Achieved Goals, Heiland Coos, Best of Friends, and Dairy Buffalo too!

This story started roughly eleven years ago with three individuals. Fresh and new to the La Plata County Livestock judging team, none of them had an inkling as to what they were about to embark on. Years of preparing for something that would leave them awestruck and humbled at times, is a good way to sum it all up. After advancing from junior members into senior members, the real fun began. They gained another teammate that would ultimately set them on fire and sharpen their iron. Contest after contest, local level, state level, and then advancing to a national level, accomplished more of their dreams as a team. Not much could stop the fire burning in their eyes, jam packed with ambition; however, with the rise of sickness across the globe, they were stopped in their tracks and if you asked any one of the young individuals at the time, they were discouraged and heartbroken. After all, their eyes were set on competing in an international setting. They all had developed a passion for evaluating livestock, exploring the country, meeting successful people in the industry and more importantly enjoying their time together all while developing themselves into excellent members of society. Needless to say, there were countless people rooting for them and some that went so far to ensure that their great efforts would not be received in vein. They remain exceptionally thankful for those individuals.

I sit here in a hay field today reflecting on this story and the events of the prior two weeks. It will remain in my book of tales as one of my fondest: four individuals from southwest Colorado traveling abroad to continue on a journey stricken by unforeseen tragedy and lest they overcome. I am one of those four individuals blessed with the company and leadership of three incredible human beings, coaches and family. What remains truly remarkable in my mind is the experiences we had while touring the UK and judging in international settings, let alone the kindred spirits we will never forget along the way.

On June twenty-second 2022, Kori Jenkins, Guy Wright, Rylie Zufelt and I, along with Kari Jenkins, Beth LaShell, Bobbi Hanhardt and Mary Cooper sat on the steps of Durango Airport, bags, passport and judging books in hand. Not one of us knew just what we were getting ourselves into, but more than anything, we were overwhelmed with excitement. Upon boarding our flight, plans changed and five planes later, we arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland. We were weary and looking for beds and showers. No, we did not get an opportunity to find any of those such facilities, but instead we jumped on a bus and away we went.

Insert: Illinois judging team and accomplices, Virginia judging team member- Stage Left

Upon first glance, these seven individuals and their family were competitors. Mind you, we had been informed that the contests we were going to partake in were against these folks. I am sure that somewhere along the line each of them had dished their fair share of contest-winning butt whoopings to us. So, we all were a little disheveled.

That did not stop any one of us from making friends with one another. I distinctly remember learning the names of two young men from Taylorville FFA, Illinois, Cole and Waylon Paulek. They were roomed just a door down in this God-forsaken hot hallway. Loud and rambunctious, the three of us ladies peered our heads out to see what the clammer was all about. They were grinning ear to ear, and giggling about what I am sure was some silly inside joke as they shuffled their load of luggage into their room. Side note: that room is where the magic happened and we all gained lifelong friends. We, all eleven of us, piled in that tiny, hot room and slowly the introductions poured out. As I mentioned before, Cole and Waylon Paulek; Drew Mickey (the kid who played harmonica); Liam Steward (he reminded me a bit of Woody the cowboy at first with a ton of wit); Lizzie Schafer (the NJAA crowned queen…so cool, like literally); Audrey Curtain; Quinna Molden from Virginia. That next day, the vibe on the bus seemed far less tense and uncomfortable. Jokes started to fly and yes, group chats were made (these are essential).

We toured Edinburgh, Stirling and eventually we were off to our big international debut: Royal Highland Show. Here you can find just about anything from twedt coats, double-muscled cattle, jimmy hats, sheep, dairy cattle, and tons of drunk Scots! It was exciting and terrifying all at once. Not one of us were quite in our element seeing as livestock were not of the same sorts that we are all conditioned to. We all learned to appreciate how the showmen and producers are set on maintaining heritage breeds and their standards from perhaps our fifty to sixty years ago. Muscle and performance (length, width, and height) is key! Backtracking a bit, sitting in our hotel meeting room, I made the comment that I, and hoped everyone else, would be more than happy to see anyone else win the contest. Well, our tour bus driver had disappeared that morning and never arrived to ensure our prompt arrival to the contest, so we had the opportunity to judge along side the Five Nations teams. That was an experience in itself. We evaluated six classes of sheep, beef cattle, and dairy cattle. I will never forget how differently they handle their sheep as opposed to the Americans, a bit rough! We were allowed to give reasons in an unofficial manner to two officials and they were quite impressed that Americans do not use their notebooks to produce reasons. We were shocked of their contrary standards. I suppose we are all built a little different. We had fun with this nonetheless!

