
Steva caught up with Jamie (Banbury) Beatty to discuss a wide variety of topics- the Banbury days, Beattys Club Lambs, Jamie’s background and more! Sister visits with Addyson & Maci Zerbach from their success at Arizona Nationals. New sales, Stud Ram Showcases, and the new MIX featured on championdrive.com!
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Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Now entering the ring, another episode of the Champion Drive podcast presented by Novel Designs with your hosts, Kaitlyn Sister Urban and Steva Robinson.
Steva Robinson
Well, we're back. There's. I feel like there's been a lot that's happened since we were podcast and last diva. I know that you had Phoenix and then you actually stayed over and we lammed out like 250 use. We went to Denver. Now you're lamming again. I feel like there's just been a lot going on. So what all have you been up to?
Jamie Beatty
Well, like you said, we went to Phoenix, which was awesome. Again this year I'm not. Despite being from Wisconsin, I do not love winter, so in December, sign me up every year. But once again, like one of my favorite shows, it was really good. The weather was good. It was just, I don't know, really laid back show. If you guys haven't been to Arizona, I think everyone that goes really likes it just because it's so focused on the livestock kids. So that was a good trip. And then like Sister said or like you said, I laid over in Elk City between Phoenix and Denver and got to be a roommate for a couple 10 days and everything was kind of going good back home with the lambs and babies. And Wes did a good job taking care of things. So for those of you that are curious, Sister is as big of a clean freak as she advertises to be. However, I did mention that for someone that got a vacuum for Christmas, I did not see you use it very often in the 10 days I was there. So things to improve on for the rest of 25. 2025, sister, you got to use the vacuum, not just say you have one.
Steva Robinson
Well, listen, I was a little bit busy. I didn't really have a lot of time to just vacuum. And then it kept getting dirty because, you know, this is like the apartment. Everybody comes in and out here all the time.
Jamie Beatty
So yeah, okay, well be better.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
So.
Jamie Beatty
But no, I had a lot of fun. It was great. Like, we were able to kick over some different novel designs ideas, different champion drive ideas. We got to make fun of Colby Williams, who's also one of your roommates. I mean, I think I'm still the favorite roommate, but I'm glad to be back home. Denver was good. It's kind of bittersweet. It's the last Denver on the hill. The new facilities look really good, don't you think?
Steva Robinson
Yes, I do. And I kind of want to go back to a little bit about when you stayed here. You didn't even mention about the good sandwich that you had.
Jamie Beatty
Oh, man. Guys, when you go to Elk City and look at sheep, there's this like bakery deli thing in town and it has this awesome, like dill pickle chicken salad sandwich. I went there every day. It was great. I did appreciate Nicole made lunch, but I didn't skip out and go get the dill pickle chicken salad sandwich in Elk City. I mean, I think every time I come back through for any reason, I'm going to swing in there.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
It was good.
Jamie Beatty
It's one of your best, best contributions to my life is that recommendation.
Steva Robinson
Well, I'm glad I could help you out.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah. It's about time you pull your weight.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah. Denver.
Jamie Beatty
So the facility, the new facilities are almost done. It looks like much improved. Kind of the last grand drive up on the hill. So that was kind of bittersweet, I think. And then got home and our sales coming up, so we've been busy showing babies for that. And then we started lambing again. So kind of a busy time of year. And then novel designs and branded are always busy. So that's kind of what I've been up to. How about you? What have you been up to since Denver?
Steva Robinson
Well, I've actually been pretty busy. You know, I mentioned that we got through lambing through all those years we went to Denver. I feel like that was pretty probably like the longest two weeks of my life, I'm not gonna lie. But we got through that, which was always good. We got back from Denver. So I've just been busy doing updates. I've been getting podcasts recorded. I've been messing around with a few video things that we are trying to offer and trying to get better at that. And then, yeah, just kind of staying busy, just trying to stay on track. So I know that you talked to Jamie Beatty, which used to be Jamie Banbury, and you mentioned in there you guys were talking and you know, I didn't see any of the questions you sent or anything. And so when I was sitting here editing it, I had a laugh to myself because you guys were talking about how people don't always know, like people prior or whatever, you know. So I was laughing because I had no idea that she was a battery at all. And I feel like I've been in the sheep industry like my whole life. I probably should have known that. So I'm definitely guilty of being that person.
Jamie Beatty
Well, I'm glad we mentioned that in there so we could tie it all together for you. But yeah, I feel like there's a lot of people that don't put two and two together. Like, they may be only newer as Jamie Beatty. Jamie and her family, they, you know, she was a bamberry. And that's definitely a family that has a long legacy in Ohio and still does this day and with her sisters and everything. Her dad's mark, you know, make your mark on, you know, there's a jackpot show named after it.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
They.
Jamie Beatty
She talks about some stuff they do to kind of keep his legacy alive. Her mom's probably fed as many sheep as anyone in the country. So, yeah, so she's definitely a bamberry. And she was on, and I was actually really excited to have her on. Jamie actually was a graphic designer out of college for a different company for Encore visions or drive.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
And even though she wasn't part of.
Jamie Beatty
Our team, you know, like through her.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Career, like, we always respected her. She did a really good job.
Jamie Beatty
And I think we talked quite a bit like, you know, find whoever the graphic designer is that's the best fit for you. And she does a lot of the baby stuff. We do some of their stuff now. But, you know, she's a really good marketing mind, I think. So I was excited to talk to her about that. We talked to her about their operation that they have, and they kind of face a unique challenge being on the east coast. So it's interesting to talk about how they combat that and what they kind of do from a branding and marketing perspective and their sales. We talked about how they went from being like a regular u flock with aius and some natural cover to being donor only. And then she also has a lot of semen. And their bucks have been wildly successful that one of their bucks just hired the grand app. Denver come off a really good year. Trace amigos was just the champion drive rookie of the year. So, like, a lot of information there, and I think she's kind of someone who just kind of quietly hustles in the background a lot of times. So it was actually a great conversation. And Jamie's someone that I always enjoy visiting with, so hers was really good. Let's get right into it.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Hey, guys. I'm here today with Jamie Beatty. Many of you might know her from her showing career. Her and her sisters definitely were forced to be reckoned with. And she went by Jamie Banberry then. But thanks for joining me today, Jamie. Let's start a little bit and let's kind of give everyone the rundown. Like, tell. Tell me how you got involved in the livestock industry, your family's involvement. Let's kind of start from the beginning.
Jamie Beatty
Sure. Well, first of all, I appreciate the opportunity and I'm excited to share with you and hope throughout my. My sarcasm translates okay. And we can get through this, but I'm. I'm really excited to tell our story. As far as. As I grew up a sheep kid, I was actually my. My grandparents were both actively involved on both sides. And, uh, my grandpa Bambury and grandma, they raised shops there in Ohio, and my dad showed at state fair. And then my mom actually grew up in Pennsylvania, and grandpa and grandma her had Dorsets out there. And then mom showed at farm show and Keystone and some of those deals. And they ended up meeting at a sheep show and then moved there to Ohio to start up where dad grew up. So growing up, it was. They both. They raised club lambs. And then the main thing we did was we had a commercial sheep operation. So we'd run north of a thousand ewes and lamb those out. And that kept us pretty busy. I ended up getting when. When I was old enough, which the eight and the halfway through third grade deal, I got to start 4H. And I was really excited to do that and showed there locally and. And then went to. To state fair and was very, very fortunate to have the success we did. My tail end of my career was the. The girls were starting their career. So, uh, my sisters are the Bamberry twins, which nobody could ever tell them apart growing up, so they always just call them the twins. And it's Madison and Taylor. And so from about 2002 to 2012, we were really well liked in Ohio and. And ended up 11 years. I think it was straight having grander reserve between us and the opener, the. The Junior show.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, I know you guys are definitely a force to be reckoned with. Um, and I think, like, we talked before we started recording. I think a lot of people maybe didn't put two and two together. That that's, you know, who you are. Like, I remember that, but I always feel like there's kids that are younger than us now. I mean, we are still goddamn young.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah. But we're getting to be collector's items.
