A New Heifer & A New Adventure:
& Then there were two!
One Head at a Time
Well, if you’ve followed our Shorthorn journey, you’ve probably noticed a theme I keep coming back to: one head at a time. This fall, it was time to take the next step and double our Shorthorn cattle herd. It sounds impressive when you say it like that, but the less glamorous truth is this — it was time to buy our second heifer.
No surprise to anyone, we don’t shop the entire USA — we shop the small town of Modoc, Indiana. Loyalty runs deep in the purebred cattle business, and that value has always guided how we do things at V8. Over the years, we’ve built great relationships across the breed, but our experience with the Cates family has felt right for this chapter of V8 Shorthorns. From day one, they’ve treated us with honesty, professionalism, and care. Our first heifer—the start of the 2.0 version of V8 Shorthorns after a decade-long hiatus—was everything we hoped for, and more.
There was no reason to look anywhere else for our next purchase. It also makes the picking part easier: instead of sifting through every Shorthorn heifer in the country, we’re studying a select few from a program we trust.
Editor’s Note: To all the Shorthorn breeders — please know how much I love seeing your cattle and hearing from you. I read every sale catalog, follow every sale and result, and cheer for so many families who’ve become friends. The loyalty each family shows to the breeders who’ve helped them along the way is part of what makes this breed so special. I’m grateful to have found that kind of connection.
The V8 Shorthorns BOD Watching the sale videos from the ranch ahead of making the trip to Indiana.
Sale day morning in Modoc. That’s actually our new heifer right behind Luke. Thanks for the photo, Cindy.
The chores never stop in Modoc. Knox and Piper swim and have fun, but they work too! Thankful for these two and their special friendship.
The Art of the Buy
Last year, the entire V8 Shorthorns Board of Directors (tongue in cheek — it’s just five of us: my parents, Luke, Knox, and me) made the trip to the Cates sale to pick the heifer.
This year, my parents sat out the travel, but not the planning. We all gathered in their living room ahead of the sale, watching every heifer video, taking notes, and picking out our favorites.
The decision would be made in person — at the sale, walking through the pens. I’ll admit, I felt a little nervous not having my dad there this time. I like to think he’s trained me to see cattle the way he does, but I’d still rather hear him say, “I agree,” or “you’re right,” in person.
Ultimately, a live sale requires balance — it’s stressful, delicate, and nuanced all at once. You’re constantly managing the sale order, deciding when to fire your bullets, and weighing which favorites you’re willing to go to battle for. In my case, I’m also trying to stay aware of who else might be interested in the same heifers.
It might sound a little sentimental, but over the past year, I’ve made quite a few friends — families just like us, who are part of the CF program. And if I can help it, I don’t want to be bidding against one of my friends. That’s always in the back of my mind, at least a little.
Picking out this year’s heifer was far more difficult than last year’s experience. Last year, Margie made it easy — she walked right up to us and chose us first. She had the friendliest personality of the entire offering and, coincidentally, was also our number-one pick from a phenotype standpoint. She was the first and only heifer we bid on, the first one we were interested in in the sale order, and the whole thing was simple: we bid, she sold for a price we liked, and we bought her.
Before there was ‘Bill, Jr.,’ there was Margie — the heifer who chose us first and sparked a new chapter for V8 Shorthorns.
I’ll have you know, I wandered around every pen in Modoc for hours, the night before the sale, and again the next morning, with my hand stuck out, hoping for another Margie moment. I never got to pet a single heifer. It seemed none would choose us this time.
In a whirlwind 24 hours, we looked at every heifer, sent countless videos back home to my parents, and consulted our friends: Mr. and Mrs. Buchholz of GKB Cattle and my old Shorthorn fitter, Cary Aubrey, all the while trying to keep our plan top secret from everyone else, including our dear friends the Cates and the Shouflers, who are valued members of the team we find ourselves on. What can I say? I like to hold my cards close to the vest. (That’s the expression, right?)
By the time the sale kicked off, we had options—plenty of good ones—but unlike last year, I didn’t know exactly how it would go. We did a little play bidding (that’s a Jim Williams term meaning bidding with no real intention of buying) on a few heifers before we got down to the serious nitty-gritty.
Once the dust settled, we had, in fact, doubled our Shorthorn herd and added a new heifer to our family. I’m glad we got one — because when we booked our plane tickets for the sale, we’d already planned to stay a couple of days afterward to spend time getting to know her.
CF Mona Lisa 547 “Bill, Jr.”
The newest member of the V8 Shorthorn herd
The Start of Something Special
Knox and “Bill, Jr.” — a new bond, and the beginning of a friendship.
The Real Life Behind the Reel
The next couple of days were just as magical as our time in Modoc always is. The Cates farm is one of my favorite places in the world, and whether they chose it or not, we feel like part of the crew. Every trip reminds me that even though they’re among the most elite in the Shorthorn breed—the kind of operation many people dream of having—life there is still as real and unfiltered as it gets. Someone still has to empty the wheelbarrow. Tyler himself picked up the manure from an entire barn. There’s hay to be made and family members driving tractors. Cows that calve at inconvenient times and important calves that get sick.
Luke felt like he hit the jackpot because he got to work cows with Brian and Tyler, something he’s still talking about, by the way. “They don’t get testy at all,” he said with wonder. (Talking about the Cates, not the cattle. 🙂)
It’s not glamorous there. It’s real. They let us see behind the curtain — and guess what? There’s nothing to see. They’re just like everyone else. As we all stood there, pooper scoopers in hand, picking up manure at the sale barn, I had to smile. Thank you for sharing the real reel—not just the highlight reel—with us.
A glimpse into our days in Modoc — the conversations, the laughter, the long walks through the barns, and the people who make it all feel like home.
