Season 2 - NAILE Bonus Episode - Crap Happens - Handling Adversity in the Showring + Of the Year with Brock Amstutz, Chance Neff and Charlie Hild!

Summary

The Championdrive Podcast: Season 2 - NAILE Bonus Episode Summary

Episode Title: Crap Happens - Handling Adversity in the Showring + Of the Year with Brock Amstutz, Chance Neff, and Charlie Hild
Release Date: November 13, 2024
Hosts: Kaitlyn Sister Urban and Steva Robinson
Guests: Brock Shearer, Lisa Shearer, Chance Neff, Charlie Hild

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Introduction to Handling Adversity

The episode kicks off with hosts Kaitlyn Sister Urban and Steva Robinson delving into a particularly challenging incident that occurred at the Kansas City U Show. Steva raises a provocative question to Brock Shearer about handling unexpected adversity in the show ring, referencing an event where Brock was unexpectedly "pooped on" by his sheep.

Notable Quote:
Steva Robinson [00:20]: "I gotta know, what would you do if the same thing happened to you that happened in Kansas City where the sheep coughed and pooped all over you, over your face, all over yourself, over your sheep? What would you do?"

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Brock Shearer’s Kansas City Experience

Brock Shearer, a young and dedicated show lamb exhibitor from Worcester, Ohio, shares his firsthand experience of the mishap at the Kansas City U Show. Brock describes how, despite the unexpected and messy situation, he remained resilient and continued to compete without letting the incident derail his performance.

Notable Quotes:
Brock Shearer [02:54]: "So I was showing my commercial, you, and I actually didn't make the cut."
Brock Shearer [03:29]: "I'm just going to keep showing."

Interview with Lisa Shearer: Family Perspective

Lisa Shearer, Brock’s mother, provides a heartfelt perspective on the incident. She highlights the emotional turmoil experienced during the event but commends both Brock and Wyatt A.C., the other young exhibitor involved, for their sportsmanship and professionalism. Lisa emphasizes the importance of support from family and the community in overcoming such challenges.

Notable Quotes:
Lisa Shearer [05:15]: "We got a lot of support from friends and family... and also have some people that were laughing at the situation."
Lisa Shearer [08:10]: "Both of them handled it like young men... extremely professional manner."

Reflections on Resilience and Community Support

Steva and Kaitlyn commend Brock and Lisa for their unwavering determination and ability to handle adversity gracefully. They discuss the broader implications of such incidents in the show ring, emphasizing the importance of resilience and community support in the livestock industry.

Notable Quotes:
Steva Robinson [08:10]: "I think it's provoked a lot of conversations in the industry of what would you do?"
Steva Robinson [10:24]: "You're welcome. For those of you guys that don't know Shearers raised sheep in Ohio..."

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Introduction to 'Of the Year' Awards

Transitioning from the personal story, the podcast shifts focus to the upcoming "Of the Year" awards at Louisville. Hosts discuss the significance of these awards, which honor outstanding genetics, showmen, and breeders in the industry. They outline the nomination process and highlight the involvement of presenting sponsors such as Essential Feeds, Rival Feeds, Rule Supplements, Show Wright, and RSG.

Notable Quote:
Steva Robinson [11:00]: "Nominations will open the week after Louisville, so be sure to be thinking about who you think is should be nominated for the man of the Year..."

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Spotlight on 2023 ChampionDrive.com of the Year Winners

Guest: Chance Neff
Steva interviews Chance Neff, who discusses his success at the Louisville show and the pedigree of his champion sheep, Daisy Jones, and Chief—the competition's Man of the Year. Chance elaborates on the breeding strategies and future plans for his award-winning livestock.

Notable Quotes:
Chance Neff [14:07]: "Bailey has been fortunate enough to have a great show show career... this is just something special for us as a breeder as well."
Chance Neff [17:23]: "Daisy was flushmates tatanka, a fallborn ulam that we had last year that Brittany Schmillen campaigned all over Iowa..."

Guest: Charlie Hild
Charlie Hild from Hill Brothers Show Stock discusses his Rookie of the Year, Ace of Spades. He details Ace's impressive first-year achievements and the breeding programs associated with him. Charlie shares insights into his operation’s expansion and future plans, including AI days and live sales.

