A longtime friend has recently written his autobiography which I am enjoying reading at the present time. The book is entitled AGAINST THE CURRENT, by Orville Beyea, published in 2009 by Pine Hill Press, 4000 West 57th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57106. Orville is a man of integrity and a lifelong Hereford breeder.
It is interesting to learn of some of the underhanded shenanigans that went on it the world of show cattle. Nurse cows were a standard of the industry at one time, and this extra milk was given to some bulls well past a year of age. Surgical nips and tucks were common practice, and red dye was often used when the Herefords had white in the wrong places. Here is a quotation from the book, "the cattle had a lot of ties in their back and tail heads then, too. (A tie is where the hide is held down by a small ligament causing a large dimple.) Smooth topped cattle were preferred."
Here is another: "One breeder had a few bulls with a very dark spot right in the middle of their backs. Novocaine had been injected in the tie area to deaden it in preparation to cutting their ties. In due time, when the new hair came in, the novacaine caused it to come in white. No one wants to sell good bulls with white spots on their backs, so the best thing to do seemed to be to use some red hair dye from the beauty parlor. It was a good idea but evidently too much dye was applied and left on too long."
And one more: "Another incident that I remember killed a bull. A hose was stuck down a bull's throat to fill him up before entering the show ring. By the time the crew figured out the hose had been put in the bull's windpipe, it had already filled his lungs with water. Dead bulls don't show well."
Anyway, it is a fun book to read. Orville pulled himself up by his bootstraps with hard work and good sense, and the stories of his life are very intriguing.
