The 2026 Best of the Barns Show Dad of the Year is Dave Allan, for him, the show ring was never just a phase; it was a legacy.
Alongside his wife Becky, he’s raised three sons, Tyler, Mason, and Landry, who have all been actively showing cattle since the age of seven. Each of them competed at their first Junior Nationals early on, stepping into a tradition that runs much deeper than a single generation. That tradition began back in the 1970s, when he, his brother, and his sister showed Hereford heifers. “It’s just what we do,” he said. While the competition has always fueled him, it’s the people, the like-minded families and friendships built around the barn, that have mattered most over the years.
Being named Show Dad of the Year wasn’t something he ever chased. In fact, it never crossed his mind. “To be selected by your peers is truly an honor,” he says, a sentiment rooted in humility and respect for the community that shaped him.
Ask his sons how they’d describe him, and the answer comes quickly: tough. He doesn’t shy away from that label. He expects a lot from his boys, believing that hard work, accountability, and persistence are lessons best learned early. “Good things don’t come easy,” he says, and the barn has been the classroom where that reality takes shape.
Those lessons haven’t stayed confined to the show ring. He’s watched them carry over into school, sports, livestock judging, and every other activity the boys pursue. At the end of the day, his hope is simple but powerful: that they, and all young people involved in showing, grow into productive, honest adults.
Showing has shaped him as a parent, too. It’s taught him patience and, more importantly, the value of time. “Enjoy the time with your kids,” he says. “It goes by really fast.”
He’s honest about the hard days. Losses sting. Emotions run high. But he believes those moments are some of the most important teaching tools. “Good life lessons don’t always include winning,” he explains. His advice is clear: keep negativity off social media, go home, regroup, and prepare for the next one.
The relationships built along the way have become lifelong. “The people around the shows are some of my best friends in the world,” he says, and his family would agree.
Sullivan Supply has been woven into that journey in more ways than one. Beyond the products used daily in the barn, the brand has played a major role in his life. In the 1990s, he and his brother ran John Sullivan’s cattle operation, and he was involved in the early development of new Sullivan Supply products, contributing to innovations that many exhibitors rely on today.
When asked about his favorite memory with his kids, he pauses. There are many. But one stands above the rest: last summer, when his youngest son, Landry, won Bred and Owned at the Junior National. All three boys fit that heifer, and she represented two generations of their breeding program. “That one was pretty special,” he admits.
If he could give just one piece of advice to parents, it would be this: support your kids in whatever they choose to do.
And if he hopes his sons would describe him with one word? Focused. Though he laughs, knowing they’d probably come up with a few alternatives.
In the end, his legacy isn’t measured by banners or titles, but by the work ethic, values, and memories built side by side in the barn.