois State Fair. We got home just in time to put up 14 acres of hay that our neighbor had raked and baled for us. We even got ours and the neighbors hay all unloaded before the rain hit.

The Illinois State fair Southdown Show was large and very competitive. When all of the dust finally settled we made out real well, exhibiting both the Champion Ram and the Res. Champion Ewe. Those individuals helped lead our Champion Flock and, our first ever Premier Breeder at the Illinois State Fair. Thanks to everyone who helped make that possible. The Illinois State Fair Junior show went very well for Emily. The highlights would have to be exhibiting both the Champion Southdown Ram and Ewe in what was the largest breed show held at the State fair. She also exhibited the Res. Ch Southdown Market Lamb, as well as placing second with her cross, natural, and first with her AOB wethers.





July kept us hopping. We made our first trip to the All American Jr Show as a family and we had a BLAST! This year’s show was held on the campus of Michigan State University. The folks in Michigan and the Michigan Sheepbreeder’s Assoc. really rolled out the red carpet for everyone. Honor Show Chow-fed sheep really dominated that show of over 1800 head. Emily Shellhouse exhibited the Champion Hampshire Ram, Sarah Jane Sterret exhibited the Champion Hampshire Market Lamb, and Chaz Bullington exhibited the Champion Southdown ram just to name few. Long time HSC feeder Austin Jim Bob Lewis won the Southdown Top Gun Award. My daughter won seven classes along with Res Champion Southdown ram and Res. Champion Southdown Market Lamb. She also won her showmanship class and team showmanship with Seth Michel. There were many more HSC fed winners at the All American than I remember, so if I missed one just let me know and I will add you to the list.



Emily kept us busy the remainder of July showing cattle and sheep at some of the local shows. She had a ball showing her heifer, she was at least Res. Breed Champion each time out and was Champion at her 4-H Fair. Thanks to Team Girlfriend for making that all work so well. Emily had great summer with both her breeding sheep and market lambs. She had Grand Lamb at every show in our area. Congrats to Buddy Haas, Brad Craig, Melissa Emma, Bryan Temple, Ben Temple, and Robert Lambert. They were all big winners in the sheep or cattle ring this summer and Fed HSC. Thanks for all your help.

I really enjoyed the summer clinics. The HSC VIP is always a terrific event. I finally learned how Taw Wayne Dunham got his name; it is a great story… If you’re reading this and have not been to the HSC VIP, contact your dealer and ask them how to get involved. The HSC Showmanship Clinic at the Midwest Stud ram sale was also a big success. Jeff Repasky of Northern Starr Livestock and I had great time working with Southdown Junior Ambassadors. Thanks to KGB, TWD, Randy Ames and Mr. Witte for helping make that event so successful. Thanks to the buyers that selected A&M Ranch Southdowns at the Midwest Stud Ram sale.

As you head back to school don’t forget to make entries for the fall and later shows. Keep in contact with your feed dealer to make sure they will have what you need in stock and fresh. Good communication will keep a good relationship with your feed dealer and your teachers, and you need both to be successful in the showring and life. WOW! Is that deep or what?

The lambs at A&M Ranch are really starting to look like they are the real deal. We invested a lot of money in new outcross ram two years ago, New Generation. He was the 2008 NAILE Supreme Champion Ram as well as National Champion Southdown Ram. We bred a handful to him for 2009 lambs and bred everything to him for this year’s lamb crop. He did what we had hoped he would do for our program. He stretched us out, elevated our chest floors and blew apart the hip. When you are looking to add your next ram raise your expectations, and you might be surprised how close you can come.

We had been using home bred rams for the majority of the ewes the last few years. We had gotten pretty comfortable feeding and fitting those sheep and those genetics. It worked really well. The lambs out of these genetics feed a bit differently. Just when you think you have got it dialed in, things always change. Honor Show Chow has the tools to help us adapt to those changes. We are mixing our own ration using the HSC Grand Lamb Mixer. We have been using this product since it first was made available and really like the quality, flexibility and affordability that it provides. Right now we are making a 17% ration that is 3.5% fat. Our Southdown lambs are growing really well and keeping that youthful, expressive, and fresh look that judges, buyers and we like this time of year. Emily’s show lambs are on the same ration; however we use both Power Fuel and Champion Drive to compliment our ration to customize the diet of each of those lambs. The variety of breeds, weights and genetics make those invaluable tools.

