How would your kids describe you?

Quite to my dismay, Daniel’s response to this question was the following: “You are evil, and your life’s mission is to ruin my life all day every day.” He did say I could be generous, kind, and supportive at times, so I guess I am not that bad.

If you had one day off, how would you spend it?

I would definitely spend it lounging in bed, with the covers up to my shoulders, watching the Lifetime and Hallmark channel. I would also enjoy reading a good book.

What advice did you pass on that was given to you by your mom?

My mom lost her battle with breast cancer two days shy of my 13th birthday. But as a mother, I believe we must share with our children the importance of love and support.

Who inspired or inspires you?

Many people inspire me every day. I was inspired by Robin Roberts, who has been battling cancer. It is individuals like this, who maintain a positive outlook on life, that inspire me to continue on every day, and inspire me to be a better person than the day before.

Does one particular win stand out for you?

Daniel’s first Grand Champion goat banner at Forth Worth last year should be our most memorable win, but it is actually his Reserve Grand Champion goat banner this year at San Antonio that stands out to me. Winning a second time validated all our hard work and dedication, showing us it was more than luck.

What about you would surprise everyone?

Definitely that I never showed growing up and handled a goat or a lamb before Daniel started showing. And that I am crazy enough to have two scales to measure our supplements.

What do you most value in your friends?

I most value honesty. I would rather have a friend who would not hesitate to hurt my feelings by telling me the truth, than to have a friend that tells me what I want to hear in order to remain my friend.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Every day is an extravagance for me. I have the opportunity to stay home and make my family a priority. I believe there is no greater extravagance in life than this.

What is your perfect late-night snack?

Yum! Chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup–sinful.

Are you cookie dough or boxed?

Neither! Homemade is always best! There is nothing like the taste of real butter in that first bite of your cookie.

by Cherie Carrabba

Napoleon Hill (October 26, 1883 – November 8, 1970) was an American author in the area of the new thought movement who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature.

He is widely considered to be one of the great writers on success. His most famous work, Think and Grow Rich (1937), is one of the best-selling books of all time (at the time of Hill’s death in 1970, Think and Grow Rich had sold 20 million copies). Hill’s works examined the power of personal beliefs, and the role they play in personal success. He became an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1936. Hill wrote about the process of succeeding. He talked about how achievement actually occurs, and devised a formula for it that puts success in reach of the average person. That was the focal points of Hill’s books.

According to his official biographer, Tom Butler-Bowdon, Napoleon Hill was born in a one-room cabin near the Appalachian town of Pound, in Southwest Virginia. Hill’s mother died when he was nine years old, and his father remarried two years later. At the age of 13, Hill began writing as a “mountain reporter” for small-town newspapers in the area of Wise County, Virginia. He later used his earnings as a reporter to enter law school, but soon he had to withdraw for financial reasons.

Hill considered the turning point in his life to have occurred in the year 1908 with his assignment, as part of a series of articles about famous and successful men, to interview the industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. At the time, Carnegie was one of the most powerful men in the world. Hill discovered that Carnegie believed that the process of success could be outlined in a simple formula that anyone would be able to understand and achieve. Impressed with Hill, Carnegie asked him if he was up to the task of putting together this information, to interview or analyze over 500 successful men and women, many of them millionaires, in order to discover and publish this formula for success.

As part of his research, Hill claimed to have interviewed many of the most successful people of the time in the United States. In the acknowledgments section of his 1928 multi-volume work The Law of Success, Hill listed 45 of those studied by him during the previous twenty years, “the majority of these men at close range, in person”, like the three to whom the book set was dedicated, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and Edwin C. Barnes, an associate of Thomas Edison.

Carnegie had given Hill a letter of introduction to Ford, who introduced Hill to Alexander Graham Bell, Elmer R. Gates, Thomas Edison, and Luther Burbank. According to the publishers, Ralston University Press (Meriden, Conn.), endorsements for the publishing of The Law of Success were sent by a number of them, including William H. Taft, Cyrus H. K. Curtis, Thomas Edison, Luther Burbank, E.M. Statler, Edward W. Bok, and John D. Rockefeller.

