SG-USA-August-2018

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM SHOWING CATTLE SANTA GERTRUDIS Product ion

By Randy L. Stanko, Ph.D., Texas A&M University-Kingsville H opefully you don’t mind my attempt at tongue-in-cheek humor with a reference to Robert Ful- ghum’s book concerning things

the need to satisfy the desire of competition or competing in events with a clear winner, and b) the exposure to winning and losing – ideas that have fallen by the wayside in recent times due to participation trophies. Exposure to diverse cultures and cities (i.e., travel) was the fifth theme identified. Other responses included knowledge and care of livestock and importance of these skills as it may relate to career options. A similar study was conducted by B.F. Walker 2 . Study subjects were National Junior Angus Association members (18- to 21-year-olds). The purpose of Walker’s research was to determine the self-perceived youth leadership life skills development of junior members who show cattle. Junior members completed two instruments: 1) demographic infor- mation, and 2) a closed-ended questionnaire developed in 1993, referred to as the Youth Leadership Life Skills Develop- ment Scale (YLLSDS).

learned in kindergarten. Seriously though, are purebred cattle shows more than just friendly competitions? I certainly hope so. Any cattle judge worthy of sorting through and rank- ing a group of similarly aged animals should have their finger on the pulse of your breed, traits that are critical for

your breed and traits that your breed is wanting to improve. In addition, all cattle shows should be reflective of what is good for the entire beef cattle industry. Larger and/or fatter is not necessarily what may be best for the breed or beef indus- try. Needless to say, the experiences, friendships and life skills young folks acquire while showing cattle, win or lose, are equally as important as selecting that most nearly ideal bull, heifer or cow-calf pair on any given day. You may be familiar with a study conducted at Texas Tech University that undertook research at the Houston Live- stock Show and Rodeo to validate the perceived benefits of livestock exhibition by Texas 4-H members 1 . Participants in the study included 4-H members, 4-H parents, 4-H advi- sors and show officials. Methods of data collection included in-depth interviews, field observation and review of historical documents. Results lead to the emergence of six major themes: 1) social relations; 2) character; 3) family; 4) competition; 5) new cul- tures and environments; and 6) finance for education. Five of the six could be considered “life skills,” which I believe would also apply to experiences gained through exhibiting purebred cattle. When asked about the benefits of exhibiting livestock, the most common response was responsibility a young person gains from raising and caring for show animals. Development of social relationships was the strongest theme that appeared in the results. Emphasis was placed on acquiring new friends and social contacts (we call that networking). Responsibil- ity, confidence, sportsmanship and how to handle loss and disappointment were the subcategories that emerged within the data of the “character” theme. All are great soft skills that promote development of youngsters into successful adults. Family values and family togetherness were emphasized in the third theme. Special emphasis was placed on parental involvement and support, followed by sibling relations. The competition theme segregated into two specific areas: a)

The highest YLLSDS scores were in areas such as “show- ing a responsible attitude, ability to set goals and ability to set priorities.” A strong positive relationship was also found between YLLSDS scores and number of cattle shows exhib- ited per year, gender of participant (female scores were greater than male scores), hours worked with cattle per week and years of participation in cattle showing. When attending the next junior purebred cattle show, please follow the judges’ pacing, enjoy seeing great cattle and take a good look at the faces of those junior members showing the cattle, as they will be the leaders of their genera- tion. Thanks be to beef cattle! Footnotes: 1 Davis, et al., 2000: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/ download?doi=10.1.1.579.5415&rep=rep1&type=pdf 2 Walker, B.F., 2003: https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/ walker_brandon_f_200612_mal.pdf).

George West, Texas (361) 566-2244 lacampanaranch.com campana@granderiver.net

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