It was only our second show ever.  The first was the county fair the previous summer.  

We didn't know much more than we did at county fair, but we were going for the "big time".  

We had never even been to the Ohio Beef Expo, so we were going in blind...and a lot dumb.  We still laugh about it with those that were there with us that first year.  

Daniel was still working in residential HVAC and the spring months always made for smaller paychecks.  By the time we got to the Ohio Beef Expo, I was packing lunches and pinching pennies any way I could.  

I'll never forget going to our local K-Mart and finding a new show shirt for Isaac for $4.00. 

If you've seen our trailer recently, you know that we have a LOT of stuff packed in there, but it wasn't always that way.  

We were so short on money and needed so many show items.  We had to get creative and even made side panels out of the horse dividers in our trailer.  No, the Jersey cow didn't go to Expo with us...she was just testing out the new panels.  

It worked.  But we look back at ourselves now and just laugh.  ​

We bought the cheapest pair of clippers we could find...and then found out they weren't the right kind.  But it didn't matter, because we were so bad at our clipping attempt, that we quickly realized we were going to have to cough up the money to pay a real fitter to bale us out.  

Everyone has to start somewhere, but man...we really started at the bottom. 

But, those memories are what make us so proud of where we are now.  

Things have changed just a little bit. 

And, we have a few more blowers than we really need (except they are still trying to convince me that we really could use another set).

But what we are most proud of is how we have gotten to where we are today.  

It's been by blood, sweat and tears.  Quite literally.  

This life doesn't come easily, and we have busted our tails day after day, and year after year to get here.  

Have we arrived?

I don't think you ever arrive.

But, we're sure a lot further than where we were in 2013.  

Today, we move cows in to the Ohio Beef Expo for the 13th time.  

Will we come out with another buckle like we did all those years ago? 

Only time in the ring will tell.

We've earned a few buckles over the years, but I don't know that any buckle will mean quite as much as that very first one.  

They all mean a lot...especially now that we actually know what Grand Champion means.

I'm really not kidding.  Come see us this week at the Ohio Beef Expo and we'll tell you the story...

Everyone has to start somewhere.  

You can start at the top, or you can start at the bottom, but everyone has to start.  

That 7 year old is now our own home-grown fitter. 

That 10 year old is still walking those cows through the show ring.    

We lost 4 Wiley Miss Bunny to cancer this summer, but she'll always be our first champion.  

Our breeding program has grown throughout the years, but those foundational genetics still remain.  We started with cows straight from the Largent farm, and we've paired them with some of the best modern genetics in the breed.  Mixing foundational with progressive breeding to create some cows we are pretty proud of.  

Come visit with us at the Ohio Beef Expo this weekend.  

Everyone has a story. 

​We'd love to hear yours. 

Looking back at this year, Clover did well...she won several reserve division titles and was the Reserve Grand Champion in the junior show at the Ohio State Fair...but she was kind of like the younger sibling that was just there in the shadows.  

We had a lot of fun with Treasure this year, but she got put out to pasture to just be a cow after Louisville.  

We didn't have any new calves to add to our show string, so it was just Clover going to Denver.  

Our show string looks a lot different this year...because it's not just the 4 Wiley Farm show cows.  
We have been very blessed to meet some amazing people in the show ring, and this year we have teamed up with Cow Swamp Creek Farms and LOV Mini Herefords to show all of our cattle together.  It has been a blast showing with this crew and watching the partnership develop.  

We are able to pull from different genetics and ages to combine the best of three farms.  We have the new barn that is perfect for breaking, working and washing cows, and we have the young strong men who have the knowledge and strength for the behind-the-scenes work.  We generally have to bring in some additional fitting help at the shows, but we have all developed our own jobs and place on the team.  

And as some like to say..."It all begins in the wash rack!"

The old man with bad knees even has a place!  

He sat out in the cold holding a spot in line so we could get the trailer loaded.  

He is also our comic relief and always keeps us laughing.

And don't ever underestimate the power of chocolate chip and molasses cookies!  

As we were planning our trip to Denver for the National Western Stock Show, things kind of took on a life of their own.  It was a big (and sometimes confusing) job of getting lodging, driving, airline tickets, car rentals, meals, hotel rooms, places for the cows to stay, and luggage coordinated for twelve people from six different locations...but we got it done.  

