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- [00:00]
Weston
All right, so we have the official post game, sort of the Austin Steer Show. I've never done Austin before, nor have I had Mr. Scott Griner on here on the platform before either. So both are extremely exciting. Mr. Griner, I'm grateful for the opportunity, but for first off, what I'd like you to do is introduce yourself what you do and how you've acquired the ability to judge so many shows, add that the value that they're at here in the industry, and then after that, have a few questions in terms of the show in regards to leading up to it, and then after that, we'll just go through the show in its entirety.
- [00:38]
Scott Griner
Sounds good, Weston. Look forward to it and appreciate you having me on and look forward to. To chatting about it, as you said. I'm Scott Griner. I'm. I'm a faculty member in the School of Animal Sciences at Virginia Tech, and my family and I have been out here, located at Virginia Tech about 27 or eight years, something like that now. So I'm a native of the Midwest, did my education at Iowa State and Michigan State, and of course, I, like many of your listeners and many of your guests, grew up through the Junior Livestock Program in Iowa as a 4H member. That created a path that, along with my. My. My background and being a farm kid, grew my passion for the industry and led me to Iowa State, where I did my undergraduate and was an active member of jud teams there and was fortunate enough to have a little success there and to be quite honest, opened some doors. And that led me to graduate school and the opportunity to coach judging teams, which was very much a springboard to, as you mentioned, the opportunity to have the great honor of judging various shows across the country and multiple species. I've been. I've been extremely blessed and always an honor to. To have the opportunity to come do a Texas major. So I think that was my first time at Rodeo Austin and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a great show and great young people, great set of steers, as you always find when we get the opportunity to come to Texas. Great Texas hospitality. So always enjoy that. And it was a great experience.
- [02:10]
Weston
Absolutely.
- [02:11]
Scott Griner
For sure.
- [02:11]
Weston
What I'd like to know first is relative to other Texas majors that you've done prior to, like, San Antonio and Houston, what was that like compared to. To Austin? Was there any differences that you liked or didn't like leading up to it?
- [02:25]
Scott Griner
Oh, I would say, you know, as a general characteristic characterization, it was very similar. You know, I thought, you know, I guess for me I, I always have high expectations when I have the great opportunity to join you down in Texas. That certainly did not disappoint in terms of the quality of the cattle, uh, and more importantly the quality of the young people you have a chance to work with. And so, you know, the show was extremely competitive as I fully expected it be, you know, across breeds. I thought, I thought we had a number of, of high quality steers to, to work through in each and every one of those breeds. You know, roadie Austin's not as big in terms of numbers, but you know, from a, from a quality and competitiveness standpoint, I'd say it's, it's very similar.
- [03:14]
Weston
Yes sir. Lighting has also been like a big ordeal here recently as I'm doing post games. Like we talked about lighting in Denver and how the new layout of the barn highlighted different calves of different colors. And as well as Fort Worth and San Antonio, I'd like to know is there any calves that were certain colors or just lighting in general or the flooring that brought to your attention like did. Was there a certain color that looked a little odd out there or was there a certain area of the arena that made them look more dim than others? Just curious to know if there's certain areas of the arena that, that would be beneficial for anybody to know for the future at all, for sure.
- [03:54]
Scott Griner
I don't, I don't think so actually. Interesting. You asked that. We. I don't remember who is with. It was towards the. Well, it was actually before our, our final drive or the, you know, before we went to the, to the rodeo and we had a little downtime there after we had done the, the pre sword, if you will, we were talking about that and you know, the, the footing in there is, is real good and you know, with that, that bright colored sand and the lighting they have, I thought, I thought the lighting in that arena was really good. And you know, for whatever reason, you know, on a, from a slickshear standpoint, I don't think it's any secret that, you know, some of those black ones can be a little challenging to look at. And you, you couple that with, you know, lighting that's maybe not ideal. You know, that can be a challenge at times. I did not, I did not find that at Rodeo Austin. Those folks did a great job with that, that arena and so, so that was good.
- [04:46]
Weston
Absolutely.
- [04:47]
Scott Griner
For sure.
- [04:48]
Weston
What I'd like to know in now is what was your expectations walking into the show? What were you most excited for, especially being a new experience?
