A born cattleman

Caden Campbell is a freshman at Granbury High School. He is part of a series of stories the Hood County News is providing readers concerning the journey of FFA students during the course of the year.

Caden Campbell was dressed sharply for his interview with the Hood County News in a crisply pressed button-down, his best straw hat by his side. He greets with a firm handshake and warmly holds eye contact. Already a southern gentleman, he is a credit to his upbringing and the support of FFA. Like his peers in FFA, Caden’s answers either begin “Yes, ma’am” or “No ma’am.”

Caden’s primary focus is FFA. Before high school, Caden participated in junior FFA. He now participates in Leadership Development Events, referred to as LDEs among FFA students. Specifically, Caden’s events are Agriculture Issues and Job Interview. Caden also competes in Career Development Events (CDEs). His CDE is Livestock Judging.

Campell shows rabbits, a barrow pig and a heifer. He is the secretary for the Granbury Junior FFA officer team, and a Hood County Junior Livestock Ambassador. Caden is a member of the American Junior Brahman Association and serves in the greeter ministry at Pecan Baptist Church where his family worships.

Students in the FFA program learn all the ins and outs of farm and ranch life and food production. For some students this is all new information, but for Caden, who has grown up on a ranch, agriculture is part of his lifestyle and his family’s culture.

When asked his favorite to animal show Caden’s quick reply is, “definitely cattle.”

Together with the Ballew family, the Caden family owns 104 Cattle Company. Caden and his younger brother Hunter, age12, help dad Blake and mom Amber with the chores that are required on a ranch. Perhaps that is why Caden enjoys showing cattle best, because he feels he knows them best.

“Growing up on a cattle ranch makes it a little bit easier. Knowing how they will react in certain circumstances for example,” shared Caden.

Blake Campbell participated in FFA while a student in Dayton. Amber Causey Campbell is local to Granbury. The two met at Tarleton and chose Hood County as the place to raise their family.

Blake Campbell had shared with his son about his FFA days, which partially influenced Caden to join FFA.

“My Dad grew up showing calves himself. He told me about his experiences and how he had a bunch of fun doing it. It was mostly just my choice, because when I heard about what he did, I said, ‘I want to do that’,” said Caden.

Selecting the heifer Caden would show was a family affair.

“So for my heifer, we — actually me and my family — we went out and just in Texas, and we drove around. We’d already scheduled appointments with these breeders, but we went around looking at different breeders. And pretty much from that, we chose which one I wanted the most,” the younger Caden said.

Caden keeps his Oakley (the heifer) at the ag barn on the Granbury ISD property, where he spends at least 10 hours a week caring for her.

Acquiring Caden’s pigs works differently than cattle.

“The ag teacher will go up north to get pigs. Normally they'll ask for cash and they'll go up there and they'll purchase your pig based on what they think looks best for you. So that's how I got my pig. I had the ag teachers purchase it,” Caden explains. Caden has named this year’s pig Earl.

And the rabbits?

“There's just a great big rabbit breeder — just brings in tons of rabbits. I normally will come up here (to the ag barn) and we'll just pick out which ones we want,” shares Caden. The FFA students receive their rabbits in December.

Caden believes it is both breeding and good care that yields a good show animal.

“There's definitely a lot (of success owed) to breeding, but the care they get — the level of care, especially the show animals (is instrumental), because they need it, because you can't just turn them out to a pasture,” Campell said. “I could go to regular pasture cattle — whenever you try to get a halter on them, they'll freak out, they will run, so it's definitely a lot of both.”

FFA helps teach financial literacy as well.

“All my animals that I bought … my parents helped fund my very first project which was rabbits my seventh-grade year. After that, luckily, I've made the sale, and I've been able to make a little bit of money from the sale at the county show. And from there, I'm able to reinvest my money into my new projects,” Caden shares.

FFA students build a strong bond with their animals. Some animals will be sold at the end of the year and some go back to the breeders, and a select few are kept by the students or given to a rancher they know.

“With the pigs — since I show barrows, they're castrated males. So those will actually go on and at the major shows, they will get put onto a trailer. And I get about roughly $100 for the pig, but it just goes up to big processing plants, and they normally just get processed and sold,” Campell said.

Oakley will have a different fate.

“My heifer, I plan on, I guess, showing her for three years. This year I'll show her as just a heifer. Next year, I'll show her as a bred heifer. After she calves, I’ll show her as a cow/calf pair.

And the rabbits?

“My rabbits, we normally either sell them or we always give them away, but I think this year we're actually planning on dispatching them.”

But that is months away, so for now Caden feeds and grooms and shows and cares for his animals with his eye on doing his best at each show.

“I hope I can place high with them all, but I'm hoping to build a strong bond and relationship with them, especially the heifer. I've had her since July. I'm hoping that I'll be able to have a strong enough bond for with her, for all my major shows coming up, so that she’ll be able to trust me in a show ring. In that way she can believe I won't hurt her.”