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This is a tough subject for me to write about because I hope it is understood as I understand it and doesn’t come off wrong. For a while now I have felt the need to share this thought and get it out into the universe but have held back. Today, I just can’t shake it, today is 9/11, I think my intuition is telling me it’s time.

For as long as I can remember I’ve heard the saying “the lord will only give you what you can handle”. That statement has brought a lot of contention to my life. For a long time I resented it. I have always been a very spiritual person, I’m not much of a church goer as I feel closer to god most other places. But that is a whole story of its own. The reason I feel I resented that statement is because I was too caught up in all the bad that happens in the world and felt that the lord allowed it. I have come to the realization that this is not the case.

The world is chaos. A literal random firing of chains of events that no higher power could ever predict or control. Those two sentences have changed my life. I am a firm believer in Jesus and his father the great creator of all that we see BUT I also believe that they are not in control of it all. I believe that we are all set on a path and given the tools to reach our god given potential but in the end it is up to us to get there.

I refuse to believe that god gave my internet homie Brooke breast cancer at the same time that she was growing a little human in her belly. I will not believe that he gave my buddy Walleye Dan, one of his most devote followers, multiple myeloma. He isn’t the reason my bowling buddy Doug is laying in a hospital bed. On a personal level he isn’t the reason that Crystal and I don’t have a child. And he damn sure didn’t let all those people die 18 years ago. But what he did do is he gave us all the strength, faith and intuition to get through what his world has thrown at us.

The only way that you lose in the world is if you lose those three things. Use the strength to keep fighting, the faith to know it will all work out and your intuition to do what is right. We’ve all got battles man, some hidden, some visible and the only time they are easier is if they aren’t yours.

With my whole heart I believe in the power of thought, that the lord has made us capable of far more than we know. So if you would please say a little prayer for my friends, a quick positive thought can go a long way. God Bless.

Man, it sure is cold out there. Each time we face these extremes there is an outpouring of support from those who love and care about us. It is appreciated and I will always be thankful to those who think of us when times get tough but you don’t have to thank me. I’m lucky, I got to pick what I want to do, I signed up for this. It isn’t easy and things go wrong, we had a door blow open in the barn and had a water pipe freeze. Great news is we have a heater and it’ll be thawed soon, if it isn’t we’ll go to plan b. We had a lot of advanced notice on this weather and if we are good at anything it’s planning and improvising when the plan inevitably changes. We’ll be ok for sure. We’re the lucky ones, most will never get to have the feeling of euphoria we get when the job is hard but it goes right. The lows on the farm are low but man you just can’t touch our highs when you’re sitting at a desk or stuck in the carpool lane.

If you really want to thank a farmer do it when you vote, do it when you purchase our products. When your friend who doesn’t understand how damn good we are at our jobs put them in touch with us or the resources to educate them. Know that we do our best to raise and produce products that are not only healthy but also safe for our family, your family and our environment. Those are ways to thank us, we appreciate your prayers and well wishes but would love if you would simply thank us with your actions.

First and foremost we hope that this holiday season you will shop local as much as you can. That being said if you are not and you are using Amazon please consider using www.smile.amazon.com when you make your purchases. This simple step will donate 0.5% of your purchase total to the charity or nonprofit of your choice. In the past I have had Heifer International as my selected charity.

Today I found I could change that to an organization very near and dear to my heart, Heartland Acres Agribition Center. Heartland tells the story of Iowa’s agricultural past, present and future. This is a great place for consumers who do not have a connection with agriculture to learn a little about what we do.

Of course I would be delighted if you made Heartland your choice for your Smile purchases but if you choose something else that is a win as well. Amazon is obviously making money hand over fist and when they offer a chance to give back we need to take it even if it is only 0.5% at a time. There is no such thing as a small impact if you care.

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.