Episode 11 - Christian Calliham & MaKayla Hoffman, Aggieville Showdown

Episode 11 of the Aggieville Lifestyle Podcast features Christian Calliham and MaKayla Hoffman, organizers of the annual Aggieville Showdown cattle show. Host Tyler Jackson sits down with Christian and MaKayla to talk all things Aggieville Showdown—how the event came to life, what goes into organizing a premier cattle show, what exhibitors and spectators can expect this year, and how it continues to grow as a signature Aggieville experience.

So grab your crew, head to the yards, and join the conversation as we dive into the competition, community, and tradition behind the Aggieville Showdown in the Little Apple! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to the Agieville Lifestyle Podcast, episode number eleven. We're going to recap the beautiful month of March and all the St. Patrick's Days, you know, because this is the town that never stops celebrating St. Patrick's Day. And then we're also going to be talking about the Agiville Showdown, one of the coolest cattle shows in the entire country. The best one in Kansas by far. It's going down this weekend in Aggeville. We're going to be talking all things Agiville Showdown. That's coming up. This is the Agiville Lifestyle Podcast. Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. It is the Agiville Lifestyle Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Jackson. I am so humbled and delighted that you made your way on through and you stopped on by. You could be we're anywhere in the world at this moment, but you chose to be here with us, and so for that I am truly, sincerely very much grateful. Episode number 11 coming your way. Before we get into our guests, like I'm real excited for this one. I can't wait to get to the guests. We have to give a big shout out to the month of March, man. Like the weather was pretty good. It was unseasonably warm. We didn't really have did we have any snow in March? I can't remember. We might have had maybe at the beginning of March. We might have had just like a quick little trace of snow. But the weather was great throughout the entire month. Fake Paddy's Day was fun and festive. It was safe. Didn't hear too many complaints or issues coming out of it. I was the door guy at Mojo's all morning until three o'clock in the afternoon. And we didn't have any issues whatsoever. I mean, the only the biggest issue that we saw during the day anyway was K-State lost to play the basketball game to KU. But yeah, Fake Paddy's Day was fun. Real fake Paddy's Day, or real Real Paddy's Day on Tuesday. That was pretty good. And then the the the towney celebration, I mean, just a beautiful, well-organized race, uh, an awesome parade as it is each and every year. You know, the the construction over the next couple years, the parade might look a little bit different, as Dennis had told us in episode 10. But it's uh it it we're gonna keep it rolling. You know, this year was a great year for the parade, and so thank you to everybody who came on down to Aggieville for the St. Patrick's Day Road races, for the parade, for real Paddy's Day, for fake Paddy's Day, all three of 'em. The town that never stops celebrating St. Patrick's Day, beautiful Manhattan, Kansas, in Aggieville. Everything went pretty well, so it was a beautiful month of March. Hopefully, next year, when it comes March Madness time, K-State basketball, both of them are playing in the March Madness tournament, you know? It was cool having some postseason basketball for the girls' team at Bramledge, but man. But it's really disheartening to watch the the men's basketball team at the end of the season. We're gonna have to rehash it, I'm just saying. So that's the only thing that was missing for the month of March and Aggieville was some K-State basketball. But next year, baby, with the hiring of Coach Casey Alexander, we'll be back. We'll be back. Just watch. We'll be we'll be back. We'll be we'll be having ourselves uh a beautiful March next year. But it is April, happy New Year's if you are one of those April April fools that believe that the New Year starts when the when everything starts to grow again. You know, if you're one of those people that believes that the new year starts and the debt of winter, you know, it is what it is. Anyway, happy April to you, my friends. We want to give a big shout out to our business of the month for the beautiful month of April. We gotta give a big shout out to the Happy Hippie. They are your local source to healthy living. They specialize in providing sustainable and holistic options. They offer smoothies, asaibos. Dude, not gonna lie, for a long time, I thought that was a Kai. A-C-A-I with the little weird little symbol over it. I didn't know it was an acai bull. Yeah, I was I guess I I guess I'm not that cool, but Happy Hippie has some acaibles. They also have some locally brewed kombucha, some house made granola, and a rotating specialty salad bar. They truly are a truly refreshing option to try. You can find them at 1205 Morrow Street. They're open weekdays from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturdays from 8 to 4, then Sundays from 10.30 to 4. You can find them on Instagram at happy hippie underscore Aggieville. And of course, the Happy Hippie is our business of the month for April. If you are a golfer calling all golfers, put this on your calendar for May looking a little bit more forward. But coming up on May the 21st, it's gonna be the Aggieville Golf Classic out at Stag Hill Golf Course. Registration is gonna start at 3 30 o'clock, and then the tournament is just a nine-hole run from 4 30 until 7 o'clock. Last year I was on the Aggieville Brewing Company team, and we got second place. I can't remember. Was it I don't want to name drop. I can't remember who won the thing last year. My team got second place. It was a beautiful day, they did a good job with it. And my our our winning prize for being in second place was I have a Aggieville drinking team shot glass. It is on my my fancy little display case. I have a small little bookcase that I put you know, some cool little knickknacks on it. So Aggieville drinking team, I got my shot glass from last year's second place championship for the Aggie Villf Classic, but it's uh we're running it back again. It's gonna be going down on May the 21st. And the year of our Lord to 26 out at Staghill, so mark that on your calendar for the annual Aggieville golf classic. Hard to believe we got about a month left of school until we roll out and say goodbye and and we bet ado to another graduating class. Hey, an early shout out to the class of 2026. The future's bright. Ignore the news, I don't care what anybody says, the future is bright. It always has been, it always will be. There's been wars and rumors of wars going down for years and years and years, and you know what? All we can do is control the controllables, control your attitude, control your effort, control your thoughts, your feelings, your actions, your emotions, your beliefs, your assumptions, and that's how you have a good life, right? You graduated, you put in all this work, and you're gonna go out and you're gonna go crush the real world. Even if the real world tries to crush you. Anyway, congratulations to the graduates, which we'll be talking more and more about that as we we come on up. I'm gonna have some good guests over the next couple of weeks. I've got Paul Danner, the the captain from Mojo's Beach Bar. I've got his podcast recorded. What a hoot. We're gonna be talking to TJ Villkanskis. He's on the board of directors for Aggieville, but he's also the guy behind the brand new hotel going down in Aggieville. He's from Back Nine Development. So we'll be having his podcast coming up here in a couple weeks. Both of the both of those are recorded, they're both pretty insightful. But this week's episode, episode number 11, is one that I'm really excited for. So coming up this weekend, like the first time I ever heard of this, I was like, man, we're gonna have some bull riding going down. No, it was a cattle show, but it's still it's cattle in Aggieville, and it's called the Aggieville Showdown. It's a it's a cool day, it's a great, it's a great festive event, and it's uh it's really unique, and it's just one more thing that makes Aggieville just the coolest area in the world. And so this weekend is the Aggieville Showdown. So in honor of the Aggieville Showdown, we're gonna be talking to the founder Christian Callahan and also one of his his uh his partner in crime, his sidekick, Michaela Hoffman, one of the other organizers alongside Christian. So we're gonna be talking to them about all things Aggieville Showdown, raising show cattle, uh, Rocky Mountain Oysters. We're gonna be talking all the things. Aggieville Showdown coming up. Stay tuned. This is the Aggieville Lifestyle Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 8:17

Aggieville Lifestyle. It is good. Welcome to Aggieville Lifestyle with good.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

We actually grew in the grew up showing horses and cattle and Holby together growing up, so it's kind of fun. I think like we didn't talk for uh not very often, like for a few years after college, and then after the first Agiville Showdown, we kind of reconnected and you're like, hey, I want to be in on that, and now it's kind of fun because we had some crazy times showing back in the day, and um now it's kind of fun to have some crazy times put on the Aggieville showdown.

SPEAKER_03 8:58

So judging by your face, you guys had some pretty competitive battles too, didn't you? Oh, yeah, I don't lose.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

But when she does, it's to me. No, no, no, no. There you go.

