JWsPOV

  Long weekends tend to make for the longest, shortest work weeks. It is a mental game all adults play in their minds. Long weekends, getaways, and time off is good. It is good to be off the grid. Take a trip where cell service is sketchy. Go to a location you have never been to before and see this beautiful country.  My dad and I took a few trips this summer and recently went to Ruidoso, New Mexico. Lots of family and friends said it’s a great place to visit. The weather is great, lots of food choices, mountains, fresh air, and friendly people.  Traveling is not hard and doesn’t have to break the bank account. Hole in the wall restaurants are normally the best and cheap. Airbnb’s can be very reasonably priced, you just have to make the time to go.  Making time seems hard and sometimes impossible. Work, family, and adult responsibilities get in the way. No matter what, it is important to make that time and enjoy life. Taking those 3 damn days can make a world of diff...

  A recent post on social media showed a picture of only a show steer. The caption read, “This is not a Simmental”. That person was exactly right. It was not, it was a crossbred steer. A lot of animals are crossbred animals. Especially in the stock show world.  Growing up in the Polled Hereford world. I have seen a fair number of cattle that were most likely not pure. There was a heifer that ran all across Texas years ago winning everything in sight. One look from any breeder and we all knew she wasn’t purebred. A family finally had enough and protested that heifer and she was kicked out. Papers not matching the calf and bloodlines were not pure.  A good friend of mine calls some of the cattle these days, dirty blooded cattle. These are cattle that have so many crosses in their genetic backgrounds, they are actually genetic mutations if you will. Cattle that once had heat tolerance are losing that trait. Birth weights are so high and so unpredictable, pulling ...

Traveling is fun. It is great to go to new cities or events. Get out of the house and dust off the cobwebs a bit. Random weekend trips happen to be one of mine and Dad’s favorite things to do. Why sit at home and do nothing when you can load and go for a trip? Traveling decades ago is nothing like it is now. If we get lost, we pull up a map on the phone and figure out where to go. We used to pull out a map and find the destination. People can go on their phone and reserve a hotel room before they get somewhere.  Looking for a vacancy sign lit up used to be the norm. There are many of you who remember it well. No cell phones to call ahead. If we needed to call ahead, we would pull over and use a pay phone. Most just drove until you found one open or with their vacancy sign lit up. Come to find out, these are still places around. These places use their vacancy signs, have clean rooms, pools for fun, and serve a continental breakfast. Not just 1 or 2 places, all the hotels...

  Three generations ago people were born in log cabins. Doctors rode horses in snow to deliver those babies that grew up to be normal healthy people. There were not 20 different vaccines to give new born kids. They drank mothers breast milk or cow's milk warmed on the stove. They had cloth diapers and were bathed in a wash basin used by the others in the house. Three generations ago women cooked meals on wood stoves. They managed to cook entire meals, sew clothes, bake pies, and even chop wood or kill chickens to eat. Men worked in saw mills and as farmers with horses and mules to pull the plows. They wore overalls everyday, worked in steel mills and built cities. They didn’t fear what others said about them or even cared.  Three generations ago kids helped feed livestock, plant fields, and care for their younger siblings. They milked the cows daily and gathered eggs when mom was busy. People cooked pies, breads, cakes, or something special for their neighbors when someone was...

When computers and word processors came out, the copy and paste feature became a super handy way to move information from one document to another on a computer. It can allow you to move through data at a much faster rate. When I was in high-school, my mother bought a Tandy Computer from Radio Shack. The latest technology from the electronics leader. When it came time for my senior year, applications were filled out by hand. College applications were filled out on a typewriter, while carefully making sure no mistakes were made. Thank you letters were made out by hand to buyers of animals at county shows. You had to know how to write with a pen and paper. Technological advances are good. I am a big fan and believer in forward progress. What I am not a fan of is making it easy just because you don’t want to do the work. Seniors in high-school should have to sit down at a table and fill out applications for scholarships if there are multiple you can use the same information for...

It is that time of year when promotions happen for young people. They have accomplished a set of guidelines, followed a set of rules, and made it to the next level in life. No matter what promotion you are about to receive, there are a few things you should know.  Question Everything. More so as an adult than ever before. Trust your gut instincts too. If you get a bad vibe about a professor, boss, or coworker. Tread carefully and always remember to protect yourself.  Find a group of friends that encourage you, help you, make you laugh, and are there when you cry. Those will be the most valuable people ever.  Never be afraid to speak the truth. If you have done your research and know the facts, don’t let petty people with no idea how life works dictate your world. The internet is full of people that believe cow’s milk is harmful and meat is bad for you. When you hear those conversations in public, squash it, set the record straight.  When you get out in th...

