INVESTED IN YOU
by Randy Ratliff
More Than Just The Cattle Business !
When I think about my 30-year journey in the Limousin
breed … there is so much that comes to mind ! My first occupation fresh out of college from Colorado State University , was signing on as a sales representative of Limousin World . It came with the recommendations of Gene Raymond , John Edwards and Tub Ratliff . I had no idea what I was about to experience at that time in my life . Though my goal was to follow in the footsteps of my family who many , many years ago created and sold livestock at the Anderson County Sales Co . Stockyards , I also wanted to see what it was like at a more prestigious level in the registered seedstock business .
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As one of the youngest to graduate at age 12 from the Reisch World Wide College of Auctioneering in Mason City , Iowa , following threegenerations of family prior to that , I set out on a path that was new to me . After being hired by Dan and Nancy Wedman at Limousin World , I quickly realized I was in a business where I needed to sell to survive ! After countless hours of communicating with Dan and Nancy about the business of advertising , I quickly realized I was creating relationships within the breed as much as I was selling . Those relationships have continued to be a big part of my life since 1998 . I may have moved on and created different opportunities for my life , but as I write this , I am quick to realize my journey has been a part of something so much bigger and better than I could ever have anticipated — the family within this breed of cattle is what make it special .
As I witness and experience the COVID 19 pandemic and how it has affected all of us in some way , I realize how it has brought people much closer together .
The recent National Junior Limousin Show in Louisiana , the biggest event in our breed , could not have come at a worse time with the pandemic . Troy Gulotta and his family were in charge of this event and worked countless hours to assure myself , and so many families across the U . S ., that if we attended it would be a safe environment and one we could all enjoy . This annual event , highly anticipated by virtually every young junior who exhibits Limousin cattle , conveys such a sense of family and community for the juniors to showcase their projects . It was a huge success and now our seedstock operations are maneuvering through planning the best and safest ways for them to host their fall production sales . One thing I know is that they will make it happen no matter what .
My point in saying all of the above is that our Limousin Breed is about so much more than just cattle ! I see it , I feel it , I experience it and I live it every day with the relationships across this great community … for that I would not change anything . What I would do is encourage any young junior who is considering it , to say yes to being a part of something bigger than they could ever imagine — and that is this great Breed of cattle .
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• OCTOBER 2020