V8 Ranch Shorthorns Shine at 2025  NAILE Louisville

Back on the Green Shavings

The greatest Shorthorn show on earth, and we get to be part of it again. What a treat. We’re smack dab in the middle of what I call “Shorthorn season.” In my mind, it stretches from Labor Day to Fort Worth. Then comes a brief pause for the Shorthorn Junior Nationals before it all fires right back up. I love Shorthorn season. It’s my favorite time of year.

Last year we were at Louisville, too. Margie went as a calf, won her class, and just like that, V8 was back on the green shavings. Dad showed her, since our little family of three Neumayrs had an early flight. Knox was still too young to show last year.

But this year, Knox was finally old enough to show at the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE). We’d already enjoyed an exquisite fall Shorthorn season, with our new heifer, CF Mona Lisa 547 OM ET “Bill Jr.”, carrying the load for us in fine fashion. She’d won her division every time out – Keystone Open and Junior, and Kansas City Open and Junior – and capped it off as Reserve Grand Champion in the Kansas City Junior Show.

Margie had stayed home during those early fall Shorthorn cattle shows, working on growing hair. Louisville would be her turn to step back in.

Welcome to Louisville

What a feeling it was to arrive and see both of our Shorthorn heifers in the stalls. To see Knox’s name on the stall card. To watch Margie turn and look at us with those “big eyes” when we called her name. Call me crazy, but these heifers know we’re their family. Especially Margie.

Bill Jr. had come on in all the ways we’d hoped. Margie, though – that was a different story. When I saw her, I felt equal parts joy at being reunited and disappointment with her hair. One glance at those patchy spots and I knew Margie wouldn’t be in the hunt at this show.

A year ago, all I could dream about was Margie coming back to Louisville as a big heifer and being in the mix to win. That wasn’t going to be the case, and it was deflating. I’m not going to pretend everything was perfect when it wasn’t. She wasn’t 12 o’clock that week. Margie just didn’t want to grow hair. Louisville is the toughest Shorthorn show in the world, and to win, every piece has to come together at the right time. Truth is, I didn’t know how to explain to Knox that Margie, who’d always done so well, had virtually no chance to do any winning at this show. She was likely to get beaten, and it wasn’t anything he did to cause it, or anything he could do to fix it. But she was still our Margie. We love her, and she’s already made so many of our family dreams come true. It was a grounding reminder of humility, and maybe it was needed.

It Takes A Team

As we looked toward show day, I was full of nerves. Of course I was. There’s a lot at play. First and foremost, I want Knox to show well. I want him to make us all proud.

It takes a team to have these heifers, with different people carrying the ball at different times. Knox’s family – my parents and us – pick out and buy what we believe are the best heifers we can find for him. The Cates crew makes the breeding decisions that produce them, then selects and offers them for sale, and in the seasons that follow, cares for them and gets them show-ready. Kyle Shoufler deserves his own shout-out for being, in my opinion, the master of feeding Shorthorn cattle. Luke and I are constantly coaching Knox, teaching him how to handle and show the heifers. We have practiced at home until we are blue in the face. People like Mr. and Mrs. Buchholz watch from afar and send constructive feedback to help him improve. The CF crew at the shows fits the animals to perfection.

Everyone has their moment as an MVP. But when it’s time to walk in the ring, it’s Knox’s turn to carry the ball. And I want him to do it well. And he does.

This time, Knox showed in both the Open and Junior shows. It was his first time ever showing in an open show. I didn’t start showing in the open until I was nine, but the only way Knox can get better, gain experience, and build his own reputation is to show more.

At Kansas City, he asked me, “Mom, how do I become a legendary showman?” What an odd question, I know. But the answer is simple: show more. We’ll give him every opportunity to do that.

NAILE Junior Shorthorn Show 

The show results were extraordinary, if I do say so myself. In the Junior Show under judge Jirl Buck, Bill Jr. kept her streak alive – winning her class and division. Margie came down the ramp onto the green shavings looking as good as she possibly could, hair coat and all. She ended up second in her class, the first time she’s ever been beaten in class.

I turned to Brian Cates, who was standing beside me at the rail, smiled, and said, “I’m good with that. That was actually kind.”

Knox showed both heifers so well. Jirl Buck was a great judge – friendly, encouraging, and truly present with the exhibitors. For a little kid, a judge who smiles and talks to you makes all the difference in the world. It means something.

Churchill Downs

With the new Shorthorn schedule, there’s a gap day between the Open and Junior shows. We used it for an education day at Churchill Downs. Starting this year, Knox is homeschooled, so every trip we take, we try to carve out time for something educational. At Keystone, we went to Gettysburg, which was a real treat for our history-buff son.

As the home of the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs was downright magical. If you haven’t been, put it on your must-do list.

Open Show – The Super National Shorthorn Show

On open show day, with Knox showing, Bill Jr. did her thing again, winning her class and division. That meant Knox would be in the Grand Drive once again. Our little 8-year-old showman, walking into the Grand Drive at the greatest Shorthorn show in the world.

