Beginner Showing costs?

what are the aproximate costs for a person to first start out in the show world? please make a list if you could with most costs. thanks  we have a truck and trailer. if that helps. not much else though

are you planning on showing with the big boys or just half way. like it depends on how committed you are and how much u want do do it. i know people with a 50,000 set up pulling a 100,000 dollar trailer with a 90,000 international truck. and ive seen people who spend less than 1000 dollars on supplies and hauling with a bumperpull on their mamas suburban.

assuming you have no chute, adhesives, blowers, or anything. its going to set you out at around 15k. just a guess. for everything a rookie needs to not be left in the dust. . . but you also dont have to get everything at one time

the biggest thing is having a calf, Feeding that calf and enjoying yourself. You can spends a million dollors on cattle, or one. SET your limit.

Show stopper 95 said:

assuming you have no chute, adhesives, blowers, or anything. its going to set you out at around 15k. just a guess. for everything a rookie needs to not be left in the dust. . . but you also dont have to get everything at one time

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$15,000.00 dollars to get started  ???

Used clippers...$100.00, Used blower....$250, used steel chute....$100.00 and maybe another $300 or $400 at Sullivans will get you a long ways. 

Blower-$400
Chute- Steel one is cheapest-$500
Combs/Brushes- $200- need one of each type IMHO
Fans- $265/fan- depends on how many calves you have, but at least 2
All the stuff to make them look right (sheen, pink oil, adhesive....) $200 and up
End panels-$200
Fan hanger-$100
Showbox- $200-600
Feed pans and water buckets- $100 min.
Getting calves clipped- approx. $75/calf, fitted add another $75/calf

I get new stuff every time i go to a show, so really its never ending, even with everything I listed. I'd say we'll spend another $500 bucks min at each show we go to in supplies alone.

blackcows said:

Show stopper 95 said:

assuming you have no chute, adhesives, blowers, or anything. its going to set you out at around 15k. just a guess. for everything a rookie needs to not be left in the dust. . . but you also dont have to get everything at one time

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$15,000.00 dollars to get started  ???

Used clippers...$100.00, Used blower....$250, used steel chute....$100.00 and maybe another $300 or $400 at Sullivans will get you a long ways. 

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I agree with that price if you are doing it "right" to begin with. Yes it can be done cheaper, but it will end up being quite the investment in the 1st few years.

To showsteernc;


Can you please clarify for us readers:  "I get new stuff everytime I go to a show."

We are a family just starting out showing last year and it is not take us $15,000.00 to start nor did we buy new stuff every show we went to.

Shorthorn Girl, if you have a calf, a good facilityto keep the calf out of the weather, a good feed program, a good teacher and the willingness to learn you will be successful your first year.  Steer Planet has taught myself and my daughter a lot this first year, so keep posting posts and we'll keep the advice coming, but understand take some with a grain of salt......

harleyhog said:

To showsteernc;


Can you please clarify for us readers:   "I get new stuff everytime I go to a show."

We are a family just starting out showing last year and it is not take us $15,000.00 to start nor did we buy new stuff every show we went to.

Shorthorn Girl, if you have a calf, a good facilityto keep the calf out of the weather, a good feed program, a good teacher and the willingness to learn you will be successful your first year.  Steer Planet has taught myself and my daughter a lot this first year, so keep posting posts and we'll keep the advice coming, but understand take some with a grain of salt......

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Sorry for not being clear. Any time you go to a show with a supply trailer chances are you are going to need blades, a new comb or a new brush, a new showstick in the latest color, maybe some halters, who knows what. Also if you ever need a repair on something go ahead and ad that into the equation. What if a calf goes off feed and there is nothing in the box, a tube of probiotics isn't cheap at the show. All I am saying is be honest and look at all your receipts that are cattle related and you'll quickly realize how much money you are putting into this deal. When a case of anything (adhesive, revive, pink, final bloom, paint) is almost a $100, and you figure out how many cans of stuff you are using at a show its really adding up. Agree or disagree on my prices I don't really care, but I do know when there is a supply trailer there most people tend to buy a lot of new stuff. O and FWIW, I'm not a person who just goes and blows money like its going out of style, but I also realize that to keep everything the way it should be its going to cost. The way I look at it is i could be wasting it on something else, but this way I'm investing in my future so it is well worth it.

Blower-$400.....buy a used one for $250.00

Chute- Steel one is cheapest-$500....See them on Craigslist a lot for $100

Combs/Brushes- $200- need one of each type IMHO...Scotch comb and a rice root for $25

Fans- $265/fan- depends on how many calves you have, but at least 2....nice to have but many people showed for many years with no fans or a $10 box fan

All the stuff to make them look right (sheen, pink oil, adhesive....) $200 and up....$20, can of adhesive and a can of oil

End panels-$200....nice but not necessary

Fan hanger-$100.....if you don't have fans......