The list in the acknowledgments also includes, among those of them personally interviewed by Hill, Harvey Samuel Firestone, James J. Hill, Theodore Roosevelt, Charles M. Schwab, John Wanamaker, F. W. Woolworth, and William Wrigley, Jr.

Hill was also an advisor to two presidents of the United States of America, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

The Philosophy of Achievement

Hill later called his personal success teachings “The Philosophy of Achievement”, and he considered freedom, democracy, capitalism, and harmony to be important contributing elements to this philosophy. Hill claimed throughout his writings that without these foundations upon which to build, successful personal achievements were not possible. He contrasted his philosophy with others’ and thought that the Achievement Philosophy was superior. He felt that it was responsible for the success Americans enjoyed for the better part of two centuries. Negative emotions such as fear, selfishness, etc., had no part to play in his philosophy. Hill considered those emotions to be the source of failure for unsuccessful people.

The secret of achievement was tantalizingly offered to readers of Think and Grow Rich, but Hill felt readers would benefit most if they discovered it for themselves. Although most readers feel that he never explicitly identified this secret, he offers these words about 20 pages into the book:

If you truly desire money so keenly that your desire is an obsession, you will have no difficulty in convincing yourself that you will acquire it. The object is to want money, and to be so determined to have it that you convince yourself that you will have it. . . You may as well know, right here, that you can never have riches in great quantities unless you work yourself into a white heat of desire for money, and actually believe you will possess it.

He presented the idea of a “Definite Major Purpose” as a challenge to his readers in order to make them ask themselves, “In what do I truly believe?” According to Hill, 98% of people had few or no firm beliefs, and this alone put true success firmly out of their reach.

One of Hill’s most moving stories was about his own son, Blair. He tells how his son was an inspiration to him, because although Blair was born without ears, without any normal hearing organs at all, even though his doctor told Hill that his son would neither be able to hear nor speak, Blair grew up to be able to hear and speak almost normally. Hill tells how his son, in his last year of college, picked up the manuscript of chapter two of Think and Grow Rich, discovered Hill’s secret for himself and went on to be an inspiration for hundreds and thousands of people who could not hear or speak.

From 1952 to 1962, Hill taught his Philosophy of Personal Achievement – Lectures on “Science of Success” in association with W. Clement Stone. In 1960, Hill and Stone co-authored the book, Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude.

Norman Vincent Peale, one of my favorite authors, stated “These two men [Hill and Stone] have the rare gift of inspiring and helping people…In fact, I owe them both a personal debt of gratitude for the helpful guidance I have received from their writings.”

Think and Grow Rich remains the top seller of Napoleon Hill’s books – a perennial best-seller after 70 years (Business Week Magazine’s Best-Seller List ranked Think and Grow Rich as the sixth best-selling paperback business book 70 years after it was first published). Think and Grow Rich is listed in John C. Maxwell’s A Lifetime “Must Read” Books List. [1]

{1} The information above was gathered from WikipediA. 

Napoleon Hill holding his book Think and Grow Rich 

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What is a Registered Animal?

A registered animal is an animal whose parents are known within a specific breed registry. The definition of a breed registry is: A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when animals are still young. Such registries usually issue certificates for each recorded animal called a Pedigree, Pedigreed Animal Documentation or more commonly, an animal’s “papers”. Registration papers usually consist of a listing of ancestors in the animal’s background, sometime with a chart showing the linage.

When purchasing a registered animal, make sure that you are familiar with the rules of the show. In the show’s information on the website, it will spell out the requirements for exhibiting an animal as a registered one. There are different requirements in many breeds but the most important thing is to be knowledgeable about the breed that your child is interested in exhibiting.

