Great times can always be had at the county fair. Pictured here is Rachel Clark and friends at the Washington County Fair in Pennsylvania after getting into a fight with Styling Mousse!

Luke Elder, working hard at the Dairy Sweet in Dunlap, IA today! He makes a pretty good waiter! We have all had fun giving Luke a hard time, but it is great to see him support the 4H program that was so good to him!

Don’t miss your chance to compete in the Sullivan Supply/Stock Show University team fitting contest at the Iowa State Fair!

We wanted to shared Sure Champs blog post today about the best livestock apps!! So happy we made the list!

ISANTI COUNTY, Minn. (KMSP) - It is said that the true test of friendship is how many people come to help out a person in need, and if that’s true, one 4H participant from Cambridge, Minn., just found out he has an entire fairground full.

At the Isanti County hog barn, there’s a stall of show animals missing their showman.

“Charlie had a gilt and two barrows,” Brady Engquist told Fox 9 News. “One Yorkshire breeding gilt born in February, and then he has an auction barrow — pretty big at 285 pounds.”

It’s the same story at the cattle barn, which is where Annie and Bud stay. All the animals belong to 17-year-old Charlie Eklund, a lifelong 4H member with a lifelong love for animals.

“Every day, he’ll go out there at 8 in the morning and feed and do chores and sit there all day — and some days just watch and look around,” Engquist explained. “He loves it. He loves his animals.”

All of that changed on July 12. Eklund, a diabetic, apparently suffered an episode of low blood sugar and crashed his Jeep, rolling it several times. He’s been in critical condition ever since.

“I was really shocked when I heard what happened,” classmate Miranda Cain said. “He’s diabetic and so am I. So, I can relate to how scare it can be, like, driving.”

Eklund’s friends aren’t just concerned about his recovery either. They’re also concerned about his animals, and their upcoming showing at the Isanti County Fair.

“One of my first thoughts was: ‘Will they let someone show them for him at 4H?’” Sydney Zehnder said. “This is one of Charlie’s favorite shows — being at the fair, so I was happy to know that they could be.”

Now, Eklund’s 4H friends are not just showing the animals. They’re also showing something else — their loyalty to their injured friend.

“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have,” Olivia Sorenson said. “You can do this, Charlie!”

Eklund’s sister told Fox 9 News that he is making progress. She said doctors were set to remove his breathing tube on Thursday and that the family believes he’s in good hands.

We wanted to shared this from Ranch House Designs! Everyone is the livestock show industry can relate to these! 

Livestock people have a language all their own. Be honest, how many times have your friends laughed at you for talking openly about buying semen. Or better yet, had Siri correct your words because she has no idea how to spell Simmental heifer.

The show cattle, showpig, show goat, and show lamb business is full of quirky terminology that most people simply don’t understand. RHD’s experience in this sector is one of the many reasons people in the ag business enjoy working with us — we get it. You don’t have to explain to us the difference between a Yorkshire and a Duroc hog. We know.

Here are 19 words that have a totally different meaning to livestock people.

Drug

Others: A medical prescription 
Us: What happens to you when your calf gets away and you don’t let go.  

Lautner:

Others: Actor, the star of twilight. 
Us: Semen distributor 

The corner
Others: The place your parents used to send you as a form of punishment.
Us: The most dreaded spot in the show ring. 

Green
Others: A color
Us: Not ready to go to a show yet

Politics
Others: elections, as in republicans or democrats
Us: When the judge was friends with whoever won the show.

Sleeping in
Others: Whenever you wake up, even if it’s noon.
Us: 7:30 at the latest. You have stock to feed.

Sullivan’s: 
Others: A national steakhouse for fine dining. 
Us: The supplier of show equipment. 

Cooler
Others: A place to store your drinks
Us: A place to keep your cattle in the summer to grow hair

Yards
Others: Grassy areas behind your house 
Us: National Western Stock Show

Ring
Others: a form of jewelry, usually including diamonds!
Us: The place we compete 

Fit
Others: A healthy lifestyle, physically active
Us: The artistry of grooming your animal for a show 

Stalls:
Others: An area in a public restroom
Us: Where you tie your calf 

Louisville:
Others: The town that hosts the Kentucky derby and makes baseball bats.
Us: The town that hosts the North American.  

Slick
Others: Slippery
Us: No hair 

Makeup:
Others: A tool used by women to look pretty. 
Us: Where you hold your calf right before you go in the ring 

After School Practice
Others: Baseball, football, drama, choir, etc. 
Us: Rinsing and working our cattle. 

Showtimes
Others: What time a movie starts
Us: An awesome magazine

Freddy
Others: A scary character from a horror movie
Us: A novice 

County fair:
Others: The once a year event where you ride the midway, eat fried food and go to concerts.
Us: The single most important show in the history of the universe. As in, you can win championships at every major show in the world but if you don’t win here, you’re nothing. Especially to the other showman in your county.

After a long day of winning champion titles the last thing you need is a surprise drug test! Lacey Schmitz’s steer wasn’t going for it!
Shared from JJ’s Photos!

We couldn’t be more excited to work with Linde Sutherly at Linde’s Livestock Photos at the Ohio and Iowa State Fairs this year! We wanted to shared this Linde’s photo from day two of the Ohio State Fair!

We wanted to share this picture from Ranch House Designs! Team Sullivan Supply was on the road for a solid 35 days with Junior Nationals and we are about to hit the road again for state fairs! But we love our jobs and working with all our great customers!