A (3:10)

When you mentioned the new barn, one thing I'd like to point out for before we start diving into the classes, were there any new effects to especially the turf that, that y' all noticed as in terms of structure differences compared to being on the hill?

C (3:24)

Maybe.

A (3:24)

What were some of the lighting differences? Because I know that was a big benefactor talking to some breeders as well.

C (3:29)

I think, I think on the footing it was, in my opinion, it was probably better than I was anticipating it to be. I thought it was just a different, different footing, but I thought it was still plenty okay in terms of the day and that particular day anyway. And the lighting was sure completely different. Thinking back up on that hill, where there's light kind of in the center and it's not the brightest and this and that, I thought the light, you know, there was a lot of. A lot of things that the light showed pretty heavily where maybe a year ago that was just a little different for sure.

A (4:12)

Kendall, Blake, any thoughts?

B (4:14)

Yeah, I would echo that. I thought, you know, you can't really hide anything on that surface. You know, foot quality's gotta be there. You gotta make sure your feet are trimmed right. And I mean, structure is huge out there. And I all comment from the lighting especially. I mean, there was times where all three of us would look up on the big screen and see how we place things and we'd look away. We were almost blinded. It was so bright. I mean, you can see cattle and every hair and how it lays out there. And at times I even had to put my hand up and kind of dim the lights a little bit because it was so bright. But I think it's all positive from, from the old arena to. To the new one. I thought the. The lighting was very, very good.

A (4:52)

Absolutely. Blake.

D (4:54)

Yeah, I would agree with that. I would agree with everything that they said. Having judged in the old arena breeding cattle, my first time judging steers in Denver, I'd say the thing that I missed most was having the people around the ring though, you know, they were up in the stands and we didn't have, you know, in the old arena, people were right there along. Along the ring, which, you know, is. I just thought from a. From the standpoint of having that. That extra aura, we maybe missed that a little bit. But obviously the lighting was incredible and there was no hiding any foot or structure problems because, well, you could see just about everything on that. On that carpet.

A (5:30)

Absolutely. For sure. Well, we can start diving into classes and obviously class one starts. Kendall, you talk it. There's a silver smokey that y' all put first. Y' all pointed out, you know, he was high tying, big hft, big footed and need to be a little stronger behind his shoulder, but still big pieces. And I think Kendall, you also pointed out that walking away, he wanted to pop in his ankle a little bit. And then second place was a solid black calf, little longer proportioned, not as chunky, probably a little greener through his heart and fore rib. Still good structured. And then third was this black and white calf. Kendall pointed out on the mic that he was probably the best handling calf of the. Of the trio in terms of shape up high, still big bodied, but probably need to move a little better in terms of his top line. Probably a little quicker step y' all to run through me how y' all felt about that class. There was a little discussion especially looked like on the panel in terms of where y' all wanted those three to land.

B (6:21)

Yeah, I, I thought. I thought we started off really strong in that first class. And I'll be honest, Blake and Murphy, I don't remember how we all three placed it and how it came together, but I'll. I'll just talk from me personally, I. I thought the gray calf, I mean, he. He looked like he weighed more than what he did, in my opinion. Like, he just looked like a show steer at know, a ripe 1100 pounds or whatever it was. I thought he pie and I thought, you know, in that class, for me, I'm a structure freak, I guess you could say. And I had to give up a little bit of that on his hind leg just for his extra power. I mean, he was stout and still balanced really good, I guess, compared to the one in third, he balanced quite a bit better. And compared to the one in second, he had more to him in terms of muscle. So that was kind of my deciding factor, I guess. And the 1 and 2, I thought honestly was probably one of the soundest years we saw, maybe all day. I mean, he was really, really sound, really good looking. Just needed a little bit more tum.

A (7:17)

Yeah, for sure. Murphy, you had that calf placed down quite a ways on the panel. What were some things that were concerning to you?

C (7:24)

The calf in second?

A (7:26)

Yes, sir.

C (7:27)

Yeah. I thought everything Kendall said was right. His look was good, his runners, his feet and legs were really, really good. I just didn't think there was enough of him there in terms of a market animal show. And I know at times where you draw that line in terms of market animal shape and cover and what we're trying to do in that setting versus where we draw the line in structure is very, very hard. And you've got to just make those decisions, whatever suits you, you know? You know, I guess I've always thought if you don't make livestock showing personal, it's a whole lot more constructive and it's a whole lot better for you whether you're showing them, selling them, breeding them, trading them, or judging them. And I think at the end of the day, you've got to do what. What you think's right, and that's a little contradictive or making it personal. I just mean, like, I'm 100% good with the other two running in second. I'm good with how that class placed, even though I ran him down to fourth or fifth because I didn't think he was stout enough in a Marcus show. But I still stand behind the panel 110% because that's what I signed on to do and judge it as three people cumulative together and be okay to support it. So, I mean, that's kind of my thoughts. I ran the one that was third, second. His step wasn't good enough. I thought he looked like a real good calf with tons of muscle, tons of presence. I accepted his structure and that's kind of how I sorted class one for sure.

A (9:07)

And that's what's cool, is that we get to see how all three y' all place them. Bloomberg, you had that second place calf first. You're pretty high on him and obviously real nice calf. So what did you think of it?

D (9:17)

You know, I. In a lightweight class, I thought I said all their muscle was acceptable and I used his build doesn't. That's just what I did. Probably looking back I probably would have swapped it. I just, I got a bad glimpse of that gray calf once and I marked my card and turned it in. But I thought they were both really close and I could see some differences. You know, you get the lightweight cattle like that that probably aren't at a marketable weight or finish standpoint. I think you can get very subjective on maybe where you want to nitpick a thing or two. So I actually thought that was one of the tougher classes we had all day long just from the standpoint of trying to piece it together.

A (9:53)

Well then in class two, Mr. Murphy, you obviously talked it and first was that white calf and obviously you pointed out his presence, balance was phenomenal, mentioned that he was kind of weird in his step every now and then, but just a shot more true in his shape, better in his flank line, could shorten up his muzzle. And then second was the black calf. Not as genuine terms of out of the backside of his shoulder didn't open up as much but great footed. His hawk wasn't necessarily 100%. Then obviously third was another white calf. He was a little frailer. Wish you could stouten him up and still not had the right kinds of pieces and such in terms of his look. What all did y' all think about that class? Because there was some sort and trade between first and second and third. Well Murphy, you can go ahead and start if you'd like. Since you talked it.

C (10:39)

Yeah, I think a lot. Just you pretty well summed it up and the way I described them and I thought that white cap was really nice. I thought that was a really, really good class winner in terms of one that just probably. I thought that that pair was as they were both very, very high quality and to fit me I thought the white one did that real good and was a logical class winner in terms of just his extension, his look and, and length of hip and, and balance and. And you know I'm a, I'm a big proponent and I'm not saying it's right, it's just me to not single trade them. So you know you, you combine all the, all the positives and I think that one was very, very high quality. And you know there again the black one was very, very nice as well. A little more moderate, awesome hip and rear leg on the stand there again, you know they're going to be a little more moderate and a little lower to the ground. They need to be for me really, really good right in the center of their body. And I thought that One got a little flatter and that's kind of what sorted the pair for me. But that was a, that was a very good class. Class one and two started off really good in, in terms of comparatively to last year as well. I thought those classes were a lot deeper up on the front end for sure.

A (11:54)

For sure. Kendall, Blake, any thoughts?

D (11:57)

I would echo what Murph said. I thought that white one was, you know, he was a really proportional, practical, muscular. I like that calf. And honestly, the second place calf I thought was a very easy second in that class. I thought both those, I thought those cattle kind of sorted themselves. They were a little different in type and kind, but I thought from a market fundamental perspective, they were the two that provided ample finish and enough muscle, you know, for their carcass weight. I thought two very good steers in.

B (12:23)

That class I would agree. And I thought it was a, I switched the top pair. I thought it was clearly a two pair class up on top. And just like Murphy described him, I thought I saw him the exact same way and leaned a little bit more towards the black steer structure and switched it. But I think, I believe I was the referee on that class. So my vote I guess didn't count for that top pair, which was totally fine. Like we said. I think that's the neat thing about having a three person panel judge system with two other people that you trust because I think we describe them, all three of us describe them the exact same way. It just depends on how you want to lie your priorities.