- [04:56]
Scott Griner
Well, Just, I mean, always, as I mentioned kind of at the outset, you know, it's always. It's always an honor to. To have the opportunity to. To judge a big show like that in a. In a Texas major. So, you know, I think as a judge, we're all very, very excited about that opportunity because, you know, you're going to see great livestock and you're going to get the chance to work with great young people who have absolutely worked their tails off. And, you know, Weston, I have a lot of people tell me, and I'm a benefactor of this, I guess, is that, you know, I've probably done these shows enough that most people kind of know what I like, and as a result of that, they know what I like, and so they bring me what I like. And that makes me. That makes it a lot of fun for me as a judge, because in each and every breed, you know, I can, you know, I can go out there and. And kind of find what I'm looking for. And that's not to say, though, that everything just falls. Falls into place. Exactly. But that said, you know, there's. There's lots of steers that, you know, are stout and made burly and have a lot of compositional correctness and yet good on your feet and legs and have a good show steer look to them. And. And so I thought we found that across the board. So that was really exciting.
- [06:07]
Weston
Yeah, that's awesome. That's one thing that I've had lots of conversations with people is being able to watch you show and show under you, actually a couple times, just the types and kinds of cattle that you like, and taking them to you is something that a lot of people seem to have figured out for sure. And so that's been fun to watch as well. Just watching you judge your type and kind has always been something that's been extremely fun. With that said, you started out the first day with the shorthorns, and your grain and reserve, in my mind, were a little different in their type and kind. But what I'd like you to do is, if you can remember, walk me through your lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight. Obviously, your both grain and reserve came out of the heavyweights. Am I right about that? I'm pretty sure that's what I got written down.
- [06:49]
Scott Griner
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's correct. Yes.
- [06:51]
Weston
Yeah, yeah. Just walk me through the shorthorn breed. Maybe some that were intriguing to you. I know that the lightweight, for sure, was extremely intriguing. He read like a fat steer, especially for being at that weight. But in My mind. Your grand. He hit me extremely hard. Just really, to be honest, an extremely burly made bold ribbed calf that was big hipped. But your reserve matched him in terms of his length and neck and length of proportions. Probably just didn't have as much mass and dimension from behind. So just talk to me about the differences of the breed.
- [07:23]
Scott Griner
No, I thought, I think you're spot on there, Weston. I, you know, the shorthorns, as you mentioned, right out of the gate, you know, and I thought that breed was really solid and you know, I remember that lightweight class and I remember, I remember the steer that won that and I think, I think what you said, you know, as a lightweight, you know, that steer, that steer kind of stuck out in terms of, you know, his extra, his extra rib shape and just dimension and body mass and kind of his, his body shape and yet put together in, in the right kind of proportions. I thought, I thought he surfaced in that class and kind of, you know, it's always nice when you kind of get one that way and you're starting the show and it's like, yep, there's what we're looking for and, and it's going to be a great day. And I think that crossed my mind as that lightweight class, we worked our way through that. You know, the medals were solid. I thought, my recollection there was a pair of them in there that, that I thought paired up pretty nicely and some give and take in there and maybe just a little more, more completeness and maybe some bells and whistles in that, in that metal weight. And then, you know, at the end of the day, I, I thought that steer that won the heavy class was just awfully nice. And like you said, he's, he was packed full of muscle, really, really handled good big top drascol with, you know, really fresh and yet, you know, extra burly in his look and yet, yet the pieces fit together in terms of his shoulder and front end and he was good at the ground and athletic enough that, you know, I thought he certainly looked apart and, and quite honestly, you know, as the, as the show drug on that day and then we get them all back out there, you know, that shorthorn fit right in and he was, you know, he was a player out there, but when it was all said and done, he was awful good.
- [09:01]
Weston
Well, the next breed that you got to cover was the Herefords. And what was so intriguing is the amount of stouter featured burlier made Herefords that were out there. Obviously we just talked about, people have figured out Your type and kind and what they need to bring to you. And I think they replicated that extremely well, especially for the Hereford breed. And that kind of threw me for a world because typically you kind of see some more cattle that, in the Hereford breed that aren't as burly, aren't as stout featured, but in my mind, the breed as a whole were extremely like that. Obviously your grand and reserve were a little different in their type and kind, just in terms of body shape and dimens, but I thought they were both extremely unique in their own regard.