The last two months have had us all over the place. I had great time in Texas assisting with putting together and HSC Sheep DVD. The Mike Harbour family and crew were terrific hosts. Look for that to be available soon. It is a good thing they had lots of video tape and Kevin and the folks at Yellow Dog know how to edit. I was very pleased at the clinic we did in Winchester, KY. Cindy Issacs invited Mike Witte and me down to help with that clinic. I wish we had videotaped that program, I was super pleased. I was able to visit the Forsee crew while in KY. Their sheep looked great. Then off to WI to judge the Badger Lamb Bonanza in Arlington, WI. She crew at UW did a first rate job putting that show together. Congrats to all the winners and participants. Amy and I were able to stop by MB Genetics, Jone’s, and Spilde’s on the way. It is real obvious why Southdown’s have become so popular in WI. They have some of the best sheep and people. Then the Geerts team and I were off the Ohio Sale. We were very pleased with the reception of our sheep as they averaged $1300. Thanks to all of the buyers, bidders and enthusiasts. I also helped with and HSC Clinic at Midland Crossing, in Newark, IL. It was fun to see Dave Guyer in action there as well. They said the store did record business that day, but they also said that all of the HSC Ambassadors always come in a day early and help build fence.

Like many of you we also had prom, concerts, award ceremonies, senior trip and GRADUATION. I don’t think I say near enough, how proud I am of my daughter Emily.

June will have us out and about some more. I am looking forward to again participating the HSC Show VIP, in MO. That will be immediately followed by the National Montadale Sale in Springfield, IL and then it is off the Midwest Stud ram Sale in Sedalia, MO. Jeff Repasky of Northern Starr Livestock and I will present a workshop on Wed, June 23 at the Midwest Sale. Last year’s event was a lot of fun and very successful. This year I hope to get Jeff to sing. He knowss the words to Roxanne, just ask him.

This short blog just got way to long. Gotta go, the Blackhawks are on.

Our lambs at A&M Ranch are really starting to kick it in to high gear. The sheep at Kline Creek have really been chowing down on the HSC Show Lamb starter. It is working well because it is good feed that is available 24/7 to those lambs. We make sure those creep feeders have feed in them all of the time. We are still a little younger than I would like, but these sheep are gaining ground very quickly. It won’t be too long and we will be starting to wean a few lambs. Note to self, start cutting the ewes back on grain, and tell the feed store we starting to feed less HSC Ewe Feed. The ewes have milked and maintained weight very well on that. We will use it again next year. We will start shearing, and trimming feet on ewes and yearlings today. Worming is also on the list of things to do.

We have spent a lot of time the last week traveling and looking at sheep. We are always looking to find that next great one. We have spent a couple days at looking at Southdowns trying to find a new stud ram prospect. Saw some pretty awesome sheep at both Howards and Oldenburgs. We also were looking for wethers for Emily to show and saw some really nice black face lambs at Morris-Pierson Club Lambs, Larry Shell’s and Brunkers. We would especially like to thank Mary and Leon for being such awesome hosts and putting up with all our running arounds and late night trips to Sonic. The highlight of the trip was getting to ride in the fire truck. They let me wear the helmet!

If there was anyone in Ohio who missed the HSC Show Clinic in March, you missed a great opportunity. Mike and Tristan Harbour came right from the Houston livestock show to talk about showing goats. Kent Bennington’s kids and Bryan Vaughn’s kids have been as successful as anybody in the hog ring and those gentlemen did a fantastic program. I really enjoyed working with Shellhouse Family and Mapolyne Farms on the sheep program. The crews that put this program together did a fantastic job, lots of giveaways, good food, talented, good looking and funny presenters. Did I mention, this whole program was FREE!

We are headed south to look at more sheep this week and next. I am really looking forward to being in Winchester, KY on April 24 for an Honor Show Chow Sheep Clinic. I have not been to this area before to do a clinic so I am looking forward to meeting some new folks. Check out the photos from some of our other HSC events and you will see we generally try share some knowledge and we always have good time. Click on the events tab on HonorShowChow.com for more info.

Sandwich, IL: We have been busy lambing ewes at both A&M Ranch and Kline Creek Farm. We are lambing a little later than I would like. Things have been going pretty well after a bumpy start and the lambs are looking pretty cool. Sometimes no matter how hard you try to do everything “right” nature has a way of reminding us we don’t know as much as we think.

