How We Attempt to Stay Warm at Cattle Shows

1/9/2017

This past weekend we were at another cattle show.

In true fashion, the weather turned brutally cold just in time for the show.

It was a little bit warmer on Saturday and it was 1 degree when we left home for the show. By the time we arrived in Columbus, it was a balmy 6 degrees.

On show weekends like this, we know three things.

One...we are going to a show...no matter what.

Two...we are going to be outside for 12 plus hours.

Three...it is going to be cold.

So....learn to deal with it.

But how do we deal with it?

The first thing we do is...

Complain.

A lot.

And then we do the best we can.

Yes...the above picture is a real picture of the wash rack this past weekend.

The Columbus shows allow us to have several options for stalling.

This year we are doing something a little bit differently, and it seems to be working pretty well for us.

If you have ever shown cattle at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, then you know what the viaducts are. At the back of the fairgrounds are overhead railroad tracks built on concrete stilts. The area under the railroad tracks is what we call the viaducts. This space is broken up into individual stall areas divided by the concrete pillars. However, it is all open to the wind and cold.

The reason we have opted to stall in the viaducts this year is because we have room to set up coral pannels for the cows. The cows then don't have to be tied and are free to roam the pen as they please. We also have a water tub in the pen and they can drink free choice. With how diffiicult it can sometimes be to get cows to drink at the shows, the free choice water has been really helpful. We have noticed the cows are much more relaxed and are not as stressed by using these coral panels.

We all know that is is all about the cows and not about the people, so if the cows are happier in the viaducts, we are happier in the viaducts.

We have been sharing a viaduct with 3 other families.

In such close quarters, if you weren't great friends before, you become really good friends really quickly.

We have pooled all of our resources and made ourselves a nice little compound that we like to call the "igloo".

Below is a video tour of our viaduct area.

Before you watch.....

Sorry for the shaking and sometimes out of focus camera.

The noise in the background is really how loud it is with all the generators and blowers going.

Our igloo was considerably warmer than the outside. We were mostly comfortable without our gloves on and some of the guys even stripped down to just sweatshirts when they were clipping.

However, at about 5:00 Saturday evening....our Val 6 heater packed up and went home. The next 3 hours waiting for showmanship were a little interesting. Mental note...if you are like us and can't afford a Val 6 heater (they are the best) make sure you peruse the barn and make friends with someone who does.

We tried to do some jumping jacks, but then realized we had to go to the bathroom.

The bathroom is a whole other story....

Layers upon layers and a barely heated bathroom.....which is why we hold it as long as we can.

Enough said.

I think it took until Sunday morning for my fingers and toes to completely thaw.

Thankfully, the heifer show was on Saturday, so we spent Sunday afternoon wrapped in warm blankets relaxing on the couch.

Until the next cold snap and cattle show.

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