Notable Quotes:
Charlie Hild [23:30]: "Ace is a. He would be a ride time back on a. Drop the mic, you... he's been a multiple times man of the Year."
Charlie Hild [25:38]: "We generally take those sheep to RSG in the fall of their buck lamb year and try to put frozen up on them."

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Upcoming Events: Bluegrass Babes Sale in Louisville

The hosts provide detailed information about the Bluegrass Babes Sale scheduled for November 16th in Louisville. They highlight the various opportunities available, including live lots, donor sales, embryo lots, and unique offerings like clones. The segment emphasizes the importance of networking and engaging with breeders during such events.

Notable Quote:
Steva Robinson [29:07]: "There's also a clone lot and other unique opportunities that will be in that sale. So be sure to stop by, go and chat with all the breeders."

Closing Remarks and Future Content

As the episode wraps up, Kaitlyn and Steva tease upcoming content, including a recap of national shows over the past decade and ongoing initiatives like the Championdrive tea giveaway. They encourage listeners to stay engaged with the podcast for more insights and updates.

Notable Quote:
Steva Robinson [33:49]: "We’ve kind of started doing something new this fall. We did a recap of all the national shows for like the past 10 years..."

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Key Takeaways

1. Resilience in Adversity: Brock Shearer's ability to continue showing despite unexpected challenges serves as an inspiring example of perseverance in the livestock industry.

2. Community and Sportsmanship: The support from family and peers, as demonstrated by both Brock and Wyatt A.C., highlights the importance of community in overcoming setbacks.

3. Recognition of Excellence: The "Of the Year" awards celebrate outstanding achievements in genetics, showing, and breeding, fostering a culture of excellence.

4. Upcoming Opportunities: Events like the Bluegrass Babes Sale offer valuable opportunities for breeders and exhibitors to connect, trade genetics, and showcase their livestock.

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This episode of The Championdrive Podcast provides a compelling mix of personal resilience stories and industry-wide accolades, offering listeners both inspiration and valuable information about upcoming events and award recognitions in the show lamb community.

Transcript

[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]

I gotta know, what would you do if the same thing happened to you that happened in Kansas City where the sheep coughed and pooped all over you, over your face, all over yourself, over your sheep? What would you do?

[Brock Shearer]

I honestly have no idea. Like, that is not something that you can even prepare for.

[Steva Robinson]

I don't feel like I asked Braden on the way home, like, what would you have done? He's like, I probably would have called a timeout. Like, if there's any time to call a timeout, it's probably then. And you're probably right. I mean, I don't know. But I think the thing that was so neat about that. Not neat. I mean, like, it's an unfortunate thing, but we actually. I visited with Brock Shearer, who is the young man that was on the unfortunate end of that incident. And I thought the one thing that was really interesting was that he just kept going, he kept showing. And so I thought it was neat to catch up with him and his mom kind of about, like, what happened, like, what was going through his mind. And the one thing I thought that was really neat, is it never in his mind did it cross his mind to quit. He just wanted to keep showing. And so I think that's really remarkable, and I think that's something that should be commended. I visited with him a little bit. Should we get right into that? Do you think they see it when you nod?

[Brock Shearer]

Yeah, they do. Well, I feel like when I say, like, let's go, or like, yep, sounds great. Like, it's, like, very repetitive.

[Lisa Shearer]

So I'm like, the nod.

[Steva Robinson]

The nod's good. Look, you guys will have to let us know if you like the nod, because we're not cutting this part out. Like, she literally just looked at me and nodded, so I hope you guys heard her nod. Good job, sister. All right, here's Brock Shearer. All right. Well, guys, I know after Kansas City, one of the biggest probably things that we've seen online or on social media was what happened to our buddy Brock Shearer at Kansas City in the U Show. And Brock was a real champ. But let's start out a little bit. Brock, where are you from?

[Brock]

Worcester, Ohio.

[Kaitlyn Sister Urban]

Perfect.

[Steva Robinson]

And how long have you shown?

[Brock]

I. I honestly don't know.

[Steva Robinson]

Quite a few years. Your whole family's raised sheep for quite a while. And, yeah, you guys have been around the industry for a long time.

[Brock]

Probably since I was, like, three or four Something like that.

[Steva Robinson]

What grade are you in now?

[Brock]

I'm in seventh grade.

[Steva Robinson]

Awesome. Is this your. How many times have you shown at the American Royal?

[Brock]

Two years.