We did buy a bunch of rodeo tickets...but we missed the rodeo.  The show went long and I rushed back to the barn to hand off the tickets so that at least some of them could go.  Bobby looked at me and said, "we aren't going to the rodeo...we still have cows to wash and we are all here together in the barn.  We just want to be together tonight, so we will all stay right here together."  

Daniel, Isaac and Bobby left a day earlier than planned to beat the polar vortex and foot of snow that was going to hit the midwest.  They put in a long first day of travel to get ahead of the storm.  They hit some ice on day two, but the main highway stayed clear.  

They were on an adventure and having the time of their lives.

Everyone was so excited for this trip.  Partly because it was the first time that all twelve of us had been together, our families would all be together, and we were just going to have a great time and didn't have the pressure and stress of trying to win.  Treasure's career was over and while we had some good cattle on the trailer, we didn't think they were the caliber of many that we would be showing against.  

Denver is the World Miniature Hereford Show after all...

So that is why we were so shocked (and not really paying attention) when Walker won Grand Champion Female in the junior show with 4 Wiley Clover.  

Denver is the one place we didn't have a title from...that we really wanted a buckle from.

And they did it!

At the backdrop, the judge couldn't quit talking about Clover and how good she was.  He also commented on how Walker showed her and "just stuck her!".

Sometimes we have to fight with Walker to get him to compete in showmanship.  After fitting all day and then dragging a tired cow through the show ring, most times Walker and the cows are just about done.  It is frustrating when your cow is too tired to work with you, so sometimes Walker will just scratch and not join the fight for showmanship.  

However, after the comments from the judge, there was no way we were going to let Walker bail out on showmanship (and he didn't try this time).  

Which is good...because he ended up winning Reserve Senior Showman and claimed his second buckle of the event.  

Open show day...our stomach's were in knots.  

It was finally starting to sink in that Clover really was all that, but I still don't think we believed she had a chance to win the open show.  However, we also didn't want her to get buried, because then it would feel like her junior show win was just a fluke and not really deserved.  

Clover won her class...I started to breath a little bit.

She won her division...we started to relax a little bit.  She was going to be in the final drive, and even if she didn't win, she was lining up with the best of the best.  

And then it happened...

Walker got the Grand Champion handshake!

And momma fell apart...and ugly cried.

4 Wiley Clover won Grand Champion Heifer...twice...

At the National Western Stock Show...

At the Miniature Hereford World Show...

Born, bred and raised right here on our farm....

It is a dream come true...but a dream none of us really ever thought would come true.  

We are still in awe, but so proud of the work we have done.  It has taken years of building our herd, experimenting with genetics, and day after day of hard work to get to this point.  

The work doesn't end here.  There is a new group of calves being weaned today and moving into the show barn to begin their new careers.  

Calves will start hitting the ground in about three weeks, and then the cycle will start all over again.  

​But for now...we are enjoying the victory.  We are so thankful for the crew that helped us get where we are today and we can't wait until we are all together again at the next show.  

And one more buckle to add to the buckle cabinet...

4 Wiley Farm received the 2024 Ranch of Distinction I title.  This award recognizes farms and ranches that have competed throughout the show season and is awarded to the farm with the most show season points for the year.  Both Clover and Treasure helped us achieve this title with their sucesses throughout the year.  

We are very honored to be recognized for the collective work of our farm and the consisent success of our animals.  

When we bought the herd from Colorado last summer, we knew it was going to take a lot more work and a lot of adjustment.  A bigger herd, more work, less time and the pressure of having to make this all work in order to pay off the loans has certainly "upped the ante".  

There have been parts that have gone pretty much like we expected, but we have also had to learn to be flexible and to be able to pivot quickly.  

I don't know that any of us were really prepared for how much more work the larger herd would be.  While we had a pretty good handle on our existing herd, we thought it would just be the same...times two.

Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way.  

We have learned that some of our small scale systems just don't work as well on the larger scale.  Our spreadsheets and by hand record keeping was just too much to keep up with, so we invested in a cattle management software system.  There are parts of the software that are more time consuming, but it is helping to keep all the records straight.  

Isaac and Walker used to be able to keep most things straight in their heads.  If you walked up to a calf, they could tell you who the dam and sire were, whether it was horned or polled, and a general time frame of when it was born. 

​Yeah...none of our brains are big enough to hold all that information for the larger herd.  

We also learned that doubling the hay rings wasn't going to work.  We hadn't taken into account the hierarchy and who was high enough on the chain to get time around the hay ring.  