We have been feeding our brood ewes the Honor Show Chow Ewe Pellet since about mid –Dec. They are in good flesh prior to lambing and milking well on that feed. Prior to lambing we are adding Aureo 4G to the ewe feed to help prevent any abortion problems. Our oldest lambs are about three weeks old. We have the creep pens set up and each pen has heat lamp, good Alfalfa hay, and Honor Show Chow Showlamb Starter. We like to set up our creep pens in dry, draft free area of the barn. It seems like no matter what creep feed you use, it always takes the first lambs a little bit to get started it. There is no doubt that the younger lambs learn from the older lambs and pick it up much faster. That is a popular debate with feeders. Do they get started quickly enough? The results with Honor Show Chow starter speak for themselves. Come look at our lambs in 30 days and you can be the judge.

Congrats to all of the winners at the winter shows. Many of them have been on variety of HSC products including the HSC 18% Grower, Champion Drive, and Power Fuel. I am looking forward to seeing those pictures. Hey Mike, send me a picture!

Here in Sandwich, IL we have been enjoying slightly below average temps this winter and more snow than normal. We are ready for warmer dryer days. I have spent the last three weeks battling several kidney stone episodes. Not with the sheep, but with me! I am ready to start putting Ammonium Chloride on my breakfast cereal. Someone will have to explain to me why I can prevent this in my livestock but not people. My livestock probably eat better. Hey Kevin, start making a snack size Champion Drive that I can eat while driving. I need to firm up my top and prevent these damn kidney stones.

Had great trip to Ryan Watje’s pig sale in Jan. Ryan, Stacy, their family, and friends put on first class event with an outstanding set of pigs and lambs. It was great to see and meet so many enthusiastic sheep exhibitors. It was really cool to catch up with HSC hog guru Kent Bennington at the airport in Chicago. I still think Christopher Walken was the flight attendant on the flight. “I’ve got a fever and the only cure is more cowbell!” I have couple more HSC events scheduled in March and April. I am looking forward to those.

WOW! This year has been a great one! WOW! This year has been weird one! But most of all, this year has been a fun one! This fall has been one of the coolest and wettest in recent memory. It has made harvest late and a challenge. This year’s college football season has been a blast. We finished our show season with terrific showing at the North American International Livestock Exposition. To most of us we just call it Louisville, or do we say “Luhvill.” No matter how you say it, it is the show that all other sheep shows are measured by.

Louisville was a great week for us. It is an event that our whole family works together on. Emily and Amy both like to stay with me for the duration but school and work usually prevent that. It sure is nice having them to ride down with me to get everything in and set up. Some folks say I am little persnickety about how things are set up, YA THINK! We worked on our sheep and also helped Julie Barr, Budd Phelps, Derek & Bill Chapin, Geerts Southdowns, and Manda Geerts-Davis. “The road goes on forever, but the party never ends.” The worst part about setting up at Louisville is the long drag from the unloading area to the pens. I told Budd that if he thought college tuition was expensive, try sending sheep with me to Louisville that weren’t halter broke. He did great. His college fund is safe. In fact everyone had good week, and a good time was had by all. Thanks for your trust, confidence and help.

We had a good week winning two of the three ewe lamb classes and having our Jan. American Express daughter being named Res. Jr. Ch. I was real pleased with how our sheep performed. Amy had them looking great and Emily and I had tried some new things to help get them show ring ready and it really paid off. Thanks “Amily” – you guys are the best crew a guy could have.

What has really changed the whole environment in the sheep barn at the North American is having assigned pens for everyone. The show officials started that several years ago and it has paid huge dividends for everyone. Thanks to Dave Trotter and Dave Merry for tackling this difficult task. We all need to give them a big thanks, more money or at least baked goods.

We are getting the sheep ready to start lambing. We should begin lambing about the third week in Jan. We bred every ewe on the place to New Generation, the 2008 Nat’l Ch. and NAILE Supreme Ch Ram. In the next week or so we will worm the brood ewes, give them their yearly booster shots, and trim feet. We sheared the ewes back in early Oct. A lot of the corn in our area has been coming out real wet. I am concerned about of the white mold, and possible mycotoxin problems that this could create. Poor quality feed during the pregnancy can cause problems ranging from abortion, to ewes not dilating properly, to weak lambs.