- [09:40]
Scott Griner
Yeah, you know, maybe back up a little bit when we talk about, you know, that division. So, you know, at Rodeo Austin, it's British, you know, and the majority of them were Hereford, as you mentioned, but, you know, some Angus steers in there as well, and, and some red, you know, that was maybe just a little bit unique in terms of the way they do that. And I certainly understand why. Just, you know, based on the size of their show and numbers and classification and all that stuff. And, and, and so, you know, that was, that was maybe a little different. I don't, you know, it wasn't. I don't say that from a negative context at all because I, you know, it's. It's great that those young people have a place for those, for those British cattle. And I think it makes sense to, to do what they did. And, you know, reflecting back, I thought there was a. There was a trio of them in that breed division. If I'm not mistaken. The champion was a middleweight on the upper end of the middleweights. And, you know, not far from being a heavyweight, just, you know, based on what he weighed. And there was an awful good calf that was second to him. That was maybe a little different in terms of, you know, his construction. And then the heavyweight was reserve. I guess the commonality is all three of those things were extremely stout. You know, the champion, I thought had just a little extra freshness, a little extra upper hip, you know, compared to the other middleweight. You know, he was just a bigger, burlier steer that just had a lot more to him. And man, that dude was super big ribbed, you know, on the standstill, really good in terms of his pattern and his underline. And, you know, for Hereford to be that stout and yet have that, that kind of look, you know, I gravitated to that pretty quick, you know, that second place or the reserve, I'm sorry, which was the heavyweight. You know, just. I would describe him as a meat and potatoes market steer. That guy was extremely long spined. He was really good in terms of his feet and legs and flexibility. Plenty of product in him. Well finished. You know, probably not quite as good in terms of his in maybe not quite as fancy in terms of the way he was put together or the way he balanced up. But you know, just to steer that from a practical perspective, I could think we could use a lot of them.
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- [14:25]
Weston
well, then the next breed that you got to cover was the Brahmin breed. And in my mind, the Brahmins were extremely, extremely competitive. They always have been at Austin. But what I thought was just real intriguing was the two that you got to pick for grant in reserve, also, just, just in terms of their color pattern, they were almost polar opposite. But with that, in terms of just how they were built, in terms of their mass and dimension, I thought they replicated each other. Extremely good. And talk to me about the differences of the Brahman breed. I was a huge fan of the lightweight, but I also know that the middle and the heavies, they were extremely alike in terms of their type and kinds. I loved the breed. Walk me through them and what you thought.
- [15:08]
Scott Griner
No, I agree with you. The Brahmins were extremely good and a lot of fun. A sword and, you know, I sit on the mic, you know, I'm not, you know, given my background and, you know, growing up in the industry and my current role now, you know, the eared cattle, the American cattle are not, are not something that I deal with on a daily basis. You know, that said, I thought they were extremely good, as you mentioned. I thought that, thought that Champion was just the right kind and suited me extremely well. Extremely massive in terms of the way he was constructed. I remember that guy. He was one of the better handling steers that I had seen that morning for sure, to that point. Might have been the best, best handling. One monstrous big top and big and bold and square behind his shoulder and over his loin edge, and yet really fresh and good in terms of his uniformity of COVID and, and his freshness and yet put together so extremely well. You know, that reserve, you mentioned him, that thing was, that thing was unique. He, he had an awesome look to him in terms of his lines. He was great in his top line, extremely good in his underline. Really, really good fronted. That steer was extremely high cut ability as well. Really very, very shapely. You know, maybe not, not quite as stout at the ground, not quite as, as opened up in terms of his center body and his rib. But from a terminal value standpoint, I, I remember I commented, I think that that steer had tremendous terminal value just in terms of red meat and substance, and yet had that tremendous looks. You know, those two stairs weren't exactly the same as I think you mentioned. Weston But I thought high quality, both of them extremely good.
