Showgirls

Today's Topic: Showing Jersey Cows

It might seem crazy to get dressed up in all white clothes and parade around a ring. It might seem crazy to become "cattle hair dressers", teasing it, combing it, spraying it and giving them an essential royal treatment. It might also seem crazy to drive thousands of miles for cattle shows, truck the girls 14 hours across the states to Kentucky, or 13 hours to Wisconsin or stay for a week at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto at the Royal Winter Fair. Yes, it's all part of the game. The job. And the business.

Ever since I was old enough to walk, I was helping my parents show dairy cattle; with a white shirt and pants, a hatband or a harness and a lead strap in my hand. Growing up, I was involved in this culture, completing 4-H projects year after year, and doing my best with the jersey(s) I was showing. Well, 11 brown haired girls, countless local shows and 5 National Shows visits later, I still fine myself completely immersed in this culture several weekends (and sometimes weeks) of the year; along with thousands of other people. 

There is...so much to showing dairy cattle. I couldn't possibly think of every show moment or every single detail from the shows I have been too and sit down to write it all in a single blog. Countless hours of preparation, feeding, bedding, and clipping of hair. At the shows, you don't run on a good nights rest or a healthy meal. Sleep comes in small doses, food comes with "whatever is quick and easy" and your body hates you for several hours up until showtime. But then the day comes. Showday arrives and all of a sudden all the hours you have deprived your body of sleep, food and just plain common sense don't seem to matter anymore. You're instead running on adrenaline and the thrill of being able to show off your prize winning cows to friends, family, the general public and interested breeders and buyers. Ribbons, trophies, jackets, prize money and a picture in the winner's circle; and it's over just as fast as it began. And then comes more work; loading up, packing up, tearing down, etc etc. It's both physically and mentally exhausting. But in between the work, I can still manage to sneak in a pop...or two. Our farm has had our share of success in the showring at some of the biggest cattle shows in the world. This has lead to great business partnerships and a sense of belonging to a community; a community of like minded people who all love the same thing; showing cows. Just like how people show horses, chickens, pigs, dogs, or whatever the animal...it's a unique thing we do. 

I think in my second life, I'm going to be a show cow. A typical fair for one of our jersey cows is like a day (or sometimes week) at the spa; that's how I like to describe it to people when asked what exactly is involved in showing these beauties. A hot bath with soap, getting all your hair clipped, the best bedding and all the food you can eat. Then on showday, more manicure procedures take place; styling that hair with cow hair products, a black show shine added to the hoofs, a flower type spray to make them sparkle, shine and smell pretty and then, a walk around to the people looking on. Oh, and did I mention getting your ass wiped as well? Because that happens too. So to all of that, SIGN ME UP.

And yes you heard me right, cow hair products. A whole line of them. From hair dying colours, to soap and brushes, to clipping equipment, to hair dryers for blowing up and teasing hair...I would need a whole separate blog session to detail the players involved in selling this stuff to we, the "showgirls" consumers. It's a niche market, and they make a fortune.   

Even though I'm not quite as involved in my family farm operation as what I used to be, I love people that still say to me "You're just a farmer." Yep, just a farmer. The business that we are in, is a business just like any other. High pedigreed show cattle can go for big dollars. I have seen people spend up to $100,000 on a single female cow at public auction; only to turn around and DOUBLE their investment. If you have the genetics, the right market and the right sales pitch, you can make a dollar in this show industry that people regard as "just farming." Brazil, China, Guatemala, Denmark, India, Australia, Europe, Uruguay and so on...they all want Canadian genetics. And we can't produce them fast enough. Embryos (or "cow eggs" if you will) are being shipped daily, and literally across the globe. Every farm that is involved in this business, this business of marketing cows, strives to keep up with these markets and to find the next "great one." It's a whole new way of thinking. At the end of the day, the cow still produces it;s product and simple business strategy will tell you that the product is what creates the business. Only showing dairy cattle takes it to the next level. To have one of these prized possessions to call your own; it's honestly an experience like not other. It's so hard to write about it, you simply have to live it. 

So the next time you are out and about or you happen to drive by the local fair, take the time to appreciate the days of preparation that go into those shows. The hours of washing, bedding, feeding, training and grooming that go into those bovine beauties. It's a culture like no other. Call us crazy, but that's the business. And when you hit the business at full stride, you discover how insane we really are. The miles we travel, the hotels we stay in, the drinks we down and the friends we make; all thanks to the girls at the barn. Not bad for a group of big, hairy animals. Not bad for a group of showgirls.              

Views of some of the competition walking around the colored shavings in Kentucky in 2008. Our showgirls attended and our farm was their with a full lineup...it was an incredible journey!

People helping People

Today's Topic: The People We Meet

I have been fortunate this year to have met people from all over the world...literally. My travels this year have taken me to Texas, Las Vegas, all across Eastern and Western Ontario and the upcoming East Coast Canada trip. The family business has allowed me to meet people from Uruguay, Malaysia, Italy and Brazil...just to name a few. There is something that I just find completely awesome about meeting people from around the world, learning about different ways of life and why people do what they do.

I sit back as another year is coming to a close and I am starting to reflect on just the different outlooks of life people have. It's a proven fact that this can affect choices and decisions we make in our own lives and whether we just take it for what it is on the surface or embrace it and try to find a hidden meaning or understanding. Of course, I seem to take the latter of the two and look for a discovery or why I feel so happy talking about these people and sharing my stories with friends, family and even random people who happen to stumble across the Sunday Sitdowns.

When I was playing poker in Las Vegas earlier this year, the locals seemed to start to respect me when they realized I wasn't just a typical tourist who didn't understand the fundamentals of a game that TO THEM, is a way of life. It was because of this that the locals started to share some real Las Vegas stories, to which I was more than eager to listen to. When you start to hear about people throwing away $6,000 thousand dollars only to show up the next day with a smile on their face, you don't feel as bad for losing $20. Only guy told me for ten years, it was his profession to be a poker player, and thanks tourists for allowing him to make a living. I thought isn't it funny how the world works? Vegas and the people made me realize how insignificant money can be. Especially when you take out $200 at the debit machine, only to get two $100 dollar bills and not the usual mitt-full of twenties. In staying within America, the people in Texas were something else. Southern drawl, friendly going, kick up your boots and have a drink sort of folks. Eat until you are busting a gut and living the truth slogan of everything is bigger in Texas. To me, America is almost culturally separated by states, and every state has people that are completely different from the last state you resided in. No two are really alike.

I sat at the table in my parents house today and realized just how many international guests we have entertained over the years. The laughs, the good times, the huge meals...everything just gives you a feeling of pride for the country you live in and what is means to have a country to call home. There hasn't been one negative business deal that we have dealt with (knock on wood) where people from different parts of the world couldn't find an equilibrium or a universal understanding. I feel fortunate that I can educate myself from people who drive down our driveway, to educate myself on the inner working of the world. It's impossible to see this entire planet. Its impossible to meet every face. But when we do, we are connected through our common knowledge of what life is about: Happiness, Success, Laughter and Grasping Knowledge...the list could go on. What I'm starting to realize is that we are all in this thing together, a true people helping people scenario. What we learn, what we do, what we share all becomes a collection of what we stand for and what we understand. Ignorance is no longer an excuse to me, because it really is that easy to say Hello to a stranger, a person from another country, and share a laugh, a smile, a drink or a meal together. Enjoying the people that make up the moments, that seems to be the answer.

It's a powerful thing to learn about a different culture and people that live in it. It's even more powerful to share common interests. After all, isn't that a part of life?

To strive, to seek, to find, and not, to yield.