4 Wiley Farm
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Our Winners
  • For Sale
    • Cows
    • Semen
  • Why Minis?
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • In Motion
  • Shop Our Farm
    • Merchandise
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Our Winners
  • For Sale
    • Cows
    • Semen
  • Why Minis?
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • In Motion
  • Shop Our Farm
    • Merchandise

This is Us​ - our life, our story, our farm

Our Hope and Pride of the New Show Season

12/12/2016

0 Comments

 
Each year is the ending for some and the beginning for others.  Just when you get your cows right where you want them to be, it is time for them to graduate from the show circuit and you get to start all over again with a new set of cows. 

Last month, N.A.I.L.E. marked the end of the show life for Rain and Six but was just the beginning for our new show herd.  
Picture
​Calving season is such an anxious and important time of year for us.  Not just because we are busy making sure that we have healthy calves, but it is also the time that we have to ensure we have cows to restock our show circuit.
We have struggled the past several years with getting our cows back onto a spring calving schedule.  This is not just a preference anymore, but it can also make a difference in how competitive we are in the show ring.  
Picture
In early June, Isaac's cow, Annabelle, had her first calf and it was a heifer.

He was so excited.  

Not only was this his first calf, it was the first calf that he was able to help pull.  

Amber was born a little later than we would like for the show circuit, but we didn't have much choice but to go with the flow.  

​Isaac's show heifer for the year was taken care of.  
Picture
Amber won her class at Louisville, but the judge thought that she was too clubby.

She is very wide and beefy.  

Some judges like it...and some don't.
Picture
We don't have a large herd, so every heifer really counts.  We now have 2 boys showing, so we have to make sure that we have 2 eligible show heifers each year.  

This Spring we were getting nervous.  We only had one early calf and it ended up being a bull calf.  We have had several heavy bull years and weren't especially confident that we would get heifers out of the cows that we really wanted for show stock.  

We have also learned that it can take a lot of time to find that perfect cow.  It took us 2 years to get Six here to our farm.  

If we have to spend money on a cow, we want to make sure that we are buying the best animal for our farm.  There is always the balance of trying to find an animal that will win in the show ring and one that will also add the genetics to your program that will grow and change your herd.  
We decided to buy one heifer from the same farm as we purchased Six last year.  We really like the J Cross genetics and are trying to add some specific traits to our herd.  

In true Daniel fashion...he bought two cows instead of one.  

It is always hard to buy cattle on the other side of the country without seeing them first.  Daniel and Arlou spent hours and hours on the phone making sure that our 2 girls would be the right fit for our farm.  

We knew going into this year that neither of these calves were as special as Six, but we all agreed that Charity and Saxon needed to be on our farm.  
Picture
Within several days of the new girls arriving from Washington, we knew that Charity was something special.  

Since Isaac got to show Six last year, we let Walker have the first choice of the new calves.  He chose to show Charity this year.  

We knew we had a chance when our fitter called her "freaky."  Daniel and I looked at each other and asked if that was a good thing or a bad thing.  

He said a really good thing.  

​We can't wait to see how she matures.
Picture
Charity started out the show season on the right foot by winning her division in Louisville. 

At the first BEST show she won Grand in ring A and Reserve in ring B.

This weekend she won Grand in both rings.  
Picture
Saxon is a really nice cow...but she is no Charity.  

We weren't really sure how she would stack up in the show ring.  The main reason we bought her was for the cow that she will become and hoped to have her tag along on the show circuit with us.  
Picture
She is holding her own and was Reserve Division Champion in Louisville.  
Picture
​We did end up having another heifer this year.  

After much deliberation and doubting, we decided to sell Bee.  We couldn't justify, or afford, to show 4 cows this season and we needed the money to help pay for the two from Washington. 

Bee is a completely different cow than Amber.  Bee is much more feminine.  


Amber and Bee will be going head to head in the same class this show season.   It is going to be interesting to see how the judges place them.
Picture
The show season is just beginning.

The year is always full of surprises.  

Some of the cows that you think are going to excel...don't, and some that you overlook end up rising to the top.  

It is always fun to watch them grow and mature and settle into their place in the show ring.  

Sometimes you can't wait to send a cranky cow out to pasture and sometimes it is with great regret that you retire a cow to the pasture.  

Here's hoping we have a season full of good surprises.  

You might also like...
A Class of Their Own
New Beginnings - the 2015 BEST Season
Why You Should Be One of The BEST
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Let's Connect

    Picture

    Author

    Hello!  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.

    Shop Our Farm

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    10 On The 10th
    Books
    Calving
    Character
    Everything Else
    Food
    Hay
    How To
    Photography
    Showing
    Things We Love

    RSS Feed

    Popular Posts

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

The Cows

​Why Minis?
Our Winners
For Sale

The Family

Home
About Us
Contact Us
Disclosure

Follow Us

Blog - Down on the Farm
Instagram
You Tube
Facebook

Associations

​Miniature Hereford Breeders Association
American Hereford Association
Ohio Cattlemen's Association