- [16:45]
Weston
Well then the ABCs are next. And there was a huge selection of ABCs, probably one of the bigger ABC shows that Austin's had this far. But I thought the two that ended up at the top were extremely alike in terms of their look, in terms of the angle of their shoulder, just their lines and proportions, probably a little differences in terms of their hind leg structure. Just from what I read and what I read during the show, and especially some comments that you had made. But I love the breed. The middleweight was extremely intriguing in my mind. So was the lightweight. But both the cats ended up rising to the top were, were extremely nice and extremely fresh in their right, in their own right. Just talk to me about the ABC breed and what your thoughts were on them.
- [17:27]
Scott Griner
Yeah, I, you know, reflecting back, I agree with you. There was, you know, the ABCs, there was a lot of good cattle and, and maybe as much difference in type and kind, you know, across that breed and across the weight classes as we probably had in the show to that point. And I don't know that that's necessarily a surprise, but you know, you get, you get a little bit of everything in terms of body shape and kind and color and, and, and everything in that regards. You know, I think the grand and reserve in the ABCs actually in lots of ways in my mind kind of replicated what we just described in the Brahmins. You know, I think two extremely good cattle that where they were similar was their composition and, and their muscular shape and, and the way those cattle hit you when you get on top of them and handle them and then you back them off from the side and, and you had some difference. You had, you know, the grand was just a little more powerful in terms of the way he was constructed, in terms of his body shape, in terms of his depth and dimension. A quarter and you get him, get him behind him and you watch him travel and just the way he was opened up and his natural width of skeleton and his upper hip shape and yet a steer that, that's still put together nicely and the pieces fit. You know, that reserve was really big footed, extremely heavy structured, really had everything going in the right direction and I love that steering motion. It's my recollection of him and maybe just not quite as much of him there as a middleweight just in terms of bulk and subst. Some mass. But man, he was constructed really well and again, had had plenty of muscle put on that package as well.
- [19:01]
Weston
Absolutely there for a minute I thought you were Going to use the heavy as your grand, but you ended up going with the middle. And honestly, it just read to me as he would just ended up being the fresher one of the two. And just hearing you talk as well, and I thought it was extremely intriguing. But the next one that you covered was the black crosses, and that rounded out the day for you, obviously was extremely deep. I also thought you were going to use the heavy, but then you switched it up a little bit and went with your, your middleweight. But I thought that they were all extremely awesome just in terms of the uniformity of all of them being extremely bold rib, big hip, stout, featured calves that were extremely shapely. But talk to me about the differences of the black cross breed.
- [19:43]
Scott Griner
Yeah, I thought, you know, the black crosses were really good and you know, I, I think we had tremendous quality to work with. No question about that. But, but also, you know, there was a lot of directions you could go in there. There was a lot of good camps of, of, of different types and kinds is my, you know, my reflection on that. And, and maybe compared to. Well, let's just go back and compare to the shore horns and maybe compared to the British, you know, maybe, maybe a little more difference in terms of when we get them out there in the grand drive, there was a little more discussion about differences in terms of what their strengths and maybe the thing or two that you tweak in each one of them. But, but that doesn't take away from a very extreme quality. And, and, and you're right. I mean, I, you know, the steer we end up using, tremendously good in terms of his profile, really good in his top line and hip, really good at the ground, extremely fresh, extremely shapely. You know, compared to the reserve, which was probably a little more extreme in terms of his four ribbon center body shape and his depth of four ribbon flank and maybe just a little bulkier made. But that reserve maybe, maybe wasn't quite as neat in terms of his balance, not quite as much cut ability, not quite as much, you know, squareness and handle quality up over his back and topside was probably the difference between that pair. But two extremely good cabs that, that surfaced in the black division that beat an awful lot of good ones that we sorted through in that division.
- [21:11]
Weston
Well, then you round out the day. Obviously. I would hope that Austin fed you well and everything of that nature. It sounded like a. They always do a pretty good job of being extremely complimentary to the judge.
- [21:22]
Scott Griner
Yes. Great hospitality. Always enjoy it. Awesome.
