Welcome to the Ranch!

Family is one of the most important things in this world to Cross Creek Cattle Company.  We are a family-owned and operated ranch located in Grimes County.  My children are active in the community as we represent ourselves as well as our ranch.  This past week has been an extraordinarily busy one as the 59th Annual Grimes County Fair consumed most of our time and attention. 

Saturday, June 4th, Jake DeHaven showed his Beefmaster heifer at the fair.  This was her last show and she went out with a bang.  Together Jake and Sugar won Reserve Champion Beefmaster.  Needless to say, Jake was thrilled and excited and we were so proud of him. 

We have retired Sugar from the show ring.   Jake already has his eye on his next beef heifer project for 4-H.  He will begin the process of halter-breaking soon.

Jake’s success with his show heifer has inspired my daughter, Kyla, to also want to do a beef heifer project next year.  Isaac and Andrew, my youngest boys, were able to show Sugar in the Pee Wee Beef Heifer Show.  They had so much fun in the show ring with her.  The show sticks were twice their size, but they worked hard to handle them correctly.  They cannot wait until they are old enough to be in 4-H and show heifers, too.

Kyla was busy with her own animal projects.  She won 5th place with the goat, which qualified her for the Premium Sale.  The most impressive part of the day was when she won a belt buckle for Junior Showmanship.  She wears it proudly. 

Both Kyla and Jake had swine projects.  They did not do as well as they would have liked; however, they learned a lot about raising pigs.  Despite the fact that they did not place high, Kyla was called back for Showmanship.  This was a great honor because most were not.

In Creative Arts, Jake won Grand Champion for his watercolor of one of our dairy goats.  He also got Reserve Champion for a crocheted dishcloth, which he sold at the silent auction.  Kyla won Grand Champion for embroidering her little brother’s name on a homemade blanket.  Their other projects including jewelry design, photography, etc. received blue ribbons.

Isaac and Andrew competed in a Kids Rodeo.  The events were stickhorse racing, dummy roping, and a boot scramble.  Isaac won 1st place in dummy roping.  He spends time outside practicing with Jake and the practice paid off.  He won a brand-new pale green lariat.  I have never seen a child more proud of a lariat before. 

All in all we had a very good year at the Grimes County Fair.  Our family and ranch was well-represented.  I speak for all of us when I say that we are so proud of Kyla, Jake, Isaac, and Andrew.  They worked hard, learned a lot, and it shows.

Jake, my nine-year old son, has been a member of a Grimes County 4-H club for the last two years.  Last year he won Rookie of the Year, which is a great honor.  Jake loves to ride horses.  Actually he loves anything about horses.  He is currently learning the correct names of the different parts of a horse as part of his schooling.  Jake occasionally writes articles for his website, Cross Creek Horsemanship.

In addition to horses, Jake is showing a Duroc pig this June at the county fair.  This will be his first swine project.  Last year, he showed a heifer for the first time and won the class. 

Since his first show, Jake has been preparing to show her at his first major show.  It is scheduled to take place next week in Houston, Texas.  The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) is the world’s largest livestock exhibition.  Needless to say, being able to participate in the heifer show is a big deal. 

Cross Creek Cattle Company is the proud sponsor of Jake’s endeavor.  In addition to grass fed beef, we also sell show heifers.  He selected his heifer a year and a half ago.  Jake named her Sugar.  Since then he has had to halter break Sugar.  Even though Beefmasters are naturally docile, it takes a lot of hard work and determination to train one to follow you around like a puppy.  Responding to a halter does not come naturally to a cow. 

Then you must train them to stand correctly in the show ring.  The competitor “sets up” his/her heifer to show off desirable traits.  A nice, strong top line, length of hip, muscle, and a good udder are all examples of what the judge uses to base his/her decision. 

Because this is like a beauty pageant for cattle, the heifers are scrubbed clean.  They get the equivalent of a pedicure by a trained professional.  It is technically a hoof trimming.  We clip the heifer, too, which just means she gets a hair cut.  We do everything to make the animal look her best. 

Showing livestock is not just about the animal.  Showmanship plays a huge role.  First, the showman has to look nice.  It will also be obvious if the competitor has worked with the animal or not.  He/She has to be knowledgeable about the animal.  The judge will ask questions like, “How old is she?”, “What three breeds make up the Beefmaster breed?”, and/or ”What do you feed your heifer?”  I believe that the judge not only wants to know the answers to his/her questions, but the judge wants to interact with the contestants.  He/She also wants to see if the child has been taking care of the animal. 

Everyone at Cross Creek Cattle Company wishes Jake the best of luck.  In addition to showing Sugar next week in Houston, Jake is showing her two more times this season.  We are proud of Jake regardless of the results next week.  He has worked hard and as a result has learned a lot about cattle.  My kids already help out on the ranch.  They are our ranch hands.  I think that it is great that Jake is also getting experience in a different aspect of the cattle business: the show business.  I see a promising future for Cross Creek Cattle Company as we train the next generation.

Ready and waiting for their turn in the ring.

On Saturday, June 5th, Jake represented Cross Creek Cattle Company at the Grimes County Fair.  He raised, halter broke, and practiced with the fifteen month old heifer as his 4-H Beef Project.  This is his first year as an official 4-H member; therefore, this project was also his first animal project.

On our ranch and family farm, we raise animals from rabbits and chickens to cows and horses with other species in between.  Raising an animal for the show is an entirely different experience.  This is especially true when comparing grass fed beef to show beef.  To be competitive, show animals need grain in order to fatten them up.  Judges look for good conditioning, which in my mind means fat.  Needless to say, this heifer was taken out of our grass fed program.

We learned a lot this year.  With the help of our county extension agent, Jake fed his heifer as directed.  She began really putting on the weight.  She got her hooves trimmed and her hair clipped.  She also received several baths.  A fan blew on her during the heat of the day.  The heifer was the most pampered animal on our ranch.

The last two weeks before the show, Jake really began working on his showmanship.  Different family members would pretend to be the judge.  We would ask him to do a variety of things with his heifer.  When he set her up, we would walk around her, touch her, and speak to Jake.  This was very good practice for what was to come on the 5th.

Jake in the show ring with Sugar.

Jake arrived at the Grimes County Fairgrounds excited and ready to participate in his first heifer show.  He had the heifer, who he named Sugar, looking show ready and beautiful.  He was all dressed up, too.  Jake was very smart in that he watched a few of the first classes before his class to get a better idea of what the judge would have him do in the ring.  He watched some experienced showman and got some good ideas.

When it was Sugar’s class, Jake was ready.  He walked in the ring with such great confidence.  He looked like he was an experienced showman.  He followed the judge’s requests.  And, he set Sugar up beautifully for the judge.

The judge said as he was giving his reasons for placing the class, “The more that you look at this heifer (Sugar), the more that you like her.”  He also called her “refined and feminine.”  These are all desirable qualities for a heifer in any breed.

Jake and Sugar won the class.  He received a $25.00 gift certificate from Producer’s Co-op in Bryan, Texas.  Jake was excited that he won and we were so proud of Jake.  His hard work paid off.

Now the show bug has bitten him.  He is looking for more shows in which to participate.  I will let you know how he does in his future shows.  His goal right now is to enter the Houston Livestock Show next year.  Wherever Jake shows Sugar or any other heifer, he will make Cross Creek Cattle Company proud.