A (12:59)

Well, in class three, Bloomberg, you talked this one and you said the top pair had some give and take. And then your first place was you had a top pair of solid black ones. And the third was the Brockle face. But the first place was high tying, good looking, unique front one third. A stoutness of feature was all well said. He could be a little more mobile when asked to lead than your second place, that young lady that showed us from Texas and always has some real nice high quality ones, but was better in the shape to his foot and better moving but ran downhill. Not much spread, not as much spread up high. That third place was the Brockle had spread up high. Nice look from the side when put together, but just narrower tracking and narrower made. In terms of that class, y' all had a, a little bit of give and take there in between the top three. So obviously Bloomberg, you talked that one and you can go ahead and take it over from here. But what were y thoughts on that class? I thought it was real high quality.

D (13:49)

Yeah, that Was a good class and that's where I thought we kind of had to draw a line in the sand for the first time. I thought, you know, you had that really good looking one standing still. That, I mean was just a knockout from the side and you had a lot of muscle. Then you had a real practical calf in second. Good hip and hind leg, better feet, ran downhill and was a little plain. Just simply for me in that class I just, I used this kind of showier looking steer. You know, again he, he didn't move perfect, but I thought it was sure acceptable. I thought you, Murph got talked about single trait and I thought you just had to give up too many extras in that steer that won that class to use the steer in second. So yeah, there was, it was, that was a good class. Again, a tougher class just to put together just because we had, I thought in those first three or four classes there was just a little more variation in type and kind. And then I thought as we got to the middle cuts and some of these classes, it started to piece together a little better from a. Just a weight and a standpoint for sure.

A (14:47)

Ms. Kendall, what about you?

B (14:48)

Yeah, I would totally agree. I thought like Blake said, as we worked up into these weight classes, they pieced together a little bit better. And that class winner was maybe one of the really just better looking steers that we saw all day that still had some muscle. I thought that the top pair especially he was better in his chest and his lower shoulder and just looked a little bit fresher. But yeah, I, I thought this class was, was really, really good.

A (15:12)

Absolutely. Mr. Murphy, you had that, that steer that you had placed first, Kendall and, and Mr. Bloomberg had it down the ways between fourth and fifth. What'd you like about that calf that you had started so much believe in that class?

C (15:26)

It was a gold one and I, I just, he was, in my mind he was the best handling one in that class. He was real square and broad backed and I thought condition wise and composition was really good. He was probably a bad analogy. Probably more of a slick shearing project looking project and one with hair I guess in my mind. And I just like that one's market animal shape and his look and his squareness there again there's some, there's some differences and some trade offs and I'm 100% good with the difference of opinion. It's just kind of how they hit you and where you want to, like Blake said, where you need to draw the line in the sand and it just goes to show you that those classes were deep. And the one that wins, the one that ultimately wins, I'm behind him 100% for his look and his bone. All that was good. I just like that gold calf that ran down a ways. He needed a shot of bone, but underlying up, very good in his market animal shape, his head shape, his look was good. I didn't, I didn't mind that calf at all. And that's the cool thing about it. But when we get done, we line it up this way. I'm behind it 100%.

A (16:39)

Well then in class four, Kendall, you talk this class and there was a top pair of golds and you pointed out that there was some switches and was look at the panel between the, the four calves of the top four. There was definitely some switches around, but it was majority all of the same four calves. So I guess that goes to show just how deep that top four or five was. But first was just a real dense, stout footed creature that was overwhelming in terms of his mass and shape, is what y' all said. And in motion, he was a little tighter out of his rear skeleton. Second, he reached and moved a little better when he was asked to lead. His neck tied in a little better, but he was a little flatter out of his stifle and flatter in his pin set from behind. But probably one of the bigger back steers that y' all had seen so far is what was said on the mic. And then third was a smoky calf that you'd pointed out was real genuine and shape up high, but you could strengthen his foot size and shape. Just needed to get out and go better. So Kendall, you talked that class. What did you think specifically how it went? And then we can go with how the other guys had thought about the class.

B (17:35)

Yeah, absolutely. This class actually showed me the power of the panel in this class. And my class winner that I had, I think went maybe fifth or sixth. And so this class in particular for me, I thought that it was hard, very hard to piece together and not taken away from the quality. I thought that the cattle were very, very good, just very different. And like Murphy just said, you know, I, I busted the class from the official, but I'm totally okay with it because everything that I saw in those cattle that were 1 and 2, 3, 4, I totally see their positives. It's just depended on how I kind of prioritized it. I do think that the steer that won though, he looked, I'm not sure the weight break in that class, but I thought he looked Bigger than what he was. I mean, he was just bulky and dense and chunky and stout and big legged, you know, like you said, maybe needed to move just a little bit better. And that's maybe where I got a little too critical on the steer. But man, he was stout and that second one, I mean, he balanced so good and his structure was a little bit better, maybe a little bit flatter in his body shape and his lower hip, but man, he, he was so good from the side. I thought, I, I genuinely thought out of the past two years, this class, I'll think about this class for a long time because I, I had some, some true challenge on just piecing together really those top six steers. But ultimately we landed on a very good placing, I thought, and just describing the details and the differences, I thought.

C (19:04)

It was good for sure.

A (19:06)

Bloomberg, what'd you think?

D (19:09)

Yeah, the steer that I started actually ended up fourth and you know, he was a good looking rascal. That was sound. You had to ask yourself, was he just quite punchy enough? And so we had probably as much spread on the top end of this class as I think we'd had all, really all day. And I just thought it was one of those classes again that provided some common ground, but also again, where you wanted to set some priorities. And you know, I wasn't surprised when the cards came in on that particular grouping that there was a little scatter. And honestly, I think that is the beauty of it. If we all saw them exactly the same, there wouldn't be a need for the three panel system. But I thought classes like this is where it did its justification. You know, like the steer that Kendall started ended up, like she said, down. The steer I started ended up in fourth. So I thought there was as much give and take in this class. And you know, you could nitpick on this, but would you accept this kind of judging as we had all day?

A (20:03)

Well, then in class five, Murphy, we talked this class and the little Lautner girl, she, she had won this class, had that gold steer, big body, big feet and legs that moved right. Attractive enough, you said. He hawked in quite a bit from behind. It was a little lower tying. And then the second place was a solid black calf you said was real genuine, good looking, had balance, was a shot, narrow underneath. And then third was another silver calf, huge feet and legs. His neck sec, his neck set was better motored with comfort, just need to be pried open more and needed more center cavity, but was arguably the best in terms of his hind leg. When he was asked to. When he was asked to lead. So talk to me about how you saw that class because there was some give and take there. And so let me. What were your thoughts? And then we can get the other twos.

C (20:47)

Absolutely. I started with one that ultimately goes third and, and, and hey there again, it was all good. I just thought that Cap, his presence and just his sheer stoutness as, as both of them talked about earlier, you know, to reiterate that that carpet was, was. You could see everything. He had big rat, nice round feet, huge legs, very, very big parts and pieces. I thought his mobility was still good. He got a little flatter right in the center of him. I started with that calf. Then the black calf was second. I think we just flipped one and three. I did with. With the other two. Like I said, you covered what I thought of the gold one. That was exactly right. I thought these classes, as Blake said, four or five kind of right in through there. It's kind of a little awkward situation as those cattle are maybe bad analogy maybe, but a little more teenage looking. They're kind of not still on. I mean they're kind of right in the middle. So there's a lot of differences in terms of composition, in terms of size, in terms of maturity and, and so a lot of that just comes down to. So once again, how you prioritize it and where you want to land. But I bought in on the silver ones. Just his look, his head shape is just how stout featured he was and that's what I did there. But all three of those top three very, very high quality animals.

A (22:19)

Absolutely. Kendall, what were your thoughts?

B (22:22)

Yeah, I, I totally agree. I thought you described the gold one correctly. I thought he was really stout, really powerful, beautiful colored, beautiful presentation. Maybe structure wasn't quite there. And that second one, the one that ended up second, I guess was really just practical. Like that was a. No, no holds kind of a steer. Maybe didn't have the wow factor as the gold one. Maybe not quite as much muscle, but really just a good sound big body, had plenty to him. Just didn't. Didn't hit us maybe quite as hard from the side. But again, like, like Murphy just said, he's 100% right. And through these kind of, you know, three, four, five all the way, maybe up to six. Those classes, it's, it's a little bit more challenging to judge. I would totally agree with that statement. Just because they're not quite to fight and weight yet, but they're not real little either. I mean they're Kind of right in there. So it was.

A (23:16)

Blake, what were your thoughts?

D (23:17)

Yeah, I think they covered it good. I mean, that orange calf, I liked him. I thought he was opened up. He was. Had some width, had some dimension. And then we had a really just. I thought Kendall described that black one. He was just very, very solid. The one that was second probably didn't have. Didn't wow you in any one area, but was hard to pick a hole in. I could tell we were about to make the turn in that class. You could kind of start to see some consistency in the cattle. And we were starting to get up into the fighting weights and then. And then that next class came in.

