STAFF REPORTS
NOTES FROM THE FIELD By: Dustin Hurlbut, Director of Sales/Marketing, ACA Field Representative
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ince my last news from the road it sure seems I have been almost everywhere around the country! I have been to 10 states recently. I’m not going to go into politics but I can tell you after being in so many states the last 60 days I am for sure thankful to live in South Dakota! I had not worn a mask until I started flying and boy the first day was an eye opener. 8 hours in a mask is enough to make a guy go crazy! My first stop in Kentucky was to have breakfast with our president Ken, then it was off to Derek and Kelsey Evans’ farm to see the donors, bull and heifer calves as well as their new herdsire, DAJS Blackout along with Greta, Kennedy’s show heifer. The cattle at the Evans’ were as good as you can see anywhere in the country. They had some bull calves sired by GOP Fair Play and they are stout made, functional and eye appealing cattle. They took one to the Eastern Regional, and were named Reserve Champion Chiangus Bull behind their herdsire, DAJS Blackout. Then we headed to the pasture to look at the cows that GOP Fair Play was covering naturally. He looked very good on grass and they are excited to get more calves next year sired by him. If you are needing a calving ease sire to use be sure to put Fair Play on your list; calves come easy, grow and have the show ring look to them! I was then off to meet up with Val Shields. The hospitality was great from Val and Vicki! We went on a tour of pastures with a chauffeur! Thanks to Ethan for driving us around on the narrow and not so straight roads of northern Kentucky! We saw calves sired by VBS Manly, an HA Cowboy Up son, that Val raised that is in top 1% of the breed for weaning weight and yearling weight. He used him on many different types and kinds of cows and VBS Manly stamped his set of calves; they are all long bodied and stout made! Ethan drove us off to another pasture where Manly was running on cows and he looked really good! Then we were off to Jared and Angie Simpsons to look at the fall calving cows and saw the cows that Jared and his dad Danny bought from CK Cattle in Alabama. Thanks again for the hospitality and to Ethan for driving us around! Next I was off south to stop by Ard Ridge Farms. When I stopped by Neal and Leonard were in the showbarn with the
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| CHIANINA JOURNAL | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020
kids and grandkids working on breaking some and getting ready to head to a show that weekend. Neal said his daughter has been dustin@chicattle.org bitten with the show cattle bug and 605.380.8052 after riding through the cows with them I would say he has a new herdsmen on his hands as well! Neal will be putting on a lot of miles in a truck and trailer headed to shows! We saw some really good Chiangus replacement females along with a handful of cows that are the front pasture kind. He has a set of embryo calves at a cooperator’s herd that they are excited about. If you are in need of a Chiangus bull be sure to give Neal a call. Then it was off to Tennessee. My first stop was at John Woodroof’s. John had a really good set of replacements females up in the lot and told me he had sold a show heifer out of that bunch that had been delivered already. We then looked through a group of bulls he was feeding and had for sale before going out to the cow herd to see some calves that he was getting ready to wean. He had some very nice, long, stretchy bull calves that would sure add some pounds to a calf crop. If you are looking for herd bulls give John a shout; they were top end kind! Next stop in Tennessee was at the Higgins’. I met John and Andy at the show barn. We looked at some calves that were freshly weaned, then we were off to the pastures. I am glad John knew where we were going because honestly I was pretty much lost a one point! But I can tell you that the cow herd is flat awesome! The cows sired by HIGG Remedy stuck out the most in my mind! If you are out and about looking at cows this is a must see set, all the way through! We ended the tour with a stop back at the barn to look at the heifers they are getting ready for their online sale the end of October. To pick a favorite was pretty much impossible. The set is deep and as good as you will find! That evening we went out for dinner and then I headed to Nashville and got stuck on the interstate in traffic because of a accident. Mapquest said I was less than 30 minutes to my hotel and that turned into 2 ½ hours by the time I found an alternate route! I was then home for a few days and before it was off to Indi-