We are collector's items.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
And I feel like there's a lot of people I'd be like, oh, I had no idea that was her. Like, for those of you who don't know, like, Jamie and her family and Barb, they put on a clinic in Ohio for a while, and it definitely, like one of those, like, legacies that is, like, very, like, a strong legacy. Like, I kind of feel like it's like berries in Iowa or Middlesworth or Dale's in Iowa. Like the band berries were. You always knew they were there to hunt. And while they weren't the only family there, they definitely came to play every year. So. Okay, so you got done showing. Where did you go from there?
Jamie Beatty
Yeah, so after I was done showing, I went on to the Ohio State University. Go Bucks. And I started off actually as an ag econ major and then I took my first or I business major. I took my first econ class and I knew that wasn't the direction for me, so I actually transferred into Ag Communications and that was kind of a newer degree at the time. So there wasn't quite as much as there is now. And it's awesome to see it grow. But I did some internships there while I was in school and I worked at Ohio's Country Journal and Ohio's Agnet which is, it's a broadcasting deal. And I got to do, you know, different, different things there and with they had a print journal and then I also was at United Producers and worked in their communications. So I did those. And, and after school there were some opportunities there, but I ended up at the Ohio Pork Producers Council and I was the director of communications and then randomly Facebook, which as bad as is to admit that came out while we were in college, which is crazy. So I saw an ad on Facebook for a new livestock magazine and it was called Drive and they were looking for a graphic designer. And so I didn't. I had done some graphic stuff on the side and it was kind of my my side hustle and hobby deal. But I wasn't sure if I was good enough. But I decided to shoot my portfolio over and worked out great. Didn't that was okay too. But Jackie Lackey called me and offered a. A job working for at the time was Encore Visions and then they were the parent company of Drive. And so I got to spend close to 12 years working for Jackie. And if you know Jackie, she's one of the most innovative and creative minds out there and, and she's an out of the box thinker and so it was an awesome opportunity for, for me to get my feet wet in the industry and, and the learners done.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah. And I feel like, like when you were kind of doing it on the side or even with Drive and Encore, like the stuff that you've put out was always really good marketing pieces and I think like that still like transpires through, through like all the stuff that you guys put out for babies. Like it's always really well done. And a lot of that is you behind the scenes on it. And, like, you made the comment, like, I didn't know if I was good enough or whatever, which is funny. I think every graphic designer thinks that, like, you send off an ad and you're like, I'm not sure if this sucks or if this is the best thing that's ever been created, but I think that's a natural way to feel. But you should never feel that way because you've always done a great job. And even though you didn' Work for us, I've always had a ton of respect for you. And, like, stuff's always well done. You always know what animals are supposed to look like. And, like, I think it was a. Like I said, like, even though you weren't on our team, it was always one of those deals where there was, like, you always respected the hustle, like, you always did a good job. So. And I think all of those skill sets, like, like I said, kind of, like, can be seen in a lot of the stuff you do for your own operation now. So I guess, like, fast forward us. So you're working for Drive and Encore. How do you end up in Pennsylvania? And how do you become part of Babies Club Lambs?
Jamie Beatty
Yeah, so, like, to backtrack on Baby's Club Lambs, it actually, I don't think most people know Greg's story or his involvement, but Baby's Club Lamb started as a 4H project for him. He was about 12 and. And he grew up on a dairy farm, actually. And so he saved up and he bought four ewes and put them in a box stall at the barn there. And from there he just showed locally. And he kind of. If you know Greg's build, he's. He's six six. So he wasn't exactly designed to be a sheep showman. So he kind of tapped out on that at the county fair and decided after he won, he was good to transition over to raising them. And with that, he got to know the Swanovac family, which. Which are very successful family in Pennsylvania. And at the time they were raising some sheep, and. And ultimately they ended up deciding to get out of the raising part, and Greg bought those used. And then so with those used came the. Most of them have actually stemmed from Mike Stitzline. And so Greg got to know Mike and. And Mike was really a tremendous mentor to him, just because Greg didn't have any background in this deal. And so Mike was very, very generous to teach him about, you know, the basics of, of being a good shepherd and, and how to get into the production side of things. And so, you know, one of the, the guiding principles that Mike lives by and that he translated to Greg was the, the priority that you had to put on females and to maintain those and, and to keep them close and to build on that. So that's kind of where he started at and what he wanted to set out to do. And his, Greg has the best parents in the whole wide world, but his dad told him he'd never be able to make a living doing anything raising sheep. And, and there just wasn't something that could happen. So that's always been a driving factor for him to make this work and, and to see it succeed I guess along the way. But that's the backstory of kind of where that came from. But we actually. So his first state fair that Greg won was in 2010 and that was the Pennsylvania Farm Show. And I came into the picture in, in 202011 we saw a jackpot show out in Pennsylvania that was paying a thousand bucks. And if you know, you know, barbanberry, she said load up the truck, we're going, we're going showing. So we took the girls out there to show and that's where I met Greg and we actually, we won the show, which is important to note. So but we, we say that Greg won in life because he got me. But we went on from, from there. We got married in 2013 and Stetson came along in 2014 and in 2015 we had built the, build a house and barn before we had been renting a place and we were both hustling hard. I was doing graphic design full time and he was a gas well tender. And then we had a baby and, and the sheep and all the things that come with that. So in around 2015 is when Greg reached out to Dr. Dr. Weiss. Rachel had been doing some AI work for us for the past, a couple years prior and said hey, can you teach me how to do the collections and the processing part of it? And so Rachel was very kind to spend some time teaching him that and that worked well to build up to buying monkey business then in 2016. So tail end of 2016 is when Greg actually quit his job and transferred full time into this deal.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
So from there until now, how many sheep do you run now? And it's probably maybe we need to back up. I think since that point you've gone from like being like nor I'm going to call them normal like traditional weather type use to More donor based. I mean like how many use were you running then and like what does it look like now?
Jamie Beatty
Yeah so then we were at around 200 blacks and then and AI and most of those doing some donor stuff but that's kind of where we were at. And then we actually transitioned over to a completely a donor program. We took a leap and we just the hour, the hours and the time we thought the management wise it would be easier to transition to a donor program. Since then we're back up to around 200 heads. So that lasted real long. But we run 25 donors and we, we had sold all our mature stuff off there. My sister Taylor and her boyfriend Derek at Adam Family Club Lambs, they wanted the matures and we made it a group thing so we didn't have to picture them all and do kind of a dispersal. And so they took those and the yearlings and Corner View came in and, and bought the December and January use and then Vincent took the, the late stuff and we sold the February's online. So we were kind of out of sheep and started to rebuild and transition to the donor deal that we're doing now. And as far as as that goes we. So we'll have the 25 use and we will do a December flush and we'll flush those Decembers again for February's and then in between we do a January flush too.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
This wasn't on the question list but it's a question that popped into my mind. So do you feel that was the right decision or. I guess maybe not if it's a right or a wrong yes or no answer. But I guess what have the challenges been in that or have there been times of like whoa, what did we do here? Did we mess up? Or has it all been pretty smooth sailing?
Jamie Beatty
I don't think it's ever smooth sailing in the livestock deal. We know how it goes but I think it's worked well for us. We can basically kill ourselves for a week or so lamb and those out and then kind of rebuild and get things moved around and get that group settled in before the next ones go and, and so it kind of. We don't have to worry about a bunch going and dragging out like we were before and things like that on rebreeds and all that. So for us it's worked and we've kind of gotten used to the system.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
With that in mind, what does the typical day look like for you guys?