A (23:46)

Yeah, for sure. Well, speaking of the next class. Go ahead. Yes, sir.

C (23:50)

Real, real quick on that. Kendall brings up a good point in that conversation, and I know it sounds crazy, but every venue's got their perks. And. And that class was a good analogy of that. Those gold ones and those black ones in that lighting look really, really good. Those light silver ones, you really. I mean, those. Those lighter colored silvers. There was a handful of those throughout the day. Hey, there was some. That light was a little more unforgiving on those color cattle, if that makes sense in terms of just. It showed some faults, maybe a little different than. Than the gold and the black ones. So I thought that was a good point. Kendall touched on, and I wanted to. I wanted to elaborate on it.

A (24:32)

For sure. Yeah. And you mentioned that before we continue, Blake had said something about that in one of the classes just what? Didn't have the right color pattern. So is that what you meant, Blake, by just the silver and it was on a silver one actually just didn't hit the lighting. Right.

D (24:44)

Yeah. It's actually this class we're getting ready to talk about.

A (24:47)

Yes, sir. For sure. Well, then let's talk about it, because you talked it and the first place was a silver steer, and you said his shape, look, and balance was all real good. And he had an advantage in terms of his set to his hind leg and how he utilized it. Again, just wasn't blessed with the right color pattern. The second place was a gold one. He was better about his four ribbon heart, ankle up. He was class winner in terms of spread, dimension, and mass. He just didn't use his rear leg as well.

D (25:11)

I thought this was the class. I mean, when they walked in, I thought to myself, now we got ourselves a steer show. Not to take anything away from the other five that we judge. I just felt like this pair of steers come in and it kind of perked me up a little bit and I thought both of them were excellent. But the steer that we ended up, that ends up on the panel winning the class, he kind of had a mousy color to him, kind of a dark smoke. And honestly, in that lighting, he just didn't. His color pattern, for lack of a better term, it kind of sucked right out there. He just didn't have that. Like this gold steer that was in second. I just thought he popped in the lighting and I thought this was an incredibly good pair of cattle. And I thought both of them were very, very good for different reasons. They weren't exactly the same. One was maybe a tick more mobile and he's pastern and had a unique look from the side. And the other one was a, was a carcass oriented, busted open, husky, stout. I mean this, I thought this pair here is a pair that stuck with me kind of all day long just because I thought both of them. I'm not sure that the second place calf in this class wasn't the best handling steer that I put my hands on in 15 glasses for sure.

A (26:21)

Well, then you pointed out as well, just as soon as that third place hit the ring, you were like, it's nighty night, it's over. You liked him a lot when he was in motion. Just when stopped, he got a little PC weaker in his top. And of the initial three didn't have quite the freshness and touch and tone. But with that said, what did you other two, Mr. Murphy and Kendall, think as well?

C (26:41)

I thought that I was a lot like Blake and Kendall is, I mean, not to speak for, but from what we talked about that day, not today, but just like Blake said, you know, I'm a big proponent that I think it's so hard to make very, very good livestock, whether you're breeding them, whether you're feeding them, whether you're, you're buying them or presenting them anywhere along the line. To make them high end is very, very hard and, and I'm a huge proponent just to myself to not single trade them. You know, as you talk about that pair on the top end, I thought the gold one, there's no question, there's no elephant in the room. He had a bad, he had a bad set of mainly his back left one was, was not as mobile as it needed to be. I thought after that and maybe a little bit of how high he could elevate compared to the silver one. In my opinion. I thought he was better in every other area in terms of Just stoutness up high, rib cage, body balance. And as Blake said, there was three cattle I thought that I handled throughout the day that were way above the rest. And he would have been in that group. Absolutely incredible. When you got your hands on him, you bet he, you know, so you, you have to make that call within yourself and be true to your heart and true to who you are. And that's how I sorted that top pair. And. And we'd be remiss if we didn't include that black and white one because that thing was so close to being way, way, way good. And like Blake said, when. When those things moved, it was flat out a dog fight because they all had their trade offs when they parked. The black and white one didn't hold himself together quite as good as, but his pieces were very, very big. That was a very, very good class.

A (28:32)

Awesome. What'd you think?

B (28:35)

Yeah, I would totally agree. I actually remember when these steers walked in, Blake looked back at me and he was like, buckle up, boys. And my heart started racing a little bit faster because I knew this class was good. The minute they walked, they all got in. But I agree with everything they said. I think that gray one that won a class, when he stopped and parked, he was maybe one of the better looking steers in my opinion. We saw all day when he got his ears forward and that young lady got him stuck. I mean, he grabbed your attention so quick, it wasn't even funny. Regardless of what color he was. I mean, if I, if I envision that steer as black, I mean, he'd be even quicker. So I do think his color maybe hurt him a little bit, but I thought he was a little sounder, structured. Still had plenty to him. But yeah, I, I thought that orange steer was probably one of the best handling steers I've ever got to handle before. But yeah, just. Just needed to be a little bit sound or that class and that black and white one was so close to just being incredible. So that class was very, very good.

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For more information about Reed Vessel Ranches, including their private treaty, cattle sires, donors and upcoming sales, visit their website@reedveselranches.com well then in class 7 Kendall you talked it. There was a silver calf that won that class that I can't stop thinking about and the reason I say that he was dressed to a T. Huge hip, huge rib cage, huge footed and still mobile, stout out of his pin set, lower quarter and so well balanced. That's what your words were Kendall on the mic. Second was a solid black steer that was more aggressive in his shape, really fresh, big hipped and still neat about the way his chest sat in him and neck placement it was just not as comfortable when asked to lead. Third was a solid black calf as well, shoulders back as good as any robust stout shape up high was there just a little more mature about the shape to his Head and neck just not as balanced from the profile. And then of Yalls three, there was a little trade off. Kendall, Murphy, y' all were pretty much the same first through third. Blake, you were a little different compared to them. That's the dynamic. Kendall, go ahead and talk to me about what you saw and then you other two can describe as well.

B (33:07)

Yeah, I. That silver steer, he was so good at the ground, Big footed, sound structured, big limbed, and just looked like a, like a fat steer, I guess should from the side about his head, his neck, his chest, I got a little critical on him. I still started him, but. But I think he needed a little bit more from behind just in terms of pin set and lower quarter. But I think everything else, like, like Murphy said, I don't want to single trade him. Everything else in that steer was so hard to make and he just, he hit me hard. And then the little girls black steer in second, he handled incredibly good too. Honestly, if we could combine those two steers, we might be getting pretty close to a perfect one because his hip and his just muscle shape and aggression everywhere was so, so good. He maybe got, you know, a little shorter hip, a little more tied up in motion. And then that third place steer, I mean, he was no slouch, shoulders back, probably as good as any. Just showed a little bit more maturity from his shoulder forward. So I thought that class was very, very good, for sure.

A (34:10)

Absolutely. Murphy, what'd you think?

C (34:12)

I felt the same. Kendall kind of nailed it. If you could combine those two, because they couldn't be any more opposite, first and second, what ultimately ended up to be first and second in that class couldn't be any more opposite in terms of, of that. And, and we'll talk about it here in a bit as we go through. Like, yes, not to, not to simplify it too much, but use the context clues a little bit. There was a lot of frame, a lot of different, a lot of size difference in those cattle in terms of when they stood side by side. And even the silver one in the lineup at the end of the night, where he parked in that, in terms of the line of cattle and, and not at all to take anything away from him. You're 100% right. His look was incredible. His, his runners, his big feet, big bones. I mean, presented to the nines, all that was incredible. He looked like he needed to go down about four classes or didn't fit until you got your hands on him. And then you could see why the little black one and him were in the same Class because like Kendall said, that black one was really dense, really muscular. I mean, really shapely, very, very good. I mean, handling. So. So there again, just tons of differences within them. There was times that silver one, I had questions with him too, like Kendall did. I thought his head and the shape to it got a little long. I didn't know if it proportioned and fit, just the shape out of his shoulder and his body shape. But at the end of the day, I still thought he was the one in that class that had the most positives to suit me, and that's why I placed him.

A (35:46)

Bloomberg, what'd you think?

