What I Learned From Livestock Judging

I hope by the end of my blog, you will have learned how all of the topics I'm about to cover actually do tie together.

So, here we go. First off, not sure if anyone else does this, but I relate almost everything in my life back to cows or judging. If you think you don't do it, think again, you're probably fooling yourself! (And also, I apologize to my non-judging friends, this blog my be a smidge confusing.)

For instance: I attended the International Livestock Congress this week in Denver, Colorado and listened to some awesome speakers give life advice. One of the speakers was talking about job placement and important traits to consider when applying for a job. I can't believe I'm giving out free advice. If you're applying for a job against me, please ignore the rest of this blog.

Loni Woolley and I after a day full of conferences. We were very thankful to have been selected to attend.

He mentioned how incredibly important it was to remain honest in everything you do and write. If you're applying for a job at Cargill, and get placed with the poultry division but have no experience with poultry, just tell them! I think this relates to being completely honest in reasons. Sometimes we want to cover things up and say it "truthfully with fluff." In a sense - you're not lying....but you're not relating the whole picture. "She could use a bit more body" and "she does not have enough rib to stay productive" are both the same thing, but totally different.

He also talked about organizing your life priorities. Making sure you meet a deadline versus searching facebook or answering emails are all problems we may face. Organizing the most important to least important items is key. Same thing in reasons. "She's a bit up in her tailhead, out in her chest and a tick tight hocked" versus "she is too tight hocked, it doesn't help she's  out in her chest and up in her tailhead." Yep, organize priorities.

And finally, my most FAVORITE advice: go with your gut. There's going to be times in life when you are faced with a tough decision. Whether it is taking a job, moving towns, or accepting change, there's not always a right answer. Just remember your gut instinct is usually right. When judging in a contest (or shows I'm finding out) decisions aren't easy. It's important to stick with your initial reaction. If you wanna do it, do it.

I think being in Denver around livestock is bringing out my judging side - oops! Good luck to all contestants tomorrow in the Carload Contest, and to all teams Friday evening at the awards banquet.

Have a wonderful weekend!
P.S. Since I have been in Denver all week, I hope I can use that as an excuse for ignoring my blog profusely. Please forgive me!

The 38th Floor

The first blog. Whew, what a relief! I set my blog site up a couple weeks ago, and have stressed for two weeks as to the topic of my first blog. Then, I realized that I was just going to jump in and write whatever I was feeling.

So here it is. It's not an "about me", hopefully through my blog posts y'all will get to know me, and all about what I stand for. I hope this blog will be an informative place to learn about beef, agriculture products, and the general life of a farm girl fighting untruths about agriculture. But, first, a couple important parts of my life:

Part 1: I'm from Texas, as evidenced by the "y'all" in the prior sentence - that's a word y'all know!

Part 2: livestock judging. Livestock judging has been such a big part of my life for ten years, now I only have ONE month left judging with some of the most amazing people I know (aka prepare yourselves for sad, sappy blog posts in the preceding months). For those of you that don't know, livestock judging is basically a contest where we evaluate cattle, sheep, goats and hogs based on their market potential, and their efficiency in saving producers and consumers money! Always important! It's also a high stress, high time-intensive, road tripping, steno and pencil required, teammate bonding, memory making, late nights and early mornings love affair.

Recently, we traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma and Dallas, Texas for two of our last four contests EVER - no, please tell me it isn't true!? Anyway, after the State Fair of Texas contest, our team quickly realized (thanks coach) that we had not set ourselves up to win the contest. In fact, we ended up second - congrats Aggies, we'll get ya next time. 

Losing is never the goal. But losing is what makes the next win so much fun. Monday night, for the awards banquet, over 300 coaches and contestants rode the Sheraton elevator up 38 floors, to the very top where we were greeted with the most gorgeous sight. Surrounding the banquet hall were solid glass walls, allowing us to look out over the lit up Dallas night sky. Talk about taking your breath away!

In that instant, standing over the top of the Dallas skyline, surrounded by livestock industry leaders, and the most passionate group of people, I realized that had to be what life is about! We travel, we do what we love, we may not always succeed, but there is always something to learn, something to love and something to strive for. Whether it is livestock judging, sports, competitions, family, or life in general, we always have to remember to cherish the moment we're in!

 Have a blessed day, may your coffee be bold, your worries subtle, and and your happiness 38 floors high!

P.S. I can guarantee not all my blog posts will be deep and thought provoking! But hey, when the shoe fits, rock it like Lady Gaga.

P.S.S. Because I think it is a sin to post without a picture, check out my fantastic team! This picture was taken a few weeks ago in Illinois (I think) when we "spotted" a spot gilt!