Today we want to highlight Tanner Hoekstra of Oakdale, California. Tanner is now attending Oklahoma State University and is majoring in Ag Business: Farm and Ranch Management. Check out our Q & A with Tanner below!
Tell us a little about your operation, breeding or show program:
– I started showing just steers for the county fair, then moved to the state fair. The past two years I also started buying a couple of heifers to slowly start building up a herd. Now that I’m done showing I will hopefully be able to keep buying cows/heifers to keep building while breeding and selling calves from the ones I have currently.
How many species / Breeds do you show
– Maine-Anjou and Chianina, along with multiple crossbred steers
What does showing with your family mean to you?
– Working together with my family both at home and at shows means a lot to me. While my siblings show mainly sheep, I did talk my sister (Mackenzie) into showing a heifer last year. Working together with her and my brother (Colton) along with my parents is a blessing. Running around to shows a lot during the jackpot season can be crazy but we all work together to make it work.
Who are your role models in the industry?
– Faris Simon and J Newton are huge role models that have taught me a lot. Working with their whole crew has pushed me to hone my skills. They have also recommended me to others for fitting and clipping jobs at different shows. Colby Collins is also a big role model for me. Although I have only known him since I moved out to Oklahoma for school, being able to go to shows with him and his family has been a lot of fun. His vast amount of knowledge for the industry is cool to see and experience.
What are your Proudest Accomplishments?
– Having Champion Steer at the 2018 CA State Fair FFA Show, 2019 CA State Fair Reserve FFA Show, 2019 MJC Showdown in Motown, and then also being selected Reserve Champion Fitting Team at the 2016 AZ Nationals.
Pick One: Describe what was the best part of achieving this accomplishment?
– All of the hard work and long hours in the cooler throughout the summer for the state fair finally paid off. Finally winning some jackpots the last two years of showing was really special after so many years of showing.
What is your show day ritual or good luck charm?
– Getting to the barn really early in the morning before everyone else is really relaxing. Getting the cattle exercised, washed and fed, sipping on a nice cup of coffee with hardly anyone around and not being rushed is my kind of morning for a show
What is a show tip that you have for other exhibitors?
– Keep an open mind when people tell you different techniques on how to do something. Go watch the big names in the industry fit or clip and just see how they do things. Much can be learned just from watching. But along with this, you have to get hands-on experience. Practice makes perfect and at some point, you have to just do it.
What are your Future Goals?
– I plan to return to the family dairy and farming operation after college. Along with running this with my family, I hope to build up a show cattle herd to be able to sell and show steers and heifers.
Tell Us a Quote that keeps you motivated, Driven or Dedicated?
– “For every two minutes of glamour, there are eight hours of hard work” – Jessica Savitch
How has this industry as a whole impacted your life?
– The show cattle industry has opened a ton of avenues for me. Getting to know people from the beginning has allowed me to make connections and great friendships that follow me everywhere. I thoroughly enjoy working on cattle, especially fitting. Getting to work on some extremely competitive cattle over the years has only grown and fueled the passion I have for the industry.
So you’re the showman that built your own cooler. Can you tell us about why you decided to do this, how you did it and some of the materials you used?
– I honestly started building the cooler as a sort of joke. I was bored one day and just decided to start cleaning up one corner of the barn and started throwing up some boards. I didn’t know anything about them except it needed to be insulated and have an ac unit. I didn’t know what size or what it really took to run and work a steer in there. I got a little bit of advice from Kevin Mckinzie and just went to town on building this thing. I had a section in the barn that already had two partial walls so I built two more, framed it in, and insulated it with straw. My dad built a door out of an insulated panel wall and we put it up afterward. I put in a window unit thinking it would be enough to keep cool. The first day of the steer in the cooler didn’t work at all. I found a massive ac unit that a friend had for sale for really cheap that was “damaged” (only had a bent fan fin that I bent back and fixed within 5 minutes). We also poured a sloped concrete floor to insulate the bottom and welded in a pipe frame and tie rail to keep them from rubbing the sides. After the first year, I bought an alarm system and camera to keep an eye on everything and the rest is history.