Jamie Beatty
I mean most days are cluster. I don't know what typical is anymore to be honest. So Greg takes the only thing that's really set in stone on a day for us is he 5am is when sheep get fed and they get fed again at 4pm and then everything else gets mixed in between there. He takes care of the production stuff and then I take care. Try to take care of the business stuff. And of course there's always overlap but like right now, this time of year, it's. It's getting them lammed out and the lambs healthy and you know, on the go and getting ready for the sales. And then we'll transition into the spring once the barn starts clearing out. That's when we start jumping bucks to get ready for all those fall breed dates. And we'll do. He does hay during the summer and collections and stuff of course now go from April to October and we even sold some into December this year. It's kind of a random year, but in between there the kids are are into a million things. They're both doing basketball right now and this weekend I think there's seven games. And if they get into bracket play there could be even more than that. And then they do little league and travel ball and both did all stars last summer. So we, we spend a lot of time at the ball field and staying up with their stuff and Greg coaches everything that that they do. And I do the homeroom mom and the PTA and all that crap in between, so. So that keeps us going. And then life finally slows down a little bit in the fall and that's when the boys like to hunt. And Greg's cows, his cow operation, he fall calves and I pick pumpkins. A side hustle that we do a pumpkin patch.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
So yeah, I feel like you're very similar to me and you've got a lot of irons in the fire, but you try and do them all really well and at a really high level. I think one thing. Let's go back to the sheep a little bit. So I feel like a lot of times I hear people, they'll say like, well, I don't live in a good traffic area. I live off the beaten path. You guys definitely are a testament to that. Like there's not a lot of people that their sheep destination is I'm going.
Jamie Beatty
To go to the east coast of.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Pennsylvania and look at sheep. But I feel like you guys have done a really good job of marketing them. Explain to everyone like how you guys sell them online. Kind of like what how you get people to look at them or kind of your how you combat that because I feel like a lot of our listeners sometimes feel like, well, no one's ever going to come out here. So I feel like you guys have done a good job of it. Kind of explain your logic behind what you guys have done.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah. So it's been, that's been one of the biggest hurdles and that was something we talked about a long time before we, you know, moved out here and built on the family farm and did those kinds of things because we aren't on the beaten path and we're not going to be. So we do offer a lot of the stuff online. Last year though, we kind of transitioned to. So we always sell all of our ulams or offer all you lambs just because we're donors only. So we started offering those off the farm and that got a lot of people to come, you know, come take a look at them in person. And then we started doing some pen sales, which those are, the lambs are sheared and weaned and ready to load and go home with people just wanting to, you know, grab a project and, and go. So those were a way to actually get people here to take a look at them in person. We continue to offer the top 10. We're going to offer those on SC and offer them online for the weather so that, you know, people have an equal opportunity and you can get a bigger reach than what we can get that's going to just come through the barn. But it's, it's always an uphill battle and there's some great sheep in this, this area, in this region and we're fortunate to have those people come, you know, use our AI days and stuff. But I also know when you do an Iowa loop in, in a day, how many more head you can actually physically see than if you come to come to Pennsylvania. So we welcome you. We love to have, you know, have anybody come out. But I do appreciate the ones that do make the trip because we know the sacrifice it is of your time because you're not going to get, get to a whole lot of sheep.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah. And growing up like in Ohio, I'm sure you're kind of spoiled by the fact of, you know, there's 10 breeders I can go to within a couple hours or where I'm at, I'm 20 minutes from impact amps. I'm right, you know, three hours from hill. They're like, you talk about like the Iowa loop. Like you can make a full day and hit 10 places if you really hustle where, you know, it is challenging, you know, to find Things that are. To go places that, well, we can only hit one or two stops. So I think you guys have done. Hats off to you guys. I think you've done a really good job of, you know, building your brand and, you know, putting yourselves on the map. I guess from a marketing perspective, since we're already talking about that, obviously I consider you an expert in the field. What do you think people need to keep in mind when it. That's important when it comes to marketing your flock.
Jamie Beatty
So I think the forefront on that is just like trying to brand yourself and that's figuring out, you know, what do you. What are your strong suits and make it authentic to you and so branding your business, putting the logo on there. Every time. When I start a year, I kind of try to, to go with a vision of what, what's this year going to look like for our social media, and that's down to the fonts and the backgrounds and all that kind of stuff so that it's cohesive throughout the year. Whatever we post, I think it's important to be consistent with your, with your messaging and, and try to have something out there just for. When people are scrolling, they automatically see it. Whether they actually read it or look at it or whatever your messaging is, they know, hey, that's. That's from B's, or that's from whoever. So that's been important. I think we tried to be unique and do some different things. One of the things that we had done marketing wise is we started a customer appreciation sale, and that was something we had done early on. And I think we're getting into year nine of that. And that's just. That was an opportunity for those genetic customers to, to market their stuff and to get some, some more exposure for them and their programs and, and things like that. And so we tried that and we've done. We do a Stud Ram showcase each year, and that's a way to get people to the farm and to look at the rams. We'll put them in their pens and people can walk around. And then we put them out some, some panels up and let them let the bucks move and, and talk about the pros and the cons and what we'd breed them to and that kind of stuff. And, and it's a good way to kind of get everybody. We do it Memorial Day so everybody's off work and come hang out a little bit and eat lunch on us and network there. One of the other things that. Everybody has an apparel store now, but one of the things I Guess we were proud of, with our marketing stuff is when we started a long time ago selling the apparel and things like that we put it towards. We call it our make your mark initiative. And. And my dad passed away there the year we got married. He passed away during lambing season and his name was Mark. So we called it make your mark and in memory of him. And the intent with that is. Is just to do something, to try to make a difference. And we're really proud of the people that have kind of joined on with us and rep our brand and. And know that it means more than just the logo on the shirt. One of the biggest things we do every year is the. We have like, angel wings or angel tree. And when we started out, we couldn't afford to. We couldn't afford to buy it. Like, we had one kid we bought for and, you know, through the apparel sales, we put all that towards and saved up and matched it from the company as we've grown. And we did 100 kids this year and last year. And I guess that's meaningful just from the standpoint when Greg grew up, like, he would have qualified for that program. Times were tough and. And he remembers when uncle bought him bikes for Christmas because they couldn't afford. They couldn't afford bikes. So, like, each year we. I think we got 24 bikes or something. So it's kind of. It's crazy that. That some sheep that live to die and try to do everything they can can provide some different opportunities and. And that's been a cool way for us to. To reach some other people and. And to work together, I guess, for a common cause.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, I think that's really neat. I didn't realize, like, all the backstory of all of that. I think it's always neat, like, to remember where you came from too, and, like, kind of keeping that. That's really neat. Like, I've always seen that you've done the make your mark thing, and I knew that it had a tie to your dad. But, like, it's neat to hear the rest of that story. I guess there's another aspect to talk about. A while back, you had a health scare. And I know that when I asked you if you wanted to talk about, you're like, well, if we talk about it and it helps one more person get checked early, like, my story's worth telling. So I guess I'll kind of let you. I don't have a specific set of questions, but maybe do you kind of want to explain to everyone what you've Been through.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah. So back in. In 2020, it was February, and I found a lump, actually, and I went. And I had just been through, like, my annual exam and all that kind of stuff in November, and I was good. So called my doctor, and I said, like, hey, I've got this, or whatever. Went in, got checked out. She's like, I think it's just a cyst, but let's go get you a mammogram and just make sure. And I remember going into the mammogram place, and the lady's like, well, you're 32, and you don't meet the criteria, so you may have to pay for those out of pocket. I'm like, okay, you know, whatever. We'll. We'll do it. Go on. Well, I left there, and after they did the mammogram ultrasound, they were pretty convinced it was cancer. And so I. I was like, are, you know, are you sure that whatever the cells look like on there, they were. They implied it was going to be cancer, but I need to do the biopsy. So went out to the car and had my mental breakdown and called Greg, and he was actually on a buck trip, and they hightailed it back from Wisconsin to. To come home, but. And then my next call was my mom, and she's like, well, she's like, I'm sure it's not cancer, but if it is, you're gonna kick ass and take names. And so in true barbanberry fashion, she kind of laid it out and that Kind of laid out what. What we were gonna do the next. Next little bit. But I. I went in March 9, and that was a Monday. And they told me, like, yes, you have cancer. And the time it was stage two, and it ended up being stage three by the time all my scans came back and stuff due to the size and being in my lymph nodes. So fortunately, that Monday, we scheduled everything, and we're like, we're gonna roll with this. Let's go. And by Friday, everybody shut down. The whole world shut down for Covid. So our.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, that was during COVID wasn't it?
