Beyond the Wash Room

I have made a lot of friends and many memories in my time at college but nothing could have prepared me for all the things I would miss at home.  My family is very close, the kind that has their family meetings in the bathroom before school in the mornings!  We spent a lot of time together working, learning, and just having fun.  My brothers and I have all been Cass County 4-H members. We grew up showing cattle and pigs, spending a lot of our time in the barn. Most of this time was spent working but between the three of us, you can make anything fun.

 There was a pecking order and it was an unspoken fact that since I was the oldest I was the boss in the barn when Dad wasn’t around. Our show barn wasn’t fancy but my parents helped us make it work. The three of us boys ran a lot of animals through it over the years and we learned more than we could have imagined. Our wash room, where we washed and worked show calves, was “Our Place.”  It’s where we would listen to the music Mom wouldn’t let us listen to in the truck. It’s where just the three of us talked about stuff that Mom and Dad didn’t need to hear about. The wash room was our piece of heaven back when we were all at home together growing up.

“Practice like you’ve never won, perform like you’ve never lost”- Unknown

Little did I know that when I went off to college it would all start over and I would be back to the bottom of the totem pole. When I started junior college at Black Hawk East I was incredibly anxious. Leading up to college, I had always heard how great it would be, about the connections I would make, and the people I would have the opportunity to work with. This only continued to grow and become solidified as I continued through school. Throughout my college career I have probably missed more class than was ideal but I wouldn’t change any of it. In those days where I was working instead of sitting in class I have learned more about life and cattle than I ever thought I would. I have had the opportunity to work for some of the most successful and prestigious show cattle operations in the Midwest. In any new job opportunity, I start back to the bottom and they show me the way that they want things done. I continue to learn from them, gradually climbing up the ladder. In every one of my experiences I have always looked for opportunities to grow and learn something new.

My time in my family’s barn with my brothers was just a stepping stone for my future with livestock. It’s a fond memory now but it sparked a passion in me that has lead to so many learning and networking opportunities. Looking back, I know I was not looking forward to leaving the wash room at home because it meant starting all over. I’m just happy seeing where it has brought me. I am not one to shy away from new opportunities and continue to dive deeper into an industry that I love.

Hello everyone, my name is Ross Helms and I would like to thank you for reading my blog! I grew up on a small grain and livestock farm in North Central Indiana. I’m a senior at Western Illinois University majoring in Ag Business and will be graduating in the Spring of 2020. After college I plan to continue working in the cattle industry to gain knowledge and connections, with eventual plans to return home to the family farm.