SPEAKER_03 9:08

Well, welcome to the Agiville Lifestyle Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Jackson. It is an honor and a privilege and a pleasure to be joined alongside Michaela Hoffman and also Christian Callahan. How are you, Prince? All right, doing well. First things first, is it Callahan or Callahan?

SPEAKER_01 9:25

It's Callahan with the M on the end. As my mother would say, we always spell it and say M as in Mary.

SPEAKER_03 9:32

Yeah, so it's not not Callahan break pads like on Tommy Boy, the movie. This is I knew I knew the difference, but I know that there's somebody out there that's like, I can't ever remember what it is. I do get that often.

SPEAKER_01 9:43

Oh, like no offense. No, it's hilarious too. I had a seventh grade science teacher too, um, him and with my sister, of course, too, who's a few years older than me, he would joke around and he'd put different proteins on the end. So it would be called turkey, cala ham, you know, cow beef. So you never knew what day it was gonna be. It's hilarious.

SPEAKER_03 10:02

So, so you're the you guys are the founders or the the organizers, founders of the Aggieville Showdown that's going down in Aggieville this weekend. Not gonna lie, the very first time I ever heard of the Aggieville Showdown, I'm like, is this bull riding coming down? Do you get that as well, too?

SPEAKER_01 10:17

Oh my goodness, it's so funny. We just had a media interview a few days ago, and you know, a lot of people think like it's gonna be like the run of the bulls coming through Aggiville. And so I have to explain them like, no, these are some of the most broke cattle you're ever gonna see, and they're gonna be all fluffed up with hair. Uh, they're more pampered than I would say most humans are.

SPEAKER_05 10:38

A thousand percent. Yeah, their hair gets washed more than mine on a daily basis.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

So yeah, so it is crazy. And honestly, I think that's what's like cool and makes the challenge is like trying to set up a show arena and stage on Morrow Street in under four hours. So um, to be able to have those exhibitors come show down there. But you're right. The first year I got some weird looks, and I will never forget presenting it to City Council. I think I think they may have thought it was out of my mind. Maybe it was just crazy enough that they're like, we should let this happen.

SPEAKER_03 11:08

For sure. And and like you mentioned tame fluffy cows, so that that kind of helps as a as well. Now, if this was the 80s, it would be bull riding for sure. Because if I I always said if I won like a bazillion dollars in a lottery, I'm gonna pay the insurance policy, whatever it took to have bull riding at 12th tomorrow. But you know insurance would never allow that to happen in a million years. But maybe the 80s, 70s or 80s? Possibly maybe, yeah. Maybe I could see that so what is your like what is your background in cattle showing? Like, how did you how did you start off in the very beginning? And and Michaela, I want to hear from you on this as well. How did you guys start off in the very beginning to get to the point where you're at today?

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:48

With this?

SPEAKER_01 11:49

Yeah, so like I said, we both grew up in Colby, Kansas. Um, so I grew up on a sixth generation farm. Um, funny enough, um, my mom's a city girl from Wichita, Kansas. Um, they met at Fort Hayes State University. My dad on the other side, row crop farmer, um, all the way through, actually did not love livestock. So it was probably, I think maybe I was like nine or ten, we finally convinced my dad after three years to let us have a horse, uh, me and my sister, and we finally got there. Um, and then we started showing cattle after that, too. So it kind of started just locally at the county fair, um, but then started showing some jackpot shows um and state fair occasionally, and then um National Western uh I got involved with the Ketch a Cat program out there, and that really kind of opened a lot of doors for me. And um, in college I started working at all these different um national shows, like the American Royal, National Western Socks Show down in Louisville. I used to help with Kandas Jr. Livestock Show. So I would say that's probably like how I started to get into more of like the show event side. Um, but growing up had horses and cattle the whole time, and then that's kind of where me and Michaela's connections come in, whether it was her aunt's horse camps that I went to, or we were both on 4 H and FFA officer teams together, same clubs, everything. So um we we kind of laugh. We kind of have a brother and sister relationship in a way.

SPEAKER_03 13:15

So that means you guys fight like brothers and sisters too, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Yeah, yeah. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 13:19

I know that you're competitive. You mentioned that you're competitive, and so you got the competition part, but then also you got the camaraderie part as well.

SPEAKER_05 13:26

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 13:27

So, what was your background in in showing cattle and and and livestock and like how was how how was your raising?

SPEAKER_05 13:33

Yeah, so I obviously grew up uh with Christian and Colby, um, but my dad lived like oh 45 minutes from Topeka. Oh, okay. So I traveled a lot when I was a kid. And my dad's the mol like the multitude of traveling, traveling gypsy, like he never says home. Um, but he clips and torches bowls for a living, and so I got involved with that pretty heavily. So he got to see um like what genetics you kind of wanted, anyways. So county fair, state level. Um, and then when I got in high school, I got really competitive in the show world side of things. Like I showed at Denver, I showed at all the big um shows, and then I got a show in Aggribation, which is in Canada. And I won that female show, which was really exciting. Congrats. Yeah, thanks. And um worked for express ranches. I've probably worked for the biggest um cattle show in like people forever. Um, so I tapped into that side of things and went nationally and globally, and it was super exciting. And then um I took a job with superior livestock auction right out of college and kind of dripped it away for a while. Everybody was like, Martin McCailigell.

SPEAKER_03 14:45

So superior Nebraska?

SPEAKER_05 14:47

No, uh superior livestock auction. We have there's three offices in the United States, and it's just feeder cats selling feeder cattle. Okay. Um, so I worked in the office there in Oklahoma City, and then Christian texted me and was like, Hey, I have this crazy idea. We're gonna start this thing called the Agile Showdown. Like, is there any way you could come help? And I'm like, Oh man, I already have something that weekend. And then I watched it, I'm like, I will be there next year. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

Sign me up. I'll never forget. I think she was one of the first texts I got after the grand drive.

SPEAKER_05 15:15

I don't even think it was after though.

SPEAKER_01 15:17

Yeah, it was probably during, and she's like, Man, you started something cool. And and um, I think back because back when I all started, it was just kind of three college kids actually at Mojo's Beach Bar. We were all in town for an internship when the idea kind of came to life. But I think what's cool about our team, so there's about seven of us that work part-time on it year-round, and we all kind of have different backgrounds um that really make it work. Like, Michaela's so involved on the cattle side, you know, with superior livestock auctions, all of her background. And then, of course, I went to K-State, had an ag business degree and everything, but then I really started to enjoy the entertainment side. So, like, that's where a lot of the grand drive functions come through. So, like, I moved to Kansas City after college, worked for a global marketing agency, did PR, those types of things. So, I'm like, there's no better PR than putting cattle in a business district. I mean, everyone wants to talk about that.

SPEAKER_03 16:10

Absolutely. And especially one such as uh as Aggieville. I mean, it's the oldest shopping district in Kansas, and most people think of it as like the college bar district of K-State, right? Exactly.

SPEAKER_05 16:19

I mean, it is, it's the college bar district of the United States.

SPEAKER_03 16:22

That's true. Yeah, yeah, we are the epicenter of the world right here in Aggie Village.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

I know, and I just think about it too. So we've been, you know, every year we tried to make it a little bit bigger and better. And um, I got opportunity. I used actually used to be a marketing manager down at Kansas City Live um and Power and Light District. Really? Yeah. Okay. So I did that for a short stint, and then, you know, that's where I kind of got to learn from some of the experts. Um, you know, how to like really entertain people, make it fun. And like we talked about what's great about it is it's on the streets of Aggieville, but I mean, people are standing there for like two hours. Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_04 16:58

So we're just in awe.