Last year we tried some of the Honor Show Chow Ewe feed on the later lambing ewes, and we were very satisfied that it worked. This year we are going to use it 100% of the way along. We had always mixed our ewe feed. It had been cheaper and I like doing it. Now with concerns created by the wet corn it just isn’t worth the risk. They also have the HSC Ewe Feed priced competitively enough at our feed store that isn’t worth my time to haul and mix my own feed. Better feed, priced the same, and less headaches. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. Is it worth saving $20 a ton and risk having to haul that $1000 ewe’s lamb to the dead pile? You can buy a lot of feed with one good LIVE lamb.

Working at Kline Creek Farm in the fall kept me super busy, but it was great. We gave several thousand kids the chance to visit an 1890’s farm and help with harvest. They learned a bunch and have a much better appreciation for farmers and the weather. Kline Creek also spent a good bit of time halter breaking calves in Oct. I did not realize how much I have learned from being around Kirk, Dave, Bob, Dave and Steve. Those guys must be really good. They have managed to teach me about cattle and I didn’t even know I was learning something. That is a skill (or Jedi mind tricks.) The calves sold well and did great at the sale. Kline Creek also sold the Champion Southdown Ewe at the Illini Fall Sale in Champaign, IL. Congrats to Derek Chapin who sold the Champion and top selling Hampshire ewe at that same sale.

2010 is right around the corner and I will be in CA in Jan for W-D Swine Farm’s pig and lamb sale. Watch the HSC events page for other dates where the other Ambassadors and I will be “Coming to a town near you in 2010.” Go Poke! Go Bucks! Don’t bother me on Jan 1 or 2. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See YA!

In our part of the world we have continued with the above average moisture and below average temperatures. We have wrapped up the bulk of our show season and it has been a real good one.

Honor Show Chow fed sheep have been cutting a wide swath through the Midwest in both the breeding sheep and market lamb shows. Emily showed the Champion Southdown Ram in the State Fair Junior Show, as well as the Res. Ch. Montadale Wether. Bryan Temple exhibited the Champion Montadale Ewe at the Il State Fair Jr Show. The Sterrett Family of Michigan exhibited the Supreme Champion Ewe in both the Open and Junior Shows at the Michigan State Fair on their Southdown Ewe. The Long Family of MO has a good summer with both their Southdowns and Shropshires, including the Champion Shrop Ewe at the MO State Fair. Davis Livestock of MN exhibited the Res. Champion Ewe at both the Nebraska and Minnesota State Fairs. Check out of the latest winners in the club lamb circles with Honor Show Chow fed lambs. Northern Star Livestock and several other folks have been dominating the show ring all over and all with Honor Show Chow fed sheep!

Emily capped of a great Illinois State Fair winning the Sheep division of the Master Showman, as well as winning Southdown Senior Showmanship and Grand Champion Senior Showman.

Our last show of the fall is the Sandwich Fair. It was the week of Labor Day, and always a good time. The sheep numbers and quality were up again this year. There are about 450 head of breeding sheep in the open show and about 260 head of market lambs and breeding sheep in the Junior Show. Many of the sheep that are shown at Sandwich have done a lot of winning and will be very competitive at Louisville. We had Supreme Ewe in the Open Show under Chris Spilde on a cool Feb. Ewe Lamb. We also had Supreme Ewe in the Junior Show under Dave Smith with a yearling ewe out of Bedlam.

We always manage to get in some golf during Sandwich. The course is right across the street. My friends and I, Kirk, Rhonda, Jeremy and Lonestar (yes, Lonestar) all had good time on the links.

We are working hard getting sheep ready for Louisville. We enjoy that show a bunch, but it is not the place to come ill-prepared. There are too many good sheep and good feeders. We are still feeding 18% and are happy how the lambs are looking. We started adding the Champion Drive about Oct. 1 and we are starting to see the tops and definition that we expect. It also makes me feel good to know that with bad weather and stress that our lambs have everything they need.

Thanks to everyone who had me help with fitting and showing this summer. Good sheep and good people make for a lot of fun. Also thanks for the opportunity to judge some places I haven’t been in a while. It is fun to meet new people and see sheep outside of our area.

