Early mornings, late evenings, getting kicked, getting wet, and hard work are just a few things that the 25 members of the Beef Cattle Show Team have to deal with. Since its inception in 1996, the Beef Cattle Show Team has shown consistent improvement. Team members are involved in selection of bulls for artificially inseminating the university's purebred cows and selecting the top offspring to work with. This year's show string includes five Brangus and three Angus heifers. The team is led by captains Mark Campise of LaPorte and Tim Buhler of Columbus. Team members are assigned to make the trek each morning to Gibbs Ranch to feed and water the cattle, and then back in the afternoons when the real work and fun begins.

First it's bath time. Team members wash the cattle each day and often get a bath themselves in the process. Then it's off to the "Bovine Beauty Parlor" where the cattle get brushed and blow-dried. Afterwards, they are "fit to kill" as team members start teaching the heifers proper etiquette in the show ring by leading them around, setting them up and training them on the purposes of a show stick.

Hopefully, after all the hard work, the Sam Houston State University Beef Cattle Show Team will bring home ribbons and trophies as they compete at the Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston stock shows. Through their activities, the purebred cattle produced by the SHSU herds have gained an excellent reputation for quality and are highly sought after for breeding stock. Team members also make numerous contacts with prospective students at the various expositions. One goal for the team this year is to win the Good Herdsman Award at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for the fifth straight year.

In addition to training our cattle in the show ring, team members also provide opportunities for 4-H and FFA youth to learn how to exhibit their own livestock through various showmanship and fitting workshops offered throughout the region. Dr. Stanley Kelley serves as advisor to the Show Team.