Express Ranch’s 2018 Big Event

Welcome back. Cattlemen from all over the world will descend on Oklahoma this coming Friday and Saturday as the 28th annual Big Event Cow Sales once again comes to Yukon where a hundred-thousand-dollar cow is not unusual. Express Ranches, which hosts this very important cattle auction, is the largest operation of its kind in the country. You regular readers know I’ve written about this sale and the great people I’ve meet there for the last few years.

These folks are the ones who raise the beef we eat and they are truly as American as you can get. Entire families come to the sale, not only to buy cattle but also to experience the hospitality that Oklahomans offer visitors. In addition to the friendly people, the folks I’ve talked to also enjoy visiting the many museums and other attractions the state has to offer, adding their dollars to our tourism revenue.

As in past years this Friday night after the sale there will be a big steak and shrimp dinner outside under the biggest tent I think I’ve ever seen. After dinner the thousand plus guests are always entertained by someone famous in the country music business and this year is no different. I first met Vince Gill in 1997 during Bartlesville’s Centennial celebration when he was the headliner for the Grand Finale Concert which was held on Bruin Field. In those days I was doing a lot of personal security for many entertainers around the country and Vince was just one. A few years earlier in 1990 he had his first big hit with “When I Call Your Name” which won both the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year Award and a Grammy and when he came to Bartlesville he was a hot ticket.
Of course, nowadays most of Vince’s fans know he has gone on to win 17 more CMA awards and four more song of the year awards. No one else has ever done that and when you throw in 20 more Grammy, well all I can say is he’s still big stuff and from knowing him just a little bit I can tell you he’s also a comic with great timing.

It’s all happening in Yukon, Oklahoma this weekend and although it’s hard to get a ticket for Friday night if you’re not buying a cow, the Saturday auction is free and open to the public. Don’t worry if the weather is bad the barn where the auction is held is more like a museum and its full of trophies won by youth who have made it big in the cattle business. It’s worth the visit just to see the ranch and the Express Clydesdales whose barn is right on the property. I’ve told you enough so call your banker, tell him you want to buy a cow and I’ll see you there.

For me, with a new book coming out soon its nonstop as I’ll also be at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday for the big Grand National Gun Show.

Locally on Friday morning either in the paper or on the radio you’re going to hear the name Mike Henry. Mike’s the guy who produce’s Barry Switzer’s TV show Coach’s Cabana and he will be in town Friday. Rumor has it that Barry will be with him and it’s a good bet the pair will be at Arvest’s Friday Forum and at Dink’s or Sterling’s for lunch.

Thanks for reading and till next time I’ll see ya down the road……………….

#

The 4 StateFarm Show

Welcome back. I recently returned from Pittsburg, Kansas which is the home of Pittsburg State University and was also the home of the Four State Farm Show. Friends, these are the folks who feed us all and I was honored to be invited to be a part of the show. Of course they had all kinds of balers, mowers and rakes but they also had skid steers building and tractors of all kinds and sizes. Metal building contractors were thick and there were several types of generators on display.

The three day show included numerous demonstrations and lots of good food. Although the organizers had me in a booth autographing books, I was able to check out a demonstration of an irrigation system which was quite refreshing in the 108 degree heat.
I soon discovered that this farm show wasn’t just for local farmers. Folks I visited with came from around the country to see the state of the art equipment available for growing food. I’ve also got to say that you would have a hard time finding a friendlier bunch of Americans. Yes, the cattle pens and brush hogs, the roto mixers and the stock trailers are all behind me now in my life but I can’t remember when I’ve spent a more interesting weekend in quite a while.

This was the 44th year for the Farm Show and the vendors and equipment covered twenty-five acres. I’d never heard of the show before and when I got the chance to talk with Lance Markley who is the show coordinator I learned that next year the date of the show will be moved to May 3rd, 4th& 5th to beat the heat. Lance is also the publisher of Farm Talk which is a must read if you farm.
Farm Talk is the main sponsor of the Farm Show and thumbing through it I found more than one thing I needed. Farm Talk isn’t a newspaper, it’s a farmers’ and ranchers’ paper with articles and tips written by experts in these fields. They cover everything from droughts to floods and bugs to fertilizer. If you want to about the grain market or maybe wheat futures, this is your paper. Looking for a seminar on raising cattle or horses? This is where you’ll find one.

Agriculture may not be something the average city dweller thinks about regularly but Farm Talk is definitely an interesting read. The paper is based is Parsons, Kansas and can be a bit hard to find in our area so if you want a copy give ‘em a call at (800) 356-8255.
I thought I’d leave this subject with a few quotes from a Farm Talk column by Mark Parker listing the signs that old age is edging up on you:

‘A young farmer mentions something “going viral” so you suggest he call the vet.”
“In the city you ask a kid if there’s a phone booth nearby and he says “What’s a phone booth?”
“This YouTube thing, it’s something you inflate right?”

Till next time I’ll see ya down the road…………….
#

On the Road Again with Footprints in the Dew

Today Joe Washington will be signing books at Best of Books in Edmond. Afterwards I’ll be moving on to the R&K Gun Show at the OKC Fairgrounds.