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He rose in the class, hand over his heart,
and spoke of his future career.

The fall gather almost always proves to be one of the most exhilarating, exasperating, rejuvenating, wearisome events of the entire year.

When I was growing up, we had a couple of dogs. Our first dog was named King. He was named this because my dad had a dog named King when he was growing up, and this dog was going to be every bit as wonderful as my dad’s childhood companion.

Upton Sinclair and Temple Grandin are two names mentioned in agriculture classes throughout America. I remember first being introduced to HBO’s biographical film Temple Grandin early in my FFA career and Sinclair’s book The Jungle later on in college.

When I worked in the dairy industry, we used to joke that Holstein calves come into the world looking for a way to die and that Jersey calves come into the world halfway dead. Even though I am a beef producer now, I retain my skepticism in the hours following birth.

My wife and I pulled into the compound at ranch headquarters a while back to find a black Angus bull lounging against the front gate to the ranch house. With a deep sigh and resignation in her voice, my wife said, “It’s always the bulls!”