You also need to be made aware of the fact that many breed registries issue appendix registrations. They permit animals that have some, but not all qualifications for a full registration to nonetheless be entered in a preliminary recording system called an “appendix” registry. Some cattle breed associations issue papers which they may classify as another type of registration but in some breeds it is difficult to distinguish the totally registered animal from an appendix registration. Make sure that you know the difference.

When selecting any registered female in any species, visit several outstanding and reputable purebred breeders and find out what kind of breeding animals they have available. Study the pedigree of the animal you have selected. Some bloodlines are not only more popular, they are also more productive. If you don’t know about pedigrees get some help from someone knowledgeable.

If the animal’s registration calls for a tattoo, and most do, check the tattoo with the registration certificate. Be sure that ownership is transferred to you, and keep in mind ownership dates that are important if you plan on exhibiting at a particular show.

Take your budget into consideration. If you have a scramble certificate then the show is giving you a certain amount of money toward the purchase of an animal. Most Texas shows allow exhibitors who were fortunate enough to be successful in more than one scramble to combine their certificates and purchase one animal that can be shown at multiple scramble shows. Discuss how much money you wish to spend on this project with both your parents and your banker if you plan on borrowing some of the money. Take into account what it is going to cost to feed that animal during the feeding period, and make sure that you have sufficient funds not only for the purchase, but also for the upkeep of the animal.

Skeletal correctness is very important to sound beef production. Skeletal defects cannot be changed. Do not select heifers that are sickle-hocked, back at the knees, buck-kneed, cow-hocked, toed in or out, weak topped, or that have other skeletal defects. These defects can reduce the chance of having a winning animal if she is to be shown. Buy the best female that you can afford.

If you feel that you need the advice of someone with experience in purchasing an animal, then ask for help. There are so many people who are very willing to help you: county agents, ag teachers, established breeders, and others who are familiar with the industry. Most people in livestock circles are very generous with their time and talent and they want to help those families that are just starting to exhibit.

This is a family project. It requires the cooperation and help of the entire family, so discuss the things that are of a concern to you before you go to look at the animal.

And, good luck! There is nothing more exciting than purchasing a new project. It is a new beginning with so many exciting possibilities. If anyone in this office can help you with anything, then call us. We will be happy to try to answer your questions.

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If someone were to ask me to name the person that I felt knew more about promoting and selling cattle than anyone else, I would not hesitate for one minute. I would immediately say, “Carlos X. Guerra. He is not only someone who knows a great deal about promotion and sales, he just knows a lot about the livestock industry and the cattle industry in particular.”

Carlos X. Guerra is a native South Texan born in Edinburg and raised in Linn, Tx. He is married to Ofira “Sister” Guerra and they have four children – Laura (Rene) Ramirez, Carlos X. Jr. (Stephanie), Victor and Cristina. They own and operate La Muneca Cattle Company in the Rio Grande Valley.

I first met the Guerras when the children were junior exhibitors and part of the Texas Junior Livestock Association. Carlos served as a member of the TJLA Board of Directors for several years, and I always found him a great problem solver. He made many valuable contributions to the TJLA while he was on the board.

Carlos has a strong ranching legacy. His ancestors invested in land in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. His widowed great grandmother, Antonia came from Mier Mexico in the early 1870’s looking for a better life for her family. His grandfather Arcadio was a young teenager at the time. The Muneca brand that is still used by La Muneca was registered in 1873 by his great grandmother.

“My ancestors started investing in and improving ranch land more than a century ago, and my family has not stopped since, “ Guerra stated, “I appreciate the sacrifice that my great-grandparents and grandparents made. My mom and dad supported us and gave us an opportunity to continue ranching in the Guerra family tradition.

“We are extremely proud to still be branding our cattle with this world renowned La Muneca brand 140 years later.” Muneca means doll in Spanish.

Carlos says that he started in the registered cattle business in 1963 when his dad, his brother Felo, his Tio Mike Chapa and Scott Martin went to Cotulla to invest in some Red Angus pairs from Mr. E. R. Cotulla. Carlos’ first 4-H project, a bull named Pancho was in that group of nine pairs. He has been actively involved in registered cattle, 4-H, FFA and helping our youth ever since. “I am blessed to live a dream life doing what I have always dreamed of doing.”