We quickly had to pivot and separate the cows out into smaller groups.  While it made things harder for us, it was necessary to maintain the health of the cattle.  

​It was a hiccup, but an easy fix.  

The emergency barn build was not anywhere on our radar, but quickly became an urgent need.  It required a big pivot in our financial plans and timelines as it took on a life of its own.  

The project consumed most of the fall and winter and certainly took up more of our time than we anticipated.  It took away time that we had planned on using to work with the cattle and getting a jump start on working calves. 

It also meant a lot of extra late nights out in the barn when we are normally using those winter months to get some extra rest.  It has kind of felt like we have been in hay season "go mode" all winter long.  

Everything this year has been driven by deadlines.  For instance, we didn't actually get calves weaned and in the barn until 2 weeks before we were supposed to have some sale animals pictured.  It's hard enough to get pictures in Ohio's unpredictable winters, but especially hard with fresh from the field, unbroken calves.  

But...we got it done!

So, this is our slow time....

Well, kind of.  We made it through the Ohio Beef Expo and met all our deadlines.  And in a way, those late nights in the barn helped us get ahead of schedule on some things.  

We get to take a little breather before we start preparing for our summer shows, hay season and calving.   

But...we are not done just yet.  

We still have a group of last summer's calves in the barn.  They are halter broke, graduating from creep feed to show feed, have all had baths and been clipped, are learning their manners and quickly adopting their roles as barn princes and princesses (because they did not like the night they got kicked out of the barn and rained on).  

We are stepping back and enjoying the view.  

These cows represent almost a year of hard work, trial and error, big risks that are finally starting to pay off, and a future of more great things to come. 

The choices are hard, the risks are big, but the payoff can be even bigger.  

As we start closing in on the one year mark, we have seen our lives change a lot.  The conversations are always the same....how much do we risk, the "what ifs", the "how are we going to do it all?"...

But the answers are always the same...we'll figure it out, and if God wants us to...He'll make a way.  

Dream big and pray harder.

Isaac was a little hesitant to go, but with a little coaxing, he signed up.  It helped that he got to room with his cousin for the event and they always love getting the chance to spend time together.  

The group had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Lyda Garcia of the Ohio State University about carcass grading, the different cuts of meat and how their cattle management on the farm effects the final product.  

A highlight of that tour was seeing the Ohio State Fair Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Steer carcasses.  

Wendy's welcomed the group to their headquarters for a tour and roundtable discussions.  Wendy's also focused on how their fast food restaurants play a part in the beef industry.  

I think it helped that they fed the group samples from their breakfast menu.  

The weekend also held opportunities for the group to learn about the importance of the Beef Checkoff program and how some in Washington are trying to destroy the program.  The Beef Checkoff program is an integral part of educating and promoting beef to consumers.  The beef industry is under constant attack and it is imperative that the true facts about beef are promoted.  

It wasn't all learning...

They stopped by the Ohio State campus for a behind the scenes tour of the practice fields.  

You can't grow up in Ohio and not be excited about the Ohio State football facility!

After the fun, it was back to work with a tour of the Ohio State Capital and a meeting with Representative Rodney Creech.  Isaac really enjoyed getting to meet Representative Creech and learned how he went from starting a landscaping company and farm to making laws that directly affect our own lives.  

They also had an opportunity to hear from Chandler Mulvaney of the NCBA about the issues facing agriculture, how the NCBA is fighting on Capital Hill and how each and every one of us can promote legislation that improves agriculture and fight those things that are not in our best interest.  

Individually, it is hard for one farmer to be heard, but together, the NCBA, the Ohio Cattlemen's Association and other organizations around the country are able to band together to give us a strong voice.  

What I loved most about the Young Cattlemen's Conference was listening to Isaac recount the events of the weekend to us.  He had a fire to promote the industry, was shocked to hear some of the laws going through Capital Hill right now and realized how important it is to not sit by and just focus on our little piece of ground.  The fight is so much bigger than us, but he learned how important each of us is in that fight.  

He made so many connections with those that attended the conference, the leadership of the OCA, and personal conversations with people who have the voice to fight for us.  But after all of that...one of his favorite parts of the event was the dinner at the home of the Malirs, founders of City Barbeque.  To eat at their table, talk to them about where they started, how they grew and even the hobbies that Isaac has in common with them.  People that have made their fortune, but haven't forgotten their grassroots beginnings and who are supporting and mentoring young people just learning to make their way.  