SPEAKER_01 16:59

In just an awe. So like we have to constantly keep them engaged because we want them interested to, you know, keep coming back. And um, it's free to the public, which makes it so cool. But um, to the point, like it's it's gotta change, it's gonna be a little different each year, do some new things, make it exciting too. And we always say, too, like, we want to be a celebration too. So, like, put these exhibitors on a spotlight like they've never felt before, like all the people, it's on a live feed that people watch at home too. Um, it's really like I think about when we showed, like, we were like, you know, this is really cool. A lot of kids do this. Like, let's let's make this really different, unique, and put them on a cool spotlight, get them some of that media attention they deserve for all the hard work they do.

SPEAKER_05 17:41

Yeah, those kids, you people have no idea the time and the money and the time and it takes for those showcavs. And I can't even tell you time. Like, it's crazy. Mornings, noon, night, late nights, late nights, late nights, driving, whatever. But the parents too, you know, applaud the apparents because they have or the parents because they have to deal with those kids. But it's but it's so fun, like to watch that. And if we had something like that as kids, it would be crazy. So I think that's why we try so hard to keep keep it rolling, keep it more interactive, just to keep it the same, but not at the same time.

SPEAKER_03 18:18

Yeah. I mean, because you know there's um there's no days off when it comes to raising livestock. No, no, no. Especially, especially ones that you're you're putting in shows that have that little extra degree of care. Yeah. But but let's take it, let's dial back just a quick smidge. So you said your dad clips and torches bowls, right? Do you love Rocky Mountain Oysters?

SPEAKER_05 18:36

Oh yeah.

unknown 18:36

Oh man.

SPEAKER_05 18:37

You would die if you came to our branding. Oh, don't, don't, now you're talking dirty to me.

SPEAKER_03 18:43

There's nothing better in the world. There's nothing better in the world than cat fries, Rocky Mountain Oysters. If I got to choose my last meal, like I'm picking those and then like uh hash browns with uh cheese and onions, like that's just Dorothy Lynch on the side. Yeah. But like cat fries are so dang good. Yeah. Christian, are you a cat fry guy?

SPEAKER_01 19:02

You know, I think I'll stick to the loin of the cattle. I'm gonna stick with those steaks.

SPEAKER_03 19:07

Um extra tender loin.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

Yeah, yeah. I was gonna say, I trust me, I've tried my fair share. Like, wait, there's always a Rocky Mountain Oyster for.

SPEAKER_05 19:16

We used to we used to have those at FFA, like that was a labor auction, anything like that. Everybody just likes it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:22

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 19:23

But when you tap into the feeder cattle world and the guys that are cow calf guys, that when you do brandings um in like May, June, July-ish, that's huge. I mean, you're cutting those calves and it's great.

SPEAKER_03 19:36

Is it true that it's better to cut them on a full moon?

SPEAKER_05 19:38

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 19:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 19:39

You you we that's all we dictate off of.

SPEAKER_03 19:43

Yeah, for sure. It is. Because it's uh it's like a blood flow thing, or it's just it's it's true. It's just what you do.

SPEAKER_05 19:48

Yeah. Yeah. It's very true.

SPEAKER_03 19:49

Fascinating. That was a burning one. And then also Express Ranches, right? That's in Oklahoma.

SPEAKER_05 19:53

Yes, sir. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:54

The official sponsor of the Wright Brothers rodeo team, right?

SPEAKER_05 19:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:57

Man. Yeah. So, okay. Getting just I had to clear those, just a couple cool little like about you type things.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

Oh, well, you haven't even asked us about our crazy showing stories yet. Oh, well, we don't need to get into that.

SPEAKER_03 20:09

Should we start with crazy showing stories or should we get into like the structure of how the actual Aggie Bo showdown? No, no, we let's start with the crazy stories. Let's get a question. Let's get our friends that are listening to this. Let's look at them like really hooked and addicted to this whole thing. So, so yeah, I mean, are you talking about the crazy stories that started back when you were a kid back in high school or even something from the Aggie Bo Showdown?

SPEAKER_01 20:31

I was gonna say, oh my gosh, we've we've had so much fun over the year. I think it's funny is like me and Michaela's lives have gone in different directions, but we always meet up like it seemed like at live stock shows. Um like I'll never forget Kansas State Fair every time we would compete down there. We had this ritual after every time, I don't know what event was after. It was like after something with the 4-H horse show down there. But we would meet up right before the ride closed, and we go to this ginormous water line ride. I can't remember what it was called, but it has like the logs and it takes you all the way high.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

But like the log plume. Yes, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

And we would just like, I'm pretty sure we were still like in our show clothes and everything. Our parents were pissed.

SPEAKER_05 21:13

We'd come back tripping last.

SPEAKER_01 21:14

Yeah, and we would just come back and we would just get soaked. So, like, we were always up to crazy things like that. Um trying to think what else.

SPEAKER_05 21:21

Just fun, exciting things, yeah. After a long hard day, especially in just in Kansas in September, it was hot.

SPEAKER_03 21:27

Yeah, State Fair is always hot.

SPEAKER_05 21:29

Oh, miserable. You don't think like, oh, September?

SPEAKER_03 21:31

No. No, but it's like the first day, it's like the weekend after Labor Day, right? It's always hot.

SPEAKER_05 21:36

Yeah, still it was always my birthday, so it was always crazy. Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm. My mom always had cake and ice cream, and we'd be showing shoving pieces of cake as our mouth, like, oh, happy birthday, Michaela.

SPEAKER_03 21:47

So now now what does it take to like so going back to your personal experience? Each of you guys can answer this one or one or the other. Uh so when it comes to showing cattle, like what do you what do you do? Like, what's the how does it work? Like what what am I doing? I got this show cav that I want to take to go win the AEVO showed out. What do I need to do?

SPEAKER_05 22:05

It's all about background. Okay. It's all about studying genetics, studying those um cow families and what's going to work in your operation on the day-to-day, because most people don't buy an animal that's not going to work in their operation afterwards. You're thinking females, you're thinking, well, I need something that's going to retain interest in my program for the next five, ten years or be a donor cow.

SPEAKER_03 22:25

Like go a little bit more into that. Like what do you mean program? Like what does that mean?

SPEAKER_05 22:30

Your program, like your own cow herd, your family's cow herd, what it's built on. If you're an Angus producer and that's just a breed of cattle, if you're an Angus producer, if you're a semi-producer, if you're crossbreeding, it just whatever works in your program. So you have to go back on that. But then also it's all your own eye and everybody else's eye. You know, you try to tap into, well, I think in this day and age, like it's changed so much. You're talking the 80s, the 90s. If you looked back, you're like, what is that? Like compared to this year, like, or in this day and age, the last two, three years, even when I showed, I mean, it was it was different. You were looking for a functional female that I mean, just functional female, and now it's some freak-necked, cool looking thing, and you're like, dang, she's cool.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Like she's throwing some terms out of her.

SPEAKER_05 23:22

But it's just I mean, it's exciting to see that, but it's also exciting as like a producer that produces cattle like that to watch it from birth till now. I mean, you watch a calf that gets born on your place, and then she goes wins Denver or goes and wins um the Oklahoma City show or even just wins State Fair. It's it's an accomplishment that nobody will ever take away from you as a breeder.

SPEAKER_03 23:45

It's a great way to put it.

SPEAKER_01 23:46

And I and like just to that point, that I mean, that's really just on like the breeding and selection.

SPEAKER_05 23:51

Yeah, that's just breeding side. That's not even the market side of things.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

Yeah, and so I mean, with that too, then you're getting into just like all the hours and hard work that goes into it. I mean, like these calves, I mean, they're getting washed twice a day usually. I mean, people are spending hours out in the bar and getting ready for them. You know, they kind of pick their schedule of what main shows they want to target. I mean, we laugh, we always talk to exhibitors, we know which ones are really trying to aims, yeah, to aim for Aggieville Showdown and win that grand champion. So, I mean, there's just a lot of time and miles on the road and just a lot of things that go into it.

SPEAKER_05 24:22

It's just time, yeah. It's preparing, you know, if you think about a woman and how they do their hair and how long it takes, times 20.

SPEAKER_02 24:33

Times 200.

