Bulls shipped to Colorado

The bulls were shipped last week for a trip to Colorado where they will be sold at the Leachman Bull Sale in March. They were loaded here in eastern Ohio on a day near 70 degrees and traveled for about 24 hours.  They were unloaded in Colorado in snow.  The trucking company that hauled them were unbelievable and work hard to care for the cattle as they were being shipped. When you find a good livestock trucking company, you better keep using them.  Jake called this man about trucking the bulls and he told Jake I will work it out and get back with you.  Early the next week, Jake hadn't heard from him, so Jake called him.  The man told Jake he had just lost his son in a car accident.  Jake taken back by this tragic news, said "well do you want me to find someone else to truck the bulls".  He said, "no, the business will have to carry on".  That is the reality of Agriculture and the triumph desire of rural America.  This is the peak of livestock hauling in this country and if it is your business, you have to literally keep trucking. The real hard truth of life.

Truck drivers are essential to animal care and delivery as cattle are shipped all over this country.  Jake unloaded a truck at the feed yard one morning about 2AM.  This truck driver got out of his truck and began to shock each of the calves weather they needed it or not to get off the truck.  There was one calf stuck in one of the compartments alone, he was shocking it to get it off.  Jake was becoming very agitated, I should say Jake doesn't get easily angered. He looked at the guy and said "if you shock that calf one more time, I am going to take that and shock you".  He said "if you give that a calf a minute and let that other compartment out, that calf will go on out with that group". So he did and the calf went out with the group and then the truck driver apologized to Jake.

Animal welfare is a big deal!!

The bulls are now in Colorado and I believe have avoided any other snow falls.  If you are wondering how I got this picture.  It is a small world.  One of my former students and a member of my first banner winning livestock judging team Kara Hicks married Curt Schenkel and became Kara Schenkel and is now living and working at this ranch/feedyard where the bulls will be on test until they are sold.  Thanks Kara, for braving the cold with those two adorable children to get me this picture.