We did manage a family trip to Stillwater to see friends and their new baby. Eskimo Joes, Mexico Joes, OKC State Fair, Cattleman’s and a Cowboy victory. It doesn’t get any better than that. GO Pokes! I also was able to take my Dad to Columbus to watch the Buckeyes. No trip to the Shoe would be complete without a visit to Hiney Gate, Hall of Fame Café, and the Skull Session. Go Bucks!

I love fall! Stock shows and college football!

Management Tip for the Month – The best way to prevent April lambs is to pull the ram out October 31 and don’t put him back in till next fall. It really works.

You will be glad to know that we finally got first cutting hay done. I am sure you have been waiting with baited breath to see when that would happen. We got it baled on July 5 & 6. We have had a lot less rain in July, hence the delay in my blog updates. However, it is raining right now, so a typing I will be.

The Fitting and Showing Clinic at the Midwest Stud Ram sale that was sponsored by Honor Show Chow and the American Southdown Breeder’s Assoc. was by any measure a rousing success. This was the third year for HSC to host this event and the first time that Southdowns were featured. The crowd was the largest and most active yet. There were folks from all over in attendance. We met people from Georgia, Florida, Tenn., South Dakota, Canada (ya hey dare), Texas, Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania, New York and all of the Midwestern states. Jeff Repasky of Northern Starr Livestock kept everyone entertained while I toiled in the Sedalia heat. Thanks to Kevin Burgoon of HSC and Gary Jennings of the ASBA for coordinating this terrific event. As one reviewed the 3000 some head of sheep that were entered, it was clear that Honor Show Chow was a common thread among many of the winners.

Prior to heading to Sedalia, I also participated in the Show VIP in Gray Summit, MO. It was great to meet so many new people that are so skilled and passionate about livestock and the show biz. Thanks to everyone who shared their experience to make the show clinic such a success. If anyone has any pictures of Mr. John Zeloski helping shear that Hampshire ewe, please send them to me. There is an HSC hat in it for you. A big shout out to the folks that put on that VIP, John, Tracy and a host of others make the Ambassadors’ job fun and easy that week. Working with all of the Ambassadors that week is like hanging out with a bunch of rock stars.

We also fitted a bunch of sheep for the Springfield sales, and those sales were strong. While there, Amy and I did get attend a Cross Canadian Ragweed Concert. It was a ball! It rained and it was muddy, and it was awesome! We saw a lot of friends there we did not know we would see. Emily didn’t get to go. She was fishing in MN with friends. She caught some big fish, she has pictures! That reminds me. Next year at the VIP, the Ambassadors are having fishing outing at Longview. I bet they feed their fish. I bet they grow big fish. “We are going to need a bigger boat.” Kirk, make it happen.

The last three weeks we have been running from show to show judging and working with Emily showing. Emily has had Grand or Res Grand lamb each of the three shows she has been to, and Supreme or Res Supreme Ewe on Southdown at each of those same shows. Melissa and Robert are friends from Emily’s 4-H Club and they have also been doing their share of winning as well. HSC to the winners circle! I have been preaching about how the kids should be happy for each other when they do well. It is more fun to share in your friends’ success and allow them to share in yours. Winning is not much fun if you don’t have folks to share it with.

We are getting geared up for Illinois State Fair. The sheep are coming together nicely. We did lose a real good Southdown wether a few weeks ago. We don’t know what happened; fine one day, dead the next. For all of our effort and “wisdom,” there are times we are reminded that some things are just out of our hands. It is still disappointing; Emily had high hopes for that one. Emily won the Master Showmanship Contest at her 4-H fair this weekend and is looking forward to participating in that contest at State Fair. Be sure to stop by the pens at State Fair. I also will be judging the MN State Fair this month and the Walworth Co Fair early next month.

This is the last thing, I promise. While I was driving home from the Midwest Sale in Sedalia, MO, I had a little excitement. I was driving east on I-70 and had just crossed the MO river bridge. Suddenly, the trailer broke loose of the truck. I was going 80 mph! I was doing my best Carrie Underwood impression, “Jesus take the wheel…” I got it shut down and pulled off to the side. No one and nothing got hurt. Even the truck and trailer got off without as much as scratch. However, I was sure glad to see Lanny Bowman and Steve Hammerlink when they pulled over to make sure everything was ok. They helped put things back together and got me back on the road. THANKS GUYS! See you at state fair, this one is on me.