Isaac came home with lots of stories, but only a few pictures.  But really....this momma's favorite part was shopping with Isaac for a new suit and seeing the pictures of him all dressed up and looking so professional.  ​

When I last left you, we were focusing on diversifying the farm and Isaac has just started buying goats.  Those two Christmas goats quickly turned into 30 goats.  He bought some bred does and of course they all kidded the week of the Ohio Beef Expo.  ​

​We can now say that we have been initiated, but man do they multiply quickly!
 
The jury is still out as to whether we actually like the goats.  The kids are adorable and so much fun to watch…but I don’t know that any of us anticipated the amount of time we would need to invest. 
 
You’ll understand in a bit.  

The Ohio Beef Expo went very well for us this year.  Once again, we were overly ambitious and kept signing up more and more cows until we ended up taking five of our own and two for another farm that we were working and showing. 
 
Seven head is just stupid.  And once again…we said “we will never do that again”. 
 
Don’t hold us to that…because I’m sure we will probably do that again. 

All the work paid off as we took home Reserve Grand Champion Female with 4 Wiley Jade, Walker was on the end of the halter with the Grand Champion Female and 4 Wiley Colt won Reserve Grand Champion Bull.  

​But, the highlight of the Expo was when Colt went through the ring and tied for the highest selling bull of all breeds represented at the Expo sales.  It was an awesome experience to sit in the stands and hear the bids keep rolling in. 
 
I try so hard not to show my emotions around the ring, but I couldn’t control myself that day.  When you have a kid that is worried about how he is going to pay for college and you keep telling him to work hard and trust that God will provide…and then God provides in a big way in a matter of minutes…you can’t help but be overcome with emotion. 
 
Walker knew that he was going to sell Colt from the time he was born.  He spent a year and a half working that bull just about every day.  He had a great show career and Walker walked away with several buckles.  That in and of itself was what dreams are made of, but to see it come full circle in that sale ring was an experience of a lifetime.  

​In May, Walker graduated from high school.  We were so busy, that his graduation and party didn’t capture our devoted attention quite like Isaac’s did, but we were on round two so we pretty much knew what to do.  I was fairly emotional and sentimental with Isaac’s graduation, but surprisingly, I wasn’t with Walker's…until he walked down that aisle and I realized that my baby had just graduated. 
 
While Isaac and Walker’s graduation parties were almost identical, Walker’s was made epic by the fireworks and fireball.  It’s nice to have friends with special talents. 
 
As soon as the graduation party was over, we turned our attention to Junior Nationals.  We were leaving in three short weeks and the cows were nowhere near ready. 
 
But first…we changed our world.  

​We had known for some time that a friend of ours was going to be selling their herd.  We had told them months before that we were very interested in buying a few of their cows. 
 
Now that Isaac is home and helping to grow the farm, there have been lots of “discussions” about how we go about that growth.  If you know anything about us, you know that Daniel and I have very different philosophies than Isaac does.  We have always built this farm with cash and always plan to continue that way.  Isaac is more about making investments with credit to build faster.  Which is when a not so calm “discussion” commenced.  We were leaning more towards the one cow and Isaac was thinking ten…but the cows weren’t officially for sale and we didn’t even know for sure if they were going to be sold. 
 
Fast forward about three days and we saw the Facebook post that the herd had been listed for sale.  It was a couple of days before Daniel connected with the seller.  I was in the middle of a Zoom meeting with my boss where I was prepared to quit my job if a situation was not resolved.  My phone pinged and I saw a text from Daniel that he bought the whole herd.
 
I should have been mad.  I should have been nervous.  I should have been scared to death.  But I wasn’t.  It was a complete “O.K.” moment. 
 
Looking back it was because it was a God moment, and in those three short days He had changed our hearts.  We never once doubted the decision to move forward.  

​Isaac spent the next two weeks on the phone.  Not only did he have to get a loan, but we had to figure out a way to get thirty head of cattle from Colorado to Ohio in the next two weeks.  We had one open weekend to get them back to Ohio.  Calves would be hitting the ground in less than a month and we felt it was a safer risk to transport very pregnant cows that it was to transport week old calves. 
 
If you have ever helped a fresh from college kid establish credit and get a loan…you know what a mountain we had to climb.  But, he learned a whole heck of a lot in those two weeks. 
 
