Is it an Angus? Well its black isnt it!

If you were to listen to all the speculation regarding the cow herd in the USA without attending a cattle show you would believe that all that glitters is an Angus. The Angus breed have created such a powerful brand that in an effort to capatilise on it most of the other coloured breeds have gone and joined them and lost their identity. I watched the steer show today at the Tulsa State Fair. With the exception of only the Shorthorns and Herefords everything else is black in majority. This must be a nightmare for Certified Angus Beef and really proves what a good idea that the Aberdeen Angus Cattle society have implemented DNA sire checks to protect the brand.
It was an interesting day despite the torrential rain. The fair closed early as everyone just went home, but there wasnt really much choice! This big weather front has been moving very slowly across the country, but most people wont mind the moisture.


Steer shows put another slant on production systems. The idea is that the steer is a project for members of the 4H or FFA to develop responsibility and take care of an animal, preparing it for show, showing and then selling it. The right steers can go a long way in a college fund! Problem is as I see it, who's project is it? Walking through the barn seeing all these super thick cattle that have been tied to the feed truck, with an army of fitters working on them and handing them to the kids when they are done doesnt strike me as necessarily being the right way to do things.

When I was showing cattle as a child I was also told not to take my eyes of the judge and that a good handler didnt need to look at the animal when parading round the ring as you could tell by the feel of the halter. Someone forgot to tell the parents here. It seems acceptable to stand at ring side and give directions for palcing the feet, stretching the animal and even how line it up. Arent the kids supposed to develop these skills from their own experiences and observations? I heard on mother utter those immortal words " hold his head up". maybe if mother had done a better job of breaking the calf when junior should have been she could have stayed at the stall.

There were definately some wonderful specimens out in the ring but theres an awfully big pile of money behind them to get to here so I hope its worth it as a learning experience.