Our Rural Roots

Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, Contributor

Our family recently survived show animal-shopping season. It's a time of both stress and excitement as we head to the auction ring to invest in next year's projects.

Here are a few things we've learned from the experience:

1. Keep your hands down. It is a rite of passage for every ag kid to go to a sale and have an adult remind them they can inadvertently buy something or scare them into thinking it happened.

2. Have a budget. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of an auction, especially if you are competitive and view winning the bid as a victory. There is nothing wrong with making a smart financial decision that may result in losing a bid. It is not a fun lesson to learn but maybe one of the most important.

3. Selection criteria can differ drastically between buyers. At a recent show steer sale, I was focused on finding calves with good structure. Meanwhile, my 9-year-old daughter made her list based solely on which calves would let her walk up and pet them while loose in the pen.

4. Put human eyes on the live animal. I know this observation makes me seem old and antitechnology. But, I still believe in having myself or someone I trust look at the animal before spending thousands of dollars. Doing so has paid off numerous times.

5. Get the kids involved. If we want kids to be brought into these livestock projects (and, more importantly, this way of life), we must get them involved. Let them sort through and make a list of what they like about an animal. Ask them to explain what they see in that selection. Let them flip through the breed book and choose what bull to breed to. Give them the buyer's number, and let them do the bidding -- as long as you've also taught them rule No. 1!

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-- Tiffany Dowell Lashmet juggles family, farming, writing, livestock and a career in ag law from the Texas Panhandle. Follow her on Instagram alwaysafarmkid, on social platform X @TiffDowell and on her blog at https://alwaysafarmkid.com/…

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