Finding a Name
And our new heifer? Well, those days in Modoc gave us the chance to really get to know her — both personality-wise and phenotype-wise. It’s always a little nerve-wracking seeing a haired animal soaking wet for the first time, but guess what? After seeing her wet, we liked her even more!
You won’t hear me saying any of this myself—because I love Margie like she’s my first child—but several members of our pit crew think this new heifer might actually be an improvement on Margie. Every time I hear that, I’m both offended and excited. We did it — we picked another good one!
Margie is still my queen, but that has more to do with what she represents — all the dreams her purchase reawakened in my heart, and the ones she helped spark in my son’s.
Compared to last year, I’ve found myself thinking more about pedigrees when buying or shopping. And can I just tell you — this heifer’s pedigree holds such a special place in my heart. Before I even get into the bottom side, I have to mention this: her sire comes from the Margies. Given my research and connection to that story, it feels a little poetic.
Our new heifer is CF Mona Lisa 547, from the famous Mona Lisa cow family — a tribe of cattle we’ve admired and collected at V8 for years.
The Mona Lisa story runs deep in Shorthorn lore. The earliest one you’ll find on pedigrees is Deer Trail Mona Lisa ET, but it’s HR Mona Lisa W684Y, a daughter of Rodeo Drive, who truly cemented the family’s reputation. She produced several daughters that changed the course of the breed. Two of them hold a special place in V8 history: K-Kim Mona Lisa 34L, dam of our very first V8 home-raised National Champion, Miss V8 Mona’s Hip Hop, and K-Kim Mona Lisa 35L, dam of our herd sire, SULL GNCC Grey Goose.
Miss V8 Mona’s Hip Hop
SULL GNCC Grey Goose
And that brings us to 547’s dam, SULL Mona Lisa Reward 3289 — arguably the most dominant donor female at Cates Farms of all time, and certainly of this era.
Would you believe that V8 Shorthorns once co-owned Mona Lisa Reward with the Cates family? You can imagine my mix of emotions when I got back into the Shorthorn breed and learned that this cow, once part of a partnership, had become the cow. Equal parts regret and pride. Many of those famous “CF V8” animals that went on to win big trace back to that partnership on 3289.
She’s now, without question, one of those foundation females every serious breeder wants represented in their herd — especially if you’re building a Shorthorn program. Which, of course, we are. And boy, it feels good to say that out loud — so I’ll say it again: we are building a Shorthorn herd.
SULL Mona Lisa Reward 3289
A foundation female whose influence still shapes the Shorthorn breed today.
The thing about Mona Lisa Reward is, there are a ton of them. Way too many for us to actually call our new heifer “Mona Lisa.” (I know, I know — you could say the same thing about the Margies. But our Margie is the Margie in our eyes.)
For 24 hours, we tossed around every barn name we could think of for our new heifer. Then Knox finally exclaimed, “I got it!”
“Bill, Jr.”
You can imagine all of our faces. “I don’t quite understand that name,” said my dad. A month before the sale, we’d met a very special 19-year-old poodle in Alaska named Bill. Bill belongs to our dear friend, Sue Aikens, and he made quite an impression on Knox. So he decided he wanted to name our heifer, CF Mona Lisa 547, “Bill, Jr.”
Within minutes, the entire barn in Modoc knew her new name, and sure enough, it was updated on the feed whiteboard to say Bill, Jr.
I still haven’t gotten them to change Margie’s name away from just “V8.”
But now there are two V8s. So I guess Bill, Jr. needed a name for herself.
And speaking of new beginnings, Bill, Jr. recently made her show ring debut…
Where “Bill, Jr.” Got Her Name
A trip to Alaska and a 19-year-old poodle named Bill — proof that inspiration can come from anywhere.
A Boy and His Buddy
Knox and Bill exploring the riverbanks of Alaska — a friendship that led to one unforgettable heifer name.
First Trip Out For Bill, Jr.
Knox is a little guy: just eight years old. Before purchasing Bill, Jr., he had only shown at three events: Cattlemen’s Congress, Junior Nationals, and a small jackpot in Navasota, Texas. This fall, we decided to add a new show to our rotation — the Keystone International Livestock Exposition in Pennsylvania. It’s one of the National Shorthorn Shows, which gave us the chance to cross another state off Knox’s list, and let him have one more turn in the ring.
I’m happy to report that at Bill, Jr.’s first show, she won her class and division in both the junior show and the open (national) show. Luke showed her in the open, donning the maroon vest for the very first time and carrying the banner for V8 Shorthorns — a proud moment for me to see. The next day, Knox showed her in the junior show and did a great job, gaining another notch of confidence and experience.
First Steps, First Win
Knox and “Bill, Jr.” after their debut at the Keystone International Livestock Exposition.
The Classic Backdrop Moment
Smiles all around as Knox and “Bill, Jr.” strike their first pose under the bright lights of Keystone.
We left Margie at home so we could focus on building a bond between Knox and Bill, Jr. If Margie had been there, she would have demanded all our attention! All signs point to Bill, Jr. being a wonderful part of our little family. Knox loved showing her and felt completely at ease — and I have to remind myself that’s what this is all about: building confidence and raising a rancher.
Champion & Reserve
Knox and our New York friend Makayla Sugg teamed up in the same division — each leading a CF heifer, and both taking home top honors.
A Win Worth Smiling About
Knox and Sawyer McGrew from Pennsylvania shared the excitement as Sawyer’s heifer, a full sister to Bill, Jr., was named Grand Champion in the Junior Show.
Next up this fall is Kansas City, then Louisville. When we fly to Kansas City next week, we’ll officially hit Premier Silver status with United. Almost every leg of this journey has been spent chasing our Shorthorn dreams — the seat upgrades for an eight-year-old are just a bonus!
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