[Steva Robinson]

Two years. And this year is definitely pretty memorable. Let's talk a little bit about what happened in the ring. Let's get. Give me the play by play.

[Brock]

So I was showing my commercial, you, and I actually didn't make the cut.

[Lisa Shearer]

And initially.

[Brock]

Initially. Then towards the end, he pulled me to make the cut. Then I didn't get place. I got to the top five, went to the weighing my sheep, and then that's what. When it happened, I got. When I got pooped on.

[Steva Robinson]

Yeah. So what's going through your mind? Like, you've got to be pretty excited. Like, all right, I keep moving up. I'm not getting placed yet. I'm still in the mix. And then that happens. So what goes through your mind?

[Brock]

Oh, I was actually pretty happy about how I was doing, and I got pooped on. And, I mean, I. I really didn't think it was all that bad. Just thought, I just need to wipe off my face and just keep going.

[Steva Robinson]

Did you ever think about stopping or. The whole time it was. I'm going to keep showing.

[Brock]

I'm just going to keep showing.

[Steva Robinson]

Gotcha. I think that's awesome. I was telling these guys before we hopped on the podcast that on the way home from Kansas City after that, my son Braden and I were talking about on the way, and Braden's like, oh, I would have totally called a timeout. Like, I would have gone over to the Way staff and had him, you know, hold my sheep so I could get cleaned up. And it's something we'd never had to talk about. Have you ever had anything like that happen to you before in the show? Yeah, I think it's pretty. I guess. How does it feel to be TikTok famous?

[Brock]

I don't know.

[Steva Robinson]

What's your favorite sheep you've ever shown?

[Brock]

Honestly, I don't really have just one particular favorite sheep.

[Steva Robinson]

Gotcha. The U that you showed in that class that we're talking about. Like, is that one that you guys raised or are you gonna keep.

[Brock]

Yeah, one that we raised.

[Steva Robinson]

Cool. How many sheep do you guys run?

[Brock]

Yeah, 60 to 75 sheep.

[Steva Robinson]

Gotcha. And then what is your favorite show to go to?

[Brock]

Probably the Buckeye Livestock Expo.

[Steva Robinson]

Oh, very neat. That started during COVID I think. Right. Cool. And what's your favorite sports team?

[Brock]

Probably the Green Bay Packers.

[Steva Robinson]

Oh, I did not see that coming. I'm from Wisconsin. So you just made My day. I thought for sure you're gonna say the Buckeyes. So you made my day. Before we let you go, anything you want to add in, Mom?

[Lisa Shearer]

You know, for. For me on the sidelines, it was certainly a shocking experience. And there's definitely that moment of, oh, my gosh, what do I do know? You look at him to see how he's going to react. You're not sure if there's going to be tears or three shades of white or three shades of green and a kid running out of the show ring. But, you know, certainly there was. There was laughter in the moment. Certainly there was shock. There was definitely some tears afterwards, you know, kind of reflecting, reflecting on it back at the pen. And it's been a very interesting experience. You know, I never really anticipated any of my kids going TikTok famous. It's not something you sit back and think, gosh, I wonder if that's ever going to happen. And definitely not in this instant under these circumstances, do you expect to see your kid on. On tick tock. But, you know, in. In the moment, I got to give Brock plenty of credit. I also have to. To give the other young man involved credit. You know, Wyatt A.C. was, was on the. On the head of the sheep. That kind of had that unfortunate moment there. And Brock was, you know, unfortunately within the bullseye on the back end of it. But Wyatt was gracious. You know, he, after the class, checked on Brock, you know, how you doing? Gosh, buddy, I'm so sorry. And there was sportsmanship both ways in that deal, you know, with Brock, toughen it out, you know, just continuing to show and not. Not throw in the towel. And then Wyatt, you know, on the back end, checking on him and making sure he was okay and apologizing. I mean, no one. It can happen, right? Like, we all, we all know things like that can. Can happen. We hope it's not going to happen to us. But both of them handled it like young men. They both handled it in an extremely professional manner. And I think they. They should be commended for that, for sure. But yeah, I mean, we went to Kansas City for the first time last year, got the gate in all the classes that the kids participated in and went back this year kind of with the goal in mind to at least make the cut. We brought some ulams that we raised this year and, you know, were able to make the cut and continue showing. And then like Brock said, to. To be placed in the top 10 and, you know, ultimately in his case, to make it to the top five and get a chance to go across the scales. Like, you're excited. You don't want to miss that opportunity. You want to finish it out even, even amidst those less than ideal circumstances. So I'm proud of him, proud of Wyatt. You know, thinking back to the tick tock piece of it again, we've all seen videos. Whether it's different species. I've seen, you know, kids get ran over by hogs and in videos and just a variety of different things. You just never really expect it to be. To be you and, and your kid. So certainly, certainly not something I would have envisioned we'd be talking about six weeks ago.