D (35:48)

Yeah, I actually started a steer that ends up, I think, fourth in that class, which is totally good. I said he had just enough muscle. I thought he patterned up with the silver steer again. That silver steer, I thought looked better in the Grand Drive than he did in his class. He was fuller, you know, again, I wasn't sure he had quite enough muscle in the end, but I did like that calf, and I was probably a tick hard on him. In his class, the second place steer and that group was really a moderate, stably sized calf that was just chuck full of muscle again. Like, I don't know which one of them said, or maybe both of you could have combined those two. Take the positives from each. You put the muscle on the second place steer on the first place calf build, and then I think we're right where we need to be. But I thought that class was one of the more challenging ones for me as far as putting it together in terms of just different types and kinds and thinking, hey, do you want to grab this? Do you want to do that? And again, you know, we. We were a little scattered on that class, which is totally fine. But I like our endpoint placing. Even though I took a simple bus, I did like our endpoint placing because I thought that our checks and balances system really worked here.

A (36:54)

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Well, then in class eight, this is. This is one of the hammer classes as what I would describe. And Murphy, you talked it, and all three of y' all put this calf first. Obviously, he ended up winning the show, but y' all all had him started and you said, hey, he's not the most elevated, but he' most genuine market animal that you'd probably seen so far in terms of his shape dimension, the size and shape to his feet. His hawk worked really, really good. Not the wildest looking. Didn't have the wild factor, but you said from his withers to his tail, it all worked. And was put together right. Second place was obviously the young callous boy. Dense made and big footed and had lots of. Lots of substance to him. Just needed to open up at his fore rib.

C (37:39)

Just a couple kind of clear up a minute. I think when I talked that class I said I'm not for sure if we got a show winner. I'm not saying we got one or we don't. But that class was incredible top to bottom in terms of just good market animals that kids had done an awesome job presenting. And you all the way to the end. And there wasn't one that didn't fit, if that makes sense. So. And then on. On our second place calf to correct that, I believe both. I think I had that one down the line and the other two had him up. I had. I had the one that in second and fifth because of his body shape and his fore rib. I think the other two had him second and third. So to get into the cattle. Yeah, exactly the way I talk. The one that wins is exactly the way he was. You know. And I guess you think back on that and that calf looked like, you know, and not something. A lot of things go through your mind when you get out there or my mind anyway. I don't want to speak for anybody else but the, the initial read on that calf. He's got little white boots and you. When you look way down across the ring, I thought boy, is that one stout enough. I really like him. And, and, and he came around there. And my next initial thought was this one here looks like he's th clean. Because if he had hair like the other cattle had on him, hey, this thing would be incredible. Because I thought just his genuine quality with the chest right out of his blade. Body shape, hip, rear leg posture. The way that thing was square coming and going. Maybe it's a bad analogy. I thought that thing looked like an absolute incredible market animal. Yeah. From the stands, from the outside maybe people question is his extreme pieces. But I think sometimes it's okay to just be so genuinely good. And that's where that one suited me. Really, really good. I thought that was a. That was a good calf in my mind. And I guess too while we're on it, I'll just touch on it a minute because we talked about the silver one. You know, I thought where that calf was so good was that he. And we talked about the silver one maybe looking a little big for the class he was in. And this one probably looked a little small and immature in the class he was in. And you Just thought that until you grabbed a hold of his back, until you grabbed a hold of him and just felt how dense he was. And I guess that was a strong suit for me, that he could be that weight, compositionally that correct with that much horsepower and still be immature. I think we've gotten to a place where, you know, probably isn't the most popular thing to say, but everybody started using woofy as a, as a descriptive term. And it's like I asked the boys and my kids all the time, is that truly a quality trait or is that a maturity trait? And not to be long winded, I thought that one there could do what he did in the right kind of maturity in a fresh look. And that's why that one suited me so good in that class, the one that was second. I just could never get him to proportion. I couldn't get his deeper neck, his stouter head to ever match his fore rib or his rib cage. He had great big paws, he had great big legs, big nice hip in him. I just could never get it all to fit. And I guess I've always just been one that if we're going to make them just a little deeper, thicker planer up front. I'm not saying they got to be deepest thing in the world, but I just, I thought that one needed to have way more round body shape and more just true shape to make all that fit. But once again, I was 110% good with, with the panel and how that lined up didn't bother me one bit that that's how we landed because I thought that class was very, very, very good for sure.

A (41:31)

Blake, what was your thoughts?

D (41:33)

Yeah, I agree with Murph. This was one of the better classes we had, I thought as far as depth when they, when they made that first circle. To me, the white footed calf was an easy winner in that class. He was just, you know, for lack of a better term, he was just no holes and complete. And as you started comparing him, there was just nothing to beat him in there. Just from the standpoint of you couldn't pick a major hole in him. And I ended up with the steer that ends up second in second on my card just because I liked his flexibility, I liked his foot quality. He looked to me like they were up against it as far as weight. So I gave him the benefit of the doubt. He wasn't as full up high. I thought he still handled fine, but he probably wasn't as full. So I actually thought that calf came back in the grand drive and looked Even better. Looked like he took a big drink of water and ate some feed. And you know, I thought he looked even better in the grand drive, the second place steer. So I just thought that was an incredibly good class. I probably passed the winner. I probably thought more in that class as far as second through sixth or seventh, than maybe any class we had all day.

A (42:32)

Yes, sir, for sure. Kendall, how about you?

B (42:35)

I thought the exact same things that both these guys said. I thought the winner won pretty handily. And then from that point, I actually the one that I ended up putting second was maybe one of my personal favorites is just standing still, just an absolute freak show, but just maybe didn't move quite good enough. And the one that ended up second, I had third. And like Blake said, or I think Murphy said, he looked a little gant in class but came back really, really good in the grand drive. And I think they were maybe I asked the. The young man, he was fighting weight a little bit, so he. He came back to the drive looking really good. That class, I mean it from a judge's perspective. I don't know if anyone really talks about this, but it pains you to put that good of cattle in sixth or seventh because leaving your house, whatever calf was six in this class, I'm sure they thought they had a really good shot at winning the show. That's how good this class was. And it pains you to put that good a cattle down there. But you had to in this particular class and really a couple other classes too. It was that good. And I'll definitely be thinking about this class for a long time. Time.

A (43:34)

Well, then in class nine, Blake, you obviously talk so you can take it over once we get done. But you mentioned that it was a tough class. In the first place was a solid black calf that was really, really stout, dense footed and big hipped, moved like a cat, square, even toed and had incredible shape. And you said he could have been better about the way his flank sat in him. And then second was a solid black calf. Said just not as square built from behind and still comes shapely, but came in a little bit at his knee.

C (44:03)

And hawk.

A (44:04)

Third place was a solid black calf. His presence, the way he used his neck and was attractive from profile was real good and was proportional. Just not as good as the out of the backside of his shoulder. Not as aggressive in his shape. And then in terms of on the panel, I mean, y', all, Blake and Kendall had the calf winning. That ended up winning. And then Murphy, you had him second. And there was a Little bit of differences from second, I guess, down to third or fourth. But Blake, if you want to take that over and then we can get the other two's opinion.

D (44:33)

Yeah, top five in this class were all really good. We got them sorted off and then, you know, I looked at them probably as long as I did any class on the five. I think I said about this calf that wins the class, I bet his mom said ouch when he was born because he was, he was another one of them cattle that in terms of handling quality, I thought was one of the most exceptional steers that we had all day long. Just the way he was made out of the backside of his shoulder. His upper skeleton was incredible from his, from the top of his shoulder to his hook bone. I thought that calf was as chuck full of meat and muscle as any of them. And then to move like he did I thought was pretty incredible to have that much stoutness. He looked to me in the, in that class like he just needed a little lower body, like he just needed a big drink of water. And I thought that was better. When he came back in the Grand Drive. The second place steer for me just ended up being a little bolder, sprung kind of a calf, a little more ribbed. We had an incredible looking one in third that had as much presence and extension and elevation as any cattle that we saw all day. I didn't think he was maybe quite as fresh to the touch out of the backside of his shoulder, but I thought those three, those were three of the best 10 or 15 steers in the whole show in that class, I thought. And so, and there was a steer in four and five that were still very, very high quality. It just had a couple things that you could get nitpicky on for sure.

A (45:55)

Kendall, what would you think?

B (45:57)

I totally agree. I thought the winner of this class, I mean, probably the biggest time, leg and feet that still work correctly that I've seen in a steer, handled very good, just like Blake said, maybe needed a little more flank line, just a big drink of water to maybe make everything balance. And he definitely came back to the drive with that. And then, yeah, the second place, I think I ended up putting these deers first and second. But I thought he had maybe as far reaching pieces, I guess from a breeder's perspective as any steer in the show. Long, long neck, good headed, big backed, big hip, big bodied, just a little out there in terms of his skeleton, especially up front, but maybe as far reaching pieces of a steer from just a breeding perspective as anything but Again, this class, like Blake said, I think all the way down the lineup there, there was very, very good cattle for sure.

A (46:50)

And Murphy, you'd started a calf that ended up fourth. What did you get so high on that one? I mean, obviously class.