Jamie Beatty
I forgot about that.
And everybody's life was slipped upside down. So it was kind of just one of those things that. How it coincided. But that changed all my appointments and stuff. I had them scheduled, so they. They honored my scheduled stuff, but they weren't even scheduling appointments in that time. So we were really fortunate with how it worked, but that meant I had to do everything alone because they wouldn't let Greg in. You had you couldn't have a sport person. So April I started chemo. I did 16 treatments, and that took us to mid August. And then in September, after I healed up from the chemo and my body recovered a little bit, I was able to do the double mastectomy. And then they took. While they were in there, I had two lymph nodes that. That triggered the. Triggered or whatever lit up. So they took all my lymph nodes in my left arm too. And then. But they were able to get the mass with clear margins. So it was. It was successful. And then from there I had to heal up and do radiation. And the radiation treatments was just preventative so that we could get all the area around there and make sure that hopefully never have any regrowth. So 30 radiation treatments. And I actually did those in Pittsburgh, and I was able to drive myself to that. So that was a big relief because Pittsburgh's an hour, an hour for us each way. And so that was a lot of time to tie up that time of year. But ultimately the. The end goal was for me to be done by the time the December. Like in my mind, that's where I wanted to be was by the time the December flush started going was to be done with everything and kind of put the year behind us. And so I rang the bell on December 7th, and then December 8th they started. We had our first babies. Babies on the ground. So it was. It was a whole year worth. And lost my hair, lost my eyelashes. Well, actually only one said eyelashes, of course, and my eyebrows and. And all that stuff, but lost the cancer with it. So ultimately, like, I guess the. My story, my hope is that somebody, if you can go and get checked the statistics say 1 and 8 are going to expand experienced breast cancer in their. In their lifetime. And it's important to get it early so that you have some chances of combating it and different things like that. So I guess that's where now I do. I do a daily chemo pill and I do a shot every three months to hopefully stay cancer free. But it was. It was quite a journey at the time.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
I can imagine. And I mean, I remember you handled it so well. You still are handling it so well. You had little kids at the time raising sheep. And it's. It's kind of funny, you know, you made the comment about how like these sheep that basically live to die, you know, can do so much and, you know, that ends up being your goal. Like, I'm going to get done before we start lambing. Yeah, we talk all the time about what the livestock industry gives to our kids or to, like, those of us that grew up in it. Like, I kind of grinned when I heard what you said. Your mom said. I don't know your mom well, but that is 100% what I would expect. Yeah, like, so intense and focused.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah. Like, this is how it's going to be and, and that's what we're going to do. And so that's, that's what we did.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
And, you know, that's kind of the same mentality that I feel like you guys always had when it was showing. Like, all right, like, let's get after it and we're going to make the best of it. And, you know, like, it's a kind of a full circle deal. This is what the livestock industry teaches us. And I feel like it probably helped you on your journey a bunch. And then just like this, like now you're able to give back and tell people your story. I thought it was really neat that your initial reaction was if it helps one person get checked early, like, I definitely want to tell it, like, yeah, the sheep are the platform for it.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah, I was very blessed. Stock Show Secrets reached out in October. They did some, some awareness with some women in the industry that, you know, talked about their stories and their breast cancer experience. And I just, I found out over Christmas. Our farm manager went home and, and one of the families that, you know, he works with had heard the story and she went and got checked and she found it, found an autoimmune disease and they're figuring out a treatment plan for it. But she only went because she shared 32 with a 5 and a 2 year old. Like, life happens. And, and maybe I need to, you know, check things out. And so I'm hopeful someone else out there and I get some messages occasionally of people that said, hey, I went, I went and got checked and, and hopefully it can one day be a thing of the past. But for now, let's, let's get, let's catch it and get treated.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, definitely. Let's get back into the sheep side of things. We've, we've talked about a little bit about the bucks, but let's talk specifically about the semen side of the business. How many bucks do you guys house and sell semen on? How do you decide what comes in and what goes out? Like, is there a number you try and stay at?
Jamie Beatty
No, it fluctuates. I would say on the average, we're usually at around seven bucks. And that just, you know, it Depends on the year the matures and we try to incorporate some buck lambs each time. With that we're always running. We, we tend to run like 34 jump use and that's designated so we can have two and heat each day for collections and stuff like that. I don't think people think about those just for that, that purpose only. And they're one of the most critical parts of the whole deal.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, I would never have thought about that part. That's interesting. I guess. What's your advice for people purchasing semen for AI days? I feel like everyone is AI in anymore and I feel like sometimes I hear things come out of people, people's mouth. It's like how did you think that worked? Like so I guess what would your advice be to people who are going to use semen for AI days? Fresh versus frozen, like when you should book it. Other things to take into consideration.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah. So I mean I think the biggest thing you got to start at home and figure out what your used strengths are, their weaknesses are and then you know, look at the lam set you've got on the ground or whatever and what you want to improve upon and then you've got to reach out and talk to wherever bucks you're thinking about. Talk to them like what are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? So you can figure out the best compliment. And I mean like for if we're honest, there hasn't been a perfect one made yet that I've seen. So you have to have to be truthful about, you know, what you would change. And so that way you know what to protect and how to best utilize what semen you do get. Another thing I don't think people typically think about and like the shipping is my, one of my responsibilities and I'm on a first name basis with everybody at the UPS store. But you've got to know how you're getting that stuff and if you're getting it shipped. I mean I Recommend going to ups.com or the FedEx and, and kind of analyzing that and if, if you reach out to us, we always, we'll look it up for you or whatever. But it's important when you're Talking to your AI tech like we can't schedule 8am Breeds if you're getting semen that's not going to be there before 10am and things like that. And so that's got to be planned out ahead of time because your cedar pool is all relate to that and everything. So I think sometimes that gets overlooked. But you know, in General Just, you know, have those conversations and figure out what's going to work for you. Frozen is a nice opportunity if you're just doing a handful and, you know, if you can get somebody together and use fresh and utilize a jump, then, you know, that's. That's a great thing to try.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah. I remember once at Louisville, someone's like, well, I had my AI date on a Sunday and so. And so couldn't get me semen. And my mouth about just hit the ground. I'm like, does UPS normally deliver to you on Sundays? Like, this is not their fault.
Jamie Beatty
We're not on Amazon prime around here. We can do it. And it does matter. Like FedEx here, the pickup times earlier. So the collection's got to be earlier. So if we find out your FedEx on. On shipping day, like, it's, it's. We got a hustle and, and stuff like that. It doesn't always cross everybody's mind, but it is important to the process.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, absolutely. Well, speaking of the bucks, your bucks have been wildly successful lately. I'm sure a lot of our listeners are semen customers of yours. And if, if nothing else, everyone's familiar with your genetics. I guess you've had several big wins for not only your own sheep, but also your customer sheep. Do you want to kind of line out like, what some of those bigger wins have been and then what's it like watching champions out of your own genetics get crowned in and winning some of the biggest shows in the country?