[Steva Robinson]

You know, I think it's definitely really commendable how well you handled it, Brock, and even you too, Lisa. Like, I thought the same thing. Like, oh my gosh, what would I have done if that was my kid, my middle child, Corbin is that probably would have been the end of it. She would have let the sheep go. She would have been back at the pens crying, and she would have never shown again. So I think that was one of the neatest things I thought was just how you kept working hard and you didn't let it phase you and it just went or. I thought it was really, really neat and really commendable. So I'm really excited to get you guys on for that. Before we let you guys go, anything else you'd like to discuss or touch on?

[Lisa Shearer]

Well, I would just say Siva too. One of the neat things was we got a lot of support from friends and family and friends who are like family, just kind of checking in on Brock to make sure he's doing okay, you know, doing okay from a. Just a emotional state, you know, kind of afterwards, again, kind of that. That shock. And is he doing okay? Is he handling it well? You know, how is he working through being all of a sudden TikTok famous? Is he okay with it? You know, a lot of people reach out with an immense amount of care and empathy towards him, which we certainly appreciate. You know, love, have, love having those type of people in our, in our corner that really care, you know, and on the flip side, there were certainly some, some people that were laughing at the situation. And I do think that that's a good reminder for all of us when stuff like that happens, you know, it might be your kid's most embarrassing moment, or in this case, you know, one of my kids most embarrassing moments. But, you know, you know, it's a reflection of how they handle it and then how our industry can lift them up through that and show some support and show some empathy, because at the end of the day, these are kids out there in the show ring, and you, you know, you never know what's going to happen, good, bad, or otherwise. And just, I guess, a testament, I felt like, to those people that were around us that checked in and showed care and support and concern.

[Steva Robinson]

Absolutely. Yeah. And I guess I didn't think too much in terms of, like, it had to have been somewhat embarrassing, too. I looked at it more of like, man, that kid's a tough cookie. Like, I want to hire that kid someday because he's never going to give up. That was how I looked at it. So it's interesting to hear that there was some of that, too. But you definitely have our support. We think you guys are awesome. And, man, you handled that awesome. I hope if that happened to my kids, I hope they'd handle it half as good as you did.

[Brock]

So thank you.

[Steva Robinson]

You're welcome. For those of you guys that don't know Shearers raised sheep in Ohio, they've got a really nice set. Make sure you swing by this spring and check them out. And until then, we'll see you guys at Louisville. All right. I thought that was really good. Like I said, it was really, I thought, commendable that that young man just kept showing. I think it's provoked a lot of conversations, you know, in the industry of what would you do? And I thought what Lisa touched on was really good that Wyatt, the young man that had the other sheep, know he was really good about it. There was a lot of sportsmanship there. There's no hard feelings. Like, it's just kind of an unfortunate thing, but definitely a very memorable Kansas City in that regard. But moving on, we have Louisville this week, and that's why we did this bonus episode for you. And Louisville is always the start. As soon as Louisville's over is when we start the man of the Year contest or the of the year awards on championdrive.com we've done it for several years now, and it's gotten to be a deal where you can learn a ton about different genetics, different showmen, different breeders. And that'll all take place. The schedule will be posted online, but we're really excited to have our presenting sponsors on board. Nominations will open the week after Louisville, so be sure to be thinking about who you think is should be nominated for the man of the Year, which is going to be presented by Essential feeds, the rookie of the Year, which is presented by rival feeds and rule supplements. The show m of the Year which is presented by Show Wright and the Female of the Year which is presented by rsg. So that'll all start up after Louisville and we're going to do a podcast each week, I believe. I don't know if we've firm this up, but we're gonna firm it up right now. We're gonna do a podcast each week with the top nominees for each category in the presenting sponsor. So you can kind of get an even more in depth view and idea of who you're voting for and like what the genetics and everything are behind it. I always think it's interesting to see like what the damn sides are of some of these because maybe we hear it sired by so and so, but we don't know know that the dam is, you know, maybe has a story to it. So I think that'll be really good. What, which that kind of leads us into the next part of the podcast that you took care of. Do you want to talk a little bit about that?

