As I travel around the country working with youth to hone their fitting skills, the one area everyone wants to know more about is how to get a straight, full topline and how to complement that with just-right belly hair.

Have you ever been to a show and noticed those heifers that are in perfect shape? They are sharp and dairy, with no extra weight on them, yet they are not too thin.

Many years ago, as a member of Class II of the Holstein Foundation’s Young Dairy Leaders Institute, we were challenged to set goals. Once we had a list written down, we were expected to say our goals out loud.

Video games, participation ribbons and obscene amounts of time spent on social media don’t develop work ethic, instill values or build self-esteem. But showing cattle can do all that and more to prepare adolescents and teens for the world ahead.

County fair season may be coming to an end, but those youth looking forward to exhibiting their dairy projects at the next level are just gearing up for national shows this fall.

When packing supplies to go to the show, the very best way to accomplish the task so nothing is left at home is to walk yourself through the day at the show.

Practice, practice, practice makes perfect, and it is what separates the blue-ribbon winners from the rest in a dairy showmanship competition.

Every dairy youth project member who steps in a show ring has the opportunity to excel at showmanship. Unlike type classes, where winners can be purchased or raised by others, in showmanship it is all up to the exhibitor.

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” This was the saying on our first show camp T-shirts, and it’s an excellent motto to start off a new dairy cattle show season.