- [21:25]
Weston
Well, the next day, that morning you start off with the Red Cross. And the Red Cross were extremely deep in my mind. Obviously, your grand was the middleweight, your heavy was. I mean, your reserve was the heavyweight. But that middle weight really read to be a heavyweight. He read to be just like, could have ran with the heavies and not had an issue either. So just talk to me about the differences of the Red Cross. I also thought the lightweight was extremely intriguing. Talk to me about the differences of that breed. Obviously, your. Your grand and reserve were a little different in their type and kind, but in terms of just like, from behind, their size of their pin set, the mass and dimension. But I thought they were both extremely unique in their regard.
- [22:04]
Scott Griner
Yeah, that the Red Crosses were. Were extremely good and a lot of fun to sort through. And, you know, as we've had, we had the first day, great way to start, you know, great young people that got us out of the gate really good at that lightweight. A little, like, reflecting back might have reminded me a little bit of that lightweight shorthorn, you know, as a lightweight. That guy, that. Right. That guy read like a market steer and like one that was ready as a lightweight and, you know, surfaced in there pretty logically and. And then we get to the middle and the heavyweight classes, and I, you know, at the end of the day, that middleweight, I thought he just kind of put it all together, you know, one that was. Had tremendous carcass and terminal value. You know, lots of muscular shape, excellent finish and freshness and touch when you put your hands on him. Great big rib cage in him and yet, you know, balanced right in terms of his silhouette and handled himself really well in terms of his skeleton and structure. That was a really good Red Cross, I think. And to be honest, you know, he. He fit in the mix when we got them all back out there in the. At the end of the day. So, you know, if a guy had to do a top 10, he'd certainly been in there. He was awfully good, I thought, you know, and then that heavyweight, you know, just a. Just a burly, stout, productive steer with tremendous amount of mass and substance, you know, not quite as fancy in my mind as our champion in the division, but again, a really practical steer that I thought represented things I was trying to. Trying to emphasize and prioritize and put the cattle that put those pieces together the best, move them up. I thought he represented that really well.
- [23:38]
Weston
Yes, sir. Well, then, to round out, just in terms of breeds you do the AOCs, always going to be deep, always going to be extremely competitive. Your grand and reserve were Extremely unique just in their own right. I thought that from lightweight to heavyweight, all of the above, they were extremely complementary in terms of their types and kinds, especially for what your liking is. Talk to me about that breed and what hit you and what didn't hit you and how you ended up selecting your grand in reserve. And then after that we'll talk about the presort.
- [24:10]
Scott Griner
Yeah. That you know, the AOC is, were tremendously good and, and you know they're going to be right Weston. I, you know that's the expectation when you step in there is that you got what was there, six or seven classes, I'm trying to remember but you know they're going to bring the heat and, and they certainly did. And there was a lot of good cattle and lots and lots of fun and a lot of hardworking young people that did an awesome job and had spent tremendous hours, you know, fine tuning their projects and it really showed. You know, I thought out the gate we had a couple classes of lighter cattle that, that sorted pretty pretty logically for me. And, and then I thought things really heated up in I believe it was class four, if I'm not mistaken. We had a pair in there and I thought of steer that one, class four, which was really, really good. You know, knowing you got what, seven classes but you get to class four and you. And that one comes out and wins his class and you think to yourself, well you know, this thing's pretty darn good and it's going to take, it's going to take some pretty special ones to beat him. And there were some pretty special ones which followed him. But, but you know, we got him in the grand drive for the breed and you know, I talked to him on the mic, he was in contention. That thing was tremendously high quality in terms of one that was fresh, one that was ultra big backed and super square hipped and probably had as much look and just ballots and, and show ring appeal as any of them that won their class in that breed. Just a really good steer. Then we come out of Class 5, which is where the Grant and reserve were if I'm not mistaken. Pair of white steers. Those. There was actually a trio in that class. We had that pair of white ones and then kind of a gray blaze faced one that was, was really good in his own right. That pair of white ones just separated themselves from a composition standpoint. And yet, you know, both those deers had tremendous quality. There was a little, I think they were similar in a lot of regards. Based on, based on the Way they handled based on their muscular shape and just reading them in terms of their