[Brock Shearer]

Yeah. So I actually caught up with Brock Am Suds with Amset Show Lambs and they raised the 2023 Grand Champion Market Lamb at Louisville, which later went on to be our champion Drive Show Lame of the year. So that was a huge feat for them. And, and then I also caught up with Chan Snef and he actually had two of our winners in the of the Year contest. He raised a very elite set of females last year that hit the shows pretty hard all throughout the country. And one of those being Daisy Jones, which who was our 2023 female of the year in our contest and then also Chief, which was our man of the year. I got a little insight on those two. And then I also caught up with Charlie Hild with Hill Brothers Show Stock to talk a little bit about Ace of Spades, which was the rookie of the year. And you know, he mentioned that he really liked the of the Year awards and how just kind of an. What an honor it is to even be a part of it first of all. And then to see, to go on and see especially kind of what the rookie of the years kind of how they play out. So I thought that was interesting. I'm really excited to see who's on this year's.

[Steva Robinson]

Yeah, I think it'll be great. Let's get right into their little segments. Sister's nodding again. For those of you who can't hear her nod. She's nodding. She wants to get started on these next segments.

[Brock Shearer]

Well, Brock, thanks for joining me. I know Bailey had a heck Of a show career. And she ended it with a big banner at Louisville, which was one you guys raised as well. And then it also went on to win showing of the year in our contest. Do you mind telling me the pedigree of that champion?

[Chance Snef]

Yes. Thanks, sister, for having me on. It's American, American outlaw, Bombshell. And the bombshell mom was Shaniqua, which she was reserve commercial unit now in 21. So kind of a neat, neat twist there with having her on the. On the dam side being able to raise the grand a few years later.

[Brock Shearer]

Yes, absolutely. And I know that was Bailey's last show, so what does that mean to you and your family?

[Chance Snef]

Well, Bailey has been fortunate enough to have a great show show career. And I mean, she's won several sheep with hill show stock. And I never won a major state fair with one of her own. And at our last show, it was just, I guess, icing on the cake for a career. This is just something special for us as a breeder as well. I've raised a grand champion at one of the major stock shows. Been trying this for many years just to just finally stay in the course and finally got a big win.

[Brock Shearer]

Yeah, that's a huge win in itself. And I know that you guys have had a pretty successful run in the show ring with Bailey, and then I know you guys have also raised quite a few champions, and I know many people are familiar with amstet show lambs as we've had Leah and Bailey on the podcast. So why don't you tell me a little bit about when you'll start selling lambs this year.

[Chance Snef]

We don't have a sale date set quite yet, but it'll be the first part of December for those October 10th born lambs. Pretty excited about that group to be selling sometime.

[Steva Robinson]

Who.

[Brock Shearer]

Who all are those sired by?

[Chance Snef]

So we've got. There's some one out of American gangster, which is actually the full sib to that grand lamb at Louisville. And then there's. I think there's some out of Unicorn. There's some full sibs to some sheep have got along this summer. Two different ewes. There's. There's a Navajo on Bailey's reserve you at Louisville last year. And then there's a good handful of frozens that were Italian stallion on Neil Diamond I shoe. That's. I think there's 24 head total out of that group.

[Brock Shearer]

Well, it sounds like you guys are gonna have a pretty good sell, hopefully. Thank you, Brock, for joining me. I really appreciate your time.

[Chance Snef]

Thank you. Thanks for Having me appreciate it.

[Brock Shearer]

Well, thanks for joining me today, Chance for our segment on our 2023 ChampionDrive.com of the Year winners. I know you had two winners, so let's start with Daisy Jones. Do you mind telling me a little bit about her?

[Kaitlyn Sister Urban]

Yeah. Daisy was flushmates tatanka, a fallborn ulam that we had last year that Brittany Schmillen campaigned all over Iowa and. And then of course the national shows one that she was a chief or. Yeah, chief on Saban's sister is what she is. And, uh, you that was, uh, 21, 3, 16. You that's real special at our place and that you went out and I guess she won just about everything. She won Iowa when the all I was showdown actually is a market lamb and then went ahead and she was the supreme at Exarbin and the reserve at Kansas City as well. And just a real special animal that, you know, the Schmillen family did an incredible job managing and. And showing and, you know, really all the credit goes to them. They did a really nice job with that sheep and, you know, so just one of the more elite families in the deal that from us got a real special sheep and did an awesome job with.

