Today was an exciting day because it was the showmanship show.  This show is about how good you show your steer.  I was excited and a little worried about this show because I really wanted to do good.

Since I was the youngest, I was in the very last class of the day.  When we got back to the fair after the morning feeding, we watched some of the older kids show their steers so I could know what the judge liked and how to show my steer.  The judge that we had liked steers that stood still and so I was worried that Charlie wouldn’t stand good at all.

To get Charlie ready for the show, we got him wet and scrubbed him with dish soap.  Charlie acted a little better than the day before when we washed him so I thought maybe he’d act a little better for this show than he did in the quality show.  Next we put him in our chute and brushed him and blew his hair.  For most shows, you fit the steer, but for the show at our fair, it is only about showmanship so you just wash them and blow them.

When we were done with Charlie, it was almost time for me to show so we walked him to where we wait and walked him around a little to get his energy out but it didn’t really work.  He was acting a little bit better than yesterday but he still wouldn’t stand very still.

I was third in line to walk into the show ring.  We walked to the front so we could stand in a line so the judge could ask us questions and feel the fat on our steers.  The judge asked me what my steer’s name was, how much he weighed, and what I feed him.  He also talked to me more than just asked questions.  I like this judge better than the judge yesterday because I could understand what he said.  Then we walked around in a circle and stopped to give the judge a head to tail view.  When I stop my steer, I have to hold his head up and scratch his belly or his brisket because this calms him down and feels good to him.  Then I have to set his feet us square and keep looking at the judge.

Charlie let me set him up good at first but then he wouldn’t stand very still so I had to keep walking him in a circle to get him to stay where he was supposed to.  I didn’t think I was going to place very high because Charlie wouldn’t stand good at all.  It was very hot in the afternoon but even though I was very, very sweaty and very, very hot, I kept smiling and looking at the judge and acting like I wasn’t hot at all.  When the judge got the microphone, he said that I was the best showman out in the ring, but Charlie wouldn’t stand still but I still got third place and a blue ribbon.  I felt really good, happy, and excited.  After I walked out of the show ring with Charlie, the announcer asked for the third place winner to come pick up her trophy.  When I heard this, I felt really, really, really happy!  I’ve never won a trophy before and I had no idea I was going to win one.  Yay!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the show was over, I walked around the fair with my family to get an after-show treat and I picked a smoothie.  We also got donuts that were so good.

We ran into Idaho’s Lt. Governor, Brad Little.  My mom knows him so I got to take a picture with him.

To end my day at the fair, we got to watch a entertainer and he picked out kids from the audience to play instruments so my sisters and I did.  It was super fun!

This was the best day of the fair yet because I got third place.  I love the Twin Falls County Fair!

Today was a big day for Charlie and me because it was the quality show.  The quality show at the fair is about your steer and how much meat he will probably have and if he’s finished or not.

I have to get up really early because we need to get to the fair to feed Charlie before we get him ready for the show.  While he is outside eating, we clean out his stall.  Then we have to give Charlie a bath.  He doesn’t like this very much at the fair.  I don’t know why because he really liked getting washed at home.

After we wash him, then we blow his hair dry.  Then we put some really strong hairspray on his legs and spray some oil on his body to make him shine.  Then he is ready to go to the show.

There are 130 steers at our fair so the show takes all day long.  I was in the 4th class to go in the show ring.  I was nervous because when we were waiting for our class to start, Charlie wouldn’t stand still and had lots of energy.

When it was my turn, first I led Charlie in the show ring and stayed in a straight line in the front with the other steers so the judge could look at them.  Then we walked around in a circle and stopped in the back of the show ring.  Then the judge put all of us in line in the order he liked them best and then he told us about why he liked a steer or why he didn’t.

Charlie weighed 1218 pounds and he probably needed about 30 more pounds so I got 5th place in my class.  The judge said that at first he though Charlie would be a top contender but he needed a little more muscle.  A girl in my 4-H club told me, “Think of it this way, you got first place of the second half.”