Trucking turned into an even bigger issue than the loan.  The trip from Colorado to Ohio is 24 hours.  In the heat of the summer, there is no option but to keep moving the entire time.  This meant that we needed at least two drivers for every truck.  We thought the best thing would be to line up three trucks and trailers, but finding six people that were available on that short of notice proved to be impossible. 
 
Isaac kept moving forward with the loan, and the day that the loan was approved, he finally secured trucking.  After hitting dead ends and pretty much out of options, someone told him about a farmer about ten minutes from our house that had a semi.  They raise cattle themselves and went prepared to help calve on the trailer if necessary.  Thankfully, we didn’t have anyone calve on the trip home. 

It was a very stressful couple of weeks, but through each step we could clearly see God’s hand in it.  We never once doubted the decision and just knew that God was going to work out every tiny detail…and He did!
 
That semi load doubled the size of our herd.  ​

​Five days later we loaded back up and headed back out to Kansas for the Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals.  Oh…and if you didn’t think there was enough stress in June…Daniel was the show superintendent for Junior Nationals, so we just kept up the pace of running around like chickens with our heads cut off. 
 
The short version of Junior Nationals was that Walker won Reserve Grand Champion Female with 4 Wiley Cherry on Top…another one of his born, bred and raised cows out of Candy Cane and half sib to Colt. 
 
And of course, our lives wouldn’t be completed without some extra drama.  The night before the open show, the judge called Daniel to let him know he was stuck in an airport and wasn’t going to be able to make his connecting flight.  Commence the panic and friends from all over the country trying to find us a judge…and God cleared the way for and awesome judge that was more than happy to postpone his plans to build fence the next day.  

​Three days after we returned from Junior Nationals, the new cows started calving.  See…God’s timing is perfect!
 
This is getting a bit long, so I will do the quick version for the rest of the summer.

​Walker showed a steer at the county fair for the last time.  He also showed a goat for the first time. 
 
We moved from the Knox County Fair right into the Ohio State Fair. 
 
I quit my job. 
 
I started a new job.  I haven’t cried in a month!
 
We moved Walker into college.  He is now working on a farm near campus washing and caring for cattle, and they are getting ready for a big sale.  He is loving college life and we are struggling to get him to come home to see Mom and Dad on the weekends. 

This weekend we are taking a deep breath.  Well…not really…this is us after all.  Let’s just say we are not working on the farm.  
 
There is lots to do on the farm and we are realizing how much time the larger herd takes.  Next up is fall vaccinations, separating the herd and putting the bulls out with them, weaning calves and starting to break the show calves, and then quickly pivoting to fall/winter show season. 
 
Oh…and we have an emergency building project that will hopefully be starting soon.  Nothing like trying to beat winter. 
 
The moral of the story…God’s timing is perfect. 
 
We know this…we really do…but this year, we have seen it. 
 
There is nothing better than when one of your kids tells you they are glad the thing they wanted so badly didn’t work out, because if it had happened, they wouldn’t have been able to do the bigger and better thing God had planned.  

Just about every conversation and decision has been not about where we are now, but where we want to be.  

It has all centered around growing the farm.  

Two big things have happened this year that have really driven the growth of our farm.  

The first is being able to lease the new farm.  

Not only did this triple the amount of ground we have to work with, but it opened doors for exponential growth in multiple avenues of the farm.  

Previously, we had far too many animals for the amount of pasture we had.  This meant we had to be very intentional about our grazing practices, but also had to continually downsize the herd in order to have enough space and grass to feed them.  

With the added pasture space, we not only have more options for grazing, but we are also able to separate the herd and better manage the needs of the animals and our ground. 

When it is muddy, we now have higher pastures that they can graze.  When it is dry, we can open up more ground.  When the grass grows faster than the cows can eat it, we bale the pasture and have more hay for winter.  We have concrete paddocks to keep the bulls out of the belly deep mud.  We have more barns to shelter the cows from the blustery winds we just endured.  

We don't have to sell more animals...we get to choose to keep some to grow the herd.  
​
We just have more options to roll with the punches that mother nature brings us.  

We have doubled our hay ground.  

While this has also doubled the work...and doubled...or maybe tripled the baler repairs, it is another avenue to grow our farm products and income.  

The other big thing that has driven the growth of our farm this year is that Isaac graduated from college and moved back home.  