C (46:56)

Yeah, that class was very, very good. And, and just to reiterate, I mean, kind of what they said about our class winner, we talked about it. On the calf that was second in the last class, I'm fairly big on proportions and everything making sense and you know, hey, that's where I questioned that one in that class just a little. He had a little more. His depth of neck was a little, a little deeper. And the one that ultimately wins our class. His bone and his feet were like Kendall said, absolutely incredible. Really, really square coming and going. Awesome. Down his top line and link the hip black bike stat. His upper skeleton was incredible for where you needed to fix him a little bit in that class setting. In his lower body, he was better than that than you would ever think up on the top side of his skeleton. So I thought it was really, really close in my mind on that pair. I was the only one that did. And once again, hey, I'm cool with it. But the one I started, I just. He just made more sense to me in terms of he wasn't as heavy balled. He just proportioned and fit just a shot better. I thought when you bear down on like composition combined, he was the other one in that class that, that opened real good right out of his blade and had enough right up over his withers and he was real sharp down his loin edge and his composition was good. I thought his rib cage was just a shot better than the one. And when we saw him at that time, I thought his rib cage was a shot better. I thought he just proportioned the shot better for me, even though he wasn't quite as heavy duty in his bone work. So that's the way I saw him. Like you said, I wicked what Blake said in the very beginning. I spent as much time on the, on the top five or six of these as any, any class that we had. And, and it was because they were that good. And then the one that ends up in second, Kendall nailed it. I mean far, far reaching pieces. I mean extreme in terms of his look up front and his presence. Both ends of that calf were incredible. I put him third. I couldn't get him to make sense to me in terms of from right in front of his blade and the way he was built up front and right up over his Withers and his fore rib in a class where we had two of them that were really, really good there, I thought that's how he ended up third to me. But that was a very, very good class. And, you know, maybe something that gets overlooked, hey, those top five, six showmen, not to that they were better than anybody else, hey, that class was easy to spend a lot of time on. Those cattle didn't circle much. They parked them, they were presented to the hilt, and you had to bear down and, and, and just figure out what suited you for who you were.

A (49:48)

Well, then in class 10, Kendall, you talked it. And to start off, first place was a real burly, opened up one that you called so sound. And you said it was really impressive for him to be that good and have that much mass up high and still move that well. And he matched everything he had up high down at the surface. And in second place was a white flank calf that you said it was great to the touch, awesome rib shape, huge pin set. Just need to make him bigger and stouter footed. And then third was one that you said was real aggressive in his shape. Huge hip, big, stifled, still good footed, just not as good from the side. Probably a rib long and higher flanked. And then on the panel, Kendall and Merck, I mean, all of y' all had started that one that won. And he was honestly probably personally me one that was definitely up there in the top five of the show. But then from second down on, y' all had a little bit of differences. Talk to me. How about how that went, Kendall, and then we can talk to the other two.

B (50:43)

Yeah, I would say another heater of a class. And I would totally agree with this class winner being top five steer of the show for me personally. And I thought in this class, I think all three of us thought that he kind of stood out pretty comfortably as a class winner. Big legged, sound structured, had some muscle. Still, you know, I cannot remember what the weight class was here, but I thought for a heavier weight series, still handled plenty good up high. I think I mentioned it maybe showed just a tad of maturity about his head and the crest of his neck and through his chest. But I didn't think that it was a huge issue at all, especially to win this class. Everything balanced, extremely good. Young lady showed him incredibly well. And then the second, I really, I don't want to take anything away from second down because these were very good cattle in this class. And this one, honestly could have been a little fresher. I think he was a little fresher bodied than Our class winner, he was awesome. And the turn he had to his center body, he was stout, he was powerful, had a little more chest, little more, a little frailer at the ground in terms of bone and feature and really just didn't maybe hit us quite as hard as that class leader standing there in motion. And then, yeah, that third place steer, stout, powerful, just ran into a really, really tough class and just got out classed a little bit from the side. But I thought this class, you know, it's, it's, I think I said this on the mic, but it's impressive to me how these people are getting these steers so big and still look so good from the side and still remain some, you know, fresh cattle in terms of structure and handle quality and body shape and yeah, a very, very good class. Really this class, I think classes six through 10, maybe. I mean, it was when we got to this point, I was thinking pretty hard about the grand drive and how they were all going to come back because this, they just kept coming to us. The quality was so, so good.

A (52:35)

Absolutely. Murphy, what'd you think?

C (52:38)

I thought the same. I, I, I thought, I thought this class, once again our class winner, undeniable in this class, I thought, and maybe not being as descriptive as I could be, I thought for as good as the classes 2 prior to this were in terms of the quality up on the front end, like being really, really close, I thought in this particular setting, I thought we had our class winner. And then I thought there was a whole bunch of them that log jammed and you could do a lot of different things with in this particular grouping, I thought, and not to take anything away from it, I thought they were like Kendall said, really good market weight, kind of cattle that were well cared for, very capably fed and shown. I just thought the differences came, they were a lot easier to kind of dive into and figure out that we had a, a little more of a defining gap between first and second and second to fifth was kind of jammed together in my mind. That's the way I saw that class because I, I ran a couple gold ones up, second and third, that, you know, that, that ended up probably fourth or fifth in this class. I thought you could have done about anything you wanted. Two through five, I thought our class winner, very, very good. Kendall nailed him in this particular class. When we saw him, she, she nailed him exactly like you thought. And once again, to reiterate that, very well cared for, very well presented, young lady, showed the wheels off of him and he was definitely in the front end. Of the show right up there bearing down on all of it. So it's good. Good class winner, very solid class with lots of differences in it, I thought.

A (54:25)

Blake, what was your thoughts?

D (54:27)

Yeah, for me, the steer that, that won the class, he hit me like a ton of bricks and probably was, just to be candid, my favorite steer of the show. And you know, we can talk about that later, how things broke out, but just in terms of as they come through class, he probably was the most memorable one to me. I thought he won his class very easy. Liked a lot of things about him. And then I, you know, like Murph said, even though he thought there was a little, I thought the second place steer was a real solid second, but was a quite a distance to the calf that wins the class. But it was a strong class all the way through. I mean, they summed it up well. The steer that wins the class, though, I was, I was really high on and hit me very hard.

A (55:06)

Well, in class 11, Murphy, you talked this one, you said it was a close top and the cap that wins it. Probably one of my more favorites as well. And you said he's more collected in his top line, hinged better off either ends, better balanced in motion, but he could open up more out of the backside of his shoulder. And then second was a denser, stouter made calf that you said just had huge paws. His toast bread was awesome, but he's just not cooperating well with the showman and had more cresta and more chest. Calf that was third was a gold calf and he was square up high, huge pin set shot flatter about his rib cage and frailer footed and ankled. And. And when asked to go, that's why he went third. But talk to me about what your thoughts were on that class, Mr. Murphy.

C (55:50)

I think that particular class, we all had the top three the same. I think that class came was a little bit like the one right prior to it, you know, as we started going up the ladder, when they started assembling, fairly easy, I thought. Or easier. None of it was easy, but easier. Yeah, class winner was good and very, very good calf. And just me from. From my thoughts and what goes through my head and I may be completely off, but once again, I'm a little bit like, Blake will be real candid and. And that's the way it'll be. But that calf looked like if that show was 45 days sooner, hey, that calf would have been really, really in the mix. He looked like he had a little more length of body. He Was a little more elevated. He looked like what I thought in my head to myself, he had to win the class. Very, very high quality. He looked like one with that extra length and that extra elevation. From my experience as a feeding him, you're feeding him along to where he looks good. And then we weigh him about 45 days ago and we think, oh man, we're getting heavy. And then we kind of drew back and. And I thought that's the way the calf handled when you got into it. His look was incredible. Feet and legs were good. He just looked like maybe we were, you know, with his extra length of body, he maybe had to get slown up a little bit instead of fed to the show because his quality was incredible. Maybe didn't just come like fresh and fed right into the show like he was ready to, you know, like maybe our, our age, our time, whatever. And that was just what was going through my mind thinking about that calf throughout the rest of the day. Because like you, Weston, I loved his quality. I thought it was really good. The one that was second, very logical second place calf. I thought you summed it up what I said. Little bit of crest, little chest. He was wanting to tug on the young man and he wasn't collected in his top line and didn't hook up through his loin into his hip quite as good. But that was a very, very good pair to be first and second in that class. Both of them awesomely presented, very well cared for, very, very high quality cattle for sure.

A (58:00)

Mr. Bloomberg, what's your thoughts?