The Guerras have bred Red Angus, Red Brangus, Red Brahman, Indu Brazil, Gyr, Black & White Zebus, Gelbray, Simmentals, Braunviehs, Polled Brahmans and Simbraviehs along the way. Carlos said that the best part of this experience has been the many solid relationships that they have built thru the years.

“In the registered cattle business, you will have the opportunity to meet some of the finest folks on earth. The most rewarding experience has been seeing our cattle work for others with them coming back for more plus working with our youth from a ranch to local to state to a national level,” he stated.

La Muneca actually started in 1989 when Carlos and his wife, Sister and their four children bought out the Guerra Bros. Registered cattle. “We did not have any operating money but we financed the cattle thru Guerra Bros.” Carlos said. “We weaned the calves, fed them for 100 days and had our first production sale in January 1990 and have not looked back since.”

La Muneca raises registered Polled Brahman, Simbrah and Simbravieh cattle. Carlos’ family started in the registered Brahman business during World War II when his Tio Arcadio, his dad’s brother, who was also his Godfather, bought some Grey Brahmans while Carlos’ dad served in the war. When his dad returned from the war, they created Guerra Brothers. Guerra Brothers concentrated more on farming, ginning and building grain elevators than on the registered Brahmans. They sold them soon after, but that experience made an impression on Carlos. He remembers that the family’s original ABBA Membership number was 339.

Guerra Brothers got back in the Brahman business in the mid 70’s by buying a herd of 1/2 Brahman x 1/2 Indu cows from their good friend Carl Schuster, who had been using them to develop his Charbray herd. The cattle were bred in Mexico by Reyes Garcia. The Reyes owned thousands of good Brahman cattle, and Carlos had the opportunity to visit some of their many ranches and was very impressed with the quality of the cattle.

Guerra wanted to build a functional and gentle herd of Red Brahmans. He used bulls from Henry Clay Koontz, Dr. Lee McKellar, Billy Powell and West Ward. “All of those people were very helpful to me. We became good friends. I learned a lot about the history, breeding and how to market these cattle from Dr. McKellar and Henry Clay,” Carlos remembered.

The Guerras later added cattle from several herds including Raymond Long, Eligio & Esteban Garcia, Carlos Remedios, Dale Sikora, Joe Hudson and several others. They produced their share of the great ones and won their share of shows. “Two of the best Red bulls of all times were 5P Balia 659 and Ward’s Bravo 1/09.” Carlos said. “We developed both bulls, they were some of the youngest bulls to ever make Register of Renown and we sold over one million dollars of semen on them. We are still using their genetics in our Simbrah herd today.”

Carlos’ has two fond memories of that time. The first was when he stepped down from our sale ring podium after averaging $3,195 at our first Spirit of 46 Sale in 1979. The second involved a youth activity which has been one of his passions. “As Chairman of the Youth Activities Committee, I was master of ceremonies for the All American in the early eighties in Lake Charles. We had 1,000 Brahman enthusiasts in attendance that evening and 100% of them were fired up about the Brahman breed. It was a great evening.”

Later the Guerras became very involved in the International Zebu Breeders Association” “We made lots of positive things happen such as a 750 head futurity, circulating a great magazine, holding several field days, carcass research and lots of other exciting events. When the tax laws changed we utilized our Red Brahman herd to create our Simbrah herd which today is recognized as one of the best in the world.”

When the Guerra’s oldest son, Carlitos, graduated from Texas A & M and was ready to go to work full time with La Muneca, Carlos asked him if there was another breed of cattle with which he would like to be involved. His answer was American Grey Brahmans, so they bought a great set of heifers from Danny Acevedo sired by champion V8 bulls.

When David Westfall passed away, the Guerras helped them disperse their herd and partnered with Chris, John and Stephanie on their best twelve cows. The best one became their herd matriarch, the Polled 707 cow who is rewriting the Polled history book. She is the dam to their Polled Sr. Herd Sire, LMC WFF Pistolero. He was named after David’s Westfall’s habit of calling his close buddies “Pistol”.