We now have 3 full-time off-farm workers and a high school student/part-time off-farm worker, but we have 4 farm hands home every night and weekend.  

Isaac has always dreamed of farming and now his dreams of growing our farm are coming true.  

He is the driving force behind most of the growth.  He is constantly looking for opportunities to grow the herd, grow the land, diversify the income and just build our dreams. 

Isaac's ultimate dream is to grow the farm enough that one or all of us can come home and work the farm full-time.  Who knows if that dream will ever come true, but if you don't shoot for the stars you'll never capture those dreams.  

Isaac has spent the last several months investing in the farm and rebuilding fence for his next venture.  

The fence has taken much longer than we anticipated, but partly because so much thought has gone into the process.  We aren't just building fence for cows, he is looking to the future for other opportunities.  

Yes, the farm is branching out.  I think our theme for 2023 is going to be DIVERSIFICATION.  

Not only are we looking at ways to grow the cattle and hay business that we already have, but Isaac is looking at branching out with other species.  

No, we aren't straying away from Miniature Herefords...they are our first love after all.  

The winter storm last week delayed a couple of our plans, but we will soon be adding goats and a donkey to the farm.  

Coyotes have become an increasing problem in the area and with such small calves, we are always concerned for the safety of our herd.  Donkeys are natural protectors and will "kick" off intruders and keep the herd safe.  

Donkeys can also be trained to break cattle.  Those hard to break steers can be tethered to a trained donkey and in a few days, the steer is broken and ready for people to work with it.  Breaking donkeys are a growing commodity and Isaac is jumping on board to raise breaking donkeys...that also double as our herd protectors.  

Besides, the neighbors are very excited about getting to see some baby donkeys some day.

Goats...I know...where did that come from?

Isaac did show a goat at the fair one year, but wasn't overly thrilled with the project.  So, when he was adamant that he wanted to raise goats, we were a little surprised.  

But...we are coming around.  Kids are awful cute.

Santa brought Isaac his first two goats for Christmas (that will move to the farm once the weather improves a little) and he plans to buy more this summer.  

The plan is to raise show goats and some for meat.  This is a whole new venture for us and we have a lot to learn, but you have to start somewhere.  We have great friends who are helping and holding our hands...because we are still at the asking lots of stupid questions phase.  

2023 is going to be an adventure as we continue to learn, strategize and grow the farm.  

It is going to be a fun adventure...with lots of ups and downs...but we are excited for what the new year will bring us.  

We couldn't be happier that the next generation is building upon what we started.  There has been a lot of transition and "discussions" (yes, that is the polite way of saying loud talking that sounds like yelling to people that don't understand farm families), but we love hashing out the pros and cons of each opportunity.

​Different opinions, different ideas and strategies melding together to grow and diversify this farm we all love.

We took Lucy, Autumn and Colt with us to Louisville.  

Yes, Isaac did sell Autumn in March, but the new owners have allowed us to have an active part in her continued show career. 
​
Walker has been working hard with Autumn to get her ready for the show.  Autumn's owners were supposed to join us at the show, but due to a family emergency, they were not able to make it to the show and had to watch on the livestream.  

While we wish they could have been there to share in the excitement, we are thankful we had already made arrangements to bring Autumn on our trailer...and Walker sure enjoyed sending those texts.

With me and Daniel busy in the show ring, Isaac and Walker were back in the barn by themselves getting the animals ready and to the show ring on time.  Chase wasn't able to come with us this year, so it was just Isaac and Walker.  

Thursday was a little stressful for Walker as he had 6 head he had to get ready.  Walker has really stepped up  and is doing a great job at fitting.  Timing is always the hardest part.  Knowing how early to start to allow enough time to get finished, but not leaving so much time that the cows are standing too long and exhausted by the time they get to the ring.  

Yes, we only took 3 head, but they helped fit 3 animals for another family on show day.  

Thank you to those that helped walk the cows up to the ring so that Walker could keep working on Colt while Isaac got the heifers shown.  ​

The Junior show was on Wednesday and Autumn took first in her class.  

Lucy also placed first in her class.  

Lucy and Autumn were in the final drive together.  

Thursday, in the open show... 

And Lucy placed second in her class.

The line up of heifers this year was phenomenal!  

We know our heifers didn't have a chance to be at the top, but were hoping Colt had a chance in the bull show.  

Colt looked amazing!

However, the bull that he was behind at Denver was at Louisville.  THF TB12 2721 was on point and we figured he would come out on top.  