SPEAKER_05 24:34

Yeah, like it's crazy. The the product that goes into it, the science that goes in behind growing cattle hair is crazy, but it's so fun, like, and it's genetic too. So you're tapping into all those, like I said, all that genetic pool and stuff like that, but it's time in a cooler, it's time in a but it's also it's also a lifestyle. I wouldn't want to raise my kids in something else, in any other lifestyle, because it teaches hard work, dedication, blood, sweat, tears. It's I loved growing up in it, and I can't wait to raise my own kids in it.

SPEAKER_01 25:07

Yeah, and I think I think with the Aggieville showdown, we're trying to lean into that lifestyle a little bit more. Like, that's why, like, no other show that I'm aware of has a Western fashion show. And that's like something like full rounded. Like, we want to do a Western fashion show, get some country music in there, get vendors that everyone will be interested in. I mean, for sake's, we're in Manhattan, Kansas, in my opinion, the best land grant institution in the nation. Without a doubt.

SPEAKER_03 25:32

So first of the best, baby.

SPEAKER_01 25:34

Exactly, and especially our animal science program. So I I truly think like it's creating that full, well-rinded lifestyle and having a good time at the Grand Drive while doing it.

SPEAKER_05 25:43

Yeah, and there's there's something for everybody too. There's something for the dads, the moms, the grandmas, the grandpas, the kids, the it's it's a very well-versed family outing, and it is fun. It's fun.

SPEAKER_03 25:56

So now when it comes to raising livestock, uh having a 4-H bucket cab or something like that, is it is it one of those things to where like you get emotionally attached to them? Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_05 26:04

No one's well, not me, but I'm just kidding. Oh yeah, I mean it's emotional attachment for sure.

SPEAKER_03 26:09

Because at the end of the day, they're all destined. Are they all destined for for the butcher block? At the end of the day, they're all destined for the butcher block.

SPEAKER_05 26:17

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah. So that's the cycle of life.

SPEAKER_03 26:21

Yeah, and so it's it would be hard not to get emotionally attached to somebody. You're saying that's a good one. It is, it's almost worse than a dog. I bet it is.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

You know, I will never forget. I uh every year during college I used to work at the National Western Stock Show, and I was in charge of the one in Denver? Yes, yes. In charge of um scanning like all their tags, the market tabs, so the market animals are going into the supply chain, obviously, there. I'll never forget I was at the hog show, and there was this cute little girl that comes up, you know, and like I'm seeing like 600 hogs that day, you know. So like it gets to a point, you're just in rhythm and you're going. And she said, Hey, sir, can I just have a moment? I said, Oh, yeah, absolutely. And I will never forget she has a treat for her hog, and she says, Sit, boy. And it sat like a dog. She feeds it its tree, and she's she's like, You have been so good to me. Thank you for everything. We'll, you know, talk again at a later date. And she was so poised. Meanwhile, I'm over in the corner crying my eyes out because I was like, I just watched a six-year-old be so poised about you know the circle of life and everything. But I think, yeah, you definitely get emotionally attached, but um and they have personalities, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 27:29

They tap it like I don't know if we help grow their personalities, but heifers can have some spicy um attitudes, but so can show steers, and it's just fun to see that and watch that develop, especially with six, seven, eight-year-old, but also sixteen, seventeen to a twenty-year-old, or even a grown adult. I mean, I sh still can retell you a my showcalf or heifer from I don't know, five, six years ago. We called her fat Amy because I mean she was fat, and she died the other day, and my dad's like, Well, fat Amy passed away. I'm like, oh, that sucks. I can't remember the last time I seen her, but I was like, dang, I loved her. Like for sure.

SPEAKER_01 28:10

Yeah, and I think you know, part two of like we talked about the Aggieville Showdown is like the consumer side of things too. And so I think what's like really important about that is like we love these animals, we want to make sure they're in the best health. Um, you know, one thing I love about, of course, the United States is like there's humane guidelines on how they are going into the the supply chain basically, and you know, our grocery stores. So I think what's really cool and what I love about the Aggieville Showdown too is like all the consumers that just walk in. I mean, obviously, our marketing team wants to be like, everyone knows about the Aggieville Showdown, that's why they're there. But we also know like there's some people just going to Aggieville on a Saturday night.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

And they walk into this thing, it's all these producers, and you know, you know, there's gonna people are gonna be like, well, it's loud college students, they're gonna be like, what in the world? Why are there cows in the middle of Aggieville? And uh luckily our producers are pretty vocal and they they want to share their stories behind it, and I think that's like something that's really cool, and that's kind of where the magic happens too.

SPEAKER_05 29:08

Oh, it is for sure, especially when you're like, oh my god, it's so fluffy. Like and they're gorgeous.

SPEAKER_03 29:15

Oh yeah, absolutely gorgeous.

SPEAKER_05 29:17

It's yeah, it's it's hours of prep. It's hours of prep. But when you're prepping something to show too, it's I mean, it's a timeline. It's okay, I gotta wash her at this time, she's gotta be dry, she gets to lay down for 20 minutes, she gets to eat for 30. Like, we gotta stand her back up, we gotta blow her off, we gotta put some more oil in her hair.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

Like I will never forget our incinerat. I don't know if this was the first or second year, but our veterinarian, um, who's always on staff during the event.

SPEAKER_05 29:42

He's the greatest too.

SPEAKER_01 29:43

Yeah, he I don't know what it was. I think I was maybe busy doing something backstage. I was like, now it's not a good time. So he's like, okay, I'll do the TV interview. So he gets on the TV, and I will never forget because I'm watching later that night, you know, after everything settles down, I open good old Facebook and start scrolling through stuff, and here's our veterinarian explaining on TV is like, it's really just like think about if you go to the salon and you're getting a Brazilian blowout.

SPEAKER_05 30:10

And that's Garrett Stewart, right?

SPEAKER_01 30:12

That's hilarious. Yeah, so it's I mean, yeah, it's a lot of prep and it's um they're well pampered, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_03 30:18

So what is it? So what are the like the average age of the cattle that come across Agivo Showdown? Like how like what's the process of getting say start to finish ready for this show? If I'm showing a hei, what do we what do I have to do? Like, what's do I get her when she's newborn and I feed her on a bottle? Like, take me from the bottom to the top. We started at the bottom, now we hit the city. Yeah, right? Yeah, tell me how that works.

SPEAKER_05 30:42

Yeah, so it's it's a lot of prep for the producer, the breeder of that animal first, because a lot of these calves are, yes, home raised or homegrown. Um, and we call that um a bread and known class. We don't have that, but we should we should talk about that, right that down.

SPEAKER_03 30:58

Um breaking out ideas.

SPEAKER_05 31:00

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Um but normally they stay on their mom until they're weaned. Um and then And then usually how long's that? Um four or five months. Okay, yeah, okay. Yeah, so they're I mean, they're old enough and they start weaning themselves, and those moms know too. Like, I'm tired of this thing kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03 31:18

Where they basically they don't have to go on the other and get milk from her mom. They can just start eating grass.

SPEAKER_05 31:22

Yeah, but they start eating grass two, three weeks old too. Like it's water, grass, whatever, it's cycle of life. But um, so they're weaned, they're probably weaned for 40 to 65 days to probably 70, and then you start breaking them uh to walk with halter breaking them.

SPEAKER_03 31:40

So you just go out there and just start just put a halter. I mean, I bet the first time you put a halter on one is Oh, it's wild.

SPEAKER_05 31:45

I bet it's uh it's not wild. It's it's when you spend time with them and I think honestly, it comes to that personality thing.

SPEAKER_01 31:52

It does. Like we know. Oh, yeah, there's some calves that you get on, and it's like they're born for this. Like you put the halter on and they're like, Yeah, let's go show. And then like I will never forget. Actually, I'm gonna catch a calf from Denver. Uh I think it came from Krebs Angus Ranch, and they were some wild suckers. Like, I thought he was gonna pull down the barn when we tied the ball.

