Over the past two decades, the direction of our breed associations have slanted their members to the technical side of the industry. Numbers and data seemed much more important than creating enthusiasm at breed events. Unlike Canada so far, our neighbors to the south use these numbers in evaluating and placing cattle at their major shows. I sat in Denver for two days watching a judge select animals by their numbers...the most boring show I have ever attended, we could virtually pick the top three placings before the class entered the ring...it would drive a man to drink...numbers are for marketing and selection, not the show ring. Of course, breeders with a few years of experience can recall the days when frame score was the only selection criteria, a class started with the biggest and tallest and downsized to last position. Some of the high grossing, high averaging bull sales are held by breeders who do not exhibit cattle except for maybe their kids in 4-H...how can this be...some do not even attend a major show. Does this mean that showing cattle is not effective marketing or are the shows not attracting the actual market of those who choose not to exhibit? In the majority of cases, breeders who do not show and are successful are big print advertisers. But we must learn from our past! As in some societies, wives (some had more than one) were chosen on visual appraisal, attractiveness and demeanor, rather than numbers or pedigree. Forerunners in the cattle industry, also visually selected cattle from the British Isles and brought them to our founding nation in order to expand and improve the quality of the beef we eat. Even Continental cattle, in later years, were all visually selected for North America. We have surpassed a century of shows with judges making decisions on which individual or individuals are best suited for the industry. During the past century, attendees to events often did not agree with the judges selections, but rather, discovered their own herds or individuals that would start or change the direction of their livestock program. Judging criteria is simply phenotype - body shape, breed characteristics, size and volume. This visual criteria is used around the world in every commercial sale barn that brokers cattle, whether they are stockers, feeders, butcher bulls or D3’s and will continue to be used after I am long gone. Showing cattle is hands-on marketing...you can visit with those who stop by and peruse your herd on display. Although you can have displays with pictures and videos, there is no substitute for the real thing. Whether you like it or not, one must still advertise, since not all of your potential and current customers are in attendance, but the mere fact that you exhibited at Agribition carries a lot of weight with foreign visitors. In addition to the marketing factor, showing cattle allows you the opportunity to compare your program to that of your fellow breeders. Major shows give exhibitors and visitors alike, an opportunity to view and compare the top animals from each individual herd in one common area. Showing cattle adds family values. Through 4-H or junior years, parents assist their children in their young years and as they progress into their mid teens, they add intense value to a cattle operation, adding a dimension of labor and ideas... working and bonding with all members of the family. Youngsters learn the glamour of victory and the agony of defeat along with other family members and fellow competitors. Children that are raised in an agricultural setting around livestock have a higher level of work ethics and family values that those raised in an urban environment. Unless you have been on a secluded island away from civilization, you must know how strong the cattle market is, as record prices are achieved each week. This rising phenomenon is and will attract new members to the livestock fraternity, members who might be of a different color or race...they will want to read about it...then see it! For the last hundred years, livestock shows have been designed to attract new breeders and youth to our industry ... we must realize that visual appraisal is the fulcrum in purchasing the product.
Today’s Angus Advantage Summer 2014  67