As I was sitting in the barn the other night waiting for the show cattle to finish eating I had settled into my usual routine, endlessly scrolling on my phone. Just then my phone died, no big deal, I’ll just sit and wait. As I stared at Emma and her friends mowing down I felt something I’m not sure I’ve allowed myself to feel for some time… I was completely content.

When we have our heads down pushing forward trying to make our dreams a reality we don’t give ourselves nearly enough time to smell the roses. I know Rome wasn’t built in a day but what I do not know is how many years it took. What I am sure of is it has taken us 11 years to build this place.

As I sat on that bucket tonight I felt at peace. These cattle have always helped maintain my sanity. In return for all they do for me it is our duty to breed them for longevity, soundness and efficiency. Breeding cattle that have those three keys gives them their best chance at the long productive life they deserve.

While living the past 11 years feels like it has been a long time the realization that it isn’t brings comfort. The progress that we have made tells me we are good at this. We aren’t at all where we want to end up but until the other night I’m not sure I’d grasped how close we are getting.

We hope to see you at the Iowa State Fair or at our place for the Iowa Hereford Tour August 26th. We can’t wait to share our program that brings us so much joy with you.

Our good friend Brad Cole is in his second year racing driving a micro mod. His freshman season was very successful and started his sophomore campaign with a win week one. As you can see below week two didn’t go as well. Even though Brad didn’t do well and operator error was to blame he still gave his fans a recap and congratulated his opponents.  This is a big lesson in humility and following through. It would have been easy simply post that the race didn’t go well or not make a post at all but Brad followed through and showed a whole lot of class in doing so. Be like Brad, when things didn’t go as planned he didn’t hide, he told you what happened and that he’d be back as good as ever.

Last night Crystal and I had the pleasure of hosting a Daily Hair Care Clinic for area 4H and FFA members. Lacy and Rylee Short brought over Rylee’s Composite Charolais heifer to be our demonstration heifer. We had a great crowd and I wanted to take a second to put down a few of the things to remember at home and some links to a few of the things we talked about.

Things to remember-

#1- Keep your calf clean. If your calf is dirty they are not going to grow hair.

#2- Brush, when you think you’re done you’re just getting started.

#3- Add back in the oils that you are taking out.

#4- Get your calf completely dry before turning out no matter what the temperature is outside.

#5- You don’t need a fancy show barn or the best equipment to be successful, you have to put the time in and work hard.

All of that being said you can put all of the work in and still not get the result that you want on show day and that is OK! Showing cattle is about the journey, working each day to make you and your calf better. If you do not truly enjoy the process I would highly suggest a different project. There is nothing more rewarding than giving your all and being able to smile when you walk out of the ring no matter the placing because you know you put the work in.

We talked about all the resources available to help you along on your path to the show ring. As I said last night you have more tools available than ever before to help you succeed.  Use what is online, ask questions of the breeder of your animal or ask someone in the area. We do this because we love it and would rather talk about cattle than anything else.

JG Cattle & Coaching Facebook

Sure Champ YouTube

Weaver YouTube

Sullivan’s Stock Show University

These are not the only resources available there are plenty more. If you find something else that can be beneficial to others let us know and we’ll get it added to the list.

We are very excited about this years Iowa Beef Expo Hereford Sale. Fantasy is the best heifer we have ever offered and Renegade will make a great addition to a commercial herd. If you have any questions about either please do not hesitate to contact us.

Better late than never… Here is our Newsletter from the Iowa State Fair if you weren’t able to pick one up in person. State Fair recap post will be coming your way later in the week.

 

As with all good products you must first have demand and based on the latest happenings in the Hereford breed it appears we have hit the jackpot! JJB Cattle Company is proud to present the Tinfoil Cowboy Hat Cover! This product is perfect for today’s keyboard cowboys (and cowgirls). If you’ve ever had an overwhelming sense of distrust and disbelief in an organization that you VOLUNTARILY give hundreds if not thousands of dollars to, then this hat cover is for you! Help keep the AHA from peering into your thoughts. Just a quick warning, this sucker is gonna make your head hot, but we’re pretty sure you’re already used to that.

For a very long time I’ve wanted to do a JJB Newsletter but haven’t had the time, if I have learned anything from Crystal selling bracelets it’s that if you want it done you make time. That being said here is the first ever JJB Newsletter. Stop by and see us at the Iowa Beef Expo Tuesday the 14th to Thursday the 16th to pick up a hard copy.

For the past few years we have been fortunate to be able to consign to the Perks Ranch Fall Celebration Sale. Each year we try to take some of our best and this year we think JJB KEEP 2D fits the bill. She was born on the second to last day in January weighing 67 lbs out of a first calf heifer. Her momma is sired by the breed icon Online and is also linebred Online, she also goes back to the famed Rosy Lane cow family. Keeps sire is a Hometown son out of Perks super donor Princess 172p making him linebred P606. If you follow Hereford pedigrees those last two sentences surely have your attention, linebred Online on the bottom and P606 on the top is a maternal masterpiece in the making. Keep has what it takes to hold your attention as well. She is long bodied, big bellied, good hipped and super sound. Keep is tough to beat on paper and even better on the hoof.

There are a lot of good heifers that will sell this fall but few will have the linebred predictability of this knockout. Heifers like this are what we strive to produce and it is our honor to offer her to you on Saturday October 8th at the beautiful Perks Ranch in Rockford, Illinois. If you have any questions about Keep or any of our other members of our 2016 calf crop do not hesitate to contact us.

JJB KEEP 2D

Birth: January 30th, 2016 – Reg: P43714921

S: PERKS 172P TRIBUTE 4005 ET – D: JJB YANKEE ROSE 5B

Fall Celebration Lot 50 from Adam Swigart on Vimeo.