How to Select Your Show Sheep: From the Basics to the Bells & Whistles

Are your lambs where they need to be, or is it time to make some changes? The lambs that compete and make the sale in the spring get dialed in during the fall, with consistent routines and a plan. In this episode, Sam and Logan break down fall show prep for market lambs, aimed at showmen getting ready for Kansas City or Louisville, fall and winter county shows, and the upcoming 2027 Texas major run. Fort Worth, San Antonio, San Angelo, Houston and Austin will be here before you know it. This one was recorded live at the Gillespie County Fairgrounds in Fredericksburg, Texas during the Silvers Livestock Driven clinic in mid-September, but everything here still applies as you head into validation and the heart of fall show season.

Recorded live at the Silvers Livestock Driven clinic in Fredericksburg, Texas, Sam and Logan sit down with Sterling Yurrita of YM Club Lambs out of Bandera, Texas. Sterling has worn just about every hat in this industry: judging coach, ag teacher, banker (he asks you not to hold that against him), oil field manager, operations director for the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, and now facilities manager at Stock Show Secrets. Through it all, he and his dad, Enrique, have raised show lambs for more than 15 years. Their sheep have won a classes at Houston and made the sale at several major shows, and the program keeps getting stronger. Sam and Logan dig into a moment every breeder faces sooner or later: grow it or get out. Sterling explains why YM Club Lambs chose to step on the gas, which new donor ewes are joining the program, and why he spent years AI’ing everything before he ever flushed. He shares how building a consistent genetic base first set the stage for smarter, more individual matings today. The guys also take on a bigger question: have AI and embryo transfer actually made show sheep better as a whole? Add in some honest talk about bad flush days, the FF buck debate, and the 2027 breeding plan. Sterling also gives a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run one of the largest rodeos in the world. He covers why stock show rules exist and the logistics behind ideas like a commercial lamb division. A huge thank-you to Sterling for his time and for being so open about his program.

Welcome to the first-ever Drench Line Breeder Spotlight. Sam and Logan traveled to The Little E in Garden City, Texas, to sit down with Cade and Jamie Halfmann of Halfmann Livestock, one of the most respected show goat programs in the country. Cade's family has been in the Boer goat business since they were brought into the United States in the early '90s, and he's watched the industry grow from half-blood goats shown on a long lead to the elite, flush-driven programs of today. He tells how he walked away from law school his final semester of college, bought The Little E with no plan (and no plan B), and grew 24 does into a program that now produces sale toppers and major show winners across the nation. Jamie brings a respected cattle background from Illinois, a sharp eye for structure, and the skin-and-hair expertise the Halfmann goats are known for. Together, they talk openly about marriage as a business partnership, balancing sale prices against putting goats in the right barns, and why the program took its biggest leap when they started running it like a business instead of a hobby. This one goes deep, and it doesn't sugarcoat: Why Cade built the doe base first: the power's in the female The hard year: recip conception problems and what a short kid crop costs you The real cost of entry, and Cade's advice for young breeders (starting with a good banker) Why Halfmann Livestock can fit any budget, and why the average show goat matters more than the sale toppers Xanax, Crank, and the sires shaping the program Breeding season in hot, dry country: less is more Jamie on structure, judging the Kansas City doe show, and a hot take on judge qualifications Why, at the end of the day, "we're in the kid business" Plus a first look at Goop, Jamie's new skin and hair conditioner - available to order now at https://goopmagic.com/. Thank you, Cade and Jamie, for sitting down with us! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Submit your questions at DrenchLine.com Read related posts on show goat breeding and management at DrenchLine.com

The boys had a 9:30 tee time, so the wives took the mics. On this episode of Drench Line, Jenny Bett Newsom and Jurahee Silvers step in to host from Corpus Christi during the Ag Teachers Conference and pull back the curtain on what really happens behind the scenes in a nationally competitive show sheep and show goat family. Shout out to our Stock Show Moms title sponsor, Judy's Western Wares. Judy's has been handmaking show blankets, halters, tubes, wraps and muzzles right here in Texas for more than 30 years — and they'll customize almost anything, from chapter colors to embroidered awards to starter boxes for a kid's first sheep or goat. Shop Judy's Western Wares online here (https://judysww.myshopify.com/) and use code DRENCHLINE10 for 10% off your order. Jurahee shares how she and Sam met in the Fort Worth sheep barn and built Silvers Livestock in Junction, and Jenny Bett tells how a New Braunfels river girl whose dad didn't own a pair of blue jeans ended up buying 30 Finewool ewes with Logan before they were even married. From there, the stock show moms get into the questions every show family deals with: who actually runs the barn, who packs better, and how often husband and wife argue over a sheep or a goat (spoiler: daily). They talk about keeping siblings from competing against each other by splitting breeds and show days, and how they juggle sports, school, church, livestock, and full-time jobs. Paper calendars win this round. One of the most valuable segments is how to handle disappointment after a show. Jenny Bett shares the "take the long way back to the pens" rule her kids live by, and Jurahee explains why the show ring is a stage and every placing is one man's opinion on one day. Plus a rapid-fire round on favorite stock show food, favorite Texas major (Houston, and the layovers are why), sheep vs. goats, coffee orders, and one word to describe Logan and Sam. They close with honest talk about wanting to quit, their best barn hacks and organization tips (including the famous snackle box), and advice for every first-year show mom: find your people. The Stock Show Moms are coming back before Texas Majors — and they want your questions. Show prep, packing, sibling rivalry, stock show food, barn organization, you name it. Submit your questions at www.DrenchLine.com. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Submit your questions at DrenchLine.com. Read related posts on show barn tips and stock show family life at DrenchLine.com.

Recorded live at the Texas Ag Teachers Conference in Corpus Christi, this episode of the Drench Line sits down with two Texas ag teachers making a real difference in their FFA programs. A HUGE thank you to our Ag Teacher Series title sponsor, Judy's Western Wares. Judy's has been handmaking show blankets, halters, tubes, wraps and muzzles right here in Texas for more than 30 years — and they'll customize almost anything, from chapter colors to embroidered awards to starter boxes for a kid's first sheep or goat. Shop Judy's Western Wares online here and use code DRENCHLINE10 for 10% off your order. First up is Kayla Hughes, who teaches ag at New Braunfels High School and oversees the sheep, goat, rabbit, and chicken projects there. Kayla walks through how New Braunfels' rapid growth has changed her program's demographics — blending long-time ag families with kids who've never set foot on a farm — and shares her own path into the industry, including a commercial goat lottery program back in Helotes and a few years of her childhood spent in Alaska (bear drills included). She gets real about the budget conversation every first-year show family needs to have, and tells the story of two seniors who bought their first goats and went on to win champion and reserve champion at the Comal County Show. Then Logan sits down with JT Kelley, ag teacher at Flatonia ISD and a third-generation educator. JT talks about walking away from a corporate sales job to get back into the classroom, what it's like working in a three-teacher ag program at a small 2A school, and why he thinks the future of stock shows is trending up — more ag barns, more first-generation show families, more growth. He also shares a great family story about his dad getting written up by his own father (the school principal) for skipping a faculty meeting. Both guests answer the same rapid-fire round — favorite breed, favorite fair food, coffee or energy drinks, and the one piece of advice every show family should hear — and land on the same core message: find people you trust, follow one program, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Submit your questions at DrenchLine.com. Read related posts on the blog at DrenchLine.com.