The Guerras have been involved in every type of junior cattle activity that you can imagine, and they are most proud of those young people that they have helped with their education and scholarships. “Our children have been blessed to have had so many positive opportunities thru these junior activities. They have learned how to win, lose, learn, teach, and share and most importantly how to communicate and get along with people. I recommend that you get involved with your kids and animal projects and build a great lifetime of memories that your family will cherish and benefit from forever.”

Guerra and his wife have managed the Linn San Manuel Country Cook-Off for the past 30 years. He has served and chaired the Hidalgo County 4-H Foundation and has also served on the Texas 4-H and FFA Foundations. They have a passion and dedicate a lot of time working with youth development, junior shows and scholarship programs on a local, state and national level.

Guerra has been a longtime supporter of the 4-H and the Future Farmers of America and together with his family have donated more than $1,000,000.00 to provide scholarships for students at UTPA, where its honors program bears his parents’ names – Rafael “Felo” and Carmen Guerra. Guerra is also very proud of their family’s scholarship program founded in 1989, the year his little brother passed away in an accident. The scholarship was started with a Red Brahman heifer that Victor had shown that year. This was a life changing experience for their family

The Guerra family annually awards an average of $40,000 to high school graduates from the two communities where they ranch plus 4-H and FFA students at STAR, TJSSA, AJSR and several local high schools . Carlos takes great pride in interviewing each of the applicants with a committee and sees to it that everyone wins a scholarship sooner or later. The first few lots at all of their sales are sold to raise money for the Guerra Family Scholarship Fund. The Guerra family is very grateful to all who have donated or bought these donation lots through the years.

La Muneca’s Junior Program is second to none, as is the commitment of the entire Guerra family to junior activities. They celebrated their 25th Annual LMC Jr. Round & Futurity this past fall. These are educational, fun filled, family oriented events open to the public for free that feature industry leaders that talk about leadership, education, selection, feeding, fitting, marketing, health and job opportunities. The Guerra’s believe in having women on their programs and as judges for the shows to create new Role Models for the many girls involved in agriculture.

“La Muneca has always been a leader in creating new events and organizations to enhance the growth of the breed plus create opportunities for youth and breeders. We will celebrate our 26th Annual Jr. Round Up & Futurity this year. We just celebrated our 21st Super Bowl, an event we co-created. We were the driving force in starting the first Simbrah Steer Show ever at the RGV show in the early 90’s. It took awhile but we got them started at the Houston and SA shows also. We started the American Jr. Round Up, MAS, LMC Futurity, LMC Jackpot, LMC $ellabration and have been founding members of the Simbrah Celebration, International Simbrah Congress and SYNERGY. We started the ball rolling for STAR and the STAR GALA. We helped start the RGV Brahman & F-1 Association which has big plans for it’s members. When you add all of these events up and the monies they have created in sales and premiums for juniors, one can only look back with pride and smile knowing that we have made a difference. The best is yet to come as our kids get more involved with our business,” stated Guerra.

Their oldest child Laura is married to Rene Ramirez and they are the proud parents of the Guerra’s oldest grandchild, Gabriela Cristina and their third grandchild, Mia Carmen. Laura is an attorney and is local counsel with the law firm of Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson, LLP. Rene is owner of Pathfinder Public Affairs. Carlitos is married to Stephanie Hasler who is a vaccines solution specialist with Novartis Vaccines. Carlitos is La Muneca’s Ranch Manager. Carlitos and Stephanie are the proud parents of Carlos X. III “Tres and Cecilia Elena.” Victor graduated from St. Mary’s School of Law and he is studying for the bar and working on the ranch.

Cristina went to New York after graduating from A&M and graduated from the Gemology Institute of America. She has a jewelry store in McAllen. All of the Guerra children graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. “We have been blessed to have four great kids who love to work, appreciate family, friends, the ranch life and our many business relationships. Stephanie and Rene are both big hearted, hard working and have been wonderful additions to our family. We appreciate all that they do.”

