Kids and Black Cows, Part 3

Cody is showing a 'little' (lots of sarcasm intended, read on) steer this year. He had the champion 4H Crossbred steer (Angus/Gelbvieh cross, we got from Bill Harris) at Sturgeon, (where this picture was taken) ended up 3rd overall. And got 3rd in his Super heavy weight class at Centralia. We got in line to weigh his steer and it was funny how several people who had seen him Friday night came over to see what he weighed. Poor little thing only weighs 1495 POUNDS!!!! We have had several little things that have been problems in breaking calves this summer. Although the kids took a calf a piece to the fairs, they have THREE calves a piece that we've been working with. One of the mishaps has been that Cody got his big toe stepped on by his heifer and ended with the toenail ripped off, a laceration and crushed bone in the toe. I couldn't think of any 'good way' to blog about it, so I thought that I would throw it in as an aside in this one. We kidded him last night and said be glad it wasn't BUBBA (this steers' name) or you might not have had a toe left. He's just a monster, almost as big as one of our bulls. If we can get it done, Cody has another Steer that was too 'green' to go to the shows this weekend, but we're hoping to take him to Audrain or Monroe County fairs, after the guys have worked more with him. Sam has had bad luck as well. He's got a beautiful red steer (crossbred Red Angus and Gelbvieh) but the darn thing figured out he can get away and even David and Jason have trouble keeping ahold of him, so he's probably out. Sam also has an older heifer, Daisy, that he showed as a Sr. Heifer Calf last summer, but she's big and pregnant and grumpy and goes where she darn well pleases, doesn't get away, because she doesn't really run, she just walks wherever she wants, so she's probably out as well. It's been one of 'those' years, like throwing gas on a fire, the more we work with them, it seems, the worse they get. But the kids love the shows, so we keep plugging along. Maybe next year will be better, crops and cows both!