[Brock Shearer]

Yeah, I know that she was a pretty hot topic last year. So how do you plan on using her?

[Kaitlyn Sister Urban]

Yeah, so we were pretty blessed with a good set of ulams last year. And this first go, we. We rolled with some of those more elite girls toward to 10 bears, which is a chief son that we bought from the McLennan family. And we got a real neat set of babies out of those girls and ten bears this time, including Daisy. She's got one that we actually bled yesterday, and we'll see how that goes. But, you know, I think that her and we had the ue called panda that Braden Bowers showed that I believe was second in the female of the year voting. You know, we're gonna. Those two are both lined up kind of the opposite of each other. One of them saving on chief sister. Another one's chief on Saban's sister. So what we're gonna do with those girls is we'll use them on some of our stuff. We're gonna do some outside stuff with them. Uh, I'll be honest. Those two are. Are two that we want to make some stud bucks out of. So we're gonna be pretty aggressive with how we breed those girls.

[Brock Shearer]

Yes. And I know you also had chief, our man of the year, so let's talk a little bit about him. How does it feel to have the man of the year. And against all of the rest of them that were up.

[Kaitlyn Sister Urban]

Yeah, that was an awesome honor. You know, we've had great success in our program with. With Chief and his daughters as well. And the Lord blessed us with. With that sheep. And, you know, that guy can't. Went through a lot. And for him to be as fertile as quick as he was, what was just a true blessing. And for the folks that had the. Had faith in breeding him, you know, I can't thank him any. Any more than what we have. And I'm glad that he went and had found success in their programs. And, you know, for all the exhibitors across the country, that. That got to show those sheep. We all know that, you know, as breeders, we can only do so much, and it's the families that get the livestock and get the sheep to go and. And perform and do well. You know, at the end of the day, Chief is very fortunate to. A lot of people had faith in him and used him and as were we. And I think this year, 2024 might have been even a better run for him. So we'll see how it plays out. Just the sheep that we're lucky to have in the bar and get to scratch his head every day.

[Brock Shearer]

Yes, for sure. And I know. I think you guys, if I remember right, you guys just came off of a pretty hot Kansas City with. With Chief babies. So I think that says everything about kind of the buck he is and what all he's doing in the show ring as well. So what does these honors mean to you and your family?

[Kaitlyn Sister Urban]

You know, it means a lot, to be honest. It's something that. That we hold in. In high regards just because there's something to, you know, the people in the industry that vote for your stock and they lift them up and. And put them on that pedestal, if you will, you know, because it's truly something that is voted on by your peers. And winning something that's voted on by your peers just means just a little bit more. You know, getting selected the judge shows by your peers is something that I hold in high regards, and I put this as equivalent to that and just a really great honor. You know, we thank everybody that did vote for them or, you know, or bread to them, and we just. We're so grateful for that. And we know that, you know, these livestock we were fortunate enough to raise Chief and, you know, but we know he's not possible without, you know, that. That guy, he's a unicorn. He's been multiple times man of the year. His mom's a drop who is multiple times man of the Year. And we know that, uh, we don't get him without those. And, uh, there's been a lot of thought process that we're. But we've been behind, uh, making those sheep, and so, you know, we got to give them a shout out also, so. Yeah. Very grateful.

[Brock Shearer]

Well, thanks, Chance, for joining me today. We're extremely happy for you, and we look forward to seeing more babies out of Daisy Jones and Chief. And check out Neff Livestock when you're in Texas. Thanks, Chance.

[Kaitlyn Sister Urban]

Thank you, Kaylin. Take it easy.

[Brock Shearer]

Well, Charlie, thanks for joining me today to Talk about your 2023 ChampionDrive.com Rookie of the Year, Ace of Spades. Do you mind telling me his pedigree?

[Charlie Hild]

Yeah, so Ace is a. He would be a ride time back on a. Drop the mic, you. That is actually Gable's mom as well, so he'd be fairly lined up. But, yeah, he's, uh, he's been a good buck for us.

[Brock Shearer]

And, you know, you guys, I know this is his first lamb crop that hit the show ring this year. So what all winners have you seen out of him?