Jamie Beatty
Yeah, it's. It's been an incredible year. We just. The Denver Wind just rolled in for the Tuck Brothers crew and then. And bronze. And then we had Kansas City Adam Family Club. Lambs got the. The win there, and Kipler was reserve and. And those two were cool because those were out of views that we raised. And it's just been the state fairwise coast to coast. I think it was 20, 20 plus deals that we had grander reserve or in the top five. And it was just one of those years that I don't know how you'd ever repeat it. But at the same time, like, it's been one that we're really proud of. We take a lot of pride in the genetic customer part of it. Because if you, if you think about it like, I mean, some nights, sometimes Greg's starting at 3am to collect that semen and we're doing. It's a stressful time because you want to make sure that everybody gets what they need and the quality to get those sheep stuck and to get the embryos fertilized and all those aspects of it. And so it's high stress for us to get that part done. And then you send it to the breeder and they've got to make sure that the lineup is matched up how it should be. And they get the baby on the ground alive and raise it to that point and then they, you know, sell it on to somebody else. And that kid's got to go take that project and, and put the time and the effort into. To brace it and feed it and. And exercise it and all those elements and to have all of that click for somebody, it's a lot. And there's a lot behind there. And so. So it's really cool when that kind of all comes to fruition. And, and we, we're fortunate. Like, we do the on farm AI days and we'll work with people that have got one or two sheep and we'll work with some that have a couple hundred. And so there's variance there, but everybody's got their own set of goals. And all of those elements behind the scenes go into that. That one moment for. For. It's all click. And so it's. It's cool to be a part of it and to have a role. And we're really proud. A lot of those customers that we deal with were clear back in the monkey business days, back 10 years ago. So to have them to invest here and, and we recognize how much of a financial investment that is. And it's cool. It's cool to be a part of.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Absolutely. And not only have your proven bucks had a good track record, but Trace Amigos is a buck that you own. And he was just named the Champion Drive Rookie of the Year. And we'll get you on again or you or Greg or someone on next fall before the Rookie of the Year contest starts again to talk about him. But I did want to touch on it, I guess for those who aren't as familiar with him. What's the story on Trace Amigos? Like, what was it like to win that award? I guess let's go in to talk about that a little bit.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah. So we're definitely appreciative that you do that contest every year. It's kind of cool. Way to look back on. On the year and what all went down and to reference back from years ago. So. So it's fun. I appreciate that you guys do that. Trace Amigos himself, he's a ceasefire on a nephew that we bought that year that we just, we cut down our Numbers. Greg went and bought a ulam from Chance that he had to have and brought her back and that was her first flush was Trace. And so he kind of had an interesting start. He had a lousy recip and we turned him out of the jugs and then he's about a week old and we thought he's about half dead out in the turnout pen and brought him back in and he spent the rest of the time and in a jug pen and we had to build a special creep and all. All the, the fun there. He had one flesh made that had the same thing happen. So their receipts definitely got a one way trip to the Homer City Sail Barn when it was all said and done. But so he started to get some fat on him and Greg had sent some snaps to some buddies or whatever and, and Justin and Tyler ended up, you know, booking a flight up here to come take a look and, and like the sheep and we ended up we have a local Mexican joint and you wouldn't think Indiana, Pennsylvania would be the, the big stomping grounds for a high quality Mexican place, but it is good. I feel like we're kind of shareholders because we, we have our, our weekly, our meeting, their staff meeting I think and we keep them in business. But so we took the guys there to, to talk terms over and, and Trace amigos seemed to be a good fit for the trio that was signing on to, to work on him together. And I know Greg's been out looking at a lot of the Trace babies and, and he's really, really excited about how they look and, and we're appreciative to all those that voted him and, and of course those that invested and tried him and, and gave him a shot.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Awesome. Yeah, that's a great story. I had no idea like the challenges of that lamb when he was a baby and it always, it always means a lot when they turn out. But when you have those like shitty livestock days is what I call them when you come in from the barn of like why do I even do this? Like that's a perfect reminder of why we do it.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah, we thought she broke his rib at one point and he's so darn attached to her that we couldn't really split him off is that he'd go the wrong direction. I'm just thinking, oh man. Like no, but. But it worked out and got him weaned off and those went on, on to a different direction.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Well let's move in. We'll kind of wrap things up. Let's move into A couple of fun questions. And I told you from the beginning, I had one question I knew I was gonna ask is my fun question. For those of you guys that don't know, during Jamie's state fair run, she had some colored Rockies. Like, for those of you that are too young to know what those are, there used to be these western jeans that we would all wear, and they would be in these bright colors and. And they were Rockies brands. So if you could go back in time, what color pair of jeans are you grabbing?
Jamie Beatty
Well, first of all, I can't think of a less flattering outfit to this to be a thing. My little boy was. Stetson was going over some of those questions with me. He's like, what are Rockies? I'm like, oh, you don't even want nobody.
But they're terrible.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Like, no offense, but we all wore them, and they are terrible.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah. So anyway, I'd probably go with a turquoise pair, and I'm definitely putting the blingiest BB Simon belt I can with them. And those high top Justin shoes that you had to, like Velcro the tops. And I probably, like, cap it off with a scrunchie. But, like, heck, even scrunchies came back in. So I don't even know what to think about that.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
But, yeah, my little girl, Corbin, she has scrunchies.
Jamie Beatty
I'm like, oh, where did that come from?
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, I didn't. I thought this was over. So hopefully the Rockies trend doesn't come back, because even those of us who live through it can admit, looking back.
Jamie Beatty
They did some kind of a flare with them, but, like, they were still Rockies. Bring it.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
I was just.
Jamie Beatty
My mind was blown. So, yes, they're. If you've got them still laying around, there's, like, some demand on ebay and Poshmark for those bad boys.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Good to know. Maybe we'll see if we can get you some. So, yeah, with that being said, you guys have done. You showed at probably all of the shows. What's your favorite livestock show and why?
Jamie Beatty
Yeah. So for me, it was always Ohio and the state fair. I guess looking back on it, some of my favorite memories are like, the. The way Ohio is set up, you got to move in. You come in to get your. Your pins in the morning, and then you bring the sheep in the afternoon or whatever. So we'd like either stay over the night before or sleep in the car or something to get these coveted pins. And nobody ever took anybody else's pins, but I got. Everybody got there early in line as soon as it was daylight. And so I can always remember that feeling of walking in at first light. Just the, the ring's empty and the barn's empty and like just the, the feeling and the butterflies that like what's ahead for the next couple of days was always a cool moment and that's what I remember most now as an adult. Looking back on it, what is the.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Favorite sheep that you guys have ever shown?
Jamie Beatty
I had two that I 20 or well 2004 there was one we called 80 and he was from Shores. I think he was a Ned. Maybe he won that year. And then in 20 or 2006 I had one called Brutus that was Eller Brock's raised and my guess is probably like a pretty Caesar or something like that. But both of those at the time were really, really good. And then I kind of scrolled back through stuff when we were talking about this, this upcoming deal and I was like, man, they're bad. Like I really thought they were good. And then I'm as comparatively to now it's like holy cow. But yeah, quality wise I like them. But then personality wise those were my definitely my two favorite ones to, to have in the barn to mess around with.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
I wondered what you'd pick for your favorite ones because there's quite a few to pick from. And I agree, like you start going back, there's probably a whole bunch of younger kids that probably are like, what in the world is Ned? Like I kind of laugh. Like I haven't thought about that buck in a long time. But that was kind of the buck back in the day, you know, or like pretty Caesar. So yeah, things.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
So. Well, thanks for joining me today. I'm really glad you joined us to tell your story. I think everything you guys do is so well done and I know that you definitely play a part not only in like the success of the sheep that you guys raised, but like we talked about your genetic customers and I always think the appreciation that you guys show for them is second to none and I think you guys do a great job. For those of you who want to check out more and learn about Jamie and Greg's operation, their website is on ChampionDrive.com under Baties Clublands and be sure.
Jamie Beatty
To check out their sales that are.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Coming up later this spring. So thanks for joining us.