D (58:03)

Yeah, I thought Murph nailed it. I mean, I thought this was as easy of a class top three for me just in terms of lining up. I turned my card in pretty quickly. Not because I didn't study the cattle, but I thought we had a winner, a second and a third. The calf that wins this class is a knockout from the side. He was a little different type in terms of he had a little more elevation, a little more extension in frame and you know, whether you call that good, bad, I don't know that I'd say it is good or bad. I'm just talking the differences of the cattle. But he's a knockout from the side. And then the steer that was second I thought was a lot like him, just maybe not quite as couple a eccentric in his look didn't move maybe just quite with the flexibility of the cathedral one. But this was a good class. But I thought really just fit together pretty logically for me.

A (58:45)

Absolutely. Kendall, what are your thoughts?

B (58:47)

I think the exact Same. I thought this class leader was probably one of the better looking cattle and just skeleton wise was probably one of the top two or three in my opinion from the outside. And I did think he won the class fairly handily. And I think just as quickly as that happened, the one in second was in second just as quick, shoulders back. Very good, very good steer. Just not as fresh up high. I thought both the. Both Bloomberg and Murphy nailed it.

A (59:13)

Awesome. Well then in class 12, Blake, you. You talked this one. First and second were both solid black. First was had a lot of length, extension and presence and for that size and weight, you said he still had some genuine shape. Second was proportional and balanced and had look from the side, but was kind of patchy in terms of his finish. Hands on, just needed to be stouter at the surface. And then third, you'd said obviously was probably one of the stoutest features of the class. Just didn't balance as well from the side and needed to loosen him out of his hind leg. Between first and second, y' all had some differences. In third, y' all all had the calf the same. So go ahead, Blake, talk to me about what your thoughts were on the class and then we can get the other twos.

D (59:52)

Yeah, that's a good class winner. I thought just at this weight and maturity, he was a fresh handling, good bodied steer. I thought his texture of his handle was really good. He was athletic. I thought he just kind of was a no holes type of winner. For me personally, I know we had maybe just a little scatter there and a spot or two. I was maybe a little tough on the steer in second. I thought he was just a tick open about his. His rib and I probably worked him down maybe a little farther than I should have. I didn't think he was quite as genuinely stout at the ground and his foot and his bone as the calf that won the class. But I mean, I was really impressed for at this weight that we still had as much quality coming to us and we'll get to even some of these other classes. It was like that through the whole show. So I thought people did a really good job of getting cattle divided where they needed to look. Right from a weight standpoint, I thought this class was a testament to that. I thought those calves fit their weight well and their freshness was incredible for sure.

A (60:46)

Kendall, what were your thoughts?

B (60:47)

Yeah, I totally agree. As compared to last year, what Blake said is 100% correct, I think is we get into these heavyweights, it was truly impressive how good these cattle were. I Ended up switching the top pair from how the the class was placed. But I thought the steer that won was just really dense, really stout, really fresh. Still the one in second to me was maybe a little bit neater about his front end. Didn't. Wasn't blessed with quite as much hair but I still thought was pretty real about his muscle shape and just behind his shoulder. Maybe not quite as just dense everywhere as our class leader but I thought Blake described them correctly. It was. It was a little bit more challenging but I think again a very, very.

C (61:26)

Good class for sure.

A (61:28)

Murphy, what'd you think?

C (61:29)

For sure I was the same and our class winner in there. You know we've tried and all three of us at different times have tried to make sure because we mean it. Not to speak for the other two but just how well cared for and prepared those cattle were. A little bit like Blake said that one there, all his maturity indicators told you that thing was probably one of the more mature ones at the show. But like he was managed incredibly in terms of like when you got your hands on him and like just how he was compositionally a lot like what Blake said. Kendall, very, very dense. Still had a good look to him. Still very, very good balanced and just very well prepared for the show. When you looked at his maturity, his kind and maybe where we were at, I thought that was a good class winner. Thought the second one was very, very good quality. Cattle Lake was 100 on that. I think there was a big gap in terms of handle as I remember that pair. But I thought his quality and just his look and still being dense enough and being fresh, that one suited me to go ahead and be second. So that was a very, very good class, Very, very good all the way through that top end especially when we were getting to a big size.

A (62:50)

And then class 13 happens. Kendall, you talk it and you said first place hit you so hard from the side. He was sporty looking, fresh made, had plenty to him. And then second was a gray smoke. He was wide, he was stout and he loved his handle quality just wasn't as good in terms of his balance from the side. And then third was a light smoke. And you said over his top line he was had plenty of spread and he was stout but he came up in his flank and was a little more uncoordinated in his step. And in terms of Yalls decision on the panel it looked like there was a little bit of difference. Bloomberg, you started the same calf that Kendall did. Murphy, you had the calf that was first. It ended up Being second on both of their cards. So what was the differences between that and Kendall? You can start from there.

B (63:34)

Yeah, I felt the steer that won this class, I mean, he was really, really good built for a heavyweight steer. And I don't think he was the status. I think of the top three, he probably ranked third in muscle. But for me personally, I just asked myself what. I call him narrow. If he was just standing by himself, and I don't think I would. I think he still had enough to him, maybe a little bit of chest, but I again, for a heavy weight, I still think he had the presence, the look, and I thought in motion he was the best of the three. I would say two and three. Both those cattle were very, very stout. The one and two was real good handling for a heavyweight. Maybe didn't move quite as good, but I thought he balanced a little bit better, especially down low from his chest to flank in the 1 and 3. And then the 1 and 3 was a lighter colored silver steer that was really aggressive, really stout, really powerful, big hips. Maybe just didn't balance and piece things together standing still or in motion. But again, a very, very good class just depended on if you wanted to call the class winner the black steer. If he had enough muscle, he wins. And if you don't think he does, you could work him down. But again, just, just a really good class.

A (64:43)

Absolutely. Murphy, what was your thoughts? And then Blake, you can follow him a lot.

C (64:47)

The same. I think this class right here, like, like other decisions we, we've made prior to this and we have to make after this in terms of, of the timeline of the show. I, I think that's the cool thing about a panel. When you do that with people you respect and you appreciate because it's, it's just what fits you. And this class right here pretty well explains that. I guess in my mind, I'm kind of a handle kind of person. Want them a little stouter and a little square, and that's, that's what separated them for me. I ran our class winner down because I thought take his chest combined with his body shape and his muscularity, I didn't know if that suited me good enough. I used the one that handled better, that was square and had a shot more dense shape. Not that either any of us are right or wrong in that, in that placing. My point is when you get them of that quality with that much difference, then you can settle in and do what's true to you. And I think this class right here is a very good explanation of that for sure.

A (65:53)

Blake, what were your thoughts?

D (65:55)

Yeah, I think those guys nailed it. I mean, I don't want to beat a dead horse. I thought this class was was interesting. We were starting to turn the corner around for home and I thought they kept challenging us and this class was no different. So yeah, I just ended up deciding that Black would have enough muscle and used him, but you sure could have worked him down too. So I thought this was a really, really good class all the way through. Probably a little more indecision on the top end just because there was differences.

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A (68:58)

Well then class 14 Murphy talked it and there was definitely contrasting kinds between first and second. But the yellow one ended up winning it. You said that just one about four steps in and at his weight he was still balanced, good looking and fresh. He could open up better out of the backside of his shoulder or something. You pointed out second place was the Brockle face and he said his cut ability driven and up front. In terms of his neck set, he was real extended, just not as good in terms of his lower body balance. But muscularity is what kept him second. Third, there was a silver calf and his silhouette and his look from the side is what made him in contention for second. But when he was in motion, he was a little more closed up in about his rear skeleton just didn't move as well. So what were your thoughts?

C (69:44)

A lot like the last class, I mean exemplified where you put your priorities. Actually, the yellow one, this was a fun class. I think we all three had a lot of fun in this class. Like Blake just said, we were, we were kind of starting around for home and. And we were getting to that point and we could see light at the end of the tunnel. This particular yellow calf, we never any of us ever. Blake kind of did. He took it, I think it was. Blake took it, got his hands on him just a little bit. He was not wanting anybody to handle him.

D (70:15)

So.

C (70:15)

So Kendall and I never did get our hands. Never did get our hands on that calf. But very good balance, very good built, very good looking, feet and legs were good. And that girl, to have a calf in Denver that you've probably had for a long time, a long, long time and try as hard as she did and then him not really want to cooperate for us to handle. Her attitude through that was absolutely incredible. Like that was what I remember more than anything about that class was it would have been easy to get really upset and I mean she was smiling the whole time and proud of her project and it never knocked her off. And so that was a logical class winner. And you bet the bronco. Yeah, he was a Little upright up front and his lower body balance wasn't like we probably had been on that same path. But I just thought his density and in that particular class at that weight, his composition, his stoutness and cutability, that's why I went ahead and put him second.