[Charlie Hild]

Yeah, so it's always interesting, like, you know, you. You breed a buck kind of the first year, and you kind of shotgun them and try to figure out, you know, where they work and where they don't. And he worked in some areas that we, you know, envisioned he would and then maybe other areas that we got to tighten the screws down a little bit harder. But I tried to go through and kind of look at some of the successes that he's had, and it was actually a little bit surprising after you kind of go through everything of what he did do in his first crop. But from, you know, from our sheep alone that we would have sold, he would have had the reserve grant at the Mid American, the Grant at the Cornhusker Showdown. Those have been both shown by Josie Johnson. And then he had reserve at the North Central Iowa Showdown. And then actually for our customers, he. He was extremely successful. So he would have had the grand at the Virginia State Fair that was raised by Brookwood Grant at Keystone that was raised by TKM and Henderson, it would have the grand at the Indiana Stock show, which the Gourley family would have raised that one grand at the Nebraska State Fair, which would have been bred by Ehlers Grant at the Southern New Mexico State Fair, that would have been another one raised by TKM and Clayton Reserve grand at the Illinois Open, that was raised by tkm. And then Also the reserve natural at the Indiana State Fair, raised by Brookwood. So he had a pretty good year.

[Brock Shearer]

Yeah, he did. He had a pretty good year coming off of his first year. And I'm sure you guys are excited to see what's to come for him. So I know you. You mentioned that you had a lot of customer success with him as well. So tell me a little bit about the semen that you offer on him.

[Charlie Hild]

Sure. So, you know, Ace, like the entire buck battery that we would have. I mean, we generally take those sheep to RSG in the fall of their buck lamb year and try to put frozen up on them. And we would sell that privately and then also through the RSG catalog. And then during the entire breeding season, we would ship out fresh semen from the house here. Monica does the majority of our lab work. And then we would ship semen all across the US to be used as fresh. And then we also would host multiple AI days at our house. So combo of fresh and frozen, you know, both hall and AI days, and then shipping out to other satellite sites throughout the country.

[Brock Shearer]

Yeah, and, you know, you mentioned that you guys have Holland AI AI dates and, and all that. So tell me a little bit about what's next for your operation.

[Charlie Hild]

Yeah, that's a. That's a great question, sister. You know, we've really expanded the. The repro side of things. I mean, this, this is the first year that we made an additional, I guess, AIET facility that kind of tandem with our sale facility. So, you know, we had a few more AI days and flush days this year. I mean, I think, to tell you the exact number, I don't know, it was like 21 total repro days, I think, for the year, this year. So we finally finished that up here in October. And so, you know, I think we've probably met our capacity on. On hosting the number of lap, AI and ET days for us, at least right now, you know, but, you know, through the sales side of things, we've expanded on that. I know we've talked before about the brand, the sale that we hosted in the spring, and then we just had our first live bread you sale here on October 28th here at the farm. And that was a big hit. And so, you know, just incorporating some of those live sales and then continuing to do the. The hollow days would, I'd say, you know, maybe not something new, but something that we'll continue to do and some new things that we've added here within the year. I mean, the brand is going to be February 28th and March 1st this next year. So, you know, again, we'll ask our genetic clients and invite them to come in on sale that March 1st. And so we'll. It'll be year two with that. And then again, the bread you sale, being live, had a little bit different twist to it this year as a live auction. And so that's always kind of a stressful but rewarding process. But yeah, I mean, we'll start lambing. You know, we got a fall group on the ground. We'll have another set. Few groups come in December. And then we'll start lambing again on the the brand set there about mid January, and then we'll take a break and start up again in February. So it's just kind of a. A vicious cycle, if you will.

[Brock Shearer]

Yes, absolutely. Well, thanks, Charlie, for being on with me today. It sounds like you guys have a lot going on, so hopefully you can stay ahead on everything.

[Charlie Hild]

Yeah. Well, hey, I appreciate you inviting us to come on and providing the end of year competition. It's always fun to see what sheep surface in that and, you know, who wins. It's always. It's always a great competition.

[Brock Shearer]

Yes. Thank you, Charlie.

[Charlie Hild]

Thanks, sister.

[Steva Robinson]

Well, sister, as always, I know you're excited to get to Louisville. If there's one girl in this country that loves the livestock show, it is Caitlin Urban. But what else is there besides the livestock show going on this weekend in Louisville?

