I vividly remember our son's first year showing in 4-H. We arrived at the county fair with no idea what we were doing and no idea what questions to even ask. We felt like we were the only ones that didn't have a clue. Everyone was busy getting ready for the show and we just stood there with that deer in the headlights look. We needed someone to hand us a manual of everything we were supposed to know and questions that we were supposed to ask. Guess what...there is no manual. The best way to find out what you need to know is to ask a lot of questions (even if you don't have enough of clue to know what questions you should be asking), observe, observe, observe, and just resign yourself to having a baptism by fire. There are a lot of unknowns and insecurities when you are new to the stock show life. One thing that you can easily master is what the showman is supposed to wear in the show ring. Sometimes it is as simple as shopping your closet and other times you just need a few specific items. Here are a few pointers and reminders.
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Walker celebrated his 11th birthday last week. It still seems like just yesterday that he was born. It was hay season and Daniel told me I couldn't have the baby until hay was done. Just a little over 12 hours after we finished the last of the hay, we were blessed with the four in 4 Wiley Farm. Now, 11 years later, he is always by our side, pulling his weight on the farm. It has been so fun to watch him grow and mature, but I still wish he would stop growing. He will always be my baby. I honor of Walker's eleven years, I asked him to write down 11 things that he loves.
On the 10th day of each month, I take 10 random pictures. You get a chance to see the farm through my camera lense. Since June is Father's Day month, I decided to focus on dads..through the camera lense. It is impossible to fully capture the love of a father with a picture, but a picture can capture the moments of a father's life. “Small boys become big men through the influence of big men who care about small boys.” – Anonymous Summer is finally here and it is time to start working those cows for all the summer fairs. This summer we have a new fair to attend. We are very excited that the Ohio State Fair is going to have a show just for the Miniature Herefords. Most county fairs don't have many Miniature Herefords, so they just stick them in some random class because they just don't know what to do with them. While we enjoy every opportunity to show our cows, it is always more fun to show against our own breed. Compare apples to apples, not apples to oranges. We are excited for the opportunity that Ohio is giving the Miniature Hereford breeders in this part of the country. There are so many activities competing for our attention in the summer months. Why should you put in the effort to attend the Ohio State Fair?
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AuthorHello! I am Heather... the city girl turned mom to manure loving country boys. My husband and I both grew up in the city, but spent weekends visiting grandparents in the country. We are first generation farmers who learn best by almost always doing things the hard way. I hope you enjoy following along with our adventures down on the farm. Archives
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