Final Countdown

Well the weekend is upon us and the rains as well. The heat finally broke last night with a welcome rain. A beautiful rainbow could be seen across the paddocks from the porch of the bunk house. There is another good chance of rain today but we are ready and waiting for all of our visitors today.

Welcome to all who visit, both in person and on the internet. Please remember that if you have any questions about the sale or calves or bidding process to please don't hesitate to call one of us. We are always happy to talk to you.

I think there are several calves that are seriously outstanding that are still getting looked over. A few are getting missed just because they might not have the same hair condition as some of the others. You have to keep in mind that some calves came from totally different environments. Miller's calves, for example, came from much more moderate climes. They still have a lot of fuzz but they didn't lose their baby hair until later and therefore are not as thick on their new hair. Paul Miller commented to me earlier that these calves were the SUPER hairy kind! Don't miss these calves just because their hair isn't as fresh as some of the others. The shows are still quite a ways away and there is plenty of time for them to Yak out on you!!

Hope to see everyone this weekend. The weather is going to be BEAUTIFUL! High 60's and low 70's.

P.S. If you eat at The Pub tonight, don't forget to ask them for the Club Calf Paradise special!!!

Juli

Mobile friendly: not so much

I just love modern technology but everyday is a learning experience. If younger trying to bid from your phone you may be experiencing some problems. I just found out that the site is not mobile capable...or something like that. Anyway, you will have to bid from your laptop or computer. I am sorry for the inconvenience. Please call us if you have any problems! We will rectify this issue next year!

Here comes the sun!!

Well if you are running around Crawford County, Iowa looking at powerful club calves you will be happy to know that colorweather radar is showing that the storm is passing! I can already see some clear sky to the northwest. So if you are ready to look at calves we have them rinsed...thanks to Mother Nature! Stop and grab some lunch and we will guarantee sun when you get here!!

A tough day at Paradise!

Here's what we do in Iowa when it rains! Typical males...feed them and show them an easy chair... I'm just saying!

All about the cowpower!

It's not hard to tell why the Lot 18 Heifer sired by Redemption is such a hot little number. She comes by it naturally. I haven't had an opportunity before this sale to see any Redemption calves but I have to say that I definitely will be talking with the Miller family about carrying his semen next spring. But you have to seriously understand that the maternal side of this heifer's pedigree is just as powerful. This picture of her dam says it all. Wouldn't you love to have a pasture full of these kind? How could you possibly go wrong in today's market with females of this caliber.

Just a few more hours!

Thank you everyone for your patience on our auction site. We are downloading pictures as we speak and should have the video up within the next 24 hours! If all goes well we will have the auction ready to start bidding by tomorrow night! Once the auction is running we will be able to approve bidders so if you have already applied but havent received your verification, it will be coming soon.

Again, thank you for visiting Club Calf Paradise!

NEW BIDDING FORMAT

Our sale website should be up very soon and you can register to bid. We are happy to take your bids on the phone too. This year we are changing our online bidding a bit. You can bid at any time before Labor Day but at 6:00 on Monday (Labor Day) the actual auction will begin. A timer will be set for ten minutes. You must be online to bid at that point. NO CALF IS SOLD UNTIL EVERYONE IS DONE BIDDING!! That means that you are free to bid on any calf at any time. Whenever anyone bids the clock automatically resets to 10 minutes. When there is no more bidding and the timer runs out, the auction is over and all calves are sold.

This will hopefully alleviate some stress and inconvenience for our bidders. The sale should, in theory, run very rapidly and make it possible for everyone to get to bed early!

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call me and talk to me. I look forward to helping you out and helping make your next show calf purchase.

Juli

Picture day and videos: Woof I'm glad they are over!

Thank you to Mark Sneed and his amazing help, Katie Smith (Crocodile hunter). It all went amazingly well and I laughed like I hadn't laughed in years. What a wonderful support team we had for pictures. Maximum Exposure is currently working on editing pictures and videos for the website and we should have them up this week. If you stop by and can't find us you might need to look in the kitchen. Brad will be busily working on baking multiple cheesecakes for a certain someone. Long story. I am just saying that the way to a man's heart is directly through his stomach!

Mark did forward one picture to show me how the lighting was that day...we were fighting the clouds so had to practice LOTS of patience.

This is a Gigolo Joe calf (Lot 32) consigned by the Smith family.

SMOKING!

Another Iowa State Fair draws to a close and marks the beginning of the new club calf season as kids and their families head out on the quest for their new show projects. The calves have arrived at Club Calf Paradise and are settling in very well. We have actually had some visitors already.

This is easily the most powerful set of calves that we have ever had at paradise. If you can't find what you are looking for here then you aren't looking hard enough. They are all very well mannered too and we have picked out some of the "characters" already. You will have to watch the site for stories and pictures as Team Paradise (Nick Anderson, Cam Stateler and Nate Ketelson) works on keeping the calves looking their best. I am sure there will be stories about "Shamu" and "Pork Chop" as well as pictures.

