DOC HARRIS":qjl8edbf said:
Someone please correct me if I am mistaken - but I was under the impression that this . . . .person. . . . caved in on the Polled Hereford game, and became a - - you-betcha', sure as heck, top dog Angus enthusiast - - Black through and through! Even changed the farm name. None of this "Hill Creek" jazz anymore! :roll: Straight arrow, high class, premium stuff only - - ANGUS.
A check of the Hereford cattle that Matthew advertised in the Hereford World magazine in July and August all show new owners. Perhaps he was just using the word "Our" as he would "We", in terms of "We cattle owners living in Virginia". I certainly don't think he meant that any cattle sold in the sale belonged to him personally. But I'm not certain that he didn't post that way just to get a reaction, though.
I was a lurker back when the HCF "meltdown" took place on this forum. I think the combination of his enthusiasm and lack of maturity really got him into trouble with people on this forum. Then with every subsequent action - and reaction - Matthew just dug the hole deeper and deeper to the point that he would never gain any respect here. I honestly felt sorry for him. I kept thinking how I would react if I had my hands on some of the best Hereford breeding cattle in the country at such a young age and I was challenged about it, as he was by other board members. Truthfully, I'm not sure that my reaction would have been that much better at 22. Now, I've got 30+ more years "experience" under my belt that has made me smarter than I was at 22.
I think Matthew failed to understand that buying and owning great cattle doesn't make you a great cattle breeder. Only after you've owned them for while, bred them, and produced a couple of generations of offspring from the breeding decisions that you've made would most cattlemen begin to regard you as a "breeder" at all. And the HCF prefix might have meant something then.
Matthew has saddled himself with an albatross that will be very difficult to overcome. Regardless of what he has - or hasn't learned from his experiences on this forum, he will have to work extra hard to live it down in the future. The cattle industry(even Angus breeders) is not SO large that he won't be reminded of his posts and antics here sometime in the future, as I'm sure that some have preserved the posts and threads on their computers for future reference.
He will certainly have to endure some ribbing, good natured and otherwise, if he continues with his dream of becoming a successful cattle BREEDER. I wish him well! And I especially wish him the insight to understand that the best thing he could do is to take at least a 5 year hiatus from this forum - until he has a couple or three generations of actually breeding cattle under his belt.
I'm reminded of a statement made to me in my youth by an elderly gentleman. He said, "Son, a smart person makes mistakes! But a smart person doesn't make the same mistake over and over!"
I do wish you luck, Matt!
George
