Prodding her way there
Camille Ford makes her way to competition
February 14, 2017
Her boots move across damp green wood shavings as she tugs along Taz, a shorthorn plus steer. The livestock exposition officials watch as the animals stand their posture. She urges the cows to adjust their posture, nudging their hooves. An abundance of training and hours are put into this moment, all staring with an early morning back home in Munith on her family farm, every day.
Junior Camille Ford starts every morning the same. The sixteen year old girl wakes to her morning chores of feeding and tending to her cattle.
“Sometimes I wish I had a little more time on my hands,” Camille said. “You don’t become good at showing cattle overnight. This type of lifestyle means you have to spend a lot of time with them.”
The Ford family travels nationwide for cattle shows from East Lansing to Louisville, Kentucky. In the past four years, they have been to 12 shows, and they averaged about 28 beef cattle shows.
Camille’s younger brother, freshman Noah Ford, also shows cattle.
In the Louisville North American Livestock Exposition in Kentucky, junior Camille Ford leads Spotted Bear to be judged by official judges. Ford took him to the exposition where he placed 5 in his class.
“Showing cattle gives me the chance to interact with other people and animals,” Noah said. “You can build trust with your own animals and learn about other programs like FFA (Future Farmers of America) and many others like that.”
For the Ford family, showing cows has changed their lives for the past six years.
“Not just anyone can just pick up showing cattle on a national level,” Camille said. “It is a skilled practice. I think anyone that is determined to do it can learn how.”
Being able to show cattle has everyday tasks. The chores go from walking to washing the cows.
“I feed them before school,” Noah said. “Then we feed them again at 4:30-5:00 p.m. after school.”
Competitions span across the United States when it comes to showing cattle.
“At the North American International Livestock Expo, the majority of the cattle will be from east of the Mississippi River,” official judge of Angus Beef at the Northern American Livestock Exposition Cody Sankey said, “but cattle come from all over the U.S. to be judged.”
The maintenance of owning a single cow can take an enormous amount of time. The Ford family has a total of 47 cows and more on the way. Tending to each cow on a daily basis can be a hassle, but for Camille and Noah, it has become a part of their everyday life.
“It has shown me that working hard is really important,” Camille said. “You have to be careful otherwise you will have forty cows in the road.”