A (71:17)

Well, Kendall, what were your thoughts?

B (71:18)

100% I agree with Murphy. I didn't want to take it away from that girl. You could tell she had worked so hard for with that orange steer and he worked great with her. But you could tell he's pretty wide eyed and didn't want anything to do with us. But you didn't have to handle that steer to know that he was fresh and handled really good in that class. And all three of us started him. You know, from that point on I think maybe Blake and I had a few switches but like, like we've all said we don't want to single trait steers and beat him for it. And I think that second place steer I was totally comfortable with once you got past his front end skeleton, I still think he handled pretty good and pretty fresh for a heavyweight and still had some hip and power and his hind leg worked good. Again a very good class. And it's impressive to get up in these weight classes really 13 through 15 and still look that good. And I think these kids did a great job at it for sure.

A (72:09)

Blake, what were your thoughts?

D (72:10)

Yeah, easy winner in here. Old yeller. He was, he was an easy winner even though he wanted to kick my teeth in. But. And then after that, you know, I like they said the steer that ends up second was very high credibility, wasn't blessed maybe with an overwhelmingly great hair coat. So probably looked maybe a little more naked some of his flaws out there. But he ended up second, third and third. So on our car. So end up kind of just being the default second. That was a good class there as we, we got towards the end.

A (72:36)

Well then in class 15, last class of the day. So I bet y' all are exhausted in Bloomberg. You talk it and all the way down to fifth, y' all had it exactly the same way. But I'd like to point out that first place in Class 15 threw me for a loop because a steer to be that heavy and still look that good is crazy. And I mean that was a heavy calf and he looked awesome. But and Blake, you pointed out, I guess they made you talk to last class being the heaviest weight one. But you said that he was big bodied, stout and good looking. Second place was fresh fruit square back, just not as good in Terms of his lower body balance, but was a comfortable second and then third was trim handling. I had look and balance from the side and still attractive. Just ran out of substance and mass. So Blake, take it over from there. We'll end out how the show went at the first part of the day and then get to the grand drive.

D (73:25)

Yeah, great class to end on. I thought an easy winner and an easy second. I thought the top five lined up really pretty routinely for me. I was refreshed to see that calf come in that won the class, you know, at that weight and stage of the game. They were in the weighing in the 16s and that calf was really good. That was a good second as well. Had had the first calf not been there, we'd have been real glad to have the second one in the class. So I thought there was five excellent steers and really all the way down, all 10 of them were fed well, cared for well, perhaps super heavyweights. You know, those were steers that still from an industry standpoint had some value. I was impressed with this class as we ended for sure.

A (74:03)

Kendall, your thoughts?

B (74:05)

Yes, totally agree. I thought that the steer that won, I'd hate to get stepped on by him. Not only because he weighs a lot, but his hind leg was enormous and it worked good. I thought he was sounder structured than the 1 and 2. The 1 and 2 might have been just a little bit better about his head, his neck and his chest. But maybe not quite as just dense and maybe not quite as sound structured or big legged as that class winner. But like Blake said, I thought for being that heavy, we were all impressed that those cattle were finished. They were good. Kind of just carcass oriented. Cat close out the day for sure.

A (74:38)

Murphy, how'd you feel in and out the class and the day?

C (74:40)

Absolutely the same. I was so glad that those two came in and not to take away from the rest because to just reiterate that that was a good class and kids that had hung around there all day and they brought big ones and they'd done a nice job preparing them for the show. That was all good. You know, I thought when we, when that calf walked in, I'll never forget it, I thought to myself, hey, we started with a good class winner in class one. We're going to end on one in 15. This was a very, very good show and those two there, they lined up like you said. We all kind of just. They fell together real quick and that was a very, very, very good way to end.

A (75:24)

Well then y' all got A little bit. A two hour break from what it sounded like between the end of judging all the classes in the grand drive. So y' all get a good meal. Blake, to get your Mountain Dew. Y' all be able to rest a little bit.

D (75:35)

I did. I got everything I needed.

A (75:37)

That's awesome.

C (75:38)

Awesome.

A (75:39)

Well, I'm driving back in the truck when the grand drive happens. I was mentioning this to Candle Kendall. I was helping a family. And the show comes on and you'll start giving your speeches. I've personally never been to Denver before, and I was watching it online and that. That hype video happened and I got the chills. And for them to. To do such an awesome job, the grand drive looked awesome and I was super pumped and excited for it. And then y' all got down to the speeches and. And Blake, you pointed out the differences of the three judge panel, of how it's, you know, cool to see all the differences and how y' all see the types and kinds and all of it being about a people business and everything in life is based around competition. In terms of your world, I think that was really, really neat. Kendall, you pointed out that you were pretty much speechless. I'd also tack onto that. I'd like to know why. And I'm sure you can explain briefly, but you said the cattle just keep getting better and better as time went on and you got to be able to come back and you got a little emotional as well. And I thought that was pretty neat. And I bet it meant a lot to you. I mean, then you pointed out, you know, Denver so back, and I loved the way that you described that. Murphy, you said it's okay to disagree. And you pointed out, you know, having different types and kinds between the three of y'.

C (76:47)

All.

A (76:47)

And I think that's why, you know, there's so much diversity in the industry when you get different judges at different shows and why people take different steers to different judges. I think that was really neat. And then your story about Jack, that was pretty interesting. I enjoyed that quite a bit in your perspective on it. But y' all run me through it. Kind of how it went. Yalls top five steers of the show, how y' all ended up picking them, and then we'll kind of end out this postgame. I thought this was awesome. I think the grand drive was phenomenal, and y' all did a really great job. And then, I mean, Ms. Murphy, if you want to start it, and then Kendall and Blake, y' all can go ahead.

C (77:18)

I think a lot of what you said Weston, it, you know, the first thing, you know, me personally, I never really had much judging experience, I guess. And you know, going up, it's just a little more feedlot driven or passionate driven or at home out of the feed truck. So there's going to be differences and I'm good with them. They don't bother me. And once again, we, we completely, you know, you sign on, you know the rules when you go in and, and you know you're going to do it with two other people and you hope they're two people you respect and, and you do that and, and it's kind of like being on a school board or, or a park board or anything. You may disagree. And then when you walk away like we're still that one unit that did that and whether we disagree or not. And I think that's really, really cool. And I think it's good for those kids too. I think it's a very good perspective for those kids to have some differences and virtually get three opinions when they bring their calf to town. But, you know, judging those livestock is not for the weak of heart. I'll be the first to tell you, because in my personal opinion, you are taking somebody's passion and somebody's efforts and their work, and you're basically the one that's going to make the decision of how that works out. That'll wear on you quite a bit. As we got to the end of the day, I thought it was really, really neat. I thought there was lots of good class winners. I thought in my mind the way to do it right was to wipe everything out we'd seen today because I didn't, I didn't think we actually had one come through the day that kind of stuck his flag in the middle of this in the ring and said, I gotta win. So I, because I thought they were really, really close. So I just. We cleared, I cleared my mind and I looked at them completely when they walked in that gate in a different sense, in terms of which two I thought were the best. And that's kind of how we ultimately arrived it. I addressed it and ended up where I did.

D (79:18)

Very, very good.

C (79:19)

You could have made a top five there. That would have been incredible. And it's kind of, it's kind of a shame you didn't have that opportunity, but I'm sure good with, with doing two. And the way it, the way it all worked out was 100% correct for me, for sure.

A (79:34)

You mentioned, you know, I wish there could have been a top five before we move on to the other two. What would have been your top five?

C (79:40)

You know, you don't want to say, I could have got three real close and. And, you know, I thought the top three were real close. And then you had a fourth. I like the calf that ultimately was out of probably class 10, if I remember right. And to touch on that Weston and not to be long winded, just to get, you know, so everybody knows where I was, the one I voted for reserve, I actually put second in the class. And I think that's the cool thing about like, in my mind, to stay true to me, I needed to clear everything we had because as Blake talked earlier, there was a few of them probably fighting a weight away back. So they got to feed, they got to water, they got to come back in a different sense. Some of them came back better and fresher, some of them didn't. So I think, you know, I could get to 4 real close. I liked our champion real good. I thought that calf was just as I looked through him, he was the one I couldn't throw a dart at. I couldn't really find anywhere that I could think, man, he never, it's like I told my kids, he never beat himself when they come back out there. He was the one out of all our class winners in my mind that never beat himself. You know, give him a shot more hair and then, hey, I think it's elementary in my mind. But I liked him to win the one that was reserved. Ultimately, even though I put him second class when they came back that night, I thought he was the second best one in that ring. I like the one out of Class 10. He'd have been our third, my third anyway, in my opinion. I liked, I liked the silver one we talked about that needed a shot more muscle. Came out of a. Probably about class seven, if I remember right. And then I think from fifth you'd have to screw it down and bear down and figure out which one you like. Guy might have leaned. I might have leaned a lot towards the calf out of Class 11, I believe it was that we talked about that I thought maybe was the calendar just got him a little bit that was really, really good looking and mobile. So I thought there was a ton of good cattle there. You just had to prioritize it the way you liked. And before I get done on that, I would sure not be true to myself better than those cattle. I can't say enough good about those kids and the way they handled themselves, the way they talked to us as we went through There, the way they. The way they handled themselves and prepared their livestock was absolutely incredible.