I believe a term of the sorts “I appreciate the power and muscle found in A and if funds and TSA allowed, I would ship her over the pond to add some power back into my herd” made it to the ears of two unsuspecting Scottish judges. Hence, we are still giggling.

From there, our tour led us to some of the most extraordinary places on Earth and one of my favorites being the Lurgan farm which was focused on raising sheep, timber and Heiland Coos. If you are wondering what that is , Heiland coos is the old term used by Scots to name Highland Cattle. I believe these things are far more majestic in their homeland. Some incredible photo ops, lochs and excellent producer conversation later, we were back on the road!

I cannot forget to mention that Scotland is rooted in some of the most foundational history. Whether you are an agriculturalist like us or really anything for that matter, it is all quite fascinating. The castles are breathtaking, the history is deep and heritage is not forgotten. I find it quite intriguing that the history of Scotland is dated back way before the US even took shape. In graveyards, which surround the many churches and cathedrals, there are lives celebrated by incredibly intricate designs seen on headstones and dates that make my head hurt. Some date back to the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

As for tour bus shenanigans, where most of our memories were made, our guide was one lad who had done all, seen all, and been all. Steve was his name! From the list that Kari ledgered, he was a hydrologist who collected water bottle labels and preformed taste tests, a firework ignitor, and tour guide to name a few. He had an expansive knowledge of Scotland and made sure to share all the gritty details. Drew preformed some stellar vocals while singing karaoke on the bus microphone and we all learned that singing “In the Jungle” acapella was totally amusing. Laughter rumbled the bus and this became the usual. Might I also add that we practiced our patriotism and rang in Independence Day with the singing of our national anthem, standing hats removed, enroute to another tour. Drew quickly became our liaison with the tour company and made sure to gather all the selfies he could with our guide and bus driver.

A couple memorable tours and lots of tight, wrong-side driven roads later we were off to another country: Ireland. We took a ferry as our mode of transportation. This was not one of our most thrilling experiences as rough seas made for rough sailing and three upchucked stomaches. It was still neat. People travel like this quite often and to be on open sea is still quite the experience for those of us that are landlocked. My personal favorite about this was the taste of salt on my lips as I overlooked the sea from top deck. The wind and mist were gnarly to say the least, but you could not keep us inside for very long.

Much like Scotland, there was so much to grasp agriculturally. For instance, the most mind-blowing, they cut their grass year round, approximately every five weeks! Their acre per cow is averaging one or less! We got to visit an exquisite farm where cattle were much like our own. It was especially awesome to listen to the producer name off several breeders back home whom we are familiar with. Semen is hard to ship globally, so he relied heavily on the use of embryos to inject different qualities into his own herd. Tea and biscuits ended our tour. The next most memorable tour was a dairy farm that emphasized that they have renewable energy and zero waste. The cattle manure is utilized in a operation where it is fermented at high temperatures. Then the methane gas is collected to fuel generators. The power gathered from said generators is used to power the farm. What ever power remains is sold to the grid for roughly forty five pence per unit. It was quite exciting to see how producers in the US can also do the same and combat the greenhouse gas movement that is taking rise in the media. We were invited in the family home, which was absolutely beautiful for tea and some of the best scone that have ever hit my tongue. Their hospitality was heartwarming and will remain with me forever.

On our way to visit a sale barn, I struck up a match of Crazy 8 via our cell phones. I have found that this is a great way to get everyone to involve themselves in good fun and competition while not having cards scattered everywhere. Friendly banter and intense competition ensued. Upon arrival to the sale barn, which they call a mark, we all were shuffled into a mess hall where the president of the organization explained how the sales were ran, livestock were handled and brief history on the organization itself. It was rather similar to what we have back home, but we remained on the edge of our seats to actually step foot in the facilities and witness it all for ourselves. Much like home, older folk lined the chairs and bidding was underway.