I was kind of mad at Charlie because whenever I stopped him, he wouldn’t stay there.  My legs were shaking when I was in the show ring, but I didn’t let go of his halter and kept good hold of him.

After the show, we washed and scrubbed him again to get all of the hairspray and oil out of his hair.

A couple hours later, Charlie was laying down and I tried sitting with him and he liked it so then I started singing songs to him.  Then I thought, “Why not make up a special imaginary land for us to live and our own language.”  Charlie told me not to tell you what it was called.  How he told me no was by head butting me when I asked him.

This morning, I was a little mad at Charlie because he wouldn’t stay still during the show but I was only mad for a little while.  Then he let me sit with him for a long time in the afternoon and I remembered how much I like him.

 

With less than 30 short days until I say “I do,” I can’t help but think about what the future holds. Unlike what seems to be the bulk of my generation, I believe that marriage is a union worth taking seriously. These days it seems as though couples I know get divorced on a monthly basis. And every so often I find myself wondering if we know what a big journey we’re about to embark on.

So how does ranching relate to the life of a pair of newlyweds? The fact is—ranching has everything to do with it. The relationship between an ag couple is far different than any other marriage out there. You wake up together, you eat breakfast together, you work together, you raise a family together, and at night you fall asleep together—just to wake up the very next morning and do it all over again. His hardships are yours, and yours are his. One year, you may make more money than ever before, and the next two years you’ll be lucky to break even. Neither of you know what’s to come, but something deep down inside keeps telling you that no matter what happens, it will all work out. Of course there are things worth looking forward to. You sweat together, you laugh together, you raise your family in a place you have strong ties to, and if you’re lucky, he’ll spin you around the dirt floor in the barn at 2 a.m. while you’re waiting on a heifer to calve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ranching is a scary business. Yet, the occurrences a couple faces—the good and the bad—are what help to strengthen the bond they have. I don’t know a thing about marriage statistics for those in the ag industry; but nonetheless, I’d put down $100 to win that divorce rates are less prevalent among couples who work in agriculture, than among the general population. We’re lucky that we’ve been taught how to live and how to love by some of the greatest relationships out there. This ranch has almost 70 years worth of marriage in its blood, and that’s one of the primary reasons its been able to withstand tough times.

 

Neither of us has ever started something just to throw it away, and this union is no different. We both know our chosen way of life will test us more than anything else, and that’s fine by us. There is nobody in this world I would ever be willing to take on such a life with, and something makes me think that he must feel the same.

Those 70 years of marriage that I mentioned earlier? Well, I’ve got a feeling that the Jarvis’ will be adding another 70+ to it.

~J

There are two life lessons my parents started teaching me at a very young age. The first was how not to throw like a girl; the second was to evaluate the facts and come to a decision on my own. That lesson of open-mindedness has allowed me, on several occasions, to be an informed rather than ignorant participant in discussions. This has come in handy working for an industry with so much opposition to the way cattle are raised and the nutrition of beef.

Spending my days advocating for the beef community, it’s easy to know our facts. Cattle producers are the original stewards of the environment. Beef is an excellent source of ten essential nutrients.

However, I have a cousin who lives a vegan lifestyle, and encourages the rest of us to do the same. I frequently get emails from her on the latest science supporting veganism, but rather than rolling my eyes and moving them directly into the trash folder, I often take the time to read them. As an advocate, I need to know what the other side is saying. As a human being, I’m curious. I read testimonials. I watched The China Study. And a year and a half ago I decided to take it to the next level. I felt I needed to give myself a bit more credibility in the discussion, to combat the “but you’ve never tried it” argument. And that is when I dubbed ‘Meatless March.’