trueness of, of carcass composition and just with the skeleton, the champion was probably just a little bigger boned, a little neater in terms of his hip shape. That thing was a unique creature. When he got on top of him and and handled his back, he was monstrous behind his shoulder and over his loin edge. Really fresh. Had a great fresh look to him. Just the pieces fit so very nicely. The second in that class which ended up being reserved, that dude's about as shapely as they come and for having that much shape, you know, his joint still flexed, he still moved out right. Still had a really nice presence and look and young man did a great job getting him shown. If we move into Class 6, I believe it was, you know, another really good pair. Ultra bulky, big ribbed, productive steer, wins that class. Probably had as much mass and substance as any steer in the lineup. Maybe not quite as neat in terms of his balance or the way he went, but again, not take anything away. That was an awesome steer that one that wins the heavy class. Another white one resembled that those on a class five a little bit. Probably as big backed steer that I'd put my hands on in the entire show. That dude was monstrous. Maybe not quite as big as you study him in his twist or through his hip. Maybe not quite as quite as fresh, maybe not quite as neat right up through his chest and, and the way his, his neck came out of his shoulder. But you talk about one that had tremendous power. He suited me extremely well in that regard. And then as you mentioned, we, we kept that pair together on a Class 5 because I thought they were both very unique in their own right, yet yet very similar in lots of ways.
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Weston
So then obviously the pre sword happens so all your breed champs come back out. Reserve breed champs. Walk me through what your mindset was like, selecting those and priorities and maybe if you do feel as if comfortable, maybe who was in contention and who wasn't and putting them together and alongside each other.
- [30:37]
Scott Griner
Yeah. So you know, we get to the pre sword and and you know, I think as a judge you always kind of you've got in your mind what you're kind of what you think you're going to see. But it's always good to get them in there and get them side by side and you know, just as importantly for me, it's also an opportunity to, to make sure that we recognize those young people and I get a chance to go through and congratulate them all again and have a learn a little bit more about them and help them enjoy their experience at rodeo. Austin, of course, that's a happy time for most of them because they're a breed champion of reserve. And, you know, also a good time to recognize all the folks at the show because they do a tremendous job. You know, the staff there and, and then the interns, of course, which I always enjoy working with, the interns from the various universities. They're always great young people, and of course they do a great job because most of them have been in those shoes, right? Most of them showed steers, or a lot of them did, and so they're a great deal of. Of assistance. So, you know, I thought we just talked about the AOCs, and I, I really like that pair and, and obviously I, I liked them a lot. We. We hooked on to them and ended up using them for granted. Reserve and. And, you know, that's kind of what I had in my mind as I went into it. Not that I was dead set. You always want to make sure you make the fair comparison and make sure that, you know, kind of what you say is what you got. But as we previously talked about, that Red Cross was awfully good. You know, he was certainly a player, and I think he fit the bill in terms of, you know, what he brought to the table. Very similar body type in a lot of ways to the Granite Reserve, you know, and then we got him out there and. And while it was the very first breed we did, and it seemed like a long time ago, it was just the previous morning, you know, the shorthorn, he certainly fit the bill. That dude was high quality, you know, tremendous presence, extremely fresh, as we talked about. And so, you know, the eared cattle certainly fit in there in terms of composition and, you know, the Black Cross and Hartford, I thought I was very, very pleased in terms of, you know, when I try and prioritize and what I envision them to look like, you know, cattle that are muscular, cattle that are well finished, they're fresh, they're well presented, they touch and handle good. They've got a nice show ring look and balance from the side. The pieces fit together. You know, they're good on their feet and legs, and you travel and they maintain the same balance when we get them out and walk them that they have on the standstill. All those cattle did that. And so I was, I was very pleased and happy for the young people and just, Just a great evening to. To celebrate their accomplishments.
- [33:13]
Weston
Absolutely. Yes, sir. Well, and obviously that night you do your selection in the rodeo arena. Talk to me about how that's different compared to doing like Houston or San Antone. I know that, that doing the grand drive in the rodeo is something big here in Texas. So walk me through that, what that felt like. And then after that, we'll wrap up the postgame short.