This time, Margie was third in class, which turned out to be a blessing. In between Bill Jr. and Margie showing, Knox started running a fever. He kept saying he felt really bad, and we kept putting a hand on his forehead and telling the little white lies we all tell – “You’re fine” and “It’s just the stock show crud.” But truthfully, we could tell he was going down fast. One minute he was okay, and the next he was white as a sheet and burning up.

Luckily, there’s a strong army of stock show moms, and one of them – Emilee Foster of Seldom Rest Farms – came running down the ramp within five minutes of me reaching out, chewable Motrin in hand to stop the fever. Knox showed Margie, then went up into the stands to rest and drank a Pepsi to try to perk up.

We weren’t sure he’d be well enough to show in the Grand Drive after all, so we had a backup showman ready just in case. Margie placing third meant she was done showing immediately, giving Knox a little more time to rest before the Grand Drive.

I’m still shocked at how good Knox’s showing has gotten. Every single time he goes in the ring, he gets better. My parents were watching online and called almost every time he walked out of the ring, equally impressed and shocked by how much he’d improved. He’s worked for it. We’ve dang sure put the pressure on. But it’s starting to come together.

He ended up going in the ring and showing Bill Jr. in the Grand Drive. They didn’t get a piece of it, but I’m fairly certain—to use my earlier phrase—they were in the hunt.

Once again, the judge, Shane Bedwell, was outstanding. The Shorthorn show committee really does select top-tier judges, and that’s a treat as an exhibitor. To hear the level of reasons and detail these judges put into their selections makes you feel good that your cattle received a fair, expert-level evaluation.

A quick two hours later, we were back at the hotel, and Knox was appropriately dosed with cold medicine and asleep early. The next morning, we flew home and went straight to urgent care for the verdict: flu positive. One round of flu meds had him back on his feet in no time, and somehow, none of the rest of us caught it.

2025 – A Year of Growth

With Louisville, the 2025 Shorthorn calendar year wraps up. What an incredible year it’s been for V8 Shorthorns. We’re growing – all of us.

Knox is growing as a showman. Our little herd is growing too – we now have a big herd of two females. And our friends at GKB sent us two Waukaru Shorthorn bulls that we’ve been breeding to American Brahman females here at the ranch, working on some new Brahman – Shorthorn F1s.

That part matters to me. Brahman cattle are the foundation of this ranch, and always will be. The strength, adaptability, and longevity they bring are unmatched in this part of the country. Crossing them with Shorthorns isn’t about replacing anything – it’s about building on what already delivers.

I want the Brahman people to see these F1s and recognize how well Shorthorn cattle can complement Brahman females. And I want the Shorthorn people to see what Brahman cattle contribute – especially here in the South, where Brahmans bring so much to the table.

I’m still learning, too. And some of learning is remembering. I’m remembering that no two heifers are the same. Bill Jr.’s journey won’t look like Margie’s, and Knox’s Shorthorn journey won’t look exactly like mine. That’s part of what keeps you honest, and part of what keeps you humble.

When we first started thinking about getting into Shorthorns a few years ago, I was texting my old friend—and frequent V8 partner—John Sullivan. I was nervous about everything, asking him about pedigrees, tough classes, all of it.

He replied, “You can do it. You guys are students of the game.”

I saved that text. It was June 2023, fifteen months before we bought our first heifer. I knew then, and I know now, that words like that, and encouragement like that, are priceless.

My Shorthorn dreams have only grown in the last year, not at the expense of anything else, but alongside it. As my friend Mary Marantz says, it’s big, hairy, audacious goals.

It’s a long and rugged road
And we don’t now where it’s headed
But we know it’s going to get us where we’re going
And when we find what we’re looking for
We’ll drop these bags and search no more
‘Cause it’s going to feel like heaven when we’re home
It’s going to feel like heaven when we’re home

One of my favorite songs is “Heaven When We’re Home,” by The Wailin’ Jennys.

That’s what every single Shorthorn event feels like to me. The lobby at the hotels. The makeup ring. The stalls. The annual meeting. Labor Day sales. Old friends and new. How thankful am I for all of it.

Kicking Off the 2026 Show Season

And just like that, 2026 is upon us. We’ll kick it off at Cattlemen’s Congress. Our two Shorthorn heifers will be there (Margie’s grown more hair… will it be enough? We’ll know soon), along with a string of V8 Brahmans.

There are things I’m hoping for, and there are things I’m certain of. I’m hoping we’ll have two Shorthorns in the hunt. I’m hoping our showman keeps getting better every time he steps in the ring. I’m hoping we avoid the stock show crud.

But I’m certain of this – I’ll make a new set of memories chasing my Shorthorn dreams, right alongside the breed that built this ranch. And because of that, I’m already thankful for Cattlemen’s Congress before we’ve even set foot on the grounds.