A Class of Their Own

If you have been following us for any length of time, you know that we show in the Ohio Cattlemen's Association BEST program each winter.  So far, we have been showing our Miniature Herefords in the All Other Breeds (AOB) class.  It has certainly been a challenge for us to compete against the full-sized cattle, but one that we have embraced.  

This summer we got word that the Ohio Cattlemen's Association has voted to add a class to the BEST program for miniature cattle.  This class will include Miniature Herefords, Lowlines and Scottish Highlands.  It is a challenge for judges to place the miniature cattle alongside the full-sized cattle, and some have done better with that than others.  Although the judges will still be placing different breeds against each other, they will all have the characteristics of the miniature cattle.

We are very excited that the Ohio Cattlemen's Association has recognized the importance and continued growth of the miniature cattle industry.  We have certainly seen a change in attitude amongst participants since we have been attending, and hope to see continued recognition and growth of our breed through this opportunity. 

The BEST program is basically a winter cattle show circuit where kids can accumulate points for an overall title.  Here is a little about how the program works.

• BEST is a winter show tour that starts in November and runs through April.
• If you are from Ohio, and nominate your cow into the BEST program, you will accumulate points based on how you place in each show.  At the end of the year banquet, awards are given for the top points earners in each category.  The more shows you attend, the more points you earn.
  
• You can come to as many or as few shows as you want. 
  
• The shows are open to people outside of Ohio, they just cannot accumulate points for the overall titles.  The Clark County Cattle Battle (February 6-7th) and the Ohio Beef Expo (March 5-6th) are the only shows that are for Ohio residents only.
• Each show has 2 rings (you can choose to participate in one ring or both rings), which gives you the opportunity to show 2 separate times each weekend.
• Each ring has a different judge so it gives you the opportunity to show against the same cattle with a different judge's opinion.  Many times the results are the same, but we have also seen the first be last and the last be first.  Let me just add that they get a superb class of judges from all over the country.
• The BEST program is open to all youth ages 8 to 21 (based on your age on January 1st).
• They have classes for both steers and heifers.
• Classes are divided by breed or cross breed.
• They have a separate showmanship class that is divided by age group.  If you want to improve your showmanship skills, this is the place to do it.  The competition is steep!  The judges give great pointers to the kids and we have seen incredible growth in our kid's showmanship abilities through this program.
  
• The Novice program is a special category for kids ages 11-16 that are in the first 2 years of showing in the BEST program.  This class allows some of the older kids that are just starting to show in the BEST program to not be intimidated by the older kids that have been showing for forever.
  
• Each show has the same basic format, so once you have been to one show, you will know exactly what to expect.
• The Ohio Cattlemen's Association and the BEST program, along with their sponsors, uses every opportunity to teach the young people about the industry and grow future cattle men and women.

Check out this year's BEST schedule! More details coming to ohiocattle.org soon. #OCABEST #cattle

A photo posted by Ohio Cattlemen's Association (@ohiocattle) on Sep 14, 2015 at 6:49am PDT

We are very grateful for the opportunity that the Ohio Cattlemen's Association has given us with this new class.  We have all heard the comments from those that may not understand why we have Miniature Herefords.  They are rapidly gaining popularity in the Midwest and Eastern part of the United States, and this is our opportunity to promote the breed and to educate others on the importance of miniature cattle.  

With this great privilege also comes great responsibility.  We can only keep this miniature class if people show up.   There are already talks of adding more opportunities for miniature cattle shows here in Ohio if this class takes off.  If we do not use this opportunity, we will lose it. 

Don't be intimidated.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  It was just 3 years ago that we arrived at our first show with the "deer in the headlights" look.  Not only did we survive, others took us under their wings, we learned so much, made great friends and now we are hooked on a fantastic program. 

If you have any questions about the OCA BEST program or are interested in showing, please contact us or Stephanie at the OCA office.  We are all working toward the same goal of making this new class a success.