Ireland was such a blast with all the castles, history of Protestant versus Catholic Churches, history galore and for Drew, more jimmy hats. By far one of the more interesting things that any one of us experienced was that of a dairy buffalo farm. We were informed that these buffalo are contrary to what we call buffalo in the states. They were Asian Water Buffalo and were purchased from Italy where Italians also use their milk to produce cheese. A very knowledgeable and eager tour guide, Dorothy, explained every intriguing aspect of the operation. We walked through the herd and even sampled some of the product that they are so proud of. For all those wondering, it was so good! Quinna found her potential life calling and fell in love with the strange creatures and the strange moos from the calf crop.

Before we knew it we were on to another contest! This time we were at a fair in Cork, Ireland. Much smaller than the Royal Highland show in Scotland, the fairgrounds was not near a shock. There were events under way everywhere that ranged from dog shows, horse jumping, cattle and sheep shows. We gathered around the cattle showring and began judging class all before the judge could make his final calls. No there were not many fifty scores for any of us. The priorities remain quite different, but talking to the judge afterward helped us to all understand a bit more. While waiting for results, our stomaches were rumbling and we took to the food trucks. Perhaps the most memorable food there was that of an array of baked potatoes. Beans, macaroni, taco, you name it, they pile it on the potato. When called back to the ring to receive our awards, many photos were taken and awards were given by the president of the show himself who expressed his gratitude for our attendance. We all were so deeply humbled and thankful for the hospitality that we were shown while there! The ribbons were beautiful and we all celebrated our achievements!

By this point, our friendships were strong! The bus rides remained some of the most interesting of times. There never was a moment where we were not singing acapella or Molly Malone with the bus driver Phillip, joking around, catching up on some sleep, and sometimes even making plans to start a community with ourselves, Heiland Coos, dairy buffalo, Tamworth hogs, and Hereford cattle. It still seem like a fail-proof plan to me! Nights remained a rambunctious period as we all would gather in one of the rooms to converse, belly giggle at the days’s happenings, and watch movies until wee hours of the night. Just good, honest fun.

While we were very sad to see Quinna depart from the trip, we bid our goodbyes, promising of reunion trips in the near future. The rest of us boarded a plane and departed for London! While agriculture was not on the agenda for the days we were there, we had ample time for sightseeing. There still was plenty of talk of livestock. I found enjoyment as we all shared about home. There was so much to learn agriculturally from each other and I especially just loved getting to talk with the chaperones from Illinois. Katie Paulek, as you can probably guess, Cole and Waylon’s mom, showed me to have an immense amount of patience. She is made with a great deal of love and support for her sons and made me at times feel like a kid again. Julie Fugate, a mother of a daughter that I have looked up to for many years, was also wonderful to talk to. We talked show pigs and growing up. It was neat to sit face to face with a woman who had a big heart and passion for the show industry and what it has to offer through her experience with raising Maddie in the very middle of it. My favorite part about these interactions is that Tel gained two more prayer warriors.

From Big Ben, to Westminster Abbey, Crown Jewels, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and many other integral sights, London was dreamy. I will say that there were far too many people for my liking, but in the grand scheme of it all, to say that I have been to London, England is more than enough to fill my soul. It allowed each and every one of us to enjoy our company and gather what more love for one another into our hearts we could muster.

The goodbye was not easy. We all gathered in a very tiny room, yet again, and for some reason decided that goodbye speeches were essential. One by one, each of us , stood up and shared our lectures. All in all, we cried, we laughed, we smiled and loved. Our time together will never be forgotten . I commend the parent of each special person I spent time with for raising upstanding human beings. I have come to love those kids in ways I never thought imaginable. Goofy and all set aside they really are awesome. To say that they are going places is an understatement by a long shot. To hear their dreams and aspirations unfold was so heartwarming and unforgettable. They have the most bright futures ahead of them. I have not laughed, cried, and engaged in deep conversation with very many people like I have them.

So I say thanks to all who helped get us here, who became our friends and made this trip one of the biggest milestones in my life. You have changed me for the best yet and I will miss the warm hugs, big smiles and so many laughs. The trip was a success and despite all the little hiccups along the way I would not change one single moment for the world.

This, in conclusion, is my story of how an incredible program, Livestock Judging, took me from Bayfield, Colorado, all over the United States and across the Big Pond to the UK. This is my tale of how I spent some of the most wonderful days with some incredible people in a far off place. This is the closing of a very special chapter, eleven years with amazing coaches and brilliant team members doing what we love most.