We will be taking pictures and video this weekend so watch for those up dates. MOST IMPORTANTLY be sure to ask about our new completely online bidding.

Hope to see you all at Paradise!

Crawford County Fair Feeder Calf Champion

Here is a consignment from the Smith family. He is already winning the purple!!

How to beat the heat!

Darby does as well in this heat as I seem to do!

Congratulations!

Jarrod Gaines post on facebook today:

Hey Juli Just thought Id Let you know your Heifer Just won AGAIN Champ Commercial hefier and Reserve Supreme Overall at THe Marion Co Fair In Hillsboro Kansas! I will send you a picture !
13 hours ago · Like · · See Friendship

Jarrod purchased a Heat Wave X Hereford heifer from our sale last year. Congratulations! BTW...I have her full brother selling this fall!!

How NOT to beat the heat.

The spring storms were a little tough on the trees on the farm. Every time we get a little wind the limbs keep falling down. Thankfully Ryan Gotto, who helped with the sale last year, offered to lend a hand. By the grace of god the tree missed the spare house!

Fair Times

The heat didn't slow things down in the show world this last week! Congratulations to the area families that showed calves from Club Calf Paradise and Nelson Cattle Company.

Mason Mentink showed a division winner at the Harrison County Fair held in Dunlap, Iowa. Mason purchased the Captain Morgan steer on our 2010 Club Calf Paradise sale. He has done a great job getting this steer ready for the shows. We have a maternal sister out of Monopoly selling this fall.

Makayla Smith showed the Champion Maine heifer and Reserve Over-all heifer at the Crawford County Fair in Denison. She bought the heifer from Nelson Cattle Company last winter. The heifer is sired by Nelson 26T2 and out of a Mona Lise/Big Improvement daughter.

Dalton Smith showed the 5th Over-all Market animal. He purchased the steer on the Club Calf Paradise Sale in 2010. The steer is sired by Heat Wave out of a Hereford cow. We have a full brother selling on our sale this fall.

Keeping hydrated

I am pretty sure that these babies thought I was mixing up margaritas but they sure weren't disappointed when I got finished and they realized it was Gatorade. When it's 103 degrees I guess you need to find any way you can to convince calves to drink electrolytes!

Darrel Nissen Memorial Open Cattle Show: Denison

Reserve Champion Feeder Heifer: Darrel Nissen Memorial Show was a Maine-Tainer sired by Heat Wave out of Black Betty (Daines Dr. Seuss) raised and owned by us, fitted by Nick Anderson. Thanks Nick!! Watch for "Diva" on our Labor Day sale!!

Congratulations to Dalton Smith and his Champion Breeding heifer today at the Nissen Memorial show in Denison. He purchased this Dr. Who heifer on our Club Calf Paradise sale last fall. Sorry we don't have a picture from the show today...I will post as soon as we get one.

Kids and family: the big picture

I am sitting in Kansas City watching the Trifecta of Junior National cattle shows; Maine Anjou, Chianina and Charolais. It is still early in the week but every parent here looks like they just finished a marathon and the kids don't look much better. It is impossible for anyone not involved to even imagine the work that goes into getting these kids here and the support that goes into putting on an event like this. These kids work their tails off and will leave at the end of the week with memories to enjoy for the rest of their lives.

I love watching the fitting contests and especially enjoy sitting in the stands and listening to the parents spew advice from the rail. Oh what I would give to see the parents out in the ring doing the same thing their kids are doing. Most of these kids, even the youngest ones, could run circles around us big kids!

Every kid here is going to leave exhausted but the motivation levels should skyrocket! This just reinforces that winning is not always the ultimate goal in this business. This kids, and hopefully their parents, are learning the value of the learning experience and the social and responsibility skills we are giving our kids. Positive life experience far outweighs standing in the winners circle in my book. We can still set and achieve goals. At the end of the day they should all be able to crawl back to the motel with pride in what they do and a passion for their work.

Monopoly X Gigolo Joe/Irish Whiskey Heifer

I never got along very well with this heifer's mother but she is the pasture pet this year. Brad has her spoiled! I love her look, her attitude, her color and her potential! Watch for her on our pasture sale this fall.

Why I love Maines: Lesson #1

Gigolo Joe: six year old Maine Anjou bull. He is a gentleman in every aspect of the term.

Consistent Donors: That's the key!

Black Betty hit a home run again this year with her second calf. Her Heat Wave heifer is truly a Diva and we are pleased to say that Black Betty has earned her way into the Donor lineup for this year. Once again, Cowpower has paid off and "Diva" will most likely be hunting for her place in the purple in the near future.