SPEAKER_05 32:12

I know, but those are the funnest. They are because they're like the mmm, watch me do this. Like, and they have a show attitude too. There's some of those show heifers that they're like, do do do do walking in the show ring. They get in the show ring and bam, show time. Like you can see it in their eyes. That's cool. They strut their stuff, but back to um raising them and getting them to that. So you're breaking them, and it takes about a good two weeks to get them to where you can start trying to walk them around, and it's just a respect for the halter deal, also, but also them getting used to you and rubbing on their legs, the loud mute or like the loud stuff from blowers and all that kind of stuff. So you have to desensitize them.

SPEAKER_03 32:51

Because a cattle's natural instinct is to run away from humans, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Fight or flight.

SPEAKER_05 32:55

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So they're either gonna fight you or they're just gonna run away.

SPEAKER_01 32:58

Yeah. Um and I think too, like, I know we use the term break, but that's like it's more of a horse term, right? Well, yeah, kind of, but I would also say, like, it's um some of these cows, like, I that term I don't feel like it's like breaking. Like, they're like we teach them all these things and then they end up loving us. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_05 33:17

You love the show world. You know what heifers or steers have been in the show world because they're just lazy after that. They just don't know what to do with themselves.

SPEAKER_03 33:25

Yeah, well, I mean, you've been pampered your whole life, it's the same way. It's like, I'm grateful I wasn't a trust fed baby. Yeah, I've had to dig some stuff out the mud in my life. Yeah. But there's also that time it's like, I wish I was a show. And I was a trust fed baby. So it's the same thing. Uh-huh. I but I'm not lazy, so there's that.

SPEAKER_01 33:43

They always laugh. I'm like, if I could get reincarnated, make me a show heifer. Right?

SPEAKER_03 33:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:49

That wouldn't be that bad.

SPEAKER_03 33:52

So you get it uh so it's weaned off the heifer from his mom, yeah. From mama, and then you got it broken for the halter. Then kind of what's the next process in the in the the circle of the show catalyst?

SPEAKER_05 34:04

Yeah, so it just depends on what that producer or breeder wants to do with it. So a lot of them put them in their own sale or their own um or they can sign it to another production sale, um, or a female sale, or whatever sale you're gonna sell these at. So you get them broke, you clip them, um, you clip them up, you get them ready, and clipping is an art. Okay, okay. So what do you mean by clipping? Yeah, you clip their hair. Okay. You shave their heads off. I think we're talking about clipping. Shave their heads off, sorry. No, you shave the head off their hair.

SPEAKER_01 34:31

You're just you're You mean you shave the hair off their head. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 34:36

Um when you said clipping, I was like, wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on, wait, what? Yeah, yeah. I guess that is that one.

SPEAKER_01 34:43

That is an art. I guess we're just so used to that. I guess that's maybe a kind old term. Yeah, terms are hard, sorry.

SPEAKER_03 34:50

But that's why I'm just asking questions like a fifth grader. There's no that's great from like upstate New York or something. Just talk to me like I'm five with all this stuff. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 34:58

Well, so you clip them, and that's a completely different art in itself. Um, there's so many different ways to go about that, but you just take a set of like hair clippers, and it's just all what you want them to look like. You can really manipulate their hair to make them look the part, even though that's where you come back on those genetics breeding that um come into that, but you can also manipulate hair to where it's great too.

SPEAKER_01 35:24

And to Michaela's point, I mean, not to compare a heifer to a human hair, but also like it's in a way, it's like cosmetics.

SPEAKER_05 35:31

So it's very cosmetic.

SPEAKER_01 35:32

We think about as like obviously these judges are looking for like what's the best breeding female to go into an operation, or what is the best market beef that you know, we're looking who's gonna produce the most amount of product of pounds for the grocery store. And so, like, you think about it, like you can start using like you know, whether it's like hairspray or paint, like these type of things, glue, just like humans.

SPEAKER_03 35:58

So, this is like a Victoria's Secret thing, then, isn't it? Like it's just I guess it's like the Victoria's secret of the cattle world.

SPEAKER_01 36:04

Yeah, because like just like yourself, like you know, when people are like doing their hair palm makeup and stuff, like you're doing it to make your best self look the best you can. It's the same way in the show cattle world, and even so, I mean, you're trying to cover up their flaws too. Like, you know, as a producer what the flaws are, but you don't want the judge to know what the flaws are.

SPEAKER_04 36:22

So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:24

Because you had mentioned oil earlier, so you also put oil in the hair. Do you put like straight up like I mean, can like human moose or gel work in cattle?

SPEAKER_05 36:33

So my dad's biggest um secret, and he hopefully he doesn't listen to this, but everybody knows it now. What is uh what's barber mousse? What's that? Like shaving cream? Oh, like barbasol? Yes, barbasol is the best because it I've seen them use that.

SPEAKER_01 36:47

Yeah. See? Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 36:48

So you take it with your blower and you blow the barbersol in it, and it just makes that hair pop and stand out. And it's not a glue, but it's I mean, it's a mousse type product. Yeah. It's that foamy, uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 37:01

Foamy, creamy stuff.

SPEAKER_05 37:02

Yeah, that was his um biggest secret for a woman.

SPEAKER_01 37:05

I used to go to Walmart because I thought it was cheaper this way and buy the aerosol cans of like olive oil. We use that to blow into their hair too. It's really good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:13

Well, I think olive oil is good for humans' hair too. Oh yeah, it's like a very nourishing product. I mean, olive oil is a like a miracle of nature, pretty much.

SPEAKER_05 37:21

Yeah, yeah. It's a it's an art. It's it's an art to be able to clip something, it's an art to be able to fit something. When I mean fitting, I mean show day. I mean, because all you want to do is stand their hair up on their legs, make their legs and their feet look bigger. The bigger the better. And but also feminine in terms of female type, but also masculine in terms of the market side of things. For sure. Um, but you're trying to make them look bigger, better, and that's where the glue and the paint and all that come in. But Sullivan Supply and Weaver have done a great job of producing products for our industry that are safe for cattle's hair and hide and all that kind of stuff that comes out too. For sure. Um, but we love pink oil. Pink oil smells so good.

SPEAKER_02 38:08

Well, now what now what is that?

SPEAKER_05 38:10

It's it's an oil for cattle hair, but it's it's literally like a hair oil, but it's um we can't tell you exactly.

SPEAKER_01 38:18

That's the top secret thing they keep from all of us.

SPEAKER_03 38:21

But I was gonna say proprietary blend of olive oil and barbersalty.

SPEAKER_01 38:29

Jimmy could have been making some money right now.

SPEAKER_03 38:33

We could be gazillionaires. Yeah, literally. So, I mean, so you mentioned the feminine and them and the masculine part, so like the feminine is making them look good, but then also the masculine part is the pounds per the pound per production or market, right? So you're looking at both of those, and that's is that basically how they get scored? And like that's how you get the champion.

SPEAKER_05 38:58

Yeah. But it's all on personal opinion, too. It's one man's opinion on that day.

SPEAKER_01 39:03

That's the biggest one man or a woman.

SPEAKER_05 39:05

Well, yeah, but sorry, one person's opinion on that day. Um, and that's what my dad has always said. You can have the best of the best in the barn, and you think that, but some judge is gonna come in, you're not gonna make it out of the way.

SPEAKER_03 39:16

There's a lot of contests like that. It's huge, yeah. There's a lot of contests in our lives like that.

SPEAKER_05 39:21

It's all on the opinion, and half the time you don't really argue with them because they have to give a set of oil oral reasons about why they chose this animal over that animal. And that's also an art in itself, too. It's crazy the amount of time and um it takes to develop your own eye for that and your own look of cattle because everybody has a different opinion.