Carlos Guerra is not easily surprised, but he did have a surprise in August of 2011. In 1974 Guerra was six hours short of graduation from the University of Texas Pan- American when he had to leave to take care of family and business responsibilities.

On August 20, 2011, UTPA President Robert S. Nelsen awarded an unsuspecting and emotional Guerra a Bachelor’s Degree in business administration. Guerra was at the ceremony to serve as a commencement speaker and the President surprised him with the diploma following Guerra’s address. Nelsen said the degree was awarded based on Guerra’s professional career credits and approved by UT System officials.

“This is not honorary. This is true and this is real,” Nelsen said, as he placed a memory stole on Guerra’s shoulders and opened the diploma’s cover. “Ladies and gentlemen, meet the day’s first graduate.”

In his speech to the 413 graduates of the Colleges of Arts and Humanities, College of Health Sciences and Human Services, Engineering and Computer Science and Science and Mathematics, Guerra described the 10 values that led him to a successful career and life.

Among those values were faith, integrity, gratitude, patience and having a strong work ethic.

“…work hard, work smart and work honest and, guess what, your dreams will come true. Dreamers make things happen,” he said.

He told the graduates he closes all his letters, emails and phone calls with his favorite guiding word – ánimo, a Spanish word that embodies dedication, commitment, passion, spirit and ganas.

“If you don’t have it, you are going to be in trouble,” Guerra said.

La Muneca and its owners all have it!

It is springtime, and for many it is time to start making decisions as to what they are going to mate their females to in order to create the next great one. Technology and Animal Science have changed the way we breed livestock, market them, and sell them, and perhaps the introduction of artificial insemination has done more to impact the industry than any other.

Modern agriculture uses many technologies that were developed over a period of time. Artificial Insemination (AI) is one of these technologies that we take almost for granted. Artificial insemination (AI) is a process by which sperm are collected from the male, processed, stored and artificially introduced into the female reproductive tract for the purpose of conception. AI has become one of the most important techniques ever devised for the genetic improvement of all farm animals and revolutionized the livestock that are shown throughout the United States. I would venture to say that the majority of winners in the cattle and hog barn are the result of AI.

The history of artificial insemination is fascinating and dates back to around 1322 A.D. when an Arab chieftain wanted to mate his mare to a stallion of his enemy. He used cotton containing the scent of the female to excite the stallion and was able to collect a semen sample. He placed the released semen in the reproductive tract of the mare, leading to conception. It took centuries of experimenting with different animal species but the breakthroughs came when scientific approaches were applied.

More than a century later in 1784, an Italian, Spallanzani first documented successful insemination in a dog. The female whelped three pups 62 days later. At the end of the 19th century reports on AI in rabbits, dogs, and horses were recorded in England, Russia, and other countries. The beginning of the 20th century became a focal point of AI research as a practical and economical procedure in animal breeding, but the 1930s and 40s mark the spread of AI throughout the world, and during this time we started seeing the possibilities of marketing genetics on superior sires through the selling of vials of semen.

Russian scientist, Ivanov, began conducting AI on cattle, horses, birds, and sheep. He was the first person recorded to have accomplished successful artificial insemination in cattle. He developed semen extenders or diluting liquids; he trained technicians, and established breeding programs for sheep and cattle. Because Ivanov was so successful at animal artificial insemination Russians bred approximately 19,800 cows by 1931. Ivanov’s studies sparked an interest outside Russia. The Japanese scientist, Ishikawa, who studied with Ivanov began an AI program in horses in Japan in 1912. This program developed into sheep, cattle, goats, swine, and poultry.