- [33:33]
Scott Griner
Well, it's, it's always special to, to have the opportunity to, to do that during the rodeo and. Well, so that part never gets old. That, that is so much fun. It's really hard to, to describe unless, you know, you've been fortunate enough, like I have to. To do that or. I can't imagine the excitement that these young people have. And actually that's something to them about during the presort. You know, we go through, we actually have plenty of time. So I, I chat with each one of them as I go through and handle their steer and, you know, talk to them about what's going to happen. And if they're excited, you know, you can just see the excitement on their face about the opportunity to go in the rodeo. And then, you know, it's a waiting game and, and everything's choreographed. And you get back there outside the stadium and you're behind the big gates and of course you can see the big screen and all the energy that vibrating and spilling out of the arena before they open the gate. And you get the chance to walk out there and, you know, you got the big crowd. That, that's just, it's so exciting. And, you know, I just hope we can, you know, it's a great opportunity to showcase, you know, what the youth livestock program does and, you know, those 14 young people that, that were fortunate enough to have a breed champion or reserve. But as I said on the mic, it's also a celebration of all 700 of them that showed up. They had a record number this year at, at Rodeo Austin, which I think is a great accomplishment and says a lot about what that show's doing and, you know, get out there and have a chance to have them under the bright lights of the rodeo is just a great, neat experience for the young people.
- [35:02]
Weston
With that said, is there anything else that you'd like to tack on in terms of the Austin steer show that that was commendable or something that really hit you hard? Obviously, it was really great show, especially for the size that it is. The quality is always there. And like we've talked about before, I mean, and just in terms of these Texas people, they've been able to figure out kind of what your type and kind is. But what I'd like to know before we wrap it up is what was it like in terms of doing your first slick show as to now and has your typing kind changed at all? Just a little bit as we progressed forward.
- [35:36]
Scott Griner
That's a, that's an interesting question, west and I, I, well, my, I can answer this. The first, the first slick sheared steer show I did in Texas was Houston, that was in 2000. So the Astrodome was still intact. And so I'm lucky enough to have picked a champion steer in the Astrodome as well as nrg, as well as, you know, San Antonio, now Rodeo Austin. That was the first one to say that, to say that slick sheared steers have evolved since that time would be probably, that would be an overwhelming understatement, wouldn't it? In terms of, I don't remember the exact, it went to slick shears. My recollection it was mid-90s, if I'm not mistaken, you know, because it'd been going for a few years, not a long time, but you know, four, five, six years, something like that, when I had the first opportunity. But the cattle, which is a testimony to the breeders, you know, to the families and, and the young people feeding and managing these things, they have, they have gotten so much better in terms of just how they progressed. You know, you asked the question, have I changed? I don't know that fundamentally. Fundamentally, I'm not sure that, that my priorities have changed a lot. I think what's different is how many cattle now put all the pieces together, if that makes sense. Maybe an example of that is, you know, obviously I like them stout and you know, they got to have some product and they got to have the right kind of body and bulky body shape and mass and substance and, and maybe early on to get that in the slick ones, you put up with a little more shoulder, you put up with a little more front end. Maybe they weren't quite as ideal in terms of. They were, they were the way they were made at the ground or the way they traveled. That's not true anymore. You know, there are really massive steers that are really good looking pieces fit and they're extremely sound. And so that makes it a lot of fun. And you go back and look at the pictures, which, you know, on occasion I'll see pictures come across on social media or something from, from back in the day and you just reflect on how far we've come and from an industry perspective and just from a cattle quality perspective. So that's, that's kind of my thought process on that and, and hopefully that, hopefully that makes sense.
- [37:55]
Weston
Well, I do appreciate you coming on and allowing us to do the Post Game short for the Austin Steer Show. I never had you on before and I'm grateful that now we've had the opportunity and I hope to do plenty more with you in terms of future shows as well. Just extremely grateful and glad we were able to do this and hope this brings some clarity to people for the show as well. We always love getting the judge's thoughts on on the show in its entirety and everything of that nature. So once again, Scott, thank you for coming on, allowing me to do this. Empowerment's here. This is what it's all about and we'll see y' all next time.
- [38:27]
Scott Griner
Thanks, Weston.
- [38:30]
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