Jamie Beatty
Yeah, I had one last thing. I want to put you on the spot, actually. I'm a big fan of the, the suck it marketing stuff and I've tried to implement some of that that you guys have done, but I want you to do like some kind of a so you suck at marketing summit or something. Like a one day deal, like a hotel, airport, hotel type thing and some panels on picturing sheep and just the different like speaker type stuff. And so we can all kind of actually have something specific to this livestock deal that we can implement.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Oh, that'd be awesome. That's a really good idea. So, yeah, we'll see what we could do. I'm glad you like the so you suck part. I know, like, we put up one about how you can get like your customers to send in your winners or whatever and you were one of the first people at email back. And I actually sometimes wonder, I'm like, does anyone even listen to this? Is it just like Florida forward? You know, go 15 seconds further. We don't want to listen to Siva talk. But you were one of the first people that emailed in for that. Like, hey, I need to do that. I'm really bad at that. And that meant a lot to me because I kind of hold you in regard of like, hey, that girl knows what she's doing. She doesn't need our help. And, but it's one of those things where like, you can always, you know, branch off someone else's idea or whatever. Like it's never a, you know, oh, well, she used to design for someone else, like, we can't work together type deal. Like, it was really cool that I thought that, that I found. I thought it was cool that you found that helpful. So thanks for the compliment on that. I'm glad you found it helpful and I really like your idea. We'll see what we can do on that.
Jamie Beatty
Okay, that sounds, sounds good. I mean, marketing is always, it's not necessarily reinventing the wheel, but, but taking something and applying it to you. So I think if we all went to one location, everybody get something different from it. But it would be nice to have something kind of cater to the actual industry we're in.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yeah, that would be great. So, well, thanks again for joining us. I hope you have a great day and a good weekend. And like I said, make sure to check out their website on championdrive.com.
Jamie Beatty
All right, sister. So pop quiz. Jamie Beatty's maiden name was Danbury.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Atta girl.
Jamie Beatty
Now you're up to speed like the rest of us. Sometimes you make me feel really old when you don't know stuff like that.
Steva Robinson
Yeah, well, some of these kids have made me feel like that and I just kind of like laugh. Like, how did they not know who somebody was but now I'm also in those shoes.
Jamie Beatty
So I think Jamie mentioned in the podcast that she called her and I collector's items, which you're starting to make me feel like I'm maybe getting some age on me when you don't know these things, but step it up.
Steva Robinson
Yeah, well, you definitely are a collector's item, I'm not gonna lie. But anyways, what do you have up.
Jamie Beatty
For so this week on so youo Suck at Marketing, the last episode we talked about having a marketing mix, which, like a marketing mix is a technical term for making sure you market to not just one platform or one segment of the industry. So a mix is making sure you have everything covered. So we brought out a package that we're unveiling today. It's called the Mix, and it helps cover all of your sale advertising across multiple platforms. And we've made it really, really easy. So what this includes is it includes graphics for your Snapchat stories, which can also be used on Instagram stories. It includes post graphics because, you know, social media can't make it easy. Everything has to be different dimensions to look right. So it includes Snapchat graphics or Instagram story graphics, post graphics. It also includes a headliner on Champion Drive, and it includes a homepage announcement on Champion Drive or an email blast, whichever you prefer. And so you're getting a lot of coverage on different things. Plus, we also post it to our own Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook on our new graphics that are called as Seen on. So we post those every so often. We also take care of posting the graphics and information to your website. We send a tweet out about it on Twitter or X whatever we're calling that platform now. You're included in the Champion Drive weekly email blast and you also get mentioned on our podcast as long as you book in time. If you book the day of your sale or in between podcast recordings, we obviously can't guarantee that you'll be on, but as long as you're booked out ahead of time, it will get you mentioned. So it's kind of covering the entire, like, every platform you could want to be on. You kind of have everything covered. And I know when I do my sales, by the time I fill out the spreadsheet and send everything into my sale management company and then I get it to my website and I post something online, I'm done. Like, I'm.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
I'm sick of it.
Jamie Beatty
I'm over it. I feel like a lot of people are that way. So we've made it really easy. All you need to do is go on Champion Drive. There's a graphic for the mix on there. You click on it and you literally just fill out your name, your email address, what your sale date is. If you have a link already, drop it in there. If not, just tell us when it is, where it's at, and we'll figure it out. Some people are really detailed about or very particular about what they want included on their graphics. And if you want to tell us exactly what you want on, that's fine. But I find myself getting overwhelmed with my own stuff of, oh, I don't know, do I like pictures 1, 5.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
And 6 the best?
Jamie Beatty
Or, man, maybe I like 2, 3, and 5 the best. Or should I run winners? Or what should I run? The beauty of working with novel designs is all of us are sheep girls. So we have a good idea of what we're looking at, and we can kind of give you an unbiased view of what we think might appeal, of how you should market your sale in terms of, like, well, you know, lots one, three, and five were our favorites. Or those are kind of ones that stuck out for me. Or, you know, that one ties back to this past champion. Or a maternal sib. Let's promote that. Or you had a really big winner last year. So it's kind of easy for us to give some advice in terms of, like, a big picture if you're not sure what to do. And we know you have a lot to do. Like we just talked earlier, like, I've got people here to look at babies for upcoming sales that are coming up. We're lambing, we're trying to keep everything else afloat. Like, it's not a slow time of year for anyone. So we've tried to make it as easy as possible, and we've kept it at a real good price point, too. If you want to go to Champion Drive, if you're interested, you just go to Champion Drive, click the graphic for the mix, and you can sign up right then. Or if you have any questions, you can drop us an email or give us a call. We can answer any questions you might have. But we kind of felt it was a package that works really good. Ideally, you can start two, three weeks before your sale, start advertising it. That gives people a chance to get there. There's a lot of times sometimes I'll go and I'll look at the sales that we have listed on Champion Drive. Like, well, heck, I didn't know they had a sale. I was in their area. You know, five days ago and I just didn't know. So ideally you want to start two or three weeks ahead of time, which for most of us means we either needed to be started or we need to start now. So this is a great package that kind of encompasses all of that and we make it all look, you know, sharp with your graphics and your brand and everything. So we thought that would be a good addition to so you suck. And we hope that that helps quite a bit. Should we talk about the sales we've got going on?
Steva Robinson
Yeah, we have quite a few sales up on Champion Drive right now. Titus Club Williams is selling the Weathers tonight January 29th and the Ulams tomorrow January 30th. They all sell on next gen online sales, so be sure to find your next purple tag in Alexis, Illinois.
Jamie Beatty
Knepper Farms is in Iowa, in Del Mar, Iowa, which is in like North East Iowa or Eastern Iowa. Their barn is open February 11th they'll be selling their December borns. February 27th they'll be in Platinum Shelton's customer appreciation sale. And March 11th they'll be selling their January borns. They also have some available private treaty off the farm and they bred bucks including Sasquatch, Minuteman, Lonely Gringo, no returns, Daddy Chill and Diablo Blanco. Give them a call and they're obviously doing a great job of getting their word out so you can get to their barns to check things out well in advance of when their sales are.
Steva Robinson
Smith show stock is also selling on next gen online sales. Last year they raised seven state and national champions. Be sure to contact Randy to stop by and check them out.
Jamie Beatty
Scott Alexander we have a series of private bid off sales which I'll maybe explain a little bit of how that works because I get that question a lot. But the first one is Scott Alexander and Gil. They have a sale coming up February 3rd. They're located in Northwest Indiana. I had to pause for a second, get my geography put together, but Northwest Indiana and they've got a set sired by Navajo Pond Water Unicorn and that's a private bid off sale which is February 3rd. I also have a sale coming up, Steva Robinson show stock, that's on February 5th and that's also a a private bid off link. We'll talk a little bit more about that in a second. But we're located in southwest Wisconsin. Our barns are open. We'll show them anytime, day or night. Sires include Chief, King Kong and Navajo and there's about 75 babies to kick through there and the males will sell on the fifth One other private sale that's coming up is Diamond Sea. Their weather bid off is February 17th and I believe this is the first a year they've done that sort of a format for selling their males and their barns open at any time and you can give Barrett and Cooper a call to schedule your visit for that. They're located in Kansas. But to go over a little bit about what a private bid sale works like, a lot of people ask me that all the time. Do you know what it is? I guess I should ask you because we're educating you. You know we've learned that Jamie Beatty is now a band was a Banbury. So do you know what a private bid off link is?