GRIZZLY

I can "bearly" keep this semen in inventory. The sexed Grizzly semen has been incredibly popular this spring as well as the regular semen. Mr. Guyer even dropped off some Whizard semen. He is 1/2 SIMM and 1/2 Maine out of Steel Force. We are adding new bulls to our inventory daily.

Semen sales are GREAT!

THANK YOU PHIL LAUTNER! Meyer 735 sexed semen is FLYING out the door. OVER 90 UNITS IN THE PAST WEEK TO MY LOCAL AREA CUSTOMERS!

Give me a call anytime to chat about

Help Has Arrived!!

Finals are officially...well, final I guess. Nick (the other son)is home to the big D and ready to have fun. Oops, I mean WORK! I'm just saying!

BUNK HOUSE SEMEN: Captain and Co-pilot

Things look a little cluttered right now but the semen is flying out the door! Thank goodness I have GREAT help as backup.

360: Join The Revolution!

Well, we know what the maternal route can do...Denver Champion Foundation Simmental Female out of Meyer 734. Incredible donor in the Jones family string out of Maximus. Now we can see what the club calf genetics will do on 360. Her Heat Wave and Who Made Who offspring will make your head spin!

Be sure to stay tuned this fall for embryo and pregnant recip purchase opportunities!

Congratulations Colin Barker!!!

Congratulations to Colin Barker for another purple! Colin's heifer was the Champion Chi heifer and the Reserve Overall Heifer at the MU Block and Bridle show. This heifer was purchased on the 2010 Club Calf Paradise sale last fall. She was consigned by the Barry Maas family and we are all really excited for Colin. Barry Maas is like a proud new father. He has the heifer picture on his phone and shows it to everyone! Keep up the GREAT work Colin!

BAZINGA!! Not just another pretty face.

BAZINGA! Pictured at 7mos of age. Homozygous Black Smooth Polled THF/PHAF
Dam:Black Betty (Daines Miss 42U) Sire: Gigolo Joe BW:76

Once in a GREAT while you find a cow that makes your mouth water and you can't live without her. If you are lucky enough to get her into your program and she produces a fabulous calf straight out of the starting gate you count your blessings and hope that it wasn't a fluke. Then you probably do something crazy and take a chance at breeding her to something completely different because you want to see if it really was a fluke or if the cow is actually a rock star and can consistently produce a bell ringer. So, when she does it again out of a completely different bull you jump for joy. That female is no longer just another pretty face in the spotlight. She is a proven producer and a donor!

Bazinga was Betty's first calf. He is pictured at barely 7mos of age. This bull is incredibly massive, hairy, moderate framed, soft and sound and he can't be anything but incredible coming out of a young female like Betty. This bulls pedigree is stacked for calving ease, growth and maternal traits. He is now owned by Brady Lee of Charter Oak, Iowa but you can purchase semen from many distributors including Bunk House Semen at Nelson Cattle Company. We are really excited about this bull's outcross pedigree and his potential on both purebred and crossbred cattle/heifers. If you get a chance, take a look at him at Nichols in Ankeny.

OH YEAH, you might want to stop and see the Heat Wave heifer that is at Betty's side. She is a DIVA!

Dalton and the Red Head

Dalton Smith of Charter Oak, Iowa purchased this Dr. Who daughter on our 2010 Club Calf Paradise sale from Dave Cornelius. That boy has a good eye! This female is already winning the purple for him. She was the Reserve Champion MaineTainer at the Algona, Iowa open show and then the Overall Reserve Champion Female at the Kent Habeger Memorial in Webster City a few weeks ago. CONGRATULATIONS DALTON!!

Sunshine and Easter Bunnies

FINALLY! Sunshine, green grass and happy baby calves. Life is good. Nick (the adopted son) was home this weekend and we got a wild hare for "livestock beautification". It was so nice this morning to amble through the calf paddock and look at the calves sporting a new look. There is something about looking at a month old calf completely maxed out that just seems strange.

Black Betty, our Maine donor has a knockout Heat Wave heifer on her this year. There is definitely something satisfying when you can take an incredible show and donor female and have her make a calf that outdoes the cow. That's 2 for 2. I guess we made a good decision on this cow.

360, the Angus cow that raised the Denver Champion Foundation Simmental as a first calf heifer has rung the bell again. We took the "clubby" route last breeding season and it looks like it is going to pay off as well. The Heat Wave and Who Made Who clicked and these calves are head-spinners.

Old Herf did it again this year. We refer to her as the old Herf but she's not really old. She foundered two years ago and doesn't get around the best. We baby her and have her feet done regularly but she kind of gimps around like me...hence "OLD" She had a massive Heat Wave bull calf. He isn't marked like a hereford but he is easily the stoutest and hairiest calf she has ever had. He is one to keep an eye on.