SPEAKER_01 39:41

And I I think that's one thing that's great about this, like as a kid growing up into it, is like you learn how to value other people's opinions. You don't always have to agree with them, but it teaches you, you know, to take feedback well, um, make yourself better, you know, take everyone's opinions from a different perspective. And like I even tell my team that when we're working on things, I'm like, ask several people, and then we'll come to a consensus. So I think, yeah, to Michaela's point, it's one opinion from one person that day. But that's also why people go to several shows throughout the year, you know.

SPEAKER_03 40:13

So I get a um timeline-wise, so for the Riley County Fair, not you know, Aggieville Showdown is probably its own specialty type show, but but like Riley County Fair, that's something people are familiar with. So last weekend in July, whatever date that is this year. What would be the timeline for me? So I get a bucket calf or I want to show some type a a steer half or something.

SPEAKER_05 40:34

You need a yearling first. So okay. Unless if you're in a bucket calf project with for little kids.

SPEAKER_03 40:39

Okay. Yeah, so so like it is a it's like a whole so a yearling, it's like a whole year long process.

SPEAKER_05 40:45

Yeah, well, you want it as a yearling. So what does that mean? You want it as a year old. Okay. Okay, or less ride at a year old, whatever. So back to the timeline situation. Um when you get those yearlings, you start breaking them. If they're not broke already, you buy them from a sale, but then you sell them. So you take pictures and videos of these cattle and you put them on the internet, or you have a live sale and you blast it to everybody you know. And with there's several different platforms throughout to do all this with. But then buyers or kids or projects get bought for the year or two years, and then you sell you sell her or him to a kid or whoever these guys are going to, and you get to show that caf for that year. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 41:33

And so like it's all off birthdays. Oh, that makes so much sense then. Yeah. And that's how a lot of kids sorry, Christian, but that's how a lot of kids can probably afford to be able to show cattle, right?

SPEAKER_05 41:43

Yeah, you don't have to have that from birth to start. It's you can buy it whenever. Um, but it's all a game too on when you buy it to um her best looking times, right? Because you can keep her and she can go win a breeding heifer show, but then you want to show her as a cow calf pair when she becomes a cow. Which is even fun too to see that project develop and well, she did what she was supposed to do, right? She produced an animal, she produced a calf. That's where the income comes in, and that's where agriculture is based out of, is because at the end of the day, they're here to do a job.

SPEAKER_03 42:18

Man, this is all fascinating. What what I mean, that's why it's a total industry, and more than just an industry, it's a a true way of life. It really is. Yeah, it's a way of life. As we're uh welcome back to the Aggieville Lifestyle Podcast as we're chatting with Christian Callahan and also Michaela Hoffman, the the founder and the organizers of the Aggieville Showdown, which is going down this weekend in beautiful Aggieville, Manhattan, Kansas. USN Day. Alright, so let's get into the brass tacks of the Aggieville showdown itself. We kind of had the the the dream of yours to put something on like this. Dude, I bet we don't even have any idea what it actually takes to execute something like this. Like from getting stages to to just even just organizing lineup, like the whole nine yards.

SPEAKER_01 43:06

Oh yeah. It's um like I I've worked at other livestock shows. I mean, I ness I never was like founder and you know, CEO of it, but uh our show, I can tell you, is unique from a standpoint, especially the production angle. Like it's crazy. Yeah, the things that go into it. And I remember like after Michaela joined, you know, I started showing her the run-of show or the first judges when they had Jake and Ashley Wagner um the first year. I will never forget. She said, like on her Grand Drive speech, she's like, Christian had and his team had this down to minute by minute in the Grand Drive. So like we have a full run of show. I know when people are passing mics, I know what camera, you know, where it's pointing, like what sponsor ads are going, what the when the judges speak. I mean, it's a true full blown like live production, like almost like that like live TV like. Awards everybody almost.

SPEAKER_03 44:02

Start playing the the grant the the music accepted speech off the stage.

SPEAKER_01 44:07

Yeah, yeah. So it's uh there's a lot that goes into it. You know, I think some people think that we just started together in the last two weeks, and I can assure you that's not it.

SPEAKER_03 44:16

Is this your full-time job? No. Okay. Yeah, it could be. It could be. Yeah. Alright. So so we talked about kind of the timeline for getting your cattle ready. What's the timeline getting getting the Aggieville showdown ready? I'm so this is this is gonna be the sixth one this year. Yeah. So you've done this uh a few times now. Yeah. So will you start planning next year's next weekend?

SPEAKER_01 44:42

Yeah, I mean pretty soon. So like April, um, and we do uh have a sister show now in Ames, Iowa, and that's two weeks after Aggieville.

SPEAKER_03 44:50

So what do you call that one?

SPEAKER_01 44:51

Uh the Campus Town Showdown. So their business district up there is Campus Town.

SPEAKER_03 44:55

I see your yeah, I see your jacket that says it.

SPEAKER_01 44:57

Yeah, so um, and we're just getting ready for the second year of that one. But yeah, so truly what happens, like our events are in April. Um, so when we get done, I do give so we have a part-time staff of seven people, and so I'm like, I give them a break because it's a lot. I bet.

SPEAKER_03 45:13

We don't speak for a month. Well, you have to decompress, yes.

SPEAKER_01 45:17

You have to, and so we do our wrap-up meetings after um, you know, write down all the great ideas of things we should have done or new ideas or something. Exhibitor told us that was so cool. Um and then I mean, yeah, like Michaela said, we take like a break for like a month, month and a half because I just want everyone to decompress.

SPEAKER_05 45:35

Um have a good summer, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:37

And when I was building the team, what was really important to me is like I wanted the quality of people that I know all of them have full-time jobs, but I wanted kind of like different backgrounds. Like, if you think about like Brandy Hoke, our fashion show manager, she works full-time for Area International. So, like, she lives and breathes the Western um fashion show industry basically.

SPEAKER_05 46:00

And she's amazing at it.

SPEAKER_01 46:01

Yeah, she's amazing, and she's been there for five years now, too. Um, Brandy has been helping with, and then yeah, Celine uh Beg Shoemaker, our livestock show manager. She's been with us for a couple of years, and like she runs um all of Iowa State 4H extension on the livestock side. Wow, okay.

SPEAKER_03 46:19

Yeah, so she put an ace in the hole.

SPEAKER_01 46:21

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So yeah, it was yeah, we were so excited, and she's a K-State grad. She's a leaves in Iowa.

SPEAKER_03 46:28

It works for Iowa State. So we it's it's not really just an ace in the hole, but it's like a plant.

SPEAKER_01 46:34

Exactly. And so um, I guess where I was going with this is like it's it's a long time. So we take some time to decompress, and then yeah, we start planning. I mean, early fall, like August, I would say, it's kind of when we regroup typically. Um, and then you know, we start doing kind of the planning things. What are we gonna do? That's new and approved, and then through there, it's you know, working with sponsors, who wants to do partnerships with us, collaborations, you know, getting everything ready for the next April. We typically February 1st is when we kind of open up entries um for exhibitors to start getting in there. So yeah, it's I mean, at least nine months out of the year we're working on it.

SPEAKER_05 47:10

But it's so fun to hear exhibitors that call or text like two weeks after they're like, We're we're marking you down. What what do you guys think? When is it gonna be? Like, is it gonna first weekend, second weekend? Like, it's so fun to see those families that want to make sure that it's on their calendar.

SPEAKER_01 47:26

Absolutely. Yeah, and I think just the reach too has surprised me because I should never say this, but I'm gonna say I'm like, some of these families come from so far that I'm like, I don't even know if I would make that job.

SPEAKER_05 47:38

New Mexico, Texas, we had California last year.

SPEAKER_01 47:41

Yeah, really?

SPEAKER_05 47:42

It's so fun when they come.

SPEAKER_03 47:43

So now is this something that keeps growing year after year? Like by participant level is uh I I I know we'll get into actual the actual like brass tacks of what it is, but the but growth rise, it still keeps growing year after year, right?

SPEAKER_01 47:56

Yeah, so like the first year I think we had like five states represented. Um I can't remember the exact number of kids. I know it goes up. Um, but now we're typically around like we had over 12 states represented last year.

