Star Lake '12 Blog Report #13 (1/29/12)
Just a quick update today things from Fort Worth. As I told you before the nice thing about the Fort Worth Show it is pretty laid back and being the last National Show of the season everybody is ready to get home and get Spring here. Even the cattle are taking it easy ...stretched out and relaxed!
Last night was the Hereford Social at the Ft Worth Botanical Gardens. A sure fire way to draw a crowd is universal...put out a great spread of finger food and have an open bar. Tonight is the Polled Hereford gala event and while the breed associations are separate there will be a lot of the same folks in attendance.
Fort Worth observations.....
There are a huge amount of people that go through the gates for this event. If you are a people watcher there is an ever changing landscape of interesting characters.
The "town folk" all want to jump in your cattle stalls and pet the cows. There is a complete disconnect with many of them on what a cow is versus a bull..."No ma'am that bull is not pregnant and is not going to have a calf !" "That isn't an udder on that bull ! "No the "faucets" on the cow are not one for each baby "...Yes they are stretched out, relaxed and sleeping and not dead....Is that bull always that big? - No we just put him in his "big" suit for the show! And yes that is poop in the aisle and do be careful kids!
My favorite is "How much does that bull weigh?" While the tendency may be to add 25# every time somebody asks the question - even the most naive townies start to question 5300 lbs!?! We do have the obligation to educate the general public and this is a great opportunity.
In Texas they have "Dance Halls" and they take them very seriously. Being the Midwestern that I am I don't dance and have no rhythm. Our daughters in laws; Dale and Mary Barber are terrific dancers and felt that we needed to experience what it is all about. First off they say everything is bigger in Texas and The Stagecoach has quite the dance floor...it is about the size of a football field . The largest dance floor I can think of at home is about the size of an F250 pickup. Now the Texans do the two step but there is a considerable variety and variation to each. The constant in the dancing is they all go round and round the dance floor in a counter clockwise rotation....we have the same thing in Iowa it is dirt track racing. I did manage to get the wife on the dance floor and we tried to stay out of the way....safest bet for the non dancers....get to the middle of the pack and go in tight circles.
Today the Cowtown Select Sale takes place at 3 pm.... We are offering a great bull calf out of Keysha and sired by Shock and Awe. You can participate via Superior Livestock and follow the sale on your computer. Contact Superior to sign up and tell them Jason Barber's father -in-law sent ya! Show day is tomorrow...Show starts at 8 am...watch it LIVE on the EDJE Technologies website.
We want to take the opportunity to inform, educate, enlighten and encourage thoughts on topics that impact the technology and philosophy of Herefords and the cattle business.
