# should I show cows?



## Abbie Sapp (Oct 19, 2018)

I’ve been in 4H for 5 years now and I’m considering getting market cattle. I’m brand new to cows- so does anyone have any suggestions on what breed I should get and how if I should get one or two?


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## Latestarter (Oct 19, 2018)

Greetings and welcome to BYH Abbie, from NE TX! So glad you joined us. @Wehner Homestead has and sells show cows, so she might have some great stuff to share with you. Also, @GLENMAR I believe also shows cattle but I haven't seen her on much of late. There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself.  Old folks like me  will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes.  Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!


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## greybeard (Oct 19, 2018)

Abbie Sapp said:


> I’ve been in 4H for 5 years now and I’m considering getting market cattle. I’m brand new to cows- so does anyone have any suggestions on what breed I should get and how if I should get one or two?


Need more information........Your age group.
Do you have room for 2 & if so, how much?
Can you afford to both purchase and maintain 2 versus just 1?
Do you have someone to help you..a mentor, or parents that are experienced with cattle?
Your big decision is whether to choose between Dairy and Beef, tho you can go the dual purpose route.

LS, in 4h, you can show just about any breed or type of "cow". 
They don't "have" to be high dollar/high pedigree calves, and in fact, by a far sight, most are not.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 19, 2018)

We have a revival at church this weekend. I’m just checking in. I’ll weigh in more later.


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 19, 2018)

Grand Champion Steer at this years NC State Fair sold at the "Sale of Champions" for $30,000.  He was owned and shown by a local family but he came from a farm in Texas called Hurst Cattle Company that breeds animals for show.  Big money in champion cattle.





The Grand Champion Prospect Steer was also bred by Hurst Cattle Company.  I'm not sure what a "prospect" steer is.


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## Abbie Sapp (Oct 20, 2018)

OneFineAcre said:


> Grand Champion Steer at this years NC State Fair sold at the "Sale of Champions" for $30,000.  He was owned and shown by a local family but he came from a farm in Texas called Hurst Cattle Company that breeds animals for show.  Big money in champion cattle.
> View attachment 53486
> 
> The Grand Champion Prospect Steer was also bred by Hurst Cattle Company.  I'm not sure what a "prospect" steer is.
> ...


thank you so much!


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## kdogg331 (Oct 25, 2018)

I know there hasn't really been much activity since Saturday but I'm going to follow this cause it's interesting


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 26, 2018)

Still haven’t had a chance to weigh in fully...

Prospect steer is one that will show finished next year. 

The $30K ones are very few and far between.


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## greybeard (Oct 27, 2018)

Our 2017 :
"Bret Carter (second from left) of Coldspring FFA sold his Grand Champion Market Steer to Rebel Contractors for $12,250 during the San Jacinto County Fair on Sept. 30, 2017"

Champ replacement heifer brought around $5,500 and the champ market swine around $5,000.
Champion lamb aeround $1150.
Champion goat
About average for the sparsely populated counties in my area.

This is Trinity County, 2015 results which is about 65 miles North of me..all livestock auction results
http://www.grovetonnews.com/host/trinity_county_fair_2015_web.pdf


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 29, 2018)

Abbie Sapp said:


> I’ve been in 4H for 5 years now and I’m considering getting market cattle. I’m brand new to cows- so does anyone have any suggestions on what breed I should get and how if I should get one or two?



@Abbie Sapp hasn't been on since 10/22 but I’m going to go ahead and answer the questions for anyone that’s interested. (Please also refer to greybeard’s response as more information would allow me to include more detail too.) 

Breeds: Some breeds are definitely more high strung than others. Think of the differences in dog breeds. That’s not to say that they won’t come around but it may take them longer and may not be the best choice for a beginner. That being said, everyone has an opinion too. Our go-to is cross or Simmental for beginners, sometimes a Shorthorn cross. Simmentals are pretty tall but are typically quite laid back. Chianina’s or Chi (pronounced key) are typically quite high strung. 

Watching for personality is most important for each individual animal. Watch the ears! You want them to be relaxed and not flighty/jumpy.

As far as one or two, they do better in pairs or more like most animals. I’m not saying that a single hasn’t been kept successfully but it’s not ideal and won’t work in just any situation.


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 29, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Still haven’t had a chance to weigh in fully...
> 
> Prospect steer is one that will show finished next year.
> 
> The $30K ones are very few and far between.



Oh, they sell for that much at the NC State Fair every year.  Companies buy them. Farm Bureau usually buys something. It's basically just a prize/scholarship for the youth.   The market barrow sold for over $20K.
And they regularly bring around $10K at county 4H show and sales.
My point was that people spend big money to have a steer compete at that level.
No telling what they paid for that animal from that ranch in Texas.
They probably didn't make that much with their expenses.
It's all about the "bragging rights".


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 29, 2018)

I believe at the NC State Fair the youth doesn't get 100 per cent of what the animal goes for at the "Sale of Champions"
 Some of it goes to the fair to fund youth programs.
My organization the NCDGBA get's a $500 grant from the fair each year to put on a youth day at our spring show.
The Fair funds 10 scholarships for youth that have showed a the fair.  I think one is for $3500 and the other 9 are $2500.  The scholarships are not just based on grades, but on the young person's livestock showing resume.


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## farmerjan (Oct 29, 2018)

Hello @Abbie Sapp ;  first thing is why are you considering getting show cattle?  Do you want to compete with local kids at the market animal show?  Are you looking at the "big money" they bring and think you want to get in on that?  Do you have any showing experience with any other breeds of animals?  
As a few other posters have said, some will bring very big prices.  BUT you are paying alot of money for them as younger calves, will put A LOT of money into them in feed,  alot of time in them to work with them and get them to show ready condition.  For all the ones that turn out to be "nice" cattle, but don't place in the top couple places, they will bring little over market (current) price and that will probably not pay for all that you have in them.  
My suggestion is if you are not quite sure of what you want to do, is try to find someone to mentor you.  You need someone who has experience in it like your 4-H leader, and can help you  buy a calf that will be structurally sound and a possible prospect to show.  We sold a couple out of our commercial beef herd when we were more involved in the 4-H and FFA groups and they did decent.  Gave the kids some experience, and placed in the middle of their classes so were a fair showing.  They only paid us the going market price for the calves.  There is no reason to go pay THOUSANDS of dollars for a calf as a beginner.  You need to learn the ropes and then decide if it is really something you have a passion for.  
Any animal does better if it has company.  That said, you do not need to have 2 very high priced calves.  One can be your show prospect, the other could be one to just raise up that will be sold or put in the freezer as beef.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 29, 2018)

@OneFineAcre the State Fair winner here sells between 20-30k. Our county fair is about 3k. I’ve seen steers well anywhere from $500-$30,000 then the craziness link I posted on my journal. I’ve been surprised by those that think that an ordinary calf can bring the 30k at auction.


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