  Growing up my family, like many others, ate a lot of pie. Personally, I still have a hard time passing up a piece of pie as a sweet treat. A piece of pie brings back fond memories. People laugh and smile while eating a good piece of pie. Pies can come in many shapes, sizes, and flavors. Some of my favorite pies include chocolate, chess, and sweet potato. Mainly because these were the pies of my childhood.  I remember as a kid my grandmother would make her own pie crust. Then, she’d roll it out and put in whatever filling she had chosen that day. The pies were always good. Sometimes she would use a frozen pie crust, and especially did so as she got older. But, the inside was still her pie filling and was made with love.  On occasion the pie crust wasn’t perfect.  It wasn’t firm enough to hold the pie, not completely done, or lack any flavor. Even if a good pie crust isn’t perfect, it doesn’t mean it’s not still a good pie. The foundation of what we are built on as h...

  If you show livestock in this great country, a big goal is to hang banners. You want to hang the biggest banners from the top shows. It is a fun time when you win a show. Not going to lie, the thrill is outstanding. What is important is the blood, sweat, and tears you put into those banners. That time you have with your family and friends is invaluable.  If you want to hang a big banner in Texas, you have a few shots at it. There are plenty of major shows and opportunities to chase those banners. There is still a small elite club of animals and people. At the Fort Worth Stock show this year there were over 1800 junior heifers walking through the rings. Most breeds have over 100 head of cattle in each breed. They picked 15 champions.  Texas is unique in its size and scope of cattle, breeders, opportunities, and focus on its youth. Last year we had a few people pick up the reins and put on Cowgirls in Cowtown and The Patriot steer show. 2 outstanding shows and if they wer...

  For decades I have been involved with organizations that promote leadership, education, livestock, and the youth of this great country. I have seen livestock industry leaders emerge from these organizations all across the country. It takes a lot of people behind the scenes to make things happen. There are a lot of late nights, hard times, and tears wiped away just to get the job done right.  Parents, volunteers, and educators spend so much time making sure the kids of this great country have unlimited opportunities in life. Donations, scholarships, blood, sweat, and tears all go into it. It is a very thankless way to give your time. Nothing ruins it more than those that continually take and never give back to your group.  There are the breeders that always have the perfect EPD’s, breeding numbers, ratios, and averages which set a bar so high, many small breeders cannot obtain. Then you have people who complain so much about topics that have no meaning in the grander sch...

  Recent polls show that when asking young people what they want to be when they grow up, most say a social media influencer. Tiktok is an app that allows you to do all sorts of things on video. Then you post it for the world to view and see how many likes you can get.  In 2022 there are a few things that need to stop. Please stop making lip synching videos and posting them on the internet. You will never be Mille Vanillie. Stop letting 20 something gym junkies tell you that carbs are bad for you and you must take their caffeine fueled supplements to lose weight. And finally, people please pick one hair color and stick with it. It’s okay to do some highlights still. The three layers of playdoh colored hair are getting old.  I digress. There is a real issue though with people seeking fame. It is one of the greatest downfalls of our society and the internet. Now, there is a difference in being famous for putting out informative, helpful, and content that can make our lives ...

Attendance in churches is not at an all time high. People question their faith in churches and those leaders of the church. Rightly so due to abuse, control, and hypocrisy from all levels of many different congregations. The principle of God and belief in him doesn’t sit in the front row of your new mega church, it sits in your heart.  Mom and Dad both went to church on Sundays when they were growing up. Dad was raised Baptist and mom Methodist. As adults, neither one of them attended church on a regular basis. My sister and I both attended vacation bible schools and went to church on Sunday when we were all at home. That doesn’t mean we all didn’t have faith in God or not know who our savior was in life.  I have met people who grew up in religious households and are now atheist. These people attended church, went to church schools, and practiced their faith until they were grown. Now they never speak of God, and don’t practice their faith at all. Nothing wrong with that choic...

The phrase to call a spade, a spade is an idiom that has its roots from ancient Greece. It refers to speaking openly and bluntly about the truth. There is a lot of name calling in the world. People are quick to classify people, animals, and even situations into categories. The livestock industry has gotten really creative about “re-branding” animals. Percentage this, half blood that, it all sounds great. It makes for more classes and ways for people to win. Does it really help the cause and animal production? Is it time we call a spade a spade?  One of my favorite arguments is Black Herefords. Now genetically and historically, Hereford cattle are not black. There is not a genetic mutation that a Hereford will sometimes be born black. It has to be crossed with another animal, typically an Angus, and most people call this cross a black baldy. That has been the term for decades and taught in many animal science courses.  The next is all these percentage animals. It is...