Other Japanese researchers became involved. Unfortunately, their work went almost unknown to western scientist until 1958 as too few westerners knew Japanese. Freezing semen procedures and procedures for the successful use of frozen bull sperm were originally developed inJapan and were a major contribution to the development of AI. Some AI was performed on horses during the early 1900s in Denmark, but it was not until 1936 when the scientist, Sorensen, who was familiar with Ivanov’s work, organized the first cooperative dairy AI organization, which enrolled 1,070 cows. The conception rate of 59% was better than a natural service (use of a bull) in the same herd and stimulated the development of AI in dairy cattle in the US and other Western countries.

After discovering the history of AI it amazes me that I can get on my computer or look through the Showbox and many other livestock publications, and with the click of the mouse or a quick phone call I can order semen on any thousands of bulls that are out there on the market and have it shipped to my door to breed my livestock. I can even now consider if I want the semen sorted for specific sex of a calf or have the ability to clone superior livestock. It is truly mind boggling to think of what the possibilities are in this industry. Good luck to all those out there trying to create the next champion

Often without thinking about it, parents fortify their youngsters’ self-esteem every day, whether it’s by complimenting them on a job well done, kissing them good-bye (assuming they still allow it), or disciplining them for breaking a rule. But all of us have days when we inadvertently bruise children’s egos or simply miss an opening to make them feel good about themselves. Here are some easy ways to help instill self-esteem.

Praise Your Children:

Too often we focus on what our kids haven’t done or haven’t done right. Tune in to the positive things your child has accomplished and offer specific praise. If your daughter has a talent for livestock judging, tell her how much you admire that ability and how her input helps make decisions when selecting new projects.

When praising, include compliments for their efforts as well. If your son has been having difficulty getting one of his animals shown, let him know you are pleased with how hard he’s been trying and that you know eventually his efforts will pay off.

Be sincere with your praise. If you slather it on too thick, many teens will feel you’re paying them lip service and you’ll defeat the whole purpose of pumping them up. Be generous, but don’t lay it on for every single good thing they do.

Encourage Their Opinions

Teenagers have no shortage of opinions. So ask your teen for his ideas and try including them in some of the everyday family decisions. Are you thinking about expanding the barn or turning the garage into a play room? Ask your son what he thinks about that or does he have any other ideas about rearranging the barn or expanding your living space? Teens want to be treated like grown-ups, so give them some opportunities to join you in the adult world when at all possible, and take the time to hear them out when they do have suggestions or concerns that involve the family, their livestock, or your home. You might be surprised at some of their great ideas!

Be Supportive During Conflict

If your child is in the middle of a conflict at either school or with a friend or fellow exhibitor, listen to his side of the story and don’t be judgmental, even if you think he is at fault. Be supportive by saying something like “I can understand why you think you’re a better choice for junior director, and I’m sorry that you feel you have to point out Mary’s shortcomings rather than concentrate on what makes you the better candidate.”

A conflict may seem silly and trivial to us, but to a hormonal teenager, it could be a major source of contention in their lives. Get in the habit of supporting your child through the good and the bad and you will be laying a strong foundation for open communication when bigger challenges come around. Most importantly, when things are going well, continually remind your teen that you are always willing to listen and help in any way you can. Knowing they have a parent to lean on who loves and accepts them can greatly help build their self-confidence over time.

Try to Stop the Livestock Wars Before They Start

One of the biggest conflicts that many livestock families have is deciding who is to show what. I failed miserably at this, but if I had it to do over, I would handle it differently. First of all, I would have made it clear that the older exhibitor would have preference over the younger exhibitors when it came to deciding which project was to be shown by whom. I would have explained that the older exhibitors had more experience and that they had fewer years left to show. That would have been a conversation that I had prior to my second child starting to exhibit. Secondly, have I would tried to instill the fact that all the projects are part of a team effort. When one member of the family wins, we all win. It may be one child’s name on the champion trophy, but that trophy is the work of an entire team. Finally, I would have let everyone know from the beginning that in the end, when it came time for the major shows, that we were going to make a group decision as to who showed what. Even if Tammie had exhibited the crossbred pig most of the year, if it was Phillip’s senior year, he might be the one to exhibited it at the major shows. Everyone in the family would have an opportunity to express how they felt, but the parents would have the final decision.