Showbox- $200-600....$100 dollars for wood

Feed pans and water buckets- $100 min......5 gallon buckets, everyone has some, $10 pan from Tractor supply


Getting calves clipped- approx. $75/calf, fitted add another $75/calf....how about doing it yourself?

I get new stuff every time i go to a show, so really its never ending, even with everything I listed. I'd say we'll spend another $500 bucks min at each show we go to in supplies alone......getting started may mean just bringing a feeder calf to the county fair not 5 head to the NWSS.





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If you can get buy with one can of adhesive and one can of oil, you're good is all I can say. Metal combs, one of each, plastic teeth one of each, rice root brush, roto brush, its going to add up whether you want to admit it or not. On the fans, its pretty rare to see people without fans anymore, and as far as a box fan goes, I don't even bother with one of those for the tack area, as I said if your going to do it look at it as an investment. Last, the average person has more than one calf going to a show, that means multiple pans and its nice to have something that looks nice. And for the last comment, doing it right at the county level is where it all starts.

Wow... No doubt it does cost some money to get started, but $15K is pretty far out there.  I've been doing this deal forever, and right now have 3 kids showing and 6-8 calves always on feed.  Granted, that's not counting quite a bit of stuff that I've accumulated over the years, but after reading this thread I went to blueribbons site and started adding up what it would cost to replace what we haul and use regularly.  Not including grooming supplies (sprays, etc) or feed and supplements, I can't come up with even $7K at full retail price. Hardly anybody goes out and buys all that at once, and it's way more of alot of things than 1 kid with 1 or 2 calves would ever need.

I do agree that buying grooming supplies is a constant ongoing thing, and adds up to alot of money fast if you're showing alot, but the typical beginner with one calf can make an initial $100 or so investment and from there on it shouldn't cost but maybe a third of that at each show, if you buy the right products to begin with, and make sure you keep up with them (that includes not throwing them away just 'cause they feel less than half full). Equipment is somewhat ongoing, but again, after the initial investment it's not such a hard hit - many families choose to buy one or two items a year (things like blowers, fans, clippers, etc...).  It may be different in other places, but around here if you get out and hunt around a bit, you could get a used chute, fan and blower for $500... not saying they'll be fancy but they'll get you started. Another couple hundred should get you a show halter, show stick, a couple of combs, a good rice root brush, a couple of plastic scrub brushes, a feed pan, water bucket and a few more odds and ends (and that's if you have to buy all that new).

Not sure where you're from Shorthorn Girl, but in many places your local FFA chapter or 4H club may have alot of the equipment available for you to use - just ask your leader(s).  Watch classified ads such as on here or on Craigslist near you - often you'll find show supplies for sale as kids graduate, or whatever.

Edit to add ~ I didn't count our generator, there's another $900 for our John Deere, more for some folks.  I can see where alot of people do get $15K and more tied up in equipment and supplies, but still think that's way over the top as far as being necesarry for a beginner.

Now I know I started showing almost 20 yrs ago...but supplies were pretty much the same...and since I graduated10 yrs ago costs really havent changed...now I have still been showing but not footing the bill but I can tell you how it went when I was in school with my 2 or 3 calves a year...I didnt own a chute, blower, or clippers at first, I used my schools...luckily at first I was the only one who didnt own my own blower so I pretty much had full access to it, and ended up buying it and the clippers when my school got new ones...set me back about $50 for both of em...and they are old as all get out but still work to this day.
As far as fans...I did use box fans in my "shed" with $10 mister hoses on em that I bought at Lowe's...notice I said "shed" I didnt have a barn, I had a 3 sided run in for many years.
And I agree on the adhesives and hair supplies you cant do much...but as far as brushes I had 2 metal combs, a rice root, and a scrup brush.
My routine was catch calves early in the morning, rinse them,comb &  blow them while they ate, tie them under the run in with fans and misters going, in the evening I rinsed again, combed & blew them again while they ate, then turned them out for the evening after the sun had set.
I showed angus, hereford, and club calves, and I had as good a hair as anyone on show day...true I may not have had the 3-4 inches the cool room calves showed up with or even the 2 inches that people with more elaborate facilities showed up with...but on show day after they had clipped the majority of that off...I was just as good as them...I also hardly ever had to body clip one, yet still had plenty of hair fit em with.

But I basically said all this to say that you can easily get started for less than $2000 bucks minus the price of feed and the calf in my opinion, and do just as well as the big boys on show day...it all depends on how much elbow grease your willing to put into it

SFASUshowman said:

I showed angus, hereford, and club calves, and I had as good a hair as anyone on show day...true I may not have had the 3-4 inches the cool room calves showed up with or even the 2 inches that people with more elaborate facilities showed up with.