Already unable to eat dairy products, I eliminated all animal protein from my diet. I became a vegan—at least as far as food consumption goes. I replaced my scrambled eggs and fresh fruit breakfast for vegan protein powder mixed with almond milk. I bought the Forks over Knives cookbook and traded in my extra lean ground beef for quinoa and lettuce. For a full month, I tracked calories and recommended daily values, while I ate my way through fruits and vegetables, trying to find ways to replace the protein and nutrients I was avoiding from meat with raw alternatives.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I had a conversation with a friend of mine who fancies himself a triathlete. He made a comment about how “meat is gross,” and I promptly started in on what he would certainly call a rampage about all the health benefits of beef, especially for athletes. Phosphorus, which builds strong bones. Riboflavin, which converts food into fuel. Iron allows the body to use oxygen appropriately. And 48 percent of the daily value of protein comes from just three ounces of beef. Let’s not forget protein preserves and builds muscle. All of these seem pretty important for someone who is planning to swim 1.5 kilometers, bike 40, and run 10 in the Spudman Triathlon.

Of course, his response to my education was, “They pay you to say that.”  And I replied by telling him of my Meatless March experiment and outlined for him exactly what it did to my body.

The first couple of days I had to remind myself I wasn’t eating animal proteins. I loaded extra vegetables on my spinach salad and ate my way through a few handfuls of mixed nuts. By the end of the first week, I was craving the nutrients I was lacking. A tablespoon of peanut butter was certainly no substitute for steak. During the next two weeks, I noticed definite physical changes. The pink in my cheeks was replaced with pallor, and I developed alarming dark circles under my eyes. I was sleeping poorly, was irritable, cranky and exhausted.  Workout recovery time lengthened and stamina decreased, and by the end of the fourth week I had gained seven pounds.

Yes, I do get to spend my days promoting cattle production and beef consumption, but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t believe in it. I may have cousins and friends who choose not to eat meat, but I know they would feel a lot better if they did. Incorporating beef as a regular part of your diet provides you with better energy for an active lifestyle. It also reduces your risk of injury by strengthening bones and building muscle, and helps protect cells from damage.  Beef supports nervous system development, improves brain function, and helps maintain a healthy immune system. Workouts are more effective when fueled by a higher-protein diet. Beef makes a difference!

For more nutritional information about beef, check out these Beef Nutrition facts or check out this pdf ProteinsAreNotCreatedEqual.

I’ve always been fascinated about nutrition, specifically the relationship between what you put into your body and what you get out of it, and this experiment illustrated to me that while fruits and vegetables taste great and are good for you, they simply aren’t enough. Beans and broccoli and almonds just can’t provide the nutrients beef can for the same caloric intake, and your body—regardless of your physical activity—needs those nutrients to function properly at optimal levels. That’s what Meatless March taught me.  Beef fuels me.

~ Britany

Hello! I’m Laurie, a 4th generation rancher from south central Idaho. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend and are staying cool this summer.

4th of July weekends are always very busy for Idaho’s farming and ranching families, and ours was no different. With second cutting hay a week or two off, we marched off to Nevada and the Silver State International Rodeo, an invitational rodeo open to contestants from their respective states who placed 5-15 and did not qualify for nationals. This provided not only an opportunity to spend time with other rodeo families, but also to brand a bunch of cattle on the ranch we have in Nevada. We also visited Western Nevada Cattle Feeders in Lovelock.

While many families reach for the cereal box for breakfast, this feedlot uses cereal in their feedlot rations, or more simply put, they feed it to cows. They take a product, Fruit Loops in this case, that cannot be used by the company or the consumer, and feed it to a cow. A cow’s feed ration is specially formulated by a nutritionist. They decide what ingredients can be used based on availability and nutrient level. The cereal replaces traditional grain or carbohydrates sources and provides energy for the animal. In turn, that cow ultimately provides a healthy source of protein for people—beef! That’s pretty amazing if you ask me!

~Laurie

Laurie and her family farm and ranch on land homesteaded by her husband’s family in 1908. She is passionate about the industry and the Western lifestyle. Stay tuned to hear more about her family and their adventures with hosting a foreign exchange student.