Steva Robinson
Yes, I do. I'm very well informed on that.
Jamie Beatty
Well, I'm proud of you for knowing that. I didn't know where our education gaps were. So a private bid off link for myself. The reason we do it is I don't like taking pictures of sheep. Some people do these and they post pictures but so you come through, you take a look at the babies and then the only people that get a sale link it's not posted publicly anywhere is you have to turn a bid in to get the sale link is the whole point of it. My sale doesn't have pictures. Neither does Alexander's. I think Diamond Seas has pictures. I feel like some other people do sales like this like Schmincke's Awtr used to do sales like that. And the point of it is is it's only for people who have come through the sheep that way. It's kind of a more focused group and it gives you an incentive to come and put the miles on to check out the sheet. But other than that it's just like a normal bid off sale. So that's what that means. Maybe that answers a few questions that I always hear.
Steva Robinson
AM said show lambs is also selling their weathers on February 3rd and on February 4th they're selling their ulams. These are all sold on SC and they just put up their homepage announcement. It looks like they have quite a few different bucks that they bred to so be sure to check them out or contact Brock to stop by and look at them.
Jamie Beatty
We do have a couple stud ram showcases up right now. Fisher Club Williams in Idaho has their new buck Freddie. He's a conseco on a how high you he's rrff and he was bred by them and owned by them as well. Make sure to check him out on Champion Drive.
Steva Robinson
Also a new one we have up is Bruce Almighty. He's a father figure. Oofta. He's rrff. He's bred by Bagalka Livestock and owned by Image Club Lambs.
Jamie Beatty
Be sure to check the Sud Ramp showcases out. Check out Champion Drive for everything else that we have coming up. There's a ton of content that's new every day. There's also a map on the breeders directory so you can kind of see if you're out and about and on the road you can see who's in the area. And speaking of being out and about, we do have one sale that's coming up the end of February that's advertised, which is the brand, which is hosted by the Hill Brothers in Webster city, Iowa. That's February 28th and March 1st. They have a Friday night sale and a Saturday consignor sale. So I think last year was the first year for that and it sounded like it went pretty well. So make sure you have that on your calendars. Let's move right into our next segment. Who did you talk to? Sister?
Steva Robinson
I talked to the Zerbox sisters, who we just mentioned. You know, they came off of a really hot Arizona, they're from Oregon and they end up winning Grand Reserve weather. They won Grand U. I mean, they had a really successful run there. So we really like to highlight kids like that to have success. And you know, they show sheep, goats, pigs and cattle. They do it all. They have a brother that also shows with them. But I just had the sisters on Addison and Macy and they were very fun to talk to. It was good just to kind of get to know them a little bit better, even though Macy was a little bit quieter. So anyways, let's get right into their episode them. Well, I am sitting down with the Zox sisters, who many know that they've had a lot of success in the ring, in the sheep ring and in the goat ring. And then their brother Easton has also found a lot of success with pigs. So you guys show all species. What is it like and how do you guys manage all of them?
E
Well, we do this as a family, so if one of us, you know, needs help, we help each other out and manage our time. Managing time is key.
Steva Robinson
Yes, absolutely. And you guys are from Oregon, so you guys aren't really close to any major stock shows. You, you have to travel a long time just to get to every major show. So what is a typical stock show? Track and tail for you guys and kind of how do you all guys make it all work?
E
So most of the time we have school so my dad and Josh will leave probably about a week before and drive there, and they'll make a few stops at some friend's house, let the sheep out and track them. And then me and Macy and my mom normally fly there and meet them at the show so we can stay in school.
Steva Robinson
And I know that it takes a lot to kind of make all that stuff work. So how did your family start showing sheep? Since I know you guys have also raised some as well.
E
Yeah. So I decided I wanted to take a Lambda county fair when I was in fourth grade and ended up loving it. And the next year, we did a few jackpots, just me and my mom and Macy. And then my dad came to one and was like, what the heck is this? He was completely clueless because he grew up racing motocross, but he saw that we loved it and supported us. And then the next year, he started talking to some breeders, and it kind of all took off from there.
Steva Robinson
You guys also raised sheep. So how did you guys start your flock? And like, tell me a little bit about it. Like, how many use you guys have? When do you guys lamb? Kind of give me the whole rundown on your flock.
E
Yeah. So we started after we started showing. We purchased a few users and started our breeding program and quickly realized that we loved breeding sheep just as much as we love showing them. So we started breeding a few, and then now we have about 50 blackface ewes and 40 receipts that we AI and flush. We normally have babies, like the beginning of October, end of November, and a few Decembers. We often show a few of our sheep. Last year, I showed a sheep named kodak that had 15 wins, and Macy showed a sheep named Gina that had around six wins. So that was exciting for us. We love when stuff that we bred does well.
Steva Robinson
Yes, absolutely. And anytime you get to have success with one that you. You raised from the from day one is also very, very special. So that is for sure, special. So let's kind of go and talk about Arizona. You guys had a heck of a run there. You guys were grand Reserve Market lamb. You won the U show, right, Macy? Yeah. So tell me a little bit about what were your feelings going into the grand Drive when you both knew that you were kind of competing against each other.
F
We went in there knowing that we're doing this as a family, and we were just gonna both go out there and try our hardest and happy for each other.
Steva Robinson
Yes, absolutely. And so I know you guys have a pretty good show team behind you. You obviously have very supportive Parents and people that are that support you in all that you do. So who would you guys like to thank for kind of getting you to where you are today?
E
We'd like to thank Randy Hill and Jake P. Richardson and everyone on our show team, like Walls and Jones, that fully support us. And we'd like to thank Josh, who is like a brother to us, who works in the barn, along with us all the time and are obviously our parents who fully support us.
Steva Robinson
Yes, that's a pretty good support system you girls have, and you're very lucky to have that. So tell me a little bit about your three champions. Who bred them? What were their pedigrees? If you knew, have they had any other success before now? Kind of. Tell me a little bit about that.
F
So my year, the one grand champion, she was bred by Chance Ness and she was sired by Chief, my Market lamb. That one, he was bred by Stone and he was sired by Ride Time.
E
My reserve Market Lamb was bred by Beam Ranch and Club Lambs, and he was sired by Undercover Brother.
Steva Robinson
And that one that you were reserved with, that one had been had. Went on to win a lot, hadn't it, Addie?
E
Yeah. So he was Champion Natural in ring B at Revival and Reserve in ring A at Revival. And then the second day at Revival, he got Reserve overall Market Lamb. Yeah, he had a lot of wins.
Steva Robinson
Yes. And. And I know that you guys last year, if I remember right, you both had a nephew, correct?
E
Yes.
Steva Robinson
And those use were very successful for you guys. So Macy, what was it like getting to get another nephew in your hands?
F
It was good. Very thankful that we got to get another one and that people thought that we did a good job with them.
Steva Robinson
So to wrap this up, I have a few fun questions for you guys. What is your favorite show?
F
My favorite show is the Revival Livestock Show. I like it because it's super fun. It's put on by very great people and I just like that they put it all towards the kids.
E
Mine is also probably Revival as well. Jimmy and Amy do a great job with that show and they truly are all about the kids and make it the best that it can be. And the prizes are great. Payouts are great. They do an amazing, amazing job.
Steva Robinson
Yeah. I've actually never had the chance to go to the Revival show, but from watching a live stream, it always looks like it's a great turnout and a great show for all the kids. So I think that's a very good show to be your guys favorite. I know you girls are pretty busy. You guys have all species. So what other hobbies do you guys enjoy?
F
We mostly just put all of our time and work and effort into just showing we don't really have any more hobbies. We just go to school and then come back and do our barn chores. So.
Steva Robinson
So when you guys get your sheep in and goats or pigs or steers, whatever you guys get in, kind of. How do you guys decide who gets what animal?