That would have been on the table from the beginning of the project year.

Criticize Constructively

No one likes to be told they didn’t do something right, particularly if it is done in anger. Choose how you criticize your impressionable teen wisely. If your daughter fails her algebra test, don’t say something sarcastic like “Well, if you had studied for this test instead of texting your friends all night long, this never would’ve happened.”

Instead, use a concerned tone and say, “It looks like you had some trouble with that math test. How about if we set up a quiet time to study this week before the next test?” And try never to criticize in front of others; that never helps in this kind of situation.

Use That Time Going to Shows to Listen to Your Children

I can honesty say that one of the best things about exhibiting livestock weekend after weekend is the time that you get to spend talking with your children. I encourage you to use that time to listen to what they have to say. Sometimes listening is painful, but to have an honest discourse with your children where they express their opinions and you hear what they are thinking is one of the most constructive things a parent can do.

This month we are going to discuss advertising your show. I have had several people ask me what information needs to be in their show’s ad and if they should advertise the show at all.

I think that advertising pays. There will be a certain number of people who will know that you are putting on a show because they are local. They don’t have to have an ad to know, but it is the people who are not local, the people who are coming from out of town that you need to make a show work well financially. And if you are going to advertise, then design the ad where it answers the basic questions that people need. If you want to know what needs to be in your ad, then I would say this: Basic reporting teaches you that you need the who, what, when, and where at the very beginning or an article, an ad or any other type of communication where you are trying to get information to the people.

A show manager needs to let people know the name of the show, the name of the facility where the show will be held, the species that will be shown, the date and time of the show and when the show grounds open. That needs to come at the very beginning of any ad or flyer that he or she creates to promote the show.

The next thing that needs to be in there is the schedule. What time do the entries have to be in; when will the show start; what will be shown first is information that people who are coming to the show need to know. If the check in for goats is not until noon on Saturday, then many goat exhibitors will wait to go on Saturday morning.

Are you offering prizes for breed champions? Also as far as breed champions are concerned, how many animals does it take to constitute a breed division. If one animal in a breed makes a class, let people know. If it takes 10 animals in that breed to make a class, they need to know that also.

Are you giving premiums or prizes for the grand and reserve grand champions of a division?

Publicize your pay-back if you are paying premiums. It might be a percentage of the entry fees, or it could be a flat amount for a champion. If the show is a points only show, then let your audience know that.

Do you have weight limits for various species? Is there a maximum or a minimum that a pig or a lamb can weigh? Are you going to show prospect and progress steers? If so what weight determines whether a steer is a progress or a prospect.

Are you showing heifers? Is there a maximum age limit for the heifers that are to be shown at your show? If a three year old heifer is too old according to your rules then list that in the ad. How will you break your classes within a division. Let them know if the class breaks will be determined according to age, and that the breaks will be every four months of age, or whatever depending upon the decision of the committee.

Have you already secured judges? If so, then list them.

Are you having something special at the show like an ABC heifer classification? Make note of that in your ad.

If there are camper hook-ups available at the fair grounds, then let your exhibitors know that and how much the facility charges for them each night.

List a hotel where people can stay overnight, and give the phone number of that hotel. That will save you from having to tell several individuals that information over and over.

Do you have a list of people on your committee who are helping with the show, then list their names and phone numbers and what part of the show they will supervise. A show ad without a phone number of someone to contact is a waste of your money. People want to know who they can call to ask questions.

Show managers need to put as much information as possible into the space that they have reserved for the ad. If you are running a 1/8th page ad, then obviously you need to list the basics and leave a phone number for them to contact you about the particulars. If you are running a larger ad, then get as many of the particulars in as possible.

And if you have any questions about advertising, then someone in our office will be happy to help you at anytime. Both The Showbox and the TJLA are here to help make your experience as a show manager a good one. We want you to be successful, and we will help in any way that we can. Just call (936-544-2787) or email us.

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