A (82:10)

Yes, sir. For sure. Well, Kendall, give me your thoughts about the speech and then what you thought about the two that ended up grand and reserve. And if you'd like to do maybe a top five in your mind, that'd be awesome as well.

B (82:22)

Yeah, I. I told both Murphy and Bloomberg. I. I am not an emotional person, but I was carrying a lot of emotion on me that night, and I wish I could have said more on the mic. I was speechless from the fact I've watched every steer show since I was a little girl at the National Western, and I thought of any grand drive I have ever seen, that was the toughest grand drive and decision I personally have ever had to make judging a show because the cattle were so good and they were so different. And you know what? I really wouldn't want to go to battle with anyone else other than Murphy and Blake that day, because, yes, we saw them differently. Yes, you know, we switched things here or there or champions maybe would have been different, but I really wouldn't have wanted to go to battle with anyone else because we know how good they were. We've all had a good one. We've all raised a good one. We've all shown a good one, and we know how hard those kids have worked. You know, I didn't get to say this on the mic, but Murphy and I, you know, we judged that show the past two years together. And I'll tell the crowd I genuinely believe there's no one that loves the kids and has as much enthusiasm about the kids and cattle as Murphy does. I've never been around someone that gets so excited and makes us excited, too, judging with him, and he truly loves them and he cares about them. And Blake, I mean, we rode as many miles in the judging van as I probably have with my parents in a vehicle, to be honest. And he taught me more about judging cattle than probably anyone else. And so I. I mean, it was so much fun. And. And we. We didn't have a fight all day. We could. Everyone. You know, my family and friends were like, man, were you guys fighting in the grand drive or what was going on? And I'm like, no, we were just talking. We were talking about the cattle. We were appreciating the cattle. You know, I thought, I'll be honest. I used to show at the National Western. I had a black and white steer one of my last years, and the judge said on the mic before he slapped his reserve that I was Third overall. And so that, I mean, that hurt pretty bad. And I feel for the kids that were left out from third all the way down because I've been there and I know how much time and effort it takes. And I'll be honest, I've thought about the show so many times through my head. Everyone around me is like, kendall, you gotta stop. And I can't because you know how hard those kids have worked and you know how hard it is to make those cattle. And I'm totally comfortable with what we did in the end of the day. Give me about a week and I'll stop thinking about it. But I just, just, I put a little bit, maybe too much emotion when I judge shows, but I, I, I just can't say enough how good the steers were. And, and really, if anyone thinks it was an easy job, I'll tell you, judging a show, you will have more people come at you. Then you will tell you good job. And that's something maybe you, you're not taught in the judging program or at home is how tough you got to be to judge cattle and judge maybe your friends or people, you know, But I, I thought, I thought the show was out absolutely incredible. And, and when I say I'm speechless, I truly meant it because I didn't have the words to form about how good the cattle were. You know, the, the two we ended up on. Just like Murphy said, if that champion steer had as much hair as everything else in it, you know, buy it in the grand drive, I don't think anyone would question him, really. He was genuine, he was ripe, he was fresh, he handled incredible and still sound structured, you know, the reserve, hard to make, big legged sound structured, handled good, I thought in the grand drive, he did come back with a little bit more belly. That's, you know, that's where all three of us, I think we would change him a little bit. Maybe wasn't quite as neat at the base of his neck. And I'll be honest, I don't want to say third through six, because I really think, I thought that class 10, that calf is really, really good too. And from that point on out, there were four other steers in serious contention on my card. But I just, I really can't say enough how good the show was. And I, like I said, I put a lot of emotion in when I judge, and I know how it feels to be left out. And so I just, I just can't stress enough how much I appreciate, and I'm sure these other two appreciate how Good the cattle really were and how good the kids were.

C (86:34)

Weston, I don't know if this is right or not, but before we get done, I'd like to. Those people at that show are incredible. That board and those people that we visited with are incredible. And I probably didn't talk about it enough at the end of the day, but that Joe Epperly makes that show so good to be a part of, in terms of how he handles what he does. And I don't think anybody around there knows that he is the main engine that drives out once that show kicks off. And I don't know if Kennel Blake feel. I mean, they can put their thoughts in as well, but just what that Joe Epperly does and how he handles it and how he addresses it and how comfortable he makes that be it is second to none. And I think he's a huge part of that Denver steer show.

B (87:29)

I would agree with you, Murphy, though. Like, I mean, I told Mark Anderson, I, I don't know if we could enjoy our job as much as if we didn't have Joe out there with us. It takes a special person to do that job, and he probably has more pressure on him to pull the right cattle and the kids in when they need to get pulled in, especially when you go down to one and two and everyone's sitting on the edge of their seat. I mean, he is so good at his job and he is enjoyable. So he's. He's real good.

A (87:58)

Absolutely. Blake, why don't you go ahead and give me your thoughts. Kind of run down what your speech was like, maybe what your top five was like and how you saw them.

D (88:06)

Okay. So, yeah, it was a great opportunity to be in the new venue and be a part of the panel that select the champion steer at the 120th National Western. And it was my first year being on the panel, and I never really judged with anybody other than an associate before. So having three different opinions was. I was a little nervous about it just because you don't want to always be the odd man out or whatever the case is. But I thought as the day went on and there was a lot of even flow back and forth across the placings. I will say this about the show. It was incredibly deep for me. My top five maybe would have ended up a little different had I been judging by myself, but that's the way that the cards fell, and Kendall and Murph ended up being the A and B, and I was just really a tiebreaker in the supreme drive, and they ended up landing on the same steer, which he would have sure been in my top five. But if I was judging myself, my grand steer probably would have come from Class 10. And then I thought you kind of had three or four steers that were sure in the mix after that. The steer that ends up reserve, the class six steer, the gray smoky from class six, the class 11 steer, and then what ended up being our class eight steer, that was our grand. I thought those were kind of the five that were really in the mix, and then you could even talk about a couple more. So, again, totally fine with how things shook out from a panel standpoint. That's how it works. You know, I could definitely see what those two were doing. I thought, you know, obviously they both landed on the same steer for champion and reserve. So really I was just basically a tiebreaker in the end, but really enjoyable. I enjoyed working with both those two. I respect them both a lot, even though we had some differences. I think that's the beauty of a panel. If everybody placed them the same, then there wouldn't be the need for the panel.

A (89:57)

Yes, sir. Absolutely. Anything else that you'd like to tack on in terms of. Terms of, you know, the new arena and how things worked and such?

D (90:06)

Yeah, I mean, I think just like anything, you know, I'm sure there was a lot of tweaks on Disneyland the first time they opened the gates to the theme park. There's things to tweak, but, I mean, it's pretty incredible. Of all the different places that we show livestock, the new venues that we have, and Denver being one of those, it's a wonderful facility. I think they're the. The sky's the limit when they tear that down and build us another one in 120 years. I'll be curious to see what that ends up being like, even though I probably won't be around to see it.

A (90:40)

Well, I sure appreciate having all three of you on. It meant a lot. The opportunity is great. The fact that I get to do a post game of the Denver steer show means a lot to me. I'm glad that y' all were able to find some time and sit down with me and do this. I know it's exhausting, and I'm sure sure y' all are tired of hearing me talk, but I do appreciate it a whole bunch. And this is what I always dreamed of the podcast looking like. So for that, I'm awfully grateful for. This is what it's all about. Empowerments here. Thank you all for tuning in. This is your official Denver Post Game of the Steer show there. And so, with that said, I will see y' all next time. Make sure to check out our website@empoweryou podcast.com where you'll find our team's story, sponsor highlights and merchandise. But also make sure to check out our social media on Facebook and Instagram @empowerupod to stay up to date on episode sneak peeks and releases, merchandise updates and sponsor announcements. We are proud to have you as a listener on and hope you gained more knowledge through us. Make sure to give us a five star rating and have a blessed day.