F
So normally we get all of our animals and we just wait until my dad gets on the phone with Randy and they just kind of decide. But mostly we kind of know just when they come. I show the use and the goats, of course, and then Addison just mostly takes care of all the weathers until we kind of figure out who's is whose.
Steva Robinson
And then, Addie, you show you have a steer, is that correct?
F
Yes.
E
Yep.
Steva Robinson
Are you the only one that shows steers or does Easton show with you? Kind of. How do you guys manage it on that side?
E
So my brother's taken a steer the past couple years to fair and he's jackpotted it in California and stuff and I've always wanted a steer. So this year I decided to take one or I'm going to take one to county fair and Easton helps me out with him and.
Steva Robinson
And then Easton mainly does all the pigs. Is that right?
E
Yeah, he kind of does a mix of pigs and cattle.
Steva Robinson
You guys are all very busy. I don't know how you guys handle it all. So my last question I have for you guys is. I know you girls said that you don't really have many other hobbies, but if you watch sports, what's your favorite sports team?
E
I like the Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs for football. They're a good team.
F
I like the Chiefs and the 49ers.
Steva Robinson
Well, thank you girls so much for joining me tonight. We are very proud of your guys success and all that you guys do in the ring. So thanks again, girls. We're very proud of you.
Kaitlyn Sister Urban
Yes.
E
Thank you for having us.
F
Thank you.
Jamie Beatty
Well, that was definitely a good interview with them, sister. Thanks for having them on. Those girls definitely had an awesome Arizona. So I was excited to hear what they had to say. They had a great week out there. So with that, I believe that's all we've got. So be sure to tune in next time. In the meantime, be sure to visit championdrive.com daily. Tons of sales going on Texas, major results interviews, breeders directory. You can find new places on the map you want to go and we will talk to you next time.
Episode Summary: The Championdrive Podcast - Episode 2.12
Title: Making your MARK with Jamie Beatty & Phoenix Success with the Zerbach Sisters
Release Date: January 29, 2025
Hosts: Kaitlyn Sister Urban & Steva Robinson
Guest: Jamie Beatty
Additional Segment: Interview with the Zerbach Sisters
In this episode of The Championdrive Podcast, hosts Kaitlyn Sister Urban and Steva Robinson engage in an in-depth conversation with Jamie Beatty, a seasoned professional in the sheep industry. The discussion spans Jamie's recent experiences in the field, her transition into online marketing for livestock, personal health struggles, and her collaborative efforts with fellow breeders. Additionally, the episode features an engaging interview with the Zerbach Sisters, highlighting their successes and strategies in the livestock arena.
The episode kicks off with the hosts catching up on Jamie Beatty's recent activities. Jamie shares her experiences attending sheep shows in Phoenix and Denver, managing her flock, and balancing personal life amidst a busy schedule.
Notable Quote:
"But no, I had a lot of fun. It was great. Like, we were able to kick over some different novel designs ideas, different champion drive ideas."
— Jamie Beatty [02:02]
Jamie humorously critiques Kaitlyn’s housekeeping habits, highlighting the challenges of maintaining cleanliness during busy periods.
Notable Quote:
"For someone that got a vacuum for Christmas, I did not see you use it very often..."
— Jamie Beatty [01:46]
Jamie delves into her background, tracing her roots in the livestock industry back to her grandparents and parents. She discusses her early involvement through 4H, her academic pursuits at Ohio State University, and her eventual transition into graphic design and communications within the livestock sector.
Notable Quote:
"I decided to shoot my portfolio over and worked out great. Didn't that was okay too."
— Jamie Beatty [05:01]
Jamie emphasizes the importance of branding and effective marketing strategies, drawing from her extensive experience with Drive and Encore Visions.
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around Jamie's role in shifting from traditional sheep breeding to a donor-based program, enhancing online sales, and the pivotal role of effective marketing in overcoming geographical limitations.
Notable Quote:
"We always sell all of our ulams or offer all you lambs just because we're donors only. So we started offering those off the farm and that got a lot of people to come, you know, come take a look at them in person."
— Jamie Beatty [20:32]
She shares strategies such as customer appreciation sales, stud ram showcases, and the "Make Your Mark" initiative—an homage to her late father, Mark.
Notable Quote:
"We call it make your mark and in memory of him. So the intent with that is just to do something, to try to make a difference."
— Jamie Beatty [26:25]
Jamie opens up about her personal battle with breast cancer, detailing her diagnosis, treatment, and the support system that helped her navigate this challenging period. Her transparency serves as an inspiration and a call to action for early detection and regular health check-ups.
Notable Quote:
"So my story, my hope is that somebody, if you can go and get checked the statistics say 1 in 8 are going to experience breast cancer in their lifetime."
— Jamie Beatty [31:00]
Her resilience and dedication to both her family and professional responsibilities shine through, illustrating the profound impact of the livestock community's support.
Jamie highlights the successes of her breeding program, mentioning significant awards and the achievements of their genetic customers. She discusses the meticulous process of selecting and managing bucks, ensuring high-quality semen for AI (Artificial Insemination) purposes.
Notable Quote:
"It's really cool when that kind of all comes to fruition... to have a role. And we're really proud."
— Jamie Beatty [36:38]
She proudly announces Trace Amigos, a standout buck named Champion Drive Rookie of the Year, sharing the challenges and triumphs of his early life and subsequent success.
Notable Quote:
"Trace Amigos seemed to be a good fit for the trio that was signing on to, to work on him together."
— Jamie Beatty [39:17]
Jamie provides valuable insights into effective marketing within the livestock industry, emphasizing consistency, unique branding, and community engagement. She introduces the "So You Suck at Marketing" initiative, offering comprehensive marketing packages to assist fellow breeders in promoting their sales effortlessly.
Notable Quote:
"Branding your business, putting the logo on there every time. When I start a year, I kind of try to go with a vision of what, what's this year going to look like for our social media."
— Jamie Beatty [23:09]
Her innovative approach simplifies the marketing process for breeders, allowing them to focus on their core operations while ensuring their sales gain maximum visibility.
In the latter part of the episode, the hosts interview the Zerbach Sisters—Addison and Macy—who recently achieved Grand Reserve Market Lamb and Grand U Show victories in Arizona. The sisters discuss their family's migration from Oregon to major stock shows, the logistical challenges they face, and their holistic approach to managing multiple livestock species.
Notable Quote:
"Managing time is key."
— Zerbach Sister Addison [58:15]
They share their strategies for balancing education, family responsibilities, and their passion for livestock, illustrating the dedication required to excel in multiple animal categories.
Notable Quote:
"We went in there knowing that we're doing this as a family, and we were just gonna both go out there and try our hardest and happy for each other."
— Zerbach Sister Addison [61:14]
Their discussion underscores the importance of teamwork, mentorship, and community support in achieving success in the livestock industry.
The episode concludes with a light-hearted segment where Jamie and Kaitlyn reminisce about past trends, such as colored Rockies jeans, adding a personal and relatable touch to the conversation. They also share upcoming sales and initiatives, encouraging listeners to engage with the Champion Drive community.
Notable Quote:
"If you've got them still laying around, there's like some demand on eBay and Poshmark for those bad boys."
— Jamie Beatty [43:03]
Jamie enthusiastically promotes the "So You Suck at Marketing" package, highlighting its comprehensive coverage across various platforms to streamline sales advertising for breeders.
Episode 2.12 of The Championdrive Podcast offers a rich blend of industry expertise, personal storytelling, and community-focused initiatives. Jamie Beatty's journey—from her roots in sheep showing to overcoming personal health challenges and pioneering online marketing strategies—serves as an inspiring narrative for listeners. The additional insights from the Zerbach Sisters further enrich the episode, showcasing the collaborative spirit and dedication that drive success in the livestock industry.
Listeners are encouraged to visit ChampionDrive.com to explore ongoing sales, access valuable resources, and connect with a community of passionate breeders and livestock enthusiasts.
Key Takeaways:
Upcoming Highlights:
Stay Connected: For more information, resources, and to participate in upcoming events, visit ChampionDrive.com.