SPEAKER_04 48:09

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 48:09

Um about 200 head that came, and uh, I think just a little bit over 150 exhibitors.

SPEAKER_03 48:15

So dang dog.

SPEAKER_01 48:16

Yeah, so when we think like a jackpot show, um, as we would call it like a spring jackpot show, we think that's like really incredible. And honestly, one thing that and Michaela can talk to this too, that we get a lot of is like the quality of cattle.

SPEAKER_05 48:31

It's unmatched, it really is. It's a it's we had the heifer that won last year, she won Denver.

SPEAKER_03 48:38

Okay, I was gonna ask. Is it on the level? It's so fun to see that too.

SPEAKER_05 48:42

They're like, hey, that was our grand champion heifer, or hey, that market steer went in for OIE, or hey, like it's so cool to see that side of it because we just see her as a yearling heifer, and then she gets developed and she's some and then off and running pretty much. Oh, yeah, big broody girl, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:00

Yeah, yeah. So I think that's the cool part too, is like the crowd may not realize that, especially if like you're not in the industry, but like the quality we have. Yeah, you're seeing some of the best out there, and some of the best top kids like kids and breeders there as well, too. And um, I always laugh too. Like when I talk to employers, uh, I've heard a lot that they're like, if 4-H or FFA or showing livestock is on their resume, I'll almost instantly hire them because they just know like all the hard work and responsibility that goes into it.

SPEAKER_03 49:31

Without a doubt. It's like um, I mean, if you're an athlete and you see anybody that's that's a wrestler, it's like all right, that's all wrestlers, like that's a whole different level of uh athlete. But it's the same thing, it goes back to the discipline and the commitment, the perseverance, and yeah, knowing there's no days off, they're not gonna be calling in sick, they just don't it's fun to see the heifers but uh in the steers, but it's so fun to see the kids' faces when they get off their trailer at the Agaville Showdown. Yeah, downtown. I mean, so 150 participants. Um so this is something that starts actually out at at Seaco Park, right? So does it start how how does it how does like the schedule of events throughout the week work?

SPEAKER_01 50:08

Yeah, absolutely. So I had someone actually say this this week. I was like, man, we've should have been describing it like this for years now. But really think about the Riley County Fairgrounds and Seaco Park like the prelims on. For sure. Exactly what it is. Yeah, so it's like Friday night. I mentioned we had that showmanship competition, so that's really based on like zipdur. So that's at 6 p.m. Um on Friday.

SPEAKER_03 50:32

And that's in Aggieville or is that Seaco?

SPEAKER_01 50:34

That's at a Seaco. So Riley County Fairgrounds, yep. And um that's just based on the truly based on like zip there on how they present their animal, how they're showing them, how they answer judge questions, that type of thing. Um, so we have three age groups for that, so junior, intermediate, and senior. And so um at the fairgrounds, they'll choose the grand champion reserve champion of showmen, and then we also do a premier showman award that we don't announce until the grand drive. So they all come on stage, and so that is like the very best showman of the whole um show, basically, even out of all the age groups.

SPEAKER_03 51:10

So it's like the MVP of the tournament.

SPEAKER_01 51:12

Basically, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_05 51:13

Showmanship's my favorite, yeah. Because you can't buy showmanship for sure. Right? You can't buy an animal to win it, it is all off of your hard work.

SPEAKER_03 51:21

Well, because how many judges determine that? Two. Two. So it's two opinions. It's just two opinions. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 51:27

Yep. And then um, so like after showmanship, then Saturday morning we keep going um at the Riley County Fair rounds in Seaco Park. And so we start with the breeding heifer show at 9:30. Um, so we kind of talked about what that is, of course, the female side um on the cattle side there. And then at 10 o'clock, we simultaneously start the market beef show too. So the two judges judge showmanship together the night before, but then we split them off um for the two different shows there. And then, like uh I mentioned before, it's really the prelims. So once we get through all the different breeds, all the crossbreeds, all those things, our judges are gonna s select the top six of both the market beef and breathing heifers, and those are the ones that are actually bringing their animals down to Aggieville.

SPEAKER_03 52:13

Okay, yeah. So it it's like said prelims versus the championships, pretty much. But that also makes it to where there's not that many more, you know, cattle trailers and that much more clutter in Aguilar that keeps the show moving along. Yeah. How do you get do you do you guys have cattle trailers that take them down or do they bring their own? I'm sure it's probably their own transport. That's a liability. Yeah, I was gonna say it's a look on your eyes, and as I said it, I was like, I know that's a liability thing, but but but how many total different cattle will we see in Aggieville for the championships?

SPEAKER_01 52:45

Yeah, so there's a total of 12. So you have six on the market beef side and then six on the breeding heifer side. And to your point, yeah, so they make their way down from Riley County Fairgrounds down to Aggieville. We have two what we call superintendents um for both of the shows. So they're the ones, and I I was just telling Michaela this, I was like, I have not never got to be in that role. Like, I want to want to know what's like bringing the cattle down into Aggieville because I'm always dealing with everything in Aggieville. Um, but uh we have two actually, yeah, two that have been with us for a long time, the superintendents, but they're the ones who keep all those exhibitors on track and make sure they come down.

SPEAKER_04 53:23

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 53:24

Because I think the other thing too, like back to our run of show, everything's timed and very precise. So that's a little bit of a shock, I think, sometime to exhibitors that were like, hey, this is like a production, like we gotta have you here at this time, this type of thing too, versus other shows. Like it's good. Um, it's really like at the Riley County Fairgrounds, it's really relaxed and everything for those exhibitors. But for those top six, they're going on stage, so you know it's kind of like awards show. Yeah, you don't miss it. You got you can't go over. There's commercial breaks, there's things like that. Yeah, I mean, you made it to the final four, yeah. Yeah, it's a tournament, right?

SPEAKER_03 53:59

You make it to the big, the big dog, like you gotta roll with it. So they roll cattle trucks or their crap cattle trailers onto like Manhattan Avenue. Is there a holding pin like right in front of basically Rally House?

SPEAKER_01 54:11

Yeah, yeah. So behind the stage, we have a holding pin. So they immediately come off the trailers, they go into the holding pin, and that's kind of like where they prep until it's time for them to come into the show arena, which is like minutes. Yeah, minutes.

SPEAKER_05 54:23

Like it's minutes.

SPEAKER_01 54:24

Yeah, our goal is uh In and Out. Yeah, usually like they're only in the Aggieville, I would say, for maybe 30 minutes.

SPEAKER_05 54:31

Maybe, yeah, just for backdraw pictures of who wins too.

SPEAKER_01 54:34

Yeah, yeah. And so first, um, they come in two groups. So we start with the market beef and to that thing, like it's time, so we know like when the Western fashion show is going. Either me and Michaela are gonna be on the phone saying, Okay, guys, it's time to you know start bringing down the cattle. Um, and then we have them come through, they'll unload, they'll be in the holding pen. So we have Western fashion show, live music, and then we go into um the market beef. Now, I'll tell a secret, and we would never normally share this, but you know, it's your podcast, so we're going to. So we want to, baby. Play a banana ball here. So a lot of people um don't know this, but we purposely put a music artist as a buffer there because we can just tell them to keep playing. So, like if you know a trailer blows a flat tire or something like that, you know, they're still in the middle of the case.

SPEAKER_05 55:20

Or they're late because it's six people to an animal to fit that thing to get it down there. So that's a good point. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:27

Yeah, so um we have that music artist playing, and then usually we give them a nod and say, Okay, we're we're ready. And so the market beef comes in, judges um select the champions right there, and so um the whole event we give around uh eight thousand dollars out to exhibitors.

SPEAKER_03 55:43

Yeah, it's gonna be another question. Like you actually win money for this, right?

SPEAKER_01 55:46

Yeah, yeah. So Grand Champion takes home $1,500, reserve is a thousand, third is $750, and fourth is five hundred.