Colt made it to the final drive as the Reserve Summer Senior Bull.

And Walker received the Reserve Grand Champion handshake!

Walker is so proud of Colt.  This is Walker's first calf out of Candy Cane, the 2020 Reserve Champion Junior Heifer and Wesson, our multi-champion bull.  

Colt is following in his dam and sire's footsteps.  

Louisville was good to us this year.  

Walker is so proud of Colt and we are proud of Walker and all the work he has put in to get Colt to this stage.  You have to start with a good animal, but also you have to put in a ton of work to get that animal national show ready.  All the days that he had to force himself out to the barn, sure were worth it.  

Walker and Isaac have always loved showing at the fairs, but the last several years, the real draw of the fair is time with their friends.  

This was Isaac's first year not to be a participant, but he made sure to come home to join in on some of the fun.  

Too say we were all exhausted at the end of those 10 days is an understatement.  Colt is even too tired to eat...but he only spent 2 days at the fair.  

Only a small fraction of time at fair is spent in the show ring, but there is a whole lot of behind the scenes action going on.  

I don't have many pictures of all the fun with friends, because Isaac and Walker spent each night up in the campground with family and friends while Mom and Dad went home to do chores and get a good nights sleep.  

Each morning, Walker was up at daylight to get a spot in the wash stall for Brutus and Lucy.  

After morning fair chores were done, he would head home to do chores at the farm and then get a shower before heading back to the fair.  

Morning chores even included bottle feeding the new calf that was born in the middle of the night.  He needed to make sure the calf was nursing, but momma wasn't cooperating and he needed to get back to the fair.  He didn't have time to mess around, so he just milked momma and bottle fed the calf with the colostrum.  It worked and by that night, the calf had figured out the whole nursing thing.

Just a note...plan your calving schedule better than us and don't have calves during fair week.  We had three.

Show day finally arrived.  Walker was so excited to show a full-sized steer for the first time.  He had so many early mornings and late nights with Brutus for this one night.  

It was show time!

Walker did let dad help him fit...but you notice he made him do the non-show side.  

Walker also spent some time with a Cloverbud in his club that was showing in the pee wee class.  He helped Ruby walk Brutus several evenings, gave her some show pointers and then was right there in the ring with her for the show.  

It was good experience for Ruby, but it was great mentoring experience for Walker.  

​He secretly loved it. 

So why all the early mornings and late nights?  

Yes, he wanted to win, but the real prize at fair is the sale price of your animal.  The money from the sale is what funds next year's project and hopefully a little left over for the college fund.  

The community really came together this year and Walker walked away with a nice check...and an extra nice boost to that college fund.  

Papa always comes out for sale day.  He may be 92, but he still comes to support his boys...as long as they come pick him up with the Ranger and drop him at the door of the sale barn.  

They don't have any problems chauffeuring...sale day just wouldn't be the same without Papa in the stands.  

Sale day is always busy with keeping track of where things are in the line-up, especially since there are two sale barns.  I went to check on Walker and found him down in the pig barn scrolling through the sale bill.  

You see...the last two years, several of the kids have pooled their money to buy projects for some of the other kids that just aren't getting many bids.  This is a lot coming from high school and college kids own pockets.  This year their pooled money purchased a pig, two goats and added on to several other bids.  

There has been no parent involvement in these plans, but sure makes us parents proud that our kids are already giving back to their community.  

Once the sale was over and we moved our tack out of county fair, we then moved in to state fair.  The boys still went back to the county fair each night for the evenings entertainment and camping out, but our sights were set on the shows in Columbus.  

So how did Walker do at the fairs?  

​It was a very good year for him.  ​

Knox County Fair:
     5th place overall with his steer, Brutus
     Reserve Senior Showman

Ohio State Fair:
     Champion Senior Showman
     Grand Champion Junior Heifer with Lucy
     Grand Champion Bull with Colt
     Grand Champion Heifer with Lucy
     Premier Breeder
​     Premier Exhibitor

Walker has one more year of 4-H left and the county fair chapter of our lives will be coming to a close.  It amazes me how quickly this time has gone by.  They have learned so much and made so many friends at the county fair.  Watching Isaac come back without an animal, you realize what an integral part of their lives this week is.  

We do not have any plans to leave showing at the Ohio State Fair behind.  We have many memories at the summer fairs, including our first trip with a stroller when Isaac was just two weeks old.  Times sure have changed since then, but each year brings new memories and we look forward to making memories in the years to come...even if those memories may take on a different form.  

