The 2021 Ohio Beef Expo

3/22/2021

Last Wednesday, we moved in to the Ohio Beef Expo. There were many moments that we wondered if the show would go on...but it did.

And it was a great success!

4 Wiley Sir Wesson, 2021 Ohio Beef Expo Grand Champion Bull

The Covid plan modified the schedule from past years, but we are actually really big fans of the new format.

See...sometimes good things come from adversity.

We moved in on Wednesday (a day earlier than usual), but it was a really relaxed day...and it was gorgeous weather.

We were up and about early Friday morning preparing for the 8:00 a.m. show.

We had originally planned to take 5 animals to the show...but only two made it on the trailer.

A few weeks before the show, we realized that Candy Cane was 4 days too old to show (you would think since we organize the show we would have figured this out...but it was just another mom fail). Oh well...

We had Angel and Autumn signed up as a cow/calf pair. Isaac really wanted to take Autumn because he plans to sell her at some point and wanted to get her out in front of prospective buyers. She is only four months old, so we couldn't take her without her momma.

Several months ago, we brought Angel and Autumn in from the field to get them ready for the show. Angel needed some weight after calving and nursing through the winter months and we needed to get the winter mud balls cleaned off of her. Isaac gave Angel her first bath...and it didn't turn out too well. When the mud balls came off...so did most of her hair. Isaac called me after he got her back end done and said he was calling it a day. There was no way she was going to the show.

Angel did go to the show, but didn't leave the viaducts. She was only there to nurse Autumn.

Then there was Smith....

Two weeks ago he was ready to go...and then it went from 30 degrees to 70 degrees...and he started rubbing...and rubbing...and rubbing...until he looked like a splotchy mess with bald spots everywhere.

These cows are worse than kids sometimes!

So...it was just Wesson and Autumn.

We knew Autumn was going to be a little spunky, but boy oh boy was she a pill.

As the show went on, we quickly realized they all had a little fire in their bellies.

It must have been the cool morning air.

Autumn was by far the youngest and smallest calf.

That's her all the way at the end...just a flippin' her tail.

Two of my favorite guys.

Walker didn't show any animals...and that was by his choice. He didn't want to have anything to do with Autumn's spunk.

He is the Region 3 Ambassador, so he kept himself busy with his Ambassador duties and helped hand out awards at the show.

He was also the official cow holder, banner holder and ran the scales at check-in.

Don't worry...we kept him busy.

And then it was time for Wesson's final trip around the ring.

He won the two-year-old bull class and then went back in for the final drive.

The point...

The slap...

The shake.

4 Wiley Sir Wesson was named the Grand Champion Bull!

Friday afternoon was the first ever live Miniature Hereford sale at the Ohio Beef Expo.

Last year was supposed to be the first year, but we had to move to an online format after the Expo was cancelled.

No, we didn't sell Wesson...just semen. Since Wesson was there, Isaac walked him through the sale ring as the semen was being auctioned off.

The sale was amazing and exceeded everyone's expectations There were a whole bunch of happy breeders and new owners back in the barn. Several of the animals are going out of state and we are excited to see this sale grow in years to come. It is the only live Miniature Hereford sale in this part of the country.

We normally stay through the weekend so the boys can show in the B.E.S.T. junior show, but we don't have any animals of eligible age, so we have not shown in the winter circuit this year. But, we have all enjoyed the break and were more than excited to take the animals and tack home on Friday night...instead of late Sunday afternoon.

Saturday morning we slept in a little and then headed back down to the Expo to enjoy the day shopping at the vendors, watching some of the sales and talking with all the people we didn't have time to visit with during the week. It was the perfect end of a really good week...and it gave us hope that normal life is returning.

It took an lot of creative planning, thinking outside the box, volunteer help...and plain grit and determination, but the Ohio Cattlemen's Association pulled off an amazing 2021 Ohio Beef Expo.

As we look around at many other central Ohio events that are still being cancelled, we realize how fortunate we really were to be able to gather together to show and sell our animals.

Sitting in on the planning meetings just a few short months ago, we were determined to move forward, but always had in the back of our minds the possibility that the expo just wasn't going to happen.

But we all did it...from the Ohio Cattlemen's Association leadership, to breed reps, to the many volunteers, to the participants that entered the shows and sales, to all the individuals that attended the show to shop at the vendors and bid on sale animals...it took each and every one of us to make the 2021 event a huge success.

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