SPEAKER_05 55:52

And but it's also bragging, right? It's like, hey, I won the Aggie Vill Showdown. What'd you do?

SPEAKER_01 55:56

Like that iconic picture of the rally house marquee, like it yeah, it's like I said, it's it's bragging, right? So also like the thing that's cool about Aggieville Showdown too is most other shows cap off ages at 21. We purposely have extended it to 25 because we know there's some kids that are going to K-State and they are like, this is my last chance. I can go ahead and show my heifer steer, get it in for Aggieville, and hopefully I can win at my alma mater.

SPEAKER_03 56:29

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I mean it's uh again, it's uh it's become a prestigious event, and it's one of those things to where 12 states you said?

SPEAKER_01 56:39

12 states, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 56:40

12 states, yeah, 12 states and counting people come from all around to come take part in this, and it's it's just a it's a really cool, unique event, and it's pretty cool that you guys started from scratch. I mean, how old were you when you did the first one?

SPEAKER_01 56:53

Let's see. I think I had just turned 22 because this is throwing that back, but I I do have to tell this quick story. So Mojo's Beach Bar, I mentioned there were three of us uh students in town all doing internships. Um I was actually working at Kansas Department of Ag in their marketing department at the time. Um and with that we would hang out, you know, we go to Aggieville all the time, and Mojo's Beach Bar was kind of where we started. And one night we're sitting there, um it probably was it probably was a weekday, probably should have been at Mojo's Beach Bar, and we were all talking about showing livestock, and we're like, man, it wouldn't be so cool if there was a grand drive in the center of Aggieville. So um two of us went back to my house just uh off of Bertrand Street there, and we pulled open the notepad and we started jotting down all this ideas and everything. But you know, then the summer ended, and we're like, oh, the city would never let us do that, you know? And so we're like, we we got busy with classes and stuff, and it was like November or December, and I remember just being like, I think I'm gonna regret if I don't at least try this thing.

SPEAKER_02 58:04

And so I because it was not at you then, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_01 58:06

It was what?

SPEAKER_02 58:07

It was like non-at you.

SPEAKER_01 58:08

Yeah, no, it was because of well the notepad was just sitting on my desk. And and so I was like, you know what? I don't know this man, Dennis Cook, but I'm just gonna send him an email and see what he thinks. And I will remember, I think Dennis responded in under 20 minutes and was like, come down to my office, let's talk about this. If putting cattle in Aggieville helps generate more business for our Aggieville businesses, let's do it, you know. And so then uh Dennis was instrumental in really helping me like work through like the city permits, all those different things. Um Dennis, yeah, he knows Agaville like the back of his hand. And um truly from there, uh the first year we actually had to cancel because of COVID. So a lot of people forget about that. I look back at it now and I'm like, thank goodness, because 20, yeah, 21-year-old Christian didn't realize the amount of effort and time that was gonna have to go into plan that event. And so it kind of gave us like a whole nother year to like really define it and get it all done. And um, so yeah, we started 2021 was our first year, so right after COVID.

SPEAKER_03 59:15

So you could claim six and a half then, right? Yeah, yeah. And a half because the concept was there and the execution was almost there.

SPEAKER_01 59:22

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 59:23

It was you got got screwed out of it. Yeah, you got screwed out of so much.

SPEAKER_01 59:27

Yeah, COVID was an interesting time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 59:31

Dang it, yeah, we have to rehash that. Yeah, yeah. But I mean, and then you got the first one, and then like look at it now, man. Now it's uh it's a it's a thing to where everybody's like, oh shoot, egg go showdowns this weekend, to where it's not even a it's not a thought. It's like, are they doing it? It's a matter of, oh, it's what weekend, yeah. What weekend is it?

SPEAKER_01 59:50

Yeah, no, it's so much fun, and it's it's been cool to see it grow. I kind of laugh. Like, right now I don't even have a dog or horses anymore or anything, and I'm like Yeah, the Agile Showdowns. Yeah, the Aggyville Showdown is my child. So Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:04

So uh people that want to watch this stuff, can I go to Seaco Park? Can I go to Agiville? Can I what can I take part in?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:10

Yeah, absolutely. So showmanship, 6 p.m. Uh this Friday at Seaco Park. Um, so come for that, and then Saturday we'll start at the fairgrounds at 9 30. Um we promise like WhatsApp prelims, it'll be fun. Maybe you can like guess who's gonna make it to the Grand Drive, and we have vendors throughout there too, so like there's things to do, food trucks, that type of thing. Um, but of course, the part you don't want to miss is the Grand Drive into Aggieville, so that's at 6 30 p.m. on Saturday. Um, we kind of tentatively, I mean it's a public street, so it's always open, but we say like it's open to public starting at 6. So go through all the vendors, get your spot figured out, go to the beer and distillery garden, um, buy some merch too. We got some cool merch this year, so yeah. Um, and then from there, the grand drives is at 6 30, all the things, live music, Western Fashion Show, chat champion channel, but then it doesn't stop there. We always say um Gage Garner will have his live uh performance um and full show at Yard Bar afterwards at 9 30. So yep, the official after party.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:07

So that yeah, I guess that was one thing we didn't mention was you have the you have vendors this year. Or like you've had vendors for the last several years. Yeah. Did the vendors go all the way down from basic? Okay, so the stage, just set the stage up. Yeah. It's right in front of Coldstone, pretty much, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:21

Yes, yep, that's about right.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:22

And an artist formerly known as Johnny Cause Yar House Party. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:26

Yes, yes, uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:27

And then the vendors anymore, they probably go, do they go all the way down to kites?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:31

Yeah, kites and tanners, yeah. So they go all the way down there. So, and usually we're having to cap it now. Um, and also we didn't shout her out earlier, but OG Robin. Robin Dolby, she was on the original advisory board of the Agneyville Showdown when it all started, and she's been our vendor manager all six years, and she knocks it out of the park. Um, it's she does a great job. Yeah, it's kind of sad, but um we I mean, typically like we get to the point that like we have to stop accepting vendors or we're gonna have to ask for more streets. So, City Council, do you hear that? I guess I'm street.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:10

And then you know what? We can have our stage for the show cattle in front of Cold Stone. You know? And then we can have our bull riding at 12 tomorrow. Yeah! Yeah! That's hilarious! Well, where can I find you all the interwebs? What's your where can I reach you guys at on the lines?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:28

Yes, Aggie Villeshowdown.com. And don't forget to obviously we want you there in person, but we have a live feed on our website too for the grand drive.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:36

Yep. The whole the whole performance. Are you guys? I know you told me I can't say the R word.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:44

Do we don't say the R word here?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:46

Is it R or S this weekend?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:49

Well we'll see. We'll see. We don't speak. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:54

So don't speak it into existence about it. It's always the sun's always shining on the Aibo Showdown, no matter what. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:01

And we've learned too, you just prep for everything, and then usually when you prep for the worst, it's a beautiful day. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:06

So not gonna be if we didn't prep, wild.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:09

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:10

What a what an honor and delight. Hope you guys uh I can't wait to have you back for the 20th issue of this thing. Oh just keep on rolling with it.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:18

All of our gray hair and everything.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:21

All the things, but it's uh it's an honor to have you guys on the Aguilar Lifestyle podcast chatting about this. And and uh yeah, uh oh, um in the future, can we get catfries? Can we get a Cat Fry vendor out? Can we get your dad out here in the quick? Yes, yes, he'd love to.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:38

Well, yeah, and I do have to speak to it.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:40

We do have Catfry's at the VIP area.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:42

Yeah, if you're a VIP sponsor us, we give you cowboy caviar.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:48

Oh man, there's nothing better than a Texas Tenderloin. Or a Montana medallion. Yes, yes, yes, or Kansas cauliflower. Kansas cauliflower. We need another t-shirt. Kristen Callahan, okay, the house but you guys. Oh, thank you. Thank you. Let's go.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:11

Let's go, let's go, let's do it.