Our fair does not allow us to sell Miniature Herefords in the sale, so Isaac and Walker have always had to take an additional animal for the market classes.  

Some years they show feeder calves and a few years Isaac showed a market steer.  Walker was never allowed to show a market steer because mom and dad can only afford to feed out one steer at a time.  

​Show feed is expensive!

Isaac wanted to go out big his final year of 4-H and took a market steer last year.  

That meant that Walker was out of luck again and was stuck with a feeder.

Don't feel too sorry for him...he did win Grand Champion with his feeder.

But he was really excited for Isaac to graduate because mom and dad couldn't say no any more.  

This year is his year.  Walker gets to show his first full-sized steer.

Full-sized isn't completely new to him because he has show for other people...this is just the first time he has gone start to finish with his own full-sized steer.

He has been up at 4:45 a.m. all summer long washing Brutus before he heads off to work.  

Most nights he comes back home from a eight to ten hour shift at his landscaping job, to wash Brutus again.  

He is tired, but loving being so close to the finish line with his steer.  He is very excited for the fair this year.  

Lucy has been a little neglected since we got home from Junior Nationals.  She didn't have any hair at Junior Nationals, so he didn't figure it was worth the fight to even try to get hair to grow in the last month.  

He has put most of his effort into Brutus...but Lucy is a veteran so he doesn't have to worry about her.  

Walker has thoroughly enjoyed this year.  From visiting farms to searching the online sales for that perfect steer (in his price range), to loading Brutus on the trailer and bringing him home last fall.  He has tbeen soaking up the experience.  

If you are in the area, stop by the Knox County Fair on Tuesday, the 26th to see him show Brutus and Wednesday, the 27th to see him show Lucy.

One of my favorite pictures ever. 

​Final Drive Photography did a great job capturing the moments of the week.  Since Daniel was co-superintendent and I was busy clerking and filling in wherever needed, we didn't get to see much of the boys some days....besides, they were busy with their friends. 

​I will forever cherish this photo.  

Isaac and Walker had a different attitude this year.  They are normally so competitive and full-on when it comes to all the contests they can compete in at Junior Nationals.  This year, with Isaac in school and working and Walker working 10 to 12 hour days, they just didn't have the drive that they normally do. 

At the end of the day, bed looked a whole lot better than working on a project.  I can't blame them...they never stop.  I pushed them because I knew that once they got to Junior Nationals, they would regret not pushing harder at home...but I also knew that it was their decision.  

Isaac told me that he just wanted to go out and have fun this year.  He didn't really care about all the other stuff.  I can't argue...the friendships they have built are priceless...and probably the moments they will remember far after that award has lost it's luster.  

They still came home with their fair share of awards and banners (the banners are somewhere in the trailer...that we still haven't gotten around to unpacking).

Walker won third place with his 55 gallon drum table and chairs.  

We still have the whiskey barrel table that Isaac won with a couple of years ago, so we don't have any room to put Walker's table.  He decided to donate his project to the silent auction to help raise money for future Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals events.  It was a big hit and is sitting on someone's deck in Oklahoma.

Isaac won second with his leather portfolio.  

No, this picture is not backwards.  Isaac is left handed, so he purposely made this portfolio to open backwards for a lefty.  I guess they have issues with notebooks.  

You will notice he even stamped his initials on the back (or normal person's front).

As you can see, he is already putting his craft project to good use.  

Walker won first place in the The Force Awakens photography category...

And second place in the On the Farm category.

Isaac won first place in written expression with a paper about the history of John Deere tractors.

This is the first year he has entered the written expression contest...but only because he re-used a paper he had to write for school. 

On the cattle front, Colt won his division and Lucy placed second in her class. 

​Not too shabby for a heifer we bought to use as a herd cow and decided to show because we didn't have anything else, and a bull that was born, bred and raised right here on our farm.  

There were so many more things that happened last week, but the best part was having Nick and Amelia Cragen at the show.  You may have seen some highlights on Facebook.  

Getting to know Nick and Amelia really put things into perspective for us.  As a parent, I can't imagine watching your child go through what Amelia faces every day.  Seeing their joy through the difficulties just makes me thankful for the blessings I do have, but also see that while we were trying to be a blessing to Nick and Amelia...they really blessed all of us.