We are incredibly pleased with the calf crop this year. Monopoly has definitely made an impression at Nelson Cattle Company. We had no calving problems, the calves are stout, sound, hairy and...most importantly, they are dang good! I used Rocky Balboa on a smaller framed first calf heifer and got a super fancy heifer that is going to be a great show prospect. Nick has a cherry red Tiger Woods heifer that gets better every day; very feminine and has a great show look. I have an Uno Mas bull out of a Maine cow. I honestly wasn't that impressed at the beginning but the little guy is becoming a standout.

If you are ever in the neighborhood this spring I hope you will stop by and see the new calves, sit a spell at the bunkhouse and talk about your semen options this year. We are looking forward to seeing everyone! Have a happy Easter!!

Bunkhouse Semen: Open for business!

There has to be something wrong with a person if working for hours organizing the spring semen inventory and talking with semen consignors gets you excited! The rainy weather has given everybody time to start worrying about what they are going to use on their cows this spring breeding season. I have been getting lots of calls and texts from people wanting to bounce ideas around. I am hoping that I will have time next week to visit some of the bull studs in the area and look at many of the new bulls as well as the golden oldies! There are SO many bulls out there and some of them get lost because they just don't have the huge advertising budgets.

Bunkhouse semen will be completely stocked and ready to fill everyone's orders by this weekend. I am going to be working on a complete listing of our semen inventory and will have it posted on our Bunkhouse Semen website. Of course, the bunkhouse is always open to visitors! Please feel free to give us a call and stop by.

I liked the old me.

Forgive me Blogger for I have been negligent. It has been three months since my last blog. The seasons have changed; Spring is here. The cows are done calving, the fields are being prepared for seed, the birds have all returned and are "twiterpated" and the famed Eagles are busy feeding their young. This is my happy season but I can't seem to convince myself to indulge in the festivities of Spring. It's been a long winter and the death of my father has taken its toll on all of us.

Somewhere along this long road I not only lost my father but I lost ME. I don't know where I went. I used to have a rather sick sense of humor, a positive "glass is half full" attitude and a general attitude that no matter how crappy things seemed that there was ALWAYS something positive that could be gleaned from the situation. Somewhere during the last three months I turned my back on that person. God I'm stupid! I have wallowed in sadness for too long and frankly I am sick of it. It's exhausting and nonproductive. It even makes my tukus get bigger! (This new Juli eats too much when things are dark) That is just unacceptable to the old me.

So Blogger, starting today I am going to open the door to the old Juli and let her back into my life. I am ready to enjoy a little sunshine and silliness along with the other attributes that were once part of her life. Mostly I am ready to soak up the enjoyment of my family, friends and livestock. My father's life was about his roots; the family roots, the community roots and the roots to the land. It's time for me to follow MY roots. I am off to find some Miracle Grow!!

Pay It Forward

With a new year underway I find myself thinking about what I want to accomplish this year and what effect the past year has had upon me and my loved ones. It has been a bitter-sweet year in the life of this cowgirl and I can't help but think that the lows have helped contribute to the wonderful high points of the past year. Such is life; a perfect balance of positive and negative.

Some days it feels like the world is falling to pieces at my feet. Sometimes I question everything I do and worry about keeping a step ahead of the "wolves" that lurk. Most people that know me probably think that I have no worries in the world and that I am the most centered person they know. I can honestly say that being centered is my daily goal...but sometimes my scale spins out of control and the needle falls off.

I don't believe in "New Year Resolutions". If you have to start every year with a new promise to do something that you can't make in July then you probably need to evaluate the merit in a resolution. That is why I like to just think about my "New Year Resolution" as a business plan for my personal well being or what I am going to do differently to stay a centered human, over-all great mom, caring and helpful daughter, wonderful wife and great Cow Girl.

It's all pretty simple actually. I think that you have to surround yourself with good people. You see, I have been MOST influenced in my life by a certain person. I think that the influence of good people defines who we are...as does the influence of not-so-good people. I guess that helps the aruguement of leading by example! There is a song in the musical "Wicked" (Ironic?lol)that hit my heart. Here are a few of the lyrics:

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...


These lyrics are so true about the influences that have shaped my life. I think that we all need to think about the people that fill and influence our lives. We are in charge of our own happiness and we have the ability to make the choices that influence our happiness and life-balance.

I want spend this year surrounding myself by those people and I want to be one of those people in return. I am who I am because of the great people in my life. I want them to feel the same about me. It's like an emotional "Pay-it-forward".

This post is not intended to be a regurgitation of melancholy emotions. Actually, tonight I was just wanting to put some thoughts down on paper...so to speak. I hope that six months from now I can look back at this post and laugh at what my Pay-It-Forward idea for making life balanced has done for my soul. And hey, maybe somebody who reads this post will benefit too! Like the song says, "Who can say if I've been changed for the better. But because I knew you, I have been changed for good."

Best wishes to all this new year!