[Brock Shearer]

SC is managing the bluegrass babe sale, which a lot of people I'm sure know about or have heard about it or seen about it on social media. But that is Saturday, November 16th at 7pm and display starts at 5pm I know that there will be several live lots that will be on display there in Louisville, so be sure to stop by and check those out. And I know that there's also several donors that are selling pickup lots for AIs or flush groups or embryos, several proven females. There's also a clone lot and other unique opportunities that will be in that sale. So be sure to stop by, go and chat with all the breeders. I know that's Stephen's favorite part is talking to everybody. So be sure to stop by and let her know who her favorite employee is. Maybe I'll get employee of the Month.

[Steva Robinson]

I don't know it. I mean, you're doing pretty good. But employee of the month is a big honor. I mean, I don't know. We'll see. Mean, keep up the good work. The month is young, so we'll see how you do this weekend. Yeah, I Think there are a lot of unique opportunities at the bluegrass babes. Like I think the like pick of the u lambs or pick a flush groups, those are always an interesting thing. I've been on the other side of that selling those as breeder, as a breeder before, and I like selling that option. I think as a buyer, there's a lot of upside to it. But I think one thing that's unique about the bluegrass baits is no matter what you're looking for, if you're looking to add a donor to your program, if you want to buy a sheep that you can actually see and look at this weekend, you know, there's live lots, you know, u lambs or yearlings that you can buy. There's really interesting stuff like clones or embryo lots and such like that. We've done a lot of really cool signage and social media projects for various or for a variety of breeders, including Tuck brothers, Diamond c. Hobbs, Neff McCauley, Buckham Simpson and Mountain View. And then there's also a couple ads running on Champion Drive. There is an ad for Caitlin, which is the ulam that my family is bringing. She's an undercover brother on Lily, which Lily is our unicorn daughter that has been kind of an up and coming female on the bottom side of that. And there's a really cool drone video that we did that. The thing that you do not see in the drone video is I did take out the yelling of me at Braden. Someone asked me, like, how did the you not get spooked by the drone? Since she's probably comforted by the fact that I was yelling at him. Love, you know, like move. Quit looking at the drone. You know, get your hands right such like that. So there's probably an unedited version that no one's ever going to get to hear, but you guys can imagine what it sounded like. And I'm sure that most of you guys have picture days that go that way. And speaking of that, we put up a picture of our bluegrass babe, Jew, with Riker, my littlest guy in the background. I noticed when we were taking. We were getting ready to take pictures at night, I noticed he's kind of the background. Buddy, you got to get out of the way. And when I got to the house, I looked at the couple pictures we had taken and here Riker was in the back of the picture and being a little boy and bless his heart, he was over the drain, but he was definitely taking a leak. So. So we posted that picture and I got a lot of people that texted on that. So I'm definitely not the show mom of the year. I'm definitely not the parent of the year. But we're all live. So. And then Tyler Homan also has an ad up right now for his Bluegrass babes and he is taking he has, I believe Lot 2 is a top tier bishop and she's a bred you which is bred off the grid. And then Lot 3 is a Dorset advantage that he's bringing. She's a Chit Chat golden asset and I think she did some winning herself. So definitely be sure to check out home and livestock at Bluegrass Babes and everyone else that we kind of mentioned too and we hope to see you there. I am not the chattiest of people, but Sister definitely is and if she wants to be employee of the month, she can be the one to chit chat.

[Brock Shearer]

So don't worry, I got the chit chat and under control.

[Steva Robinson]

I'll. I'll take care. I'll start doing your nodding. I'll just like you're doing in here where you're not saying anything. You're just nodding. But. Well, we hope you guys all have a really good drive to Louisville. We're excited to see you there. Catch up on some of our past episodes. There's been some really good ones this this season and last season as well. And I did hear through the grapevine that Sister and Jill have a Champion Drive tea giveaway plan that we'll be posting more about for this week. So be sure to find Sister and get your tea and she'll post some details on when that is.

[Brock Shearer]

We've kind of started doing something new this fall. We we did a recap of all the national shows for like the past 10 years. And so I think those are always interesting to go back and look at and see kind of who's won over the years and like kind of what breeders have surface at the top. So that will also be out on Champion Drive. So be sure to check that out and come and find me for your T shirt.

[Steva Robinson]

Safe travels.