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If you didn't have the cooler shag, how can you say you had "as good of hair on show day"? I think you are merely marginalizing the other calves' hair coats to make your calves coat better in your mind because what you posted about the hair coats just doesn't make sense.

Used blower a box fan a brush are basics for hair. You can go to the local Walmart for knock stuff. Mane and Tale is pretty cheap and you dilute it with water and use it as a spray. Probiotics are $7.99 a tube to get your calf back on track. Feed and the calf will be your biggest investment. We have fed mixed prebag feed and milled feed. Pretty much same results. You just have to be consistent in what you are feeding. Watch you calf and weight gain. Find a feed person who will give you advice along the way. Our feed folks make a trip to the farm when we want to adjust the rations. We are lucky I know. Usually you can do things on a budget and come out alright. If you anyone you know is handy or can weld you will really be far ahead.The biggest thing I see lacking is the desire. It is a year round project that takes a certain level of dedication. You don't get 4 inches of hair just tying you calves in a cool room. It takes elbow grease even then. Get your calves on a regimen and keep their feed consistent. Good Old calf manna is a great supplement that does about the same thing as allot of more expense things on the market. If you use the search function on this site you can find feed rations hair regimens etc. This place has been a super resource for me and my family as well.
I love to shop when I go to shows but usually its impulse buys. We make a list before every show- plenty of time in advance in case we need to order products or run to Wally World. Go through the box after every show and re-stock supplies. It will save you a bunch of money. IE: have an extra pair of blades in the box, you can do without the "latest" show stick an til you have the money.

Consistency , willingness to learn and the Desire you must have those. You can't put a price on any of those. I have seen $10K steers look like feedlot calves because the kid "lost the desire" to work with the calf. It is alot easier to screw one up than it is to make one good.  

My first year my older sister said buy a scotch comb, and some dawn soap to wash with.
As long as u already know about feeders and the food lol

To make a calf happy he needs to be dry and clean, and in the summer keep them cool!!
my first year after about may my calf went off half his grain because it was to hot, but you dont need expensive fans and cool rooms to keep them comfortable and eating.
Just make sure they have shade and buy a couple $10 fans from walmart
Biggest advice feed early before it gets hot, and later in the day when it gets cool.
AND WATER WATER WATER!!  clean water is sooooo important!!!!

I helped a girl last year she doesn't have ANYTHING!!  and she bought one calf and paid like $400
And used all my stuff lol, but i dont mind, i like helping, so I let her use my blocking chute and blower and well actually come to think of it I clipped him and fitted him out to lol.

so you dont really need a blower or blocking chute but I highly suggest you get those they are your two main tools,  especally if your going to be doing it for a few more years. 
Ok now if you want somthing to follow, I will pm you what I do every day with my calves and what things I use too.
That is if you want to be a professional like me   haha!!!
cheers  <beer>

Find somebody who's just graduated. When i got done we sold everything we had, in bulk, for 2200. Showbox, 2 blowers, setup, 8 fans ( some pretty beat up) hanging feeders for pens, buckets, water tubs, feed pans, and everything else we had aquired in the showbox over 16 years in the steer barn.

We sold our trim chute seperate for 300.

Something i didn't see mentioned, SHOW HALTERS, buy a good one, and please use a normal halter for your calf at the show, nothing says beginner like a family that still uses the horse halter type with the cotton rope

NSF said:

SFASUshowman said:

I showed angus, hereford, and club calves, and I had as good a hair as anyone on show day...true I may not have had the 3-4 inches the cool room calves showed up with or even the 2 inches that people with more elaborate facilities showed up with.

Click to expand...

If you didn't have the cooler shag, how can you say you had "as good of hair on show day"? I think you are merely marginalizing the other calves' hair coats to make your calves coat better in your mind because what you posted about the hair coats just doesn't make sense.

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I didnt say I had as much hair as everyone else, I said I had good hair, as in quality, lets face it the majority of cooler shag gets clipped off before show day...we just want it there to have the hair to work with hide faults on our calves, so most of it gets clipped down...I didnt say I had that much hair...just quality of what hair my calves had...by the time the big boys had clipped the majority of their cooler shag off, you couldnt tell the difference in our calves hair coats...and just because a calf has cooler shag doesnt mean its quality hair...I have seen calves come out o f the cooler with tons of hair that goes 90 different directions because it was never worked and not trained..in my opinion growing hair is not the important thing...anyone can throw a calf in a cooler and make him grow hair...its working the hair and training so that it looks good that is important and shows who put in the hard work....a ton of hair that isnt well trained doesnt make someone look like more of a professional...it makes them look like someone who had money to blow and didnt want to put any effort in

thank you steernc for reading my post and seeing that it said you dont have to get it all at once.  <beer> im glad we have observant people on here  (thumbsup) (no offense to you if you wearnt one of the ones who quoted it "black cows').